The Red Queen (112 page)

The hall was suffocatingly hot beneath the great branching lights that shone down on tall tables piled with food and on the walls hung with tapestries. Heat, apprehension and the mingled odours of exotic perfumes, spices, lantern oil, food and sweat made me feel ill. A haughty-looking Gadfian lad passed with a great glass urn on a tray, filled with water. There were no mugs but he offered me one of the tubes running from it. I was so hot and thirsty and nauseous that on impulse I accepted. I put it gingerly to my lips and he somehow made liquid rush into my mouth. I swallowed and choked, for it was not water but some sort of fiery ferment. I tried to stifle my coughing, which was drawing attention, but it was impossible. I coughed and gasped and strove to regain my breath.

A Gadfian woman in a dress of overlapping shades of blue to complement a mask painted skilfully to resemble flowing water came to ask if I was ill. Her strange way of speaking reminded me that I would not sound Gadfian if I spoke. I pretended I could not speak and she looked about, presumably for my escort. I saw the man she had been standing with moving closer, frowning.

Fortunately in that moment there was a commotion and a burst of clapping and when the woman and the man turned towards it, I slipped away and moved through the crowd until I was out of sight. Then I looked back to discover what had caught their attention. I was startled to see a man and woman, clad from head to toe in black paint, save for their white painted faces, begin to move about one another in a graceful, darting, acrobatic display that was as much battle as dance, though they did not lay a hand on one another. It reminded me of coercer displays, and the fleeting thought came to me that Merret would have loved to see it.

Relieved that the attention of the crowd was focused on the dancers, I eased my way through them, still looking for Dragon. The dance must have ended – perhaps it was only a sample of what was to come after midnight – for there was an appreciative cry and some more clapping. Then a heavy hand fell on my shoulder and a big, red-faced Chafiri man with an enormous belly demanded loudly to know where my husband was. A moment later another man asked the name of my father. I dealt with both expediently by coercing them into feeling a sudden terrible need to relieve themselves. But the next person to accost me was a tall, querulous-looking woman dressed dazzlingly in red and purple with a sneering mouth and an apoplectic air I thought natural until her words revealed that she was the wife of the Prime, and had recognised the cloak I was wearing.

‘How dare that tailor sell a thing that was made for me,’ she said, her eyes glittering with envy and outrage and a sort of cruel satisfaction as she hissed, ‘I will have his hands for this.’

Her voice was piercing and I saw at once that she would not be satisfied without making a scene. So before anyone did more than glance towards us, I reached out and grasped her hand. Her eyes bulged with outrage, and then grew dull. I erased myself from her mind, tweaked her senses hard and sent her staggering off with the beginnings of a headache that would force her home early. In desperation, I coerced the next man who approached me and made him my companion.

It was with immense relief that I reached the great doors that were the front entrance to the infinity. They were closed fast, but to my delight, there was a side door standing open.

I dispensed with my dazed companion, whereupon, obeying my coerced command, he went unsteadily a little distance from me then tripped over his own feet with a cry that drew all eyes, managing to haul over one of the tables piled with food. I had been waiting for it, standing against the wall beside the door, and now I simply stepped through it, without any need to coerce the young Ekoni who had been guarding it, for he too had been distracted by the accident.

I was startled to realise the door had not brought me outside onto the steps, but into a luxurious chamber a good deal smaller than the one where Gretha waited for her mistress. It, too, had walls hung with cloth, but in this case, it was embroidered silk curtains and tapestries, and there was a thick soft rug upon the floor. Several women sat on ornate stools, while others stood about in groups. I stared, for every one of them wore a red veil that covered her from head to toe. It took me a moment to realise that they were all still, arrested by the sight of me.

‘Who are you?’ asked one of the women in an authoritative voice, drawing off the veil. She was a Redlander, maybe thirty, tall and very voluptuous with dark hair running to yellow at the ends and pale blue eyes. She wore no mask and her face was utterly unblemished above a gown of red Sadorian sandsilk. We had never met, but I knew her face, not from life but from a dream in which I had seen her combing Gilaine’s moon-white hair.

