by Mark Robson
‘Ambassador?’ the guard asked again, much louder this time, as if to prove the spy’s point. ‘Ambassador, you’re not going to believe what happened yesterday.’
Ennas knew he could no longer remain silent, so he gave a little moan as if he were stirring. It was enough.
‘Hey, Ambassador, it was amazing! Would you believe that thieves managed to penetrate the Palace defences . . .’
Not difficult, thought Ennas smugly.
‘. . . and they managed to raid the Royal Treasury. What do you think of that?’ The guard paused for a moment for a response, but when he did not get one, he carried on undeterred. ‘Not only did they manage to get past the guards and the locks on the outer door, but somehow they knew about the secret inner door as well. The sergeant believes it was an inside job, and both the captains and the NCOs have been grilling everyone with an outside chance of being involved. They even interviewed me! Can you believe it? I’ve never stolen anything in my life, but they quizzed me for a whole hour. Of course I haven’t told a soul – except you, of course. Telling them about our chats would hardly have been relevant to the investigation. Besides it would have landed you with a harsher regime, which wouldn’t be fair.’
Ennas grinned silently. Oh you naughty girl, Femke! he thought, his lips twisting up into a smile. Why would you want to raid the Treasury, I wonder? I wish we’d taken time to talk before Danar and Reynik whisked you away. It would be a lot easier if I knew what harebrained schemes you’d cooked up during your confinement.
The big question was whether he should use Femke’s relationship with the guard to effect an escape, which Ennas deemed possible but risky, or whether he should stay quiet to conceal Femke’s disappearance for as long as possible. It was a close decision, but he elected to remain quiet. There was no knowing what Femke, Danar and Reynik would be up to, but anonymity always helped a spy’s work. If everyone knew categorically that Femke was being held in the Royal Dungeon then, as the young guard had done, everyone would assume she was not involved in outside events. It was the perfect alibi, so Ennas decided to maintain the fiction.
‘Are you asleep, or aren’t you?’
‘Mmm,’ Ennas breathed in his best approximation of Femke’s pitch.
There was silence for a moment and Ennas held his breath whilst he waited to see if the guard had seen through his impersonation.
‘Well, if you can’t be bothered to answer me, then I won’t bother you with any more news,’ the young guard said, his voice sounding sulky. ‘If you’re not well then speak up. The Royal Medics will surely attend you if you’re ill. With the Shandese Emperor on his way to Mantor, I doubt the King will want you to die in his cells before you’ve had the chance of a trial. If you want them, say the word and I’ll ring for someone to come down and give you medical treatment.’
Ennas held his tongue. He was desperate to ask when Surabar was expected to arrive, but he had to hope that the guard would tell him of his own volition. Unfortunately, this was not to be. The young guard had obviously had enough. The shutter to the small window slid shut with a decisive thud. Ennas had learned a lot. He could try to make guesses about what the others were up to. What they appeared to be doing did not make any sense, but he was pleased to gain some information about the outside world.
Hurry up and get things sorted out, Ennas prayed. Shand allow the guards remain fooled for long enough. I don’t think you have long, Femke.
Danar felt queasy as they rode through the gates of Mantor and up towards the Palace. Some of the churning in his stomach was due to the after-effects of inhaling the noxious gas the previous day. However, Danar was enough of a realist to accept that much of it was due to nerves.
What if the King or someone else in the Palace recognised Femke as the Ambassador, or indeed either of them as those who had raided the Royal Treasury the night before? Had the Thrandorians discovered that the person in the Royal Dungeons was not the Ambassador? Had Shalidar realised what they were up to? If so, what nasty surprises did he have prepared for them? Danar could think of many unpleasant things that could be waiting for them at the Palace.
True, they were both in different guises from their previous personas, and Danar had to admit they looked different. He was constantly amazed at how simple little changes to a few basic areas could radically change their appearances. This revelation made him wonder if he would spot some of the spies at work in the Imperial Palace in Shandrim when he got home. He silently resolved to become more alert for such things on his return to Shandar.
Femke looked very different, she had not done much to change her physical appearance. She had applied a dye to her hair, already cut in a short, manly style, together with a gel-like substance to slick it back. In conjunction with the bandaging that flattened her chest to that of a young man’s, Femke’s semblance had altered significantly. Some different clothes, darkened eyebrows, a pigment applied to her skin to darken her complexion, and Femke was no longer recognisable as the person whom Danar had first met as the beautiful and haughty Lady Alyssa.
What am I doing here? he asked himself silently. I know so little about this woman, yet I’m captivated by her and willing to risk my life to win her approval. He looked across at Femke in her new guise as his young manservant and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. At the moment, Femke appears more like a young man than a beautiful woman, yet still I’m drawn to her. What would Sharyll and the others say to that? How they would laugh! Sharyll would think I’d totally lost my mind, Danar thought morosely. Privately he was beginning to wonder if he had.
Danar had always had a reputation for being particular about the looks and physical attributes of his female friends. Only the most beautiful were considered, and Danar had cut a wide swathe through the fairer sex of the Shandese Court, breaking many a fair Lady’s heart with his ‘love them and leave them’ attitude, but it had not stopped them from falling for him. Therefore, the fact that a young woman was now toying with his affections instead of swooning at his feet was intensely irritating.
