Ashes of Roses (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms Book 4) (21 page)

“Of course,” she replied, and grinned at her companions, as if promising to finish the story as soon as she had seen me settled. “It’s a good room, as it’s on the corner, and so we don’t have to share two walls. And even better, it looks out on the kitchen garden and not the street, so it’s quiet enough. Here it is.”

I looked into the room she indicated and felt a wave of quiet relief wash over me. No, it was not grand, but it was clean and neat, with two narrow beds and a small table between them, and a wash basin in one corner with a cracked mirror over it.

Definitely not the palace
, my mind seemed to whisper at me, and I forced the thought away. I could not think of the palace, for if I did I would think of him, think of his eyes and the sound of his voice and the way his lips had once touched mine. And if I thought of that, then I would recall the horror in his face as he stared at me, regarding me as if I were some alien creature he had never seen before.

“It is most pleasant,” I told Lindry, and blinked away the tears that had begun to form before they could be anything but small, stinging pinpricks. “And how long have you been here?”

“Only a fortnight. I have been looking for a situation, but I can afford to be somewhat choosy, and so I have not made a decision yet. Tomorrow I will show you where the notice board is, so you can see if there’s anything that suits you.”

I had heard of these boards; it was how Mari had come to us, after my stepmother had advertised for a new girl when the previous maid had been caught pilfering. Well, I supposed I was a pilferer, too, although oddly I felt little guilt over my petty thefts.

“Thank you,” I said. “That will be most helpful, as I would like to find someplace as quickly as possible.”

“They turned you off with nothing?” Lindry inquired, and although there was nothing but friendly curiosity in her expression, I knew she would not be put off by any evasion on my part.

Luckily, I had already concocted a story in my mind, knowing I would have to offer something to any prospective employers. “Oh, no, not at all, but I like to be kept busy. I was in the household of Lady Gabrinne Nelandre, but she is just engaged to the Duke of Gahm, and I did not wish to be removed to the country. So she paid me well and gave me a letter of reference, and took very good care of me.” I had to hope that Gabrinne would not mind too much that I had borrowed her name; somehow I had the feeling she would not.

Lindry’s eyes widened a bit. “That will put you in good stead, to have a reference such as that. I am sure you will have a new position in no time. It is too bad that you do not care for the country, but I suppose it is not for everyone. I, on the other hand, would like it very much.” She started, as if a sudden thought had seized her, and asked, “Do you — do you think you could put in a word for me with her?”

Oh, dear. Thinking furiously, I replied, “I wish I could, but I believe her household is already set, and she is not looking for anyone else.”

A little sigh. “I suppose it was too much to ask for.”

“It is fine,” I said quickly, for I didn’t want to Lindry to think I would not recommend her because of some failing on her part. “If I can think of any other possibilities for you, I will be sure to let you know.”

She nodded at that, and must have realized I was not inclined to further conversation, for she offered a quick smile before saying, “Supper is at five, and Madam Isling always rings a bell, so it is difficult to miss!”

And then she ducked out and left me alone. I let out a sigh of my own at the sudden quiet, then set the satchel down on the bed that was to be mine. Tomorrow I would have to see about purchasing another gown, as I had only the one, and, and…

My mind rebelled at these orderly plans, and my legs seemed to lose their strength as I collapsed on the bed next to the bag containing my precious store of coins. I did not want to think about gowns and situations. I only wanted to think of him, and how I would never hear his voice again, never feel his arms around me, never see the sudden, shocking brilliance of his smile or the richness of his laughter.

Grief overcame me then, and I buried my face in my hands and wept, wondering what on earth was to become of me now.

T
orric

“
I
do not understand
what you are waiting for!” my mother snapped, and I saw Lyarris wince and give a small shake of her head. “Execute that woman at once and have done with it!”

So easy for her to say. Yes, this Therissa Larrin had admitted to using magic, a thing that had been outlawed for centuries everywhere in the civilized world, but for some reason I had a difficult time seeing her as a foul mage, rotten to the core through the use of forbidden sorcery. She did not look like an evil user of magic. She looked — well, she looked just as a prosperous wife of a knight or baronet might, probably very pretty in her youth, and still handsome enough. Her face was not one that belonged to a person rotten to the core.

