by David B. Coe
The three nobles stood and bowed to her, even Alao, who still didn’t look pleased.
“Your Highness,” Vasyonne said, before the others could leave the chamber. “What about the Qirsi? Will your ministers ride with you as well?”
Olesya’s eyebrows went up. Clearly she hadn’t given any thought to this. Since Kreazur’s death there had been little doubt that the conspiracy had indeed come to Sanbira. And as Diani and Sertio grew more convinced of the first minister’s innocence, it became clearer to them, and to the queen, that there were still traitors at large, perhaps even in the royal court. The white-hairs had been excluded from the councils and kept under constant watch. The nobles still weren’t certain who remained loyal and who did not, and Diani couldn’t decide whether it was more dangerous to take suspect ministers into battle or to leave them here, where they could work their mischief in the absence of the queen and several of her duchesses and dukes.
“I think they’ll have to come with us,” Olesya said after a time. “I don’t wish to leave them where they can’t be watched.” She glanced at Diani. “And other remedies are unacceptable.”
After the attempt on her life, Diani had been so wary of her Qirsi that she had had every sorcerer in Castle Curlinte imprisoned. When the queen heard of this, she ordered Diani to release them all, but the duchess still believed it was the best way to ensure that any traitors among the ministers could be controlled.
“Your Highness—” Diani began.
“We’re talking about four Qirsi, Lady Curlinte. Abeni, and the first ministers of Norinde, Brugaosa, and Macharzo. And we’ll have over a thousand warriors guarding us. It won’t be a problem.”
The duchess looked away. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Go now,” the queen said, looking at the three nobles standing near the doorway. “I’ll see you at Castle Brugaosa.” The three left, and Olesya turned to the others. “As for the rest of you, you should return to your castles. Be watchful, not only of your Qirsi, but of your borders and shores as well. I believe that Eibithar needs our aid, but I fear for the realm.”
Vasyonne stood. “Gods keep you safe, Your Highness.”
The others stood as well, all of them invoking the gods before they began to file from the chamber.
“Lady Curlinte, Lord Curlinte,” the queen called before Diani and Sertio reached the door. “A word please.”
Olesya waited until the last of the duchesses closed the door behind her. “Have you learned anything more about the Qirsi in my court?”
Sertio shook his head. “Still nothing, Your Highness. The traitor—”
“Or traitors,” Diani added.
Her father merely glanced at her. “Whoever it may be, this person has been quite clever about hiding his or her treachery. We’ve neither seen nor heard anything that would indicate that there is a traitor in the court.”
“Is it possible that we’ve been wrong about all this?” Olesya asked. “Perhaps there are no traitors in Yserne.”
Clearly the queen wanted to believe this; it was written on her handsome face, in the hopeful look in her dark eyes. But Diani knew better. The conspiracy was everywhere, infesting the land like some pernicious weed, spreading its tendrils through all the houses in the realm, insinuating itself into every court. It would take some time to prove this, perhaps more time than they had. Which was why they had to expose the traitors in the queen’s court as quickly as possible. This was where the evil was rooted—she was certain of that, as well. Kill the thing here, and perhaps the tendrils would wither and die.
“The conspiracy is real, Your Highness,” Diani told her. “And it’s here, in Yserne. Whoever had Kreazur killed was thoroughly familiar with this castle and this city.”
Olesya had heard this from her before, but still the words seemed to pain her, bringing a grimace to her lips and leaving her looking bent and frail.
“I’m too old to be fighting two wars at once.”
“You’re not fighting either of them alone, Your Highness.”
The queen forced a smile. “I know that, Diani. Thank you. And thank you, Sertio. I wish you could have learned more, but I know that you did what you could.”
“Your Highness,” Diani said, sensing that Olesya was about to dismiss them, “I’d like to ride with you to Eibithar.”
“Thank you, Diani, but our force will be large enough with the soldiers from the northwest houses, and we really can’t delay.”
