Publius Maximus took his seat opposite the three strangers who had arrived in the city just hours earlier. The youth was tall, even sitting down, and muscular, if a little thin. His closely cropped hair was light brown, and his features regular, almost angular. He was a handsome man. He had surrendered his weapons willingly to the guard, knowing that he was a guest in the province. On either side of him sat the two girls. One was unmistakably his kinswoman, probably his sister, Publius Maximus surmised. She was younger, and very pretty, obviously nervous. She fidgetted with her hands, and crossed and uncrossed her pretty, long legs as she waited for the general to open the conversation. The other girl was older, with long, dark brown hair. Her demeanour was altogether different. It was obvious to the general that she was a slave. A slave who had at one time been a free woman.

'You have been given food and drink, I hope?' Publius Maximus asked, leaning forward.

'We have been well looked after, thank you,' the youth replied.

'Can I assume that you will do the talking for all three of you?'

'You can.'

'Very well. Who are you and why have you come to Horta? Are you seeking asylum?'

'We are not. We came to Horta because it is the homeland of our friend, and we seek him.'

'Your friend being?'

'Marcellus.'

'And you know him from where?'

'From Amanus, in the foothills south of Mekhitar, which is north-west of Horta. From Mekhitar, where we were imprisoned together.'

'I would have your names, then.'

'I am Arslan, of Amanus. This is my sister, Melisende. The other is Yolande. She belongs to Marcellus.'

Yolande, who had been staring nervously at the floor, now coloured considerably.

'You seem uncomfortable,' Publius Maximus said to her.

'Forgive me, my lord, I am used to being kept outside.....'

Publius Maximus held up his hand.

'There are two issues here relating to you, young lady,' he said. 'The first is that Marcellus is a very good friend of mine and would never ill treat a lady, even a lady who is owned by him. Secondly, your nervousness of me proceeds from a false assumption that I will treat you badly. Not so. Proceed, Arslan.'

'We met in the forest around Amanus. Marcellus took us into his party. He was going to Mekhitar to look for Saria. He assisted in the defence of my village against the warriors from Mekhitar. We were captured together in Mekhitar and he was taken to Eskishehir. We have no further knowledge of him, but thought that his homeland would be the best place to start our search for him.'

'How do you know he is still alive?' Publius Maximus asked softly.

'In Amanus a manuscript was read from, proving that he still lived. How it came to the village we do not know.'

Publius Maximus nodded slowly.

'I know of the manuscript. I brought it out of Pekeesh, where I last saw Marcellus. I lodged it here in the great library. No doubt copies were made of it and distributed amongst traders and militia. It is not difficult to imagine a copy of the manuscript making its way across the ocean to your village.'

'And he is then still alive?'

'He was. Many months have passed since I saw him.'

'We came to search for him.'

'I understand that. I cannot help you, I do not know where he is now.'

'But you will surely be searching for him yourself?'

'I have many important tasks to attend to here in Horta. There has been much treachery while Marcellus and I were away from the city. Vitellius tricked the senate into lending him their support against the great plains tribes. Had it not been for Marcellus, his plan would have succeeded.'

'Vitellius controls most of the western continent, north of Shar-Mak,' Arslan said. 'His followers are already marching south to attack and retake Horta. Ibn Jubayr will be hard-pressed to defend it successfully for a second time.'

'And you thought ot find Marcellus and bring him back to the western lands to assist in that campaign?'

'That was our plan, yes.'

'Even if I knew where he was, Arslan, I doubt he would be able to help you at the present time. There is so much to be done here, this side of the ocean.'

'That is part of Vitellius' plan, to divide us and conquer!'

Publius Maximus nodded.

'I can see that. The problem is, even were it in my remit to send troops to Horta to assist the kjal there, we have no treaty with any lands in the western provinces. I believe the hiring of a mercenary band would be your best plan.'

'We have no assets for such an option. If we could find Marcellus, I believe we could persuade him to divert his attention to Horta at least for a short while, to train men, to boost their morale. He is a legend in the west.'

