She leaned forward. “Now, what does Kaspar really want?”
“I can only guess, but I think he means to ensure you don’t end up aiding other enemies. The mapping expedition was clearly designed to find a clear route through to Olasko Gateway, and that’s of great concern to the Duke.”
“Understandable,” said the Princess, dipping her finger in Tal’s wine, then playfully outlining his lips with the finger.
Tal felt himself growing warm, and would have merely attributed it to the wine and the Princess’s seductive play, except that his training at Sorcerer’s Isle told him that something else was going on. He sipped his wine, applying his tutored palate to the task, and after a long sip identified a strange and ever-so-slightly bitter quality in the finish of the wine that was not supposed to be there.
He wasn’t certain what had been added to the wine, but he suspected a particular powder made from a certain tree bark. It was sold throughout both the Kingdom of the Isles and in Roldem as a curative for older men whose ardor was flagging. At his age it was unnecessary, but it certainly did seem to be working.
He put the goblet aside. “I think what my lord Duke _______________
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really wants is to find one of his borders secure, so he can turn his mind to other things. He has ambitions—”
“As well we know,” said Svetlana, moving even closer as she started tracing Tal’s jawline with her finger.
“—ambitions that require he not fear for the safety of Olasko on multiple fronts.
“He sees your husband as a tool of Miskalon or Roskalon, or perhaps even the Isles, and would like to find an absolute way to end that threat.”
She kissed him, then moved back slightly, and whispered, “We must find another way to reassure our beloved Kaspar, but we will never swear fealty. Perhaps you could attend a meeting with my husband’s Cabinet tomorrow, and we shall ponder things a little while longer.”
Tal whispered back, “I am at your service.”
Smiling, she pulled him forward as she lay back on the divan, and said, “Yes, you are.”
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As morning drew near, the Princess said, “Time to go.”
Tal dressed. As he pulled his boots on, he said, “I thank Her Highness for her hospitality.”
Svetlana laughed, a genuinely amused, warm sound. “I thank the Squire for his enthusiasm.”
“That was easy enough, m’lady.” He leaned over and kissed her. “The drug in the wine was unnecessary.”
She feigned a pout. “At my age one worries.”
“With your beauty, you needn’t.”
She rose up, ignoring her nakedness. Embracing him, she said, “You have no idea how difficult it has been. Since our two children were conceived, our last over a decade ago, my husband . . . let’s say he prefers the company of others.”
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Tal shrugged. “His loss.”
“And it’s so difficult sometimes to convince a young man of the court that . . . well, they fear the Prince’s wrath.” Her voice turning bitter, she added, “When they should expect his thanks and relief.”
“I might fear him, save I expect to be departing tomorrow, perhaps with a declaration of war following me.”
She escorted him to the door of her apartment. Kissing him deeply, she said, “All is not lost. You’re a wonderful boy, and I admire you, but I shall not bend my stance for your protection. However, I will tell you that war is a last resort, and I see no joy in it. I will expect you to make a persuasive brief to the Cabinet this afternoon, Tal. Give me something to work with and we can prevent it.” Lowering her eyes, she said, “Either way, I expect we shall talk about this alone, later tonight?”
“My pleasure, Highness,” said Tal before kissing her once more, then leaving the apartment.
If the palace guards were surprised to see a visiting envoy leaving the Princess’s private apartments at dawn, they did a masterful job of disguising the fact. They held their positions with eyes forward as Tal returned to his own quarters.
He entered the room and found Amafi asleep in a chair, feet out before him, next to a table covered in vials and jars. As the door closed with a faint click of the latch, Amafi came awake.
“Magnificence,” said Amafi. He stood and pointed to the table. “It is done.”
Tal looked at Amafi in surprise. “After you left,”
Amafi said, “I took the liberty of completely inspecting these premises. Salmater observes the formalities of diplomacy. There are no secret listening posts or peepholes, of that I’m certain.”
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Tal nodded, then looked at the clutter and said,
“Which one?”
Amafi picked up a tiny blue vial, and said “This is the one.”
“No one is suspicious?”
“I paused at three apothecaries, buying different ingredients at each, telling the guards I could not find that which I needed for your health. They were bored and distracted by the time I had wasted the entire morning in several shops seeking more gifts for Lady Natalia.” He pointed to another table in the corner, where several ob-jets d’art, items of personal jewelry, and bottles of rare perfume rested.
“Natalia will be most amused,” said Tal.
“How was your night, Magnificence?”
“Pleasant enough,” said Tal. “It’s a shame, in a way.
She thinks me a young fool and will try to play me to her advantage while I am sent back to Kaspar with a clever little request from her husband. It’s a ploy to buy time.
“It’s a shame we can’t find out who she sends messages to and identify the true architect of this plot against Olasko.”
“You might if you could find a source of information inside the palace. Minister Odeski seems a man of ambition.”
Tal grinned. “My assessment as well. But all this cannot play out in one night. We must get back to Olasko before the unfortunate events that are to take place transpire.” He motioned to all apothecary items on the table. “Make sure everything is destroyed.”
