“And what will you do?” Void’s eyes bored into hers. “Convince King... King Whatever to give up his power? Convince the rebels to put down their arms and go back home? There is no middle ground, not here. Whatever you do, you will make enemies. You will be blamed for the outcome. Let them kill each other, if that’s what they want to do. It does not concern you.”
“It does,” Emily said, quietly. She knew what the really big wars had been like. It wasn’t just the fighting, although that had been bad enough. Armies had crashed through civilian lands, looting the towns, raping the women and burning the fields. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, would die, through everything from simple violence to starvation. “I can’t let it happen.”
“Whatever you do, it will happen,” Void said. “And you will be blamed.”
“I have to try to calm everyone down,” Emily said. “Not for their sake, but for the sake of everyone caught in the middle.”
“And they won’t thank you for making matters worse,” Void said. “They’ll find you a convenient excuse for their failures.”
“For once, I must agree,” Lady Barb said. She sounded as if she didn’t believe what she was saying. “This is a set-up. It’s a trap.”
“And yet, it’s one I have to spring,” Emily said. Perhaps Void was right. Anything that he and Lady Barb agreed on had to be right. “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.”
“We shall see.” Void stood. “We’ll go back to the tower. All of us. We’ll discuss it there and, if you decide you still want to go...”
Emily frowned, wondering what he wasn’t saying. It wasn’t like Void to keep his opinions to himself, even when they had an audience. He’d certainly had no qualms about insisting the whole affair was a trap. “I have to try.”
“So you keep saying,” Void said. “But Emily... what if there’s nothing you can do?”
Chapter Seven
HER ROOMS HADN’T CHANGED MUCH IN the weeks she’d been away. Coming back to the tower felt like coming home. Emily smiled as she stepped inside, spying the mountain of letters waiting for her on the desk, then closed the door and started to undress. Her clothes felt filthy despite Kyla’s cleaning spells. She dropped them in the basket for the maids and hurried into the bathroom. The bathtub called to her... she was tempted, very tempted, to just fill the bath to the brim and clamber inside. A hot bath sounded wonderful. She was sure her guests wouldn’t mind...
Don’t be selfish, she told herself. The tower was home to her, now, but it wasn’t comfortable for guests. Void preferred it that way. He disliked visitors, as a general rule, and she was fairly sure it still held true for people he’d invited. They’re all waiting downstairs.
She turned on the water and stepped into the shower, luxuriating under the stream of hot water. Laughter had had showers too, but she’d always felt a little pressed for time. Here... she was still pressed for time, she supposed. Void wouldn’t say anything if she left her guests hanging for too long, but he’d notice. They’d all notice. And she knew she couldn’t leave them alone for too long.
Alassa and Jade will probably be fine, Emily thought, as she ran water through her hair. Lady Barb, on the other hand, doesn’t want to be here at all.
She clambered out of the shower, muttered a drying spell and hastily tied her hair back in a crude ponytail before stepping back into the bedroom and finding a clean dress. It was baggy and shapeless, designed more for work than play, but no one would particularly care. She stopped in front of the mirror. Lady Barb wasn’t the only one with bags under her eyes. Emily looked as though she hadn’t slept in weeks. Her skin was so pale the dark marks stood out clearly. It was easy to believe someone had blacked her eyes.
It’s been a long day, she thought. Too much had happened in too short a space of time for her to sit down and process it. And tomorrow isn’t going to be any better.
She turned and walked down the stairs, into the guestroom. She was surprised Void had invited Alassa, Jade and Lady Barb into his house. He’d certainly never allowed her to invite Jan back to the tower. She felt another pang of guilt, wondering what had happened to Jan, then put it aside as she stepped into the guestroom. Void had gone to some trouble to supply everything his guests might reasonably need without making the room look remotely welcoming. The chairs were hard-backed, the table crude and almost unfinished, the drinks cabinet consisting solely of water and fruit juice. Emily thought it was a little strange, although she understood. She’d never been very keen on unexpected guests either.
