The Harem Master (41 page)

There was silence for a moment before the councilors all bowed low and several quietly said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"We certainly expected more whining from such a greedy lot. Perhaps there is yet hope you can be taught," Euren said. Two of the councilors looked up sharply, loathing in their eyes, but she met their gazes coolly and after a moment both bowed their heads again. "I'm finished with you, councilors. Guards have been assigned to all of you. After I am finished punishing the council, they will take you to your rooms, supervise your packing, and shadow you throughout the term of your punishment."

She ignored them as they bowed and muttered, "Yes, Your Majesty."

When they had gone again, her shoulders dropped. "I thought that would be much more difficult."

Lord Cenk gave a small laugh. "Respect, Majesty, I think you are terrifying them. They came in here arrogant, convinced they would be able to bully or con their way around their new, untested queen."

"It was difficult to dodge my tutors while confined to a monastery," Euren said with a smile. "It is good to know I am not letting down the throne trusted to me. Let us hope I hold up against the last four." She rubbed her fingers up and down her forehead then dropped them, stared pensively at the papers in front of her.

Though she'd known it was coming, had braced herself for it, now that the moment was upon her, the idea of ordering executions made her regret every sip of wine in her churning, cramping stomach. But the duty of the throne was to do what others could not. Should not have to do. All her luxuries were given in recompense for the difficult, occasionally, terrible things she must do.

She was only a soldier's daughter, untested in her role until very recently, but still she held the faith of many. She would not, could not, betray that faith. "The only thing we've not decided is the execution itself." Her voice trembled faintly at the end, but she tamped down firmly on her terror and continued more calmly, "How should they be executed? Beheading is the tradition for the crimes they've committed, but I wasn't sure if we should take a lighter approach. I truly do not know if ruthlessness or mercy would be better received. Your advice would be appreciated."

Cenk's mouth settled in a flat line. "They have committed many heinous crimes, and more than a few of their peers—and the children of their peers—have died because of their actions. Many fine people in the city, in the country, would have gone missing, sold into slavery. Though the palace and Tavala are tired of death and violence... I believe they deserve the closure of a severe execution. Beheading is the modern tradition, but only because it was the more merciful option and has become the trend. The truly traditional execution is public hanging, and I think that is what they deserve. I think people will see their enemy, their betrayers, and find some peace by watching them die. Kagan died in his bed, made to atone for nothing. Let them see this atonement."

"Such a spectacle brings me no joy," Seth said, "but I agree with Lord Cenk's words."

Euren bowed her head. "So be it. Thank you for your counsel."

"Thank you for listening, Majesty," Seth replied. "I am sorry we must offer such grim counsel."

"A soldier who does not listen to his comrades in arms swiftly dies," Euren replied. "Where should the execution take place? How many days from now? Apologies that none of this is readily known to me."

"No apologies necessary, Majesty," Seth replied and started to reach out before she caught herself and withdrew her hand. She smiled gently instead. "Use the main pavilion in the city. If it is going to be public, then make it public. Five days hence, that should be sufficient time to arrange it and disperse the proclamations."

Euren nodded and signaled Meltem, who opened the doors and summoned the guards waiting outside.

Fatih led the guards into the room, caught her eye, pride and concern in his gaze. Then he bowed low, as did his guards.

"Captain, please bring the remaining councilors to me. Show every caution because I believe they will cause problems. They are likely well aware that their lives can be counted in days, and so they have nothing to lose."

"Yes, Majesty," Fatih replied and cast her one last quiet, worried but steadying look before he turned and left, guards on his heels. The doors closed behind him again, and Euren did not wait for Canan, simply picked up the wine dish herself and drained the contents.

Canan slid arms around her waist, squeezing gently. Stupid that she wanted to cry when the people she was about to kill deserved worse than death.

Euren looked down at her papers again. "After this, we deal with the ambassadors. That is definitely outside my experience. I am extremely grateful to have your help in these matters. We are sending them home, yes?"

