Magic Casement (43 page)

“He’s
a horror! “ she mumbled into Andor’s shoulder.

“The
worst sort of dreg,” he agreed. “You go on down to the others and
leave the proconsul to me.”

She
pulled away, startled. “No! Andor! He’s a soldier-” Andor
flashed his teeth in a confident grin. “I shall be in no danger. It will
be a pleasure.”

“Fight
him?”

“I’m
quite capable, my princess. I just prefer not to do it before witnesses, so you
go down.”

He
had never told her that he was a duelist-wonderful man! And no one had ever
offered to commit a murder for her before. Just for a moment, she teetered on
the brink of hysteria, then she recovered. “No, Andor! He has two
thousand men here. You mustn’t! “

“This
may be my only chance to get him alone, Inos.”

“No!
I forbid it!”

“If
you wish.” Looking disappointed, he sheathed his sword. “He’s
only the first, you know.”

“What?”

“The
first one after your word of power. It’s common knowledge that the kings
of Krasnegar inherited one of Inisso’s words. Everyone will assume that
you have it, whether you do or not.”

She
broke loose. “I don’t understand. “ Why was the proconsul not
already coming after her?

“It
would take too long to explain.” Even in the darkness of the narrow
stairwell, concern glowed on that handsome face. “You mustn’t tell
the word to anyone!”

“No,”
she said.

“No
one! “ he insisted. “They’re dangerous to know, but much more
dangerous if you tell anyone.”

“Yes,”
she said, not understanding. “I’ll remember.”

He
studied her for a moment. “There’s no real defense, Inos, but there
is one thing you could do that would help a little. It might make Yggingi
hesitate a bit, and it would certainly cut off one line of attack.”

She
was totally confused now. “What’s that, Andor?”

“Marry
me. There’s a chaplain down there. She can marry us on the spot. Tonight.
Now.”

“Andor!”
Again she was at a total loss for words. Too marry things were happening too
quickly. Finally she said, “Dear Andor, that’s a wonderful thought,
but I can’t decide something like that right now. And it would put you in
danger, also!”

“No!”
he said excitedly. He took her hand and began to lead her down the narrow
stairway, speaking rapidly as if he were working it all out. “The factor
says that Kalkor’s coming to claim the throne. He’ll be here as
soon as the ice goes. Kalkor’s a terror. No matter what Yggingi thinks,
he’ll wad up those imps and throw them away. But then he’ll want to
marry you.”

“I
thought he was married already?” she protested, before remembering what
Aunt Kade had once told her about Nordlanders.

And
Andor now confirmed it. They were already at the bottom of the stairs, outside
the door of the withdrawing room, where everyone must still be waiting to hear
the proconsul’s terms. “Thanes change wives like shirts. Probably
more often. But he can’t marry you if you’re married to me.”

“He
could solve that problem!”

“Only
if he can find me!” Andor laughed. “I’m a good man at
disappearing. Don’t you see, Inos? That’s your escape! Marry me,
and I’ll stay out of sight-I promise you I can do that easily enough, but
I haven’t got time to explain now. We’ll let the jotnar kill off
the imps. Then we’ll go back to the Impire together in the spring!”

Again
she wondered why Yggingi was not coming down the stairs after her. “And
lose my kingdom? No, darling, I have a duty.”

He
smiled, and she heard it more than saw it in the dimness. “Good for you!”
he said admiringly. “Inos, I love you! And if the kingdom is what you
want, then we’ll have to save it for youand marrying me is still your
best strategy!”

He
was right, she thought. And then he had gone down on one knee before her. “Queen
Inosolon, will you marry me?”

Her
first, insane, thought was that she was filthy and bedraggled and wearing
riding clothes, shivering in an icy stairwell lighted by one spluttering
candle. All those wonderful gowns she had worn at Kinvale, in ballrooms, on
terraces under moonlightnone of them had provoked a proposal. And her father...
Then she told her mind to stop evading the question. With Andor she could face
all of them.

“Yes,”
she whispered.

He
jumped up and this time he did kiss her. Oh, Andor! Why had she not called him
in to meet Father? Andor, Andor! Strong, and reliable, and--

“Quick,
then!” He glanced up the stairs, so he also must be wondering what was
keeping the soldier. “Now, my darling? Right now?”

