The Dragon Queens (The Mystique Trilogy) (13 page)

Miss Koriche thought she had figured out why I should be so protective of her wellbeing. ‘You need me alive for information.’

‘No, I need you to take good care of yourself, so that my first grandchild can be born healthy and strong.’

I finished off her dressing and looked up to find the girl too stunned to breathe.

Finally she gasped, and tears welled as she fathomed the fact that she was with child.

‘You are sure?’ she queried, before daring to smile.

‘Never surer. So will you please keep what blood you have left
in
your body, as I can ill afford to give you any more.’

‘I have
your
blood in
my
veins!’ Considering what she had just seen of my talents, I wasn’t surprised Miss Koriche was shocked.

‘In more ways than one.’

‘I am astounded that you would give me such a precious gift.’

‘As it happened, I had some to spare.’ I shrugged it off as a minor inconvenience. ‘I know that you love my son, despite what has happened. I also know that he loves you, despite your deception, and that he would be very proud indeed to know that you are carrying his child.’

Miss Koriche forced a smile, as she obviously considered that I was being too kind. ‘He is the most beautiful man I have ever met.’ Her tears welled again. ‘You must be so proud.’

‘Not proud that he would leave you as he did in order to prove a point.’ I considered a scolding was in order when I found Levi, although I was not really in a position to preach about the abuse of cosmic power just now.

‘I should not have lied to him.’ Miss Koriche insisted on taking the blame.

‘A lie is not a sin when you believe it is serving a higher cause,’ I said, trying to let her off the hook.

‘But to lie is not divine,’ she replied, the realisation coming to her in retrospect, ‘and thus can never really serve the divine way.’

‘Bravo,’ I said softly, admiring her eagerness to claim responsibility for her mistakes. ‘We live on and we learn.’

Miss Koriche nodded. ‘I shall do my best.’

‘When I get back from Baghdad—’ I began.

‘You are returning to Baghdad? Why?’ She sounded concerned.

‘Because I have a friend there who may be able to help us find Levi…his body anyway,’ I clarified.

‘I wish I could tell you where his body has been taken, but I do not know.’

‘I know that,’ I told her.

‘Not even my superiors know,’ she added.

‘I know,’ I assured her again. If she did know, the information would have been forthcoming when I was probing her mind. ‘I have a plan, so there’s no need to worry.’

I moved to stand but Miss Koriche grabbed my arm to keep me with her.

‘Do you really think you can bring your son back from the Halls of Amenti?’ She sounded as if she thought the notion was hopeless.

‘Is that where you think his consciousness is right now?’

‘Not yet, but soon,’ she replied. ‘Now that he has joined with the great Ibis, Mr Granville-Devere has the Key to Amenti, but I do not know where the door may be found.’

‘The God himself is the Key.’ I suddenly understood what the last thoughts of the ancient priestess had meant.

‘And once the lord takes Levi’s physical body through the gateway to Amenti, he may not return for a hundred years or more.’

‘What?’ I was stupefied, then startled by a knock on the door.

‘Is everything all right in there?’ It was Lord Devere.

‘All is well,’ I called back, and looked to Miss
Koriche, who managed a genuine smile and a nod. ‘You may come in.’

Lord Devere entered, and helped me get Miss Koriche back to bed.

‘Lord Devere is staying here to study the tablets, so he shall watch over you until I return,’ I advised our patient, as we tucked her in.

‘I certainly will,’ my husband concurred, happy that the dramatics had been sorted out before his arrival. ‘I may need your aid with my task,’ he told Miss Koriche.

‘I will be glad to help,’ she assured him.

‘Once you’re feeling better.’

‘And that may not be for some time,’ I said, having survived four pregnancies myself. ‘Now make sure she eats well—’

‘Yes, I know the drill.’ My husband reminded me that he had also survived four pregnancies.

‘Listen to my lord,’ I told Miss Koriche, ‘he is quite experienced in such matters.’

‘If my child grows up to be half as fine as your son, then I shall be blessed,’ Miss Koriche said, implying that she would be well disposed towards any advice we could give her. ‘I never knew my mother, nor any other family to speak of.’

‘Well,’ I said, taking her hand, ‘you have family now. And we shall not allow any harm to befall you or this child.’

‘That we promise,’ my lord seconded.