However, I knew attempting to explain any of that to my mother would be worse than useless, for she would no doubt see it as weakness on my part that I hadn’t had the Larrin woman dragged out to the courtyard and her head struck off with a sword. Never mind that the Crown hadn’t meted out that sort of punishment in years, not since the usurper had lost his head once my father’s forces were victorious. I would have to order an executioner’s platform built, and that would take time.

My voice more even than I had expected it to be, I replied, “I will not have her killed while there is a chance she has information regarding what happened to Ashara. By all accounts she has disappeared into the city without a trace, despite all my guards’ best efforts. So executing the one person who might be able to help — whatever her crimes — is not the wisest thing to do, I think.”

A scowl, which meant my argument had some persuasion to it, and my mother did not want to admit the fact. “Very well,” she said irritably. “But it will not look good, you know, for you to keep her alive indefinitely. The people must see that punishment awaits anyone who uses the forbidden magics.”

I did not bother to point out that this was the first time anyone had been caught using magic in more than a century, and therefore the number of possible future transgressors was most likely quite low. “I will take that under advisement.”

She sniffed. “Which means you will do as you please. Very well, Torric, but do not come complaining to me when our rule of law begins to completely fall apart.”

“No worries on that score, Mother, for you know I do not come complaining to you about anything, as I am aware that I am not likely to meet with any support or understanding.”

Despite the myriad ways in which she aggravated me, this was the first time I had been bold enough to say such a thing out loud. Her spine stiffened, and she flashed me a look of such outrage I wondered if she were about to reach out and slap me for my impertinence. But then she seemed to recall that although I was her son, I was also the Emperor, and she stilled.

“I have said everything I have to say. Do as you will, however foolish that may be.” And she turned and stalked from the chamber, leaving a palpable cloud of fury in her wake.

“That could have gone better,” Lyarris remarked, speaking for the first time as she rose from her chair and came to stand by me at the window.

“I suppose, but I am tired of guarding my tongue around her.” Pausing, I ran a hand through my hair and then shook my head. “To be honest, I am weary of everything right now.”

“I know,” my sister said, and put a comforting hand on my arm. “I cannot imagine how difficult this must all be.”

“No, you can’t,” I replied abruptly, and stopped, somewhat ashamed of myself. Lyarris was the last person in the world I should be snapping at. But somehow I could not find the words for an apology, and so I shifted away from her and stared out the window instead. The day was grey and lowering, a dull mist-like rain blanketing the city. A fitting accompaniment to my mood, I supposed.

“You will find her.”

I was not so sure of that. As distinctive as Ashara was in appearance, she seemed to have vanished into thin air — another sorcery, I would have said, although Lord Keldryn had told me that Therissa Larrin asserted over and over that her magic was not of that sort — “illusions only, and nothing that lasts,” had been her words.

Of course I had not been to see her. No, she was locked up securely in the deepest vaults of the dungeon, in one of several cells constructed long ago in the age of magic, cells barred with cold iron that had their own sigils protecting them, so that no one contained within could use their own powers. Whether those sigils still worked, my advisors could not say, as there were none among them with magical powers. Still, it seemed the most logical place to put a known sorceress.

“How will I find her?” I asked. “My guards have fanned out through the city and have found no trace of her. Granted, in a city of some two hundred thousand souls, finding a single woman might be difficult. Even so, no one has seen or heard of her, not even at her home.”

I hesitated, and despite the grimness of the situation, I had a difficult time repressing a grin. For although the cook claimed she had seen nothing, it seemed Ashara had gone home whilst all the other members of her household were still here at the palace, and had made off with a good deal of the silver, much to her stepmother’s dismay. No doubt she intended to pawn it and further finance her disappearance…which led me to believe that the aunt was telling the truth, and that she had no knowledge of her niece after she made her initial escape from the palace grounds.

