Bleist stopped beside Bellator to catch his breath for a moment before he had to start weighing his words again. He was capable of doing so, some would say he was very good at it, but it was exhausting all the same. What’s more, it was slowly becoming apparent that something he’d previously been unable to imagine living without seemed to bring nothing but trouble, and his thoughts kept drifting towards his apprentice. Ever since Draco had turned up, everything had been changing. Some things quickly, others more slowly. For some reason, that thought brought a wry smile to his face.
‘It seems someone has been watching the lake very closely.’ Darius almost flinched at the sound of Rex’s voice right behind him. ‘You could say it’s a truly royal welcome.’
‘Yes, and Lieutenant Al-Satar was the first to arrive, not the governor.’ The colonel turned to his deputy. ‘Perhaps that’s for the best. I’m not particularly keen on meeting Murphy.’
‘I'm afraid we can't avoid it.’ The corporal smiled wryly. ‘Do you remember those sentries at the gate?’
Darius managed to let out a few expletives before biting his tongue.
‘I would have forgotten all about them,’ he said gloomily and quickly peered into the saddlebags. Inside was a small box with its illicit contents. ‘Indeed, that will need sorting out too.’
‘At least that should go smoothly.’
‘Don't count your chickens before they’re hatched.’ Darius no longer had the slightest inclination to assume that anything would go well.
The welcome on the quay must have been organised at short notice. The military cleared almost everyone away from the ferry mooring and cordoned off that section of the harbour fairly tightly. However, this did not mean that the traces of everyday life suddenly vanished from the area. Old bins, hastily cleared stalls, rubbish strewn across the cobblestones, partially unloaded carts – it was all there. And in the middle of it all stood a lieutenant in what looked like a new grey infantry uniform and a turban on his head. It seemed that units serving in Africa were in
