And, as she walked, behind her, she heard the unmistakable sound of a metal blade being drawn from its scabbard.
Already on a hair trigger, Miri didn’t hesitate—she started running. She knew they were close to the inner palace gate, and her hope was that the inner palace guards would protect her and let her through to see Eun. Miri took a quick glance back and saw that the officer was running after her, and yes, he had a knife in one hand. But she was powered by desperation, for this was matter of life or death. She put all her effort into running as fast as she could go. She was the wind in the trees, she was a deer leaping through the forest. She turned a corner and there was the gate, with two guards standing by the red-painted door.
“Help!” she shouted at them. “He’s trying to kill me!”
Alert to a possible threat to a woman, the guards drew their swords and called for assistance while they held their position.
Looking back over her shoulder again, Miri saw the officer chasing her pull up short. He lifted his knife as if to throw it at her and then seemed to think better of that and put the knife away. Miri called out to the inner palace guards, “He’s trying to kill me. Did you see? He had a knife in his hands! I must talk to Lady Eun. Her life is in danger.” Catching her breath, she shouted in her native language: “Eun! Assassins are on the loose. Come now!”
Three more inner guards opened the door to see what was going on. Miri did not wait for permission; instead, she pushed her way past the guards and ducked inside. She shook off one eunuch’s hand as he tried to grab her arm and ran to Lady Eun’s private residence. The inner place guards were a small group of eunuchs, and they knew Miri quite well since she had been visiting Lady Eun for several weeks. As she was alone, unarmed, and a woman, they had no fear of her. By contrast, the outer place guards were forbidden entry to the women’s quarters, and the inner guards took that mission very seriously. As she ran to Eun’s residence, a fierce argument erupted behind her.
Lady Eun’s personal maid, also from Shila, opened the door and brought Miri inside. Eun told her maid, “Keep a lookout, and warn me if anyone comes.” Then she faced Miri. “Lady Kirdar, explain please,” her voice tight and high pitched.
“Listen carefully,” Miri said. “We have little time, and there is great danger from all directions.” Miri rapidly described what happened this last day. As Miri spoke, Eun’s face turned pale, and her fingers unconsciously went to touch the carved ivory purity knife hanging around her own neck.
“I should go find my husband right now…” Eun said. “But assuming your story is true, going out to find him by myself could be the last thing I do in this life. How many of the guards do you think are part of this plot?”
“I guess that most of guards on duty right now are in on this,” Miri replied. “The guards who are not traitors will likely do nothing to help unless some proof is shown, but I have no proof.”
“I can rely on three of the inner guards to do my bidding,” Eun stated. “Don’t ask why. But three is not enough. The Keltens are gone, your husband is gone, and it would take time we do not have to gather more support from outside. There is no choice—I have to go to Jori’s chief wife, Osmo. I have been building up my relations with her for a full year. It’s time to put our friendship to the test.”
Looking at Miri, she said bluntly, “You aren’t trying to get rid of me, are you? This isn’t a last desperate throw by House Kirdar?”
“Ekon’s mercy!” Miri nearly lost her temper. “I’ve had little sleep, ridden more than forty tik, and one of the guards of the outer palace just tried to kill me. What more do you want? Shall I kiss your feet? Swear an oath of loyalty to House Tols?”
“Never mind that. I believe you,” Eun said. “Forgive me, I’m feeling a bit panicked. All day I’ve sensed that there was something not right. You really put your hand in the dragon’s mouth by coming here. Straighten your dress, and we will go speak to the chief wife.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Eun’s servant came in and said, “The Honored First Wife Osmo is here to see you, my lady.” Behind her, Lady Osmo, followed by three maids, barged into the room.
“What is going on? I demand to know what is happening.” Lady Osmo was small and a bit overweight, her eyes narrow, and without a hint of smile on her face as she looked at Eun and Miri.
