“Have Colonel Hasna give her word you will not be harmed or detained,” Sien said.
Mari looked at Hasna, who spoke slowly. “I give my word of honor that you will not be harmed or detained.”
“Thank you,” Mari said. “May I ask you something?” Mari added as Hasna started to turn away. “It’s a question I’ve been wanting to ask someone. Why do I have to fight people like you? You’re not a bad person. You’re trying to do what you believe is right. But you’re wrong. You’re taking this kingdom back down the same road that caused it to be broken before. Why can’t you see that?”
“Perhaps I see things more clearly than you think,” Hasna replied, her voice cold.
“More clearly than Princess Sien? Do you honestly believe that Prince Tien is better able to lead this country than Princess Sien?”
“That is not my decision to make. Tiae broke because too many people questioned who should lead. You would not understand.”
Mari felt the pain behind the harsh words, so she held her temper in check. “But what led them to question their leaders? Princess Sien told me what set in motion the collapse of the kingdom. Rulers who weren’t up to the job but held it because of an accident of birth. Would you choose officers that way? The Empire doesn’t decide who will be emperor based on birth. I spent enough time in Palandur to learn that Imperial succession is built on survival of the fittest. The Imperial heir gains that status by being the smartest, meanest, cleverest, most ruthless adult in the Imperial household. Sometimes they’re not even related to the prior Emperor until they marry into the family.”
Hasna did not reply for a moment, then spoke in a lower but still forceful voice. “Tiae needs order. You cannot understand how it felt to have your world crumble.”
“Not in the way you endured it, no,” Mari agreed. “But the wrong leaders seed disorder. There may be new confrontations. I am going to do my best to defuse them from this point on. I give my word to you on that. But there may come a time when you’ll have to decide in your heart what is really best for Tiae. I hope we’re on the same side when that happens.”
“Do not presume that you know what is best for Tiae,” Hasna said, pivoting to march out of the room.
* * * *
The meeting occurred late that night in a small side room of the royal residence. An escort of Mari’s soldiers waited outside, as did a force of Tiae soldiers under Major Hasna. The two groups, formerly allies who had mingled without concern, now stood uneasily apart from each other.
Prince Tien, seated at a desk, waved Mari to a chair before it. Alain stood to one side of her.
“Let me speak first,” Mari said. “So that we all understand the stakes involved. I’ve seen your advisors. I’ve dealt with many like them. You are smart enough to know that they serve the interests of others, the interests of their own leaders or of their own greed, but the master they truly serve is grim and awful, a Storm that will bring us all to ruin regardless of the wealth and power some gather before then.”
“Dire words,” Tien observed. In private, he didn’t display the same grandiose gestures and bombastic speech. “What arrangement can we come to, then?” He smiled at her. “Everyone kept telling me about the idealistic daughter who did nothing for herself. I had not realized how cleverly you have managed others’ impressions of you.”
Mari, not happy to be told that her candor had been interpreted as stage management, made a vague reply. “I do my best.”
Tien flashed another smile. “The act with the Mage is truly brilliant.”
“You think so?” Mari asked, wondering exactly what Tien meant.
“Of course. Pretending that he’s in a relationship with you not only makes you look mysterious and powerful, but also causes commons and other Mages to believe his powers are gone.” Tien spread his hands. “It’s always good to have some surprises up your sleeve, isn’t it?”
“I’ve always thought so.”
“Your left arm is injured,” Tien observed. “Another assassination attempt?”
That sounded partly like sympathy, partly like a warning. Mari shook her head. “It was in a battle. At Landfall. A little over a week ago. I had business in the Empire, and the Imperials tried to stop me.”
Tien eyed her. “Interesting. We do what we must, I suppose.”
“We make choices, Prince Tien,” Mari said. “I’ve seen and heard what’s been happening here since you arrived. You may think you have things under control, but the Syndaris can’t be trusted and the people of Tiae can only be pushed so far. The first time a ship laden with loot extracted from what little the people have left tries to leave this port or any other, the people are going to riot.”
