Temple of the Traveler: Empress of Dreams

by Scott Rhine

  “Create a distraction,” whispered the emperor. “When we need to sneak a ship in or out of the Inner Islands, I plan to have a long talk with her. I want to bring in at least one major food shipment from Mandibos the moment we locate her.”

  “Promise me you won’t harm her.”

  “If she attacks . . .”

  “Promise!”

  Pinetto waved his hands. “He’s the emperor. You can’t just order him around.”

  Tashi found his soup and cornbread fascinating and neglected to take sides.

  She leaned over to glare at the wizard. “You’re my prophet. Be quiet. I’m the queen of a sovereign nation which, last time I checked, was not part of his empire.”

  “What nation might that be?” asked the emperor.

  “Archanos.”

  “Ah. Let us begin by acknowledging each other in those roles.”

  “Fine.”

  “Your mother has reserved the right to slay me at any time. Would you allow your hands to be tied in this way?”

  “No.”

  “I hold your mother in the highest regard and won’t seek to harm her.” Pagaose meant this sincerely but had to include a safety clause. “However, I may be forced to defend myself. If this happens, I promise to take such measures that will only destroy her temporary body and not inflict the true-death. I will also make it as quick and painless as possible.”

  “You won’t attack first?”

  “I swear.”

  She sighed. “That will have to do.”

  “Further, the islanders kill Imperials on sight,” said the emperor. “My people have a law allowing for the termination of green-eyed half-breeds. Let us make a treaty to end both practices.”

  “Admirable. However, the world is full of Imperials and very few with pale-green eyes.”

  Pagaose smiled. “I have one in my dungeon for violating the plague-lands, and one in my orphanage. I will turn them over to you at your request.”

  “That’s generous. Why?”

  “When two heads of state meet, they agree on terms. For example, I understand from Pinetto that you’ve written precepts for a new religion.”

  “Yes. The first principle is that everyone gets a second chance.”

  “Fascinating. I’d like to read the entire text. If there’s nothing counter to Imperial law, I’ll make copies and set aside land for a church; although, that building may double as an embassy. In turn, you allow other religions to practice without interference in your lands.”

  “That’s actually one of my tenets. What’s behind all this?”

  “I’m leading to a situation in which our respective states declare each other to be allies.”

  “We can work the details out later,” said the seeress. “I agree in principle.”

  “The next rational step is the treaty of mutual defense,” Pagaose said smoothly.

  “And?”

  “You could send your navy to aid us against the Pretender.”

  “Theoretically possible, but why would you need me? He’s only sending five warships. You can blow those ships out of the water more easily than Pinetto can.”

  Again, the crowd murmured at the information revealed.

  “I only want to eliminate the rebellious people on those ships. I need the ships themselves to rebuild my own navy. I’ll hold the Pretender until you return.”

  “That’s what we’re bargaining for,” the seeress said, taking a sip of the finest wine the emperor had to offer. “I’d need to be outfitted with an expedition fit to travel through the war zone.”

  “Of course. My gamekeeper is a world-class tracker and can accompany you. I’ll allow volunteers and open my prisons for you to take anyone you wish.”

  “Prisons?”

  “I currently control the courts but not the military. It is a dangerous mission, and your first precept is that everyone gets a second chance.”

  She sneered and, in an obscure, southern dialect, muttered, “Smart-ass.”

  “You disagree?” he asked pleasantly.

  “No,” she said. “But each member of the party gets his own reward. First, I want my tuning fork back now that you’re done with it.”

  The emperor turned pale, but remembered his bargain with the dragon. “My herald wears it. I’ll bring it to you this night.”

  “And for rescuing Center, I want you to incorporate some of my teachings into your regime: no torture, the opportunity for voicing public dissent without retribution, and a few others.”

  He smiled. “I agree in principle, and we’ll hammer out the details over the next few days while we form the expedition. My resources are at your disposal. I am told that your country is the land of alchemists. Perhaps some of my able wizard advisors can describe what you will encounter.”

