Fire of the Soul

by Speer, Flora

  “How?” Garit demanded. “Will you tell him?”

  “Easy, Garit,” Durand cautioned, holding up a hand as if to stop any further argument.

  “Even in the days when our father was still alive,” Calia said, ignoring Durand, keeping her full attention on Garit, “even then I knew I was not Mallory’s only spy. He trusts no one, certainly not me. In this case, he’ll be right to be suspicious and to rely on his other spies. My loyalty lies not with my brother, but with Lady Elgida, who has been far kinder to me than Mallory ever was.

  “I also have a duty to Ultan who, unlike you or my brother, thought I was worthy of his trust. He trusted me enough to give me that box. If Laisren wants me to return the box and the Emerald to her father, I will do so. You cannot prevent me.”

  “You think not?” Garit snarled at her.

  “If I tell Lady Elgida what Laisren wants me to do, she will agree with me,” Calia threatened, knowing the men depended on secrecy to carry out their mission.

  “Stop this, both of you,” Durand commanded.

  “King Henryk did not issue any orders directly to me,” Calia stated firmly, glaring at Garit. “I am not obligated to do what I was not commanded to do. You, however, are obligated to see to your grandmother’s safety. I suggest you think about those two facts before you devise any more clever schemes to circumvent the wishes of the Great Mage Ultan.” With that Calia turned her attention back to Durand. She was scarcely less angry with him than with Garit, so she resorted to formality.

  “My lord Durand, I thank you for taking me into your confidence. I won’t betray your trust, though I am sorry to say I cannot agree with your conclusions. Nor will I pass the Emerald on to you. Now I must ask you to excuse me. I am going to bed.”

  After she left the two men stared in silence at the door she had quietly closed behind her. Finally, Durand poured two cups of wine and slid one across the table to Garit.

  “What are we going to do now?” Garit asked.

  “Now, we wait.” Slowly, Durand’s mouth curved into a smile. “Dyfrig has granted us three days in which to settle our plans.”

  “He told your sister to stay away from court for three days,” Garit said. “He didn’t tell us to stay away.”

  “Don’t imagine we’ll be allowed back before Ilona is,” Durand said. “Still, much can be accomplished in three days. By relieving us of the need to waste time at court, Dyfrig has given us a gift. How long does Captain Pyrsig plan to linger in the harbor?”

  “Until he hears from me. What are you thinking?” Garit asked as Durand’s smile deepened.

  “That you ought to pay your friend the captain a visit,” Durand said. “Meanwhile, I will wander about the marketplace, distracting the people set to spy upon us and accidentally meeting and speaking with a few Kantians whom I know from previous visits here. Anders is a clever lad; I think he ought to go with me.”

  Which was how, before the next day was over, they learned that Mallory had reached Kerun City, and how they heard the latest whispers about the Emerald...not to mention the rumors of a pending insurrection aimed at removing Dyfrig from the throne of Kantia.

  Chapter 19

  “I trust you paid no heed to Lady Elgida’s ridiculous claim,” Mallory said, confronting King Dyfrig his bedchamber, which was the most private room in the royal apartments.

  “Of course not. Never think I’ll give away to another what you have rightfully earned by your efforts in my behalf,” Dyfrig responded.

  “What I have earned is the title of Lord of Kinath,” Mallory said with barely leashed anger.

  “You shall have the title. All in good time, my friend.” Dyfrig gathered his robe about his thin frame and sat down in the large chair by the fire. A hasty motion of his fingers invited Mallory to take the facing chair. “Unfortunately, Lady Elgida set forth Garit’s claim to the title during a public audience, where all of my court could hear her. Most of my nobles consider the claim to be legitimate.”

  “That witch! She ought to be hanged,” Mallory grumbled.

  “Perhaps later, if she offers sufficient cause. Which she will do if I allow her to speak to me again in public. When did you reach Kerun City?” Dyfrig asked, his gaze roving over Mallory’s clean face and hands and his glittering black and silver tunic.

  “Just before midday,” Mallory admitted with no sign that he regretted his delay in reporting to the king.

