Inheritance (4 page)

Kumul looked again at Ager’s face, calm in sleep but carrying with it all the scars of war earned in the service of Queen Usharna. He had a premonition then, a warning of some danger, distant but closing in. He tried to wish it away, but it hung at the back of his mind, formless and brooding.

Gasping, Areava broke away from the shreds of her sleep. She looked around wildly, pulling the sheets about her. It took her a few seconds to recognize her own chambers, and when she did, she collapsed back against the bedhead, shivering in the predawn stillness.

The black wings of the nightmare that had roused her still beat in her memory. She had dreamed of the sea rising up over Kendra and the peninsula it was built upon, washing over the great defensive walls, flooding through its narrow streets, surging against the palace itself, and still rising. She had seen her mother Usharna struggling against the waters, the weight of her clothes and the Keys of Power dragging her down relentlessly, and then her half-brother Berayma had appeared, holding out his hand to the queen, their fingers locking. For a moment it had seemed that Berayma would drag her free of the flood, but the pull of the sea was too great and his grip weakened. Areava saw the strain on her brother’s face as he tried to hold on to the queen’s hand, and then her fingers, and then the tearing sleeve of her gown…

“Oh, God.” Areava wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging herself tightly. A sob broke from her and she could not help the tears that came. She felt ashamed of her weakness, but the dream had been so terrible, so frightening.

She steadied her breathing, made herself stop crying, then slipped out of bed. She stirred the dying embers in the hearth, added a few small logs. Slowly the fire restarted; with the increasing warmth the last shreds of the dream seemed to evaporate from her mind, leaving behind nothing but a vague disquiet about the future. But Princess Areava of Kendra did not believe in premonitions or prophecies. Putting aside the uneasiness, she started dressing, wondering what had woken her. She remembered the sound of riders cantering into the forecourt. Had it been part of the dream? She went to the narrow door that led to her balcony and opened it. She looked over the railing to the forecourt below and saw several horses being led to the stables. So that part was real. A thought, unbidden, came to her that perhaps all of it had been real, and a shiver went down her spine.

The sun was already well above the horizon when Lynan was roused by Pirem. His servant gave no greeting, simply held out his clothes for him as he dressed and helped put on his belt with its small dress knife.

Lynan checked himself in the mirror. He liked what he saw. If not as tall as his siblings, he was as wide, and he did not object to a face which, if not handsome, was not so bad it would scare the ghosts out of children. His focus shifted and he smiled at the reflection of Pirem, whose face would scare the ghost out of a seasoned warrior. He was as short as Lynan, thin as a fencing blade, with a head made up of more sharp points than a knife box. Pirem’s lips were sealed tight.

“Not talking this morning, Pirem?”

“No.”

“Did you have a particularly heavy night on the drink?”

“Not as heavy as you, your Highness,” Pirem said pointedly.

“Ah. I see. You are angry with me.”

“Angry with you, your Highness? Me? What right has a lowly servant to be angry with the boy he has raised almost singlehandedly when that boy goes off an‘ almost gets hisself skewered by the likes of street thugs? I ask you, Your Highness, what right do I have?”

“You’ve been talking with Kumul.”

“Someone had to carry fresh water and sheets up to the room where that poor man who got hisself skewered on your behalf now lies on his deathbed.”

“Don’t exaggerate, Pirem. Ager is not on his deathbed.”

“Pirem, is it?” He cocked his head as if listening to the sound of his own name. “I thought that was a moniker used by a certain lad who’s got not enough sense to do as he’s told when what he’s told is for his own health and happiness.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Pirem, give your tongue a rest.”

“An‘ here I was thinkin’ you were concerned ‘cause I wasn’t sayin’ enough. Silly me.”

Lynan turned away from the mirror and confronted the servant. “All right, Pirem, have it out. Give me your lecture.”

“Oh, far be it from me to lecture your Highness, who knows so much already about the ways of the world he doesn’t bother listenin‘ to the advice of his seniors…”

“Forget it!” Lynan said abruptly, his irritation turning to anger. “I’ve had enough, Pirem. I had all the lectures I needed last night from Kumul, and I don’t need any more from you.”

Pirem could take no more. His voice broke as he cried out: “God’s sake, lad, you almost got yourself killed straight dead!”

