Laela opened her eyes, and groaned. The first thing she noticed was the heat; her entire body felt as if it was in an oven. She was in bed, and the sheets were stuck to her with sweat. The instant she moved, sickening pain slammed through her head. The pain rose with every heartbeat, as if each thud were driving a spike into her forehead. Her vision flashed red.
She rolled onto her back, and the effort of doing just that nearly paralysed her. She lay there, gritting her teeth as the pain spread through her body. Her stomach felt as if it were on fire, and her lungs burned with every breath.
Oh, gods, she thought. I’m dying.
A few moments later, a harassed-looking Amorani woman appeared. She said nothing and helped Laela drink some water. The water felt like a blessed gift from the gods themselves; Laela gulped it down and sighed as it cooled her down from the inside out.
When the cup was empty, she managed to rasp out a few questions, but the woman only glanced briefly at her and said nothing. Most likely she didn’t speak Cymrian, and Laela was too confused to try griffish. She accepted another cup of water and watched resignedly as the woman left.
The water had helped her to wake up, though, and she lay still and tried to think. The memory of what had happened in the Temple came back slowly, but it felt confused and unreal.
Laela put a hand to her forehead. It was slick with hot sweat. Maybe she’d been sick. A fever. She’d had fevers in the past, and they always made her have strange dreams.
But I did go to the Temple, though, she thought. That was the last clear memory she had. She didn’t remember getting sick at all.
Something had happened in the Temple. There’d been someone else there. . She’d talked to them. . A priest? And he’d. . done something. .
The pain rose sharply in her head, and she hastily shut her eyes and stopped thinking.
When the pain had faded again, she opened her eyes and yelled.
Oeka hissed in alarm and moved away from the bed. “Laela! What is wrong?”
Laela sat up. “Openin’ my eyes an’ finding a huge beak shoved in my face didn’t do my heart no favours,” she mumbled. “What’s goin’ on?”
“You are in the. . place where the Amoranis bring the sick and wounded,” said Oeka.
Laela lay down again, very carefully. “Did get sick, then.”
“You were very bad,” said Oeka. “They were afraid you would not recover.”
“Had the weirdest dreams,” said Laela. The pain in her head was fading now.
Oeka cocked her head. “I am not surprised. The fungus the priest burned is a very powerful drug, and you took many times the safe amount.” She paused. “Many who burn as much as you did go insane and do not recover.”
Laela shuddered. “Holy gods. .”
“I am glad that you are well again,” said Oeka. “Laela, terrible things have happened while you have been ill.”
“What terrible things. .?” Laela began, and stopped, as a horrendous noise split the air. She cringed and put her hands over her ears. Even Oeka tried to hide in fright.
Someone was screaming.
Laela’s heart pounded. “What the. .?”
Another awful cry drifted down the corridor into her room. Laela heard shouts and running feet, and glimpsed several people dashing past her doorway. She heard another scream after that, but this one was smothered into silence. That only made it worse.
Another memory came back to her, all too quickly. She dragged herself out of bed, swearing at the ache in her limbs but ignoring all her own discomfort now.
Oeka lifted her wings. “You must not-”
Laela turned on her. “Where’s Arenadd? What happened to him? For gods’ sakes, is he all right?”
“No,” the griffin said shortly. “The King is gravely wounded.”
“What d’yeh mean, wounded?” said Laela. In her head, she saw that terrible moment in the Temple. . but surely that had just been an hallucination.
“The Amoranis tried to assassinate him,” said Oeka. “The Emperor is denying that he had anything to do with it. Lord Duach thinks it must have been one of the priests, but they, too, are denying it. .”
“But nobody tried t’kill him,” Laela said blankly. “I never saw. .”
“You were so full of fungus-smoke, you would not have known your own name,” said Oeka.
“You were there,” said Laela. “What did yeh see?” She looked around for her clothes, found them, and clumsily started to put them on.
“I was not there,” said Oeka.
“What?”
“After you breathed in the smoke, you went mad,” said Oeka. “You began talking to the walls, laughing, and wandering about. . When I tried to bring you to your senses, you acted as if I were not there.” She paused, her tail twitching rapidly. “The smoke. . gathered itself around you. I could not go inside it. It was as if there were some force. . keeping all others away. The priest tried as well, but he could not touch you, either.”
