The Nightblade Epic Volume Two: A Book of Underrealm, page 70
“Damaris is what?” said Annis.
“She has her claws in Wojin,” said Duris. “He rules in name only. I and the other few senators here in the capital can see it, but we can do nothing. She disregards us entirely. I had thought—hoped—that Wojin might have some respect for the senate. He was one of us before he took the throne. But he ignores us at Damaris’ urging. And she is ever wary of betrayal.”
“She does not like being double-crossed,” said Annis, raising her brow. “I can tell you that much.”
Duris studied her. “I believe it. If … if she were to learn that I am here …” She covered her eyes with a hand. “Forgive me. As I said, I think I am ill-suited to this sort of thing.”
“I was about to say the same thing,” said Gem brightly. “What on earth prompted you to pursue this meeting, anyway, if you are so afraid of her?”
“Gem.” Loren shoot him a look, and the boy subsided. But his words made Duris look up at them, and a fire burned in her gaze.
“She is a foreigner,” said Duris, all weakness gone from her voice. “Dorsea is a proud kingdom. We do not serve at the will of outsiders.”
Loren crouched before Duris, resting her arms across her knees. Her new clothes accommodated the motion easily. She hated to admit it, but she was growing quite fond of how smooth they felt on her skin.
“We have had enough shock and excitement for one day—or for many days, I think. Let us get on with this quickly, Lady Fei. What do you have to offer?”
“I …” Duris swallowed hard. “Well, I and many of the other senators like me, that is—we wish to help Jun retake his throne.”
“His Grace hoped that that might be the case,” said Annis. “Yet he was also somewhat reserved in his excitement. By his account, the two of you have never been especially close. In fact, you are just as closely related to Wojin.”
Duris’ breathing had returned to normal. Now she gave Loren a careful look. “From what I have heard about your speech in the square, you are a woman of Selvan. Is that right?”
Loren nodded slowly. “It is. Why?”
“You know, then, how the other kingdoms perceive Dorsea. Many of them see us as warmongers—and they are not wrong. Jun enjoys battle, and many in the senate are of the same mind. Yet that is primarily because of Wojin himself.”
That gave them pause. Loren looked at Annis in surprise, but the girl only shrugged. “I had heard nothing of that.”
Duris waved a hand. “Oh, Jun would be reluctant to admit it. Every king wishes to be seen as a strong leader, one who chooses their own path. And particularly here in Dorsea, our king wishes to be seen as the ultimate authority when it comes to war. Yet Wojin is far more warlike than Jun has ever been, and he coaxes the other senators to put pressure on Jun. When Jun commanded us to war—us in the southern states, I mean—he would never overextend his own forces. And he would never force the issue beyond wisdom, lest other kingdoms strike back. Even so, his wars cost many lives. That is why I came here in the first place—to urge him to pursue peace after the war on Dulmun.”
“It is as I suspected,” said Annis. “Now that Wojin is on the throne, you fear that things will be worse, not better.”
Duris nodded. “It is not only a fear. I am certain of it. Wojin is concerned with northern politics now, of course. But after he has gathered his power, he will order the south to war again. But not just border skirmishes—a true war, a war of conquest against the other kingdoms. It is a war we have no hope of winning.”
Loren wondered if that was true. Damaris served the Necromancer, and Dorsea now did the same. That dark wizard had clearly been plotting this rebellion for a long time, and their Shades were part of it. She doubted they would have started the war with no hope of victory. Now Loren wondered what other schemes were in place, what next would befall the nine kingdoms.
But she could say nothing of this to Duris, of course. She needed to secure the woman’s support, not make her think that Wojin would soon have even more allies on his side. “King Jun thought much the same thing,” she said. “But that leaves us with the same question, which you have not answered with any great exactitude. What, exactly, do you propose to do to help your rightful king?”
