“It was not anything romantic. I merely felt a sense of recognition. I suspect you did to.”
“You might be right. Now, why do you think that was?”
“I wish I knew,” said Rik honestly. “But I don’t. I have never seen you before last night. Why are you here?”
“I am here because like your friend, the Weasel, I have business with Black Tomar, the proprietor of this delightful establishment.”
“He is the local Bossman then, is he?”
“If by that picturesque expression you mean he is the town’s chief dealer in stolen goods, illicit information and illegal services then you are correct. It did not take you long to find him. I must say I am impressed.”
“Why do you want to see him?”
“I think I have answered quite enough of your questions. It’s time you answered some of mine.” He answered her smile. She leaned closer. Their faces were almost touching. Her eyes were very large. The pupils very dark and dilated. He felt like he might fall into them and be lost.
“Ask away.”
“Are you Lady Asea’s lover- everybody seems to think you are?”
He nodded. There did not seem to be any point in denying it. It was a cover that needed to be kept.
“How did that happen?” He decided then to be as honest as possible. It was always best to keep as close to the truth as you could when telling a lie.
“I saved her life in Deep Achenar. She took an interest in me after that.”
“You were in Deep Achenar with Asea? You are the one who fought the Spawn of the Spider God?” He nodded again. It seemed word of the Foragers’ mission had not been as well hushed up as he thought.
“What were they like? Describethem to me.”
He told her of the bizarre half-spider, half-demon things he had battled with, and the ritual he had witnessed. She was a very good listener. She nodded agreement every now and again, and her eyes never left his face.
“Extraordinary,” she said eventually. “And that is how your Lieutenant Sardec lost his hand.”
Rik could not deny the Lieutenant’s bravery no matter how much he disliked the Terrarch personally.
“I believe you are very lucky to be alive,” she said. She looked a little awestruck. Rik wondered how much of it was play-acting but he was flattered nonetheless. Her hand still rested on his thigh, massaging it gently.
“You’ll get no arguments from me. Now why are you here?”
“I am collecting information,” she said.
“Don’t you have servants for that?”
“I like to collect it myself, that way I can judge the source first hand.”
“That’s a very dangerous hobby.”
“I find it adds spice to an otherwise dull life.”
She did not give the impression of being one of those bored Terrarch noblewomen who sought relief from their ennui in danger; quite the opposite. She reminded Rik of some very successful thieves he had known, who took pleasure in their accomplishments and found the crime as thrilling as the reward.
“How dull can it be, being rich and powerful and beautiful?”
“You would be surprised,” she said. “A palace can feel like a prison sometimes.”
“I’ve been in prison so I doubt that.”
“You seem to have led a very eventful life.”
“Too eventful.”
“Tell me- I am interested. Why were you imprisoned?”
“I was caught in possession of stolen goods. I was drunk at the time. My friend Leon had left them with me to pick up later and the watch came. I was too drunk to run away so they caught me. I had not even stolen the goods but I was going to hang for the theft anyway.”
“How did you get away?”
“Leon bribed the guards. They let me out.”
“No daring escapes, no night flights across the tiled rooftops at midnight? That’s very disappointing.”
“That is the way things go in Sorrow. If you can afford the bribes, you can get off free. If you can’t, it’s the long drop. So why did you come here?”
“The same reason as I am sure you did. I want what Black Tomar has; information, among other things.” Rik did not rise to the bait.
“You are spying?”
“If you want to put it that way. I am sure you are doing the same for the Arch-traitress.”
“Lady Asea would not be thrilled to hear herself described as that.”
“Nonetheless, that is what she is.” Tamara sounded suddenly very serious. “She and Azaar tore the Terrarchy apart to satisfy their personal ambitions. They plunged the Empire into civil war because they could not stand to see Arachne on the throne. They wanted somebody more malleable and Queen Arielle proved to be that, at least in the beginning.”
“That is not the history I was taught.”
“Naturally- considering which side of the border you were born on.” Rik paused to mull over her words. She was a Purple. But that did not prevent her from believing she was right or even being so. He wanted to hear her side of the story.
“Go on,” he said. “I am listening.”
“Arachne was the eldest of the heirs. She was first in line to the throne legally. In the normal course of things there is no disputing that she would become Queen-Empress.”
“In the normal course of things, but she assassinated her own mother.”
“I assure you she did not.”
“You have proof of that? Why has it not been brought forward?”
“Of course, I don’t have proof but I do know the Queen-Empress and I know she is utterly serious about finding the murderer of her mother.”
“It would certainly be in her interest to claim that.”
“I know her, Rik. She has been a friend to my family for a very long time. She is sincere. She believes your patron to have been responsible.”
Rik found himself staring at her. “That is just a black lie put about to discredit Asea.”
“Is it? Who was in charge of palace security when the Old Queen was murdered? Lord Azaar. Who was the sorcerer responsible for overseeing the palace’s defensive wards? Lady Asea. Was there ever any trace of a murderer found? Did any of the other palace wizards detect any disturbance of their wards? The palace was sealed that night. No one went in or out. The only people who could have committed the crime were inside that wing of the palace. Arachne was not. Azaar and Asea were, so was your Queen for that matter. That is why my father had her placed under house arrest until he could get to the bottom of the matter. Azaar and his half-sister released her from her chambers and fled before the matter could come to trial. I ask you, whose interests seem best served by that chain of events? Who had the motive and the opportunity to commit the assassination?”
“Motive?”
“Arielle wanted to be Empress. She knew that her sister would become so in the natural course of things. Asea and Azaar could see their power slipping. The Old Queen was turning against them, and their Scarlet doctrines.”
Rik was in no position to judge the truth of her claims. This was the first time he had ever heard events framed exactly this way, although hundreds of theories circulated among the citizens of Sorrow about the assassination that had sparked the bloodiest civil war in history. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I like you, and I want you to know in whose shadow you are standing. Lady Asea is a heroine in your country. Lord Azaar is a famous General, but they are both traitors to their own people, and they are both murderers. They will be brought to justice. In part that is what this war is about.”
“Wars are fought for land, for gold, for power. They are not fought for justice. Believe me, I have fought in enough of them…”
“I am not saying that those motives don’t arise on either side. I am saying that there are other motives mixed in with them. The Queen-Empress will see the traitors brought to justice. She would reward those who would aid her in this.”
