“My apologies, child. The body fails,” the White murmured, embarrassed.
The two young Blackguards, Gill and Gavin Greyling, studiously avoided looking back. The time would come when the young men would have to help with this. There simply weren’t enough Archers in the Blackguard to have two women on every shift. But right now, they were no doubt simply having to adjust to the very fact that the White needed to relieve herself at all. Karris remembered being young and in awe.
Felt like a long time ago, now.
“You can go,” Karris told the young men. “I’ll meet you back in the barracks to talk. Jin and I will—”
“No, I want them to stay,” the White said wearily. “Jin, you can go.”
Jin left and Karris helped the White into her bedclothes. Karris helped the White totter toward bed, and then helped her sit up. It was, technically, not the Blackguard’s duty, but the White’s room slave was old and frail herself. The White didn’t want to buy another slave when she said she had so little time left anyway, and didn’t want to get rid of the one she had—little though the old woman did for her now.
The White sighed deeply. “Now,” she said. “Work.”
“You look exhausted, Mistress,” Karris said. “And I need to interview these men. They were on duty, earlier—”
“I know where they were. Why do you think I took them with me?” the White asked.
Karris furrowed her brow.
“The Spectrum,” the White said, “has declared war. Tonight we voted on the composition of forces.”
“Pardon me?” Karris said.
“Blood Forest and Ruthgar had already mobilized their armies, and they’re almost here. They’ve known this was coming as soon as Atash was invaded. But no one else will be able to get their armies into the fray before Ru’s fate is decided, I’m afraid. Andross Guile will be in charge of directing the Chromeria’s contribution and managing the Blood Forest and Ruthgari generals.”
“So there’s to be no promachos?” Karris asked. “And how is Lord Guile going to—”
“It is as it is,” the White said. “It was cleverly done when Gavin couldn’t be reached, so he and his new satrapy had no vote. The proposals were managed with Andross’s typical skill. He knows his parliamentary maneuvering. It was war on his terms or let Ru fall. He wanted to be named promachos, and we had to call it a victory to stop him from that. I suspect he didn’t expect to get it, but there you have it. Mobilization will begin this morning.”
Karris opened her mouth, but had nothing to say.
“Now,” the White said, turning to the Greyling brothers, “tell me what happened in the Prism’s chambers last night.”
Gill, the elder brother, cleared his throat and glanced at Karris.
“Don’t spare her,” the White ordered. “She might as well know the truth.”
“Yes, High Lady. Um, Gavin and I were selected for guard duty last night. We’ve been short-staffed, and even though we’re new, there were more experienced Blackguards down the hall guarding your room and down at the lifts, so it was allowed. The Prism arrived an hour before midnight. He greeted us and made some jokes with us—”
“Typical,” Karris said under her breath. “Charm the new blood.”
Gavin Greyling looked away. “I don’t know about that. Anyway, he said something about… um, having been on a long trip with a woman he wanted and couldn’t have.” He licked his lips and studiously didn’t look at Karris. “And he asked after his room slave. Gill
and I talked about it this morning, and we couldn’t remember exactly what he said.”
“You interpreted that to mean what?” the White asked.
Gavin cleared his throat again and shifted from foot to foot. “That he, uh, wouldn’t be averse to some, erm, companionship. So when the girl Ana showed up, we figured he’d sent for her. She certainly acted like he had. The Blackguards at the lift said they got a story from her that you’d sent for her, Mistress.”
“So she lied. It’s not the first time she’s tried,” the White said. “Go on.”
“We let her in. We thought maybe it was a common—”
“Not interested in your thoughts on the point,” the White said. “What happened?”
Gavin Greyling shifted again, glancing at Karris. “She hadn’t been in there five minutes when Watch Captain White Oak came up. She said she had important business. We, uh, tried to dissuade her, but she seemed in a hurry, like she didn’t want to be seen in the hall…”
“Tell the whole truth, you bastards,” Karris said. Wooden, but even.
“She was wearing cosmetics, and perfume. Her hair was done, I don’t know, all beautiful. Like a woman coming for an, an, what’s the—” Gavin shot a look at his brother.
“Assignation,” Gill said.
Gavin Greyling shifted from foot to foot.
“Back to when you let her in,” the White said.
“When we opened the door, it was clear that the Prism had… uh, been woken enthusiastically by Ana. And that the watch captain was surprised by it. Watch Captain White Oak ran out, and the High Luxlord Prism called after her. He seemed shocked. He ran after the watch captain and went down the lift to follow her before we could join him. We didn’t know what to do, so we went back to our station, and he returned a few minutes later.”
Orholam. Karris had a sick feeling in her stomach.
“He was absolutely furious with the girl, Ana. We, um, saw her when he went back in, and it was like she thought that they’d pick up where they left off. But he was having none of it. He shouted at her—”
“What did he say?” the White asked.
Gavin Greyling didn’t look at Karris. “He said that Ana had cost him the woman he loved. That he’d thought she was Karris—er, the watch captain—and he wouldn’t have touched Ana if he’d known
who she was. That she disgusted him. The girl said some, uh, vile things about Watch Captain White Oak, and the Prism threw her out onto his balcony.”
Oh, Orholam have mercy. Gavin had murdered that stupid girl because she’d insulted Karris? Karris felt like weeping, for Ana, for herself, for Gavin, for the whole stupid world and shipwrecked love.
“We saw…” Gavin swallowed and looked over at Gill, who nodded at him to go on.
“He was shouting and furious, and the girl was so frightened, she jumped off the balcony.”
It sent a bolt through Karris. “She
jumped
?!” she asked.
