Chapter 16
Edgerton protested when he learned that I would be dining with the high sage. "I don't like it. The high sage may decide to toss you into his harem."
"I don't know who put those women in the harem, but I can guarantee you that it wasn't the high sage."
I suspected Jarvo was the one adding women to the high sage's harem. He probably went out once a month, found a woman he hoped the high sage would like, and tossed her into the harem. I suspect it wasn't a bad life. They were safe and well fed. They certainly had nothing to fear from the high sage.
I was pretty sure that I had nothing to fear from Jarvo. He needed me as an ally, to help him find out what was going on between the high sage and the King of Dunre. My problem was, how did I get the high sage to trust me? That was something I would have to play by ear.
Eventually, Jarvo returned to escort me to the high sage's private quarters. Edgerton wanted to know when I would return, but I couldn't answer that. I told him to relax and enjoy the party, that I would return when I returned.
As I headed to the high sage's quarters, I wondered if Edgerton really was worried that I would be tossed into the high sage's harem, like he claimed, or if he just didn't like the fact that when I was with Jarvo and the high sage, I was no longer under his control. Something told me that it was a little of both.
"What can you tell me about Edgerton?" I asked Jarvo.
"He is loyal to his queen. He loves her and would do anything for her."
"Including going to the end of the earth to kidnap a princess."
"He kidnapped you?"
"Drugged me, bound and gagged me, rolled me up in a carpet, and tossed me over a pack horse. I told him if he had come to our palace a month earlier, he could've had his pick of princesses, that any one of us would have gone with him willingly. But he likes to do things the hard way."
"We can provide you with sanctuary if you wish."
"I think that's why Edgerton didn't want me to come here tonight. He tried to scare me into thinking if I came here, you'd toss me into the high sage's harem."
"The high sage's wives came here of their own free will. They understand that it's a great honor to be selected as a wife of the high sage. Should you express an interest in entering the harem, we would be more than willing to accommodate you."
"If Queen Catlett doesn't like me, I might have to take you up on that offer. Although thirteen women and one teenage boy doesn't sound like a good time, not if you're one of the women."
"I've never heard any of the high sage's wives complain. And the high sage will not be a teenager forever."
We reached the high sage's private quarters. They looked like the rest of the palace. Mosaic tiled floors. Tapestries on the walls. Stained glass windows. Murals on the ceiling. All of the pictures involved a red lion. Jarvo led me to a round dining room dominated by a round marble table. The table was made out of green marble and sat low to the ground. Red, blue, green, and yellow pillows surrounded the table. The table itself was laid out with every kind of bread, fruit, and meat imaginable. Jugs of red wine sat on the table.
"Make yourself comfortable. The high sage will be with you shortly." Jarvo bowed and left.
Despite the fact that he had twelve beautiful wives, it was clear that the high sage wasn't used to being alone with a woman. As soon as he saw me in his private quarters, he turned beet red and started to back out of the room. "If you're busy. I can come back later."
I gave the high sage a coy smile, or what I hoped passed for a coy smile. In truth, I'm not sure what qualified as a coy smile and what didn't. "I'm not busy. Unless waiting for you counts as being busy."
The high sage mumbled something, but I couldn't understand what he said.
I moved to the large table that dominated the room. "Shall we eat?"
I grabbed a pillow and lowered myself onto it, tucking my legs beneath me, conscious that the high sage was watching my every move. I liked being the sophisticated older woman, it gave me a sense of power that I had never felt before.
The high sage wasn't a bad looking young man. He had a square jaw, a small narrow nose, and bright green eyes. Tuffs of red hair peeked out from under his red turban, complimenting his pale complexion and the dusting of freckles that covered his nose and cheeks. He just needed to lose the baby fat and gain some experience. Any kind of experience.
I patted the pillow next to me. "You don't look like the majority of your subjects."
“I look like my mother." The high sage sat. "She was born in Poshta, which is north of Dunre. I got my red hair and pale complexion from her. My height and build I got from my father."
"You must be hungry after being forced to listen to a windbag like Maximillian Bedard."
"You don't like Max?" The high sage seemed more surprised by that revelation than bothered by it.
"I don't like anyone that tries to kill me." I paused to fill a plate with a selection of breads, fruits, and meats. A serving girl poured two cups of red wine, then moved back against the wall, where she waited unnoticed. I set the plate between us, so the high sage could share it with me, then told him about the three assassins.
"You actually cut off a man's hand?" he said, when I finished my tale.
"You seem impressed by the fact that I know how to use a sword."
"That's because I don't know how to use a sword. I wish I did."