Jade and Alassa sat together, studying a pile of reports. Lady Barb stood by the window, peering over the land. The sky was lightening rapidly, the sun peeking over the distant horizon... Emily felt her head twang in pain, a grim reminder of teleport lag. It had been lunchtime... hadn’t it? She wondered, suddenly, what was happening in Zangaria. Alassa hadn’t had time to put someone in charge, when she’d left. Jade was her nominal regent and he’d accompanied her...
“Emily,” Lady Barb said. “Feeling better?”
“I need a long rest,” Emily said. Her head felt fragile. She was going to have to time the alarm perfectly or she’d be out of sorts when she reached Alluvia. That would go down well, she was sure. “But as well as I’ll be, for the moment.”
“Good.” Alassa stood and held out her arms. Emily embraced her, gingerly. “I’m sorry this caught me by surprise.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Emily said. “Did the revolution panic them?”
“It might,” Void said. He stepped into the room, followed by Silent. The maid carried a tray of additional drinks and snacks, which she placed on the table. “I’ve been speaking to a couple of my sources. Something was in the works, clearly, but everything blew up faster than any of them expected. Master Lucknow must have been laying his plans for quite some time before all hell broke loose in Alluvia.”
Silent stepped back and stood against the wall. Emily blinked - it was rare for the maids to wait in the room when they could be summoned at any moment - and then decided it wasn’t important. Guests weren’t allowed to use the wards for anything. Void motioned at the tray, inviting them to eat. Emily took a sandwich and bit into it eagerly. The food was very simple - Void had no taste for the high life, she’d discovered - but it tasted heavenly. Jade and Alassa ate without comment. Lady Barb didn’t touch the food at all.
“The princes, and the royalists, are sure someone is backing the rebels,” Alassa said. “Your name has been mentioned, as you know, but there are others. It seems fairly clear that the revolt could not have gotten as far as it did without some backing, although no one really knows who. It could be someone from the kingdom itself or a foreigner. If that is the case, the revolt could just be the first stage in a plan to invade and occupy the entire kingdom.”
Emily wasn’t so sure. “The commoners could have planned the revolution themselves,” she pointed out. “Or they could just have taken advantage of something that happened by accident.”
“The reports aren’t clear,” Alassa said. She indicated the papers on her chair. “However, it seems unlikely that someone could have planned everything without tipping off the king and his spies.”
“Maybe,” Emily said. She’d met hundreds of aristocrats who regarded commoners as beasts and less than beasts. They’d lavish care and attention on dogs and horses, all the while ignoring the peasants in their fields. It was quite possible the signs had been there all along, only to be ignored because everyone knew the commoners couldn’t add two and two together and get four. “I think, whatever really happened, that the rebels have taken most of the country.”
She took another sandwich as Alassa ran through the high points. Again. Alluvia had been in trouble for months before all hell had broken loose. Reading between the lines, some kind of uprising had been pretty much inevitable. The Crown Prince probably hadn’t made matters any better by dismissing most of his army, including the infantry and musketmen. It wouldn’t be the first time th
at gunpowder weapons had turned a country upside down, particularly if the men who knew how to use them had been discharged and told to find employment somewhere else. She could imagine some of the gunners she’d met finding new roles in the rebel army...
“Prince Hedrick has moved to Dragon’s Den,” Alassa said. “You’ll meet him just outside the town, then travel to Jorlem City. The rebels have sent messengers to Whitehall, promising to respect the school’s lands as long as the school doesn’t interfere with their affairs. You should be able to send a message from there, notifying the rebel leadership you’re coming and requesting safe conduct. If there’s anyone they’ll listen to, they’ll listen to you.”
“But watch your back,” Jade added. “They’re desperate men.”
“I know,” Emily said. “And what am I supposed to convince them to do?”
