Queen of Stars (17 page)

Yildun sat down, frowning. Kurhah went back to his speech.

“Now, let us not mince words, my friends. We all know the source of the pestilence. Naos Vildiar has created and trained a private army of halflings and encouraged them to assassinate any starborn with a claim to the throne, meaning all the Naos in the realm. Had Queen Electra tended to her duties as she should, she would have stopped him after the first three or four deaths, but instead she extroverted. Either she was hiding from Vildiar’s killers or—as she later claimed—hunting for a lost child she had borne to a mudling. I honestly don’t know which excuse I would find more repugnant. Whatever the truth, the regent she left in charge was incompetent, and his dereliction of duty gave the villain free rein.”

Kurhah paused to peer around at the gathered crowd. He was an effective speaker. Rigel was already seething at this insult to his lover and his martyred mother, but he saw many nods of agreement.

“Regent-heir Kornephoros was a weakling and a coward,” Kurhah continued. “And Vildiar bullied the poor thing into giving up his daughter. Have you realized that even that was part of the villain’s plan, twenty years ago? The Starlands cannot be stolen. They must be freely given by the retiring monarch to a chosen successor. Vildiar foresaw that his crimes would become public knowledge. He knew that the last legitimate ruler would never voluntarily abdicate in his favor, so he sired a child with Talitha to open a way for him. Electra chose to give the realm to her, as he no doubt foresaw, but she remains fearfully vulnerable, just as he planned. Sooner or later that fiend will get hold of the imp and demand the Starlands as ransom. What mother could refuse such a threat?”

He shrugged. “Had the rest of the Naos had the common sense to band together in time, this need not have happened. No, please do not argue at this point. It is too late to attach blame.”

“Is it?” someone shouted. “What were you doing during all this?”

“Fading.” Kurhah sighed. “Drifting among the stars. We all return there in the end, and I assure you it is a sublime experience, infinitely rewarding, offering peace and closure. On what I expected to be my last visit home—I came to greet a new greatchild and say farewell to one whole branch of my descendants—I was told of the queen’s disappearance and what was happening to the Naos. The knowledge disturbed me so much that I returned to reality one more time, a few years later, only to learn that the situation had become even worse, that only three or four Naos remained.”

Only a starborn could ever confuse the Starlands with reality.

“Very much—very, very much—against my will, I decided that I must postpone my final exit and resume corporeal existence. My friends, it was like battling with dragons, a reawakening of pain and sorrow, a return to tumult and mundane cares. I would wish such an ordeal on no one, even the despicable Vildiar himself. But I persisted, and eventually reclaimed my physical presence. Dear Shaula bade me welcome here in Alathfar, and offered me protection.

“You do see that I was a crab without its shell? In grave danger of violence and murder? I had given away all my amulets, and if Vildiar’s assassins had learned of my return too soon, they would have crushed me like an egg.” With a tinkle of many bracelets, he raised his gem-laden hands. “I needed several months to create a new set, including defenses such as I had never felt a need for before. Then came word that Electra had returned and promptly expired from the guilt curse when she realized the massacre that her neglect had made possible. I had waited a few days too long to reveal my renewed existence. Does my explanation satisfy you? For if it does not, then I shall cheerfully return to the peace of the stars and leave you as you were, ruled by a willful child and threatened by a monster.”

Heads were nodding. A low murmur of agreement filled the great room.

It did not satisfy one onlooker. If the magic of seancing made it possible, Rigel would storm into the Alathfar lodge that very second and charge Naos Kurhah with sedition and high treason.

Again the red-haired Yildun sprang to his feet. “Just what are you planning to do, prince? And what do you want of us?”

Smiling catlike, Kurhah surveyed the assembly, neither answering the question nor even glancing at the questioner until he had sat down again.

“First, Starborn Yildun, I propose to deal with Naos Vildiar, a mass murderer such as the Starlands have never seen before. Second, I propose to ask Queen Talitha to step aside and let me rule for a few centuries. I will swear on the Star to abdicate in her favor when I depart—or possibly her son’s. They are very nearly the same age, you know, or at least they seem so to my old eyes.” He waited for the chuckles to fade. “And there will be no Naos more senior.”

“That is treason!” someone shouted.

“No, my friends. Talitha is a wonderful person. My only complaints against her are youth and immaturity. Her obvious infatuation with a halfling was a folly of youth, no more, and now that she has paired respectably with a starborn, it may be forgiven—although he, too, is very young. Had she chosen a more mature partner, one who could have tempered her flightiness, I would have gratefully gone on my way and let her be, as soon as I had dealt with the murderous Vildiar.