"Yes, Majesty," Seth replied. "We're having the formal complaints drawn up now, for you to approve and sign tonight or tomorrow. Then they will be escorted home under heavy guard—and preferably noble escort. As much as I would love to disrespect the whole lot of them, we dare not risk disrespecting the countries themselves since they may yet support us and punish the transgressors. Nobody wants a war, except maybe our greedy neighbors to the north. Havarin can afford to play at war whenever it wants, but even they must know they've gone too far this time."

"Let us hope," Cenk added. "I do not know if he will be willing, having only just returned, but I strongly recommend that you consider sending Prince Altan to accompany the Havarin delegates. It will take royal force to muscle Havarin into doing what is right, especially when they'll be in their own domain and hold most of the power."

Euren laughed. "I have barely seen Altan since his return, but my impression is that he's not changed much in all these years, save to become a much stronger, more capable version of himself. I think if anyone can stand against Havarin, it is him. I will speak with Altan and Ihsan when they return."

Cenk and Seth smiled briefly at her. It would be nice, when everything had settled down and was peaceful again, simply to have dinner with them. Be comrades and friends first. She returned their smiles then accepted another sip of wine.

A knock came at the door, and Meltem pulled it open. She stepped back as Fatih strode in, followed by his guards, two each to the remaining four councilors: Lord Galal, Councilor of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Council; Lord Jareth, Councilor of Trade; Lady Shari, Councilor of the Navy; and Lady Yuma, Councilor of Salla Province.

It was a powerful group to be colluding. The royal province, the navy, trade, and foreign affairs… The perfect group to help arrange and maintain an illegal trade ring. It made Euren sick, made it hard to keep her seat and act like a queen instead of pulling her knives and ending their lives right then and there.

She pointedly looked away as they were all brought in, reading over her papers once more.

Someone cried out, pained and alarmed. Euren's head snapped up, rage pouring through her when she saw Lord Galal roughly grab Meltem and press a bloody knife to her throat. Why was he free of his chains? Where had the blood come from? It didn't look like Meltem's.

The answer came as Fatih stood. He looked at her, nodding slightly. Relief rushed through her fast enough to leave her momentarily dizzy. Then it was replaced by fresh anger. "Secure the rest of the councilors!" Euren snarled. "Councilors, you will behave, or I will order your legs broken."

Shari, Jareth, and Yuma all went immediately still, let the guards they'd been struggling against have them, going with quiet grunts as they were kicked or shoved to the floor.

Fatih pushed to his feet, one hand over the wound in his side. "Thankfully for me, he's not very good with that dagger. How did he get free?"

"I don't know, Captain," said one of the other guards. "We didn't have a key on us and he was secure when we took him out of his cell."

Fatih grunted, eyes never leaving Galal, who still stood in front of the closed doors, back to them, blade pressed hard enough to Meltem's throat to draw a thin trickle of blood. "Give me my freedom or the savage dies."

Meltem looked annoyed more than anything. She looked at Euren, a gleam in her eye. "Majesty?"

Meeting the gleam with a small, hard smile, Euren replied, "I want him alive."

Giving the barest of nods, seemingly unbothered by the knife and her bleeding throat, Meltem flicked the wrist of her free hand, then lifted and did something to the back of his hand. Galal made a choked noise and dropped the dagger. He stumbled back, struck the door—then fell over like a glass pushed off a table.

Meltem stepped away from him and pulled off the scarf wrapped around her hair to press to her throat. "That should put him down for at least an hour."

Euren started to run to her—and was yanked back by Canan. "Let me go!"

"No, you're staying right here until we know for certain everything is actually safe," Canan said. "Sit down, Majesty."

Euren tamped down the angry reply in her throat, conceding the point and waiting impatiently as guards came in and put Galal in new chains, this time on his ankles as well as his wrists. They also added ankle chains to the other councilors, and remained with them after dragging them over to the table.

Canna kissed the back of Euren's hand, then let her go.

Barely resisting the urge to run, Euren crossed the room and immediately pulled away the scarf Meltem still held pressed to her throat. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, my queen," Meltem said with a smile, fingers fluttering whisper-light over the back of her hand for the barest moment. For all its briefness, the touch burned. "I've been in situations much more dire."

