Nightrunners 03 - Traitor's Moon (44 page)

He found his way to a passageway leading to the main hall. As he

watched from the shelter of a doorway, a servant crossed the room and returned a moment later with several Lhapnosans. He caught the words "welcome" and "garden."

Luck in the shadows indeed,
thought Alec, retreating back the way he'd come. Whatever the 'faie might think about thieves and thought readers, it seemed their god had a favor or two to spare the humble nightrunner. Now if his luck would just hold until he found the right garden.

After several wrong turns, Alec ended up in a room with a low balcony overlooking an illuminated courtyard. Creeping to the archway, he peered out, then ducked quickly back, heart pounding in his chest. Ulan i Sathil sat less than twenty feet away. Moving more carefully, Alec chanced another look.

The large, lushly overgrown garden was lit by crescent-shaped lanterns set on tall poles. Ulan faced his guests, most of whom were hidden from view by the angle of the wall. Alec guessed by the murmur of conversation that there were no more than a dozen people present. Those he could see included the khirnari of Lhapnos and Bry'kha, together with some of their kin and members of minor clans. Servants were circulating with wine and sweets.

He was about to belly-crawl to the opposite side of the archway when a whiff of scent froze him on all fours. He'd smelled the same spicy, musk only once before, in the shadows of the House of Pillars. It raised the hairs on the back of his neck and spread gooseflesh up his arms.

Turning, he scanned the room for its source, glancing toward the door in time to see a growing glimmer of light beneath it. He had just time enough to scuttle behind the door before it swung open. Through the crack between door and frame, he saw a bored-looking watchman raise the lantern he held and peer around the room. Satisfied, he went out again, closing the door behind him.

Alec stayed where he was for nearly a minute, testing the air like a hound as he waited for his heartbeat to slow. For an instant he thought he smelled the perfume again.

"Who are you?" he whispered, realizing as he did so that he was more fearful of receiving a response than not.

No one answered, and the scent did not return.

Don't be a fool,
he berated himself as he crept back to the window. Someone wearing a strong scent had passed by in the corridor, maybe even someone the watchman was looking for. It was probably a common scent. Then again, he'd been to endless gatherings since his arrival in Aurenen and never smelled anything like it.

He shook off the disconcerting thoughts. He couldn't afford to linger.

Standing on the opposite side of the archway now, he peered around and with a sinking heart recognized Seregil's old friend, Riagil i Molan of Gedre sitting between Ruen i Uri of Datsia and Rhaish i Arlisandin. The khirnari of Bry'kha and Silmai were there, too, along with several minor khirnari.

It was clear from the level of conversation that more guests were expected. A few moments later several Haman entered, but Nazien i Hari was not one of them. These were all younger men, and it was Emiel i Moranthi who bowed in greeting to their host.

Alec's lip curled at the sight of him, his distaste tempered only by the pleasure of observing the arrogant bastard unaware.

This must have completed the company, for Ulan stood to address them. Alec sank down and settled his back against the wall to listen.

"My friends, my opposition to the Skalan's demands are no secret among you," Ulan began. "I am frequently accused of acting out of self-interest. I do not deny this, nor do I apologize. I am a Viresse, and the khirnari of my clan. My first duty is to my people. There is no dishonor in this."

He paused, perhaps to let his guests reflect on their own loyalties. "Until now my opposition has been based on my desire to preserve the prosperity of my clan. Like you, I had the greatest respect for Idrilain a Elesthera. She was a Tirfaie of great atui and valor. Klia a Idrilain is very like her mother and I hold her in equal esteem.

"But now Idrilain is dead, and it is not Klia who ascends that throne, but her half-sister, Phoria. I have called you here tonight not as a Viresse, or a khirnari, but as a fellow Aurenfaie who realizes that we must, in the affairs of the wider world, act as a single people. This new queen is not a woman of honor. Of this I have proof."

Alec scrambled to his feet and peered out. Ulan was holding up a handful of documents, the largest of which bore a large wax seal Alec knew only too well.

O Illior!
Memories of secrets he'd all but forgotten he knew settled over Alec like a pall. It was a Queen's Warrant, no doubt the lost twin of a forged document used by Phoria five years earlier to reroute a shipment of gold destined for the Skalan treasury. On the surface it had been a foolish indiscretion, done to help protect a kinsman of the queen's vicegerent, Lord Barien, who'd also been rumored to be Phoria's lover. In fact, the whole business had been secretly engineered by enemies of the queen, a faction known as the

Lerans. He and Seregil had uncovered the plot by accident during their investigation of that same forger. Only Nysander had been privy to the resulting confrontation between Idrilain and her daughter. All Alec knew was that Phoria had remained heir.

He gnawed his lip in frustration as Ulan fitted the facts into a far more damning picture, depicting Phoria as a weak woman, led by passion rather than honor.

Risking another glance out into the courtyard, Alec saw the gloating satisfaction of the Haman and Lhapnosans. The Gedre khirnari was whispering anxiously to Rhaish i Arlisandin, who'd gone pale. The Silmai elder merely stared down at his hands, as if lost in thought.

Ulan i Sathil continued on, evincing nothing but an earnest desire to inform. Nonetheless, Alec was certain he caught a triumphant gleam in the man's eyes.

What a schemer you are,
Alec thought, not knowing whether he should feel angry or awed.

Too restless for company, Seregil retired early and attempted to read by the fire, but one book followed another onto the untidy pile beside his chair. Soon he was up and pacing as he mulled various unhappy scenarios to account for Alec's prolonged absence.

Alec's foray into Torsin's room aside, it had been months since either of them had done any outright burgling. As the stars marched toward midnight, he found himself worrying as if Alec were still his green protege.