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but you misunderstand. I don’t want to lead my army to Eibithar, I merely wish to accompany you myself.”
Sertio looked at her sharply, drawing breath to object.
“To what end?” the queen asked, before he could.
“To keep watch on Abeni and the other Qirsi. You’ll be occupied with the war, as will Naditia and the others. But since I won’t be leading an army, I can give my full attention to the conspiracy.” She faltered, but only for an instant. “Besides, this all began with the attack on me. I’d like to see it through to the end.”
“This war may be only the beginning, Diani. It may be quite dangerous to allow yourself to be driven by vengeance.”
She hadn’t said no, at least not yet. Diani pressed her advantage.
“Vengeance has nothing to do with it, Your Highness. You’ve decided to grant Kearney’s request because you see in this war the hand of the conspiracy. We saw it as well in the attempts on my life, and who knows how many times we’ve failed to see what should have been obvious to us. Our enemies may be all around us, but they won’t show themselves until we’re most vulnerable. If this war is a Qirsi feint, shouldn’t someone be with you, watching for the hidden blade?”
“Why you?” Sertio demanded. “You’ve never been to war, and as good as you are with steel, you’re not accomplished enough to guard the queen’s life. You should be in Curlinte, with your people and your army. I’ll accompany the queen.”
She should have been grateful. He was trying to protect her, as any good father would. But she heard only his challenge, his questioning of her abilities and her judgment.
“No, Father. You can’t do this. Whoever goes with the queen must be able to spot the traitor before he or she strikes. And you’re just too trusting. What good is steel if it never leaves its sheath?”
His face shaded to crimson, and he leveled a rigid finger at her chest. “Just because—”
“Stop it!” Olesya glared at them both. “I haven’t even said yet that I’ll allow one of you to accompany me, and already you’re fighting over which of you will be riding.”
“She has no place in this war, Your Highness. Better you should go without either of us than take her. You can just as easily have one of your men keep watch on the Qirsi.”
“I believe you do her a disservice, Sertio. You love her; you fear for her. I understand that.” She paused, looking at the duchess. “You must understand that, too, Diani. What he said a moment ago was intended not to diminish you, but to protect you. You may have felt slighted, but until you’re a parent yourself, you shouldn’t judge your father too harshly.”
“Your Highness—”
“Let me finish, Sertio. I know that you want to keep her safe, but she’s not a girl anymore. She’s a woman, and with Dalvia gone, she is duchess of one of Sanbira’s leading houses. The attack at the coast has left you frightened, and rightfully so. But you can’t let your life, or Diani’s, be ruled by fear. Would you have her lock herself away within the walls of her castle so that no arrows can find her, no traitors can strike at her?”
His cheeks still red, Sertio shook his head and muttered, “Of course not.”
“Then let her do this. I think it a fine idea. The two of you have been watching Abeni and the others for some time now; it makes sense that Diani should continue to do so.” Diani’s father still did not look mollified. “I’ll take good care of her, Sertio. You have my word, not only as your queen, but as your friend.”
“Yes, Your Highnes
s.”
Again they bowed to the queen, before leaving the chamber. Even after they were in the corridor, Sertio said nothing and for a time they walked in silence back toward their chambers on the far end of the inner keep. Only when they reached Diani’s door did her father finally look at her, his face like stone.
“You truly think me too trusting?”
“Father—”
“Do you?”
She took a breath. “Sometimes, yes.”
“And you believe this weakens me.”
“You’re a good man, Father, and a strong leader. You have fine qualities, among them your capacity to trust and the loyalty you show your friends. I just believe that some gifts, no matter how bright, have a dark side as well.”
“You may be right. And certainly the queen was correct when she said that I wish to keep you safe. But the real reason I don’t want you making this journey is that I fear your suspicions will get the better of you. I believe you want to accompany the queen for the same reason you imprisoned all the Qirsi in Curlinte. The attempts on your life have made you so frightened that you can no longer distinguish friend from foe, at least where the white-hairs are concerned. I may trust too willingly, but you see treachery behind every pair of yellow eyes. Tell me, Diani. Which is the darker gift?”
