Eye of the Labyrinth (9 page)

PART TWO

OF DECEIT AND VENGEANCE

Chapter 15

Grannon Rock came into view through a haze of low-slung cloud. The morning air misted across the deck of the ship with a rain so fine it was little more than a heavy fog.

Nova was a relatively new city and much of it reeked of damp and recent construction. The city had an aroma of freshly sawn timber, stonecutters’ dust and wet mortar. Although it was almost two decades since the return of the second sun, many of the buildings were still encased in scaffolding, and there were piles of dressed stone, particularly marble, stacked untidily along the shoreline, where the salvage crews had dumped them after they were recovered from the drowned city beneath the sea.

The harbor was new, too; so new that the seabed still had to be regularly dredged to rid it of the sunken debris that fouled the water and made it perilous for shipping. During the Age of Shadows, and the Age of Light before it, Nova had been situated much lower down the mountain. The earthquakes and tidal waves that accompanied the departure of the second sun had shattered the city, and the return of the sun had brought with it floods that covered what was left.

Dirk was quite impressed by Nova’s grandiose, albeit recycled, architecture. The city sprawled over the peak of the submerged mountain. The more impressive buildings were high on the slopes overlooking the harbor. The meaner dwellings closer to the docks had an air of impermanence about them. Everyone assumed that the oceans had risen as much as they were going to, now that the second sun was firmly established in the sky, but there was no guarantee. The people who lived closest to the shore might wake one morning to find their homes under water.

“They’re building a new library,” Reithan remarked, pointing to an enormous half-completed building near the peak. They were standing on the foredeck of the
Makuan
as she sailed through the heads. Porl Isingrin could be heard yelling orders to his crew over the creaking of the rigging and the snap of canvas. Although they had offered to help, Tia, Reithan and Dirk were passengers on this trip, and Porl had advised them to make the most of their brief holiday and enjoy the view.

“It’s supposed to be twice the size of the one at the university in Avacas,” Tia remarked.

Dirk had seen the university’s library. It was huge. “Why build so large a library?”

“Jealousy, mostly,” Reithan surmised with a shrug. “Dhevynian academics still resent their exclusion from Avacas.”

“Well, why shouldn’t they resent it?” Tia asked. “It’s ridiculous banning people from the Senet University just because of their nationality.”

Reithan nodded thoughtfully. “I never understood the logic behind that, myself. You’d think the High Priestess would want to keep the Dhevynian scholars in a place where she could keep an eye on them. Allowing them their own center of learning away from the supervision of the Church just allows heresy to ferment.”

Dirk shrugged as he looked out over the harbor. “She probably thinks it’s better to let a little rebellion ferment and keep it manageable, than to try to smother it completely and have it blow up in her face someday.”

“I never realized you knew the High Priestess so well, Dirk. Is this something you should have shared with us before now?”

Dirk turned to look at Tia, shaking his head. “You know, one day, Tia, I’m going to say something that you actually
can’t
find a way to twist around into proof that I’m a Senetian informer.”

She smiled. “Really? I can’t wait.”

“Tia ...” Reithan warned.

“Oh, settle down, Reithan. I’m only teasing. Dirk’s a big boy. He can handle it.”

Dirk grinned suddenly. “How do you know I’m a big boy, Tia? Have you been peeking?”

It took Tia a moment to realize what he was suggesting. She blushed crimson and punched him painfully on the shoulder. “You’re disgusting!”

Without waiting for his response, she stalked off toward the stern. Reithan looked at Dirk and sighed heavily. “You really can’t help flirting with danger, can you?”

“I’m sorry. I just get a little fed up with her relentless hatred sometimes.”

“You do bear her torments with a remarkable degree of stoicism,” Reithan agreed. “If it was me, I’d have throttled her long ago.”

“Don’t think I haven’t been tempted on more than one occasion.”

“You know, I don’t think she really hates you ... maybe she really likes you and just doesn’t want you to know it,” he suggested with a grin.

