The Immortal Prince (24 page)

The morning after the ball, Stellan and Enteny Debree, the King of Glaeba, took a turn by the lake before breakfast, their first chance to speak in private since the king had arrived in Lebec. Although nothing had been said so far, Stellan knew his cousin was displeased, and wondered if the consequences were going to be anything more dire than a telling off. Enteny was not an unreasonable man, but neither was he particularly flexible. Nor was he very tolerant of his son's peccadilloes. Or of those who appeared to condone them.

Enteny was tall and well built, the muscle of his youth softened with age. His hair was completely grey now, his face lined by a lifetime of worries few normal men ever had to deal with. They walked beside the water's edge in silence for a time, the ground squelching underfoot, and when the king finally spoke, it was of inconsequential things. It took him some time to get to the real reason he had asked for this stroll along the shore. The sun was still low on the eastern horizon, a faint mist hovering over the lake. The rushes whispered softly on Stellan's right, the rustling caused by the birds that nested in the tall reeds. There was no wind. With the overcast sky just waiting to burst, the air felt so still it was as if the world was holding its breath.

“Mathu seems to have enjoyed his time here in Lebec,” the king remarked finally. “Unexpected though it was.”

“I'm sorry, Enteny,” Stellan replied. “I should have consulted you before bringing him here.”

“You should have sent him straight back to Reon,” the king scolded. “It was not Mathu's choice where I sent him and certainly not your role to override my wishes. I'm still not even sure how he wound up here in Lebec. Reon's claiming you engineered the whole thing with the express purpose of throwing my son and your niece together.”

The duke shook his head. “If I was planning a union between Kylia and Mathu, I would have come to you long before now, Enteny, and proposed the damn thing formally. I've nothing to gain by throwing them together and hoping they fall in love.”

“Well…are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Planning to approach me about Kylia and Mathu?”

“No.”

“Why not?” the king grumbled. “Isn't my son good enough for a Desean?”

Stellan smiled. “I was under the impression you had Reon's eldest daughter, Sarina, in mind for Mathu's consort. Hence the reason you sent him to Venetia in the first place.”

Unexpectedly, the king sighed. “Tides, is everything I do so damned transparent?”

“Speculating about who will marry your son is a sport that's been popular since Mathu drew his first breath. It'll just get worse until he's finally off the market.”

The king didn't seem surprised by the news. “Karyl Deryon tells me the same thing. Was I the subject of so much intense conjecture when I was his age?”

“Probably,” Stellan agreed. “I'm too young to remember it myself. You were already married by the time I first came to Herino Palace.”

Enteny stopped walking and looked out over the lake, squinting a little as the rising sun gilded a narrow path along the still water. He was silent for a time and then turned to his cousin. “Reon's very angry, Stellan. He's angry with Mathu for leaving Venetia without so much as a by-your-leave. With you for bringing him here to Lebec instead of sending him back. With Lord Deryon for seeking your help when the boy turned up in Herino, instead of sending word to Venetia. With me for not
insisting
you send him back…”

“Why
didn't
you write to me the moment you learned Mat was in Lebec and demand I send him back to Reon?” Stellan asked. “I was half-expecting you to.”

Enteny shrugged. “Because Reon's a fool and a bore and in Mat's place I probably would have wanted to do the same thing. Not that you're to ever let him know I said that. Right now, my son thinks I'm planning to have him dismembered. I intend to let him continue thinking that for a few more days at least. Not only will it do Mathu good to sweat for a bit, but it makes Reon think I'm suitably outraged as well.”

“And what punishment have you in mind for me, your majesty?” Stellan enquired with a raised brow. “That will satisfy the Duke of Venetia?”

“I'm thinking of sending you into exile.”

Stellan glanced at the king a little worriedly. It was impossible to tell from his tone if he was serious.
“Exile?”