Laela froze at that. “What d’yeh mean? How could smoke. .?”
“I do not know,” said Oeka. “The priest said it was the power of his god, keeping your meeting with him from being disturbed. I did not know what to do. . I was afraid for your life. So I left the Temple and flew as fast as I could to find help. I went to the Mighty Skandar himself, and begged him for his help.”
“Yeh went to. .?” Laela could hardly believe it. She tried to imagine the proud little griffin ever begging anyone to do anything, and failed.
“Skandar did not want to help,” said Oeka. “So he sent his human in his place.”
“He sent Arenadd into the Sun Temple?” said Laela. Very quickly, her disbelief turned to anger. “That son of a. .”
Without any warning, Oeka rose up, her feathers puffed out so that she appeared to double in size. “Do not speak that way about the Mighty Skandar!” she screeched.
Laela faltered and winced. “Arenadd got hurt in there,” she said. “Somehow. But it wasn’t no living man what did it.”
“Few would believe you,” said Oeka.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Laela. “I’ve got t’see him, an’ fast.”
“You have your own illness to concern yourself about,” Oeka said stiffly. “And the King is in good hands. The Emperor has sent his finest healers.”
“An’ how d’yeh know they ain’t gonna try an’ hurt him, too?” said Laela. “He needs me.”
She ignored anything else her partner said and left the room-unsteady on her feet but too determined to let it slow her down. Out in the corridor, there were dozens of people, all talking at once and getting in each other’s way. There were Amoranis there, of course, but there were Northerners, too-Laela saw most of the griffiners who had come with them on the ship.
Lord Duach, the most senior of them, looked the most upset. He was shouting something at an Amorani man, who looked as if he were doing his best to calm the angry Northerner down, and failing.
Laela marched toward him, pushing people out of the way. “Oi!” she shouted, ignoring the flare-up of pain that caused. Duach didn’t notice her, but she solved that by grabbing him by the arm. “Oi, I’m yellin’ at you!”
Duach turned irritably. “What. .? Oh! Lady Laela, I didn’t know ye were awake. .”
“Well, yeh know now,” said Laela. “What’s goin’ on? Where’s Arenadd?”
“In there,” said Duach, gesturing at the door next to the one that led into Laela’s room. “I can’t tell ye much else about what’s going on,” he added, glaring at the hapless Amorani he’d been yelling at.
Laela turned to the victim. “What’s happening?” she said, using griffish.
The man only looked back helplessly and said something in his own language.
Laela snapped. “What the. .? He doesn’t speak griffish, yeh thick-headed blackrobe! For gods’ sakes, someone go an’ find Lord Vander or someone else what can translate for us.”
Duach went red. “How dare ye. .?”
Laela reached over and grabbed him by the ear-lobe. “Listen t’me,” she hissed, “I dunno if yeh’ve noticed, but the King’s out of commission, an’ I’m the most senior official here. So I reckon if he’s not givin’ commands, then I’m the person yeh’ll be listenin’ to instead, got that? You”-she turned and pointed at Penllyn, one of the other Northerners who was there-“go an’ find Lord Vander, an’ make it snappy.”
Penllyn glanced at Duach and hurried away.
“Good,” said Laela. “Now, what’s goin’ on?”
It had gone very quiet in the hallway all of a sudden. Everyone was staring at her now. She ignored them.
Duach was clenching his teeth. “The Amoranis have betrayed us,” he said. “They tried to kill the King, and now they’re keeping him here and refusing to let any of us see him. And they tried to kill ye, too, while they were at it!” He tugged at his beard. “I told the King we shouldn’t come here, an’ now see what’s happened! These filthy sun worshippers have us at their mercy. Without the King. .”
Laela suddenly realised how frightened he looked. “Calm down,” she said. “He’s survived worse. What’s happened with the negotiations?”
“Nothing’s happened,” said Duach. “They’re saying that unless the King marries this princess of theirs, they won’t send any of the slaves home.”
A moment later, Vander arrived. Laela wanted to hug him when she saw him coming. “There yeh are,” she said. “Now listen, we need some help here.”