Alassa sighed. “It depends on who you ask, I suspect,” she said. “The White Council hasn’t managed to get over its shock. No one expected to see an entire kingdom overthrown in less than two days. Rebellions are normally fairly localized affairs. This one... ideally, I think the council wants Alluvia to be relatively stable, with a government that respects its obligations to the rest of the Allied Lands. They also want to know who’s behind the revolution, if indeed there was a conspiracy beforehand.”
Her eyes hardened. “Practically, I don’t know how far the rebels are prepared to bend for peace.”
Emily nodded, slowly. “What do you want?”
“Ideally, something akin to Zangaria,” Alassa said. “A monarch, an assembly, a balance between nobles and commoners... I don’t know if that’ll happen in Alluvia. Too much blood has been shed too quickly. Prince Hedrick wants revenge, Emily. He was talking about fire and blood. His older brother might feel the same way too. And I imagine the commoners feel the same way too.”
“Yeah,” Emily said. She’d heard too many commoners cursing their aristocratic masters to feel otherwise. Zangaria had been wracked with class warfare for years before the civil war. Even now, Alassa had to maintain a balance that was permanently on the verge of falling apart. “It may not be easy to convince both sides to come to the table.”
“No,” Void agreed, dryly. “It won’t.”
“I’ll leave the documents with you,” Alassa said. “And I’ll keep you informed of developments in the White City. Or what’s left of it.”
Lady Barb stepped forward. “I’ll see you both home,” she said. “And then...”
“I was hoping you would stay,” Void said. He gestured to Silent. “The maid will show you to a guestroom.”
“I have to get back to Miles,” Lady Barb said. “He’s currently in Dragon’s Den.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed. Void... actually asking someone to stay in the tower? That was odd. It was so out of character she was tempted to test for outside influences. The only person she knew who’d stayed a night in the tower, without being an apprentice or a servant, had been her... the day she’d first arrived in the Nameless World. Now...
“I’ll be in touch,” Void said. He stood. “Thank you, all of you, for coming.”
Alassa dropped him a short curtsey, then turned and allowed Silent to lead her out of the chamber. Jade followed, Lady Barb bringing up the rear after a brief - suspicious - glance at Void. Emily frowned, wondering what she’d missed. She felt tired, tired and worn, and yet the sun was rising outside. She was tempted to ask for an energy potion. She’d pay for it later, if she piled it on top of the one she’d already taken, but...
“I am not pleased,” Void said. He faced her, his hands clasped behind his back. “The White Council is a bunch of ungrateful bastards. They’re happy to rely on me to handle delicate affairs like dark wizards and newborn necromancers, but when they don’t need me, they want nothing to do with me. And now they’ve done the same to you.”
His eyes zeroed in on her. “This... uprising isn’t your fault, Emily, and you have absolutely zero obligation to attempt the impossible. The king brought his troubles on himself and it seems as if his sons aren’t any wiser. You would be far better to stay out of the affair and continue your studies. Let this poisoned chalice pass to someone who actually wants it.”
“I don’t want it,” Emily said. She’d talked about constitutional monarchies and democracies with him, in happier times. “But I feel I should at least try.”
Void lifted his eyebrows. “What are you going to do? Cast compulsion spells on noblemen and commoners alike to get them to behave?”
Emily flushed. “No, but...”
“But what?” Void shrugged. “The two sides are too far apart for any meaningful compromise. Slaveowners and feudal lords think they have the right to treat their slaves as property. To them, freeing the slaves is effectively stealing their property. They’ll expect compensation for their loss. The slaves and serfs, of course, disagree. To them, holding slaves is a fundamental wrong and paying compensation would be effectively paying a thief to return the property he’s stolen. You would have to come down on one side or the other and the one you didn’t support would turn against you.”
“If they let their people breathe free,” Emily said, “their income - and tax - will go up.”
“Yes, but it would mean letting go of their property,” Void said. “You’re expecting them to be selfless, to put the interests of everyone ahead of themselves. They’re not going to agree to anything that might wind up being used against them. Why should they? Promises of better treatment might as well be written in the sand. When the wind blows, those promises will be forgotten. Let them fight it out. The matter will be settled, one way or the other.”
