The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (86 page)

“
It
was none of his concern,” Emary sniffed.

“
You
could
have just lied!” Matthias
exclaimed.

“
I am not like
your
kind. Deception does not come as
easily
to me,” she said
icily.

“
You
took a risk, didn’t you, telling him you were from Mahalia?”
Luccius asked.

“
He
knew
already. I could see it in his eyes. If I
had
lied we would most
likely be trussed up as a part of their convoy by now.” He
shrugged. “Oh come on, let’s get moving,” he
sighed.

They arrived in Moriana by the late afternoon of
the same day. The village
was
small, as the soldier Joseph Maranin had said.
They found the tavern quickly.

“
Traveller’s Rest,” Luccius read the sign above the
array of small, square windows set into a larger frame. “Sound’s
good to
me
.”

“
I
doubt we will find horses here,” Emary commented. “We should move
on to this Gavna the soldier spoke of.”

“
It’s late afternoon and the sun will be setting
soon,” Matthias said. “You
heard
what the soldier said about bandits. And I’m
in
no
mood for a
fight.”

“
For a man who claims to be so desperate to find
this princess, you rest
too
often,” she sniffed.

“
I won’t do Josephine any good by collapsing
from
exhaustion
,” he rebuffed.

She
sighed. “It’s your choice wielder. I am in no hurry to walk away
from a tavern if you aren’t.”

There were five other people sitting in the common room of
the Traveller’s Rest: a man and woman in the middling years,
sitting at a table by themselves and three other men in loose,
dirty clothing sharing a large pitcher of ale by the fire. Between
them they made the cramped room seem crowded as Matthias and the
others entered.

“
This is quaint,” Luccius commented.

“
It is
boring
,” Emary sniffed. “There are no dice games and
there is no dancing.”

“
But there
are
drinks and comfortable chairs,” Luccius nudged
her.

“
Your
behind
must be as soft as a peach,” Emary scoffed. “But I
will agree with you about the drinks.”

A woman appeared behind the bar. “Why,
hello
there!” she said
and beckoned them in. “My, my, what an
interesting
assortment of creatures
you
all are!” She
chuckled. “Look at those
ears!
Oh I
do
beg your pardon,” she said, blushing as Luccius frowned. “I
meant no offence to you. I bet you get that all the
time!”

“
No,
no,” Luccius lied, remaining cordial. “It’s fine. May we take a
table?”

“
Please!
” she beckoned to them and they all sat down by
the window. “My girl, aren’t
you
a beauty?” she said to Emary. “Such
unusual
features! Why, I’m
just glad my
husband
isn’t around! Why he would take
quite
a shining to you and
no
mistake!” She chuckled again.
“
Anyway
, where
are
my manners? My name is Belyndra and-” she looked at
Matthias and paused, squinting at him. Then she gasped.
“
No!
No, it
can’t
be so!” She
exclaimed breathily.

“
What's the matter?” Matthias asked her.

“
It
must
be a coincidence," she added as she shook her
head.

“
What
is the coincidence?” Matthias asked more bluntly,
trying not to raise his voice.

“
My, my
my!
What a series of events I have been witnessing
lately!” Belyndra continued.

“
Bar woman, you
will
speak of what you know,” Emary growled. The woman
appeared taken aback a moment.

“
Oh. Oh yes, of course. I
am
sorry! My tongue does run away with me
sometimes,” she commented. Then she bent over to Matthias. “I had a
young girl ask after someone the
spit
of you, young sir!” Belyndra advised him.
“
Another
beauty, with long blonde hair and dazzlingly blue eyes,
accompanied by a man with a limp.”

Matthias shot up from his chair
“
Josephine!
” he exclaimed, and the others in the inn all shot a stare
at him.

“
That’s the girl!” Belyndra said excitedly. “Oh, so
it
is
you she was
after!”

Matthias exchanged looks with Luccius and Emary.
“She’s
alive!
” he exclaimed and started dancing about on the spot.
“Thank the gods she’s alright!”

Belyndra watched him dance about with a smile on her face.
“She most certainly is!”

“
How
long ago was she here?” Matthias stopped and asked
excitedly.

“
Ooh, it must have been five or six days ago now,” she said.
“She was headed to one of the towns I pointed her to up the way.
Riverfell and Gavna. I think she was heading after another man who
was looking for her.”

Matthias’s face fell. “
Another
man?” he replied.

“
An
older gentleman, well dressed, with a beard and walking staff a bit
like yours, but taller. He was here asking after her and had left
before she had arrived,” she said. “You mean you don’t know about
him?”

“
It
could be Fenzar, Matthias,” Luccius said gravely. The wizard
nodded.

"There is no 'could be' about it," Matthias said.

“
Well you don’t look too
happy
about that,” Belyndra commented. “Did I
say something wrong?”

Matthias placed a hand reassuringly on the woman’s
arm and smiled. “Not at all. Madam Belyndra, if you wouldn’t mind
getting us all a drink,
yourself
included, then I would be very grateful if you
would tell us all about Josephine’s stay here.”

Chalize leaned over the rectangular game board and
let his hand dangle tentatively over one of the fourteen
circular trays that
made up its surface, a ruby pinched between his thumb and
forefinger. Opposite him Silar sat patiently, watching the emperor
pore over the holes. In the board's trays were more gemstones of
all shapes, sizes and colours and beyond that, in front of them
both were piles of the stones as well, Chalize's significantly
larger than Silar's own.

