Knight of Shadows, page 36
Later that night, Yserria paced the floor of her bedchamber. As she moved back and forth across the azure carpet, she racked her brain for some excuse to exclude Malcius. As his matrianera, she had the right to simply order him to remain out of it, but she had never before given him an order, and she did not feel right about doing so now. Still, if it could save his life, she would do it.
She wrenched open her door and strode across the sitting room to Malcius’s bedroom. Her nerves danced beneath her flesh as she raised her arm and knocked on the door. When it swung open, she found Malcius only half dressed. His chest was bare, exposing an expanse of muscles far more prominent than she had expected of him prior to seeing him in her bath. Her cheeks heated as she lifted her gaze and found him watching her.
“Do you need something?” he queried.
Remembering why she was there, Yserria lifted her chin and said imperiously, “You will not participate in the rest of the trial.”
His face fell as if she had just stabbed him with her sword. “You do not want my help?”
Yserria’s resolve faltered at his look of pain. “It’s not that, only I do not want you to volunteer as part of my household.”
His voice heated as he said, “Have I displeased you in some way? Did I embarrass you? I drank the wine same as you.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head adamantly. “You have not displeased me.”
“Then I shall volunteer same as before.”
“No! As your matrianera, I forbid it. I am ordering you to stay out of the trial.”
“Ordering me? No matter what these Leréshi think, I am not beholden to you. You have no right to order me to do anything. I thought we had an understanding.” He waved his hand between them. “This, between us, is just for show, nothing more.”
A pain struck Yserria in the chest, and she was not sure why. She balled her fists. “Look, Malcius, we are in Lon Lerésh, and in Lon Lerésh, I am your matrianera, and you do as I say.”
“If this is what you want, then you may ask me, and I will decide. Give me one good reason why I should stay out of it.”
“Because I don’t want you to die! Okay? I can’t stand the thought of you dying, so I need you to stay out of it.” Yserria could not stop the tears that slipped from her eyes.
A look of understanding overcame him, and Malcius said, “I understand. But, Yserria, I will not let you do this alone. If you are facing death, then I shall face it with you.”
“But why? You hate me.”
His gaze was unwavering as he stared at her for a long moment. Then, as if he had come to some conclusion, he said, “I have treated you unfairly in the past. I regret my actions and my harsh words. I understand if you cannot forgive me, but you must let me explain.
“Back in Skutton, at the registration for the tournament, I saw you first. From that first moment, I was bewitched. Everything about you called to me. But my heart and my duty were at war. You were a commoner, and as the first son and heir, I knew you were beyond my reach. And then Palis saw you, and he said all the things I was thinking. When he staked his claim, I was furious. Jealousy suffused every piece of my soul, and not just because he wanted you; but because he was willing to do what I was not. He would have given up everything for you, but I could not turn my back on my duty to my family. The fact that he would have you and I would not—I hated him for it. Then he died, and I was devastated. I had spent my last days with my brother hating him. It was too much for me to handle, and I ended up blaming you for it. I blamed you for my guilt because even after he died, my feelings for you did not change.
“I know it was not your fault that Palis died. It was never your fault. And you were not responsible for my feelings of jealousy, guilt, and self-loathing. I do not hate you, Yserria. I never hated you. I love you, and I have loved you since the first time I saw you. That is why I must be a part of this. That is why I will face death for you every time.”
Thoughts and feelings flooded Yserria’s mind and heart so quickly that she was having difficulty parsing them out. Words escaped her, but she knew he was awaiting a response. She blurted, “You love me?”
Malcius reached out and took her shaking hands. “I do, with every fiber of my being.”
“That’s why you’ve been following me around? That’s why you agreed to carry my life stone?”
Her heart rate picked up as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “It is.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t know what to say, Malcius.”
“You do not have to say anything. I was prepared to suffer my love in silence. I will take as much or as little as you will give me.”
“But you were so upset about the bond between us.”
