nervous as Gallivan stood waiting for the answer.
‘Surely you jest, kind Sir,’ the man replied. ‘Don’t you recognise her? She is God.’
The Koian survivors were taken to guestrooms in the palace and given the opportunity to clean themselves and rest. They had taken their belongings from the ship, which consisted only of several trunks of clothing that had been piled up in the room with the woman they claimed to be their god. Their ship, meanwhile, was anchored in placeso thatthe Imperial engineers could examine it. Such a mighty construction was beyond their knowledge, but the chance to improve their seafaring abilities could not be missed. Theyteemedover it like baby spiders released from their eggs, marvelling at the complexities and difficulties of constructing and sailing such an enormous vessel.
A summons soon arrivedforSamuel and Goodfellowto attend court and theyfound themselves hurrying into the crowded palace stateroom. Once again, every notable face of the city was present and an air of excitement saturated the room.
‘Lord Samuel, Master Goodfellow, please come in and sit down,’ Grand Master Anthem called, for the pair had arrived last of all.
Eric was already there sitting opposite and he nodded unenthusiastically as they sat and adjusted their robes into place. Chancellor Donovan was obviously already deep into discussion at that point and he continued once the room had returned to quiet.
‘So it seems, after extensive questioning by Lord Rubrick, that the arrival of these Koian representatives from the Court of Empress Moon has nothing to do with our current predicament. We can assist them with food and shelter, but little else, for they have troubles of their own. It is apparent that their own nation has fallen into war and they have fled its battered shores. Before we begin our other business, the Koian survivors would like to address the court and express their thanks. Lord Rubrick will translate for those of you of the court who may not understand.’
Rubrick stood and cleared his throat. His voice was gruff anyway and so the effort seemed to make little difference. ‘What you will hear us speaking is the Old Tongue. It is very unusual for it to be heard by any outside the Order or by anyone who is not a magician but,as youhave observed, everything in these difficult days has become very…complicated.’
All eyes turned to an antechamber door, which opened to allow the Koians to enter the main room. They now appeared cleaned and in new clothes made to their own style and their prominent features were now more evident than ever. Their skin was tanned deeply and their hair was black and glossy. The men wore their hair in short ponytails that reached to their shoulder blades, while the women’shairhung down to the small of their backs. Their eyes were narrow, but their eyelids seemed oversized, making them look positively alien. They obviously had a relationship to the people of the Spice Islands, for Master Rubrick himself had some hint of their features in his blood; however,the Koian faces seemed far more exaggerated and bizarre thanthat ofthe olive-skinned magician.
There was quite a bit of murmuring from the audience as the Koians sauntered forwards to the centre of the room. Whereas before they were meek and even pitiful, a few days’ rest had made all the difference.
Last amongst the party, and causing the greatest commotion as she entered, was the strangely-decorated old woman, walking with the other female Koians at her sides. Her face was again painted beyond recognition and her clothing had changed, although it was no less outlandish than the last furred outfitin whichshe had been found. Now, she wore a great feathered gown that had large bundles of coloured cloth gathered up and tiedinseemingly random positions. She wore a voluminous,black wig that seemed almost solidandhad two jagged antlers protruding from its sides, making her appear utterly bestial. Her appearance seemed to make no sense, but at least she had bathed and the overpowering stench had been washed away with the grime.
The magicians in the room pointed to the woman openly and then gestured towards and remarked about Samuel, obviously comparing their peculiar magical traits.
‘We thank the Imperial Court of Turia for recognising us,’ one of the Koian men began, echoed by Lord Rubrick, who translated for thebenefitof the court. It was the same man who had spoken aboard their ship, and it was now evident that he had grey wisps at the sides of his head, and seemed the oldest of the four men. The three remaining Koian men stood spread behind their leader and they passed their eyes calmly over the crowd that sat assessing them. ‘And we thank you for rescuing us from our fates at sea. I am Ambassador Canyon and I would like to pass to you a blessing from Empress Moon. She had sent us towards a different destination, but fate has found us here. It is fitting, then, that her blessings should fall to you, our saviours. I must apologise for throwing ourselves upon your mercy in a time of your own misfortune. At any other time, we would greet you in a matter befitting two such brother Empires. However, I fear that given we have been delayed so long andconsideringthe state of our nation when we left it, there is little chance that Koia still exists in any meaningful form.’
‘With whom have you been at war?’ asked Chancellor Donovan, curious.
‘With the Eudans. While we are a peaceful people, we excel at sea travel and trade. We exchanged our technologies with them in exchange for goods and food. Unfortunately, once they had our knowledge, they used it to invade our lands in a war that has lasted fourteen years. Finally, Empress Moon sent us out in twenty of our last and greatest ships to escape. We were assailed only two days into our trip by Eudan warships based on our own designs, andwelost our captain and half the crew. We fled blindly, without our navigation equipment and separated from the fleet. We were supposed to find the land of Fisk, far to the south of here but,unwittingly,followed the trail of the Western Isles. The continent of Amandia is known to us, but we have not traded so far north in many generations.’
‘We are familiar with Fisk, but we have not heard of your land. I have a question,’ Donovan stated, and Lord Rubrick translated. ‘What do you plan to do now, given that your mission has been such a disaster? As I believe you have been told, we are also besieged bywarringnations and it is beyond our capabilities to come to your aid.’
The one called Canyon gathered himself and went on. ‘As I mentioned, our captain and superiors were all killed. Our ship, as you saw, is ruined. We have no way of returning home, but that was never our intent. We were commanded to escape and escape we have, so our mission has not been a disaster at all. It is with glad hearts that we stand here having finally found success, when only days ago we were on the brink of total failure.’
Chancellor Donovan scoffed at this and looked atthe visitorswith amusement. ‘My good man, I have no idea how you can call your presence here a success in any form. You lost nineteen enormous ships and who knows how many men. Of all your numbers,only the eight of you survived. It seems like the most terrible of losses imaginable. Not only that, but you seem to have leapt from the frying pan into the fire, for we are currently vying for our lives ourselves. Our city could be assailed at any time and you could soon be under threat once again.’
Ambassador Canyon absorbed the news indifferently. ‘Still, we managed tofulfilour command. That is all that matters. If you wish us to leave, we can-if that is your meaning.’
‘Inform the ambassador from Koia that he and his party can remain our guests for as long as they like,’ Councillor Madhaven said, having chatted briefly with the others around him. ‘I think we have established that you are of no threat to the Empire and that the court will agree with me in that regard-in the Empress’ absence, of course. In return, I understand our navy would like the chance to examine your vessel to further their own designs.’
‘That ship is ruined, noble Sir, and has served its purpose. We need it no more. Please accept it as the most meagre of gifts.’
‘Tell me, Ambassador Canyon,’ High Lord Jacobs spoke up, obviously eager to get the question out. ‘Can you possibly introduce the rest of your party?’
The Koian seemed surprised and was quick to respond. ‘Yes, of course. It is not customary amongst the noble houses of Koia to introduce the lesser servants but,in this situation, I am barely more than a servant myself, so please allow me to introduce them. This is Stone, Cloud and Horse.’ The three other men stood without movement or recognition that they had beennamed. ‘These are Lady Wind, Lady Leaf and Lady River.’ In contrast, at the sound of their names, the ladies nodded. Lady River was by far the youngest, while the other two were well into middle age.
During this time, the magicians chortled amongst themselves as the names were mentioned, and many of the others gathered also did so, on hearing the translation. Quite conspicuously, the costumed woman was left unmentioned and she continued standing motionless amongst them, as if she had been carved from wood.
‘And…’ Jacobs prompted, raising his finger towards her. ‘Who is that one?’
