David Coe - Bonds of Vengeance

He stayed in his chamber for the entire morning and well past midday. Servants came to his door with food, or with inquiries from the emperor after his health, but he did not move from his chair, and he gave none of them leave to enter. Late in the day, however, when yet another of the emperor’s pages came calling, he roused himself from his brooding and opened the door.

Clearly the boy hadn’t expected this. For several moments he just stared up at the high chancellor, his dark eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

“What is it you want, boy?”

“The emperor, sir!” he blurted out. “He asks for you. He. . he sounded angry.”

“Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

The boy bowed, managing to say, “Yes, High Chancellor,” before hurrying away.

Dusaan wasn’t certain that he trusted himself to speak civilly with the emperor just now, but he had little choice. If he passed much more of the day in his chamber, the emperor himself might come looking for him. Better to face the fat fool in the imperial hall, whence he could excuse himself after a time.

Reaching the emperor’s hall, he thrust open the door and strode in, only remembering to pause when he heard the guard by the door call out his name and title. Harel sat on the marble throne, his fleshy face red, his mouth set in a thin line.

“High Chancellor,” he said archly, as if a parent speaking to a tardy child.

Dusaan dropped to one knee, lowering his gaze. When the time came, he would enjoy killing this man. “Your Eminence.”

“I summoned you a number of times. There are matters I’ve wished to discuss.”

“Yes, Your Eminence,” the high chancellor said, still kneeling. “I sent word in return that I wasn’t well.”

“You seem well enough now.”

“The rest you allowed me did much good, Your Eminence. I’m most grateful.”

Harel frowned, then made a vague gesture with a meaty hand, his gemmed rings sparkling. “Rise.”

Dusaan stood. “Thank you, Your Eminence.”

“What was the matter with you?” He flinched away, pressing himself against the back of his throne. “It wasn’t something contagious was it?”

“No, Your Eminence. I had a difficult night and feared that I might be succumbing to a fever. But I’m well now. You needn’t be concerned.” Not that you cared a whit for me, you coward .

The emperor straightened. “Well, good. As I said, there are matters I’ve been waiting to discuss with you.”

It was almost comical. One might have thought that the high chancellor had been in his bedchamber for half the year. “I’m here now, Your Eminence. How can I be of service?”

“I hardly know where to begin.” He toyed with the jeweled scepter that lay across his lap. “This business in the south has only gotten worse.”

“The land dispute in Grensyn, Your Eminence?”

“Yes. The lord there was quite disturbed by the message we sent last turn. He’s refusing to abide by my decision.”

It was more than Dusaan could have expected. Manyus of Grensyn had never struck him as being particularly bold, nor had he ever seemed inclined to oppose any decree coming from Curtell. Granted, he and his people had long been at odds with the lordship of Muelry, with whom the emperor had ordered them to share the farming lands west of the Grensyn River. But to defy the emperor in this way invited a harsh response.

“Have you had word from the lord of Muelry, Your Eminence?”

Harel waved his hand again, as if dismissing the question. “Patrin sent the letter informing me of what Manyus had done. You know as well as I that the man is too weak minded and timid to act on his own. He begs me to intervene, no doubt hoping that I’ll send the imperial guard to take a corner of the plain and protect his farmers.”

Dusaan had to agree with Harel’s opinion of Patrin of Muelry, and also with his guess as to what the lord wanted him to do.

“Then you’ve heard nothing from Manyus directly?”

“Not yet, no.”

“It may be wisest to await his response before taking any action, Your Eminence. Grensyn may intend to comply, but only after making Muelry wait for a time.”

“It’s almost Amon’s turn,” the emperor said. “If he delays too long, the harvest will suffer.”

“Perhaps it would be appropriate to send a second message stating as much, and making it clear how displeased Your Eminence would be were he to doom Muelry’s crops to failure.”

Harel nodded. “Yes. A fine idea. See to it, won’t you, High Chancellor?”

“Of course, Your Eminence.” He continued to stand there, waiting. “Is there more, Your Eminence?”

“Yes, there’s more!” the emperor said, sounding like a peevish child. “We’ve had word from Lachmas as well. They still have no proof that the lord’s death was anything more than an accident.”

Actually this message had arrived the day before. Dusaan had brought it to the imperial hall and waited there as the emperor read it. But clearly Harel wished to impress upon Dusaan that he was to be by the emperor’s side at all times. The “matters” he claimed to have wanted to discuss with Dusaan were a pretense, nothing more.

“Yes, Your Eminence,” he said. “I recall from yesterday.”

“Well, what do you make of this?”

He had to answer with care. Lachmas’s death had frightened the emperor, and while Dusaan anticipated that Harel’s fear might prove useful at some point, he couldn’t risk having the man grow so afraid of the movement that he lost faith in all his Qirsi.

“They may well be correct, Your Eminence. Hunting mishaps are said to be quite common. In all likelihood, Lord Lachmas’s death was nothing more or less than a tragic accident.”

“I’d like to believe that.”

“As would I, Your Eminence. But we should remain wary nevertheless. The leaders of this conspiracy have shown themselves to be cunning and dangerous. Just because the soldiers of Lachmas have found no evidence of a murder, we can’t assume that there was none.”

“If you wish to put my mind at ease, you’ve done a damned poor job of it.”

Good . “Forgive me, Your Eminence. Perhaps I should leave you.”

“No. Tell me of the fleet.”

Dusaan shrugged. “From all I hear, the ships are in place off Wantrae and Mistborne Islands. They await only your word to begin their assault. Eibithar’s fleet has been active as well, perhaps in response to our own maneuvers, but this could hardly be avoided.”

“Maybe we should begin the invasion earlier than planned.”

“If Your Eminence wishes it. But I believe we’ll fare better if we wait for the lords of Aneira to ready their army. Eibithar’s fleet is no match for our own. They can take whatever positions they wish off the north coast; they still won’t withstand our attack.” He paused, watching the emperor’s face. Harel didn’t look pleased. “Do you wish to alter our plans, Your Eminence?”

“No. I’d just like to get on with them.”

“Of course, Your Eminence. I believe, however, that your patience will be rewarded. There can be no question of the brilliance of the strategy you’ve devised.” Actually, Dusaan and the master of arms had done most of the planning for the war, but he knew that Harel would gladly take credit for it.

“Very well,” Harel said.

He heard weariness in the emperor’s voice, and once more he thought to excuse himself. “I’ll leave you now, Your Eminence. Again, you have my apologies for my failure to answer your earlier summons.”

“I expect the master of arms shortly,” Harel said, as if he hadn’t heard. “He’ll be reporting on the day’s training. I think you should remain for that. Afterwards you may join us for dinner.”