  “Instead of pausing to bathe and put on your richest clothes, you should have come to me at once to warn me that Garit and his grandmother would be present at this evening’s gathering,” Dyfrig snapped. When Mallory wisely did not answer the accusation, Dyfrig added, “I have a task for you.”

  “Of course, my lord.” Mallory knew his smile was unpleasant, and he did not care. “Whatever you wish.”

  “Do not mock me. I am the anointed king, not you.”

  “A fact I never forget, my lord.” Mallory bit back the scathing accusation he wanted to make, that Dyfrig would never have become king of Kantia without his friend’s help. Mallory had used his corrupt Power to ensure that Dyfrig would be named his older brother’s successor. The same Power had hastened the deaths of King Audemer and his queen, and then had stopped an incipient revolt among the late king’s nobles.

  “I was not mocking you, my lord,” Mallory said. “I was merely stating a fact that ought to be obvious to you by now. My life, and my Power, are at your service.” So they were, Mallory thought, at least until he had drained Dyfrig of all the lands, titles, and wealth the king was able to bestow.

  “I want you to discover the true purpose behind Garit’s sudden appearance in Kantia after so many years away.”

  “That’s simple enough. He wants Kinath,” Mallory said.

  “He claims not.”

  “Do you believe him? Would you believe any nobleman who holds an honest claim to a castle and the lands and title that go with it, yet says he has no interest?”

  “My thought also,” Dyfrig said. “Nor do I believe that Garit is here to attend to the best interests of his half-brothers. Those boys are his grandmother’s cause, not Garit’s. I expect you to discover what he really wants.”

  “It will be my pleasure.” Mallory paused, watching the king, noting the signs of deep irritation and unease that Dyfrig, as always, could not quite conceal. “Is there anything else, my lord? Is the queen well?” he asked pointedly.

  “I don’t like that woman.” Dyfrig squirmed in his chair. “I find it more and more difficult to assert my rights as husband over her.”

  “If you wish, I can supply a potion that will – er – reinvigorate your interest,” Mallory offered as delicately as he could, considering his contempt for both Dyfrig and Laisren.

  “I have no difficulty with any other woman,” Dyfrig said. “Only with my wife. Sometimes I wonder if she’s using her Power against me.”

  “She wouldn’t dare,” Mallory told him with great assurance. “She understands her father’s wishes; therefore, Laisren will never do anything to spoil peaceful relations between Kantia and Chandelar.”

  “Perhaps not.” Dyfrig sighed and changed the subject. “Garit and his companions are staying with Euric.”

  “Good.” Mallory nodded his approval of the arrangement. “Your cousin Euric will see that they cause no trouble.” Without waiting for the king’s permission, he rose and headed for the door.

  “Sir Mallory!”

  He turned, smiling to himself when he noted the flush of anger on Dyfrig’s long face. The rudeness of not waiting to be dismissed had been deliberate. It was a good idea to keep the king aware of how much he owed to his friend and how powerless he was against Mallory.

  “Yes, my lord?” Mallory said softly.

  “You haven’t asked about your sister. In case your spies have not already informed you, Calia betrayed you in front of a hundred or so courtiers and assorted servants. She declared your stated intention to see your stepsons dead.”

  “There you
have it, sir. Calia and I are so close in heart that we understand each other perfectly.”

  “Were anyone to ask my opinion, I’d say she despises you.”

  “Perhaps she does. However, she cannot do anything to stop me. I have never received the slightest hint that she possesses any Power at all. And without Power, no one can stand against me. “

  The shot hit its intended mark. Dyfrig paled at the reminder that he’d be little without Mallory’s corrupt Power, and that he might well lose his throne if Mallory chose to withdraw that Power.

  “By your leave, my lord.” Mallory made a graceful little bow and left the room well satisfied with himself.

  He was only a few steps beyond the king’s chambers when a nondescript man confronted him. Mallory halted in surprised recognition.

  “Hulme, why are you here in the palace? What do you want?”

  “I came to find you, my lord. Don’t worry; I told the guards at the gate that I am carrying an urgent message for you.”

