The Shining Ones

  ‘You can call it that if you want to.’

  ‘I don’t think we’ll want to go into the city itself until we’ve had a chance to feel things out,’ Vanion said, looking up from his map. There’s a village just to the west of town. Let’s go there and nose around a bit.’

  ‘What’s the name?’ Sparhawk asked him, opening the box and taking out his wife’s ring.

  ‘Narset,’ Vanion replied, looking up from the map.

  ‘All right.’ Sparhawk took out the Bhelliom. He held it up and frowned slightly. ‘May I borrow your handkerchief, little mother?’ he asked Sephrenia.

  ‘Use your own,’ she told him.

  ‘I seem to have left home without one. I’m not going to blow my nose on it, Sephrenia. Bhelliom’s getting dusty. I wanted to brush it off a bit.’

  She gave him a peculiar look.

  ‘It’s being very helpful. I don’t want it to think that I’m ungrateful.’

  ‘Why should you care what it thinks?’

  ‘She’s obviously never commanded troops,’ Sparhawk said to Vanion. ‘You might want to expose her to the notion of two-way loyalty someday.’

  ‘If I get around to it. Do you suppose we can go to Narset – as soon as you’ve finished with your housekeeping?’

  Sparhawk brushed off the glowing petals of the Sapphire Rose. ‘How’s that?’ he asked it.

  ‘I think he’s losing his grip on his sanity,’ Kalten said to Ulath.

  ‘Not really,’ Sparhawk disagreed. ‘It’s got an awareness – almost a personality. I could use the rings like whips and drive it, I suppose, but I think I’d prefer willing cooperation. The time may come when that’s important.’ He gave Sephrenia back her handkerchief. ‘Hold the box open, Khalad,’ he told his squire. ‘I’ll want to put Bhelliom and Ehlana’s ring away again just as soon as we arrive.’ He looked at Vanion again. ‘Narset?’ he asked.

  ‘Narset,’ Vanion replied firmly.

  ‘Blue Rose,’ Sparhawk said, taking the jewel in both hands, ‘let’s go to Narset.’

  The Bhelliom throbbed, and that blurred twilight came down briefly. Then it cleared again.

  Narset was a small, dusty village. The houses were hardly more than mud huts, and they had flat roofs and animal pens at the rear, pens that seemed largely decorative, since chickens, pigs and goats wandered freely in the streets. There was a fair-sized city lying to the east, and all the buildings in that city were covered with white plaster to ward off the brutal desert sun.

  Sparhawk put Bhelliom and Ehlana’s ring away and flipped the golden cap back down over his own ring.

  ‘We’ve got company coming,’ Talen warned.

  A sallow-faced Tamul in a green silk robe was approaching with a squad of Cynesgan soldiers, swarthy men in the same flowing black and white robes and intricately wound cloth head-dresses as the guards at the border had worn. The Tamul had hard-looking eyes, which he tried to conceal behind a contrived expression of joviality. ‘Well met, Sir Knights,’ he greeted them in slightly accented Elenic. ‘We’ve been expecting you. I am Kanzad, chief of the local office of the Ministry of the Interior. Ambassador Taubel posted me here to greet you.’

  ‘His Excellency is too kind,’ Vanion murmured.

  ‘All the officials of the Empire have been instructed to cooperate with you fully, Lord…?’

  ‘Vanion.’

  Kanzad covered a momentary confusion. ‘I was led to believe that a Sir Sparhawk would be in command of your party.’

  ‘Sparhawk’s been detained. He’ll be joining us later.’

  ‘Ah.’ Kanzad recovered. ‘I’m afraid there’ll be some slight delay before you can enter the city, Lord Vanion.’

  ‘Oh?’

  Kanzad smiled a thin, humorless smile. ‘King Jaluah’s feeling neglected at the moment.’ He threw a quick look at the squad of Cynesgans standing several paces behind him, then lowered his voice to a confidential tone. ‘Frankly, Lord Vanion, the Cynesgans and this pest-hole they call home are so unimportant in the affairs of the Empire that no one really takes them seriously. They’re terribly touchy about that. Some idiot at the embassy neglected to pass on a routine communication from Matherion, and now the king’s sulking in his palace. His sycophants have filled the streets with crowds of demonstrators. Ambassador Taubel’s trying to smooth things over without resorting to the use of the Atan garrison, but things are a bit strained in the streets of Cynestra just now. His Excellency suggests that you and your companions wait here in Narset until he sends word that it’s safe for you to proceed.’

