Oathbreaker: The Knight's Tale (6 page)

“You may. Naturally, I expect you to present this in a positive light. I know you love this land, Glasyin.”

“Thank you, your Majesty.”

“I’ll let you make the announcement to the court tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” I rose.

“As you leave, please send Beremany in.”

I bowed slightly, turned, and left the pavilion. Black-haired, black-hearted Jason Beremany stood outside, his handsome face wreathed with satisfaction. He bowed his head, and it was good that he did, for had I seen a smile on his face, I would have slit his throat from ear to ear.

I found Hargrave and told him to call a general muster of his troops in the morning. He opened his mouth to ask why, saw my face, and left half-running. In my turn, I retreated to a marble bench in the back of the garden. I couldn’t leave the party now, but at the same time, I had no desire to be the object of everyone’s gossip. I was certain Beremany had spread news of his good fortune and my ill before he even entered the pavilion. That scheming little bastard.

I sat in the dark, listening to the party, plotting, plotting. The revel was winding down when the Count of Ithan threw himself noisily to the marble bench beside me. I knew this pudgy man fairly well, and had even counted myself among the outer reaches of his circle of friends at one point. He was a vivacious, jovial man, but I knew a calculating, cunning mind lay beneath his kindness. Still and all, he was not a bad man. I liked him better than most in the court.

“What a night, Glasyin, what a night!” he exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I’ve been dancing all night with anyone who’d have me.”

I forced a laugh. “But for my leg, I’d have joined you myself.”

“What happened?” he asked.

“A stupid accident,” I replied. “While I was cleaning my dress sword, I dropped it. My reflexes are slowing. It’s a good thing my mind remains as sharp as ever, because it appears that I can’t be trusted to carry my own blades.”

He laughed with me, but I thought his laughter had a forced quality. Perhaps I was imagining it. He leaned back, stretching, and said, “Ah, but fighting in the wars personally is no longer your duty, is it?”

“That task has fallen to more able citizens,” I replied curtly.

“For the many battles you’ve fought, I suppose, it’s only just that you can now retire safely behind the lines.” He paused. “Of course, I have heard the news, and you have my condolences.”

“My thanks.”

“I know that the warriors of Ithan County felt safe with your steady hand guiding them in the wars. Many of the other counties’ men feel the same. You are a valuable resource to this land, Glasyin. In fact, I’d say that your leadership might be all that keeps the army in line right now. Who knows what might happen with Beremany in charge?”

I turned my head to him again. He was gazing at me blandly, but I could practically hear his thoughts. I looked back at a few revelers staggering through the gardens. I turned my eyes out over the city stretched out beneath us, and said calmly, “I saw a puppet show in the city the other day.”

He looked surprised, but said nothing. I continued, “I found it entertaining. All these marionettes, dancing on strings controlled by a woman hidden behind the façade. They danced and moved through their routines, through the play she’d written for them, and all the children were delighted with the show. They forgot that they were watching an artist at work and were transported by the story the puppets told. When it was over and the children left, the puppets lay on the stage, unmoving. I congratulated the puppeteer on a fine show.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I’m not certain what you mean.”

“Puppets are entertainment,” I replied, “tools. When their strings are being manipulated, they put on a hell of a show. When they’re not, they’re boring, lifeless, dead. It’s the puppeteer who’s full of life. It’s the puppeteer who’s the one the crowd should get to know.”

“I don’t follow you.”

“I’m ready to see the guiding hand behind this show,” I said. “No disrespect intended, my dear count, but I have had enough of the marionettes.”

He had the good sense to pretend ignorance and rose apologetically. “Ah, General,” he said, “perhaps we have both had enough to drink. I wish you a good night, and hope to see you when we’re a little less… well…” He bowed and smiled.

I grinned mirthlessly at him and offered no other words as he left. A good exit, I thought, and one that would cover for him should I decide to reveal the plot. I never considered the possibility that he might not be involved. Of course he was.

I reclined on the bench, closing my eyes for a few brief minutes in the predawn darkness, and I heard the click of boot heels coming down the marble walk toward me. I cracked my eyes as the walker stopped in front of me. Duke Athedon (a favored scion of House Cronen), dressed casually as usual, disdaining the finery of the court even on a formal occasion. Athedon. Beremany was in his House. A cousin, if I recalled correctly.

“Do you mind if I sit here, General Glasyin? I’d like a word or two with you.” His voice was low and even, with an undercurrent of warmth.

“Regarding puppets?” I said. “Plots in the darkness and so forth?”

“Actually, yes.”

“I congratulate you on your show, sir. All your puppets have performed nicely. I wasn’t aware that you had strings attached to the king as well, though.”

“I hope you will forgive me for that, Glasyin. I needed someone whose weaknesses I could control—a man whose nature I know well. I hope you will recognize this as a compliment to you. It’s a poor strategist who commits himself without knowing the strength of all forces. I do not have your measure, but I respect you tremendously. I simply couldn’t risk it.”

“My thanks, Athedon, but the time for flattery has passed.”

“The time for flattery should never have existed, General. So let me ask directly: Do you know what is coming?”

“I believe,” I replied, “that you are planning a coup, probably before winter ends, or perhaps shortly thereafter. I have seen the positions in the palace changing. I have seen the king bow to political expediency in the name of national security. And knowing full well my loyalty to the Empire, you have removed me from the position from which I might oppose this coup.”