The Emperor was only three or four days away from Mantor. Despite having gone along with Femke’s plans, Danar could not shake the feeling that the Emperor would not approve of his spy’s method for gathering evidence against Shalidar. Somehow, Danar doubted that raiding the Thrandorian Royal Treasury to create a sting with which to trap the assassin would feature highly in Emperor Surabar’s list of proud moments from the Shandese history of international relations. However, he could not help himself. Danar was too deeply involved to back out now. He had allowed himself to become the lure to draw Shalidar out from his cover, and had become entangled in the complex web of deceit Femke was spinning – despite knowing he would be placed in a position of extreme danger.
The thought of having Shalidar planning to kill him sent a chill down Danar’s spine, but this was instantly offset by memories of Femke’s sympathetic ministrations the previous evening. Having Femke mop his brow with a cool cloth had made the debilitating nausea and the risk of a knife worthwhile. It had given him the chance to look deeply into her eyes and bring every ounce of his charm to bear. Even in his sick state, Danar knew the power he had over women. Happily, Femke’s attitude to him had softened considerably during the evening.
Femke chose that moment to look across at him. She gave him a warm smile that caused his heart to leap. Suddenly all feelings of nausea were banished to the back of his mind. The danger from Shalidar, or from being recognised as a participant in the Treasury heist, receded.
‘How’s your stomach?’ Femke asked quietly as they made their way up towards the Palace.
‘Much better, thanks, but still a bit sensitive,’ Danar replied truthfully. ‘When do you think Reynik will arrange the next phase? Will he be all right? What if Shalidar recognises him?’
‘He’ll be fine. Money talks. Shalidar will probably think he made a mistake in ordering his men to attack Reynik. After all, it’s not unreasonable for a person who is plotting murder to tak
e precautions. Reynik could easily have been assessing Shalidar prior to proposing the contract. I expect him to make contact later this afternoon,’ Femke replied, automatically looking around to make sure nobody was in earshot before she answered. ‘We didn’t set a fixed time, but I expect him to allow word of our arrival to spread before he starts the ball rolling. The contract should be placed by this evening. Reynik is aware of the time constraints; he knows we have to resolve this swiftly. The good thing is that Shalidar will be forced to act quickly. Reynik will use the Emperor’s arrival as the timescale for the contract. Shalidar is very proficient, but with such a short timescale to work with he won’t have time to organise anything elaborate. He’ll try for the simple hit and we’ll be ready for him. We must nail him first time. I’d like to lose my fugitive status before Surabar arrives.’
‘That’s understandable. Surabar gives me the impression he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Rightly or not, I doubt the Emperor will be impressed with either of us unless we can demonstrate a breakthrough in our relationships with the Thrandorian King before he arrives.’
‘Right! Are you happy with what to say to the King when we get there?’
‘Yes, I’m sure,’ Danar replied with a grin. ‘You worry too much. I know my lines. Don’t fret, I won’t let you down.’
‘I’m sure you don’t intend to, but I want to be sure you remember, that’s all. I haven’t survived all these years as a spy without being meticulous in my preparation for role-play.’
Danar smiled at her phrasing. ‘“All these years?” You can’t be more than twenty years old!’ he said with a laugh. ‘You make yourself sound like a grandmother lecturing her little grandson on how to be a good boy.’
‘With you, that’s not far off how I feel sometimes,’ Femke replied with an exaggerated huff of mock irritation. ‘Come along now, Danar, do as you’re told and eat up your greens,’ she added, in a convincing old woman’s high-pitched, querulous voice. Danar looked around in surprise.
Femke laughed at his expression and raised an eyebrow at him. ‘It’s not all in how you dress, you know. You have to fit your voice into the role as well. Come on, let’s get up the hill and treat the King to your impression of a Shandese Lord. It should be interesting to see how you cope with trying to fit yourself into the role.’
‘Why you cheeky . . . ! If you’re not careful, I’ll start my stay at the Palace by seeing to it that my servant boy is given a good flogging before he’s given any quarters. It would be a fitting punishment for impertinence. In fact I think I’ll ask for the rod so that I can administer it myself. Oh, and water rations for the duration of the stay.’
‘You wouldn’t dare,’ Femke said with a confident grin, but as she looked at his face her smile faded, for he looked deadly serious.
‘Try me,’ Danar said firmly, his face hard and his tone self-righteous. ‘Members of the Nobility don’t allow commoners to ridicule and undermine their birthrights. Culprits always face appropriate punishments. It would be fitting that I give you a good thrashing in order to help you remember your place. More so as you’ve misrepresented yourself as one of the Nobility on many occasions. In fact I think the beating should be particularly severe to reflect your complete disregard for the status of the people you repeatedly mock.’
Femke was suddenly less sure of herself as she tried to decide if Danar was messing around, or if he was genuinely considering giving her a flogging.
‘You see, I can play the part as well as the next spoilt Lordling,’ he said, his face suddenly resuming its normal, mischievous smile.
