Bishop (The Pawn Series Book 2)

by Robin Roseau

  "Would that be as bad an idea as I imagine?" I asked.

  "Yes," three or four of them said all the time. "We ordered a stop of that practice while you were still enroute to us two years ago, Lady Yallameenara," explained the queen. "We knew it would be considered confrontational."

  "That was part of the reason Mother knew they had something to do with your disappearance," Juleena explained.

  "Ah," I said. "Is there a solution?"

  "We would have to fix it on our side, perhaps coordinating across the border," Juleena said. "It is expensive, but we do it on the southern border."

  "Do we have the forces?"

  "Yes, but..."

  "But you don't want to pay for it."

  "Right."

  I nodded understanding then looked at the king and queen. "You said she's being unreasonable. Do you care to explain?"

  They didn't say a word. They simply turned a sheet of paper around and slid it down the table to me.

  It was long.

  "There's more on the other side," the king said quietly.

  Larien and Terél pulled three chairs around to the end of the table, and we sat down, reading together. It was written in Altearan, and so they both read faster than I did. Larien gave a gasp at one point before leaning back in her chair and staring straight ahead. I didn't understand until I got to the same point.

  Criminal prosecution of those involved in the abduction of Lady Yallameenara.

  Muranna's name was first. Larien's was second. The entire crew of the ship that had taken me was third, as a single entry.

  I couldn't read further than that, but I felt tears crawl into my eyes and then begin to slide down my cheeks.

  "Princess Juleena," I said, my voice cracking. "I formally wish to request pardons for anyone involved in my abduction. Can you grant that for me?"

  "I'm sorry, Lady Yallameenara," Juleena said gently. "That is beyond my authority."

  "Is that because the gatekeeper won't let you?"

  "No, it's not."

  "If I asked Queen Ralalta, would she do it?"

  "I really don't know. She was the one who demanded that point, Lady Yallameenara. I don't believe she'll drop charges against the first name on that list."

  "Can you grant a pardon to the other names?"

  "No."

  I hadn't even looked up yet, but then I did. "I cannot allow you to prosecute one of my priestesses. And I do not believe she did anything illegal within our borders."

  "Then that would come out during trial," Juleena said.

  "I cannot allow my priestess to be prosecuted, Princess Juleena. How many Arrlottan raiders did you prosecute as part of the peace treaty that brought me to Framara?"

  "None," she said gently.

  "You told me people were killed. Did anyone on this list kill someone?"

  "No, Lady Yallameenara, but what they did was a direct affront to the queen herself."

  "If this was so important to the queen, why wasn't Larien arrested the moment we stepped foot in Framara this autumn?"

  Juleena didn't have an answer to that.

  I looked back at the paper and read the rest of the items, both sides. The list was long, and I only understood half of it, or even less. And of the half I understood, I thought half were unreasonable demands.

  Finally I looked up. "Lady Margaletta, without understanding the implications of more than half this list, even I can identify at least ten that are completely ridiculous, and several others that cause me to raise an eyebrow. Have you received a counter proposal?"

  She nodded and slid another sheet of paper to me. It took me only a minute to read, as it was quite brief. I lifted my eyes to the king and queen. "This offer is at least as ridiculous as Lady Margaletta's demands. Clearly you're offering as little as you can in hopes she'll reduce the most egregious items from her original list. I require you to make a real offer, one that you might accept if you were on her side of the table. How soon can you make such an offer?"

  "Are you attending dinner in the palace tonight, Lady Yallameenara?" asked the king.

  "If I am still welcome."

  "You are," he said. "We have a petition for you. If you receive the petition, promise to consider it, and agree to consult with the Goddess, then we will have a real offer by morning. If tomorrow you delay your departure by perhaps two hours, we would enjoy presenting it first to you."

  "The two are related?"

  "They are."

