David Coe - Shapers of Darkness

“That’s why you should speak of this with the others. If you speak for all of the chancellors, he can’t do anything to you, not without Harel’s approval. And I doubt very much that he’ll wish to raise this matter with the emperor.”

The chancellor stared at him for several moments, as if attempting to divine his thoughts.

“Why are you doing this, Minister?”

“I’ve already told you. I don’t like the idea of the emperor being deceived this way.”

“I think there’s more to it than that.”

Kayiv looked away. “You’re wrong.”

“Am I? You and I have never seen eye-to-eye on any matter of importance, and you’ve just said yourself that you question Harel’s wisdom, that you don’t worry about the high chancellor ‘steering him toward certain decisions.’ Thus I find it hard to believe that you’re suddenly concerned about the veracity of all Dusaan tells our emperor.”

Kayiv had expected that it might come to this, though he had hoped with all his heart that it wouldn’t. Already, he was putting his life at risk. But thus far he had done nothing irrevocable. In the next few moments, however, all that would change. There would be no turning from this path, no escaping the Weaver’s wrath if Dusaan learned of his role in this.

“Believe what you will,” he said, allowing his fear to creep into his voice.

“Very well. Keep your purpose to yourself. But you’ll have no help from me.” Stavel turned and started to walk back toward the palace.

Kayiv let him take three or four steps, then called to him, by name rather than by title. He looked around, as if searching for the emperor’s men, then walked to where the chancellor stood waiting. “I’ll tell you, but you must swear to me that you won’t speak of this with anyone else.”

“You have my word.”

He took a long breath. “I fear that there’s more to the high chancellor’s deception than merely a desire to have his counsel hold sway with the emperor.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come now, Chancellor, surely it’s occurred to you as well.”

“I don’t-” Stavel stopped abruptly, his eyes growing wide. “You think he’s a traitor!”

“I’ve wondered if it’s possible, yes.”

“Simply because he lied to the emperor about the invasion?”

“As I told you, I fear that he’s lied to the emperor on other occasions as well.”

“Do you know this for certain?”

“No. But think about it, Chancellor. Why would he lie at all?”

“Perhaps it was done in error.”

“I’d considered that, but have you ever known the high chancellor to make any other errors of this sort or this magnitude?”

Stavel frowned. “No, I don’t suppose I have.”

“Neither have I.”

“But still-”

“The timing of this invasion is crucial to its success, and the master of arms was quite disturbed by the emperor’s decision. He told me as much himself.”

“You’ve spoken of this with the master of arms?”

“Yes. And he’s concerned about it as well. We all should be. What if the high chancellor made this recommendation knowing that it would doom the invasion to failure?”

“Qirsar save us all!”

“You see now why it’s so important that we address this matter as quickly as possible. It may be that I was right when I told you that this was nothing more than a misunderstanding. Certainly I hope so. But if there’s more to it than that, we need to know, and we need to warn the emperor.”

“Then we shouldn’t confront Dusaan at all. We should go straight to Harel.”

Kayiv had to keep himself from looking pleased. “Do you really think so?”

“Of course. If the high chancellor is a traitor, and we raise this with him, he’ll find some way to continue his deception. By going directly to the emperor, we deny him that opportunity.”

“And if he’s not a traitor, if this is all just the result of an honest error?”

“Then we will have disturbed the emperor and angered the high chancellor for no reason. But under the circumstances, that seems a small price to pay.”

Kayiv nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right. So you’ll speak of this with the other chancellors.”

“Yes. And I think you should say something to the ministers. It would be best if we all went to the emperor, lest we seem to be dividing into factions.”

This the minister hadn’t anticipated, though he realized immediately that he should have. There were only five ministers among the emperor’s many Qirsi, and of course one of them-Nitara-was allied with Dusaan. If he approached the emperor with Stavel, speaking for the other ministers, the high chancellor would learn of his betrayal. Indeed, he would probably hear of it from Nitara long before word of this reached Harel.

“The ministers don’t have much influence with the emperor, Chancellor. I’m not certain that there would be much point in involving them.”

Stavel smiled. “I understand that you’re afraid, Minister. So am I. But we’ll do this together. It will be safer for all concerned.”

He was desperate now. “What if there are traitors among the ministers?”

Stavel narrowed his eyes. “Do you have reason to believe that others in the court are traitors?”

He almost told him. It was a measure of how frightened he was of Dusaan that he even considered it. And it was a measure of how much he still cared for Nitara that he answered as he did.

“No, I don’t.”

“Then it’s a risk we’ll have to take, Minister. You should also speak with the master of arms again. We’d be in a far stronger position if he was with us.”

Kayiv nodded. “I believe he will be.” There was nothing more for him to say. A few moments later he and the chancellor parted company, Stavel continuing his walk through the marketplace while the minister returned to the palace, glancing about all the way, expecting at any moment to see Nitara, or worse, Dusaan.

By nightfall of that same day, there was talk in the court of a mysterious discussion taking place among the chancellors. Already Stavel had honored their agreement, and Kayiv had little choice but to call together the ministers as well.

They met the following morning in Kayiv’s chamber. It was early, too early judging from the weary faces of his fellow ministers, but Kayiv had wanted to speak with them well before the ringing of the midmorning bells.

“What’s this about, Kayiv?” asked Gorlan, the oldest of their group and the one who had served longest in the palace.

“We’ll wait a few moments more,” he answered, eyeing the door. One was still missing. Nitara, naturally.

“Is this about the chancellors?”

“Not about them, no. But we’ll be discussing the same thing they did.”

Gorlan nodded, as did the other two, Rov and B’Serre.

A few moments later, at last, someone knocked at the door, and at Kayiv’s call to enter, Nitara let herself into the chamber. Her hair was braided and her eyes seemed to glow like torches. She sat as far from him as she possibly could, perching on the sill of his window like some pale dove.

“We’re all here now,” B’Serre said. “Tell us what’s going on.”

Kayiv nodded, his eyes flicking toward Nitara. He wasn’t exactly sure how she would respond to all of this.

“Nearly a turn ago, Chancellor Stavel came to me, having just spoken briefly with the emperor. It seems the emperor was under the impression that the suggestion to move up his invasion of Eibithar had come from all his Qirsi.”

“But we never discussed it.”

“Hence Stavel’s concern.”

“You say this happened a turn ago?” Gorlan asked.

“Yes.”

“And we’re just hearing of it now?”