House of Lust (35 page)

Astiras hissed through his teeth.  “Of course I’m eager to get my own back over the Metila incident….”

“Incidents!”

“Alright, incidents, damn you, but I have a right to stop anyone being free with my wife, or does that not count anymore?”

“I am not dallying with anyone, Astiras – that dirty little sneak Pepil is spreading untruths.  He can’t resist intriguing, and I have no idea why!  Vosgaris has been very depressed since Alenna’s death and has needed support – something that clearly has passed your attention.  He’s been very unwell, and he’s only just getting over it.  This sort of thing will knock him back and I think he won’t be able to carry out your task.  He’ll be too distracted and upset.”

“Phooey!” Astiras scoffed.  “He’s a soldier.  He’ll do what I order him to.”

“Then order him in here and order him to tell you the truth.  He’ll tell you nothing has happened between us.”

“I might well do that – my own right hand man, too.  He should have used his right hand and this would not have happened.”

Isbel sucked in her breath.  “Astiras!  You can be so crude!”

“I am what I am.  And what I am is emperor, don’t forget that.  I have a hard enough task holding this empire together without my wife giving others the opportunity to spread rumours and gossip about her.  Bah!” he flung up an arm and turned about. 

Isbel shook.  Yes, she had feelings for Vosgaris and she knew he had the same towards her, too.  But never in all these years had she given in to them, and now Astiras was accusing her of betraying their marriage.  “Astiras, I’ve never betrayed you.”

He turned back, his face like stone.  “Captain Vosgaris will never serve here again.”  He held up a hand to forestall whatever she was going to say.  “He will be on liaison duty with the Mazag army, and once this crisis is finished, I shall reassign him to some other posting, well away from us here.  I cannot run the risk of anyone causing further damage to our reputation – clearly you have been seen far too many times with that particular man,” he pointed to the parchment on the floor, “which you cannot deny, and whether indeed you are telling the truth or not, it makes no difference.  Scandal is scandal with or without smoke.”

“So Pepil can spread more nasty lies about me and you’d believe him?  How could you!”

“He has eyes, Isbel, and others do, too.”

“Aren’t you going to get rid of him?” she cried, outraged and bitter.

“Why?  He’s done well to stop this from going anywhere, and it will do you good to know someone is here watching you so you behave.  I won’t have it, not in my household.”

Isbel cried out in frustration.  “So you don’t trust me?  Your own wife?”

“You don’t trust me, so have some of your own back at you.  See how you like it.”  He opened the door and spoke to one of the guards outside.  He came back in, shutting the door.  “The good Captain will be here shortly, so compose yourself.  This nonsense will be sorted out once and for all.”

Isbel sat down, shaking her head slowly.  It was so unfair and horrid.  How could this be thrown at her?  She had done nothing to deserve it, and this was down to one thing only, as far as she was concerned.  Spite.  Pure spite on Astiras’ behalf, getting his own back on her after these last couple of years after his affair had been found out.

There came a knock and Astiras barked for the man to come in.  Vosgaris appeared and his attention switched from Astiras to Isbel, then back again.

“Shut the door, Captain.  Now, stand to attention.”

Vosgaris looked apprehensively at the emperor, but did as he was bid.

“Captain, you will speak the truth to me, as your emperor.  If you lie, I shall have you executed.  Now – have you ever had an affair with my wife?”

His eyes widened and he looked at Isbel who looked distraught.  He swallowed.  “No sire, I have never carried out any act that would have dishonoured her or you.”

“Even though you have been seen together in rooms alone?  Both here and in Kastan City?  The truth, Captain!”

“N-No, sire, I have never acted inappropriately with the empress.”

Astiras stepped up close to the sweating man.  “But do you deny being alone with her in any room?”

“No sire, I do not deny that!”

“Then, Captain, why were you alone with her?  And why for so long?”

Vosgaris’ head span.  This was a terrifying situation.  “I-I can’t recall sire – I was upset after Alenna’s death…. The empress has been a great support to me, especially as she arranged for Alenna and I to be married.”

