Scarpa shrank back fearfully.
‘Where are you going to take the prisoners, Lord Zalasta?’ Elron quavered. ‘Where can you be safe from that vengeful monster they call Anakha?’
‘You don’t need to know that, Elron,’ Zalasta replied. ‘The Pandions have a reputation for severity when they interrogate prisoners. You won’t be able to tell them what you don’t know—even when they start to torture you.’
‘Torture?’ Elron’s eyes widened, and his voice came out in a terrified squeak.
‘This is the real world, Elron, not some romanticized daydream. The posturing and play-acting are over now, but I’m sure we’ll all be impressed by how heroically you endure the agonies they’ll surely inflict on you when they catch you.’
Elron fell back in a near faint.
17
Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Danae of Elenia, sat pensively on an out-of-the-way window-seat on one of the upper floors of her mother’s castle. The weather outside was unsettled, and a blustery wind skipped the dead leaves across the lawns below like scurrying brown mice. Danae absently stroked her purring cat as she considered options, alternatives, and possibilities.
Mirtai, grim, implacable, and wearing an Atan breastplate of polished steel and black leather, stood several yards down the corridor, her face set in an expression of sullen obedience and her hand on her sword-hilt.
‘You’re still angry with me, aren’t you?’ Danae asked the golden giantess, not even bothering to turn around.
‘It’s not my place to either approve or disapprove of my owner.’ Mirtai was being stubborn about it.
‘Oh, stop that. Come here.’
Mirtai marched up the hall to where her capricious little owner was sitting. ‘Yes?’
‘I’m going to try again. Please listen to me this time.’
‘As your Majesty commands.’
‘That’s getting very tiresome, you know. We love you, Mirtai.’
‘Is your Majesty speaking in the royal plural?’
‘You’re starting to make me cross. I’ve got a name, and you know what it is. We all love you, and it would have broken our hearts if you’d decided to kill yourself. I spoke to you the way I did to bring you to your senses, you ninny.’
‘I know why you did it, Danae, but did you have to humiliate me in front of the others?’
‘I apologize.’
‘You can’t do that. You’re a queen, and queens can’t appologize.”
‘I can if I want.’ Danae paused. ‘So there,’ she added.
Mirtai laughed and suddenly embraced the little girl. ‘You’re never going to learn how to be a queen, Danae.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Being the queen just means that you get what you want. I do that all the time anyway. I don’t need a crown or an army for something as simple as that.’
‘You’re a very spoiled little girl, your Majesty.’
‘I know, and I love every minute of it.’
Then the Princess heard a faint, far-away murmur, a murmur that Mirtai could not, of course, even sense. ‘Why don’t you go find Melidere?’ she suggested. She sighed and rolled her eyes upward. ‘I’m sure she’s looking for me anyway. It’s probably time for another one of those girl lessons.’
‘She’s giving you instruction in courtly manners and traditional courtesies, Danae,’ Mirtai reproved her. ‘If you’re going to be a queen, you’ll need to know those things.’
‘I think it’s silly, myself. Go on ahead, Mirtai. I’ll be along in a minute.’
The giantess went off down the hall, and Princess Danae spoke very quietly. ‘What is it, Setras?’ she asked her cousin.
‘You already know the courtesies, Aphrael,’ her curly-haired cousin said, appearing suddenly beside her. ‘Why are you taking lessons?’
‘It gives Melidere something to occupy her mind and keeps her out of mischief. I spent a great deal of time and effort getting her and Stragen together. I don’t want her to spoil it by getting bored and starting to look for outside entertainment.’
‘That’s very important to you, isn’t it?’ Setras sounded a little puzzled. ‘Why should the things they do to perpetuate themselves interest you at all?’
‘You probably wouldn’t understand, Setras You’re too young.’
‘I’m as old as you are.
‘Yes, but you don’t pay any attention to what your worshippers are doing when they’re alone together.’
‘I know what they’re doing. It’s ridiculous.’
‘They seem to like it.’
‘Flowers are much more dignified about it,’ he sniffed.
‘Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?’
‘Oh, I almost forgot. I have a message for you. There’s an Alcione Knight—one of the ones who serve me. I think you know him. He’s a moon-faced fellow named Tynian.’
‘Yes.’
‘He went back to Chyrellos to pick up some help, and it seems that he inadvertently chose every Pandion skilled enough to pass messages on to you and brought them all to this part of the world, so there wasn’t anybody with the Church Knights to tell you what happened in Zemoch.’
‘Yes, I already know about that. Anakha’s going to talk with Tynian about that. What happened in Zemoch?’
‘The Church Knights had an encounter with Klael. A third of them were killed.’
Aphrael unleashed a blistering string of curses.
‘Aphrael!’ he gasped. ‘You’re not supposed to talk that way.’
‘Oh, go bury it, Setras! Why didn’t you tell me about this as soon as you got here?’
‘I was curious about the other thing,’ he confessed. ‘It’s not as if they all got killed, Aphrael. There are still plenty of them left. In a little while there’ll be as many as before. They’re ferociously prolific.’
‘I love them all, you dolt. I don’t want to lose any of them.’
‘You’re greedy. That’s one of your shortcomings, cousin. You can’t keep all of them, you know.’
‘Don’t make any wagers on that, Setras. I’m only just getting started.’ She threw her hands in the air. ‘This is impossible. You don’t even understand the message you’re trying to give me. Where are the Church Knights now?’
‘They’re coming across the steppes of Central Astel to invade Cynesga. They’ll probably run into Klael again when they get there. I hope they don’t all get killed.’
‘Who’s in command?’
‘One of Romalic’s servants—an old man called Abriel—was in charge when they left Chyrellos, but he got killed in Zemoch, so one of the high priests of the Church of the Elene God—a Thalesian named Bergsten—is giving orders now.’
‘I should have guessed,’ she said. ‘I have a few things to take care of first. Then I’ll go find Bergsten and get a true account of what happened.’
‘I was only trying to help.’ Setras sounded a little injured.
‘You did just fine, cousin,’ Aphrael forgave him. ‘It’s not your fault that you haven’t been keeping abreast of things here.’
‘I have important things on my mind, Aphrael,’ he said defensively. ‘Come by my studio some time,’ he added brightly. I made a sunset the other day that’s probably one of the best pieces I’ve ever done. It’s so lovely that I’ve decided to keep it.’
‘Setras. you can’t just stop the sun that way!’
‘There’s nobody living there, Aphrael. They won’t notice.’
‘Oh, dear!’ She buried her face in her hands.
‘You’re disappointed in me, aren’t you?’ His lower lip trembled slightly, and his large, luminous eyes filled with sudden tears. ‘And I try so hard to make you and the others proud of me.’
‘No, Setras,’ she said. ‘I still love you.’
He brightened. ‘Everything’s all right then, isn’t it?’
‘You’re a dear, Setras.’ She kissed him. ‘Run along now. I have to talk with these others.’
‘You will come and look at my sunset, won’t you?’
‘Of course, cousin. Go along now.’ She lifted her drowsing cat and blew into the furry creature’s ear. ‘Wake up, Mmrr,’ she said.