“Good evening, Lieutenant,” she said as he took his place beside her. She had not looked in his direction. It was a sorcerer’s trick she had.
“Good evening, Milady.”
“I trust you have not come to ask for a dance.”
“I find it difficult with this hook, Milady. It keeps getting caught in the sleeves of dresses.” She looked at him sidelong.
“I am sorry, Lieutenant, that was tactless of me.”
“No. It was tactless of me.”
“Was there something you wanted to talk about?”
“I see you are looking at Lady Tamara and your companion.”
“That’s very observant of you.”
Was she jealous? Sardec wondered. It did not seem very likely that this potent ancient would be subject to such emotions. He supposed it was always possible. There was a certain intensity in her gaze as she looked at the couple. The force of it made him look more closely as well. They were a striking duo. There was no way you could spot any of the human blood in the half-breed. He looked every inch the Terrarch — quite as much as Lady Tamara who was the daughter of one of the highest nobles of the oldest bloodlines. Indeed when you looked at them, they looked quite similar. Their faces were the same shape, their cheekbones the same size. They were both equally striking.
“You are quite correct,” she said thoughtfully, and Sardec realised he had been speaking his thoughts out loud. “There is a strange similarity between them.”
Her tone was more thoughtful than ever. Definitely jealous, Sardec thought, surprised.
“I hear you have been fighting duels, Lieutenant.”
“Word certainly spreads fast.”
“This one has caused quite a scandal. Rumour has it a human lady was the cause of the affair.” Sardec did not blush. He was proud of that.
“It was.”
“Be careful, Lieutenant, such a thing will make you many enemies.”
“I mean no offence, Lady Asea, but my life is my own to live.”
“That it is. I rather admire you for it.”
Sardec sensed that for reasons of her own, Asea wanted to be his friend. Under the present circumstances he was glad someone did. His reception at the regiment had held an odd mixture of respect, admiration and contempt. His fellow officers seemed to feel that at the same time as he was upholding the honour of the regiment by winning his duel, he was letting them down by the cause of it. It was one thing to have a human mistress. It was another to flaunt the fact so openly.
He told himself that he did not care, but the sad truth was that he was affected by it. How many of the people around him knew about the business, he wondered, and how many of them despised him for it. Asea smiled, as if she knew what he was thinking. It was very disconcerting.
Rik found himself holding Tamara close as the dance moved from the handholding part of the sequence to something more intimate. His hand was on her back. Hers rested on his shoulder. She was exceptionally light on her feet. She kept smiling as they moved around and round, orbiting other dancers on the floor.
“You dance well,” she said.
“So do you.”
“Someone has been teaching you the graces.”
“A lot of people have.”
“You have become quite an important person you know.”
“I doubt that.”
“You are using the doubt word again.”
“I thought I was the one who was supposed to flatter you.”
“This is not flattery, Rik, simply a statement of fact. Powerful people have been impressed by you. My father for one.”
“You have spoken to him?”
“I did not waste the summer campaigning with the army if that is what you mean. I suspect I would have found it very dreary.”
“What did you do?”
“I travelled to Harven. I talked with my father. I told him about your exploits.”
“Did you tell him about sending your pet undead monster after me?”
“I did.” He was surprised. He had expected her to deny that.
“What did he say?”
“You control your anger very well.”
“Your father is a perceptive man.”
“He did not say that, as you well know, I was talking to you.”
“You sense that I am angry. That’s very perceptive.”
“The Nerghul was not aimed at you, Rik. It was aimed at Asea.”
“I just happened to be in the way.”
“Something like that.” His arm tightened around her. He half-wished it was his hand on her throat.
“You will forgive me if I take that personally,” he said.
“I would not expect anything else. You must realise that there is a war on. Your patron is a very dangerous woman.”
“I know — she practises the evil arts of black sorcery,” said Rik. “So unlike your friend Lord Jaderac. And yourself.”
“I have told you this before, Rik. You have no idea who you are dealing with. Asea is ancient and evil and powerful beyond belief. She killed the Old Queen. She has killed many others. There is no limit to her ambition.”
“Again, so unlike all the other Terrarchs.”
“You are a Terrarch, Rik.”
“Then I know whereof I speak.” He was surprised by the intensity of the anger in him. He had always been angry at the world. Perhaps Tamara was simply providing a focus for it.
“I can see that you do.” The music ended and they paused to applaud the orchestra. Rik escorted Tamara from the floor. There were others waiting to dance with her. Enemy or no, she was going to very popular with the local officers. Perhaps even because she was the enemy, he thought cynically.
As he came off the floor, he noticed that both Asea and Lieutenant Sardec were staring at them. There was something odd about the way they were looking.
“There are things we must talk about,” said Tamara as he bowed to her and she curtsied to him.
“Write me a letter,” said Rik.
“I trust you had an interesting evening, Rik,” said Asea. She looked out of the carriage window and into the street. Behind them the glittering lights of Elakar’s Palace were starting to dim and go out as the inhabitants made their way to bed.
“Very interesting, thank you.”
“You had a lively chat with Lady Tamara?”
“I did.”
“About what?”
“About the Serpent Tower. About Jaderac. About her father.”
“What did she say about her father?”
“He is in Harven?”
“What is he doing there?”
“She did not say — is it of interest?”
“I would say so, Rik. Malkior is a very influential Terrarch, a former Chancellor of Sardea. If he is in the Great Port now, it is for a reason and one to do with the war.”
“I am sorry I did not question her more closely then. I was busy trying to stop myself from strangling her in full view of Kharadrea’s aristocracy.”
“There are better places to commit murder,” said Asea, her voice was very soft. Rik looked sharply at her, remembering Tamara’s words. He heard the sound of hooves behind them. A soldier came alongside and tapped on the window.
“Lady Asea, Captain Quinal of the Intelligence Corps asks if you could please accompany me to the Palace,” the rider said. His voice was loud and frightened. “It is most urgent. The governor has been slain.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lord Elakar’s body lay sprawled on the vast four-poster bed. A dagger protruded right up to the hilt from the heart. Blood stained his nightclothes and the sheets. Someone had written Death to the Invaders on the wall using some of it.
“He did not have a very good end to his evening,” said Rik. As soon as she had seen the room, Asea sealed the doors and performed a number of arcane rituals in it. Rik could sense their power, but he had no understanding of what she had done. When they were finished, they went to the chamber where Quinal was holding the servants. It was a bare room with a few wooden chairs. Soldiers in the uniform of the Queen’s Own Cavalry, Lord Elakar’s regiment, guarded the door.