The Winds of Strife (The War of the Veil Book 1)

by John Donlan

  The woman in question was standing motionless beside the boat on the edge of the dock, looking back along the smoothly flowing waters of the river. She was little more than a dark shadow at the moment as the braziers that lit the path had been extinguished on the dock to make sure they would have privacy, but Shuvani knew the woman's appearance very well indeed. Intimately, in fact.

  She descended the last few paces to the dock below, and as she set foot on the smooth stone, the woman turned to face her. She had soft, creamy coloured skin, and like all Tho'reen, her hair was as dark as a raven's wings. In the case of this woman, however, that hair was decorated with small, colourful beads, which proclaimed her instantly as one of the Chumar, the desert folk.

  The Chumar were a part of the Tho'reen Empire according to everyone but the Chumar themselves. Fiercely independent, they wandered the deserts as nomads, moving with the seasons. Most were farmers and herders, though almost all of them had at least some skill with weapons. They were trained from birth to fight, a holdover from the days long past when the Chumar fought in tribal wars for land and resources; a time long before the rise of the empire. Most Chumar considered those days to have never truly ended, even now, and as a people, they had never proclaimed themselves as subjects of the Tho'reen. In reality however, they were as much a part of the empire as the settled city folk. The still lived as they always had, but they had no land of their own, no rights beyond what other citizens had, and if the empress so wished it, she could have wiped out the Chumar with relative ease. But it was not necessary, and would have come with some small risk. As a divided people, the Chumar were little threat. If they ever came together, they might have conceivably created problems for the empress. Therefore, she allowed the nomads to continue their way of life, and in turn, the Chumar did not make trouble for the empire. It was a satisfactory arrangement for all.

  This woman, however, was Chumar in name only. She had long ago left her tribe to make her own way in the world, and had done it in a very lucrative manner. She was wealthy, perhaps even more so than many of the nobles in the royal court. She did not flaunt her wealth, however, and like the people she had left behind, she still led a mostly nomadic life, albeit one on the river, not amongst the sands of the desert. She rarely stayed in one place for long, and went wherever her services were needed.

  “You are late,” the woman said quietly as Shuvani approached. Her voice was soft and alluring, and as always, Shuvani felt her passions stirring in a way they rarely did with others.

  “I am, but it could not be helped, Armensha. I have company.”

  Armensha lifted her head and stared suspiciously towards the villa. Shuvani smiled, unconcerned. “Do not fear. She knows nothing of you or this meeting. She slumbers, and if I know my sister as well as I believe, she will not wake any time soon. I could have an army march through my lands and she would sleep through it all.” Shuvani was not entirely sure of that any more, but she saw no reason to worry Armensha further than she already would be. The woman was naturally wary, which was a prudent precaution in her line of work.

  “Your sister? The same sister who left to find a life of leisure in the city?”

  “The same, though she returns much changed, it seems.” Shuvani told the woman all her suspicions about the reason for her sister's visit. If there was a single soul in all the world that Shuvani trusted most with her secrets, it was Armensha. In part that was because of the special relationship the two shared, but it was also because Armensha's livelihood depended on her ability to keep secrets.

  “You should be wary then,” the woman said. “If what you fear is true, she could become a very large problem.”

  “I can handle my sister,” Shuvani replied smoothly. “She may have gained in confidence and wiles, but she is still new to the game, and I do not fear her. She lacks subtlety and nuance. Enough about Muvesh, though. Have you completed the task I set you? Is it done?”

  Armensha nodded quickly. “It is done. She suspected nothing, and slept like a newborn lamb. Until my knife cut her from ear to ear.” A wicked smile split the woman's delicate features.

  Shuvani felt a certain relief over the news. Armensha was an assassin for hire, and one who was very good at her job. Shuvani had used her services on more than one occasion, and she had yet to fail in any task set for her. This particular job had been risky, however, and Shuvani had worried as to its feasibility. But the target had been growing in prestige and strength for years now, and as second in line to the throne, she had needed to be removed. Hearing that the deed had been done meant that Shuvani was one step closer to her eventual destiny. There were none left in her way, other than the empress herself, and that little obstacle was well on the way to being washed aside.

  “You have done well, as always.” Shuvani reached for the coin purse at her waist, unclipped it, and tossed it to the assassin. “How did you leave the body?”

  “I left clues to suggest it was the work of a slave. The bloodied knife will be found in his cell and the door unlocked. He had been mistreated by her, and it will not be hard for most to believe him responsible. There will be no chance of the deed ever coming back to you, Jagir.”

  “Good. Very good.” Shuvani shivered in delight. Shadowed deeds always made her feel more powerful. Her entire body seemed to tingle any time one of her careful plans came to fruition. “I have another task for you, however, one I believe you alone can accomplish.”

  Armensha arched her brow curiously. It was rare for Shuvani to offer another job so quickly, and the assassin was obviously curious.

  Shuvani smiled at her. “It is not a life that needs extinguishing this time, but it does require secrecy and stealth. Will you take it?”

  “As always, I am yours to command.”