“I was upset about the way in which it happened. It was forced upon us, and I knew it was not what you wanted. I would never be disappointed to be bound to you.”
Yserria yanked her hands away. She threw her arms around him, and her lips crashed into his. He was shocked into stillness for a moment before he seized her in his arms and opened to her. Her heavy breathing matched his when she finally pulled away. She said, “I think I love you too, Malcius.”
“You think? I shall endure my longing until you are certain; but know then that I shall claim you properly, and you will be mine and I shall be yours for always.”
His words raked over her heart tilling away her doubt and sowing the seeds of desire. She flushed when she realized her hands had found his bare chest, and she pulled them away. He grabbed one and pulled it to rest over his heart. He said, “This beats for you. You may touch me anytime.”
If she thought her face could not have gotten any redder, she was wrong. She was saved from having to respond by a deep voice from behind her. “Pardon me,” said the man. She spun at the sound, but she did not have her sword. Her heart galloped as Malcius stepped around her to face the intruder.
She was flooded with relief and not a small amount of embarrassment when she realized the intruder was Rezkin. “We were just … um …”
“I know,” said Rezkin. “I did not wish to interrupt.”
Yserria wanted to hide having been caught groping a man who was not her husband. Well, technically he was her husband as far as the rest of the world was concerned. Instead of hiding, though, Yserria straightened and stepped around Malcius to face Rezkin.
“How did you get in here? The door was locked. I made sure of it.”
Rezkin said, “That simple lock was no hindrance. The ward I have placed around the door, however, will be.”
“You can create wards, now?” asked Malcius incredulously.
“I can, and I have. You may sleep the better for it.”
“What are you doing here?” said Yserria. “And where were you earlier? Two of my people died today.”
“I apologize that I was unable to assist you during the trial. I was making arrangements. I have prepared and negotiated a deal with the Ferélli trade delegate.” He held out a piece of paper inscribed with the terms of a lucrative deal that would certainly see them through the next round of the trial.
Malcius, who was reading over Yserria’s shoulder, said, “How exactly did you negotiate this deal?”
“It is probably better that you do not know,” said Rezkin. “The delegate has already agreed to the terms. You need only present them to him during the trial.”
Yserria’s tight muscles relaxed as relief suffused her. With Rezkin’s help, she had hope that no more of her people would die.
The following day, she and Bridania presented the deal to the Ferélli trade delegate. The delegate frowned as he reviewed the terms, and it suddenly struck Yserria that the man could still choose not to honor the deal he had made with Rezkin. Her heart rate picked up and she began to perspire as she awaited his response. He pointed to the page and opened his mouth as if to argue a point. Then his gaze caught on something behind her, and his mouth snapped shut. He laid the contract on the table, picked up his pen and signed the paper without a word. Yserria turned to look behind her but saw nothing suspicious, only spectators.
Afterward, out in the corridor, Bridania gushed at her, “When you brought me that contract, I thought you were crazy. I thought there was no way he would accept such terms. Tell me, how did you do it? Was it a bribe? Did you threaten him? What is your secret?”
Yserria shook her head. “Honestly, I did none of those things, and I wasn’t sure he would accept. I’m so relieved.”
“You and me, both. I am certain we shall have no poison in our glasses today.”
“Thank the Maker,” said Yserria, but in her mind, she was thanking Rezkin.
Rezkin did not reappear that night with another deal. In fact, he did not show the next day before the trial either. Yserria paced the corridor outside the negotiation room. Malcius stood to one side giving her space.
“Where is he?” she hissed.
“Be calm, Yserria. He will come,” said Malcius. His body language belied his words, though. He was tightly wound, and she could see the concern written across his face.