We both left the room followed by Miss Koriche’s beaming smile. In the hallway, my husband gently squeezed my shoulder to convey his admiration for my way with people. ‘That is your greatest gift,’ he said. ‘No wonder I am bound to do whatever you tell me I must.’

‘So there shall be no more argument about my leaving for Baghdad today?’ I queried, holding myself back from his kiss until I heard his agreement. But my lord merely shook his head and had his way for a change.

I arrived in Baghdad to find Cingar distraught by recent events in the Shah’s palace. The musical tuition he had promised Raineath had gone horribly wrong, and although it was not Cingar who had been thrown in prison this time, the gypsy felt responsible for the incarceration of his student.

Cingar told me how the women in the Shah’s harem were kept apart from the rest of the palace.

‘The seclusion of women in the Islamic household has its origin in the laws of the Koran,’ he explained. ‘A man may have as many wives and concubines as he can support, and each of these women is his exclusive property. These women are slaves in the main, and must veil their faces to all men except their father, brother and husband. Any violation of this rule is regarded as the gravest offence and grants the husband the absolute right to mutilate or kill the offending wife or concubine.’

The Shah had arranged for Cingar’s tuition of Raineath to be chaperoned by a couple of his white eunuchs that guarded the outer harem, and for the first few weeks all was well. A curtain separated Raineath and Cingar during the sessions, and
Raineath wore the required veil, despite the fact that it made playing the violin difficult. Then, one day, there was a disturbance outside their music chamber, which drew their chaperones from the room. Raineath had seized the opportunity to speak to Cingar in her own tongue.

Cingar was astonished to find that she was Romani.

However, Raineath was more interested in discussing the famous Cingar Choron. ‘I have aspired to meet you since I heard your story over fifteen years ago, when I was just a little girl,’ she said. ‘You are the reason that I first picked up my instrument.’

Cingar was flattered by her confession, saddened by her plight, and then horrified as he saw her hand take hold of the curtain dividing them.

‘I would give my life to be able to perform for you,’ she said, and drew the curtain back to view him.

Her eyes opened wide upon seeing her idol.

‘You are even more handsome than your legend foretold,’ she said, paying no heed to his panic.

‘I am an old man whose cavorting days are long done,’ he said, knowing her praise came from isolation and frustration. ‘Please, draw the curtain.’

Instead, Raineath began to lift her veil.

‘Will you not watch me play? Just this once?’ she requested. ‘It would be a dream come true for me.’

I knew that a goodly part of learning to perform like Cingar Choron came from mastering not only the music played on the instrument, but the perfection of the body movement that enhanced the allure of the performance.

Cingar hated to deny the girl her one dream in the nightmare that was her life, but if she was
caught displaying herself to him they would both be dead, or worse. ‘I can only listen, as I have been doing,’ he said. ‘Please, do not endanger your life on my account.’

‘My life is worth little compared with this opportunity that, against all odds, the Great Mother has granted me,’ Raineath appealed. ‘Will you not do me the honour?’

She began to play, hoping that Cingar might be inspired to turn and watch her. Although it broke Cingar’s heart to do so, he did not turn. At that moment, the eunuchs returned. Seeing Raineath unveiled and exposed, they immediately covered their eyes and made haste to correct her crime.

The woman’s performance ended abruptly as she was brutally slapped to the ground, her instrument sent flying across the floor.

Cingar did not say it as he related his sad tale to me, but I knew the real reason that had prevented him from granting Raineath’s wish. It must have seemed to the woman as if her idol had refused her to save his own skin, but in fact Cingar would not risk placing my mission in jeopardy.

‘But surely the Shah is not so offended as you fear?’ I proffered. ‘After all, he was happy to speak with me when I was not veiled.’

‘His Majesty is well travelled and understands and respects the customs of his Western neighbours,’ Cingar explained. ‘But when it comes to the running of his own household, he is not so liberal in his thinking. The Shah intends to cut off Raineath’s hands and have her eyes put out!’ Cingar was near hysterical. ‘I have appealed to his officials already, explaining that it was my legend that
compelled her to reveal herself, but the Shah refuses to speak with me.’ The gypsy knelt before me. ‘I hate to ask, my lady…’

‘Oh, Cingar.’ I knelt beside him. ‘I couldn’t possibly fight another duel, the last one near killed me from the effort.’ I put forward the only excuse I could come up with. If I had not lost my ringstone, he would not have had to ask at all.

