The Queen's Assassin

by William King

  The Barbarian rubbed his huge hands in glee. He had noticed some women from his frozen homeland, standing on the dockside. A Terrarch surrounded by half a dozen soldiers waited for them. Several carriages with the dragon banner of Talorea painted on them stood nearby.

  “That will be Ambassador Valefor,” said Asea. “I see he got Lord Azaar’s message.”

  The Talorean Embassy sat high on a hill overlooking the sea. It was a huge place, almost a palace, built around a central square. A whole wing had been prepared for Asea and her bodyguard, and as ever they spent the first few hours there setting wards, and sentry patrols. Sardec was weary enough when he finished the process of making sure all the major entrances were guarded and all the windows sealed shut.

  He joined Asea, her half-breed lover and the Ambassador in one of the embassy’s many reception chambers. A fire burned in the hearth. Paintings of sea and ships and the city of Harven looked down on them from the walls. Quiet servants brought trays containing the brandy for which the city was famous.

  Ambassador Valefor was short for a Terrarch. He dressed splendidly in a fur-trimmed robe. His hair and short beard were well barbered. His eyes were watchful. His tongue well-guarded. He was Sardec’s distant kinsman on his mother’s side but he could see that the Ambassador did not expect to be pressed for favours on that account.

  After they had all sipped the brandy, and sampled the tiny flakes of salted fish on thick coarse bread, a local delicacy, the Ambassador spoke to Asea. “I am delighted you could come. The Council will be delighted.”

  Sardec listened to the well-layered flattery and took another slight sip of the brandy to hide his distaste. The flavour of cherries was in it, and the warmth of the summer sun.

  “I am pleased that you are taking that attitude,” replied Asea, just as smoothly. “I also appreciate the dossiers you have prepared for me. I am hoping that you will be able to provide me with a précis of what is going on here. Your own impressions and the general feeling of the time that doubtless your agents have provided you with.”

  She was doubtless only double-checking. Asea would have her own network of agents in place. She had the time and the money and intelligence was more important to the old Terrarch houses than gold.

  “There is a not a great deal I can tell you that is not already in the reports, but I will do my best. I must say that in all my years here in Harven I have never known the city to be so a-buzz.”

  “In what way?”

  “The war has everybody stirred up, Milady. All the Merchant Princes sense great profits to be made, and all of them want their share. More than that. all of them want to be on the winning side - and who can blame them?”

  It occurred to Sardec that Valefor had perhaps been in the city too long. He sounded a little too mercantile himself for the Lieutenant’s liking.

  If Asea shared his qualms she gave no sign. “I have little doubt that they will make a profit supplying both sides and keeping the gates of trade between the Realm and the Empire open as they always do.”

  “Wealth flows no matter what,” said Valefor, quoting an old Harvenian proverb. “This is the first war between the Great Powers in over a century. People are apprehensive. There are stories that even the Quan are.”

  “Who says this?”

  “Everyone, Milady. The truth is that they have been far more active recently than they normally are. They watch every ship that arrives. Hundreds come and go in Temple. Many, many thralls and slaves have been bought for...negotiating purposes.”

  “The Council still continues with its abominable practises then,” said Asea.

  “It is the price of the Sea Mother’s protection, Milady. They would pay it a thousand times over if they had to.”

  “In truth, I do not doubt that we would do the same.” Once Asea’s words would have shocked Sardec. To treat in the flesh and souls of humans would have seemed to him the height of dishonour. Now he knew that his ideas would be considered naive by older and wiser heads. There was not a single high-ranking advisor to the Queen who would not cheerfully pay any price the Sea Devils asked if they could gain their alliance. A horrible thought occurred to him. Was that why Asea was here?

  “Any word on Lord Malkior?” Asea asked.

  “He is here, Milady, and I think you will meet him soon. He is a favourite at the Chambers of the Council and in the palaces of the wealthy. He will be at the reception that the Council will hold to mark your arrival, I am sure.”

