Bloodmage
Page 43
It was the perfect time. Normally getting into one of the Families was incredibly difficult. People were referred or they started off at the bottom and worked their way up the ranks, which took years. It also meant a long time playing the role before any agent would have access to any useful information. A widespread cull meant there would be openings at many levels. Katja was sure Faith would also be putting some of her people forward to get inside one or more of the Families.
“Queen Talandra?” said Katja. She still couldn’t catch her breath and speaking more than a few words was proving a challenge.
“She’s well and sends her thanks. It was the royal surgeon who saved you.”
Katja closed her eyes for a moment and felt the remaining tension ease from her shoulders. Sleep called to her, trying to pull her under, but she forced her eyes open.
“Queen Morganse?”
“Also alive and well. As you said, Lord and Lady Trevino were supposed to ingest the same substance as the Kallans and go into a frenzy. They were meant to kill Queen Morganse and all of the others in the room, but it didn’t work. He summoned the courage to take it, but something went wrong and he died. Weak heart, I think.”
“Lady Trevino?”
“She couldn’t do it, even with the threat against her daughter,” said Roza with a shrug. “By the time Faith got into the Queen’s wing they had her tied up and Lord Trevino was dead. Their daughter was rescued the following day.”
“That’s good news.”
“The two Queens had a meeting. It seems they’re the best of friends,” said Roza. She forced a smile but Katja sensed her unease. “As such they’re encouraging us to share information more freely. Recent events highlighted the flaws of working in isolation. So I’ve agreed to meet with Faith from time to time. We’ll have tea and talk.”
There was wisdom in that, although it would prove a tricky and subtle relationship to manage. Roza didn’t freely share information with others and she suspected Faith was the same.
The room was quiet for a time before Roza spoke. “A few days ago you were ready to quit and I asked you to hold on for a while, which you did. Do you still want to keep doing this?” she asked.
It had been on Katja’s mind for some time. She knew that at times her actions had been reckless and could have got her killed. She also hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the baker she had killed. Even now the scene played out in her mind’s eye again.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“What else would you do instead?” asked Roza. “Run a shop? Become a merchant? Organise last rites full time?”
“I don’t know what I want.”
“Then perhaps you should take some time to think about your choices. Maybe take a break and travel.”
Time away from Perizzi would do her good. A change of scenery and a new city would be refreshing for a time, but it wouldn’t change what she had done.
Despite all of the nonsense Rodann had preached, he had been right about one thing. Katja had been looking for something; a purpose.
She needed to know that what she was doing mattered and the sacrifices made meant something. She couldn’t pretend what she’d done hadn’t happened, and there was no way to bring the dead back to life, but she could do her best to protect the city from people like Rodann. Roza had been right about that too. It wasn’t just about her.
Katja knew that the pain of what she’d done would stay with her for a long time, but perhaps in time she would develop a way of coping.
“I need to be here. I need to do this,” said Katja. She thought Roza would ask her to explain but instead she just smiled.
“What about Rodann?” said Katja. “What happened to him?”
Roza’s smile was wintry. “Oh, he ran when it all went wrong, but we picked him up.”
“Did he say why he hated Queen Morganse so badly?”
“Rodann taught all of the Queen’s children and he was the Crown Prince’s personal tutor for many years. Rodann helped shape the future King of Yerskania.”
“He kept saying he’d served the Crown for years,” said Katja. “That he wanted a reward that was long overdue.”
“Queen Morganse granted Rodann a boon for his service and he asked to be made a minor Lord. She publicly refused and he disappeared shortly after.”
That kind of insult must have stung Rodann’s pride, especially after what had happened to the Prince during the war. It seemed that Rodann blamed Queen Morganse for what had happened to her son. If the Queen had died at the palace then his benefactor would have taken her place and given him the title he coveted so desperately, and, knowing his ego, probably a seat on her council.
“Did you find out who was funding him? Was it someone from one of the founding families?”
“Yes, it was. In fact we didn’t have to look very far from the palace to find her,” said Roza, showing her teeth.
CHAPTER 48
Queen Morganse looked up from her desk at the slow and somehow plodding knock at her door. Even before she opened her mouth she knew who was on the other side and a fond smile creased the corners of her mouth.
“Enter,” she said in a loud voice.
Her ageing herald, Poe, shuffled into the room. He’d been a loyal servant to her household since she’d been a girl, long before she’d sat on the throne. She’d tried to get him to retire on several occasions but he’d refused each time.
His children had grown up and moved out of the country. His wife had died years ago, and most of his friends were feeble and doddering, barely able to remember their own names. Poe claimed that continuing to work kept him young and helped his mind to stay sharp. Morganse partially agreed with him and, besides, he was practically family, and there was nothing more important to her than family.
“The Duchess of Marrowood and Penk,” said Poe.
“Cousin,” said the Duchess sweeping into the room, dressed in a gorgeous grey silk dress, her red hair piled up on top of her head. Despite a liberal application of make-up, Morganse could still see the purple bags under her eyes.