“But she did not. Elgomaisa is a mere adolescent by my standards. I am old, old. I will appoint Talitha regent-heir, and will happily return the royal burden to her when she is ready for it. If she refuses to see reason, then I think that you will have to insist. Yes,
you
. I chose you all very carefully as the best, the eldest, and magically the strongest of our time. Many of you are members of her council. I did not choose you in the hope that you would betray your oaths; I chose you for the same reasons she did—wisdom and character. She cannot rule alone; she needs you. She needs me.”

A woman by the door rose. “Just how do you intend to dispose of Vildiar?”

“I shall not announce that at the present,” Kurhah said, glancing down at his left hand. “I spent the last few days preparing an amulet to detect when I am under surveillance. It indicates that some ill-mannered mage is spying on us at this very—”

A roar of outrage shook the hall.

He waved a hand for silence. “It may be Vildiar’s assassins, or it may be some of the queen’s helpers, in which case that tweenling pretty boy of hers is most likely behind it. Only halfling perverts could engage in such behavior. Or it may be both parties, I cannot tell.

“But let us now adjourn for a repast. Think over what I have said. Discuss it with your companions, by all means. And then make your decision. In a couple of hours, those of you who wish to leave may do so, and no hard feelings; those who wish to assist me may remain. At that time we shall discuss tactics. And if you are spying on us, Naos Vildiar, then I bid you to join this meeting at that time. The same goes for you, if you are also snooping, Rigel Halfling
, marshal of Canopus
.

“But I offer neither of you safe conduct.”

Chapter 20

R
igel jumped back, breaking out of the seance. “He’s found a way around the guilt curse!”

The mage and his apprentices disengaged also. Fomalhaut was scowling. “No. Absolutely inconceivable! The maximum achievement to which they could aspire would be to overwhelm Naos Vildiar and denude him of his sorcerous accoutrements. He is trammeled by the same limitations as they are, remember.”

“Hadar will never allow it!” Rigel shuddered at the thought of naive elves going against the well-seasoned halfling storm troopers.

“That may be the underlying strategy,” the mage said. “If Kurhah Naos and his confederates can exterminate the mongrel assassins, Vildiar will be rendered impotent.”

“No, they’re the ones who will be slaughtered! According to Tyl and Thabit, Vildiar has two hundred trained killers in his service.”

Mizar said, “That many?” and Achird, “Including females?”

“Two hundred and three as of a couple of months ago. I need a ride back to Canopus, please.” Kitalphar would not have waited around for him. Hippogriffs were too proud to be servants.

Rigel could see a clear way at last. Pieces were starting to fall into place.

Fomalhaut just continued to scowl at him. “What are you planning to do? Expediate to Alathfar and apprehend the entire multitude?”

“Rush to Alathfar, yes, but I’m going to offer to help them. We earthlings have a saying: ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ But I must see the queen first. Please?”

Still the mage balked, while Mizar and Achird watched in the background, Mizar with a faint sneer, Achird chewing his lip. However eager the sandy-haired elf might be to help Rigel, he could not oppose his teacher.

“Do you comprehend the predicament into which your importunities have placed me?” Fomalhaut insisted. “I could be confined in the Dark Cells for spying on starborn.”

“You uncovered treason,” Rigel said, as patiently as he could. “So Queen Talitha will never convict you. King Kurhah might, though.”

Achird hastily scratched his nose to hide a grin.

As if he could see out the back of his head, Fomalhaut swung around to glare at him. “Take this ’breed back to Canopus. And come right back here! I won’t have you involved in any of this.”

“Yes, my lord! This way, halfling!” The apprentice took off across the great courtyard like an Olympic sprinter.

Rigel raced after him. Achird was youthful, just past his first century. Ignoring the doors, he crossed under the Time of Life, which was currently high overhead, and came to a sudden stop at what looked like a collection of brightly colored planks leaning against a low wall. He threw the closest pair flat and Rigel saw that each bore two straps, positioned like the stirrups on a snowboard. Achird was already slipping his feet into the loops on one of them.

“Skyboards,” he said with a bloodcurdling grin. The one he was standing on rose a few centimeters into the air. “If you lie underneath this one and wrap your arms and legs around, I’ll fly you to Canopus faster than a speeding arrow.”

