Chapter 12
Jarvo might not have been paying attention to Maximillian Bedard, but he was keeping tabs on who sailed in and out of his city. Less than one hour after the Queen Catlett docked in Istansada City, Jarvo came riding up in a red and black carriage. He climbed out of the carriage, and escorted by a pair of Commodore Hubbard's men, headed up the gangplank.
I met him at the top of the gangplank. I wore black riding boots, black leather breeches, a black silk shirt that laced up the front, and a black leather waistcoat. The Queen of Vassa's seven pointed silver crown rested on my head, keeping my hair pinned behind my ears. The silver and gold cutlass with the Rose of Adah on its belt buckle hung from my left hip.
The last time I had been here, a little less than one year ago, I was a barbarian princess that had been kidnapped and brought to this part of the world against my will. Now, I came as the Queen of Vassa and the unchallenged leader of the Finger States. I had land, money, and manpower. Plus, my powers had grown. If Jarvo thought he was meeting the same girl that he tossed into the high sage's harem, he was in for a surprise.
"Your Majesty," Jarvo said, bowing. "Had I known we were about to be honored with your presence, I would've prepared an appropriate welcome."
"I bring pressing news," I said. "There wasn't time to send you advanced notice of my visit."
"Then why don't we adjourn to the palace. I know the high sage will be excited to see you."
"It would be safer if we talked in my cabin. The high sage's palace has too many ears."
Jarvo didn't argue. He just bowed again and fell in beside me as I headed for my cabin beneath the ship's foredeck.
"This is a new ship," Jarvo said, looking around.
"It's called a corsair. Designed by my sister, the Princess Iderra. Built at the Haran Shipyards in Vassa."
"Did you have any trouble with pirates on your journey upriver?"
"We encountered six pirate ships. We sank one and left the other five dead in the water."
"You do have a lot of soldiers on board. Some wearing uniforms I've never seen before."
"The men you're referring to come from my homeland of Adah."
"I heard about the deaths of Queen Catlett and Chancellor Edgerton. Not to mention the kings of Holt, Enid, and Tash."
"The work of Maximillian Bedard," I said. "Which is why I'm here. I regret to inform you that he's about to move against another ruler."
"The high sage?"
"Yes."
I led Jarvo into my office, which connected to my bedroom and lay across the passageway from a pair of guest cabins. Shu followed us into the room. Bokham and Vomeir remained just outside the door.
"You remember Shumeredena Kestan," I said, sitting on the front edge of my desk.
We picked Shu up in Genese, where she was serving as the Steward of Holt. She insisted on coming with us, thinking maybe she could help convince Jarvo that the high sage was in danger.
Jarvo sat in one of the captain's chairs that faced my desk. "I remember who she pretended to be when she was in the harem, but I can't say I ever met the real woman."
"The real woman was a spy for the late Duke of Genese," Shu said, sitting next to me on the front edge of my desk. "The high sage's harem is littered with spies. And I'm not even talking about the ones that report to you."
Jarvo scowled at Shu, making no attempt to hide the fact that he didn't like her, or what she was telling him. But then he had reasons not to like her. Not only did she spy on him for the Duke of Genese, she helped me slip out of his grasp. Instead of responding to her, he turned to me. "You believe Maximillian Bedard is planning on assassinating the high sage?"
"He's not planning an assassination. He's planning an invasion. Even as we speak, his army is marshaling on the Landish-Dunre border. Once his army is ready, they'll invade Landish and kill the high sage. Max will then claim the high sage's throne for himself."
"Maximillian Bedard knows everything that's going on here," Shu said. "The high sage's first wife is one of his spies. Thanks to her, he knows that you're not ready for war. He knows that you don't even suspect what he's up to."
The look on Jarvo's face told both of us that he didn't know the high sage's first wife was a spy. Still, he composed himself quickly. "The harem is isolated from the rest of the palace. How much can she learn?"
"More than you know," Shu said. "The servants and guards in your palace talk freely. Especially to those that pay them well. And she pays them very well."
"You told me that you'd worry about Maximillian Bedard if and when the time came," I said. "Well, the time to worry is now, Counselor."
"How big an army are we talking about?"
"Two thousand men, possibly more."
"I can assemble eight hundred men at the most, not nearly enough to stop Maximillian Bedard's army."
"You must send someone to the Land of Nomads,” I said. “To recruit the horsemen of the Central Tribes to fight with you."
