by Jon Skovron
This was why Merivale had said it would take several days at least to organize the trip.
“I had no idea this would be so… complicated, Your Highness,” he told the prince as they stood in the courtyard the morning of their departure. Around them were enough carriages, horses, and wagons to make a traveling circus.
Leston gave him a forlorn smile. “The worst part is, my mother despises all the pomp and ceremony. But the lords and ladies so rarely get to pay their respects to the mother of the empire, I fear it would appear unkind of me to deny them.”
Red was actually grateful for the lengthy preparations, however, because Ifmish had run into some problems making his whistle. Red had only received the message the night before that it was finally ready. He’d have to stop at the shop on his way out of the city. Then he’d have to find a secluded spot to test it, and verify that the cotton swabs he had in his pocket would mute the sound enough to protect him from its effects. Even if Brackson wasn’t the assassin hired to kill Nea this time, the biomancers had most likely given his replacement a whistle as well. He had to be ready for it.
“Your Highness! My Lord Pastinas!” came the light and easy voice of Lady Merivale Hempist. “Splendid day for a trip to the country, wouldn’t you say?”
Red had no idea how she was always able to sneak up on him like this. He turned and saw her beaming from the window of a green and gold carriage. “My lady, a delight as ever.”
“The sight of you two handsome gentlemen makes the day even more splendid,” she replied. “I hear we’re nearly under way, if only Lord Weatherwight can squeeze himself and his wife into their borrowed carriage.”
“Excellent,” said the prince. “With this many carriages, it will be slow going, so the sooner we start, the better.”
Hume walked over from where he had been hitching the horses to the prince’s massive white and gold carriage. “My lord, that… item you requested will require a slight deviation from the route to the Rain Gate.”
“Thanks, Hume,” said Red. “It sounds like this carriage train is going to move pretty slow. If I start out now, I can probably walk there and meet up with the prince’s carriage before it’s left the city.”
“Nonsense, my lord!” said Merivale, a twinkle in her eyes. “I would be happy to take you in my carriage.”
Leston coughed, holding his hand over his mouth to hide his smile.
Red couldn’t think of a way to refuse the offer that didn’t seem suspicious, so he gave her a florid bow and said, “You are most kind, my lady.”
“Marvelous.” Her eyes gleamed as she opened her carriage door. “Let’s away, then.”
As Red climbed into the narrow carriage and sat down next to Merivale, he heard the prince call out, “My lady, I do expect to see my friend safely delivered to me. Please don’t whisk him off to Lesser Basheta and marriage quite yet.”
“I promise I will return him to you as soon as possible in the same condition I found him. Or nearly.”
The prince’s laughter was drowned out by the crack of the whip and the clatter of wheels on flagstones as the carriage lurched forward.
“So, my lord,” said Merivale when they had passed through the palace gate. “Where can I take you?”
“Ifmish’s tin shop.”
It was an odd coincidence that Hume should bring up going to the tinsmith while Merivale was in earshot with her carriage ready to go. Or more likely, it wasn’t a coincidence at all. Had the two of them engineered some “private time” for Red and Merivale?
It was just as well, because Red needed to tell her about the change in plan.
“Look, I appreciate the ride, but we’ve got a problem,” he said.
“Oh? What problem is that, my lord?”
“My… sources tell me that Brackson is out of the picture.”
“Really?” asked Merivale.
“I think instead they’re sending that Shadow Demon who’s been killing people for them in the city.”
“But this is marvelous news!” she said.
“Is it?” asked Red.
“Of course. If you can capture this ‘Shadow Demon’ and force him to confess, you would be able to not only charge the biomancers with an assassination attempt, but also with wantonly slaughtering subjects who spoke out against them. It sounds like your plan is working out even better than I’d thought.”
“But how can I protect Nea from this… monster if I’m trapped inside your carriage?”
Merivale leaned into him, her hands wrapping around his upper arm. “‘Trapped’ has a rather interesting ring. It sounds as though you are at my mercy.”
“Merivale,” he said levelly. “Can we be serious for just a minute here?”
She sighed dramatically. “I suppose I could contrive some way to get you back to the prince’s carriage once we get your… what are we getting?”
“A whistle.”
“That’s all?” asked Merivale. “I’m driving you to the tinsmith all the way out by Coral Lane for a whistle?”
“It’s a special whistle,” he said defensively.
“In what way is it special?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” said Red.
She rested her chin on his shoulder and gave him a sly look. “You know, they say there is a specific pitch that makes a woman uncontrollably aroused.”
“You just made that up,” he said, trying to ignore the heat of her skin so close to his.
“Perhaps,” she said. “You have to admit, it would be interesting.”
“As long as you didn’t find the male equivalent.”
She leaned in so close, her breath tickled his ear. “Who’s to say I haven’t?”
Red decided that the carriage was far too small. Unless he jumped out the window, there was no escaping the advances of Lady Hempist. And Red had to admit, if it weren’t for Hope, he wouldn’t want to. The more he got to know Merivale, the more he liked her. He didn’t trust her, of course. But if things had been different, he could have found a way to work around that.