Perhaps he'd been caught. Seregil could imagine Klia's reaction if Alec was brought home under Viresse guard, accused of spying. Or maybe he'd stumbled into the clutches of Seregil's Haman friends.

No, he thought, rubbing at the fading bruises on one forearm, Alec was too clever for that. Maybe he'd just gotten lost.

Seregil had nearly talked himself into going out to look for him when Alec slipped in.

"Well?" Seregil demanded.

Alec was frowning. "You're not going to like it. Ulan found out about Phoria and Barien: the whole business of the forged papers, the Leran gold, everything."

"Bilairy's stinking codpiece!"

"And he did a fine job of painting our new queen as an honorless

liar," Alec went on as he changed into his own clothing. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"Yes." Seregil sighed. "Come on, let's find Thero and get this over with."

Klia entered Thero's room clad in a soft velvet robe, her hair loose and tousled about her shoulders. She looked anything but sleepy, however, as she noted the three of them standing uneasily by the hearth. Thero closed the door and wove a spell, sealing the chamber off from prying eyes and ears.

Klia raised an eyebrow at him, then took a seat in the room's only chair ."Well, out with it."

Seregil leaned an elbow on the mantel and launched into a tale he'd never intended to tell.

"It has to do with Phoria, and your mother's late vicegerent."

"Barien? The man's two years dead, and by his own hand. What on earth could—?"

Seregil held up a placating hand. "This will take some explanation. You know that your sister and Barien were lovers?"

"I'd always suspected, though I never understood why they kept it such a secret. She was devastated when he died."

"Were you aware of any new tension between your mother and Phoria after his death?"

"I suppose so, though neither of them would speak of the reason. Why are you dredging all that up now, and at this hour?"

Seregil sighed inwardly; so much for his hope that Idrilain had confided in her daughter before Klia's departure for Aurenen. Who'd have guessed there'd ever be reason to?

"My lady, Phoria and the vicegerent unwittingly betrayed the queen. Barien had a nephew, Lord Teukros. Several years before Barien's death, Teukros was duped into treason by the Lerans. This came out when we were tracking down the woman who nearly killed you and Alec."

"Kassarie." Klia touched the faded scars on her cheek, eyes darkening as angry disbelief set in. "Barien and Phoria were involved with
her?
With those filthy insurrectionists?"

"Unwittingly, I promise you."

"What we must tell you now was known only to Nysander, Seregil, Alec, and myself," Thero assured her. "Nysander had it from your mother and Phoria just after Barien died. He confided it

to us because it directly impacted the work Seregil and Alec were carrying out for Nysander."

"Seregil was in prison when Barien died," said Klia.

Seregil gave her a sheepish grin, studiously not looking at Thero. "Not exactly. Thero here kindly gave me the loan of his body, and kept mine company while Alec and I looked into things—"

Klia held up a hand. "Just get on with it."

"We found the forger who'd made documents that led to my arrest and the execution of other Skalan nobles whose blood was less than pure. We also stumbled onto evidence of a deeper plot to discredit your mother. Three years earlier, certain Leran sympathizers had lured that young fool Teukros into accruing massive debts, knowing that the vicegerent could be manipulated into protecting him. Barien turned in desperation to Phoria, who aided him in the rerouting of a treasury shipment to cover the debt. They used forged copies of Queen's Warrants to do it, documents forged by the same man Alec and I tracked down. Neither Phoria nor Barien had any idea who was behind the plot, I assure you. Teukros had handled all that. The moneys were to be repaid as soon as possible and everyone thought they'd seen the end of it, never knowing that the misplaced gold had gone directly into the coffers of the Lerans. When Alec and I cornered this forger, it all came out. Barien couldn't bear the shame and killed himself. Phoria confessed all to your mother and Nysander."

Klia's hands clenched on the arms of her chair. "And no one thought
I
might need to know of this?"

"In all honesty, no, my lady," Seregil assured her. "The few of us who knew were sworn to secrecy by Idrilain and Nysander. We expected to take the story to our graves. What we hadn't counted on was someone among the queen's enemies knowing the secret."

"That's where I come in, my lady," Alec said, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I got word today that Ulan i Sathil was holding a secret parley at his house, and that certain khirnari who support you or seem like they're leaning in that direction were the ones invited. Forgive me, but I disobeyed your orders and spied on them."

"With my permission," Seregil added quickly.

"Go on," Klia sighed.

"Somehow Ulan i Sathil came into possession of one of these forged warrants, and the secret about Phoria's involvement," Alec continued. "I saw the documents myself. He had some other papers, too, but I was too far away to tell what they were. At any rate, he

used them to put Phoria in the worst possible light—you know what store the 'faie set by honor and family. He made Phoria out to be untrustworthy, a traitor almost, and a threat to deal with. He also suggested that your mother had lacked judgment in not casting her out of the line of succession."

"That's the least any khirnari would do, if not outright exile," added Seregil. "Hereditary rule makes no sense to my people. This isn't going to raise their opinion of it much."

"Who was there?" Klia asked, pinning Alec with an unfathomable glare.

Alec listed off those he'd seen.

"And what was their response to this revelation of Ulan's?"

"I couldn't see everyone, but from what I heard, confusion. Silmai argued in your favor; the Haman sounded pleased."

"Just what Ulan i Sathil intended, I'm sure," said Thero.

Klia nodded. "How do you think he came by this information?"

"I've been considering that," said Seregil. "There are several possibilities. He could have had it from the Plenimarans. They keep an ear or two among the Lerans. Perhaps someone involved in the Teukros debacle let something slip? Or Ulan may have known about this for years, and simply bided his time until he could make the best use of the information."

"I can well imagine," Klia said. "But you think there are other explanations?"

Seregil cast a quick glance at Alec, who nodded slightly and turned away.

"Lord Torsin, my lady—"