The Prince smiled at her discomfort. "It is not something to which I have given much thought. My kingdom thrives on war and my people prosper from it. Without the war, many powerful men would lose their livelihood. Arms merchants and mine owners, armourers who have spent years crafting fine weapons and inventing new ones. What use could they put their skills to, if there was no demand for their products?"
"What about the cost? The thousands of lives lost every year in battle, the bereaved families, destitute widows?" Minna asked.
"You speak of a woman's concerns. The men are proud of their sons' glorious achievements and honourable death in battle. Widows are compensated for the loss of their husbands and sons, they would be poorer if their menfolk lived than if they die."
"And what of the cripples, men without arms or legs or sight?"
"They too are compensated," Kerrion said. "No Cotti war veteran starves or is without a home. Those who have profited from the war pay huge taxes to support the less fortunate. Farmers grow rich feeding the army, the economy booms."
"Yes, so it is here, too. Yet the war is evil, and I would end it."
Kerrion shrugged. "Then surrender. You will receive good treatment, your people will not be enslaved, and your wish will be granted."
"Never." The Queen's eyes glinted. "How dare you make such a presumption, when it is you who are my prisoner?"
"Imprisoning me does you no good. It will only enrage my people and goad them to greater ferocity. If you execute me, my brother Lerton will inherit, and he is much like my father."
Minna-Satu appeared to rein her temper, and sat back with a sigh, glancing at the dozing sand cat. "So you have said. Let us not discuss it further today. Tell me of your family, I believe it is large."
Kerrion obliged, her tactics confusing him a little. For the remainder of the afternoon and over dinner, they discussed the details of their lives and relatives, steering away from the controversial subject of war. Kerrion found the Queen to be pleasant and talkative, unlike the taciturn Blade, though she smiled rarely, and her eyes held a distant sadness that made him long to know the reason for it. Her beauty seemed too fragile to endure her high office with all its burdens, and there was no triumph for him in denying her the peace she craved. He found it unfair to have to deal with such a lovely woman, against whom any victory would inevitably be tinged with regret.
That night he lay awake, thinking about her and wondering at the mysterious plans she claimed to have. By the time he fell asleep, he was no wiser for his time-glasses of pondering. Whatever Queen Minna-Satu had in mind, he was unable to fathom it.
Chapter Eight
The door opening softly woke Blade the next morning, and he became instantly alert, in the usual manner of assassins. He relaxed when the manservant appeared, carrying a pile of bright, luxurious clothes. The man smiled and hung the garments on a smokewood rack to display them, brushing and straightening them with obvious pride. Blade sat up and eyed the deep crimson silk shirt and tailored tunic of brushed black velvet with silver patterns embroidered on the shoulders and sleeves. Next to these, the man hung a pair of black velvet trousers edged with silver, and a matching silver-studded belt. A short cloak completed the outfit, and the servant smiled at the assassin as he straightened from placing a pair of narrow, polished black boots on the floor under the rack.
Blade ran a hand through his rumpled hair and sighed. "Does the Queen expect me to wear that foppish outfit?"
"Yes, sir."
The assassin slid from the bed, clad only in a pair of baggy grey flannel shorts that almost reached his knees. The servant's lips twitched as he suppressed a smile, and Blade went to splash his face in the bowl of water provided.
"Well I will not," the assassin declared. "Definitely not that garish shirt, and that tunic. Bring me something less gaudy."
"The Queen insists, sir. You must wear it for the ceremony today. A great feast has been ordered, with entertainment and dancing."
"And am I to be the freak on show? Take those things away and bring me my clothes."
"I cannot, sir. The Queen would be angry."
"I do not care. I will not wear that outfit."
"Very good, sir, I shall inform the Queen." The man bowed and headed for the door.
"Wait! Why should the Queen concern herself with such trivial matters? Bring me my clothes!"
The servant turned in the doorway. "I am sorry, sir, but these are her orders. Today she concerns herself greatly with your ceremony."
