“You kept me from sending help! You and your... your puppet, the prince!” Kadan could not free his arm to point, but he spat in the direction of Prince Graubris.
Several Councillors gasped; a shocked silence fell over the chamber.
Prince Granzer rose to his feet. Speaking in his deepest, most commanding voice, he said, “Lord Kadan, you forget yourself.”
“No, Highness, I do not!” Kadan replied. “I know that Graubris is to be the Emperor when his mother finally succumbs, and that that could be any moment now; I wouldn't be surprised if a messenger walked in this minute to tell us the Empress is dead. I don't care, Highness – I'll speak the truth, and the truth is that Lord Shoule has manipulated your brother-in-law for his own ends, and that I'll not serve any empire ruled by such a fool. When Her Majesty dies and Graubris takes the throne my time on the Imperial Council is done, either way; I might as well go out speaking the truth, and if it means my head on the city wall rather than an honorable exile, I'll accept that. It'll be worth it!”
“Granzer, I – ” Graubris began.
“Shut up,” Granzer snapped. He glared at his brother-in-law. The man ought to know better than this, Granzer thought – but then, he had never troubled himself with Council business, or bothered to learn Council rules. Arresting a Councillor on his own authority, taking that Councillor's seat... “You're not Emperor yet, Graubris, and you're not a member of this Council; you speak in this room only when invited to do so.”
Graubris stared at him, shocked. Lord Shoule, who had settled back in his chair, leapt to his feet again.
“Your Highness, I must protest – ” he began.
“You shut up, too, Shoule,” Granzer said, cutting him off. Shoule's behavior had been even worse than Graubris'. The most favorable interpretation Granzer could put on it was honest stupidity and a sincere conviction that Kadan was a traitor, but anyone who knew Shoule would think it much more likely that Shoule was attempting to curry favor with his Emperor-to-be.
Of course, it might be that Shoule was himself a traitor, trying to stir up trouble and keep the Imperial Army from marching. Granzer had his own opinion on that. He glowered at Shoule for a second, then turned back to Kadan.
“My lord,” he said, “if you will give me your word to commit no violence, nor to leave this chamber without my permission, I will have the guards release you.”
Kadan stared at him; everyone present could see him struggling for control.
“I will attempt to restrain myself, your Highness,” he said.
“Good,” Granzer said. “Excellent.” He gestured to the guards, and Kadan was free.
“May I speak, your Highness?” Shoule asked sardonically.
“No,” Granzer snapped. “I think we've heard enough out of you for the moment, you and my esteemed brother-in-law. Arresting a member of the Imperial Council without my leave, and bringing him here as a prisoner? By what right do you two presume to take such an action? Graubris?”
“Someone had to do it,” Graubris muttered. “Mother's dying, we all know that, and you weren't acting – someone had to take charge.”
“So you nominated yourself.”
“I am the heir to the throne, Granzer. This very council rejected my sister's claim.”
“I am not asserting my wife's claim to the throne, Graubris,” Granzer replied. “I am telling you that you exceeded your authority, usurped the Council's power, by your actions.”
“But the man's a traitor!” Graubris protested, gesturing at Kadan. “He had to be stopped!”
“Who names him a traitor?”
“I do!” Shoule immediately announced. He looked at the other Councillors for support, particularly Orbalir and Apiris.
“He's made some bad decisions,” Orbalir said.
“I don't know anything about it,” Apiris said.
“Of course he's the traitor,” Graubris said. “Who else could it be?” He, like Shoule, looked about for support.
“Just about anyone,” Lord Sulibai said drily. “Have you any evidence, your Highness? Lord Shoule?”
Graubris turned to Shoule.
“Well, look at it!” Shoule said. “He let this Olnamian wizard conquer half the east almost unopposed! He commands the army, and the army did nothing!”
“The army in the east fought – ” Kadan began.
Granzer raised a hand. “Let Lord Shoule make his case. You'll have your turn.”
