Goddess (14 page)

‘I am ready to leave, my Zar,’ he said.

‘Lazar, there is a change of plan,’ Boaz said, and Herezah, dragging herself from her musings on the Spur, was pleased her son was being direct and firm.

‘Oh?’ Lazar said, his eyes narrowing.

‘I have decided to come with you.’

The Spur’s expression changed from instant surprise to dumbstruck. The silence lengthened.

‘And,’ Boaz continued, ‘as you know, I am sending Pez. I fear for his safety here and he is contrary enough to be uncontrollable. If we lose him in the city or he creates any havoc during any diplomatic discussions it could be dangerous.’ He held his hand up and Herezah was surprised that the Spur wasn’t remonstrating. Perhaps Lazar was still too shocked from learning that the Zar was coming with him as well. She listened to her son’s rationale for sending Pez. ‘You and he get on in the same friendly way that he and I do. He feels
calm around you. And I give you my permission to leave him with whomever you must in order to complete your task for the Crown.’

‘I’m sensing there is still more, Highness,’ Lazar said, his tone icy but polite. ‘Pez is the least of my worries.’

‘I am also bringing the Grand Vizier. I—’

Lazar’s interrupted. ‘Forgive me, my Zar, but this is turning into a caravan as cumbersome as that which caused the abduction of the Zaradine in the first place. If our party had been your wife, myself and Jumo, as I originally intended, we would have made it across the desert to Romea without losing Jumo to quicksand because we were trying to feed such a vast number, or losing your wife to a madman.’

‘Are you blaming me for Jumo’s death and Ana’s loss, Lazar?’ Boaz asked, his tone brittle.

‘No, my Zar, not at all. But I advised you then and I give you the same advice now: the desert is hostile,’ Lazar replied carefully. ‘I cannot protect so many and we are vulnerable in numbers. I can perhaps look after Pez but not four of us.’

‘Lazar, I watched you cut down a dozen men in moments!’ Herezah exclaimed, unable to stop herself deriding his modesty. ‘It’s vital for Percheron that the Zar is seen to be doing something.’

The Spur’s gaze, repressed fury evident, slid from the Zar to his mother. ‘Valide, is it your idea that your son risk his life in the desert?’ Lazar asked, his rage now directed at her.

‘It is not my mother’s idea at all,’ Boaz interrupted before Herezah could answer. ‘She is here because I have just told her of my plan. And also to brief me about the new liaison that seems to have erupted between yourself and the Valide.’

Lazar’s mouth dropped open and Herezah smirked behind her veil. Though Lazar had probably feared Boaz would learn of what had occurred this morning, he must have anticipated that the news would come from Salmeo, not from her. Now she had him. He would not go against the Zar’s wishes, not feeling so threatened.

‘Our liaison?’ he spluttered.

‘Lazar, don’t be embarrassed,’ she leapt in, keeping her voice smooth, calm. ‘The Zar understands. In fact, I think he might even give our new union his blessing. I wanted him to be the first to know and I didn’t want the Grand Master Eunuch to have anything dangling over either of us. You know how cunning he can be?’ Lazar nodded, seemingly stunned. ‘I am sure this news makes Boaz happy, in the sense that you and I will no longer have to publicly take out on each other our frustration at being apart. Now that the Zar and Ana are married, about to give us an heir, we need them both to feel unharassed by our bickering.’ She conveyed through her pleading stare that she had good reason for this humiliating revelation and that Lazar must go along with her ruse.

Lazar took a steadying breath, then shook his head briefly. ‘Zar Boaz, I do not wish to talk about
this here and now. I am preparing for a dangerous journey and there are far more important things at stake for Percheron.’

‘I couldn’t agree more,’ the Zar said.

‘I wish to strongly counsel against your accompanying me into the desert, Highness. No Zar has ever undertaken such a perilous journey and whatever your decision I humbly beg you to reconsider sending the Grand Vizier. He was an encumbrance last time and he will be so on this occasion. He serves no value on the journey—he is awkward on the camel, he is senior in years, he is another mouth to feed, he cannot swing a sword and he is hostile towards Pez. If I must have the dwarf alongside me, I beseech you to reconsider sending the Grand Vizier.’

‘Lazar, I am going to share something with you now that is private. I do not fully trust the Grand Vizier to run the realm in my absence, but that is precisely what he will try to do the moment I am gone.’

‘Then don’t leave, Highness.’

