"I recommend we build them around our external borders and along the coast," replied Mikhan. "With two or three roads where we can have a line of them to pass on messages here. It would certainly allow for a more rapid movement of our army as needed."
"Once an army crosses the border, we might lose it again," pointed out Kana.
"True," replied Mikhan. "But consider why an army would invade us. To seize the North Horn and monopolize taxes on the Bay of Plenty trade? We have an army there. To grab our natural resources in Vertia? We have an army there, too." He smiled. "And any Markan army invading is coming directly to Sandester. We will know where they passed into our lands and it's not hard to work out their line of travel once they pass the borderstones."
"And if they destroy the nearest signal stations?" Kana kept her voice quiet.
Mikhan smiled. "We can ensure there is an hourly message sent around the stations. I'm well aware the stations in themselves would be vulnerable, but we can work around that."
"And we can also disguise the signal stations," suggested Nazvasta. "As windmills, for example."
"Or even trees," added Mikhan. "And there is another advantage."
Nazvasta waited expectantly.
"Neither Markans nor Calcanese use this method of communication, they prefer to use a net of sylph scouts whistling to each other. They won't know what the signal stations are."
Nazvasta leaned back and laughed.
"How soon can we build them?" he asked.
"I'll send pigeons to all the provincial governors," promised Mikhan. "Shall we say one month?"
"And if Marka attacks before then?"
Mikhan's grimace might have been a smile. "You haven't raised the dragon's head banner yet," he pointed out. "Why would Marka attack us now?"
Nazvasta nodded. "Good point. Get them built, Marshal, and men trained in how to use them."
Mikhan stood, a rare smile turning his lips, and inclined his head. "Consider it done, Majesty."
***
Elsin smiled as she watched her daughters – Beanna and Reanna – rolling on the floor as they played tag with Millan. The sylph usually found the girls too boisterous for her taste, but she played the perfect playmate for the moment, temporarily shedding her cloak of early maturity. Elsin knew the friendship would end when the inevitable came, and her daughters left the infertile sylph behind as they aged.
Tanna, a middle aged servant seconded to act as nurse and tutor to the young girls, also watched the three younglings playing together on the rug, occasionally imploring one or another to play less roughly.
All play ceased and heads turned towards the door as someone knocked on it.
Millan sat up and, after a quick glance at her mistress, stood up, straightened her tunic and padded to the door. One of the palace messenger boys came into the room and gave Elsin a quick duck of his head.
"His Majesty would like to see you," said the boy, wide-eyed.
"Now?" asked Elsin.
The boy nodded. "Alone, Miss," he said.
Elsin said nothing to the messenger. "Are you all right looking after them?" she asked Tanna.
The woman smiled. "Of course," she said, showing no sign of subservience. Elsin respected that, knowing the woman's attitude would rub off onto her daughters.
"I'm sure Millan will fetch alovak as required," she said.
For once, the infertile failed to pick up the hidden message. "Do you need me to carry anything?" she asked.
"Stay here," insisted Elsin. "Nazvasta wants to see me alone."
"Se bata."
Elsin smiled at her sylph. Remembering how some personal sylphs sulked whenever separated from their owners, Elsin silently thanked the Father for Millan's obedience. But part of her was also pleased that the infertile wanted to stay with her mistress. That boded well for the future. She turned to the messenger. "Lead on, young man."
The boy bobbed his head again, and led her out of her apartment, along corridors and down steps. Away from Nazvasta's rooms, or Kana's apartment. The boy eventually knocked on the door to one of the smaller receiving rooms.
The moment Elsin stepped inside, her spirits plummeted.
Nazvasta and Fareen she had expected to see, but not Kana and definitely not Heylena. Nazvasta's wife gave Elsin a careful look, her blue eyes deliberately neutral. The woman was certainly pretty, but her petite physique and open, honest face were often mistaken for naivety, a mistake so many people had made.
But that look told Elsin they knew. If Kana had not told them, then Fareen definitely had. Would her gamble pay off?
