The Crown

by Deborah Chester

  Amazed, Shadrael could only stare at her. “How did you—”

  Abruptly collecting himself, he broke off the rest of his question, knowing he had no right to speak unbidden in the emperor’s presence. Lea stood at his side with her hand resting on his shoulder. His heart thudded wildly at her proximity, her touch. He did not know how she came to be here, but she was alive and well. He felt dizzy with relief.

  With a happy smile, Lea turned to face her frowning brother. “And now you have met him,” she said. “This man of whom I have spoken. Shadrael tu Natalloh.”

  The emperor’s gaze went to her smiling face and softened fractionally, but when he looked again at Shadrael he grew stern. “You have accepted your new role?” he asked. “You mean to take Vordachai’s place?”

  “I have accepted fealty,” Shadrael replied cautiously.

  Lea’s grip tightened on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I know how much you loved your brother.”

  Shadrael frowned fiercely, his grief as yet too raw to express. “He was a dolt,” he muttered, and barely kept his voice from breaking.

  “If you take his place,” the emperor continued, “then do you also accept the present charges laid against the warlord of Ulinia?”

  “They are my responsibility,” Shadrael replied. He thought of how once he would have shrugged off everything, believing he didn’t care about Ulinia or its people. And now . . . he wished with sudden intensity that Light Bringer would stop toying with him and just pronounce his sentence.

  “You accept the charge of treason?”

  “I abducted Lady Lea,” Shadrael said. “My guilt is equal to my brother’s. Greater.”

  “No,” Lea breathed. “Do not say it that way. As though you are . . . Caelan, don’t accept what he tells you.”

  “He is telling me the truth, Lea,” the emperor said. “Would you prefer he begged for mercy and lied to me?”

  “But I have explained everything to you,” she said impatiently, stamping her small foot. “Why need this be dragged out? Why do you not pardon him, as I have asked?”

  “Lea!” Shadrael said involuntarily.

  The corners of the emperor’s mouth tugged although he did not smile. He glanced at his sister. “Are you sure about him?”

  “Yes,” she said clearly, her voice containing no hesitation.

  The emperor’s frown deepened. “This is a man so sworn to shadow that he could not accept reform. This is a man reputed to have no soul. Blood and death are on his hands. How can you bear his proximity? What has happened to you, little one?”

  “All that I have told you,” she replied serenely. “Test him if you wish. He will not fail.”

  Alarmed, Shadrael rose to his feet, and the emperor’s protector stepped forward with a half-drawn sword.

  “Free his hands,” the emperor ordered.

  Shadrael’s bonds were cut. He flexed his wrists, keeping a wary eye on the emperor’s protector. Thirbe, he noticed, was also standing close by, squinting fiercely with a hand on his sword hilt.

  Lea unfastened her necklace and held it out to Shadrael. “Will you hold this, please?”

  He hesitated, glancing at the emperor, who gave him a nod. A priest in the robes of a Reformant pushed forward to stand nearby. Shadrael held out his hand, and Lea draped the necklace across his palm.

  For the first time since he’d met her, the gli-emeralds did not sting his skin. He felt nothing at all, and marveled a little.

  Smiling, Lea picked up her necklace. The Reformant bent over Shadrael’s hand, examining it closely.

  “He is not burned, not affected,” the man said. “He is no longer of shadow.”

  A murmur ran through the onlookers, and even the emperor seemed startled. “Are you sure?”

  “Quite certain, Excellency.” The priest turned his gaze back to Shadrael. “Will you accept the public swearing of your soul to the devotion of Gault?”

  Uncertain of what might happen, Shadrael glanced at Lea and saw nothing but absolute confidence in her expression. He returned his gaze to the priest. “I will.”

  The priest touched his shoulders. “Then kneel, Lord Shadrael, and repeat these words of cleansing and renewal.”

