Imperial Spy (37 page)

But who am I to mock the wisdom of the King of Thrandor? Surabar thought wryly as he considered his observations. I’ve been Emperor little more than a month and here I am questioning the
actions of someone who has been King of his country for decades. Then again, I’ve been Commander of a Legion for as long as Malo has ruled here. I don’t know much about diplomacy, or
the welfare of a nation, but I do know about defences and about military matters in general. If I were King of this country, I would not bow to public pressure on this issue. He’s wasting
resources for the sake of sentimentality by rebuilding there.

As Surabar’s party approached, the huge city gates split open and a substantial number of mounted Thrandorian soldiers rode out to meet them. The Thrandorian cavalry wheeled with
impressive speed and within a minute were lined up in a defensive formation in front of the gates. Emperor Surabar raised his hand and his group of two-dozen riders halted, deliberately maintaining
their travelling column formation to avoid unnecessary confrontation.

A single rider dressed in the black and silver uniform of the Thrandorian Royal Guard rode out to meet the column. The guard’s horse pranced forwards with proud steps to halt a few yards
in front of the Emperor. The soldier wore the knots of a captain on his shoulder. Surabar smiled as he noted the Captain’s wary expression.

‘His Majesty, the King of Thrandor, sends greetings to Surabar, Emperor of Shandar. Your Imperial Majesty, you and your men are welcome to ascend to the Palace, but due to recent events
the King insists that you are escorted through the city. A certain amount of racial hostility has built within Mantor. King Malo does not want to allow matters between our nations to worsen through
lack of simple precautions against potential troublemakers.’

‘Your King is most wise,’ Surabar replied. ‘We will be honoured by your escort, Captain. Lead on.’

The Captain bowed in his saddle and turned to lead the way into the city. Surabar gave the signal to the Shandese party to follow. Once again the Thrandorian cavalry reacted to the approaching
column with precision and discipline, first forming a front guard and then falling in alongside and behind the visitors in a fine display of organised riding.

If they fight as well as they drill, then it is no wonder the Legions found them a formidable enemy, Surabar reflected as he passed under the arch of the gateway and into Mantor. The big
questions that remain are: what sort of reception awaits at the Palace; and what has happened to Femke, Danar and the others?

As he passed into the city, the Emperor could not help feeling like a rabbit walking into a fox’s den.

Reynik, together with Kalheen, Phagen and Sidis arrived at the Royal Court under escort and were taken to seats on the front row. The guards who accompanied them in took up
post nearby. Whether this was to guard them as hostiles or to protect them was not obvious. Either way the King’s personal protection force was adopting a vigilant stance. Reynik was tense.
So many things could go wrong here. The plan Femke had concocted was risky in the extreme, but they had been left with few options.

The Royal Court was a large rectangular hall with tiered seating, which had been built in a three-quarter oval shape. The King’s throne was flat to the back wall facing the main entrance,
giving a focal point for the seating, which had been constructed to curve around the corners of the room. This gave the room a feeling of roundness at odds with the actual shape of the walls. The
amphitheatre-style seating was built so that the top levels of seating were about two-thirds of the way up the high walls and a line of half a dozen windows on either side allowed natural light to
supplement the three great torchlight chandeliers hanging from the central beam of the roof.

The King’s throne had been shifted sideways today, and a second throne, equally as magnificent, if slightly less raised, had been erected to the right of King Malo’s. This was a
sight that had not been seen in Thrandor in living memory.

As people filed in and shuffled to their seats, Reynik scanned the faces carefully. The Courtroom had been half full before he arrived, so Shalidar could be anywhere. At the same time, he made
an assessment of the disposition of the guards and the various avenues of escape from the Royal Court. There were more potential exit points than he cared for. He could not cover them all –
particularly as the escort guards were likely to delay him if he tried to move. However, the positioning of the guards brought some comfort.

Reynik and Femke had already checked the windows on both sides of the Court. The ones to the left-hand side opened above a clear drop of some twenty feet or more. The windows to the right,
however, opened above the lower rooftops of another part of the Palace and provided a potential escape route for anyone trying to leave the Court in a hurry.

