The Gray Wolf Throne (44 page)

“well?” Lord Bayar asked impatiently. “what does Montaigne have to say?”

raisa flinched as if startled, and looked at the High wizard, her eyes unusually bright.

“what is it, your Highness?” Bayar said, leaning forward and reaching for the letter. “perhaps we could shed some perspective on—”

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“Here, Lord Bayar,” raisa said, thrusting the page toward him. “why don’t you read it aloud for the council?” She sat back, arms folded, gripping her elbows to either side.

Bayar scanned the page quickly, then looked up at raisa as if seeking clues as to how she might respond.

Clearing his throat, he bent his head over the paper and began to read.

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C H A p T e r T w e n T y- e i G H T

love letter

from Arden

To Her Majesty Queen Raisa of the Fel s,

I write in the fervent hope that this finds you wel and to of er congratulations on your imminent coronation.

Please also accept my condolences on the sudden and yet remarkably
timely death of your mother, Queen Marianna. It is wel known that
relations between the two of you have been strained of late. Her accident,
while unfortunate, has cleared a major obstacle from your path. It appears
that you, like me, do not hesitate to shape events to your advantage. This
only reinforces my notion that we are natural al ies and could be more
than that.

“Blood of the demon!” Averill swore.

Clearly, this was not a message intended to be read aloud in company.

or perhaps it was.

Han watched raisa’s face. it retained its stonelike quality, stamped with a faintly interested expression. He could tell that 383

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she was watching all the other faces in the room.

“Daughter,” Averill said. “you should not entertain this kind of slander. The notion that you would have had anything to do with your mother’s death is ludicrous.”

“And yet many suspect me,” raisa said. “especially outside of the Fells.” She gestured to Bayar. “Go on.”

It wil take some time to re-establish order in Tamron and rid the
kingdom of spies and traitorous elements. The abuses and excesses of the
recent king have stoked the fires of rebel ion among both nobles and commons. They must understand that those days are over. Indeed, the former
prince and princess are at risk of assassination by their own people. You
wil be glad to know that I am keeping them wel secured within my keep.

The current confusion does, I believe, present an opportunity for us to
expand our holdings. My brother, Prince Geof , continues to lay claim to
the kingdom of Arden. He has reinforced his borders with Tamron and
brought his army west to meet any threat from us. This leaves his northern
borders lightly garrisoned and unprotected.

I understand that the Fel s maintains a standing army of more than
5,000 horse and foot soldiers.

Bayar looked up from the letter. “remarkably accurate count, wouldn’t you say?”

“remarkable,” raisa murmured.

Bayar resumed reading.

I propose the fol owing, the details of which are to be negotiated by our
representatives:

The Fel s wil invade the kingdom of Arden from the north, committing at least three thousands of its troops to this campaign. The Fel sian
Army wil drive south as far as Temple Church and hold its position
there. This wil divert the Ardenine Army away from the western border
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and al ow us to advance from that direction to take the capital.

“it would also make any future alliance with Geoff unlikely, if not impossible,” Averill said.

raisa nodded, lips tight together. “Go on,” she directed Bayar.

He continued reading.

Once Arden is securely under my control, I wil withdraw most of
my army from Tamron, leaving the Tomlins to rule as my regents there,
assuming that they can be made to understand certain realities.

Final y, I propose an immediate marriage contract between us, with the
marriage to be solemnized as soon as our military objectives are accomplished. It would be best, of course, for our betrothal to remain secret for now.

Fol owing our marriage, we wil jointly rule the larger kingdom of
Arden, Tamron, and the Fel s. You would, of course, retain your title of
Queen of the Fel s, a title that our daughters would inherit.

We needn’t stop there. Given your line’s history, we would have a natural claim to the rest of the Seven Realms. With our combined resources,
we can add these jewels to our crown. You wil be the beautiful and glittering symbol of a new age of peace and prosperity.

Do give this proposal careful consideration. I think you agree that this
arrangement presents significant advantages to us both, if we act quickly.

I also hope you are able to set aside the unfortunate incidents along
the border between Tamron and Arden and know that it was my desire
to cement a match with you that drove my behavior. These times cal for
bold and aggressive action.

Best, Gerard Montaigne, King of Arden and Tamron

Bayar tossed the pages onto the table with a snort. “The new king of Tamron takes you for a fool, your Highness.” raisa laced her fingers, resting her hands on the table. “Do you think so, Lord Bayar?”

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“During that
unfortunate incident
, as he calls it, Montaigne murdered young wil Mathis in cold blood,” Bayar said.

raisa nodded. “i was there.”

“not only that,” Bayar continued, “some speculate that his agents may be responsible for the murders we’ve seen recently, right here in the city.”

“Murders?” raisa looked from face to face, fastening on Captain Byrne’s. “what murders?”

“Five of the gifted have been murdered in the past fortnight, and the bodies left in ragmarket,” Byrne said. “The murders seem indiscriminate, connected only by the fact that all of the victims were wizards. one was a member of the assembly, but the last two were students slumming in ragmarket. They were found in a back alley with their throats cut and their amulets missing, painted over in blood.”

That caught Han’s attention. Cat had mentioned that there’d been several murders of the gifted in ragmarket and Southbridge.

She’d asked around, but nobody seemed to be bragging about it.

whoever’s running that crew has starch, Han had thought at the time. or a death wish.

“why would Montaigne kill wizards in ragmarket?” raisa asked.

“it’s just one theory,” Byrne said. “As you know, your Highness, Montaigne has abducted wizards and forced them into his army. But it’s likely he’s been having difficulty getting his hands on magical weaponry. So he might be killing wizards in order to collect their amulets. or seeking to reduce the supply of gifted in the north.”

