by Jeff Wheeler
The Earl of Caspur was one of the wealthiest men of the realm. She could almost sense the courtiers staring at her, eager to feast on the carcass of his possessions, which would be stripped away from him. He could lose everything, including his life, for what he had done.
Maia rose from the chair and approached the kneeling man. She knelt herself and took his hands with hers. The knots of sinews and tendons were still blanched and straining. She rubbed her palm across his knuckles to soothe him.
“My lord earl,” she said, drawing him to his feet. “I believe you, and I forgive you for your trespasses.” She clenched his hands and gazed into his eyes. “Come, dine with us.”
Maia signaled for a server to bring him some of the meal. She glanced at Richard, and the look of approval and respect she saw in his eyes put a lump in her throat. She escorted Caspur to an empty seat.
A murmuring sound filled the hall as the witnesses of Caspur’s reprieve began to talk and gossip and speculate about what they had just witnessed. Maia patted the earl’s shoulder and took note of the beads of sweat on his brow.
“I did not . . . I did not expect this,” he said to her, his voice low and unguarded.
Maia smiled at him. “I know what it means to be forgiven,” she answered.
“Well . . . yes,” he said, shaking his head. “But what I did was unpardonable. You could have stripped everything from me. I would have deserved no less.”
Maia left her hand on his shoulder and kept her voice low. “My lord earl, then what use would you have been to me? You just had a life-altering lesson in loyalty and obedience. I trust you more now because you had the courage to return and confess your folly. I do not believe you will ever disobey me again. And to prove my trust in you, I wish to keep you on my Privy Council. For I will need you and your loyalty to face the dangers ahead. I cannot spare men nor train new ones in the short time left to us. And I believe you fully when you say you will never do this again.”
He stared up at her eyes, his look soft and compliant. “I swear it on my soul.” He gritted his teeth. “When your father died, lass, you may have been the only one left in the kingdom who still loved him. I can tell already that your rule will be quite different from his. I will serve you to my dying breath, my lady. My queen.”
Maia smiled and patted his shoulder before returning to the celebration. Her heart was suddenly heavy. For though she had been able to pardon this one man, she knew she would have to deal with the traitors to her realm much differently.
We are Naestors first and foremost. We live in a land dominated by night, cold, and darkness. We have learned to be hard like ice, and that ice is strong enough to shatter mountains. There is great subtlety in how water destroys things, drip by drip. The first Victus taught his followers that to fight and win every battle is not a matter of supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. Break their will before you break their bodies.
—Corriveaux Tenir, Victus of Dahomey
CHAPTER TWENTY
Warning from Doviur
Of all the duties that Maia performed as Queen of Comoros, the one she enjoyed the most was done in disguise. It was Suzenne who had started the scheme. The ladies-in-waiting would each take turns leaving the palace to visit the poorest quarters of the city, distributing alms, baskets of food, and visiting the poor and the sick. They were not to use their names or wear fancy gowns. If asked, and only if asked, they would merely identify themselves as servants of the queen. It was not uncommon for little beggar children to approach two cloaked well-wishers—they always left as companions—and receive silver pence in recompense. What the little children did not know was that Queen Maia herself was often one of the cloaked young women. After learning of what her friend had instigated, Maia was determined to take part.
At first, some of the ladies-in-waiting were reluctant to carry out this particular duty, but Suzenne led by example and always brought a different girl with her. The undercover visits were useful in another way—it helped Maia learn how her people felt about her and their city. Suzenne made the assignments and received the reports on who her ladies had visited and what they had learned.
Maia enjoyed making these jaunts into the city herself. One day she was walking through the city streets with Jayn Sexton after a particularly enjoyable visit with an old widower named Albert. Maia had wanted to meet him herself after learning about him from a previous report. Though he was in his nineties, he had been known for helping his friends and neighbors with everything from clearing leaves from the gutters to giving children rides on his cart, until an apple cart struck him and broke his leg.
