Mendal bowed. "My Queen. We, your advisors and lords, wish to know the father of our future Queen. It is not the consort."
"No," Minna agreed. "It is not."
Mendal cleared his throat. "Then who?"
"That is unimportant. My daughter will be Queen after me, her sire is irrelevant."
"But we feel that he is, My Queen. It cannot be Lord Conash, although you were seen entering his room on several occasions about the time of the conception. We would not be averse to his being the father, except that it is impossible."
"That is right. I do not appreciate being spied upon, so be careful of your words, I warn you."
Mendal smiled, revealing long yellow teeth. "No one spied on you, My Queen, it is common knowledge."
"The father of my child is my business. You would do well not to pry. It does not concern you."
"But it does, My Queen. The Cotti prince, Kerrion, was here at that same time."
"That means nothing," Minna retorted. "I may have chosen to bed one of my guards, I do not have to prove it."
"I beg to differ. If Prince Kerrion is the father of your child, most of us will look poorly upon it. The Jashimari will not be ruled by a half Cotti Queen. They are our enemies."
Minna's eyes narrowed. "You threaten me?"
"No. Never, My Queen." Mendal squirmed, tucking away his hissing familiar. "But the child, if she is Kerrion's daughter, cannot be allowed to rule."
"Supposing that you are right, for argument's sake, how do you plan to stop her? Are you plotting treason? Do you threaten the life of your princess? I am curious to know what you would do in such a case, it tells me much about the character of my advisors and lords."
Mendal raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Nothing, My Queen. We would never harm you, or your child. We would only request that you bear a full-blooded Jashimari princess, you understand?"
"I am required to bear only one princess. How would you plan to force me?"
"Then Kerrion is the father?"
"I did not say that. Be careful of what you assume. You may have noticed that Lord Conash is recovering well from his wounds."
Mendal's eyes slid away. "We are all pleased by Lord Conash's recovery, but is this a threat, My Queen?"
"A warning. I punish treason swiftly, you may have noticed. You will discover my child's sire when I decide and not before. Do not cross me. I have little time for idle threats." She rose, causing a great stir as all prostrated themselves. "This audience is over."
Minna walked out, leaving a buzz of muttering in her wake.
Mendal joined his conspirators, frowning with displeasure. "It must be Kerrion, else why would she refuse to name him?"
"But we can do nothing until we know for sure," Javare pointed out.
"The day she gives birth, we will know if the child is Kerrion's get. No one will mistake it."
"Then what?" Javare frowned.
"We have to get rid of her, then the Queen will be forced to bear another."
"Kill the princess?" Javare looked horrified.
"A Cotti bastard, Javare, remember that."
"With the way the war is going, it may make little difference," Durlan muttered. "No Jashimari Queens will rule if the city falls. The bloodline will be wiped out forever."
"The Queen must be taken to safety, but the child may be lost in the confusion. Jashimari will rise again."
"What about Blade?"
"If the Queen can prove no treason, he will do nothing."
Blade leapt high, revelling in his returned strength, if not his endurance, and bounced over the grass with light, springing steps. His hands traced graceful gestures that a trained eye would identify as the wrist flicks required to hurl daggers, and his feet blurred with the speed of their motion. Landing lightly from another leap, he became aware that someone watched him and stopped, turning. Chiana stood beside a hedgerow, and he frowned, snatching his shirt from a bush. He disliked being observed in such a manner. The chief advisor approached.
"Queen Minna-Satu will go into labour next tenday," she said.
Blade's frown deepened. "What of it?"
"The day after she is born, the advisors and lords will come to see their new princess. Her parentage will be known, and she will be in great danger."
He pulled on his shirt. "I will laugh if the Queen has a boy child. He will then be heir to the Cotti throne, and will that not make them unhappy, having a half Jashimari King?"
"This is no laughing matter. The Queen will require your attendance."
He shrugged. "Then I shall be there."
"Good. The Queen wishes to see you now."
Blade growled and tugged on his tunic, lacing it up as he headed in the direction of the Queen's chambers. Chiana trotted after him, forced to lift her skirts to keep up. Halfway across the lawn he looked back and slowed, allowing her to catch up.
"Do you know what it is about this time?"
"No."
"I am not yet fit enough to perform an assassination."
Chiana glanced at him. "I do not think that is required of you as yet."
"Good."
The Queen reclined on a veritable mountain of cushions, a flowing cyan gown trimmed with white lace disguising her condition. Teardrop pearl earrings hung from her earlobes, and a pearl choker with a diamond the size of a craybird's egg at its centre clasped her slender neck. She smiled and waved them forward. Chiana prostrated herself, and Blade bowed.
"My Queen."
"My Lord Conash, please sit."
Blade sank onto a pile of cushions before her, while Chiana remained standing behind him.
Minna's eyes roved over Blade's face, noting his faint flush and the sheen of sweat on his brow. He had regained his air of coiled alertness and the impression of leashed power that foul-tempered frustration had replaced during his illness. Although she had witnessed the gradual recovery of his humour, only recently had the bounce returned to his stride, and with it, the cold assurance of a skilled assassin. Today he seemed as he had when she had first met him, the aura of latent deadliness that had fascinated her then surrounding him.