Bayar rolled his lace cuffs. “Some say Gerard Montaigne is 386

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behind it. others believe we should look closer to home.” He turned his head very deliberately and looked at Averill Demonai.

The red-haired wizard leaned forward, nodding her support.

“By all means, look closer to home,” Lord Demonai said, looking up at the ceiling. “After all, wizards have a long history of preying on each other. perhaps some have chosen this means to address the shortage of flashcraft.”

“isn’t it more likely to be gang related?” raisa’s gaze flickered to Han, then fixed back on her captain.

“That could be,” Byrne said, “but the gangs usually leave wizards alone.”

“All right,” raisa said wearily, as if she were adding this problem to some mental list. “Let’s get back to the matter at hand.” She looked around the table. “what about the rest of you? what do you think of Montaigne’s proposal?”

is she really considering it? Han wondered. He’d met Gerard Montaigne, and he wasn’t buying anything the prince was selling.

“i agree with Lord Bayar,” Byrne said, “whether or not Montaigne has anything to do with those murders. My guess is, since he hasn’t been able to defeat his brother on his own, he’s hoping the army of the Fells will distract Geoff long enough for him to gain a foothold.” He paused. “our losses could be dev-astating. our army is trained for mountain fighting, where our smaller numbers aren’t such a disadvantage. out on the Arden plains, we can be flanked and overwhelmed.”

“Let’s not be hasty,” General klemath said, adjusting his bulk in his seat. “while there is some truth to what Captain Byrne says, his knowledge of our army and the tactics of flatland warfare is limited. Many of our mercenary soldiers have trained in Arden 387

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and Tamron for just this kind of fighting. in this instance, it may be that our employ of experienced mercenaries will lead to success rather than failure.” He smiled smugly, as if he felt redeemed.

“A strong marriage to the south would cement your position,” klemath continued, “and discourage those who might seek to take advantage of a young and inexperienced queen.” why is raisa’s general offering political advice? Han wondered. what’s his dog in this fight?

Lord Hakkam nodded in agreement. “There may be opportunity here, if we proceed carefully. whether any alliance with Arden would be acceptable to the Council of nobles would depend on how claims for land and holdings would be adjudicated and whether southerners would have any claims on properties here in the north.”

Tilting his head back, Hakkam looked down his nose at the others. “if we come to Gerard’s aid, it would seem that grants of lands and estates in Arden should be ceded to us as victors.

There’s the potential that many of us could do very well on a larger stage, with more resources.” He smiled, his eyes lighting with avarice. “Arden and Tamron! Think of it—miles and miles of fertile fields and riches such as we’ve never seen in the Fells.” He’s in as long as he gets shares, Han thought. everybody here is voting his own interest. running this council is like herding cats and rats together and trying to keep anybody from having a meal.

“i was just in Arden,” Han said, “and it’s not what you think.

They’ve been at war for almost a decade, so it’s pretty torn up. A lot of the crops have been destroyed, and they’ve been pouring money into their armies for so long there’s been little to spare for building and repair.”

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They all looked at him as if a dog had suddenly spoken up, offering military advice.

“well, then,” Hakkam said, folding his fingers carefully together and wrinkling his nose like he smelled something bad.

“Likely many of the major landholders have been killed, so there will be properties available and in need of management. There may also be the opportunity to negotiate advantageous marriages with prominent families in Arden or Tamron.”

“That may be, Lord Hakkam,” Averill said, “assuming that Gerard wins. i’ve not been impressed with his military efforts so far. if Geoff wins against us as Gerard’s allies, i suspect we won’t be making any marriages to the south.”

He paused. “your Highness, you already know my opinion of Gerard Montaigne. He’s a snake, and a snake doesn’t change its basic nature if you dress it up and give it a fancier title. i think it wise to look both inside and outside the queendom for a match, but as a father and a counselor, i cannot advise that you go to Montaigne. you would never sleep soundly in his bed.” A ghost of a smile passed across raisa’s face, coming and going so quickly that Han wasn’t sure he’d really seen it.

Maybe Montaigne wouldn’t sleep soundly, either, Han thought. That cheered him. But only a little.

“we may be able to secure our objectives without committing to your marriage to the prince of Arden, your Highness,” Lord Hakkam said. “perhaps he would be satisfied with another match. My daughter Melissa, for example, is cousin to you, and a marriage between them would strengthen our ties outside the queendom.”

“it would be a grave error to allow Gerard Montaigne to gain 389

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a foothold here,” Lord Bayar said. “The next thing we know, we’ll have the crows of Malthus flocking into the cities and taking over our temples.”

“That will never happen,” Lord Averill said, glancing at Speaker Jemson, who, as usual, listened more than spoke. The expression on Averill’s face reminded Han that he had been and still was a Demonai warrior.

“Come, Gavan,” General klemath said to Bayar, ignoring Averill. “Surely we can work this to our advantage and manage this in a way to keep us all safe. i’ll match our wizards against Gerard Montaigne any day. There is some risk, but there is much to gain in this.”

“Arrows are faster than jinxes,” Han murmured. once again, they all stared at him.

“Alister is right,” Byrne said. “Used strategically, wizards could play a pivotal role in a military campaign. But we’re not used to cooperating in that way. we’ve not fought such a war in a thousand years.”

it was a peculiar marriage of interests—Lord Averill and Captain Byrne and Lord Bayar and Han Alister agreeing on anything was as rare as gold in ragmarket.

“i think you’ll find that the Council of nobles will concur that an alliance with Gerard Montaigne presents a rare opportunity,” Lord Hakkam said. “especially now that he holds Tamron.