  I shook my head, not terribly pleased by the games, but if it could advance negotiations, it wouldn't kill me to bring a petition to the Goddess. "Agreed." I turned to Lady Margaletta. "You will rewrite this list. You will confirm to me by the time I depart tomorrow that you have removed the demand of prosecution. If you fail to do so, I will depart for the Heart of the Goddess, and I have no intention of returning to Framara afterwards. Am I clear?"

  She actually gulped and nodded. "But I cannot possibly offer pardons."

  "I know. But you can remove that demand from the proceedings, and we can leave it for the diplomats, yes?"

  "Yes," she said.

  "If I have assurances that item is removed, then on my return to Lopéna, you will either present me with a signed agreement to proceed as we've discussed, or you will present me with your list of demands and convince me you are being reasonable. If you are unable to convince me, I will not be returning to Framara until we have a completed agreement. Am I clear?"

  "You are clear," she said.

  "Princess Juleena, I will not be returning to Framara as long as one of my priestesses is under threat of trial."

  "Yalla," Larien whispered. "No."

  Juleena lowered her eyes and stared at the table. "I can't promise that, Yalla. I can't."

  "You can remove her name."

  "I can't."

  I stood. "I want full pardons for everyone involved."

  "I can't, Yalla. I can do a lot, but I can't do that. And Mother will never pardon Muranna."

  "I'll stand trial," Larien whispered. "Yalla, don't say anything else. You're about to do something very bad. Please don't do it. Please don't."

  "If I asked for a message to be sent to Queen Ralalta and a reply returned, is that possible, and would her reply arrive before my return to Lopéna?"

  "It's possible," Lady Margaletta said. "We can send Harsprite."

  "Will a reply make it back?"

  "That will depend on the weather," said the king.

  "Am I making an unreasonable request? I can't imagine it is cheap to send a ship such as Harsprite just to ferry a single message."

  Margaletta turned to Juleena, and it was Juleena that said, "It's not unreasonable. But Yalla, you cannot offer an ultimatum via a note. That's what you were going to do, isn't it?"

  "High Priestess," said the queen. "What advice did you give our son most recently?"

  I turned my gaze to her. I'd told him to think before acting.

  "There is no immediate necessity to act," she continued. "And you will have a unique opportunity in several days."

  "Yalla," Larien whispered. "You're upset. Please. Don't do any more. Not like this."

  I turned to her.

  "Please," she repeated.

  In response, I reached out and caressed her cheek. Then I turned back. "Princess Juleena."

  "Lady Yallameenara."

  "Will you be traveling with me, or are you required here."

  "I will travel with you," she said. "If you'll have me."

  I nodded. "We leave in the morning after I receive at least one assurance from Lady Margaletta and I see this counter offer from Alteara. Princess Lásenalta, will you be collecting me for lunch?"

  "Yes," she said from in back.

  "Very good," I said. "Does anyone need me further?"

  "No, Lady Yallameenara," said the king after a moment. "Thank you for coming."

  I spun on my heel and headed for the door. Féla and Naddí had them open before I arrived, and then five of us swept from the r
oom.

  "Get me out of here by the shortest route," I said brusquely.

  * * * *

  I held it together until we were back at Margaletta's townhome. Once we were safely inside, I yanked Larien to me, squeezing her tightly. "I won't let her," I said, over and over. "I won't go back. I won't."

  "I'm not afraid," she said.

  "They'll accept you as a scapegoat if they can't find someone else."

  "Queen Ralalta is a fair woman," Larien replied. "I trust her."

  We hugged for a long time, slowly moving to our quarters, Féla and Naddí nudging us in the right direction. Then, slowly, they were able to pull us apart, and then they began undressing us.

  I didn't really notice anything for a long time. They cleaned my face and dressed me in some of the worst of my traveling clothes. When finally I was able to register what was happening, I saw all of them were dressed similarly.

  "Does anyone know where she's taking us?"

  "Lunch and an activity," Féla said. "She didn't tell us what the activity was, only that we might get very dirty, and we were all to dress for it."

  "I didn't know I had clothing here in this condition," I said.