Vander watched her closely as she spoke, his dark eyes gleaming. “I’m at your command, my lady,” he said when she was done.
Part of Laela was screaming at her now, telling her this was impossible, that she couldn’t possibly be doing this. “I need yeh to translate for us,” she said, quite calmly. “We want t’find out what’s happened to the King an’ whether he’s all right, but the healers here don’t seem t’speak Cymrian. Can yeh do somethin’?”
Vander nodded. “Certainly, my lady.” He turned to the healer and spoke rapidly to him in Amorani. They carried on an animated conversation while Laela and the other Northerners looked on impatiently.
Finally, Vander turned to Laela. “The King was not attacked,” he said.
“So ye say-” Duach began.
“Shut up,” said Laela. “Vander, what’s this about? Why do they think he wasn’t attacked?”
Vander gestured at the healer. “He says that the King’s wound is not new, but an old one that re-opened suddenly. They have been trying to treat it, but it will not stop bleeding.”
“I knew it,” said Laela. She didn’t even think before she said it, but the instant the words were out of her mouth, she believed they were true. “The Amoranis had nothin’ t’do with this,” she said, more loudly. “I was there. It was a ghost attacked the King, not a man.”
“My lady, ye were under the influence of a powerful drug,” said Duach. “Yer story can’t be relied on.”
“Maybe not, but I’m master of you now, an’ I say that’s what we believe,” said Laela.
“I don’t understand, though,” Penllyn interrupted. “Why would an old wound suddenly re-open like that, unless someone. .?”
“He went into the Sun Temple, yeh idiot!” Laela yelled. “That’s why! Don’t yeh get it? Don’t yeh understand why he’s been so sick? This is Gryphus’ land, Gryphus’ place. He’s not welcome here. But he came here anyway,” she added more quietly. “T’set our brothers an’ sisters free.”
“He is a noble man, my lady,” Vander said softly. “I have always thought so. I do not like to see him suffer this way.”
Laela shook her head. “There’s nothin’ for it,” she said. “We’ve got t’take him home. Now.”
“The King is in a very serious condition, my Lady,” said Vander. “It would do him no good to move him now.”
But Laela knew in her heart that she was right. “We’re takin’ him home,” she said. “If he stays here, he’ll never get better. In Malvern, he’ll heal.”
“I agree,” said Duach. “This journey was a mistake.”
“But the slaves,” said Penllyn. “And the Emperor. The negotiations aren’t finished yet.”
“Leave that t’me,” said Laela. She saw the doubtful looks she was getting and drew herself up with all the pride a griffiner should have. “I am the Master of Wisdom. My word is final. Now, go. I have t’see the King, an’ I’ll do that alone.”
That said, Laela turned her back on them all and strode into the room where Arenadd lay.
There wasn’t much she could do there. Her friend lay on a stone slab, with a sheet covering his lower half. He was as pale as a corpse, and his scars looked red and raw. In the middle of his chest the old wound left by Erian’s sword had indeed re-opened. It had been heavily bandaged, but Laela could see a thick line of blood soaking through them, following the length of the cut.
Arenadd was unconscious, breathing slowly. His face was lined with pain.
Laela touched his forehead and stiffened when she realised that his hair, once pure black, was now shot through with grey.
When she saw that, she knew her decision had been the right one.
“I’m sorry, Arenadd,” she whispered. “We’ve done everythin’ we could. Now it’s time t’go home. The North’ll miss those slaves, but it’ll miss you worse.”
Laela hurried out of the room and found the Northerners and Vander waiting, along with Oeka. They all looked at her expectantly.
“How is he, my lady?” Vander inquired.
“Comatose,” said Laela. “Again. But this time he ain’t gettin’ up anytime soon.” She thought quickly and pointed at Duach. “Right, here’s what yer gonna do. We’re takin’ him outta here an’ back onto the ship, an’ I’m gonna need someone t’keep watch over him. Skandar’s gotta be there, too-make sure he’s somewhere Skandar can get to him, ’cause I reckon that’ll help.”
Duach nodded very readily. “At once.”
“Good,” said Laela. “Once he’s on board, keep him out of the sun. Keep him cold-cold as yeh can. Use water, fan him-whatever yeh can think of. The heat’s makin’ it worse. An’. .”