'He is also a legend in the east, and I feel sure that the Warikeewa and the Hunyapa have as great a need of him as do the men of Horta. I am sorry, Arslan. You and your companions are of course welcome to stay in Horta for as long as you wish, and as my guests, for he spoke kindly of you all, but I regret I am unable to assist you in your quest.'

'Can you at least tell us where he was last seen?'

'I cannot even do that, my friend. After the Pekeesh campaign, our paths crossed briefly, then we went our separate ways. I believe he stayed in Warikeewa camp for a while, assisting in the rebuilding of the camp and the ploughing of the crops and so on. He has not been seen for many months to my knowledge.'

'I do not believe you,' Arslan said, his eyes narrowing. 'I think you are hiding something from us.'

'Very well, let me rephrase that last sentence for you. Marcellus of Barbessel has not been seen by me for several months.'

'But he has been in the city recently?' Arslan said excitedly.

'You are an astute young man. Yes, he was in the city recently, but now no-one knows where he is.'

'How long ago?'

'A few days.'

'Then he could by now be anywhere!'

'That is what I have been trying to tell you.'

'I may be able to pick up his trail!'

'It is some time soince he was here, a few days. There has been rain.'

'Nevertheless, I could try.'

'You could try.'

'I will try, tomorrow. We are tired from our journey. We need to rest.'

'My captain will take you to my apartments. My two girls will make you comfortable there.'

'Our thanks, General Maximus.'

'There is one thing before you leave, Arslan.'

'What is it?'

'There was a girl, a blonde-haired girl, Saria.....'

'Yes?'

'Was she not one of your party?'

'She was not. She was captured by Vitellius and taken to Mekhitar. That was where Marcellus was leading us. He was searching for her.'

'Did he find her?'

'He found her, yes.'

'Tell me about it.'

'Marcellus was deceived by another woman, Ravenna, into believing she was Saria, and that she had turned against him. Vitellius used Ravenna to condemn Marcellus to death in Eskishehir. We saw Marcellus taken away to be left to die in a cave with some creature from which there was apparently no escape. We were later able to escape from Eskishehir, and made our way back to Amanus, where we found Saria, the girl, and a banu. An old man, Maerluinn, was able to persuade us that Marcellus was still alive by reading from the manuscript I have already mentioned. The girl, Saria, was put on trial, and it became apparent that she was not guilty of anything.'

'Where is she now?' Publius Maximus asked.

'I do not know. She and the banu left Amanus to look for Marcellus. They would not wait for us.'

'Why were you not able to accompany them?'

'There had been  a raid on our village, and there were many injuries and repairs to be taken care of. We remained in the village for only a few days, but there was no sign of their trail.'

Publius Maximus nodded.

'There are a number of routes out of Amanus, and in any case, would they have known any beter than you which direction to take in their quest for Marcellus?'

'I do not think so.'

'Very well, Arslan. If you will excuse me, I must now attend to some of my more pressing duties. I am most sorry that I cannot assist you in your search for Marcellus. I wish I could. I need him here, in Horta. I believe there may be trouble brewing for us here soon. Good day to you.'

Melisende, who, like Yolande, had remained completely silent thus far, now spoke.

'General, even if you cannot assist by telling us in which direction we should search for Marcellus, will you at least assist us with supplies, and transport?'

'Of course. There are many wagons and deichen belonging to me from which you may take your pick. Food and drink will also be made available to your for your journey.'

'Thank you. And can you provide us with a map of this part of Heraklion?'

'There are maps in the great library.  I will make sure you have access to them before you begin your journey.'

'Again, our thanks to you.'

The interview was at last over. When they had gone, Publius Maximus called his captain, Jorvennus.

'You are aware that Talbrik, the man we apprehended last night with the two girls, is seeking Marcellus, Jorvennus?'

'I am aware, General.'

'He claims to be an assassin. What do you know of assassins?'

'As I understand it, the assassins are a breed of men with no family ties or connections who inhabit the northern hills of Ancyros. There is also an enclave in Caspax, on the southern coast, I believe. Such men are apparently used to hunt down and kill quarry specified by the person or persons employing them. They are easily identified by their wearing of a silver dagger around their neck, on a kind of necklet. My understanding is that assassins are totally without fear, without allegiance of any kind, and rarely fail in their mission.'

