David Coe - Shapers of Darkness

The armsmaster seemed to weigh this for some time, shrugging at last. “I’m not even certain I see anything wrong with that. He leads your people here in the palace, he speaks for you. It seems natural to me that his opinion on certain matters should carry greater weight. I say that even knowing that he and I are working at cross purposes in this instance.”

Kayiv shook his head. “You still don’t understand.”

“Then tell me what’s on your mind and be done with it!”

“I can’t. Don’t you see? The high chancellor is a powerful man-as you say, he leads our people. I. . I’m afraid of him, of what he can do to me.”

Uriad’s eyes narrowed once more. “And what is that?”

“He can have me banished from the court.” He can have me killed .

“And you honestly think he would?”

“If I defy him openly, yes.”

“Well, I have no desire to see you sent from the palace, but I still don’t understand what you want of me. I have no sway with the high chancellor. I respect him, and I believe he respects me. But I wouldn’t presume to tell him how to treat the other Qirsi any more than he would tell me how to train my men.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything of that sort, armsmaster. I merely wish to help you convince the emperor that the invasion has a better chance of success if we follow your original plans. I’d be willing to approach the emperor with you, to let him know that some of his Qirsi feel as you do, that this was the wrong decision.”

A wry smile touched the man’s lips and was gone. “Harel the Fourth does not take kindly to being told that he’s in error. We’d both wind up with our heads on pikes.”

“Not if we made it clear to him that he was the victim of poor counsel. Surely he couldn’t take offense at that.”

Uriad pressed his lips in a tight line, glancing at his men once more. “We still have several ships in the yards at Finkirk. If we wait another turn or two, the ships will be completed and we can add them to the fleet. Our navy would be stronger than it’s ever been.”

“How many ships?”

The armsmaster looked at him again. “Four. Each with three masts and three rows of sweeps. They’ll be the finest warships ever to sail the waters of the Forelands.”

“Four ships,” Kayiv repeated. “Such vessels could mean the difference between victory and defeat.”

“Perhaps.”

“Don’t we owe it to the emperor to tell him as much?”

The armsmaster smiled thinly, though there was no hint of amusement in his dark eyes. “You can be very persuasive, Minister. But I still want to know what game you’re playing.”

“I assure you, armsmaster-”

“Don’t,” Uriad said, shaking his head. “I may not be as skilled in the machinations of the court as you are, but I’ve served here for long enough to learn a thing or two. You want something. It may not be from me directly, but you certainly seem intent on using me to get it. And that’s fine. If you’re sincere in your desire to help the emperor and delay this invasion a short while, then I’m willing to play along, within reason. But I won’t do so blindly.”

Kayiv felt like a child, caught breaking one of his father’s rules. “I am sincere,” he said. “And I will do all in my power to delay the invasion, to return it to the timing you had foreseen. As to the rest. .” He shrugged weakly. “The rest is difficult to explain.”

Uriad merely stared at him. “Try.”

“It’s a Qirsi matter.”

He faced the soldiers once more. “In that case, I’d suggest you enlist the help of your fellow ministers and chancellors and leave me alone.”

“I intend to go to them, armsmaster. You must believe me. But I need the help of someone outside our circle. In essence, I’ll be pitting myself against the high chancellor, and if I give the other ministers and chancellors such a choice, they’ll be afraid to ally themselves with me.” He hesitated, though only briefly. This was the path he had chosen; there could be no turning back now. “But if I can claim you as an ally, the others may be willing to join me.”

“And what would you do with such an alliance, Minister?”

Expose the high chancellor for what he truly is .

“I’d make certain that the counsel offered to our emperor was sound, that if it was said to come from all of his Qirsi, it would come from all of his Qirsi and not just one man. Consider the times in which we live, armsmaster. Can we truly afford to do any less?”

“You raise an interesting point,” Uriad said, with some reluctance.

“I can’t promise you that we’ll change the emperor’s mind about the invasion. But I’ll try, and perhaps I can prevail upon other ministers to join me in the effort.”

“What would you want from me in return?”

“As I said before, I need your support. I need to know that when the time comes for my fellow ministers and me to approach the emperor, you’ll be with us, in body and spirit.”

“You believe I can protect you from the high chancellor.”

Kayiv knew he hadn’t been terribly subtle. Still, he was discomfited by the directness of Uriad’s statement. In truth, if Dusaan was a Weaver, there was no one in the Forelands who could protect him. But under the circumstances, Uriad was the most powerful ally for whom he could hope. And since at the moment he was utterly alone, he was desperate for any friends he could find.

“I’m but a minister in this court, armsmaster. I’ve some influence with the other Qirsi, and I’ll bring it all to bear in this effort. But if I stand alone against the high chancellor I’ll be crushed. With you on my side, my prospects improve significantly. Surely you can see that.”

“Yes, I can,” the master of arms said. He paused briefly, then finally nodded. “Very well, Minister. When the time comes, you’ll have my support. Speak with the other Qirsi, and send word to me when you’re ready to seek an audience with the emperor. I’ll be there.”

It was more than he had expected, more than he had dared hope. “Thank you, armsmaster. I’m most grateful.” He felt that he should bow to the man, or embrace him, so thankful was he. But he merely said “Thank you” a second time and hurried away, intending to return to his chamber so that he might consider how best to proceed now that his conversation with Uriad had gone so well.

Before he had gone far, though, he heard the midmorning bells begin to toll in Curtell City. It was time for all the emperor’s ministers and chancellors to gather in Dusaan’s ministerial chambers. Instantly, he found himself glancing about the courtyard, looking for any other Qirsi who might have seen him speaking with the master of arms. And doing so, he caught a glimpse of white hair as a figure vanished into the tower nearest the high chancellor’s chamber. It was no more than a split second, a glimmer of white in the darkened archway, but for Kayiv, who had committed to memory every facet of her appearance, it was more than enough.

Of course it would be Nitara, and no doubt she would go directly to Dusaan, to tell him what she had seen. Kayiv felt his legs start to tremble.

He’d done nothing wrong, nothing for which the high chancellor could punish him without revealing more about himself than he wished. Certainly it wasn’t all that unusual for one of the emperor’s ministers to speak with Harel’s most important military advisor. Except that Kayiv and Uriad had never before spoken at length, and somehow the high chancellor would know this. Kayiv was certain of it. News of their conversation would start Dusaan thinking. What could the minister possibly have to say to Uriad? If anything, a member of the Weaver’s movement would wish to avoid such an encounter. The risks were too great.