"What are we doing in this horrible place? Is this where you live?"
"Resting." He fingered his jaw, then his nose, wincing. "And no, I do not live here."
"We should leave the city at once. Endor will start searching as soon as he finds me gone."
"Do I look like an imbecile? If I could grow wings and fly I would, but just how do you think we are going to get far enough away in a few time-glasses? With any luck, Endor will be stupid enough to start by searching the forests around the city. This place is a warren of rotting dumps, and I know it like the back of my hand."
Kerra glanced around, her nose wrinkling, and Blade lay down with a groan. "Sleep if you can. If not, be quiet."
Kerra glared at him, but he closed his eyes and turned his head away. For several minutes, she listened to his soft breathing, her mind whirling with the exciting events of the night and the danger the morning would bring. She wondered how he could fall asleep so quickly when there was so much to worry about, yet, as the adrenalin drained from her blood, she experienced the lethargy that follows extreme tension. The wine Chiana had given her also had a lingering effect, which only became noticeable as she calmed down.
Kerra's eyes grew heavy, and she looked around for somewhere to sleep, frowning at the former assassin, who occupied the only thing that even resembled a bed. She contemplated waking him up and demanding to sleep on it, then recalled the way he had made her shiver with a mere glance. The thought of incurring his wrath daunted her, although her royal upbringing demanded that he should defer to her, even as a deeper instinct warned her not to challenge him. She gazed at him, puzzled and intrigued by this enigmatic man about whom so many legends had sprung up.
According to Chiana, he was the deadliest assassin ever to have lived, and the Regent had never tired of singing his praises all through Kerra's youth. His name had come up often in her studies of recent history, and she had longed to meet him. She had envisioned him bowing to her and calling her his queen, however, not informing her with such cold haughtier that she was no more than an ignorant child. Her anger at his manner had been tempered by the deep respect Chiana had accorded him and the sweetness of his slight, insincere smile. Now she was dependent upon him for her safety, and thought it wise not to provoke his temper. With a sigh, she spread out the old blankets, ignored their musty smell and curled up on them.
Chapter Eight
The sound of voices woke Kerra, and she sat up in alarm. Pale morning light filtered in through the ragged curtain, and the voices came from outside, mixed with the clop of horses' hooves and the rumble of cartwheels on cobbles. Blade stood before the basin, splashing his face. He spared her a cursory, unfriendly glance as he dried his face with a grey towel. His jaw was swollen and blue, and puffy, discoloured flesh ringed one eye. He opened his jacket to inspect the bruises blossoming on his belly, and she looked away.
Pulling a pack from under the cot, he dug in it until he found a new thong with which to lace his jacket. Her eyes were drawn back to him, and she gazed at the scars on his chest. Chiana had told her the story of their infliction by a Cotti torturer just before he had saved her life. A small black dagger was tattooed at the base of his throat, the mark of his trade, and under it was the red tear drop that signified his retirement. A throng of questions clamoured to be asked, but he did not look in a particularly good mood. When he was finished, he went to the door, then paused, as if remembering her.
"I'm going to buy a few things. You stay here."
Blade slipped out before she could reply.
Chiana rose at dawn, after a sleepless night spent tossing and turning, which left her eyes gritty and her head aching. Fighting a strong urge to enquire after her husband, she waited while her maids dressed her, counselling herself to be patient. If he had succeeded, she would know soon enough. Her maids tried their best to hide the increasing ravages of fatigue and worry on her face, but the end result was still fragile and hollow-eyed. The excessive powder made her look sick and pale, but she barely glanced in the mirror, not caring about her appearance. She picked at her breakfast, sipped the tea and left the pastries, her stomach clenched with trepidation.
When her sitting room doors crashed open to admit a furious, red-eyed Endor, it was almost a relief. The savage rage on his face told her that Blade had taken Kerra, and her heart leapt with joy. She did her best to hide it, rising as he marched up to her. Her guards started forward to intercept him, but she waved them away.
"You planned this, you slut! It is all your doing!"
"Planned what, Prince Endor?"
"You know full well!" The prince looked like he had a splitting headache, dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. "That little trollop is gone! Your damned murdering neutered pig of a husband killed my men and fled, taking that bloody girl with him."
"Did he? And what makes you think I had a hand in it?"
"I am certain you have a hand in everything that goes on around here, like the meddling female that you are! You ordered him to take her, did you not?"
Chiana shook her head. "No."
Endor slapped her, sending her staggering, and her guards rushed to defend her. Once again she raised a hand to forestall them, holding her stinging cheek as she faced the prince.
"You will pay for your insolence!" Endor shouted. "When I find that girl, you will be tortured, then executed, along with your damned husband."
"I do not doubt it, Endor. But until you do find her, I advise you to refrain from striking me again. So long as there is no queen for you to take hostage, I remain the regent of this land, and you are merely a guest."
"I will have my brother send Kerrion a piece of his beloved wife, then he will send troops to scour this foul country for his treacherous daughter and that damned murdering gelding."
"That will only enrage the King, Prince Endor. It is ill advised."