Tien made a dismissive gesture. “I have an army.”
“That army is going to be very reluctant to fight their own people.”
“Then my hireling soldiers from Syndar will deal with it.” Tien leaned forward toward her, his eyes intent. “Unless trouble is stirred up. I have what you want: access to the people and the resources of Tiae. You have the pretender. I could be persuaded to make a deal for what you want, if you give me what I want.”
Mari shook her head. “Princess Sien is not part of any deal. I won’t betray her.”
“How noble.” Sien cocked his head as he studied Mari. “But you want to stop this Storm. What does the fate of one person matter? How many people did you kill at Landfall because they were in the way of what you wanted?”
Tien had probably meant the words as a statement of pragmatism, but they hurt deep inside her. “I don’t know how many I killed in Landfall,” Mari said in a low voice, trying to keep all feeling from her voice.
Apparently interpreting that as callousness, Tien nodded. “So, we understand each other. You cannot hold onto Pacta Servanda without Tiae’s agreement, despite the power of your army. We could besiege you in that town, and privateers could blockade your harbor.”
“The Syndaris are using you.”
“They think they are,” Tien said. “There is my deal, Master Mechanic. You turn over to me the pretender, and I will reach an agreement with you to allow continued use of Pacta Servanda, though I will want more access to your weaponry if Tiae is to be an ally.”
“Let me think about it,” Mari said. “You’ll have my answer before sundown tomorrow. What will your advisors think of such a deal?”
Tien grinned conspiratorially. “Any who disagree too sharply will find that their lives become much more difficult. And perhaps much more short. That’s true of all my enemies. I don’t let people do things that work against me. You understand, don’t you? Do you require one of my advisors be handed over to you as part of the deal? I won’t ask any questions about what you do to, say, the one who is on the take for the Mechanics Guild.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Mari said, trying to keep the revulsion from her voice.
She walked rapidly from the building, the soldiers in her escort hastening to keep up. Alain walked close beside her, speaking in a low voice. “Every word he spoke regarding agreements between you were lies. Tien would not keep any agreement, but instead demand more concessions at every opportunity.”
“For once,” Mari said, “I didn’t need a Mage to tell me that. But he was telling the truth when he threatened us. He thinks I’m like him, Alain. How can he think that?”
“Like so many of your enemies, he is seeing what he expects to see. You fool others not by managing your words and actions, but by being exactly who you are. That is the one thing they cannot understand.”
At the encampment, General Flyn and Sien waited. “How did it go?” Flyn asked in the tones of someone who thought he already knew the answer.
“Ugly,” Mari told him. “He thinks I’m mulling over a deal to betray Princess Sien. Princess, we need to get you out of Tiaesun. There’s no telling what Tien will try as long as you’re in the city. Once we get you out among the rest of my soldiers here, Tien won’t be able to touch you. We’ll march back to
Pacta Servanda and try to figure out what to do next.”
Sien looked away, angry. “And once more I am a thing to possess.”
Mari felt a sick sensation in her stomach. “No. That’s not what I want. I’m sorry that came out like an order. You decide, Princess.”
She gave Mari a flat look, then nodded. “I agree with you, Mari. Thank you for letting me make that decision.”
“You’re still the ruler of Tiae as far as I’m concerned,” Mari said. “And you’ll always be my friend. General, let’s try to sneak out before dawn. Hopefully, Tien won’t expect us to act so quickly.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mari’s soldiers had marched into Tiaesun as liberators, greeted by the cheers of the people. Now, in the hour before dawn, with just enough light to move without lanterns, they began marching out of the city like a column sneaking through enemy territory.
A dozen cavalry rode in the lead, followed by Mari, Alain, Sien, Flyn, and some of Flyn’s staff. Behind them came the foot soldiers. Mari could sense their unhappiness, but also that it was directed outwards at the people of Tiae who seemed to have betrayed them.