“Yes, Watch Captain,” the young man said. “He… he looked mortified immediately. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on his face. He said something like, ‘Orholam have mercy, I’ve killed her.’ And then he told us to go report it, and that he would be there when we got back. He looked so stunned that we believed him, Mistress. We didn’t know what to do. One of us should have stayed with him. I’m sorry.”
“Wait. He didn’t kill her?” Karris asked.
“No, sir. She jumped,” Gill said.
“And you are both completely certain of this?” the White asked.
“Yes, High Lady,” they said at the same time.
“Certain enough to tell this tale to the Spectrum itself?”
Gavin paled, but Gill looked confused. If he was a liar, he was the better one. “Yes, Mistress. Why would we lie?”
The White said, “You would not be the first Blackguards to believe that their duty to protect the Prism extended beyond the duty to protect his life.”
Gill blinked. “I understand, Mistress. But we barely know Lord Guile. We just started.”
“And anyone who searches your belongings will not find any large gifts among them?”
His face hardened. “We’re new to the job, Mistress, not to honor.”
“Very well,” the White said. “You’re dismissed. Go get some sleep. You’ll likely be wakened rudely for more questions from others, but you deserve what rest you can find.”
She dismissed them and they left, grateful.
Karris turned to the White. “You seemed like you expected that.”
“Of course I did. I already interviewed them earlier. I wanted to see
if they’d changed their story. And… I wanted you to hear that the man you love was somewhat innocent of both crimes.”
Karris blinked. The man I love? Both crimes? “What? What?!”
“He’s rebuffed that girl at least twice before. And apparently he had good reason to believe you were coming to his bed last night, seeing as you did.”
Karris squirmed, but had nothing to say.
“You know that Blackguards are forbidden to make love with their charges, don’t you, Karris?”
“Yes, Mistress.” She swallowed. She’d been stupider last night than she could believe. She was normally so rational!
“Have you spoken with Commander Ironfist about this matter?” the White asked. “Help me scoot down here, will you?”
Karris helped the White shift from sitting up in bed to lying down. “Um, no, Mistress. I—I’m afraid I acted impulsively last night, and before that I never thought it would be a, um, temptation.” She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The White lay back. “Well, dear, if you had, Ironfist would have told you that he and I had a discussion about this very matter long ago. And then another much more recently.”
“You did?” Karris asked.
“Don’t interrupt, dear. We did. And we agreed that it’s a good rule. Keeps lines clearer. Keeps waters from being muddied.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Karris said. She straightened her shoulders, took a breath. Her head was still a whirl, but this was the life she’d chosen. She was a Blackguard, through and through. It wasn’t easy, but that was why she’d chosen it, because she’d known it was hard. Rules existed for a reason.
The White said, “And we also agreed that sometimes the exception proves the rule. And that you are that exception. If you wish to pursue a relationship with that impossible man, you may.”
A sound that may have had some faint resemblance to a squeal jumped out of Karris’s mouth. She froze, her lips pursed.
The White opened her eyes and grinned. “May Orholam have pity on us for whom we love, child. Now go find that incorrigible man, and keep him alive. I fear we’re going to have great need of him in the coming days.”
Karris hugged the old woman tight and ran from the room, pausing only to send the other Blackguards in.
Gavin climbed out of the hell of his own making one foot at a time. The pulley and counterweights made it so he could go much faster, but the pulley made noise. From the depths, he couldn’t know if the noise high above would make any difference, so he had to err on the side of caution.
Some time later, he got to the top. He climbed through the hole, reset the floor as quietly as possible, dissolved the yellow luxin board, and listened at the door. Nothing.
After listening for a full minute, he opened the door a crack. Then more.
There was no one in the room except Marissia, kneeling silently on the floor.
“Marissia,” Gavin said, warmed by the sight of her. “I told you to go,” he said gently.
She looked at him then, and he was surprised to see a wash of fresh tears run down her cheeks. “I knew you’d come back. Please, my lord, don’t send me away. This is all I know. I—Please don’t reject me.”
Reject? “No, no, no,” he told her. “I’m not sending you away. But… Marissia, I’ve given you your freedom. I would be a faithless man if I tried to take it back from you. It’s a gift—”
“And I don’t despise it, my lord. Not at all. I treasure it. But I can’t accept it and still be your room slave. You would be lost without me, my lord.” She ducked her head. “My apologies. That was very presumptuous.”
“The truth often is. You’re right. I need you. But you could become my secretary. Orholam knows, your duties have already included everything a secretary does.”
“And more,” she said quietly.
“Well, yes, of course. And the more has been accomplished with aplomb,” he said, giving a little smirk. Then the smirk froze.
He’d just killed his brother, and the rest of life went on, not even pausing to notice.
“My lord…” she said, as if he was being dense.
“Yes?” he said.
“You love Lady White Oak.”
“Yes, I do.”
“It is one thing for a lady to tolerate the man she loves enjoying the companionship of his room slave. It is quite another for him to cheat on her with a free woman. Especially if you had made your favor obvious by freeing me.”
Ah. It was so much easier to free a slave when you thought it wasn’t going to cost you anything. Damn.
Good thing I don’t have anything more pressing to deal with than my loins.
Gavin rubbed his jaw. Popped his neck right and left. “Marissia, I made you a promise, and I would be a small man to—”
“I have a solution, my lord!”
“A solution?”
“That doesn’t dishonor the gift you’ve given me, but doesn’t make me go.”
Gavin cocked an eyebrow. “You want to stay? I mean, you
really
want to stay? Or are you just afraid of things being different? If you need more money…”
“My lord, I’ve already written up the contract. It’s not manumission, but it’s a promise that I can buy my manumission for one danar, whenever I want. That way, you’ve still given me the generous gift, and when I want, I can take it, without depriving you or making things difficult between you and Lady White Oak.”