“Yes, milady?” said Duach, now very attentive.
“Pray,” said Laela.
The Northerners there who knew her looked a little surprised. “Of course, milady,” Duach said politely.
“Do it,” Laela growled. “Trust me, if there’s anything up there at all, it’s watchin’ over him. You’re gonna make sure she doesn’t get distracted.”
“I will.” Duach glanced at his fellows. “Penllyn, ye can come with me.”
“Right.” Penllyn nodded.
“As for the rest of yeh,” Laela continued, “yer stayin’ here.”
“What do we do, then?” one of them asked.
“Same as what yeh were doin’ before,” said Laela. “Be guests. Polite ones.” They muttered at that, and Laela raised her voice. “Yeh just insulted our hosts pretty damned badly, in case yeh didn’t notice. Now go-make it up to ’em. Or else.”
“Or else what?” one Northerner said in a sulky undertone.
Laela leaned in threateningly. “Or else. Got it?”
“We’ll do as ye command, milady,” Duach said, covering the moment. “In the meantime, what will ye be doing?”
“Finishing what we started,” said Laela. “Vander?”
The diplomat straightened up. “Yes?”
“I gotta go talk to the Em-” Laela broke off, remembering herself. “I mean, I need t’go talk to the Emperor. Once I’ve been back t’my room an’ cleaned myself up. Could yeh let him know what’s happened an’ say I need to talk to him?”
Vander smiled to himself. “Of course.”
“Right.” Laela waved at the Northerners, unceremoniously shooing them away. “Get to it, you lot. I got work t’do.”
She walked off without waiting for a reply. For an instant, she thought she didn’t know the way, but then she saw Oeka strutting ahead-silently showing her where to go. Laela fell in beside her and let her partner lead the way out of the hospital and through the palace, where she entered her guest room very gladly.
As always, a collared figure was waiting for her with infinite patience.
Laela couldn’t help but smile. “Inva. By gods, I’m glad t’see. .” She trailed off. The shaved head had confused her for a moment, but now she saw that this was not Inva but some other female slave.
The newcomer bowed low. “Inva is not here any more. I am here to serve my lady now, and must be a better attendant. The gracious Emperor apologises for my predecessor.”
Laela gaped, and then shook herself. “What happened to Inva?”
The new slave stared politely at the floor. “Your previous attendant has been punished and will not be here to cause you trouble again, my lady.”
“Punished?” Laela exclaimed. “For what?”
“My predecessor allowed you to be harmed, my lady,” said the slave, still avoiding her eye. “This is punishable. She has been sent away and will not be allowed to serve fine nobles such as yourself again.”
“I-” Laela stopped abruptly, and gave in. There was no point in yelling at this poor woman, who was only doing as she’d been told-just as Inva had. This wasn’t the time or place to go on about it. Besides, there was work to do. “Right, then,” she resumed as smoothly as she could. “What’s your name? I’m Lady Laela.”
“I am called Telise, my lady.”
“Nice to meet yeh, Telise,” said Laela. “Now then, if yeh don’t mind, I’ve got a meetin’ with the Emperor, an’ I need some cleanin’ up.”
“At once, my lady.”
Laela’s mouth felt hideously dry from so much talking. Her headache had been growing steadily worse ever since she’d woken up as well, so now she submitted very gratefully to a cool bath with soothing oils, and the gentle attentions of Telise, who was at least as well trained as Inva had been.
Oeka stayed close by and groomed herself with the help of her own personal slave, who had apparently been allowed to stay. “You have done well,” she said.
Laela, half-asleep in the cool water, didn’t look up. “Can’t go home till we’ve sorted this out. Gotta do my job.”
“Your job was to advise the King,” said Oeka.
“Still is. But he told me I’m his second-in-command here, an’ that means I gotta take charge now. So that’s what I’m doin’. Simple. Besides, I ain’t leavin’ Inva an’ all her friends behind.”
“I am sure they will be grateful,” said Oeka through a yawn.
Laela mumbled something and dozed briefly while Telise massaged her head-which did a wonderful job of making the headache go away.