  One after another, the wizards in the room stammered first-year, textbook answers. Finally, Lord Vapordoom ended the embarrassment with the proclamation, “There’s a whole storage level dedicated to it at the Royal Museum on Shade Side. I’m sure they can find anything they need there.”

  The emperor raised his glass. “To Archanos and its many wonderful treasures—long may we enjoy our mutually beneficial alliance.”

  While everyone took a drink of wine to celebrate, Pagaose walked up behind the chair where his friend was still eating. “Meanwhile, I can name Tashi my chief warlord and grant him a title.”

  “No. You’ve outgrown any need for my protection, friend. And I . . . have found a new person to stand beside. I may not know who I was, but I know who I’m meant to be,” Tashi said, gazing at the green-eyed woman.

  The emperor sighed, clapping him on his solid back. “I won’t force you; rather, I wish you every happiness. You and Pinetto must visit with the generals and share your observations on the Brotherhood of Executioners’ and Pretender’s tactics in battle. Meanwhile, as a visiting head of state, any time you visit me, I grant you and the lovely Sarajah the unparalleled honor of using my Pleasure Dome. No other man alive has seen the inside.”

  “Done,” said Tashi.

  “No!” yelled the seeress. “You’re letting him off too easy. Negotiate.”

  “I want a sword,” he added.

  The emperor waved magnanimously. “In exchange for all your past services, I confer knighthood, any armor you wish on this island, and bestow the Defender of the Realm to your keeping.”

  “Accepted.”

  Sarajah was curling her hands into fists, holding back curses.

  “For this quest, I name Lord Pinetto the dean of the new royal College of the Magic Arts of Power Mechanics. I have some land lying around that should go with the title.”

  “Yes. Score!” shouted the wizard.

  “Wait!” said the seeress. “Don’t you see what he’s doing?”

  “Giving us everything we’ve ever wanted,” said Pinetto. “And for past services, can I get a marriage permit for myself and Ambassador Sajika?”

  “The Babliosian?”

  The aristocrats present stared.

  “Yes.”

  “No matter. I’ll pass a decree enabling you to keep your title even though you’ve married a non-Imperial. You’re sure she’s consented?”

  “She’s pregnant with a boy, wears his ring, and finally calls him husband,” said Tashi. “King Legato has already approved.”

  “Then, as head of the Church of Osos, I declare you husband and wife.”

  “Yes!” Pinetto shouted as flames erupted from his smoking hands to catch the tablecloth on fire. From long practice, Tashi doused the flames with his water.

  “Decorum, please, Lord Pinetto,” whispered the emperor. “If you wish, you can write your bride on my stationery. My scribe is at your disposal. Know that if you decide one day for your child to become full Imperial, I will transform him after he completes seven years of civil service.”

  “I can’t serve for him?”

  Pagaose shook his head. “The rules we’ve established are quite clear. He must prove himself
an Imperial. No one can do it for him.”

  Tashi frowned. “About that . . . I have a small problem I need your help with. We need to use your Door to change me back into human form.”

  Lord Ashford, angry at so many concessions, said, “The price for transformations is set at seven years’ Imperial service—no exceptions.”

  “What?” Tashi blurted in surprise.

  Pagaose winced. “I do wish you’d asked that in private.”

  “You’re not going to change him back anyway?” asked Sarajah.

  “As a politician, I am bound by my word. However, I could tell you, a witch, how you could change him back. If . . . Lord Ashford agrees to a trade. What, sir, offended you the most tonight?”

  “Us being bound to unspecified tenets,” said the military man.

  “I can show you how to change him back in exchange for the College of Wizards having veto rights for three tenets,” suggested Pagaose.

  “One,” countered Sarajah.

  “Two it is,” said Pagaose, shaking hands on the deal.

  “Wait,” said Lord Pangborn. “You don’t have the authority to make treaties with foreign dignitaries yet.”

  “I beg to differ,” said Pagaose. “Lord Pinetto, do I have your vote for emperor?”