  “And what does he do here, Lord Valefor?”

  “He offers bribes and concessions to the great. He dangles offers of contracts and exclusive trading rights before the Councilmen as an angler dangles bait. He flatters the men and compliments the women.”

  “In short he is the same as he ever was.”

  “You know him as well as I, Milady. I concur with your opinion.”

  “Are there those he seems to particularly favour?”

  “Councillors Rengalt, Malarius and Draaven all appear to be his close personal friends, but that might well be simple camouflage. He talks to all, and all talk to him. I would not draw any conclusions about who his friends and enemies are from the amount of time they spend together.”

  “Do you have more concrete information?”

  “There are contracts going to certain houses. The Empress is showing certain people favour.”

  “This is not gossip.”

  “Our agents have seen the contracts. In several cases I have copies of their exact wording.”

  “Good work, Lord Valefor, I am impressed.” This praise from one of the First obviously affected the diplomat, despite his self-control. His chest puffed a little and a small smile quirked the corner of his mouth. Asea said: “What do you think he hopes to gain here?”

  “You jest, Milady. He seeks to get Harven to break its long-standing policy of neutrality and side with Sardea in the coming war.”

  “Do you think that is likely?”

  “If you had asked me the question a year or two ago, I would have said it was impossible. But things have changed.”

  Asea nodded as if he were merely confirming something she already knew. “In what way?”

  “Harven is afraid, Milady. It fears Talorean ambition. Since the intervention in Kharadrea, I believe the Councillors think the balance of power has tipped too far in our favour.”

  “Surely the Council does not fear us? Harven is safe behind its sea walls. Its allies make it invincible.”

  “There are rumours of trouble with the Quan, Milady.”

  Asea looked at him sharply. “Rumours?”

  “Since the destruction of the Serpent Tower messengers have passed daily, sometimes hourly, between the Council and the City Below.”

  “Why has it stirred the Quan?”

  “All I know is that my spies believe the destruction of the Tower upset the Sea Devils a great deal. I do not know why - by all accounts the Quan and the Serpent Men were hereditary enemies. They fought against each other in the Elder Wars.”

  A thrill passed through Sardec. Perhaps he had just been given a clue as to why the Dark Empire had not intervened as strongly as it might have done in Kharadrea this summer. The Serpent Tower was supposed to be indestructible and yet it had been destroyed. And Asea had been present.

  Perhaps the Quan feared she had bound some new demon, developed some new sorcery. Perhaps the Sardeans did too. And perhaps she had...it was not impossible the half-breed had lied to him about what happened within the Tower. The destruction of the wizard Ilmarec and his home had seemed a blessing at the time, but now it looked like it had had unexpected consequences. It seemed like the disappearance of the prime artefact of their ancient enemies had frightened the Quan. Perhaps they would force the Council to side with the Sardeans. If they did, this could have had very deadly consequences for the woman he was protecting and for his men.

  “Why was this not mentioned in dispatches?” he asked coldly. Valefor and Asea stared at him as they would
have at a child who spoke out of turn.

  “It was all merely conjecture and rumour. Only recently had it become clear what the fuss was about,” said Valefor. Another and more sinister interpretation struck Sardec but he kept it to himself. Valefor might have been paid off. He might have let Asea come here deliberately so that she could be captured. If that was so, their security here was compromised. He would have to discuss this with her and soon.

  “Your suspicions are interesting ones, Lieutenant,” said Asea. They sat on the couches in her apartment. More pictures of the sea and ships covered the walls. While not quite as impressive as the Palace in Halim, their accommodation was certainly still luxurious.

  Rik could see that there was something to Sardec’s logic. He would never have thought of this himself without having it pointed out to him, but once it was...

  And it could be as dangerous for him as it was for Asea. After all, he had been her agent in the Serpent Tower affair and if anyone wanted to find out about it, he would make a far easier target than she, and one whose disappearance would be far less likely to cause a diplomatic incident.

