The Traitor Queen

“Not unless those Thieves have helped them, and then only in ways the public doesn’t get to hear about.”

“They’ll feel obliged to help us.” The bodyguard looked at Cery. “Even though we aren’t helping them now, and Sonea’s gone. Because we helped them in the past.”

“I hope so.” Cery sighed. “The sooner Sonea gets back, the better,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “I don’t like having to trust Kallen if he’s as addicted to roet as Lilia says.”

“Hmm,” Gol nodded. “If he wanted to sell us out to Skellin he’d have agreed to your plan and said nothing about waiting. He’d have arranged a meeting and Skellin would have arrived instead.”

“That’s true. Even so, I’d rather be here, where we can leave if we have to, than stuck in a room in the Guild.”

God nodded. “At least we can keep an eye on that cellar so we know when they’ve got roet seeds. We should wait until the plants get to the same size as the ones we saw, which was big enough for the magicians to tell they weren’t roet.”

“Do you know what roet plants look like?”

Gol frowned and shook his head. “Anyi might. Didn’t her boyfriend smoke it?”

“Or girlfriend. She never did say.”

The bodyguard’s face darkened in the dim light and he looked away. Is he blushing? Cery couldn’t help smiling.

“They might try other ways to find Skellin before they consider our plan.” Gol drummed his fingers on the sides of the chair. “If they’re reluctant to work with a Thief.”

“If they don’t like working with a Thief, I doubt they’ll be reluctant to use a Thief as bait,” Cery pointed out.

Gol chuckled. “True.”

“If they do want to try our plan...” Cery considered. “I guess we ought to make sure we’re ready for them. We should have a trap all set up, ready to go.”

“It’ll be a waste of effort if they decide not to work with us?”

“What else are we going to do?” Cery sighed. “We’re right underneath the Guild. Surely that’s to our advantage. I wish... I wish there was a way to trick Skellin into walking right into their hands, whether the Guild wants it or not.”

“A trap that’s as much for them as for Skellin.”

“A trap that will get their attention when – and only when – Skellin comes snooping.”

The bodyguard’s eyes brightened. “I know just the thing. It’ll get the magicians’ attention for sure.” He looked thoughtful. “I’ll have to go into the city to get supplies. And we’ll have to set it up somewhere strong, so we don’t accidentally bury ourselves. What’s the sturdiest area down here?”

“I think I know just the place.” Cery picked up a lamp. “Come with me.”

Getting to his feet without even a grunt of effort, Gol followed Cery out of the room. Good to see he’s healed up so well, Cery thought. Between him and Anyi, I feel twice as old as I am. If I ever get my former life back I’m going to keep some grizzled old men around to make me feel younger.

He led Gol out of the room. Soon they arrived at the cluster of rooms where Cery had run into Lilia and Anyi. Gol took the lamp from him and entered the first one, lifting it to illuminate the sturdy brick walls and vaulted ceiling.

“This is in much better shape than the room we’re living in,” the bodyguard said. “Why haven’t we been staying here?”

“Anyi only found the rooms recently.” And there was something about this one that bothered Cery. It set his heart beating a little too fast. As Gol lowered the lamp, a dusty, broken plate caught the light. Cery picked up one of the pieces. A Guild symbol marked the glaze. He shivered as memories wafted up like smoke. Is this the room Fergun locked me in all those years ago? I didn’t get to see it much. I was stuck in the dark for days.

“This is closer to the Guild buildings. A shorter run to escape, if we need to, and not so far for Lilia to travel to see us. Let’s move our stuff in here,” Gol said.

Sighing, Cery pushed away the memories and his discomfort and nodded. “Yes, but let’s choose another room. This is the first one anyone comes to. We’ll want a little bit more warning when someone is approaching.”

* * *

As the last of the food-bearing slaves left the Master’s Room, Tayend looked at Dannyl.

“Now that Lorkin is safely away, what are you going to do with our unwanted guest?”

Dannyl looked at his meal and sighed as his appetite faltered. He drew magic and surrounded himself, Merria and Tayend with a shield to prevent anyone overhearing their conversation.

“What do you suggest?” he asked in reply.

A whole day had passed since the failed abduction. Savi was keeping the spy regularly drained of strength. Since she was the head kitchen slave, none of the other slaves thought it odd that she was the only one allowed to see something in one of the kitchen storerooms.

“I can see only two choices: either he dies or Savi leaves.”

The last of Dannyl’s appetite vanished. “Since the latter isn’t possible, that leaves us only one choice.”

Merria frowned. “But whether the king pretends his spy is a slave or admits he’s not, you’ll be breaking a law.”

Tayend nodded. “Better to be charged for destruction of the king’s property than murder. Perhaps you could make it look like an accident.”

Why must I be the one to do it? Dannyl thought. Because I’m the highest-ranking person in the house. Then he felt a traitorous hope. Does Tayend outrank me, as an Ambassador to a country rather than just the Guild?

“If Savi kills the man using black magic it’ll be clear none of us did it,” Merria suggested.

“But it’ll also be clear there’s a Traitor here somewhere,” Tayend pointed out.

“She can block a mind-read, can’t she?”

“If the king knows no slave has entered or left the House, and is determined to find which is the Traitor, he could have them tortured.”

“Or kill them all,” Tayend added.

A slave appeared. Dannyl realised it was Tav, the door slave. The man dropped to the floor.

“Mind what you say,” Dannyl warned, then let the shield fall.

“What is it, Tav?”

“Someone at the door,” the man gasped.

“Go find out who it is.”

The slave hurried away. The Master’s Room was quiet as they waited for him to return. The rapid, soft thud of footsteps growing louder preceded the slave’s return.

“A message,” he said.

“Bring it here,” Dannyl ordered before the man could abase himself again. The slave quickly padded forward, a scroll held out in both hands. Dannyl took it and waved a hand. “Leave us.”

He unrolled the message. Tayend and Merria leaned in on either side to read it.

“A summons to the palace,” Merria murmured.

“‘Immediately’,” Tayend read.

Dannyl let the scroll snap back into a roll. “Whatever we do, we have to do it now. Kai!”

His personal slave appeared in the corridor.

“Fetch Savi.” As the man disappeared, Dannyl spoke quietly, “Only reasonable to ask her what she’d prefer us to do.”

They did not wait long. The woman entered and threw herself onto the floor as quickly and unselfconsciously as any ordinary slave.