Isana took a slow breath. Then she said, "You took it from my pack."
"I thought I might need it," Tavi said quietly.
"You didn't trust me."
Tavi looked down, turning the dagger over in his hand. "You've had a lot of… reservations, about this part of my life. I didn't want to see them get the better of you at a bad moment."
"You didn't trust me," Isana repeated. She shook her head. It was not as though she had given him a great deal of reason to do so, but all the same, it stung.
Tavi signed the document and marked it with the pommel of his signet dagger. He folded it and sealed it closed the same way. "Three hours from now," Tavi said. "On the walls. I want everyone to see this."
"Got it," Ehren said. He took the sealed letter and hurried out.
"If you don't mind," Tavi said to the tent, "I'd like a few minutes alone to change."
Everyone murmured their farewells and left-but Isana paused at the entrance to the tent, and turned to face Tavi.
"Can you win?" she whispered.
He smiled crookedly. "I've never lost a duel to the death. Not one."
"Tavi."
The smile faded, but his eyes didn't waver. "I've got to. For all of us." He glanced down again, and said, "I have a favor to ask of you."
Isana nodded. "Of course."
"My friend is hurt," Tavi said. "Max. And a lot of my men. Do you think…"
Isana bowed her head to him. 'Til go to the hospital now."
Tavi closed his eyes. "Thank you." He licked his lips, then suddenly his reserve shattered, and his emotions came pouring through to her. They were achingly familiar to Isana-the fear and insecurity that had greeted her whenever Tavi, as a child, had woken from a nightmare in the darkest hours of night.
She went to him at once and hugged him as tightly as she could. She felt him lean some of his weight against her.
"I'm frightened," he whispered.
"I know," she said.
"Don't tell anyone. They mustn't see."
"I know," she said. "I love you, Mother."
Isana could feel it as he spoke it, and she held him even tighter. "And I love you, my son."
Chapter 53
Marcus paused in the shadows outside of Senator Arnos's well-lit command tent, and listened, watching through the half-open flap.
"Well?" Arnos demanded of one of his cadre of flunkies. "You're my legal advisor. Advise me."
"I'm sorry, Senator," the plump little man said, from the midst of a stack of thick books. "All the legal precedents would seem to be on the Princep-"
"Scipio," Arnos snarled. "His name is Scipio."
"-Scipio's," the man corrected seamlessly, "side. He has… technically, of course… satisfied the legal requirements to establish his identity, and in the case of a threat of treason or dishonor to the Realm, Citizens of the rank of Lord and above have the right to issue a challenge to any Citizen of the Realm."
"I know that," Arnos snarled. "What do I do about it?"
The man tried to smile, and his voice came out in a squeak. "You could always renounce your Citizenship, sir."
Arnos slapped him. "Idiot. Get out before I have you flogged."
The little man went scrambling from the tent, and Marcus stepped back to let him pass.
"You could take his advice, you know," said a woman's voice. Marcus recognized Lady Aquitaine's disguise at once.
"Bloody crows and furies," snarled Arnos, his throat tight. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to see that you are in a spot, Arnos."
The Senator let out a fairly uncivilized growl. "I'm not backing away now. I'd lose everything I've worked years to build. In my professional opinion, it is time for you to intervene."
"And?" she asked.
"And make it go away," he said, his voice coming through clenched teeth.
"I believe I've made a mistake in you, Arnos. I knew you were a pompous egotist with delusions of grandeur, but I did believe you were at least competent."
Arnos stared in silence for a few seconds, then accused, "We had a deal."
"We had an understanding," Lady Aquitaine said. "But you've broken faith with me. You told me that you hadn't acquired any of your troops as mercenaries. But your extremely well-supplied and well-armed and well-paid cavalry seem to have taken it upon themselves to loot and pillage every human habitation they come across."
"Their Tribunes are acting independently of my orders," Arnos said.
"You're the commander of these Legions, dear. You're responsible for what they do. That's rather why one is able to attain glory and respect after a victory. Or don't they teach that at the Collegia."
"How dare you lecture me on-"
Lady Aquitaine's voice, though still quiet, turned cold. "Don't make me raise my hand, Arnos. When I slap someone, he doesn't scurry away after."
Arnos jerked up straight, and his face turned red. "You were willing enough to spill Aleran blood six weeks ago."
"I'm willing to make sacrifices in pursuit of a greater goal," Lady Aquitaine said. "That's not the same as condoning the rape and murder of entire stead-holts. There was no profit to those actions. No purpose. It's unprofessional. Idiotic. And I have difficulty tolerating idiots."
"Then you should agree that this conversation is unprofitable, given the circumstances. We need to focus on the matter at hand."
"Oh?"
"We're probably worried about nothing. Navaris is going to introduce our young captain to the crows, and that will solve the problems at hand."
"Will it?" she said in a flat voice. "I've made a decision about the problems at hand, Arnos."
The Senator's voice sounded wary. "What's that?"
"They're your problems," Lady Aquitaine said, her tone pitiless. "Solve them by yourself. If you manage to survive them, I may be willing to renegotiate our relationship. But until then, you're on your own."
Arnos's mouth opened and closed several times.
Lady Aquitaine appeared in the tent's doorway and faced Marcus. She gave him a small smile, then it vanished. She turned, and hissed to Arnos, "Someone is coming."
Marcus took that as his cue and briskly strode to the mouth of the tent. "Senator?" He held up a roll of paper. "I've brought the First Aleran's casualty list for you to look over."
Lady Aquitaine's simple gown was spotted with blood, doubtless from the wounded men to whom she had been carrying water. She took the paper with a little curtsey and passed it over to Arnos.
Arnos unrolled it and glanced at it. "Thank you, centurion. Dismissed."
Marcus saluted and withdrew from the tent. He found Lady Aquitaine walking beside him.
"Sloppy," he said quietly. "Speaking that openly. Someone could overhear."
She made a tsking sound. "I extended the windcrafting to include you."
Marcus grunted.
"The duel is to be held on the south wall of the fortifications," Lady Aquitaine said. "This is the time for the balest, I suppose."
Marcus nodded. "Which?"
She shook her head. "There's something to be had on all fronts of this debacle. If Arnos is vindicated, our would-be Princeps has been dealt with. If Oc-tavian wins, he gets rid of a useless retainer who might well return to stab me in the back when I'm not looking."
Marcus understood the cold-blooded logic of it. "Wait until it's over. Shoot the winner."
"Problems solved," Lady Aquitaine said.
"There might be some problems you aren't considering," Marcus said. "About sixty thousand of them."