"You're the High Sage of Landish. If you want to know how to use a sword then order Counselor Jarvo to send someone to teach you."
"Jarvo will argue with me. Tell me that I might hurt myself."
"Let him argue. When he is done simply repeat your command. You're the high sage. Jarvo is your counselor. In the end, he will follow your wishes. Never forget that."
Jarvo wouldn't appreciate my telling the high sage to exert his authority, but someone needed to do it. He couldn't spend the rest of his life locked up in this palace doing what he was told. If that continued, he'd eventually listen to the wrong person, like Maximillian Bedard. The high sage needed to learn to think for himself.
I asked the high sage if he had any more questions about my homeland and the other side of the world. He did, a good hour's worth of questions. When he finished with those, he asked me about my family. I told him about my mother and my sisters and what had transpired since my mother's death. He seemed shocked that my sisters and I were expected to fight to the death to see which of us would ascend to our mother's throne.
"I think you made a smart move coming to our part of the world. There are more opportunities for one such as yourself in this part of the world."
"I didn't come here of my own free will. Truth be told, Chancellor Edgerton kidnapped me."
The high sage leapt to his feet. "If you want. I can have him arrested."
"Thank you, Your Supreme Highness, but it's not necessary. I'm actually looking forward to meeting Queen Catlett."
"I've already met her." The high sage sat back down. "She's tall and slim and old, with ice blue eyes. She told me to be my own man, although I'm not quite sure what she meant by that."
"I think she meant that you should do what you want, and not what Jarvo, or Maximillian Bedard, or anyone else wants you to do. While we're on the subject, tell me about the King of Dunre."
"What do you want to know?"
"What do you think he wants from you?"
"He talks about an alliance. A great alliance between Dunre and Landish is what he calls it. He says if we act as one, we can rule the civilized world."
"And who will be the primary decision maker in this alliance?"
"Max says that he'll guide me until I'm old enough to make my own decisions."
"You're old enough to make your own decisions right now," I said. "You want to know what I think?"
"You think he wants to control me." Okay, so the kid was smarter than he looked. "Jarvo thinks so too, but I've already figured out how to get rid of Max when I get tired of listening to him."
> "How?"
"I ask him if there's anything he needs and then I give it to him."
"Did you give him what he wanted tonight?"
"Of course. It's the quickest way to get him to leave."
"Can I ask what he wanted?"
"The same thing he always wants. A ship to transport some goods down the Istansada River."
"And some men to crew the ship?"
"He prefers to find his own crew."
I recalled my geography lessons. "Dunre borders the Western Sea. Max should have plenty of ships at his disposal."
"You think he's up to something?"
Before I could voice my suspicions, a vision hit me. In this vision, I was standing on the deck of the Star of the Sea. It was a warm but starless night. Another ship had pulled alongside of ours, a single masted longboat.
Through the fog, I could see its flag flapping in the breeze. The flag contained a red lion, the high sage's crest. The men on the ship were dressed like the men in Landish, wearing balloon pants and vests and turbans. Problem was, some of them were too tall and too pale to be natives of Landish. They boarded our ship in overwhelming numbers, scimitars and broadswords drawn.
Captain Hubbard's men put up a brave fight but they were outnumbered and fell one by one. I retreated to my cabin and secured the door, but a pair of tall men in turbans broke the door down. One of them ran his sword through the Lady Tabitha's stomach, then watched her collapse. He started to approach me when the vision faded.
I found myself back in the high sage's private quarters. He had a concerned look on his face and was asking me if everything was all right.
"I'm fine." Before I could say anything else, I had another vision.
This time I saw the King of Dunre. He was standing before the throne of a woman. The woman was tall and thin, with long white hair and pale blue eyes. Time had diminished her beauty but hadn't stolen it. She wore a flowing silver gown with a high collar and belled sleeves. She looked devastated, like she had just lost the love of her life, like she had just lost hope. The King of Dunre was offering his condolences over the deaths of Chancellor Edgerton and the barbarian princess, but I could see the delight in his deep set eyes.
"Do they know who did it?" Queen Catlett had a soft voice, a voice filled with the pain of loss. Loss for Edgerton. Loss for the hope that my arrival had briefly given her.
"All reports indicate that it was Landish pirates that attacked the ship," Maximillian Bedard said. "My navy is at your disposal, Your Highness. Even now, they're hunting the Istansada River for the longboat that attacked and killed your people. I've also sent a message to the High Sage of Landish, demanding that he do something about the pirates that have taken refuge in his city, and warning him that if he doesn't, I shall march my army into his city and remove him from power."
