In Legend Born (55 page)

With the thousand-year-old feud between the Society and the Guardians now in a state of truce, the Guardians were braving death at the hands of the Valdani to descend from their remote hiding places and spread the word among the
shallaheen
. As Elelar herself had seen, sometimes a message from the Otherworld convinced people in a way that no amount of rational argument could. Meanwhile, the Society was helping Josarian's men finance and feed the growing rebel movement by teaching them the fine art of abduction. The Alliance, with its many connections, was able to provide them with reliable information on the location, habits, and finances of dozens of wealthy Valdani aristocrats, unpatriotic Silerian merchants, and
toreni
.

There were problems, of course. Unlike Josarian, the Society did nothing without considering the profit involved. They wanted to keep a substantial percentage of every ransom they helped Josarian collect. The new partnership had already nearly fallen apart over this. Moreover, as the rebellion spread from Josarian's native ground and expanded into less familiar territory, they encountered more risk of betrayal and a greater need to buy silence. Elelar had tried to explain to Josarian that loyalty could be expensive. It was another fruitless conversation, and she gave up before long.

However, the summer had not been without its amusements.
Toren
Porsall had paid the ransom for his wife within a few days of her capture, yet at least twenty more days went by with still no sign of her. Sneaking into Zilar for a meeting, Tansen had wryly explained to Elelar that they'd chosen an easy target for their first abduction: the woman was lovers with Josarian's cousin and had readily agreed when Zimran asked if she would help him get a ransom payment out of her husband. Zimran took her to some assassin's comfortable home in the mountains, and the woman was enjoying her abduction with him so much that the rebels were having considerable trouble convincing her to go back home.

Now
Toren
Emmeran, one of Ronall's shiftless, aimless friends, had apparently become a patriot after seventeen days of Josarian's companionship. He had defied Outlookers during interrogation and had even recently notified Josarian about the arrival of a Valdani tribute collector at his estate.

Best of all, Josarian had dealt a crippling blow to Valdani morale in Adalian by attacking the Outlooker brothel there. Upon receiving the news two days ago, Borell had sputtered as if he might have a seizure. It had taken all of Elelar's self-control not to burst out laughing when he reported the news to her, his face red with outrage. She might dislike Josarian, but she had to admit he was a brilliant rebel leader. The brothel had been an easy target, yet its loss had thrown the Outlookers into an uproar. Moreover, Josarian was sending the enslaved women of the brothel back to the Moorlands on a ship secretly provided by the Alliance. A realistic woman, Elelar sadly wondered if anything better than disgrace and poverty awaited them at home. However, it was a gesture which would be appreciated by the Moorlanders, and that was important. For even if this improbable alliance of Sileria's disparate factions now came to pass, the island nation would need allies on the mainland.

Hence, Elelar's unexpected visit to Ambassador Shiraj today. Borell had unwittingly told her how Sileria's interests could best be served in Kinto now. Destiny had taken a hand. Now all the months she had discreetly cultivated Shiraj's acquaintance might pay off beyond her wildest dreams.

The sun was lowering over Darshon as she dismounted before Shiraj's villa. Even when uninvited, a
torena
was never kept waiting outside; a servant showed Elelar into an airy, breeze-cooled room furnished with exotic Kintish finery, then went to fetch the Ambassador. Shiraj's wife had never come to Sileria, preferring to stay at the Palace of Heaven and guard her husband's back there. His mistress, a first-level Kintish courtesan, was undoubtedly here with him, but the woman was a professional who would know better than to make a scene because Shiraj's occasional Silerian lover had just walked boldly into the house.

As expected, Shiraj appeared almost immediately to greet her. A Kintish aristocrat who had survived twenty years of scheming and plotting around the Throne of Heaven did not readily show his emotions, but Elelar didn't doubt he was very surprised to see her. Sneaking into his house in Shaljir occasionally was one thing, but leaving Borell's side to come to Shiraj's summer home was risky; it would be much harder for her to come up with an innocent explanation should news of
this
meeting ever reach Borell's ears. Of course, what Shiraj didn't yet realize was that infidelity would be the convenient excuse Elelar used to conceal her real reason for coming here today, should excuses ever become necessary.

"
Torena
," Shiraj said. "What an unexpected pleasure."

He smiled and came forward to greet her. His dark almond eyes glinted with pleasure and curiosity when she rose to kiss him. His olive skin was dark from the summer sun, glowing with good health. He hadn't covered his blue-black hair with a turban today, so she caressed it lightly with her fingers. She couldn't claim to be fond of him; she didn't know him that well. But he was intelligent, considerate, and even handsome. She supposed that if she gave it much thought, she would like him.

He returned her kiss delicately. A very different man from Borell, who usually greeted her with voracious hunger after only a few days' absence. And
very
different from Tansen, who probably wanted her as much as either man, but who had rejected her overtures before Kandahar. But then, these men had been shaped by wealth, privilege, and power, whereas Tansen had been shaped by bitter poverty, grief, shame, pride, vengeance, and courage; the same forces which had shaped Sileria. Like the land itself, his life had made him hard, fierce, and resilient in ways Shiraj and Borell could never understand, let alone emulate.

Shiraj took one of her hands in his and said tactfully, "I am honored by your visit,
torena
, but I'm afraid that I am not alone here." Meaning his Kintish mistress was here with him, as she had supposed.

"I understand." She smiled and sat back down, urging him to join her. "However, I came for another reason today."

His brows lifted with interest, for there had never been anything but sex between them before. "Oh?"

"The time has come to tell you a little more about myself than I had originally intended," she began. Without risking anyone else's safety, she told him about the Alliance and her part in it, coolly explaining the reasons for her marriage to Ronall and her liaison with Borell.