"I do not want your damned advice, woman!" He stepped towards her, and she retreated, despite her resolve to show no fear. "You know more about this! You planned it! If I do not find them soon, I will make you talk, one way or another."
"I know nothing."
"We will see if you sing that song on the rack. They will not get far. I have despatched my dog soldiers to search the city. I expect to find them today, and when I do, your husband dies."
Chiana raised her chin. "Torturing me or my people will do you no good. If Lord Conash has taken the Queen, it is his own doing, and none of mine."
"You think me a fool? Your husband disappeared fifteen years ago, and most thought him dead. Strange that he should choose to reappear just in time to spirit away your young queen, is it not?"
"He heard about our troubles and returned to offer his support, that is true, but that is all he did."
Endor spat. "Lying whore. I will have the truth out of you, should I require it, mark my words."
"Even if I did ask him to take the Queen into hiding, I have no way of knowing where they are."
Endor glared at her, his brows knotted with rage. "Then your torture will be your punishment for your treachery. You cannot escape it with clever words, bitch."
"You should be careful what you do, Endor. If Kerrion finds his wife before you find the Queen, you will answer to him for your actions."
"Kerrion will never find his wife. You can rest assured of that," the Prince said, and marched out.
Chiana sank down on the nearest cushion, rubbing her burning cheek. A maid appeared with a damp cloth to soothe the pain, and the Regent accepted it with a wan smile. Endor's mention of dog soldiers sent a pang of concern through her, for if anyone could track down the Queen, it was their hounds' keen noses. She had thought that Endor only had a few men with him, and Blade had already killed four, but it seemed the Prince had more soldiers than she had suspected.
Kerrion looked up from the document he had just finished reading, his eyes bleak. It was a decree he had written during the night, accusing his brothers Trelath and Endor of treason. Since, under Cotti law, kidnapping Minna-Sa
tu was not a crime, and he had no time to petition the courts to change the laws, he had claimed that she was his property and his brothers were guilty of theft. Ironically, had they stolen his prized war stallion, they would have been in more trouble than they were now.
Kerrion hated claiming Minna as property, and citing her as a spoil of war, but he had no choice. This was the only way to make the courts take action. As the King, he was able to use the army to search for her, since the troops were his to command, but if he did find her, he could do nothing to Trelath, legally. Stealing from the King, however, was punishable by death for commoners, imprisonment for nobles and banishment for princes. If Minna died, he would kill his half-brothers himself and take his punishment, although the consequences would be dire for Kerra.
If the courts accepted his claim that Minna was his property, he would be able to arrest Trelath and bring him back for trial, which would result in his banishment. At least then he would suffer for his deeds, even if Minna survived the ordeal. The idea that Trelath and Endor would walk away without punishment galled him. He wanted revenge for Minna's suffering. He rubbed his tired eyes and tugged a cord to summon his chief advisor. The man appeared almost at once, making Kerrion suspect that he had been standing outside the door. Jadar was an elderly man whose opinion Kerrion had grown to respect. As he straightened from his bow, Kerrion handed him the document. Jadar scanned it, his bushy grey brows rising, then regarded the King.
"Sire, she can only be your property if she is a slave, and you banned slavery."
"Is a horse a slave?"
"Well, they are not called slaves, but I suppose they are, after a fashion."
"And what makes my horse any different from my wife?"
Jadar looked uncomfortable. "You did not pay for your wife, did you?"
"I did not pay for my horse, either. He was bred in my stables."
"Then he was born into your possession, but your wife was not."
"No, I stole her from the Jashimari."
"But still, technically..."
Kerrion brought his fist down on the table with a crash, making the advisor jump. "If it was my horse he had stolen, the courts would have sent soldiers out to arrest him! But because it is my wife, they do nothing, and even if I find her, I cannot accuse him of anything. I am sick to death of our damned laws! I intend to change this one. Kidnapping a woman will be an offence punishable by banishment for a prince, and her death will mean his execution."
Jadar shook his head. "The courts will never agree to that."
"If I have the support of enough lords, they will have to listen."
"You need the support of the princes, Sire."
Kerrion glowered at the luckless man. "They are the bloody criminals! They are hardly going to support me when they are all plotting against me."
"That would be treason, if you could prove it."
"They are blackmailing me!"
"You have allowed yourself to be blackmailed, Sire. By placing such importance upon this woman, you have left yourself open to this."
"She is my wife!" Kerrion roared, then subsided, shaking his head. "She is the mother of my sons."
"In the eyes of the law..."
"I know the damned law, Jadar." Kerrion jumped up and marched over to the window, where he gazed out at the shimmering city. "There must be something I can do. I am the King. Why am I so damned powerless?"
"Because under our laws a woman has no value. The courts will give no punishment for such a petty offence, nor will they arrest Trelath for it. But that does not prevent you from searching for her. You have the entire army at your disposal. Even if the courts did issue a warrant for his arrest, they could do no more than you are doing now."
"That is not the point! He will not be punished for it, even if he kills her. "
"No, Sire." Jadar hung his head.
"He can return here to the palace and continue with his life as if nothing has happened, after he has ruined mine."
"There are other women, Sire."
