The Fire Opal

by Catherine Asaro

  “My honor at your presence, Your Majesty,” Ginger said.

  “And mine at yours,” Vizarana said. “But you don’t have to call me ‘Your Majesty.’ We’re cousins, now. Jade will do.”

  Jade. Not even Vizarana, but her private name. “Thank you. Please call me Ginger.”

  The queen nodded, accepting the name. “How do you feel?”

  “Muzzy,” she admitted. Her mind was clearing, though, and filling with questions. “Do you know what happened with General Yargazon? Is Darz all right?”

  Jade tilted her head. “Who is Darz?”

  “Well, he told me his name was Darz. You all call him Baz.”

  “Ah.” Jade drew one of her feet up onto the chair and rested her elbow on her bent knee, a feat few other women of highborn status in Taka Mal could have managed, given their constraining garb.

  “It’s a mess,” Jade said. “Thank the saints we had your warning. Yargazon had brought his army to within only an hour of the city when Baz met him with ours.” A fierce satisfaction showed in her gaze. “Yargazon was quite shocked to see my cousin alive and well. Alive, well—and furious.”

  Ginger crumpled the covers in her hand. “Did they fight?”

  Jade let out a long breath. “It seems that for today at least, we are spared a war. Had their plan succeeded, it would have been different. Who would have led our army? General Spearcaster, yes, but with the loss of the royal family, and Jazid descending with no warning, we would have been vulnerable.” She pulled her hand through her hair, drawing curls back from her face. “As it was, the forces were evenly matched and ours far better prepared than Yargazon expected. Or so I’m assuming. He claims he had no intention of attacking, that he had learned of the assassination plot and was coming to defend us. He says you made up the entire story about his intention to betray Taka Mal.”

  Anger swept over Ginger. “He’s lying!”

  Jade raised her hand, palm out in the traditional gesture of calm. “We know, Ginger-Sun. A great deal of evidence supports what you’ve said.” Her voice hardened. “Including the murder attempt against my cousin and heir. It also explains the disappearance of several of my top officers.” Grief showed on her expressive face. “Your description of Colonel Aroch was devastatingly accurate. Nor would he have ever willingly told you that information about my covert agents. You couldn’t have known unless you were present where it was forced out of him.”

  With a sinking sensation, Ginger realized who she meant. “The colonel was the man they interrogated before me?”

  “Yes, we think so.” She rubbed her eyes, then let her arm drop. “I’ve known Aroch for years. To think of what he went through—and that they attacked Baz, my closest kin—” She took a deep breath. Then she said, simply, “Yargazon has made an enemy.”

  Ginger suspected the queen was far more dangerous than Yargazon realized, perhaps more than he could even comprehend. But Ginger had also sensed the power simmering within him. She could well believe Darz’s claim that he was one of the most dangerous men alive. “General Yargazon won’t give up.”

  “I know.” Jade thumped her fist on her knee. “It was a wickedly effective ploy. If he had succeeded, he would have doubled the size of his army and put the boy atajazid on a throne the Misted Cliffs doesn’t control. Even failing, he creates a threat to the Misted Cliffs that weakens their hold in Jazid. Cobalt has already overextended his forces trying to secure their country. Now he must contend with a threat to Taka Mal, as well, which means he either must extend his forces further or risk losing sway in the desert. He is bound by kinship, too, because of Drummer, my husband.” She shook her head. “I know people see Cobalt as evil. But Yargazon is the one I fear.”

  “I can see why.” Those few words barely touched Ginger’s feelings on that matter.

  Jade regarded her for a moment.

  “What is it?” Ginger asked.

  “Yargazon doesn’t deny he bought you as a pleasure slave. In fact, he insists we return you to him.”

  “What? No. You cannot!”

  “Ah, Ginger-Sun. We would never do such.”

  Ginger took a shaky breath. She saw something on Jade’s face she hadn’t seen for a long time, not from the elders or the nomads or the interrogators. Compassion. Lately, the only people who had shown it to her were Darz, Heath, the miners and Jalla. And Kindle, who could be a good person when he wasn’t drinking or trying to blow up people.

