The Hope of Vitality, page 35
He shook his head in astonishment. “I confess your tale is so bizarre it defies belief, Lord Torbury. Nevertheless, the other survivors have confirmed your account. It seems that justice has been served on Rheibas for his misdeeds, the sentence having been carried out by nature itself. I have never heard of such a thing!”
“What of Bolnyk, Your Majesty?” asked King Krasmir. “His crimes were committed against the empire as well as against Rogand and Arvenon. I am willing to hand him over to you for judgment if you are willing to take him.”
“Gladly, Your Majesty,” the emperor replied. “You have my promise he will be held to account.”
Before the emperor left, he approached King Krasmir with one final suggestion. Will was one of the few within earshot. Neither of them seemed to object to his presence.
“I am told that your oldest son is of marriageable age, King Krasmir. It has not escaped my attention that any alliance between the empire and Rogand might be strengthened by a union between your son and my daughter.”
The king’s mouth opened, then he snapped it shut.
His dilemma was painfully obvious to Will. “As someone with no vested interest, might I offer a thought on the subject, Your Majesties?” he asked.
“Of course,” said the king at once.
The emperor nodded as soon as the request was translated.
“It strikes me that events have conspired in such a way that Princess Neira’s experience of Rogand has been profoundly disagreeable. After being rescued from certain death on a remote Rogandan island, she was fortunate to survive her initial attempt to reach Rog by sea. When she did arrive, it was necessary to confine her for her own protection. Rheibas found a way to contact her anyway. The letter he entrusted to Bolnyk exposed his attempts to manipulate her.”
His eyebrows drew together. “I’m not sure if Your Majesty is aware of the full impact of Rheibas’s scheming. In addition to the abductions and murder carried out by his agents, he has been actively stoking fears of an Ahran invasion, drawing upon an ever increasing naval presence to reinforce his threats. From the beginning he targeted the surrounding kingdoms as well as Rogand, both with his threats and his abductions. That is the reason King Steffan sent me to Rog. As a result Her Highness spent months in the capital in a climate of fear and uncertainty toward Ahrans in general, with no clarity about her own future, all the while cut off from the familiar comfort and security of her father’s authority.
“I have no doubt she would not hesitate to do anything required of her for the sake of her father and the empire. However, if she marries the crown prince she will face a lifetime in Rogand, with her best years spent in service to the kingdom as its queen. In light of all she has endured, I fear that the prospect might seem disheartening. It might even seem to her like a heavy sentence.”
He dipped his head respectfully. “I know I speak on behalf of my own king when I say that the arrival of Your Majesty has transformed our situation. A catastrophe has been averted, and you have lifted us from despondency to hope. It is not necessary for you to yield up your brightest jewel to secure the gratitude and friendship of the kingdoms of the region. You have achieved that already.”
He bent low. “I have spoken very freely. Please pardon me if my words appear in any way presumptuous.”
The emperor addressed himself to King Krasmir. “Do these sentiments echo your own thoughts, Your Majesty?”
The king nodded gravely. “Lord Torbury’s analysis of the situation is perceptive, and I can only concur. In particular, I agree that all of us are in the debt of Your Imperial Majesty. Having come here with a willingness to search out the truth, you at once saw to the heart of it, in spite of a determined attempt by Rheibas to deceive you. No greater token of your goodwill is necessary.”
The emperor nodded. Turning to Will, he regarded him thoughtfully. “You have given me much to consider, Lord Torbury. I compliment you on your diplomatic skills. It is not difficult to see why your sovereign appointed you as his representative.”
He turned to the king. “In view of what both of you have said, it might be wisest to allow Neira to return to Kat Ahket.”
With that, he bade them farewell and departed. He left with a promise to leave behind an official with authority to commence negotiations on trade agreements and a mutual assistance treaty.