“We have very little in the way of exact plans yet,” said Duris. “Indeed, until the day before yesterday, we did not know that Jun was still alive. But I—and those other nobles who feel the same as I do—what we do know, is that our plans must begin with the army. Wojin controls the capital’s forces, but only a small portion of the soldiers are truly loyal to him. Another small portion will be loyal to Jun, once he reveals himself. They must hide their hearts now, but they wait for the right moment to reveal themselves. My daughter is one such.”
Loren drew back, surprised. “Your daughter?”
Duris lifted her chin, fierce pride shining in her eyes. “Yes. She is Morana, of the family Fei. She is a captain within the palace. Right now she serves Wojin, for she believes that is her duty. But if it was confirmed that Wojin is a liar and a murderer, and that King Jun is alive …”
But Annis frowned. “I am sure she is an honorable woman,” she said carefully. “Yet I think Jun and Wojin must command an equal number of soldiers who are loyal to them. If anything, Wojin likely has the advantage, for his warriors must have killed many of Jun’s when he took the throne.”
“Yes,” said Duris. “But both of their factions together are only a small part of the army. The rest of the soldiers serve the same master they have always served, the same master most soldiers serve—simple coin. Even if Jun were to reveal himself now, most of the army will be confused at best. They may even be swayed to Wojin’s side in the end, since he is in command of the treasury.”
“Then we seem to face an obstacle,” said Loren. “What plans have you devised to overcome it?”
Duris shook her head. “None. But if you can solve the problem of Wojin’s coin, I will continue to raise support among the other senators. They will be ready to act in Jun’s favor when he reveals himself, and together we can cast Wojin from the throne.”
Loren glanced at Annis, and the girl nodded. “Very well,” said Loren. “I will return to His Grace with this news.”
Duris stood. “Thank you, Nightblade. Forgive me for my moment of fright. I am glad to have met you, and I wish us both well.”
“As do I,” said Loren. She made no mention of her own moment of weakness. Hopefully Duris would forget all about it. She extended a hand, and Duris clasped her wrist. Then the noblewoman let herself out through the warehouse’s rear door.
Loren turned to the rest of them. Annis gave a little smile and shrugged. “An army to persuade, and a treasury to pilfer. What could be simpler?”
“A great many things, I think,” said Gem. “But who wants simple deeds? That is not what builds a legend like that of the Nightblade.”
“Oh, be silent, Gem,” said Loren, and she led them all from the warehouse.
THEY RETURNED TO JUN AND made their report. The king seemed heartened by the news, and he nodded thoughtfully when he heard what Duris had proposed. But Loren could not help a strong feeling of doubt. She could not fully rid herself of the memory of her dream, nor what Duris had said in it.
Never again will Jun sit the Dorsean throne.
Did Duris mean to betray them? Was she serving Damaris in truth? But no, in her dream, Damaris had killed the senator. Yet those who died in Loren’s dreams did not always do so in life.
Jun seemed to sense her mood. “You seem troubled,” he said. “More troubled than I would expect, for I think this meeting went very well indeed. What is it?”
“I …” Loren considered her words carefully. What could she tell him, in truth? “I am not entirely certain we can trust her.”
Jun glanced between Jo and Senlin, but they only looked bemused. “I do not understand,” said Jun.
“It seems suspect,” said Loren. “Mayhap her offer is too good to be true. Call it a hunch if you like, but something feels wrong.”
Jun’s frown deepened. “Did she do something suspicious? Could you hear some hidden meaning in her words?”
Loren flushed. From the corner of her eye she could see Annis looking at her strangely. “It is nothing so precise, Your Grace. But I have a … a sense for people. I only ask that we proceed with caution.”
“We will do that, of course,” said Jun. “But for now, this is the only path we have. We must take it, or waste away here with inaction.”
Loren bowed her head. “Of course, Your Grace.”
How could she explain herself more clearly? There was no way to do so without telling Jun of her dreams, and she knew that would be a mistake. She realized suddenly that she had not told Annis, Gem, or Chet of the most recent vision. That would have to be remedied, as quickly as possible. Mayhap Annis could help her devise a way to convince Jun of the need for caution.