“This is Lady Miri, of Shila, She is the wife of the Lord Sandun…”
“I know who she is, Fourth Wife. I want to know why she ran in screaming about being threatened by the outer palace guards and immediately went to talk to you.”
Eun nodded to Miri and let Miri retell her story, this time in Serice.
“This is a grave accusation, young woman,” Lady Osmo said. “Especially from one who is a stranger to Serica. What proof do you bring?”
Miri looked Lady Osmo directly in the eyes. “I bring no proof other than my own word. I am a daughter of House Kirdar of Shila, one of the oldest and most respected noble families of my land. We do not invent stories of assassins for our own amusement. I have faced death twice already to bring you this news. Does Lord Vaina have no enemies? Is Vasvar incapable spreading gold before criminals and malcontents? Has the arch-governor’s policy of closing the temples of Eston aroused no opposition from the monks and priests in Kunhalvar? I tell you, we are all in grave danger because there is plot to kill your husband going on as we speak.”
Eun added to Miri’s words. “I believe Lady Kirdar. If she says there is a plot ongoing to kill our husband, we should go and find Lord Vaina to warn him of the danger.”
Osmo studied Miri intently, looking at her face and hands, and then nodded.
“Perhaps something is afoot. In the winter, two assassins tried to kill the arch-governor. They were found out by High Advisor Sandun. I cannot question his loyalty, and I suppose his wife is loyal as well. In Serica’s long history, there have always been plots to kill great men.” Turning to one of her maids, Lady Osmo inquired, “Gilda, where is my husband?”
The maid responded, “He should be having a bath right now. It is scheduled to end soon. Next on his agenda is reading reports for an hour, then he meets with the children for half an hour, then dinner with the Ministers Tivadin and Boldisar, of Justice and Works respectively.”
“So…he is alone or mostly alone for some time. Somewhat out of the ordinary but not that suspicious.” Turning again to her maid, she asked another question. “Where is Minster Thrun? He is supposed to be managing the inner palace, but I haven’t seen him all day.”
“Minister Thrun left early this morning for Hutinin, to look for new maids and some potential new recruits for the inner guards.”
“I see,” Osmo said. “And can you tell me about the officers of the outer palace guards, now on duty, which of them are from the old days?”
Gilda took a hairpin from her hair and fiddled with it for a few seconds before putting it back in place. “None. None of them. All the officers today are new men.”
“Hummph.” Lady Osmo stared at Miri and then nodded. “Time to put eyes onto the drawing of the saber cat and see if it has fangs. Gilda, go to Ituka and tell her to take the children and hide. She knows where to go. I’ll leave five guards with her. Summon all rest of the inner guards and Lady Iela. We are going to collect the arch-governor.”
Lady Eun picked up her bow and quiver of arrows. Although Eun was six months pregnant, she could still shoot quite accurately; Miri had seen her at practice. Osmo looked askance at Eun’s weapon but said nothing. Miri picked up an ancient bronze dagger that Eun had brought with her from Shila, on display near her bedroom. Bronze weapons hadn’t been made for thousand years, but they didn’t rust and could hold a wicked edge.
“That’s an heirloom of House Tols,” Eun said.
“I know that. But old weapons can still thirst for blood,” Miri replied.
Five minutes later, Miri, three
of Lord Vaina’s four wives, five maidservants, and twelve inner palace guards left the women’s quarters in a group. They headed around the wall and turned north toward the bathhouse.
After a short walk, they ran into some twenty soldiers blocking their way. A man in minister’s robes stood in front of the warriors and held up his hand. “Lady Osmo, this is most improper. The arch-governor is not to be disturbed. Go back to your quarters.”
Miri could tell that the man was sweating, and yet it was not a warm afternoon.
“Minister Tivadin, I need to speak with my husband.” Osmo spoke in a commanding tone. “We need to see him. We are concerned about his health.”
Pointing at Miri, Minister Tivadin said, “This young foreign woman has doubtless been spreading false rumors about ghosts or some other nonsense. She should not have been allowed into the palace. You should not listen to her wild accusations.”
