by Sharon Shinn
Harold drummed his fingers on his desk. “And then you have two weak countries instead of one strong one,” he replied. “We lose half our negotiating power, half our defenses. Our neighbors to the north might cross the mountains, seeking to annex us—Ferrenlea might send its navies into Banch Harbor, attempting conquest. Is the short-term solution really just a step toward long-term disaster?”
“It doesn’t have to go that way,” Marietta said. “In a generation, or maybe two, what’s left of your kingdom and whatever confederacy arises from our coalition might become powerful allies working toward common goals. We would come to each other’s aid, we would stand together against our joint enemies.”
“We should do that now,” Harold pointed out.
“But we don’t! Instead we argue and undermine and create so much dissent that any foreign power that tried to invade us would find us easy to subdue.”
“I disagree,” Harold said. “What’s more, I know nobles from Orenza and Empara—and, yes, even Alberta—who are just as set against secession as you are for it. You might solve your own internecine quarrels before you come here with demands.”
“If you know there are armies camped a few days south of Sammerly, you know enough of us are in accord to burn this city down,” she replied coldly.
Harold eyed her for a moment, and all his echoes stared at her just as fixedly, as if they were actually seeing her and weighing the truth of her words. It was more than a little unnerving. “I think Orenza and Empara hate me for more reasons than my refusal to dissolve the kingdom,” he said softly. “Do you actually speak for the leaders of all three provinces?”
I thought a slight flush came to Marietta’s face. But she lied without hesitation. “I do. But I am glad you realize peace is not possible unless you make personal reparation to both the Andolins and the Devenettas.”
“I suppose you’ve determined what those reparations would be.”
Marietta leaned forward in her chair and her echo copied the pose. “It would not take much to appease the Devenettas,” she said. “Release the queen into their custody. No one will deny that she plotted against you, and they will promise to keep her under lock and key for the rest of her life. But if you execute her for treason, no treaty ever signed will stop Empara’s march upon this city.”
Elyssa turned her head to give Marietta a thoughtful look, and I guessed we were both wondering the same thing. When exactly had Marietta come up with that plan? She hadn’t mentioned it during her conference with Bentam and Fannon.
Harold actually laughed. “I remember now,” he said. “Your mother was an Empara woman, wasn’t she? Devenetta’s sister, if I’ve got my bloodlines right. Is this whole farce of a negotiation merely an attempt to get Tabitha her freedom? I admire your nerve, if so.”
Marietta reddened even more, but her gaze didn’t waver. “I admit, I would be loath to see my kinswoman murdered, but I am fighting for many more lives than hers. I would think you, too, would value the thousands over the one.”
Harold inclined his head but did not actually agree. “And Garvin Andolin? With two children whose deaths can be laid at my door? How would you suggest I make reparations to him?”
“One of your children for two of his,” Marietta replied.
I thought Harold might explode in rage, but he merely cocked his head to one side. He had probably seen this coming even before he walked into the room. “Since Garvin’s daughter killed my son, I believe I have already lost one of my children,” he said. “I am not willing to sacrifice another.”
Marietta smiled. “I spoke metaphorically.”
Harold’s glance flicked to Elyssa and back to Marietta. “You would think to wed my son to the daughter of a noble rebel.”
“It is a time-honored way to smooth over disagreements.”
“Alberta is placated if this one marries Jordan,” Harold said, indicating Elyssa with a dismissive gesture. “But I do not see how Orenza benefits in any fashion whatsoever.”
For the first time since we had entered the room, Elyssa spoke up. “Then marry Jordan to an Orenza girl,” she said. “My father and I would support that decision.”
Marietta showed her an expression of profound irritation. “There is no Orenza girl worthy of marrying the prince, now that Marguerite is dead.”
Elyssa’s gaze was limpid. “I’m sure that can’t be true.”
“None with three echoes!”