She woke up reluctantly and got out of the bath to accept yet another new outfit. Despite having spent so much time unconscious, she was dying for some more sleep, but she settled for a long drink of water and some exotic fruit while she waited for the Emperor to send for her.
It took longer than she had expected, and she nearly fell asleep again on her couch, but she came back to her senses when Telise answered the door, and then turned to say, “The Emperor sends for you and your sacred partner, my lady.”
Laela stood up automatically and walked out, with Oeka padding along beside her.
Outside, Vander was waiting, with Ymazu and a pair of powerful-looking guards. Laela glanced nervously at them, but they said nothing, and only stood silently on either side of the diplomats.
Vander bowed his head briefly. “My lady, the Emperor would like to see you.”
“Good,” said Laela. “Will yeh come with us, Vander?”
“We shall,” Vander said briefly. “Ymazu and I are expected to attend. Come, and we will show you the way.”
Laela nodded to Oeka, and the pair of them followed Vander and Ymazu. The guards silently fell in behind, uncomfortably close to Laela and Oeka. Clearly, the Emperor was taking no chances.
Vander and Ymazu led the way toward the centre of the palace, an area Laela hadn’t seen yet. At the end of their journey, the corridors, already open and airy with large glassless windows, opened out even further into a column-lined walkway. Beyond that was a large courtyard. The city outside had looked barren to Laela, but the courtyard was beautiful. It had been filled with plants, all lush and green. Vines covered the walls, festooned with bright red flowers. Water splashed into a shallow pool that was covered in lillies. Small, ornamental trees grew around the edges, filling the air with a pleasant, spicy aroma.
Despite the circumstances, Laela felt much calmer here. This, she decided, was the perfect place to negotiate. Peaceful, friendly, and elegant.
The Emperor was waiting by the pool, sitting cross-legged by the base of a tree. He was wearing the usual white kilt although this one was edged with bright red and decorated with gold beads. His bald head nearly shone in the sunlight.
He looked very relaxed, but despite that, there was another thing in the garden that added the faintest hint of a threat. This time, for the first time Laela had seen, the Emperor’s partner was there.
She almost missed it at first-the griffin lay on her belly among some bushes, nearly unmoving. The slow flicking of her tail had given her away. Her feathers were magnificently patterned with browns and yellow-golds, and the splash of green on her wings had melded in with the plants around her. Even her beak and forelegs were brown. Her eyes were the colour of sand and stared unblinking at the newcomers.
Laela had learned a lot about how to behave around the Emperor and his partner. So had Oeka. The pair of them stood where they were and let Vander and Ymazu go first.
The two diplomats approached the Emperor and his partner. Vander stood with his head politely bowed, while Ymazu took a step toward the other griffin.
Laela, watching, frantically tried to remember her name. She couldn’t come up with anything.
The Emperor’s partner didn’t stand up, and barely even turned her head when Ymazu lowered her own in submission. She opened her beak, and said something. Ymazu replied.
Finally, the two griffins looked toward Vander and the Emperor, neither of whom had moved.
Vander knelt, and spoke in Amorani. The Emperor answered him, and finally stood up to look at Laela and Oeka. Acting on some unspoken signal, Vander and Ymazu both stood aside, leaving Oeka to approach the Emperor’s partner, who now stood to receive her. Standing, she was much taller than Oeka, but lighter and slimmer.
Oeka bent her forelegs and touched her head to the ground. “Great and powerful Zaerih, I am Oeka of Malvern. I come to you as an inferior in every way, and carry no plan to attack or insult you, who are dominant over me and my human.”
Zaerih-that was her name, Laela remembered with relief-gave Oeka a long, slow look. Oeka said nothing and stayed exactly where she was, allowing the other griffin to scent her.
Zaerih gave her a rough shove with her beak, pushing her away. Oeka resisted for an instant, but quickly realised that she was being dismissed and loped back to Laela’s side.
The formalities finally over with, the Emperor smiled and gestured at Laela to join him. “Sit with me,” he said.
Laela obeyed, sitting cross-legged opposite him, by the pool. “Thank you for seein’ me, Sacred Ruler.”
“I am honoured to receive you, Lady Laela,” the Emperor said gravely. “May I ask how your King is faring?”
