David Coe - Bonds of Vengeance

“Tradden? Are you well?”

“I–I’m sorry, Archminister. I seem to have lost the thread of whatever I was saying.”

“You were telling me that if the houses meet their quotas, we’ll more than double the size of our army.”

“Yes. Yes, that’s right. We should begin to see the first of the men here in Solkara by the end of the turn.”

“That’s fine news, Commander. I know the regent will be pleased.”

“Thank you, Archminister. Good day to you.”

She heard footsteps once more.

“And to you,” Pronjed called from far away. Apparently he was climbing to the next floor.

A moment later someone came down the stairs and left the tower. Peering out from the shadows under the stairs, Kalyi saw the master of arms walking across the courtyard. Still she waited several moments before leaving the tower herself, in case Pronjed or someone else was watching for her.

Thinking back on what she had heard, Kalyi couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She was quite certain that Pronjed had ordered Tradden to lie to her uncle Numar. Under most circumstances, she would have thought that the master of arms would refuse to do such a thing. But from all she had heard, it seemed that he had agreed. Or rather, that he had been forced to agree. She shook her head. That wasn’t quite right, either. And how could the archminister expect the man simply to forget that the entire conversation had taken place? It made no sense to her. She needed to speak of it with someone. But who?

When she felt certain that it was safe, she stepped out from under the stairs and walked to her mother’s chamber. Chofya was very pleased to see her, holding her close for a long time, and then kissing her forehead.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Kalyi,” she finally said. “Truly I am.”

Kalyi looked down at her shoes. “I’m sorry I frightened you by hiding.”

“It’s all right. Nurse told me you fell asleep.”

Kalyi laughed and nodded. “I did. On top of the tower.”

Chofya smiled, cupping Kalyi’s cheek in her hand and gazing at her for some time. “If you want to talk about your father, we can,” she said. “I know I said some mean things about him before, but he had some fine qualities as well.”

“Maybe later,” Kalyi said, feeling uncomfortable. She really wanted to tell her mother about what she had heard in the tower stairway, but she was afraid of making her mad once more.

“All right,” her mother said. “Tell me about your lessons.”

They spoke for some time-longer than they had in several turns. Eventually they walked down to the great hall together to have their evening meal before returning to Chofya’s chamber for a while longer.

When at last Nurse came to put Kalyi to bed, it was well past dark.

“It’s good to see you and your mother laughing together again,” Nurse said as Kalyi climbed into bed. “She needs you, Your Highness. You’re really all she has left now that. . well, you know.”

Kalyi nodded.

Nurse kissed her cheek. “Good night, Your Highness.”

“Good night.”

Nurse blew out the candle by Kalyi’s bed and crossed to the door, leaving a second candle burning near the wardrobe, as she always did.

“Wait,” Kalyi called to her, still sitting up.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

She hesitated, afraid now to speak of what had happened. After a few moments though, her need to speak of it overmastered her fear.

“I overheard something today.”

Nurse arched an eyebrow. “Overheard?”

“I was in one of the towers, and I heard two men speaking on the stairs above me.” She looked away, her mouth twisting briefly. “And I listened.”

“Kalyi!”

“They were speaking of soldiers,” she said quickly. “And since they’re my soldiers, I thought it was all right.”

“It’s never all right to eavesdrop, particularly for a queen.”

Kalyi kept her eyes fixed on the second flame. “I know,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“Who did you hear speaking, child?”

“The archminister and the master of arms.”

“And what was it you heard?”

“That’s just it. I don’t really understand it.”

“Well, you shouldn’t feel badly about that. They were probably speaking of alliances and quotas and such things. I wouldn’t have understood it either.”

Kalyi shook her head. “It wasn’t just that. The archminister told him. .” She trailed off, unable to find the words to describe what she had heard. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Did he sound angry?”

“No. He sounded like. .” He sounded like a sorcerer . It came to her suddenly. She had heard tales of Qirsi who could control other men’s thoughts and though she had always dismissed such tales as nonsense and myth, she realized that it was the only reasonable explanation for what she had heard earlier this day. Which brought to mind other tales she had heard, these about a conspiracy of sorcerers who were trying to destroy the kingdoms of the Forelands. Was Pronjed a traitor?

At last she knew who to tell about the conversation she’d heard.

“Your Highness?” Nurse said, looking worried.

Kalyi flung off her blanket and jumped from the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“I must speak with Uncle Numar.”

“You can speak with him tomorrow. It’s very-”

“It can’t wait, Nurse.”

“It will have to.”

Kalyi tried to look as stern as possible. “I’m the queen of Aneira, and I wish to speak with my regent right now. You may take me to his chamber or you may remain here. But either way, I’m going.”

Nurse gave a small smile. “Very well, Your Highness. I’ll take you to him right away.”

Numar had finished with the last of the fee accountings, a task he found tiring, but which he refused to delegate to anyone else, particularly the archminister or one of his Qirsi friends. He had yet to eat, and he had received a perfumed missive from one of Chofya’s ladies earlier in the day. He had every intention of thanking her in person for the kindness of her note.

Hence, he did not welcome the knock at his door just as he was putting on his waistcoat. He strode to the door and flung it open impatiently. Finding the queen there, with her nurse in tow, did nothing to improve his mood.

“Your Highness,” he said, managing with great effort to smile. “Shouldn’t you be asleep at this hour?” This last he said with his eyes fixed on the nurse, who merely shrugged and looked away.

“There’s something I must discuss with you, uncle.”

“I’m certain it can wait for morning. I promise to seek you out first thing.”

“No,” she said, though he read the uncertainty in her dark eyes. “It can’t wait.”

“I’m afraid it-”

“It’s about the archminister.”

That caught his attention. Numar narrowed his eyes. “What about him?”

She glanced back at the nurse, who nodded encouragement. “I overheard him talking to the master of arms today.”

By itself that didn’t seem overly strange. Numar knew that the archminister didn’t trust him, that if he wanted information about what the regent had in mind for Solkara’s army he would be best served by asking Tradden. Still, he could learn a good deal about Pronjed’s intentions by knowing what the two of them discussed.

“Would you like to tell me what they said?”

“Yes, but it’s more than that. I think the archminister. . I think he used magic on him.”

Numar stared at her a moment, not quite understanding what she meant. “Magic.”

“I think he used magic to make the master of arms say things, maybe even do things.”

It seemed that there was a cold hand at his throat, making it impossible for him to swallow or breathe. He had heard of Qirsi who could bend the minds of others, but he had never imagined that he might know one.