Vasyonne gave a small smile. “He sullies it quite well on his own, actually.”
Norinde glared at the woman. “You might want to begin your search for those responsible in Listaal. Quite often it’s those who lack the strength for an overt attack who resort to the most vile treachery.”
“Enough,” the queen said, sounding more weary than angry. “Whoever our enemies may be, I assure you that this is just what they want: to divide us, to prey on our suspicions of each other. They seek to weaken the realm, and every poisoned word we aim at one another furthers their cause.”
“His parry and thrust with Lady Listaal notwithstanding,” Edamo said, “Lord Norinde does have a point. While I assure you that Brugaosa had nothing to do with the events in Curlinte, we cannot simply assume that the conspiracy is to blame.”
“You were the first of us to raise the possibility.” Rashel. “Now you discount it?”
“I raised it hoping that Lady Curlinte had proof to offer beyond this arrow. Without any, I’m afraid we know nothing.”
“With all we’ve heard of the conspiracy, Lord Brugaosa,” the queen said, “don’t you think it likely that the Qirsi are responsible?”
“Likely, Your Highness? Yes, I suppose I do. But is that reason enough to act?”
Diani nodded, looking at the others. “I believe it is.”
“I don’t doubt that you do, Lady Curlinte. Had I been their target, I might well feel the same way. You want vengeance. You want to strike out at someone. We all understand.” Edamo shook his head. “But that may not be the wisest course at this time.”
The duchess felt her face coloring. She would have liked to fling back a retort, to deny that she was speaking out of anything more than concern for the realm. But after imprisoning Kreazur and the other Qirsi, she couldn’t bring herself to speak at all. Edamo’s words struck far too close to the truth.
“What do you believe we should do, Lord Brugaosa?” Olesya asked.
“I don’t know. If the assassins were still alive, I’d want to question them of course. I might even be willing to use torture to learn what we need to know. But without them, without any real proof of Qirsi complicity in the attacks, I believe the prudent course would be to wait, and see what comes next.”
He said it as if he usually wouldn’t have considered such methods. From all that Diani had heard, however, prisoners in Brugaosa were tortured as a matter of course. Still smarting from the duke’s last remarks, however, she didn’t dare say this aloud.
“And the rest of you?” the queen asked. “Do you feel as Edamo does?”
“I certainly do,” Alao said.
Vasyonne let out a short laugh. “How unexpected.”
“And I suppose you’re ready to declare war on every Qirsi in the Forelands,” Norinde said, glowering at her again.
Diani stared down at the table, shame burning like a brand on her cheeks.
Vasyonne regarded him placidly. “Not at all. But if we think on this carefully, it seems quite clear that our enemy in this case has to be the Qirsi.” She glanced at Yserne’s archminister, who sat beside the queen. “Forgive me.”
The Qirsi woman inclined her head slightly, her expression unreadable.
“I agree,” Rashel said. “I’d like to believe that Brugaosa is innocent in this matter, as are the rest of us. And I don’t think that the archduke is fool enough to believe that Wethyrn could prevail in a war with us. That leaves the conspiracy.”
“Does it?” Edamo asked.
“Who else is there?”
The old duke gave a small shrug. “As I said before, I don’t really know. That’s why it would be reckless of us to take action too soon.”
“So we do nothing?” Vasyonne said, her voice rising. “What if the assassins succeed next time? What if one of us dies? What if they make an attempt on the queen? The real risk lies in waiting.”
Edamo started to respond, but the queen stood once more, silencing him with a glance.
“This won’t be decided today,” Olesya said. “Perhaps it won’t be decided at all, but the more we argue the matter, the firmer our resolve to prevail, and I would rather we all remained open to compromise. We will speak of this again tomorrow, and will meet in the queen’s hall this night for another feast. For now, I hope you will enjoy such comfort and hospitality as this castle and city can offer.”
“But, Your Highness—”
“The discussion is at an end, Lord Brugaosa. At least for now.”
The duke cast a dark look at the queen, but nodded. “Of course, Your Highness.”
The duchesses and dukes stood, all of them seeming a bit uncertain as to what the queen expected of them now. Diani saw Edamo and Alao exchange a look before the younger duke swept from the presence chamber.