"The mercenaries from the Land of Nomads are expensive."
"You have plenty of gold to give them," Shu said. "If you don't spend it now, then Maximillian Bedard will spend it when you and the high sage are dead."
"Even with the horsemen from the Land of Nomads, we won't have enough men to defeat the King of Dunre's army." Jarvo looked at me. "But if the Finger States were to join us."
"I'd gladly give you my men, and I suspect Shu would do the same."
"But?"
"Many in the Finger States view your country as a heathen land. Convincing them to help you will not be easy."
"Even knowing they'll be the next to fall?"
"They believe the One God will deliver them from their enemies through someone called Destiny's Queen. Then there's the King of Kavel."
"What about the King of Kavel?"
"The King of Kavel has aligned himself with Maximillian Bedard. He was the one that planted the explosives that killed Catlett and the others."
"So Landish is left to stand alone against the might of Dunre," Jarvo said.
"Probably," I said. "I'll call a meeting of the leaders of the remaining Finger States, tell them that you requested our assistance in your upcoming battle with Dunre. But it will be difficult to convince them to fight on your behalf. The barons in my country, and the other countries, view this place as a heathen land that worships heathen gods."
"I'll urge the high sage to send envoys to the Land of Nomads," Jarvo said. "But first, you must tell him what's going on. Maximillian Bedard has been working hard to convince the high sage that they're allies. I'm not sure he'll believe me if I tell him that Max is about to invade us."
"I'll talk to him as long as you don't try to toss me in the harem," I said jokingly.
"Perhaps if you had stayed in the harem, we'd be more prepared for war and Max wouldn't have as much influence over the high sage as he currently has."
"I came here as soon as I found out what Max was planning. And if I had stayed in the harem, you couldn't expect help from the Finger States."
"I'm not expecting help from the Finger States," Jarvo said. "I know how your people feel about us and our gods."
"It does no good to sit here and argue what might have been," Shu said. "We must deal with what is."
"The Lady Shumaredena is right," Jarvo said. "And just for the record. We do not kidnap queens. An act like that could lead to war."
"And you cannot afford a war on two fronts," Shu added.
"We cannot afford a war on one front," Jarvo said.
Shu and I headed for the high sage's palace in Jarvo's carriage. My guards followed the carriage on foot, while Shu's guards remained with the ship. Shu wasn't worried about being tossed into the high sage's harem and neither were her men. I wasn't worried about being tossed into the high sage's harem either, but Bokham, Vomeir, and Patera didn't trust Jarvo.
I changed clothes before climbing into Jarvo's carriage, getting rid of my black leather breeches and replacing the riding b
oots with dress boots. The dress boots were black, laced up the front, and contained a four inch heel. My black silk shirt was just long enough to cover my bottom, with my cutlass buckled around my waist, it looked like a short dress.
"I think you'll be surprised when you see the high sage," Jarvo said. "Training with the scimitar has helped him to slim down. He's no longer the pudgy boy you remember."
He wasn't lying about the high sage having slimmed down. I hardly recognized him when I met him in his private quarters. No longer overweight, he wore black silk balloon pants and an emerald green vest that he left open. I assumed that was so he could show off his newly developed arm, shoulder, and chest muscles. He still wore his red hair short, with tuffs sticking out from beneath his emerald green turban.
Even as a pudgy boy, he had a handsome face, with a square jaw, a small nose, and bright green eyes. With the baby fat gone from his face and body, he was down right striking. A scimitar hung from his left hip, something that hadn't been there the last time we were together. Green silk slippers covered his feet.
"You're starting to look like a real leader," I said.
My comment wiped the smile from the high sage's face. "Just starting?"
"Real leadership is determined by the decisions one makes during times of crisis. Whether you like it or not, the first, and perhaps the biggest crisis of your reign, is upon you."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Lila, but it's good to see you."
He tried to hug me, but I held out a hand, stopping him.
"Even as we speak, Maximillian Bedard is marshaling his army on the Landish border. He intends to invade your country, kill you, and claim your throne. What you decide to do about it will determine whether you are a great leader or a foolish one."
"Max is my friend," the high sage said. "Unlike you, he visits me regularly. I didn't even get an invitation to your coronation."
"My coronation was a rather informal one. It occurred around six in the morning, in the hallway just outside Queen Catlett's suite, minutes after she had been killed by Maximillian Bedard and his allies. Besides, everybody knows that the world comes to the high sage and not the other way around."