Chalize smiled as he found what it was he was
searching for. He dropped the ruby into a tray to the far left of
the board. “Double rewards, I think you will find, unless you
can
match
my gesture with a
diamond?
”

Silar frowned. “I still haven't the
slightest
idea how to play
this game and
win
,” he said, yielding to his opponent and picking up seven
rubies and two emeralds, placing them in Chalize's open, waiting
palm.

“
I've been playing since I was four,” Chalize
smiled. “Do not feel too bad.
Ohlrahn
can take
years
to master.”

There was a knock at the doors and Sobril bowed his way to
the desk. “Forgive the intrusion my liege,” he stuttered. “But I
bring a message delivered just moments ago by carrier pigeon from
the border.” He paused.

“
This is becoming a habit Sobril. Go on
then,
out
with it!” He sniffed impatiently and rolled his
eyes.

“
O -
of course! It is from General Voldus, from the border patrol. He
brings you word he is sending an escort back into Ank’ Shara. They
are bringing two people to meet with you. They have claimed to be
Princess Josephine of Aralia and her personal guard!”

“
What?
” Silar spluttered before he could stop himself.
Chalize eyed him, his brow furrowing.

“
Voldus must have made a mistake. I haven't seen
the Aralian king for a long time. Why would his
daughter
be visiting
me?”

Sobril pulled a small scrap of paper out of his waistcoat
and handed it to Chalize. “This is the note from General
Voldus.”

Chalize took it and squinted as he read. “Did Voldus say how
far away they are?” he asked. Sobril indicated to a scribble in the
top corner of the paper.

“
The
message is marked from the Tapa Lowlands,” Sobril advised. “Their
party had only been gone an hour when Voldus sent this message. He
estimated they would be here in three days. He has ordered the
escort to take the river from Kaipaj part of the way to speed up
their progress.”

Chalize leaned back in his padded chair and
nodded. “I can think of no reason why someone would
pretend
to be the princess.
There is no advantage to such a deception.
Silar?
” he asked the man opposite
him.

Silar shrugged. “There is no advantage
I
can think of,” the
man replied stonily.

“
Voldus is a good judge,” Chalize nodded. “Have rooms
prepared for them Sobril and bring them to me when they
arrive.”

Silar turned to the small man “
And make every soldier is aware
that there is to be
absolutely
no mention of our invasion plans,” he
added.

Sobril nodded and shuffled back across the floor to the door,
slipping out quietly.

“
I have seen men on the
block
looking more relaxed than you do right now
Silar,” the Emperor said acerbically. “What dealings have you had
with the princess?”

Silar shook his head. “I have had none My Lord,”
he said, smiling thinly. “I apologise for my reaction. I was
merely
surprised.”

Chalize scoffed. “Never play
cards
, Silar. You would lose even more at
that than you have at
Ohlrahn!
Out with it,” he said authoritatively. “What are
you holding back?”

Silar looked at him a moment, and then finally
acquiesced. “It is just that I don’t trust Aralians, My Lord,” he
said. “Such an unexpected visit cannot bring
anything
good to you in these delicate
weeks of preparation.”

Chalize nodded. “I see. That’s all?” Silar nodded,
and the emperor laughed. “Oh Silar, you can leave the worrying
about that to me. Voldus is taking them along a route that will
conceal our armies and once she is here in the palace, I will see
to it that she is restricted in her movements so that she will not
discover what is happening.” He patted the man on the arm. “You
worry
far
too much. Have
faith
in your emperor Silar. I am not my father. I will
not make the same mistakes he did.”

The dirt - paved streets of Aslemer’s capital city
bustled with people as Josephine and Thadius followed their escort
through the streets towards the palace. When they had arrived at
the border between Olindia and Aslemer they had been lucky to
approach a crossing where a high ranking general was currently
stationed. He had arranged for them to be transported to the
capital without delay. It was in surprising contrast to the trouble
she had experienced trying to gain access to Crystal Ember,
especially in the state she currently appeared. She would have not
believed
herself
if she said she was the princess of Aralia, but clearly she
must have been more convincing than she had
thought.

As they travelled across the foreign lands
Josephine had been amazed at the severity of the change in the
landscape as they continued east. The ground morphed from the lush,
green meadowland she was familiar with into much more stark, barren
plains. The air grew more humid and felt thicker and harder to
breathe. The atmosphere was suffocating and the heat clung to her
most uncomfortably – so much that, one afternoon, as the sun beat
down on her with such intensity she had almost considered
unbuttoning her blouse for a moment just to let the heat escape
from the confines of her unsuitably thick clothing. She even
noticed her skin tanning in the unrelenting grasp of the sun. At
least the
nights
were cool. Their initial escort of five soldiers provided
them both with a tent to sleep in for the nights they travelled.
Thadius insisted on sleeping in the same one for safety, of course,
which she had tried to dismiss without luck. She gratefully
took
any
privacy she could whenever a chance arose, but she did see
Thadius’s point when he refused to let her camp alone. After all,
who
were
these men they travelled with? They certainly spent a lot
of their time giving her lingering views in the day. Who knows what
opportunities they might have taken if she were
unguarded?