“Not well,” Laela said honestly. “Sacred Ruler. . the King is very badly hurt. But-” She raised a hand, and her voice as well. “But there’s no blame on you. The doctors yeh sent did a good job; yeh’ve been takin’ good care of him, an’ me as well. I know there’s been some tension, bad things bein’ said, but I’m here to tell yeh there’s no problem. I was a witness. You had nothin’ to do with this, an’ neither did any of yer good people, Sacred Ruler. Yer our friend, our good friend, an’ I know the King would say the same if he were here. But obviously he ain-isn’t, so I’ve come in his place.”
“You are his highest official here?” said the Emperor, unreadable.
“I am,” said Laela. “My words are his. What I say, he says.”
The Emperor smiled. “He told me this. That is why I granted you an audience.”
Laela’s heart beat faster. “Good. Then here’s what I have to say.”
“Speak,” said the Emperor.
Laela took a deep breath. “The King needs t’be taken home, an’ quickly. Only Malvern has the medicine he needs. But before we leave, I’m here t’finish the negotiations. So tell me what’s left t’be done, an’ I’ll see it done.”
The Emperor frowned. “You are certain that the King must be sent home?”
“I am,” said Laela.
“But what medicine can your people have that mine do not? The doctors of my palace are the finest in the world.”
“They are,” said Laela. “An’ they’ve done good work for him an’ for me. But they don’t have what he needs.” She smiled slightly. “He needs snow. Only the North has that.”
“Very well,” said the Emperor. “Your people must treat him as they see fit, and if our help is not asked for, then so be it. I hope that he will return when he has recovered, so that we may complete our treaty.”
“We can do that now,” said Laela. “I’m empowered to do it.”
But the Emperor shook his head. “Our treaty cannot be sealed without the King.”
“Why?” said Laela. “What did yeh need from him that I can’t give?”
“The marriage,” said the Emperor. “The King must marry my daughter, or the treaty will be void.”
“Can’t she come back with us?” said Laela. “The ceremony could happen in Malvern once the King got better.”
“That is not good enough,” said the Emperor, not angry but firm. “The ceremony must happen on Amorani soil. There must be a wedding. We are prepared for one.”
“Can’t we seal the treaty some other way?” Laela asked in desperation.
“No. We complete every new alliance this way. There must be a meeting of two souls, a binding of two families. This is vital.”
“I understand,” said Laela. “But the King is unconscious, an’ he’s never gonna wake up unless he goes home. He can’t get married this way.”
“Then he must come back later,” said the Emperor, unmoved. “Without the marriage, there is no treaty. Do not waste our time in arguing over this, Lady Laela.”
Laela knew there was no chance of Arenadd ever setting foot on Amorani soil again. If he ever tried, she would stop him. But there was no way the Emperor was going to change his mind.
“Then maybe we can do this another way,” she said at last. “Could someone else here maybe marry her instead?”
“Only a member of the King’s family may make the marriage,” said the Emperor. “It must be royal blood to royal blood, or the wedding would be meaningless.”
Laela rubbed her eyes. She was quickly running out of options. At this point, it looked like she was going to have to accept the inevitable and go back home with the treaty half-finished. And when-if-Arenadd recovered, she would have to tell him that she had failed and that he would have to go through another six months of agony because she had been unable to finish what he had started.
She settled on a compromise. “I understand, Sacred Ruler. If yeh don’t mind, I’d like some time t’think about this.”
“Of course.” The Emperor smiled. “You look very tired, and are more than welcome to rest. I will see you again tomorrow, when you are ready.”
“Thank you, Sacred Ruler.” Laela stood up, signalling the end of the meeting.
She left the garden with Oeka, feeling exhausted and angry with herself. There had to be some way to resolve this, had to be. But how could she ever persuade the Emperor to change his mind?
She was so worried that she didn’t notice that Vander and Ymazu had followed her until she had nearly reached her own rooms. When they arrived, Vander took a step toward the door. “With your permission, my lady?”
Laela brightened up slightly, realising that he might be able to help. “Come in.”
She and Oeka entered first, with both Vander and Ymazu. The two diplomats made themselves comfortable. Telise and Oeka’s own servant were instantly on hand, offering refreshments.