  "You didn't," Naddí said. "I ran out to a second hand clothing store and bought all of these. They were cheap, and we don't mind throwing them away if they get ruined."

  I laughed. It was weak, but I laughed. "All right. Other than nearly falling to pieces, how did I do?"

  "You moved them closer," Larien said. "Possibly quite a bit closer. You may have cut through the worst of the negotiations, and possibly brought them close enough they can work it out."

  "Margaletta demanded reparations of fifty million crowns," I said. "And that wasn't even in my list of completely outrageous."

  "When you're talking about royal coffers," Larien suggested, "maybe that's not a large number, but I couldn't tell you."

  "It's large," Naddí said. "They could pay it, but it would impoverish the crown, especially after two years of a stunted economy."

  "There were other things that cost crowns," I said. "The amount for border security sounded high, too, but I don't know what it really costs. Frankly, I was overwhelmed after reading about prosecution."

  Terél looked at Féla and Naddí for a moment, cocking her head. "I want to say something and see what the two of you think. I believe that her reaction to that did more to advance negotiations than anything else she did."

  "No," said Féla. "But she did a good job setting herself up as a good third party instead of wholly one or the other. And that advanced her cause in other areas."

  "And if Lady Margaletta can't give her what she wants -- a pardon -- then removing that issue from these negotiations is a compromise," Naddí added. Then she smiled. "And she sounded convincing when she suggested she wouldn't return to Framara."

  "That's because I was serious," I said.

  "You were?"

  "Entirely," I said. "You've played cards with me. Have you ever successfully seen me bluff?"

  She snickered. "No. I can't say that I have."

  "Everyone in that room knows how stubborn I can be," I said.

  "Which is why you can't make ultimatums about me," Larien said. "Because if you have to back down, no one will ever believe you in the future."

  "I wouldn't back down."

  "What if the Goddess tells you she needs you back in Framara?" Larien asked. "Are you going to tell her 'no'?"

  I stilled, then nodded. I didn't like it, but I'd ask the Goddess for guidance.

  * * * *

  Alta arrived a half hour later dressed just as casually as we were. She laughed when she saw us, and we hugged. She kissed my cheek and asked, "Are you all right?"

  "I didn't know about that part," I said.

  "Clearly," she said. She pulled away and looked into my eyes, then set her hand on my cheek. "You're a wonderful woman, Yallameenara of Garneer, Framara, and Alteara."

  I laid my cheek more fully against her hand, accepting the comfort, then smiled. "What are we doing?"

  "Going to lunch and then attending an event."

  "Oh, thank you, Princess Informative," I said.

  "Would you prefer I told you it's a surprise, and I'm not going to tell you?" She grinned, reached into a pocket, and pulled out a white scarf. "This is for later."

  "A scarf?"

  "A blindfold," she said. "Do you know that word?"

  I stared at it. "I'm familiar," I said.

  "I have four more," she said. "None of you is getting a sneak peek. They go on in the carriage, and some of the guards will help us all inside."

  "I don't know about that, Princess," said Féla.

  "Don't you trust me?" Alta asked with a lilt in her voice. She laughed and then turned to the door.

  Over lunch, she was definitely flirting with me, which amused me. I flirted back and did my best to calm down from earlier. But then we were back in her wide carriage, just barely big enough for all six of us, and she said, "It's time for the blindfolds." She pulled one out. "Who is first?"

  "You are," I said.

  She laughed. "Thank you for volunteering, Yalla." She moved to me, and I held still while she carefully tied it in place. "Tell the truth. Can you see, even a little?"

  "No," I said. "Not even out the bottom."

  "Good. Promise you won't cheat."

  "I won't cheat. Promise."

  "Who wants to make the next smart comment?" No one said a word, so Alta said, "This one is yours Larien. Hold still."

  I felt as Alta moved around the carriage, blindfolding each of us then making adjustments for anyone who admitted to being able to see. Then she plopped down beside me and rapped the top of the carriage a few times. A moment later, we were in motion.

