"Esta-saiyett," said Kembri, "for the sake of public safety and our own safety too, let us both be plain. I confess my son helped himself to the Chalcon girl and that he had no legal right to do so. But at least that causes no real harm. The Tonildan girl I need. She is vital to a secret and important scheme which could very well turn out to be of great advantage to us all."
The queen raised her eyebrows. "This child?"
"This child, esta-saiyett. As things stand, no other girl will do. I beg you not to make too much of my son's- lapse. This girl here may quite possibly be able to effect something of critical value to us all. Let me explain to you what I have in mind."
"No, you needn't," she said, raising her hand, on which the snake ring, catching the light, flashed an instant in Maia's eyes. "I can guess well enough. Some man is to be decoyed-enticed-betrayed. How else do you work, and
what else could such a child be good for? As for your son, I was on my way to speak to the High Baron about this profane act on his part-"
"I'm convinced, esta-saiyett, that all he wanted was to show some kindness to a young woman of good family who should never have been enslaved to a man like Sencho-"
"And do you expect either me or the High Baron to believe that? For one thing, your son's ways are notorious." She paused reflectively. "But also I rather suspect, Lord General, that you may be entertaining certain notions on your own behalf regarding the future of the girl Mil-vushina. However, I'll say no more of that. In fact I'll oblige you: I'll oblige you in two respects. I'll disregard your son's sacrilegious behavior-for the moment-and I myself will look after this girl-this piece of temple property-until further notice."
"But I need her tomorrow, esta-saiyett."
"Then you may send to me and ask for her!" flashed the queen in a tone of conclusive finality. "The girl is temple property-not yours. Maia!" (Maia jumped.) "My saiyett is waiting for you in the corridor."
Thereupon she swept out of the room. Maia, bewildered, afraid to obey her and afraid not to, remained where she was beside the chair. After some moments, however, her eyes brimming with tears of nervous anxiety, she fell on her knees before the Lord General.
"My lord, Occula! If you'd only let me see Occula- just for a few moments-"
"You'd better hurry up and obey the Sacred Queen," replied Kembri coldly. "Whatever else you do, I don't advise you to displease her."
Maia, raising her palm, stumbled from the room. Outside, the Palteshi woman, giving her a half-smile, wrapped a cloak round her shoulders, took her arm and led her along the corridor and down the temple staircase.
41: QUEEN FORNIS
For a good nine hours and more Maia lay sleeping in a great, soft bed, while the sunlight moved slowly across the
floor until at length evening fell with a gradual melting and vanishing of the hard, black shadows of the afternoon. The unexpected lifting of the horrible fear in which she had lived since the killing of Sencho; Kembri's plan to make use of her against Bayub-Otal; the unexpected appearance of the Sacred Queen and her own sudden removal-whither and for what purpose she had no idea: these had left her as much confused and bewildered as a bird flown by chance into a lighted room.
She had not even had the self-possession to ask Queen Fornis's saiyett where they were going, but only hobbled on, leaning on the woman's arm and taking in little or nothing of their surroundings. They stopped. She found herself in a jekzha. A quarter of an hour later she could not even have said whether or not they had passed through the Peacock Gate. Two things she knew-that she was no longer a prisoner and that she longed above all for sleep.
When at length they reached their destination, she was aware-vaguely-only of a great, stone-fronted house, a flight of steps and a heavy, panelled door which was opened to the woman's knock-by whom she did not notice. Inside was coolness and two rows of green columns between which hung suspended some huge, dully-gleaming, winged effigy. She was led up one staircase, then another, and finally into a sunny, clean-smelling room with a bed. The woman undressed her, tut-tutting at the state of her tunic, which she simply threw outside the door as though to be rid of it; and thereupon Maia, all dirty as she was, climbed into the bed and was unconscious almost before the woman had left her.
When she woke, the room was in twilight. Through the windows opposite shone an afterglow sky of ochre and pale-green, and from somewhere just outside came the low cackle of birds settling to roost along a cornice-my-nahs or starlings. The air smelt of evening-wood-smoke and moist herbage. She must be high up, for from where she lay she could see neither roofs nor trees. It was quiet- too quiet, she thought, for the lower city.
For some time she lay still, listening to the gentle commotion of the birds as the last light ebbed out of the sky. In spite of her complete ignorance, both about her situation and the future, she felt full of relief and even a curious kind of confidence. Whatever lay ahead, it could only be better than the horror behind. Evidently Queen Fernis
had a use for her, though Maia could not remember what, if anything, she had said about it.
Well, and come to that Sencho had had plenty of use for her, too. Strange to think that she would never again feel him panting and shuddering as she did what he liked on the big couch in the fountain-room. What would become of his household now, she wondered-the cooks, Jarvil the porter, Ogma and the others? No doubt the skilled ones would be able to take their skills elsewhere. Lucky Dyphna, getting out just in time! And apparently Elvair-ka-Virrion had taken Milvushina: to keep or to set free?
Suddenly, with a quick darkening of the spirit, she remembered Occula. Occula was still held in the temple for questioning. Whether she told them anything or not, a slave had no rights at law: for a slave to be condemned, only suspicion was necessary. Occula's only hope was that some influential person might speak for her.
Who might be ready to do it? Shend-Lador or some of his Leopard friends? Yet they were only young blades- not men of influence. Even Elvair-ka-Virrion did not strike her as likely to be of much help here. Suddenly she thought of Sarget. Sarget-a middle-aged, wealthy man, not profligate, widely respected for his culture and good sense. Not a nobleman, true, but at least a man who had lent money to noblemen. After she had danced the senguela, Sarget had given her his arm out of the hall and praised her warmly. Could she possibly get a message to him now, begging him to intercede for Occula?
At this moment she became aware, beyond the far end of the big, shadowy chamber, of lamplight behind a curtained archway. Someone was moving quietly about in the adjoining room.
She coughed two or three times. The lamplight grew brighter, the curtain was drawn aside and the PaltesW woman came in, carrying lighted lamps on a tray. Three of these she placed on stands about the room, then came across and sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling at Maia as she put down the fourth lamp on the table close by.
"Good sleep? Feeling better?"
Maia nodded. "Where am I?"
The other looked surprised. "Why, in Queen Fornis's house, naturally! Great Cran, girl, you look frightened to
death! You've nothing to be afraid of, you know. You ought to be thanking the gods for your good luck!"
Maia managed to smile. "Well, only it's all a bit sudden, like; and I've had a real bad time."
"But it's over now."
"Will you tell me," asked Maia hesitantly; "well, who you are, saiyett; why I'm here and what I've got to expect, like?"
The woman laughed. "Well, for a start, I'm Ashaktis, and you can call me that; you needn't call me saiyett. But before I tell you any more-Maia, isn't it?-you'd better come along to the bath. The queen will want to see you as soon as you're fit to be seen-"