Intrigues (12 page)

“Oh, I’m quite certain of
that
,” Lord Embisson agreed amiably, remaining seated as Edmin rose to return the bow of courtesy. “Please do feel free to visit here again as often as necessary.”

Sembrin repeated his bow, and then Edmin saw him into the house and to the front door where the man’s carriage waited. Once Sembrin was gone, Edmin retraced his steps to the private garden his father hadn’t yet left.

“I consider that a very profitable visit,” Lord Embisson commented as Edmin reclaimed his previous chair. “The man obviously still has sources of information that haven’t been lost, and we’ll be able to make good use of him and them.”

“And yet I wonder if Noll can be fully trusted,” Edmin said, paying close attention to what his father’s response would be. “Despite all that open friendliness, he
is
the brother of Ephaim Noll.”

“My dear Edmin,
no
one can be fully trusted but the two of
us
,” Lord Embisson pointed out with an amusement that brought Edmin a great deal of relief. “Noll may hope for a position that gives him a say over empire policy once we’re back in control, but there’s no need for us to go overboard. We’ll be the ones to have the say, and he’ll have to satisfy himself with simply being associated with us.”

“Just as he was associated with his brother,” Edmin said with a satisfied nod. “We’ll use him in the same way, and simply give him enough gold and property to satisfy him.”

“Yes, that should take care of the matter,” Lord Embisson agreed comfortably before reaching for his tea. “Now let’s discuss where we’ll hold that meeting with the officers of the army.”

Edmin composed himself for the discussion, briefly reflecting on how pleased he was that his father seemed as sharp as he’d always been. Together they would certainly succeed in their planning, especially if other useful tools happened to present themselves…

When Lord Sembrin Noll arrived home, he immediately went to search out his wife. He found Bensia in her sitting room with a book, which she put aside as soon as she saw him.

“How did it go, my dear?” she asked with one of her marvelous, warming smiles. “Did they take you at your word?”

“Of course they did,” Sembrin answered with his own smile as he sat at the side of the lounge she lay on. “It isn’t as if they know me as well as Ephaim did, and even he never doubted my lack of ambition.”

“But Ephaim also never noted the fact that you’re not the only one in the family,” Bensia said with a small, very amused laugh. “These two new allies of ours will work very hard to get themselves to the height of power, intending to keep it solely to themselves. What a shock they’ll have when they find
me
there ahead of them.”

“In the place you deserve more than they do,” Sembrin murmured as he kissed her hand. “You deserve everything and anything you want, and I’m the one privileged to get it for you. I’m the luckiest man alive.”

“And I’m the luckiest woman alive, having a man of your abilities dedicated to helping her,” Bensia murmured back, putting her book aside so that she might lean forward and exchange a kiss with him. “I’ve also had a few words with cousin Rimen, and as soon as he’s back on his feet he’ll be adding
his
efforts to ours.”

“He saw the truth, then,” Sembrin said with a satisfied nod. “It was the old guard among our peers who kept him from becoming a High Lord, and who also kept him from doing as he pleased with the peasants. Putting him in charge of the … animals, as he calls the peasants, will keep those people from ever becoming a problem again.”

“Yes, and while he pretends to work for High Lord Embisson and Lord Edmin, he’ll really be working for us,” Bensia said, her smile filled with her own satisfaction. “Not one of those fools who used to run things understands that eliminating High talents is a criminal waste. If you put them under your complete control instead while they’re still children, you have their abject and unswerving devotion once they’re grown. And you also have their ability to use as
you
see fit.”

“’Waste not, want not,’ as the old saying goes,” Sembrin agreed with a laugh. “If we’d had those High talents supporting us instead of Low talent guardsmen, we’d still be back where we belong. And speaking of children, where are ours?”

“They’re busy practicing,” Bensia told him with a chuckle. “My aunt Faella is an excellent example of the old nobility, petulant, constantly whining, and the next thing to mindless. When the children are able to make her do anything they please without her noticing that they’re manipulating her, they’ll know they can do the same with any of the others who are left. They’ll be invaluable to us as a means of keeping our former peers in line when we take over.”