  “You had better have such a message. I’ve warned you never to come here unless it’s vitally important.” Mallory took a threatening step toward the man, who was one of the many spies he employed. Rather than exhausting himself using his Power to learn what he needed to know he let others uncover information. Only then, if an issue seemed significant enough to warrant the effort, would Mallory expend the Power he preferred to hoard.

  “I’ve heard a rumor,” Hulme revealed, not backing up, but standing almost nose to nose with his master.

  “A rumor in Kerun City, while the royal court is here? How remarkable.” Mallory waited.

  “A ship has arrived.”

  “Indeed?” Mallory’s sarcasm deepened. “A ship has arrived at a port. I am impressed.”

  “A ship from Mataram,” Hulme elaborated.

  “Did you make certain of that before coming to me?” With his interest caught at last, the sarcasm left Mallory’s voice.

  “As soon as I heard, I went to the docks to see for myself,” Hulme said. “It’s naught but a small fishing boat. But still, from Mataram.”

  “You try my patience. Who was aboard the ship? It must have carried a passenger. Matarami fishermen do not sell their catches in Kantian ports.”

  “Well, they did sell a few fish here,” Hulme said. “A distraction, I think, to conceal the true purpose of the visit.”

  “Very likely,” Mallory agreed. “What else?”

  “A passenger left the ship the moment it reached the dock. Someone not very tall, not very large, and completely covered in a dark cloak with a hood.”

  “And where did this mysterious passenger go?”

  “To a side door of the palace.”

  “To meet with the king?” Mallory frowned. Dyfrig had said nothing about any visitor. If he was concealing negotiations with the Matarami rulers—

  “To see the queen,” Hulme said, his words vanquishing any thought of how painfully Mallory would punish Dyfrig for hiding important policy matters from him.

  “Are you sure?” Mallory asked.

  “I’d never bring information to you that I’m not certain of,” Hulme said. “I’ve become good friends with one of the palace maidservants. She could hardly wait to whisper the tale of the queen’s secret visitor. But that’s all she had time to say before she was recalled to some chore.”

  “Find the maid again and use her to learn whatever else you can about the messenger’s identity and intentions,” Mallory ordered.

  “There is one peculiar thing,” Hulme said.

  “What?” Mallory demanded, not hiding his impatience.

  “I talked to two of the sailors from that Matarami ship. They said the seas were rough all around them, yet the ship sailed straight along with no tossing nor turning and with the wind always at their back. Pirate ships shadowed them on all sides, but stayed well away and did not attack. The sailors say the entire voyage from Larak to Kerun City was strange.”

  “Sailors are a superstitious lot. I want facts, not fanciful tales.”

  “I’ll learn what I can from the maid.” Hulme edged away from Mallory until he vanished in the shadows of the poorly lit corridor.

  Mallory returned to his own house so deep in thought that afterward he scarcely recalled the short walk with his guards surrounding him as usual. He vowed to be more cautious in future, for he was well aware that many of Dyfrig’s nobles disliked him enough to want him dead.

  At least he was safe in his well-defended house, except from his wife. There seemed to be no place where he was free of Fenella’s overheated expectations. On the other hand, he did crave a legal heir. As he made his way to his bedchamber, his thoughts returned to his servant.

  Hulme’s story was certainly interesting, but Mallory’s immediate concern was the real reason behind Garit’s visit to Kantia. All he needed to do was offer Dyfrig unquestionable proof that Garit and his interfering grandmother were planning to seize Kinath, whether by some legal maneuver or by force of arms, and Dyfrig would either order Garit and Lady Elgida into permanent exile from Kantia, leaving the little boys in Mallory’s hands, or else Dyfrig would have Garit and his grandmother imprisoned.

  As to the proof he needed, he knew where to get it.

  “Dear sister, you are going to be such a help to me,” Mallory said softly as he undressed and prepared to submit himself once more to Fenella’s grasping embrace.

  “It’s a magical Emerald,” Hulme said the next afternoon. “It holds Power beyond imagining.”

  “The Great Emerald of the East, stolen?” Mallory whispered in astonishment. Then, recalling to whom he was speaking, he added, “Where is it?”