As soon as he was gone, King Krasmir turned to Will. “It seems there is to be no end to my indebtedness toward you, Lord Torbury!” he exclaimed. “I could see no way to refuse the emperor’s request without causing him grave offense, and no way to accept it without forever alienating my son—not to mention my wife—no doubt along with the rest of the kingdom! You have neatly extricated me from a very delicate situation.”
“It is the least I could do, Your Majesty. There is one other matter I wished to raise with you. A former prisoner of Rheibas is currently being held in your dungeons. Having met with him and questioned him closely, I do not believe he has done anything worthy of punishment. Could you please ask one of your people to examine his case?”
“I will follow it up,” the king promised.
Then he frowned. “Do you have any idea what Rheibas wanted with the High Priest?”
Will shrugged. “He said he was honoring an agreement. He didn’t offer details, but he said it would result in significant change for Rogand. Do you have enemies among the priesthood, Your Majesty?”
“My agents believe that the Archprimus, the second in charge, thinks I am not sufficiently in thrall to the dark gods.”
“In that case, if I had to guess, I’d say that the Archprimus agreed to deliver the High Priest to Rheibas, although for what purpose I cannot say with any certainty. In return, Rheibas promised the Archprimus he’d get rid of you and your family. Presumably the Archprimus would further benefit by stepping into the role of High Priest. That might have allowed him some measure of influence over who replaced you.”
The king reacted with fury. “I have been careful never to interfere with the priests, but I will not tolerate insurrection!” he snapped.
“It may not be necessary for you to do anything, Your Majesty. I suspect the High Priest will be more than eager to deal with the matter.”
Glancing toward the priest, Will found him talking with Brother Ander. “I haven’t mentioned it, but after we arrived on Rheibas’s ship, he decided to show he was serious by ordering the High Priest killed. One of his men ran him through. Before anyone could stop him, Brother Ander hurried over and restored him. The High Priest later returned the favor by pulling Brother Ander from the water when he was about to drown. We might be witnessing the beginning of an unlikely friendship.”
The king looked at the two men in amazement. “This has been a day of surprises!” he exclaimed.
Bisri Ahuzza stood at the rail of the emperor’s ship, watching the water foam about the bow as the vessel plowed through the swell. Rogand lay behind them; they were returning at last to Kat Ahket, the imperial fleet clustered around them.
Looking up, he saw the emperor approaching. He bowed low.
“I have a request for you, Bisri. You seem to have reached an understanding with the Rogandans and their allies. It’s apparent to me that they trust you. I wish to appoint you as my ambassador to the region.”
Ahuzza bowed again. “You do me great honor, Your Majesty.”
“I imagine you will need to learn both Rogandan and Arvenian,” the emperor observed.
The bisri tried not to sound too eager. “I will apply myself diligently to the task,” he promised.
The emperor gazed off into the horizon. “It seems I will be much distracted in the near future. Spending time with my daughter is long overdue.”
Ahuzza looked at him quizzically.
“I proposed a marriage alliance with the Rogandan crown prince,” the emperor told him with a sigh. “Lord Torbury said some pretty words to deflect me from my purpose, but it was nevertheless apparent that the notion terrified King Krasmir. I can only conclude that Neira has not left a favorable impression.”
“I am sure Her Highness will both appreciate and benefit from your attention, Your Majesty.”
“I see you share their opinion,” observed the emperor gloomily. “The situation is clearly worse than I realized.”
Horrified, Ahuzza opened his mouth to protest.
The emperor waved him to silence. “Don’t bother to deny it, Ahuzza. You will be of little use to me as an ambassador if you’re too frightened to tell me the truth.” He frowned. “One thing puzzles me. Why did you travel to Kat Ahket to see me, when I had already received a message from Krasmir requesting a meeting?”
“It was Lord Torbury’s suggestion to employ a backup plan, Your Majesty. Captain Gharpin and I sailed together to meet with you. But in case something went wrong, King Krasmir sent a message with a merchant as well. It seems the message reached you first.”
