Shapers of Darkness (15 page)

“You’ve already spoken with the other ministers and chancellors?” the armsmaster said.

“Well . . . well, no. But I—”

“Then what’s happened?”

“Nothing, armsmaster. I merely thought that . . . after yesterday . . .”

“We’re not friends, Minister. You asked for my help, and I’ve given you my word that when the time comes, I’ll be there beside you. But I have to assume that the invasion is going to begin when the emperor says it will. I have men to train, and I certainly don’t have time to chat idly with you.”

“Of course. I was—”

“Good day, Minister.”

Before Kayiv could say anything more, Uriad had turned away from him and was making his way back to the soldiers. He was certain that Nitara was watching—he could feel her gaze as if it were sunlight on a stifling day. No doubt she was laughing at him, shaking her head at his folly. Any alarm the high chancellor had felt the day before learning of Kayiv’s conversation with the master of arms would be gone soon enough. After standing there alone for several moments, feeling like an idiot, Kayiv returned to his chamber and awaited the midmorning bells. He would attend the daily audience with Dusaan, and then he would contrive to speak with Stavel.

When at last the bells rang, he hurried through the corridors to the high chancellor’s chambers, wondering if Nitara had already told Dusaan about what happened in the courtyard. But when he reached the ministerial chamber, there was only one other minister there, and it wasn’t her. Dusaan nodded to him as he entered, but kept silent as others filed into the chamber. When Nitara arrived, she chose a seat that placed as much distance as possible between herself and Kayiv, just as he had done the day before. Kayiv saw Dusaan staring at her as she sat, but he couldn’t tell what passed between them.

This day’s discussion proved far briefer than most, with Dusaan dismissing them well before the midday bells. Kayiv followed the others out of the chamber, and almost called to Stavel then. But realizing that Nitara was nearby, he said nothing.

Abruptly he found himself wondering if there were others among the Qirsi who might be watching him as well. Surely it
was possible that Dusaan had enlisted others in his cause during the past turn. Better to wait and follow the old chancellor until Stavel was back at his chamber. Instead, though, the old man descended one of the tower stairways to the palace courtyard, and then left the palace entirely, making his way toward Curtell City. Kayiv couldn’t have asked for more. Even if Nitara trailed behind him, she’d never get close enough to hear what they said, not without revealing herself.

Kayiv followed the chancellor at a safe enough distance that he was able to make their encounter in the city’s marketplace seem nothing more than a chance meeting. He wandered past the peddler’s cart at which Stavel had stopped to examine some wooden toys, pretending to be surprised to find the man there. With the moment at hand, with his plans about to be given life, Kayiv felt fear claw at his chest and he nearly walked on past. Certainly it seemed from the way the chancellor regarded him that Stavel wished he would.

But he drew upon what little courage he possessed and offered a hearty “Good day, Chancellor,” stopping beside him to look over the peddler’s wares. “I didn’t know that you had children.”

“I don’t,” Stavel said, clearly uncomfortable. “I just came to the marketplace to . . . to walk. I’ve always enjoyed looking at such trifles.”

“I can see why,” Kayiv said. He glanced at the vendor. “You do fine work.”

“Actually,” the man said, his voice thickly accented with the brogue of lower Wethyrn, “I merely sell them. They were carved by craftsmen in the south, Caerisse I believe. They’re made from Trescarri oak, a very difficult wood to work. Only four qinde apiece.”

“I see.”

Stavel started to move on, nodding once to the peddler. Kayiv followed.

“Do you come down here often, Chancellor?”

“Only when my duties to the emperor allow.” Stavel didn’t look at the minister, and his tone carried little warmth. “You?” he asked, seemingly as an afterthought.

“Not nearly as often as I would like.”

They walked a short distance in silence before Stavel paused briefly to look at some silver work, mostly women’s jewelry, although there were some blades on the cart as well. Kayiv found himself eyeing a necklace that only a turn or two before he might have considered buying for Nitara. Looking up, the minister realized that Stavel had left him, and he hurried to catch up.