“It seems that our next task is clear, then,” said Wyle from his armchair in the corner. “We need to empty your treasury, Your Grace.”
“We had already thought that might be necessary,” said Senlin. “My father knows as well as anyone that many of his soldiers serve him for pay.”
Gem piped up. “But how to do it? I have stolen coins before, but I do not think all the kingdom’s wealth is contained in a single purse.” The boy had seated himself upon the floor about a pace away from Prince Senlin’s chair. Loren had noted it with some surprise; Jo and the other guards made no mention of it, though they were hesitant to let Loren get near the king and prince.
“Indeed not,” said Senlin. “Our treasury is sizeable—a building near as large as a warehouse, and filled with many treasures besides mere coin. Even if we could somehow remove all the coins—which would be a considerable enough feat—Wojin would yet possess a great deal of wealth. Many of the treasures are bulky, all are difficult to remove, and they could easily be sold in order to continue paying the army.”
Jun said nothing, but sat pensively in his chair with his chin in one hand. Senlin watched him for a moment, seeming to expect him to speak. But the king said nothing.
“It seems that our problems are access and time,” said Loren slowly. “Might I ask, Your Grace—do you have any alchemists who are loyal to you?”
Jun frowned at the question. “One served me, but he perished during Wojin’s attack.”
Loren looked to Gem. “Fetch Shiun. We may have to reach out to the Mystics here and see if they have an alchemist to help us.”
The boy leaped up at once to obey, but Jo stopped him with a raised hand and leaned forwards. “I do not understand. Why do you want an alchemist? If you are thinking of storming the palace, you would do better to have a firemage or mindmage at your side. But I doubt even a wizard could help us here, unless they were uncommonly powerful.”
Loren could not help a little smile. “My strength is not as a warrior, but as a thief,” she said. “An alchemist might help us where a firemage cannot. If Wyle could lead us to the sewers beneath the treasury, an alchemist could tunnel up through the stone into the treasury itself. From there, with enough help, we could remove the treasure without anyone being the wiser. It would still take time, of course.”
“That would not work,” said Senlin flatly. “Forgive me, Nightblade, but you are hardly the first to think of such a scheme. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the treasury are all enchanted against such magic. Indeed, we even have guards posted in the sewers below the treasury to ensure no one can even make an attempt, and Wojin will have maintained those guards.”
Blood flooded Loren’s cheeks, and she ducked her head. “My pardon. I am less educated in ways of magic than I should be, it seems.” She motioned Gem to sit again, and he sank to the floor with a dejected sigh.
“There are two things you can do to remove a man’s wealth,” said Wyle suddenly. His voice was filled with sudden eagerness, and Loren glanced at him. He leaned forwards in his chair now, hands on its arms, no longer slouching. “Did that man Xain ever tell you how we met, Nightblade?”
Loren arched an eyebrow. “He did not, though you hinted at it before. I gathered you did not part as friends.”
Wyle snorted. “That we did not. I hired him and a riverboat captain to assist me with—” He paused suddenly, eying King Jun. “Well, with a certain business transaction. Yet when Xain discovered my aim, he misunderstood entirely, and he and the captain destroyed the goods I had intended to sell.”
Annis’ eyes flashed. Loren raised an eyebrow at her, but the girl held her peace for the moment. “I do not entirely understand,” said Loren. “What are you saying?”
“If we cannot steal Wojin’s gold—or, more properly, King Jun’s gold, of course—we can destroy it.”
That gave everyone in the room pause. Prince Senlin frowned in thought. “I do not see exactly how,” he said slowly. “Even if we were to … to melt it somehow … Wojin could simply re-melt it and cast it into new coins.”
Gem spoke quickly in Senlin’s support. “And I do not see that it removes our earlier problem—namely, that there is a great deal of treasure. How could we hope to melt it all without alerting the guards?”
“We could burn it,” said Annis. “We could burn it with magestones.”
At the word magestones, the king and prince gasped. Wyle very suddenly looked as though he would rather be somewhere else.
