David Coe - Bonds of Vengeance

Kayiv narrowed his eyes. “You know this for certain?”

“Yes, as it happens, I do.”

“How?”

Dusaan could hear it in the man’s voice. He knew already, just as she had before. They both would serve him well.

“Because if he had been, I would have been the one paying the assassins.”

They shared a glance again, and Nitara grinned as if to say, You see, I told you .

“You’re with the conspiracy?” Kayiv asked, sounding doubtful.

“We prefer to call it “the movement,’ but yes, I am.”

Nitara started to speak, but the minister stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Why should we believe you?” He gave that same small laugh again, his eyes darting about the chamber as if he expected the imperial army to appear at any moment. “Why shouldn’t we just go to the emperor right now and reveal you as a traitor?”

“You’re welcome to, if that’s what you wish to do. I’ll deny it, of course. I’ll tell the emperor that I was testing you, that after your strange comments in our discussion today, I feared that you had betrayed the empire. Your decision to inform the emperor will have established your innocence, and so life in the palace will continue on as if nothing happened at all. Except that the three of us will know the truth, and eventually, when the opportunity presents itself, I’ll have you both killed, or imprisoned as traitors, which I suppose is the same thing.”

The blood drained from Nitara’s face and even Kayiv looked unnerved, although he managed to hold the Weaver’s gaze. Dusaan continued to stare at them for a few moments, his expression grave. Then at last he smiled, though neither of them looked relieved when he did.

“But I don’t think that will be necessary, because I don’t think either of you is going to repeat any of this to the emperor.”

Kayiv took Nitara’s hand, his eyes never straying from the Weaver’s face. “You sound so certain.”

“I’ve been watching you both for some time now.”

“Watching us?”

“All of you, really-the emperor’s ministers and chancellors-trying to decide which of you might be prepared to join the movement.”

“And you chose us.”

“Does that surprise you?”

Kayiv didn’t answer, but Nitara released his hand, shifting in her chair. Her color had returned and she was eyeing the Weaver with interest.

“What would we have to do?”

“Not much at first. Mostly you’d act as though nothing at all had happened. The three of us would meet from time to time so that I might inform you of how our plans are progressing. And you’d probably receive some gold.”

To their credit, neither of them asked the obvious question.

“How long have you been with the movement?” she asked instead.

Forever. Iam the movement . “A long time. Since its inception.”

“Are you one of its leaders.”

“The movement is led by a Weaver. None of those who serve him know his name or where he can be found. But all instructions come from him.”

“A Weaver,” she repeated breathlessly. “I thought they were all gone.”

Dusaan had to smile at the irony. Somewhere in the Forelands, another Weaver, a man named Grinsa, searched for him, even as he hunted the man in turn. “I believe you’ll find that there are more of them than any have imagined. With the Eandi ruling the Forelands, they keep themselves hidden, fearing for their lives. But when this war is over and the Forelands belong to the Qirsi, they’ll be free to reveal themselves.” And then the Eandi will see how powerful our people truly can be .

“A Weaver,” she whispered again, as if the word itself were new to her. “How does he-”

“He walks in the dreams of those who serve his cause.”

Kayiv nodded. “Of course. How else could the consp-?” He stopped himself. “How else could the movement strike at so many courts at once?”

“The realms of the Eandi are weakened already. It won’t be long until the Weaver reveals himself and asserts his power over all the Forelands. When that happens, the men and women who serve him will take their place in a new pantheon of Qirsi nobility. Those who oppose him-Eandi and Qirsi-will perish.”

“What if his movement fails?” the younger man asked.

“It won’t.”

“The invasion,” Nitara whispered. “The invasion is part of his plan, isn’t it? First he weakens the kingdoms, and then, when the Eandi go to war, further weakening themselves, he strikes at them.” She stared at Dusaan, as if seeing him for the first time. “You’ve been pushing the emperor toward this invasion all along, haven’t you? That’s your role in this.”

“That’s part of my role, yes, although in truth, I haven’t had to push very hard. Harel wants this war, or at least he thinks he does. That’s something you should always remember about the Eandi. Given the opportunity to destroy themselves, they will usually take it. We need only be patient and await a time when we can use their foolishness to our advantage.”

“It sounds as though the movement can’t fail,” Kayiv said, a familiar note of defiance in his tone. It almost seemed that the man couldn’t speak without challenging someone to a fight. “All the work’s been done already. Why would you need us?”

“Our work won’t be done for many years. Surely you must understand that. The Eandi may be fools but they’re not cowards, and they don’t take defeat lightly. We need to know which Qirsi will support us when the time comes, and we need to know that we can count on those Qirsi when the Eandi realize their error and turn their weapons on us.” He paused, smiling at both of them. “And of course, when victory is ours, we’ll need those young Qirsi nobles of whom I spoke just a moment ago.”

Bells began to toll in Curtell city and all of them paused. Midday. The emperor would be expecting him shortly, and he still had to attend to the treasury accounting.

“I’m afraid I need your answer now,” Dusaan said. “I’ve told you what the movement can offer you, and I’ve told you as well what will happen to you both should you refuse us. Now the two of you must decide.”

Kayiv opened his hands. “You haven’t given us much of a choice, High Chancellor. Riches and power on the one hand, or death on the other. Do you really expect us to say no?”

“Of course not. But I do expect you to follow all of my instructions. The first time one of you defies me in any way, either by refusing a command, or by doing or saying anything that endangers the movement, I’ll kill you both. I won’t have you joining our cause merely to acquire wealth or ensure your survival. We’re offering you and every Qirsi in the land a wondrous future, but you’ll have to earn your right to see that future, just as you’ll have to earn your gold. Do you understand?”

Nitara nodded. “Yes.” She actually smiled, though the color had fled her cheeks again. “I’ve hoped for this for some time now. Truly I have. I just never imagined that my path to the movement was so close at hand.”

“I know that you’ll serve us well.” He turned his gaze to Kayiv. “And you, Minister? Are you ready to serve the Weaver as well?”

The young man looked away, his mouth twisting sourly.

Nitara, slipped from her chair and knelt before him, taking both his hands in hers and looking up into his bright eyes. “We’ve spoken of this. We’ve dreamed of it. Why do you fight it now?”

Kayiv gave a small shake of his head. “I don’t know,” he said quietly.

“He fights it because he dislikes me,” Dusaan said, knowing as he spoke the words that it was true. “Isn’t that right, Minister?”

The man faced him, though reluctantly. “I don’t know you well enough to dislike you, High Chancellor. But I can’t say that I trust you, at least not enough to place our lives in your hands.”