"Thanks for coming quickly," said Nazvasta. He gestured with a hand. "Please, come and sit."
Elsin sat at the round table.
"I've discussed your interest with Heylena," continued Nazvasta, "and we both agree it is rude to keep you waiting for your answer."
Elsin blinked and wondered why the answer must be given so publicly. She glanced at the gwerin, but Fareen stared at her hands, clasped on the table before her.
"We understand the need you have to secure your daughters' future," continued Nazvasta, "but we question the necessity of securing that future through marriage to me."
"Your answer is no then," said Elsin. She hoped she looked suitably disappointed.
Nazvasta smiled.
"Unequivocally no," added Heylena.
"I see." Elsin sat back and looked at Kana. "Have you beaten me to it again?"
Nazvasta chuckled as Kana shook her head.
"No," replied Kana. "I've no intention of marrying again."
"So I'm to be cast out?" Elsin's attention returned to Nazvasta. "Returned to my family in disgrace?"
"Don't be foolish, we're your family now," replied Nazvasta.
"Feels like it."
"We understand your bitterness," said Heylena, "but we felt you deserved a quick answer. We don't think any worse of you."
Yes you do, Elsin reflected, I'm a threat.
"In fact we have an important new role for you," added Nazvasta. "So you don't feel left out."
Elsin masked her sudden elation by giving the others a suspicious stare. "What new role?" She looked at Fareen again, but the gwerin remained uncharacteristically shy, still staring at her hands.
"You are aware that an important member of the family is busy working for Marka's good," said Nazvasta.
"Verdin?"
"The very one." Nazvasta smiled.
"So you intend to exile me."
"No," said Heylena. "None of us want that."
"But Verdin is running free and, for now, beyond our influence," added Kana. "We need to bring him back into the fold."
"Why me?" asked Elsin.
"Why not you?" countered Nazvasta. "The boy has always got on well with you. He might be more prepared to listen to your advice, without it seeming that his mother is trying to exert her control."
"You do intend to exile me," insisted Elsin. "I don't share Verdin's interest in reuniting the Markan Empire."
"Then acquire it," snapped Kana. "Reuniting the Markan Empire is what we're all about in this family."
Elsin sat back, and restrained a smile. They could giftwrap this any way they wanted, they intended this new role to be an exile. The part they didn't know was that they had played into her hands. She turned to Fareen.
"This is your idea," she said.
Fareen looked up and her pale brown eyes glittered. "Yes." Her earpoints betrayed her, the gwerin knew. How, Elsin could not guess, but the bloody creature knew Elsin wanted this.
"So I must return to Marka," she said.
Nazvasta and Heylena stood to leave. Perhaps some sympathy lingered in Nazvasta's eyes.
"We expect you to be gone by the end of the week," he said.
Elsin looked across the table at Kana. "Satisfied?" she demanded.
"You've been left kicking your heels too long," replied Kana. "We are your family now; a lesson even Fareen has needed to relearn recently. You'll do well." She fo
rced a smile. "You told Nazvasta you believe building up contacts in Marka should have been left to you, rather than me. Something about enjoying greater success?"
Elsin shrugged.
"Now's your chance to prove your words," added Kana. With a slight smile, she also left the room.
"Just you and me in here now," said Elsin. "This idea has sprung from your mind and don't you dare try to deny it."
Fareen gave her a knowing smile. "If it is any consolation, I did not expect Nazvasta to make his refusal of your offer so public," she said. "And I have two small pieces of advice for you."
"Oh?"
"Make the most of the opportunity offered to you." The gwerin shrugged. "In Marka, you will be close to the seat of power. Not only is Verdin only six years your junior, but he is also the heir to Sandester. No matter what Branad said before Marka's Senate, that only affects claims to the Markan Throne."
"And your other advice?"
Fareen smiled. "Never try to trick a gwerin," she said. "We know."
Elsin laughed. Not half as much as you think. Aloud, she said "You believe I planned this from the beginning."
"Something like that." Fareen said nothing more, but also left the receiving room.