“Is there something I can do for you, Minister?” the chancellor asked as Kayiv joined him at yet another cart. “Because if there’s not, I would rather have this time to myself.”

Again the minister hesitated, afraid of what he was about to do. “As it happens, Chancellor,” he made himself say, “I do have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if you had ever discussed with any of the other chancellors the emperor’s decision to begin the invasion early.”

What little color Stavel had in his face vanished. He stepped away from the vendor’s display, then turned to face the minister again. “Why would I discuss it with anyone?” he asked, his voice low and tight.

“I think you know.”

“The high chancellor’s claim that the recommendation had come from all of us.”

“Precisely.”

“I’ve said nothing of it to anyone. You told me at the time that you had discussed the invasion with the high chancellor in private just after our discussion that day. You told me that this was merely a misunderstanding.”

“Yes, I know I did.” He swallowed. Then, “I lied to you.”

Kayiv had expected the chancellor to respond in anger. Instead, he looked terrified. “I don’t want to hear this,” he said, backing away.

“I believe you should.”

“Why?”

“Because this matter bears on the safety of the empire, indeed, of all the Forelands.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The high chancellor and I spoke that day of a personal
matter, one that had nothing to do with the emperor or the invasion. I told you otherwise because at the time I favored the decision to begin the invasion sooner than originally planned. It’s a lie I’ve since come to regret, not necessarily because I think the invasion should be delayed, but because I fear that the emperor is being deceived. If he’s been led to believe that this counsel came from all of us, who knows what else he’s been told.”

Stavel glanced about, then gestured for the minister to follow him. They walked in silence a good distance until they had left the marketplace and stepped onto a narrow byway between a pair of small stone buildings. “You fear that the high chancellor is lying to him?”

“I’m not certain. I think it’s possible. To be honest, Chancellor, I don’t think much of the emperor. I find his lack of wisdom . . . disconcerting. If Dusaan does steer him toward certain decisions at times, it’s probably justified. But that’s all the more reason for the high chancellor to consult the rest of us. If the emperor needs guidance, best it should come from all of his Qirsi, rather than just one man.”

“The emperor chose Dusaan as his high chancellor, Minister. Regardless of how we feel about the man, we have to accept that choice and live with it.”

“I know that,” Kayiv said. “And I don’t question the high chancellor’s right to offer counsel to the emperor on his own. But when he claims to speak on behalf of all of us, that’s a different matter. Clearly Dusaan feared that his own recommendation with respect to the invasion wouldn’t be enough to convince the emperor. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered lying about it. He’s using us to mislead the emperor, and I don’t like it.”

“Then tell him so.”

The minister shook his head. “I’m afraid to. I’m but one minister, and I have no desire to stand alone against the high chancellor. I’d soon find myself cast from the palace.”

“So you thought to have me fight this battle for you? I don’t think so.”

“The emperor spoke to you—you’re the one who brought Dusaan’s lie to my attention in the first place.”

“Yes, but still—”

“You’re a chancellor, and you have a good deal of influence with the other chancellors. Were you to inform them of what Dusaan had done, how do you think they would respond?”

“I don’t know.”

But Kayiv could see from the man’s expression that this wasn’t completely true, and he pressed his advantage. “They’d be angry, wouldn’t they? They’d want to confront him, to ask him why he had offered such counsel without first speaking to them.”

“I fear Dusaan as much as you do. He has the power to banish any one of us from the palace, minister and chancellor alike. It’s true that I’ve been here longer than the rest of you, but that won’t save me if I anger the high chancellor.”

“That’s why you should speak of this with the others. If you speak for all of the chancellors, he can’t do anything to you, not without Harel’s approval. And I doubt very much that he’ll wish to raise this matter with the emperor.”

The chancellor stared at him for several moments, as if attempting to divine his thoughts.

“Why are you doing this, Minister?”

“I’ve already told you. I don’t like the idea of the emperor being deceived this way.”

“I think there’s more to it than that.”

Kayiv looked away. “You’re wrong.”