A door opened down the corridor. Yserria stopped and stared at it in anticipation. When Bridania stepped into the hallway, Yserria’s shoulders drooped. It was not him. By the time Bridania reached them, the door to the negotiation room had been opened. Yserria, Malcius, and Bridania entered the room to find that many spectators, including Serunius, had already arrived via another entrance. The spectators lined the perimeter of the room, surrounding a table in the center. A man in his thirties sat at the table opposite two empty chairs. His fingers were steepled in front of him as he waited patiently for the proceedings.
Yserria and Bridania took their seats opposite the delegate after offering him a formal greeting. The delegate smiled pleasantly. “I look forward to seeing what deal you ladies have brought to me.”
Yserria felt somewhat reassured by the man’s affable demeanor, but her nerves were still frayed. She said, “I think you will see that this deal is favorable for both our peoples.” She nodded to Bridania who produced a list of the terms and handed it over to the man. The delegate perused the list nodding his head every so often. Finally, he placed the page on the table with a smile. He spoke the Ashaiian trade dialect with a thick Gendishen accent.
“This is well considered, but I think we will need to make some adjustments.”
Yserria swallowed hard, but Bridania asked, “What kind of adjustments?”
“Well, you see here you have asked for too much wool and woolen fabric in exchange for these silks.”
“I disagree,” said Bridania. “We could get nearly twice as much from Verril.”
“Ah, but Verril is not at this table,” he said, his grin turning wolfish. “No, I believe you need to make a deal with me, and I say you ask too much. I will give you half as much.”
“But silk is far more valuable than woolens,” protested Bridania.
“Not so!” said the man with a chuckle. “We are in a time of war. Woolens are in high demand. Uniforms, tents, cloaks, blankets, stockings, saddle blankets, you name it. Armies require supplies, and silk is of little use.”
Bridania scowled. “We cannot trade the silk for so little. What of the salt? Surely your army requires salt.”
“Yes, of course,” said the delegate, “but we have already made a profitable deal for salt with the Twelfth Echelon. We need no more salt.”
“The olive oil, then, and the cheese,” said Bridania.
“You cannot offer enough olive oil and cheese to warrant a trade in woolens and iron. We could work with the granite, but I’m afraid that with the call to arms, we haven’t the labor to get it to you.”
Yserria’s concern mounted as Bridania and the delegate haggled back and forth. Nothing Bridania proposed was acceptable to the delegate, and everything he proposed was preposterous. Thanks to the nature of the trial, he knew they were desperate to make a deal, and he was taking full advantage. Yserria’s mind wandered to dark places. She glanced down at the time piece displayed on the table, and her heart leapt. They had only ten more minutes to make a deal. If she failed to do so, she would automatically be awarded six points. With only ten cups of wine and six people drinking, it would be guaranteed that at least two people would die and likely more.
“We have a deal then?” said Bridania, breaking Yserria away from the edge of panic.
“We do,” said the delegate with a broad grin that did not bode well for Yserria.
Yserria did not know what the deal was. The turmoil in her mind had interrupted her focus. She looked to Bridania for some hint of how they fared, but the woman’s expression gave away nothing. The scribe who had been recording the terms set forth in the negotiations came forward and laid a contract on the table before her. She glanced over the contract. They were trading olive oil, cheese, jewels, silk, and enough vimarium to fill a small storehouse. She had no idea why someone would want so much of the rare but practically useless metal. Yserria looked at Bridania again. The woman frowned but nodded. Yserria’s hand shook as she lifted the pen to the page and scrawled her name across it. The spectators began chattering amongst themselves, and she did not think their mutterings were positive.
The trial official approached the table, and raising her voice, said, “Three points to House Palis.”
Yserria’s heart seized. Three points. Three cups of poison. She searched for Malcius in the crowd and found him staring back at her. He nodded once, but her nerves were not quelled. Hot anger surged through her veins. Where was Rezkin?
