"No fear of that, my lord: I'll do all I can. Only could I-?" She stopped uncertainly.
"What?" asked Kembri.
"Could I sleep now, my lord? Only I'm that tired, I can't hardly think."
"Very well," said Kembri. "I'll tell you more tomorrow."
The girl, about to get up, suddenly hesitated.
"Occula, my lord! Occula never done anything! You'll let her go?".
"We ask the questions, not you," interposed the chief priest. "She's being held here for questioning. That's enough!"
The girl half-rose, gripping the edge of the table. Kembri was about to call in the guards to remove her when the door was opened from outside by a soldier who, raising his palm to his forehead, announced "My lord, the Sacred Queen!"
Next moment Queen Fornis, attended by the same dark-haired woman whom Maia had seen with her by the Barb, entered the room. The three examiners rose to their feet, Kembri motioning to Maia to go and stand against the further wall.
The Sacred Queen was dressed in a clinging robe of vivid purple, the crimson hem of which fell almost to her silver, bead-embroidered sandals. Her amazing hair, now piled on her head, was held in place by two jewelled combs and by a gold chain wound in and out of the tresses. Round her neck, on a second, finer chain, hung a silver leopard as big as her thumb. Her finger-nails were lacquered crimson and on her left forefinger was a spiral ring in the form of a gold serpent with ruby eyes.
Unhurriedly, she crossed the room and then motioned to her woman to drag Kembri's heavy, carved chair into the sunlight by the window. Having seated herself, she remained gazing towards the Lord General with a slight smile and an air of complete composure. Looking at her, Maia received an overwhelming impression of assured, self-seeking potency. It was as though she were possessed by an intense, ruthless force, at this present moment less evil than simply inhuman; a force which, like an animal, would unthinkingly and of its very nature pursue its object with no thought of anything beyond self-interest. The mere sight of her was disturbing, conveying as it did a sense of one possessing both more and less than normal human nature.
Maia realized furthermore that the three men, now seating themselves once more in response to her gesture, also felt-to some extent, at any rate-the same disquiet as herself.
"Well, Kembri," said the Sacred Queen at length, with a certain air of having waited long enough to be sure that no one was going to have the temerity to speak first, "have you found out the truth about the High Counselor's death?"
"Partly, esta-saiyett. But before we can be sure we shall need to examine several of those about to be arrested in the eastern provinces."
She spread her hands. "You have to do all this in order to work yourselves up to kill Santil-ke-Erketlis? Why not simply go and kill him?"
"I've already considered that, esta-saiyett, but Chalcon is remote, difficult country. We shall need to raise a special force for the purpose. In my view the real question is, once we openly declare Erketlis to be an enemy, how much support will he be able to attract to himself? We don't want to turn him into a heroic victim of Leopard tyranny throughout the eastern provinces. If only we can get positive proof that it was he who planned Sencho's death, then we've got law on our side: we can declare him a traitor and call him to account. Many more people will think twice about supporting him then."
She nodded absently, as though bored with all this reasoning, and merely waiting for him to be done. While he was still speaking she made a gesture of dismissal to her woman, who raised her palm to her forehead and went out.
"The High Counselor's house-his property-that's being guarded, I suppose?"
"Naturally, esta-saiyett: there are soldiers there, and the domestic slaves have been left in the house for the time being."
"Including the woman Terebinthia?" asked the Sacred Queen.
Kembri looked embarrassed. 'She-er-she left the city very suddenly the day after the murder, esta-saiyett. We don't know where she's gone. However, she's not under suspicion, for we know she never left the High Counselor's house at all that day."
"Perhaps not," replied the Sacred Queen, "but I think
you know very well why she left the city so quickly, don't you?"
Before the Lord General could reply she went on, 'Wnd the High Counselor's girls?"
"Two of them were with him in the gardens that night, esta-saiyett-"
"I know that."
"Naturally, we're holding them for questioning."
"Naturally. But there was a third girl: I don't mean Dyphna, the one who bought her freedom that morning. Whom do I mean?"