The King turned to glare at his advisor. "Have you ever loved a woman, Jadar?"
"I think so, Sire. My first wife... but she died in childbirth. Women die that way often, so it is best not to grow too attached to them. Since then, I have married again."
"But if someone had murdered her, would you not want revenge?"
"I would, but the law would not have helped me either."
"Then we should change it, should we not?" Kerrion turned to gaze out of the window again. "Find a way to change it, Jadar. You are my chief advisor, earn your pay."
Jadar looked down at the paper in his hand. "I will speak to the courts, Sire, on your behalf."
"Be eloquent. Tell them that my happiness depends upon her safe return, and the punishment of my brothers. They are undermining my ability to rule, and jeopardising the safety of the realm. Right now I do not have the power to execute my brothers for their crimes, but I can make a lot of other people very unhappy."
Jadar shifted at the veiled threat. "Perhaps I could say that by stealing her, Trelath has enslaved her."
Kerrion glanced around. "Yes, good. What is the punishment for that?"
"For a prince, only a fine."
"How much?"
"That is up to the court."
Kerrion snorted. "Would they arrest him?"
"No, they would charge him and order him to release her."
"Which would do no good at all. He would ignore them."
"Then he would be in contempt of court."
The King sighed. "Another fine, right?"
"Yes, Sire."
"That is not good enough! I want the courts to demand her return and charge him with treason for stealing my property." He ran a hand through is hair. "I am returning to the search. You will see to it in my absence."
Jadar glanced at the pile of papers on Kerrion's desk, none of which the King had read. "But Sire, you are needed here. There is pressing business you must attend."
"I have no time for it. I must find my wife."
"But there is a town whose well has run dry. They require you to order their relocation. Without a royal decree, they will be turned away from other villages."
Kerrion shook his head. "I will attend to it after I have found my wife, so you should convince the courts that my needs are paramount, for the sake of the rest of the country."
"Sire, people could die!"
"So could my wife, and I care more for her than I do for them." Kerrion turned and loomed over the advisor. "I have been a caring king, mindful of my duties. But if I lose Minna, I will become as savage and uncaring as my father, who slaughtered entire villages because they displeased him. How would you like to see the Cotti suffer, Jadar? I can make the desert run with their blood. Ironic, is it not? I have the power to massacre my own people on a whim, yet I can do nothing to punish those who have stolen my wife."
"That is because they are your brothers, Sire."
"Half-brothers! Murdering scum, the lot of them. Do not think that I do not know what they get up to. I would like to be rid of all of them."
"Which is why it is forbidden. If a king was allowed to kill his siblings, the royal line would be reduced to only one, and should a king perish childless, it would end."
Kerrion rubbed his face, trying to soothe the ache behind his temples. "Have all the Kings been plagued by their brothers?"
"Not like this, Sire. Shandor was challenged four times, but his brothers could not blackmail him. He too wished to be rid of them, and ordered them to lead his army into war with the Jashimari, where most of them perished honourably."
"So, now my brothers take from me the one person whom the law will not defend, and use her to force my hand. Surely the courts must see the danger this poses? I am surprised they have not demanded my abdication for her safe return."
"They could not, Sire. To demand the King's abdication without just cause is plotting against the throne, and counted as treason."
The King sn
orted. "Of course, they are far too clever to do anything like that, yet they can steal Jashimari from my daughter by taking her hostage. Why is that not treason?"
"Taking your daughter hostage, or even killing her, does not endanger your kingdom or threaten the throne."
"But it could, if Endor chose to declare war on me once he rules Jashimari."
Jadar inclined his head. "Then he would be guilty of treason, and become an enemy of the state. Then you could order his execution."
"But it would do no good then! Why can the courts not look ahead and see the possibilities for disaster? Are they so blind?"
"Endor would be a fool to declare war on you, Sire, he would lose. If he harms your daughter, the Jashimari will rise up against him."
Kerrion raked the advisor with a piercing glance. "Yes, you are right. He can deal with an uprising, and as long as my wife is held hostage, I cannot go against him. So tell the courts that if he harms my daughter or kills my wife, I shall declare war on Jashimari, and I will not stop until I have his head on the block. Contara will aid me, under the leadership of a trusted general, and between us, we will crush him within a few moons."
"He will torture your daughter."
"But he cannot kill her, or he loses his hold on power. I am sure she would rather a few moons of suffering than a lifetime of it."
Jadar rolled up the parchment and tucked it into his robes, then waited for the King to dismiss him. Kerrion returned to his desk and sank into the chair, staring at the papers before him. When he looked up at Jadar again, his eyes burnt with the kind of fanatical light that had always spelt trouble when it appeared in a Cotti king's gaze. Jadar had seen it in Shandor's eyes before he had ordered the slaughter of two villages in the east, and had never thought to see it in Kerrion's.
"They are going to pay, Jadar. One way or another I shall make them pay for what they are doing to my wife. I cannot have them executed or banished, but by God, no one can stop me from slapping the slimy little toads around every time I clap eyes on them, can they?"
The Queen's Blade IV - Sacred Knight of the Veil Page 10