Warrior (The Key to Magic) (12 page)

By careful calculation, Mhiskva had scheduled the departure of each skyship so that all of the envoys would arrive in Mhajhkaei on the day of the conference.  Before Mar had entered the refurbished throne room, he had taken a peek outside and had seen that all six indeed hovered in a line near the palace's newly constructed elevated mooring dock.  A new,
imperially
expansive stair of lustrous white marble adorned with fancifully carven balusters of a rare sea-blue stone led down from the platform into the remodeled antechamber.  The visitors would be able to disembark and enter the throne room by a short, direct path, but they would also pass no less than twenty flags of the Empire mounted on golden standards and a full section of Imperial legionnaires standing at guard in polished armor.

The first to present themselves were the envoys of Salmoltrah, Gwign, Elblys, and Ci.  Walking together in a mutually supportive clump, the four, two of them women and all of them ranking members of important merchant houses whose businesses encompassed the entire Silver Sea, passed through the great doors from the antechamber with a measured, synchronized tread and then approached Mar and his dais-mounted throne down the long sea-blue carpet of the aisle.  The four maintained their swift but dignified pace for the entire length of their march.

According to Mhiskva, between them the four princedoms, whose numerous islets were strung in a curling necklace shaped like an ox horn two hundred leagues south-southwest of Mhajhkaei, could barely field a legion and a half of inexperienced armsmen.  Their contribution to the war against the Brotherhood would be minimal, but a failure to solicit their support would be impolitic and might be deemed a lack of Imperial recognition of the established conventions of the Principate.

Mar had taken the Viceroy's extensive lectures with good humor, but he had already decided that the inefficient and often clumsy appearing political machinery of the Principate would be eventually discarded and its powers and functions subsumed by those of the Empire.  However, since an imperial bureaucracy to manage those functions did not actually yet exist, for now he had little choice but to put up with the existing system.

Clearly having chosen to act in concert, both politically and practically, the envoys halted at the foot of the dais, took a knee, and gave the imperial salute.

In obviously practiced unison they declaimed, "Hail Mar, Emperor of the Glorious Empire!"

This was as expected.  Mhiskva had already learned from Lady Rhavaelei's intelligence network that the four southern princes had decided on an enthusiastic show of support for the Empire.  Simple pragmatism had produced this decision.  They were small, the Archipelago and the Brotherhood far away, and Mhajhkaei, bloodied but strengthening, and her new magician-emperor nearby.

Mar levitated to standing position and said with likewise practiced but artificial warmth, "Greetings to you and the loyal princes for whom you speak.  I welcome you to this conference."

Sliding in smoothly from the right, Mhiskva, in his new capacity of First Minister of the Empire, departed his selected station alongside the seated audience of Mhajhkaeirii dignitaries -- scholars, senators, merchants, craftsman, and a sprinkling of ordinary folk who Mar had personally invited -- and escorted the four to the waiting chairs on the left side of the aisle.

The next to appear at the great doors was the Prince of Suhr, Mrycus XVI, and his attendants and honor guards.  One of but two princes who had signaled their intention to personally attend the conference, Mrycus was nearly eighty, emaciated, stone deaf, and by all reports plagued by advanced dementia.   His eldest child and heir, Princess Bhelis (who by the odd Suhrii'n tradition would assume the masculine pseudonym of Mrycus XVII at her ascension to the throne), herself almost sixty, walked at her father's side, holding unobtrusively to the hem of his exquisite, silver embroidered ebony jacket to guide him along.  The Suhrii prince and his entourage also followed Mhiskva's script by mirroring the previous envoys' obeisance, though Mrycus XVI did not kneel with the rest.

As there was significant concern that the aged prince might not be able to rise once more without considerable assistance and the embarrassment attendant to such an occurrence, Mhiskva had made it known that in recognition of the longstanding and staunch loyalty of Mhajhkaei's neighbor, the Emperor had awarded her prince the singular honor of a dispensation from the formality.

When Mar had asked Mhiskva where loyal Suhr had been when Mhajhkaei had been occupied by the Brotherhood, the marine officer had said, "Training armsmen.  Suhr would almost certainly been next on the monk's list."

Having memorized his lines, Mar did not miss a beat.  "Welcome Prince Mrycus and Princess Bhelis.  I am greatly pleased that the stalwart friends of Mhajhkaei and the Empire have graced us with their presence."