“It’s too bad there are only four of them,” Sembrin teased the way he usually did. “If we’d had the proper foresight, we would have produced twice their number.”

“You must remember, my dear, that we’re still not too old,” Bensia teased back with that smile that always tingled deep inside him. “Why don’t we take a short while and see what we can accomplish.”

She reached forward to touch his face before kissing him again, and Sembrin was instantly ready for her. She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and he really did consider himself the luckiest man alive that she’d married him. If she wanted to run the empire, that was perfectly all right with him. She would have his support and assistance to the day he died.

Sembrin moved closer to take her in his arms, the way she moved against him saying that she, too, was ready for lovemaking. As often as they made love, it was odd that they
hadn't
had more than the four children. But when her hand touched him intimately, he forgot all about oddness and gave his full attention to nothing but her. He would kill for her or die for her; using those who thought they were using him was really the easiest of it…

Bensia stroked her husband’s desire briefly before rising from the lounge and leading him toward the bedchamber. Rather than protesting as he once might have done, he followed her eagerly and docilely to the place she most preferred to make love. She’d looked around carefully for a long while before she’d chosen Sembrin Noll as her husband, and she’d never regretted the decision. They’d been almost ready to make their move when disaster struck, but that had been a setback, not a defeat. She had more than a few plans for the empire once she was in control, and that aim could still be achieved. They just had to be even more careful than they’d been…

Sembrin worked quickly to help her out of her clothing, having no idea that her Spirit magic encouraged him to behave exactly as she wanted him to. He also had no idea that they’d had no more than four children because she’d decided she wanted no more and had taken precautions. Sembrin was very old-fashioned when it came to limiting a family size, believing that a woman ought to have as many children as her husband cared to give her. It was the one point she had to slide past him rather than control, but that was perfectly all right. It was the only flaw he had, and one that was easily handled.

It was no more than a moment before Sembrin joined her in bed, and then they began to enjoy each other. It was never hard to encourage him when she felt the need rising, and he was always more than adequate.

But once the empire was safely in her hands, she really would have to start sampling the abilities of other men…

Chapter 7

Zirdon Tal, very important person in the empire of Gracely, allowed the servant to rinse his hands in the scented water, and then he gave a second servant the privilege of drying his hands again. Both servants were nearly beside themselves with awed delight, of course, a reaction which still made Zirdon smile. They were like small children in their innocent enjoyment, and it gave the Fire magic user a warm feeling to watch them in their happiness.

A crystal bell rang just outside the lounging room, telling Zirdon that one of his upper servants needed to see him. Since he wasn’t engaged in anything that couldn’t be interrupted, Zirdon nodded to the servant holding another crystal bell. That servant answered the first ring with another, and the door opened to admit Leesto, Zirdon’s chief servant. Leesto was as short and thin as most chief servants were, and equally weak in talent. The man scurried into the room without raising his eyes to his master, fell to his knees, then touched his head to the carpeting.

“Please excuse the interruption, Exalted One, but a visitor has arrived begging audience with you,” Leesto said, his head raised from the carpeting but his gaze still lowered. “The Honorable Sheedra Kam would know if you are receiving callers.”

“Yes, I think I
am
in the mood for a visitor,” Zirdon decided aloud with a smile. “Show the lady in, Leesto, if you please.”

“At once, Exalted One,” Leesto quickly acknowledged, rising to his feet before bowing. The bow was as deep and respectful as it was supposed to be, and then the small man backed out of Zirdon’s presence. Once the door was closed he would raise his gaze again, but not until there wasn’t the least chance of his actually laying eyes on Zirdon. If he had, it really would have been too bad.

That particular lounging room wasn’t too far toward the back of the house, so it wasn’t long before the crystal bell rang again. When Zirdon allowed the second ring, Leesto opened the door and bowed Sheedra Kam into the room. The door was quickly closed behind the woman, and then Zirdon was able to give Sheedra his complete attention.