  Shuvani was pleased. “I have heard news that the empress – curse her name – sent emissaries north, to speak with the king of Losarn about peace.” She almost spat as her anger over the subterfuge rose to the surface once more. She was not sure she would ever reach a place when remembering that knife to the back would not make her blood boil. Perhaps when she sat the throne and the empress was feeding the worms, but not before then. “I have also been told that the meeting failed to take place. The delegates of her imperial majesty were slaughtered soon after they arrived in the kingdom.”

  “Then your plans remained unchanged. If anything, this will help you on your course.”

  “It will, unless the empress hides the truth of what happened on her misguided quest for peace. I need proof of what took place. I want you to go into the kingdom and find me that proof. I have been told by a trustworthy source that one of the delegation survived. A slave girl.”

  “It will not be easy,” Armensha mused. “If the Losarn did the deed, they will have obscured the truth. If they were not responsible, they will still want the act to remain secret as long as possible so that peace may continue. If someone lived through the slaughter, they may not have done so for long.”

  “No, it will not be easy, which is why I chose you for this task. The king will be wary, but there are certain to be things that he missed. This may well be one of them. Bring me the proof. When that happens, the empress will have no choice but to go to war. The people will demand it. And she will also be forced to turn to me and to my armies.”

  “And you will rise in status and power.” Armensha nodded. “I will do as you ask. If this slave girl still lives, I will track her down and bring her to you. A Tho’reen in the kingdom should not be able to hide for very long.”

  “Then you should leave soon. It is a long journey to the kingdom. You will go by sea?”

  “I will. The pass is watched always, and it will take longer by land in any case. But... I do not need to leave at once. Perhaps… perhaps you would enjoy some company? At least for one night.”

  The sound of longing in the assassin's voice was all that Shuvani needed to hear to wipe away her fears of discovery. She took a deep breath, turned to the woman, and kissed
her lightly on the lips. “I believe I would enjoy that very much indeed.”

  * * *

  After, Shuvani and Armensha lay together, naked bodies entwined and wreathed in sweat. Shuvani felt at ease, comfortable in the other's presence, and knew that her lover felt the same. The passion had been brief but sparked by a fire that was impossible to resist, and it had burned with all the ferocity of the sun. It was always the same when Armensha joined her in the bed-chambers.

  Shuvani almost wanted to remain there forever, wrapped in the warm glow, but her throat was parched. She removed the clinging arms and legs of the assassin from her body and rose from the bed. She moved lightly to the table nearby and poured herself a goblet of wine.

  Armensha rolled onto her side and watched Shuvani with lidded eyes. “Do you ever wish that you could forget your plotting and set aside your hungry need for power and just stay here... with me?”

  Shuvani swallowed the wine and smiled softly. “No,” she said simply. “The thrill of the game is what drives me in life. Without that, my passion would not exist. Were I to set all that aside, I would quickly grow to yearn for it and you would start to hate me as I looked further and further away from what I already had. Do not stare at me like that; I know that it is a selfish need, but it is who I am, and I would not change that. You should not wish me changed either. It is my hunger for power that draws you to me.”

  Armensha was silent, pondering what Shuvani had said. Presently she sat up on the bed, her dusky body shining in the dull light of the moon that shone down through the window. “And when you are empress? When you have all the power you could ever wish for? What then? What becomes of me?”

  Shuvani laughed. She moved to the window and leaned out of it, letting the cold air blow across her bare flesh. “When I am empress, all of your sins will be washed clean; your crimes will be forgotten and forgiven. You will live a life of luxury and pleasure. With me. By my side. I have promised you this, many times. Do you doubt me now?”

  “That is not what I meant,” Armensha said. “What will become of you when all your dreams of power and prestige have been satisfied, when there is nothing more to reach for and no more enemies to defeat? What of that hunger you spoke of?”

  “There is always more.” Shuvani waved her hand at the view outside of the window. “The lands beyond the ocean, and the lands beyond those. Lands untouched by the Tho'reen or the Losarn, or the Arrenissians. I will have them all!”

  “And when you have those?”

  Shuvani frowned and looked back over her shoulder. The assassin was looking back intently, no hint of mockery in her voice. “Perhaps then, when all the world is spread at my feet in submission, I will be content.”

  Armensha got up from the bed and moved behind Shuvani. Arms slid around her waist and clutched tight to her middle. Shuvani was intently aware of the soft, bared breasts pressing lightly against her back. “If you can see that in your future, why not now? Why not see that what you already have is enough for one person?”

  “Because it is not.” Shuvani drained her glass sourly. “Because I know that I was put here for more than this. I was destined for great things, and I would be doing myself a dishonour if I did not strive for that purpose and make it my own.”

  “You speak as if you know this as truth. Ah, but of course. The priestess. Have you ever thought that perhaps she has lied to you? That even now she manipulates you into doing her bidding?”

