by J. D. Rogers
Counselor Jarvo stopped at the curtain and turned toward the others. "The rest of you will have to wait here. The high sage converses only with his wives, his advisors, and royals of a similar rank."
Edgerton, Bokham, and Captain Hubbard didn't argue, although I thought they might. They remained behind as I followed Counselor Jarvo into the high sage's throne room.
To call the throne room ostentatious would be an understatement. The room was circular and topped by one of the palace's four small domes. The dome itself contained a mural. In the mural, sitting on thrones which floated on a cloud, were a dozen men and women, which I took to be gods. They smiled down on the high sage, clearly pleased with their chosen leader.
The throne itself was covered in gold leaf. It had been carved to look like the head of a lion. A male lion. The lion's mouth was open, as if he was roaring, and the high sage was sitting on his tongue. The floor was a tile mosaic of the high sage's capital city. There was nothing else in the room save for piles of red, blue, and yellow pillows.
The high sage himself wasn't as impressive as the room. He was just a teenager. He wore a red silk turban and a red silk robe that tied with a black sash. Pinned to the front of the turban was a gold brooch of a roaring lion's head.
He was a short and chubby kid with pale skin, freckled cheeks, and large green eyes. He looked bored, but then what teenage boy wouldn't get bored, sitting on a throne, greeting dignitaries he didn't know and probably didn't want to know. I had done my share of that kind of stuff and knew how boring it could be, even for an adult, let alone a teenager.
"Your Supreme Highness," Counselor Jarvo said, bowing to the high sage. "May I present her Royal Highness, Princess Lila Marie Haran, fourth daughter of Bella Justine Haran, the twelfth Queen of Adah."
The high sage bowed his head. "We are pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Princess Lila comes from the other side of the world," Counselor Jarvo said. "Her homeland lies across the Great Desert."
That caught the high sage's interest. "You come from the barbarian lands?"
"My family rules the barbarian lands. At least those that lie closest to the Great Desert. What we call the Desert of Shifting Sands."
The high sage began to pepper me with questions. Was it true we lived in caves? No, we lived in the tops of trees. Did we really eat human flesh? Only the flesh of tender young children and then only on Tuesdays. Was it true the sun never rose in our part of the world? That was false. The sun rose one day each year, on my birthday. It was at that point the high sage realized that I was teasing him.
He blushed. "You must think I'm stupid."
I smiled at him. "On the contrary, Your Supreme Highness. You are no more ill informed than the people in my part of the world. I once believed that the people in this part of the world had wings."
This time I answered high sage's questions as best I could. He listened intently, peppering me with more questions about things that interested him. Eventually, we were interrupted by Counselor Jarvo. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Your Supreme Highness, but you have another guest waiting to pay you his respects."
The high sage thanked me for the visit, smiling as he did so. Counselor Jarvo then escorted me out of the throne room. "That was the first time I've seen the high sage smile since his father died. I believe he enjoyed talking to you."
"I think he enjoyed hearing about the barbarian lands," I said, as we crossed the throne room. "May I ask you a question, Counselor?"
"Of course, Your Highness."
"Who's the next guest waiting to greet the high sage?"
"That would be the King of Dunre. Have you heard of him?"
"Heard of him, but never met him. I understand he's a person of some note in this part of the world."
"By force of will," Counselor Jarvo said. "He believes fate has selected him for greatness."
A king with delusions of grandeur, never heard of one of those.
We passed through the jewelled curtain and out of the throne room, where we encountered a passel of people. Edgerton, Bokham, and Captain Hubbard stood on the left-hand side of the hallway. A throng of guards dressed in purple, gold, and white, lined the right-hand side of the hallway.
A tall man with shoulder length brown hair, deep set dark eyes, a long narrow nose, and a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee stood between the purple clad guards. He wore black velvet breeches tucked into polished black riding boots, and a purple velvet waistcoat over a ruffled white silk shirt. A gold crown with a setting sun on the front sat on his head. Embedded in the middle of the setting sun was a large purple gem. Obviously the King of Dunre.
A dozen of the high sage's red and black clad guards stood between the King of Dunre and my men, making sure they didn't get close to each other.
As soon as the King of Dunre saw me, he pushed past his guards and approached Counselor Jarvo and myself. As he drew close, I realized that he was older than I had first thought. Upon first glance, I had placed him in his thirties, now I realized that he was probably in his late forties. There were streaks of gray in his hair, and age lines around his eyes and mouth. He impressed me as being smart, powerful, and ruthless. He also impressed me as a man that was running out of time and knew it. All in all, that was a dangerous combination.
"You must be the barbarian princess that Queen Catlett hopes will become her heir." He held his hand out with the back of it facing up, expecting me to kiss it like I was one of his subjects. I was raised to have my hand kissed, not to kiss the hands of others, so I ignored it.
"You must be Maximillian Bedard, the King of Dunre." I looked him up and down, as if he were a slave in a market. "I have no interest in a man of your advanced years."
I slid past him, leaving him standing there with his hand still extended. My mother taught me that kings and queens don't age gracefully. They envision themselves as eternally young and don't like being reminded that they're growing old and that their days are numbered.