“Thank you, your Highness,” Shoule said with a bow. He pointed at Kadan. “He was charged with gathering an army that could destroy the rebels – and did he? The rebels are still alive, still fighting, no more than two hundred miles from here! He sent three thousand of his supposed best against them, and what did they do? Nothing! They sat all winter, and now they're still just sitting there while the nightwalkers cut them to pieces!”
Lord Kadan opened his mouth, looked at Granzer, and closed it.
“Now that it's too late, now he wants to march the rest of our defenders out onto the plain, where the enemy can slaughter them all! Is he manning the city walls, preparing the ancient defenses? No! Despite everything, he still insists we can beat the foe in open battle! He wants to send our unprotected men up against nightwalkers! Have you looked at the maps, my lords and ladies? Our army cannot reach the Grebiguata, or the shelter of Drievabor, in less than two triads, even with the most strenuous of forced marches. In two triads, if the Nazakri chooses, he can have his undead hordes past the river, past Drievabor, onto the open plain, where they can easily evade any attempts to hold them, to keep them away from Seidabar. Moving the army east before the enemy reached the river would have made sense; it would have given us a forward line of defense; but Lord Kadan did not do that! He waited until it was too late, until the army could not possibly arrive in time to do any good – and then he proposed to send them to their deaths, leaving us to the black wizard's mercy!”
“Your Highness – ” Kadan said.
“What's more,” Shoule said, interrupting before Kadan could say any more, “has he moved the army to the east of the city, to form a barrier between the enemy and the capital? No! He keeps them in the camps to the northwest of the city!”
“Agabdal is where their supplies are!” Kadan protested angrily.
Granzer held up a hand.
“Is there any more, my lord?” he asked Shoule. “Have you any evidence that Lord Kadan had any part in the riots in the Outer City, or the burning of the east wing of this very palace in which we meet? Can you demonstrate that Lord Kadan's strategy is indeed suicidal and treasonous?”
“It's plain enough, your Highness!” Shoule exclaimed.
“Perhaps to you,” Granzer said. “To me, sending reinforcements to the troops who have held out this long seems a very sensible thing to do.”
“It will leave Seidabar undefended!” Shoule shouted, so overwrought that spittle flew from his lips. “The enemy will march right to the gates!”
“The enemy has not demonstrated any ability to do so,” Granzer replied coolly. “The vanguard, outnumbered as it is, has held them for several triads now. Why should we assume they could not hold them long enough for the reinforcements to arrive?”
“That's what the wizard is waiting for! When our troops are irrevocably committed, he'll bypass them...”
“How do you know that?” Granzer demanded.
Shoule's mouth opened and closed. “Why... why, it's self-evident!” he said, a bit less certainly. “The nightwalkers could pass the river at any time, if they chose; they're just waiting until the army leaves...”
“How would the wizard know when the army leaves?”
“Well, he's a wizard!” Shoule cried.
“In short, Lord Shoule, you are assuming that the enemy would act in certain ways, and basing your accusation of treason on the fact that Lord Kadan does not make those same assumptions?”
Lord Shoule struggled wordlessly.
“In fact, my lords and ladies,” Granzer said,
turning to the rest of the Council, “while Lord Kadan has been doing his best to get the army on the road to confront the foe, and Lord Shoule has been harassing him by every means possible while accusing Kadan and myself of doing nothing, I have not been completely inactive. I have been investigating the riots, and the fire, and I have made some interesting discoveries.” He looked along the row of Councillors, from one end to the other.
“Go on,” Lady Dalbisha said.
Granzer nodded an acknowledgment. “Your Holiness,” he said. “A few triads ago, you and Lord Shoule and Lord Orbalir and my wife's brother rode out to Agabdal to confront Lord Kadan, and to ensure that the army did not depart the camps. You remember?”
“Of course,” Apiris said.
“You may recall that you wore brown cloaks, though the day was not particularly cool.”
“That's right. Lord Shoule insisted. He said Lord Kadan might do something reckless if he saw the four of us approaching together.”