“I hope Albert recovers from his injury,” Jayn said as they walked through the crowded streets.
“I expect he will be climbing ladders again before long,” Maia said, smiling. The street was shadowed because of the high roofs and dormer windows, but it was clean, and she saw a little girl pick up some debris that had been blown in by the wind. She paused to thank the girl and give her a silver coin.
“Will you report to Suzenne?” Maia asked Jayn, linking arms with her again. “I need to see Simon on the way back.”
Jayn’s face fell a little at the mention of Suzenne.
“What is it?” Maia pressed.
“It is nothing.”
“You looked sad for a moment. What is wrong?”
Jayn offered a guilty smile. “You are very observant,” she answered, swinging her arm a little. “I have been worrying about Suzenne, that is all.”
Maia wrinkled her brow. “Tell me, Jayn.” She had noticed Suzenne seemed more tired lately, but there had been no other signs to give her concern. “Is she unwell?”
“She is unhappy,” Jayn said with a sigh. “I am sure she would not want me speaking of this to you.”
“What has she not told me?” Maia asked, growing more concerned.
“The separation from Dodd,” Jayn said.
Maia felt as if the sunlight had pierced the clouds. Understanding flooded her. “She misses him.” He had been in the north, preparing to defend their borders from the armada.
Jayn nodded, trying to keep her expression neutral. Over time, she had come to know Jayn better and had learned that she was very discreet. She did not flaunt her emotions for all to see. She was private and reserved and a loyal confidante, so it was natural that she was struggling with how much she should reveal.
“I see I have made you feel compromised,” Maia said, squeezing her arm. “Let me try and guess, then you can rightly say I have needled the truth out of you, loosening stitch by stitch. It has been several weeks since Dodd has been to court, as he is securing our northern borders. I know he has been on the saddle a great deal and has amassed a considerable army to help defend Comoros. But the two are newlyweds, so it is natural they miss each other.” She nodded to herself and then patted Jayn’s arm. “I shall contrive an excuse for her to join him. She can cross the Apse Veil to Billerbeck and spend a few days with her husband. Do you think that will ease her spirits, Jayn?”
Jayn nodded eagerly.
“Why did she not tell me?” Maia said, feeling a little exasperated.
Jayn gave her a serious look. “How could she?” she replied earnestly. “You have been separated from your husband for even longer. Yours is across the sea. She felt . . . how could she complain to you when you have suffered more? She was determined to bear it, truly. She will be upset to learn that I have told you.”
The reminder was like a knife in an old wound. She missed Collier desperately and treasured the messages he sent to her through Simon Fox, reading each one over and over. They were like a bridge that spanned the time and distance separating them. She wanted so much to be with him, to walk with him as they had done in Muirwood, holding hands and finding quiet amidst the apple trees or in the shelter of the walled garden. Her cheeks flushed with the memories. It had been over a month since he had left her to protect his own kingdom. It had
been a month since Corriveaux had threatened her heart. She worried about Collier. If anything happened to him, she could not bear it.
It was the nervous tension on Jayn’s face that made her realize she had been silent too long—lost in thought. “You were right to tell me,” she said, patting her arm. “I will not reveal that you confided in me. But I am grateful you did. You are a loyal friend to her and to me. I treasure you both.”
Jayn gave her a dimpled smile in response. “I will always be grateful to you for saving me,” she said. They both knew what she meant.
They made a turn, and Maia spied Simon’s shop. Maia glanced back a moment later and saw their escort round the corner. He was one of Simon’s men—Piers. She gave him a smile and a wink, acknowledging that she knew he had been shadowing them. While Maia did enjoy the freedom to roam the city in disguise, Simon’s spies were always nearby, both to deliver messages and to ensure she was safe. Piers scowled at her for breaking protocol by greeting him, and she and Jayn entered the wine merchant’s shop.
