Sacrifice: The Queen's Blade (25 page)

"You do not want to die, do you, Blade?"

The assassin rolled onto his back, staring at the vaulted marble ceiling. He refused to look at the Cotti King's triumphant face as he struggled to breathe, his chest tight. "Your victory is empty. You did not defeat me. You win only because I chose to die, not because you killed me."

"You did not have to do this, you know." Kerrion frowned at the assassin, surprised to find himself disliking the situation.

"Rather death than torture."

The golden bell tolled, and the faint chanting of the crowd came through the walls. In her prison, Shista moaned, a sound filled with pain and sorrow as she paced the floor with a padding of paws. Kerrion leant closer.

"I came for the Queen."

"She is dead." The assassin sighed, closing his eyes. "As am I."

Kerrion gripped the front of Blade's jacket and lifted him up, shaking him. "Not yet. I have to tell you this first."

Blade's eyes opened in a brief, frosty glance. "Whatever it is, it makes no difference to me now. I never really cared, anyway."

"I am not going to lose her. I did not come all this way for nothing, do you hear me? Blade!" Kerrion shook the limp assassin, but Blade's eyes remained closed. "I came back for Minna, and I will need your help to save her, damn you!"

Blade's lips moved, and Kerrion leant closer to hear his whisper. "Too late."

"No. Blade, listen to me! I will not let her die!"

Blade's mouth curled in a faint smile. "Too late."

"She is still alive! This is not her fate, or yours." Kerrion stared at the assassin, realising that he was talking to himself. Blade had slipped into oblivion. Lowering him to the floor, the King rose to his feet and looked down at him, then strode to the doors and yanked them open. The soldiers outside snapped to attention, gawping at the assassin stretched out on the floor. The officer grinned and stepped forward to clasp Kerrion's shoulder.

"Well done, Sire."

Kerrion shook him off. "I did not kill him, you idiot, he took poison like the Queen. Bring two litters at once, and two shrouds. We are taking them back to the desert."

The officer's face wrinkled in disgust. "But Sire..."

"Just do as I say, Commander, I have no time to bicker with you."

The unfortunate soldier saluted, looking abashed, then snapped orders at his men. When he turned back, Kerrion demanded, "Where is the throne room?"

"I don't know, Sire."

"You and everybody else. Why does no one know anything around here? Find it! It is the only other room that is defended, and do not start any more fights. Just tell me where it is."

The commander saluted and trotted away with his men, leaving Kerrion to wander back to the plinth, where he gazed at the Queen's peaceful face. Shista moaned and scratched at the door. He placed a hand on Minna's neck to assure himself that a pulse still beat there, then leant forward to kiss her brow, a sad smile curling his lips.

"How brave you are, Minna-Satu. I am so glad I reached you in time. But I do wish they would stop ringing that infernal bell." Kerrion sighed and rubbed his face. The tendays of travelling had taken their toll, and he was exhausted. "You could have chosen a better companion to stay with you. I doubt he was any comfort."

The Cotti King stroked the silken hair that fanned across the white satin pillow, his heart filled with a gentle sadness.

Chapter Twelve

A knock at the door startled Kerrion, and he swung around to find one of his lords awaiting permission to enter. The King smiled, for Lord Batian was one of the few he trusted, and perhaps the only one in whom he confided. Batian was also a man of eagles, and had a male as his familiar, smaller than Kiara. Batian stepped over the bodies, avoiding the blood as he walked to the dais to look down at the Queen.

"So, this is the Jashimari Queen. Quite beautiful, in an exotic way." He glanced at Blade. "Who is he?"

"The assassin who slew my father. Do you not remember him from the trial?"

Batian shook his head. "I was not there. I could not stomach the circus Lerton put on."

Kerrion gazed at the unconscious assassin. "He is known as the Queen's Blade, but that is just one of his titles. He is also Lord Conash, Lord Protector of Jashimari and a sacred Knight of the Veil."

Batian whistled. "That is a lot of titles."

"He has more. He is also called the Silent Slayer and the Invisible Assassin."

"Good thing he is dead."

"Not quite."

"But he soon will be."

Kerrion nodded. "In a few days, perhaps."

Batian's eyes narrowed. "What are you planning, Sire?"

