The Cyber Chronicles VII - Sabre (14 page)

Tassin
reclaimed her seat beside Sabre. "You attack Pradish."

"I beg your
pardon?"

"You find as
many conscripts as you can, raise an army of two or three thousand,
and invade Pradish. Torrian will send his army to defend his
kingdom, calling upon his ally, Dellon, for support. Then you
retreat, drawing them after you. We will slip back into Arlin and
go to my castle, where Dellon will give me back my crown or die.
Then I shall come to your aid."

Sharmian
smiled. "You make it sound so easy. Torrian will only need to send
a single company to crush my pathetic army."

"But he won't.
I know Torrian. There's no other threat to him, and he loves to
make war. He'll send everything he's got, and demand support from
his allies to prove his power over them. The news of my return will
spark unrest in Arlin. The people hate Dellon, and some of my
soldiers will rebel."

Sharmian gazed
into his wineglass, lost in thought, and Tassin studied him,
sympathising with his dilemma. He was in his early twenties, and
she sensed that he was a gentle, kindly man, unused to the
pressures of monarchy, unsure of himself, and faced with a
proposition that could either get him killed, or give him his
kingdom.

"Consider it,"
she urged. "You do not have to decide now."

"It is a bold
plan, the sort I would expect from a woman of your character, if
the tales about you are true. But my manners are lacking, you must
have some wine." He sat up and poured wine for all of them. "You
must be tired from your journey. We will dine together. I will give
you hospitality this night, at least."

Sharmian
clapped his hands and ordered a feast from the servant who emerged
from behind the velvet curtains. Tassin settled back and sipped her
wine, longing to say more, but knowing that if she pushed it, he
might well refuse.

Sharmian gazed
at Sabre. "What role will your warrior mage play in all this?"

"He will get
me into my castle and to Dellon."

"That will be
no mean feat. Ultimately, the success of your entire plan hinges on
him. If he fails, we are both dead. Dena too, I imagine."

"Yes. But he
will do it."

"With his
magic."

She inclined
her head. "You could call it that."

"I would like
to see this magic of his before I decide."

"Of course."
She turned to Sabre. "Would you, please?"

Sabre drew a
laser and glanced around for a target, spotting an ugly vase of
flowers on a table by the window. The flash of blue light was
accompanied by the peculiar buzz that lasers made in a confined
space. The vase exploded in a burst of steam and powdered pottery,
leaving behind a cloud of settling petals. A spot on the wall
beyond it glowed red for several seconds.

Sharmian
frowned at it. "Impressive. I wish he had not chosen my mother's
favourite vase, however."

"Sorry," Sabre
said.

Sharmian
sighed and turned his attention to Tassin again. "Where have you
been these last four years?"

"No one knows
that Sabre was taken away shortly after he drove Torrian from
Arlin. That was kept a secret, or Torrian would have returned. For
three years I sought a way to get him back, and then I found it. I
travelled very far to find him and free him from slavery."

"The story
about the magical sword?"

"True."

"Then you
travelled beyond the stars?"

"Yes."

Sharmian's
brows rose. "What is it like?"

"There are
many wonders, and many pitfalls. I have no wish to go back."

"Amazing." He
glanced up as a servant appeared in the doorway. "Ah, dinner is
ready. Let us eat."

****

Tassin gazed
across the walled garden, where roses bloomed out of the wind and a
few hardy trees threw a little shade on the grass. Mandor was a
poor kingdom partly because of the paucity of its land, which
yielded few crops other than wine and provided poor grazing for its
animals. It produced hardy beasts, a particularly swift breed of
horse, and tough people. Sharmian did not even seem like a
Mandorian. He was far too cultured and refined; a true gentleman
without a hint of toughness, even a little weak, if she allowed
herself to be uncharitable. Yet the choice he faced was a hard one,
and she did not envy him his decision.

Dena came over
with a bunch of roses and settled on the stone bench beside her,
sniffing them, then thrust them at Tassin.

"Smell good,
don't they?"

"Wonderful."
Tassin smiled and glanced at Sabre, who was engrossed in the fish
pond, staring into its depths.