Blade gave an angry snort and opened his mouth to berate the man further, but found himself alone. A search of the wardrobe found it empty, and he cursed the servant as he sat on the bed and frowned at the clothes. Evidently the man had absconded with Blade's apparel while he had bathed the previous evening.
The door opened, and he turned to vent his displeasure upon the returning servant, then grabbed the sheet to wrap around himself as Minna-Satu sailed in, followed by Chiana and several handmaidens. Blade stared at her before lowering his eyes to the hem of her gown.
"My Queen, this is unseemly."
"Indeed?" Her brows rose, and he was surprised that she did not comment on his failure to bend a knee. "This is my palace, and I go where I will in it. Come, I have seen naked men before. I may be a maiden, but I am not an innocent."
"But -"
"I am informed that you refuse to wear the clothes provided, which I selected myself for your ceremony."
Blade glanced at the outfit. "I… they are too bright. I am unused to such ornamental garments."
"Then it is time you changed your ways. You are to retire, you need not skulk in the shadows now."
"I have never -"
"I wish us to be friends, Blade. I hope to count you as one of my closest and most trusted advisors and confidants after your elevation."
"I had not planned -"
"I do not bestow these rewards lightly, or upon the undeserving."
"I -"
"Furthermore, I do expect to be at least patronised in this matter, for I shall not present a man to my court who is not decently attired."
The assassin raised his eyes to her face, knowing that if he opened his mouth she would interrupt him again. The challenge in her eyes was clear. She would brook no opposition, and a reluctant smile tugged at his lips. For the first time, she impressed him. Her regal bearing and demand of obedience, so at odds with her slender form, brought a twinge of respect.
He nodded. "Very well, but not the shirt."
Minna gestured to one of the girls. "Fetch another, a paler colour."
"Grey," Blade stipulated, and the Queen nodded. The maiden hastened out, and another two came forward. They sat beside him and started to brush his hair, freeing it from its leather thong. Minna settled on a pouf, smiling.
Blade glanced at her. "Surely you do not mean to supervise?"
"I do. I must speak to you now, since yesterday you were too tired and rude."
"What about?"
"The ceremony. It is short, but complex, and I must warn you, given your nervous nature, not to be alarmed by the weapons that will be used in it."
"Are they to be thrown at my head?"
She laughed. "No, certainly not, but they will be in close contact with your person, and I would not want you to think yourself in danger."
"And who will be wielding these weapons?"
"I shall."
"I see." He winced as one of the girls tugged at a knot in his hair.
"Have a care, Terril," the Queen remonstrated.
"I am sorry, My Queen," the girl replied, "it is like combing a horse's tail."Blade cast her a sideways glance, and the maiden dimpled, adding, "Though finer hair I have seldom seen, and certainly not on a man."
Minna giggled as the other maiden produced a razor, and Blade leant away from her, eyeing it sceptically. The girl ignored him as she trimmed the ragged edges of his hair at shoulder length.
"You have nothing to fear from my maidens," Minna said. "T
hey will not harm you."
"She could cut my throat with one slip."
"She will not slip, I assure you. Now, as to the ceremony. It will take place at noon, in the audience room, before my assembled court. When the usher gives the signal, you will enter through the side door and approach the throne. There I will make the award, and afterwards, you shall sit beside me at the banquet."
He looked aggrieved. "Must there be all this pomp and ceremony?"
"Yes. You came forward to claim the reward I offered, and this is it."
The maidens finished brushing and cutting his hair, and plaited it into a tight braid.
"What title are you giving me?" he asked.
The Queen shook her head. "I promised to teach you manners when you returned, and it is customary to refer to me as 'My Queen' every so often. It is a sign of respect, you understand?"
His slight, sweet smile belied the cold grey of his eyes. "What title are you giving me, My Queen?"
"You will find out soon enough."