  ‘As you think best,’ Vanion murmured politely.

  Kanzad visibly relaxed. ‘First of all, let’s get in out of this accursed sun.’ He turned and led them into the shabby village. There were no more than a couple of dozen of the mud huts surrounding a well located in the sun-baked central square. Sparhawk idly wondered if the women of the village went to the well in the first steely light of dawn as the women of Cippria in Rendor had, and if they could possibly move with that same fluid grace. Then, for no reason at all, he wondered how Lillias was doing.

  Aphrael leaned toward him from her sister’s horse. ‘Shame on you, Sparhawk,’ she murmured.

  ‘You’ve met Lillias,’ he replied easily, ‘so you know that she’s not the sort of woman you forget – no matter how much you might want to.’

  The only building of any substance in the village was the local police station, an ominous stone structure with black iron bars on the windows. Kanzad’s expression was smoothly apologetic. ‘It’s not very inviting, Lord Vanion,’ he said deprecatingly, ‘but it’s the coolest place in this pig-sty.’

  ‘Should we kill him now and get it over with?’ Bevier murmured to Sparhawk in Styric.

  ‘Let’s hold off on that,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘We have to wait for Aphrael’s friend – whoever he is – so let’s not precipitate anything just yet.’

  ‘I’ve had some refreshments prepared,’ Kanzad said to Vanion. ‘Why don’t we go inside? That sun is really growing unbearable.’

  The knights dismounted and followed the policeman into the large, dusty office. There was a long table set against one wall, a table laden with plates of sliced melon and figs and with flagons that promised other refreshments. ‘The fruits and melons here aren’t nearly as palatable as those you’d find in Matherion,’ Kanzad apologized, ‘but the local wines aren’t entirely undrinkable.’

  ‘Thanks all the same, Kanzad,’ Vanion declined, ‘but we stopped for lunch no more than an hour ago. We’re all just fine.’

  A momentary flicker of annoyance crossed the Tamul’s face. ‘I’ll go make sure that your horses are being properly cared for, then, and I’ll send a messenger to the embassy to advise Ambassador Taubel of your arrival.’ He turned and went on out.

  ‘Could you arrange some privacy, dear?’ Vanion asked Sephrenia in Styric.

  ‘Of course,’ she smiled. She quickly wove the spell and released it.

  ‘Someday you’ll have to teach me that one,’ he said.

  ‘And become redundant?’ she smiled. ‘Not on your life, my love.’

  ‘We appear to have taken them by surprise,’ Bevier noted. ‘Kanzad doesn’t seem to have had much time to knock the rough edges off those lies he told us.’

  ‘I wouldn’t,’ Ulath said as Kalten reached for one of the wine flagons. ‘One sip of that would probably stiffen you like a plank.’

  Kalten regretfully pushed the flagon away. ‘I suppose you’re right,’ he agreed.

  ‘We’re prisoners, then, aren’t we,’ Talen sighed. ‘That’s depressing. I’ve been a thief all my life, and this is the first time I’ve ever been arrested.’

  ‘The fact that these refreshments are probably poisoned complicates things just a bit,’ Ulath growled. ‘Aside from that, Kanzad’s been very helpful. He’s just put us inside the strongest building in the village, and he rather carelessly forgot to take our weapons. We can hold this place for as long as necessary.’

>   ‘You’re a fraud, Ulath,’ Bevier laughed. ‘Tynian’s right. You pretend to hate sieges, but you’re always the first one to suggest forting up.’

  ‘A true friend wouldn’t mention that.’

  ‘I can provide water if the worst comes to the worst,’ Sephrenia told them, ‘but let’s not precipitate anything just yet.’ She reached down and picked Flute up. ‘Have you had any hints about the one we’re waiting for yet?’

  Flute shook her head. ‘Nothing very specific so far. I think he’s on his way, though.’

  ‘Good. This isn’t really a very pleasant place.’

  ‘A thought, my Lords,’ Berit said. ‘Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have Kanzad in here with us – just as a precaution? If someone starts thinking about storming the building, that might make them give it a few second thoughts.’

  ‘Good point,’ Ulath agreed.

  Kanzad, however, did not return. The afternoon inched along, and the knights grew increasingly restless. ‘He’s stalling, you know,’ Kalten said finally. ‘Either he’s got reinforcements on the way, or he’s hoping that we’ll get thirsty.’