As they stepped through the door, it occurred to Maia that this is where she had come that long-ago day after the kishion saved her life. So much had changed since then. There had been no reports of the kishion since Schuyler’s rebellion had been squelched—perhaps because there was no current threat to her life. Her enemies were under guard at Pent Tower awaiting trials, which Maia was in no rush to pursue. With their capture, all resistance to her authority had crumpled. Comoros was truly hers.
Maia patted Jayn’s arm one last time. “Tell Suzenne to expect me shortly. I will need to speak to Richard about the progress with the river defenses.”
“I will,” Jayn replied. She gave her hand a grateful squeeze and then turned around and left, followed by Piers, who would escort her back to the castle.
The merchant’s shop was always bustling, but one of Simon’s men recognized her and nodded for her to follow him back to Simon’s office. He was a complex man who constantly walked a tightrope. Besides being a spy, both for her husband and as a double agent for the Victus, he was also an unofficial member of her Privy Council. He would often come to the castle after dark and meet with her and Suzenne, discuss the affairs of the day, and pass along any news he deemed worthy of her attention. She trusted him implicitly.
The servant shut the door, leaving the two of them alone.
“Good morning, Simon,” she greeted. Excitement shot down her spine when she noticed the folded piece of paper in his hand. “Is that for me?”
He nodded and handed it to her, his look guarded.
Maia felt a twinge of disappointment. “He rejected the idea,” she said with a sigh. In her last message to Collier, she had offered to cross the Apse Veil to Lisyeux Abbey to see him, in the hopes he could spare time from his war with Paeiz to meet her there.
“You think I would read your private messages?” Simon said, giving her an unruffled stare.
Maia smiled slyly and hurried to open the note. She normally would have waited to read it back at the palace, but today she could not bear it. His words were charming, as always, but he did not think it would be wise to meet her at Lisyeux. Still, he promised that if all went well, he would soon join her in Comoros with his army.
Patience, Wife, he extolled her. As I used to say to my steward Jeremiah, ‘patience is for those who have nothing better to do with their time.’ But I have since learned that it is truly a virtue the Medium rewards. I beg you to forgive me, my dove. I long for nothing more than to see you again and to hold you in my arms. I will come to you.
It was strange to feel disappointment and love at the same moment. She gently folded the paper and slipped it into her girdle to read again later. She sat down on the cushioned chair near Simon’s desk.
“How goes his war?” she asked, confident that he would tell her true.
Simon shrugged slightly. “War is unpredictable. But he is motivated to win it and win it quickly. Still, these things take time, my lady.”
Maia sighed, trying to sort through the feelings in her tumultuous heart. “I sent an ambassador to Paeiz to sue for an alliance,” she said. “I have not heard back from him yet. Maybe I should heighten the rhetoric. By attacking Dahomey, he has also attacked Comoros.”
Simon winced, though only slightly. “You have enough troubles of your own, Lady Maia. You have only been queen for a month. It takes time to see results.”
“Speaking of abbeys,” Maia said with a twinge of impatience. “My husband has not yet taken the maston test at Lisyeux. If this war does not end soon . . .” She gritted her teeth, unable to finish the thought. She wanted so much to marry him by irrevocare sigil. But he needed to be a maston first.
She looked up and caught a peculiar look in Simon’s eye. “What is it?”
“What is what, my lady?”
“What does that look mean?” she asked, trying to rope him in. “Is there something you are not telling me?”
Simon smiled demurely. “There is always plenty I am not telling you. Insignificant trifles.”
“I know that,” she said with a hint of exasperation. “I mean about Collier. If something happened to him, you would tell me?” She looked at him seriously. “Simon? You would tell me, correct?”
Simon drummed his fingers on the desk. “I will always be honest with you, my lady.”
She hated it when he was evasive. “That comforts me. Is my husband well? He has not been injured, has he?”
Simon shook his head. “No, he is quite hale.”
She furrowed her brow. “There is something you are concealing from me.”