“I would not have expected a merchant to reach me,” the emperor told him. “These have been challenging times for merchants. Ahrans have not been welcome in Rogand, and few Rogandans have dared to travel to Kat Ahket.”
“The Rogandans located a merchant who was unusually capable and persistent.”
The emperor snorted. “Such qualities are hardly surprising in a smuggler. I had this so-called merchant thrown into jail as soon as he had delivered the message.”
A look of horror played across Ahuzza’s face before he could prevent it.
“Don’t trouble yourself, Ahuzza. I arranged for him to be released with a stern warning after a couple of days in the lockup.” He shook his head stoically. “I doubt it will make any difference.”
Ahuzza looked at the emperor tentatively. “If I may raise a different matter, Your Majesty, I believe I will owe the crown prince an explanation when I return.”
The emperor’s eyebrows went up inquiringly.
“When I arrived in Kat Ahket he graciously agreed to receive me. I warned him about the chief minister and expressed my concerns about a possible threat to you. He told me I was raising serious allegations that needed investigation. He then placed me in protective custody. He explained it was for my own safety.”
“And he later changed his mind and released you?”
“No. I escaped.”
The emperor burst into laughter. “There is more to you than meets the eye, Bisri! I am delighted!”
He studied Ahuzza shrewdly. “And you have been wondering if my son might have been in league with Rheibas?”
Ahuzza felt color rising to his face. “The thought did occur to me, Your Majesty.”
The emperor chuckled. “You needn’t trouble yourself. My son hated Rheibas more than most—he despised the man. Much as I appreciate your concerns on my behalf, the young whelp does nothing without my knowledge. He never sneezes without me finding out about it!” A wry grin came to his face. “As for you escaping from under his nose, set your mind at rest. I will deal with the matter.”
He slapped Ahuzza heartily on the back. “There’s something refreshingly transparent about you, Bisri. I hope you never lose that quality!”
39
Rupert stood in a palace garden, holding Tasha’s hands lightly in his own and gazing wistfully into her eyes.
“This has felt like the longest week of my life,” he said with a sigh. “Harrowing as our captivity was, at least I was able to spend every day with you. Now I have to make an appointment to see you. And even then we’re never truly alone.” He threw a sideways glance at the chaperone hovering nearby. “I’ve been missing you, Tasha!”
“I’ve been missing you, too.” She took a step closer, and his heart began to pound. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Rupert,” she breathed.
He gazed at her in helpless longing. If it were possible, he’d marry her tomorrow and never leave her side again.
Both of them knew it wasn’t that simple.
“I need to leave for Castel tomorrow,” he told her, reluctantly bringing the moment to an end.
“Does it have to be so soon?”
The crestfallen look on her face tugged at his heart, but he couldn’t escape his responsibilities.
“I’ve been away from my kingdom far too long. My subjects must have wondered if I’d ever return. And they believed that my sister—the last of our line—had been taken from them as well.” He shook his head. “I can’t delay this any longer. But I will return the moment our wedding has been arranged. After that we can be together always.”
“We’d better talk to my parents,” she said.
Leading him inside, she took him to a room in the royal apartments where they found both of her parents sitting restlessly.
Queen Deka jumped up when they appeared. Seeing the look on Tasha’s face, she cried, “Whatever is wrong?”
“Rupert is leaving tomorrow,” Tasha told them. “He won’t be back until the wedding.”
“There, there,” the queen said, wrapping a comforting arm around her daughter.
Before long she began sniffling herself. Drawing back, she gazed at Tasha mournfully. “I thought I’d lost you!” she said. “Then at last you were restored to me. But now you’ll marry and go away, and I’ll never see you again!”
“Don’t be silly, Mother,” Tasha replied. “We’ll visit Rog whenever we can.”
“And you’ll always be welcome at Castel Citadel,” Rupert added. “You can stay for as long as you like.”
