“I have to try,” she said, bluntly. She knew better than to disagree with her master in public, but there was no choice. “If the revolution turns into an all-out war...”
“And what will you do?” Void’s eyes bored into hers. “Convince King... King Whatever to give up his power? Convince the rebels to put down their arms and go back home? There is no middle ground, not here. Whatever you do, you will make enemies. You will be blamed for the outcome. Let them kill each other, if that’s what they want to do. It does not concern you.”
“It does,” Emily said, quietly. She knew what the really big wars had been like. It wasn’t just the fighting, although that had been bad enough. Armies had crashed through civilian lands, looting the towns, raping the women and burning the fields. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, would die, through everything from simple violence to starvation. “I can’t let it happen.”
“Whatever you do, it will happen,” Void said. “And you will be blamed.”
“I have to try to calm everyone down,” Emily said. “Not for their sake, but for the sake of everyone caught in the middle.”
“And they won’t thank you for making matters worse,” Void said. “They’ll find you a convenient excuse for their failures.”
“For once, I must agree,” Lady Barb said. She sounded as if she didn’t believe what she was saying. “This is a set-up. It’s a trap.”
“And yet, it’s one I have to spring,” Emily said. Perhaps Void was right. Anything that he and Lady Barb agreed on had to be right. “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.”
“We shall see.” Void stood. “We’ll go back to the tower. All of us. We’ll discuss it there and, if you decide you still want to go...”
Emily frowned, wondering what he wasn’t saying. It wasn’t like Void to keep his opinions to himself, even when they had an audience. He’d certainly had no qualms about insisting the whole affair was a trap. “I have to try.”
“So you keep saying,” Void said. “But Emily... what if there’s nothing you can do?”
Chapter Seven
HER ROOMS HADN’T CHANGED MUCH IN the weeks she’d been away. Coming back to the tower felt like coming home. Emily smiled as she stepped inside, spying the mountain of letters waiting for her on the desk, then closed the door and started to undress. Her clothes felt filthy despite Kyla’s cleaning spells. She dropped them in the basket for the maids and hurried into the bathroom. The bathtub called to her... she was tempted, very tempted, to just fill the bath to the brim and clamber inside. A hot bath sounded wonderful. She was sure her guests wouldn’t mind...
Don’t be selfish, she told herself. The tower was home to her, now, but it wasn’t comfortable for guests. Void preferred it that way. He disliked visitors, as a general rule, and she was fairly sure it still held true for people he’d invited. They’re all waiting downstairs.
She turned on the water and stepped into the shower, luxuriating under the stream of hot water. Laughter had had showers too, but she’d always felt a little pressed for time. Here... she was still pressed for time, she supposed. Void wouldn’t say anything if she left her guests hanging for too long, but he’d notice. They’d all notice. And she knew she couldn’t leave them alone for too long.
Alassa and Jade will probably be fine, Emily thought, as she ran water through her hair. Lady Barb, on the other hand, doesn’t want to be here at all.
She clambered out of the shower, muttered a drying spell and hastily tied her hair back in a crude ponytail before stepping back into the bedroom and finding a clean dress. It was baggy and shapeless, designed more for work than play, but no one would particularly care. She stopped in front of the mirror. Lady Barb wasn’t the only one with bags under her eyes. Emily looked as though she hadn’t slept in weeks. Her skin was so pale the dark marks stood out clearly. It was easy to believe someone had blacked her eyes.
It’s been a long day, she thought. Too much had happened in too short a space of time for her to sit down and process it. And tomorrow isn’t going to be any better.
She turned and walked down the stairs, into the guestroom. She was surprised Void had invited Alassa, Jade and Lady Barb into his house. He’d certainly never allowed her to invite Jan back to the tower. She felt another pang of guilt, wondering what had happened to Jan, then put it aside as she stepped into the guestroom. Void had gone to some trouble to supply everything his guests might reasonably need without making the room look remotely welcoming. The chairs were hard-backed, the table crude and almost unfinished, the drinks cabinet consisting solely of water and fruit juice. Emily thought it was a little strange, although she understood. She’d never been very keen on unexpected guests either.
Jade and Alassa sat together, studying a pile of reports. Lady Barb stood by the window, peering over the land. The sky was lightening rapidly, the sun peeking over the distant horizon... Emily felt her head twang in pain, a grim reminder of teleport lag. It had been lunchtime... hadn’t it? She wondered, suddenly, what was happening in Zangaria. Alassa hadn’t had time to put someone in charge, when she’d left. Jade was her nominal regent and he’d accompanied her...
“Emily,” Lady Barb said. “Feeling better?”
“I need a long rest,” Emily said. Her head felt fragile. She was going to have to time the alarm perfectly or she’d be out of sorts when she reached Alluvia. That would go down well, she was sure. “But as well as I’ll be,