“What are our chances of getting out of the city without confrontation?” Mari murmured to General Flyn.
“I’d say they were extremely poor, Lady. But we will do what can to avoid it.”
The general’s words were all too quickly proven true. The column had ridden only a few blocks before it reached a large courtyard close to the royal residence. As Mari rode into the courtyard, she saw the other three streets leading out were all blocked by soldiers of Tiae drawn up in combat formation. Despite the very early hour, the sides of the courtyard not guarded by soldiers were occupied by crowds of people who were watching with a strange mix of dread and apathy. Year after year of anarchy and war had left them expecting the worst and unable to rouse themselves to fight against the seemingly inevitable.
“Keep riding,” Flyn said to Mari in a low voice. “Let’s see if they give way when we approach.”
Princess Sien shook her head. “They would not be here if they intended to give way.”
“I don’t sense any stomach in them for fighting us,” Flyn objected.
“These are my people, General. Push them the wrong way and they will fight.”
Mari led her column of soldiers as far as the center of the courtyard, the people of Tiae watching silently and the soldiers standing firm. She came to a stop, though, as a stallion came prancing into the courtyard, his rider sitting tall in the saddle, light cavalry armor gleaming.
Prince Tien drew his saber and flourished it in the air. “I command you halt!”
“Hold,” Mari called, her soldiers coming to a stop. “What do you want?” she said to Tien. She could see his foreign backers standing behind the prince and the ranks of Tiae soldiery.
“I require you to surrender the pretender, as you agreed, that she may be judged and dealt with,” Tien said.
“I made no agreements with you. Princess Sien is under my protection,” Mari said.
“She still hides behind the swords of foreign fighters?” Tien said mockingly. “If she is truly a princess, why does she not trust in Tiae?”
Sien brought her mount to the forefront, her expression hard. “I hide behind no one. I stayed with Tiae through the dark years, I stayed with my people, while others hid in comfort among the foreign hills of Syndar.”
“Watch your tongue when speaking to the ruler of Tiae!” Prince Tien commanded, theatrically pointing his sword at Sien from across the distance separating them. “You wanted to give the kingdom to that outsider, the woman who rides beside you. I will not permit that! Nor will I allow you to leave this city and raise rebellion in the countryside. But I am merciful. I will allow you your life, if you first renounce your claim to be of the royal family, second swear your loyalty and obedience to me as the rightful ruler of Tiae, and third vow never to seek or serve as ruler of Tiae under any conditions.”
“You ask me to renounce my mother and father?” Sien cried, her words filling the courtyard. “Never! Tien, drop this pretence that I am not your sister. We lived together in the royal nursery.” She pointed toward a hill topped by a ruined palace. “You know this is true!”
“I know that one of my sisters, the six-year-old girl named Sien, disappeared in the chaos of Tiaesun’s fall and most certainly died, perhaps at the hands of the same forces that now elevate you in her place! It pains me that you would use her memory in such a selfish fashion. If you love Tiae,” Prince Tien announced, “you will not place your low-born ambitions above what is best for the kingdom.”
Mari saw Sien’s face tighten with anger. The princess almost spurred her horse forward, but halted herself. “You accuse me of the very crimes you commit against Tiae? You and the foreigners who surround you? It is your desire for wealth and power, and your lack of compassion, which makes you weak! Too weak to rule this kingdom!”
That barb went home. Tien glowered at Sien, curbing his restless stallion with a vicious jerk on the reins. “You dare to speak so to me? Perhaps I have been too merciful. Perhaps you were best given quarters in the prison next to other traitors to Tiae!”
“I would rather rot in a cell next to such brave men and women than spend even a moment in the finest apartments near a coward such as you!”
“This isn’t going well,” General Flyn commented as if discussing a change in the weather.
“Soldiers of Tiae!” Prince Tien called. “Prepare for battle!”
