Cross Purposes (Chronicles of Ylandre, Book 5) (15 page)

“Does this mean what I hope it means?” Keosqe asked, holding a heartsfire between his thumb and forefinger.

“Um, it was Master Leyhar who suggested it,” Tristen softly replied.

Keosqe’s eyes lit up and his smile widened further in obvious delight. “I must commend Riodan next time we meet. My thanks, Tris. I highly doubt anything I receive tomorrow will come close to this.” He replaced the gem carefully in the tissue with the wristlet. “I shall have the heartsfire reaffixed first thing in the morning.”

“First thing?” Tristen shook his head. “You needn’t do that at once.”

“Oh, but I must if I wish to start wearing your gift tomorrow.”

Tristen flushed, from perturbation or pleasure, he was not sure. Perhaps both.

“Come with me to the jeweller’s shop,” Keosqe added. “I’d like you to put this on my wrist.”

“Me?” Tristen squeaked. How very lover-like that would look, he thought with some alarm. But perhaps Keosqe would agree to wait until they were out of sight of other people. “Very well,” he agreed. “I suppose I can’t turn down a begetting day request.”

“Indeed not,” Keosqe said, his eyes beginning to twinkle in a familiar manner. “Therefore, you won’t deny my request that you spend this night with me.”

Tristen gaped. “In your room?” he gasped out before realizing how silly that sounded. “Well, of course your room,” he stutteringly amended. “But-but the whole night?”

Keosqe’s grinned. “How else can we greet tomorrow together? And what better way to celebrate its advent than with your delectable body joined with mine?”

“
Dyhar!
” Tristen darted a glance at the door to ascertain no servants were within earshot of their conversation. He treated Keosqe to a reproving stare. “Must you say that out loud? What will your staff think?”

“What do I care what they think?” Keosqe said with a shrug. “And they already know all about us, so they’d be hardly shocked by anything I might say if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Tristen rolled his eyes. If there was one trait the Essendris all seemed to share, it was a surprisingly earthy nonchalance with regards to physical intimacy and salacious language. Keosqe’s cousins were comfortable talking about sexual matters and had no qualms relating details of their encounters or escapades as the case may be. In fact, they enjoyed lewd banter, even the Ardan, and were capable of out-cussing the rudest of the uncouth knaves who frequented the seamy south district.

“And will I be able to sit down tomorrow?” he tartly asked.

Keosqe smirked. “If you use a soft cushion, I think so.”

“Thank you for the assurance,” Tristen muttered. He determinedly picked up his soupspoon. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have dinner now.”

“But of course. You have to keep up your strength. I do so appreciate an energetic partner after all.”

Tristen paused in mid-sip and glowered. “Would you please dispense with the insinuations until after we eat?”

Keosqe chuckled again. “As you wish,
ariad
.”

His use of the endearment brought warmth flooding back into Tristen’s face and triggered a funny fluttering in his belly. He was still unused to being addressed thusly. Not to mention uncertain if he was indeed Keosqe’s beloved so soon after the latter’s renunciation of affection for his first love.

Chapter 9

Incertitude

Keosqe nodded to his companions as he took his seat at the conference table beside Jareth Hadrana, Ylandre’s renowned ambassador at large. Across from them sat Gilmael Calanthe, whose intelligence network was reputedly the most extensive in the North Continent. The royal Chief Counsellor, their uncle Yovan Seydon, sat at the foot of the table. A few minutes of casual conversation later, Rohyr Essendri entered the chamber and took his place at the head of the table.

Of late, Rohyr had been calling for more of these meetings due to mounting tension in the northern Autonomous Province of Tenerith. The cycle of violence and upheaval was coming around again as separatists in the province agitated for reunification with the neighboring fief of Vireshe and the reestablishment of the defunct kingdom of Varadan from which the territories had been carved.

It mattered not to these self-styled nationalists that twelve centuries had passed since Varadan’s defeat and obliteration following the ruling Ferrendas’ invasion of Ylandre and their attempt to wrest the black
nahra
throne away from the Essendris. Nor did they care that the greater number of Tenerithians were royalists who preferred the more enlightened governance of House Essendri than the Ferrendas’ brutal rule of yore.

