The Queen's Blade II - Sacrifice

by T C Southwell

  Blade chuckled. "The Cotti King in love with the Jashimari Queen. What glorious tricks God plays on us mortals." His mirth faded. "It would be even more amusing if I believed it."

  Kerrion swung to face him. "Laugh all you want. It is true, whether you believe it or not. You are not capable of such emotions, and for that I pity you."

  Blade's smile vanished. "And I despise you for stooping so low, pretending to be a slave to your feelings, and especially for thinking that you could sway me with such blatant lies. What is more, you are professing to be in love with a woman who loves someone else."

  Kerrion strode over to the assassin and yanked him to his feet by his collar. "Who?"

  "Why should I tell you?"

  The King shook him, his brows knotted above blazing eyes. "Tell me, or I will have you flayed and fed to the crows!"

  Blade smiled. "I do not know his name, some young lord she knows."

  "You are lying!"

  "Am I?"

  "I shall ask her."

  The assassin shook his head. "She will deny it. Her existence depends upon you now, and she is afraid of death. She hardly had the courage to take the Cup. She begged me to help her."

  "And you did."

  "No, I refused to pour poison down her throat, but I offered to put a dagger in her heart. She should have taken my offer, then we would not be in this situation."

  Kerrion shoved the assassin back into his chair. "You are a lying bastard. She has never mentioned any lord."

  "Of course not, that would give her away."

  "She is not as calculating as you. She would have asked, in an off-hand manner to disguise her true feelings, but she would have asked if he was still alive. When you love someone, knowing they are in danger but not knowing if they are alive is the cruellest torture."

  Blade shrugged. "Perhaps she made sure he is safe."

  "He does not exist! You cannot bluff me. I know you to be a liar, so why should I believe a word you say?"

  The assassin picked up his wine cup and tilted his chair back in a relaxed manner as he sipped from it. "If you do not believe a word I say, why ask for my word of honour that I will not escape?"

  Kerrion banged his fists on the table, making the empty bowl jump. "You do have honour! I know you do. One thing I have learnt about you is that you have pride, too much of it in fact. It is about the only thing you do have, is it not? Without it you would be just a common criminal, murdering whomever you pleased. But you have a code, and you stick to it because without it you are nothing." He leant closer. "Do you want to be chained?"

  "Not particularly, but nor will I swear not to escape." He sipped the wine, fixing Kerrion with a chilling stare. "You may as well send me to die in your stinking prison. I will not help you."

  "I will see to it that you do not die. You do not know what misery is yet. If you help your Queen, not only will you be freed and treated well, but, in addition, rewarded handsomely. A bigger estate in Jashimari, more riches, more titles, whatever you want, but most of all, when the danger is past, your freedom."

  Blade chuckled. "How desperate you are. Try begging, why don't you? Maybe the sight of you on your knees will move me."

  Kerrion paled with rage, his fists becoming white-knuckled as he fought the urge to grab the assassin's neck and throttle the life from him. He controlled himself with an effort, swinging away to pace. "You will regret this. If you are no use to me I may as well turn you over to the courts. With my testimony, you would be convicted of killing Lerton and executed by extreme torture. You know how we torture Jashimari criminals, do you not? Is that not what you feared so much that you tried to take your own life with the Queen? Now are you going to earn it by refusing me? I hold your fate in my hands. I can do with you as I see fit."

  "Whether I help you or not."

  Kerrion swung to stare at him. "So that is it. You think I will dispose of you this way even if you do help me. What will it take to convince you that I mean what I say? I am not a liar, like you, and I have more honour than you do."

  "You are a Cotti."

  "And you are a Jashimari, yet I would accept your word of honour. Cotti regard Jashimari as cultureless savages. A crude matriarchy governed by superstition and barbaric rituals. It is all a matter of opinion, and which side you are on. If I give my word, it is as binding to me as yours is to you."

