The Gods of Amyrantha (48 page)

'You'll get no argument from me about that. I'm quite certain he wants to be rid of Desean so he can take the throne now, without waiting until the Tide has returned enough for him to take it by force.'

She nodded. 'Being subject to Diala's whim must irk him.' She frowned in thought for a moment and then looked up at Declan, who was easily a head taller than her. 'You know, even if that wasn't his plan, I'd be tempted to try to thwart it, just on principle.'

Declan stared at her. 'How? By busting him out of gaol?'

Tilly pursed her lips for a moment and then nodded. 'It would complicate things nicely.'

'You don't think with the Crown Princess of Caelum missing things are not complicated enough?'

'He's a friend, Declan.'

'He's
your
friend, Tilly. Not mine.'

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. 'You're not objecting to this because of Arkady, are you?'

'Are you suggesting I'd be happy to let him die because I'm jealous?'

'Are you?'

'That's insulting, Tilly.'

She smiled. 'It was, and I'm sorry. You'd not let anything so trite interfere with something this important. I do know that. Tell me why you don't think we should help him.'

'We'd be drawing attention to the Cabal. You just said it in there a moment ago. If the Tide Lords can be distracted, we can stay out of sight and work unhindered for that much longer. Break Desean out of gaol and we might as well open a shop in the main

square of Herino and hang out a sign saying we're back in business.'

'Could you do such a thing without implicating the Cabal?'

Declan hesitated and then nodded with a great deal of reluctance. 'Maybe.'
'Will
you do it?'

'Are you ordering me as Guardian of the Lore, or asking a favour?'

'A favour, Declan, nothing more. Stellan Desean is a good man. He doesn't deserve this.'

He looked down at her, shaking his head. 'I can't promise anything, Tilly. And I won't risk my people for him, either. But I'll see what I can do.'

'That's all I ask, dear.' She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. 'And let's just keep this between us, eh?'

'Afraid the great Ryda Tarek won't approve?'

'You shouldn't mock him, Declan. Ryda's a loyal member of the Cabal. And he knows so much about the Tide Lords, I'm embarrassed to call myself Guardian of the Lore when he's near. You could learn a great deal from him.'

'He wants us to help them gain control, Tilly.'

'Only in so far as it helps us.'

'Are you sure about that?'

'What motive could he have to aid them, other to than further our cause? No mortal with his understanding of the Tide Lords could possibly do anything else.'

Tilly's logic was sound, but that didn't alter Declan's gut feeling there was something not quite right about Ryda Tarek. .

'If you say so.'

'I do. Now go and fetch something to eat and then let's get back in there and work out what, in the name of the Tide, we're going to do next.'

CHAPTER 48

Having overheard Cayal's discussion with the monk at the Temple of the Way of the Tide, Tiji thought she was safe to return to the embassy and collect her things. Cayal's intentions were clear. He was looking for Brynden — although Tiji had no inkling as to why — and the only way to find him was to find his abbey. Even the Cabal had heard the rumours that Brynden was holed up somewhere in the desert, posing as a brother of his own sect. The chances were better than even that Cayal knew it too, and was planning to join the monthly caravan from the Temple of the Way of the Tide to find him.

When she returned to the Glaeban embassy, she discovered the place in an uproar. There were guards everywhere and a troop of felines who hadn't been here a few days ago, when Tiji had first discovered Cayal. Pushing through the chaos in the halls, she finally cornered Dashin Deray. He was in Duke Stellan's office, going through the contents of his desk. A feline stood by, watching him closely, as the young man loaded a stack of the Duke's personal correspondence into a leather satchel.

'My lord?'

Dashin glanced up, frowning when he spied the chameleon. 'I thought you'd left for Glaeba already.'

'There were some things I had to do first. What's going on?'

Dashin Deray glanced at the feline watching them with a dark, unblinking stare, before fixing his

attention on Tiji. 'The Duke of Lebec has been charged with ordering the death of King Enteny and Queen Inala. He's been disinherited and will stand trial within the month.'

'You're kidding.'

Dashin glared at her. 'It would be a poor attempt at humour if I was.'

'Tides! That's unbelievable! Is it true?'

'Ask your master,' Dashin suggested in a tone that left little doubt about what he thought of the King's Spymaster. 'He'll be the one manufacturing the charges against the duke.'

'Declan Hawkes would never do such a thing,' she said, knowing full well he probably would, if he thought there was a good enough reason to do it — particularly if it suited the aims of the Cabal. 'Where does that leave the duchess?'

'Under the same cloud of suspicion as the duke. We have a warrant for her arrest, signed by the new King's Private Secretary, Lord Aranville. I've sent word to the palace seraglium, but we don't have a response yet.'

Tiji felt her blood run cold. 'Jaxyn Aranville is now the King's Private Secretary?'

Dashin nodded. 'You seem surprised.'

I shouldn't be,
Tiji thought.
This is the way they play the game.
'I'm just surprised old Lord Deryon finally retired. I liked him. Do you have any orders for me from Master Hawkes?'

Dashin shook his head. 'Were you expecting any?'

'Not really. Just thought I'd make sure. Lady Desean said you'd give me money if I needed it.'

He sighed. 'How much?'

'Enough to get me by for a month or so. There's something I have to check on. I might be gone for a while.'

Dashin Deray thought about it for a moment, weighing up his reluctance to give this slave with diplomatic papers a single fenet, against the

inadvisability of interfering with the business of the King's Spymaster.

'Very well.' He took a sheet of fresh paper, picked up a pen, dipped it in the crystal inkwell and scribbled out a note which he signed with an impatient flourish and then handed to her. 'Take this to the Quartermaster. He'll see you have whatever you need.'

