The Queen Maker

by Kristen Gupton

  When the old woman’s voice trailed off, Thana leaned back and quickly digested the information. It was a little muddied in her mind with all the tribal names, but she got the gist of it. There were clearly tensions between the Quitam, Onawa, and Aroothi.

  There was a question on Thana’s mind, however. “If Danier is Quitam, and they wanted the Aroothi eradicated, why would he bring me back here to establish the tribe again?”

  “For his own glory in the eyes of our current emperor. Danier has strong political aspirations. It is not about the Aroothi, it is about his own desire to become Emperor. As for the Aroothi land, the Quitam now have that territory uncontested. What would you, without a people and with no real link to that area, do in order to threaten them now?” she asked, quirking a brow.

  “I see,” Thana whispered.

  There’d been something disingenuous about Danier’s excitement in finding her all along, but now it made more sense. He’d not rescued her for her tribe’s sake, but only for his own aspirations. Few outsiders knew of the internal political turmoil within the Sador Empire, and Thana already had more insight into some of it than the current advisors in Tordania.

  “These are subjects you will see more clearly as you learn your role in our government. I have much history to teach you! First, though, Emperor Betram has ordered that I begin to teach you Sadori, so you may talk to the others. Shall we begin?” Sarit asked as her expression softened.

  The young woman smiled and nodded. “I would love to.”

  She’d already learned a second language, Old Tordanian, with ease. Her mind was well tuned for linguistics. Learning Sadori appealed to her, and it might prove useful if she managed to flee the palace.

  ***

  Etras kept his word and eagerly awaited Keiran and Jerris the following morning. The three men took to their horses and began to travel south alongside the river.

  Moving through Ibia on the trade road was easy enough. The country was friendly and the landscape pleasant to ride through. However, as the day pressed on, the air grew increasingly warm, the sun relentless in the clear sky. The grain fields that flanked the road added humidity to the air, creating an atmosphere the Tordanians weren’t accustomed to.

  Before noon, both Keiran and Jerris had stripped off their layers of winter clothing. Their fair complexions were ill prepared for the intense sun, and their skin started to burn. They stopped on multiple occasions to get under trees near the roadside, trying to ease the heat. Their guide was mildly sympathetic to them but not completely able to relate as he was well acclimated to the area.

  By nightfall, they reached Etras’ small town on the Ibianese side of the river. To the east, the wide bridge spanning the river was the most prominent feature in the landscape. The town itself was small, made up of permanent, tent-like structures. There were multiple corrals of horses, all presumably of travelers who’d moved into the Sador Empire.

  The air cooled rapidly once the sun was down, and Jerris and Keiran slid from their saddles, happy to be done for the day.

  Porter and Patrice were taken by a young girl and boy. Both animals were thoroughly groomed before being placed in a corral together and fed. The Tordanians were happy enough with the treatment their animals would receive, and everything about Etras had continued to be on the straight and narrow.

  They were going to spend the night with Etras’ family in their tent. His wife made them dinner, and they all sat around on the rug-covered floor of the tent to eat. Jerris dove right in, finding the heavily spiced Sadori food to his liking, however, Keiran was more hesitant.

  There was something coming off several of the dishes that made his eyes and nose burn. He quickly realized it was the start of the same unpleasant reaction he’d had after taking the Sadori’s blood several days before. There was something in their food that was toxic to him, so potent it even tainted the blood of those who ate it.

  Jerris looked over and noticed Keiran had taken some bread and fruit but nothing of the other prepared dishes. “You’re being rude. She went to a lot of work to make this. It’s good.”

  Keiran drew a long breath then having to fight a bout of coughing from the searing in this throat. “Jerris, something in it is making me ill, and since when do you care about manners?”

  The guard shrugged a bit, and had it not been for his sunburn, the blush on his cheeks would have shown through. “It’s rare for us to be in someone else’s home, Keir.”

  The vampire lifted his eyes toward Etras’ spouse, trying not to blatantly stare. He’d noticed how attractive she was as well, sharing many of the traits he’d always admired in Thana.

  With a deep sigh, he went back to trying to pick out bits of food from his plate he could eat. “And you’ve always said Thana wasn’t your type.”

  At that, Jerris fell quiet, knowing it was all in danger of stirring up Keiran’s feelings. Having his friend go into a vampiric fit in their present company wouldn’t be in their best interest.

  Etras had engaged in his own conversation with his wife and neither had paid much attention to their guests.

  It wasn’t until he’d finished his own meal that he addressed them. “So, we should discuss some details of tomorrow, yes?”

  The Tordanians immediately gave him their attention. By now, he had their full confidence. They wanted to get through the next day in one piece and were willing to take any advice he would give.

  Seeing their response, he smiled. His wife and children began carrying the plates and platters of food away, much to Keiran’s relief.

  “When we cross the bridge tomorrow, I will do all of the speaking to the guards,” Etras said. “They know me and know I have a good reputation for bringing in wealthy buyers. You will be expected to give them a small gift, showing your appreciation for being allowed to cross.”

  Jerris frowned. “And I suppose this isn’t included in the five ounces of silver you stated as your fee?”

