The Queen's Blade V - Master of the Dance

by T C Southwell

  Kerrion put his cup back on the tray. "I will write to Chiana and tell her to send Lance, then."

  "It will be too late. When Bolt fails, Endor will kill her familiar."

  Kerra gasped, raised a hand to her mouth and cast a wide-eyed look of horror at Minna-Satu. The Elder Queen frowned. "If that happens, Chiana will fall into the death sleep for as long as a tenday. Jashimari will be without a ruler."

  "He may not," Kerrion argued. "He may keep the bird hostage to prevent her from sending another assassin. "

  "Why would he do that, since it did not prevent her from sending the first?" Blade enquired.

  "Well, if Bolt fails, Endor may think he is safe, since he will assume that the Regent would hire the best man available. He would not expect her to try again with the second best."

  "He plans to kill the bird anyway, that is why he took it. He knows Jashimari will be thrown into turmoil if the Regent falls into a coma and the Queen is not in the palace."

  "Surely her advisors will keep her condition a secret?"

  "They will try," Minna murmured, looking concerned.

  Kerrion frowned at his wife. "I will write to Chiana anyway. Perhaps if she despatches Lance now, he will reach Endor before he kills the bird."

  Blade shook his head. "I doubt that."

  The next day, Kerrion presented his proposal for new laws regarding women to the court, including the elevation of his wife to Queen. Low mutters of amazement and discontent came from the galleries occupied by lords, while the judges raised their eyebrows and smiled. Clearly they expected Kerrion's brothers to vote against him, and a glance at the princes' sullen faces assured Kerrion that they would dearly have liked to do so.

  When the vote was called for, Kerrion turned hard eyes upon his brothers, and they raised their hands to accept his proposals. The judges stared at the princes in amazement before counting the votes. The lords sat in stunned silence, some appearing quite bemused by this unheard of turn of events.

  Kerrion left the court well pleased with the morning's events, and returned to his study with a spring in his step. The laws would take at least three tendays to be ratified and written up, then another tenday to be made public through notices and criers, messengers carrying them to the furthest corners of the land.

  It pleased Kerrion most of all that Minna would become his queen. After her coronation, she would enjoy the same privileges as he, and even some of his powers. Once ratified, the laws could not be revoked without the consent of the King, but until then, the princes could withdraw their support and stop them from going through. For that reason, Blade had to stay in the palace, on hand should he be needed to ensure the princes' continued co-operation.

  The following day, Trelath and Chaymin's embalmed bodies were laid out in state, and mourners filed past to pay their last respects. After the princes, the lords, many of whom had travelled from distant estates to attend the funeral, filed past, then the courtiers, advisors, officials and officers in order of rank, and finally the commoners. Kerrion was obliged to attend for several time-glasses each day to accept the trite words of sympathy the mourners offered.

  When he left to attend other duties, one of the princes replaced him, usually Prethos, younger brother of Targan. Prethos was devoted to the arts, and spent most of his time practising his singing, painting or lute playing. Unlike his older brother, whom Blade had killed sixteen years ago, when he had been little more than a youth, Prethos had a gentle nature. The deaths of his brothers genuinely grieved him, even though they had never treated him with anything other than disdain.

  Prethos' older brother, Jaren, spent little time in the palace, and led a secretive life. He enjoyed sports, and kept a stable of gladiators that he pitted against any who were prepared to wager a considerable sum on their fighters. Kerrion had never had much to do with Jaren, and knew little of his nature. Marek's younger brother, Quantar, was also something of an enigma, keeping to himself and scorning palace politics, except when he was obliged to attend court in order to vote. Of Kerrion's fifteen half-brothers, only eight remained, yet there always seemed to be a profusion of princes.

  Now that Minna was safe from the threat of kidnapping, Kerrion was able to leave her with her maidens and Kerra, sometimes with Blade as well, although the assassin preferred the solitude of his rooms. On the third day of the mourning period, Kerrion returned to his study to find Jadar waiting for him, looking nervous. The King sat behind his desk with a sigh, eyeing the elderly advisor as he bowed.