Once the party from Suhr had taken their seats, the doors opened to admit the solitary envoy from Praae.  Lady Chrynn nh' Bryndt nhi' Lorsi was the tall, regally beautiful sister of Prince Kyort.  At that in-between age where women show the glow of maturity without losing the fire of youth and wearing a demure gown of shimmering golden cloth, she glided down the carpet to the foot of the dais with an elegant demeanor that suggested serenity.

While the Phaelle'n had held Mhajhkaei, Praae, along with Jzaegleomyri, had according to reports straddled the fence, cultivating an undeclared neutrality.  Whether or not Lady Chrynn intended to now offer her city's allegiance to the Empire had been information that Lady Rhavaelei's spies had not been able to ferret out.

Mar did not expect outright rejection, but a continuance of Praae's self-preserving ambivalence was entirely likely and his prepared response had been crafted as an indirect rebuke that was hopefully circumspect enough to avoid driving Praae openly into the Phaelle'n camp.

Mar would have preferred to fill the air above both cities with skyships, but he had accepted Mhiskva's argument that he could not afford to make any move that would deprive Mhajhkaei of allies, however lukewarm their assistance might be.

In spite of all the work that had been done over the winter to expand and strengthen Imperial forces, the balance of power between the Brotherhood and the fledgling Empire remained massively tilted in the monks' favor.  Based on paper estimates alone, the Brotherhood could field more than twenty times as many full strength legions as could Mar.  Moreover, with the exception of Number One, which had the twin unique advantages of Mar's own magic and Quaestor Eishtren's bow, the monks' Shrikes could out-fly and handily destroy any skyship in the Imperial fleet.  Mar believed that only the pressure of his occasional raids against Bronze had kept the Phaelle'n air fleet from constantly harassing his trade routes.

While Plydyre and a few smaller islands to its immediate south would soon be liberated, the rest of the vast area of the Bronze Archipelago remained firmly in the grip of the Brotherhood.  Additionally, with control of Mhevyr and the regions north of it, the Brotherhood had effectively secured its continental flank.

The Empire would need every armsman and resource that the Sister Cities could provide during what could only be a long war, so Mar must play the diplomat, cajoling if possible and coercing only if unavoidable.

As he mentally reviewed the short speech that he and Mhiskva had written for Praae, Lady Chrynn stopped a pace short of the bottom step of the dais.  Taking her pause as an indication that she would not offer obeisance, he opened his mouth to begin, but snapped it firmly shut when the Praaerii envoy twitched up the hem of her gown to gain slack in her skirts and knelt.

A stir of surprise passed among the Mhajhkaeirii and the other envoys.

Mar could only watch in ill-concealed dismay as she slipped a comb from her raven hair, dragged its sharp fingers across her left palm to draw blood, and then let the crimson fluid drip to make obscene stains upon the carpet.  Though he had heard them so many times that he should have become immune, Mar still felt sorrow and anger as she proclaimed the words of the oath. 

"With steel and blood,”

"Bound into the earth,"

"I pledge my life to thee,"

"And name you my king!"

Mar felt a constriction in the ether and knew that once again the walls of his prison had grown stronger.

Lady Chrynn returned the comb to her hair and made the imperial salute with a bloody fist.  "Hail Mar, King and Emperor!"

Then she stood and in a clear, victorious voice, said, "My lord king, I am pleased to inform you that certain evil voices that have conspired to lure my princedom into a godsless alliance with the Brotherhood of Phaelle have been silenced.  My brother and I and all the people of Praae stand ready to lend all aid to the Empire."

Seething, Mar flew down the dais steps, stopped to face the Praae envoy, and wrapped a bubble of flux around the two of them to muffle what was said between them. 

"The Empire does not require that any submit to the Blood Oath," he told her without bothering to conceal his ire.

Her confidence did not waver in the face of his harsh words.  "It was necessary that there be no doubt about the loyalty of Praae."

"Did you know that the Blood Oath is magic?  A spell that cannot be broken?"

"Yes, I did.  I made my choice with full knowledge of the consequences."

Mar let out a slow breath.  "What actually happened in Praae?"

