Shapers of Darkness (16 page)

Kayiv nodded. “I believe he will be.” There was nothing more for him to say. A few moments later he and the chancellor parted company, Stavel continuing his walk through the marketplace while the minister returned to the palace, glancing about all the way, expecting at any moment to see Nitara, or worse, Dusaan.

By nightfall of that same day, there was talk in the court of a mysterious discussion taking place among the chancellors. Already Stavel had honored their agreement, and Kayiv had little choice but to call together the ministers as well.

They met the following morning in Kayiv’s chamber. It was early, too early judging from the weary faces of his fellow ministers, but Kayiv had wanted to speak with them well before the ringing of the midmorning bells.

“What’s this about, Kayiv?” asked Gorlan, the oldest of their group and the one who had served longest in the palace.

“We’ll wait a few moments more,” he answered, eyeing the door. One was still missing. Nitara, naturally.

“Is this about the chancellors?”

“Not about them, no. But we’ll be discussing the same thing they did.”

Gorlan nodded, as did the other two, Rov and B’Serre.

A few moments later, at last, someone knocked at the door, and at Kayiv’s call to enter, Nitara let herself into the chamber. Her hair was braided and her eyes seemed to glow like torches. She sat as far from him as she possibly could, perching on the sill of his window like some pale dove.

“We’re all here now,” B’Serre said. “Tell us what’s going on.”

Kayiv nodded, his eyes flicking toward Nitara. He wasn’t exactly sure how she would respond to all of this.

“Nearly a turn ago, Chancellor Stavel came to me, having just spoken briefly with the emperor. It seems the emperor was under the impression that the suggestion to move up his invasion of Eibithar had come from all his Qirsi.”

“But we never discussed it.”

“Hence Stavel’s concern.”

“You say this happened a turn ago?” Gorlan asked.

“Yes.”

“And we’re just hearing of it now?”

“That was my doing. I thought the decision a wise one, and though it seemed clear to me that the high chancellor had taken some liberty in presenting this counsel to the emperor, I saw no harm in it. Since I had spoken with the high chancellor about another matter just after that day’s discussion, I told Stavel that he and I had talked of the invasion and that the emperor must have misunderstood and assumed that all his Qirsi were privy to our conversation.” He shrugged. “Stavel accepted this and I assumed that the matter was closed.

“Yesterday, however, Stavel and I spoke of it again, for the first time since that day a turn ago. It seems that he hasn’t forgotten the high chancellor’s transgression.”

“Nor should he have,” Gorlan said, his voice hard. “If the high chancellor wishes to give advice to the emperor, he should do so. But he has no right to speak for us without soliciting our opinions first. And frankly, Minister, I’m disappointed in you. I would have thought that you’d feel as I do about this, and that you would have come to us far sooner.”

Kayiv did his best to look contrite, though inwardly he was pleased. When Nitara related to Dusaan what had been said here, she would surely include Gorlan’s rebuke. “You’re right,” he said. “I should have. I apologize to all of you.”

“What does Stavel want to do about this?” Nitara asked.

Kayiv looked at her, their eyes meeting for the briefest of moments before he had to look away again.

“Is he content to raise the matter with the high chancellor and ask that in the future we be consulted before he takes his suggestions to the emperor? Or does he intend to do more than that?”

“Well, I’m afraid there’s more to it than just the chancellor’s pique. He fears that Dusaan has done this on other occasions, and he’s begun to question if the high chancellor’s behavior might be rooted in more than just arrogance.”

“Meaning what?” Rov asked.

But glancing at Nitara once more, Kayiv saw that she already understood. Her cheeks had flushed, and she was shaking her head slowly, as if warning him not to answer.

“Meaning that he believes the high chancellor might be a traitor.”

“Demons and fire!”

“I believe the chancellor has allowed his fears to overmaster his judgment,” B’Serre said.

Nitara nodded, glaring at Kayiv. “I agree.”

Kayiv remained silent, as did Gorlan, who didn’t appear at all surprised by what had been said. Kayiv couldn’t be certain, but he sensed that, like Stavel, the minister had his own doubts about the high chancellor’s loyalty.

“So Stavel wishes to speak with the emperor,” Nitara said.