  "What has happened now, Jadar?"

  "Prince Jovan has freed his brother, Sire."

  Kerrion leant forward. "Dravis is free?"

  "Yes, Sire. It happened late last night, when everyone was asleep."

  "Including the guards, I suppose."

  "They were overpowered, but they recognised Prince Jovan's colours on the men who bound them."

  The King jumped up and walked over to the window. "Where is Jovan?"

  "Fled, My King, with his brother."

  "Have the courts sent men after them?"

  Jadar nodded. "But they will be well hidden in the city. It will be an impossible task to find them."

  "Damn!" Kerrion thumped his fist on the wall, then stared out of the window. "I did not think Jovan would do this. He does not even like Dravis."

  "It does seem strange, Sire, unless Prince Jovan believed Prince Dravis to be innocent. He has always been a stickler for justice. Had he not been a prince, he might have become a judge."

  Kerrion rubbed his brow. "Yes, that is probably it. Now my wife is in great danger again."

  "From Prince Jovan?"

  "No, from Dravis." Kerrion waved a hand at the advisor. "Leave me, I must think."

  Jadar withdrew, and Kerrion left his study to stride down the echoing corridors to Minna-Satu's rooms. He found her engrossed in a game of peeress with Kerra, and she looked up in surprise when he entered. After ordering the maidens out, he sank down on a cushion, and she studied his grim expression.

  "Something grave has happened. Is it Chiana?"

  Kerrion shook his head. "It is Dravis. Jovan has freed him."

  She gazed at him while she digested this. "You think he will try to kidnap me?"

  "No, I think he will try to kill you. And Kerra, if he learns who she is. From what Chaymin told me, he would like to harm me as much as possible."

  "What of our sons?"

  "I do not think he would dare to try to harm Shantar or Ashton, but I will assign more guards to their rooms."

  "Guards will not stop him."

  "He will not come here himself, he would be arrested on sight. Nor could he send a Cotti assassin to kill them, but he could send one to kill you."

  Minna stared at the peeress board, her expression bleak. "Then I shall have to send Blade -"

  "No. He is hiding in the city, Blade will never find him." Kerrion poured himself a cup of wine from the bottle beside him. "I will assign two bodyguards to stay with you when I am away. Jovan will have told Dravis about Blade, and I think when he discovers that he cannot get to you, he will send an assassin to kill Blade. Now that he is safely hidden, Jovan may send a letter to the courts, accusing me of blackmail. If the judges believe him, they could order the palace searched, and if Blade is found..."

  "He will be executed."

  "Yes. Our plan will fail. The laws have not been ratified yet."

  Minna picked up a silver bell and rang it to summon a maiden, whom she sent to find Blade. The Elder Queen turned to Kerrion again.

  "Let us hear what Lord Conash has to say on the matter."

  "Doubtless it will be scathing."

  The assassin arrived a few minutes later, looking a little disgruntled at being summoned from whatever he had been doing. Minna sometimes wondered how he filled his time, but had never asked him. He bowed to her and sat at her invitation, shooting a glance in Kerrion's direction. Minna told him what had happened in terse sentences, frowning when he helped himself to a goblet of
wine and drank it while he listened. When she had finished, he shrugged.

  "So long as I am warned, I can leave the palace before it is searched. The assassin is a different matter. If Dravis hires a poisoner or crossbowman, he may succeed. I should return to Jashimari."

  "No. We need you here," Kerrion stated.

  "I am no good to you dead."

  "You are no good to us in Jashimari, either."

  "You could disguise yourself, My Lord," Minna suggested. "I know you wish to return to Jashimari, but I need you here. Once more, there is a threat to my life, and I do not believe you fear an assassin."

  "You are mistaken, My Queen. A skilled assassin could kill me. As for a disguise, that would be difficult. Donning a disguise for a few time-glasses is one thing, living in it for days, even tendays, is far more difficult, and fraught with peril. If I became a soldier, I would have to live in the barracks, where they have communal bathing facilities and large dormitories. If I became a handmaiden, the same problem arises, only worse."