Elyssa’s mouth twisted. “Let him marry a girl with two echoes, or one, or none! There are so many more measures of value.”
Harold made a sound like a suppressed laugh. “I actually agree with you, my lady. But since nobles from Orenza seem to die at my hands, I’m not sure you’d find any family in the province that would permit its daughter to marry my son.”
“Another reason why Elyssa is the best choice,” Marietta said smoothly.
“Elyssa is the last choice,” Harold said.
The flat rejoinder clearly caught Marietta by surprise. “Majesty?” she said.
“I have evidence that Lady Elyssa already conspired to kill my son Cormac. I have no faith she would restrain her murderous tendencies if she was married to Jordan.”
The silence in the room was so weighty that it crushed out all the air, and no one could move or breathe. I felt Elyssa’s start of rage and terror, felt her call on every ounce of her will not to bolt for the door, but she said nothing and showed no expression. Finally, Marietta managed to squeak out a couple of faint syllables. “My liege?”
Harold nodded. “Oh, it’s true. You knew, of course, that there have been two attempts on Cormac’s life, right here in the palace?” He waited until Marietta assented; he didn’t even look at Elyssa. “We never caught the first man, but we rounded up some of his associates. They told us how he was able to get inside the palace, and it’s because Elyssa unlocked a service door. I think even your cold heart would shrink at the idea of marrying your brother’s would-be killer.”
I wondered if it was just me, or if everyone else felt like the room was spinning around them. Jordan told him, I thought, still fighting to draw breath. Jordan repeated what I’d said about Marco. But did Jordan tell him how he knew? Did he tell the king about me?
“It would—if the story was true,” Marietta shot back. “Obviously, someone was trying to stoke your rage against Alberta! I can’t believe you would be so foolish as to listen to the lies of your enemies.”
“And yet, here I am, listening to you,” he retorted. He let that sink in before going on. “You are right to assume I would like to avert war. You are wrong to think I would agree to all your terms. I tell you this—if all three provinces can send me representatives that speak for the majority of the nobles, I will sit down and negotiate. I am adamantly opposed to the dissolution of the kingdom, but we can discuss compromises that give more autonomy to each of the provinces. I will not compel Jordan to marry some rebel’s daughter—but I will entertain the possibility of returning my wife to her father’s house.”
Marietta’s head jerked up at that; my guess was that she had considered that concession the least likely to be granted. “That would be generous,” she said.
“I have no wish to execute my daughter’s mother,” he said grimly. “Princess Annery has been wild with grief at the news of her mother’s imprisonment and betrayal. I would welcome a solution that spares my daughter any more pain.”
“Thank you, my liege,” Marietta said, nodding. She came to her feet, and Elyssa and all the echoes followed suit. Harold remained seated, watching her with guarded eyes. “I will take your replies to the leaders of the western provinces, and they will choose representatives to meet with you.”
“No, you won’t,” Harold said calmly. “I will send my own emissaries to issue the invitation. You will stay here as tokens of good faith—and a sort of insurance that the rebel lords will not attack my city.”
Marietta smiled thinly. “I think the rebel lords will react with anger rather than
caution if they think you are holding us against our will.”
Harold’s smile was much wider. “Perhaps you’re right. But I now have hostages from both Empara and Alberta to strengthen my hand, and I am not ready to give them up.” He stood up in a leisurely fashion and surveyed us as we all gaped at him, trying to adjust our minds to how our situation had changed. “My housekeeper is preparing rooms for you. I hope you will be very comfortable as my guests.”
Lourdes herself led us upstairs to a wing of the palace that was familiar from our stay here over the summer, though we ended up in a different hallway. A pair of soldiers followed at a discreet distance, clearly intended to reinforce the notion that we were prisoners. Marietta was shown to a chamber that, from what I was able to glimpse, looked large and well-appointed; the rest of us continued down the hall.