"I am glad to see you so well recovered."
"Thank you, My Queen."
"Are you completely well?"
He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the floor. "I have the odd headache, and I am not yet fit, but otherwise, yes."
"And your mood is vastly improved."
He smiled, shooting her a wry glance. "Yes, My Queen."
"Good, for what I am about to say will undoubtedly put you into a foul temper indeed."
"Oh?"
Minna sighed and nodded. "I dislike making sweeping, irrevocable demands upon my loyal subjects, but in this instance, regrettably, I feel that I must." She paused, gazing at him, then went on, "I have decided that Chiana will be Regent when I am gone. She will take care of the Princess and the kingdom until my daughter is of an age to rule. I have chosen her for her unswerving loyalty and wisdom. I am sure you approve of my choice?"
Blade nodded, giving the matter no thought. "I do."
"There is only one impediment to her taking such a high office. She lacks the rank required to attain it. She may be my chief advisor, but she has no other claim to nobility, you understand?"
The assassin glanced at Chiana, who stood blank-faced. "Yes, My Queen, but I fail to see how it concerns me. You can easily grant her the rank and title she requires."
"For once, you are being obtuse, Blade, perhaps deliberately so. Yes, I could elevate her, but on what grounds? She has served me loyally, but that is no reason to grant her such a high estate. You, on the other hand, hold the highest rank in the land, both with the nobility and the clergy."
Blade raised his hands, shaking his head. "My Queen -"
"Do not interrupt," she commanded, although he had not. "You are unwed. Marriage to you would grant Chiana the status she requires."
Chiana stepped forward, looking horrified. "My Queen! I protest! Lord Conash is unwil
ling, I would not force myself upon him."
"You are not, I am."
"Surely there are other lords with sufficient rank and nobility?"
Minna made a vague, dismissive gesture. "There are, but who would wish to wed them? Most are uncouth men who inherited their titles, and who have nothing to commend them but their nobility. I would not wish such a man to raise my daughter."
Blade jumped up and went over to the window to glare out of it, gripping the ledge with white-knuckled hands. The women paused to watch him, then Chiana continued her protests.
"You cannot force Lord Conash into such a union. He has never looked kindly upon me, to make him take me as wife would be intolerable."
"I can find no other to whom I would entrust my daughter, Chiana."
Blade turned, frowning. "It is pointless arguing the matter, I cannot do it."
"Why?" Minna raised her brows.
"Assassins do not marry, My Queen, it is a tradition. How can we, when our trade is death? A wife would be the target of revenge, and would not be safe from rival assassins."
"I hardly think that will be a problem. Chiana will not be able to leave the palace once she is Regent, and I doubt anyone will wish to slay her. As to the other matter, you are no longer merely an assassin, but a lord also, with responsibilities."
Blade's scowl deepened, his dislike of the idea clearly written in his expression. "It is forbidden. If I did this, the guild would send men to burn the mark from my skin. I would be branded a traitor."
"I think the guild will bend the rules for you," the Queen replied with an air of certainty. "You are, after all, their most celebrated member. As a matter of fact, I have already discussed it with an elder of the guild, a man named Talon. He assures me that no harm will come to you."
Blade's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Chiana. "I see that you have planned well ahead, My Queen. Was it entirely your idea?"
"Yes. Chiana may protest all she wishes. She will obey me in the end. Will you, also?"
"Chiana would wed a man such as me? Knowing what I am?"
"Indeed she will, she has no choice, and neither do you, Lord Conash. To disobey the Queen is treason, and I order you to wed the chief advisor."
"I see. And yet, I suspect that the two of you are in collusion."
Minna smiled. "Do you indeed?"
"Yes."
Blade quit the window and walked over to Chiana, circling her as Talon had often done to him during his training. He knew how unnerving it was to be so thoroughly studied. "But why she would wish to enter such a union is a mystery. You both know that it can be a marriage in name only, but if it is only that which you require, then so be it."
The Queen's smile broadened, and Chiana seemed to slump.
Blade stopped beside her. "She will be a widow soon enough."
Chiana's head jerked up, her eyes widening, and Blade smiled, moving away from her.
"The Contara are less than a moon phase from the city walls, are they not?" he enquired. "The Cotti have already crossed the border, and march to Jondar. They will arrive a few days after the Contara. You have ordered all your troops back to defend this city, My Queen, yet even they must fall in the end.
"We shall see whether King Kerrion decides to join with the Contara or fight against them. Either way, the city will be conquered. Do either of you think, for one moment, that he will allow me to live? I have killed his father and his brother, humiliated him publicly and privately. I can assure you, no matter what I do, he will hunt me down."
He paused, gazing at the Queen. "You speak of someone to raise your child, but I am afraid I will not be available. Then again, what is to stop Kerrion from taking her back to the desert and raising her there as merely his daughter? A pawn to be married off to some Cotti lord when the time is ripe? Then Jashimari will be his, and there will be no more queens."
