Джеффри Лорд - The Torian Pearls

The ship's deck rose; its sides blew outward; both masts simply vanished. A sphere of flame sat on the water where the ship had been, its surface dotted with planks and guns and human figures. Then the flames shrank into themselves and vanished while the wreckage and the bodies hissed down into the water or fell with thuds on the beach. In the silence that followed the explosion, Blade put his arm around Loya. They stood there for a moment, deaf and blind to everything except each other, then turned back to the battle.

There wasn't much left of that battle. Perhaps the exploding ship had been the flagship of the whole expedition. In any case, the explosion seemed to take all the fight out of the Vodi. They fled or tried to flee or tried to surrender if they had no hope of fleeing. Blade was able to save a few prisoners, but only a few. The Torians were giving no quarter, and neither the Kargoi nor the Hauri felt much like arguing with them on the point.

Dawn came, and Blade was able to write the epitaph for the Vodi expedition. In the commanders' tents he found papers that made it clear the Vodi had put nearly the whole military and naval strength of their people into the expedition. They had lost nine out of ten of the men, two-thirds of the ships, all their siege guns, equipment, and supplies-in short, they'd met complete disaster.

Blade decided to stop worrying about the Vodi being driven to ally themselves with the Menel. It would be a generation, possibly two, before the Vodi had enough fighting men to be worth anything as allies. If the Menel did accept Vodi support, they'd be saddling themselves with an ally even weaker and more helpless than they were.

Blade met Queen Kayarna as she rode about the battlefield on a horse, her fourth of the night. Unable to walk, she'd ridden the other three right into the battle until they'd been killed under her.

She rode up to Blade, a triumphant grin on her face. The grin faded as she saw Blade's arm around Loya's waist. Whatever she'd been about to say died on lips that tightened into a straight line. She turned her horse and cantered off, her back rigid.

Loya was equally sober-faced as she watched the queen's receding figure. «She did not like seeing us together, I think.»

«No, she didn't,» said Blade wearily. «I hope she may think otherwise, someday-or at least be silent about it. If she is jealous, though…»

He could not quite find the energy to finish the sentence. He'd thoroughly disposed of all the problems involved in winning the war. Now began the problems involved in keeping the peace.

For the next few days, it didn't matter whether Queen Kayarna was jealous of Loya or not. Everyone was too busy burying the dead, caring for the wounded, collecting the loot from the Vodi camp, and getting the life of Tordas started up again. Kayarna worked as hard as anyone else. On horseback or in a litter, she made the rounds of her city and her allies' camps day and night, asking about a thousand and one things but never about Loya.

Blade knew, however, that the days of hard work would end sooner or later. Then Kayarna might have time, for jealousy. Before that time came, he wanted Loya safely out of Kayarna's reach.

As he put the situation to Loya and Fudan:

«I do not ask this freely, or with any pleasure. I would far rather have Loya with me for-for all the rest of my time in the world. But Queen Kayarna has a keen eye, and I am afraid a jealous heart. I do not think she will risk insulting the Kargoi by taking any steps against me because of my love for you.» He stroked Loya's cheek. «But you might be in great danger. We simply cannot trust Kayarna, at least not now.»

«So you would like it better if I went away, to the east perhaps?» said Loya.

Blade nodded. «There is a saying in England-'Out of sight, out of mind!' If you go off to the homeland of the Hauri for a few months or perhaps a year, Kayarna may forget about you during that time.»

«That might be wise in any case,» said Loya. She hesitated, then said quickly, «Blade, I think I will bear your child.»

Blade stepped around the table and embraced her. «Then you will go?»

«Yes, and not be angry with you for making me go, either,» she said with a shaky smile. «But I–I hope this will not be a parting forever. Will it be, Blade?»

«I-no, let's just say that I will do everything I can to make sure that it is not forever.»

«Yes,» said Fudan. «But will your best be good enough? If it is not, the Hauri will stand shamed by Queen Kayarna and by her lust for you, and much evil may come of this.»

«Fudan, I will not promise to do what may be impossible. Let me put it this way. At the moment Kayarrna is jealous. It would not be wise to trust her.

«But she is also a queen who has ruled wisely and well and fought bravely for her city and for her people against the Vodi. She will not want to throw away any portion of her victory or of the new alliance. When her desire for me has passed, I will tell her that Loya is highly honored among the Hauri. I will tell her that the Hauri will consider Loya shamed if the Torians do not do her honor. Therefore, if Kayarna wishes the Hauri to be friendly to Tor, she will see that Loya is honored in her city.»

«Yes, but will Kayarna's desire for you ever pass?» said Loya. More quietly she added, «I doubt if mine ever will.»

Blade laughed. «Oh, I think Kayarna will tire of me before long. She is a woman who has had many lovers because she needs them. One man will not rule her bed for long.»

«I hope not,» said Loya.

It was still some time before the Queen of Tor came for Richard Blade. Conscientious to the last, she refused to permit the palace to be repaired until the walls of the city were patched up and the grain warehouses restocked. Only then did she permit workmen to patch the holes in the palace's roof and walls, repair the furnaces under the baths, and sweep up the litter of smashed statuary, plaster dust, and broken tiles from all the floors. After that came Blade's summons to the palace and to the queen's bed. By that time Blade knew Loya was safely in the lands of the Hauri, where Kayarna could never find her even if she wanted to.

As far as Blade could tell, the queen couldn't have cared less. Her great desire was to have as much of Blade's company as the work they still both had to do allowed. He was with her in bed, in the baths, at meals in her private chambers, on long rides into the countryside beyond the devastated area around Tordas.

Blade began to wonder if her desire for him would fade. He began to hear her speak of Tor needing a king, and the more he heard of the idea the more uncertain he felt about it. Becoming king of Tor could make it much harder for him to assure Loya the honor she deserved or even the safety she needed. Kayarna would be more jealous of the other women of her crowned royal consort than of the other women of a mere lover.

On the other hand, if the king of Tor was the former High Baudz of the Kargoi, the alliance between the two peoples could hardly be firmer. Once again Blade was painfully aware of clashing responsibilities. At least Loya was still alive and sane, and he knew he would risk throne, sanity, and life to keep her that way. She might never have the honor that her qualities and her love for him had earned her, but she would not die.

Blight was falling over Tordas. From the window of the chamber in the north tower of the palace, Blade could look out over the city and the water beyond. The fires of the sunset colors were almost faded. Closer at hand, smaller lights burned on both the sea and the land. Torches burned where Hauri fishermen dragged their nets; more torches burned where masons worked late to repair some damaged building.