“All our guest rooms were full when you stayed with us a few months ago,” Lourdes said as she paused to open a door. “For someone like you, with so many echoes, that resulted in rather crowded accommodations.”
“A prisoner does not expect her jailor to care about her accommodations,” Elyssa said sweetly.
Lourdes smiled. “But now, when we have so few guests, we can give you more space.” She took a few more steps down the hall and opened a second door. “A room for you, and one for your echoes. We find that many of our visitors appreciate such an arrangement.”
Elyssa could hardly contain her delight, though she didn’t want to give Lourdes the satisfaction of seeing her pleased, so she merely offered a regal nod. “Thank you. I would not have expected such thoughtfulness from the man who is holding me against my will.”
Lourdes ignored this. “And, of course, your maid has a room in the servants’ quarters. Your luggage has already been brought upstairs.”
With a bow that was not nearly as deferential as it should have been, Lourdes turned to go. “Wait,” Elyssa said, and Lourdes turned back. “Am I confined to my room?”
“It is not my place to say,” Lourdes replied with a certain relish. “However, I assume the guards have been requested in order to make sure you do not leave the palace. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a great many tasks awaiting my attention.”
The housekeeper pivoted smartly and headed back toward the stairway. Elyssa stared after her resentfully, then huffed into her room and slammed the door.
I stood in the hallway with an echo on either side of me and tried to control my breathing.
Two rooms. Elyssa might think the gesture had been meant as a courtesy to her, but I knew the arrangement was intended for my benefit. I was more convinced than ever that Jordan had told his father about me. For the first time, I started to hope that the king might be willing to offer me asylum.
I ushered the echoes inside, closed the door, and looked around. The room was almost as large as the one we’d stayed in over the summer, with a single ornate, canopied bed and two smaller ones. Clearly it was intended for a noble and two echoes, not three echoes who were trying to avoid their original. An interior door connected this chamber to Elyssa’s, so I assumed this set of rooms was frequently given to noblewomen who were traveling with their daughters, or to married couples who liked to keep a little distance between them while still maintaining easy access.
I slowly walked around, opening dresser drawers and armoire doors, finding all of our clothes tucked neatly in place. I paused at the window, looking out at the half-deserted streets of Camarria, and tried to count how many soldiers I could spot. I lost track after a hundred. I sat on the big bed, more plush and luxurious than any I’d ever sampled, and allowed myself a couple of light bounces. The echoes sat on their own beds and bounced along with me.
I wondered what, exactly, I was supposed to do with myself. I was too bored to sit, too tense to sleep, and utterly without occupation to pass the time. I thought the chances were good that I might lose my mind. In the adjoining chamber, I could feel some of Elyssa’s own impatience, dread, and restlessness. When she got up to pace the floors, I could think of nothing better to do, so the echoes and I also came to our feet and began crisscrossing the room.
We might have been walking for a half hour when I heard a soft knock at the door. I froze, and the echoes turned statue-still on either side of me. The knock came a second time. Lourdes, returning with food? One of the other servants, bringing coal or water? Or some more welcome guest?
As quietly as possible, I flew across the room and tugged the door open. And there was Jordan.
“Hope,” he breathed.
I put a finger to my lips and pointed at the adjacent wall. He nodded and slipped inside, shutting the door soundlessly behind his last echo. Then he flung out his arms and I walked straight into his embrace. Behind me, I felt my echoes and his come together in one big cluster of affection.
With Jordan’s arms around me and my cheek against the velvet of his jacket, I was speechless with amazement. How could it be that Jordan was cradling me against his chest, whispering my name, pressing his lips to my hair? How could this be happening to me?
“When I saw you last—in Wemberton—all that chaos, all that blood, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye!” he murmured.
I managed a shaky laugh. “We never get to say goodbye,” I reminded him in a whisper. “We’re always dragged abruptly apart without a chance to make plans or explain.”
“Not this time,” he said. “You’re here, and I’m going to make sure you don’t go away. Not with Elyssa, not ever.”