Fortunately, a moment later the carriage slowed to a halt and the driver said, “We’ve arrived, my lady.”
“Thank you, Lurum,” she said, then turned to Red and gave him an arch look. “Well, my lord. Shall we? Or was there something you wanted to attend to first?”
“Let’s go.” He quickly climbed out of the carriage and took a moment to breathe in the air of freedom before helping Lady Hempist down from the carriage. He had hoped she wouldn’t come into the shop, but again couldn’t think of a way to refuse that didn’t draw more attention.
As soon as they walked into the shop, Ifmish hurried over to them. “Ah, there you are, my lord.” He held out the tiny whistle. “I’m so sorry for the delays. It took a few different attempts, and quite a bit of wasted tin, but I think I can say with confidence that you won’t find a higher-pitched whistle anywhere in the empire.”
Red hoped that wasn’t true, and that this one matched the one Brackson used. “Thanks, old pot.”
“Did you want to try it out?” Ifmish asked eagerly.
Red glanced at Merivale. She was examining a decorative piece hung on the wall and didn’t look particularly interested. But Red had watched her feign both interest and disinterest enough to know her expression meant almost nothing. What if the whistle worked? How would he explain suddenly losing all sense of balance?
“Sorry, we’re in a bit of a rush.” He slipped it into his jacket pocket.
“Yes, of course, my lord,” Ifmish said, looking a little disappointed.
Red patted the tinsmith on the shoulder. “I’ll be sure to let you know how it works when I have a chance.”
“Thank you, my lord. You know I do get invested in the more challenging work. I can’t help myself.”
“It’s an admirable quality, my wag,” said Red as he led Merivale out of the shop.
She waited until they were back in the carriage before saying, “I will not pry into this whi
stle business that you seem so intent on keeping to yourself.”
“Thank you, my lady. A tom’s got to have a few secrets, after all, or he loses his mysterious allure.”
She moved in so close, their cheeks were nearly touching, and her soft breast pressed against his arm. “I’m afraid there’s little mystery in your allure, my dear Lord Pastinas. You’ve got the ear of the future emperor, you’re uncommonly handsome, remarkably intelligent—given your background—and you have an adorably naive idea that you have some say in your future romantic involvements.”
Maybe it was being once again confined to the small carriage, or maybe he was just tired of playing the coy flirtation game when there were so many more important things to worry about. But his patience for the whole thing suddenly evaporated. “Even though the majority of that was a compliment, I have to tell you, I’m insulted.”
Merivale turned her lips down into a pout. “Is it the comment about your background? Should I have said, ‘remarkably knowledgeable’ instead?”
“No, I’m proud of where I came from. It’s the last one that bothers me.”
“Oh?” She smiled mischievously.
He didn’t return her smile. “Since you and I can speak crystal on politics, let’s talk true on this as well. I am dead serious that my heart is for one woman and there will be no other. Every time you make light of that, it is an insult to her and what she has done for me. And to insult her is to insult me.”
She gazed at him for several moments, her eyes clear but expressionless. “I see,” she said at last. “Forgive me for the misunderstanding, my lord. In the society I was raised, love and marriage have little to do with each other. Marriage is primarily a political and economic arrangement. I did not fully comprehend that your love for this distant woman precluded the possibility of us entering into a matrimonial alliance that would have been both pleasant and advantageous for both of us.”
“I’m sorry,” said Red. “I agree that it would have been fun. But I can’t do it. And I will see her again. Someday. I have to believe that.”
Merivale nodded and moved almost imperceptibly so that they were no longer touching. Red felt the loss of her warmth more keenly than he would have liked to admit.
They rode in silence for a little while, the clatter of horse hooves and carriage wheels suddenly loud in Red’s ears.
“If I may inquire, Lord Pastinas,” said Merivale, her eyes fixed out the window at the passing buildings. “Since you love this woman so much, why don’t you simply go to her?”
It must have been a hard thing to ask. Red didn’t like hurting what had become one of his favorite people on Stonepeak, and he was afraid he was losing the friendship. So when she asked the question, he couldn’t bring himself to directly lie to her.
“Not all prisons have bars, Lady Hempist.”
It was an uncomfortably quiet ride to the front of the carriage train, which had only made it halfway through the city by then. But Red did have an honest excuse for transferring back to the prince’s carriage. When they pulled up next to the still-moving white and gold carriage, Red stuck his head out and waved. Nea was closest to the window on that side and waved back.
“Permission to come aboard, Ambassador!” he shouted over the noise of the carriages.
“Should I ask them to stop?” she shouted back.
“Don’t bother. Just open the door.”
Nea gave him an uncertain look but opened the door. Red turned back to Lady Hempist. “Merivale, I’m…”
“Don’t worry about me, my lord. As I said, this was more in the nature of an intriguing business proposition than an affair of the heart for me, so I won’t be crying into my handkerchief the moment you depart.” She gave him a small smile. “And rest assured, this isn’t any sort of good-bye. You and I still have a great deal to accomplish together.”