“Am I? You and I have never seen eye-to-eye on any matter of importance, and you’ve just said yourself that you question Harel’s wisdom, that you don’t worry about the high chancellor ‘steering him toward certain decisions.’ Thus I find it hard to believe that you’re suddenly concerned about the veracity of all Dusaan tells our emperor.”

Kayiv had expected that it might come to this, though he had hoped with all his heart that it wouldn’t. Already, he was putting his life at risk. But thus far he had done nothing irrevocable. In the next few moments, however, all that would change. There would be no turning from this path, no escaping the Weaver’s wrath if Dusaan learned of his role in this.

“Believe what you will,” he said, allowing his fear to creep into his voice.

“Very well. Keep your purpose to yourself. But you’ll have
no help from me.” Stavel turned and started to walk back toward the palace.

Kayiv let him take three or four steps, then called to him, by name rather than by title. He looked around, as if searching for the emperor’s men, then walked to where the chancellor stood waiting. “I’ll tell you, but you must swear to me that you won’t speak of this with anyone else.”

“You have my word.”

He took a long breath. “I fear that there’s more to the high chancellor’s deception than merely a desire to have his counsel hold sway with the emperor.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come now, Chancellor, surely it’s occurred to you as well.”

“I don’t—” Stavel stopped abruptly, his eyes growing wide. “You think he’s a traitor!”

“I’ve wondered if it’s possible, yes.”

“Simply because he lied to the emperor about the invasion?”

“As I told you, I fear that he’s lied to the emperor on other occasions as well.”

“Do you know this for certain?”

“No. But think about it, Chancellor. Why would he lie at all?”

“Perhaps it was done in error.”

“I’d considered that, but have you ever known the high chancellor to make any other errors of this sort or this magnitude?”

Stavel frowned. “No, I don’t suppose I have.”

“Neither have I.”

“But still—”

“The timing of this invasion is crucial to its success, and the master of arms was quite disturbed by the emperor’s decision. He told me as much himself.”

“You’ve spoken of this with the master of arms?”

“Yes. And he’s concerned about it as well. We all should be. What if the high chancellor made this recommendation knowing that it would doom the invasion to failure?”

“Qirsar save us all!”

“You see now why it’s so important that we address this matter as quickly as possible. It may be that I was right when
I told you that this was nothing more than a misunderstanding. Certainly I hope so. But if there’s more to it than that, we need to know, and we need to warn the emperor.”

“Then we shouldn’t confront Dusaan at all. We should go straight to Harel.”

Kayiv had to keep himself from looking pleased. “Do you really think so?”

“Of course. If the high chancellor is a traitor, and we raise this with him, he’ll find some way to continue his deception. By going directly to the emperor, we deny him that opportunity.”

“And if he’s not a traitor, if this is all just the result of an honest error?”

“Then we will have disturbed the emperor and angered the high chancellor for no reason. But under the circumstances, that seems a small price to pay.”

Kayiv nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right. So you’ll speak of this with the other chancellors.”

“Yes. And I think you should say something to the ministers. It would be best if we all went to the emperor, lest we seem to be dividing into factions.”

This the minister hadn’t anticipated, though he realized immediately that he should have. There were only five ministers among the emperor’s many Qirsi, and of course one of them—Nitara—was allied with Dusaan. If he approached the emperor with Stavel, speaking for the other ministers, the high chancellor would learn of his betrayal. Indeed, he would probably hear of it from Nitara long before word of this reached Harel.

“The ministers don’t have much influence with the emperor, Chancellor. I’m not certain that there would be much point in involving them.”

Stavel smiled. “I understand that you’re afraid, Minister. So am I. But we’ll do this together. It will be safer for all concerned.”

He was desperate now. “What if there are traitors among the ministers?”

Stavel narrowed his eyes. “Do you have reason to believe that others in the court are traitors?”

He almost told him. It was a measure of how frightened he was of Dusaan that he even considered it. And it was a measure of how much he still cared for Nitara that he answered as he did.

“No, I don’t.”

“Then it’s a risk we’ll have to take, Minister. You should also speak with the master of arms again. We’d be in a far stronger position if he was with us.”