  Blade's eyes drooped, and he put down the goblet, his movements becoming sluggish. He tried to speak, but his eyes closed and he slumped sideways onto the floor before Kerrion could reach him. The King stared down at him, cursing, then strode to the door and ordered the guards to place the assassin on the bed before he marched off towards the rooms where Minna was housed.

  The Queen looked up at Kerrion's entry, and he glanced around at the changes she had made to the rooms. Silk hangings softened the walls and doorways and cushions were piled on the floor. Minna reclined on a mound of these, and she waved away the maids who attended her. Girls with darker hair than most, he noted.

  As soon as they were alone, Kerrion lowered himself onto a pile of cushions nearby with a frustrated sigh. "Do you like your rooms?"

  "They are adequate, and I am improving them. You have spoken to Lord Conash?"

  He nodded. "The fool will not agree to help me. He does not trust me. He thinks I plan to double-cross him, and he claims that he will not work for a Cotti."

  "But you expected this, surely? You could not have thought that it would be easy to persuade him."

  "No, not easy, but it seems to be impossible. His arguments make sense. They are all logical and understandable. I would probably do the same thing in his situation."

  Minna smiled. "Naturally. You are both proud, intelligent men. Perhaps if you think of a way in which you may be persuaded, it may work on him too."

  "You might have more success than I. Will you speak to him?"

  "I would like to, but not necessarily to persuade him to help you. I doubt that I would have any more success than you in that matter."

  He scowled. "Then I will have to give him a taste of what he can expect if he does not co-operate. Perhaps the reality of it will be more persuasive than the threat."

  "You should just let him go. Shista will find me soon, and she will protect me from harm."

  "She can be killed -"

  "As can Blade. No one is infallible."

  His scowl deepened, and he looked away.

  Blade woke to find Olan bending over him, and lashed out with a fist before the servant could leap out of reach, hitting the Cotti in the face. Olan fell backwards with a grunt, and the assassin was after him in a flash. He gripped the lapels of Olan's jacket and hauled him into sitting position. Olan pawed at the blood that oozed from his nose, gasping with shock.

  "Where's the key, Cotti scum?" Blade growled.

  Olan shook his head. "I don't have it. The King has it."

  Blade ran his hands over Olan's clothes, then pushed the servant away. Olan scrambled up and staggered to the door, where he paused to glare at the assassin.

  "You'll pay for this, you bastard. I can do anything I like while you're senseless. Remember that when you wake without an eye or nose."

  Blade paced to the end of his chain. "I would not advise it."

  "You couldn't do anything about it, Jashimari dog."

  Blade growled, and the servant left. After pacing about for a while, he sampled the beef stew Olan had brought, awaiting the imminent arrival of the King. Kerrion marched in a few minutes later, obviously keen to catch the assassin while he was awake. Blade ignored him as he sat opposite, continuing to eat.

  Kerrion watched him, then, when Blade paid him no mind, he pulled a rolled up parchment from his jacket and banged it down on the table.

  "Read it."

  The assassin ate another mouthful before he picked up the document and read it, then he tossed it aside and returned to his meal. "So, you can write. I am impressed."

  "This is your last chance. I have put my offer into
writing, more than that I cannot do."

  "My answer is still no. Not only because I do not trust you. I will not work for a damned Cotti, and it makes no difference if the Queen is your mouthpiece."

  "You would rather go to prison?" Kerrion demanded, scowling. "Why do you care about this so much? You, who claim to care about nothing and no one, refuse to do this because I am Cotti. What difference does it make to you?" He glared at the assassin. "You do have feelings, otherwise you would not care for whom you worked."

  Blade chewed, staring into the bowl. Spitting out a piece of gristle, he put it to one side, then glanced at Kerrion as if surprised by his impatient silence. "You expect an answer to that? It surprises you that I hate Cotti?"

  Kerrion shook his head, the anger fading from his expression, leaving him tired and dejected. "No, it does not surprise me. It saddens me that you would let your emotions, which you scorn so much, interfere with your well-being. You condemn yourself to the misery of prison because of them. You came here to save me from the gallows on the orders of your Queen, yet you will not save her from Cotti conspirators. That makes no sense."

