The Shadow Queen (36 page)

The majordomo returned. “The Lord High Ruler bids you to await him in the library. He will be with you as soon as he can.” The servant led Mikhail to a beautiful book-lined room. “I will bring you refreshment, my lord Mikhail.”

“It is just Master Mikhail,” the councilman said, and sat down to await Jonah.

The majordomo left, and when he returned he was accompanied by a serving woman who carried a small tray, which was set on a nearby table. “If you need anything else, Master Mikhail, you have but to call out. The servant will await outside the library door.” Then he lowered his voice. “Refresh yourself. It will be a while before my master can come to you.” Then the two servants bowed themselves from the library.

Mikhail poured himself a goblet of strawberry Frine. He set it and a small plate of crisp cheese wafers next to his chair. Then, choosing a book from the library shelves, he sat down to await the Lord High Ruler, immersing himself in a rather interesting small history while nibbling upon the wafers and sipping from his goblet. He did not often have the opportunity to read in quiet with such delightful refreshment. He lived with his mother and brothers. His siblings were all Crusader Knights, each striving to match their father’s reputation, and none coming even close to it. He himself was a scholar. His father had been a fine man, but Mikhail had discovered young that he had no talent for weapons.

He did not know how long he sat reading. The plate with the wafers was empty, as was his goblet, when the Lord High Ruler finally entered the room. Jonah was garbed in a house robe. His hair was tousled and he looked tired. The councilman rose to his feet, and bowed to Hetar’s sovereign. “My lord.”

“What do you have to tell me that is so important?” Jonah demanded.

“There are two things I thought you would want to know, my lord,” Mikhail said.

“And they are?” Jonah asked.

“The distribution of the grain has begun at long last, my lord.”

“And?”

“The Hierarch has come, my lord.”

“What?”
Jonah look surprised.

“The Hierarch has come, my lord,” the councilman repeated. “It is he who managed to get the warehouses opened when even the council’s orders could not.”

Jonah grew pale. His worst fears were being realized, but he swallowed his fears, saying to Mikhail, son of Swiftsword, “I must meet the Hierarch. Can you arrange it, Councilman?”

“I can try, my lord,” Mikhail replied.

“Then do it,” Jonah said. And, turning, left his library. He sensed his throne was in danger. Best to meet the enemy before planning how to survive him.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

T
HE
WORD
BEGAN
to spread swiftly throughout Hetar. The Hierarch had come. Come to bring them back to the glory that was Hetar. A Hetar where everyone had a place, where tradition was honored. And in Terah word of the Hierarch reached Lara when one of the Terahn trading vessels brought this news to the young Dominus.

“What is a Hierarch?” Taj asked his mother.

“It is nothing but a legend,” Lara said, “but someone is using that legend to their own advantage.”

“But what is this Hierarch supposed to do?” Taj persisted.

“Make Hetar all glorious and powerful once again,” Lara responded.

“Then Hetar and its Hierarch could be a threat to us once more,” Taj said thoughtfully, surprising his mother with a new astuteness.

“Perhaps,” Lara told him. “Perhaps not. But now are you not late to your lessons? Do not keep Sinon and Gare waiting, my son.”

The boy hurried off, and Lara raced to the little windowless room she kept for her magic. She had a library of old volumes on several shelves, and now she began to look through them for an early history of Hetar. Finding it, she took it from the shelf and began to thumb through it. Finally she came upon what she sought.

At the end of her days the Lady Ulla was suddenly blessed with the gift of
Sight.
She saw a great future for her adopted land, but she also saw a time when Hetar would become bloated with its own importance, when false leaders would lead the kingdom astray, taking them from the traditions that had made them great. It was then that Hetar would fall upon terrible times. There would be starvation, and plague, and many deaths. But just when all was considered lost a savior would appear. He would be called the Hierarch, and if the people of Hetar would heed his words, and obey his dictates, Hetar would be returned to the great and prosperous kingdom that it had once been. He would come suddenly, his origins lost in the mists of time. No one but the Hierarch could save Hetar. And before he came a direct descendant of the Lady Ulla would sacrifice her own life to save that of her son. A son who would eventually become the most faithful of the Hierarch’s adherents. There would be those in Hetar, powerful persons, who would attempt to deter the Hierarch, but he would prevail against them, for he was Hetar’s only hope. This was the last prediction made by the Lady Ulla, and as all her previous prophecies had proved true, the foretelling of the Hierarch was to be taken seriously.

Lara closed the small book from which she had been reading. She was suddenly both amazed and admiring of the sorcerer Usi, whom she had defeated back when she had first come to Terah. Like all with magic, he had never expected his own end. But he had prepared for it nonetheless. His two concubines had borne his children in secret. A son whose descendants ruled the Dark Lands. A daughter from among whose descendants the forerunner of the Hierarch, the Lady Vilia, came. And it all led but to one end. The darkness that would envelop Hetar, and then Terah.