“Of a sort. Things have been rather strained in Torlenia since the new Imperator came to power. Lord Jorgan—whom we both know is not renowned for his patience—finally lost his temper with him a few days ago over this business of who has sovereignty in the Chelae Islands. He's been thrown out of Ramahn. I need a new ambassador. Reon's suggesting—very loudly—that it should be you.”

“And you're actually considering it?”

Enteny shrugged. “The idea has merit, Stellan. After Caelum, Torlenia is the most contentious ally we have and you are—without question—my most accomplished diplomat. You were high on my list of suitable contenders anyway. Placating Reon Debalkor is just a bonus, really.”

“Will the knowledge that I have no wish to leave Lebec, especially for a place like Torlenia, do anything to influence your decision?”

“It might have once,” the king replied with a scowl. “Before you brought Mathu here and caused all this fuss.”

Stellan shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. “But there's the estate to consider and I would have to speak to Arkady. She may not want to leave…”

“You have plenty of staff and an efficient estate manager,” the king reminded him. “He never had any trouble in the past looking after your affairs while you've been away. As for Arkady—she is your wife, Stellan; she will go where you do. In fact, she's half the reason I'm tempted to send you to Torlenia, anyway. I adore the girl, you know that, but you allow her far too much freedom. You've been married six years. You should have half a dozen brats running around the palace by now. In Torlenia, with no university to distract her, Arkady can get on with the prime function of her gender, which is to bear the next generation.”

Stellan was glad Arkady wasn't here to witness the king's declaration, quite certain she would not have been able to hold her tongue. As it was, he could imagine her reaction when he informed her of this disastrous turn of events. Although the king had said he was only
thinking
about sending them to Torlenia, the more he spoke, the more certain he seemed, almost as if he was talking himself into it. Karyl Deryon had warned Stellan the king was displeased with their childless status, although he certainly hadn't hinted at a foreign posting as a solution.

“It would be awkward,” Stellan suggested carefully, “for me to leave Lebec at the moment.”

“Why?” the king demanded.

“Well…for one thing, we have this business with our Caelish agent…”

“Declan tells me the Caelish have never heard of him.”

“They're claiming that now,” Stellan agreed. “But Arkady is convinced he's been sent here to stir up the Crasii. Until we've gotten to the bottom of it—”

“Hand the prisoner over to Hawkes,” the king ordered. “A few days with his boys and a red-hot poker should settle the matter one way or another.”

“Your majesty, we can't torture the prisoner. If the Caelish learn of it, we have people in their prisons who will suffer a similar fate.”

“But they're denying he belongs to them, so they can hardly object to the way we're treating him, can they?” The king waved his arm dismissively. “No. Let's be done with this nonsense. It's simply more proof of what I was saying about your wife, anyway. She shouldn't be getting mixed up in things like this. She should be at home, having babies like a proper wife.”

Stellan sighed, wondering how he was going to break the news to Arkady. Even if she took it well—which was unlikely—he was convinced this was a terrible idea.

“Enteny…,” Stellan began.

“I'll sweeten the deal,” the king offered, before Stellan could object any further.

“How?” He couldn't imagine any circumstance that was going to make this untenable situation easier to bear.

It's odd,
he thought.
You spend all your time worrying about one thing, and when the axe finally falls, it comes from a totally unexpected direction.

“I'll agree to a betrothal between Mathu and Kylia.”

Stellan was speechless.

The king smiled. “Aha! You didn't know about that one, did you?”

“Know about
what
? I never suggested…”

“No. But Mathu did.”

“Mathu?”

Enteny nodded. “He was in my ear about it the moment I arrived in Lebec. And his mother's ear, too, and you know how she can never say no to him. He wants to marry your niece and I'm inclined to let him, because although I think Reon has a right to be angry, the idea of strengthening the family ties between Venetia and Herino doesn't seem all that attractive any longer.” The king let out a short, sceptical laugh. “If this business has achieved anything useful, it's reminded me how dreadful it would be to have the Debalkors as in-laws. Reon's bad enough when I only have to put up with him a few times a year at court. Imagine what it would be like to have him as a close member of the family.”