  When the rite was finished, Shadrael rose to his feet, feeling rather amazed by the simplicity of it. He felt no different; certainly there had been no alteration inside him as when he’d first discovered the return of his soul. But neither did he feel sickened and filled with self-disgust as he had after every Vindicant ritual he’d ever participated in.

  The emperor waved everyone back. “I would speak to this man alone.”

  In some consternation, the assembly of men, guards, and officers retreated. When Light Bringer shook his head at Lea, she smiled, squeezed Shadrael’s hand briefly, and joined the others out of earshot.

  “Lea has told me all that happened,” the emperor said quietly, keeping his voice to a low murmur. “I am not inclined to forgive you or grant you a full pardon as she desires.”

  Surprised that apparently the emperor had even considered it, Shadrael blinked. “I did not expect you to consider mercy. I am grateful for the chance to swear my soul before my execution.”

  “You abducted my sister like a brute,” the emperor said. “For a time I thought you had corrupted her. For that alone, I could kill you.”

  Shadrael said nothing.

  “You also saved her life. And possibly mine.”

  Frowning, Shadrael remained silent.

  “You do not plead very hard for your life.”

  “I know my guilt,” Shadrael replied. “I have been a bitter man for far too long. I have done evil acts. Whatever changes Lady Lea has wrought in me, I remain donare. Damaged, yes. Unable to perform magic as before. But still stained in some way by shadow.”

  “As are we all,” the emperor said. He tilted his head. “I, too, am donare.”

  Startled, Shadrael blinked. The emperor gave him a slight nod, saying, “Even Lea is not exactly what she was before.”

  Guilt burned through Shadrael. “My fault.”

  “You condemn yourself faster than I can,” the emperor said with a snort. “Are you as much a nuisance and troublemaker as your brother? Do you share his political views?”

  Shadrael, amazed by this small opening, tried hard to take advantage of it. Thinking rapidly, he replied, “Ulinia is poor. In no condition to be independent.”

  “The taxes I have levied are harsh,” the emperor said. “Since coming here, I now understand Ulinia’s level of poverty as I did not before. But that doesn’t mean I condone treason or rebellion. Neither is a solution to the problems here.”

  “If you execute me and the barons,” Shadrael said, “you can mold the next warlord into whatever you please.”

  “Who is your heir?”

  “My five-year-old nephew.”

  “Warlord Vordachai’s son?”

  “Our sister’s son. Vordachai sired no children.”

  “A child cannot rule this province. I would have to annex it into a protectorate.” Light Bringer shook his head. “No solution there.”

  Shadrael held his tongue.

  “Lea has spoken to me most earnestly on your behalf,” the emperor said with a scowl. “It seems she’s in love with you. Do you deny it? Do you not return her feelings?”

  “I deny nothing,” Shadrael said in surprise. “My feelings are strong, but I cannot attain to her hand. I—” “Are you bound to another?”

  “No, and never will be. She is all I—” Shadrael halted, not daring to continue.

  “I find her choice a poor one,” the emperor said. “And you do nothing to convince me. You will not plead for yourself. She would offer you my empire and throne if she could. Yet I find you sullen and proud, too prickly to accept the opportunities thrown to you.”

  Shadrael shot the emperor a suspicious look. “I have reason to be cautious with a sword at my neck.”

  “Cautious? Or too surly to assure me of h
ow much you will cherish her forever?”

  “Of course I cherish her,” Shadrael said hotly. “I—”

  “Everyone does,” the emperor said. “She has that effect on people, especially men.”

  Shadrael flushed. “Then I can convince you of nothing, Excellency.”

  The emperor laughed. “A clever remark, even if a sour one. Lea is not a melancholy creature. I don’t understand what she sees in you . . . beyond the obvious attributes.”

  Shadrael found his face growing hot. “Are you saying I have a chance to win her hand, Excellency? Am I to be pardoned for all that’s happened?”

  “My sister is impulsive, merry, but wise. Her judgment is astute. I would not dream of questioning her decisions on anything important. And her happiness is one of the most important things in my life.”

