Canavan Trudi - The Traitor Queen

Other than the truth. But I doubt she’d have found that a good enough reason anyway, he thought. She wants me to live in the Guild and leave catching Skellin to the magicians. She trusted the Guild too much. And I don’t? He shook his head. Not with Sonea gone and Kallen in charge of finding Skellin.

He hadn’t completely given up on the Guild, though. They weren’t going to stop trying to find and deal with rogue magicians. But they’d take longer at it than he was prepared to wait.

To force their hand I need minefire, to buy that I need money, and the only caches I had that Skellin hasn’t found are in the hands of minders.

Minders who didn’t believe Cery was alive, and had refused to give the cache to Gol.

The risk of a trap was high, of course. He and Gol had selected the minder least likely to betray them to meet tonight. His name was Perin. Gol had hired three different street urchins as guides, each to take Perin on a winding journey through three Quarters of the city. The last instructions were written down, so that not even the urchins would see where Perin went. The meeting place was within a hundred paces of the wall, so if Cery and Gol had to run they had a fighting chance of reaching the grounds.

Reaching a crossroads, they stopped and looked around. Here the doorways were shallow and the street lamps bright. Nowhere to hide for several strides, so it would be difficult for someone to ambush them. A man stood on the opposite corner, watching them. Though Cery could not see all of the man’s face, what was visible was familiar.

“Perin,” Gol murmured.

Cery nodded. He crossed the road and approached the man. Perin stared at him intently, his eyes widening as he recognised Cery.

“Well, well. You’re alive and breathing.”

“I am,” Cery said, stopping a few paces away.

“Here.” Perin held out a wrapped parcel. “Send a messenger if you want the rest.”

“Thanks. I owe you.”

The minder grimaced. “No you don’t. I have my fee, and the satisfaction of knowing the bastard who calls himself king didn’t get to everyone.” He held out a hand. Cery hesitated, then moved closer so the man could briefly clasp his arm, and did the same in return. “Best of luck and health,” Perin said, his brows lowering as his gaze moved over Cery’s face. “Looks like you could do with some.”

Then the man stepped back, smiled tiredly and turned to walk away. Cery heard Gol quietly move closer behind him.

Did he mean luck or health? Or both? Am I looking as old and tired as I feel lately?

He felt a touch on his elbow. Shaking his head, he turned and followed Gol back to the house by the wall, through the gate and up the rope ladder. It was harder climbing up than down, but as they made their way through the forest he felt his mood lift. Their journey had been worth the risk. Gol had money to buy minefire. They were closer to being ready to lure Skellin into their trap.

And it was nice to know that someone, even if just a minder, was pleased to know Cery was still alive.

Sitting down at his desk, Dannyl took Osen’s blood ring out of his pocket. Oh, how I wish I could put this off a little longer. But he couldn’t. Osen expected Dannyl to report back to him every two or three days. He would be annoyed or alarmed if Dannyl didn’t.

Even so, Dannyl hesitated. I’ve never been able to tell how much of my mind Osen can read during our communications. I always assumed he, knowing my preferences, doesn’t look too deeply — and that he would have objected already if they thought I was getting too friendly with Achati. And that Osen could only read the thoughts Dannyl was actively thinking while wearing the ring, not all his memories.

It should be enough, then, to avoid thinking about his night with Achati while communicating with Osen. Of course, the subject a person was most worried about was the one their mind would most likely turn to. Overcoming that took concentration and control, skills Dannyl had painstakingly cultivated as a novice.

He closed his eyes and practised some mind-calming exercises. When he felt he had control over his thoughts, he slipped on the ring. Osen’s mental voice immediately spoke.

— Dannyl. Good. I have urgent news for you. Sonea met with the Traitors a few nights ago. Their queen, Savara, revealed their intention to overthrow Amakira and the Ashaki, and free all slaves.

He needn’t have worried how much Osen would see in his mind. The Administrator would be well distracted by this news. Dannyl felt his heart skip as Osen told him of the declined invitation to the Allied Lands to join them, and the deal they’d struck instead.

— Lorkin has joined the Traitors. Sonea and Regin are heading to Arvice, following them.

— The Traitors are on their way?!

— Yes. They attacked the first estates yesterday. I don’t know how long it will take them to get to Arvice, if they get that far at all.

— Do you think they’ll win? If Lorkin was with them, surely he believed they could. But if Lorkin’s loyalty was with the Traitors now, he might choose to help them because their chances weren’t good.

— Impossible to say. Sonea believes they’ve been organising this for a very long time. They weren’t forced into confronting the Ashaki. She doesn’t think they’d risk everything they have if they didn’t think they’d win.

And yet Achati didn’t think they had a chance. The man’s face rose in Dannyl’s mind and he felt a stab of apprehension before he pushed it aside.

— I’m sorry, Dannyl. I know you regard Achati as a friend, but you cannot warn him. It would alert Amakira to the fact that we knew about this before he did. Do not do anything to raise suspicions of our foreknowledge of this.

— I understand. What should we do?

— Stay where you are. Stay together — and that includes Tayend. Stay out of sight. The Traitors won’t harm you. The Ashaki shouldn’t, if they don’t suspect we’re siding with the Traitors. Make sure Merria and Tayend understand all I have told you.

— I will. Any messages for them?

— No. Sonea and Regin will join you when they get there, but I doubt they’ll reach you until after the conflict is over.

— We’ll stay put. At least they’ll know where to find us.

— Yes. From now on report to me once a day, or as soon as you learn anything new. Take care, Dannyl. Contact me if anything happens.

Slipping off the ring, Dannyl stared at it again. Sachaka is at war, he thought. An army is heading this way. An army of black magicians. Who will no doubt encounter an army of King Amakira’s black magicians — a conflict of a kind not seen in over six centuries.

He pocketed the ring, rose and strode out of the room, slaves scattering before him. He’d only taken twenty or so steps down the corridor when a female voice called out.

“Ambassador!”

He turned to see Merria hurrying toward him.

“I heard something last night you will find interesting,” she said.

“Should Tayend know this, too?”

She nodded.

He beckoned and heard her fall into step behind him. They passed through the Master’s Room, entered the corridor beyond and soon reached the door to Tayend’s rooms. The female slave waiting attentively inside the main door threw herself onto the floor.

“Is Tay — Ambassador Tayend there?” Dannyl asked.

She nodded.

“Tell him we are here to see him.”

She scrambled up and disappeared into one of the rooms. A moment later there was a low groan and a curse.

“Out!”

The slave darted out again and hurried over to Dannyl and Merria.

“Don’t,” Dannyl said as she went to prostrate herself again.