“Where did those robes come from?”
Apiris glanced at Shoule. “Well, Lord Shoule had them. He loaned them to us.”
Granzer nodded, and turned to the other side of the table. “Lord Dabos,” he said. “Tell us what you know of the beginnings of that infamous riot.”
“I don't know what you mean,” Dabos said. “Three well-spoken men went about the Outer City, recruiting troublemakers and instructing them to create as much disturbance as possible at a prearranged signal.”
“What did these three men wear?”
“Brown robes, so no one could see their faces. But your Highness, if we were to suspect everyone in Seidabar who wears a brown robe...”
“I merely seek to point out an interesting coincidence,” Granzer said. “I own a brown cloak myself.”
“It seems to me you seek to accuse me without saying so,” Shoule objected.
Granzer smiled. “Not yet, my lord,” he said. He turned. “Lord Niniam,” he said.
“Yes?”
“You sent the palace guards to the Outer City at the behest of a messenger who claimed to come from a military commander in Greldar Square, did you not?”
Niniam squirmed. “I did,” he said.
“But no such commander existed.”
“Apparently not,” Niniam admitted.
“But the messenger existed.”
“Yes, of course! I have witnesses – ”
Granzer gestured. “That won't be necessary.” He beckoned to one of the guards. “Bring the silver box from my closet,” he ordered.
The guard bowed and vanished out the door, and Granzer continued, “After he gave you the message, Lord Niniam, where did the messenger go?”
Lord Niniam blinked in surprise. “I have no idea,” he said.
“He did not accompany you to the Outer City?”
“Why, no – it took me several minutes to rouse the guards...”
Granzer nodded. “You never saw the messenger again?”
“That's right.”
“We have, through intensive questioning, determined the whereabouts of everyone who should have been in the Imperial Palace at that time, have we not?” Granzer said, turning to Lords Graush and Sulibai.
“I believe so, your Highness,” Sulibai said.
“You trust him?” Shoule protested, pointing at Sulibai.
“We asked about everyone,” Lord Graush growled.
“None of them could have started the fire?”
“The palace guards were gone,” Graush said. “Anyone could have walked in and done it.”
“What if someone saw this mysterious arsonist walk into the unguarded palace?” Granzer shook his head. “It's possible – but wasn't the false messenger already in the palace?”
“Oh, very good, your Highness,” Sulibai said quietly.
“But it still doesn't tell us who this messenger was,” Graush said.
Granzer nodded. “I'm hoping Lord Niniam can help us with that.”
The door opened, as if on cue, and the guard stepped back in, carrying a large, ornate silver box.
Delbur, Granzer's aide, came close behind.
“Ah, very good,” Granzer said. He directed the guard to place the box on the table before Lord Niniam.
“I'm afraid, my lord,” he said, “that this is not going to be pleasant. However, I must ask if you recognize this.” He gestured, and the guard lifted the box's lid.
Niniam rose and peered inside.
His face went white, and he sat down again.
“Gods!” he said. “Close it!”
The guard obeyed.
Delbur cleared his throat.
“In a moment, Delbur,” Granzer said. “Lord Niniam, do you recognize it?”
“That's him,” Niniam said, nodding. “That's the messenger.”
“In that box?” Lady Vamia said incredulously.
“It's his head,” Lord Niniam said, with his hand over his mouth. He looked ill.
“Granzer, I must protest – ” Graubris began.
“Shut up,” Granzer told him.
Delbur winced.
“Guard, would you be so kind as to show the contents of the box to Lord Shoule?” Granzer said.
“That won't be necessary,” Shoule said quickly. “I never saw this messenger.”
“Ah, but I think you have,” Granzer said. “You see, we identified the body before removing the head for transport.”
“I don't... really, I...”
“Look,” Granzer said. The guard opened the box.
Lord Shoule did not turn as pale as Niniam had, but he did lose color.