'Thank you, my lord.'

Tiji was almost out the door when he called after her. 'Whatever it is you're up to, Tiji, don't expect us to come to your rescue if you get yourself into trouble. Our job here at the embassy is to preserve the good relations between Glaeba and Torlenia, something I'm not certain your master appreciates.'

'I'll be a good girl,' she promised with a demure curtsey, biting back the desire to add,
as if I'd ask a pompous, stuck-up windbag like you for help, anyway.

Once she had her money and had retrieved the few possessions she carried — not to mention the precious diplomatic papers — Tiji made her way to the Temple of the Way of the Tide.

She had debated long and hard about the best way to follow Cayal across the desert. She couldn't just tag along behind him. Tiji's ability to blend with her surroundings depended on her flesh being in contact with whatever she wanted to emulate. Travelling the desert naked would kill her within a day or two. That left joining the same caravan as Cayal as a slave — which meant no freedom of movement at all, even if she could find a way of achieving a placement on such short notice — or travelling as diplomat.

For obvious reasons, she settled on the latter. Tiji considered this an excellent use of her precious diplomatic status, which up until now had proved more decorative than useful. It was true that Declan had warned her not to commandeer any ships. He hadn't said a word about desert caravans, though.

The saffron-robed monk who met her at the entrance to the temple was the same one who had spoken to Cayal. He eyed her up and down with a frown before asking what she wanted.

'I wish to join the caravan leaving tomorrow for your abbey.'

He shook his head and turned away. 'We have no need of your kind, here or at the abbey.'

'I'm not offering my kind, brother. I am an envoy of the Glaeban king.' She waved her royal warrant in front him. He turned, snatching it from her hand and then examined it with a suspicious glare.

'This looks genuine.' The monk seemed shocked.

'That would be because it is.'

He handed her back the document, which she carefully folded and returned to its leather wallet.

'What business does an envoy of the Glaeban king have with the Temple of the Way of the Tide?'

'I have a message for the head of your order on behalf of King Mathu. He has long been an admirer of the Way of the Tide.'

That got the monk's attention. 'Go on.'

'I am to present a letter, asking that a teacher be dispatched immediately to Glaeba, so my king may begin his instruction.'

The monk held out his hand. 'That is great news indeed. I'll see the letter gets to him.'

'Did you miss the part where I said I am to present the letter to him, my good man?' she asked, in a tone that would have done the Duchess of Lebec proud.

The monk frowned. 'We do not allow your kind in our abbey.'

'Then I shall return to my king and inform him you are not interested in showing Glaeba the path to enlightenment. Good day to you, brother.'

Tiji turned on her heel and headed down the steps, not in the least surprised when the monk called her back before she'd taken two or three of them.

'Wait!'

She turned to look at him. 'Was there something else?'

'You'll have to be segregated, both on the journey and when you reach the abbey.'

The little Crash made a great show of debating the matter. 'I suppose I can live with that. You will see to it, of course, that I am attended in the manner to which I am accustomed?'

The monk frowned. 'You want me to provide you with servants?'

'If I am to remain apart from the rest of your caravan, brother, then I will need someone who can fetch my meals and provide a way of communicating between me and your guides, will I not?'

With some reluctance, the monk nodded. 'I'll see what I can arrange.'

'Then I will be here at dawn tomorrow,' Tiji promised. 'And you can sleep easy tonight, brother, knowing you have been instrumental in bringing the Way of the Tide to all Glaebans.'

At dawn the following day, shrouded like a human female, Tiji arrived at the temple to meet up with the caravan. The forecourt was crowded when she arrived, with a score of snorting, spitting camels, rough cameleers who seemed to be cursing the beasts and each other with equal ferocity, and a small clutch of mostly young, nervous-looking men, obviously the acolytes intending to follow the Way of the Tide.

There was no sign of Cayal as yet, nor could Tiji sense him. She wasn't worried. Cayal wanted to find Brynden and this was his only way. He really had no choice but to join them. Even as she'd stood blended to one of the tall sandstone columns at the front of the temple the other day when Cayal had enquired about Brynden, she could tell he was desperate. She could

also tell how much the idea of even pretending to follow Brynden's Way of the Tide irked him.

One way or another, though, he'll have to join the caravan,
she reasoned.
But probably not until the last minute.

Tiji pushed through the crowd and climbed the steps to the Temple where the brother she had spoken to the day before was standing, overseeing the chaos.

'Ah! You're here.'

'Was there some reason you thought I might not be?' Tiji inquired, hoping she sounded imperious. She felt more than a little silly wearing the shroud.

'You bring me a double-edged sword, Crash,' the monk told her. 'A message of great hope delivered by an abomination. I have mixed feelings.' He smiled thinly and pointed to another shrouded figure standing in the shadows of the columns behind him, a small sack and a full waterskin at her feet, which was all the luggage a slave would be permitted to bring on a journey such as this. 'I do, however, have the servant you requested. If you ladies would like to wait here, I will have the cameleers fetch you when it's time to leave.'

Tides, he believed me!
was Tiji's first reaction to discovering she now had her very own servant. She bowed to the monk, glanced around hoping to catch a glimpse of Cayal — to no avail — and then stepped into the shadows to greet her new companion.

The slave was taller than her by more than a head. Tiji looked up and met her eyes. The shrouded woman examined her for a moment and then her eyes widened in shock

'Tiji?'
she hissed. 'Tides! What are you doing here? I thought you'd gone back to Declan.'