“Of course, Magnificence. I will drop a vial into different garderobes throughout the palace. No one will be sifting through the middens, I am certain.”
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wagons and perhaps dumped outside the city or spread out in the midden fields to dry and later be used for fertilizer on local farms. Either way, should a farmer find a tiny blue glass bottle in his fertilizer, he would have no idea where it came from.
“Very well, that should do it.”
“What then today, Magnificence?”
“Today I rest until called before the Prince’s Privy Council, at which time I can sit and watch the Princess run the nation. It should be entertaining, if predictable.”
He moved to the door to his bedroom. “Wake me at an hour after noon, and have some food ready. I expect to be in with the council all afternoon. Then another banquet.”
“Then the Princess?” asked Amafi.
“Then the Princess, assuming a handsome young palace guard doesn’t take her fancy during supper.”
“Not to worry, Magnificence.”
“The Princess seems a woman of fickle appetites, and you seem sure of yourself.”
“I know women, Magnificence, or at least as well as any man might. You are a novelty, and from what I heard before taking your service, well regarded by the ladies.
And even if he’s a very handsome young guard, he will be here next week, and you will not.”
Tal smiled. “You are probably right.” He took the blue vial and put it in his belt pouch, then entered his bedroom and closed the door. As he fell into bed, he could hear Amafi clearing up the accumulated items and was sound asleep by the time Amafi left to get rid
of the evidence.
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The meeting was proceeding exactly as Tal had anticipated. The Cabinet appeared unconvinced of Duke Kas-
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par’s resolve, and Tal had on several occasions to inform them that he had been given no latitude to negotiate.
First Minister Odeski tried more than once to beg more time of Tal, and each time Tal gave the same answer: any reply to Kaspar that wasn’t full acquiescence would be seen as defiance. Salmater would come to heel or be crushed. Tal managed to convey this choice in as diplomatic a fashion as possible, but he gave no hint of leeway.
As the meeting dragged on, Tal realized the truth of Kaspar’s observation. Princess Svetlana let Prince Janosh prattle on at length, but whenever it became time to move to the next item of discussion, it was the Princess who made that decision.
Tal used his training to stay calm and appear unconcerned, for he had his own orders, and no matter what the outcome—including a complete capitulation—his one task was clear: Princess Svetlana must die.
Finally the Prince said, “We shall prepare a response to Duke Kaspar’s demand, and I must tell you, young sir, it will not be to his liking. Not in any way! Then we shall see you off on the morning tide. I bid you good evening!”
He rose, and all those in the chamber rose as well. The Prince left, and as she followed her husband, Princess Svetlana smiled at Tal in such a way that he knew she would send him an invitation after supper.
When the Prince and his wife had departed, First Minister Odeski said, “Squire, a moment of your time, please?”
Tal bowed. “I’m at your service, Minister.”
“Walk with me a ways,” said the older man. When they were out of earshot of the other ministers, Odeski said, “We have something of a mess here, don’t we?”
“If by we, you mean Salmater, sir, then yes, you do.”
“War profits no one, and Kaspar’s demands seem to _______________
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me to be a rather extreme response to a relatively minor offense.”
“Mapping expeditions disguised as smugglers, in Olasko’s sovereign territory, in anticipation of military action is hardly ‘minor,’ Minister.”
“You’re from the Kingdom, Squire, so perhaps you’re ignorant of our history here in the east, but we spar, feign, threaten, and generally play rough with one another as a matter of course. I’ve been in the Prince’s court and his father’s before him for thirty years, and I’ve seen half a dozen border clashes with Olasko, an equal number with Miskalon, two naval conflicts with Roskalon, one with Roldem, another with the Isles, and the disputed lands are a constant battleground any time one of the local rulers gets ambitious.
“But never in that time has one ruler demanded of another an oath of fealty.”
Lowering his voice, Tal said, “My master seeks stability. He sees a time when this region will come under the scrutiny of either the Isles or Kesh. Roldem’s navy can protect the region from Kesh to a point, should they honor their treaties with Aranor and Olasko, but who can protect Roskalon, Miskalon, and Salmater from the Isles if they decide to march? Roldem might challenge a Keshian war fleet in the Sea of Kingdoms, but they will not land troops on the mainland to lend support against the Isles.”
“The Isles have never sought eastern expansion. Her eyes have ever been turned to the west.”
“But who can say that has not changed?” Tal lowered his voice even more. “I do not say this lightly, but it is in all our interests that Salmater and Olasko remain good neighbors.” He glanced around. “I would hate to see this lovely palace reduced to rubble.” As Pasko would say, Tal _______________
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had just shown the mule the stick, now it was time to show him the carrot. “My lord is very generous with his friends.
He would appreciate any good work done by any member of the Privy Council in avoiding this war.”
Odeski looked as if he might say something, but he closed his mouth and remained silent for a moment. Then he said, “I will caution reason to Their Highnesses.”
