A slow, cruel smile spread over Sergey's face. “Of course, my lord.”
The Senetian saluted and cantered his horse back across the plaza. Sadistic bastard, Dirk thought, as he watched him leave. He took the remaining steps down to the plaza two at a time. The stands built to accommodate the important guests smelled of freshly sawn timber, which reminded Dirk of something else. He beckoned the other captain forward.
“Have your weapons stored in the temple for now,” he ordered. “You can collect them after the ceremony.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“And there are some urns just inside the temple. I want you to soak the wood with the oil inside them. Those pyres have been rained on for days. The wood is damp. They'll never burn without help.”
“I'll see to it, my lord.”
Dirk glanced around the plaza and nodded with satisfaction. Already people were starting to arrive, although it was several hours until the eclipse. Most of the nobility would probably not arrive for some time yet. He glanced up at the sky, as if expecting to see it darken, but the second sun was fully risen now. There was no hint in that flawless blue that anything important would happen soon.
More horses arrived and Dirk looked across the plaza with a feeling of intense relief as he realized Jacinta had arrived early as he asked, with Tael Gordonov and two other Guardsmen as her escort. They rode toward him, Jacinta sitting her mount like a woman born to the saddle. He stepped forward to greet them, almost wilting under the hatred in the Dhevynian captain's glare.
Tael dismounted and then turned to help Jacinta out of her saddle.
“Good morning, my lord.”
“Lady Jacinta.”
“It's a beautiful day. The Goddess truly does smile on you.”
“It will get better yet,” he promised. “Could I have a word with your captain, my lady?”
Tael stared at him with open hostility. “You might have the Senetian troops under your command, Lord Provin, but the Queen's Guard are not subject to your orders.”
“I wasn't planning to give you any orders, Captain. I merely want a private word with you.”
“Go on, Tael,” Jacinta said.
With some reluctance Tael accompanied Dirk a little way from the Senetians and Jacinta. He watched the soldiers shedding their arms and piling them on the ground, while another two men carried the weapons into the temple.
“You've disarmed the Senetians?” Tael asked in surprise.
“I don't want your men visibly armed today, either.”
Tael looked at him suspiciously. “Not visibly armed? Are you expecting trouble, my lord?”
“Let's just say that when the Goddess reveals her will today, I want to know if I can count on you to protect your queen.”
“It's an insult you even ask such a thing.”
“Perhaps. Will you do what's required of you?”
Tael was furious Dirk dared question his loyalty. “Every man I have with me would die to protect the queen.”
“I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, Captain.”
“Then why ask it of me?”
“Because at some point today, you're going to have to make a decision, and you'll only have a split second to decide whose orders to follow. I just want you to remember you are here to protect Alenor, not Alexin, nor anybody else in the world. Just your queen.”
Obviously unsettled by Dirk's words, Tael stood a little straighter and glared at him. “You need have no fear of that, my lord. If it came to it, I'd kill you in order to protect my queen.”
Dirk smiled. “I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, either.”
“My lord!”
He turned to see who had hailed him. Another carriage had arrived in the plaza while he was talking to Tael. Marqel was here—late, of course—but he had no more time to explain things.
“Good luck, Captain,” he said, and then he left him standing there with a puzzled and rather unhappy expression on his face.
Dirk could feel Tael's eyes on his back as he walked away. He'd done what he could to warn the Queen's Guard. Done what he could to help Alenor and Alexin. Done what he could for Tia, although he doubted she would appreciate the gesture when they tied her to the stake. Poor Tia. It seemed every time their paths crossed, he did something even worse to her. But today would see an end to it. After this, she would no longer be in a position to condemn him. Whether or not she would live long enough to forgive him was a question he couldn't answer.
He climbed the steps to the temple slowly, wondering if he should have tried to explain what he was doing to Tia to Alenor. They all believed he had turned on them now. Dirk glanced up at the sky again. It would be over soon. The only thing left to do now was speak to the Sundancers Claudio had so carefully chosen and then watch Marqel conduct the ceremony.