The maiden returned with a dark grey shirt as the other two finished braiding his hair. Minna studied him. "You have a noble face. You will look well in my court." She clapped her hands, and the maidens rose, filing out. Chiana, who stood by the door, smiled at him as Minna rose with a rustle of skirts.
"No weapons on your person, if you please. This once, you will not need them."
He looked up at her. "As you wish."
The Queen frowned at his easy acceptance. "I suppose you are just as deadly with your bare hands?"
"Yes."
She shivered, turning away. "We will leave you to dress now. The manservant will help you."
Blade dressed himself, then ate a hearty breakfast of poached neleggs and smoked ham before settling down to wait for the allotted time. When it came, the servant returned to fuss over Blade's clothes, straightening, tugging, and brushing at invisible specks of lint. Blade bore it until the man had had his fill, then followed him into the corridor that led to the audience chamber.
Outside the open door, they stopped before two guards, one of whom came forward to search the assassin. Blade wondered at the need for this, but shrugged it off as he studied the scene through the door.
In the vast golden room, the Queen had just settled upon the throne, sceptre in hand. She wore a gown of silver and gold thread, a high fish-spine collar framing her head. Her coiled hair dripped gold and jewels, and her fingers and wrists sparkled with rings and bracelets. On a table before her rested a peacock-hued ribbon, a jewel-encrusted dagger and a scroll. Two high-ranking officers, resplendent in golden armour and white plumes, stood on either side of the throne.
The audience chamber was filled to capacity with ranks of advisors and nobles. Guards stood, statue-like, at the back of the throng. The silence would have made a pin falling sound like a thunderclap.
Queen Minna-Satu addressed her court. "Today, we honour and reward a man who has achieved what most people believed to be impossible. I set a task, some time ago, that of ending the life of King Shandor and bringing his son to Jondar. More than two-score warriors took on the task, and failed.
"One man succeeded, alone and unaided, in completing that task. His name may be known to you. His reputation is well told, though his profession is not well liked. But, in this instance, he has served me well, and deserves all of the reward that I today bestow upon him. Let no man slight him or offer him harm. He has my favour and my ear. Any insult to him is an insult to me. From this day forth, he will be a noble, and join the highest ranks of my court."
The manservant gripped Blade's arm and pushed him towards the throne, overcoming his reluctance with a shove that almost sent him staggering into the room. The assassin swung around angrily, then realised that he was in full sight of the entire court. Minna turned to face him, and he swallowed his anger and embarrassment as he walked towards her.
"I present to you a man who holds my highest regard, and has many names to his credit," the Queen stated. "He is known as the Silent Slayer, the Invisible Assassin, or simply Blade. Today, he is Conash of the cats."
A murmur went through the assembly, and many turned to their neighbours with incredulous expressions. Minna raised her sceptre and brought it down with a clink. Silence fell. Blade reached the bottom of the dais and hesitated, but the Queen beckoned him forward, and he climbed the three shallow steps to her level. She rose as he approached, and he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
"My Queen."
Another whisper hissed through the crowd, for most prostrated themselves before the Queen.
Minna gestured for him to rise, smiling. "Welcome, Conash of the cats."
Blade stood, uncomfortably aware of the numerous glares directed at his back. The tension and anger radiating from the members of the court was palpable, and if looks could kill, he knew that he would be dead many times over. To distract himself from the itchy prickle between his shoulder blades, he watched the Queen step towards the table and pick up the jewelled dagger. She returned to stand almost toe-to-toe with him, and raised the weapon, pressing the blade to his shirt in the vicinity of his heart. He smiled at her inaccuracy, for had she pushed the dagger in, she would have missed the vital organ and pierced his left lung instead. Blade remained immobile, even when he became aware, with a slight start, that the two officers had taken up position on either side of him. The ceremony was starting to resemble an execution more than an award, and he frowned.
The Queen gazed up at him. "As a man of my realm, you are beholden to me, but as a noble of my court, your life belongs to me alone. No one may take it from you without my permission, lest I do hunt them down and exact vengeance in kind upon them. But should I require it, none shall gainsay me. In return, you shall offer me no harm, nor disobey me. Do you so swear?"