“This was your first meeting with other nobles as duchess of Curlinte, was it not?”
Diani turned toward the voice. Tamyra of Prentarlo was smiling at her.
“Yes, Lady Prentarlo, it was.”
Tamyra nodded. Diani had always thought her severe looking, her wide mouth a dark gash on an otherwise pallid face. But when she smiled, she appeared almost kind. There was a warmth in her green eyes Diani hadn’t noticed before. “I thought as much. You handled yourself quite well, Lady Curlinte.”
“My thanks.”
“I thought so as well,” the queen said. “Your mother would have been pleased.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
She bowed to both women and started to leave the chamber in search of her father. Before she reached the doorway, however, she saw Edamo striding toward her. For just an instant, she wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen him and hurry from the room. He didn’t give her the chance.
“Lady Curlinte!” he called. “A word, please.”
She stopped and faced him. “Of course, Lord Brugaosa.”
He stopped in front of her, then cast a quick look at Olesya, who hovered nearby. “Perhaps we can speak elsewhere? Somewhere private?”
She would have liked to refuse, but as duchess she knew that she had little choice. As much as she disliked and distrusted him, she had no desire to make relations between their houses worse than they already were.
“Shall we walk, then?” she asked, indicating the door with an open hand.
“Splendid! The gardens?”
Diani nodded, and the two of them left the chamber. She felt the queen’s eyes upon her, but she didn’t look back.
“In the course of our discussion today, we neglected one vital question,” the duke said as the two of them walked through the corridor toward the entrance to the inner courtyard. “Were you injured, and are you all right now?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” She almost left it at that. But lest he take the Qirsi threat too lightly, she added, “But I was injured.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Not too seriously, I hope.”
“I was struck by three arrows.”
He faltered in midstride, what little color his cheeks held vanishing. “Three?”
“Yes. One in the thigh, one in the chest, and a third in the back of my shoulder.”
“And yet you escaped.” She heard nothing in his tone that might implicate Brugaosa. Only amazement, and more than a little admiration.
“I was fortunate that none of their darts struck my mount, or I might not have. As it was, the man who healed me said that I came within a half span of dying.”
“Forgive me, my lady,” the duke said. “I had no idea.”
“We saw no point in telling anyone.” They emerged into the sunlight and crossed the courtyard to the gardens. “But you see?” she went on after some time. “This is why I feel that we must act swiftly, to meet the Qirsi challenge.”
“Were I in your position I might think so as well,” the duke said with sympathy. He seemed to have recovered from his surprise at what she had told him of the attack. “Let me explain to you why I’m reluctant to
do anything rash.” He had been gazing at the blossoms as they continued to walk, but now he halted and faced her. “I don’t want you to think for even a moment, Lady Curlinte, that I mean to diminish this abhorrent attack on you and your house. Coupled with your brother’s death, I can understand why you would want to strike back at someone, and I’m grateful to you for not allowing these attempts to implicate Brugaosa to cloud your judgment. Certainly if you had evidence of the conspiracy’s involvement, I would support nearly anything you proposed. And if the assassins weren’t already dead, my voice would be loudest among those calling for their immediate execution. An attack on any of our houses calls for no less.”
“The difference between us, Lord Brugaosa, is that where you see an attack on Curlinte and her duchess, I see an assault against all Sanbira.”
“But you can’t know for certain that this was anything more than what it seems: an assassination attempt against a single noble.”
“Isn’t it safer for all of us to assume the worst, and take appropriate actions to defend the entire realm?”
“No, I don’t believe it is. You fear the conspiracy, and rightly so. But I fear tyranny just as much.”
“Tyranny?”
“What steps would you expect the queen to take were the other houses to give her leave to act?”
“I should think she would raise a larger army, commit Sanbira to an alliance with the other realms, and give the houses the authority to imprison those Qirsi who were suspected of aiding the traitors.”
“Good. I would add to that the likelihood that she will raise our tribute as well, but overall that’s quite good. And of the three actions you named, two would serve to increase Yserne’s power relative to our own.”
