are going in that direction as well. I’m inclined to accept it.’
‘You said yourself that Cyrga’s somewhere in central
Cynesga,’ Kalten reminded her, ‘and that’s where all of this
points. Even if Ogerajin left some things out, we’ll still end up
in the general vicinity of Cyrga. We’ll be a lot closer than we
are right now, anyway.’
‘Since you’ve all made up your minds, why did you bother
me with it?’ Her tone was just a bit petulant.
Talen grinned at her. ‘We didn’t think it’d be polite to run off
without telling you, Divine One.’
‘i’ll get you for that, Talen,’ she threatened.
‘How far ahead of us would you say that caravan is by now?’
Sparhawk asked Mirtai.
‘Ten leagues,’ she replied. ‘Twelve at the most. Slave caravans
don’t move very fast.’
‘I think that’s our best bet, then,’ he decided. ‘Let’s put on
those black robes and get started. We’ll trail along a couple of
leagues behind that caravan, and anybody who happens to see
us will think we’re stragglers.’
‘Anything’s better than just sitting still,’ Kalten said.
‘Somehow I was almost sure you’d feel that way about it,’
Sparhawk replied.
‘We’re little more than prisoners here,’ Empress Chacole
declared, waving her hand at the luxurious furnishings of the
women’s Palace. Chacole was a ripe-figured Cynesgan lady in
her thirties. Her tone was one of only idle discontent, but her
eyes were hard and shrewd as she looked at Elysoun.
Elysoun shrugged. ‘I’ve never had any trouble coming and
going as I choose.’
“That’s because you’re a Valesian,’ Empress Torellia told her
with just a touch of resentment. ‘They make allowances for you
that they don’t make for the rest of us. I don’t think it’s very fair.’ ,’
Elysoun shrugged again. ‘Fair or not, it’s the custom.’
Why should you have more freedom than the rest of us?’
‘Because I have a more active social life.’
‘Aren’t there enough men in the Women’s Palace for you?’
‘Don’t be catty, Torellia. You’re not old enough to make it
convincing.’ Elysoun looked appraisingly at the Arjuni Empress.
Torellia was a slender girl in her mid-twenties, and, like all
Arjuni women, she was quite subservient. Chacole was obviously
taking advantage of that.
‘You don’t see anybody restricting Cieronna’s movements,’
chacole said.
‘Cieronna’s the first wife,’ Elysoun replied, ‘and she’s the oldest.
We should respect her age if nothing else.’
‘I will not be a servant to an ageing Tamul hag!’ Chacole flared.
‘She doesn’t want you as a servant, Chacole,’ Elysoun told
her. ‘She already has more servants than she can count – unless
liatris has thinned them out some more. All Cieronna really
wants is a fancier crown than the rest of us have and the
right to walk in front of us in formal processions. It doesn’t take
much to make her ‘happy. She’s not the
brightest person in Matherion.’
Torellia giggled.
Here comes Gahennas,’ Chacole hissed.
The jug-eared Tegan Empress, covered to the chin in scratchy
wool, approached them with a disapproving expression, an
expression that came over her face every time she so much as
looked at the barely dressed Elysoun. ‘Ladies,’ she greeted them
with a stiff little nod.
“Join us, Gahennas,’ Chacole invited. ‘We’re discussing politics.’
Gahennas’ bulging eyes brightened. Tegans lived and breathed politics.
“Chacole and Torellia want to get uP a petition to our
husband,’ Elysoun said. She raised her arms and yawned
deeply, stretching back and literally thrusting her bare breasts
at Gahennas.
Gahennas quickly averted her eyes.
‘i’m sorry, ladies,’ Elysoun apologized. ‘I didn’t get much
sleep last night.’
‘How do you find enough hours in the day?’ Gahennas asked
spitefully.
‘It’s only a matter of scheduling, Gahennas,’ Elysoun
shrugged. ‘You can get all sorts of things accomplished if you
budget your time. Why don’t we just drop it, dear?you don’t
approve of me, and I don’t really care. We’ll never understand
each other, so why waste our time trying?’
‘You can go anywhere in the imperial con’pound you want
to, can’t you, Elysoun?’ Chacole asked rather tentatively.
Elysoun feigned another yawn to conceal her smile. Chacole
had finally gotten to the point. Elysoun had wondered how long
it was going to take. ‘I can come and go more or less as I choose,’
she replied. ‘I guess all the spies got tired of trying to keep up
with me. ‘
‘Do you suppose I could ask a favor of you?’
‘Of course, dear. What do you need?’
‘Cieronna doesn’t like me, and her spies follow me everywhere
I go. I’m involved in something at the moment I’d rather
she didn’t find out about.’