  Keiran nudged him sharply, not wanting to quibble over money at such an important time.

  The Sadori rocked his head back and forth and raised his palms toward the ceiling. “It is easier for business to keep the guards happy, yes? In doing so, they won’t scrutinize you too badly when you wish to leave.”

  “That’s fine, Etras, we’ll gladly pay,” Keiran said.

  “Good, good. Now, what sort of items will you be looking to purchase? I will take you to the best shops, of course, but they are spread throughout the city. I would hate for us to go out of our way,” he said, eyebrows rising.

  Keiran’s eyes darted off to the side as he’d not thought about being called on the subject. “We can’t just tour the town and see what strikes our fancy?”

  Etras gave a small shrug. “We can, yes, but…”

  “I know, you’re used to professional buyers,” the vampire replied quietly, “but you did just meet us at random. We’re simply not used to being in such places.”

  The Sadori was a professional, however. He could tell at once that while the men wanted across the bridge, the usual reasons of gem or textile trading weren’t in their interests.

  His eyes narrowed, and he scooted closer. “Why are you here? I know of other markets, if you will, and I can lead you to whatever you are after.”

  “Can’t we explore the town on our own? I know you said we have to cross with a travel guide, but what about once we are there?” Keiran asked, trying to sound innocent.

  Etras cocked his head to the side. “Sometimes this is needed for private travel reasons. I put my reputation at great risk, though, when I leave my guests on their own.”

  “I can understand that, and if it is out of the question then so be it,” Keiran replied.

  “Oh, no, no! Don’t misunderstand, this is something I do from time to time, but the fee must change. It is a greater risk for me to leave you unsupervised, you understand?”

  Keiran couldn’t help but smile, nodding. “Aye, that’s reasonable. What is the fee?”

  Et
ras’ expression went stoic and his hands pressed together before his chest. “Five ounces of gold.”

  “To do nothing?” Jerris snapped, insulted though it wasn’t his money being spent.

  “Understand, if things go badly, or you get into trouble of any sort, I will be banned from bringing in customers for three months,” he stated honestly. “It doesn’t happen but rarely. Still, how do I know of your intentions?”

  “I doubt like hell it costs five ounces of gold to live out here in the dirt for three months,” the redhead grumbled to himself.

  Keiran jumped in, again elbowing his companion to silence him. “Completely understandable, Etras. I will gladly pay you that.”

  “Good, good!” he reached out and took one of Keiran’s hands, touching it to his forehead like he’d done to Jerris before. That done, he stood up and motioned around the space. “Sleep where you like. In the morning, we shall eat and then make our way across the bridge.”

  ***

  Thana spent the entire day with Sarit, learning Sadori. By the time they’d been served dinner, she was able to understand some bits of the conversations the other women had around her.

  Thana was escorted back to her room for the night, again finding the door locked immediately after she’d entered. She changed into the clean nightgown left for her on the bed and went about exploring her room.

  There was a small writing desk present beneath a large stained-glass window. She landed in the chair before it and pulled open the single drawer it had. Inside, she found a vellum journal and a charcoal pencil.

  She spent the better part of an hour writing details of the palace’s layout and other things she’d observed. Thana hoped doing so would help her remember certain details during an escape attempt. However, she suspected the Sadoris might search her room while she was out during the day. If any of them saw what she’d written, the journal would likely be confiscated. However, all of her writing was done in Old Tordanian, and she seriously doubted anyone in the palace would be able to read it.

  When finished, she sat back and read over her words. She stopped and lowered the book, looking around. From the wall next to her desk, there was a tapping sound. It was deliberate, not like a mouse or other animal. Thana got up and moved to the wall and repeated the same pattern of taps she’d just heard.

  The tapping came again, followed by a slow series of knocks that moved away from where they’d started. Thana went along and followed the sound until she came to stand before a mirror hanging on the wall. There was the sound of something shifting around, and she jumped back as the next knock came from the center of the mirror itself.

  A quiet voice whispered out one word in Sadori, but Thana was able to understand it.

  “Parth.” It was the word for door.

  Thana drew in a sharp breath and started to feel around the edges of the mirror’s frame. The bottom of it was just high enough above the floor to get the tips of her fingers beneath. In the middle, she found a small protrusion. After fidgeting with it for a few seconds there was a click, and the mirror moved away from the wall.

  Not certain what she would find on the other side, she stood tall and pulled on one edge of the mirror. It easily swung out and revealed a passageway through the wall and into the next room.

  There stood Cinat beside her own opened mirror. The other woman’s eyes were wide as she didn’t know what Thana’s reaction would be. Finding the mirror’s latch in her own room had been an accident several weeks earlier but until Thana had shown up, the neighboring room had been empty.

  Thana decided to offer up a smile and hoped Canit had asked her to open the door for a good reason. After some of the things Sarit had told her about the Quitam, she’d already developed a small fear of the other woman.

  Cinat gave a timid gesture for Thana to step into her room. She suspected Sarit had told Thana all manner of bad things about her as the two had not gotten along since her arrival. However, she knew how Thana had come to the palace, and she hoped desperately the new asashi would be as keen on escaping as she was.