Mari did not need a Mage’s skill at reading emotions to see the uncertainty and reluctance with which the soldiers lowered their pikes toward Mari’s troops and spanned their crossbows. Even soldiers filled with absolute loyalty to their ruler might have quailed at fighting the battle that loomed. While Mari’s force was outnumbered, the soldiers of Tiae had only two rifles among them. Mari’s soldiers were almost all armed with Alli’s modern rifles. A battle between the two forces would be a one-sided bloodbath.
“Lady,” General Flyn muttered to Mari urgently, “we could easily win this fight, but the long-term cost of such a victory would be impossible to calculate. Tiae would not forgive us such a slaughter.”
“Make no move to prepare for combat,” Mari replied. “Keep our soldiers in marching order and keep their rifles in carrying position on their shoulders. I don’t want a single nervous finger on a trigger causing a battle that no one except Tien and some of his foreign backers seem to want.”
Princess Sien rose in her stirrups and spoke in a loud voice. “What is this? Threats against allies? Threats against those who have done so much for Tiae? These soldiers have fought alongside Tiae and shed their blood for our country! You have not!” she added, pointing at Tien. “You order others to fight your battles because you lack the strength and the courage to be a ruler!”
Tien had been looking around as well, gauging the mood of his own forces. He was shrewd enough to notice their lack of enthusiasm and the way Sien’s words had hit home among the watching citizens. From Tien’s jerky, angry movements, it appeared her words had also struck home with him. “It is against the laws of Tiae to speak so to a monarch!”
“There are older laws!” Sien declared. “Laws that do not permit even a monarch to hide from the truth!”
Tien responded to the princess’s latest accusation with a defiant look that didn’t quite mask an air of calculation as he gazed at Sien. “Strength? Courage? You say I lack those, woman? Yet I am strong enough and brave enough to risk my life for my kingdom. Here and now, before the eyes of all.” He spread his arms wide and pivoted at the waist to look around the courtyard. “See me! A prince willing to place his life in the measure to prove he is right and he is strong! To fight his own battles! To prove he is the leader that Tiae needs!”
“What is he talking about?” Mari asked Sien.
“That which I know must happen,” Sien said. “Though even now I cannot believe he would agree to such a thing.”
&nbs
p; “There is an even older tradition than the laws of Tiae!” Prince Tien cried. “An older law. A tradition to prove strength! To prove fitness! To prove the truth and justice of the arguments made!”
“And so it will end as it must,” Sien whispered so that only Mari could hear.
“Trial by combat!” Prince Tien concluded. He pointed at Sien. “We will battle, you and I, and the winner will be proven the rightful ruler of Tiae.”
A murmur ran through the watching crowd. Mari saw the soldiers of Tiae staring at the prince. “Your majesty—" Colonel Hasna began.
Tien silenced her with a gesture, still pointing at Sien. “Give your answer, woman who claims to be a servant of Tiae! I name you servant of another cause, one that seeks to destroy all that remains of Tiae! Do you fear to prove the worth of your words, the worth of yourself, in combat?”
“He knows he can’t win a fight against us, and he can tell his soldiers aren’t eager for such a fight,” Flyn commented in a low voice. “He’s trying to put this contest on grounds that he feels certain will grant him victory.”
Princess Sien sat tall in her saddle. “It is you who serve malign forces,” she said loudly to Tien. “By what means will the victor be determined? Who will decide which of us will be ruler?”
Tien looked back at her, thinking through her words. “Victory will be decided by the only means that produces a result whose proof cannot be debated or questioned. The winner will be the one who survives the combat.”
“To the death?” Mari gasped, her words barely carrying over the eruption of noise from the crowd. “He is actually proposing to fight you to the death?”
“As he knows he must. He cannot trust others to judge as he wishes.” Sien looked around, her gaze traveling slowly over the soldiers of Tiae and others in the courtyard. “And still they fear to act in my favor.” She called back to her brother. “What other rules? By what terms would the combat be held, and who will enforce those rules against us?”