David Coe - Bonds of Vengeance

It seemed that the duke hoped to raise Pronjed’s fears of Numar, claiming that he did so out of concern for the queen, and as a secret ally of Chofya. At the same time, he plotted with the regent, urging him to kill the girl. No doubt he hoped that any attempt on Kalyi’s life would confirm all he had said to Pronjed of Numar’s dark ambitions. If the girl survived, Numar’s disgrace would hand him the regency. If she died, Numar would be executed, and he would claim the throne.

The role he envisioned for Pronjed in all of this was even less apparent. Clearly he needed to have someone else calling Numar a murderer, since no one would trust him to tell the truth. But more than that, he had probably guessed that Numar would attempt to blame him for Kalyi’s death. He needed Pronjed to protect him from his brother.

“So,” Henthas began after a long silence, “do you intend to speak to Chofya of this?”

“She should probably know that the queen’s life is in danger,” Pronjed said. “But if you’d prefer to tell her yourself, I’ll keep silent.”

The duke shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I. . I don’t think she’d believe any of this coming from me. And then the danger to Kalyi would remain. You should tell her.”

“What if I don’t believe you?”

Henthas frowned. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Any number of reasons. Your reputation, all that you have to gain from destroying your brother, all that you could gain from killing the queen yourself and making it seem that the regent was responsible. You came to me some time ago, indicating that you would help me keep the girl alive, and telling me that Numar was my enemy. But I’ve seen no evidence of any of this beyond your word.” He opened his hands. “And I’m afraid that doesn’t count for very much.”

Henthas gave that same thin smile again. “What is it you want?”

This had to be handled delicately. The Weaver wanted Solkara weakened as war with Eibithar drew nearer, but Henthas would resist any action that was too obvious. And with relations between the brothers deteriorating, there was no guarantee that Numar would listen to him anyway. Still, Pronjed had to try.

“What do you think of this war your brother is planning with the emperor?”

“If it succeeds, it will strengthen the realm and our house for generations. If it fails, it will probably mean the end of the Supremacy.”

“Do you think it will fail?”

Henthas stared at him, his eyes narrowing. “Perhaps I should ask the same of you, Archminister.”

“I’m not certain I know what you mean.”

“Then allow me to be more explicit. For some time now I’ve wondered when this conspiracy of which we’ve heard so much might strike at House Solkara. Ours is the leading house in the realm, after all, and if the rumors reaching Aneira from throughout the Forelands are to be believed, the Qirsi have been more than willing to strike at other royal houses. I find it impossible to fathom that the conspiracy would ignore us. Which leads to a most obvious question: who is the traitor in our midst?”

Pronjed stood motionless, struggling to ease the pounding of his pulse. He had anticipated such an accusation from Numar-not because he thought the regent knew anything for certain but because it would have served the man’s purposes to raise doubts about Pronjed’s loyalty. But for Henthas to have reasoned it through. . This was the last thing he had expected.

“Are you asking me if I am this traitor?”

“Would that surprise you?”

“Yes, my lord, it would. I’ve served House Solkara for many years, and no one has ever questioned my loyalty.”

“Nevertheless, I must ask. Are you a traitor?”

The minister let out a short laugh. “How am I to answer? Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t?”

“Probably not. But neither would I have you hanged if you said you were. At least not right away.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We’re both traitors, Archminister.”

“I never said-”

“That you were part of the conspiracy? Of course you didn’t. You don’t have to. Even without such an admission, you’re guilty of treason, as am I. We speak openly of defying the regent, of undermining his power. Yes, we do so to save the queen, but it’s still treason. It matters little if you have compounded that betrayal by joining the conspiracy. If one of us decides to betray the other, we’re both dead men.”

Pronjed wasn’t certain what to say. The duke’s accusations left him shaken; the man’s reassurances only confused him.

“You needn’t look so worried, Pronjed. I don’t intend to speak of this to anyone, at least not for a while. Regardless of where your loyalties lie, our interests are the same for now. We both need House Solkara to remain strong and we both need to keep Numar from growing too powerful, which means that we share a desire to keep the queen safe. At some point in the future, our interests will diverge, and I make no promises about what I will and won’t do then. But for now, you have nothing to fear from me.”

“You speak of treason with unsettling ease, my lord. I assure you, I am no traitor. I may speak against the regent, but only because you tell me that he threatens the queen, to whom I owe my allegiance.”

Even the minister could hear how hollow his denials sounded, but he had little choice but to offer them anyway. The duke would expect no less.

“Of course, Archminister,” Henthas said, sounding unconvinced. “You understand, I had to ask.”

“Of course, my lord.” He paused. Then, “Perhaps I should go.”

“Probably.”

He turned toward the door, but the duke spoke his name, stopping him.

“My lord?”

The man was grinning once more, as if he had just won a great victory, looking every bit the jackal. “I trust you’ll never come in here again calling me a fool, or questioning my actions.”

Pronjed had to stifle a retort. “Yes, my lord.”

“Good. Now get out.”

The archminister stalked from the chamber, gritting his teeth. It would be a pleasure killing the man. Killing them both, actually. The brothers Renbrere.

In good time.

She still didn’t want to believe that her father had killed himself. It was a violation of Ean’s doctrines and it be spoke a sadness she wouldn’t even have wished on her uncle, the duke. But Numar had told her that there could be little doubt about how her father died, and she remembered overhearing her mother say much the same thing at the time of her father’s funeral.

Kalyi had hoped, in speaking with the regent, that she might find some proof that her father had been killed, that all of the adults in the castle had been wrong about his death. In the wake of their conversation, she lost all enthusiasm for her “inquiry,” as Numar had called it. How was she to learn what her father had been thinking when he died? If there had been a way to know this, wouldn’t her mother have found it by now?

But as the day wore on, and she dreamed her way through her studies, thinking more about her father than about Aneiran history and the battle tactics of Queen Amnalla the Second, her resolve began to return. She had first decided in the days just after her father’s death to learn all she could about why he had died. It had been the most frightening time of her life. Her uncle Grigor had poisoned her mother and the Council of Dukes, an Eibitharian spy had been spotted in the city, and it seemed the entire land was poised to go to war over whether or not to make her queen. She was too young to defend herself or her castle, too ignorant in the ways of the court to command an army, too small even to wear the heavy golden crown that her father had left for her. But she had a quick mind-all her tutors told her so-and she had always been good at reasoning things out. So she had set herself this task. It was too late to save her father from whatever had caused him such grief, but it wasn’t too late to understand.