“Then we shouldn’t confront Dusaan at all. We should go straight to Harel.”
Kayiv had to keep himself from looking pleased. “Do you really think so?”
“Of course. If the high chancellor is a traitor, and we raise this with him, he’ll find some way to continue his deception. By going directly to the emperor, we deny him that opportunity.”
“And if he’s not a traitor, if this is all just the result of an honest error?”
“Then we will have disturbed the emperor and angered the high chancellor for no reason. But under the circumstances, that seems a small price to pay.”
Kayiv nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right. So you’ll speak of this with the other chancellors.”
“Yes. And I think you should say something to the ministers. It would be best if we all went to the emperor, lest we seem to be dividing into factions.”
This the minister hadn’t anticipated, though he realized immediately that he should have. There were only five ministers among the emperor’s many Qirsi, and of course one of them-Nitara-was allied with Dusaan. If he approached the emperor with Stavel, speaking for the other ministers, the high chancellor would learn of his betrayal. Indeed, he would probably hear of it from Nitara long before word of this reached Harel.
“The ministers don’t have much influence with the emperor, Chancellor. I’m not certain that there would be much point in involving them.”
Stavel smiled. “I understand that you’re afraid, Minister. So am I. But we’ll do this together. It will be safer for all concerned.”
He was desperate now. “What if there are traitors among the ministers?”
Stavel narrowed his eyes. “Do you have reason to believe that others in the court are traitors?”
He almost told him. It was a measure of how frightened he was of Dusaan that he even considered it. And it was a measure of how much he still cared for Nitara that he answered as he did.
“No, I don’t.”
“Then it’s a risk we’ll have to take, Minister. You should also speak with the master of arms again. We’d be in a far stronger position if he was with us.”
Kayiv nodded. “I believe he will be.” There was nothing more for him to say. A few moments later he and the chancellor parted company, Stavel continuing his walk through the marketplace while the minister returned to the palace, glancing about all the way, expecting at any moment to see Nitara, or worse, Dusaan.
By nightfall of that same day, there was talk in the court of a mysterious discussion taking place among the chancellors. Already Stavel had honored their agreement, and Kayiv had little choice but to call together the ministers as well.
They met the following morning in Kayiv’s chamber. It was early, too early judging from the weary faces of his fellow ministers, but Kayiv had wanted to speak with them well before the ringing of the midmorning bells.
“What’s this about, Kayiv?” asked Gorlan, the oldest of their group and the one who had served longest in the palace.
“We’ll wait a few moments more,” he answered, eyeing the door. One was still missing. Nitara, naturally.
“Is this about the chancellors?”
“Not about them, no. But we’ll be discussing the same thing they did.”
Gorlan nodded, as did the other two, Rov and B’Serre.
A few moments later, at last, someone knocked at the door, and at Kayiv’s call to enter, Nitara let herself into the chamber. Her hair was braided and her eyes seemed to glow like torches. She sat as far from him as she possibly could, perching on the sill of his window like some pale dove.
“We’re all here now,” B’Serre said. “Tell us what’s going on.”
Kayiv nodded, his eyes flicking toward Nitara. He wasn’t exactly sure how she would respond to all of this.
“Nearly a turn ago, Chancellor Stavel came to me, having just spoken briefly with the emperor. It seems the emperor was under the impression that the suggestion to move up his invasion of Eibithar had come from all his Qirsi.”
“But we never discussed it.”
“Hence Stavel’s concern.”
“You say this happened a turn ago?” Gorlan asked.
“Yes.”
“And we’re just hearing of it now?”
“That was my doing. I thought the decision a wise one, and though it seemed clear to me that the high chancellor had taken some liberty in presenting this counsel to the emperor, I saw no harm in it. Since I had spoken with the high chancellor about another matter just after that day’s discussion, I told Stavel that he and I had talked of the invasion and that the emperor must have misunderstood and assumed that all his Qirsi were privy to our conversation.” He shrugged. “Stavel accepted this and I assumed that the matter was closed.
“Yesterday, however, Stavel and I spoke of it again, for the first time since that day a turn ago. It seems that he hasn’t forgotten the high chancellor’s transgression.”
“Nor should he have,” Gorlan said, his voice hard. “If the high chancellor wishes to give advice to the emperor, he should do so. But he has no right to speak for us without soliciting our opinions first. And frankly, Minister, I’m disappointed in you. I would have thought that you’d feel as I do about this, and that you would have come to us far sooner.”
Kayiv did his best to look contrite, though inwardly he was pleased. When Nitara related to Dusaan what had been said here, she would surely include Gorlan’s rebuke. “You’re right,” he said. “I should have. I apologize to all of you.”
“What does Stavel want to do about this?” Nitara asked.
Kayiv looked at her, their eyes meeting for the briefest of moments before he had to look away again.
“Is he content to raise the matter with the high chancellor and ask that in the future we be consulted before he takes his suggestions to the emperor? Or does he intend to do more than that?”
“Well, I’m afraid there’s more to it than just the chancellor’s pique. He fears that Dusaan has done this on other occasions, and he’s begun to question if the high chancellor’s behavior might be rooted in more than just arrogance.”
“Meaning what?” Rov asked.
But glancing at Nitara once more, Kayiv saw that she already understood. Her cheeks had flushed, and she was shaking her head slowly, as if warning him not to answer.
“Meaning that he believes the high chancellor might be a traitor.”
“Demons and fire!”
“I believe the chancellor has allowed his fears to overmaster his judgment,” B’Serre said.
Nitara nodded, glaring at Kayiv. “I agree.”
Kayiv remained silent, as did Gorlan, who didn’t appear at all surprised by what had been said. Kayiv couldn’t be certain, but he sensed that, like Stavel, the minister had his own doubts about the high chancellor’s loyalty.
“So Stavel wishes to speak with the emperor,” Nitara said.
“I believe he does. I also think he wants all of us to accompany him, so that he isn’t forced to voice his suspicions alone.” He considered mentioning the master of arms, but quickly thought better of it. Best not to reveal all to Nitara just yet.
“I won’t do it!” she said. “The high chancellor is no traitor, and I won’t be party to any attempt to brand him as such.”
“I feel the same way,” B’Serre said. “If we had proof that he had betrayed the empire in some way, that would be one thing, but all he’s done is claim falsely to speak for the rest of us.”
“ ‘All he’s done’?” Gorlan repeated. “Surely you don’t condone it.”
“No, I don’t, and if Stavel wants to bring this up with the high chancellor, I’ll be more than happy to support him. But this is hardly grounds for calling the man a traitor.”
“Is that how you feel as well, Rov?”
The man stared at his hands, a troubled look in his bright yellow eyes. But after some time he nodded. “I guess it is. I don’t like that he lied to the emperor, especially about this. But I’m not ready to accuse him of treason.”
Kayiv nodded. “Gorlan?”
“It seems I’m more disturbed by this than are the rest of you, but I won’t stand alone against the high chancellor, particularly if it means questioning his loyalty.”