“What – did she?” Astiras turned and stared hard at his wife.  “Did you?”

“Yes!  I thought it best he got married.  He was getting past the age when a man of his position did so, and I saw how Alenna looked at him.  Typical none of you men noticed.”

Astiras scowled and switched back to Vosgaris.  “It is unfortunate that your meetings with the empress have been recorded, going back nine years, and this has left me with no option but to post you away from Zofela and the empress.  Your last few days here will be spent preparing to be seconded to General Vanist’s Army of Valchia, and when that duty is done, I shall post you elsewhere.  Take it from me you will never hold another post here in the imperial administration.”    

“Sire.”  Vosgaris stood straighter and stared into space.

“Now get out of my sight.”

He saluted, span on his heel, and left.

“Oh, Astiras, you have made such a bad decision there – he was so loyal to you, and now you’ve hurt him so.”

“If he was loyal, he would not have been so foolish to give someone the chance to notice something inappropriate.  From now on I shall instruct my administration here to make sure no man spends any time with you unescorted.  I do this for the sake of stopping any further such – rumours from spreading.  We are close to war and I do not need this sort of distraction.”  He picked up the parchment and folded it before slipping it into his jacket.  “I do not wish to hear any more about what I have done.  I will not hear of it!”

“This is what this is all about, isn’t it?  Getting even with me.  It’s nothing to do with Vosgaris or whether he has or has not been in rooms with me – it’s you getting your little revenge on me for standing by my marital rights after your betrayal.  Such a nasty little tactic.”

“I don’t care, Isbel.  From now on we’re even, so don’t raise the matter anymore.”

“We are not even!  You had sex with her at least three times, and I have never touched him!”

Astiras waved a finger at her, then left.  The door closed and Isbel clenched her fist and smacked it on her table once, twice, before bursting into tears.

Vosgaris strode along the passageway, seething.  It was that vile gossiping in the court again that was responsible, and someone had gone too far.  There were only two people in the court here who had been in the palace in Kastan City, and one of them, Frendicus, was currently bed bound with a post-winter chill.  It had to be Pepil, that oily ingratiating sycophant.

He pushed into the administrative office and located the major domo, dictating a message to someone in that pompous, officious manner of his when addressing a junior.  Vosgaris’ jaw set firmly and he passed in between two desks.

A hand grabbed his upper arm.  He swung round to be confronted by Fostan Anglis.  “Let me go,” he growled.

“Captain – it wouldn’t do any good,” the courtier said.  “Striking the major domo would end you in the dungeon.  Best you accept the situation and leave things be.  The emperor would certainly imprison you – your star has fallen.”

“That
kivok
there has spread untruths and lies!  He can’t get away with it.”

Pepil looked at Vosgaris with contempt.  “Listen to the voice of reason, Captain.  Perhaps you’ll exhibit common sense for once?  You’re replaceable; the empress is not.  It was best for me to bring the danger to the attention of the emperor before you – ah – insulted her virtue?  You do, after all, have form.”

“Form?” Vosgaris felt a shaft of apprehension shoot through his heart. 

Pepil smirked.  Vosgaris really wanted to hit him through the wall.  The major domo made an extravagant display of sighing.  “Or should we remain silent on that issue?  Best you leave and then your sordid little ‘secret’,” he laughed briefly, “remains so.”

“Secret, Major Domo?” Fostan queried.

Pepil wagged a finger slowly.  “Captain?  Your call.”

Vosgaris fumed.  Somehow that little rodent had found out about Amne and him as well.  The emperor would explode if he found that out.  “I’m due to join the Mazag army in a few days,” he spoke to all of those in the room, but his eyes were fixed on Pepil, “and they are somewhat barbaric in comparison.  I might become influenced by their ways should I remain with them for too long.”  With that he turned and stamped out.

The room breathed.  Pepil’s smile slipped and he mopped his brow.  Fostan looked thoughtful.  “’Stare not too long into the jaws of evil, lest thou become that thyself.’”