Kembri hesitated. Maia could see that he was uneasy. The extent and accuracy of the queen's knowledge had evidently taken him by surprise. Fornis, now looking directly at him, spoke a little more sharply.
"I mean a girl named Milvushina. Where is she now?"
"She is-just at the moment-that is, while the household is being fully inventoried, you understand, esta-saiyett-she is being looked after by my son."
"Yes. What you mean is that Elvair-ka-Virrion bribed Terebinthia and helped himself to the girl before any inventory of the High Counselor's property had been submitted to the temple or to the High Baron?"
"Well-er-I dare say you know, esta-saiyett, that the girl is well-born-she came from the baron Enka-Mordet's family in Chalcon; a family we unfortunately had to destroy for sedition. I was quite unaware that the High Counselor had issued private instructions to the soldiers and enslaved her. Had I known, I would never have agreed. I think it's very doubtful in law whether she can be held to be a slave at all. In all the circumstances my son took pity on her. He thought that she-well, that she ought to be properly cared for."
"How very considerate of him! He probably also thought that I wouldn't come to learn of it. You know, of course, that by law all slaves in the household of a man who dies intestate without heirs belong to the temple?"
"Well, strictly speaking, esta-saiyett-"
"Yes, I am speaking strictly," replied she. "But perhaps Elvair-ka-Virrion consulted the chief priest before he helped himself to this girl, did he?"
The chief priest said nothing. The queen stood up.
"What a strange empire this is! Santil-ke-Erketlis must have every benefit of the law, but for the god Cran it's
apparently otherwise. Let's hope he's not angered. Luckily he has at least got me to defend his interests."
She turned and looked at Maia, still standing against the wall in the posture of a waiting slave, head bent and hands clasped below her waist.
"This child was one of Sencho's girls too, wasn't she? What are you going to do with her? Help yourself? Or perhaps she's already earmarked for the governor here, is she?"
Kembri seemed to be controlling himself with an effort. "Esta-saiyett, if I may say so, you are a shade too exacting. The city has been turned upside-down by this murder. Everything has been in confusion-"
"Oh, very much," said she. "I'm confused myself; and not least by your son's blasphemous temerity."
"Esta-saiyett-"
Fornis turned her back on him. "Come here, child."
Maia, startled and blushing, obeyed. Fornis looked her slowly up and down.
"She looked much better when she was swimming in the Barb the other night. I'm afraid you can't have been looking after her very well, poor girl. She ought to have been treated in accordance with the law, of course. Never mind; I'll see to it for you. That will save any risk of further irregularity, such as household saiyetts accepting bribes to hand over girls who are temple property and then leaving the city before they can be called to account for it."
"Esta-saiyett," said Kembri, "for the sake of public safety and our own safety too, let us both be plain. I confess my son helped himself to the Chalcon girl and that he had no legal right to do so. But at least that causes no real harm. The Tonildan girl I need. She is vital to a secret and important scheme which could very well turn out to be of great advantage to us all."
&
nbsp; The queen raised her eyebrows. "This child?"
"This child, esta-saiyett. As things stand, no other girl will do. I beg you not to make too much of my son's- lapse. This girl here may quite possibly be able to effect something of critical value to us all. Let me explain to you what I have in mind."
"No, you needn't," she said, raising her hand, on which the snake ring, catching the light, flashed an instant in Maia's eyes. "I can guess well enough. Some man is to be decoyed-enticed-betrayed. How else do you work, and
what else could such a child be good for? As for your son, I was on my way to speak to the High Baron about this profane act on his part-"
"I'm convinced, esta-saiyett, that all he wanted was to show some kindness to a young woman of good family who should never have been enslaved to a man like Sencho-"
"And do you expect either me or the High Baron to believe that? For one thing, your son's ways are notorious." She paused reflectively. "But also I rather suspect, Lord General, that you may be entertaining certain notions on your own behalf regarding the future of the girl Mil-vushina. However, I'll say no more of that. In fact I'll oblige you: I'll oblige you in two respects. I'll disregard your son's sacrilegious behavior-for the moment-and I myself will look after this girl-this piece of temple property-until further notice."
