Epilogue
Delarus, the Bearer, nodded with satisfaction as he looked from the shade of the pavilion out to Holden's Gate. All was as he had ordered. Five guards stood in front of the gate, alert and implacable. Dogs held by short leashes slavered at their feet. Additional guards, and dogs, were stationed every ten yards along the wall in both directions as far as he could see.
Some of the guards had grumbled about overkill when Delarus had ordered them to leave their regular posts and report here. He dismissed their complaints. He had done what was necessary.
As he always did.
He had formulated his plans only recently, the day after Gabriel's farewell banquet three nights ago. In an attempt both to make Gabriel comfortable and to avoid a debate about the virtues and failings of slavery, he had barred from the event all slaves except for the servers.
The evening had gone without a hitch. The table was beautifully appointed, the food plentiful, the wine the best Riviera could offer. But, more importantly, conversation flowed in a manner it rarely did when humans were giving half an eye or more to their slaves.
He had made a heartfelt, eloquent toast, in which he called Gabriel a son and embraced him. When Gabriel seemed on the verge of giving a speech of his own, Delarus had signaled the orchestra to begin playing. Gabriel had accepted being silenced with good grace.
But the next day, what was supposed to be a small gathering of Gabriel's closest friends had expanded spontaneously and exponentially. Humans and slaves alike had arrived at Gabriel's quarters. When it became apparent that they would overrun not only his apartment but the entire quad, the party had moved to the damn painter's revel room. It would be an exaggeration to say that the barriers between the races had fallen away, but it was certain that slaves had been seemingly unsupervised and that many of them had taken at least minor liberties and had gone unpunished.
Delarus, of course, had heard about the gathering before it began, and had received reports throughout the afternoon. He could have easily and quickly broken it up merely by appearing. Out of courtesy to Gabriel he stayed away, instead dispatching guards to ensure quietly that the situation did not grow out of control.
Delarus had initially banned slaves from accompanying Gabriel to the gate, just as he had banned them from the banquet. But as Gabriel's party had continued through into the evening Delarus had reconsidered. He decided instead to take advantage of the opportunity to undo some of the damage Gabriel had done during his time in Riviera. Let the slaves come. Many of them would have heard overblown accounts of the short-lived escape attempt of Gabriel's housegirl. Let them come, and see, and spread the word: Mariah's escapade could never be repeated. Any attempt to do so would be absolutely futile, and could result only in torture and death.
Delarus toyed with the idea of letting the curs at one of the slaves, after Gabriel left, then decided that doing so would be both unsportsmanlike and unnecessary.
He turned to his left. A few yards away Gabriel was trying to check the bags on one of his horses, but was mobbed by well-wishers coming for one last goodbye. As Delarus walked over, his wife Yana joined him. He greeted her and allowed himself a moment just to enjoy her presence. Then, with her by his side he put on his fierce face and shooed everyone else away from Gabriel. Only the stablemaster -- Stefan was his name -- and a diminutive red-haired slavegirl remained, the man fiddling with the saddles while the girl talked to the larger horse.
"Leave off," Delarus ordered Stefan. "If Gabriel can't saddle a horse it's better we know it sooner rather than later."
Stefan nodded. He shook Gabriel's hand and squeezed his arm. The slave girl hugged the horse, and turned to Gabriel. He kissed her cheek. Delarus watched Stefan start to lead the girl away, and then stop to speak with Mariah as she came through the edge of the crowd. Delarus sighed and turned to Gabriel.
"You have my letter to my son?"
Gabriel nodded, and smiled briefly in greeting to Yana. He pointed to a saddle bag on the mule. "It's folded in the medical treatise, double waterproofed." He looked at Yana. "Yours too, and the notes from your other children."