Lyarris gazed out the window as well, as if somehow she could spy Ashara within the city’s teeming masses of humanity. For a long moment she said nothing. Then she turned back toward me and said, “Perhaps you should speak with Therissa Larrin yourself.”

“I?” I asked, staring at my sister and wondering if she taken leave of her senses. “The Emperor of Sirlende does not stoop to questioning prisoners.”

For the first time an expression of irritation flitted across her normally serene features. “Then perhaps you should stop thinking like the Emperor of Sirlende and more like a man who has lost the woman he loves.”

I made an exasperated sound. How dare she stand there and say such a thing! Yes, I had lost Ashara, but more than that, I had lost everything that had passed between us, for now I knew it had all been a lie, all illusions, shifting and formless as mist evaporating in the harsh light of day.

What she saw in my face, I did not know, but Lyarris said calmly, “You are the Emperor, true, but you are also a man, and I saw how you cared for Ashara. It was new and uncertain, true. I just want to make sure that you are not allowing pride to dictate your actions. You have sent Lord Keldryn and Renwell Blane to question Mistress Larrin, and it seems she has been forthcoming enough, but I do not know if they are asking the right questions. Only you can know that for sure, Torric.”

This last was said with such a pleading note in her voice that I looked at my sister in some surprise. “You really think it could make a difference?”

“I do not know that it will not.” She knotted her fingers together and stared down at them for the space of a few heartbeats before saying quietly, “I cannot imagine that you wish to spend the rest of your life wondering what might have happened if you had had the courage to seek answers for yourself, rather than relying upon your advisors and such to do it for you.”

At first I did not reply, but instead pondered her words. Would I be content with letting Ashara go, with letting my mother and those who thought like her have their way, and allow Therissa Larrin to be executed while she still possessed knowledge that might give me the peace of mind I so desperately desired?

Put that way…

“Very well,” I told my sister. “I am off to the dungeons.”

I
t had been
many years since I had last descended to the dark regions hidden beneath the palace’s splendid public rooms. Once when I was a child, the son of the Earl of Landishorne had dared me to play hide-and-seek down there, and we had spent a stolen hour wandering around the dank, unused corridors and jumping out from empty cells and shouting “boo!” before my father’s guards found us and dragged us quite unceremoniously back to the upper floors. As I recalled, I was sent to bed without any supper, but that seemed a fair enough exchange for such an adventure.

Now, however, I did not find the place quite so amusing. The upper floors still contained a few prisoners of the worst sort, although most transgressors these days were housed in the new modern gaol built near the city wall. As I approached the entrance to the lowest level, the guards snapped to attention, clearly startled to see the Emperor in their domain, and even more surprised to see him here alone. I had told the two men-at-arms who followed me everywhere to wait at the top of the stairs to the dungeons, and they had followed my orders, though they were clearly most unhappy at letting me descend into the lower levels unaccompanied. For myself, I did not see the need for their worry, as every level of the dungeon had its own contingent of guards, and no doubt they could protect me if anything untoward should happen.

“I wish to speak with Therissa Larrin,” I said.

There were four guards present, all them looking rather surly and low-browed, though that could have been a trick of the flickering torchlight. But they straightened in shock at my words, then bowed low. One of them, presumably the senior of the quartet, stepped forward, saying, “Y-yes, Your Majesty. At once, Your Majesty. This way.”

Their discomfiture rather amused me, but I maintained a stern expression as the one guard led me down a narrow little corridor, the ceiling so low I felt certain my head was going to scrape against it at any moment. The hallway ended at a single cell, its bars seeming thicker than those of any of the chambers we had yet passed. Strange runes were scratched into the rock at the lintel — the guardian sigils set there centuries before by mages now long dead. I repressed a shiver.

“You may go,” I told the guard, and he seemed to pale in the chancy light.

“Your Majesty — ”

“I will speak with the prisoner alone.”

Whatever courage had prompted him to speak up had apparently fled, for he bowed and left with some haste, not even sparing me a backward glance over his shoulder.