“How are you, Bella?” asked Morganse, taking her cousin’s hands in hers before gesturing towards the chairs by the fireplace.
“It’s a bit chilly in here, Poe,” said the Queen.
“I can build a fire, your Majesty,” replied Poe.
Morganse exchanged a look with her cousin.
“I’m sure you have more important matters to attend to,” said Bella, offering the old man one of her most generous smiles.
“Perhaps you could send for a nice young guard to sort out the fire?” suggested Morganse, slyly glancing at her cousin. “Perhaps Captain Cole. Apparently he has very nice arms.”
“Very good, your Majesty,” said Poe, shuffling away.
“You’re never going to let that go,” said Bella when the door had closed. “I said it once, and that was years ago.”
Morganse grinned. “Did you know he’s been a widower for five years now?”
“Let it go, cousin,” said Bella. “He’s probably gone grey by now.”
“Haven’t we all,” said Morganse, running her fingers through her hair and glancing knowingly at Bella’s remarkably uniform red hair.
“How are things out there?” said the Duchess, changing the subject as she gestured at the city outside.
“Settling down,” said Morganse, her expression turning serious. “We’re still counting the dead and there’s no way to hide what happened. Despite the war between the Families, a lot of people saw bright lights and heard strange noises. They know magic was involved.”
“Magic,” said Bella, curling her lip. “It’s dangerous and unpredictable.”
“It can be, in the wrong hands,” admitted Morganse. “How are you, cousin? You look tired?”
“It was a long night,” admitted Bella.
“So I hear,” said Morganse. “How many jackals did you lose in the fighting?”
The Duchess frowned. “Cousin?”
Bella took a long deep breath, studying Morganse’s face intently. After a minute she looked away at the cold fireplace. “When my idiot of a husband died, he left me with a huge amount of debt. He’d lost all our money at cards. Everyone was very sympathetic, but they didn’t offer any help. It started out small with a gambling den, then when that went well I bought a few more. After that it grew until I had an opportunity to take over one of the Families.”
“If you’d come to me, things would have been different.”
The Duchess’s laugh was harsh and bitter. “Why would I want to change anything?” she asked.
“Isn’t that why you started the war between the Families?” said Morganse. “You couldn’t bear the thought of me sitting on the throne after the war.” The Duchess’s head whipped around, her eyes widening in surprise. “I told you, I know everything.”
Bella’s top lip curled into a sneer. “You gave in to that mad man, Taikon. You let him send thousands of our people to be slaughtered.”
“I didn’t let him,” insisted Morganse. “He demanded I give him the throne.”
“Which you did anyway,” snapped the Duchess, her voice echoing around the room. “Thousands died and you did nothing. Your city was overrun by zealots and you did nothing. It was the people of this city that rose up and liberated it. You don’t deserve to sit on the throne.”
“You claim to care about our people, but do you even know how many have died in Perizzi because of your crime war?” asked Morganse shaking her head. “No, you did this for yourself. You wanted me dead so that you could assume the throne.”
“Why not someone more worthy? People have lost faith in their Queen. You can’t maintain control in your own capital city. How can they trust you to run the entire country?”
After many years of running one of the Families, her cousin had built up an enormous amount of wealth, which gave her significant power in Perizzi. With it she could buy, manipulate and encourage much of the aristocracy to throw their weight behind her in a succession.
Even more useful were the many secrets she had accumulated when important figures had sought distraction and entertainment on an evening. With the throne empty, and all fingers pointing at Seveldrom as the culprit, the aristocracy would have looked for a powerful new leader.
Bella would have sat on the throne and run the country while her business partner, Dońa Jarrow, ran the Families.
“Dońa Jarrow is dead, by the way,” said Morganse.
“I thought so,” admitted Bella. “Either that or she’d run, but Sabina was never one to run from a fight.”
“How did you meet her?” asked Morganse, out of curiosity.
“She was running a local brothel when I took over the gambling den,” said Bella. “We came to an early arrangement and stayed in touch.”
“And the Flesh Mage?”
“Is that what he’s called,” said the Duchess. “That was all Sabina. She hired him to scour the Families away so that she could start afresh. She was confident it would work, but I had my doubts.”
The door opened and Captain Cole came into the room unannounced and without invitation. “Ah, Captain, do you remember my cousin, the Duchess of Marrowood and Penk?” asked the Queen.
“Majesty, your Grace,” said Captain Cole, bowing slightly at the waist.
Bella stared at him. “You’ve gone a little grey since the last time I saw you, Adem. It looks good.”
“You’re very kind, your Grace.”
“And still so polite,” said Bella before turning back to the Queen. “What happens now?”
“I think you know,” said Morganse, her expression turning grave. “Treason comes with a high price.”
“This way, Duchess,” said Captain Cole, gesturing at the open doorway where the Queen saw several royal guards waiting. All were armed but none had drawn their weapons.