"If you want to offend a king or queen," she once said. "Just tell them how old they look." Judging by the King of Dunre's red face, mother was right.
I headed down the hallway, moving as gracefully as my outfit would allow. When I reached the great hall, where they were still celebrating the high sage's ascension, Edgerton put a hand on my shoulder. "I trust you were trying to offend the King of Dunre."
"He offend me, so I returned his action in kind."
"How did he offend you?"
"Besides sending those assassins after me? He offered me the back of his hand, as if I were one of his subjects. What's he doing here anyway?"
"Perhaps he's here to sample the high sage's harem."
"You mean sleep with the high sage's wives?"
"You saw for yourself. The high sage is but a boy. I doubt he knows what to do with a harem."
"Did the previous high sage share his wives with the King of Dunre?"
Edgerton laughed. "The previous high sage enjoyed his wives way too much to share them with anyone. Some say that's what killed him."
This high sage might be a boy, but I don't think it was accurate to say that he didn't know what to do with a harem. I had just spent a half hour talking to him and noticed that he had spent much of the time staring at my chest. I suspected he just needed someone to take the initiative. You couldn't expect an inexperienced boy that had led a sheltered life to make the first move on a grown woman, not even if he was the High Sage of Landish and she was part of his harem.
"May I have another moment of your time, Your Highness?" Jarvo said, rejoining us.
I took Jarvo's arm and we headed off, strolling around the great hall. Edgerton, Bokham, and Captain Hubbard fell in behind us, paying more attention to the scantly clad dancing girls than to Jarvo or myself.
"What can I do for you, Counselor?"
"I have a problem."
"I hope it's not me."
Jarvo smiled. "It's the King of Dunre. He comes here to poison the high sage's mind."
"They're heads of state. I am but a humble adviser."
"Do you know what they talk about?"
"The first few times the King of Dunre visited, the high sage told me what they talked about, but the last few times, he's refused to tell me, informing me that what kings talk about doesn't concern me."
"Sounds like somebody needs to convince the high sage that the King of Dunre is dangerous and shouldn't be trusted."
"Agreed," Jarvo said. "Unfortunately, he won't listen to me."
"What about one of his wives?"
"The high sage's wives were chosen for their beauty, not their minds. Most of them are illiterate country girls ill equipped to advise the high sage on affairs of state."
"Does the high sage sleep with any of them?"
"The high sage has shown no interest in any of his wives. I'm beginning to wonder if he likes women."
"He likes women," I said. "I think he's just afraid to make the first move."
"And you know this because?"
"Because I just spent a half hour with him. How old is the high sage anyway?"
"Seventeen."
That made him three years younger than me, for some reason he seemed even younger than that. "Has he ever been outside the palace walls?"
"Of course not. The high sage doesn't go to the world. The world comes to the high sage."
That explained why the high sage seemed younger than he was. He was a prisoner inside his own palace. He hadn't even seen his own country, let alone any of the world.
"You have yet to mention what Maximillian Bedard's growing influence over the high sage has to do with me, Counselor."
"I was thinking that a woman of beauty and intelligence might be able to neutralize Bedard's influence over the high sage. My problem is I haven't been able to find such a woman. Until today."
"You want me to convince the high sage that Maximillian Bedard shouldn't be trusted?" I made no attempt to hide the surprise on my face.
"Just have dinner with him. Flirt with him a little, tease him a little, make him fall in love with you."
"And while I'm doing that, maybe I can warn him about Maximillian Bedard, maybe even find out what they've been talking about?"
Jarvo bowed. "I would be in your debt."
"Why would you trust me?" I said. "You don't even know me."
"I know Edgerton. I also know that he likes you and believes that you will be the next Queen of Vassa. I also know that you don't like Maximillian Bedard."
I hesitated. I didn't intend to get involved this quickly in the politics of this part of the world. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt to have a man of Jarvo's power and influence indebted to me.
"Look at it this way," Jarvo said. "Bedard is trying to wrap the high sage around his little finger. It would be better for me, and you, and Queen Catlett, and the high sage himself, if you wrapped the high sage around your little finger."
"I don't think it's my finger the high sage wants to wrap himself around," I said, then quickly added, "but I will dine with him."
After all, it was just one meal. What could happen?
Chapter 16
Edgerton protested when he learned that I would be dining with the high sage. "I don't like it. The high sage may decide to toss you into his harem."
"I don't know who put those women in the harem, but I can guarantee you that it wasn't the high sage."
I suspected Jarvo was the one adding women to the high sage's harem. He probably went out once a month, found a woman he hoped the high sage would like, and tossed her into the harem. I suspect it wasn't a bad life. They were safe and well fed. They certainly had nothing to fear from the high sage.
I was pretty sure that I had nothing to fear from Jarvo. He needed me as an ally, to help him find out what was going on between the high sage and the King of Dunre. My problem was, how did I get the high sage to trust me? That was something I would have to play by ear.
Eventually, Jarvo returned to escort me to the high sage's private quarters. Edgerton wanted to know when I would return, but I couldn't answer that. I told him to relax and enjoy the party, that I would return when I returned.