The Hierarch was no savior. Oh, she was certain that he would appear so in the beginning. But once Hetar was back to where it had begun the darkness was certain to fall. A people who believed that they were superior to all other peoples, who believed that they could do no wrong and justified their evil with their own righteousness, were a dangerous people. And a dangerous enemy. Terah would have a difficult time standing against such an enemy. But who was controlling the Hierarch? Kol was imprisoned and helpless. Was it his sons? It was something she needed to learn quickly. She chanted:

Kolgrim, Kolbein, come to me

Though you would rather hidden be

This faerie woman calls you her way

And you cannot help but obey.

And the twins, identical looks upon their startled faces, were immediately before her.

Kolgrim smiled warmly. “Why, Mother, how nice of you to invite us to visit.”

Kolbein reached for the dagger in his belt, but with a snap of her fingers Lara turned it into a thorny rose. Kolbein yelped as his fingers were sorely pricked.

“You should emulate your brother’s manners,” she told him. “Sit down, both of you!” And Lara pointed to two stools as she settled herself in the chamber’s single chair. “I have some questions for you, my lords. What do you know of the Hierarch?”

“A Hetarian legend,” Kolgrim said.

“Never heard of it,” Kolbein snarled, but he did not look at her.

“Do not lie to me, Kolbein,” Lara said sharply. “You were your half sister’s lover, and I am certain she is behind this alleged Hierarch now making himself known in Hetar. Ciarda has great plans, and I will wager they do not include sharing the throne of the Dark Lands with her little brothers, or the spoils of Hetar.”

“Why, brother dear,” Kolgrim purred, “you lay with the bitch? More fool you to give her your essence. If she makes a child it will be more powerful than either you or I. Did you not consider such a thing as you rutted on her? But no, you would not have. Your only interest would have been in satisfying your need for pleasures. I cannot believe that we shared our mother’s womb, for you are surely a fool!”

Kolbein’s hand went again to where his dagger had been, but he remembered in time the thorns, and pulled his fingers back. “You are just envious that she wanted me for her lover,” he growled.

Kolgrim laughed. “I should sooner bed a pandorian spider, dear boy,” he said. Then he turned to Lara. “The Hierarch has announced his presence in Hetar?”

She nodded. “And has performed enough small miracles to gain the adoration of the populace, and the attention of Hetar’s Lord High Ruler and the magnates.”

“You believe Ciarda is behind it?” Kolgrim asked.

He was so like his father in thought, and gesture, Lara thought, fighting back a shudder of distaste. But it was obvious he was the cleverer twin, whereas Kolbein was a rough brute with little intellect. “I do believe Ciarda is pulling the strings of her puppet,” Lara told him. “She would complete the conquest that your father could not.”

“Where is your proof?” Kolbein demanded to know.

“Do you deny that she spoke to you of the Hierarch? Do you deny that she planned to murder your twin, leaving you to control the Dark Lands?”

Kolbein flushed, said nothing, but shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

“You fool!” Kolgrim burst out. “She meant to rule our kingdom through the son you would give her, or have you already given her a son? And you would have been disposed of at her convenience in some manner that suggested a normal death. How could you be so stupid, Kolbein? Thank Krell that our sire is not here to see you destroying everything our ancestors so carefully built.” Now he turned to Lara. “Thank you for warning me of this viper you birthed.”

“I did not bring you here to help either of you. If my actions to prevent the darkness from escaping your kingdom has accomplished that it was not my original purpose. But perhaps it is good that you both know what is going on outside the Dark Lands. I imagine you have both been so busy attempting to supplant each other it did not occur to you that it is not all about the pair of you.”

“You sound like Chancellor Alfrigg.” Kolgrim chuckled.

Suddenly there was the sound of tinkling bells, a puff of bright pink smoke and a young girl appeared in Lara’s magic chamber. “Mother!”

“Marzina!”
Lara gasped, horrified.

“Well, well, who have we here, Mother dear?” Kolgrim asked, a toothy smile lighting his handsome face.

“Return, Dark Lords, from whence you come! I’ll call if you must come again,”
Lara said quickly, and the twins were immediately gone.

“Mother, who were those young men?” Marzina wanted to know. “Do you like what Grandmother’s taught me? I wrote the spell myself.”

“You should have warned me that you were coming, Marzina,” Lara said, taking a long, slow breath to calm her beating heart. “And you should never transport yourself into this chamber. You know it is for my magic.”

“But who were those two men?” Marzina repeated. “Their faces were the same, but one had golden hair like you while the other was dark haired.”

“Prince Kaliq sent them to me to answer some questions,” Lara lied. “There are problems in Hetar of late.”

“The Hierarch, I know,” Marzina said. “It’s all over the Forest Kingdom. Our people have overheard the Forest Lords talking and complaining of late. The Head Forester says that his province is always the last to be considered, but then the Hierarch came, and with a wave of his hand restored the forests that had been previously cut down by the Midland farmers in their quest for new land.”

