Kingslayer (5 page)

Oh. Apparently things worked differently here in Niotan…very differently
. I’m starting to feel a little foolish….
Dropping his guard, he let the sword hang at his side as he turned to address her more directly. “That’s a rather large assumption to make, My Queen,” he stated dryly. “The officers of the Brindisi Sovran get in duels and fist fights all of the time.”

Her eyes flew wide. “Do they really?”

“The only peaceful week I ever saw was the one time that most of the court caught some sort of sickness. In other words, there was no one around to fight
with
.” Shaking his head, he turned and offered the sword back to General Shixi. “My apologies, General.”

The General walked forward and accepted it with both hands. His eyes were unreadable as he put the sword back in its sheath. “There is no apology needed when in the defense of our queen. But perhaps you should have your own weapon?”

Yes, after today’s events, that had become a top priority. “Indeed, sir.”

Queen Tresea stood from her chair and glided down. “Well, now that that’s all settled, let us dine. I’m absolutely famished.”

The topic at the formal dinner that night revolved around him, to his complete lack of surprise. At Tresea’s urging, he answered some of the questions put to him, giving just enough information to satisfy them.

But he didn’t enjoy it.

After the dinner had ended, all he wanted to do was find a nice, quiet corner to cool down. His head spun after the events of the past four days. Only his experience with making snap decisions on a battle field had allowed him to keep up.

Of course, that’s exactly what he couldn’t do.

Tresea caught his eye as he stood from the table and crooked her little finger at him. That look and gesture might as well have been an iron chain around his neck. He didn’t dare disobey. So he heaved a covert sigh and followed her out of the formal hall and into a much smaller, more private room. It looked like an antechamber, but had the size of a receiving room. Aside from a long bench and two chairs, there was no furniture inside. There weren’t any windows or other doors, either. Clearly, this place was meant for secrets.

Two men he didn’t know waited inside the room. One of them had been sitting on the bench, but at their entrance, rose to his feet with the aid of a cane. From the way he stood, he clearly needed it. His right leg didn’t quite work properly, but he obviously didn’t mind it as the smile on his face didn’t falter. He did not have the dark skin of his people, which suggested he spent most of his time indoors, and his black hair did not fit the short style that seemed to be in fashion, but instead had been grown out and tied off to rest over one shoulder. The formal green coat and white pants spoke of wealth and power—this man, whoever he might be, had a high rank in court. He radiated the calm intelligence of a scholar, not a fighter.

The other man was the exact opposite. He was big and burly, with very dark skin and hair nearly shaven, it was so short. The short sleeves of his shirt revealed muscled arms that had crisscrossing scars here and there. His shirt and pants had the same rough wear to them that most of the soldiers in Niotan did, but Darius had this idea that he’d seen this man before. Not in the army here, but it had been in a battle situation…all at once it hit him and his eyes flew wide in recognition. Yes, of course. The Quetel’s bodyguard, the only one that had stayed with the family to protect them.

“General,” Tresea had the smile of a cat that had just finished off a dish of cream, “allow me to introduce you to your new advisor and your bodyguard. This is Sego of Aramesh.” Sego bowed at the introduction, without a hint of reluctance or mockery in the gesture. “His family has been serving Niotan for generations, as administrators in one form or another. His integrity is without question. With this man at your side, no one will doubt the orders you give. As a plus,” she gave a satisfied smile, “his Arapesh and Brindise is impeccable. I have noticed that you are sometimes at a loss with my language?”

So she’d caught that…. Darius rubbed at the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. “I’ve never been formally taught, My Queen, just picked up words and phrases where I could. Your language is very similar to my homeland’s, which makes it easier, but I am not a scholarly man.”

Her eyebrows rose in true surprise. “For someone who’s just picked it up along the way, you’re doing quite well. Regardless, Sego can help you.”

