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Dirindal opened her mouth but didn’t speak, a puzzled frown deepening her wrinkles.
“It’s just that I don’t understand the depth of your anger,” Lady Cha
“They’re doing that anyway, with the fool boy Tadriol encouraging their pretensions,” spat Dirindal.
Cha
Temar gritted his teeth so loudly the Emperor looked at him.
“He’ll allow us the crumbs that fall from his table, you mean?” said Dirindal sourly.
“That’s hardly just,” Cha
“You think this is about Kellarin?” Dirindal interrupted in sudden, ugly fury. “You think we have any interest in sorcery-addled paupers grubbing a living in muddy caves? I never thought to say it, Cha
“Oh, it’s about Kellarin, in so far as the wealth Guliel garners will extend his influence still further. He’ll drop the sweetest plums into eager hands like some doting grandsire and the insignificant little Names will think D’Olbriot’s so wonderful.” Dirindal’s scorn was withering. “Guliel will swan around, proud as a cob in springtime. All these dolts will be hanging on his coat tails whenever he goes before Tadriol—he’ll give the lad a little advice here, some words of warning there. The boy won’t dare ignore him; after all he speaks for so many. Guliel leads our so-called Emperor by the ring in his nose, just as he did his father, his uncles and grandsire.”
The Emperor gripped the back of Casuel’s chair, the movement catching Temar’s eye. An overlarge bull’s head ring was Tadriol’s only piece of jewellery, a battered golden antique secured by a fine black cord that looped up to tie round his wrist. Unlike the Steward’s badge, this bull had no ring.
Lady Cha
“You expect me to believe that?” cried Dirindal. “Oh, it’s the quiet pigs that eat most fodder, my girl.”
“So this is about money,” said Cha
“That’s all Guliel’s concerned with,” sneered Dirindal. “Sending his nephews to dine with the merchantry, flattering their ambitions, telling Tadriol to listen to their whining. Saedrin save us, jumped-up draper’s daughters are marrying into ancient Names with Tadriol’s very blessing because their coffers of gold outweigh base blood! And all the while Houses with history back to Correl the Stout fall into rack and ruin because common parasites have leeched away their trade and prerogatives. Does Guliel do anything to restore the privilege of rank? Does D’Olbriot use any influence to stop the rot? No, he stands at Tadriol’s shoulder and drips poisonous counsel in his ears and all the while his greedy little allies crowd round, drowning out wiser voices with their begging.”
“Would Haerel be offering better advice?” snapped Cha
“We should be sitting on that throne,” Dirindal hissed. “I should be managing the marriage of an Emperor of my own blood, not worrying what slattern D’Olbriot’s going to talk Tadriol into bedding. I should be an Emperor’s Relict, with all the influence of a lifetime’s rule. Don’t think I don’t know it was Guliel’s uncle turned the Houses against my husband’s claim, just as it’s been Guliel and his brothers backing every Tadriol since. How else could those dolts hold the throne? How many more of them have to die before our House regains its rightful place? Well, it’ll be different next time, when D’Olbriot’s brought low and Tor Bezaemar can show the Names the true meaning of power.”
Temar saw Cha
“Lay a hand on me and I’ll scream!” Her frightened voice rang through the enchantment.
“Cas, tell Velindre to interrupt them.” Temar felt cold with apprehension.
“I can’t, not without losing the spell,” said the mage tightly.
“Hold your magic, wizard,” ordered the Emperor, face grim. “Cha
But as Temar watched, nervousness making him nauseous, Dirindal walked slowly back to the far side of the room. She smoothed the skirts of her modest gown and ran a plump hand over her undisturbed coiffeur. When she turned her face was settled once more in amiable lines of serene old age. “Dear me, Cha
“I’ll tell Guliel.” Cha
Dirindal’s laugh was kindly. “And he will have no more proof than you, my dear and we have plenty of Names to call on, if he wishes to set his House against ours. I doubt he has the stomach for that when all he ever does is hide behind Tadriol’s boy and whisper suggestions. If he had any true nobility he’d have taken the throne for himself by now.” She spoke over Lady Cha
She turned her back on Cha
“I can’t follow her, the Relict, I mean,” Casuel said hastily. “Or rather, I can, if I scry for her, but I’ll need ink and water—”
The Emperor smacked a furious hand into the silver tray, sending it skidding across the table and crashing to the floor.
Temar took a pace backwards as Casuel covered his head with frightened hands. Ryshad’s hand moved instinctively to his swordless hip as he took a step to bring him to Temar’s shoulder.
“Explain yourself, D’Alse
“You saw it with your own eyes, you heard for yourself,” Temar retorted.
“What did I see?” The Emperor moved to put the table between himself and Casuel. “Truth? Illusion? Some sorcerer’s charade woven by Planir?”
“The Archmage would never stoop to such deceit!” Casuel looked up indignantly from beneath his hands.
“You expect me to believe Dirindal Tor Bezaemar, with all her years, would admit all that to her acknowledged enemy’s paramour?” The Emperor scowled. “What has D’Olbriot told Planir of the history of my House? What does your Archmage know of my father and my uncle’s death?”