"You will find out in due course."

"Still have your secrets, huh?" Batian shrugged. "All right, so when will you allow the army to sack the city? They grow impatient outside."

"We are not sacking this city. We are leaving it intact and marching on Contara."

"Why? These are our enemies. The Contara are our allies."

"Not anymore," Kerrion retorted. "You have not been attending my meetings, have you? Verone is an upstart and a murderer. He has laid waste to half of Jashimari, and I will make him pay for that. I intend to conquer Contara, since Jashimari is no longer an option. Why do you suppose they put up no resistance? Why did I ride in here with not a single sword raised against me?"

Batian glanced at the carnage on the floor, and Kerrion snorted. "Aside from these guards, who were defending the Queen's body from what they regard as savage Cotti, and these stupid soldiers did nothing to give lie to that reputation. Blade killed most of them, anyway. But they had orders to allow me entry, just as I have entry to the throne room where the Regent waits. This kingdom is already mine, by virtue of the fact that it now belongs to my daughter."

"Your daughter!" Batian frowned. "How is that possible, Sire?"

"I will not bore you with the details. Suffice it to say, she was conceived while I was a prisoner of the Jashimari Queen."

Batian chuckled. "A fine conquest, though perhaps ill advised."

Kerrion smiled. "Minna-Satu planned this, and she has succeeded in bringing peace between our people after generations of war. I cannot make war on my daughter."

Batian turned away, looking thoughtful. "Many will be unhappy with this arrangement, Kerrion. There will be those who will say she is just a girl, and cannot rule a country. A great many will demand that she be brought to the desert and raised as your daughter should be."

"She is not just my daughter. She is the Jashimari Queen, and she must be raised here as her mother would wish. Those who love war so much will have to be satisfied with conquering Contara. I have a firm enough grasp on power now to deal with those who would turn against me, I think."

Batian threw up his hands. "I am with you. But expect trouble."

"I will, and I have planned for that, too."

A knock at the door made them swing around. An officer stood in the doorway, a group of soldiers behind him. "Sire, we've found the throne room, and the litters have arrived."

Kerrion beckoned to the men who hovered outside, four of whom entered, bearing two litters. Kerrion scooped up the Queen and placed her on a litter, then took the folded shroud and covered her. Two soldiers lifted Blade onto the second litter and covered him as well. Kerrion turned to the officer in charge of the men.

"Take them to the camp and place them in my carriage. Take a troop of men to guard them, and do not allow anyone to lift the shrouds, understand?"

The officer bowed and turned to accompany the litters as they were carried out. Kerrion faced Lord Batian again.

"It is time I met my daughter."

The King followed one of the soldiers through the palace, marching along corridors lined with golden pillars and hangings woven from the wool of rare antelope and embroidered with gold thread. He glanced through open doors into vast rooms filled with furniture crafted from rare woods and carpeted with rugs woven from wool dyed in brilliant colours. The profusion of wood delighted the desert dwellers, for to cut down a tree in an oasis was a crime punishable by death. Here wood was used for many things, while in Cotti it was reserved only for a few treasured items of furniture or carvings and picture frames. Only the king and a few wealthy lords could afford the luxury of wooden doors. The rest made do with curtains or woven reeds.

Batian admired the scenery as they walked, commenting on Jashimari's riches, now theirs to plunder. Kerrion shot him a wry look, pointing out that whatever Jashimari had to offer now belonged to his daughter, and trade would be established between the realms. Batian, a war veteran and seasoned warrior, shook his head in gentle reproof at his King's soft-hearted approach to what he considered to be a conquered land.

They arrived outside the throne room's massive golden doors, where a group of Cotti soldiers stood, looking sour. Ten stern-faced Jashimari officers clad in golden armour and black tabards, their helms crested with white plumes, guarded the door with drawn swords. At Kerrion's approach one stepped forward and raised his sword in challenge.

"None may enter the throne room save King Kerrion, by the order of Queen Minna-Satu."

"I am Kerrion," the Cotti King replied.

The officer stepped back and lowered his sword, and two others pulled open the doors. Kerrion walked forward with Batian beside him, but when his soldiers followed, the Jashimari guards stepped into their path. One pressed a blade to Batian's neck, and the Cotti soldiers reached for their weapons.