He stood, ashamed of himself. ‘Of course, forgive me.’ He began to pace and curse. ‘Damn my legend! If I had known the trouble it would cause, I would never have picked up a violin!’

The violin had been Cingar’s whole life, and now he was cursing his talent because of Raineath…because of me. ‘I hate to hear you talk so,’ I said, ‘your music has brought so much joy to many, many people. Do you hold feelings for this woman, Cingar?’

‘No, nothing like that,’ he said, looking perturbed at the question. ‘But I cannot allow a girl to be mutilated because she has a crush on the man I was twenty years ago!’

I sat down on a chair in the palace courtyard and supported my aching head with both my hands. ‘What a mess…First Levi goes missing and now this!’ I was beginning to think I should never have returned to the Near East, for it seemed I created havoc with every visit.

‘Your son has gone missing! And here am I burdening you with my problems!’ Cingar looked as if he wanted to hit himself.

‘Do not concern yourself, my friend. I know where he is…more or less.’ I frowned as I considered what to do next.

‘I did not even ask what brought you back to
Baghdad,’ Cingar realised. ‘Has your visit got something to do with Levi?’

‘You could say that I am looking for someone…Do not ask me who,’ I added, making my quest sound very mysterious, when in fact I was just ignorant. There followed a moment of silence in which I found the opportunity to formulate a plan of action.

‘The first thing we should do is appeal to the Shah on Raineath’s behalf,’ I said. ‘If she is a slave then perhaps we can buy her?’

‘Under normal circumstances perhaps, if Raineath had committed no crime. But as it is…’

I gripped Cingar’s hand in encouragement, although in truth I held as little hope for the girl as he did. ‘Well…we shall not know unless we try.’

‘I shall pay any amount required,’ Cingar assured me.

I knew the gypsy had limited means. ‘No need,’ I replied. ‘I feel quite sure Lord Malory will be happy to reimburse me for my pains on his behalf. After all, it was I who suggested you teach Raineath, so ultimately her plight is my responsibility—’

‘No,’ Cingar insisted. ‘You could not have known what would happen.’

‘Oh yes I could,’ I said, inwardly scolding myself. I had not listened to my psychic voice anywhere near as much as I should have. When Cingar leapt to the unknown woman’s defence at dinner with the Shah that night, I had seen that some sort of spark would be ignited between them. I was familiar with the basics of harem law and yet I had allowed the dangerous situation to unfold anyway.

In that moment I realised it was no coincidence that so much disaster had befallen me of late. I had
cursed myself with my own carelessness and psychic complacency. I may have a chance of handling the Shah without my ringstone, but finding the Melchi would be quite another matter. I had to find that stone!

It was nowhere near as easy to gain an audience with the Shah this visit; I had to wait several days. I would have been concerned for Raineath’s welfare had Cingar not informed me that her punishment would not be carried out until the week’s end; apparently, the Shah was delaying her sentence so that she would have time to sit in isolation and fret about her inevitable mutilation.

Kazem met us in the palace foyer. As he led us towards the Shah’s audience chamber, he informed me that there had been no further progress made in the search for my missing trinket. This news was most disheartening indeed, although Kazem promised that the search would continue and I thanked him for his efforts.

As we approached the large arched double doors of the Persian court, they parted and a party of officials exited the room. In the midst of the guards, priests and deacons strode a cardinal from the Church of Rome; I could tell by his attire. The holy entourage did not pass by us, but were led off in another direction. I quietly wondered after their purpose here in Persia—perhaps they were pleading the English cause in Herat?

The court was nowhere near as crowded today, with only a few advisors alongside the Shah and the usual guards.

‘Lady Suffolk.’ The Shah’s acknowledgement gave me leave to speak, but he ignored Cingar.
‘How fortunate that you have returned to grace my court, for I am afraid that I must inform you that our agreement is at an end. You may take your minstrel as promised and return home.’

My heart leapt into my throat at his decree; did this mean the British had declared war on Persia? Or was the change in his Majesty’s tune due to the Cingar–Raineath incident? My hope of searching for Levi was fading fast.