  Minna looked disappointed. "Indeed. I had not thought of that. But even if you remain yourself, surely another assassin could not kill you so easily?"

  "I would not be an easy target for a man who kills at close range with a dagger or garrotte, but a poisoner has merely to tamper with my food, and a crossbowman could kill me when I walk in the gardens."

  "Then do not walk in the gardens," Kerrion muttered.

  Blade glared at the King. "Why do you not just lock me up in your dungeons again?"

  "That could be arranged, and -"

  "No." Minna shook her head. "No one is locking Lord Conash up."

  "There are too many guards in the gardens during the day," Kerrion stated.

  Blade sipped his wine. "If the assassin is good, the guards will not see him, even in the day. If he is very good, even you are not safe, My Queen. The fact that you share Kerrion's bed would not prevent me from killing you."

  "You are exceptional, My Lord. What do you suggest?"

  He gazed at the wine in his goblet. "If I am to remain here, then I shall have to take the risk. Now that they know I am in Jadaya, they will strive to find me."

  Kerrion frowned. "I will send as many spies as I can spare into the city, but Dravis and Jovan have many friends who will hide them. Jovan cannot describe you in any detail, only that you are Jashimari. Perhaps you could disguise yourself as a Cotti lord, and remain in your rooms."

  Blade pulled a face. "A disguise that I particularly loath. Not only does the damned wig itch, but the skin dye washes off in every bath, and I would require copious amounts of it to keep renewing it. It would also be rather pointless, since Dravis has only to send men to kidnap and torture Olan, or one of your maidens, to find out about it. It would be better to have several decoys. Find men who are of my build, dye their hair black and powder their faces, then give them rooms in the palace."

  "An excellent idea," the King agreed. "In addition, I recommend that you share our meals, and I will assign a bodyguard to you."

  The assassin snorted, shooting a glance at the Elder Queen. "I have suffered that indignity before, and I have no liking for it."

  "Nevertheless, you will suffer it again, My Lord. I will not risk losing you." Her tone brooked no argument.

  Kerrion looked at his daughter. "Fortunately, Kerra's identity has been kept a secret, but even so, I will assign her a bodyguard too."

  "There is no need, father, I sleep in Blade's rooms at night."

  "Really?" He eyed her. "During the day, then."

  Blade sighed and shook his head, then drained his cup in a gulp, clearly disgusted at the situation in which he now found himself.

  Chapter Six

  Jovan gazed at his brother in frustration, longing to wash his hands of the young upstart. Dravis lay stretched out on the tatty bed in a seedy inn, where they had taken a room, eyeing his older brother with ill-concealed disdain. Jovan stood by the window, and his familiar perched on the sill, munching an apple and watching the people in the street. Jovan had been arguing with his brother for almost a time-glass, trying to persuade Dravis to leave the city and seek safety in a distant town, but Dravis scorned the idea. To him, that was the same as being banished, and he had no intention of leaving Jadaya. Jovan sighed and patted his ape.

  "Then what do you intend to do? Staying here only puts you in danger."

  Dravis smiled. "From what you have told me, this assassin is the cause of all your woes. Not only did he rescue that damned woman, now he has killed Chaymin and Trelath, and he will kill you if you do not do as Kerrion says. You need him dead, and her too, of course."

  Jovan shook his head. "You will not get close to her. Kerrion keeps her at his side all the time."

  "I would like to kill him as well. All of them. His whore, his half breed sons and daughter, and that damned assassin. I could, too. My familiar could kill him while he slept, and no one would even suspect me."

  Jovan glanced at the golden scorpion curled up on Dravis' chest, and shuddered. "Kerrion may be a fool, but killing him would not do you any good."

  "No? He is the reason for our father's death. His whore was the one who ordered it, and that neutered bastard killed him. Lerton should have succeeded when he accused Kerrion of high treason. They should all die. That would be justice, brother. And it would do me good, because you are next in line to the throne, if Kerrion's sons are slain."

