The Traitor Queen

“Lorkin’s fine.” She met and held his gaze to show she wasn’t lying. “The Traitors won.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. His face reddened a little and he smiled ruefully. Then he frowned again. “Then why...?” His eyes widened. “Dannyl?”

“He’s fine, too. So are Merria and Tayend. It just that...” She shook her head. “I’ll explain later.”

She felt his arms loosen. He began to step back. Catching his hands, she squeezed them once before letting go.

“Thank you.”

His eyes shone for a moment, then he looked away and his expression became serious. “So what now?”

She turned to the window. “Osen wants us to find Dannyl. Then we’re to congratulate the queen, tell her our Healers aren’t far away and see if she’ll let us keep a Guild ambassador in Arvice.”

“How will we find them?”

“We go in that direction.” She pointed. “At some point we’ll reach the street on which the battle took place. I suspect we’ll know it by the Ashaki bodies. If Dannyl’s observations are a good guide, the street out front leads to the parade that leads to the palace. We’ll find Dannyl in a house on the parade.” She started toward the stairs.

Regin followed. “It’ll be night soon.”

As she descended, Sonea wondered at the elation she felt. I shouldn’t be this cheerful. But Lorkin had survived the battle, and the relief she felt was overwhelming. Perhaps she would be able to talk him into coming home now. At that thought she felt worry return. He’ll want to stay with Tyvara. If he’s as in love with her as I was with Akkarin he’ll follow her anywhere. I shouldn’t want to stop him. But she did. And yet, I want him to be happy. I would never want him to suffer what I did.

Reaching the ground floor, Regin led the way through the house, moving silently and checking for other occupants before he stepped into a corridor or room. They reached the kitchen and peered through the slave entrance to the street beyond. It was empty.

Sonea moved through, Regin following close behind. The city was quiet, a luminous twilight settling over all as they made their way towards the centre. Once again, Sonea felt conspicuous in her black robes, but they were not as stark against the white walls now as they had been in the morning light. She held a strong shield around them both. The first side street they turned into was also empty, but there were distant figures in the next main street.

“Well, they’re going to spot us eventually,” Sonea said, then stepped into the street. Regin’s only reply was a chuckle.

If the people saw them, they were not concerned. No one moved from their position. At the next turn Sonea saw two Traitors further down the street, a man and woman walking arm in arm away from them. From the way they leaned against each other, they were either exhausted or had already enjoyed a celebratory drink. She shrugged and followed, Regin beside her.

They had only taken twenty steps or so when two more people stepped out of a door, after the Traitors had passed it. Regin stopped and she heard his breath catch at the same time that she froze, recognising the cut of the men’s jackets and the glint of the knives in their hands.

Ashaki.

“Watch out!” she shouted.

The pair looked over their shoulders, saw the two men and spun about to face them. One of the Ashaki glanced back at Sonea and Regin, then made a dismissive gesture and turned back to the Traitors. The other struck at the woman, who flinched and pushed her companion behind her. They both began to back away.

“They’re weak,” Regin said. Sonea knew he did not mean the Ashaki, who had seen two Kyralian magicians and remained unconcerned.

They must have enough strength left to think they can ignore us. Perhaps they’re assuming neither of us could be a black magician, since we’re Kyralian.

“Are you going to do something?” Regin asked. “Because I can’t stand by and watch them kill those two. Not when the Traitors have won anyway.”

“I wish we could.” She looked at him. “But that would be interfering.”

“I’m sure the Traitors would forgive you if you saved two of them.

“My actions will be taken as actions of the Guild, and the Allied Lands.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want to belong to a Guild that didn’t help in this situation. Besides, you don’t have to kill the Ashaki. Just scare them off.”

The two Ashaki had separated and were circling around the two Traitors. The woman looked toward Sonea and Regin, her eyes wide with fear.

Regin’s right. The Traitors and Guild can sort out the consequences later. Drawing power, she sent it in two strikes at the Ashaki. As they struck, the men staggered, then recovered and turned to face her. The Traitors took the opportunity to flee, running to the corner of the next main street.

The Ashaki exchanged a look, then one started toward Sonea and Regin. The other hesitated and followed.

“They don’t look scared,” Sonea observed.

Regin chuckled. “They don’t know who you are.”

Strikes flashed toward her, and she strengthened her shield. They weren’t particularly strong – probably only meant to test her. She responded with an array of firestrike to intimidate them. They stopped and she heard the murmur of a conversation too low to hear.

Then the two Traitors reappeared at the corner. Followed by four more. The Ashaki stumbled forward from a new attack at their rear. They turned to see their intended victims lift their arms, holding something toward them, then they glanced back at Sonea and Regin.

Trapped, Sonea thought. But this is the Traitors’ fight now. She watched as the Traitors wore the Ashaki down until their shields failed, then winced as they fell under a final blow. Regin made a small noise of surprise, but as she glanced at him he shrugged.

“They don’t take prisoners, do they?”

She shook her head, remembering the Sachakan king’s suicide. The Traitors walked past the dead Ashaki toward Sonea and Regin, one of the newcomers leading.

“You are Black Magician Sonea?” the woman asked.

“Yes. This is Lord Regin.”

“I am Speaker Lanna. You should have stayed where we put you.” She made an imperious gesture. “Come with me.”

As the woman turned away, Sonea looked at Regin and saw a flicker of annoyance and amusement. She fell into step behind Speaker Lanna, suppressing a smile as the other Traitors moved into position on either side, flanking them as they were escorted toward the city centre.

* * *

At the sound of approaching footsteps in the corridor, Tayend looked up at Dannyl. They had been sitting on either side of Achati’s chair in the Master’s Room, mostly silent, for the hour or so since they’d descended from the roof.

“Responsibility and duty returns.” Tayend sighed. “Are you ready to face the people who killed him? We could go find Achati’s ship and take the long route back to Imardin instead.”

Dannyl shook his head. “No. That would ruin both of our careers. The Traitors... though I wish that they could have spared him, they did not know him. They did not know he was worth sparing. How could they? He was an adviser to the king, who represented all they hate. And...” He sighed. “Despite everything, I want to stay here in Arvice. Not forever but...”

From the corridor entrance Merria walked in.

She looked different, and it took a moment for Dannyl to pinpoint the change. She looks older. Not aged, but mature. Almost stern. She reminds me of Lady Vinara. Hmm. Shouldering responsibility clearly agrees