Janny Wurts - The Complete Empire Trilogy - Daughter of the Empire, Mistress of the Empire, Servant of the Empire

The cho-ja warrior remained motionless while the constant traffic of workers flowed by on either side. Tense and silent, the Acoma soldiers awaited any hint of threat to their mistress, while Arakasi advised Keyoke. ‘I don’t think these warriors understand Tsurani. This one here is barely mature. We may be forced to defend ourselves.’ Controlled but urgent, the Spy Master lowered his voice. ‘If the one in front attacks, the others may come to aid him. If we provoke him, they certainly will. Strike only at those who attack first, for some who come may be seeking to aid us.’

Keyoke returned a fractional nod. His hand lightly gripped his sword hilt, Mara saw. Yet he made no move to draw, even when the creature twitched his head to get a better view of the brightly armoured fighter. Long, tense moments dragged by; then another, larger, cho-ja arrived. Mara waited, edgy as her escort, as the newcomer pushed through the press of young warriors. It paused at the side of the one who confronted Keyoke, and shouted what might have been a command in a high-pitched clicking language. Several of the surrounding youngsters dipped their forelimbs and hurried away, but more stayed, including the one who blocked the trail. Without warning, the larger cho-ja reached out and seized the youngster around the middle of the upper body. He locked his limbs in an immovable grip, and for a moment the two cho-ja strained against each other, grunting with effort as their chitin grated together. The first cho-ja tottered; pulled off balance, he fell to the ground, where he thrashed for an instant in panic. The elder placed a leg atop the younger cho-ja, holding him down for a moment, then stepped back, allowing the younger to scramble to his knees. The instant he regained his footing, he spun and ran away, and the last of the young warriors fled with him.

The remaining cho-ja clicked apologetically and saluted. ‘Honours to your house, humans.’ Keyoke returned the salute as the cho-ja said, ‘That young one was unused to the sight of humans. He was ready to attack, and the others would have followed him had I not thrown him down.’

Softly, but so that all could hear, Arakasi said, ‘Cho-ja are most vulnerable when on the ground. They are extraordinarily agile, and terrified of losing their footing.’

‘That is true,’ agreed the cho-ja. ‘When I pulled the youngster over and held him down, he knew I was his better and he would not stand against me. I am Ratark’l, a soldier of the Kait’lk.’ He bowed in a very human fashion, then motioned for them to follow. ‘I do not know your colours, humans, but I can see you are not of the Inrodaka. His men wear the colour that can’t be seen, which you humans call red.’

‘We are of the Acoma.’ Keyoke indicated Mara’s litter and added, ‘This is my mistress, the Lady of the Acoma. She has travelled far to meet with your queen.’

The cho-ja spun around and seemed agitated. ‘My knowledge of your language seems now to be inadequate. I know of your Lords. What is a Lady?’

Keyoke responded with an imitation of a cho-ja gesture of respect. ‘She is our ruler.’

The cho-ja almost reared. His eyes glittered as, with a deference not shown before, he bent his head towards the litter where Mara rode hidden from sight. ‘Ruler! Never have we seen one of your queens, human. I shall hurry to my Queen and tell of your arrival.’

The cho-ja spun abruptly and darted between the press of commerce towards the hive entrance. Somewhat disoriented by the brevity of its manners, Keyoke turned to Arakasi. ‘What do you make of that?’

Arakasi shrugged and indicated that the party should resume the approach to the hive. ‘I suppose the home garrison has never seen a Tsurani woman before. Only traders and envoys of the Lord of the Inrodaka come here. It’s quite possible that this may be the first time in memory that a Ruling Lady has come to deal with a hive queen. The novelty may prove interesting.’

Keyoke halted the march. ‘Dangerous?’

Arakasi considered. ‘Probably not, though with the young warriors as nervous to be moving to a new hive as they are, I can’t say for certain. Still, I’ve never heard of the cho-ja harming a guest. For the moment I expect we are safe.’

Mara spoke from inside the litter. ‘I don’t care about the risk, Keyoke. If we don’t gain an alliance with the new queen …’

Keyoke glanced at his mistress. Like Nacoya, he knew Mara plotted and planned and took counsel from no one. But unlike the nurse, he simply accepted the fact. The Force Commander nodded his plumed head and resumed the approach to the hive. When the soldiers reached the entrance, an honour guard stepped from the arched entrance to meet them, a pair of cho-ja warriors wearing plumed and crested helms styled after those of Tsurani officers. Although no order was spoken, instantly the stream of cho-ja bearing burdens and messages rerouted their comings and goings through smaller openings on either side of the main entrance. The Acoma retinue halted before the honour guard. As the dust swirled and settled, the cho-ja in the lead bowed from the joint of his two thoraxes. ‘I am Lax’l, Force Commander of hive Kait’lk.’

Keyoke bowed also. ‘I am Keyoke, Force Commander of the Acoma. Honours to your hive.’

‘Honours to your house, Keyoke of the Acoma.’

Keyoke motioned towards the litter. ‘Within rests Mara, Ruling Lady of the Acoma.’

At once attentive, Lax’l said, ‘One of our warriors announced a human queen has come to call. Is she the one?’

Before Keyoke could answer, Arakasi said, ‘She is young but will be mother to Acoma Lords.’

All the cho-ja in the honour guard made a sudden keening cry. All activity around the entrance halted. For a moment no one moved, human or cho-ja. Then the cho-ja Force Commander bowed low, like a needra kneeling; moments later, all the other cho-ja in sight, even the ones bearing burdens, did likewise. Over the shuffling sound as they rose and continued with their errands, Lax’l said, ‘We welcome the human queen to hive Kait’lk. Our Queen shall be informed of your arrival without delay. We would also tell her the reason for your coming, if you will permit.’

‘I permit,’ said Mara promptly. Since delay seemed inevitable she allowed the bearers to lower her litter to the ground, though she remained hidden behind the gauze curtains. ‘Inform your queen that we come requesting the honour of bargaining for the new queen’s hive to be built upon Acoma land.’

At this the cho-ja cocked his head; one forelimb lifted in astonishment. ‘News travels swiftly through the Empire. The young Queen is barely more than a hatchling, not ready as yet to venture above ground.’

Mara bit her lip; time now was critical, with the wedding date set and her estate left vulnerable by her absence. Nacoya and Jican were competent, but they could not prevent the inevitable reports by enemy spies that she was off on a secret errand. Each day she was absent increased the risk of attack against a garrison still dangerously undermanned. Prompted by impulse and a driving, intuitive ambition, Mara whipped aside the curtains. ‘Force Commander of the cho-ja,’ she said, before Arakasi or Keyoke could counsel otherwise. ‘If the new queen cannot meet with me outside, I will come to her, should your ruler permit.’

Arakasi stiffened, startled, and Keyoke froze with his hand half-raised to rub his chin. The request was presumptuous; neither man guessed how the cho-ja might react. For a moment each warrior held his breath, while the cho-ja stood trembling in the same manner as the young warrior who had been poised to attack them only a short while before.

But Lax’l proved uncertain rather than angry. ‘Lady Queen, no human has asked such a thing in our memory. Wait here, and I shall enquire.’ He whirled and scuttled into the hive.