“I shall keep in mind your good works when I report to my master.”
“Good day, Squire,” said the First Minister, leaving.
Tal realized Amafi’s reading of the older noble was correct. Odeski wouldn’t blatantly betray his Prince, but he would be willing to work on behalf of any peaceful settlement that kept him in his place of privilege.
And once the Princess was dead, the royal household would be in turmoil, and the Prince would be as unable to govern as a chicken in a thunderstorm. Odeski would almost certainly take charge of the council, and from that point on, Kaspar would have his way in Salmater.
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Tal stood alone on the deck of the ship. He was four days out from Opardum and by his calculations, Princess Svetlana should be dead. The concocted poison Amafi had blended for him was one he claimed would not take the Princess’s life for a full week after being administered, and would make it appear she had succumbed to heart problems. The beauty of the poison, said the former assassin, was that symptoms were misleading, looking like a fever, which would cause chirurgeons and healing priests to attempt cures that would avail them nothing. Death came quickly, so unless a healing priest of great power intervened swiftly, there was little chance of the Princess surviving.
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It had proven easy enough to administer, as Amafi had said it would. While she slept, Tal took out a slender silken cord and a tiny vial of the poison. He had slowly dripped the poison, one drop at a time, down the cord onto the Princess’s lips. As Amafi had predicted, she had licked them in her sleep, and when she stirred, Tal paused.
The poison had a sticky, sweet taste, and by the next morning what residue was left on her lips had been made harmless by being left to dry. Tal kissed her awake without fear. They had made love before dawn, Tal knowing that she was already dead by his hand.
Tal felt a stirring of remorse, and he pushed it down inside. Despite her charm, he knew Svetlana was as ruthless in her own way as Kaspar and that sex was but one of her many weapons, that her passion and the sweet things she whispered into his ear were meaningless, only part of the experience, and not to be taken seriously.
His mission was black, and he had already given up his soul to pursue it. Like the scorpion, Kaspar’s nature was betrayal, and eventually Tal would be betrayed, and then free from his oath and able to strike at the man responsible for the obliteration of his people. Even if he should die while taking Kaspar’s life, he would have done his duty to his ancestors.
But before Kaspar, one other had to die: Captain Quint Havrevulen, the man who personally oversaw the murder of Tal’s family. Yes, he would have to watch for an opportunity to destroy the Captain before Kaspar. If he survived, if he killed Quint and destroyed Kaspar, only then would Tal mourn the loss of his own soul.
If he survived.
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DISCOVERY
Tal waited.
Kaspar sat back reading a message and at last put it down and smiled. “Word just in from our agents in Micel’s Station. Princess Svetlana was unexpectedly taken by a sudden fever that cause her heart to stop beating.
Prince Janosh is beside himself with grief, and the Privy Council has declared him unfit to rule. Prince Serge has been named ruler, but as he is only a boy, Minister Odeski will rule as regent in his name until such time as he reaches his majority.” He put down the parchment. “Brilliant, Tal. How did you achieve such a perfect resolution?”
Tal spoke calmly. “My manservant, Amafi, knew of a particular poison that could be concocted from seemingly harmless ingredients—a few of them difficult to find—and visited several apothecaries in the city. He prepared _______________
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the poison, and I found means of administering it the night before my departure. The Princess should have died in a week’s time.”
“There is no clear connection between your visit and her death.” Kaspar positively beamed. “My boy, I am very happy with your work. I expect we’ll hear from the First Minister within days asking for some ‘clarification’ or another on my last message so that he can try to negotiate his way out of my demand.”
Tal said, “Will I return to Micel’s Station?”
“No,” said Kaspar. “My insistence on fealty will go away. I wanted Svetlana dead, though I will miss the old harridan.” He held up his hand, finger and thumb separated by only the tiniest margin. “You know I came that close to being wed to her? My father thought it a good match, but I persuaded him otherwise. One of us would have killed the other.” Suddenly Kaspar laughed and said,
“Well, one of us did!” He stood up. “I reward excellence, Tal, and for this you are now a baron of my court. I’ll have the patent drawn up and will find a useless piece of land to give you to go with the useless land you own in the Isles.
“But you will find other benefits awaiting you if you continue to serve me this well.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. I will always do my best.”
“Come, let us have some lunch and see what other mischief we can dream up for you.”
Tal followed Kaspar out to a balcony overlooking the harbor. The day was cold, as autumn was fully upon them, and both men wore heavy coats. Yet Tal found the chilly air invigorating as servants put food and wine on the table between them.
Kaspar motioned for the servants to withdraw, and when they were a discreet distance away, he said to Tal, “I _______________
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must say I was prepared to hear you had been arrested and executed, which would have given me an excuse to march down there and avenge you. Not that I needed an excuse, but you take my meaning.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Now I can probably wring concessions out of Minister Odeski and save myself the bother of a war.”
Tal said, “I was under the impression you wanted total subservience, Your Grace.”
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