Their misguided zeal and regionalist tendencies stoked by Ferrenda pretenders, the rebels periodically poured forth from their mountain warrens and border strongholds in repeated attempts to drive the royal forces from the province and declare Varadan resurrected from the ashes of conquest. Their attempts were quixotic at best, but costly nonetheless in terms of lives and the destruction of property.

Every Ardan since the annexation of Varadan had perforce dealt with uprisings in western Tenerith, the frequency of such campaigns depending on the ability of the rebels to recover from each defeat and increase their numbers once more. Some generations were quick to recover; others not so much. Unfortunately, the present rebel populace had proved prolific enough to warrant constant monitoring and regular culling.

“Alas that their fecundity far outpaces their common sense,” Rohyr was wont to say when faced with the necessity for yet another campaign in the north.

Keosqe started the meeting with reports of what his people had thus far learned of the situation in the north.

“The rebels are moving earlier than we expected,” he said. “They are entering border towns and inciting folk to take up arms and join them.”

Yovan frowned. “Are people responding to them? Winter is no time to leave hearth and home for the wilds of Tenerith. And provisioning a great host during this season and for several months after is costly. Is Jubal Ferrenda so moneyed he thinks nothing of spending his fortune thusly?”

“The response is indeed on the slow side but I think they’re trying to amass the needed numbers over a period of time rather than the hurried recruitments of the past. My people also report they have already started training the new soldiers instead of waiting for spring. Perhaps they’re hoping better trained soldiers who’ve had a chance to work together for a longer length of time will give them an edge come the start of confrontations with our army. As for the cost of keeping an army through winter, well, the Ferrendas have never shied from funding any and all efforts that might win them back Varadan. Jubal is no exception.”

“Your agents have done well,” Rohyr said. “What about theirs? Have you located their spies in Rikara?”

Keosqe nodded. “We’ve apprehended two of our suspects. They admitted to arriving here about six months ago. However, they refused to reveal the whereabouts of their remaining colleague. Or rather they insist they don’t know where he’s concealed himself. They claim he’s a free lance and not one of Jubal’s stable of spies.”

“A mercenary?” Gilmael grimaced. “I wonder how much they’re paid that they’re willing to put themselves at such risk for an unpopular cause.”

“For an unpopular cause, the secessionist movement in Tenerith has managed to endure through, what now, a millennium of Essendri reigns?” Jareth pointed out.

“Misguided fervor rather than any majority of numbers is what fuels their continued rebellion,” Yovan said. “The rebels’ zeal waxes and wanes according to the capabilities of the current Varadani pretender. But you’re correct that it’s been a thorn in the Crown’s side for much too long.”

Jareth nodded. “Hopefully, it will finally come to an end in Rohyr’s reign.” He looked at Rohyr. “I have great faith in your ability to deal with Jubal and his minions.”

Rohyr’s smile was grim. “I hope your faith isn’t misplaced. And even were that to happen, it will not be swift in coming. For all his bombast, Jubal is cunning and knows how to draw people to him and use them well. He’s certainly shrewd enough to hire folk who possess what he doesn’t and he isn’t so puffed up that he won’t take their advice if he deems it sound. Dylen and Riodan’s latest report bears this out.” He gestured to Gilmael to speak.

Keosqe leaned forward with interest. Rohyr’s half-brother and Jareth’s fellow envoy were currently on a diplomatic cum investigative mission in the South Vihandran nation of Asmara. The recent marriage of Jubal Ferrenda’s heir Malkon to Prince Sivar, son of the Shaja Amir Halvan of Asmara, was not a matter that could be ignored, particularly when it affected relations between Ylandre and the influential southern kingdom.

“They unearthed an attempt on the life of Amir’s nephew Prince Laral last year and managed to establish a pattern regarding the deaths of two members of the royal family prior to the attempt on Laral,” Gilmael said. “Each was in the direct line of succession to the throne after him. With them out of the way, thanks to the Halvans’ rather convoluted line of succession, Laral’s heir is now Amir’s own son Sivar.”

He smiled grimly when the others stared at him nonplussed. “Dylen theorizes Jubal negotiated the marriage between Malkon and Sivar on the mistaken premise that Sivar is Amir’s heir. As royal consort, Malkon would have great influence in Asmara even to the severing of the kingdom’s ties with countries deemed enemies of the Ferrendas.”

“Of which Ylandre is foremost,” Keosqe said. “So Jubal wed his son to the wrong prince? But how could they have forgotten South Vihandra’s rejection of primogeniture? This isn’t the first time they’ve married into one of the southern clans.”