  ‘We’ll just have to wait, Kalten,’ Flute told him. ‘The one who’s going to be joining us is on his way.’

  ‘It’s a race, then. We get to sit here making wagers on who gets here first – our new traveling companion or Kanzad’s reinforcements.’

  ‘You can look at it that way if you want to, I suppose.’

  It was about two hours after their arrival in Narset when a large party came along the road from Cynestra. The man in the lead wore a rose-colored Tamul robe, and he was riding a spirited black horse. The ones following him were Atans.

  ‘Whose side are the Atans on?’ Talen asked.

  ‘That depends on whether or not word from Matherion has reached the local garrison telling them to ignore orders from the Ministry of the Interior,’ Khalad replied.

  ‘Things could be even murkier than that,’ Vanion suggested. ‘Back in Matherion, there’s no love lost between the Foreign Ministry and Interior. Kanzad was hinting at the fact that he and Ambassador Taubel are very cozy.’

  ‘That might suggest that our enemies have managed to penetrate Oscagne’s service,’ Bevier added with a slightly worried frown.

  ‘We’ll find out in a minute,’ Berit said from where he had been watching out the window. ‘Kanzad just came out from behind the building.’

  They all crowded around the windows to watch.

  Kanzad’s welcoming smile crumbled from his face. ‘What are you doing here, Itagne?’ he demanded of the Tamul on the black horse. ‘I sent for Ambassador Taubel.’

  The rose-clad man reined in. His eyes looked almost sleepy, and he had a lofty, superior expression on his face. ‘I’m afraid the ambassador’s been detained, old boy,’ he replied in a cultured, almost deliberately insulting tone. His voice was oddly familiar. ‘He sends you his very best, though.’

  Kanzad struggled to regain his composure. ‘What is it exactly that’s delaying the ambassador?’ he asked bluntly.

  Itagne turned his head slightly. ‘I’d say it was the chains, wouldn’t you, Atana?’ he asked the young Atan woman who appeared to be in charge of the detachment. ‘It’s deucedly hard to run with chains on.’

  ‘It could be the chains, Itagne-ambassador,’ the girl agreed. ‘Of course, the bars of his cell might be getting in his way too.’ The young woman was full-figured, and her eyes were bold as she looked at the Tamul official.

  ‘What’s going on here?’ Kanzad demanded.

  ‘The Atana and I have become very close friends since my arrival, Kanzad,’ Itagne smiled, ‘but gentlemen shouldn’t really talk about that sort of thing, should they? You are a gentleman, aren’t you, Kanzad?’

  ‘I wasn’t talking about that.’ Kanzad’s teeth were clenched. ‘What have you done with the ambassador?’

  ‘There have been a few changes at the embassy, old boy – and in your own offices as well. I really hope you don’t mind, but I had to commandeer your building. We don’t have a dungeon at the embassy – distressing oversight there, I suppose. Anyway, Ambassador Taubel, along with all your grubby little policemen, are presently locked safely away in your dungeon. My compliments on it, incidentally. It’s really very nice.’

  ‘By whose authority have you imprisoned the ambassador? You’re only an undersecretary.’

  ‘Appearances can be deceiving, can’t they? Actually, my brother placed me in charge here in Cynestra. My authority is absolute.’

  ‘Your brother?’

  ‘Didn’t the similarity between Oscagne’s name and mine set off any bells in your brain, old boy? I knew you fellows at Interior were sort of limited, but I didn’t think you were that dense. Shall we cut directly on through to the significant part of this discussion, Kanzad? It’s beastly hot out here in the sun. My brother’s authorized me to take charge here. I have the full support and cooperation of the Atan garrison, don’t I, Atana?’ He smiled at the golden giantess standing beside his horse.

  ‘Oh, my, yes, Itagne.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘We’ll do almost anything for you.’

  ‘There you have it, then, Kanzad,’ Itagne said. ‘I’ve uncovered the fact that you and Taubel are part of a treasonous conspiracy, so I’ve removed you from authority. I have all these lovely muscles to back me up, so there’s really not a blasted thing you can do about it, is there?’

  ‘You have no authority over me, Itagne.’

