William King: The Queen's assassin

Out in the night now a whole city was being savaged by packs of marauders. Tens of thousands of people were suffering and thousands of their fellows were taking pleasure in that suffering, and making themselves richer while it happened.

He thought of the elementals he had seen unleashed earlier today, demonic entities that could be trapped and compelled to do what a sorcerer wished. They were potent and yet they could not survive long away from the home planes. In this world they were like fish out of water or divers holding their breath deep below the surface of a river.

Tonight another sort of demon had been let out of its bottle. He wondered how long it would take for it to vanish, or whether it ever truly did. The most terrifying thought for him was that perhaps it was there all the time, lurking behind the respectful faces of the men who followed him, and the servile grimaces of the servants. If that were the case he thought this whole world was in trouble.

Perhaps those who said the Shadow made this world were right, he thought. He took another sip of victory wine. It tasted very sour.

Azaar's tent was surprisingly spartanly furnished, Rik thought. He sat beside Lady Asea and a small number of the higher officers of the General's staff. A few eyed him resentfully, a few enviously, no doubt because of the carefully spread rumours that he was Asea's lover. Some of them looked at him calculatingly. His stock was high, and it was said that news of his bravery had reached the ears of the Queen of Talorea. They were no doubt trying to work out how to take advantage of that fact. It was the Terrarch way. Their lives were politics and politics were their lives. Now the same was true for him.

Azaar gestured for his guests to be seated. Servants in the livery of his house produced wine and filled goblets. Azaar raised his glass. All present did the same.

"To victory," he said. His voice was flat and dry, but it carried through the tent as clearly as a shout. Rik would have given a lot to master that trick.

"To victory," the guests echoed.

The glasses were refilled. "To her Majesty, Queen Arielle of Talorea."

"To her majesty."

"To her majesty, Queen Kathea of Kharadrea."

"To her majesty."

The General seemed to be taking a mocking pleasure in making the toasts and getting his guests drunk. Rik took only sips from each glass. He wanted a clear head this evening.

The elaborately spiced food of the Terrarchs was set on the table. The drinking and chatter proceeded. "I thought Lord Elakar basked in his triumph very graciously," said a colonel from the far end of the table.

"He was entitled to speak first," said Lady Asea. "The Queen gave him precedence."

Rik's glance flickered from her to Azaar. Both of them were unreadable. They ought to be, having had thousands of years to practise hiding their thoughts. "He has the airs of a Viceroy," said someone else.

"And the garb of one too," said the Colonel. “Where did he dig up that sceptre?”

"We are not here to rule Kharadrea," said Azaar. His voice was flat and calm but there were compulsions in it that commanded belief, despite the subtle hints of mockery. More magic, Rik thought. "We are here to see that Queen Kathea gains what is rightfully hers."

"It would seem our job is almost done then," said the Colonel. "The capital is ours. The nobles are lining up to swear fealty to Kathea, and we have not seen hide nor hair of the damned Sardeans."

Azaar's tone was dry. "It's always been easier to get the Kharadreans to swear fealty than to make them keep their oaths. They are sworn to Kathea now because we appear to be winning. They will follow Khaldarus next year if our luck turns in the field."

"Surely that is not likely," said the Colonel. "We have shown the Sardeans for the cowards they are. The Dark Empire has not dared interfere with our conquest of Kharadrea."

"I repeat we are not here to conquer Kharadrea, Colonel. We are here to put its Queen on her throne. And if you believe the Sardeans are afraid of us I fear you are sadly misled."

"Why have they not committed their armies then, Lord Azaar?" asked Colonel Xeno, the commander of the Seventh.

"Possibly because they have not been asked to, by the Pretender," said Azaar. A round of groans told Rik how unlikely everyone present thought that to be. Only Asea did not join the general murmuring. Her attention seemed entirely focused on Lord Azaar.

"Perhaps because they wish his position to become precarious," she said. "They want him to know exactly how beholden he is to them. They want it to be obvious that he has no chance to defeat Queen Kathea on his own."

That silenced the diners. "And perhaps because they want us to be fully committed before they intervene," added Azaar. "Then they can sweep in as saviours of Kharadrea from the oppressive Talorean invader, and they can catch all our armies of the east in the field at once."

Azaar's bright malicious gaze turned to Rik. "What do you think, young man?" he asked.

Rik felt all eyes drawn to him. He was uncomfortable being the centre of attention but he considered the question for a moment. "There is another possibility."

Someone laughed. Rik kept his face composed. He knew that whatever he said someone among the Terrarchs would mock him for it.

"Go on," said Azaar. If he was offended by the fact that a young half-breed was suggesting he might have missed something, he gave no sign of it.

"The Sardeans may be divided among themselves over what to do. There are always at least two factions at any court. There will be those who oppose this war."

Colonel Xeno laughed. "The Sardeans are the most war-like people on Gaeia."

"They have kept the Peace of Oslande for over a century," said Asea. "We are the ones who have broken it."

"In order to see justice is done and Sardean ambition is contained," said the Colonel. His lips quirked. He knew exactly how cynical what he was saying sounded, but he was a Terrarch.

"Our young friend is right," said Azaar. "There will be those in Sardea who oppose conflict. War is always risky no matter how powerful your army or how just your cause.”

"You think it unlikely then that the Sardeans will intervene."

"I think they are watching us now, gauging our strength and our resolve, measuring themselves against us. I believe they will let us stretch our line of supply as far as they calculate we will go, and then next year they will intervene with all their strength. And let us not delude ourselves, my lords and ladies and youthful friends, their strength is very great indeed. I think this will be the last of our easy victories."

"You consider this campaign to have been easy, General?" asked the Colonel.

"You fought in the last great war between Talorea and the Dark Empire, Colonel. What do you think?"

"I think you are right, General." After that the conversation became subdued and the taste of victory did not seem quite so sweet.

After the dinner Rik escorted Lady Asea back to her pavilion. She considered it best to keep up the fiction that they were lovers now that it was established in the minds of the army. Rik agreed with her there. It was better than having people know the grim truth about his heritage and the way Asea had chosen to exploit it.

Once they were inside her tent, she spoke a word and the glowglobe sitting in its tripod sprang to life. She spoke another word and wards sprang into place around them, dulling the sounds from outside, making the noises seem as if they came from a very long way off. She slumped down in a folding chair, looking suddenly very weary.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I am just tired."

"It's been a long day," he said.

"I thought my time had come when we faced that dragon earlier." Rik looked at her in surprise. It was the first time he had ever heard her admit something like that. “I owe you my life. I will not forget that.”