After the falfhissi urn had made its way around the room several times, a son who was feeling its effects called Dar “Muth Velavash” and spoke of how she had blessed him before a battle. Dar didn’t recognize him, but the orcs had been helmeted while waiting to attack. He bowed low to Dar, then commenced to sing the lament for the slain. Fortunately, a mother made him stop after the first thirteen verses. The feast ended shortly afterward.
When the guests had departed, Nir-yat spoke to Dar. “Thir’s returning tomorrow. Muthuri told me.”
Dar didn’t know what pleased her more—that she would see her young sister again or that Zor-yat was speaking to Nir-yat. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“You were busy,” replied Nir-yat. “And, Sister—Muthuri’s no longer mad at me. She called me wise because I foresaw you would be good queen.”
“She said I was good queen?” said Dar.
“Hai,” replied Nir-yat, beaming. “She said it’s become common wisdom.”
Dar wished she shared her sister’s satisfaction, but she didn’t. Like most orcs, Nir-yat didn’t grasp deception, which made her incapable of cynicism. That wasn’t the case with Dar, who was convinced that Zor-yat played loose with the truth. Muthuri has worked against me up to now. Why this sudden change? Dar didn’t voice her doubts to her sister. She merely smiled, though inwardly she felt wary.
The following day, Tolum Kol entered Thamus’ shop and was greeted by its owner. “Good morning, sir. May I help you?”
“I’m looking for a gift. Something for a lady.”
“A special item? Perhaps something that speaks of romance?”
Kol smiled. “You guess rightly.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. I sell only orcish wares.”
Kol acted surprised. “Orcish?”
“They do the finest work,” said Thamus, holding up a delicate vase. “Note its clarity and the perfection of its form. This is true sand ice, not the cloudy and lumpy stuff we make.”
“Is it expensive?”
“I must journey to their halls, no easy trip. And the road’s not gentle to fragile wares.”
Kol smiled amiably. “Which is to say they’re dear.”
“I’ve some pieces that cost only a few silvers.” Thamus selected a tiny, stoppered vial from a shelf. “Rose sand ice. Perfect for perfume. Five silvers.”
Same as the bounty for a branded woman’s head, thought Kol. He held the piece near a window to examine its color and nodded appreciatively. “You trade directly with the orcs?”
“Aye.”
“Do you speak their language and know their ways?”
“I do.”
“Then this is a happy meeting. I’ve been posted to our queen’s court, where ignorance abounds about her new orc guards.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“It’s an ignorance that I regret I share. I fear provoking my orcish comrades through some misunderstanding. If I knew their speech and customs, I could avoid that. Perhaps you’d tutor me.” Kol produced a gold coin. “I’d pay you.”
Thamus eyed the gold. “That’s a lot for a few lessons.”
Kol smiled. “Not really. Peace is priceless.”
Thamus accepted the coin, but insisted it also paid for the perfume vial. Afterward, he commenced with Kol’s lessons. The two spent the entire day together, and by its end, Kol was aware of how little he had known about orcs. Throughout his years in the regiment, he had regarded them as talking cattle—bulls, and just as dangerous. As a murdant, he had known how to avoid provoking them and that was all. Dealing with the piss eyes was an officer’s job. Kol had concentrated on mastering soldiers, horses, and women.
Tolum Kol had expected to learn a few useful Orcish phrases and some facts to bolster his claim of expertise. In addition to these things, he acquired far more valuable information. For the first time, he saw how Dar had bested him. Piss eyes are ruled by their women, and Dar acted like a piss eye bitch. Kol conceded it was a clever ploy. Thamus had also related how Dar had become the orcs’ queen, for a guardsman in his acquaintance had witnessed the event. Kol remembered the guardsman’s name and decided to keep an eye on him. When Thamus praised the orcs’ honesty and their devotion to their ruler, Kol saw both as weaknesses. Honest men are easier to trick, he thought, and devotion makes them vulnerable. He reasoned the same was true with orcs.
When Kol departed the shop at dusk, he didn’t look forward to his next lesson. He found that day’s session tedious enough, and his tutor’s admiration of orcs annoyed him. Thoughts of Thamus prompted Kol to remove the perfume vial from his jerkin and examine it in the dying light. It seemed too delicate to be made by brutes. Yet Kol had come to see that the brutes possessed similar fragility. He didn’t understand Fathma, but he grasped its most crucial point: If Dar was captured, her realm would be imperiled. If she died in captivity, it was likely to collapse. Kol threw the vial against a wall, shattering it. Then he returned to court.
Seventeen
Five days after messengers were sent to the clan matriarchs, one returned accompanied by two sons. Dar, who had spent the afternoon with the lorekeeper, was greeted by Nir-yat with the news. “Candidates for your mintari have arrived.”
Dar tried to appear calm. “From which clan?”
“Mah clan. Their hall lies closest to ours.”
Dar noticed that Nir-yat was watching her with a concerned expression. She probably smells atur, Dar thought. Though Dar seldom could detect the scent herself, she was certain that she smelled of love. Her sister’s face confirmed it. Following custom, Dar didn’t respond to her sister’s expression. Besides, she had a more immediate problem. “How should I receive them?”
“I don’t know,” replied Nir-yat. “You should ask Muthuri.”
“She’s been no help before.”
“She’s changed, Sister. I’m certain of it. Send for her.”
Dar was dubious, but her options were limited. Neither she nor her sister was versed in protocol, but Zor-yat was. Dar decided to send for her and dispatched a son on that errand. He returned with her shortly afterward. “Muth la’s blessing, Muthuri,” said Dar.
“Shashav, Muth Mauk,” replied Zor-yat, bowing especially low. “I beg your forgiveness, Most Honored Daughter. I’ve been ill-mannered and foolish.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I should have been by your side, helping you through difficult days. Instead, I stood apart, hoping you’d falter.”
“Why?”
“I envied your place. I fought Muth la’s will. My actions have been shameful.”
“Then undo them by aiding me. Deeds are weightier than words.”
“I’d be grateful for chance to help.”
“Muth-mah has sent me two candidates for my mintari. How should I proceed?”
Zor-yat smiled as she bowed. “You should receive these sons in Great Chamber. Merely being there honors them. Speak of why they’re being considered, then let them rest from their journey.”
“Will they stay in my hanmuthi?”
“Only if you bite their necks. Until then, families within our hall will host them. I can make first two welcome, and Muth-yat can find places for others as they arrive.”
“What will candidates do?”
“Whatever you tell them. For one thing, they’ll replace those sons who have served you up to now. Their duties were only temporary.”
“Your advice has been helpful,” said Dar.
“I’m glad, Muth Mauk. I hope I can be equally useful in future.”
Zor-yat left a short while later, after giving Dar some advice on managing the royal hanmuthi. She recommended that Nir-yat coordinate the candidates’ schedules and mentioned other tasks that she might do for Dar. While Dar remained suspicious about her muthuri’s change of mind, she was pleased to have the benefit of her experience. Moreover, the prospect of seeing Kovok-mah dominated her thoughts, making her other concerns seem trivial.