"He hasn't
proposed yet, has he?" Dena asked.

"No."

"He will,
don't worry."

Tassin
inclined her head. "You like Sharmian, don't you?"

"He's
gorgeous."

"He likes you
too."

Dena looked
away. "As a friend."

"If you
encouraged him a little -"

"No."

"Why not?"

She shook her
head. "How could anyone love me?"

"I do."

"That's
different. I'm too ugly."

"What rubbish.
You're lovely."

Dena frowned.
"How can you say that? I'm deformed, a mutant."

"You're a
beautiful girl. Besides, it's not all about looks. You have a
wonderful personality, and that counts for more."

"He's too
handsome. He could have any beautiful girl he wanted." She sighed.
"Those dark eyes of his are like... pools of shadow. I get lost in
them if I don't look away."

"And he gazes
at you often, I've noticed. Last night at supper he spent most of
his time watching you, especially when you weren't looking."

"Did he?" Dena
bowed her head. "I didn’t notice. But it's probably pity."

"No, he
doesn't want you to notice, and it's not pity."

"When did you
become an authority on the subject? Have you and Sabre...?"

"No." Tassin
looked away. "We're going to be married first."

"He's a
patient man then."

"More than you
can imagine. But we were talking about you and Sharmian."

"There is no
me and Sharmian. He’s a handsome young king; I'm a mutant girl from
the Badlands."

“
You’re a princess.” Tassin smiled. "And besides, stranger
things have happened. What about a queen and a warrior from beyond
the stars?"

"That's not so
strange. You're both gorgeous."

"Don't be so
pessimistic. Give him a chance. A little encouragement is all he
needs. He's way too shy and proper to do anything while you keep
him at arm's length."

"No. It would
never work. I'm not good enough for him. I never was, but
now...."

"But now what?
What's changed?"

Dena looked
away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"What has
happened? Is it to do with your imprisonment?"

The girl
jumped up and swung away.

Tassin
followed and grabbed her arm. "Tell me. What happened to you?"

"Let me
go!"

"No." Tassin
hugged her, despite her struggles. "Oh, god, it was Torrian, wasn't
it?"

Dena's legs
buckled, and Tassin knelt with her, holding her as she wept with
wild abandon. Sabre watched them with a frown, and Tassin knew he
was listening with his uncannily acute hearing. Tassin stroked
Dena's hair, holding her tight, her eyes stinging with tears of
grief and rage.

"Hush, it's
all right. I'll kill him, I swear it."

"It was his
revenge," Dena wailed.

"Then he will
know the wrath of mine."

"No one will
want me now. Even if Sharmian likes me, he'll spurn me when he
finds out."

"I don't think
he's like that," Tassin said.

"I do. He's a
traditionalist; an honourable man."

"You were
dishonoured."

Dena sobbed.
"Swear to me that you won't tell anyone."

"I will
not."

Dena jumped up
and ran into the castle, and Tassin stared after her with a leaden
heart. Sabre took her wrist and drew her to her feet, and she
turned to gaze into his silver eyes.

"But I will,"
he said.

"You
heard."

"Of
course."

"It's private.
Leave it alone."

He took her
hands, caressing them. "I didn't think I'd ever want to kill a man
again, after Previd. But I do now."

"I'll kill
Torrian myself."

"There's a
queue."

"And I'm at
the front."

He smiled.
"No, I think Dena's at the front, actually, but I might just push
in ahead of both of you."

"You'll have
to fight me to do it, and you swore..."

He drew her
into his arms. "I’ll just step around you if you get in my
way."

She sagged
against him. "Don't use your charms on me. It's not fair. You know
I can't resist you."

"Is that what
I'm doing? I thought I was just comforting you."

"Dena's the
one who needs comfort right now, and your comfort has a fatal
attraction for me."

Sabre released
her. "I'll go and see if she's all right."

Tassin nodded,
rubbing her arms, and he left her to stride into the castle, almost
bowling Sharmian over as he came out.

Sabre stepped
aside. "Excuse me."