He was tempted to ask what those other things might be, but decided to leave it alone for now. Instead, he jumped across the gap to the prince’s carriage, tumbling into a forward roll at their feet. He lay there for a moment, grinning up at them. Nea laughed delightedly. Then the prince helped him to his feet.
“Escaped the clutches of Lady Hempist without a wedding ring, I see,” said Leston.
Red winced. “I’m afraid I won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Did you do something to offend her?” he asked.
“Near enough. I told her I would only marry the woman I loved. Apparently that was a new idea for her.”
“Ah,” Leston said quietly.
“She said marriages are merely alliances for nobles.”
“Not just nobles,” said Nea. “Even though we do not have nobility in Aukbontar, marriages are often more for political or financial gain. I myself will probably be expected to marry for a political alliance, rather than love.”
“Perhaps it could be for both,” Leston said quietly.
Red internally cringed. The prince’s sot talk was getting clumsier and more overt by the day. But as usual, Nea handled it perfectly. She smiled with what Red had come to understand was her practiced diplomatic smile, and said, “That would be a rare and wonderful gift.” Not a yes, not a no. Aukbontar really had sent their best diplomat.
Red glanced out the window as they rode through the city streets. The prince’s carriage was second in the carriage line behind the imperial vanguard wagon, which was armed to the neck with soldiers. It really set the mood, and the crowds were quiet as they watched the long train of lacy carriages go past. It bothered Red even more than usual that people might see him and put him in the lacy category. He was tempted to do something outlandish, just to let them know he was on their side. But often as not, those sorts of things backfired. And besides, his main goal was to keep Nea safe, and drawing attention to himself would not help.
A short time later they reached the Rain Gate. The city was enclosed on the west and east sides by twenty-foot-high walls made of the same black rock as the mountain. The only way through those walls was the Rain Gate in the western wall and the Wind Gate in the eastern wall. There had once been a gate at the southern end called the Thunder Gate that separated the city from the large system of docks and warehouses, but it had been torn down hundreds of years ago by order of Emperor Bastelinus, who saw any impediment to trade and commerce as something to be removed. The gate at the north end of the city was officially called the Lightning Gate, although most people simply referred to it as the palace gate, since that’s what was on the other side.
The Rain Gate itself was wide enough to allow two wagons side by side. It was usually shut with a wrought iron barrier that was raised and lowered on a pulley system. It had not been successfully breached since the Dark Mage’s army took the city centuries ago. Of course, Red was pretty sure there hadn’t been any serious attempts to breach it since then. The iron didn’t look particularly well maintained. It was spotted with rust, and when it was slowly raised, the shriek of corroded metal was so sharp, Red had to make a conscious effort not to cover his ears.
“Red, are you okay?” asked Nea. “You look pained.”
“Perhaps he regrets breaking Lady Hempist’s heart.” Leston grinned.
“I doubt her heart,” said Red. “Her plans for political conquest, maybe. But even then, I reckon she has at least one or two fallback plans, so I’m not worried about her too much.”
The carriage crossed through the gate and out into the wide-open countryside. Rolling grass meadows stretched as far as Red could see. It was more empty land than Red had ever seen and it gave him an unexpected feeling of peace. It also made him feel a bit small, but with all the pressure he’d been under lately, a little perspective wasn’t a bad thing.
“Is this what Aukbontar looks like?” he asked Nea.
“In places.” Her eyes grew distant, as if picturing it in her mind. “Aukbontar is very large, with a wide variety of terrain. Some places are more sand and rock than this. Very dry and desolate, but lovely in their own way. Oth
er places contain nothing but jagged mountains as far as the eye can see. And still others contain forests so dense that you cannot see the sun as you walk through them.”
“And you’ve seen all these places?” asked Leston.
She smiled. “How could I represent a country if I did not know all of what I was representing?”
“Very well said.” Leston’s eyes shone with something very close to adoration.
Red had a sudden urge to smack his friend. He knew for a fact that the prince hadn’t seen the majority of the country he would eventually be representing.
Perhaps Red should talk to the prince. Try to explain to him that he was putting Nea in an awkward position and making an ass of himself in the process. But he knew his friend well enough to know that no matter how much sense he made, the reaction would not be positive. Princes, he suspected, were not generally used to being told what to do.
The line of carriages crawled slowly west across the meadows until they reached the coast in the early afternoon. The sea sparkled in the sunlight, stippled with the strong sea breeze. The shoreline was composed of a coarse sand dotted with seagulls and bits of shells and seaweed.
Nea sighed audibly. “I find ocean views very soothing.”
“Do you?” asked Leston, looking a little surprised.
“You do not?” she asked.
“It’s just the sea,” he said. “There’s nothing remarkable about it.”
“Ah, Your Highness!” said Etcher, looking pained. “I do not like to disagree, but the ocean is one of the most astonishing marvels in the world. Did you know that more of the world is covered in water than dry land?”
“I assumed that was the case,” said Leston.
“Yes, well…” Etcher looked slightly deflated, but he continued. “Did you know that the ocean is in places so deep that we have yet to reach the bottom?”