Lynan’s anger melted away. Pirem was almost in tears. “Really, I was in no danger. Kumul was there—”

“Kumul? Kumul’s lucky to be alive, too. He should’ve taken me. Someone’s gotta watch his back. It’s too damned big for hisself to watch it. You’re both careless, you both think blades will turn on your hide, and you’re both as ox-headed as the general…”

Pirem stopped suddenly and turned away, but not before Lynan saw the tears start to flow. Lynan felt ashamed. There were few certainties in his life, but one of them was the love he knew Pirem held for him, and the love Pirem had held for his father, General Chisal. Pirem had never recovered from failing to stop the assassin’s knife that struck down Elynd Chisal. The fact that he was able to slay the assassin before he could get away had never been any comfort for him.

Lynan reached out to put his hands on his servant’s shin shoulders, but pulled back. “I am sorry,” he said quietly. “I promise to be more careful.”

Pirem, his face still averted, nodded. “Being careful may not be enough anymore.”

Lynan sighed. “I will not leave the palace again. At least, not by myself.”

Pirem looked at Lynan over his shoulders. “You’ll take Kumul with you?”

“I’ll even take you along, as well.”

Pirem sniffed and straightened. “Well, good enough is good enough,” he said, his voice still subdued, and carefully examined his charge. “Pretty enough to frighten the queen’s horse. Get on, then. You’re expected in court this morning.”

“Me?”

“Your brother’s back from Hume. The queen wants the rest of the family to welcome him.”

Lynan groaned. “I hate these sorts of things.”

“Berayma’s your brother, like it or not. You’ve got to stick with him. He’ll be king one day. One day soon, maybe.”

“Not much difference to me. Though at least Berayma will be no worse than my own mother.”

Pirem glared at him. “You’ve got no sense, sometimes. You don’t know when people are doin‘ you good or evil. Her Majesty may have her faults, but not as many as you. Keep that in mind. An’ keep in mind your father loved her above all else, and he was no fool. An‘ keep in mind that you are her son, an’ that she’s never forgotten it, even if you have.”

Lynan was taken aback by Pirem’s fierceness. “When has she ever shown me a kindness?”

Pirem shook his head. “It would take all day and the next night to tell you, and you’re in no mood to listen right now. So go or you’ll be late, an‘ there’s no point in makin’ her even more angry with you than she already is.”

Usharna gripped the armrests of her chair as exhaustion overcame her. She tried to force away the nausea by concentrating on the words being spoken by Orkid Gravespear, chancellor of the realm of Grenda Lear, as he strode about the queen’s study like a tamed bear. One of her ladies-in-waiting approached, but she waved her away.

She had known last night when she had used the Keys of Power to save the life of that poor cripple how exhausted it would make her. The Keys held great magic but the cost of using them was also great. She was barely sixty years of age, yet she felt as if she inhabited the body of someone twenty years older again, thanks to the number of times she’d used the Keys during the Slaver War. Until last night she had not used them since the end of that terrible conflict, but she could not let the man die after he had so valiantly saved the life of her son.

Oh, Lynan
, she thought,
despite everything I have done to protect you, my enemies still get through
.

Or maybe, she conceded, not her enemies but those of her last husband, Lynan’s father. Elynd Chisal had been a great man and a great soldier, but common born. His skills as a general had earned him the enmity of the Slavers and their backers, and her marriage to him had earned him the enmity of the noble houses.

Usharna had tried to keep Lynan safe by keeping him out of the court as much as possible, by feigning indifference to him, by not letting him hold those minor offices her other children used to practice their royal responsibilities. But all to no avail. Her enemies and Elynd Chisal’s enemies were now her son’s enemies as well. She thought it bitterly ironic that the offspring between her and the only husband she had ever truly loved should have so many in the kingdom set against him, that her love should generate so much hate.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the chancellor’s rumbling voice.

“And as you predicted, your Majesty, Queen Charion of Hume has agreed to allow Berayma to tour her lands in an official capacity early in the new year.” The chancellor grinned inside his thick, dark beard. “And in so doing has once again conceded your son’s right as your successor to be her overlord.”

He glanced at Usharna, noticed how white she had suddenly become. “Your Majesty… ?”