He pursed his lips and said nothing.
“Simon,” she prodded.
“Yes, my lady?”
She was growing more and more uneasy. “Please tell me.”
He studied her closely. “I know my lord’s reasons for not granting your wish to meet him,” he said in his most diplomatic way. “I know him very well. It is nothing that should alarm or concern you. You must understand, he is very busy and has much to accomplish. He has a hard time sitting still, as you well remember. He was flattered by your offer to cross to Dahomey, and it took immeasurable self-possession on his part to refuse your offer, but he does not want you to come now. He wants you to come over for your coronation. First, he hopes to subdue his enemies and present you with an attractive alliance. I will say no more, because I was commanded not to speak on the matter.” Simon leaned back in his chair and scratched the corner of his eyebrow. “You are tenacious, my lady. I must never forget that.”
Maia smiled at the compliment and felt a measure of relief. But it troubled her that Collier was keeping secrets from her and that he had commanded his spy to do the same.
“I will prod you no more,” Maia said. “Any word from my grandmother? She went to Hautland and then to Mon. Is she still there?”
“I believe so,” Simon replied. “Word can travel slowly, and she often changes her mind about where she is going midcourse. My understanding is that the Apse Veil is now open in Hautland. Her visit was well received, and she was treated with great honor and respect. She left for Mon a fortnight ago, but I have had no word since her arrival there.”
“Any word from Walraven?” Maia asked.
Simon nodded. “Yes, he revealed that the Naestors still intend to attack the city of Comoros itself as soon as the armada arrives. Corriveaux has contact with the fleet captains through waymarker Leerings, you know. It takes sixty to eighty days to make the voyage to Assinica. He said it will be at least another month before they arrive. Which is why spending time preparing the defenses is wise.”
Maia sighed. “I do not want to abandon the city,” she said restlessly. “But I do not see any way we can withstand such a fleet and survive. The Leerings cannot defend us against the Dochte Mandar. We have been gathering food and supplies either for a siege or to flee. But the people will need a safe haven. Muirwood is the only place that makes sense to me,” Maia said. “It is surrounded by the B
earden Muir. It will be a difficult Hundred to invade, especially by sea. If the other kingdoms do not come to our aid . . .”
Simon nodded in agreement. He was also convinced that only the combined might of all the kingdoms could save them from the fury of the Naestors.
A firm rapping sounded on the door, breaking Maia from her reverie.
Simon rose and answered it. A flushed man came in, his eyes wide, his cheeks pale. He was trembling.
“What is it?” Simon asked curtly. “Have you received a message from the king?”
The man shook his head. “I came from the castle,” he said, out of breath. He looked at Maia. “My lady, you must come at once! The Privy Council is gathering.”
Maia bolted from her chair. “What has happened?” The painfully familiar feeling of dread fused her bones and heart together.
The man mopped his brow. “Ships were seen from Doviur,” he said. “White sails. They bear the flag of Hautland. They passed the port of Doviur and have been seen sailing along the coast—directly toward our city. The message came from the chancellor’s wife, Joanna, who saw them near Augustin. A maston just came through Claredon with the news. My lady, it could be the armada!” He looked panicked as he gripped Simon’s arm. “We thought we had another month, but the ships will be here by nightfall!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Prince of Hautland
The city trembled in suspense as Maia prepared to give the order to evacuate. Plans had been developed; the city watch was trained; and wagons, teams of horses, and provisions had been assembled. But the appearance of ships off the coast caused a panic. Some of the citizenry bolted, and Maia had to give the order for all the gates save one to be shut. Ludgate was calmer, it being garrisoned by a company of prisoners-turned-soldiers whom Jon Tayt had been drilling and shaping into warriors. It was the only gate that she allowed to remain open. Mastons traveled through the Apse Veils to offer warnings and to prepare the armies of the Earls of Caspur and Forshee for the coming invasion.