"I see." Euren smiled. "I'm glad you're all right, and that was very well done, whatever you did."

"What
did
you do?" Fatih asked then shook his head. "I am so very sorry that we lapsed so and you were hurt because of it."

"You have no reason to be sorry, please. I do wonder where he got the knife." Meltem gave a small grin. "As to what I did, we are not called Cobra just because we like them well enough to tattoo ourselves in honor of them. We harvest their poison to be put to various uses. Not as much as we used to; Cobra does not enjoy playing with venom nearly as much as Wasp and Spider." Her lips curled as she spoke of the Tribes—probably not allies, then. "I used a special needle filled with cobra venom. Different needles have different strengths, and they must be handled with extreme care. I never carry any of the fatal needles, but Emre does."

Euren shook her head. "I am starting to see where Ihsan came by his love for his poisoned daggers. Between Cobra and Kitt, we should be grateful he did not decide to poison the whole palace and start fresh." She looked at Galal, being held by a pair of guards nearby. Turning to her father, she asked, "Where do you think he got the dagger? That's the kind issued to the guards."

"Probably bribed a guard." Fatih sighed. "More people to weed out and get rid of. My apologies again, Your Majesty, Lady Meltem." He motioned to the guards who had been escorting Galal, one of whom had been cut by the dagger, though like Fatih the wound was minor. The other had a black eye and was favoring his right shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Captain," the men chorused. "We apologize for failing to keep proper hold of him."

"The only one who needs to be sorry is Galal, and I think we all know that is a lost cause." Euren shook her head. She'd only looked down for a moment. How had so much happened so quickly? "I had no idea Galal could move so fast."

"I imagine fear of death can spur even the most ancient person to move with youthful speed," Cenk said wryly. He looked at each of the other councilors. "Does anybody else want to make a break for their freedom? Injure the queen's father and close friend? Or are you finally finished with being rampantly stupid?"

They remained silent, Shari and Jareth stone-faced, Yuma looking close to tears. Euren was not happy to be ordering her execution, but she wasn't exactly feeling sorry for the woman either. If they were going to treat people like goods to be bought and sold, they deserved exactly what they were getting. "Captain, you're free to go. You and your men go see to your injuries."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Fatih gave quiet orders to the injured guards, who bowed and slipped away. He then motioned for the two men holding Galal to take him away. "Lock him up in the dark." He removed a key from his belt and gave it to them. "Bring that directly to me when you're done, and I want it done quickly. Understood?"

The guards nodded and bowed, then dragged Galal away, closing the doors behind them.

Euren lightly touched Meltem's arm, exchanged a silent look, and this time she thought maybe it was not wishful thinking that echoed the yearning in her eyes. "Are you sure you are well?"

"Yes, my queen." Meltem smiled and touched her hand, then withdrew and returned to the door.

Euren shifted her attention to her father. "I believe you were ordered to get that arm treated."

"So I shall, Your Majesty—after this meeting is at an end and the prisoners are once more safely locked away."

"As you wish, Captain, and thank you for your flawless devotion." Fatih bowed, and Euren turned away before she gave in to an urge to fuss further, hug him tightly. She was so very tired of seeing the people she loved get hurt.

Resuming her seat, she slapped her hands on the table. "I've had enough, and the recent actions of your cohort—"

"We had nothing to do with him!" Lady Sheri snarled.

Euren looked at her, calling up every last drop of imperiousness that Asli and Gulden had trained into her, made her practice over and over, because it was always useful to know how to intimidate someone with just a look. Sheri glared right back, eyes bright with anger, mouth pinched. Fool. "You chose not only to participate in slavery, but actively control and profit from it. You willingly cooperated with a country that is just this side of being an enemy to sell our people into sexual slavery. You are party to the kidnaping of the Harem Master, Lord Sabah, and the Divine alone knows how many others have suffered by your actions, and would have suffered had you continued unchecked. You are guilty of so many crimes you deserve to be executed thrice over. Lucky for you that can only be done once—but make no mistake, it is going to happen."