"Max told me that Queen Catlett's death was the work of a organization called the Knights of the Royal Brotherhood. A clandestine group of minor royals that wishes to kill all the rulers in this part of the world so they can claim power for themselves."
"The Brotherhood doesn't wish to kill all rulers," I said. "They'd never hurt the one that pays them. Your so called friend, Maximillian Bedard."
Jarvo stepped forward. "You must send a scout to the Dunre border, Your Supreme Highness, find out if the Queen of Vassa speaks the truth."
"It would take a full week for a scout to ride to the Dunre border and back," I said. "Plus a couple of days to locate Max's army. You don't have that kind of time. You must marshal your forces now, prepare for the defense of your country."
"I'll do what Counselor Jarvo suggests," the high sage said. "I'll send a scout to the Dunre border to see if Max is marshaling his forces as you claim."
"Even if you had time for that, which you don't. That scout will be captured and killed. He won't live to report back to you."
"And you know this because?" the high sage said.
"Because Max has a seer at his disposal. He'll see your scout coming."
"You're sure Max has a seer at his disposal?" a surprised Jarvo said.
"I'm sure," I said.
Jarvo turned to the high sage. "Perhaps we should marshal our forces just to be safe."
The high sage shook his head. "I'm not going to prepare for war against a friend and ally until I have proof that he's planning on betraying me."
"You have the Queen of Vassa's word. Isn't that enough?"
"I've seen Max six times since I last saw her. Each time, he's assured me that we're allies. Why should I take her word over his?" The high sage folded his arms across his chest and thrust his lower lip out in a pout. He had changed physically since the last time I saw him, going from a pudgy boy to a handsome young man, but inside, he was still a boy. And that boy was mad at me for not visiting.
I placed my hand on Jarvo's arm. "Why don't you give us some time alone. Perhaps until morning."
"I will leave the two of you to talk in private." Jarvo bowed and backed out of the room.
I got the impression that the high sage still didn't like Max, and that he was just doing this to get some attention from me. The question was: how much attention was I going to have to give him? Hopefully, no more than one night.
As soon as we were alone, the high sage hugged me. "I've missed you, Lila."
"I doubt that," I said. "You have a harem full of wives."
He felt different from the last time he hugged me, leaner and stronger and less doughy. He felt like a man and not a boy. Whether he liked it or not, whether he was ready or not, it was time for him to become a man.
"They're not my wives. They're Jarvo's wives. He selects them for the harem. He checks up on them. I doubt they would recognize me were I to walk through the harem." He finished hugging me then stepped back, so we were an arm's length apart. "I took your advice after you left. I demanded that Jarvo have someone teach me how to use a scimitar. I've been practicing hard since you were last here."
"That's good," I said. "Because you may have to use that scimitar in the coming days. Whether you believe me or not, you will be invaded."
The high sage moved to a pile of pillows and plopped down on them. "I don't want to talk about Max. I want to tell you what I've been doing. And I want you to tell me what you've been doing."
I moved to the pillows and sat, so I was facing the high sage. "Fine. Tell me what you've been doing."
The high sage told me about how he confronted Jarvo and demanded that he be allowed to train with a scimitar. He told me about his instructor and how he insisted that the high sage was the best pupil he ever had. He recounted how he practiced five to six hours a day. When he finished talking, he leapt to his feet and drew his scimitar. "Draw your cutlass, Lila, and I'll show you how much I've learned."
I didn't feel like dueling with the high sage, but I figured the only way I was going to get him to focus on Max and the upcoming war was to let him get everything else out of his system. So I pushed myself to my feet and drew my cutlass.
I decided to start with my left hand. I wasn't as good with it and figured it would make for a fairer fight. After all, I'd been training with a sword since I was six, while the high sage had been training for less than a year. I moved to a part of the room where there weren't any tables or pillows, held the cutlass in front of me, and placed my right hand behind my back. The high sage held his scimitar with his right hand and took up a position facing me.
The high sage tossed his turban aside. "Perhaps we should have a wager."
"What kind of a wager?"
"If I win the duel, we'll spend the rest of the evening doing what I want."
"And what do you want to do? Besides duel."
A wicked smile spread across the high sage's handsome face and his eyes raked over my body. "I want to see you naked. I want to touch you while you're naked. You see, I've also been studying the female body. Where it likes to be touched. How it likes to be touched. Every time I studied it, I thought of you."