Reynik was pleased to see several Royal Guards positioned by the windows on the right-hand side, but was not overly confident in their abilities. It was unfortunate that unseasonably warm
weather necessitated all of the upper windows to be kept wide open. He knew what Shalidar was capable of and he knew the skill levels of the average guards. If pressed, the assassin would cut
through them like a scythe on harvest day. Guards were better than no guards, but Reynik would have given much to have a few Imperial Legionnaires, or spies, in strategic positions. If only Ennas
had managed to escape, he thought wistfully. One more really capable ally would have made a huge difference.

When Shalidar entered, he glanced casually across at Reynik and his companions. At first, Reynik thought the assassin was looking specifically at him, but then it became apparent that he was
looking at someone else. Glancing around, Reynik noted the recognition in Kalheen’s expression with interest, as the servant locked eyes briefly with the assassin. Shalidar did not let the
glance linger. The assassin chose to climb high up the tiered seating on the right-hand side of the Courtroom. True to his nature, he was maintaining a valid escape route.

Reynik had felt from the beginning that the window escape route was their plan’s greatest weakness. Femke had insisted the main door would be Shalidar’s preferred exit point. The
corridor system outside was a maze, which would help generate confusion amongst searchers. Femke had felt he would prefer this to the open rooftops. Reynik had deferred, as this was her area of
expertise and her plan. Once again, though, the assassin had proved he was not easy to second guess. Reynik’s fear had been realised.

Nothing could be done now. As far as the Courtroom could see, Reynik was being guarded. He would not move until the critical moment.

As Femke would most likely be chained, it would be down to Reynik to see that Shalidar did not leave the Courtroom once the action started. Not an easy task from here, he decided grimly.

The Royal Court soon filled to bursting point and the temperature in the room soared. Everyone had pulled strings to get a seat at today’s trial. Excited voices around the tiered seating
crackled with anticipation. Today’s events would be written into the annals of history. There were no records of the rulers of Thrandor and Shandar holding Court together. The fact they did
so today to hear the case against the Ambassador of Shandar made the occasion all the more tantalising to the spectators.

Shandar was the larger and more powerful nation. In theory, this made Surabar, ruler of the Shandese Empire, eligible to assume the position of Judge. However, by all accounts Emperor Surabar
had waived this option. General consensus held this as a sound political move. This was Mantor, capital of Thrandor. It was two Thrandorian Noblemen who had been murdered. Therefore, in the minds
of the Thrandorian people present it was right that today was to be a Thrandorian trial. Everyone agreed that despite Emperor Surabar’s magnanimous gesture, it would be fascinating to see how
King Malo handled the delicate politics of the situation.

The conversations going on around Reynik were easily overheard. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on Shalidar, but his ears filtered through nearby chat with great interest.

‘Malo’ll bow and scrape to Surabar. I’d bet my last copper sennuts on it,’ said one voice from behind him.

‘He can hardly give the death sentence to the Ambassador with the Shandese Emperor sitting a couple of feet away, can he?’ asked another.

‘Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,’ countered a third. ‘Malo is quiet, but he can be pretty determined when he puts his mind to it. If he orders the death sentence,
there’ll be little Surabar can do about it, short of declaring war.’

‘Who’s to say he won’t?’ said the first voice.

‘There’s not much danger of any more wars for a while after the way we destroyed their Legions down at Kortag.’

‘We, Merris? I didn’t know you were there!’

‘Well, I wasn’t there, but . . .’

The conversation rattled on. Everyone claimed to have some sort of inside knowledge about what would happen today, but few had any real information. Speculation ran rife. The one thing everyone
was able to agree on was that, aside from the battle against the nomads, the trial was the most interesting thing to happen in Mantor for years.

Reynik felt beads of sweat begin to trickle down his brow. The temperature in the Courtroom was rising, but his perspiration was generated as much by his intense concentration as by the heat.
All the seats in the Courtroom were full now. Shalidar had not made any last-minute seat changes and Reynik was racking his brain for ideas on how to get within striking distance quickly.