  "I did not come here to save you. I refused to do it. Only the lure of killing Lerton persuaded me, saving you was the unsavoury part of the bargain."

  "But you did it."

  "I was paid well, not only in gold, but with the life of your brother."

  "I am offering you the same bargain!" Kerrion thumped the table. "Some of my brothers will have to die before this is over, and into the bargain you will be saving your Queen."

  "She may be better off dead."

  Kerrion paled at Blade's callous words, his hands clenching. With a growl, he jumped up and walked to the door. "Then we have nothing more to discuss. You will be sent to prison directly. I hope you enjoy breaking rocks, because that is what you will be doing for the rest of your life."

  After the door had slammed behind Kerrion, Blade pushed away the bowl of stew and sat back, his appetite gone. He stared at the wall for a long time, his mind blank, unwilling to envision what lay in store for him.

  When the guards came for him, he allowed them to shackle his hands behind his back and place chains upon his ankles. They marched him through the palace, then pushed and shoved him across a broad, paved courtyard into another wing of the sprawling building. They manhandled him down several flights of steps into a gloomy dungeon where a huge, brawny man wearing a leather apron and chain mail over a sweat-stained brown tunic met him.

  The bald giant eyed his new charge with evident pleasure, revealing rotting teeth in a welcoming grin. He stepped up to Blade, topping the assassin by more than a head, the stench of stale sweat heavy upon him. The lines of caked dirt that filled every crease in the greasy man's hide disgusted Blade. Although the assassin had not bathed for far too long, this man appeared never to have bathed at all.

  "Well, what have we here?" The jailer reached out a dirty hand to tug open Blade's collar with banana-like fingers. "A Jashimari assassin. Never had one of these before."

  One of the guards who held Blade stated, "He's to be kept alive, the King's orders. He has some sort of disease that makes him sleep a lot. He's to be put to work whenever he's awake, breaking rocks in the yard."

  The jailer nodded, leering at Blade. "My pleasure. I'll look after him, don't you worry."

  The guards shoved Blade towards his new keeper, and the burly jailer gave him another, harder push, sending him staggering down the corridor, the chains almost tripping him. The jailer followed, and one of the guards called after them, "He's to be kept alive, remember!"

  "The bastard won't die in my prison, no matter how much he begs for it," the jailer shouted back.

  Minna looked around as Kerrion entered her room, his face thunderous. Waving away the handmaidens who awaited her orders, she turned to face the irate King as they left the room and closed the door.

  "I know that look well. Chiana wore it often after visiting Blade."

  "I know just how she felt." Kerrion poured himself a cup of wine. "The bastard will not listen to me. He will not agree. I even put it in writing to show that I am in earnest, and he mocked me."

  She sighed. "Lord Conash is a difficult man."

  "He is a fool."

  "What will you do?"

  Kerrion gulped the wine, frowning. "I have already done it. He has been sent to prison. Perhaps after a few tendays of breaking rocks he will listen to me."

  "He may die."

  "No, he will be kept alive. I have ordered it."

  She turned away to hide her anguish. "He is not that strong, Kerrion. He was wounded badly in the desert, shot through the lung with a crossbow. It still troubles him."

  "Do not worry, he will be looked after. My men know that the penalty for failing me is harsh." He walked closer, his tone softening. "I still hope to persuade him. I will not jeopardise his life, and besides, I do not want him dead. If I did, I would not have saved him from your Queen's Cup."

  "Something may happen... an accident, the other prisoners..."

  "He will be watched constantly."

  Minna turned to find him standing quite close to her, and he lowered his eyes to the wine his cup. She walked over to the window, putting a distance between them again.

  "You promised to tell me why you brought me here after we arrived, and we have been here two days already."

  Kerrion nodded, keeping his eyes lowered as he put down the cup. "I know. But I still do not feel the time is right."