“Well, if that’s her plan, Reithan, it’s working. Really,
really
well.”

Reithan laughed as Porl came forward to join them. He pointed to a compact, three-masted, square-rigged ship anchored at the docks that bore the royal insignia of Dhevyn. “The queen’s arrived already.” Then he turned to Dirk curiously. “What did you do to upset Tia?”

“I woke up this morning.”

“Ah,” Porl said, nodding in understanding. “That would do it.”

Reithan smiled and turned his back on the view to face Porl. “We’ll need to contact Rainan as soon as possible.”

“Alexin promised to broach the subject with the queen as soon as he could. Landfall night will probably be the best time to meet with her. There’ll be plenty of strangers around and most of the Senetians on the island will be at the ritual once the second sun sets.”

“Aren’t you risking an awful lot, being seen openly?” Dirk asked.

“In Nova I’m just another trader captain.” Porl shrugged. “I’ve been coming here for years and never had much trouble. Besides, we have a few friends in high places. We’ll be safe enough. I don’t like
your
chances, though, should anybody recognize you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my head down,” Dirk promised. “I’m getting very good at it, actually.”

“You do that, lad.” The captain hesitated for a moment, as if debating something with himself. “There’s something else I to want you to promise me.”

Dirk looked at Porl curiously. “Name it.”

“I want your word that you’ll not do anything reckless while we’re here.”

“Are you worried that I might?”

Porl shrugged uneasily. “Nova’s a busy port. There’s lots of rumors flying around, gossip, that sort of thing. Don’t listen to it, Dirk.”

“If it makes you happy,” Dirk agreed, thinking it the strangest thing anyone had asked of him since he had arrived in Mil. He glanced at Reithan, wondering if his stepbrother had any idea of why Porl Isingrin would deliver such a warning. For some reason Reithan looked away uncomfortably and refused to meet his eye.

A little puzzled by the behavior of both Reithan and Porl, Dirk turned to the captain. “Do you really think Rainan will agree to meet with us?”

“There’s no way of knowing,” Porl admitted. “But with the wedding so close, she might be willing to clutch at anything to delay it.”

“She’s just as likely not to want anything to do with you for the same reason,” Dirk pointed out. “It’s odd, though, don’t you think, that Antonov is staying in Avacas for Landfall? You’d think this close to the wedding he would want to keep an eye on the queen himself.”

“I’m sure the Lion of Senet has plenty of other more diverting pastimes than looming over the Queen of Dhevyn every chance he gets,” Reithan remarked with a forced laugh.

“Actually, I disagree,” Dirk said, shaking his head. “Ruling Dhevyn, even by proxy through Kirsh, means everything to Antonov. I can’t imagine what he would find more important than that.”

Reithan and Porl exchanged a nervous look, making Dirk highly suspicious.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s hardly going to affect us while we’re here on Grannon Rock,” Reithan declared, deliberately putting an end to any further discussion. “By the way, Porl, I’ve been meaning to ask you ... how’s young Eryk doing?”

“Not too bad,” Porl answered, apparently just as relieved to be discussing something else. “The lads have been giving him a bit of a hard time, but he can follow instructions if they’re clear enough. He’ll make a fine sailor in time.”

“What do you mean they’ve been giving him a hard time?” Dirk asked. He had hardly seen Eryk on the voyage, and when he had, the boy had been morose and untalkative. Dirk glanced back over the deck, but could see no sign of his young friend.

Porl slapped his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t panic, lad. It’s just the normal sort of roughhousing you’d expect with a young ’un. It’s like an initiation. He’s fine.”

“Don’t interfere, Dirk,” Reithan warned. “If the boy is going to make his own way in life, you can’t keep protecting him.”

“I know, it’s just ...”

“Reithan’s right, lad,” Porl agreed. “Leave well enough alone. My lads won’t do him any lasting harm.”