Attention which she fully deserved. Sheedra was one of the most beautiful women in the empire of Gracely, a fact Zirdon had researched personally. Her hair was a shining and lustrous black, and today she wore a small hat in red to match her gown, a hat with lace and a modest amount of feathers. The gown had more lace and no feathers, but did a marvelous job showing off Sheedra’s small waist and rounded bosom. She paused to give him a bit of a curtsey, and then her radiant smile came forth as she approached the chair his wave had gestured her to.

“I’m delighted that you were able to see me, my dear,” Sheedra said as she allowed a servant to seat her. “I have a very great favor to ask, and if I’d had to wait I would have been terribly distressed.”

“Well, we certainly don’t want you distressed,” Zirdon said as he took her hand before raising it to his lips. “If you’ll tell me what you need this time, I’ll see if I can arrange it.”

“But of course you can arrange it,” Sheedra replied with a small laugh, making no attempt to free her hand. “Not only are you the major talent in your Blending, but you’re also a member of the strongest coalition in the assembly. If
you
can’t do something, then it simply can’t be done by anyone.”

“Modesty forbids me to agree, but nothing forces me to argue,” Zirdon said with his own laugh as he moved a bit closer to his lovely visitor. “Tell me what favor you’ve come to ask.”

“It was horribly humiliating,” Sheedra said with a headshake, just as though he’d understand exactly what she meant. “Riskor Marvis and his wife Teedri had their quarterly reception, but I wasn’t invited! You can’t possibly imagine how devastated I was.”

“Riskor Marvis,” Zirdon murmured, finding the name faintly familiar. It took a moment or two, but finally he remembered. “Ah, yes, those dreadfully boring people you were telling me about the last time you called. They’re one step away from gaining the title of Honorable, you said, and once they gain the title you were thinking of giving it up yourself. Why in the world would you
want
to go to one of their receptions?”

“My dear man, don’t you know who
goes
to their receptions?” Sheedra exclaimed, sounding as though he were completely out of touch with the world about him. “Half the members of the coalitions in the assembly, that’s who. With that in mind I would have agreed to add my presence to their silly gathering, but they didn’t ask me! That’s why I want you to ruin them.”

“Ruin them,” Zirdon echoed a second time, reflecting that he should have known. Many beautiful women had minds to match, but Sheedra’s exceptional beauty seemed to have been paid for in something other than coin.

“Yes, that’s right, ruin them,” Sheedra agreed happily, as though she’d just asked him to join her for lunch. “I know you can do it, so please say yes.”

Zirdon felt the urge to heave a greater sigh than usual. In point of fact he
could
have ruined the man no matter
what
his position was in the city, but the matter was hardly that simple. If the man had connections to even a small number of coalition members, it might not be the best idea politically to move against him. He would have had to investigate carefully, and frankly that was just too much trouble.

“Well, of course I’ll ruin them for you, my sweet,” Zirdon said almost at once, his hesitation covered by the way he’d raised her hand to his lips again. “Naturally I’ll expect a favor in return, but you won’t find that
too
objectionable, will you?”

“Oh, now, you aren’t going to ask what you did the last time, are you?” Sheedra put coyly with the hint of a pout. “I don’t mind in the least sharing
your
bed, but some of those others you gave me to were
quite
objectionable. My mother said I should have made my position clear in the beginning, so that’s what I’m doing now: making my position clear at once.”

“My dear, sweet, child, your position is more than clear,” Zirdon replied with a laugh. “You’ve come to ask a favor, but everything has its price. If you want that favor badly enough, you’ll be required to meet that price.”

Sheedra’s pout grew more pronounced as her brows drew together in a delightful frown of thought, and Zirdon left her to it. She knew as well as anyone that Zirdon had no need to do her a “favor” in order to have her in
his
bed. All he had to do, as he’d done any number of times, was voice his desire for her. She was brought to his house at once by her father, and Zirdon kept her as long as he pleased.