‘She is no Gadfian!’ said another woman, drawing off her veil with an impatient sweeping gesture to reveal another face I remembered from my dream. A Land face, vividly beautiful and framed by a great wild mass of curling brown hair, restrained at the temples by two jewelled combs that flashed red fire as she moved. She wore a red silk dress too, but of a different cut from the other woman’s.

‘Who are you?’ reiterated a third woman curiously, drawing away her veil to reveal Redland colouring and strangely contrasting white hair plaited about her head in an intricate cap wound through with pearls.

Another of the women with close-cropped hair and a gown cut low about her shoulders to accentuate a long and lovely neck, having unveiled herself, too, stepped forward without a word and plucked the mask from my face.

‘We should not unveil ourselves,’ said one of the other women.

‘I am suffocating in the stupid thing,’ said yet another woman, dragging off her veil. She was a Landborn beauty with hair like a fall of black silk and long pointed nails stained gold at the ends, whom I remembered from my dream as tormenting Gilaine. She turned to the first woman who had spoken, crying, ‘Is not this emissary satisfied with having decided to claim us all rather than choosing among us? Is this another who has caught his fancy?’

‘You are a fool,’ said the big blonde Redlander. ‘She is not one of us. Look at her clothes!’

‘Neeve,’ I murmured, and the Landwoman reared back in alarm.

‘How do you know my name?!’

‘I dreamed of it,’ I said. ‘Of all of you. With Gilaine. Is she among you?’

‘Poor little Gilaine was taken by the emissary days ago,’ said the woman who had combed her hair.

‘The emissary wanted a woman for his use before tonight. He chose her. The Ekoni who took her away said he had asked for one who would not chatter. He said she was to go aboard the
Secret
. That was a few days ago. Perhaps she is dead,’ she added without regret. I remembered then that she had been jealous of Gilaine’s friendship with Matthew.

‘Elspeth, I knew you would come! I dreamed it!’ said a voice I had longed to hear, and I turned to see a slight veiled figure emerging from a door I had not noticed.

‘My queen,’ said the big woman and then caught herself. ‘It is better if you stay in the dressing chamber.’

‘Dragon,’ I said, as she tore off her veil. It was as I had seen her in my dream, clad in a red dress and coming towards me, hand outstretched. Then she flung herself into my arms and hugged me.

‘You revealed yourself to these women?’ I looked about, seeing no threat in any of their faces.

‘It was necessary,’ Dragon said. ‘But I need your help.’ She looked about at the women and said imperiously, ‘Give me privacy.’

To my astonishment all of the women moved away, even the Landborn, though they kept their eyes on us.

Dragon caught up my hands. ‘Elspeth, I need to get out of here right now, and your coming will make it possible. You must give me your mask and clothes and take my place here, so that there will be no fuss about one of the slavewomen going missing.’

‘What!?’ I cried. ‘But you must reveal yourself to your people . . .’

‘And I will, but not yet. There is a thing I must do.’

‘You can’t leave and come back!’ I said incredulously. ‘That both of us got here is a miracle!’

‘I will come back, but I must go. I have been desperate, trying to think of a way. And then you came. You are the answer to my prayers.’

‘Dragon, dear one, listen to me. If you go and do not manage to come back, people will die! Landfolk from Obernewtyn who came on the four ships. Redlanders too – your own people! And what could possibly be important enough to risk that?’

‘It is Matthew,’ Dragon said, brokenly. ‘He brought me to the Prime’s compound and coerced everyone so that I could be one of the slavewomen to be given to the emissary. But he made me angry and I sent him away. I bade him go and tell the Redland leaders that their queen would reveal herself at dawn today; that they must summon their people to bear witness.’

‘He did not come to Slavetown,’ I said.