  Jade spoke quietly. “Dusk Yargazon is no fool. He is well aware that abducting the wife of the General of the Queen’s Army would be an act of war.”

  “Baz commands the entire army?” She knew she shouldn’t be surprised, given what she had seen. But still.

  Jade smiled wryly. “I take it he neglected to mention that fact, too.”

  “Among a few others.”

  “Don’t be angry with him. He was protecting himself.”

  “Against me?”

  “Actually, I think he did trust you. But none of the people around you. He was also worried what you might reveal if you were captured.” She inclined her head. “You have our deepest gratitude, Ginger-Sun. To go through what you did and never reveal that Baz was alive—I will forever be indebted to you.”

  “I don’t think I could have held out much longer.”

  “Many would have broken sooner.”

  She thought back to what Darz had told her so many days ago. It seems I’m on leave whether I want to be or not. “Darz—I mean Baz, said he had been going to Taza Qu.”

  Jade spoke in a voice heavy with grief. “I was the one who wanted him to take some time. He lost someone close to him in the Battle of the Rocklands, both a mentor and a friend, another of my generals. I knew Baz needed to mourn. But after he vanished—” She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “I blame myself. If I had let him stay on duty, the assassins wouldn’t have found him.”

  “He’s the one who chose to slip away from his guards that morning.” Ginger understood much better now why Darz had been so adamant she never go anywhere by herself.

  “It wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t urged him to go.”

  Ginger spoke in a quiet voice. “And you and your baby would be dead now, and your consort a Jazid prisoner.”

  Jade stared at her for a long moment. Then she murmured, “Aye, that’s true.”

  “General Yargazon is not someone I wish to meet again,” Ginger said, one of the great understatements of her life.

  “The doctor and midwife tell me—well, they don’t think you were forced.” Jade spoke awkwardly. “But neither was certain, with all the riding you did.”

  “I wasn’t.” Ginger crumpled the sheet in her fists. “He hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”

  Jade leaned forward. “Know this, Ginger-Sun. No matter what anyone has said in your village or anywhere else, you have nothing to feel shame for.” Then she said, “But if he did force you, we must know.”

  Her face was burning. “He didn’t.”

  “Baz says you had your menses on the trip with the caravan.”

  “He told you that?” What a thing to discuss with the queen.

  “I’m sorry.” Jade looked as if she meant it. “But Yargazon says he slept with you, and that if you have a child, it will be his.”

  Ginger stared at her. “That’s horrible!”

  “Baz used less repeatable language,” Jade said wryly. “But if you give birth in nine months or less, Yargazon is going to claim he sired the child who stands third in line to my throne.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Ginger said. “He’s telling you he raped your cousin’s wife and therefore he has a claim to the throne? That’s crazy.”

  “Apparently Baz had a similar reaction.” Jade’s smile had no humor in it, only an edge like a honed knife. “Firaz tells me they literally had to hold Baz back from trying to kill Yargazon and starting a war right there.”

  Ginger scowled. “Then why isn’t Yargazon in a dungeon?”

&
nbsp; “Unfortunately, his encampment straddles the border. He claims he was in Jazid when the nomads brought you to him.” Her gaze darkened. “And in Jazid, it is legal to buy women.”

  “Except for the ‘small’ matter that I’m already married.”

  “I’m afraid niceties like marriage and consent have little to do with this.” Jade shook her head. “It wasn’t so long ago Taka Mal had similar laws. They’ve changed over the years, and I’ve made progress. But it takes time. I can’t just throw around decrees. Too much, too fast, and the people will reject my authority. It’s iffy enough already having a woman on the Topaz Throne.” She looked as if she had eaten a sour fruit. “According to Jazid custom, what happened to you is acceptable, and according to their justice system, it’s legal.”

  “But surely he can’t take me back.”

  “Not while you’re on Taka Mal soil.” Grimly, Jade added, “Assuming proof exists that he had anything to do with your disappearance.” She gave Ginger a look of apology. “My husband and I always have guards, everywhere, even in our home. I’m afraid the same will have to hold for you.” After a pause, she added, “Eventually you get used to it.”