‘Why Chacole. are you saying that you’ve finally decided to
go a little further afield for entertainment?’
The Cynesgan Empress gave her a blank stare, obviously missing
her point.
‘Oh, come now, dear,’ Elysoun said slyly. ‘We all have our
little private amusements here inside the Women’s Palace – even
Gahennas here.’
‘I most certainly do not!’ the Tegan Protested.
‘Oh, really, Gahennas? i’ve seen that new page-boy of yours.
He’s absolutely luscious. Who’s your new lover, Chacole? Some husky young
lieutenant in the Guards? Did you want me to
smuggle him into the palace for you?’
‘It’s nothing like that, Elysoun.’
‘Of course it isn’t,’ Elysoun agreed with heavy sarcasm.
“All right, Chacole. I’ll carry your love-notes for you – if you’re really
sure you trust me that close to him. But why go so far afield,
ed
sister dear? Gahennas has this lovely young page-boy, and I’m
sure she’s trained him very well – haven’t you, Gahennas?’ She
raised one mocking eyebrow. ‘Tell me,dear,’ she added,”was
he a virgin? – Before you got your hands on him, I mean?’
Gahennas fled with Elysoun’s mocking laughter following
after her.
ChAPTER 24
‘It’s supposed to be two words,’ Kalten insisted that afternoon
some miles outside Vigayo. ‘Ram’s. Horn. Two words.’
‘It’s a password, Sir Kalten,’ Talen tried to explain. “‘Ramshorn”.
Like that.’
‘What do you say, Sparhawk?’ Kalten asked his friend. ‘is it
one word or two?’ The three of them had just finished piling
rocks in a rough approximation of a Brave at the side of the trail,
and Talen and Kalten were arguing about the crude marker the
boy had prepared.
‘What difference does it make?’ Sparhawk shrugged.
‘if it’s spelled wrong, Berit might not recognize it when he
rides by,’ Talen said.
‘He’ll recognize it,’ Sparhawk disagreed. ‘Berit’s quick. just
don’t disturb the arrangement of those yellow rocks on the top
of the grave.’
‘Are you sure Khalad will understand what those rocks mean?’
Talen asked skeptically.
‘Your father would have,’ Sparhawk replied, ‘and I’m sure he
taught Khalad all the usual signals.’
‘I still say it’s supposed to be two words,’ Kalten insisted.
‘Bevier,’ Sparhawk called.
The Cyrinic Knight walked back to the imitation grave with
an enquiring expression.
‘These two are arguing about how to spell “ramshorn”,’ Sparhawk
told him. ‘You’re the scholar. You settle it.’
‘I say he spelled it wrong,’ Kalten said truculently. ‘It’s supposed
to be two words, isn’t it?’
‘Ah…’ Bevier said evasively, ‘there are two schools of
thought on that.’
‘Why don’t you tell them about it as we ride along?’ Mirtai
suggested.
Sparhawk looked at Xanetia. ‘Don’t,’ he warned her quietly.
‘What wouldst thou not have me do, Anakha?’ she asked
innocently.
‘Don’t laugh. Don’t even smile. You’ll only make it worse.’
It may or may not have been three weeks later. Patriarch
Bergsten had given up on trying to keep track of actual time.
Instead he glared in sullen theological discontent at the mudwalled
city of Cynestra and at the disgustingly young and wellconditioned
person coming toward him. Bergsten believed
in an orderly world, and violations of order made him
nervous.
She was very tall and she had golden skin and night-dark
hair, she was also extremely pretty and superbly muscled. She
emerged from the main gate of Cynestra under a flag of truce,
running easily out to meet them. She stopped some distance to
their front, and Bergsten, Sir Heldin, Daiya, and Neran, their
Tamul translator, rode forward to confer with her. She spoke at
some length with Neran.
‘Keep your eyes where they belong, Heldin,’ Bergsten
muttered.
‘I was just -‘
‘I know what you were doing. Stop it.’ Bergsten paused. ‘I
wonder why they sent a woman.’
Neran, a slender Tamul who had been sent along by Ambassador
Fontan, returned. ‘She’s Atana Mans,’ he told them. ‘Commander
of the Atan garrison here in Cynestra.’
‘A woman?’ Bergsten was startled.
‘It’s not uncommon among the Atans, your Grace. She’s been
expecting us. Foreign Minister Oscagne sent word that we were
coming. ‘
‘What’s the situation in the city?’ Heldin asked.
‘King Jaluah’s been quietly dribbling troops into Cynestra for
the past month or so,’ Neran replied. ‘Atana Marts has a thousand
Atans in her garrison, and the Cynesgans have been trying
to restrict their movements. She’s been growing impatient with