Chapter 25
Rezkin wiped the blood from his blade and sheathed his sword. The would-be assassin had put up a good fight, at least on par with a striker. He had not been the only assassin that night. After Rezkin had taken out the other two, the man had eluded him for most of the night and several hours that morning. Unfortunately, it prevented Rezkin from working out a deal with the Gendishen delegate or appearing before the trial. Now that they were heading into the final stage of the trial, Rezkin had to hurry. He had no idea how the negotiations had gone, but going into them, he had been concerned about the Gendishen representative. He was a shrewd and devious man, and Rezkin did not doubt that he had gotten the upper hand. Now it was time to do damage control.
The jaunt through the city back to the palace was made easy by his illusion of a city guardsman. Once at the palace, he replaced that illusion with one of a palace guard. Once in the trial room, he took on the appearance of a nobleman and blended with the crowd. Yserria, Malcius, Serunius, Yserria’s champion Bridania, and two more of Yserria’s household were gathered around the central table, while Grizelda and Thia’s entourages were at adjacent tables. Ten goblets of wine sat on each table. One of the officials approached Yserria’s table. She said, “Three points to House Palis. Drink.”
Serunius selected a glass and knocked it back quickly. The others were slow to follow. Rezkin noted that Malcius and Yserria drank theirs together, followed by Bridania and the other two household members—Yserria’s maid, Hestress, and another servant named Brent. Nothing happened for several minutes. Then, suddenly, Brent collapsed. A moment later, Malcius doubled over and fell to the floor. Yserria screamed and knelt, clutching at him. Disguised as a guard, Rezkin rushed to his side. Yserria looked up, not recognizing him through his illusion. She cried, “No, stay away from him!”
Rezkin grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer. He allowed his illusion to slip away for her eyes only, permitting her to see his true self. Yserria blinked at him in confusion but did not protest as he took her hand. He pressed a small vial against her palm, then backed away into the crowd. He watched as Yserria stared down at the vial. He saw her resolve as she tipped Malcius’s head back and poured the glowing contents down his throat. Slowly, Malcius’s spasms stilled, and his breathing became regular. Tears streamed down Yserria’s face. She said, “Please, Malcius, be okay. I’m certain. Do you hear me? I’m certain.”
Sobs from a short distance away stole their attention. Hestress leaned over Brent’s quaking form as she wailed her sorrow. Across the room, there was a shout. Thia had collapsed and was spasming on the floor. But Yserria was not looking at Thia. He followed Yserria’s gaze, and his eyes landed upon Grizelda. She appeared much too smug as she stared at Thia convulsing on the ground. Rezkin had no doubt that Grizelda had something to do with Thia’s poisoning, and he thought Yserria knew it too.
An official rounded the table and looked down at Malcius. He barked, “What is happening here?”
“Nothing,” said Yserria. “He’s fine.”
The official scowled down at Malcius who was now conscious and blinking his eyes. “He was poisoned?”
“No,” replied Serunius. With a smirk, he said, “He fainted.”
Rezkin backed away through the crowd. Now that the second trial was over, the attempts on Yserria’s life would increase. He still had not identified the battle mage from Ashai sent by Avikeev. Rezkin was fairly sure he knew who it was, but he could not be certain. He had kept a close eye on Caydean’s battle mage generals; and, according to his sources, one of them, Trivian, had gone missing from Kaibain not too long ago. If Avikeev was so keen on discovering how to control a person by extracting the soul, then it would make sense that he would not entrust the task of collecting Yserria to just anyone. Rezkin had no proof, but he felt it likely that Avikeev, Trivian, and Ulessa were possessed by demons. Unlike people, Caydean could control demons through the power of the summoning, and Caydean would not entrust such positions of power to anyone that he could not control.
Rezkin strode through the palace in the guise of a guard. No one stopped him at the check points, and he made it to Grizelda’s chambers unhindered. No guards were posted at the door, so he let himself in.
“Are you back so soon, Matrianera?” said a young Leréshi woman Rezkin recognized as Grizelda’s maid. She stopped short as she came into the sitting room. “Oh, who are you? I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
