The White Robe by Clare Smith

want, but he would show them. Sarrat had turned Leersland into a powerful kingdom and he had everything that Sarrat had and more besides. He looked again into the mirror and smiled in satisfaction as a dark figure reflected back from behind him.
     
    “Ah, Sadrin, the black suits you as I said it would.”
     
    The young magician stepped forward, his robes almost black except for the fleeting grey shadows which swirled around him like a maiden with her first ball gown. “Your Majesty,” he said, tasting the words on his tongue to see how they fit. “Your Majesty, the kingdom is yours and I am your loyal servant.”
     
    “Yes, I know you are and together we will be great, far greater than even Sarrat and Maladran are. However, before we can show the rest of the six kingdoms just how great we can be, we need to turn this kingdom’s greedy nobility and lazy peasants into productive workers and obedient soldiers, willing to die for their king when asked. For that we will need a change in attitude and coin, lots of coin. To get that coin we need men with special skills and in the same way as I have chosen you and have nurtured your skills, I have been developing others to rise to the challenges before us. Are my guests waiting outside?”
     
    “Yes, My Lord, and I assume by the way they are snarling at each other they are strangers and have not met before.
     
    “Yes, that is so, so this should be interesting. Show them in.”
     
    Sadrin walked to the plain door of the audience chamber and opened it. He beckoned the three men in whilst Vorgret took an ornately carved ebon seat with deep red cushions on a raised dais where he could look down on people but still see his reflection in the mirror. The three men lined up in front of him with Sadrin slightly behind them and all four gave brief bows.
     
    “Kneel before your king,” commanded Sadrin, seeing a scowl cross Vorgret’s face at their lack of respect. Two responded immediately but the third hesitated until a blow from behind knocked him to the floor.
     
    “Thank you, Sadrin, it was so good of you to remind my guests of their manners. Now gentlemen you may rise.” The three men stood and the one who had been knocked to the ground by the magician’s spell looked over his shoulder and glowered at him before returning his attention to the king.
     
    “As my black magician has announced, I am now King of Essenland and it is time that the three of you repaid the investment I have made, in making your life more comfortable than you deserve and developing your individual talents. If you work hard you will all be very rich men with enough land, slaves and whores to keep you happy for the rest of your lives. On the other hand if you disappoint me or even dare to think that you would like to sit in this chair with a crown on your head, Sadrin will burn you alive from the inside out. Do I make myself clear?”
     
    The three men nodded.
     
    “Captain Bant.” The man on the left in the black uniform came to attention and saluted. Even without a sword at his side he looked dangerous; massively built with the scars on his arms and hands gained from a life as a mercenary. The calluses around his wrists identified him as a onetime slave.
     
    “You will take command of my army. Take your men and dispose of the high command starting with Commander Stanis who was a favourite of my father. Make sure their heads are on pikes outside each barracks before the guards parade in the morning. When the first man complains I want the men in that unit decimated, messily, and then work the rest until they drop. If there is any dissent after that, execute the dissenter and his family. Once you have their loyalty you are to train them to be real soldiers in your image, not the dressed up fops my father allowed.”
     
    Bant gave a sadistic grin and saluted again.
     
    “Quim, you are my tax collector. You will go to every dwelling in the city, starting with the nobility, and assess