He was an eighteen year old boy. What did I expect? Still, part of me was flattered. He had a harem full of wives and a palace full of serving girls. He could have any of them any time he wanted, and he only seemed to want me. Go figure.
"And if I win?"
"If you win, I'll order Jarvo to assemble my army. Just like you want."
I was curious to see what the high sage had learned in the art of lovemaking, but I needed him to assemble his army, so I switched my cutlass to my right hand and slipped my left hand behind my back.
"I'll expect you to honor our bet when I win," I said.
The high sage smiled. "And I'll expect you
to honor our bet when I win."
I bowed. The high sage returned my bow and the duel commenced. I let the high sage take the offensive. I have to admit that he was good. He had learned more than I thought he could in less than a year. Not that he was good enough to beat me. And even if he had been, I still had the power to remove his scimitar from his hand anytime I wanted.
I let the fight continue for quite awhile, mostly because I didn't want to embarrass the high sage. He was doing this to impress me and I found that flattering. About a half hour into the duel, in which we thrust and parried our way around most of the high sage's private suite, the high sage stepped back, lowered his scimitar, and bowed.
"I must concede," he said.
"I haven't won yet," I said.
The high sage smiled. "You've been toying with me, Lila. I'm bright enough to know that you could've ended this fight anytime you wanted. You've let it go on this long so as not to embarrass me. Perhaps, that's why I like you so much."
"I started training with a sword when I was six years old." I sheathed my cutlass. "I have a fourteen year head start on you."
The high sage sheathed his scimitar. "Tomorrow morning, I'll order Counselor Jarvo to assemble my army."
"Your army isn't big enough to defeat Max's army. You need to send envoys to the Land of Nomads, to recruit mercenaries."
"If you think that's best."
"It'll help, but I fear it won't be enough. Tomorrow morning, I'll return to Vassa, call a meeting of the Finger States, and inform them that you've asked for our assistance in your fight against Maximillian Bedard."
"And if the Finger States won't help me?"
"Then you must find a way to defeat a superior force."
"Why would Max do this? Why would he claim to be my friend while plotting behind my back?"
"He's not in control of what happens in Dunre," I said.
"How can he not be in control? He's the king."
"He's being controlled by a man of great power, a man that comes from the far side of the world. This man was a king before Max was even born and has been by Max's side since he was a young man, whispering in his ear, influencing him the way Max has tried to influence you."
"He must be very old."
"He is, although he doesn't look it."
"How can one be old, but not look old?"
"Years ago, he made a deal with a higher being called the Prince of the Air. This being granted him an unnaturally long life in return for his allegiance."
"How do we defeat a man powerful enough to control kings?"
"That secret has already been revealed to me." I removed the silver crown I was wearing and placed it on the closest table. I unbuckled my scabbard and laid my cutlass next to my crown. "You don't need to worry about that."
I moved toward the high sage and started to unlace my black silk shirt-dress.
"What are you doing, Lila?"
"I failed to disarm you and you failed to disarm me, which means our duel was a draw. Since you're honoring your end of our bet, I'll honor mine."
"You don't have to do that, although I'd be lying if I said I hadn't dreamed about this."
I had never been anyone's dream girl and it was flattering. Especially when you considered all the women the high sage had at his disposal. Plus, I liked him. He had changed in the past year, going from a pudgy boy to a handsome and athletic young man. While he still had a lot of boyish enthusiasm, he wasn't naive enough to be deceived by Max and his pretense at friendship. Even so, the odds were pretty good that he'd be dead soon, and it just didn't seem right to let him die without spending a night with one of his wives.
Plus, I had another reason for wanting to sleep with the high sage, a selfish reason which had nothing to do with the pleasure he or I might receive. I had done some studying on Landish law and discovered that should the high sage die without naming an heir, his wife would take his place on the throne.
If the high sage had more than one wife, which all high sage's did, then the first to consummate her marriage to the high sage would ascend to the throne. It had only happened twice before in Landish history, but that was enough to establish precedent.
The two women that sat on the throne were known as the first consummate. Not what I would call a subtle title, but one I could live with. The high sage didn't know that I spent a few nights in his harem, but according to Shu and Jarvo, it had been recorded in the palace records. I was and forever would be, the high sage's thirteenth wife.
Tomorrow morning, I'd make sure that everyone knew the high sage's thirteenth wife was the first to consummate her marriage. Should Max succeed in killing the high sage, I could make a legal claim to his throne, which would make it harder for Max to assume the throne.