The Traitor Queen

alert Amakira to the fact that we knew about this before he did. Do not do anything to raise suspicions of our foreknowledge of this.

—I understand. What should we do?

—Stay where you are. Stay together – and that includes Tayend. Stay out of sight. The Traitors won’t harm you. The Ashaki shouldn’t, if they don’t suspect we’re siding with the Traitors. Make sure Merria and Tayend understand all I have told you.

—I will. Any messages for them?

—No. Sonea and Regin will join you when they get there, but I doubt they’ll reach you until after the conflict is over.

—We’ll stay put. At least they’ll know where to find us.

—Yes. From now on report to me once a day, or as soon as you learn anything new. Take care, Dannyl. Contact me if anything happens.

Slipping off the ring, Dannyl stared at it again. Sachaka is at war, he thought. An army is heading this way. An army of black magicians. Who will no doubt encounter an army of King Amakira’s black magicians – a conflict of a kind not seen in over six centuries.

He pocketed the ring, rose and strode out of the room, slaves scattering before him. He’d only taken twenty or so steps down the corridor when a female voice called out.

“Ambassador!”

He turned to see Merria hurrying toward him.

“I heard something last night you will find interesting,” she said.

“Should Tayend know this, too?”

She nodded.

He beckoned and heard her fall into step behind him. They passed through the Master’s Room, entered the corridor beyond and soon reached the door to Tayend’s rooms. The female slave waiting attentively inside the main door threw herself onto the floor.

“Is Tay – Ambassador Tayend there?” Dannyl asked.

She nodded.

“Tell him we are here to see him.”

She scrambled up and disappeared into one of the rooms. A moment later there was a low groan and a curse.

“Out!”

The slave darted out again and hurried over to Dannyl and Merria.

“Don’t,” Dannyl said as she went to prostrate herself again.

“The Ambassador is dressing,” she said, then moved over to a wall and stood with her back to it, eyes lowered.

Osen said the Traitors are going to free the slaves, Dannyl thought. If they succeed, where will the slaves here go? Perhaps they would stay on as paid servants. He hoped so. It would be a relief when they stopped behaving so submissively. Though I may, perhaps, think differently should they start pushing us around like some Kyralian servants do. He blinked as something else occurred to him. If the Traitors win, end slavery and join the Allied Lands, could some of these ex-slaves one day become magicians?

He thought of the lengths to which Fergun had gone in order to prevent Sonea entering the Guild. If he’d felt Sonea didn’t deserve to become a magician, what would he have thought of Sachakan slaves?

The idea made Dannyl feeling oddly cheerful, but the mood dissipated as Tayend appeared, looking dishevelled in his hastily donned elaborate clothing.

“Ambassador. Lady Merria,” Tayend said, beckoning. He ushered them to the stools arranged in the middle of the central room, then sat down on a particularly large pillow and rubbed at his eyes.

“Late night?” Dannyl asked.

Tayend made a face. “Late and well irrigated. My Sachakan friends were particularly determined to drown their worries.” He turned to the slave girl. “Bring some water and bread.”

Once she had left, Dannyl drew magic and surrounded them in a sound-blocking barrier. He leaned toward Tayend. “They have reason to.”

The Elyne’s eyes widened and he straightened. “Oh?”

As Dannyl told them of Osen’s news, both Tayend and Merria began to nod.

“That explains it,” Merria said. “Last night my friends told me that female slaves suspected of being Traitors are being tortured and killed.” She paused and frowned. “Well, that explains something else, too. My friends were making arrangements to travel to a country estate for the summer, and invited me along. I said I couldn’t go. I had to stay with you.” She nodded to Dannyl. “And they said you and Tayend could come as well, if you needed to.”

“Needed to’?” Tayend echoed. “Hmm.”

“They’ve probably left already. I suppose I could find out where they are.” Merria looked worried.

Dannyl shook his head. “We can’t go with them.”

“But should we stay here?” Tayend asked, looking at Dannyl. “Mistakes happen in wars. People can be killed by being in the wrong place, or by a stray bit of magic that misses its intended target.” His pursed his lips. “I don’t suppose we and Achati could go on another research trip.”

The suggestion brought a pang of gratitude and anxiety. Though he likes Achati, I doubt he’d have included him if it weren’t for me. “If we suggest it he’ll suspect we knew the Traitors planned to invade,” Dannyl replied.

“Unless he doesn’t know. We could get him out of the way. He’d never forgive us for preventing him from doing his duty though,” Tayend added, looking away.

Tayend was right. Achati’s loyalty was with his king and people. He’ll never leave Sachaka. Not for me. He’d always known that.

“What will the Traitors do to the free women, and their children?” Merria asked.

They exchanged grim looks.

“I don’t think they’d kill anyone who wasn’t a magician,” Tayend said slowly.

“It may depend on how well they treated their slaves,” Dannyl added.

Merria shrugged. “Well, for all that they say they don’t like the Traitors, my friends do seem to have some connection with them. Surely that means they’ll be all right.” She looked at Dannyl. “It’s your friend I’d be worried about.”

He was saved from having to respond by the return of the slave girl. As Dannyl rose to leave, Merria did the same.

“Stay a while, Dannyl?” Tayend asked. The Elyne waited until Merria and the slave girl had gone before he spoke. “You’re worried. I can tell. But remember, the Traitors might lose.”

“Lorkin is with them.”

Tayend grimaced. “Ah. Yes. There is no good end to this, is there?”

Dannyl shook his head. “All we can hope for is that, whatever the outcome, the people we care about survive and escape.” He turned and walked toward the door.

“You do care about him, don’t you?”

Dannyl stopped and looked back to see Tayend had got to his feet. He thought about Achati’s words: “I would like us to be more than friends, for a time at least, before circumstances make us feel we must behave like enemies.” He sighed.

“I’m not in love, Tayend.”

“No?” Tayend walked over and placed a hand on Dannyl’s shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ve never thought it would last. I just... I expected that if it ended it would be for more mundane political reasons.”

“You fear for him.”

“As I’d fear for any friend.”

Tayend eyebrows rose in disbelief. “You two are more than just friends, Dannyl.”

“You and I are more than just friends, Tayend. We were together too long to say otherwise. I’d fear for you