“Yes!”
She pushed open the door and marched in, holding Andor’s hand. All across
the big circular chamber, the spectators started in surprise. Those who were
sitting on those flimsy gold and rosewood chairs rose slowly to their feet.

“Your
Highness, your Holiness, Mother Unonini, gentlemen,” Andor said. “Queen
Inosolan has consented to become my wife.”

She
tried to see everyone’s reaction at once, but they were too spread out.
The imps, she thought, all looked pleased. Certainly Chancellor Yaltauri
beamed. Bishop Havyili was asleep. Foronod frowned, but then he often did that.
He did not speak. Aunt Kade... Aunt Kade was not smiling as she should be.

Queen
or not, Aunt Kade was her guardian now, until she came of age. Or did that not
apply to queens? How could she be a minor and reign as a queen at the same
time? Inos led Andor over to her aunt.

“Well?
Aren’t you going to congratulate us?”

Flustered,
Aunt Kade glanced at Andor and then back to Inos. “You are quite sure, my
dear? It just seems... so soon. . .”

“Quite
sure!”

Her
aunt managed a smile. “Well, then certainly I congratulate you. “
But she did not look certainly-she looked perhapsly. They hugged.

Still
no Yggingi? Maybe they could manage what Andor had suggested-marry at once,
before the proconsul came storming down to stop them. “Chaplain?”
Inos said. “Marry us!”

That
provoked some reaction. Aunt Kade’s rosy complexion turned almost as pale
as her silver gown, and Inos had never seen that before. Mother Unonini went as
black as her robe. The men muttered.

“That
seems even more, well, unseemly,” Aunt Kade said. “Your father is
barely... It is very soon. Surely you could wait a while, my dear. “

Inos
glanced at the closed door. “I am sorry that it must be this way, but
Andor and I think it would be advisable. Very quickly! A matter of state.
Chaplain?”

Mother
Unonini did not move from where she was standing. She pouted, bleaker than
ever. “Inosolan, do you recall what the God told you? Remember love! Are
you remembering love?”

Inos
looked up at Andor. He looked down at her. They smiled. “Oh, yes!”
she said.

“I
think you should wait a-”

Inos
did not let the chaplain finish. “No! “ she shouted. “Now!
Before the proconsul comes back! Quickly!”

Mother
Unonini flinched and sought support from Aunt Kade, who bit her lip and
muttered, “It might be... a reasonable precaution.”

The
chaplain shook her head vigorously. The men were mostly still frowning at this
improper and irreverent haste. Inos wondered if she should be asking her
council’s permission, but if they did not suggest it, then she certainly
would not.

Of
course! Inos did not need the horrid chaplain. Indeed, she had been making a
serious error. Gripping Andor’s wrist, she dragged him across to Bishop
Havyili, who was nodding peacefully on a sofa. The bishop was notorious for
sleeping anywhereeven on horseback, her father had said.

“Your
Holiness!”

“Mmm?”
His Holiness opened his eyes. “Marry me!”

“What?”
Bewildered, the bishop struggled to his feet-old and dumpy and pathetically
unimpressive for a bishop.

“Marry
us!” Inos shouted, stamping her foot. “A matter of state! It’s
urgent! Now! At once!”

Blinking,
but obedient, the bishop mumbled, “Dearly beloved friends-”

“Oh,
never mind all that!” Inos stormed. Yggingi must be on his way now. “Get
to the important part!”

The
audience muttered again. The bishop spluttered and for a moment seemed about to
argue. Then he changed his mind. “Are there any here among you present
who know cause why this man and this woman should not be united in sacred
matrimony?” Mercifully he did not pause for answers. “Then do you,
er...”

“Andor.
“

“Andor,
take this... “

His
voice trailed off. His gaze went past Inos. The door creaked, and she swung
around in terror.

Slowly
it swung open. In came... Impossible!

That
was the second worst shock of that terrible day.

He
bowed stiffly in her direction, across the whole width of the room. He
swallowed, hesitated. “Sorry about your father, Inos your Majesty,”
he said hoarsely. “Very sorry.” He was holding Yggingi’s
sword of office.

Foronod
said, “The horse thief! “ and it was certainly Rap. He was no
longer the filthy goblin of the forest. He was shaved and clean. His tangle of
brown hair might have been cut with a saw, but it was as tidy as it could ever
be. He wore an ancient, ill-fitting brown doublet and very patched gray wool
hose. Only the sword he was holding and the ludicrous raccoon tattoos around
his eyes marked him as anything other than some commonplace flunky in the
quaintly rustic palace of Krasnegar. But he did have a nervous, rather sick
expression on his very plain face.