Elf humor was rare and often malicious, but Achird had a genuine sense of fun. Disregarding the invitation, Rigel put his feet into the stirrups on the other board. “You can control two?”

Achird shrugged. “Dunno. Never tried.”

Both boards shot up vertically, banked in unison, and soared past the endless rod of the great pendulum, off into the midnight sky above the crater outside. Rigel windmilled his arms frantically until he caught his balance.

“This is the fastest way to go,” Achird yelled.

Although Rigel had inherited the imps’ love of low temperatures, he thought the gale force rush of air was likely to freeze him solid very shortly. But he knew when he was being hazed.

“The faster the better.”

“Right.” The skyboards rocketed forward, turning the wind into a screaming hurricane.

“These must be new?” Rigel yelled, clutching his helmet firmly to his head. Fortunately moon-cloth wraps were held in place by magic.

Achird bellowed, “What?” and moved his skyboard closer, although Rigel could not see how he was controlling it.

“These must be new?” Obviously skyboards were copied from earthly snowboards, and snowboarding as a sport wasn’t much older than he was.

“Yup. Mizar and I dreamed them up a couple of days ago. They still worked the next morning, when we were sober.”

Rigel hoped that he was still being hazed, but before he could inquire further, both boards and riders went into a steep dive. Ahead of them now, and lower, a huge horizontal wheel of cloud was slowly turning and glowing brightly in the night, more like the mouth of a tornado than the eye of a hurricane. He knew it for a highway, presumably the link between Fornacis and the royal domain.

“Can Kurhah really tell when he’s being seanced?”

“If there was no way of knowing, it wouldn’t be illegal, would it?”

“I have to get royal permission first, but I do want to go to Alathfar and speak with Kurhah. Assuming your boss keeps on seancing, would you ask him to break off for a few minutes when I appear on stage? That way we might find out if the Phegda gang is spying as well. It could matter a lot.”

“I can ask,” Achird said. The two riders were lying almost flat, their boards practically vertical as they plunged toward the whirlpool. “If we get separated in that vortex—”

“Yes?”

“You’re dead.” Grinning, Achird held out an arm.

Rigel grabbed his wrist, felt his own grabbed in return, and then they were in…

And out, and it was blinding daylight, with Canopus spread out along the shore beneath them.

“Wow! This is some ride! How much magic do you need to control these things?”

“At least orange,” Achird said sympathetically. He grinned again. “And about twenty years’ practice.”

“Please don’t let Izar find out about them!”

As the skyboards swooped down toward the palace, he saw
Saidak
floating in the Sirius pool and guessed that Talitha must be in Miaplacidus, the royal treasury. He directed his pilot to the doorway, thanked him, and watched enviously as he soared away, the spare board now tucked under his arm.

Rigel ran inside, heading for the secret door.

“Six!” said the guardian Anubis beyond it.

That meant that Izar and the twins were also present. Sure enough, he saw them rollicking in the pool, which meant that even the imp was out of earshot. Talitha was sitting on the sand with Wasat, and the old man could be trusted not to gossip.

Chapter 21

F
or weeks Saidak had been promising Izar that she would show him an active volcano, the highest waterfall in the Starlands, and various other wonders, so he insisted that Talitha use the royal barge for the long-promised visit to Starborn Azelfafage. She agreed readily, because she never seemed to have enough time with her son now that her days were filled with ruling and her nights with loving.

The sightseeing was a success, the family reunion was not. The relationship was quite distant, involving a great-great-great-great-great-grandmother on Azelfafage’s side and four more greats on Talitha’s. Azelfafage herself was truly ancient, even by starfolk standards, and would normally regard Talitha as too young to be of interest. At the same time the old relic was a terrible snob who felt that everyone must grovel before royalty. The fact that none of her innumerable descendants had ever developed Naos magic was another sore spot. There were no imps present to keep Izar amused; the escort of armed halflings who accompanied him was an outrageous insult to a noble hostess, although it could not be mentioned…and so on.

It was a great relief to plead urgent state business, escape back to the barge, and head home.

“Mom,” Izar muttered as they went up the gangplank. “I got something I gotta show you.”

Any mother would recognize a fire alarm in that reluctant confession, especially since Izar normally preferred to ride out in front with Saidak. At the hatch Talitha flashed Thabit a Gioconda smile that told him that he and his twin were not welcome below deck, and then followed Izar down the companionway. Tyl closed the hatch behind them.