Publius Maximus nodded.

'That is also my understanding. I assume the man was thoroughly searched before we put him in the cells?'

'I gave the order, General.

'Was a necklet found anywhere on his person holding a silver dagger?'

'It was not, General.'

'Do you believe that he is an assassin, Jorvennus?'

'He has all of the characteristics, General. If his claims of killing several men within the past few days it is difficult to imagine him to be anything other than an assassin.'

'You may be right. There may be a logical explanation for the disappearance of his necklet. There again, he may have a personal grudge against Marcellus, and may have been persuaded to assume the identity of an assassin in order to further his quest.'

'It is possible, then, that his name is not Talbrik at all, but that he killed someone of that name and assumed his identity.'

'That is indeed possible, Jorvennus. Tell me, do you know of any reason why an assassin might not strike up an acquaintance with a woman such as the older of the two who were with him last night?'

'It is my understanding, General, that the assassine steer clear of all personal friendships, using instead the services of prostitutes whenever they feel the need.'

'You have confirmed everything I believed to be true about assassins, Jorvennus. I wonder what his reaction would be if I were to challenge him about the absence of the silver dagger. Better still, get me one in the street market, and I will tell him that we found it on the ground outside the city this morning.'

'Very good, General.'

'Jorvennus, before you go, what is your reading of the political situation in the city right now?'

'There is considerable unrest, General. Rumours have been spread about Marcellus being a traitor to Barbessel, which half of the people seem inclined to believe, the other half to dismiss. It seems that the secret treaty signed between the senate and Vitellius has now become public knowledge. Again, half of the people who have traditionally hated the plains bronzeskins are in favour of it, the other half have a more balanced view, and believe that such a treaty should never ave been signed. The death of Senator Octavius Kestren will not have helped Marcellus in this respect.'

'Where do the militia stand?'

'For the most part, the militia are firmly behind Marcellus and, of course, yourself. Although it would never be confirmed or proved, it is my belief that Marcellus was helped in his escape from the city by one of our own guards at the north gate.'

'Radulf, the man who went with him?'

'No, Sir. Not he. Garain, a pikesman at the north gate. He is an old and trusted man, but it is quite likely that he helped. Apparently he was injured trying to prevent their escape, or at least, that is what he says, but knowing of his loyalty to Marcellus, it is far more likely that he allowed himself to be injured to obscure the fact that he was assisting them.'

'And Radulf. Do you believe he went willingly?'

'I do not understand, General.'

'Radulf. Is his father not dying of the Virensis?'

'Yes, Sir, he is.'

'Well, then, does it seem likely that he would have high-tailed it with Marcellus, whom he does not know, leaving Garain injured and his father dying?'

'No, it does not seem likely,' admitted Jorvennus.

'Well, then, this is what I think happened. Marcellus had an interview with Kestren, as we know. After he left, the senator was killed by people trying to destroy the age-old treaty between us and the bronzeskins. Marcellus was then hunted down throughout the city, but took refuge somewhere, we know not where, and attempted to escape under cover of darkness, knowing that someone like Garain would be on duty at the north gate. Radulf would have tried to stop him, but between them Marcellus and Garain persuaded him that Marcellus was going to escape no matter what. It is my belief that Marcellus forced Radulf to go with him as his prisoner so that he could not implicate Garain in the incident.'

'That sounds like the sort of thing Marcellus would do, yes.'

'Jorvennus, we have much work to do. I meet with the senate within the next hour. I am sure I can persuade them that the treaty they signed with Vitellius should be destroyed. In the meantime, I need to speak with Talbrik again before he is released. And I want you to make arrangements for a small party to follow Talbrik when he leaves the city. I imagine he will stay around for a few days, trying to find clues as to where Marcellus has gone. When he leaves, you and I will be following him. If he is indeed an assassin, he will lead us to Marcellus far quicker than we could find him ourselves, as sure as I'm sitting here.'

'You and me, General?'

'You have a problem with that, Jorvennus?'

'Of course not, General.'

'Then get to it. Put a tail on him when I release him in an hour's time. I don't want to lose him. And don't forget the silver dagger.'