“I thought you were resolved to have Mathu remain unmarried for a while longer? At least until the Caelish have gotten used to the idea that he's never going to marry Princess Nyah?”

“You took care of the Caelish, didn't you? You told me they'd accepted the reasons for our refusal of Nyah as a viable wife for the Glaeban crown prince.”

“I said they
appeared
to have accepted it. Until we have proof this Lakesh fellow isn't one of their agents…”

“Oh, for pity's sake, stop with this spy nonsense, cousin!” the king ordered. “You've no more proof he's a Caelish spy than I am. Declan will settle the matter once and for all and that will be the end of it.”

Stellan wasn't going to give in so easily. “Kylia's only seventeen.”

“Plenty old enough to marry. And I gather she's very favourably disposed to the idea.”

“She's too young to understand the consequences.”

The king frowned. “Are you refusing my offer?”

He shook his head. “I'm just pointing out that Kylia may not understand what it means to marry the crown prince.”

“You underestimate your niece, Stellan. Take some of the credit for raising her well. Her breeding is impeccable, her education ideal, her family beyond reproach, and she's young enough to be guaranteed a virgin, something I'm not completely convinced of, by the way, about Sarina Debalkor. In fact, it couldn't be more perfect. You take care of Torlenia for me, I'll take care of your niece, and we've effectively taken care of Reon Debalkor and thumbed our noses at Caelum in the process. It's a grand idea, don't you think?”

“Does it actually matter what I think?” Stellan asked.

Enteny gripped Stellan's shoulder and smiled encouragingly. “Don't be like that, Stellan. I'm offering your girl the chance of a lifetime. Your niece will rule Glaeba someday.”

The unfairness of it left Stellan feeling as if he'd been winded. “Even assuming I wanted that for her—which I don't—you're sending me into exile to placate a man you can't abide!”

The king shook his head. “I'm sending you to Torlenia because I need you there, cousin. The Chelae Islands are too strategically important to leave in the hands of an enemy and not strategically important enough to go to war over. There's nobody I trust better than you to point this out to the Torlenians. Cheer up! Reon may think I've exiled you, but his triumph won't last long once I announce the engagement between Mathu and Kylia.”

Stellan sighed dejectedly, the futility of arguing with the king when his mind was set something he'd learned long ago. The mist was starting to lift from the lake, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, the sun piercing the clouds like lances of light. If the rain held off and the king had not just destroyed his entire world with a few simple words, it might have been a beautiful day today. “Can I ask one boon, your majesty?”

“If it's a reasonable one.”

“Don't make the announcement yet. Let me speak to Arkady, first. And to my niece. I want to be certain Kylia appreciates what she's getting herself into and isn't just caught up in the throes of some fleeting girlish crush which may vanish as soon as the reality of her situation sinks in.”

“You can speak to them at breakfast.”

“Arkady may have already left for the day.”

The king thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “You have until the end of the week, then. I will make the official announcement at dinner on the last night we're here in Lebec.”

“I was hoping for a little more time than that.”

“You're lucky I'm willing to grant you that much. I am still more than a little vexed with you, cousin, for causing me all this grief.”

“As you wish, your majesty,” Stellan agreed unenthusiastically.

Tides, how did this happen?
he wondered as they turned and headed back across the lawn to the palace. An hour ago, he had control of his life and the lives of those for whom he was responsible. Suddenly, it had all slipped from his grasp.
Kylia is going to marry Mathu Debree, while the rest of the household is being sent into the brutal, scorching deserts of Torlenia because I committed the crime of saving the king and queen from a scandal.

Stellan wondered who was going to take the news worst.

His wife, Arkady, who would be required to give up everything for which she'd worked so hard?

Or Jaxyn Aranville, the lover he was going to have to leave behind?