  Unlike the other women, Cinat had never wanted to live in the palace or to become the representative of her tribe. Perhaps in Thana she could find a partner to escape the situation before it was too late.

  “Asashi, amat ili cas?” Cinat asked, hoping Thana would understand. Would you like to go home, Asashi?

  Thana understood something about home or a house and pointed at the window in the room.

  “Ili cas.” She spoke to the best of her ability with her extremely limited vocabulary. Go home.

  The Quitam woman gave a nod and smiled. Her posture relaxed a bit. She moved over toward the window and motioned for Thana to come closer. She reached out and wedged a small piece of glass from the stained glass window.

  Thana leaned in close and saw Cinat had pried away the lead surrounding many of the glass fragments of the window. She realized it would be easy to push apart the remaining leading to make a way out. From the small opening, Thana could see the ground was some distance below, and they would have to come up with something to get them down to the ground.

  Cinat moved in and put the colored shard back into its proper place, giving Thana a smile. She pointed back toward the passageway between their rooms.

  “Ifrat nosha,” Cinat whispered. Tomorrow night.

  The young woman understood that easily enough. She repeated the last two words with a nod before going toward her own room. After stepping back through the wall, she turned to look at the Quitam woman one more time.

  Cinat put one hand on the mirrored door to close it, but first she put her other hand across her mouth and shook her head.

  Thana did exactly the same, knowing she feared being ratted out. If Cinat had a plan she could benefit from, she would do whatever it took to make the best of it. She closed the door and pushed until it clicked back into place.

  It was difficult for Thana to sleep for the rest of the night, excited to have some prospect of escaping the palace. She wished she could speak fluently to Cinat. She resolved to learn as many words as possible the following day as one of them might mean the difference between success and failure.

  She stared up at the ceiling and wondered about Keiran. Was he going to find a way to help her escape? Thana had gotten herself into the situation, however, and if he or anyone else were hurt trying to retrieve her, how would she live with it?

  Her arm felt hot, encased in the bracer the emperor had put onto her. She still couldn’t see a way to take the thing off, and she started to think it might take a jeweler to cut it from her arm. At least the value of the silver it was made from would help make up for some of the money she’d had taken from her during her capture.

  Most likely, Danier had kept it for himself. The last thought she had before finally drifting off to sleep that night, was wishing either she or Keiran would get a hold of the general some day. Thana felt Danier had plenty to atone for.

  ***

  The smell of food woke Keiran and Jerris the following morning. Luckily, it seemed the Sadoris tended to lay off of the spices in their morning meals. Etras and his wife served them, and Keiran dove in.

  Once stuffed, their hosts busied themselves with cleaning up from the meal, and the Tordanians were left alone for just a short time.

  Jerris looked Keiran over and tried to evaluate how he was feeling. “It was about time you ate something.”

  The vampire sat back on the pillows, hands laced over his stomach. Truth be told, he’d not had much of an appetite for regular food of any sort since he’d started drinking human blood.

  With that option off the books for the time being, he’d forced as much food down as he could manage. He hoped it would help his level of strength.

  “I needed to get something down before this next adventure,” he admitted.

  “It’s been a while since you’ve had a drink,” Jerris replied, making sure the Sadoris weren’t within ear shot. “How are you feeling? Are you going to be
up to this?”

  Keiran gave a lax shrug. Obviously, he was aware of his current blood-fast. It was affecting him but not to the point of making him completely miserable.

  “I can get through this if we’re back out of there in a day or so. I won’t really have the chance to get what I need, though, as long as we’re around people that gorge themselves on that wretched spice.” Even mentioning it made Keiran look disgusted.

  “Right, right.” Jerris sighed and shook his head.

  The redhead realized he’d liberally stuffed himself with the food offered the night before, making him unable to be a viable candidate for donation. There was nothing he could do about it, but he wondered how long he’d be tainted for.

  He jutted out his right arm and put his wrist under Keiran’s nose. “Do I still stink?”

  “Stop that!” Keiran snapped, reaching out and pushing his friend’s arm harshly away.

  It seemed like the spice was literally out-gassing through the guard’s pores. It sent him into a brief coughing fit, his eyes watering once again.

  Jerris retracted his arm and gave it a sniff, not finding himself too offensive.

  Etras walked back in and stopped, looking at the men. He quirked a brow and motioned with his hands. “Are the two of you all right?”

  Keiran nodded and stood up, somewhat sluggish from overeating. “Yes, we’re quite all right. Can I ask, what is the spice you Sadoris put so heavily in your food?”

  “Ah, yes!” The man grinned, pressing his hands together before his chest. It was a common question from those not from the empire. “That is a very sacred thing. It is garlic, not really a spice, but aromatic like one, yes?”

  “Garlic?” Keiran repeated.

  Etras nodded. “Yes. Our Gods gave us garlic to flavor our foods and to bring us health! All Sadoris eat it according to our Holy Laws.”

  The vampire quirked a brow, thinking their garlic was more of a curse than a gift from any divine deity. At least the poison finally had a name.