“Anglis?” Pepil queried.

“Oh, just quoting an old piece of work.”  He smiled widely at the major domo.  “It was nothing.  Shall we resume our work?”

Vosgaris almost collided with Astiras in the passageway.  With the two of them and two guards, it was pretty crowded.  The emperor glared at the other man.  “Captain – you are still a captain, note that well – I want you to speak to the Mazag ambassador as soon as possible.  Get every piece of useful information on General Vanist and the Mazag army in general from him as soon as you can, then you can be on your way.  I want you gone in three days anyway.  Other than seeing the ambassador, you are to be confined to your quarters.  Is that clear?”

“Sire.”  Vosgaris thought for a moment, and just as Astiras turned to go, he spoke again.  “Sire, please believe me – I have never, ever….”

Astiras sent a look into his eyes that seemed to bore to his soul.  “If I for one moment actually believed the rumours, then you’d be in pieces out in the courtyard.”  He waved the two guards away.  “Captain – I am sending you away for the good of our family.  There’s been enough damage done in the recent past without another scandal.  It may well topple us.  I’m looking after the empire and my House.  I cannot risk it!”

“I understand,” Vosgaris said bitterly.  “Just do me one favour sire.”

“Which is?”

“Should you ever have cause to sentence Pepil to death, please allow me to deliver the punishment.”

Astiras looked at him for a long moment, then a ghost of a smile played across his lips.  “I want you to send regular reports to me, directly for my eyes only.  Should you do a good job, then your – ah – banishment won’t be to Zipria.  It’ll be somewhere closer.”

Vosgaris bowed, and watched as Astiras resumed his walk, re-joining the two guards further down the passageway.  He slapped his thigh in anger, then spun on his heel.  Another guard was down the far end, where the guest rooms were.  Finding out that the Mazag ambassador was elsewhere, Vosgaris passed on a message that he would be in his quarters and wanted to see him. 

The Mazag ambassador, Ganag Meri, was at that moment speaking to Isbel.  She wanted to smooth the way for Vosgaris and so had called the ambassador to her room to discuss it.  She had impressed on him the need for a translator and aide who would steer Vosgaris through the pitfalls of learning foreign customs and manners.  Meri assured her he would arrange for the best possible man to do the task.

They had almost reached the end of their discussion when a knock came and a messenger passed a slip of parchment to Isbel’s handmaiden.  She gave it to the empress who read it.  “Oh!  Captain Vosgaris wishes to see you.”

“Indeed?  Such a happenstance, ma’am,” the diplomat smiled.

Isbel stood up.  “I shall escort you to him.”  She waved her handmaiden away.  “The ambassador will be sufficient escort, thank you.”  She took Meri out and along the corridor.  At the corner stood the last door before the corridor joined the larger through-passage that ran to the stairwell.  Isbel knocked and Vosgaris’ voice could be heard from the other side.  Meri preceded her in.

Vosgaris stood up, alarmed that Isbel was there, too.  “Ma’am?”

“We were just discussing the fact that the ambassador here was to arrange the appointment of a suitable assistant for you while you are with the Army of Valchia.  Ambassador?”

“Yes.  The ranks of the Mazag armies are not dissimilar to those in your armies.  Captain is synonymous, but we have sub-Captains and Captain-Superiors.  These denote command of bigger or smaller units, you see.  ‘Commander’ which is used by Kastania is not often found in the armies of my people.  Your rank will be sub-Captain merely because you will not be commanding an actual unit.  It is not an insult.”

“I see.  So when can you arrange for me to meet my aide?”

“One will be sent from Bukrat; once we get word then you will be advised.”

“I am to leave here in three days; emperor’s orders.”

Both Isbel and Meri looked dismayed.  Meri shook his head.  “Word will not be coming from Bukrat for ten, at least.  Arrange to meet at the Ister Bridge on the Bukrat road.  That’s the best place, and it’ll be where the army will cross into Bragal.”

“Very good.”  Vosgaris looked to the empress.  “Ma’am?”