The vision faded and I found myself back with the high sage.
"I need to know how many ships the King of Dunre has borrowed from you since you came to power."
"Six," the high sage said. "Every couple of months, Max shows up and lectures me. When I get tired of the lecture, I ask him if there's anything I can do for him. He always says the same thing. He could use an extra ship to transport some fine Landish goods back to Dunre. I give him a ship and he leaves."
"And you've never asked what he's transporting?"
"Of course I've asked. He's remodeling his palace and is shipping stained glass back to Dunre. We make the finest stained glass in the world here in Landish."
"Can I assume the papers entitling Max to use these ships are signed by you?"
"Of course they're signed by me," the high sage said.
"Do any of these papers contain Max's name or title, indicating that he's in possession of these ships?"
The high sage thought for a minute. "I believe they were standard bearer papers."
So the answer to my question was no. Standard bearer papers began with the line, THE BEARER OF THESE PAPERS IS ENTITLED TO, then went on to state what they were entitled to, in this case, one royal longboat. They ended with the name of the person who issued the papers, in this case, the High Sage of Landish, Miship Boxx. What wasn't on them was Maximillian Bedard's name, nothing to indicate that he was responsible for the ships and the crews that manned them.
That explained what the King of Dunre was doing in Istansada City. Every couple of months, he would pester the high sage. The high sage would give him a ship just to get rid of him. Max would then man the ship with a mixture of Landish thugs, enough to make it look like a Landish crew, and a few of his own men. They would head down the Istansada River committing acts of piracy.
If any of the ships were caught, the papers in the captain's possession would trace the ship back to the high sage. Max could march in, accuse the high sage of promoting piracy, and wrest power from him, claiming he was doing it for the good of everybody that depended upon the river for their livelihood. Since the conversations between him and the high sage were private, there would be no way for the high sage to prove that Max had set up the whole thing.
"I think I know what Max is up to," I said.
I explained what the King of Dunre was doing and how I knew what he was doing. When I finished, the high sage said, "Why would Max do such a thing?"
"He wants your throne, Your Supreme Highness. And he knows that if he bores you long enough, you'll give him a ship just to get rid of him."
"And he's using those ships to commit piracy, which he plans to blame on me?"
"The men captaining those ships possess standard bearer papers signed by you. It makes it look like you gave them the ships. It makes it look like you're promoting piracy on the Istansada River."
The high sage made no attempt to hide the worried look on his face. "What do I do now?"
"Give me fifty of your best soldiers. We'll sneak them on my ship then turn the tables on Max's men when they attack the Star of the Sea. Maybe we can get a couple of them to confess who's really behind the piracy." I doubted that would happen, but it was worth a shot. At the very least, we could foil Max's assassination plot.
The high sage grabbed me by the shoulders and hugged me. When he finished, he held me at arm's length, and smiled. "Clearly the gods have brought you here to help me."
"I thought it was Chancellor Edgerton that brought me here."
"Chancellor Edgerton was just the tool the gods used to bring you here."
"You need to talk to Jarvo. Fill him in on what's going on. We need to figure out a way to sneak some soldiers onto my ship without Max's spies noticing them."
"You think Max has men watching your ship?"
"He plans on attacking us as soon as we set sail. He can't do that without knowing when we leave."
"And if he sees my men boarding your ship, he'll know that something's up."
"Exactly."
"You talk to Edgerton and I'll talk to Jarvo. Between the four of us, we'll find a way to put your plan into motion."
The high sage sprang to his feet and offered me a hand. He helped me to my feet, then pulled me to him. With my high heeled boots on, I was taller than him by an inch. He kissed me, a hard aggressive kiss that clicked our teeth together and almost knocked his turban off his head.
"I better go talk to Jarvo," he said, blushing. He straightened his turban and scurried off before I could say anything.
The serving girl came over, said something in her native tongue, then offered me a goblet containing an amber liquid. When I shook my head no, letting her know that I didn't want whatever was in the goblet, she pressed it to my lips and tilted it. I found myself swallowing the warm bitter liquid just to keep it from spilling down my chin and dress.
"What was that?" I asked, sputtering and stepping back.
The girl smiled at me and said something else that I didn't understand. My head started to spin and my body started to grow numb. What's more, I couldn't get my eyes to focus. The room and the girl became nothing more than brightly colored blurs spi
nning around me.
I knew that I had been drugged because I felt like I did when Ezerra threw the white powder in my face. Like I did when Edgerton shot me with the miniature crossbow. The last thing I remember thinking was, not again.