  Had she known about this? Was that the reason for all this training and her sudden concern for his health? He could not tell by looking at her smoothly beautiful face.

  “Interesting is not the word, I would have chosen, Milady,” said Sardec. The corners of his mouth turned down sourly. He looked older, Rik realised. Responsibility pressed down on him.

  “No doubt, Lieutenant, but what do you propose I do about it? I can hardly leave before talking to the Council. If your suspicions are correct, they would most likely not let me go anyway.”

  “We should at least investigate possible ways of getting clear of the city. Talk to ship masters, see if there is any safe way out.”

  “If things lie as you think they do, our heads are already in the dragon’s mouth. The Council will hear of any attempts we make to hire a ship - their agents are thorough and efficient, and there are few other ways out of the city. The Salt Marshes surround the city. They are a mass of monster-haunted bogs. Swamp fever strikes almost everyone who goes through them. Another reason why this city has never been successfully besieged.”

  “We should do something, Milady.”

  “Indeed we should. I will have the embassy people look into it.”

  “I am not entirely sure I trust Lord Valefor, Milady. It seems to me that he could have warned you of this matter before you arrived, rather than letting you walk headlong into a trap.” Rik stifled a smile. Sardec was no longer as green as he once had been. That suspicion was one worthy of a Sorrow gang-lord.

  “As yet we do not know whether there is a trap, Lieutenant.”

  “I stand corrected. Shall we say a possible trap?”

  “We shall. Is there anything else, Lieutenant?”

  “The wards are in place?”

  “They are functioning perfectly. The embassy was well warded before we came, and it is doubly well protected now.”

  “I am thankful for that. I would prefer not to have a repeat of what happened to Lord Elakar happen on my watch.”

  “I think you will find we are in agreement, Lieutenant.” Asea smiled sweetly. She did not appear to be taking Sardec’s suspicions too seriously. He made a gesture of frustration with his hook.

  “Then with your permission, Milady, I will withdraw and make sure our sentries are not asleep at their posts.”

  “You may go, Lieutenant Sardec, and believe me I appreciate your concern.” Sardec bowed and left. Once he was gone Rik said; “You don’t seem to think much of Sardec’s suspicions.”

  “On the contrary, Rik, I think the Lieutenant is most likely correct.”

  “You seem very cheerful for someone who may soon be fed to the squids.”

  “There is not a great deal I can do about these things, Rik. I will deal with them when I have to. At the moment I have other business. I must deal with Lord Malkior.” The haunted look had appeared in her eyes once more. It set Rik’s nerves a-jangle.

  “Your obsession with him may cost us all our lives, Milady. I must say that though you punish me for it.”

  To his surprise she laughed. “Rik, the only thing I would punish you for is dishonesty. You must speak your mind to me about these things - in private. Even the cleverest of us can make mistakes - I often have.”

  “You don’t think it was a mistake coming here, with the Quan so upset about the destruction of the Tower?”

  “It may well have been, Rik, but we must make the best of the situation now. And so your lessons must continue.”

  He suppressed a groan. Inwardly he wandered whether all the sorcerous drugs might not be affecting her judgement as much as his.

  Chapter Twenty

  The vast tower loomed over the small boat. It was not as large as the Serpent Tower had been and it did not have quite the same air of ageless might and impregnable strength as Ilmarec’s green-walled home, yet to Rik’s eye there was something similar about the two buildings.

  Perhaps it just seemed strong and stable when compared to the changeability of the grey sea and cloudy sky. Or maybe it was the way it made the small, luxurious barge they rode on seem like a woodchip afloat on a pond. The Tower of Sorcerers over-awed Rik with its strength. Here was a place you could enter and never come out.

