The day grinds on. Ajax selects 12 men, women and children to leave that night. Inglorion said he’d speak to them personally, but none is in a position to understand and reply. They’re gaunt, pale, feverish. The wounds from their irons are infected. An older woman’s limbs have swollen painfully around her irons, and gangrene […]
Aramil, Lucius and Ajax tether their horses a quarter-mile down the road. Aramil and Lucius take up firing positions on opposite embankments, where they’re covered by underbrush and have a commanding view of the trail. Inglorion and Valentine remain mounted, concealed in the trees just off the road; Ajax hangs back, prepared to take prisoners […]
T – 6 hours. It’s pitch black. Valentine, Lucius and Inglorion are walking their horses up and down the square in front of Valentine’s flat. Valentine is muttering, “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” As the minutes pass, his curses become more complex and vicious, and Lucius looks increasingly apprehensive and miserable. Every now and then Lucius casts an […]
Inglorion paces for another hour after Virginia flees the sitting room in tears. He dreads joining her in her bedchamber. His stomach is churning. There’s no chance he’ll get into trance. He has to saddle up and ride out in less than five hours, well before dawn. Finally he climbs the stairs, his steps heavy […]
In retrospect, the signs will seem obvious. The Magnificent Five capture 12 more shipments prior to their final ride. At first, it was as easy as adventuring in the old days, when he and Sieia and various chance-met companions stripped wealth from disorganized groups that could be loosely considered enemies. Over time, Inglorion notices a progression […]
Inglorion has several frivolous ideas about how he’d like to be portrayed — or, at least, ideas that he can’t explain, like posing in a corset — but he keeps thinking that, damn it, he wants Lawrence to draw him in a library with a copy of the Iliad. It’s far from an unusual desire. […]
The Magnificent Five still ride out at least weekly, so time is scarce. Even so, to Inglorion’s surprise, he’s intrigued and humbled, and feels compelled to be drawn, just like he used to seek out mirrors to study his Drow eyes. He’s also seen enough to know that if he intends to collaborate with Lawrence, […]
The painter, John Lawrence, greets Inglorion at the studio door by surveying him critically from queue to boots. He says in a marveling tone, “Good God, you’re fucking perfect.” “Why, thank you.” “Come in. I’ll make you tea and explain my vision.” Lawrence steps back, admitting Inglorion into a single, high-ceilinged room. The west and […]
The pace of operations increases. In their second month, the Magnificent Five stop eight shipments, and ride out two and three nights a week. Their fame spreads beyond political circles, and all five become minor folk heroes. As they’re riding back early one morning, Aramil says, “Inglorion, don’t let me forget. My friend John Lawrence […]
From the beginning, Inglorion finds the task of turning five individuals into a team both absorbing and daunting. All five are clever, skilled and devoted to the cause. They’re also far from perfect. Valentine is a busybody: Rigid, convinced of his own righteousness and insight. Ajax is quietly efficient, and uncomplaining and uncritical to a […]