He truly hoped so. If the man had been compelled into this position, he might not be as helpful as Darius needed him to be. But he should worry about that later. Darius turned to him and gave a respectful bow, mentally praying to Shaa for any aid she could grant. “Your aid is a blessing to me, Sego of Aramesh.”

Sego didn’t respond to this, simply smiled and returned the bow.

“And I believe you have met Bohme of Quetel before?” Tresea continued with a wave of the hand to the burly man.

“We have met,” Darius agreed with a shorter bow to the man. “But I must admit, I am confused at your presence here, Bohme. Aren’t you Raja Tailli’s personal guard?”

“I wash,” he admitted with a voice deep enough to shake a few mountain ranges. “But Raja shaid ‘Protect him!’, sho here I am.”

Darius had to swallow a smile. That sounded like something she would do, despite being recounted in Bohme’s thick northern accent. But never would he have imagined that keeping those four prisoner over two years ago would bring him good fortune now. The gods truly did have a strange sense of humor.

“I thank her and you, Bohme. In truth, I did not think I could sleep tonight without some sort of guard.” He glanced over his shoulder at the closed door. “There are many unhappy people in this place.”

“Unhappy is an understatement, General,” Sego remarked calmly. His voice was a smooth tenor, almost musical in a way. Darius hoped the man never tried to read him a report—he’d fall asleep in minutes with a voice like
that
in his ear. “Forgive the impudence, but I feel that I must ask…might we have the full story of the events a year ago?”

Darius hesitated, profoundly uncomfortable with the question. Did he really want to tell the full story?

“I am satisfied,” Tresea informed Sego with a quelling tone. “You do not need to ask this.”

Sego promptly bowed to her. “Forgive me.”

Darius extended a hand in a stopping manner. “No, My Queen. If these men are to trust me, if I am to trust them, then we must be able to speak frankly to each other. My survival, and the survival of this country, depends upon this.”

Her lips parted in surprise as she stared at him. “You would not tell me when your life and freedom was on the line and
now
you speak of it?!”

“You were my enemy then,” he pointed out dryly. “You are not now. Apologies, Sego. In truth, that night pains me in many ways. I do not like to speak of it and re-open old wounds.”

Sego watched him carefully, brows needled a little as if in intense concentration. “In that case, allow me to ask just one question. You said that he broke the oath. Do you hold him responsible, then, for the fall of the capital?”

Ahh. Darius thought he saw the true purpose of this question. Was Sego afraid that if the capital fell, he would hold Tresea directly responsible and kill her at that point? “No, Sego, I do not hold him responsible. He
was
responsible. It was not one oath that he broke, but two.”

“
Two
?” Tresea demanded in astonishment.

“He sent me on a mission because of blind ambition, even though I told him I would fail,” he explained simply. “He put his desires over his people. That was the first oath he broke. But he swore to me that he had sent for reinforcements for the capital defenses, and he had not. That was the second oath he broke.”

“Is that when the capital was overrun by the Roran barbarians?” Sego asked this cautiously, a weather eye on the queen in case she took disfavor with his probing.

“It was.”

Tresea covered her eyes with one hand. “Great sands, no wonder you killed him! I would have too!”

Darius addressed Sego’s concerns directly. “If ever Niotan is conquered, I will not blame her because I know that she will have done everything in her power to prevent it. You do not need to fear for her, Sego. At least, not from me.”

For the first time, Sego truly smiled. “Thank you for easing my worries, General.”

Tresea nodded in satisfaction. “I will leave you gentlemen to your work. Sego knows where to go for everything. Draft help as you need it. In three days, I want a meeting with you.” She paused at the door and looked back at him. “Be prepared to tell me your strategy.”

Darius rubbed his chin as the door closed behind her. His strategy, eh?

“Do you have a strategy, General?” Sego inquired dryly, apparently able to read the expression on Darius’s face easily.