After that, all their fates were in the hands of the Goddess.
ia learned she was to be sacrificed at the eclipse ceremony from one of the guards when he delivered her meal. The news shocked her. She was certain Dirk intended to hand her over to the Lion of Senet so Barin Welacin would have his chance at her. She'd been preparing herself mentally to face whatever torment he had in mind. But to learn in passing she was to die in a few hours, burned alive with half the world watching, felt like a physical blow. Tia wasn't ready to die. She had far too much to live for. She cried when she heard the news, but they were tears of anger, not grief.
They came for the prisoners just after second sunrise. She was escorted out into the hall and received another shock. The man who was to burn alongside her was Alexin Seranov. Surrounded by guards, he stood outside a cell farther up the hall, his expression haunted. They were not permitted to speak to each other as they were escorted through to the main reception hall of the cell block. Another guard was waiting for them there, holding two cups, into which had been poured a carefully measured dose of poppy-dust. Tia almost sagged with relief when she saw it. The sound of Morna Provin's screams still tormented her at times. She was sure she didn't have the strength to bear her execution stoically. But they were to be given some respite, probably because of the number of important people who'd come to watch. It wouldn't do to upset all those well-bred ladies with the sound of agonized screams as the sacrifices crisped and blackened before them. This was supposed to be entertaining.
The guard offered the cups to the prisoners. Neither of them was stupid enough to refuse. It was awkward, trying to raise the cup to her mouth with her hands chained. The poppy-dust was only a few inches from her lips when another officer entered the room.
“No!” he ordered. “They're not to be drugged!”
The cup was snatched from her hand before she could swallow it. Alexin's was taken from him just as quickly.
The Dhevynian captain glared at the newcomer. “You always did like to watch people suffer, didn't you, Sergey?”
The Senetian shrugged. “These are not my orders, Alexin. They come from the Lord of the Suns.”
“Dirk ordered it?” Tia gasped. How much does he hate us? Is he so far gone he not only wants to kill us, but wants to watch us suffer as well?
“He was quite specific,” Sergey confirmed. “Said he wanted you both to know what was going on.” Then the captain smiled. “You both thought him a friend once, didn't you? I'll bet you're regretting that now.”
“You seem to be enjoying it, though,” Alexin remarked.
“What can I say, Alexin? I love my work.” He turned to the guards who were holding them. “Take them to the temple. Lord Provin will tell you what he wants done with them once you get there.”
They were jostled out of the cells and into a closed and barred wagon. As soon as the door slammed shut, the wagon jolted forward. Alexin caught Tia awkwardly as she fell forward and helped her unsteadily to her feet.
“What did you do to get here?” she asked him, clutching at the bars for balance.
“Adultery with the queen,” he replied in a voice devoid of emotion.
�
�With Alenor?” she asked in surprise. “Who would have thought it?”
“And your crime?”
“I was born to the wrong parents.”
“Then we're both victims of fate.”
She shook her head. “We're both victims of Dirk Provin's ambition, Alexin. There's nothing predestined about it.”
“I find it hard to believe Dirk ordered we were not to be offered any relief.”
“I don't. What I find hard to believe is I'm going to be dead in a few hours. I'm not even scared. Just furious.”
Alexin smiled wanly. “I know what you mean. Do you suppose there's any chance—?”
“That we'll be rescued?” She laughed harshly. “By whom, Alexin? We're in the middle of Senet about to be murdered by one of our own, for the entertainment of people who have traveled from all over the world to witness the power of the Goddess. How can you possibly imagine we're going to survive this?”
“Dirk asked Alenor to trust him, you know, no matter how bad things got.”
“Then she's a fool. And so are you if you think there is any hope we're going to be alive at the end of the day.”