  ‘How tiresome,’ Itagne sighed. ‘Cynestra’s currently under martial law, Kanzad. That means that I have authority over everybody. The Atans control the streets. I know you share my confidence in them.’ He looked critically at the policeman’s stubborn face. ‘You just don’t understand at all, do you, old boy?’ He smiled fondly at the giantess. ‘Atana, dear, what would you do if I asked you to delete this tiresome wretch?’

  ‘I’d kill him, Itagne.’ She shrugged, reaching for her sword. ‘Did you want me to split him up the middle, or just cut off his head?’

  ‘Charming girl,’ Itagne murmured. ‘Let me think about it for a while, Atana. Kanzad’s a fairly high-ranking official, so there may be some formalities involved.’ He turned back to the now pasty-faced policeman. ‘I’m sure you see how things stand, dear boy,’ he said. ‘Oh, I suppose you should sort of consider yourself under arrest.’

  ‘On what charge?’

  ‘I’m a foreign-service man, Kanzad, so I’m not really up on all these legal terms. I suppose “High Treason” will have to do. That’s the crime they arrested Interior Minister Kolata for, anyway, and I used it again when I had Taubel picked up. It’s an impressive sort of charge, and I’m sure that a man of your standing would be insulted if I had you arrested for loitering or spitting in the street. Atana, love, do be a dear and have this criminal taken back to Cynestra and thrown in his own dungeon.’

  ‘At once, Itagne-ambassador,’ she replied.

  ‘Darling child,’ he murmured.

  ‘You favor your brother, your Excellency,’ Vanion said to the smiling Itagne, ‘not only in physical appearance, but also in temperament.’

  ‘How is the old rascal?’

  ‘He was well, the last time we saw him.’ Vanion frowned. ‘It might have been helpful if he’d told us that he was sending you here, though.’

  ‘That’s my brother for you. Sometimes I think he tries to keep secrets from himself.’

  ‘Exactly what happened here, your Excellency?’ Sparhawk asked him.

  ‘You would be Sir Sparhawk,’ Itagne guessed. ‘Your nose is really famous, you know.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Kalten said modestly.

  Itagne looked puzzled.

  ‘I broke it for him, your Excellency – when we were children. I knew it was a good idea when I did it. He wears it like a badge. I’m a little disappointed in the fact that he’s never once considered thanking me for the service I did him.’

  Itagne smiled. ‘As you’ve probably gathered, gentlemen, Oscagne sen
t me to Cynestra to look into the rather peculiar situation here. The chain of command in the outer corners of the Empire’s always been a little cloudy. The Foreign Office takes the position that the Elene kingdoms of the west, as well as Valesia, Arjuna and Cynesga, are essentially foreign nations subservient to Tamul proper. This would make the ambassadors to those kingdoms the ultimate authority. Interior has always maintained that those kingdoms are integral parts of metropolitan Tamuli, and that puts them in charge. Oscagne and Kolata have been quibbling about it for years now. Ambassador Taubel’s a political hack, and his stunning ability to reach a working accommodation with Interior sort of surprised my brother. That’s why he pulled me out of the university – where I was quite happily putting down roots – and sent me here in the guise of an undersecretary to investigate.’ He laughed. ‘I’ll make sure that he regrets it as much this time as he did both other times.’

  ‘That one escaped me, I’m afraid,’ Sparhawk conceded.

  ‘This is the third time Oscagne’s wrenched me out of private life to put out fires for him. I don’t really like being wrenched, so I think I’ll teach him a lesson this time. Maybe if I replace him as Foreign Minister for a while he’ll get the point – if I ever decide to let him have his office back again.’

  ‘Are you really that good, Itagne?’ Sephrenia asked him.

  ‘Oh, good God, yes, dear lady. I’m at least twice as good as Oscagne – and he knows it. That’s why my appointments are always temporary. Where was I? Oh, yes. I came to Cynestra, set up a functional apparatus, and found out in fairly short order that Taubel and Kanzad were eating from the same plate. Then I intercepted the instructions Matherion sent to Taubel after the disturbances there. I decided not to trouble him with the distressing news, so I went to the Atan garrison and personally took care of advising our towering friends that the Ministry of the Interior was no longer relevant. They were quite pleased about it, actually. The Atans dislike policemen intensely for some reason. I think it has to do with their national character. I was about ready to move on Kanzad and Taubel when one of my spies brought me word of your impending arrival, so I decided to wait until you got here before I upended things. I must say, Sparhawk, you really upset the people in the local office of the Interior Ministry.’