“I believe he does. I also think he wants all of us to accompany him, so that he isn’t forced to voice his suspicions alone.” He considered mentioning the master of arms, but quickly thought better of it. Best not to reveal all to Nitara just yet.

“I won’t do it!” she said. “The high chancellor is no traitor, and I won’t be party to any attempt to brand him as such.”

“I feel the same way,” B’Serre said. “If we had proof that he had betrayed the empire in some way, that would be one thing, but all he’s done is claim falsely to speak for the rest of us.”

“ ‘All he’s done’?” Gorlan repeated. “Surely you don’t condone it.”

“No, I don’t, and if Stavel wants to bring this up with the high chancellor, I’ll be more than happy to support him. But this is hardly grounds for calling the man a traitor.”

“Is that how you feel as well, Rov?”

The man stared at his hands, a troubled look in his bright yellow eyes. But after some time he nodded. “I guess it is. I don’t like that he lied to the emperor, especially about this. But I’m not ready to accuse him of treason.”

Kayiv nodded. “Gorlan?”

“It seems I’m more disturbed by this than are the rest of you, but I won’t stand alone against the high chancellor, particularly if it means questioning his loyalty.”

“All right,” Kayiv said, masking his disappointment, “I’ll tell Stavel that we’re not willing to go to the emperor with this.”

“I do think we should speak with the emperor,” Gorlan said quickly. “He should know that we didn’t all agree with Dusaan’s counsel regarding the timing of the invasion.”

“It’s not our place to go directly to the emperor,” Nitara said, sounding slightly desperate. “We should speak of this with the high chancellor himself, and tell him that in the future we would prefer that he come to us before making such recommendations on our behalf.”

Gorlan shook his head. “That’s not good enough. What if the high chancellor has misrepresented us before? What’s to stop him from ignoring our protests and doing it again?” He looked around the chamber, as if seeking support from the rest. “Don’t you think that we ought to inform the emperor of what Dusaan has done?”

Kayiv was more than happy to let Gorlan argue the point for him, and he remained silent.

For quite some time all of them did.

At last, Rov gave a reluctant nod. “He should probably know. I don’t relish the notion of going to the emperor without Dusaan’s knowledge, but in this case it might be justified.”

Gorlan turned to B’Serre, an expectant look on his lean face.

“I don’t feel right about this,” she said.

“So you’re willing to let him claim that he speaks for all of us, even when it’s not true.”

“I didn’t say that. But I won’t lie to you: I have no desire to anger the high chancellor. I like living in this palace and serving the emperor, and I’m not willing to risk being banished from here just because my pride’s been bruised.”

“Maybe we should wait to see what the chancellors have decided to do. With all of us going to the emperor, there’s less risk of any one of us incurring the high chancellor’s wrath.” Rov glanced at Kayiv. “Except for you and Stavel, of course.”

Kayiv gave a wan smile, his stomach feeling cold and hollow.

“I’ll agree to that,” B’Serre said.

Gorlan nodded. “So will I.”

They all looked at Nitara.

“I still think this is a bad idea, but it seems I’m the only one. The rest of you should do what you believe is best.”

“Then it’s decided,” Kayiv said. “I’ll speak with Stavel, and I’ll let all of you know what the chancellors have chosen to do. In the meantime, I think we should keep what’s been said here to ourselves.” He knew better than to think that Nitara would conceal any of this from Dusaan, but the others would expect him to say something to this effect. All of them nodded their agreement, even Nitara.

A moment later the others stood and crossed to the door. Kayiv had expected that Nitara would hurry from the chamber so that she could speak immediately with the high chancellor. But she surprised him, lingering near the window until the others had gone.

“Are you mad?” she demanded, once they were alone and Kayiv had closed the door.

“What do you mean?”

“You know full well what I mean. First the master of arms, and now this. No one is going to believe that all this was Stavel’s doing, Dusaan least of all.”

“But it was. The emperor spoke with Stavel, and then Stavel brought it to my attention. This all started with him.”

“And how hard did you have to push him before he agreed to speak with the other chancellors?”

He looked away, his pulse racing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Is this still about us, Kayiv? Are you still so jealous of the high chancellor that you feel you have to strike back at him? Or is there more to it than that?”