Make the most of the opportunity offered to you. Elsin barked a quick laugh. As so often, the gwerin was right. Nazvasta had exiled her, sure enough, but she would return to Sandester with this land's true ruler wrapped securely around her finger.
She sat back and grinned.
She had won, after all.
***
Chapter 28
Zenepha's Decision
Jenn had very little to do. Eleka had taken her brood to one of Marka's parks, except for Salafisa, who now spent most of her time with the other palace gwerins. Her owner attended a meeting with some Senators, trying – and so far failing – to persuade them to throw out the nonsense surrounding claims of his illegitimacy. Zandra had gone to one of her increasingly frequent meetings with some ladies' group or other, furiously marketing Marcus.
Jenn curled up on her sleeping pallet and blinked at the wall opposite.
Caralin, oldest of the Vintner children and Jenn's favorite, was with her private tutor in the city. The three younger children were still in, but they were with Galenna.
Jenn's earpoints wilted as she thought of the new governess. Both Marcus and Zandra had scolded her for what they saw as the sylph's jealousy, but she knew envy failed to explain her reaction. After all, Galenna hardly took up any of her owner's time. Unlike Zandra, of whom she was jealous, even if she had learned to bury the emotion deep. Or even the Vintner children, though Jenn fully empathized with their demands on their father's time.
She had never felt envious of Kaira. Jenn blinked back tears. Kaira had always given comforting words whenever the infertile felt abandoned. She had even slipped sugared candies meant for the children the sylph's way. Why had Kaira run away?
She had run away, or held against her will somewhere, perhaps as future ransom against the Vintners. The alternative was too horrible to contemplate.
Kaira had gone, whatever the reason, and Galenna had replaced her. The new governess had more about her than Jenn expected. Oh, the sylph expected the new girl to have intelligence and knowledge, mixed with the benefits from an excellent education. She harbored no jealousy over that.
Something about Galenna frightened her. Hence she lay on her pallet tucked in one corner of the spare sylph room and stared at a wall. She thought briefly of happier days when she slept in her owner's campaign tent, and from before then, before he had even married, when she slept in one corner of his room in the Vintners' palace in Calcan.
Because of Galenna, she stayed alone in her room, rather than joining in the fun and games with the children. Even here, she could hear everything going on and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.
The children liked Galenna. Marcus and Zandra liked Galenna. The servants who came into contact with her liked Galenna. Even Jenn found her personable and likable. But more lurked within.
Jenn's instincts warned her about... something.
And that unknown frightened her.
Hearing the outer door, Jenn shot upright and padded through to the main room, hoping one of the adults had returned, even Zandra.
Weyna Hilltop, one of the newer servants blinked shyly at the sylph and lowered her dark blue eyes. This always surprised Jenn, considering the infertile had a lower status than Weyna. She supposed some humans could be shy of sylphs.
Weyna's dark brown hair flopped across part of her face and she hefted the tray. "Alovak for Galenna," she said, her soft voice surprisingly firm for one so shy.
Jenn nodded and held open the inner door, watching as the serving girl moved quickly and delicately through into the children's room.
"Thank you, Weyna." Galenna smiled at the servant. "On that table will be fine. Oh, and might you fetch some of the sugared candies for the children please?"
Weyna smiled. "I will be minutes," she replied and left.
Jenn looked at the children, all happy. With blue eyes sparkling, Eylvras gurgled at her and poked his pink tongue out, while Taralin tugged at the hem of Jenn's work tunic, one of her favorite games.
"Want me to pour?" asked Jenn.
"If you like." Galenna's dark blue eyes glittered neutrally at Jenn. Since her outburst, the governess knew the sylph's opinion of her.
Moving slowly, thanks to a child larger than her clinging to the hem of her tunic, Jenn crossed to the table and poured out a mug of alovak. Two smaller mugs, for the girls, followed.
"Thank you Jenn." Galenna managed a small smile for the infertile.
The sylph nodded and turned as the outer door opened again, heralding Weyna's return with the candies.