And
he did have the proconsul’s sword.

Inos
felt supernatural fingers stroking her scalp-a wraith? Why would Rap’s
ghost haunt her, of all people?

Everyone
else in the room seemed to have been turned to stone. “Where is Proconsul
Yggingi?” Foronod demanded.

Rap
glanced down at the inexplicable sword. “Was that his name?” He
coughed, as if feeling nauseated. “He’s dead.” No, he was no
ghost. Inos gasped with relief. It was Rap.

A
mutter of shock was followed by a flickering of eyes as everyone tried to work
out what his news meant-two thousand Imperial soldiers in town and their leader
murdered?

“Rap!”
Inos said. “You didn’t!”

He
shook his head angrily. “But I helped! “

And
another youth stepped through the door behind Rap, a young goblin, shorter and
heavyset, with dark khaki skin and short black hair, big ears and a long nose.
He wore boots, hose, and pants, but from the waist up he was bare, and the
company hissed in disgust at this vulgarity.

He
grinned widely, showing long white teeth. He held up a stone dagger-proudly,
like a child bragging. Hand and blade glistened with fresh blood.

“This
is Little Chicken of Raven Totem,” Rap said. “He just avenged that
village your proconsul slaughtered. “

“I
thought goblins preferred their victims tied up,” Andor remarked coldly.

Rap
seemed to notice Andor for the first time, and his gaze slid down to where
Andor and Inos were holding hands, and back again. “This one made an
exception. And I don’t blame him. “ Foronod moved to the downstairs
door. “Stop!” Rap shouted, lifting his sword slightly.

Inos
glanced around the room. Only Andor had a weapon. The imps had disarmed the
city.

The
factor did stop. He turned to glare at Rap, who blushed. “Sir... Sir, I
guided your wagons for you once, didn’t I? And that messed up my life. I
need your help now... sir?” Foronod’s blue eyes were chips of polar
ice. “A horse thief? A murderer?”

“Sir!”
Rap hesitated. “Sir, when you heard I was the one who’d stolen the
horses... were you at all surprised?”

The
ice-blue eyes stared hard at him for a long minute. “Maybe I was at that.
“

“Then
grant me a chance to explain,” Rap pleaded. “It must be done now.
There is another horse thief-and another murderer. “ He pointed his sword
at Andor. “Ask him what he did with Doctor Sagorn. “

Stunned
silence. Then Andor squeezed Inos’s hand and led her over to the table
and a sofa, near Aunt Kade. “I think you had better stay here a moment,
ladies,” he said coldly. “There may be some danger. “

“Danger?”
Inos repeated. From Rap?

Then
her missing wits seemed to fall back into place. “Rap!” she said. “How
did you get here from Pondague?”

Rap
looked surprised at the question, then a wisp of a grin crossed his face. “Iran.”

“Inos,
my darling,” Andor said, “I don’t think this is truly the boy
you used to know.” He made a scoffing sound. “Ran? That’s
quite impossible, obviously. Chaplain, Holiness-I think we may have a demon
here. It appeared to us in the mountains on our way here. I’m quite sure
that no one could have passed us on the trail. “

Inos
was looking at Rap’s legs. He had grown taller since last summer and his
face was thin, but she could not recall ever seeing hose filled more
authoritatively than his were now. Ran?

Everyone
else seemed to be leaving the situation to Andor. He strode forward a few
steps. “Now, you-boy or demon or whatever you are-put the sword on that
table. You’ll be given a fair trial. Isn’t that so, Chancellor?”

There
was a silence, while nothing happened. Rap seemed to set his jaw more tightly,
but he did not speak. The goblin grinned, eyes flickering around the faces.

Foronod
was scowling. “Out with it! What are you implying about Doctor Sagorn?”

Rap
answered without taking his eyes off Andor. “Only two of us left here,
sir. You know that by the gear we took-saddles and bedrolls. I was never up in
this part of the palace, but Andor was. What did he do with Doctor Sagorn?”

The
factor looked at Andor, who said simply, “I know nothing about Doctor
Sagorn. I left alone, on two horses I had purchased in good faith. As I told
you, I had no idea that they were stolen. I got them from this boy, or whatever
he is. “