“Really, your Highness, what are you attempting to prove?” Lord Orbalir protested.
“Tell them,” Granzer directed Shoule.
Shoule hesitated, then said, “It's my steward. His name was Asgibur.”
“Your steward?” Niniam said, astonished.
Shoule nodded. “He maintained my ancestral estate in Daudenor. Where did you find him? How did this happen?”
“Are you saying you aren't behind this?” Kadan shouted. “Are you saying you didn't order him to set the fire, and then kill him so he couldn't tell anyone what you'd done?”
“Of course I didn't!” Shoule said, a trifle shakily.
“His body was found behind an inn, a day's journey toward Daudenor,” Granzer said. “He was wearing a brown robe.”
“That's terrible!” Shoule said. “What was he doing there? He should have been in Daudenor!”
Granzer stared at Shoule. He sighed.
“I had hoped that I would not need to present any of this until I had further proof of just who was behind your steward's actions, Lord Shoule; alas, you forced my hand by arresting Lord Kadan. However, I ask the Council to consider this carefully – where do you find more evidence for treason, in the actions of Lord Kadan, or in the circumstances surrounding Lord Shoule?”
“You haven't proven a thing, Granzer,” Prince Graubris said. “Lord Shoule's been trying to find the traitor! Maybe he was wrong about Lord Kadan – or maybe Lord Kadan suborned this steward in order to incriminate Shoule – but even if he was wrong about Kadan, that doesn't mean Shoule's untrustworthy!”
Granzer spread his hands. “I merely ask that the Council consider all the evidence presented,” he said. “We are in no great hurry – ”
Delbur cleared his throat, very loudly.
“What is it, Delbur?” Granzer asked, annoyed.
“We may be in a hurry after all, Highness. The doctors say that Her Imperial Majesty is failing rapidly now, and will most likely be dead before morning. I was sent to see if you or any of the other Councillors wished to attend her in her last moments.”
Graubris was already on his feet and headed for the chamber door.
“This session of the Imperial Council is adjourned,” Granzer said quickly. “By my own authority as President, Lord Kadan's arrest is hereby vacated, and all charges against him suspended until further notice.” He started around the table to
ward the door.
He paused long enough to point at Lord Shoule, however, and say, “This is not over, my lord.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
“Midsummer is almost here,” Rebiri Nazakri said, speaking into the fire. He sat alone in his black pavilion, cross-legged on a well-worn velvet cushion. But he could sense another presence.
“I know you're here,” he said.
The silence remained.
“I had expected more guidance,” he said. “How am I to know what to do? I don't understand how my men are to cross the river...”
They need not.
Rebiri started. He had expected a response, but all the same, it had startled him. “Of course they do,” he said. “How else can I reach Seidabar?”
The nightwalkers can cross beneath the water. Your magic can take you over it. You need no one else.
“I don't? And what's to prevent the Domdur from butchering the nightwalkers during the day? Am I supposed to defend them from Kadan's entire army all by myself?”
There will be no need to defend them.
“Why not?”
Have faith in me. There will be no need, if you move quickly, without rest, without hesitation.
“Have faith in you? Why should I?”
I have led you this far. You must trust me. I desire to see Seidabar destroyed, and the Domdur cast down, as greatly as you do.
“But you won't even tell me who you are!”
For a moment there was no reply; then the voice said, I am known to the Domdur as Ba'el of the Red Moon, Deathbringer, Lord of Battle.
“Ba'el?” Rebiri caught his breath for a moment. “Ba'el? The god who sent the Domdur their stinking champions?”
No more. They have their champion in Malledd son of Hmar, but he is no more any of mine.
“The Domdur all swear by you!”
They know not what they say. They have betrayed me, and I have turned my face from them.
“Betrayed you how?”
That is not your concern. Do you doubt me? Do you doubt my power?
Rebiri struggled to think that one through.
Ba'el, the chief god of the Domdur, claimed to have turned against them – or at any rate, this being that said it was Ba'el claimed as much.
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