The Traitor Queen

turned cold. She had the same broad forehead, high cheekbones, and upward tilting eyes of the Ichani who had invaded Kyralia. But those men, and the sole woman among them, had been heavier in build. The Traitors were smaller and more graceful.

If she had guessed right, the first woman was Savara, the queen. The woman was dressed no differently to the rest of the group. All twelve carried a pack and wore simple clothing. Eight women and four men. Sonea’s eyes snapped to the tallest of the men and her heart leapt. Lorkin!

He smiled as she saw him. She resisted the urge to run forward and hug him, worried that any moves in the Traitors’ direction might make them react defensively. And Lorkin might not appreciate her being overly affectionate in front of these people.

So she restrained herself and settled for looking him over closely. He looks healthy, though tired. The way he looked at the woman walking beside him, then back to Sonea, made it clear that this was Tyvara, the Traitor who had saved his life. The woman he had agreed to be locked away in Sanctuary for.

She is very attractive, Sonea thought. The young woman returned Sonea’s gaze with curiosity and a hint of calculation. No doubt she’s measuring me up as much as I’m appraising her. That wasn’t all that Sonea detected in her manner, however. It wasn’t exactly confidence. More a grim determination. That girl has seen far more than any Kyralian woman her age. I would wager she has experienced more as well. But then, she was posing as a slave when she saved Lorkin, and that would mean enduring a lot of pain and humiliation.

Sonea looked away from Tyvara back to the leader, who slowed as she took the last steps to meet Sonea and Regin. As she stopped, the others came to a halt behind her.

“Black Magician Sonea?” she asked, smiling at Sonea.

Sonea nodded. “Yes.”

“I am Savara, queen of the Traitors.” She turned to introduce the rest of the group. None had titles. Well, Lorkin did say they treat everyone equally – on the surface at least. “You do not need to be introduced to your son, of course,” Savara finished. “It is my pleasure to reunite you, and to finally meet you.”

“And you, your majesty,” Sonea replied. She gestured to Regin. “This is Lord Regin, my assistant.”

Regin inclined his head. “An honour to meet you, Queen Savara, and your people.” He placed a hand over his heart. Savara’s eyebrows twitched upward, then she inclined her head gracefully.

“Let’s sit.” She gestured to the flat ground beside the spring. “We have walked far and need to rest, eat and drink.”

She turned and nodded to the others, some of whom moved past her toward the spring. Sonea silently thanked Regin, who had thought to replace the gemstone in the pool. Osen had suggested she keep her knowledge of the gems to herself unless there was an advantage to be gained.

The group began to shrug off packs. They formed a circle, leaving a gap for Sonea and Regin. Lorkin sat down beside Sonea, and Tyvara settled on his other side. Someone created a small globe light and set it glowing in the middle, just above the ground. Food was brought out and placed in the centre. It consisted of simple fare for travelling: hard, flat bread, dried meats and fruit, nuts and pastes for the bread.

Sonea took out the remains of her and Regin’s own supplies – pachi fruit, grains and dried beans to be boiled in water, spices, sumi and hard sweets – and offered them. They were taken without any thanks spoken, but with appreciative nods and smiles. She was intrigued to see one of the men place a metal disk with a gemstone embedded in the centre on a flat rock, touch the stone, then place a wide pan full of water on top. Soon the water was boiling and he was adding the grain and beans. Clearly men aren’t forbidden to use magic. That makes their law against men learning magic not as restrictive as it first seems, though they still rely on the women making the stones. I wonder if they have to get permission to use them.

One of the Traitors was examining the pouch of sumi leaves with puzzlement.

“They’re for a hot drink,” Sonea explained. “I’ll prepare some later.”

“Like raka?” one of them asked.

Sonea shook her head. “Same idea, different plant.” The supplies provided at the Fort hadn’t included raka.

“We have raka.”

She straightened. “You do?”

Savara chuckled. “It is a good drink to have while talking. Or negotiating.”

The food was passed around, each person taking a portion. Sonea added spices to the beans and grains when they were ready. The Traitors were particularly fond of the sweets. Savara prepared a pot of raka and surprisingly small cups were passed to her for filling. Sonea’s own mug returned barely half full, but as she sipped she realised why. The raka was so strong it was syrupy, and after a few sips she felt as if her ears were buzzing.

As each Traitor received their cup they rose and moved away, until only Savara remained. It was full night now, and more globe lights appeared as those who had left gathered in smaller groups several paces away. Savara moved closer, so that they formed a smaller circle.

“We arrived later than we hoped, and you must be anxious to return to Kyralia, so let us begin without delay.” She looked at Lorkin. “It was the wish of our late queen, Zarala, that Lorkin act as negotiator today. Are you in agreement on this?”

Sonea looked at her son, who appeared to be holding back a grin. “Yes, your majesty. I carry the blood ring of Lord Osen, Administrator of the Guild. Do you object to me wearing it?”

“No.” Savara looked at Lorkin. “Begin, Lord Lorkin.”

Sonea slipped Osen’s ring on.

—Osen?

—Sonea.

—We’re about to begin negotiations.

Lorkin drew in a deep breath. “Queen Zarala asked me to arrange a meeting between the Traitors and the Allied Lands in the hope of negotiating an alliance.”

Sonea nodded. “What kind of alliance are we discussing? Are the Traitors seeking to join the Allied Lands? That requires compliance with an agreed core of rules that apply to all and with a few specific to each land.”

“What are these core rules?” Savara asked.

“Non-aggression toward other lands in the alliance. Adherence to a set of laws regarding trade, crime and magic. Military support in defence of the Allied Lands. Outlawing slavery.”

“The first and last we agree with wholeheartedly.” Savara’s lips thinned. “What are the laws you speak of?”

Sonea listed them, with Osen’s assistance. Savara listened, nodding from time to time. When Sonea finished, the queen laced her fingers together.

“Some of these laws are similar to our own, some are not. It is your control of magicians my people may object to. Especially your restrictions on the knowledge and use of higher magic.”

“You have restrictions that we would not agree with as well. I believe magic is only taught to women Traitors, unless the man is a natural.”

“Yes, but restrictions based on gender are already catered for in the alliance. The Lonmar people only teach magic to men. If the alliance can accommodate their traditions, could it not accommodate ours?”

“It is likely it could. Black magic, on the other hand, is a more difficult issue.”

Savara smiled and gestured toward Sonea. “Yet the Guild has black magicians.”

“Only as many as we feel are necessary for our defence.”

The queen’s expression became serious. “Do you really think three is enough?”

Sonea met and held the woman’s eyes. This was no time to be admitting to doubts.

“Yes.”

Savara’s eyebrows rose. “I hope that a situation never arises to test that. My people are not so willing to put their safety in the hands of a few. We will not agree to an alliance that requires us to stop teaching our daughters higher magic.”