  Shadrael felt his heart beating faster. He barely dared breathe. Could Lea have this much influence over Light Bringer? he wondered. It was rumored that she did, but until now he would not have believed it.

  “Lea says you are to be trusted. She insists that, despite your reprehensible actions, it was the Vindicants behind the plot rather than you. And she’s explained your motivations.”

  “My motivations were hatred of you, Excellency,” Shadrael said stiffly, determined to be honest. “And a desire to strike at you for my discharge.”

  The emperor grunted, but did not rise to this bait. “Your record in the army, before your discharge, proves you to have been an excellent and loyal officer. Lea also insists that you will serve me as an exemplary warlord. Is she correct?”

  “I—What is asked of me in exchange for so much mercy?”

  The emperor frowned. “My conditions are these: that you squelch this propensity for uprisings, that you make this province loyal so that I don’t have to station a legion here to keep order, that you stop the corruption robbing customs of most of its profit, that you eradicate all Vindicants from within your borders, that you find ways to improve the economy of this blighted land instead of exhausting it further, and that you alert me at once if shadow returns in any form. Is that agreeable to you?”

  Astonished, Shadrael blinked. “Is that all?”

  “I think you’ll find it sufficient to keep you busy.”

  “You don’t ask much of me, not after—”

  “Lea does not wish to return to New Imperia with me. What have you to say about this? Have you asked her to remain with you?”

  Shadrael found himself hot faced and clammy by turns. His heart was racing. “I—I’ve been in no position to—”

  “Have you claimed her? Touched her?”

  Shadrael met the emperor’s stern eye, feeling the man’s temper barely held in check. He swallowed hard. “Through sevaisin only, Excellency.”

  “Then she is not dishonored?”

  “No!”

  The emperor stared at him as though he could see every thought, every intention, every emotion inside Shadrael. “You are much I dislike, but at least you don’t lie. Do you want my sister in marriage?”

  “I—” Shadrael lost his breath and had to start again. “Yes, Excellency. But—”

  “I do not approve of the match,” the emperor said, casting a look over at Lea, who smiled at them both. “You’re hardly better than a brigand, despite your lineage. You aren’t worthy to hold one of her slippers. And exiling her to this barren wasteland appalls me. Letting her marry you is nothing but an endorsement of the barbarian acts you’ve committed. But she loves you, and she’s asked me to permit you two to marry.”

  Shadrael felt awash in confusion. He couldn’t believe Lea had told her brother so much in such a short time. And he felt miffed that not only was she making the offer, but that he hadn’t been permitted to speak to her first. He was used to being in charge, and longed to court her, but everything was moving so fast he felt as though he were dreaming.

  “Feeling as though you’ve been caught in a snare and are hanging upside down from a tree?” the emperor asked.

  “Yes, Excellency.”

  “Get used to it, for that is life with Lea. Have you a question?”

  Shadrael hesitated, then drew a quick breath before he could lose his nerve. “I should like to court her. I—this is sudden—and I love her as though she is my heart, but this is not the Ulinian way of seeking a maiden’s hand.”

  “With Lea nothing is ever ordinary,” the emperor replied. “It says little for your ability to govern if you fail to understand how this business needs patching. If I force Lea to return to court, she will always be talked about. If she stays here, it will be much the same. Either way, her reputation is ruined.”

  “Scandal?” Shadrael frowned, ready to defend Lea against anyone. “Do you care more about her reputation than her happiness?”

  “If I did, sir, your head would already be off your shoulders.”

  Shadrael flushed, his chin lifting.

  They glared at each other a moment before the emperor said, “Lea dislikes life at my court. She will be unhappy enough there to try escaping again. Gault knows what kind of trouble she could land in next.”

  “But she—”

  “Don’t you think she knew what would befall her on her journey?” the emperor asked him. “She sees the future. Sometimes she makes the future.”