  Shuvani had considered that possibility. Perhaps Thursa wished to push Shuvani towards the throne in hopes that one day, her religion would be able to thrive once again under the rule of a true believer. It was possible, but Shuvani did not believe that. Thursa was a zealot, and she would not use a lie about her goddess to achieve her own ends. Her faith and devotion to her Goddess was sacrosanct. Thursa believed in what she said, and that, in turn, told Shuvani that she could trust the woman. Within reason.

  “Of course it has crossed my mind,” she said at last. “But I do not fear her words. She has not played me false so far, and everything she has prophesied came to pass. I will be empress.”

  Shuvani stiffened suddenly and her eyes narrowed as she stared out through the window. She could see down the sloping hill beneath the villa and along the path she had taken down to the river. The torches still flickered there, casting a dull glow over the surroundings. But it was not the path that had caught her interest, it was the dark shape moving swiftly along the edge of the path towards the villa. Away from the boat.

  “Do you have anything on your vessel that can identify you? Anything to suggest the reason for your presence here?”

  Armensha frowned and moved around Shuvani to join her fully at the window. “Of course not. You know me better than that. The boat contains nothing but clothing and a few supplies. Why?”

  “Because it seems that someone has taken an interest in it. See there?” She pointed to the dark clothed figure as it darted past the last of the torches and vanished into the shadows of the villa itself. “And I fear I know who it is.”

  “Your sister.” It was not a question. Both women knew who was responsible.

  “Muvesh,” Shuvani agreed. She knew that it would not actually be her sister down there; Muvesh was not so foolish as to take the risk herself. One of her slaves, perhaps, or someone in her employ. It did not matter precisely who she had sent, only that she was the one behind it. “You should leave as soon as you are able.”

  Armensha nodded and moved away to clothe herself. “Should I take care of this before I leave?”

  Shuvani mused the proposition over for a moment. “I will deal with my sister. But find the one who was down there and remove them. Leave the remains in a place that Muvesh will find them. Let her know that her dealings are not as well hidden as she believes. It will send her a very clear and resounding message not to interfere in my plans.”

  “As you wish.”

  Armensha was fully dressed again when Shuvani turned at last from the window. She smiled softly. “I preferred you before you covered up,” she said, her voice dripping with seductive honey. “Return here when you have finished in the north. Bring me the proof I require, and then you can be at my side when I bring my armies into the lands of the enemy.”

  Armensha did not need to respond. She leaned in and kissed Shuvani deeply and passionately for long moments. “I will return as soon as I am able,” she said as she broke away. Her eyes were once more filled with hunger.

  When she was gone, Shuvani poured herself another glass of wine and then returned to her bed. She was eager to move, to act, but the thorn in her side that was Muvesh was probing more deeply, and perhaps soon it would be time to remove it once and for all.

  Nineteen

  The city of West Reach was nestled at the bottom of a broad, fertile slope that stretched all the way down to the clear blue waters of the western sea. It gleamed like a jewel, or like a polished marble, radiating the might and splendour of the kingdom for all to see.

  Gadmar sat astride his horse at the crest of the hill and stared down intently at the sprawling heap of civilisation below. It had been years since he last saw the capital, and he had not missed it at all. From a distance it appeared magnificent and alluring, the gleaming jewel of the kingdom, but it was nothing but a thin veneer concealing a twisted and blackened heart. Within those streets corruption and wickedness thrived, all the way from the royal court to the darkest alleyways where criminals preyed on the weak. Many of the dukes and lords and barons were vipers, ready to strike whenever the opportunity arose. There were still a few good men within the capital – the king among them – but they were few and far between, and they were constantly beset by enemies lurking in the shadows. In many ways, the Tho'reen were the lesser enemy, because they were in plain view, not lurking like assassins in the night.

  He glanced to the side where his son was sitting astride his own mount. Luscard had never been to West Reach. Gadmar had made sure to keep all of his children away from t
he capital because he had feared the corrupting influence of the city on them, especially Luscard. As a boy, Luscard had always been easily influenced and that had not changed as he grew older. He saw things in stark black and white, with none of the subtleties in between. To him, the kingdom - and all that it stood for - was good, and anyone seeking to thwart the kingdom was bad. That made him an easy target for manipulation, and his obvious naivety would only embolden those who might whisper what he wanted to hear on one side and wield the dagger that would stab him in the back with the other.

  Luscard was staring down at the jewel of the kingdom with barely disguised awe and appreciation. Already the illusion of wonder had trapped him, and it would only get worse once they were inside the royal palace. His gaze would be blind to the whispers and plotting.

  “Stay close once we are inside the walls,” he said suddenly. “There are criminals within the city who would cut your throat on a whim for the chance of picking up a few coins.”

  Luscard snorted. “I do not fear common louts,” he said idly. “And besides, I hardly think they will trouble us.” He waved his hand at the soldiers spread out behind them as if to prove his point.

  Gadmar knew better, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. The crowds in the city were good at splitting groups into smaller, easily cornered prey, and the villains among them were often quick to seize upon those opportunities. He would watch Luscard closely until they were in the palace, and then he would do all he could to watch his son even more intently. In many ways, the palace would be more dangerous than the city.