‘I know, but I am telling it all wrong. Before I came to Redport I fell asleep when I was on top of the dome. Maruman came into my dream. We dreamed of my mother, but then a monster chased me and it turned into a nightmare of Matthew in danger. I knew that I alone could save him, so I came to the island. Maruman was very annoyed but he helped me. But when I got to the island, there was no one there. Maruman told me I must sleep so that we could finish dreaming together. I did what he wanted for I was tired and afraid, and I knew you would be angry. I dreamed of the crypt then, and I found it, but it was dark inside and I could not see properly. Then I heard a shout and I came up the steps out of the crypt and a man grabbed me – an Ekoni. Maruman attacked him and the Ekoni kicked him so hard he screamed. I wanted to help him but the Ekoni kept hold of me, and then Matthew came and
he
saved
me
.’ She sounded outraged. ‘It made me
so
angry because it was only my trying to help him that got me into trouble. I supposed my dream had been false and Matthew said he would bring me somewhere safe and then look for Maruman and he would find you. It was not until we were in the safe house with Swallow that I remembered I had dreamed of this, and of what I must do. I made Matthew help me – but I have told you that – then they brought us here hours ago, and I fell asleep for a little and dreamed the same dream of Matthew in danger! Only this time, I knew it was happening
now
and that if I would save him I must be quick. He was calling to me, Elspeth! Please, stay here in my place so that I can go to him. They count us every little while and once you wear my red veil over the top of what you are wearing, no one will be the wiser.’

It was a sign of her agitation that she did not ask how I had come by the dress or how I had got into the Great Hall. ‘Tell me what you saw and let
me
go and help Matthew,’ I said. ‘For the sake of your people . . .’

She shook her head frantically. ‘It
must
be me because of where he is being held!’ There was uncharacteristic hysteria in her voice. ‘Elspeth, he found the machine that is blocking our powers! If I can free him, he can shut it down.’ I realised abruptly that there was no use in arguing with her. And perhaps her dream was true – it must be true for her to risk so much. And if the block was shut down, I would have the full use of all my abilities without needing physical contact to exert them. And not only me: Merret and Daffyd and the other Misfits among the Landborn as well. And Dragon would be able to raise her coerced dragons.

‘Very well,’ I said, hardly able to believe I was agreeing. ‘Give me the veil and take the mask. But no matter what, you
have
to return in time to show yourself to your people at dawn.’

‘Do not fear, for I have seen it in my dreams and it is hours away,’ Dragon said, momentarily exultant. Then her expression sobered and she turned to beckon to the big woman with the blonde-tipped hair. I was startled to see how she came at once, her expression anxious, reverent.

‘My queen?’

‘I need you to fix my hair up so that I will not look like a slave,’ Dragon said, gathering a handful of the springing mass of red-gold curls.

I expected the woman to argue or ask questions, but she merely produced a comb and called out to one of the other women who brought a handful of pins. In a very short time, Dragon’s hair was piled high and then she bade them fix the mask in place. She noticed the colour from it streaked on her hands and bade them smear it onto her face so that someone looking at her would not notice her skin was too pale for a Gadfian.

‘Dragon, are you
sure
this is the right thing to do?’ I asked, bidding them take the paint off my skin to darken hers.

‘You must not question the will or wisdom of the queen,’ the big woman said, though her own expression was anxious.

‘I am not the queen until I am revealed to my people and raise my dragons,’ Dragon told her solemnly. ‘But I will be soon and I will remember all of you for the help you have given me.’ She spoke aloud now and the other women came forward to watch as she embraced me. Then she embraced each of them, even the Landwoman Neeve, and I saw how she had won them.

‘I will need a male escort,’ Dragon told me with her new imperiousness.

I nodded and moments later, I cried out. An Ekoni entered then looked alarmed to see one of the slavewomen lying motionless on the floor, but when he leaned over her, I reached out and touched his hand, entering his mind. A few minutes later he left, wooden-faced, and returned with a young Chafiri man, whom I also coerced. Dragon left with him and the Ekoni looked confused to find himself standing inside the chamber with us, with no memory of having entered. He counted our heads, and then, looking relieved, went out to take up his post again.

‘We are officially the property of the emissary now, even though we have not been handed over,’ the big blonde woman told me. ‘Given how rigidly the white-faced lords view these things, the Chafiri are terrified that something will happen to one of us before we are handed over.’

‘For myself, I want no reward for helping her, save that I do not have to be taken away from this land on a ship,’ said the black-haired woman. ‘It was bad enough coming here as a child on a ship. I
never
want to go anywhere over the sea again.’