There was a rustle within the cell, and I turned to see Therissa Larrin rise from a mean stone cot with a thin mattress of straw and approach the bars, although I noticed she did not touch them. “So the Emperor himself deigns to enter his dungeon and question the prisoner.”

She did not look nearly as downtrodden as I had thought she would. True, her hair was somewhat disheveled, and there were stains on her gown of fine blue wool, but her dark eyes seemed bright enough as she regarded me, her hands planted on her hips.

Under that lively gaze I found myself somewhat discomfited, as if somehow I were the one about to be questioned, and not she. Setting my expression in what I hoped were grim lines, I said, “As I have had no satisfaction from either my chancellor or the captain of my guard, yes, I thought I would speak to you myself. Perhaps you will be more forthcoming with me.”

At that remark she actually chuckled. “And here I thought I was being so honest with them. Truly, Your Majesty, I have withheld no information, but if you wish to hear it for yourself, I have no quibble with that.”

Surely a woman locked up in the lowest levels of the palace dungeons and awaiting a certain sentence of death should not be quite so light-hearted in countenance or tone. Stepping closer to the bars, I demanded, “Tell me where Ashara Millende is.”

“Why?” she asked frankly. “So you can send her down here to share a cell with me?”

“No!” I retorted, then went on, fumbling with my words, “That is, I have every right, as Emperor and as the man who intended to marry her, to know of her location.”

“Indeed? For I would say that the Emperor and the man who wished to marry her are two very different people, and I wish to know which of them I am speaking with at the moment.”

What an impossible woman. “I assure you, they are one and the same.”

She shook her head, and slanted me a little sidelong look. In that moment I could tell she must have been quite beautiful when she was younger, although I did not see much of Ashara in her — something in the half-dimple at the corner of her mouth, perhaps, or in the tilt of her dark eyes. “I find I do not possess that same assurance. For you have come stomping down here, quite high-handed, with such a stern brow, and I fear I do not see much of the lover in you.”

For a full moment I could do nothing but stare at her, astounded by her impertinence. I noted the lack of an honorific, but it was far more than that, for it seemed she thought herself well positioned to rebuke me, as if I were the miscreant here. “Do you know who you are speaking to, woman?”

The light went out of her eyes then, and she replied in sad tones, “It seems as if I am speaking to the Emperor of Sirlende, and not the man who loved my niece, and so I fear I have nothing more to say to you.” After delivering that remark, she returned to her makeshift seat on the lumpy pallet, and turned her head away from me.

Of all the — I moved closer to the bars and wrapped my fingers around them. As I did so, I felt an odd tingle move through my hands and up my arms. Perhaps I was feeling something of the old charms laid within the metal. That was not enough to keep me from exclaiming, “Have you no heart at all? Your niece is lost somewhere within this city, and I do not think I have to remind you of what may befall a young woman on her own on its streets. Let me help her!”

She shifted, and watched me for a second or two, then seemed to nod. “Ah, that sounds more like the man who loves her, and not the Emperor. You do love her, do you not?”

“I — ” My breath seemed to strangle in my throat. Hoarsely, I said, “I believed that I did. But how do I know what I really fell in love with, when it was all an illusion?”

My question only made her sigh, and give a small shake of the head, as if she were impatient with my stupidity. She rose and came to pause a foot or so beyond the bars. From that distance I could see the smudges of weariness under her eyes, the etchings of worry lines between her brows. “The only illusion was her gowns and jewels, you foolish boy. Oh, and I suppose her hairstyles, as I fear her stepmother would not have allowed her to spend an hour curling her hair to make herself beautiful for you. Everything else, though — that was all Ashara, and no doing of mine. How different was it, really, from the artifices those other fine-born women used to catch your eye, the rouge, the powder, the charcoal liner? The stays, and the padding in the bodices of their gowns? All these things would melt away as well, at the end of the evening. The only difference here is that I used magic to give Ashara the trappings required to enter your little contest. But that is merely a difference of means, and not intention.”