  “Yes, sire.”

  “As he is the ninth council member and my fifth vote, I am now legally emperor. We have a coronation to plan.”

  “You bought his vote!”

  “We’ve established that, sir. It’s accepted practice.”

  “You’ll be hearing from our lawyers!” the lord said, storming out of the dining hall.

  Pagaose scooped up the bird statue from the table. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I have a debt to settle. Follow me, Queen Sarajah.”

  He led her down the hall to Anna’s room, indicated the sleeping woman, and said, “It would be unseemly for me to touch it in its current abode. If you will be so kind as to remove the artifact yourself?”

  Sarajah slid the tuning fork lanyard off Anna’s neck and onto her own. “You could’ve eliminated Serog before now on your own.”

  “Yes. However, that would spook the Pretender. I need him to commit, to reveal his true intentions. I need him to bring me his ships.”

  “Are you feeling alright?”

  Pagaose said, “Go, you have what you came for. You’ll find that other thing in my throne room. Tell Niftkin I gave you permission. He can also escort you to the Pleasure Dome. It has the most comfortable bed in the palace.”

  “You sound upset,” said the seeress.

  “I honor my deals. Good evening, miss.”

  Sarajah said, “Meow,” and departed.

  Pagaose noticed that Lady Evershade still lurked in the shadows. He told her, “I can have guards escort you home to bed.”

  “I would rather bed here . . .,” she said, sending shivers down his back, “with my patient.”

  He resumed breathing. “Let me get you a robe from the closet, so you’ll be more comfortable.”

  As he handed a spare set of robes to her, their fingertips touched. He felt several competing longings: to build up her family, to hide her flaws from him, and to be desired as a woman. She said, “Now that we’re alone, is there anything else I can do to serve his highness tonight?”

  They maintained that fingertip contact for seven heartbeats. Eventually, he found his voice. “Yes. Madam, I need your help desperately.” He swallowed. “To plan my coronation. You are the most capable woman of rank I know. I would appreciate your assistance in making this a memorable event.”

  “That’s all you want me for?” she said, flashing her ice-blue eyes.

  “I would not be opposed to some dance lessons . . . later,” he said, tearing himself away.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t jump in the ice water tonight, because Tashi was already using the Pleasure Dome. Instead, he went back to his own bedroom and thought about the willing woman in a harem robe on the other side of that thin, wooden panel. He held the Eog to his chest and tried to drift off to sleep. But the scent of the carving brought fresh images of Lady Evershade to his dreams.

  In the dream, he crawled through the panel over his bed and into the room next door. Lady Evershade looked startled, but he explained, “The palace is rife with secret passages. I can show them to you.” He sat on the bed next to Anna.

  She smiled as she circled him. “Then I shall give you your first lesson in the Dance—night visits. You cannot touch the dancer unless she permits you. You should not cry out unless you want the house to wake and your secret visit to end. For the sake of honor, neither of you can discuss what happened in the night; you must pretend it never happened, ever. It is customary, if you are pleased, to send a subtle gift afterward.” He was fixated on her eyes, which glowed in the light of the Compass Star. “Most importantly, the woman’s virtue shall remain covered at all times. Everything else is fair game in the competition,” she whispered breathily.

  “Like w-what.”

  “Anything to entice you to choose that woman. I was Violet’s best student ever, which is how I earned a husband of the highest rank. I only required one visit for him to commit.”

  “Can you s-show me?”

  “For the sake of the realm,” she purred.

  She then showed him a dance with fans made of peacock feathers from her dress. Flashes of skin inspired him as she flitted just out of reach. Part of her wardrobe fell to the floor as she spun. For the finale, the fans slipped slowly down to reveal her in near-naked splendor. Her only covering was silk underpants tied at the sides with butterfly bows. He’d never seen a naked woman before, but hers must have been perfect the way his body responded. The gasp that he made was loud enough to wake him from slumber.