I was reluctant to leave my supremely comfortable spot, but I had to know. I pulled back so I could see his face. He dropped his arms but caught hold of my hands, and that was almost as good. “You’ve told your father about me, haven’t you?”
He nodded. “Told him everything. I didn’t think he would believe me, but then he said—” He shook his head. “He said he had lately heard another impossible tale about echoes, except it turned out to be true, and he had started to think there was more to them than we had ever realized. He promised that we would find a way to keep you here even once we’ve sent Elyssa home.”
“I can’t believe it,” I said. “I never thought it could happen.”
He set his hands on my shoulders. “But we can’t separate you from her, not yet,” he said seriously. “Until we have found some way to negotiate peace—or until this damn war actually starts—we need you at her side, acting as a spy for us. The knowledge you could gain is too valuable to give up.”
“I know. I agree,” I said. “In fact, I need to tell you—”
There was a sudden thump and curse from the other room. All of us jerked our heads in that direction, our bodies coiling in readiness to run. “I think she threw something against the wall,” I whispered. “She’s so angry about being here.”
“About being my father’s prisoner?”
I shook my head. “About being here at all. It was Marietta’s idea to revisit the notion of a wedding between the two of you. Elyssa made it plain she wanted no part of it. Marietta told her that the marriage just had to last long enough for Elyssa to bear a child.”
“And then what?” Jordan demanded, his voice somewhere between amusement and horror. “She would murder me in my bed?”
“Or try to,” I replied, nodding. “Yes.”
“Thanks for the warning! Add it to the list of reasons I never want her as my bride.”
“What is your father going to do? How is he going to stop this war?”
Jordan shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know that it can be stopped. We have sent emissaries to Pandrea, Thelleron, and Banchura, requisitioning troops for the crown. We should have the numbers to defeat the upstarts, but at what cost? Is it better to allow secession after all?”
“What does your father say?”
“That he knows some of it is his fault. That he should not have executed Marguerite of Orenza. But that’s one thing that can’t be undone.”
“If you—” I started, but then my head whipped back towa
rd the connecting wall. Elyssa had paused in her vexed and aimless pacing, and I felt a certain determination come over her. A second later she was on the move, and I was swamped with terror.
“She’s coming!” I hissed, shoving Jordan toward the outer door. “Go! Before she sees you!”
He and his echoes practically tripped over each other as they dashed into the hall. I couldn’t breathe, I was so desperate to shut the door behind them before the door between rooms flew open.
But I had misunderstood Elyssa’s intent. She wasn’t entering our room; she was stepping into the hall. Her door swung open just as mine clicked shut. I could feel her wary surprise at the sight of Jordan and his echoes clustered right outside.
“What are you doing here?” she asked sharply. You didn’t have to be her echo to read the turmoil and suspicion in her tone.
Jordan spoke so smoothly you wouldn’t have known he was even slightly disconcerted. “Oh, that’s your door,” he said. “I must have been knocking at an empty room. No wonder no one answered.”
“That’s where my echoes have been put,” she said. “What do you want with me?”
“I just wanted to ask you if it’s true.”
“Is what true?”
“That you conspired with rebels to murder my brother last summer.” Jordan allowed disbelief and pain to color his voice. He was a much better actor than I would have expected.
Elyssa’s laugh was short and bitter. “Of course it’s not true! I know my father’s enemies will say anything to discredit him, but how anyone could come up with a lie like that— But I suppose you hate me so much you’re willing to believe the worst things anyone says about me.”
“It’s not that I hate you,” he said. “It’s that I love my brother. I would do anything to protect him.”
“Then turn your attention to the people who truly mean him harm.”
“We are looking for them,” Jordan said. “I’m glad to hear you’re not one of them.”
“Your father doesn’t believe me.”
“My father has been betrayed by two of the people who were closest to him. I’m not sure he’ll ever believe anyone again.”