Dejanus shook his head. “And I have ensured that the guards on duty at the gates are my men; all have some grumble against Kumul. They will be ready to believe whatever we say about him and Prince Lynan.”
“We have to get things ready before Lynan appears.”
“It would have been easier if Berayma had not called for him.”
“Be that as it may, we are now committed.”
Dejanus lifted his gaze to meet Orkid’s. “I hope the rest of your plan goes more smoothly.”
Before Orkid could answer, there was a cry from the door. Both men whipped around. They saw an old man standing there, his mouth agape, his eyes wide in horror.
“Pirem!” Dejanus shouted.
Pirem snapped out of the terrible shock that had frozen him in place. He backed away from the door.
“Kill him, Dejanus!” Orkid cried. “And then kill his master!”
Dejanus lunged forward, but his feet slipped on the pool of Berayma’s blood and he fell heavily to his knees. He looked up in time to see the servant flee like an old rat with a cat after it. He jumped up, but before he could set off in pursuit, Orkid grabbed his arm.
“No, wait! There is a better way! All the pieces are in place, we only have to keep to our roles.” He took Lynan’s training knife from Dejanus’ hand and dropped it on the floor near the body of the dead king. “Put the bodies of the sentries back in their place, then call out the Royal Guards.” He could not help staring at Berayma’s corpse. “The king has been murdered by Prince Lynan and his protectors, the constable and Pirem. What a pity they were slain trying to escape the palace.”
Chapter 10
They were sitting on the room’s stone floor discussing magic.
“It isn’t that I don’t believe there is magic in the stars,” Jenrosa was explaining to Lynan, “but that I think the theurgia is going about finding it in the wrong way.”
Lynan nodded wisely, as he had learned to do while attending his mother’s court, but mostly he was concentrating on Jenrosa herself and not her words. He decided she was more attractive than he first thought. He liked the snub nose with its spray of freckles. When she smiled, her face changed, became softer somehow, and when she frowned, he could not help the urge to stroke her cheek and console her. But, his alcoholic bravado gone, he kept his hands to himself.
“Why don’t you present your argument to your maleficum?”
Jenrosa looked aghast. “Are you serious? Do you have any idea how much the hierarchy have invested in the old beliefs? How many decades—centuries!—of research and practice? They would throw me out! They would burn me at the stake!”
“We don’t burn people anymore,” Lynan pointed out.
“My grandfather Berayma VII banned that right at the start of his reign.”
“Then they’ll convince your brother to bring it back.”
“Just for you?”
Jenrosa nodded. “God, yes. They hate heretics.”
Lynan leaned forward and refilled her glass.
She took the bottle from him and shook it. “The wine is almost gone,” she said sadly.
Lynan reached into a dark recess under one of the lower bookshelves and retrieved a second bottle.
“Magic!” she declared.
“So what would you like to see your theurgia study?”
“To begin with, the same things sailors and explorers have to study. They use the stars to get their directions.”
“I know that,” Lynan said. “Everyone knows that. Why should the theurgia study what everyone else already knows?”
“Because there is no formal system incorporating all the ways the stars are used for navigation. And more importantly, finding your direction implies having at least some idea of where you are at any given time. If we could refine the methods the sailors use, we may be able to devise a way of finding out exactly where we are, anywhere in the world.”
Lynan considered her words, then smiled. “Ah, but what if it is a cloudy night!”
Jenrosa looked at him sourly. “You have to begin somewhere.”
Lynan swallowed. “Speaking of beginning somewhere—”
“Oh, yes, of course! You now have one of the Keys!”
Lynan blinked. How did that happen? He was going to talk about them, not about him. “Yes, I have one of the Keys, but what I was trying to say—”
“What does it mean?”
“What does what mean?”
“Well, what responsibilities do you take on?” She waved her hands at him. “No, no, don’t tell me! It’s the Key of Union, right?” Lynan nodded, feeling a little adrift. “So that means you’ll be responsible for administering the provinces?”
“No. That is the king’s duty. I’ll be a kind of ambassador. Berayma will use me to represent the throne outside of Kendra.”
“A toast,” Jenrosa said, raising her glass. “To the king’s new representative to the provinces!”
Lynan raised his glass halfheartedly. “It means, of course, that I may not return to Kendra for many years. There are some things I would like to do before I—”
“You’ll begin with a grand tour,” Jenrosa interrupted. “Across Kestrel Bay to pay a visit to Goodman Barbell in Lurisia. Then west to Aman, and a word.with King Marin; I hear he’s a conniving old goat, so you’ll have to be on your guard. And then farther west, into the Oceans of Grass, and you’ll see all the tribes of the Cherts—”
“If I can find any of them,” Lynan pointed out.
“—then east to Hume, and Queen Charion,” Jenrosa continued, unabated. “I’ve heard she is the most cunning of all the king’s subjects. Your will learn much from her, I think.”
“She will undoubtedly learn a great deal from me,” Lynan said dryly. “And where do I go after Hume?”
“South to Chandra, and King Tomar II.”
“He was a friend of my father’s,” Lynan said quietly.
“Then it will be like visiting an uncle,” Jenrosa said, moving closer to Lynan. “I spoke to him once. He was here on one of his state visits and came to the theurgia’s school. He spoke to each of the instructors and students personally. He was round and jolly, with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
“He lost his wife at sea about twenty years ago. Her ship was attacked by Slavers. They never found her body.”
“That would explain the eyes,” she said. “What part of the tour will you enjoy the most, I wonder? I think it will be the trek through the Oceans of Grass. You probably won’t find many Chetts, but you’ll see some amazing things.” Her eyes took on a distant look. “Grass stretching from one horizon to the other, huge herds of strange animals with horns and long, flowing manes. Wild horses, thousands of them, not afraid of anything under the sky. Thunderstorms as big as continents sweeping overhead. Or maybe you’ll like Lurisia the best. Everything’s green in Lurisia, and it’s always hot. Rowers the size of meat plates, insects with rainbows instead of wings…”
“Maybe you should make the grand tour,” Lynan joked. “I’ll stay behind to play at court.”
Jenrosa shook her head. “Oh, no. Kendra is my home. I don’t want to leave.”
“The way you speak of all these distant lands it sounds as if leaving Kendra is something you want more than anything else.”
“Believe me, your Highness—”
“Lynan, please.”
“—I want to stay right here. But I can imagine you will enjoy yourself so much you’ll never want to come back.”
Lynan finished his wine and refilled the glass. “Well, Kendra has one thing in its favor. That’s where you’ll be.”
She looked at him hard, then fidgeted uncomfortably and stood up. “I see.” She looked like an animal that has suddenly realized it is in a cage.
Lynan stood up, too, drew in a deep breath to speak. Just as he opened his mouth, someone started banging on the door.
“Oh, damn!” he exclaimed, his breath coming out in a rush. “Go away!”