‘Your Majesty has been most gracious in his hospitality,’ I replied, ‘but several incidents have arisen that bring me to plead an extension of my time here in Persia.’

‘Such as?’ the Shah prompted.

‘My eldest son has gone missing, your Majesty, thus I have returned to Baghdad to beseech your patience whilst we attempt to unravel what has become of him.’

I waited with bated breath as the Shah pressed the fingertips of both his hands together, his index fingers resting against his lips as if to prevent himself from speaking before he had thought through my request.

‘You implied you had more than one reason for this audience, Lady Suffolk?’

I could tell his Majesty was prompting the Raineath discussion in order to have good cause to reject my request to extend my visa. Cingar knew it too. I looked to my friend, who ever so slightly shook his head to advise against mentioning the slave girl now; Levi’s welfare was more important. I ignored him and began my appeal.

‘Yes, your Majesty. I understand that the woman I suggested as the recipient of Cingar’s composition has offended your Highness?’

‘That is correct,’ he said evenly.

The response of his light-body was not so even, however. As soon as I raised the subject of Raineath, a dark patch over the Shah’s lower centres began to churn—it seemed Raineath vexed his Majesty rather severely. I knew I was pushing my luck to continue with my proposal but I had little choice.

‘As I feel responsible for this sad turn of events, I was hoping that I might be able to compensate your Majesty for the trouble this woman has found herself in due to my bad judgement and ignorance.’

The Shah motioned to some of his guards, who brought forth a veiled woman. All I could see of her was her eyes, one of which was badly swollen and bruised.

‘My dear Lady Suffolk, I fear you assume too much responsibility in this case, for your intentions were honourable,’ the Shah granted. ‘It was this treacherous creature who chose to abuse our good intentions, and now she must pay the price for her insubordination.’

One guard forced Raineath to her knees, whilst another held her bound hands out in front of her. A third guard drew his sword to carry out his Majesty’s decree.

‘Would your Highness not consider allowing me to purchase the accused?’ I proffered in a final desperate attempt to keep this woman whole. ‘Name any price,’ I implored him.

‘Once her punishment has been carried out, perhaps we can negotiate something,’ his Highness considered. ‘Unless…my Lady du Lac would care to fight on behalf of this creature’s limbs?’

I had a dreadful feeling that this was where the Shah’s patience had been leading the negotiation
all along—he wanted a legend all of his own. My husband had warned me that my reliance on Albray would cost me one day; it seemed this was that day.

‘Your Majesty, I—’

‘I can protect my own limbs!’ Raineath declared.

She pulled forward the guard that was holding her hands, using the rope that bound her, and knocked him out with a vicious head butt. As he fell to the floor, she grasped his sword from its sheath, jumped to her feet and turned to the guard behind her to crack him in the forehead with the hilt of the weapon. He was sent staggering backwards, blinded by the strike. As the third guard brought his blade down upon her, Raineath spun to face him and stepped back, holding out her hands before her. His blade cut only her bonds. Raineath thanked her attacker for the service then punched him in the throat, leaving him gasping for air.

Albray!
My heart leapt to see his spirit form within the body of Raineath—it was she who had found my stone! As one of the Rom, Raineath must have been familiar with the old Craft and recognised my stone for the charm it was. No wonder she had dared to be so bold with Cingar, for if she had been in contact with Albray, the knight would surely have counselled her to pursue her heart’s desire—as Albray never had, and had not lived to regret it.

In the blink of an eye, Raineath held her sword to the Shah’s throat. ‘Good enough show for you, your Majesty? Or must I kill you in order to secure my liberty?’

‘Now we are in real trouble,’ Cingar whispered to me, as guards closed in on us.

‘This is a stalemate, Raineath,’ I warned, urging Albray to back off before we were all incarcerated.

‘Yes, you would not want us to have to murder your idol right before your eyes,’ the Shah said, remaining very cool in the face of death.

‘That is not what I envisage unfolding,’ Albray advised the Shah through Raineath, ‘because your Majesty is going to order your guards to back away from my defenders. In fact, let us have this room cleared altogether.’

The Shah stared Raineath right in the eyes, stalling to discern whether she was bluffing.

‘This blade is very sharp, your Majesty,’ Albray said. ‘Do not force me to prove myself by scarring your holy person.’