"Now," said Galenna, holding the tray. "One at a time, youngest first. No, Eylvras, one at a time..."
Jenn turned her head to see Weyna watching the children as they eagerly reached for the candies. The servant's gaze met Jenn's and both smiled at each other.
Then Jenn realized an oddity. The servant had not knocked on the outer door before entering. If Weyna was so shy, surely she would never dare just walk in on her superiors?
Jenn shrugged and turned away again, eyeing the candies. She licked her lips.
"Can I have one of those?" she asked.
***
"I expected it to stink more down here," remarked Sallis ti Ath.
He only turned his head to speak. He sat carefully in the boat, as near to the centerline as he could. As Giddens had warned, their double-ended boat was hideously unstable if one moved about too much, though at the moment it drifted slowly downstream, guided only by the linesman's paddle. The light from the crystals affixed to their headbands reflected light off the black water and the rocky sides and ceiling of the underground river that doubled as one of Marka's sewers.
Despite the enclosed space, the river flowed quietly for the most part, and their voices sounded dulled in some places, and echoed from a rocky ceiling in others.
"Why?" asked Giddens, from the stern of the boat. If a double-ended boat could be said to have a stern. "It all lands in the water, which will mask the smell. And it's soon washed away."
"What are those white markings for?" asked Sallis, his crystal illuminating the marks in question.
"They show where there are other access points, like the one we climbed down," replied Giddens. "We'll pass the last of those soon. Then we've got a day before we reach the outside world again."
A swirl of water betrayed the presence of a rock, but Giddens expertly steered the boat around it. They had not always been so lucky, but the small boat had been built to withstand collisions with rocks and Sallis no longer drew in a breath when a scraping sound and the boat's sudden shudder showed they had met another submerged obstruction.
Sallis kept looking from side to side. Giddens had assured him that a corpse with air in its lungs would have floated out by now, but a sunk or par
tly submerged body might have caught up somewhere. Sallis supposed the linesman was the expert on that particular subject. Either way, they had seen nothing out of place so far.
"And we must stay away from those pipes," added Giddens.
"Why?"
"Those drain from houses fortunate enough to enjoy the privilege of indoor plumbing," replied the linesman. "And you never know when they might be active."
Sallis restrained a laugh, though he doubted he would immediately see the funny side should such a disaster befoul them.
The river flowed placidly enough, but there were some pools off to each side, where an eddy might have brought up a body. Sallis inspected those closely and even asked Giddens to take them in for a better look if his crystal's light failed to penetrate far enough.
His stomach had begun to growl when Giddens brought the boat alongside a rock ledge and hooked a line around a short spike.
"Time to eat," he announced.
"How can you tell?" asked Sallis.
"Well, when you spend a lot of time working in darkness, you tend to listen to your own body more," replied Giddens. "Besides, I can hear your digestion complaining from here."
"How far before we leave the city behind?" asked Sallis.
"Perhaps another hour," replied Giddens. "Then there's a bumpy bit, which can be exciting at times, then a day before we see daylight again. The river comes out at a large pool."
"The River Retchen?"
"The very one." Giddens nodded his head and smiled. "Ready for some dried fruit?"
Sallis accepted the offered food, but sat quietly as he ate. He hoped his hunch was right. Without recovering Kaira's body, he had no chance of finding her killer.
***
Zenepha, the reluctant Emperor of Marka, stood looking out the window. He stared at, but barely registered, the black pyramid towering over the city, a permanent reminder of past civilizations greater than their own.
The sylph idly wondered if rulers of that city used to contend with squabbles and political factionalism. They probably had. It seemed to be the way of humans. When they faced a choice, three humans might split into four factions.
The nonsense concerning Marcus bothered him the most. There had been a determined effort to keep him from the throne ever since he won the right to it and Branad had renounced his claim. Only Verdin, Branad's son, seemed honorable enough to abide by that renunciation.
That the other factions were prepared to keep a sylph on the throne, rather than allowing it to pass into the hands of the rightful claimant, only showed their desperation.