The guards from before had come along as well, but to Laela’s relief, they stayed outside, stationing themselves on either side of the door. She sat down on one of the odd cushion-chairs provided, and accepted a drink.
Vander, sitting with Ymazu directly behind him, folded his hands and looked frankly at Laela. “You did well with the Emperor. I was impressed.”
“Thanks,” said Laela. “Doesn’t look like it worked, though.” She put her head in her hands. “I dunno what I’m gonna do, Vander. I really don’t.”
Vander put his head on one side. “My lady. . may I ask if you are married?”
“Eh?” Laela looked up. “No, I ain’t.”
Vander smiled in his mysterious way. “The Emperor will accept nothing but a marriage-one of his family to one of the King’s. Any man or woman with the King’s blood will do. Whether legitimate or not.” With those words, he fixed Laela with a penetrating stare.
She frowned. “That’s nice, but there’s nobody here with his blood except him.”
“If you say so, my lady.” Vander smiled again. “Now, I will leave you to rest and consider your next discussion. I hope that my advice is. . useful.”
With that, he stood up and left the room with Ymazu.
Laela stared up at him. “Huh. I know what he’s gettin’ at.”
“So do I,” said Oeka. “He still believes you are the King’s daughter.”
“The Emperor does, too,” said Laela, remembering. “When we first met him, he looked straight at me an’ made some comment about Arenadd’s family rising to power. An’ I suppose I do look like him a bit. .”
Impulsively, she snatched up a hand mirror and examined her reflection carefully. There was the hair, obviously, and maybe something a bit similar about the nose and the chin. .
Not for the first time, she wondered whether it could be true. Could she really be his daughter?
No. She dismissed the notion, yet again. It was impossible. He couldn’t father children; he’d told her so himself. And he’d never been with a Southerner. There was no way.
And yet. .
“If I was his daughter,” she said slowly, “then I could do the marriage. I could finish this thing myself.”
“But you are not his daughter,” said Oeka.
“I know, but. . I dunno. Maybe I could. . pretend, like.”
Oeka’s neck feathers rose. “You mean lie? To the Emperor?”
“Yeah. I mean, no. Of course not. Don’t be daft. I couldn’t do that.”
Oeka slowly scratched her flank and made a low, soft, rasping sound. “Could you do this thing?” she asked eventually. “Are you willing to?”
“I couldn’t,” said Laela. “No way. Could yeh imagine the trouble I’d be in when the truth got out?”
“It depends,” said Oeka.
“On what?”
“I have been listening, too,” said the small griffin. “And I think I understand how this thing would work. This mating is not about power, only symbolism.”
“So?” said Laela.
“So it does not matter that you are not his daughter and will never inherit his throne. The Emperor does not want a marriage between the current or future ruler of the North-he only wants a member of the King’s family, any member. He said so himself today.”
“So what does that mean?” said Laela.
“That it will not matter to him if you do not rule. As long as you are a Taranisaii in name, it will be enough.”
Laela rubbed her chin. “What do yeh think I should do, then?”
“Tell the truth,” said Oeka. “Or part of it. Say you are the King’s daughter, but are not legitimate. You are a Taranisaii but will not inherit the throne. Tell him that, and tell him you are still willing as a Taranisaii to accept a mating with a member of the Emperor’s own family. See if that will satisfy him.”
Laela stared. She mumbled something, began a proper reply, and then trailed off into silence.
Oeka huffed. “I know I am not clever like one of your kind, but I have used my best judgment. I do not know if my advice should be followed. . Decide for yourself. I am sure that your own reasoning will be better.”
Laela found her voice. “Since when did you start soundin’ humble? Dear gods, the world really has gone mad.”
Oeka snapped her beak. “I have given all I have to offer. It is your decision.”
“You’ve been happy t’make decisions for me before.”
“Yes,” Oeka admitted. “But no matter her species, every female must choose which male will fertilise her eggs. That is her decision and nobody else’s.”
Once, Laela might have laughed at her partner’s awkward choice of words, but not now. Now they only served to sharply remind her of what was really at stake here. Not Arenadd’s quest or the Emperor’s anger if she was caught, or even the slaves whose freedom depended on her now. She was more than willing to help them, and to do her duty as Arenadd’s aide.
