Richard Adams - Maia

Terebinthia waited inquiringly, allowing it to be clear that she knew that Maia must know that this was not an adequate reply.

"She was arrested after the High Counselor's murder, of course-"

"You both were, weren't you?" said Terebinthia.

"-only Queen Fornis took a fancy to her, see, and she's been with her ever since."

"Queen Fornis? And yet you say she tried to kill youl"

"Well, thing was, she thought I was out to be Sacred Queen, see; but I wasn't."

"No, of course not; because you and Occula were working for the heldril all along, weren't you? You contrived the murder of the High Counselor between you."

There was no disguising, now, the malice in Terebin-thia's eyes. The Serrelinda, however-now that it was out in the open-was equal to looking steadily back at her.

"I had nothing whatever to do with it, Terebinthia. I didn't know anything about it until it happened."

"Well, of course I must take your word for that, mustn't I?" '

"You can. I'll be perfectly frank with you: I'm not sorry he died, but I had nothing to do with it."

"And Occula?"

"I've no idea."

"Come, come, Maia. You and she were inseparable. You're telling me she told you nothing?"

"She'd nothing to tell, Terebinthia, that's why. Had, she'd 'a told me; I agree with you that far."

"It's important to me, you see," went on Terebinthia. "I've got a lot to thank them for, those who killed Sencho. I was under suspicion of having had to do with it myself; I knew that. As if I could have had any motive for wanting him dead! He was worth a fortune to me. But I wasn't going to wait to be condemned by the Council. So I had to forfeit everything and leave Bekla at once."

"Is that why you left?"

"Of course. But I could never have succeeded if Elvair-ka-Virrion hadn't paid me very generously in return for letting him take Milvushina away the day after the murder. He got me out of the upper city in disguise, with everything valuable I could carry. Why else do you think I'm here with a false name in a place like this, instead of Ikat or Herl-Belishba? So you see I've very little reason indeed to feel friendly towards those who killed Sencho."

Maia, who was now beginning to feel really frightened, gazed back at her silently.

"And now you know, don't you, where I am? You could tell anyone you wanted to. I confess that worries me rather, Maia."

Had there been something in the wine? Maia's head was swimming. The room seemed like a little box, over which was brooding an enormous presence; the forest-giant of

Purn, the gigantic doorman-they were one and the same. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. She must retain an outward appearance of self-possession.

"Poor Milvushina's dead, you know."

"Milvushina? How?"

Maia told her, restraining her tears with some difficulty.

"I see," said Terebinthia. "I heard about Durakkon; and I knew about the battle, of course. News comes down the river with the rafts. But I didn't know about Milvushina. And so Queen Fornis has taken Bekla, has she?"

"That's more than I can tell you, Terebinthia. When we got away, her Palteshis were still fighting it out with the Lapanese."

"So now-you're here," continued Terebinthia ponder-ingly, "and looking for work, so Mesca said. You need money, Maia, do you?"

"No, I didn't come here for money, actually."

But clearly Terebinthia did not mean to permit any interruption to the delicious moment of springing the mousetrap.

"I'm not at all sure-" she stood up, walked slowly across to the window and made some minute adjustment to the louvres "-really-" she returned and sat down again "-whether I ought to allow you to leave this house alive."

"Why ever would that be then, saiyett?" Involuntarily, Maia's voice had risen. "I told you, you've no reason to be revenged on me."

"Perhaps not; but then you know now, don't you, where I'm to be found? And the Leopards would like to learn that."

She wants me to plead for my life. She wants me to go about to convince her there'd be no point in killing me. Reckon I'll have to, an' all.

"But Terebinthia, I'm not going back to Bekla-ever."

"So you say now; but one never knows. And people can still talk, even though they may not actually be in Bekla; and news can travel."

"But everyone reckons Erketlis is sure to beat Kembri and take Bekla."

"Perhaps, Maia, perhaps. And do you think Erketlis is any more likely than Fornis to feel kindly disposed towards Sencho's former saiyett?"

"If you was to kill me, saiyett, that'd be proper bad for you. Bayub-Otal and Zen-Kurel, they both know I'm here,

and so do the folks at 'The White Roses.' But what's more, I'm under the protection of Lord Elleroth of Sarkid. I did him a good turn, see, and only day before yesterday he give us an officer and twenty soldiers to escort us here."

"Oh, it will be an accident, Maia, of course: a most unfortunate accident. You fell in the river. You slipped on the stairs. There'll be witnesses. We shall all be heartbroken." She smiled. "That's why your wine isn't poisoned. You thought it might be, didn't you?"

Somehow, somewhere, Maia could sense the existence of a loophole. A loophole. Terebinthia had some purpose. There was something, something that she was waiting for, hoping to hear. At this moment her threat was half real and half a cruel game. It was up to her victim to tip it one way or the, other. She had to come up with some good reason why the balance of advantage for Terebinthia lay in not stopping her mouth.

"Saiyett" (she couldn't help it now) "there's one thing you're wrong about. I didn't come here to ask you for work, and I don't need your money."

"Really, Maia?" That had caught her attention all right.

"No. My friends and I want to reach Katria by going down the river. That's why we came to Nybril-to buy a boat. But tell you the truth, it's not turning out all that easy."

"Well?"

"Well, Mesca said as you had boats. I come to see whether I could buy one off you."

It was plain that this was something new and unexpected: it had taken Terebinthia by surprise. So Maia was not penniless? There was more to be gained here than the satisfaction of killing her? Terebinthia had always been a great one for money. That was what she lived for.

Her next remark came pat as an echo. "You have money, then?"

"Well, not all that much, but enough to pay a fair price for a boat, I reckon. I haven't got it here, though. It's with my friends in Nybril."

"And what makes you think I'd be likely to part with a boat?"

"The rains are coming, saiyett. I reckon whatever your clients do during Melekril, they don't baste in boats. Turn one of your boats back into money, use that money to

make more and get another boat run down from Yelda in the spring. I'd be doing you a good turn."

"You always were a shrewd little thing, Maia. I had hopes of you once. It's a pity those days are gone."

She was silent, meditating. "You say you're making for Katria?"

"Yes."

"And staying there for good?"

"I'm not coming back, Terebinthia. And I shan't tell anyone that Almynis of Nybril used to be Sencho's saiyett. Why should I? What good would it do me?"

"Well." Terebinthia drummed her fingers lightly on the table. "Well." For the second time she stood up. "We'll go down and look at the boats, Maia, if you like."

The boat-house had a green, watery smell and was full of echoing knocks and wooden scrapings, of the slock of water and bright, elastic reflections shimmering on the under-side of the roof. Maia had not expected so many boats. There were five in all: two rowing boats; a long, rectangular, flat-bottomed affair like a Suban kilyett and two larger, single-masted boats, the masts unstepped and sails furled. The bigger of these was about twenty feet long and had a tiny cabin amidships, most of which was taken up by a big, comfortable-looking feather mattress. The rudder, rowlocks and oars-two pairs-were shipped aboard. There were two bailers, and anchors fore and aft. All in all, thought Maia, as likely a boat as one could well hope to find. She was careful to maintain a straight face and speculative air, but while she was doing so Terebinthia broke in on her pose of deliberation.