  For the first time since his arrival, he started the day completely relaxed. The bird figurine’s eyes had turned sky blue.

  Chapter 20 – Sunday Morning

  Pinetto bunked with the royal guards. The dragon scratch on his neck had been itching for days. When he finally fell asleep, he dreamt of birdsong. He followed the music down to the new lighthouse and the jagged rocks beyond. There were no lights and no patrols out this far. No one ever came to this place of destruction. Serog met him there. “Tell me everything of the palace and the emperor.”

  He did so, sparing no detail, even the royal plot to find the dragon.

  “He’s a worthy opponent,” she growled. “What do you wish more than anything?”

  “To place my hand on Sajika’s tummy bump and feel my child grow inside.”

  She had been considering using this man to kill the emperor, but she couldn’t destroy this young wizard who had committed no wrongs. “Something I could do for you?”

  “I would like to send my parents a copy of my wedding certificate and appointment as dean of my own school. I want them to be proud of me.”

  “Who wouldn’t be, child?”

  “And to know they have a grandchild,” he added.

  “Do you have each of those things on you?”

  “Yes,” he said, reaching into his cape.

  “I will perform the service in exchange for you delivering a letter for me. Fair?”

  “Yes.”

  “Take out your quill and parchment. Write down what I say, verbatim, and deliver it to the purity council.”

  He transcribed a formal set of charges against Anna of Tamarind.

  “Sign it Abbot Small Voice. After you deliver this letter without anyone seeing you, I want you to forget that you reported to me. Return to your bed and dream of being reunited with your family.”

  Pinetto awoke in his bunk on the Mallard, with no clue how he arrived there.

  ****

  The palace chamberlain woke Lady Evershade first. “Do you have any special requests, madam?”

  Her pleasant dreams left her reluctant to rise from bed. “Regarding?”

  “Breakfast and the management of the household. The Lady Anna normally handles such things whi
le his highness exercises in the garden. With so many guests, the kitchen staff doesn’t know where to begin.”

  She vaguely recalled Nightglow discussing this daily exhibition. “Prepare thick porridge topped with honey for his highness and Lady Anna. I will feed it to her myself. As for the dancers, take me to the kitchen.”

  Once there, the chamberlain told the assembled staff, “In the temporary absence of Lady Anna, his majesty’s good friend Lady Evershade shall be lady of the manor. Obey her as you would Anna.”

  When he departed, the staff bowed deeply. She found that she rather enjoyed this newfound respect. Anna might need to be kept unconscious longer than anticipated. Lady Evershade said, “I seem to recall the potatoes being popular last night. Are there any left?”

  “Yes, madam, buckets,” said the cook.

  “Prepare them as pancakes with a side of whatever meats you have left ground and disguised as sausage. Waste not, want not. Throw in a few of those leftover oranges in a basket for color. Arrange them in a sun pattern; that seems to be his majesty’s symbol.”

  “Blood oranges or traditional?”

  “Give me one of each and I’ll ask for further instructions myself.”

  “Very good ma’am,” the cook said. “Page, guide her ladyship to the garden. Hop to, you slackers!”

  ****

  When she arrived in the garden in only a harem gown, Pagaose thought he was still dreaming. The oranges she held out were like temptations. He realized his mistake when a staff smacked him in the side of the head.

  “Pardon, sire,” said the guard who’d been sparring with him.

  Lady Evershade was kneeling by his side in a heartbeat. “Are you well, highness?”

  He fixated on the fruit she clutched to her chest as he mumbled, “My fault. How can I assist the lady who has so often come to my aid?”

  She held out both fruits. “Do you favor blood orange or traditional? Size or boldness?”

  When he failed to produce an answer, the man shouted, “For your breakfast, sire?”

  “I’m winded, not deaf,” Pagaose said, rolling to his feet. “Both, if you will, lady. Each has its virtues and adherents. I would give my courtiers choices.”

  She smiled and he offered his hand to help her to her feet. He trembled inside at the touch, remembering the dream. “Whatever you will, sire.”