She made herself comfortable on the bench and waited. Izar walked over to stare out a window at the far end. Worse!

Once they were truly airborne, she said, “Well, what is it you have to show me?”

Looking alarmingly guilty, he came over and held out an ear stud with a pink jewel. The moment he dropped it onto her palm she felt the power of it. Whatever it was, it was no child’s plaything.

She said,
“Screeps!”
which was his latest exclamation. “What is it?”

“I’m scared I’ll lose it…and I don’t think I oughta wear it.”

“Oh?” That was worrisome. “But what does it do?”

“It eavesdrops,” he mumbled, staring at her toes. “Lets you listen to what people are saying.”

“Sit down, for stars’ sake. It
does
? How far away?”

“Far.”

A few more delicate questions established that it had been a present from Dschubba, and that Rigel had noticed Izar using it, and had disapproved. In Izar’s universe, the stars revolved around Rigel. Anything he disliked was anathema.

“I agree with Rigel. This is probably an illegal use of magic. It’s sneaky to eavesdrop on people.”

“Friends,” he agreed, staring longingly at the gem she was holding. “How about enemies?”

At that point most mothers would ask what enemies, but the hard fact was that Izar did have enemies. To confiscate it outright would be a negative reward for his honesty.

“It might have a use there,” she agreed. “Why don’t we ask Halfling Wasat to hold onto it in case you need it to spy on your enemies someday.”

He brightened. “And we could have a swim!” He had been dry for all of half an hour.

“We could indeed.”

Needing no further encouragement, Izar ran to the bow to open the window and tell Saidak to take them to the Sirius pool.

He came back looking much more cheerful. “Maybe the old man will have some other starry amulets for me?” He bounced down on the bench and stretched out his legs to admire his toes. Wasat Halfling had given him his beloved dragon.

“Any more and your ears will fall off. Did you spy on me with this thing?”

Izar said, “Um,” and turned pinkish. “Not much.”

Rephrase the question
. “What did you overhear that you weren’t supposed to hear?”

Mutter. “Heard Rigel tell his secret plan to Avior Halfling, ’cept he knew I was listening, so that wasn’t really eavesdropping. He said I wasn’t to tell you it unless you asked me.”

“Then you mustn’t.” Talitha had guessed enough of what Rigel was planning to know that she definitely did not want to know more. “That all?”

Redness flowed up all the way to the tips of Izar’s considerable ears. “Listened to Elegy hectoring Rigel.”

Oh, so that was it! “And?”

“He isn’t really your consort,” Izar whispered, not looking at her. “Not really, er, really.”

“Do you have any idea of the trouble you would cause me if you told anyone that?”

He nodded vigorously. “Haven’t told anyone! Won’t. Promise.” But then he did dare a glance. “I’m glad.”

“I trust you.” She hugged him. “So am I—glad, I mean.”

“You love Rigel?”

“I adore him. He’s a wonderful person, a fitting son of a queen and lover of a queen.”

Toothy grin. “Is he good?”

She had long ago learned that she couldn’t raise Izar by pulling from above. She had to go down to his level and push.

“He’s terrific; very gentle and patient.”

“Oh.” Not what Izar had expected to hear.

“If you ever tell
anyone
I said this, especially him, I will tear your ears off, I swear, but I would give up the throne rather than give up Rigel. Not because he’s great in bed, but because he’s brave and kind and honest and fun, and so it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t get it up more than once a year, understand?”

Impressed at sharing such grown-up talk with his mother, Izar nodded emphatically. “I love him too.” He considered for a moment and then said solemnly, “I’ve ’dopted him as my big brother. You’d better not tell him that.”

“Of course I won’t,” she said, never doubting that Rigel had known it for a lot longer than Izar had.

The Sirius pool was one of many pools in the palace large enough for
Saidak
, but it was the closest to the royal treasury of Miaplacidus. Since Tyl and Thabit had never seen the treasury before, Izar thought it funny to prattle to them about all the wonderful stuff in it as he led the way to the anteroom. When they arrived, he laughed at their puzzled expressions. The room was small, with an unglazed window overlooking the harbor. Its doorway was unenclosed, the walls were covered with images and inscriptions, and the only furnishings were a small rug and a low table.

Then Talitha joined them. She laid her hand on the key symbols, the magic recognized her royal authority, and a section of wall faded away.

“And watch this!” Izar crowed, pushing through first.

“Two!” said the Anubis statue.