"An attempt was made on my brother's life.  He is gravely wounded and the surgeons do not know if he will recover.  The assassin was a Black Monk and only my brother's skill with the sword kept him at bay until our guards could intervene."

"When did this happen?"

"The day before my departure.  My brother had decided to clear the court of Phaelle'n sympathizers.  We have kept the news of the attack from general knowledge so that suspected conspirators could be purged."

Based upon the grim look in her eyes, Mar translated her final word as "executed."  Then, for just a single unguarded moment, he saw hope replace the ruthlessness.

"It is widely said that some powerful magicians can heal wounds and salve fevers."

Mar grimaced.  "Magic may not save your brother."

"His eldest son is only fourteen, but he will fight alongside the Empire."

As Mar contemplated the fierce woman, he realized the Phaelle'n had made a terrible enemy.

"Such as can be done will be done."  He dissolved the flux bubble that had given them privacy.

"High-Captain Mhiskva."

The Gaaelfharenii moved so quickly to Mar's side that it almost seemed as if he had not actually crossed the intervening space.

"After consultation with Lady Chrynn, it seems advisable that I speak directly with Prince Kyort," Mar told him in an offhanded manner.  "I would like Ulor and Number One to provide transportation.  Lady Chrynn has graciously agreed to deliver my invitation.  My expectation is that Prince Kyort will be in Mhajhkaei before morning."

Mhiskva saluted.  "Yes, my lord king.  Lady Chrynn, if you would accompany me?"

Mar returned to his throne to allow the conference to continue.

None of the remaining envoys attempted to detour from expectations.

Lord Kgelohr, nephew of Prince Wahllndt of Lhinstord and a smallish, high-voiced man, made obeisance to the Empire in a nervous, hurried fashion. 

Jzaegleomyri's envoy, Factor Sheldynd, did so with a marked lack of enthusiasm.  Reports suggested that he was the most vocal adherent at the court of Princess Tshaelriee of Jzaegleomyri'n neutrality.

The final attendant, Prince Plhoris of Zlhahv, the princedom nearest Mhevyr, was just the opposite.  The tall, middle-aged prince's enthusiasm was so pronounced that Mar, ready to instantly intervene, took special care to watch for any sign that Plhoris might be tempted to follow Lady Chrynn's example and also inflict the Blood Oath.

Finally, save for the now Praae-bound Lady Chrynn, the envoys were all in their designated seats and the opening statements began.  By longstanding tradition, the Sister Cities spoke in order of the date of their ratification of the Treaty of Plyyst.

Princess Bhelis rose.  "As always, the Prince and people of Suhr stand at the right hand of Mhajhkaei in peace and war." 

Restrained applause rose from the Mhajhkaeirii'n side of the chamber, eliciting a slight smile from the princess.  Her voice was melodious and her diction and projection that of a classically trained orator.

After the applause faded, she continued, "As do all those faithful to the Forty-Nine, the peoples of Suhr and the Mercantile League continue to condemn the evils of sorcery and witchery, but look with interest upon the new and lawful craft of the magician and the marvelous skyships and weapons that it has created.  While my father the Prince has utter confidence that this new craft will be spread throughout the Principate in due course, he stands ready to immediately establish a dedicated school to provide native Suhrii magicians so that we may more fully aid in this holy war against the godsless heathen who vainly style themselves the Brotherhood of Phaelle.  In that wise, the Prince of Suhr prays that the Emperor dispatch as soon as is possibly convenient such magicians of journeyman or master standing as will be necessary to establish this school."

Confronted by the unexpected, Mar let the bars of
The Knife Fighter's Dirge
play in his mind and stole time to think.

Suhr had readily grasped that Mhajhkaei currently possessed, given the artificial distinction that the Brotherhood used forbidden
sorcery
, a monopoly on magic.  In hindsight, Mar saw that it was inevitable that the princes would covet magicians of their own to ameliorate Mhajhkaei's military and trade advantage.

Without reservation, he had no fundamental objection to the spread of his knowledge of magic.  In fact, he had been working diligently to expand the razor-thin ranks of the magician-pilots, but discovering persons with the proper inherited capabilities remained difficult.  While there were now almost three dozen magician-pilots in Imperial service, only perhaps half a dozen were what Mar might deem proficient.  Even Ulor, who had to be the best, was practically blind to the ether in comparison to Mar.