Miri was tired and in no mood to be accused of lying by anyone, least of all a possible conspirator in the plot. Before Lady Osmo could respond, Miri called out, “That man standing behind you drew his knife and tried to kill me. Yes, I accuse him of being a would-be murderer!”
The officer behind Tivadin shook his head in denial. “The woman is crazy. I did nothing. She ran away from me for no reason at all.”
“Then why were you holding your knife when you ran after me?” Miri shouted. “The guards saw you—explain yourself!”
The two inner place gate guards backed up Miri’s story. The officer responded by accusing the inner palace guards of being half asleep and seeing things that were not there.
Lady Osmo broke into the dispute by yelling, “Silence!” In the brief quiet that followed, Osmo called out, “Husband, your wife is asking for you. Come out and speak to her.” Iela and Eun followed suit, but there was no response from inside the bathhouse.
Visibly annoyed, Minister Tivadin said, “The arch-governor is resting. You women must cease bothering him. You will see him when he comes to visit the children before dinner this evening.”
Lady Osmo responded by upping the stakes. Addressing the captain of the inner palace guards, she said, “Commander, I order you to arrest Minister Bella Tivadin. He evidences no concern for my husband’s well-being, and I conclude that he is a traitor and in league with assassins. My husband must be sick or unable to answer me. I will find him, and anyone who stands in my way is, by their actions, a traitor to Kunhalvar. Those who will not lay down their weapons, kill them!”
The tension in the air was thick, as soldiers on both sides drew their weapons and yelled at each other to give way, but neither group attacked. The eunuch guards of the inner palace were outnumbered, and without more evidence of foul play, none were willing to do more than defend the women under their protection. Miri was both frightened and angry. She had thought that no one would stand up to Lord Vaina’s chief wife, but she had been mistaken. All the men blocking their way to the bathhouse must be part of the plot—that was the only explanation which made sense. She wondered: When more soldiers came, as must surely happen, whose side would they be on?
Miri looked at the bathhouse, hoping that Lord Vaina would appear and resolve this confrontation. Her attention was drawn to the chimney off to the side, from which a thick column of smoke came. A great deal of wood was burning to produce so much smoke. The words of one of the monks in temple came back to her: Let the abbots figure it out after the triatismas is boiled. Suddenly she realized what was going on: Lord Vaina had been drugged and was being cooked in the waters of his own bath. It was meant to look like an accidental death, at least for a little while, while the plotters seized control over the government.
Then what? Miri considered. All of Lord Vaina’s supporters will be killed or forced to flee Kunhalvar. Where could I find safety, with enemies in every direction?
Miri pointed out the column of smoke to Eun and told her what was happening.
“These Serice men are too cowardly to do anything,” Eun said to Miri in their native language. “It’s up to me to force the issue.” So saying, she nocked an arrow to her bow string, drew, and fired. Her arrow struck Minister Tivadin in his thigh, and he collapsed with a cry of anguish. Without waiting, she drew another arrow and fired it at the officer standing next to the minister; this arrow bounced off his armor.
“You foreign she-devil!” the officer shouted at Eun. “How dare you attack me? How dare you assault a minister of the government? Arrest that woman!”
Eun responded by shooting another arrow at him. Her three loyal guards stood in front of her, gripping their short spears tightly. No one would get past them without a fight.
The battle started as eighteen of the enemy soldiers ran up, waving their swords, trying to capture or kill Lady Eun. Two of the enemy soldiers hung back by the bathhouse, apparently uncertain of what to do. The inner palace guards defended Lord Vaina’s women valiantly. As men started dying, several of the maids began to wail, but Lady Osmo and Lady Iela stood somewhat apart, watching as their guards battled in front of them.