The Duchess glanced down at her dress, smoothing the grey silk beneath her fingers. The next dress she wore would also be grey, but it wouldn’t be made of silk. It had been a long time since someone had been hung. That was a rare form of punishment used only for treason, but they’d built the gallows quickly enough. It would be done in private though. It was a small mercy for such a vulgar and protracted form of execution. The war between the Families and the Flesh Mage had cost the city enough. Morganse didn’t want to add to the woes of her people.
Bella cast one last glance around the room at the palace, perhaps picturing it all belonging to her, before she walked from the room with her head held high.
Captain Cole escorted her from the room, followed by a squad of his finest. As the sound of their footsteps receded down the hall Poe came back into the room.
“Do you want me to light the fire for you?” he asked, glancing at the hearth. Morganse felt a chill down her spine, but it had nothing to do with being cold.
“No, it’s fine. Thank you, Poe,” she said.
“She was always greedy,” said the old man, jerking his head over his shoulder. “Even when you were little girls. Any time you had a new toy, she wanted two, just as shiny and expensive.”
He shambled out of the room, leaving her staring at the empty chair. Her thoughts whirled as she contemplated what could have been done differently to avoid it coming to this. She wondered if Bella was right. Had the people lost faith in her? Only time would tell.
Some plans were already in motion to prevent similar conspiracies in the future, but there were other areas that needed addressing. Putting her personal worries aside Queen Morganse turned her attention to the next matter at hand.
CHAPTER 49
After a week of rest and being treated like a child, Fray was overjoyed by the Khevassar’s visit. He declared Fray ready to go back to work, ignoring the protests of the overzealous nurses. All of his wounds had been treated and he was healing, but it wasn’t his physical wounds that were worrying everyone. Without knowing, they could sense something was out of place.
Walking the streets beside the Old Man in uniform brought them both a lot of attention. Fray was starting to get used to people staring, but now there was something new. At first he thought it was because of the Khevassar’s reputation and position. But when the first squad of the Watch stopped to shake his hand Fray knew the stares had been directed at him, not the Old Man. Fellow Guardians greeted him warmly and despite his being a novice they treated him as an equal.
As they walked, Fray let the familiar sights and sounds of the city wash over him like a balm. Most of the people remained unaware of what had really happened.
The war between the crime Families had alarmed them, but such things could be understood. Criminals, like rats, were a part of the city and there were forces in place to keep them in check. Blood magic and tears in the fabric of the world could not be easily explained.
Fray and the others had agreed that it was better if most people remained ignorant. It would help to heal the cracks in the fabric of the city more quickly. The truth would only frighten people and make them even more scared of magic. Some were already terrified, willing to do horrible things to their own children, as he’d witnessed first-hand. Many people had also seen the white fire in the sky and watched as the stars were blotted out. Like most unusual events these days, such things would be blamed on magic and with no one to tell them otherwise the fear would continue to grow.
“Despite recent events, you’ll still have to complete your training,” said the Khevassar without looking at Fray. “That’s assuming you want to continue.”
Having had little else to do over the last week but think, it was one of the many things Fray had gone over in his mind. The moment that wouldn’t fade from his memory w
as the image of Byrne being pulled through the rift by the creature. He should have pushed himself harder to seal it more quickly. He should have done something to save him.
“You can’t blame yourself,” said the Khevassar, easily reading Fray’s thoughts from his expression.
“I think part of him wanted to die,” said Fray.
“Survivor’s guilt,” said the Khevassar. “He’s carried it with him for five years. I hope the Maker has finally granted him some measure of peace.”
“I hope so too.”
“He swore to my father to protect me,” said Fray. “And he died to keep his promise. However much he might have changed, Byrne was still a man of his word.”
They walked in silence for a while.
“I still want to be a Guardian,” Fray said eventually.
“I’m glad,” said the Old Man with a smile. “I’m going to partner you with Faulk. He’s been a Guardian for a long time.
He’s good at his job and asks a lot of questions. You can ask him anything and he’ll always try to answer. Just don’t ask him about his eye and you’ll be fine.”
“When do I start?”
“There’s no rush,” said the Khevassar, gesturing they take a road on the left. He had a specific destination in mind but Fray didn’t care. He was just glad to be outside where he could walk and eat without someone constantly watching him.
“I heard the nurses talking,” said Fray. “There’s a rumour about the Queen and Seekers from the Red Tower.”
The Khevassar grunted. “Everyone’s talking about it. She should’ve done it sooner if you ask me, but better late than never. Once a month, starting next week, people can bring their children for testing by a Seeker in Regent Square. There will be a few squads of the Watch on hand to keep things civil, but hopefully they won’t be needed.”
“I just hope it stops people trying to murder their own children,” said Fray, thinking back to the terrified boy and the angry mob.
“I heard about that,” said the Old Man, his face thoughtful. “There have been a dozen more incidents like it in the last few months. Unfortunately we arrived at most of those too late. This is a step in the right direction, but it won’t stop people being afraid.”