"But I need her tomorrow, esta-saiyett."
"Then you may send to me and ask for her!" flashed the queen in a tone of conclusive finality. "The girl is temple property-not yours. Maia!" (Maia jumped.) "My saiyett is waiting for you in the corridor."
Thereupon she swept out of the room. Maia, bewildered, afraid to obey her and afraid not to, remained where she was beside the chair. After some moments, however, her eyes brimming with tears of nervous anxiety, she fell on her knees before the Lord General.
"My lord, Occula! If you'd only let me see Occula- just for a few moments-"
"You'd better hurry up and obey the Sacred Queen," replied Kembri coldly. "Whatever else you do, I don't advise you to displease her."
Maia, raising her palm, stumbled from the room. Outside, the Palteshi woman, giving her a half-smile, wrapped a cloak round her shoulders, took her arm and led her along the corridor and down the temple staircase.
41: QUEEN FORNIS
For a good nine hours and more Maia lay sleeping in a great, soft bed, while the sunlight moved slowly across the
floor until at length evening fell with a gradual melting and vanishing of the hard, black shadows of the afternoon. The unexpected lifting of the horrible fear in which she had lived since the killing of Sencho; Kembri's plan to make use of her against Bayub-Otal; the unexpected appearance of the Sacred Queen and her own sudden removal-whither and for what purpose she had no idea: these had left her as much confused and bewildered as a bird flown by chance into a lighted room.
She had not even had the self-possession to ask Queen Fornis's saiyett where they were going, but only hobbled on, leaning on the woman's arm and taking in little or nothing of their surroundings. They stopped. She found herself in a jekzha. A quarter of an hour later she could not even have said whether or not they had passed through the Peacock Gate. Two things she knew-that she was no longer a prisoner and that she longed above all for sleep.
When at length they reached their destination, she was aware-vaguely-only of a great, stone-fronted house, a flight of steps and a heavy, panelled door which was opened to the woman's knock-by whom she did not notice. Inside was coolness and two rows of green columns between which hung suspended some huge, dully-gleaming, winged effigy. She was led up one staircase, then another, and finally into a sunny, clean-smelling room with a bed. The woman undressed her, tut-tutting at the state of her tunic, which she simply threw outside the door as though to be rid of it; and thereupon Maia, all dirty as she was, climbed into the bed and was unconscious almost before the woman had left her.
When she woke, the room was in twilight. Through the windows opposite shone an afterglow sky of ochre and pale-green, and from somewhere just outside came the low cackle of birds settling to roost along a cornice-my-nahs or starlings. The air smelt of evening-wood-smoke and moist herbage. She must be high up, for from where she lay she could see neither roofs nor trees. It was quiet- too quiet, she thought, for the lower city.
For some time she lay still, listening to the gentle commotion of the birds as the last light ebbed out of the sky. In spite of her complete ignorance, both about her situation and the future, she felt full of relief and even a curious kind of confidence. Whatever lay ahead, it could only be better than the horror behind. Evidently Queen Fernis
had a use for her, though Maia could not remember what, if anything, she had said about it.
Well, and come to that Sencho had had plenty of use for her, too. Strange to think that she would never again feel him panting and shuddering as she did what he liked on the big couch in the fountain-room. What would become of his household now, she wondered-the cooks, Jarvil the porter, Ogma and the others? No doubt the skilled ones would be able to take their skills elsewhere. Lucky Dyphna, getting out just in time! And apparently Elvair-ka-Virrion had taken Milvushina: to keep or to set free?
Suddenly, with a quick darkening of the spirit, she remembered Occula. Occula was still held in the temple for questioning. Whether she told them anything or not, a slave had no rights at law: for a slave to be condemned, only suspicion was necessary. Occula's only hope was that some influential person might speak for her.