  It sounded like a relief to Ginger, after all that had happened. Hesitant, she said, “I thought you all would object to me as a consort for Baz.”

  “Oh, my generals like you, just from what Baz has told them.” She gave an affectionate snort. “Hell, they’re men. They liked you the moment they laid eyes on you. They see a gorgeous woman, they stop thinking.”

  Ginger couldn’t help but smile, imagining how Darz would respond to that statement. Definitely loud. “Even so.”

  Jade’s grin flashed, so much like Darz. “I’ve never seen my cousin so smitten. General Firaz says he can’t understand why you put up with Baz, but he thinks having a priestess for a wife will be good for my cousin.”

  Ginger wasn’t sure they understood. “He told you, didn’t he, that I don’t come from a noble or royal line?”

  Jade shrugged. “Neither does Drummer. A priestess is considered a highborn woman, but Drummer’s connections are all by marriage. His father is an orchard keeper.” Wryly she added, “You should have heard my generals complain about that.”

  “Drummer?” Ginger asked. “You mean your husband? The man with yellow hair?”

  Jade made an exasperated noise. “Why is that the first thing people always say about him? Firaz even gave it as a reason I shouldn’t marry him. A lot of people in Aronsdale have yellow hair.” She paused, considering Ginger. “Or red-gold.”

  “My grandfather was from Aronsdale.”

  Jade started to speak, paused, started again, then stopped and scratched her chin.

  “What is it?” Ginger asked.

  “Baz showed me the opal you carry.”

  Gods only knew what would happen if the queen thought she was a witch. “It’s a good luck charm.” Ginger smiled, trying to deflect the conversation. “It must work. I met Baz.”

  Jade snorted. “You call that good luck? Not for your ears, I’d wager.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “He does have a robust voice.”

  “That’s a diplomatic way to put it.” Jade’s smile changed into something harder to read. Curiosity perhaps. “Drummer has such a charm, also. His is a gold cube.”

  Ginger recalled one of her earliest conversations with Darz, when he described the Battle of the Rocklands: Some say this dragon in the sky was no more than a trick of light and air created by the queen’s consort. Was Jade trying to tell her something, but holding back just as Ginger would hesitate?

  Ginger spoke carefully. “If Prince Drummer was a commoner, how did he end up related to the king of the Misted Cliffs?”

  “It’s convoluted,” Jade admitted. “Drummer’s sister married Muller Dawnfield, the cousin of the king of Aronsdale. Later, the king of Harsdown tried to conquer Aronsdale. The Aronsdale king defeated him and ended up in control of Harsdown. He sent his cousin Muller to be sovereign there. Cobalt was the son of the deposed king of Harsdown. It took Cobalt years, but he raised an army to take back Harsdown. To stop the war, Muller’s daughter agreed to marry him. So Cobalt doesn’t get the throne of Harsdown, but his son will. Cobalt’s wife is Drummer’s niece.”

  The lives of royal families sounded a lot less pleasant and a lot more complicated than Ginger had ever imagined. “Goodness.”

  “I don’t think much of that was involved,” Jade said dryly.

  “But King Muller married a commoner, yes? Drummer’s sister.”

  Jade met her gaze. “That’s right.”

  “They do that in Aronsdale, I’ve heard.” She hesitated. “People say it is because the royals seek mages to be their brides.”

  “So they say.”

  Ginger didn’t know how to ask if it were true. “Does it bother Prince Drummer that people think his sister is a mage?” Or Drummer himself?

  “I don’t think so.” Jade shrugged. “People say all sorts of things about royal families. It’s the mystique, you know.”

  “I guess so.” She doubted Jade would say more. Ginger didn’t blame her, having almost died at the stake for just the rumor of such abilities. She rubbed her eyes. “It must be late.”

  “Ach!” Jade sounded just like Darz. “I shouldn’t keep you awake.”

  She thought of what had happened before the queen came in to see her. “Did you see the sunset tonight?”