  "This surprise is important to me," Alta said. "I scrambled to make this happen, and we're going to have a lot of fun, so please everyone, no cheating. You'll feel bad if you do. You'll only have to wear them for a few minutes after we arrive, and I would have waited until we came to a stop, but I was afraid some of you would peek while I was working on the others."

  "We'll behave," I said. "Thank you, Alta."

  I was nervous, but a little excited, too. Alta took one of my hands, but then I reached over and found one of Féla's, seated to my other side. I was with people I trusted, and it felt good to relax for a few minutes.

  The carriage rolled around, all of us sitting quietly, and I realized something. We weren't talking. There was something about being blindfolded and a little vulnerable that at least turned me quiet, and apparently I wasn't the only one alone. Realizing that, I leaned a little more against Alta then turned my head and kissed whatever I could find -- which turned out to be an ear.

  In response, I received a caress on my cheek from her free hand, and then both of them were clasping mine, held in her lap. Then she leaned her head down and whispered to me, "I'm so happy right now."

  "I'm getting there," I said. "Thank you for this, Alta."

  "Oh, so you like when I blindfold you."

  I laughed. "You aren't the first."

  "Oh? Larien, did you used to tie Yalla to the bed?"

  Larien laughed nervously. "No. Terél is the one who used to tie her."

  "It wasn't like that!" I complained.

  "It was a little like that," Terél said. "You wouldn't believe the things I thought about while tying us together."

  "Oh, this sounds like a really good story," declared Alta. "I wonder if we have time to tell it. Terél, if you can make Yalla blush telling this story, I might let you peek early."

  Terél laughed. "I might be able to make her blush, but actually, I don't want the surprise spoiled. However, I'll tell it anyway. It's not as exciting as it sounds."

  * * * *

  It was perhaps fifteen minutes later that we climbed from the carriage. Alta moved between us, checking blindfolds. Mine had dislodged slightly, but she adjusted it, and I was still completely unable to see.

  "All right
," Alta declared. "I have people to help each of you inside without tripping. Please don't peek. I'm going ahead to make sure they're ready for us."

  I heard her step away, and then I felt someone move next to me and take my arm. There was a pause, and then we were moving forward.

  Getting through a doorway was a little awkward, but only a little. My guide said nothing but helped me with my outer clothing, checking the blindfold when she was done. And then we moved inside.

  From the sounds, I could tell we were in some sort of large space. There weren't a lot of other people around, or if there were, they were being very quiet. And then my guide brought me to a stop, moved behind me, and put hands on my shoulders to turn me to face a particular direction.

  The entire time we'd done this, no one said a word. But I heard a gasp from somewhere in front of me, and then a woman said, "I didn't realize..."

  "Shhh," said Alta, and the other woman cut off suddenly. "Yalla, she's shocked to see you but only mildly surprised to see me. I think I should be offended."

  "Definitely," I said. "Perhaps you have one more blindfold for her, too, and then she can join our circle."

  Alta laughed. "That sounds like fun. Maybe next time. Well. We have arrived. We're taking a class together. You'll see what the class is in a minute or two. But I am going to provide partial introductions, and then after you can see, the remainder."

  And then she moved around and said who each of us were. The woman who had already spoken said things like, "I'm pleased to meet you," for each of us. When it was my turn, she took my hand and clasped it for a moment.

  "Very good," said Alta. "Now, when you take off your blindfolds, you may not immediately recognize what we're doing, but I'll give you a moment to see, and then I'll explain why we're here. Is everyone ready?"

  "Ready!" we said together.

  "Remove your blindfolds."

  I reached up and carefully pulled mine away then opened my eyes, blinking a little.

  We were arranged in a semi-circle, Alta and another woman standing at the center. I had never seen her before, but she looked very... earthy, I suppose, and was about my age, maybe at most a year or two older.

  I looked around. The room wasn't as large as I thought, but it was bright with daylight, and it was filled with pieces of equipment I didn't recognize, far too much to describe. Finally I turned back to Alta and offered a puzzled expression.