As I headed to the high sage's quarters, I wondered if Edgerton really was worried that I would be tossed into the high sage's harem, like he claimed, or if he just didn't like the fact that when I was with Jarvo and the high sage, I was no longer under his control. Something told me that it was a little of both.
"What can you tell me about Edgerton?" I asked Jarvo.
"He is loyal to his queen. He loves her and would do anything for her."
"Including going to the end of the earth to kidnap a princess."
"He kidnapped you?"
"Drugged me, bound and gagged me, rolled me up in a carpet, and tossed me over a pack horse. I told him if he had come to our palace a month earlier, he could've had his pick of princesses, that any one of us would have gone with him willingly. But he likes to do things the hard way."
"We can provide you with sanctuary if you wish."
"I think that's why Edgerton didn't want me to come here tonight. He tried to scare me into thinking if I came here, you'd toss me into the high sage's harem."
"The high sage's wives came here of their own free will. They understand that it's a great honor to be selected as a wife of the high sage. Should you express an interest in entering the harem, we would be more than willing to accommodate you."
"If Queen Catlett doesn't like me, I might have to take you up on that offer. Although thirteen women and one teenage boy doesn't sound like a good time, not if you're one of the women."
"I've never heard any of the high sage's wives complain. And the high sage will not be a teenager forever."
We reached the high sage's private quarters. They looked like the rest of the palace. Mosaic tiled floors. Tapestries on the walls. Stained glass windows. Murals on the ceiling. All of the pictures involved a red lion. Jarvo led me to a round dining room dominated by a round marble table. The table was made out of green marble and sat low to the ground. Red, blue, green, and yellow pillows surrounded the table. The table itself was laid out with every kind of bread, fruit, and meat imaginable. Jugs of red wine sat on the table.
"Make yourself comfortable. The high sage will be with you shortly." Jarvo bowed and left.
Despite the fact that he had twelve beautiful wives, it was clear that the high sage wasn't used to being alone with a woman. As soon as he saw me in his private quarters, he turned beet red and started to back out of the room. "If you're busy. I can come back later."
I gave the high sage a coy smile, or what I hoped passed for a coy smile. In truth, I'm not sure what qualified as a coy smile and what didn't. "I'm not busy. Unless waiting for you counts as being busy."
The high sage mumbled something, but I couldn't understand what he said.
I moved to the large table that dominated the room. "Shall we eat?"
I grabbed a pillow and lowered myself onto it, tucking my legs beneath me, conscious that the high sage was watching my every move. I liked being the sophisticated older woman, it gave me a sense of power that I had never felt before.
The high sage wasn't a bad looking young man. He had a square jaw, a small narrow nose, and bright green eyes. Tuffs of red hair peeked out from under his red turban, complimenting his pale complexion and the dusting of freckles that covered his nose and cheeks. He just needed to lose the baby fat and gain some experience. Any kind of experience.
I patted the pillow next to me. "You don't look like the majority of your subjects."
“I look like my mother." The high sage sat. "She was born in Poshta, which is north of Dunre. I got my red hair and pale complexion from her. My height and build I got from my father."
"You must be hungry after being forced to listen to a windbag like Maximillian Bedard."
"You don't like Max?" The high sage seemed more surprised by that revelation
than bothered by it.
"I don't like anyone that tries to kill me." I paused to fill a plate with a selection of breads, fruits, and meats. A serving girl poured two cups of red wine, then moved back against the wall, where she waited unnoticed. I set the plate between us, so the high sage could share it with me, then told him about the three assassins.
"You actually cut off a man's hand?" he said, when I finished my tale.
"You seem impressed by the fact that I know how to use a sword."
"That's because I don't know how to use a sword. I wish I did."
"You're the High Sage of Landish. If you want to know how to use a sword then order Counselor Jarvo to send someone to teach you."
"Jarvo will argue with me. Tell me that I might hurt myself."
"Let him argue. When he is done simply repeat your command. You're the high sage. Jarvo is your counselor. In the end, he will follow your wishes. Never forget that."
Jarvo wouldn't appreciate my telling the high sage to exert his authority, but someone needed to do it. He couldn't spend the rest of his life locked up in this palace doing what he was told. If that continued, he'd eventually listen to the wrong person, like Maximillian Bedard. The high sage needed to learn to think for himself.
I asked the high sage if he had any more questions about my homeland and the other side of the world. He did, a good hour's worth of questions. When he finished with those, he asked me about my family. I told him about my mother and my sisters and what had transpired since my mother's death. He seemed shocked that my sisters and I were expected to fight to the death to see which of us would ascend to our mother's throne.
"I think you made a smart move coming to our part of the world. There are more opportunities for one such as yourself in this part of the world."
"I didn't come here of my own free will. Truth be told, Chancellor Edgerton kidnapped me."
The high sage leapt to his feet. "If you want. I can have him arrested."
"Thank you, Your Supreme Highness, but it's not necessary. I'm actually looking forward to meeting Queen Catlett."
"I've already met her." The high sage sat back down. "She's tall and slim and old, with ice blue eyes. She told me to be my own man, although I'm not quite sure what she meant by that."