“I’m sure that pleased Squire Darah,” Lara said dryly.

“Nay!” Marzina gossiped on. “The Midlands are suddenly as fertile, if not more fertile, than they ever were. Squire Darah is very happy. He says it is just like olden times. But I am forgetting my purpose in coming. Grandmother says she wishes to see you as soon as you can come. I think she actually means now, Mother.”

Lara had to laugh. “You have come to understand Ilona well, Marzina. Tell your grandmother I will come tomorrow at the moonrise.”

Marzina threw her arms about Lara and kissed her cheek as she hugged her hard. “I have missed you, Mother. When will it be safe for me to come home for a real visit?”

“I do not know,” Lara said softly, “but sooner than later I hope, my darling. Do you have time to go and see Taj?”

“Nay, but I will come to him soon. Grandmother is expecting me back quickly,” Marzina said. “Goodbye, Mother!” And she was gone with the sound of tinkling bells, and in a puff of pink smoke.

Lara let out a gusty sigh. What a near thing it had been. While Marzina had briefly seen Kolgrim and Kolbein, Lara had managed to get them sent back to the Dark Lands before they had a chance to speak to one another. Had Marzina heard Kolgrim address her as
Mother?
She hadn’t said anything about it so Lara was hoping her youngest daughter had not heard his mocking address. She had not quite finished with the twins when she had been forced to remove them from her chamber. Now she must speak with their keeper, and she knew the old dwarf had enough magic to heed her command.

Chancellor Alfrigg, heed my call. Come to me from out yon wall!

And the stone wall suddenly opened showing the golden tunnel through which the Dark Lands’ ancient chancellor now hurried on his short little legs.

“Far too bright! Far too bright!” he complained as he entered her room. “I am almost blinded by your light, Domina. What do you want?”

Lara told him of the twins’ visit, explaining why she had brought them to her, and why she had quickly returned them. “My other children know nothing of that lost year,” she said. “Nor do I choose to share that time with them.”

“What do you want of me then, Domina?” Alfrigg asked her.

“I believe Kolbein is dangerous. Far more so than Kolgrim, who is much like his father. His evil is elegant and subtle. Kolbein is an ignorant brute, and the Darkling is using him for her own purposes. I believe that one way or another she means to rule the Dark Lands herself. If you would, protect Kolgrim, and make certain that Kolbein understands that the shedding of blood between brothers is forbidden by tradition within their family.”

“I will not ask where you gained your information,” Alfrigg said. “How odd that we have become allies of a sort, Domina. My lord Kol would be pleased to see you looking out for the interests of your children.”

“They are his, not mine. I do not claim them. My only interest is in keeping the darkness from leaving the Dark Lands, and spreading over our worlds,” Lara said.

“I have been suspicious of the Darkling, although I will admit a fondness for her. She is much like her dear father. Is he still alive, Domina?” Alfrigg inquired curiously.

“I do not know. I do not want to know. His fate was the province of the Shadow Princes.” Of course she did know, but Lara felt ignorance was the better path in this case. Alfrigg had been Kol’s chancellor for several hundred years, and he was devoted to him.

The old dwarf nodded. “I have held the kingdom together since his disappearance. I have monitored the progress of his sons. Now I must guide them.”

“Keep them in their place, and beware Kolbein and Ciarda,” Lara warned him. “You are a reasonable man, Alfrigg, and reason must prevail.”

“Thank you, Domina. Now, if you would open the tunnel for me, I will return.”

Lara raised her hand, and the tunnel appeared in the stone wall. Without another word the chancellor of the Dark Lands turned and hurried through the passageway. She watched him go, the opening closing behind him until the wall was wall once again. Lara sat back down again, and considered the past few hours. She had not heard from Kaliq, or any of the Shadow Princes, in several days.

Prince Kaliq, heed my plea. Cease all else and come to me,
she called out in the silent language. But he did not answer her call, and instead Lara felt herself drawn into a golden tunnel, which ended at the Oasis of Zeroun. The desert moon shone down with its copper light dappling the pool and its waterfall. A light flickered from the tented pavilion. Lara walked toward it, and was suddenly greeted by Kaliq, who appeared before her in a loose white robe.

“I called to you,” she said. “And you did not come, my lord.”

“I decided that you needed a respite from your problems,” he said with a smile. Holding out his hand to her, he drew Lara into his arms and they were suddenly both naked. “’Tis not subtle, I will admit, but your son will expect you to emerge from your privy chamber in a few hours. I have missed you, my love.” His hands caught her head, holding it still as he kissed her, a deep and passionate kiss.

Lara slipped her arms about his neck, her fingers caressing his nape, setting the little dark hairs upon it to bristling beneath her touch. “Aah, Kaliq, this is wickedly perfect,” she murmured against his mouth. “My day so far has been difficult.”

“Tell me,” he said.

“Nay, not yet. I want to take pleasures with you first, my lord,” Lara said.