The wagon jolted to a halt. The door was unlocked and thrown open. They were taken from the wagon up the steps of the temple. The pyres loomed large on either side of the massive bronze doors. Any doubts Alexin had he was really going to burn today vanished at the site of several guards laying fresh kindling over the damp wood and pouring liquid from several large earthenware urns around the base of the posts. They were halted on the broad top step while somebody went inside to fetch the Lord of the Suns.
Dirk emerged a few moments later. He was dressed in the ceremonial robes of his office, which extinguished the last flicker of hope Tia might have harbored that Dirk was doing this for any other reason than his own advancement. He glanced at the prisoners disinterestedly and then turned to the guard.
“Tie them to the pyres,” he said tonelessly. “I don't want the ceremony interrupted once we get started.”
He turned to leave. Even now, Alexin couldn't believe he would just walk away like that.
“Dirk!”
He stopped and glanced back at him. “This is necessary, Captain. When the Goddess reveals herself, you'll both understand.” Then he disappeared into the temple without waiting for either of them to reply.
Tia was manhandled roughly across to the pyre on the left. It was larger than the one on the right. I'm to be the second sun. How ironic. She struggled against the guards as they forced her up the pyre and shoved her roughly against the post. Her resis tance was futile. Within moments she was chained securely and then left alone looking down over the plaza rapidly filling with people. The pyre reeked. It stank not of oil, but of something else Tia vaguely recalled, but couldn't quite place. Perhaps it was the stuff they were pouring on the wood to make it burn the right color.
The fumes were making her eyes water. Blinking back her angry tears, Tia turned to look at Alexin. He was dealing with this much better than she was. He stood proud and erect, as if he was to be burned alive by choice, not by the decree of the Lord of the Suns for the crime of loving his queen far more than duty demanded of him.
The stands in front of the temple were quickly filling with people. The eclipse was scheduled for the ninth hour of the day, but Tia had no idea what time it was. She guessed she had a little time yet. The ceremony hadn't started and people were still pouring into the plaza hoping for a good vantage from which to watch the proceedings. Not to mention the chance to witness the queen's lover and the heretic's daughter burn.
Tia closed her eyes and tried to forget about the gawking crowd. She thought of Misha instead, wishing she'd been able to get a message to him. What would he do when he learned her fate? Would he feel the same wrenching torment she felt at the thought of never seeing him again? Would the same grief for a lost opportunity haunt his soul? She remembered what Lexie had said about not understanding true love until you'd experienced it for yourself. Finally, Tia understood what Lexie was talking about. It was a pity she had to wait until she was standing here, counting down the minutes until they lit her pyre, before the realization came to her.
Opening her eyes, Tia discovered the stands were almost full. The last dignitary to arrive was the Lion of Senet, dressed in white as usual, accompanied by Prince Baston of Damita, Kirshov and Alenor. The little queen took her seat reluctantly in the front row. She looked beaten down, almost shriveled by what was about happen. Tia had that much to be grateful for. Alenor would be forced to watch Alexin burn. Misha, at least, would be spared the torment of witnessing the excruciating death of the one he loved.
The doors to the temple on Tia's left began to open ponderously. The High Priestess stepped out of the temple, followed by the Lord of the Suns and a dozen or more Shadowdancers who spread out along the steps. Two of them carried burning torches. They took up their positions in front of the pyres and turned to face the crowd. So Dirk wasn't planning to set her alight himself. He was probably too gutless. Even Antonov had accused him of that once. The night he had killed Johan. Tia found herself a little disappointed. She was hoping to look him in the eye. Hoping she had enough left in her to spit in it as well.
And then Marqel stepped forward and opened her arms wide. A hush fell over the thousands gathered in the plaza. The silence was broken by the slow tolling of the town bells, marking out the ninth hour.
“I call on the Goddess!” Marqel cried in a surprisingly strong voice. “Hear us, my lady, and accept this sacrifice!”
At Marqel's command, the two Shadowdancers with the torches turned to the pyres and plunged the burning brands deep into the oil-soaked kindling at the base.