“It’s a mite rough,” he answered with a wry shrug of the shoulders. “It needs refining. But to do that, I need information.” He turned to face his new aide squarely. “Sego, I need to know what food supplies we have, a full inventory of the equipment and what shape it’s in, as well as the number and status of the troops.”

“Most of this information is reported daily to the queen,” Sego responded calmly. “It will not take me long to lay hands on it. You need this tonight?”

“I’d best review it before that meeting. Also, go and speak with the three commanders. Kaveh, Navid and Ramin are the ones I requested.”

“
You
requeshted, shir?” Bohme repeated in surprise.

He gave a nod to his hulking bodyguard and a wolfish smile teased at one side of his mouth. “I kept track of what commanders were in what area. It made it easier on me to know what I was facing. I quickly learned that if any of those three were my opponents, I would be in for a long battle. They’re not as seasoned as some of the others, but their raw potential is amazing. I’ve never seen commanders that can learn so quickly from their mistakes. With the proper mentor over them, they will become forces of nature, as deadly as a sand storm.”

“So you want them,” Sego surmised. “Hmmm. I had heard from the queen that three men were to be assigned to you as your staff, but she did not mention to me that you had picked them. I don’t think she mentioned it to them, either.”

Here was the first test. “Do you know these men well enough to gauge their reactions? Do you think it would be wise to tell them that I chose them?” Darius held his breath and watched Sego carefully for any signs of deception.

Sego looked at the floor for a long moment, both hands clutching the round haft of his cane. “I am not sure. Kaveh I know well—we were neighbors as children—and I believe that he will take it as a compliment that you want him. But Navid is a man that has risen through the ranks under his own power—he has no political connections. I do not know him well.”

Darius released the breath he held. If Sego had given him an airy assurance, then he would know that he couldn’t trust the man. But he clearly considered everything on an individual basis. Very good. “And Ramin?”

“From what I’ve seen of him, he’s brash. He’s just as likely to respond instinctively to something than to stop and think before speaking. I have no idea if he’ll look favorably upon you or not.”

“Hmmm.” Darius looked up at the ceiling for a long moment to think. “Talk to them. See how they feel about their appointment. If you think they will be unreasonable, send them to me. I do not blame them for having hard feelings against me—we were enemies for a long time, after all—but if they cannot set those feelings aside and heed me, I have no use for them.”

“But you don’t think you’ll have trouble from them,” Bohme said.

Men who couldn’t set their feelings aside didn’t adapt on a battlefield. These men had proven they were very flexible. So no, Darius didn’t really expect much trouble. But he
did
want to know what they would say to Sego, when he wasn’t around to overhear them.

“Do that now,” he ordered Sego. “Bohme, we’re going shopping. I need a few things.”

Sego looked a little panicked at this. “Wait, sir, if you’re going shopping, the queen has left specific orders with me that you are to use one of the royal tailors—”

“Clothes?” Darius interrupted with a dismissive snort. “Those can wait. I need a sword, long dagger, a map of this country large enough to plan maneuvers on, and a great deal of paper and ink.”

Sego blinked at him for a long moment, apparently not expecting this list, but then he shook his head in resignation. “Of course. What was I thinking?”

Very good question. Clothes? Who cared about that? Darius waved a hand in dismissal at him. “Go. Meet back at my study. Do you know where that is?”

Sego quirked an eyebrow at him in a sardonic manner. “Everyone does.”

That was…less than comforting. “Bohme, after we’re done shopping, take a nap. I get the feeling you’re going to be busy tonight.”

~~~

Darius stayed up late that night. How late, even he didn’t know. The crea birds had stopped singing, so past midnight, that was all he knew. Before he’d even returned to this room, he’d sent a palace runner to the generals and formally asked for information. To his complete lack of surprise, not one came to speak with him. Despite what Queen Tresea had said, they had no intentions of cooperating with a former enemy. At best, they’d sent reports and information to him so that he could find his own answers. At worst, they’d ignored his request completely.