Diani gaped at him. “You can’t be serious!”
“Oh, but I am.”
“Olesya is our queen! In times of war, she must have the power to lead us and protect us! And you would begrudge her such?”
“In the absence of an enemy and just cause for waging war? I certainly would, as would any duke or duchess with sufficient experience in the courts.”
She felt her cheeks redden. “I have enough knowledge of our queen to know that you misjudge her, Lord Brugaosa.”
“You’re a woman, and her ally, and so I wouldn’t expect you to understand. But Alao and I have no intention of allowing her to use the unfortunate incidents in Curlinte to tighten her grip on our houses.”
“In other words, you would put the entire realm at risk in order to deny Olesya powers that she needs to fight our enemies.”
“As I’ve said, I don’t believe we know who our enemies are. Give me proof that the conspiracy was behind the attempts on your life, and I will pledge myself to defeating it, even if that means adding to Yserne’s power. But without any such evidence, I will not weaken House Brugaosa.”
“You’re a fool.”
He grinned at her, a malevolent look in his dark blue eyes. “And you’re a child. I had thought to find in you a ruler worthy of House Curlinte, a woman such as your mother had been. Obviously, I was mistaken.”
He spun away from her and stalked back to the tower entrance. Diani watched him vanish into the shadows of the stairway, then glanced around to see if anyone had been watching them. Seeing no one, she walked back as well, following Edamo’s path toward the castle and her own chamber.
Climbing the stairs to the corridor on which her sleeping quarters were located, the duchess heard a pair of familiar voices. When she emerged into the hallway, she saw her father speaking with a white-haired man, and for a disorienting moment she thought it was Edamo again.
“Here she comes,” Sertio said, looking past the man and raising a hand in greeting.
The white-haired man turned to face her, and Diani stopped where she stood. Her surprise was fleeting, giving way almost immediately to rage.
Kreazur.
Just a short time ago, sitting in the queen’s presence chamber, she had wished the minister were there with her. But never had she imagined that he would presume to make the journey without leave from her.
She advanced on him, her fists clenched. “What are you doing here, First Minister?” Before he could answer she turned her glare on her father. “Was this your doing? Do you tell him to come?”
“Your father had nothing to do with this, my lady.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I thought I might be of service to you, my lady. I served your mother for many years, and she and I spent a good deal of time together in Yserne.”
“And if you still served my mother would you have dared journey here without her permission?”
He met her gaze, his expression grim. “Your mother never would have made the journey without me.”
“I’ve a mind to send you back, and to have the captain of the guard imprison you once more when you reach the castle.”
“That is your right, my lady. And if you order me back to Curlinte, even under such a threat, I will begin the ride back immediately.”
“Don’t, Diani,” Sertio said. “You need him. I didn’t call for him, but I should have, and I’m glad he’s come. Someday you’ll be a fine duchess, just as your mother was. But you’re young still and there’s much you don’t know about the other houses, about building alliances and guarding Curlinte’s reputation as well as her borders.”
Diani wanted to argue the point, but she could still hear Edamo’s harsh words echoing in her mind.
You’re a child
. . . .
“You know those things,” she said instead, sounding so young even she couldn’t help but notice.
Sertio smiled. “Yes, I do. But think on it, Diani. Do you really wish to sit in the queen’s chamber, among all the duchesses and dukes of the realm, with your father by your side?”
Of course she didn’t. Diani knew this as well as he did. And even had she been willing to turn to her father for counsel, she would never have trusted him to sit in any chamber with Edamo. He had promised her mother that he would not seek vengeance for Cyro’s murder, but Diani wondered if he had the strength to honor the oath if presented with an opportunity to strike at Brugaosa’s duke.
Sertio placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look him in the eye. “I understand that you’re angry. To be honest, I told Kreazur that you would be, and I feel that you have cause. But next to all that’s happened in the past turn, this is a trifle, a matter to be spoken of once and then forgotten. Don’t allow it to weaken you and our house. That’s not the way of a wise ruler.”
“You have my apologies, my lady,” the Qirsi said. “I shouldn’t have come. But now that I’m here, I hope that you’ll allow me to help you, just as your mother did.”