David Coe - Shapers of Darkness

Two turns. He could hardly fathom fighting a war for two turns, much less withstanding a siege for so long. “That’s fine, First Minister,” he said. ‘Thank you.”

“Shall we leave you, my lord?” Evanthya asked.

He shrugged, unsure of whether he wished to be alone. “Is there anything else we need to discuss, Bausef?”

“No, my lord. I have men preparing vats of pitch and lime. And we’ll have plenty of fire pots for the gates.” The armsmaster grinned. “We’ll be ready for them, my lord. I promise you that.”

Tebeo nodded, struck by the avid gleam in the man’s dark eyes. Clearly, Bausef was looking forward to this battle. The duke felt only dread.

“Thank you, Bausef. I have great faith in you and your men.”

“They’re your men, my lord, and serve you, as do I. We’ll fight to the death to preserve this house.”

Tebeo didn’t know what to say.

“I have but one request, my lord.”

“Anything,” he said, eager to give this man whatever he could.

“The yellow and red of Aneira should be flying above Dantrielle’s banners on all eight towers. You know that the regent will be riding under the colors of the realm, claiming that he fights for Aneira. We have every right to make the same claim, and it will hearten the men to see both banners over our walls.”

Tebeo felt privileged to be served by such a man. “See to it immediately, armsmaster.”

Bausef bowed. “Yes, my lord.”

Tebeo watched the man go, shaking his head slightly. “Would that I could feel so sure of what we were about to do.”

“You should,” Evanthya said.

“We’re going to lose a lot of good men. We may lose the war.”

“I don’t think so. The loss of life on both sides will be terrible. I’ve no illusions about that. But I believe the realm will suffer more if the regent prevails and this alliance with the empire continues.” Somehow she managed a smile, albeit a sad one. “You’re doing what needs to be done, my lord. Don’t doubt that.”

“And if Brall and the others don’t arrive in time?”

“You must have faith that they will.”

He walked back to the outer wall, knowing that she was right, feeling unworthy of those who served him.

“It would be better if they reached our walls before the Solkarans.”

‘They might not,” she said evenly. “In which case, our preparations will be tested.”

He looked at her briefly. “You speak of these matters with such certainty, First Minister. Have you gleaned anything about this war?”

“No, my lord. Nothing. If I had, I would have told you. Good or bad.”

“Of course.”

“We have men watching the roads and the rivers, my lord. You should take this opportunity to rest. Once the siege begins there will be precious little time for that.”

“What was your impression of Brall and Fetnalla during their recent visit?” he asked, ignoring her counsel for the moment, though he knew it was wise.

She looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “My lord?”

“I know I’m putting you in a difficult spot, Evanthya. No doubt your love for the first minister colors your perceptions of the duke. He’s been distrustful of her for some time now, too much so in my view. But this tension between them is about to become far more dangerous than it’s ever been. Before it pained us both, but now, with this war, it threatens our very lives.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I actually had the impression that their rapport had improved in the interval between this most recent visit and our previous stay in Orvinti. Did you, as well?”

Evanthya shrugged. “Fetnalla still spoke of the duke’s suspicions, and she seemed as angry with him as ever. They were in agreement when it came to standing firm against the regent, but I’m not certain that they had reconciled beyond that.”

She started to say more, then appeared to reconsider.

“Out with it, First Minister. Please. This is no time for secrets between us.”

A gust of wind made her white hair dance about her face, and she brushed it back from her brow. “Fetnalla’s resentment runs deep, my lord. She knows that Lord Orvinti was having her watched. She looks for reasons to defy him. Even if the duke were to try to bridge the rift between them, I’m not sure that Fetnalla would welcome his overtures.”

“Do you think she’d betray him?”

“I wouldn’t have thought it possible half a year ago. But now. .” She shook her head. “I don’t know, my lord.”

“This isn’t what I wanted to hear, Evanthya.”

The minister actually grinned. “When have I ever told you anything simply because I thought you wanted to hear it?”

He tipped his head, acknowledging the point. “Very well. Thank you for your honesty. As I said before, I know that it couldn’t have been an easy question to answer.”

“Yes, my lord.”

He started to walk away, then paused. “What about us?” he asked. “We’ve had some difficult conversations in recent turns. Should I be concerned about our rapport.”

“I can’t speak for you, my lord, but for my part, there’s no other duke in the realm I’d rather serve.”

Tebeo raised an eyebrow. “Given the other dukes in the realm, I’m not certain how to take that.”

Evanthya laughed.

“Thank you, First Minister.”

“My lord, wait,” she said, as he turned to leave.

Tebeo faced her again. Her cheeks had reddened, and it almost seemed to the duke that she wished she had let him go.

“There’s something I have to tell you, my lord.”

“Oh?”

“I hadn’t intended to, but with the regent’s army marching on Dantrielle. .”

I might not have another opportunity . The words hung between them like a storm cloud. “You’re scaring me, First Minister.”

“Forgive me, my lord. That’s not my intent.” She lowered her gaze, swallowed. “Several turns ago, before King Carden’s death, Fetnalla and I decided the time had come for us to oppose the conspiracy, to do something more than listen for rumors and watch other Qirsi for signs of treachery. I. . I went to the city, to the Red Boar, and I hired a blade to kill a man in the north whom we suspected was a traitor.”

“Demons and fire, Evanthya!”

“I know how it sounds, my lord. But we honestly believed that we were doing the right thing.”

“An assassin? You’re a minister in a noble house! My house!”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Under Aneiran law, you could be executed for this!”

“I know that, my lord. And if you choose to imprison me, I’ll understand. But as you said just a moment ago, there shouldn’t be any secrets between us.”

Tebeo passed a hand over his brow, shaking his head. “An assassin,” he said again.

“I’m sorry, my lord.”

“Did the man you hired know who you were?”

“I believe he reasoned it out, yes.”

“Damn.”

“But I think he also knew that I was acting on my own rather than as an agent of House Dantrielle.”

He nodded. “I suppose that’s something.” He regarded her for several moments, noting as he had so many times before how young she looked. In point of fact, she was young. For all their power, her people lived shorter lives than did the Eandi, which meant that they sometimes shouldered burdens at a more tender age than was appropriate. “I’m disappointed in you, Evanthya. I’ve no doubt that you and Fetnalla were doing what you thought was best, but I have to question your methods.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I’ve no intention of imprisoning you-I think you know that-but I trust that in the future you’ll fight your battles with the conspiracy in more. . acceptable ways.”