"What is wrong
with Dena?” Sharmian demanded. “She ran past me as if Hellhounds
were after her. Is she all right?"

"She will
be."

"If someone
has upset her, I want to know."

"Then you
should ask her about it."

"She would not
speak to me."

Sabre tried to
go around him. "Then she doesn't want to tell you."

The young king
gripped his arm. "If you have upset her -"

"It wasn't me,
okay? Now I need to find her and talk to her."

Sharmian
released Sabre, looking uncertain. "I want to help."

"Then when you
find out what the problem is, be sympathetic, not judgemental."

"If you would
tell me, I would have the advantage of -"

"Not now. May
I pass?"

Sharmian
stepped aside, and Sabre marched into the castle.

Chapter Ten

Sharmian
approached Tassin, struck afresh by her beauty. Combined with her
superb poise and grace, it gave her the bearing of a queen even in
her poor garb. He would never own such poise and bearing, being the
bastard son of a poor noblewoman who had spent her latter years in
a rundown mansion on the outskirts of a shabby village. His mother
had reviled his birth, the result of a drunken liaison at one of
Grisson's infamous parties. It had caused her husband to cast her
off, taking their children with him, and Sharmian's mother had
turned to drink. Banished from her social circle and pitied by her
peers, she had often beaten him as a child, just for being born.
Sometimes he had wondered why she had kept him. Now he was a poor
excuse for a king, the figurehead of a slave nation.

Tassin, on the
other hand, had been raised as a spoilt princess by a doting
father. Yet she had sought his help in her bid to regain her
rightful legacy. How ironic. Had she not needed his aid, he doubted
that she would have given him the time of day. She looked sad, and
he was filled with concern for Dena. His confrontation with Sabre
had been unnerving, and he hoped he had not shown how intimidating
he found the strange warrior mage. His fondness for Dena bothered
him. He could not fathom its source, for despite her elven quality
and gamin smile, she was plain compared to some of the ladies at
his court. Nevertheless, he did not like to see her upset.

"Tassin."

She turned to
him and smiled. "Sharmian."

He took her
hand and kissed the back of it, a trick he had learnt to charm his
mother. "I trust you slept well and enjoyed your breakfast. I
regret I was unable to join you."

"Your
hospitality is generous and gracious, My Lord."

"And gladly
given. If I may ask, what has upset Princess Dena?"

"I cannot tell
you."

"Is everyone
sworn to secrecy?"

"I am afraid
so. It is her secret, so only she can tell it."

"Then I shall
endeavour to persuade her to do so."

"I hope you
succeed," she said.

"Really? Does
it concern me?"

"Yes."

"Ah. The
ubiquitous answer to whet my appetite for more."

Tassin smiled
and plucked a rose. "Are you fond of my step-sister, Sharmian?"

"I am."

"How
fond?"

He smiled.
"Now you seek to learn my secrets, my lady."

"I do. Her
happiness is important to me."

"And how does
her happiness depend upon my fondness for her?"

"Are you
particularly dim-witted, my lord, or is this an act?"

Sharmian
looked down at his boots, his cheeks warming. "I see. I did not
think she liked me that much."

"Then you are
indeed a fool."

"She gave me
no inkling -"

"She does not
think she is good enough for such a handsome young king as
yourself."

He looked up
in surprise, then away when his eyes met hers. "Ah." He coughed.
"Um."

"Um?"

"Yes, it is a
word I use commonly, when I can think of nothing at all to
say."

"I see. So,
should I tell her to hope for more from you than friendship?"

He rubbed his
brow. "Ah, well. I do not know."

"How can you
not know?"

"You have put
me on the spot."

Tassin sniffed
the rose. "That was my intention. I do not beat about the woods; I
go straight to the heart of the matter and beat it until I get the
answers I want."

"So I see. You
have quite unnerved me."

"So easily?”
Tassin enquired. “ Are you a coward?"

"No, I do not
consider myself one, but I am faced with a beautiful, determined
queen of legendary stature quizzing me with merciless intent. The
bravest man would be unnerved."