‘I must. I realise that until we have our heir, I am endangering Percheron’s Crown by making myself an easy target for the Galinseans. Until my son is secured, Lazar, I must protect myself for Percheron’s sake. At the same time, I refuse to cringe and flee, so I shall protect myself by removing myself from the city. I intend to show the people that I am fighting back in a different fashion, by helping rescue the Zaradine and our heir. I hope it will
bolster my people’s courage, instil a fresh wave of pride in their Crown.’

Lazar murmured something under his breath before addressing his Zar. ‘Highness, if you leave and you take the Grand Vizier with you, who is going to be the figurehead who will deal with the inevitable delegation from Galinsea? Your enemy is being exceptionally patient, Highness. It suprises me and it reveals that they too are unsure of this war. That means we have a chance to arrest any escalation—but it needs to be handled with diplomacy and subtlety.’

Boaz nodded. ‘Exactly, and that is why I shall appoint only the most capable person, a person with a fine understanding of politics. It’s important that the royalty of Percheron should open negotiations.’

Lazar looked momentarily baffled but Herezah watched with satisfaction as a dawning moved across his face, his eyes widening, mouth slackening. ‘The Valide?’ He couldn’t disguise his alarm.

‘She is well suited to the task. I have thought this through, Lazar. Galinsean pride would not allow them to go to war with anyone but the Zar himself. My mother’s mind is as agile as yours or mine. And she can act more vulnerable than any man. Plus, you more than most, should acknowledge her powerful skills in charm and seduction.’ Herezah smiled inwardly as Boaz’s last barb hit Lazar hard. He clamped his mouth tight, and stared at his Zar, his fury pent up but controlled.

‘May I, Boaz?’ Herezah asked. The Zar nodded. She stepped forward, her eyes softening, and she saw how much Lazar still disliked her. He would not forgive her easily for either this or her previous cunning, but he was clearly mindful of his debt to her. She would trade on that.

‘Lazar, don’t you see we have to keep Boaz safe? I agree that he should not be put in any danger. Perhaps you could leave him somewhere that is relatively safe, whilst you press on towards Ana? No, Boaz,’ she said, turning at her son’s sound of protest, ‘Lazar must have some say in this. He is leading this journey again and after the last attempt I can understand his anxiety and reluctance. We must respect his knowledge and fears.’ She turned back to Lazar, her eyes glittering, hoping he was taking in her silent messages. ‘But if Ana needs help being carried, you have more hands if Boaz is there. If you need more eyes to scan the dunes, you have them—and this time you don’t have your trusted Jumo at your side. Furthermore, I’m sure news of our Zar’s journey would impress your father, Lazar. He would at least hold off on any engagement with our army until Boaz was ready to accept defeat or fight.’

‘You claim to know the Galinsean royal mind well, Valide,’ Lazar replied, cutting through her smugness.

‘I have known you for long enough, Lazar. You have been our silent teacher.’

‘I am not my father,’ he growled.

‘But you know what we say is true,’ Boaz joined in, his words sounding final.

Lazar bowed. ‘Zar Boaz. I will give my life for you, but not for the Grand Vizier. I can be no more honest than that.’

‘Or blunt,’ Boaz replied. ‘He can take his chances, Lazar. I feel sure we will be successful in this venture and that you will keep us safe.’

Herezah watched the Spur’s jaw grind before he spoke. ‘There is nothing more to discuss then, my Zar. I shall adjust our departure for early this evening. We will depart from the same location from which we left originally.’

‘We will be there. We will travel so lightly you’ll hardly notice us, Lazar.’

‘I’ll make the necessary arrangements. Here is the letter for my father. Valide, I imagine you are now the best person to give this to. It is a private message.’

Herezah noticed he could barely hide the sneer as he handed it to her. ‘Good luck, Lazar. I hope you will allow me to say farewell properly.’

Lazar refused to answer her, bowing instead to the Zar. ‘I shall take my leave, Majesty.’

But Lazar didn’t leave immediately. Suffused with anger, he left a message with Bin that he would be in his old sick chamber and wished to speak with the Valide if she would meet him there.

He strode through the palace towards the harem, veering off in the direction of the wing where his former rooms were located. Once inside, he prowled around his old quarters, as restless as one of the great cats he had watched roaming up and down its caged enclosure in the royal zoo. Memories got the better of him. He left the chamber as Herezah’s seduction assaulted him for the second time that day, stepping out grim-faced onto the balcony and dragging in a lungful of sea air in the hope of clearing his thoughts. The task ahead was fraught with danger; he really needed to be focused on Ana and Arafanz, not Herezah’s petty manipulations. He waited for an hour, lost in his thoughts.