Shiraj studied her with a carefully masked expression which revealed nothing of his thoughts or reactions. It suddenly reminded her of Tansen; a very un-Silerian habit he had learned during his years in Kinto, apparently.

Shiraj finally said, "I'm flattered by your trust,
torena
, and intrigued by this information. Naturally, as the High King's Ambassador, I was aware of the existence of some underground anti-Valdani activities in Sileria, though..." He shrugged gracefully, too polite to say that the Palace of Heaven did not concern itself with the activities of a few Silerian malcontents. "Since you have been so forthright with me, I will say plainly that we have watched this growing mountain rebellion with interest." He paused. "However, my dear, if you've come here to solicit our support—"

"I haven't," she said smoothly. "I've come to offer our friendship."

Suspicion glinted subtly in his eyes. "In exchange for what?"

She smiled. "In exchange for
your
friendship."

"Is that all?"

"As proof of our friendship, I bring you information which has come to Advisor Borell directly from the Imperial Council in Valda."

He didn't bother to conceal his surprise. "Go on."

She gave him the weapon, praying that she was acting wisely.

"The Emperor and the Imperial Council have decided that the time has come for Valdania to move against the Palace of Heaven and destroy the remaining Kintish Kingdoms, incorporating them into the Empire. To this end, they are committing the entire might of their armies east of the Moorlands."

He shook his head. "They can't do that. They have territories to hold, conquered lands to secure, borders to—"

"They are doing it," she said. "The Empire's Outlookers will hold the conquered territories and patrol the Empire's borders while the imperial armies march into the Kintish Kingdoms."

"Outlookers?" he said contemptuously. "They can't even hold Sileria anymore."

"The Imperial Council doesn't know that. Borell and Commander Koroll have minimized the scope of the rebellion here in all their dispatches to Valda. The Emperor thinks the situation here is under control."

He leaned forward. "Why are you telling me all this? What do
you
gain?"

How refreshing it was to deal with a man who assumed she wanted more than just the privilege of serving him. She met his gaze squarely. "If Kinto falls, we all go down. The free Moorlands won't last another decade. The rebellion in Sileria will die with Josarian. The Palace of Heaven and all its ancient power will be used by the Valdani to subjugate the entire world." Seeing his hesitation, she added, "Borell has bragged to me about it! He and the High Commander of Sileria have talked about it right in front of me, Shiraj."

"But this is still Sileria. How can you know so much before our own spies in Valda?" he argued, but she could see that she nearly had him.

"Borell has no secrets from me, not even those that he tries to keep. He is advised of every decision in Valda which could possibly affect Sileria. Dispatches have come this summer explaining why there are delays in sending more men here to fight the mountain bandits, why Borell must increase taxes, why Koroll must be more efficient in collecting them."

"To help pay for the coming war against Kinto?" Shiraj murmured, frowning in thought.

"The Valdani believe the Kingdoms will crumble under the pressure because the High King is old and ill, and even if the Kints would accept a woman as his heir—"

"The princess is..." He cleared his throat.

"They say she's mad." Elelar studied him. "You must have known—you must have
all
known—how precarious the union of the Kingdoms is with the future of the Throne of Heaven so uncertain."

"Valdania's armies are over-extended in the Moorlands, sustaining heavy losses there. We thought we were safe as long as the Moorlands held out."

"The Valdani are a race who feed on their own hungers. There will never be enough land, enough people, enough wealth, enough wars to satisfy them," Elelar said fiercely. "They have seen your weakness and are coming to devour you."

Shiraj looked older suddenly, the weight of responsibility resting heavily on him. "War," he said pensively. "With Valdania." He sighed and admitted, as if he had forgotten her presence, "I don't think we'll survive."

She kept her voice from betraying her eagerness. "But you will fight?"

"Oh, yes. The one thing that unites the Kingdoms like nothing else is the threat of Valdani conquest. We will fight." He nodded slowly. "The one thing we have always known is that someday we would have to fight Valdania. We just..."

"What?"

He smiled sadly. "We just all hoped to die of old-age long before it finally came to pass."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Tansen had grown used to Cheylan's demon eyes as the sun-stunned days of summer passed, but he didn't think he'd ever be at ease with the man. Not because of those fire-hot eyes, though they could be unsettling, but because of Cheylan's personality. He was a man whose moods and actions were as unpredictable as they were inexplicable. His power was extraordinary, his position among the Guardians was one of trust and respect, and his courage in facing Verlon to get the bloodvow rescinded was undeniable... but Tansen didn't like him. Too many of Cheylan's comments seemed vaguely double-edged, as if he laughed at his own allies even while he assisted them. His fine-featured face seemed to express contempt or private amusement on too many occasions. There was something about him that didn't seem entirely trustworthy, despite the risks he took for the rebellion, and despite the fire and strength he pledged to their cause.

No one knew why Verlon wanted Cheylan dead, and Cheylan declined to discuss it. Since this so closely mirrored Tansen's own situation with Kiloran, he could appreciate Cheylan's desire for privacy. Nonetheless, Tansen couldn't help wondering about the past that Cheylan and Verlon shared. When Verlon had met with the rebels and rescinded the bloodvow, Tansen—though he couldn't say exactly why—had come away with a feeling that Cheylan and Verlon knew each other much better than anyone realized.

However, Tansen was reluctant to express his uneasiness to anyone else. He was well aware that old prejudices might be clouding his judgment. Cheylan was a
toren
, after all, and they were different. Elelar always had two meanings for every sentence, three plans for every situation, and five reasons for every action. Perhaps it was just bred into the
toreni
to be subtle and slippery, as well as arrogant.