Their efforts were in vain. After a brief attempt to rally, the queen abandoned herself completely to despondency. Dissolving into tears, she buried her face in Tasha’s shoulder.
The king raised his hands helplessly. “We completely understand, Rupert. You must do your duty to your kingdom. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that you will always be welcome here.”
After saying his farewells, Rupert excused himself. Tasha accompanied him out of the royal apartments.
“Will I see you tomorrow before I go?” he asked.
“Of course,” she assured him. “And I will wait impatiently for your return.”
A red-tinted sunrise saw Will, Thomas, and Brother Ander gathered at a small dock in Rog Harbor. The little group had come to farewell Kamash and his friend Gharpin. King Rupert had departed for Castel by ship the previous day, accompanied by much pomp and ceremony, and Will knew that an official send off would also have been arranged for Kamash if the old man hadn’t firmly rejected any such notion. He also knew that King Krasmir had found time to express his thanks and say his goodbyes in private.
“So you’re finally going back to your island again, Kamash!” said Thomas. “But not alone this time.”
“I am joining him for one month only,” said Gharpin. “I am helping him get a start.”
Brother Ander grinned at the former captain. “Your Rogandan has improved a lot!”
The Ahran shrugged, jerking his head in the direction of Kamash. “I like him better when I do not understand him.”
His remark drew a chuckle from Kamash. “Rude as Gharpin might be, it will be good to have some company while I get established again.”
“What will happen when the month is up?” asked Will.
“The emperor sends a ship. To bring me to Kat Ahket,” Gharpin replied. “Then he gives me a new ship. I am Captain Gharpin again!”
“Congratulations!” they all cried in unison.
“Even after he leaves we won’t entirely lose touch,” Kamash told them. “He’s promised to look in on me whenever he’s in the region.”
“That’s excellent news! We wish you well—both of you. All of us owe you a lot!” Will told them.
The others echoed his sentiments.
After a final round of farewells, the two men climbed into the boat and guided it toward the channel. Will and his friends stood and watched until they had sailed out of sight.
Thomas stared after them. “Partings never seem to get any easier,” he said, a catch in his voice.
“No, they do not,” agreed Will.
Turning their backs on the dock, the three Arvenians headed back toward the city.
Delmar stood at an open window, gazing absently out across the city of Varacellan to the sea beyond.
A knock sounded, and a servant appeared. “You have a visitor, Your Majesty,” he announced, before silently departing.
Delmar looked up to find Maive standing hesitantly at the door. Their eyes met, and Delmar’s heart skipped a beat. The day had finally come.
“Maran said you wanted to speak with me, Your Majesty,” she said. Her cheeks colored faintly as she faced him.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to find you safe and well! Our parting was awkward, and I’m very sorry for that. I’ve often wished I could have our time over again.”
She didn’t respond, so he continued. “You saved my life, and I never thanked you properly. Worse, I left you feeling awkward and uncomfortable.”
“You have no need to apologize, Your Majesty. I said things I regret too.”
He tried to read her eyes. Was it possible she had also dreamed of a different outcome?
“The significance of your service cannot be overstated, Maive. I understand that both King Rupert and Princess Teylee are alive only because of you. Castel and Arvenon, as well as Varas, are deeply in your debt. None of us will forget it.” He paused. “Are you planning to continue as an agent now that the threat is behind us?”
She shook her head decisively. “I’m hoping for a more peaceful life in the future.”
He smiled. “Does that mean you can tell me your real name now?”
After a moment’s hesitation, a dimpled smile transformed her face. Had he imagined she wasn’t a beauty?
“My name really is Maive,” she told him.
He beamed at her.
A question had been plaguing him. “You’ve needed to impersonate a queen, Maive. Did it sour you on everything royal?”
“I have never confused pretense with reality,” she replied carefully.
She hadn’t answered his question, but the faint blush on her cheeks told a tale of its own.