Then “One,” as he backed out again. “Two, one…”

“Out of the way,” Talitha said.

“Two, three, four, five, four, five…”

“Close the door, Anubis,” Izar commanded. “Come on, you two!” He took off over the sand, heading directly for the pool.

Miaplacidus was an oasis, complete with swimmable water, palm trees, various whitewashed buildings that housed the royal collection, and sand extending forever in all directions. Wasat Halfling was sitting cross-legged in the sunlight, wrapped up against the elfin chill, sorting through a heap of bracelets laid out on a rug. Steadying himself by leaning one hand against a palm tree, he struggled to his feet, making it just in time to bow to the queen when she reached him.

By then Izar was already foaming his way through the water and his guards were stripping off their robes to join him. Talitha felt safe, therefore, in giving the old man a buss on the forehead. He gaped up at her in astonishment, then smiled toothlessly.

“He told you?”

She smiled. “No, Electra did. You must be very proud of your fine son.”

“Indeed, indeed, Your Majesty. Very proud…” For a moment sadness darkened his ancient face, for Rigel’s birth had brought his parents more trouble than joy. Then he began babbling about fetching a chair.

“The sand is fine,” she said, dropping to her knees. “Tell me what you make of this,” she said, holding out the pink amulet.

He settled down awkwardly, and much more slowly, then accepted the earring. As a halfling, he could have very little magic of his own, but after a century or more as royal curator he knew more about amulets than anyone else in the Starlands. After a few moments, he lifted his head cloth to fix the device in his puny human ear and turned toward the pool, where Tyl and Thabit were currently throwing Izar back and forth like a beach ball. His screams of gleeful outrage were perfectly audible to Talitha, and Wasat winced at the amplification. He removed the hearing aid quickly.

“Illegal for any of Your Majesty’s subjects to possess, of course,” he said. “Very probably stolen, but old enough to be unusually powerful. Any provenance?”

“My son got it from a friend, probably by dubious means. The friend probably stole it. Rigel caught Izar with it and talked him out of it, or talked it off of him. Now you’re supposed to keep it safe until he needs it.”

The old man nodded doubtfully. “As Your Majesty commands.”

Wasat’s appearance was deceptive. He had been Electra’s chosen lover for a hundred years, trusted by her to keep watch over the priceless royal collection of amulets.

“What are you thinking?” Talitha said. “Tell me.”

“It can be turned off, you know. Maybe Izar doesn’t know that? If you turn the stone, like this…”

“You think I should let him keep it?”

“An ordinary boy, of course not. But your son is not an ordinary boy, ma’am, if I may say so. It might make a big difference—if he thought he was being followed, for example. Could you trust him to use it only in emergencies?”

Talitha nodded. “Yes, I can trust him now. He’s grown up a lot over the past few months, and your son has done wonders for him. Thank you.” She held out a hand and took back the amulet. “Has Rigel told you we are lovers?”

His sudden blush was answer enough. “No, Your Majesty! In fact he strongly denies it. Vicious lies, he said.”

She laughed. “They were lies until a few weeks ago. One night our dreams suddenly came true. I love him very much.”

Tears glistened in the halfling’s eyes. “From his expression whenever your name is mentioned, I am sure Your Majesty has no more devoted servant.”

Before he could comment further, the Anubis statue proclaimed, “Six!”

Talitha turned to see the subject of their conversation stalking across the sand toward them. Watching him in broad daylight—a luxury she rarely dared indulge in now—she realized how intense her infatuation was. He was tall and skinny for a mudling, short and muscular by elfin standards, but he moved like a dream, sinews flexing under his skin. She loved the feel of that skin, his scent, his taste—there were very few parts of Rigel she had not licked, sucked, and nibbled by now. His white eyes and hair made him seem like an overgrown imp, but that he was certainly not. “Madly” in love was not just an expression. She dreamed of him whenever they were apart and could barely keep her hands off him when he was within reach.

She had expected to be safe from interruptions here in Miaplacidus. Only four people in the Starlands could open the way to it, but Rigel was one of them.

His expression was grim.

There were witnesses—Izar was shouting for him—so he bowed formally to her and waited for her command before he sat. He smiled cryptically at his father.

“What’s wrong?” Talitha said. “Bad tidings?”

He shrugged. “Kurhah’s trying to raise a palace revolt against you. But that may not be a bad thing. I need a favor, Your Majesty.”

“What?”

His eyes gleamed. “A royal warrant for the arrest of Vildiar Naos.”