“Do you mean to say that you are carrying those cursed stones?” growled Jo. His hand fell to the hilt of the blade at his hip.
“Of course not,” said Annis smoothly. “Yet my mother may have some on hand.”
Jun’s eyes narrowed. “There have long been rumors that the family Yerrin traffics in magestones, but they have always denied them. Do you mean to say that it has been true all along?”
“I would never suggest such a thing,” said Annis. “What wise family would condone it? Yet we all know that my mother has been sundered from the family, and I from her. Did you not know that was the reason?”
That gave them pause. “A different reason was given,” said Senlin. “It was said that she aided the Shades in their assault on the Seat.”
“Sometimes the High King cannot be entirely plain in her proclamations,” said Annis. “Sometimes she must give a reason for her actions that is—not a falsehood, of course, but not the entire truth.”
Loren’s heart thundered in her breast. Annis walked on the edge of a knife. Revealing Damaris’ involvement with magestones brought a dangerous amount of attention to all of them. If Jun learned that they had trafficked in the stones, or worse, learned that they still bore some, all their lives would be forfeit. Yet Annis seemed utterly calm.
The coin was cast. If they were to remain safe and avoid suspicion, Loren had to help. She nodded slowly, as though she had been considering Annis’ words and had now come to a conclusion. “I think this is the best course, Your Grace. If we can steal Damaris’ magestones and use them to destroy the treasury, we will accomplish two ends: we will remove Wojin’s ability to pay your soldiers, and we will remove a great store of dangerous and illegal goods forbidden by the King’s law.”
The room went silent. Jo studied Loren and her friends with a stony expression, while Senlin looked to his father, gauging his reaction. But King Jun looked straight at Loren. She felt as if he was trying to read the truth in her face, and she was grateful that her upbringing had taught her to lie so well. Even Damaris had praised Loren’s skill at telling falsehoods.
At last Jun nodded. “If you believe she has a store of those accursed stones, then I think there may be some merit to this plan.”
Gem wore a wide grin. “Do I understand our plan aright? First steal magestones from Damaris, then use them to destroy the treasury?”
Loren matched his smile. “You must admit it is audacious.”
“Audacious?” said Gem. “It is brilliant!”
“We would not even require very many,” said Annis. “When magestones burn, they burn with darkfire. It will not only melt the gold, it will destroy it—and the fires will last until they have consumed everything they have touched. We will have to set the flames carefully to see that they do not spread too far, but once we start them, Wojin will have no way to put them out.”
But Jun held up a hand, his brow furrowing. “Yet one detail still remains to be resolved. Namely, once I have reclaimed my throne, how can I expect to pay my soldiers any better than Wojin could?”
“We would be in just as precarious a position as Wojin is,” said Senlin. “Damaris—or any other foe—could overthrow us just as easily as we now plan to overthrow him.”
“When my friends and I enter the treasury, we shall bring packs with us,” said Loren. “We will fill them with as much gold as we are able to carry. That can be your soldiers’ pay, at least for a little while.”
Jo’s mouth twisted in a grimace. “You overestimate yourselves—or you underestimate the size of our army. Even if you took as much as you could carry—which would be so heavy that you could not escape afterwards—that would not last us a week.”
But Annis only smiled as she turned to Wyle once more. “You have wealthy friends within the city.”
“I do,” said Wyle cautiously. “Many of them.”
“Surely they have gold on hand. And I would wager they have a considerable amount of it.”
Wyle’s eyes grew shifty, and he did not reply.
Annis sighed and adopted a more careful tone. “If your friends happen to have gold on hand, and if they were to use it to supplement the king’s ability to pay his soldiers for a time, I am certain His Grace would extend his forgiveness to your business associates.”
Wyle raised an eyebrow. “Mayhap he would. Why do you speak to me of this, when it seems only to help my friends?”
Annis snorted. “Very well. And I am certain he would repay the gift as soon as he was able—with, mayhap, a bonus of two percent for the honest businessman who made it possible? As a reward for your exemplary assistance to the kingdom?”