“I told you, this was Stavel’s doing, not mine, and it has nothing to do with us. Stavel came to me. What was I supposed to do? Tell him that it wasn’t worth our concern, like you’re trying to do? Don’t you realize how ridiculous that sounds? The high chancellor lied to the emperor.”

“Don’t you think he does that everyday? Don’t you think that he has to? Think of who he is, and what it is he hopes to
accomplish. Of course he lies. You’d have to be a fool to think otherwise.”

“This lie was different. I know you think he’s brilliant and perfect, but in this instance he was careless and he got caught. That’s his fault, not mine. And if you’re smart, you won’t defend him too strongly. Because if he’s revealed as a traitor, you will be as well.”

“And you think you won’t?”

He shrugged. “I’m not certain that I care anymore.”

She stared at him a moment longer with obvious distaste. Then she stepped past him to the door. “You are mad.”

“If you care for me at all anymore, you’ll say nothing about this to the high chancellor until we’ve spoken with Harel.”

She paused briefly, though she offered no response. After a moment she pulled the door open and left him.

There seemed nothing unusual about the day’s discussion in the high chancellor’s chamber. Dusaan gave no indication that he knew the chancellors and ministers had met, although Kayiv found it difficult to believe that he hadn’t heard of the gatherings. Once again he ended their audience early, but since he had done so the day before, Kayiv could hardly read anything into this. Kayiv also noticed that Dusaan never once looked his way, nor did the high chancellor so much as glance at Stavel. And as Kayiv left Dusaan’s chamber, he saw as well that Nitara lingered by the doorway, as if intending to speak with the high chancellor when the rest of the Qirsi had gone.

The minister left the palace, then doubled back through another entrance and made his way to Stavel’s chamber, taking care not to be seen.

Almost as soon as he knocked on the chancellor’s door, Stavel pulled it open and ushered him into the chamber. He looked panicked, his eyes wide with a wild, frightened expression, and his face grey save for two bright red spots high on his cheeks.

“He knows!” the chancellor whispered, the moment he had closed the door again. “Dusaan knows!”

Kayiv gave a small shudder, but he kept his voice calm as he asked, “How can you be so sure?”

“Didn’t you see him just now? Didn’t you notice how he was treating me?”

“He didn’t even look at you.”

“Exactly! We can’t go through with this!”

“If that’s how you feel—”

“How I feel? Aren’t you afraid of him?”

Of course he was. Kayiv knew Dusaan was far more than an arrogant chancellor or even a simple traitor. He would have been a fool not to be afraid. And yet in that moment he found that he felt strangely calm, as if he thought himself somehow immune to the high chancellor’s power.

“What did the chancellors say when you spoke to them yesterday?” he asked, ignoring Stave’s question.

“They don’t believe he’s a traitor, and while they were angered by what he told Harel, they aren’t willing to confront him or, for that matter, to speak with the emperor.” He took a long breath and it seemed to steady him some. “And the ministers?”

Kayiv smiled thinly. “They chose not to take any action until they knew what the chancellors intended to do. It seems it’s up to the two of us.”

“I’ve already told you, I won’t go through with this. The man is no traitor, and after considering the matter for another day, I don’t believe his transgression warrants taking any action at all.”

It shouldn’t have surprised him. Dusaan was a formidable figure in the palace. All of Harel’s Qirsi knew that they could be banished from the emperor’s court in an instant if the high chancellor but wished it. Kayiv should have known from the start that, dependent as he was on the courage of his fellow Qirsi, he couldn’t prevail. Still he couldn’t help but feel angry, as if all the others had betrayed him.

“Very well, Chancellor,” he said, reaching for the door handle. “We won’t speak of this again.”

“One of the other chancellors tells me that you arranged all this because Dusaan stole Nitara from you.”

He spun around to face the man. “That’s not true!” But he felt his face burning with shame.

“You wanted to get back at him, and you used me to do it.”

“Dusaan lied to us! That’s why I did it!”

“I’m not certain I believe you.”

Kayiv shook his head. Dusaan had defeated him, and with ease. His ties to the master of arms might keep him alive for a time, but eventually the high chancellor would find a way to kill him. In the meantime Dusaan would make him an outcast within the court. He knew that he’d probably be best off leaving now to avoid the humiliation, and to put himself as far from danger as possible. “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. “Just out of curiosity, who told you this?”