  To distract himself, he studied the waters around them. The harbour was full of ships, lit by lanterns powered by oil and sorcery. As he passed close he could see that many of those ships were homes. Entire families dwelled on them. Washing hung from the spars and rigging. Some craft were taverns, some were brothels, some were restaurants where parties of people ate. There was a second city floating out here, home to tens of thousands, a wooden slum with its foundations in water.

  On the far side of the harbour green lights illuminated the huge, sinister prison hulks. They lay partially submerged in the water like dying river wyrms, seeming barely able to keep their superstructures aloft. Rik shuddered and looked away. Those were the prisons of this city, and he had a healthy fear of any sort of prison anywhere.

  The collar of Rik’s dress tunic felt tight. His head felt fuzzy from all the late nights of forced learning. Sardec, garbed in a full formal uniform, looked just as uncomfortable as he, although perhaps it was the motion of the ship that upset him.

  What was the difference between the sea and the river he wondered that one could make you feel nauseous and the other did not? Rik knew that some of the soldiers were affected. For many of them, pleasure boat rides around the harbour had turned into theatres of misery. He counted himself fortunate that he seemed immune to sea-sickness.

  The Barbarian stood on the deck nearby along with Weasel and a few of the other Foragers. It was their job to see that Asea arrived at the Council’s reception safely. Apparently a little light piracy had been known to happen even in the harbour. The possibility of robbery seemed a universal constant wherever you went.

  Rik was not sorry when the boat tied up and they made their way up the stone steps carved from the living rock of the island, towards the Great Tower. He even felt a thrill of anticipation. Tonight, he was going to meet Lord Malkior, the Terrarch who was possibly the murderer of his mother, and possibly his father.

  The buzz of conversation increased as the Talorean party entered the chamber. It was high-vaulted, like a cathedral. Massive carved wooden statues, the figureheads of long-salvaged merchantmen lined the high alcoves. Between them hung the banner of Harven, a black squid on a blue background. In each tentacle it clutched a flag or a treasure chest or a sword. Doubtless there was a symbolism to it that Asea would have no trouble explaining. He could almost hear her voice in its lecturing mode: the Harvenites would be insulted at him calling the beast a squid. This was the Great Kraken of Quan, their legendary patron and protector, the mother of all Sea Devils.

  At the far end of the hall where the altar would have been in a cathedral was a full-sized ship, a small trading caravel which Rik knew
was the legendary Golden Morning, the first trader to have anchored in this harbour, the ship of the city’s founder Lord Harven, the Terrarch who had made the pact with the Quan.

  The great hall was cold and damp. It was no wonder all the merchants wore fur, and hardly surprising that their hair and beards were long and plaited. The thick gowns the women wore made even the thinnest of them seem somewhat dumpy. The most surprising thing was that the number of humans and the number of Terrarchs present seemed almost equal, and they did not seem at all uncomfortable talking to each other. Certainly, the Terrarchs kept mostly to themselves on one side of the huge chamber, and the humans milled around on the other, but there was no sense of stifling hierarchy that you felt at such a gathering in Talorea. There the only humans you were likely to see were servants. There were some things that he liked about the place.

  He studied the crowd even as it studied him. There were hundreds of wealthy men and women present, all robed in furs, and bearing long curved swords. There were a number of masked Terrarchs, sorcerers judging by the Elder Signs woven on their long flowing robes, and the winged staffs they carried. There were even a few humans garbed in a similar manner. They seemed squat and graceless compared to the Terrarchs but the fact that they were here at all astonished Rik. For a human to practise magic was a crime punishable by torture and death on most of the Ascalean continent.

  There were other Terrarchs, garbed far more richly than any he had seen, rings glittering on their fingers, gold chains dripping from their necks. These were the legendary merchant princes of Harven. Their glances were cold, their smiles merry. Rik fixed a smile on his own face, and saw that Asea had done the same.

  The introductions began, a roll-call of the rich and powerful of the city, human and Terrarch. They went on for a very long time and then suddenly Rik found himself bowing to Lord Malkior.