Who might be ready to do it? Shend-Lador or some of his Leopard friends? Yet they were only young blades- not men of influence. Even Elvair-ka-Virrion did not strike her as likely to be of much help here. Suddenly she thought of Sarget. Sarget-a middle-aged, wealthy man, not profligate, widely respected for his culture and good sense. Not a nobleman, true, but at least a man who had lent money to noblemen. After she had danced the senguela, Sarget had given her his arm out of the hall and praised her warmly. Could she possibly get a message to him now, begging him to intercede for Occula?
At this moment she became aware, beyond the far end of the big, shadowy chamber, of lamplight behind a curtained archway. Someone was moving quietly about in the adjoining room.
She coughed two or three times. The lamplight grew brighter, the curtain was drawn aside and the PaltesW woman came in, carrying lighted lamps on a tray. Three of these she placed on stands about the room, then came across and sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling at Maia as she put down the fourth lamp on the table close by.
"Good sleep? Feeling better?"
Maia nodded. "Where am I?"
The other looked surprised. "Why, in Queen Fornis's house, naturally! Great Cran, girl, you look frightened to
death! You've nothing to be afraid of, you know. You ought to be thanking the gods for your good luck!"
Maia managed to smile. "Well, only it's all a bit sudden, like; and I've had a real bad time."
"But it's over now."
"Will you tell me," asked Maia hesitantly; "well, who you are, saiyett; why I'm here and what I've got to expect, like?"
The woman laughed. "Well, for a start, I'm Ashaktis, and you can call me that; you needn't call me saiyett. But before I tell you any more-Maia, isn't it?-you'd better come along to the bath. The queen will want to see you as soon as you're fit to be seen-"
"What for?" Maia's fingers tightened on the coverlet.
"What for? Don't be silly! Are you afraid of her?" asked Ashaktis.
"Yes, I am. Reckon I'm not the only one, either."
"But you used to be with Sencho, didn't you? Anyway, the bath now!" said Ashaktis peremptorily. "Put this wrap round you and come with me."
Evidently the bath had already been prepared, for as they walked together along the open gallery outside, Maia could smell the perfumed steam. The bathroom, when they reached it, fairly took her breath away. It was even more luxurious than Sencho's. Half of one wall consisted of a broad stone hearth spread with glowing charcoal, and here two great caldrons of
water, each with a long-handled iron dipper, stood gently bubbling. The circular bath, a good seven feet across and made of green malachite, was sunk in the floor and surrounded with glazed, crimson tiles, each bearing a different design of a bird, flower or animal. On shelves along the opposite wall were laid out any number of flasks of scent and perfumed oils, smooth and rough pumice-stones, scented soaps, small files and pointed wooden spills. To one side stood the cold-water cistern, from which a copper pipe, stopped with a wooden plug, led down into the bath. There were two carved, wooden couches covered with thick towels and rugs, and a deep, open-fronted recess stacked with wraps, slippers, brushes and at least three silver hand-mirrors.
A Deelguy slave-girl, dark-eyed and broad-nosed, her black hair in a plaited rope down her back, was kneeling to fan the charcoal. Ashaktis, dismissing her, took off Maia's
wrap and hung it on a peg, gave her her hand to step down into the bath and then seated herself near-by.
Maia, used as she had become to luxury, had never experienced opulence like this. Always capable of setting aside her worries in any pleasure which the immediate moment might offer, she spent plenty of time in the water, feeling the tension and grime of days disappearing like smoke on the wind. When she had finished washing her hair, she asked Ashaktis whether she might let some of the water out and add more from the caldrons on the fire..
"Oh, I'll see to that," said Ashaktis, getting up and plunging a bared arm into the bath to grope for the plug. "Just stand out of the way while I pour this boiling water in."
"Can you tell me what this is all about?" asked Maia, slipping back into the hot water with a wriggle of pleasure and splashing it over herself.
Ashaktis, laying aside the dipper, sat down again.
"How much do you know about the Sacred Queen?" she asked.
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