He left her then, and long after the click of his boots on the stone floors had faded to nothing, Diani still stood there, her hand poised on the door handle, her throat so tight she could hardly draw breath.
It took more than the suspicions of a queen and the prejudice of her small-minded nobles to keep Abeni ja Krenta, Sanbira’s archminister, from knowing all that happened in Castle Yserne. Though it had been more than a turn since Olesya had trusted her with any important task or confided in her in any meaningful way, there were those in the castle who still did her bidding, because they feared the influence she once had wielded and might someday wield again, or because they feared her magic, or because, like Abeni herself, they served the Weaver’s movement. She wasn’t without her own resources, her own servants. If it was possible for an Eandi to cast a pale shadow, then that was Abeni. White-skinned, white-haired, she was a counterpart to the queen. Perhaps her power didn’t reach as far as Olesya’s—yet—but she commanded a force of her own within the walls of this palace.
She herself had seen the messenger arrive, had watched as the castle guards fell over themselves to escort this man to Olesya’s chambers. Soon after, she left her chamber to wander the corridors. The Qirsi master who trained her in the use of her magic, as well as in the ways of the Eandi courts, had once said that a person could learn much of what happened in a castle simply by walking through its passages and gardens. “The walls of a castle will whisper secrets to you, if only you listen closely enough,” she liked to say. Again and again over the years, Abeni had found this to be true. Just as she did this day. Once in the corridors, she saw several of the other nobles scurrying like mice to the queen’s chambers. She overheard two guards speaking of a missive from a king, of war to the north. So she wasn’t at all surprised later in the day when another soldier approached her to say that the queen wished to speak with her.
She found Olesya in her presence chamber sitting in the ornate olivewood chair at the end of her council table. The queen appeared composed; if the tidings contained in the messenger’s note had shaken her, she showed no sign of it now. It seemed to Abeni a sign of how deep Olesya’s mistrust ran; she had never bothered to mask her fears or concerns from the archminister in the past.
Abeni bowed, and the queen indicated a chair at the table with an open hand.
“Please sit, Archminister.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. You called for me?”
“I did. You may have heard of a messenger arriving here today.”
“Yes, I did, though beyond the fact of his arrival, I’ve heard nothing.”
“He came from Eibithar.”
She’d guessed that much, but she allowed surprise to register on her face. “Eibithar?”
“Yes, from Kearney himself. It seems that the Braedon fleet is menacing Eibithar’s north coast. At the same time, there’s been some movement of Aneiran soldiers along the Tarbin.” She paused, eyeing Abeni, as if waiting for some response.
“Kearney fears an attack?” the archminister asked.
“Yes. For all we know, there’s already war on the Eibitharian Moorlands.”
This was the Weaver’s work. The realization came to her so suddenly, with such force, that she knew it had to be true. The last time he walked in her dreams, the Weaver had told her that all their planning was nearly at an end, that the Forelands would soon be theirs. No doubt this war was another attempt—perhaps the culminating one—to weaken the armies of the Eandi courts.
“Kearney has asked me to send warriors to help him meet the emperor’s assault. In return, he offers Eibithar’s aid in our fight against the conspiracy.”
Her expression neutral, her voice even, Abeni said, “He must know that you’ll refuse.”
“Why do you say that?”
And she knew. The queen would ride to war within the next few days. These were indeed extraordinary times.
“Sanbiri queens have avoided war alliances for centuries. I merely assumed that you would do the same.”
“In truth, I had every intention of refusing. But several of the duchesses argued for going to war, as did Edamo.”
This time, Abeni’s surprise was genuine. “Lord Brugaosa? Arguing in favor of going to war?” It was almost too good to be true. She felt quite certain that this was what the Weaver wanted. The wider the conflict, the better for the movement. Edamo and the others were just the fools the Weaver had hoped they would be.