His expression didn’t move, but a smile came to his eyes. “Glasyin, I am glad to know that I did not underestimate you. I know that you are shocked and surprised to find my… our… plans so far along. I believe you to be an honorable man, and a good man, and your opinion matters more than you know. May I tell you how all this came to happen?”

I nodded, and wondered where his assassins were. He wouldn’t be telling me this unless he knew perfectly well that no others could hear his treachery.

He said, “I am a student of history. I have read all the great historians of our age and the last, as well as the more obscure theoreticians and the writers of historical fiction. I have studied the ebb and flow of power from one country to the next over hundreds of years, and I have come to the inescapable conclusion that unless something dramatic happens with this land, we will lose ourselves in the mists of history. I am not talking about
eventually
, I am talking about the next generation. If we wait even another decade, it may be too late.

“Our king has sired his children in the winter of his life. He is old. He is infirm. His mind is not what it was. He is, in short, dying. His new wife is a scheming, power-mad shrew who cannot be trusted, and who focuses on trivial slights. He married her to strengthen his position with the High Houses. He does not trust her, and because she is a Bhumar, neither do the others. In fact, none will accept her as regent, and the civil war that will result in her ascension will tear our provinces apart.”

It was true what he said. It was an open secret that Bhumar was heavily invested in the underworld, and if they did not break Imperial law daily, they surely danced upon the line. Yet they brought money to the treasury and helped the Empire pay its bills, and the House spies and informants would have surely proven useful. Yet here I sat, next to the man who had made all those spies useless, and I could not help but agree with his assessment.

“I love this land, Glasyin. I love what we have become. But unless we receive fresh blood and new leadership, all that we have worked for and all that our forefathers achieved will be lost to time. I am not yet willing to let that go. Are you?”

“You’re asking me to choose between my oldest friend and the land I love.”

“Yes, I am. I am aware of what I’m asking, and I realize that it is a horrible choice.”

“The betrayal of my friendship or the betrayal of my duty.”

“Yes. But keep in mind that your friend has betrayed you, sacrificing you to ease strain on himself.”

“A betrayal you engineered.”

“It was a test for him as well, Glasyin. Had he stood fast, you and I would not be having this discussion. I do not think I have misjudged you. I think that you recognize the necessity of sacrifice. Your entire career has hinged around the understanding of this most difficult reality.”

We sat in silence for a while. The sky began to brighten with the predawn, roseate tinges breaking the relentless grip of night.

I said at last, “You have done me a great disservice. You have treated the king unjustly.”

Athedon snorted. “Loyalty and justice are opposites. Surely you realized this! You cannot serve a man and serve an ideal at the same time. Men die. But a civilization can last many years longer. You are at the linchpin of the Empire’s history right now, General, and you must make your decision. I must insist on it.”

“Answer this one question for me, then.”

“Absolutely. Whatever I can tell you.”

“Who will rule in Fannon’s place? And what shall become of him and his children?”

“You’re not asking where your place is in this?” he asked.

“I already know. I too have studied history, Athedon. Let me outline exactly how this falls out: when my… my
former
staff comes to me to ask my advice and possibly my leadership, for they will not trust Beremany, I will inform them that I accept you and yours as the new rulers. I will suggest that they do the same for the good of the Empire. The army then stays out of the coming battles. And then, for me, an honorable exile.”

“That is what I anticipated,” he replied equably.

“You won’t be able to trust me if I agree to this.” I held up a hand as he began to protest. “If I take a position against my old friend, that shows that I can be leveraged with a threat to our nation. If I do not take that position, I am giving up the oath I swore to protect the Empire. Either way, I break faith. As I said, you have done me a grave disservice. I know what happens to oathbreakers and traitors.”

“Glasyin, I would hold you in the highest esteem. I would not allow any to cast doubt or blame on you.” He kept his gaze steady on mine as he said this. I decided that he was lying, and I think that may have been the moment I made my decision.

“In exchange for this,” I said, “you will allow me to name my successor. I would not have that smirking toad Beremany leading my forces to war. I think he would kill too many of our men because he does not value them.”

He frowned. “I owe my cousin several favors. This appointment was to have wiped the slate clean.”

“That is my price. That, and the knowledge of what you intend to do with Fannon and his family.”

He sighed and looked to the sky. “Exile. We would need to take the king and his family someplace far away, where they could not build an army of loyalists to restore themselves to power. I love the old man, too, you know. You are not the only person who has a history with him. I would not see him suffer. I wish him no harm.”

“And our new ruler?”

He glanced down at his hands. “I have done the hard work of organizing this. I understand the course of history. I intend for the Empire to survive the coming years. As the man who brought us this far, as the man with the vision to see that it must be done, I believe that I am the one best suited to lead us.”

“Of course, of course.” The sun began to crest the peaks on the far side of the Carrerel Range. “How do you intend to deal with the Knights Elite?”

“I have planned for that as well. I flatter myself by imagining that I have a plan for nearly any eventuality. You are at one of the decision points right now. I need an answer so I know which strategy moves forward.”

“May I give you my answer tomorrow morning?”

“You are one of my key elements. By revealing my plans to you, since they are months from fruition and can still be stopped, you become a danger. I need to know where you stand.”

“You have given me much to think about. You know that I do nothing rashly.”

He looked inward and nodded toward the rising sun. “Are you sure it cannot be this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. Think deeply, sir. I am certain that you will come to the proper answer. Should you realize the right path, send a courier today.” He rose, turned, and gave me a slight bow. “It has been my pleasure, Glasyin. I do apologize for all that has happened, and all that is to come.”