The real question was how far was she willing to go for their sake? Was she willing to do what Oeka had suggested-that is, marry some Amorani man she had never met? Sleep with him, most likely? Was she willing to betray Yorath?
“I gotta think about this,” she muttered.
“Think, then,” said Oeka, looking quite relaxed. “Take the time you need.”
“Right,” said Laela, and that was more or less all she said for the rest of that afternoon.
She couldn’t sleep that night. Telise brought her a beautifully refreshing dinner of fresh fruit and some very mild wine, all of which did a lot to make her feel better, and the doctors had sent over some thick, gritty medicine that tasted vile but finally got rid of the headache.
Afterward, she should have been more than ready to sleep and let herself recover, but she didn’t. Her mind wouldn’t let her.
Neither would her chest. Fear and worry were emotions that seemed to live inside her rib cage, and that long, awful night it felt ready to burst. Her heart fluttered periodically and made her feel ill.
She tried to relax, tried to make herself sleep, tried to tell herself that everything would be all right-but she couldn’t. And the answer to her problems just seemed so simple. All she had to do was accept that this was beyond her. There was nothing she could do about it except go home and hope that Arenadd got better.
But she found herself thinking of Inva instead. She had come to like the older woman, and to sympathise with her. She was obviously very intelligent, and highly educated as well. She deserved a chance to live free. But where was she now? Punished, Telise had said. Sent away. And Laela had a horrible feeling about just where that might be. Inva had suffered, and was probably still suffering, and all because of Laela’s own stupidity.
Laela rebelled at that. No, it wasn’t her fault what had happened to Inva. It was the system that had done it-the system that forced people to live the way she did and treated them like so much rubbish by way of return. It was the system that had punished Inva when she hadn’t done anything.
Right there and then, Laela vowed to herself that she would not go home until she had found Inva again and helped her in any way she could. Testified to her innocence, at the very least. But that wouldn’t be good enough. No, Laela decided, she would free Inva instead. Buy her freedom and take her back to the North.
That decision made her feel better.
But after that, she got to thinking about the others. How many others like Inva were there? How many hundreds or thousands of other Northerners were out there, treated like property and probably killed as soon as they stopped being useful? How many were there who had it far worse than Inva ever had?
All of a sudden, she found herself thinking about Arenadd. She remembered the scars on his neck, and the lash marks on his back. She thought of the black robe he always wore. And the slow, chilling realisation came to her, the thought that she could guess what all those things meant. And there was the way he spoke, too-his passionate insistence that all men should be free, that slaves should be rescued, his utter hatred for the system that let them live that way at all.
He was a slave, she thought. He must have been. That’s why. .
No wonder, then, that he hated Southerners so much. No wonder he had spent his entire life killing them and driving them away. No wonder he was prepared to do anything and everything in his power for those here in Amoran.
“An’ me?” she said aloud, to the dark ceiling high above. “What does that make me?”
Unexpectedly, she found herself feeling utterly ashamed of her Southern blood. Ashamed, too, that she had ever let herself hate Arenadd for setting his people free. For the first time, she felt as if she understood those people who hated her for being a half-breed, and in that moment she did feel ashamed of it. Inherited shame.
The feeling passed quickly. It wasn’t her fault, and there was no such thing as a race that was better than any other. She should know.
But like it or not, she was a kind of Southerner, and she couldn’t help but feel as if she had a responsibility to try to make amends. After all, it had been Southerners who had sold those slaves to Amoran in the first place. And as a Northerner, she had a duty as well. A duty to her people, and to her King.
Those were inspiring thoughts, but they still led her back to the one question that had put her in this state in the first place. Was she willing to go through with this? Lie to the Emperor? Marry a man she didn’t know? Betray Yorath?
In the end, shortly before dawn, she settled on a compromise. She would speak to the Emperor again and find out more. She wouldn’t lie, but she would ask questions, and at least find out if a half-breed bastard was an acceptable match. That should do to begin with.
As she drifted off to sleep, she forced herself not to think about what she had seen in the Temple. It was too soon to think of it. And besides that, she wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to.