The eclipse ceremony had begun.
ne… Marqel jumped a little as the bells started tolling. She hadn't realized it was so close to the ninth hour. Although she had been in Bollow for some time now, she had never noticed before how loud the city bells were. But now, when the whole world stood holding its breath, they seemed unnaturally loud and ominous.
Dirk stood on the temple steps behind her in those unflattering yellow robes, letting the High Priestess have center stage. She looked out over the sea of people and smiled. This was probably the greatest audience anyone had ever played to. The greatest performance since Belagren convinced Antonov to sacrifice his own son in order to restore the world to the Age of Light.
Two…
“I call on the Goddess!” Marqel cried again as the bells tolled.
The crowd was silenced by her words. The power she had over them was dizzying. For this she had been born. The stage was set, the props were perfect. This would be a show nobody would ever forget.
The plaza was crammed full of people, both highborn and common. Along the edges of the crowd was the large contingent of Senetian Guardsmen. The Dhevynian Guardsmen, less than a hundred in all, were ranked along the front of the temple steps with another line of Senetians. They were an impressive sight in those smart blue-and-silver uniforms lined up alongside the white and gold of Antonov's guard. Behind her she could feel the heat building from the pyres as they burned. They were massive, built on a scale suitable to the occasion, so the flames would take a little while to reach the victims. Marqel just hoped they didn't start screaming until she was finished. She didn't want them distracting her audience.
“The Goddess spoke to our beloved mother Belagren and showed us the way back into the light!”
Her voice was strong and clear and rang out over the plaza. She was a born performer. Everything she had ever been taught about how to hold an audience in her grasp seemed to make sense now. It wasn't even an act. This was who she was.
Three …
“The sacrifice of the Shadow Slayer during the Age of Shadows proved to the Goddess that we had seen the error of our ways! We have sought her truth ever since, but some of you have been wavering! So the Goddess took our beloved mother, Belagren, to her breast, to comfort her for an eternity, and spoke to me of the s
ame fears she had when Ranadon last turned from her teachings!”
Marqel hesitated, looking down over the crowd that was caught in her thrall. Even the two prisoners chained to the pyres seemed entranced by her mesmerizing performance. But then, the flames hadn't reached them yet.
“ ‘I will give you a sign,’ the Goddess said to me!” Marqel cried. “ ‘I will show the people of Ranadon, once and for all, that they are my people. I will show them who speaks with my voice! I will show them the truth …’ ”
Four …
The bells rang out again. Marqel glanced upward, but there was as yet no sign of the promised eclipse. Would the people panic when the darkness came, or would they be too stunned by the darkness to do anything more than stare at it in wonder? Was her power sufficient to quell their fears?
“When the Goddess speaks, all of Ranadon will know her power!” Marqel declared. “Those who doubt her will be silenced. Those who believe in her true faith will be rewarded! Those who follow her teachings will be honored! Those who have strayed from her path will be exposed!
“I speak as the Voice of the Goddess! I, to whom she has entrusted the care of this world, order you now to bow your heads in prayer. Speak to the Goddess with your hearts. Let her see what is in them. Open yourselves to her judgment!”
Five …
Every head in the crowd lowered in silent prayer. Marqel opened one eye and risked a look at the others standing on the steps around her. The massive building behind her cast a shadow over the steps and the first few rows of the tiered seating. Dirk's head was bowed respectfully. Claudio Varell was looking around nervously. The other Shadowdancers behind her were still. Where are all the Sundancers? she wondered. Except for Dirk and Claudio, there's barely a yellow robe in sight. It was probably a good thing. This ceremony marked the ultimate proof of the power of the Shadowdancers. Who needed that lot of senile old men and women around? The flames of the pyres were well alight by now. It wouldn't be long before Tia Veran and Alexin Seranov began to sizzle. Tia tugged against her bonds, a wild, panicked look in her eye, as the flames lapped closer and closer. Alexin did not move, did not even blink.
Lord of the Shadows Page 37