‘Thinking about me?’ a voice drawled as arms came around his waist.

It was unlike Lazar to allow anyone to creep up on him and he rounded on her angrily, as much because of his vulnerability as because of her actions.

He pulled her arms away from his body roughly. ‘What game are you playing at now, Herezah?’

‘Lazar!’ she breathed. ‘You are exciting when you are stirred like this.’

He batted away her playful hands. ‘Have you finally gone mad?’ he demanded. ‘What is in your head, convincing your son to go into the desert? You are aware that Arafanz is likely to want the entire royal family, and those that serve them, dead?’

‘How can you possibly know that?’ she asked, her friskiness temporarily banished.

Yes, how can I know that
? he asked himself, annoyed that he’d let that information from Pez slip.

Herezah gave him the answer. ‘Did that madman threaten us further after he’d sent us off like dogs running in the desert?’

‘Did you think he was just playing some sort of game? Did you not imagine that he would strike you down in a blink? Of course he told me! His very intention is to kill the Zar.’

She frowned, arrested by his claim. ‘He stole Ana to lure Boaz?’

‘Quite possibly.’

‘I thought he’d taken her for himself.’

‘I believe his intentions are aimed squarely at the Crown. And now you’ve just handed him the Zar of Percheron on a platter. I had a slim chance, Herezah, of finding and bringing back the heir of this realm. You’ve dashed that tiny chance now. You’ve burdened me with not just Boaz, inexperienced, needing day and night protection because of who he is, but in case it wasn’t enough of a challenge you’ve also lumbered me with an old man who brings nothing but more trouble. And there’s Pez. How am I supposed to launch a rescue mission when I’m babysitting the Zar of Percheron?’

He was just short of shouting, knew he was getting through because for only the second time
in all the years he’d known her, Herezah looked frightened. The first had been when she was facing death at the hands of Arafanz’s warriors. Now she looked genuinely fearful of him.

‘I…I thought it was the right thing to do. He is in greater danger here, surely?’

‘The right thing for him?’ Lazar mimicked. ‘Or for you? Now you get to play queen for a while!’ He twisted back to face the sea, his disgust at her clearly visible on his face.

‘Is that what you really think?’

‘Tell me, Herezah, because I’m all ears as to what else could possibly inspire you to send your precious son to almost certain death!’ he spat.

‘I won’t be spoken to like this.’

‘You
won’t
? You’ll have me flogged, burned, have my throat cut? I think not, Valide. Not when there’s a Galinsean war fleet just itching to pull into Percheron’s bay, and when our only small hope—and that’s all it is, let me assure you—of holding off war is me alive and well.’

‘You have an inflated idea of your importance to this realm,’ she hurled at him.

He surprised himself by laughing. ‘Is that so? Valide, without me the heir of Percheron is lost. And that means the society you know and love is finished. How do you fancy living under Galinsean rule? You’ll be well and truly out of the harem—that I can promise you. But you may not like serving King Falza and he will be sure to turn you, especially, into a proper slave. No gowns, no
servants, no bathing, no feasting. You’ll work so hard you’ll weep. Your skin will itch from lack of cleanliness, your so beautifully groomed fingernails will be filthy and broken. But let’s look on the bright side. You’ll certainly have at least one meal a day and you’ll never have to fret about the men in your life.’ He leaned in close. ‘You’ll have them queueing at the door and they won’t have to ask your permission.’

She shoved him away, breathing hard. ‘I do not have grand notions of ruling alone. Believe me, Lazar, this was not my idea.’

‘Not your idea? I know it wasn’t Boaz’s inspiration. His mind doesn’t work like that. Only yours does!’

‘You forget, you arrogant Galinsean swine, that my being Boaz’s proxy shifts focus away from our dalliance.’

Her words hit Lazar like stones. ‘Swine? I’ll remember that next time you’re throwing your body at me. Let’s be clear right now, Herezah, there was no dalliance, as you call it. There was a woman, filled with lust like a dog on heat, who took advantage of her position and a man’s gratitude for her kindness, a kindness so rare in his estimation of her that he was surprised into giving over a measure of trust. You may recall, through your haze of salacious desire, that this
dalliance
was one-sided.’