"You are wrong," Minna-Satu said. "He will respect his daughter's inheritance. He will withdraw his forces, and the Endless War will finally be over. Shamsara, Idol of the Beasts, has predicted it."
He shrugged. "Perhaps. But you and I will not live to see it."
"I shall not, that is certain, but you may be spared. In his eyes, I am the murderer. It is I who ordered his father and brother's death. You are blameless. This is the way of assassins, here and in the Cotti lands. By the time he reaches Jondar, I shall already have paid the price, and his daughter will be Queen. My army will not fight him, for he is the father of their Queen, and so, the war will end."
"You know him so well..." Blade murmured, turning away to stroll over to the windows once more. He stroked the sand cat who slept by the wall, and Shista started a deep, rumbling purr. "But why take that chance? He has already tried to kill me. Who do you think sent the assassin into the border camp? Wed Chiana to a lord who will survive your optimistic outcome, then your daughter will have a father to raise her, since her natural father cannot."
"No. It will be you."
Blade leant on the window ledge and gazed down at the garden, where the first buds burst from bare branches and delicate shoots pushed up through melting snow. After some consideration, he said, "Then there is nothing more to be said. I am singularly indifferent to the matter. Since you have already discussed it with the guild, I will accede to your wishes.
"I must point out, however, that your threat of charging me with treason if I had refused means little to a man who expects to be dead within the moon phase. You once asked me for my help, that I should stand by you in your time of need, and so I shall, as I agreed. If Chiana is willing to become such a young widow, that is her concern or yours, but certainly not mine."
Minna glanced at Chiana, who stood rigidly expressionless. "She will be content with her lot, whatever it may be. Her sacrifice will mean much to the Jashimari people. They will need a brave leader when I am gone. I hope that you can find it in your heart to be kind to her, in return for her loyalty to me and to her people, Blade."
He turned from the window, his wintry gaze coming to rest on Chiana's bowed head. "Her sacrifice is a matter of complete irrelevance to me, My Queen. People live and die by their own rules, or those that a higher authority imposes upon them. I have made no demands of her, and therefore she has no right to claim charity from me. I see no reason to treat her any differently once a piece of paper has been signed. If she is unhappy with this, then she has only you and herself to blame."
"You are a harsh man, Lord Conash, even more so than I thought," Minna murmured. "However, in the purest sense, you are right. She will make no demands upon you other than the respect that should be accorded her rank once she is your wife, and a certain degree of civility on your part would not go amiss. You will escort her to public functions and acknowledge her as your wife. You will support her from your estate and keep her in a manner befitting her rank. Other than that, no requirements will be imposed upon you."
He inclined his head, meeting Chiana's glance with a scornful stare. "As you wish, My Queen."
"Good. The ceremony has been arranged. We have no time to waste. Unfortunately, since you are a sacred Knight of the Veil, the High Priestess must perform it, and she has been summoned. You may both go and find something more suitable to wear."
Blade stormed out without bowing to the Queen, his back rigid with indignation and anger.
Chiana hesitated, facing the Queen. "He is angry."
"Of course. What did you expect?"
"I did not expect him to be quite that angry. I think he would have refused, if he did not expect to die when Kerrion comes."
Minna reclined on her cushions, clasping her belly. "Probably. A man such as he does not like to be trapped, no matter how tenderly, and such emotions are wasted upon him at the moment."
Chiana lowered her gaze to her twisting hands. "Do you think he will change?"
"Perhaps he can be persuaded to, but I somehow doubt that he will do it of his own free will."
"Do you think Kerrion will let him live?"
> Minna grimaced, making a helpless gesture. "I do not know, Chiana. Perhaps it will be up to you to persuade him. Blade will never ask for mercy."
"He has none to give, why would he expect any?"
"Precisely." The Queen nodded. "But Kerrion is cut from a different cloth. He does not harbour the hatred that Blade does."
Chiana bowed her head, then prostrated herself and left the Queen alone with her thoughts and the faint stirring of life in her belly.
As Blade entered his rooms, he flung his tunic in the direction of the clothes rack, missing it altogether. Jayon looked up from his seat by the window, putting aside a book to rise and approach the assassin, who pulled off his shirt and flung it after the tunic with equal vigour and inaccuracy. Jayon glanced at the discarded garments.
"What's wrong?"
Blade glared at him. "I'm to be married."
"You are?" Jayon stared at him, astounded. "You don't seem very pleased about it."
"I'm not! Why should I be? The Queen has ordered it. I have no choice." He growled and flung open the cupboard doors. "Why she has to pick on me, I don't know."
"But why?"
"A certain woman needs to attain a higher rank, and I'm conveniently suitable and available."
"But not willing."
Blade glowered at him, throwing several shirts onto the bed. "Obviously not."
Jayon suppressed a smile and sat on the bed next to the pile of shirts. "So who is the lucky girl?"
"I wouldn't call her lucky."
"No, I suppose not. Still, who is it?"
"Chiana."
"The chief advisor?" Jayon's brows disappeared under his fringe. "I thought you didn't like her?"
The Queen's Blade II - Sacrifice Page 5