  “Queen Laisren has it. The ship’s passenger took it directly to her. Oh, and the passenger is a female, who is presently residing in Laisren’s chambers, though few people know she’s there.”

  “That’s interesting.” Mallory considered the effects on him if the Power of a magical stone were linked to the Power that Laisren had inherited from her father. The queen would be invincible. If she decided that she, rather than Mallory or some other nobleman ought to rule Dyfrig, then Dyfrig would no longer need to rely on Mallory.

  On the other hand, if Mallory possessed the Emerald, he could use it to enhance his own considerable Power. Then Laisren wouldn’t be able to stand against him. Mallory could eliminate Dyfrig and make himself king of Kantia.

  “Find out where Queen Laisren keeps the stone,” Mallory ordered.

  “Oh, I know that already.” Hulme’s grin suggested he would expect to be well paid for divulging that particular detail.

  “Where?” This was worth the effort of expending just a hint of his Power to elicit the truth. Mallory allowed a slight vibration to infringe upon Hulme’s consciousness.

  “In a box,” Hulme said, whimpering a little from the stress. “A stone box that Laisren has sealed shut by magic, so no one but she can open it. She keeps the box on a table in her bedchamber because it was a gift from her father. Or so she says.”

  “That will be all for now,” Mallory said. “Learn whatever else you can about the stone and how the queen protects it, and then return to me. I will reward you, Hulme. Never fear.”

  Hulme would indeed be rewarded. Once Mallory had extracted all he possibly could from the man, Hulme would be eliminated. Mallory had learned from his father never to leave spies roaming freely to tell others what they’d revealed to him.

  “Oh, that silly Emerald. I’m so tired of hearing about it.” In her bedchamber, Fenella looked over her bare shoulder at Mallory as if to entice him.

  “I asked you what the court gossip about it is,” Mallory said, gritting his teeth in frustration. The woman only had one thing on her mind and he was bored with the daily need to satisfy her.

  “Everyone knows that Queen Laisren has the jewel, but no one is quite sure exactly where it is. She has hidden it away, you see.” Fenella sighed. “I like jewels as well as any woman, but what a fuss over one little stone. Besides,
I would much prefer a ruby to an emerald.”

  Of course she would, Mallory thought. Fenella’s unerring bad taste would lead her to choose a stone in a color that would clash with her reddish hair and with all the freckles on her nose and cheeks. He shuddered delicately, recalling the gown she had worn to their wedding, a garish red velvet trimmed in some kind of reddish-brown fur.

  “Surely,” Mallory whispered, moving closer, “surely, my dear wife, you can learn how Laisren intends to use the stone. Quietly, of course, without calling attention to your interest in it.”

  “Use it? Oh!” Fenella gasped in delight as Mallory laid a hand on her shoulder and stroked down along her arm. It was his usual starting gambit in the lurid game he played with her each night. “Oh, Mallory, I do like that.”

  “I know. Tell me about the stone,” he encouraged her.

  “I think perhaps Laisren will have it made into a necklace, or a new crown. The crown she usually wears is so plain. Oh, Mallory!”

  She uttered the choked cry when Mallory pulled her hard against him. Beneath his loose robe he was naked and he allowed her a moment of eager excitement before he pulled away, evading her clutching hands.

  “Listen to me, Fenella. I want to know exactly where the Emerald is, and what Laisren’s plans for it are. I do not want anyone else to become aware of my interest in the stone. Do you understand me?”

  “You want?” Fenella blinked as if to clear the fog of desire from her eyes and her brain. She looked more closely at him. “You want the stone?”

  “I do not,” Mallory lied. “The Emerald belongs to the queen now. But it’s said to hold certain peculiar properties. I want to know how Laisren will use those properties.”

  “Do you mean you want to protect the king against harm from the stone?”

  “It is my sworn duty to protect the king,” he said.

  “Oh, Mallory, you are so good, and so loyal. Of course, I’ll help you.” She closed the distance between them. Her grasping hands reached out. “I’ll do anything for you.”