‘Yes, once,’ Risala said slowly. ‘And Shek galleys trade there regularly. I can find out what I need to know.’
‘The Green Turtle was our escort back here and that’s the fastest trireme in Chazen. The shipmaster can have my authority to claim any man he wants from any other crew in the anchorage.’ Kheda looked towards the securely locked door, the seas invisible beyond. We’ll promise each man all the pearls he can hold in his cupped hands on his return. That will do more than whips to make them row faster. The shipmaster will get a sack of them when he arrives back, as long as you can tell me that no gossip about your destination ended up floating around the trading beaches.’
‘But what if something happens while we’re away?’ Risala laid her own hand over Kheda’s.
‘Then we will have to cope with it as best we can.’ Kheda looked into Risala’s eyes. ‘And I will at least know you are safe.’
Can you see everything that you mean to me? Do you know all that I would my to you, if we were alone and free of this?
‘I don’t want to be safe if you’re not,’ she said, meeting his gaze levelly. ‘But all right, yes, I’ll do this, so we can be safe together.’
‘How are you planning on explaining Velindre away?’ Dev asked suddenly, turning from a bookcase further down the room, a heavy volume bound with lacquered wood resting open on his forearms. You saw her face; she couldn’t be anything but a barbarian. What possible business could she have to be travelling the whole length of the Archipelago? Curious eyes will follow you all the way back, my girl, and Velindre hasn’t got my experience of keeping her magecraft hidden,’ he concluded with frank concern.
‘She’ll just have to play the slave.’ Kheda smiled despite himself. ‘Picture that face of hers through Aldabreshin eyes. What would you think if you’d never seen her before, if you didn’t know who or what she was?’
Dev’s eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t follow you.’
‘Oh,’ said Risala with sudden comprehension. ‘I do. Of course. Yes, that should work, with a bit of planning.’ She broke off, eyes distant.
Kheda looked at Dev, deadly serious. ‘Assuming this magewoman is as good as her word, we still have to hold this dragon at bay, or keep running from it, from now till the Summer Solstice or later, unless we’re uncommonly lucky with the winds and the tides. If you’ve any ideas ‘
‘I think you’d better see this,’ Dev interrupted.
‘You’ve found something?’ Kheda took a step and then realised the mage was looking out of the window over the southern ocean. ‘What is it?’
‘The dragon,’ said Dev simply.
‘Where?’ Kheda ran to the window, Risala at his heels.
The dragon was a dark shape, far away, high in the cloudless sky.
‘Is it coming this way?’ Kheda tried to swallow the apprehension choking him.
‘I’m not sure.’ Dev frowned.
Risala watched the distant creature. ‘Do you suppose anyone else has spotted it?’ she asked with hollow hope.
Shouts of alarm ringing across the lagoon answered her barely a breath later.
‘Outside,’ Kheda ordered. As he unlocked the door and stepped out, he looked towards Itrac’s pavilion. A flurry of maidservants was hurrying her towards him, clustering close as if her presence would somehow protect them from the beast.
‘We may not need to disguise the magewoman after all.’ Risala shrank back into the shadow of the doorway.
Kheda flinched as a couple of arrows loosed by over-ambitious archers clattered uselessly on the wooden walkways.
‘Don’t wet yourself just yet, girlie,’ Dev said slowly, eyes fixed on the distant dragon, face thoughtful. ‘I don’t think it’s coming this way.’
‘Are you sure?’ Kheda watched, breath catching in his chest at the beast cut lazy arcs across the sky. They stood in a tense silence broken only by Itrac’s arrival.
‘Kheda.’ She managed to walk across the bridge to the observatory isle with commendable poise, leaving the gaggle of terrified maids behind. ‘What does it mean?’ Her voice rose to a perilous pitch. ‘It’s heading back west,’ murmured Dev. ‘Are you sure?’ Kheda hissed.
Dev nodded, turning the gesture into a florid bow that Itrac didn’t even notice, all her attention on Kheda. ‘It means we’re removing ourselves to the rainy season residence just as soon as our household can make ready to leave,’ Kheda said firmly, calmly, as he walked towards her. ‘In case it gets curious and comes for a closer look.’ He took her hands as Itrac shivered with revulsion. ‘See, my lady, it’s going away. We’re safe enough for the moment. All the same, I want you and all those beholden to us well out of its way. I don’t want even the shadow of its wings falling on you.’
And I want Dev as far away from the beast as possible, in case he betrays us all with some slip of magic. I might just save myself by cutting his throat, but I can’t afford to do that until this woman of his has brought us some way to defeat the dragon.
‘You have killed beasts bigger than this creature.’ He raised his voice to address the gathering crowd. ‘Chazen boats have fought and conquered whales out on the ocean deep year after year. Chazen is the only domain to go hunting whales, instead of waiting for them to strand themselves on the shore. You have chased and defeated sea serpents that no other domain’s men dared to pursue, even when their nets and fish traps were being ripped to pieces. This dragon can summon up fire by some unnatural magic polluting its blood, so we had better not underestimate it, but we faced men with magic and the wit to work malice with it besides last year. We defeated them.
‘We’ll fight this dragon, once we learn its weaknesses, and we’ll fight it on ground of our own choosing,’ he continued, putting an arm around Itrac. ‘In the meantime, a planned retreat is no rout and no mischief-making by anyone who wishes Chazen ill can make it one. It’s no great challenge. You’ve a practised routine, even if we weren’t expecting to make this move for a few more turns of the Greater Moon.’
Confusion stirred among the slaves and servants, surprise at seeing their lord so composed outweighing their incipient fear.
‘You’ll need to keep a firm hold on everything,’ Kheda warned Itrac in a low voice, ‘or we’ll find ourselves caught up in a panic regardless.’
‘Familiar tasks should calm everyone’s nerves.’ She was still trembling but she set her jaw.
‘I still have to check with the courier-dove loft,’ Kheda realised suddenly. ‘In case there’s news from the Mist Dove:
Which would be worse: bad news or no news at all?
‘Come and tell me anything you find out.’ Itrac stepped forward, quelling her women’s questions with a flurry of rapid instructions. ‘Pack your lord’s clothes and his jewels. Start stripping the beds and the furniture. Send for Beyau. He needs to see to it that the observatory is cleared. We’re sailing for Esabir.’
Kheda watched her go.
Chazen’s people have mettle and so does their lady.
‘Looks like an ant heap someone’s stirred with a stick.’ Dev stared out over the lagoon where the galleys and triremes seethed with activity to match that on the land.
‘I’d better find the Green Turtle? Risala scanned the bustling scene.
‘Dev, go and play the proper slave for once and see that my rooms are packed up properly.’ Kheda jerked his head towards his personal pavilion. ‘Risala, wait, come with me for a moment.’
‘If it’s quick enough for him it’ll be no good for you, my girl,’ Dev said over his shoulder as he strolled away.
‘What is it?’ Risala followed Kheda into the hallway.
‘This.’ He opened a tall black cabinet inlaid with nacre and countless coloured woods. It was full of small, closely fitted drawers. Kheda pulled them open, searching, heedless as he pulled too hard and several clattered to the floor. ‘This.’ He turned to Risala holding a twist of carved ivory pierced and threaded on a leather thong.