Suddenly a double line of trumpeters filed into the Courtroom right in front of Reynik. With precision worthy of any elite military unit they formed a line, raised their trumpets and blasted out
a fanfare that momentarily increased the buzz of expectation before washing it away to silence. All got to their feet and fell silent for the entrance of the King and the Emperor.

King Malo and Emperor Surabar stepped in side by side. Again the trumpeters moved with admirable precision to form an honour guard formation. The two rulers moved between them at a stately pace.
As they passed between each pair of trumpeters, the men turned smartly through ninety degrees and marched out of the door.

Emperor Surabar climbed up onto the dais and sat down on his throne, arranging his heavy Mantle as he did so. Reynik could not help wondering how Surabar could stand wearing it in such
oppressive heat, but he knew that the former General would never sidestep a duty.

King Malo reached his throne a moment later and turned to face the Royal Court. He took his seat and, with a rumbling that lasted several seconds, everyone else around the Courtroom sat down in
turn. Once the last person was seated a breathless silence settled over the hall. The King took a few seconds to look around at the sea of faces waiting expectantly for him to speak before drawing
a deep breath.

‘Lords and Ladies of the Royal Court, it is my privilege today to welcome his Imperial Majesty, Surabar, Emperor of Shandar, to my Courtroom. I consider it an honour to have him sit next
to me here in Mantor. I expect members of my Court to offer both Emperor Surabar, and his men, every respect due them during their stay here in Mantor. The Emperor was not in power during the
recent violation of Thrandorian borders by the Legions and none of the men with him here in Mantor were involved with the events surrounding that unfortunate episode. Let us therefore use the
opportunity afforded to us by this visit to welcome the newly invested Emperor and work to mend relationships between our two peoples.’

The King paused for a moment to allow his words a chance to be digested. It was a predictable opening, but now came the difficult part.

‘Emperor Surabar and I have found much common ground already in our brief conference together earlier today. We are both saddened that it has taken the violence of two brutal murders to
bring about today’s meeting. The further discovery of a third murder, two days ago, this time of the new Shandese Ambassador, Lord Danar, has made Emperor Surabar and I of one accord in
wanting to see the killer brought to justice. Today’s trial will allow the Court to hear the evidence brought against the original Shandese Ambassador, Lady Femke, and when the hearing is
complete I will make a judgement based upon that evidence.’ Suddenly, King Malo’s voice turned harder and more determined. ‘I will make it quite clear to you, as I have already
done to Emperor Surabar – justice
will
be done today.’

A few spontaneous cheers sounded from various parts of the Courtroom along with a smatter of clapping. Mostly, however, there was an aura of shocked surprise; the Court had not expected King
Malo to express his feelings so firmly in the presence of the Emperor. Malo held up his right hand for quiet and all voices fell silent.

‘Let it not be said that my Court does not hear a fair trial. We will hear all the evidence from both the prosecution, brought by Lord Brenden, and from the defence, brought by Commander
Sateris of the Shandese Elite Legion who has accompanied the Emperor here specifically for this purpose. Bring in the accused.’

At the order, the main doors were swung open again and four Royal Guards marched into the Courtroom with the dispirited figure of Femke shuffling along between them. Many present were surprised
at her appearance. The Ambassador was dressed in clothes befitting a female Ambassador, but her hair had been cut as short as that of the soldiers around her. Femke’s hands and feet were
manacled. Her head was down and her shoulders were slumped. There was little of the fire in her that had been widely rumoured. She certainly did not look like a vicious killer.

The guards marched Femke forward to a point about five paces in front of King Malo’s throne. There they stopped and held their relative positions.

‘Thank you, men. You may remove the prisoner’s manacles. I don’t believe Ambassador Femke poses a threat with so many guards present.’

Femke raised her eyes to the King for a moment and gave him a look that expressed gratitude for an unexpected favour. The guards looked less than impressed by the order. Reluctantly they
complied. The manacles were removed from Femke’s limbs and she rubbed at her wrists gently. Red weals were clearly evident where the metal had rubbed and Reynik noticed several people in the
audience unconsciously rubbing their own wrists in sympathy.