After a few minutes, there was a great deal of blood on the ground, as well as severed arms and hands. The inner palace guards were barely holding their ground; their enemies all seemed to be bigger, stronger, and more warlike. The sight of men hacking each other to death was terrible, and the stench of battle brought back evil memories to Miri of the day when the town of Marsolil was attacked and overrun by Kitran warriors and she herself was nearly executed. Miri wanted nothing more than to run away and hide from it all. But she didn’t. She stood by Eun and held the bronze dagger of Shila in both hands, ready to slash the face of any man who came close.
More soldiers appeared: bearded, shorter, and older. To Miri’s great relief, it quickly became apparent that these men were the veterans of Lord Vaina’s previous campaigns. They had come in response to a summons from Lady Osmo. These men knew Lady Osmo from back in the days before Lord Vaina had conquered Tokolas. Thus, when she pointed at the men fighting with her guards, the veterans immediately joined the battle on her side.
The old veterans were survivors of a hundred fights, and they were vicious and cold blooded in their attacks. All of the soldiers who stood against them were quickly stabbed to death or cut down with brutal blows. The veterans showed no mercy toward their fellow guardsmen; loyalty to Lord Vaina’s chief wife trumped all else.
A large detachment of guards from the outer palace arrived with their swords drawn. Apparently in league with the minister of justice, they joined with their few remaining companions fighting around the bathhouse. Their arrival could have spelled the end of the palace women had they arrived earlier, but they were too late now. The old veterans beat them down, tripping them and knocking them to the ground with spears. Outnumbered, the veterans still won. They proved that spears and experience beat youths with swords every day. The fighting ended with most of the veterans still standing and all the enemy guards dead or fled.
With the way clear, Lady Osmo ran into the bathhouse. Lady Iela followed with one maid who was not overcome by fright. Eun and Miri stayed back, providing first aid to their injured guards. At least five of the inner palace guards were dead, and six others were badly hurt.
Lord Vaina, his arms and face red and swollen, was carried out of the bathhouse by the three women. It wasn’t at all clear from looking at him that the arch-governor was still alive, but Osmo announced that he was still breathing. Cold water was poured all over Lord Vaina’s body, and doctors were summoned. The old veterans stood around Lord Vaina and glared at everyone except for the women who had managed to save their master’s life.
War Minister Boethy, arrived with at least a hundred soldiers, and the Lady Osmo ordered him to round up the conspirators. “Start with this one: Minister Tivadin.”
Tivadin still had Eun’s arrow sticking in his leg, and he had lost a great deal of blood as neither Miri nor Eun cared to treat him. At Lord
Boethy’s direction, the arrow was broken and drawn out and a tourniquet was applied to stop the bleeding.
“Your life is forfeit, Tivadin,” Minister Boethy said sternly. “The law decrees that your family will be executed along with you for the attempted assassination of the arch-governor. Minister of justice wasn’t a high enough position for you? You had dreams of ruling Kunhalvar yourself, no doubt?”
Tivadin rejected Boethy’s accusation. “I’m not surprised you would think that! No, my grandfather took up the white robes of a priest decades ago. The worship of Eston is the true path and has been approved by the kings of Serica for more than eight hundred years. But Jori Vaina rejected that truth, spat in the cup of wisdom, and is leading everyone in Kunhalvar down the road to unrighteous and immoral behavior. He who works against the true path has lost his soul to a triatismas. All of you are unwitting followers of a demon. Repent now, before your spirits are damned for ten thousand years!”
“Who else agrees with you, Tivadin?” Lord Boethy said. “Who else mouthed support for Lord Vaina in the council room while plotting against him in secret?”
The minister of justice turned his head away and did not answer.
“Take him away and round up everyone in his household,” Lord Boethy ordered. “With your permission, Lady Osmo, I will have the rest of the palace guards—those who did not come here and prove their loyalty—arrested and interrogated. In addition, I suspect more officials within the Ministry of Justice knew about this coup attempt. I want your permission to arrest them as well.”
The Flame Iris Temple Page 35