He hesitated, unsure of the correct response. "Yes, My Queen."
Minna raised the dagger, and his scalp prickled as the officers drew their swords with a hiss of steel. The naked blades pointed at his flanks, almost touching his clothes, and he darted a surreptitious glance at them. The Queen pressed the edge of the dagger to one side of his throat, then the other.
"I grant you the title of Lord of the Realm, holder of the lands of Josham and the town of Bardim. I appoint you the Queen's guardian and personal advisor, second only to the chief advisor in that regard. I bestow upon you a living fitting to your title. Give me your hand."
Startled, Blade raised his right hand. The Queen never touched people, as far as he knew. Her maidens attended her, but all others remained at a polite distance. She took his hand in a cool clasp, running her fingers with apparent pleasure over the smooth skin of his palm.
"A nice hand," she murmured for him alone, and pressed the hilt of the dagger into it. Holding his fingers around the hilt, she turned the blade upon herself and poised it before her breast. Blade, startled and uncomfortable, tried to release the weapon, but could not until she freed his hand, whereupon the dagger clattered to the floor. He snatched his hand away and stepped back, unsettled.
Minna smiled. "Good."
The officers sheathed their swords and stepped back, and a servant scuttled forward to pick up the dagger. Minna-Satu went to the table and picked up the blue-green ribbon, coming close again to pin it onto the lapel of his tunic.
"Here is my favour," she intoned, then turned and picked up the scroll. "The deeds to your lands and title, which is, of course, hereditary." She lowered her voice to add, "Choose a fine son to adopt, who will do you honour."
He took the scroll. "What if I do not?"
"Then all shall revert to me, or my daughter, who will bestow it upon whomever she sees fit." She smiled and stepped back. "Now, you bow and step from the dais."
Blade did so, turning away as a desultory applause started amongst the courtiers. The accolade was so unenthusiastic that Queen Minna-Satu frowned and lifted her hands to clap, shooting a hard glance at the crowd. The courtiers redoubled their efforts, and Blade walked towar
ds the door through which he had entered. Along the way, he passed Prince Kerrion, who grinned and clapped.
At the door, the manservant took the scroll and gripped his arm, steering him away from his room. "I shall see to the deeds, My Lord. You must now go to the banquet hall for the feast. Your place is beside the Queen."
"Not more rigmarole," Blade groaned, allowing himself to be steered down a hall.
"Just a great deal of food, My Lord."
A vast table, draped with a gilt-edged white satin cloth, dominated the centre of the banquet hall. An amazing variety of food covered it, laid out in crystal bowls, translucent jade plates and golden platters. Feathers and flowers decorated the steaming spread of succulent fowl, game and fish that jostled for space between jugs of rare herb sauces and dishes of vegetables. Many smaller tables surrounded it, set with alabaster plates and golden cutlery.
The servant led him to the high table at the far end of the chamber as nobles wandered in, talking amongst themselves. Many stared at Blade in a hostile manner, but his glare made them look away. The ceremony had, by now, started to annoy him, and he growled at the servant when the man tried to guide him to a chair.
"For God's sake, leave me alone!"
The man bowed and retreated, leaving Blade standing beside the Queen's table. Before he could decide what to do, a mocking voice spoke behind him.
"So, your deeds are rewarded, and quickly too, I must say."
Blade swung around to find Kerrion grinning at him. The Prince went on, "Usually these things take days to arrange. It seems your queen knew in advance of your success."
The assassin scowled at his former captive. "So, they let you out of your cage."
"Oh, yes, I have already dined with the Queen and spent many long time-glasses talking to her. She is a little naive, but no more so than any other young woman. She wants a peace treaty, as I suspected. You will not be allowed the satisfaction of adding me to your tally."
Blade shrugged. "Life is full of little surprises."
The Queen_s Blade tqb-1 Page 10