  “Wasn’t that odd? I’ve never seen one with no colors.”

  Ginger’s pulse jumped. “Yes. I wonder why it happened.”

  Jade shrugged. “My astronomers say the sky had less dust than usual. It seemed the same as usual to me, but they know more about such things.”

  No colors. A chill went through Ginger, and she brushed at the orange sand scattered on the quilt. Another thought pulled her, too. She spoke shyly, still unsure of her place here. “Is Baz back at the palace?”

  “He’s been in council with my other generals.” Jade picked up the candle and rose to her feet. “I’m going to join them. I’ll tell him you awoke.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jade went to the door. But then she paused. Turning back, she said, “Sometime, perhaps you would like to discuss Aronsdale with Drummer. He might be able to help you learn more about your grandfather’s heritage.”

  Her pulse leapt. Her grandfather’s greatest heritage to her was her mage gifts. “I would like that.”

  “I’ll tell him.” With that, the queen departed, leaving one flickering candle. Ginger lay down, worn out, while her thoughts roiled….

  She woke into darkness and rolled against Darz. Fast asleep, he gave a snort of a snore and settled deeper into the mattress.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she murmured. “Even if you do snore too loud.”

  Apparently he wasn’t as deep in slumber as she thought, for he chuckled and turned onto his back. He pulled her into his arms so she was lying with her head in the curve where his arm met his shoulder. “Light of the moon, priestess.”

  A memory jumped into her mind: his sword cleaving the assassin in two. She didn’t know if she would ever reconcile these parts of his personality, the man who touched her with such gentleness and the killer who fought so savagely.

  “I’m not really a priestess anymore,” she said. “I have no temple.”

  “Jade is going to ask if you’ll serve in the palace temple. We don’t have anyone.” He yawned. “She’s trying to figure how to phrase it so it doesn’t sound as if she’s taking advantage of your coming here.”

  “I think you just took care of that.”

  “Oh! Damn. I’m an idiot.”

  She kissed his cheek. “But a handsome one.”

  “You’re supposed to say, ‘No, you’re not an idiot,’” he told her. “Or ‘I would be happy to serve in your temple.’”

  She settled more into the curve of his arm. “It would be my honor to serve as priestess for the royal family.”

  “Gi
nger!”

  “Hmm?”

  “I’m going to rue the day I ever introduced you to Jade,” he growled. “You treat me just like she does.”

  Ginger liked being compared to the queen. But then her good mood receded. “She’s the one you were supposed to marry, isn’t she?”

  “Yes. But she’s too much like my sister.” He rubbed his hand over her shoulder. “I’m glad I didn’t.”

  “She’s gorgeous.”

  He hmmphed. “She’s impossible. She wouldn’t have married me anyway. She was afraid I was after her throne.”

  Ginger didn’t ask if that were true. For him to say anything but “no” could be treason. She had no doubt he was loyal to his cousin. But she could see another reason they never married; it would have been a constant struggle for power. She wondered if they realized they had chosen similar life-mates, a companion who was gentle where they were fierce, someone younger, vulnerable, in need of their protection, a spouse who was like water to their fire. It didn’t matter that Vizarana was female and Darz male; their Quaazera heritage outweighed all the rest.

  “You said her name was Lima,” Ginger said.

  “I couldn’t tell you her real name.” He grinned. “Don’t tell her I said Lima. She’ll kill me. I used to call her Lima Bean when we were children. She hated it.”

  “I won’t tell.” Ginger paused, puzzled. “You also said she and Drummer married for love.”

  “They did.” Grudgingly, he added, “The treaty business was a good idea. But she didn’t come up with it until after she proposed to him.”

  That really woke Ginger up. “She asked him?”

  Darz snorted. “He’s a damn minstrel, for flaming sake. An acrobat who’s never wielded a sword in his life. It would have been an insult and presumption beyond redemption for him to ask the queen of Taka Mal to marry him.”

  “It all sounds so romantic.”

  “Ach! Why do women say that? It wasn’t romantic. It was maddening and damn near got that boy killed three times over.”