„I looked over the papers. I can sign them. Why did you bring the General? I thought he was at Baxendala on maneuvers."
„He was. He came back. Let's don't worry about the papers. Damn it, Derel, where are you?"
„What's wrong?"
„Have you been comfortable enough?"
„As comfortable as one can be in a ruin. I'll be glad to get out of Kavelin. It's been nothing but heartaches. I was a fool to want to make Fulk King."
„There you go, Michael," the General said. „Antedate the papers."
Inger's eyes narrowed. „What is going on? Why are you here? Why is Derel coming? To give those rioters something to scream about?"
Michael laughed weakly. „Far from it. It's a big confab. You. Me. The General. Derel. Mundwiller. Abaca. Only I'm beginning to wonder if the rest are going to show. Maybe the riots turned worse, or something. General?"
Liakopulos shrugged. „The word could have gotten through. You know what that would mean."
Inger said, „Michael, you'd better get to the point."
Michael looked at Liakopulos. The General nodded. „All right. The straight of it. The King is dead. Fulk is King."
„What? How? Are you sure?" Inger became very pale. Her hands fluttered aimlessly.
„He tried to sneak up on Lord Hsung. While he was out of touch with us, Hsung was assassinated, replaced, and his invasion of Hammad al Nakir called off. When Bragi got to Throyes the legions were waiting for him. Only a few men got away. The General brought the word today."
„Let's go somewhere where I can sit down." As she led them into the house, she muttered, „He's dead? Bragi is dead? I can't believe it."
„It's true, Your Majesty," Liakopulos replied. „It was a great bloody slaughter, and he was among the last to fall."
„Spare me the gory details," she breathed, „He's dead? I don't believe it. How could that be? He was always so lucky.
I didn't even believe he'd go through the pass. I thought he was up at Maisak waiting for the Estates to do something so he could come down and hang a few Nordmen." She wheeled on Michael. „This is another of your schemes, isn't it?"
„No, Inger. No scheme. We talked it over this afternoon. It got hot, but we decided to come out as a group and tell you. Your son is King. You're Regent. We want to take you back and get the government into your hands before the news gets out and Kavelin begins tearing itself apart."
„He's not dead. I don't believe that. It's some kind of a trick." She looked at each man. „Oh. You really believe it. But it isn't possible... . Why are you even telling me? You were finally getting rid of me."
„That was when you were intriguing against the Crown," Michael said. „Now you are the Crown. What it boils down to is, we decided to stick with the law. The law was on our side then. Now it's on yours. We don't agree with you on much, but our duty is to the Crown. We came to take you back."
Inger sat down. „Michael, this is a lot to swallow. There's been nothing but bitterness. All of a sudden, now, you people are going to be on my side?"
„Only in a manner of speaking," General Laikopulos said. „Inasmuch as Sir Gjerdrum and Baron Hardle were slain with the King, I've become commander of the army and Cham Mundwiller has become principal royal spokes man in the Thing. My conscience won't let me continue in my post longer than it takes you to replace me. But continue I will, to maintain order. When you replace me I'll retire to High Crag."
Inger's eyebrows rose. „Really?"
Michael replied, „Really. Derel plans to return to the Rebsamen. I haven't spoken to Cham, but I expect he'll fight a desperate rearguard action till you can get rid of the Thing altogether. Abaca didn't say, but he'll probably go back to his people. He already ordered the Marena Dimura troops to return home."
„That little toad. He'll cause trouble. He hates me."
„You didn't do much to make him love you."
She gave him a hard look. He didn't flinch. „What about you, Michael? What do you plan to do?"
„Probably the same as the General. Help keep order till the transition is over, then leave. I don't want to see what your people are going to do to Kavelin. I have family in the west. I'll go back to the business, the way I was supposed to years back."
„You really think the people on my side are plunderers, don't you?"
„There's little evidence to the contrary, Inger. I recall only a handful of Nordmen who ever cared a whit for the kingdom or anyone but themselves. And the history of your family is common knowledge. I expect your cousin will swoop down like a bandit chieftain. When he's picked the kingdom's bones, he'll sell what's left, the Gap, to the Dread Empire, for a western vice-regality, or something of the sort. And you and Fulk will get nothing but the short end."
„You have an altogether too narrow view. Let's not argue politics."
„Let's don't. The important thing now is to get you back to the castle before people find out about the King. If we don't, all hell will break loose. Kavelin can't survive another civil war. There're too many wolves waiting to devour it."
„You're right. Absolutely right." Inger stared into the distance. „Michael, now that it's fallen on me, I don't really want it."
„It'll be rough. Just as rough as it was for Bragi."
„He used to say he never wanted it either."
„He didn't."
Liakopulos said, „Your Majesty, when dreams come true sometimes they turn out to be nightmares."
„Nightmare or not, the kingdom is in your hands," Michael said.
„I don't want the responsibility."
„Then why all the plotting, the duplicity, the dealing with monsters like Lord Hsung and Magden Norath?" Michael demanded.
„It looked different then. I don't know if you can under stand. Anyway, I just did what I thought was best for Fulk. I didn't ever want to run things myself." She paused thoughtfully. „I want you to know something. I want you to believe it. No matter what else happened, I loved him. I loved him a lot. And when the numbness wears off, I just might come apart. Stick with me that long, will you?"
„I'll stay as long as you want. The General too. And Derel. I know you don't much like us, but we're willing to help because... ."
„1 know. I know. For Kavelin." She rose and began pacing. „Damned pimple of a kingdom. It's gotten to me, too, a little. I find myself caring. Hating it, but caring. At the same time."
Michael raised an eyebrow. The General said, „It does seem infectious."
One of the Queen's handful of companions slipped in. He was clad as a squatter. „Milady, there's a man outside shouting for Captain Trebilcock. One of the Palace Guard."
„Michael?"
„I don't know. I'll see what he wants." He went out the back and round the side of the house while the others went to the front to watch through the ruined windows.
The man was one of the trusted handful who had spirited Inger out of the castle. Michael slipped up close, asked, „What is it, Mark?"
The man jumped. „Sir! I didn't hear you coming."
„You look awful. What's happened?"
„The riots... . Sir, Colonel Abaca announced that the King had been killed trying to attack Throyes. People just went crazy."
„Oh, damn him! Damn him to hell! Damn me! I should have expected that. How bad is it?"
„Awful sir. The Quarter is burning. There's looting. Wessons and Nordmen are fighting each other in the streets. They're both picking on the Siluro. They all think the Queen is dead too. The Estates have seized the Thing. They tried to break into the palace. We drove them off the first time, but who knows now?"