The Shadow's heir

Arenadd smiled at her. “I have indeed.” Then, to the apparent surprise of the Imperial Family, he reached toward her with his good hand. “Nyria. You’re as beautiful as I imagined you would be.”

There was an awkward silence, and Laela knew he’d broken some kind of Amorani protocol. But Arenadd looked unembarrassed, and, a moment later, the Princess touched his hand in return. “I am awed to meet you, Great King,” she said softly. “You are far more handsome than I imagined.”

At that, the Emperor burst out laughing. “I see you are to my daughter’s liking! I hope that she is to your own!”

“She would put any Northern woman to shame,” said Arenadd.

“You shall have plenty of time to see,” said the Emperor. “Nyria, if you would like, then perhaps you could visit your betrothed in his quarters tonight, so that you can come to know him better.”

The Princess bowed her head toward him. “I would be glad to, Father.”

“Just be careful the Mighty Skandar doesn’t eat yeh!” Laela joked.

The Emperor and his family looked at her with slightly shocked expressions, but then they laughed.

“It would seem that your own daughter has a fine tongue on her,” the Emperor remarked to Arenadd. “As fine as your own, Great King.”

Laela decided that she quite liked this strange bald-headed man. “I ain’t his daughter, Sacred Ruler,” she said.

The Emperor paused at that. “She looks very much like you, Great King,” he said. “I am sorry if-”

“She does,” said Arenadd. “In more than looks, let me assure you. But she is not my daughter. I am unmarried.”

The Emperor’s eyes gleamed. “Of course. Please excuse my mistake, Great King.”

After that, he and Arenadd chatted about this and that, trying to put each other at ease. The women didn’t try to join in.

Laela supposed they weren’t allowed.

In the meantime, food was brought in for the Amorani court and its guests. Naturally, the Emperor’s table was served first, and Laela was shocked when she saw who brought the food to it.

They were men, pale-skinned and black-eyed. Their hair had been shaved off, and they wore nothing but plain white kilts. All of them had heavy metal collars clamped around their necks.

Slaves. Northern slaves.

Laela had never seen a slave before. Now she could scarcely believe her eyes. To be treated like that, to have all your hair cut off and be forced to work all day, to be a piece of property instead of a person. .

What upset her most was the way the Emperor and his family reacted to them. They didn’t even look at the slaves as they put platters of food and jugs of wine on the table before retreating.

Even Arenadd didn’t react much. He gave one of the slaves a lingering look when he came near, but his expression didn’t change, and he didn’t say anything. It was as if nothing had happened.

But Laela kept her gaze on them, and she didn’t take it away. She kept on watching them, ignoring the food they’d brought despite her hunger. They moved slowly, their faces blank, as if they had nothing to feel or think about. But the more she looked at them, the more she began to realise the truth.

This is what they were fightin’ for. Arenadd and his rebels. It wasn’t about power. It was about this. It was about stoppin’ this.

She took in every detail of them, seeing their long fingers, their narrow shoulders, the hints of black hair on their heads.

My people. They’re my people. Our people.

She felt like she was waking up. All of a sudden she was angry-angry toward the likeable Emperor, toward his family-toward his entire country that put these people in bondage and treated them like animals.

But they had to be friends, she realised. Arenadd had to make them his friends, so that they would let these slaves go home. Even if it meant his marrying this Princess he didn’t know and taking her to live in a place that would be as foreign to her as Amoran was to Laela.

Eventually, hunger won through, and Laela ate. The food was strange and spicy, but she barely tasted it. She ate as if in a dream, letting the conversation wash over her.

By the time the meal ended, and the visitors were ready to be shown to their quarters, Laela found she had a new respect for Arenadd-even admiration. He’d left his Kingdom in someone else’s hands for a year, just so he could come all this way to gather these last few Northerners who still had to be brought home. Cymria’s slaves had been freed, and now these were all that were left.

An’ it’s up to me t’help him, she thought. I’m his right-hand. . woman now. It’s my duty.

She’d never thought of it that way before.

Her quarters turned out to be a set of rooms in another building attached to the great hall. They were close to Arenadd’s and Skandar’s, but though Laela had wanted to talk to Arenadd before bed, he had the Princess with him and was obviously more interested in having some time with his bride-to-be instead.

Laela managed to catch him for a moment anyway. “I saw the slaves.”

“Of course you did,” Arenadd said tersely. “They weren’t exactly easy to miss.”

“I can’t believe the Emperor actually had them poor buggers serve us like that,” said Laela. “What was he thinkin’?”

Arenadd glanced at the Princess, who was waiting for him. “Possibly he just didn’t think of it, but he seems much too intelligent to make that sort of blunder. I think the intention was to remind us of just what we’re asking him for here. And maybe to warn us.”

Laela cringed. “What, they wouldn’t make us into. .”

“We can’t assume anything just now,” said Arenadd. “Listen; I’ve got things to do, and you should get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll be in talks with the Emperor, so you probably won’t see much of me.”

“What’ll I do, then?”

“You’ll be shown around the city, most likely-they’ll want to entertain you, try and impress you. And to keep you busy as well.”

“Yeh don’t think they’re gonna try anythin’ on, do yeh?” said Laela.

“It seems unlikely, but that’s no reason not to be careful,” said Arenadd. “Keep Oeka with you. Never let her out of your sight. If something happens, she’s the best defence you’ve got. Don’t accept any food or drink you’re not certain about.”

“Right. But what should I do for you?” said Laela. “To help yeh?”

He smiled very slightly. “I’m pleased you asked. I want you to be my eyes and ears, Laela. Remember everything you see and hear. Note anything you think could be important. I’m counting on you.”

“Gotcha.” Laela grinned and retreated into her chambers after Oeka, where she dumped the small travel bag she had brought with her and stopped to look around.

Her quarters were large and airy, and simply but richly decorated. There was another of those low tables with cushions around it, and a brass bowl full of strange fruit. The bed was a strange, flat straw mattress covered in fine fabric and had nothing in the way of bedding aside from a single thin sheet and an odd-looking long, thin pillow. Oeka had been provided with a nest in an adjoining room, and a beautifully carved water trough.

Fine netting had been draped over the nest, and over Laela’s bed as well. Laela had no idea what it could possibly be for, but she was too tired to care. She pulled off her boots and ceremonial outfit and lifted it aside to get at the bed.

It looked unfamiliar, but it was comfortable, and she curled up under the sheet and was asleep in moments.

23

In the Streets of Instabahn