“And thousands of people will die,” Emily said.
Void turned away, slightly. “I should forbid it. I should insist on you remaining here to complete your apprenticeship. I should insist...”
He let out a breath. “You can go, with my blessing, if you agree to my conditions.”
Emily tensed. Void didn’t own her. She was sure he meant well, but... he didn’t own her. She wasn’t really his daughter. But... she schooled her face into a blank mask. She would listen to him, at least, before making up her mind. And if he wanted something she couldn’t give...
“Three conditions,” Void said. “First, you take Silent with you, as an assistant as well as a maid. You’ll need someone you can trust to handle your affairs.”
Emily frowned. “I don’t need a maid.”
“You need someone to look after you,” Void said. “And also, perhaps, to talk to people who can’t talk openly to you.”
“That makes sense,” Emily said, grudgingly. She had to admit Silent had been helpful in Dragora, even if the maid had never come out of her shell. “Next?”
“Second, you take Lady Barb with you as a bodyguard,” Void continued. “You will not be in safe territory. There will be people, royalists as well as rebels, who will hate you just for existing or see you as hopelessly biased against them. Lady Barb can protect you from enemies you don’t even know you have.”
“Lady Barb is looking after Sergeant Miles,” Emily said, flatly. She understood, now, why Void had wanted Lady Barb to stay behind. “You can’t ask this of her.”
“I can and I will,” Void said. “My apprentice cannot go into danger alone, Emily, and I cannot accompany you. My presence will make it hard for you to accomplish anything, even if I wasn’t needed elsewhere. You need someone to watch your back, someone experienced enough to spot traps and someone capable of telling you what to do. And someone capable of smacking some sense into you, if you need it. Lady Barb is the best choice. Her role at Whitehall can be handled by others.”
“And Sergeant Miles?” Emily gritted her teeth. “I can’t ask her to leave him behind.”
“She can teleport back and forth, as she pleases,” Void said. “Which brings us neatly to the third condition. You are to carry a teleport amulet at all times, keyed to drop you safely into Dragon’s Den. I’ve been experimenting with the spells. Yo
u should be able to teleport through a cluster of wards, although the journey will be very rough. I don’t advise it unless there’s no other choice. If you are in danger, or if talks break down completely, you are to teleport out and then return here. Let them fight it out, if they want. You don’t have to stay and die with them.”
Emily raised her eyebrows. “And what about Silent? And Lady Barb?”
“They’re both resourceful,” Void said, dismissively. “I’ll make them both amulets, if you insist, but my primary concern is you.”
“I...” Emily hesitated. “I... I don’t deserve it.”
“Say that again and I’ll beat you,” Void snapped. “Emily, do you have any idea how much you have done over the last few years? You ended the war! They should be piling medals and honors and lands on you, not trying to put you on trial. And you are not alone. You have friends and allies and... Emily, I could have recruited dozens - perhaps hundreds - of people to testify on your behalf.”
He shook his head, magic crackling around him. “You can argue that human history is driven by problems caused by the solutions to the last set of problems,” he added. “There’s no such thing as a perfect solution to anything. The ungrateful bastards should know there was no way to end the war, let alone do everything else you’ve done, without creating new problems. And, as bad as they are, they’re better than the ones we had last year!”
Emily nodded. “I know,” she said. “It’s just that...”
“They’re up to something,” Void said, cutting her off. “They want to hold a conference to discuss the future of the Allied Lands, now we have a future. And what’s the first thing they do? They put you on trial, practically guaranteeing the conference is going to fail. Idiots.”
“The ritual Simon wanted the girls to use, at Laughter, was designed to fail, too,” Emily mused. “I think that was the point. He wanted a disaster. And someone was backing him. Simon didn’t even leave Dragora until after I kicked him out, years after the charmed book was inserted into the school. Someone is pulling strings... why? And if that same person has also triggered a revolution...”
The Right Side of History (Schooled In Magic Book 22) Page 8