Dirk nodded uncertainly. After years of watching over Eryk, he was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving him to fend for himself among the pirates who crewed the
Makuan.
But they were right. At some point, Eryk was going to have to make his own way in life, and the best thing Dirk could do for him now was allow him to stand on his own two feet.

But it did not feel right. Dirk turned back to watching the
Makuan
slice through the waves toward the city of Nova, unable to shake the feeling that both Reithan and Porl were keeping something from him, but whether it was to do with Eryk, or it was something more sinister, he could not tell.

Chapter 16

The queen and her party were met by the Duke of Grannon Rock when they docked in Nova and taken by carriage to the duke’s residence on the peak of the mountain. The rain dissipated quickly once the second sun was fully risen, leaving the air humid and uncomfortable.

Alenor had only met the duke once before, when he had visited Avacas several years earlier, and she could barely remember him. Saban Seranov proved a surprisingly cheerful man with brown eyes and gray-streaked hair that fell across his face constantly. He always seemed to be brushing it aside. He greeted the queen formally, sparing a brief smile for his son, Alexin, when he noticed him among the guard.

“Your eldest son is not in residence at the moment?” Rainan inquired, once the introductions had been made.

“Raban will be home tomorrow, your majesty. He’s out checking on the reconstruction in one of the villages on the other side of the island. I apologize if you’re offended that he’s not here to welcome you.”

“No offense taken, my lord. I was merely curious. I imagine Alexin is looking forward to catching up with his brother.”

The duke smiled briefly. “I believe, your majesty, that separating my sons was one of the more intelligent decisions I’ve made in my life. I’d not be too eager to see them reunited.”

“Don’t they get along?” Alenor asked curiously.

“On the contrary, your highness, they get along famously, which is mostly the problem. It’s paying for the damage they cause in their enthusiasm that concerns me.”

Alenor glanced at Alexin. The captain of the guard was looking rather embarrassed. “I can’t wait to hear all about their escapades, my lord,” she said, turning back to the duke. “Alexin is always so ... proper ... at court.”

The duke smiled. “I’m beginning to wonder if we’re talking about the same man. But come, your highness, let me see you and the queen settled and provided with refreshments. Perhaps later I’ll tell you about some of the pranks my sons are famous for.”

“I look forward to that,” Alenor replied, smiling at Alexin. The captain rolled his eyes but said nothing. Kirsh stood a few paces from Alexin, his blue-and-silver uniform making him unremarkable amid his fellow guardsmen. Rainan made no attempt to introduce him to the duke, but if he was offended, he gave no sign of it.

The Duke of Grannon Rock’s residence was too big to be called a house, but not really large enough to be called a palace. Constructed of wood and stone, it was a rambling structure that sprawled over the peak of a hill, and seemed more a cluster of connected buildings than one large house. They were met by an honor guard made up of the household staff. Alenor stepped down from the coach and glanced back over the island. The rain had lifted, and in the distance, she could just make out a ship sailing through the heads toward the harbor.

Duke Saban led them through the honor guard into the house. He showed them their rooms, and then had Alexin show them to the communal bathhouse that served the whole complex. It was fed by a hot spring, and the room stank of sulfur, but Alenor was delighted at the prospect of soaking away the grime of her journey in the luxurious pool.

“Just let me know when you wish to use the baths, your highness,” Alexin told her. “I’ll have a guard posted to ensure you’re not disturbed.”

“Thank you, Captain,” she said, glancing across the steamy room at Kirsh. Her betrothed was on his best behavior, she noted, doing nothing to draw attention to himself. He had not even blinked when Rainan failed to introduce him to the duke. Kirsh was here as a member of their guard, not the future Regent of Dhevyn, and seemed quite content in that role. He smiled at her, but did nothing more.

Rainan saw his smile and turned to Alexin. “Just be certain you handpick the guard, Alexin. Her highness has a reputation to uphold.”