  "That is crazy talk, Dravis. Even if you could kill all of them, I have no wish to be King, and have you plotting against me. I am beginning to see why he wanted you imprisoned."

  "It is not crazy, Jovan. With them gone, our lives would improve vastly. You would be King, and I would have Jashimari."

  "You would only start the war again."

  Dravis snorted. "They have disbanded most of their army. We would overrun them in a tenday."

  Jovan spread his hands. "I am not going to discuss this. It is not going to happen. I did not free you so you could kill Kerrion and his family."

  "You are just going to let him blackmail you?"

  "No. My spies are searching for this assassin, so is Marek. We just have to get rid of him, and everything will return to normal."

  "And charge Kerrion with treason."

  Jovan shook his head. "He never admitted to hiring the assassin, and there is no way to prove that he did."

  "Unless we capture this assassin and make him talk."

  "That has been tried before, and it has never worked. Assassins will not reveal their employer."

  "I will wager that I could make him talk," Dravis muttered, stroking his scorpion.

  "We will just get rid of him, that is all." Jovan rubbed his chin. "It will not be easy, though. From what I have heard, he is extremely dangerous. Even if Marek took his men past the guards, they may not succeed."

  "Send an assassin."

  "That would seem to be the only solution, but he would have to be very good."

  Dravis shrugged. "Send two."

  "Perhaps."

  Dravis sat up, swinging his legs off the bed. "What if we offered to pay him a fortune to kill the Jashimari woman?"

  Jovan shook his head. "He would not do it."

  "Maybe not, but if we send a message, it would lead our spies right to him."

  Jovan considered this, his eyes narrowed. "The only people who know where he is hidden are the King and his wife."

  "And at least one servant."

  "True. Who would the King trust that much?"

  "Ask your spies."

  "He may not be hidden in the palace," Jovan pointed out.

  "Then we could send our men to capture him, and hand him over to the judges for execution. Even if he does not admit to killing Trelath and Chaymin, he is condemned for Ronan's murder, and I would enjoy torturing him."

  Jovan turned away with a grimace of distaste, but nodded. For a man with such a handsome visage, his brother had an unhealthy lust for the suffering and blood of others. This, he knew, was a gift fr
om their father, one that he was glad he had not inherited.

  To Blade's annoyance, the next morning when he left his rooms, a burly Cotti soldier who glared at him from under bushy blond brows shadowed him. Although his head was shaven in the manner that Cotti soldiers favoured, the rest of him was particularly hirsute, tufts of hair poking out of his collar and sleeves. Blade did his best to ignore him, and the soldier remained silent and unobtrusive.

  As usual, Kerra had risen before him and returned to her rooms to dress, doubtless finding her own protector awaiting her there. He went about his day as usual, retiring to his rooms after his morning exercise for a little privacy. The presence of the Cotti soldier, who had doubtless been told that he guarded a Jashimari lord, prevented Blade from dancing, and confined his exercise to the set routine of slow movements he sometimes used in its stead.

  At lunch time, he went to Minna-Satu's rooms to share a meal with the Elder Queen and her family, which included Minna's sons on this occasion. The conversation was subdued, due to the boys' presence, and no mention was made of the situation with Dravis and Jovan. He contributed little to it while he picked at his roast lamb and mashed rengal roots, returning to his rooms as soon as he finished.

  Late in the afternoon, Olan came to him bearing a message, which Blade took with a suspicious glance at the servant.

  "Who gave you this?"

  Olan shrugged. "A street boy brought it to the kitchens. You're the Queen's Blade, aren't you?"

  "Yes, and either you're a fool, or you want me dead."

  Olan looked puzzled and annoyed. "What makes you say that? I'm just doing my job, assassin. I didn't ask to serve a damned Jashimari."

  Blade strode to the window and gazed out, scanning the palace walls and roofs. A raven perched in a tree in the garden, its beady eyes fixed upon him. When it met his gaze, it took off, flapping away over the wall with a harsh, almost mocking cry.