  Startled, Shadrael looked up. “Are you saying she—”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” Light Bringer gestured. “I don’t want to crush this province, or enslave its people,” he said wearily. “Let us come to terms. By all accounts, you’ve inherited an empty treasury. What bride price can you pay?”

  Embarrassed, Shadrael cursed his brother’s notorious problems with money and scrambled for some clever reply. “The gardens of Bezhalmbra will be hers to enjoy. They are like nothing in the world, Excellency.”

  “Insufficient,” the emperor said coldly. “Flowers will not feed or clothe her.”

  “She is no ordinary maiden, Excellency, as we both know. She cares nothing for trinkets and fripperies.”

  “I think you’ll discover that she likes pretty clothes more than you can imagine . . . or afford.”

  Shadrael smiled involuntarily. “And who weaves prettier cloth than Ulinians? Would you have me offer jewels and wealth to a lady who can pick up precious stones from the ground? I cannot compete with the riches of your court. All I can offer is my love, my devotion, and my steadfast heart. And the freedom to walk among the spirits that serve her whenever she wishes.”

  The emperor was nodding. “And twenty percent of your income for ten years.”

  “Five.”

  “Done!” Suddenly the emperor smiled at him, and Shadrael saw that he possessed charm similar to Lea’s. “Let her do as she pleases. Make her happy. Never be unkind to her . . . again. Have I your word on this, Praetinor?”

  Shadrael stiffened. “As a Ulinian first, I give my word. As a praetinor, I doubly pledge it.”

  The emperor beckoned to the others to rejoin them. “Kneel before me, Lord Shadrael.”

  Shadrael knelt in the dust, hardly able to believe he was about to swear fealty to a man he’d always considered his enemy.

  Lea came running to him, her face radiant with joy. “He accepts you,” she whispered. “He likes you. I’m so glad!”

  Eying the emperor warily, Shadrael wasn’t so sure, but on demand he gave his oath. He felt very strange, as though he didn’t know himself.

  “Rise, Warlord Shadrael of Ulinia,” the emperor announced for all to hear. “Your transgressions are pardoned. But let this day be a lesson to you, your barons, and all of Ulinia. Let the tragic loss of your army be a reminder of the emperor’s wrath. Let your pardon be an example of the emperor’s mercy.”

  Shadrael bowed low, his face rather hot.

  “Serve us well,” Light Bringer continued. “With Lea to guide you, prosperity will soon touch this province. Lord Shadrael and Lady Lea are now betrothed, with my blessing.”

  A gasp ran through the onlo
okers. Everyone looked stunned.

  Laughing aloud, Lea ran first to the emperor and hugged him with the abandon of a child, then came skipping to Shadrael’s side. With her at his arm, he felt complete. Her radiant happiness made him smile. Gazing down into her blue eyes, he felt himself lost in their depths . . . and her magic.

  He pulled her close, desirous of claiming his betrothal kiss, but she was already wriggling free of his embrace, bending down to pick something off the ground.

  Baffled, very aware of people staring, he watched her a moment. “What are you doing?”

  Lea paused in her gathering to show him a handful of small, glittering jewels that reflected the sunlight. “These are emeralds,” she said happily, “for my wedding crown.”

  Acknowledgments

  The Pearls and The Crown came about because Christi Schemm and Liz Kiser read Reign of Shadows and subsequently urged me to write “more about Lea.” My editor, Ginjer Buchanan, kindly gave the project a green light.

  I’m grateful to Kent Graham and Vicky Woodward—each possessing brothers, as I do not—for their invaluable feedback regarding the relationship between Shadrael and Vordachai.

  Most especially, I want to thank Karen Mahaffey for believing in Shadrael all along and providing language assistance in a pinch. Dee Nash and Curtiss Ann Matlock—writing buddies with busy careers and deadlines of their own—found time to share plenty of encouragement.

  Even my Scottish terriers, Dash and Dundee, “helped” by snoozing wedged behind the wheels of my desk chair and making it difficult for me to wander away from the keyboard.