“Never fear, your majesty. The Princess Alenor’s virtue is safe in the hands of the Queen’s Guard.”

Alenor glared at the queen, quite annoyed to be discussed in such a manner. “I rather think my virtue would be better served if the Queen’s Guard kept their hands to themselves, don’t you, Mother?”

Alexin bit back a smile and looked away. Alenor liked Alexin. She knew he was the closest thing to a friend that Kirsh had in the guard. That reason alone was enough to make her look favorably upon the young man.

Rainan stared at her daughter for a moment and then shook her head. “You deliberately misunderstand me, Alenor.”

Alenor did not answer her mother. She turned to Alexin instead and smiled brightly. “So, Captain, is there anything else we need to know about?”

“Not that I can think of at present, your highness.”

“In that case we shall return to the house and get ready for lunch,” Rainan decreed. “If that’s all right with you, Alenor.”

“It is.”

Alexin snapped his fingers and their escort filed out of the steaming bathhouse, but before Alenor and her mother could follow, the captain stepped in front of them, blocking their way.

“Captain,” Rainan said. “Is there a problem?”

Alexin glanced around the room to be certain they were alone before answering. His demeanor was almost ... furtive, Alenor thought curiously.

“I have ... a message, your majesty,” Alexin began, a little uncertainly. “One that I must ask you to keep in the strictest confidence.”

“You have me intrigued, Alexin. What is this mysterious message?”

Alexin coughed to clear his throat before continuing. “Ah ... there are some ... people ... coming to Nova who would like to arrange a meeting with you. To discuss matters of great importance regarding Dhevyn’s future.”

Her mother did not display any obvious sign of surprise. “I see. And why do your friends wish to discuss Dhevyn’s future with
me
?”

“I never said they were my friends, your majesty.”

Rainan smiled. “Very well then, your associates.”

“Neither are they my associates. I am merely passing on a message.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“I believe they feel that an alliance may be worth discussing.”

“Mother—”

“Later, Alenor,” the queen said sharply, before returning her attention to Alexin.

“Why are they doing this now?”

“I couldn’t say, your majesty. But they are most anxious to meet with you.”

“My answer is no, Alexin.”

The Guardsman nodded. If he was disappointed, Alenor couldn’t tell. “I understand, your majesty.” He bowed and took a step backward before turning for the door.

“Alexin,” the queen called after him.

“Ma’am?”

“This is a dangerous game you have involved yourself in.”

“I happen to think it worth the risk.”

When he was gone, Alenor sank down on the edge of the baths, feeling light-headed and more than a little shocked. Although she had heard Antonov complain about them when she lived in Avacas, this was the first overt sign she had ever seen that the Queen’s Guard were actively working against Senet.

“Alenor?” her mother asked. “Are you unwell?”

“You think this offer comes from the Baenlanders, don’t you.”

She shrugged, and seemed unsurprised. “It’s not an unreasonable assumption. Alexin’s cousin, Reithan, is very highly placed with the pirates. He may even be their leader now that Johan is gone. On the other hand, Alexin is Saban Seranov’s son. This might be some twisted game of Antonov’s designed to test my loyalty.”

“It seems a little subtle for the Lion of Senet. It sounds more like a plot Belagren would hatch. Besides, I thought you trusted Alexin.”

“I do trust him,” Rainan said. “I just don’t trust his father.”

“Why won’t you meet with them?”

“I don’t think I can risk it, Alenor.”

“But if they could help us—”

“If they could help us, Alenor, they would have done it long before now, when Johan ruled them. The truth is, the Baenlanders are probably falling apart without his leadership and need our help. I can’t afford to become involved. Not now. Not with the wedding so close.”

“But couldn’t you just meet with them? Find out what they want?”

“No, Alenor,” the queen replied emphatically. “And I’ll thank you not to raise the subject again.”

“But, Mother—”

“I said no, Alenor.”

With that, the queen swept up her skirts and followed Alexin outside, leaving Alenor staring after her.