Usharna waved one hand. “Just more of the same, Orkid. Don’t concern yourself.” She smiled at him with genuine affection. “I try not to,” she added dryly.

Orkid, unconvinced, nodded anyway, and continued. “The gift that accompanied our proposal gave her a way to accept the tour without losing face.”

“Always best to let them think they have the better of you.”

“Charion is too proud.”

“Which knowledge we work to our advantage. Hume is a border realm, traditionally independent and aligned with the kingdom of Haxus, our oldest foe. Charion, and her father before her, are the only rulers from Hume to have ever owed allegiance to another crown. Hume must be treated with patience and every courtesy.”

“She takes advantage of you.”

“And we
own
her, Orkid, her and her kingdom. Never mistake the fortress for its stones.” She closed her eyes, conserving the little energy she had left. “When did you see Berayma?”

“Early this morning, as soon as he arrived. He gave his report—succinctly—handed over his papers, and went to get a couple of hours’ sleep before coming to see you. He should be here any moment.”

“When I am gone—”

“You shouldn’t say such things, your Majesty.”

“When I am gone,” Usharna persisted, “Berayma will look to you for wise counsel. Serve him as you’ve served me.”

Orkid bowed stiffly, a concession lost on Usharna, whose eyes were still closed. “Yes, of course, your Majesty.”

“You did not tell me how he took to reporting to you in the first instance. Did it rankle his pride?”

Orkid allowed himself a smile. “Stirred it a little, I think.”

“He must learn to trust you and take your advice.” Orkid returned the compliment with another unseen bow. “And you must learn to flatter and cajole him, as you flatter and cajole me.”

The chancellor was genuinely shocked. “Your Majesty!”

“Oh, Orkid, you have been my chancellor now for fifteen years. You are my right arm, so do not dress up our relationship in clothes that do not fit it. You needle, old black-beard, until you have your way.”

“Or until you tell me to leave well enough alone,” he rebutted.

Usharna actually laughed. “As you say. We make a fine pair, you and I, and Grenda Lear should be grateful to us for its prosperity and peace. I want you to forge the same relationship with my son. There is nothing in creation as dangerous as a new king ready to try his wings for the first time.”

“Nothing so dangerous?” Orkid teased. “Not even a new queen?”

Usharna laughed for the second time that morning, a rarity even on her best days. Orkid felt absurdly pleased with himself. “Well, in my day, new queens had a great deal to prove. New kings will only repeat the mistakes of their predecessors because they are taught to emulate them.”

“He could do worse than emulate you.”

“Now you’re buttering me up, and I don’t like it. He will be his own man, but he must also be king of Grenda Lear, and the two may not always sit easily together. It will be your job to ensure his throne is big enough to fit, but not so big he slips off.”

“I will do my best,” Orkid said humbly.

“I know. You always do your best.” She breathed deeply, telling herself she should go to bed as soon as the morning’s official functions were over, then admitted to herself that she would do no such thing; no successful monarch ever ruled from the bedchamber.

There was a knock, and the double doors to the Usharna’s study opened wide. Dejanus announced Berayma, then stepped out and closed the doors behind him.

Berayma went to the queen’s side and gently placed a hand on one of hers. He looked at Orkid. “Is she asleep?”

“The ruler of Grenda Lear never sleeps,” Usharna said, opening her eyes. “That is another trick you must learn, Berayma.”

“There is time—”

“Not much more.”

“I don’t want you to go,” Berayma said fiercely.

“Die, you mean.” Usharna shook her head. “You can’t even say the word.”

“I don’t want the throne, mother.”

Usharna looked at him in astonishment. “You think I wanted it when my turn had come? To lose my freedom, and in return gain nothing but a life of drudgery, problems, and sleepless nights, with no release except through death?” She looked at him carefully. “You have been coddled and protected all your life, and now it is time you faced your responsibilities.”

Berayma looked hurt. “I already help administer the kingdom for you.”

Usharna looked sternly at her son. “The Kingdom of Grenda Lear and all its realms comprises eleven states, six million people, and a host of lesser kings and queens, princes, and dukes. It spans almost the entire continent, contains forest and jungle, plain and mountain; half of the kingdom can be in drought while the other half is in flood.