“I was as shocked as you are. But he made a fine argument for honoring Kearney’s request. He believes, as do several of the others, that there’s more to this war than there appears.”
Abruptly, Abeni felt her confidence leech away. “I don’t understand,” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady.
Again the queen was watching her, and again Abeni knew what she would say before she said it, though this time she could barely control the pounding of her heart.
“He thinks that the conspiracy has somehow contrived events to bring about this war.” She took a breath, her gaze never straying from Abeni’s face. “I fear that I must agree with him.”
“How could the traitors do such a thing, Your Highness?” Her mouth felt gritty and dry.
“I was hoping that you might be able to tell me.”
No doubt the queen had thought to catch her unawares with the accusation, to frighten her into giving herself away. In fact, she gave Abeni just what she needed to overcome her initial dismay at hearing of Edamo’s insight.
“I don’t know what you mean, Your Highness.” But her tone left little doubt that she did, that she recognized the queen’s statement for what it was: an accusation. She could be defensive now, she could be hostile. Olesya had given her just the excuse she needed to close herself off to any more questions.
“I think you know just what I mean. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, but I had to ask.”
“Did you, Your Highness? For more than a turn now you’ve been avoiding me, refusing to hear my counsel. And in all that time, while your spies have been watching me—watching all the Qirsi in Castle Yserne—you’ve found nothing to tie me to the conspiracy.” Seeing Olesya pale, she gave a sad smile. “Yes, I know about the soldiers who follow me, and about Lady Curlinte’s attempts to prove me a traitor.”
“Abeni—”
“I understand why you did it, Your Highness. The betrayal of Curlinte’s first minister left all of us shaken. But I’d think that after all this time looking in vain for signs that I’d betrayed the realm, you’d be ready to trust me again.”
The queen’s eyes strayed to the window. “I’m afraid it’s not that easy.”
“Why isn’t it, Your Highness?” Abeni demanded, surprisi
ng herself with the fervor of her question. “What have I done to make you doubt me so?”
She saw Olesya hesitate, so there was something. But after a moment the queen shook her head. “It’s nothing, Abeni. You’ve done nothing.” The woman took a breath, then gave a brittle smile. “Indeed, I’d like you to ride with us to Eibithar. I’ll be grateful for your counsel, and for the powers you’ll wield on our behalf.”
“You want me to come with you?” Abeni said, sounding, she knew, like a dullard.
The queen actually smiled. “Yes. Other ministers will be accompanying us as well. I intend to bring five hundred soldiers from the royal army, and another two hundred each from Norinde, Brugaosa, and Macharzo. Alao, Edamo, and Naditia will be riding with us, as will their first ministers.”
The first minister of Brugaosa remained loyal to his duke, but Craeffe and Filtem were already with the movement. Having them at hand for the coming battle might prove most fortuitous. Abeni would have liked to have Listaal’s first minister there as well. She hadn’t turned to the movement yet, but she was close. Craeffe had been working her for nearly a turn, as had Abeni. But she had no cause to complain. Three of the four ministers riding with Sanbira’s army belonged to the movement. The Weaver would be pleased.
“You trust us with this?” she asked the queen.
Again, the hesitation. No, it seemed to say, but we want you where we can watch you. “We’ll have to learn to trust again. All of us. And in the meantime, we need you.”
It was a more candid answer than she had expected. “All right,” she said. “When do we ride?”
“Soon. In the next few days. I’ll know more after I’ve had a chance to speak again with the master of arms and the quartermaster.”
“Very good, Your Highness. I’ll be ready.”
“I know you will, Archminister. Thank you.”
Abeni bowed and left her, intending to return to her bedchamber. As she reached it, however, she found Craeffe waiting for her, an avid look in her large bright eyes. Silently, Abeni opened the door to the chamber and they both stepped inside.