Kerrion swung around. "Hold!" His men released their swords, glaring at the Jashimari guards. "You men wait outside."

One of his officers protested, "Sire, it could be a trap!"

Kerrion looked at the Jashimari officers, recognising Captain Redgard amongst them. "It is not a trap, is it, Captain Redgard?"

"No, King Kerrion, it is not. Only the Queen, her Regent and handmaidens wait within."

"Allow My Lord Batian to accompany me."

Captain Redgard glanced at Batian. "If he relinquishes his sword."

Kerrion nodded to Batian, who unbuckled his weapon and handed it to the Cotti officer. The Jashimari guards stepped back, and Redgard sheathed his sword and marched ahead of the Cotti King. Passing the pillars that lined the walls and obscured the view of the throne, he stopped in the centre of the room.

"Regent, King Kerrion and Lord Batian are here."

Kerrion walked past the pillars and turned to gaze at the group of women around the throne. They sat on piles of cushions, clad in flowing gowns of drab mourning grey. All possessed red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. One rose as he approached them, a slender woman with bright chestnut hair and soft grey eyes, who cradled a dove in her hands. She stood beside the empty throne and waited for him to arrive at the bottom of the three shallow steps that led up to it, then stepped forward.

"King Kerrion, I am Regent Chiana."

Kerrion nodded. "I remember you. You used to be the Queen's chief advisor."

"That is correct."

"All this is unnecessary." He waved at the doors. "My men would not have harmed you."

"The Queen must be protected."

"She was never in any danger. We are not savages." He stepped closer. "I would like to see my daughter."

Chiana turned to a girl behind the throne, and the handmaiden came forward carrying a silk-swaddled bundle. She descended the steps and stopped before him, pulling back the edges of the wrappings to reveal a tiny pink face nestled against the cloth. Kerrion leant forward to study the visage with its button nose and rosebud mouth. Dark lashes fanned her cheeks and a shock of golden hair curled around her head.

He held out his arms. "Let me hold her."

The handmaiden glanced at Chiana, who nodded. She handed over the infant Queen, and Kerrion held his daughter. Cradling her against the gold-ornamented steel of his armoured chest, Kerrion turned to Lord Batian.

"My daughter."

Batian peered at the child. "She looks like a Cotti. I have never heard of a blonde Jashimari."

Kerrion stroked his daughter's cheek, and she opened her eyes, yawning. "She is my daughter, I do not doubt it." He turned to Chiana. "What is her name?"

"Queen Kerra-Manu."

"Kerra." The King rocked her, evincing a toothless smile, and he returned it, blinking. "My first-born daughter. My little Queen. How I wish your mother could be with us now."

Chiana clutched the dove to her breast, clearly struggling to keep her face expressionless. "You have seen her?"

"I have just come from there." He glanced at her, noting the despair in her eyes. "She is at peace."

Chiana bowed her head, and several handmaidens wept. The Regent swung on them. "Silence!"

They subsided, and she faced Kerrion again, who asked, "How long are they going to keep ringing that damned bell?"

"Three days, until the Queen's mother ceases to breathe."

"Is that all she is now, the Queen's mother?"

"She is the Elder Queen, but she is dead to us."

Kerrion snorted. "A barbaric custom. And you call Cotti savages."

"Are you going to honour your daughter's legacy?"

"Your former Queen was far wiser than you, Chiana, if you have to ask that question. Even your husband asked it, but I expected it from him. He hates and distrusts the Cotti, with good reason. Yes, I intend to honour my daughter's legacy. I shall withdraw from Jashimari lands just as soon as I have driven the Contara from my daughter's kingdom. However, I will leave some of my people here, some advisors to help you with your decisions and a company of men to guard my daughter."

Chiana raised her chin. "That is not acceptable. The advisors, yes, but no soldiers. The Queen is quite safe here."

"You realise that if anything happens to this child, the war between our realms will start again."

"I know that. No one will harm the Queen."

Kerrion's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "Very well. In ten years' time, I will send tutors to teach her the ways of the Cotti, our history and customs. I shall visit her each year to ensure that she is happy and well cared for. I would also like her to visit my city and see the desert, but I know that Jashimari Queens do not leave the palace."