  "What are you waiting for? Why is it so difficult to tell me?"

  He shrugged, turning away. "It is difficult for me. A delicate matter, and you seem a little aloof."

  "Of course I am aloof. I am at a disadvantage, not knowing what you intend for me. It puzzles me immensely. You save me from death at great cost, bring me here and house me in luxury you can ill afford, judging by the rest of your palace. Yet you make no demands of me, even though my presence here puts you in danger."

  He faced her again, raising his eyes. "And you cannot guess the reason?"

  "I dislike guessing. I am not accustomed to it." She found herself unable to meet his gaze.

  Kerrion watched her. "You know as well as I do why you are here. You are not stupid, Minna. Tell me something that has puzzled me for many moons. The night you came to my bed, why was I unable to resist?" He smiled. "I have always prided myself on my ability to resist beautiful women. I have spurned many who were thrown into my path over the years, since I was little more than a boy. At first I did not object, but soon I decided not to be like my father. I decided that I would remain celibate until I wed, and then I would take only one wife. My resolve held firm from that day until the night you came to me disguised as a handmaiden."

  Minna fiddled with the curtain beside her, frowning. "You were drugged."

  "I thought so. You put it in my wine at dinner, did you not?"

  Minna nodded, and Kerrion walked closer, his gaze intent, but she could not look at him. He cupped her chin and raised her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. She longed to slap his hand away, but his touch seemed to paralysed her.

  The King looked deep into her eyes. "I do not think it was necessary. Had you come to me as yourself, I doubt I could have spurned you. I had already fallen in love with you."

  Her eyes widened. "Then how did you know you were drugged?"

  Kerrion laughed, released her and turned away. "I have just opened my heart to you, and you ask how I knew I was drugged." He picked up his cup and took a gulp of wine, setting it down again. "I felt light-headed and befuddled. Does that answer your question?"

  She nodded. Her heart hammered and a lump clogged her throat.

  Kerrion growled, "Are you as cold as that damned assassin of yours? Did you come to my bed only to conceive my child? Was it all part of your cold, calculated little plan to end the war, and nothing else?"

  "No."

  "Then what? Tell me, I need to know. I have risked everything to bring you here, and ther
e is only one thing I want from you. Is it mine, or do you love another?"

  "How can you say that? I..." She turned away, but he gripped her arm and yanked her back.

  "Do not lie to me, and do not turn away when you speak to me."

  She jerked from his hold. "Do not test your strength on me. There is no need for violence."

  "Violence!" He laughed. "You have never seen violence in your entire sheltered existence, never mind experienced it."

  "You have taken me by surprise, and you rush me. Allow me time to gather my wits."

  "Or think up a good lie. Damn you, Minna, I love you, is that so difficult for you to say? If you feel it, then it should not be."

  She gazed up at him, filled with confusion. "I do not want to make a mistake. I have not much experience with such things. I think I do, because I... found your company very pleasing. I wanted to see you as often as I could. When you left I was sad, bereft. I longed to keep you with me, but I could not. I watched you ride away, hoping you would look back, give some sign that you did not wish to leave, but you did not. And after the night I came to you, you were cold and distant. You hardly spoke to me, and declined to dine with me. I did not understand it."

  Kerrion ran a hand through his hair, looking contrite. "I was also confused. I did not know it was you that night. I felt guilty. I thought I had betrayed you with another and I was ashamed. I did look back many times."

  Minna smiled, a flush warming her cheeks. "Then it seems we felt the same way, and if what you feel is love, then I must feel it also."

  "I am sure of it. I have thought of little else since we were parted. When you sent Blade to testify for me, I thought you felt the same."

  "I did. I wanted to write to you and tell you of our child, but I was afraid you did not care for me."

  He placed his hands on her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "You must have been blind. I was certain you knew. I could not hide it." He kissed her brow. "I am sorry I was angry just now. Blade told me a huge lie. When you were so reluctant I became jealous, thinking he may have told the truth."