‘Point taken,’ Femke said with a rueful grin. ‘I accept this is one role you know well. Don’t get carried away though. Try to remember there’s a point to your role. This is not about having fun. There’s a lot of danger in this situation. We need to pin Shalidar to the wall – fast. If we don’t, then we’ll not only have King Malo breathing down our necks, but Emperor Surabar as well. That is, of course, assuming Shalidar doesn’t nail us first.’
‘My, aren’t we the optimist today?’ Danar replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘It’s your plan, remember? I’m counting on you to keep me alive, so don’t let me down, OK?’
‘I’ll do my best, your Lordship,’ Femke said, tugging at her fringe and bowing her head slightly in a mocking gesture.
‘Careful, Femke, or I might reconsider that flogging!’
They both chuckled quietly for a few moments. Then someone rounded a corner a short distance ahead from a side street and turned up the hill to follow the same road towards the Palace. All laughter was instantly banished and the ride up to the Royal Palace was continued in silence.
When they reached the Palace gates Danar announced himself both a Lord of the Shandese Court and Ambassador to the Emperor of Shandar, and requested an audience with the King of Thrandor. A hurried exchange of whispered conversation between the two guards followed, then one went running off at double time to fetch the Captain. An escort was arranged to accompany them to the Palace. This time, however, there was triple the ratio of guards to visitors that there had been when Femke had arrived with her original party. With all the recent excitement, the Royal Guards were taking no chances.
Again the Palace staff offered the visitors a chance to freshen up before meeting with the King, but unlike Femke’s first official visit as Ambassador, Danar declined the offer.
‘I was charged by the Emperor to meet King Malo with all possible speed, and that is what I intend to do,’ he intoned pompously. ‘Please advise his Majesty that I request an audience with him at his earliest convenience to discuss the recent tragic and unfortunate events that have occurred here in Mantor. I place myself at his immediate disposal, and am happy to forego refreshments in order to fulfil my duties.’
Krider had bowed deeply at Danar’s little speech and bustled off to inform the King at once of the visitors and their intentions. When he returned, Krider looked embarrassed as he asked if Lord Danar and his servant would mind being subjected to a weapons search before entering the presence of the King.
‘Not at all, not at all,’ Danar assured him graciously, raising his arms above his head and turning to the nearest Royal Guard to allow him to begin checking him for weapons. ‘Search away. We handed our weapons over at the main Palace gates, so we have nothing to hide. My servant will not be coming with me to see the King. If possible, I’d like him taken to my quarters to unpack my things, and to arrange for my bath to be ready for me when I complete my conference with the King. Would that be all right? If you need to search him, then go ahead. It makes no difference to me.’
‘No, no!’ Krider replied instantly. ‘The order was to search any going into the King’s presence. If your servant is going to your quarters, then I need not doubt your word, my Lord. Thank you for your cooperation. This is all most unfortunate and terribly embarrassing, but . . . well I’m sure you understand the reasons.’
‘Absolutely. Think nothing of it,’ Danar purred, oozing with the charm he normally reserved for the ladies. ‘After the occurrences of the last month, it is gratifying that the King will see me at all.’
Don’t overdo it, Danar, Femke willed him silently. You’ve got Krider where you want him. Don’t lose it by getting carried away.
But to Femke’s surprise, Danar’s charm won Krider around as effectively as it had so many female members of the Shandese Court. The old fellow could not do enough for Danar. He apologised with every other breath for any conceivably perceived insult taken from the actions of either the Royal Guards or the house staff during the arrival process.
Before she knew it, Femke was being led away through the Palace towards the West Wing, having avoided being searched – much to her relief. It was not that Femke feared the guards finding weapons on her, for she wasn’t carrying any. She was worried they would feel the ridges of the bandages around her chest and start to question her about them. If they discovered she was not the young man she appeared to be, then it would not tak
e them long to deduce her real identity.
To Femke’s amusement, the Royal staff led her to the room next to the one she had occupied a few weeks before. The door to her old room had several wax seals along the line where the door met the door-frame to prevent anyone entering without alerting the guards that the room had been tampered with. Femke had ways of circumventing wax seals, but she had no intention of using those skills. The key to this whole affair was revealing Shalidar’s true identity to the King. If they failed to do this, then it would be all but impossible to prove her innocence.
Once inside Danar’s room, Femke took his saddlebags through to the bedroom and proceeded to unpack his clothing. Femke smiled at the things that he had packed, for they were so typical of the Shandese Lord. Beautiful silk shirts with ruffed fronts, fancy collars and ruffed sleeves had clearly been cut to show off his narrow waist and broad chest. Also, there were jackets that would accentuate his shoulders and trews that looked like they should cut him in half. Just looking through them made Femke giggle. She found it hard to believe anyone would travel great distances with no sign of anything practical in their packs. However, these were Lord Danar’s packs, and she could imagine Ennas being forced to lend him practical clothes during the journey to avoid being laughed off the road.
When Femke had finished unpacking the clothing into the cupboards she returned the saddlebags to the doorway, where she called for one of the Royal servants to help her. There were two house staff members in the corridor outside the room. The man and woman were poised, waiting for such a call.