“The last time a Ferrenda married into a South Vihandran
royal
family was around the period of the Interregnum,” Yovan reminded him. “More than enough time has passed for that particular peculiarity of the south’s laws of succession to be no longer remembered. If not for Rohyr’s marriage to Tyrde, it would not have come to light in Ylandre either.”

“True.” Keosqe looked at Gilmael. “What about the Terazian royal family? What are the chances that the Hamarans are involved in the goings-on down south?”

The principality of Teraz lay to the north of Ylandre and had been Varadan’s staunchest ally when that kingdom still existed. To this day, the Terazian rulers maintained their ties to the Ferrendas, bound as they were by the many marriages between the two families.

“The latest reports indicate they remain closely allied with Jubal, or at least the current royal consort does—Prince Xeren happens to be Jubal’s half-brother.” Gilmael paused as Keosqe and Yovan both rolled their eyes in annoyance. “Furthermore, Anri Hamara is ailing and his heir Kilion is still four years short of his majority. Were Anri to die now, Xeren would likely be appointed regent.”

“Four years is more than enough time to plant his supporters in positions of influence and power,” Jareth commented. “Not to mention poison his son’s mind against us beyond repair.”

“Beyond repair?” Rohyr looked at him wonderingly. “What are you suggesting? That there’s still a chance of changing Kilion’s perception of Ylandre as an enemy?”

“Indeed, yes. One of my sources says Anri hasn’t been as implacably hostile toward us as his predecessors. If Kilion is as close to his sire as he’s purported to be, it’s just possible he doesn’t regard Ylandre with as much animosity as Xeren does.”

“That assessment relies on hearsay and personal perception more than I’m comfortable with. Can we trust your source’s judgment in this?”

“I think we can. He’s a career diplomat.”

Rohyr nodded, appreciating the distinction Jareth made regarding the reliability of Deira whose longevity in the world of international relations depended not so much on their connections to the powers of their nations, but more on their ability to project that neutral attitude peculiar to the diplomatic corps that bespoke their preference to broker alliances or amicable relations between their countries and other lands. To be seen to engage in politicking could taint a carefully cultivated image of professionalism and damage a diplomat’s trustworthiness and integrity. Few could manage it and get away unscathed.

Fortunately for Ylandre, Jareth was one of those rare few whose reputation for fair and astute dealing was so well entrenched in diplomatic circles, he could dabble in espionage now and again without being suspected of doing so.

“If that is the case, it would benefit us if we could nudge Kilion toward a more conciliatory stance with regards to Ylandre. Think yourself up to the challenge, Uncle?”

Yovan smiled, his eyes sparkling in anticipation. “With a little help from Jath and his sources, I think so.”

Rohyr leaned back, his expression thoughtful. “In the meantime, I want more information on just how much influence Xeren presently wields in Teraz. And how serious is Anri’s illness? Is it debilitating enough to render him bedridden? Has he already delegated some or all of his authority to Xeren? Indeed, who rules the Terazian court now? Get me those answers soonest, Gil. Kes? You must find that last spy. We can’t allow the Ferrendas to get so much as a whiff of our plans. That would give them an advantage we can’t afford if we want to end this conflict soonest.”

“Gil and I have tightened the cordon around Tenerith,” Keosqe said. “Any and all communications, as well as travelers to and from the province are now checked by our people. We’ve started to do the same here.”

“That was how Kes captured those two agents,” Gilmael added. “One attempted to send his information through the post while the other was caught when he tried to hire a coach to take him to Tenerith. All vehicles are now stopped and searched if they take any of the northbound routes.”

“Have you made provisions for travellers who might try to take a roundabout route to Tenerith?” Rohyr asked. “And what if they have adepts who are gifted in mind speech or able to travel by translocation?”

“We’ve set up checkpoints on all roads to Tenerith including byways and isolated paths and even the coast,” Keosqe said. “Anyone who attempts to enter the province from any direction by land or sea will be subjected to questioning and thoroughly searched. I’ve already given orders to detain people even on mere suspicion. As for adepts…” He shook his head. “If Jubal does have them at his disposal, it will be nigh impossible to intercept their communications or anticipate where they might open portals. But it’s reasonable to believe he doesn’t. Else the Ferrendas would have gained all the information they need long ago without our being the wiser.”