Working God's Mischief (24 page)

Lord Admiral fon Tyre was not pleased, either. But he, too, felt the watching, calculating eyes.

Those eyes were numerous but the most intent were those of Katrin's uncles. Those men had not been reluctant to spread the word that Hansel Blackboots's last child was not going to suffer what her siblings had. They had been particularly remiss where Katrin was concerned, repelled by her romance with the Patriarchy. That was over. Helspeth Ege was of age. She was Empress legally. She did not need self-serving old men bullying her.

Wherever the Grand Duke, the Lord Admiral, or the former Masters of the Wardrobe, the Privy Purse, or the Household began to show exasperation publicly, an uncle turned up.

All this Hecht learned within minutes of reaching the palace. Which, to his surprise, was overrun by the ruling class.

There might be no intimate meeting to decide about Anselin.

Helspeth had had the grand ballroom opened and lighted profligately. The excuse was, ostensibly, a celebration of Katrin's amazing success in the war against the Patriarchy.

The new Empress had had a throne brought in. Twelve Braunsknechts surrounded it. The Commander of the Righteous had brought a dozen of his own most intimidating soldiers, on the recommendation of Hourli, who assured him that of the countless plots afoot at least three meant to free the Empress of her wicked Commander of the Righteous by murdering him.

Hecht worked his way through the press, to Algres Drear. “What is all this? I expected a planning meeting.”

Drear could add nothing to what Hecht had picked up crossing the ballroom. “She doesn't confide in me. I think she wants to hit these people over the head with a shovel. She wants them to go home for the winter with their heads stuffed with things to brood about.”

The northern lords would move on quickly. It would be harvest time soon. In three weeks Alten Weinberg would be a ghost of its summer self.

“I have a bad feeling about this, Drear.”

“A sensibly upbeat attitude.”

“Trouble?”

“Let's see what she does.”

Drear was right. Helspeth did want to hit people over the head. As the crowd began to relax, a Braunsknecht sounded a trumpet. Helspeth read Katrin's will into the startled silence, word for word, including a rambling excoriation of Serenity—and, most especially, her elevation of the Commander of the Righteous to the high peerage.

Piper Hecht nearly melted in the heat of the glares directed his way, heat that did not reflect directly on Helspeth. This would be recalled as further proof of Katrin's insanity, though, surely, there would be a faction that damned Helspeth for not having burned the will instead of making it public.

*   *   *

The Grand Duke did suffer his apoplectic episode when he heard that a common adventurer from the Empire's nethermost frontier had been made a prince.

A common adventurer was now, for the length of his life, one of the most important men in the Grail Empire. That was no longer a mocking, malicious, sad rumor. The Ege chit had announced it herself and was downright gleeful about the distress it caused her Council Advisory.

The Grand Duke did not yet understand that the Council had been disbanded, to be reconstituted with people selected by the new Empress.

Hilandle noted an especially oversize member of the Commander's lifeguard regarding him intently. The Grand Duke thought he seemed familiar. His frown deepened when he noted that the man had no right hand.

Hilandle chose that moment to lose control.

*   *   *

There were scores of invisible people in that ballroom, bringing beer and wine and foodstuffs, clearing away and cleaning up. They went unnoticed but were neither deaf nor blind, nor were they immune to the influence of the Shining Ones.

By celebration's end Helspeth would become beloved of the common folk. She had defied the wicked old men whom even her father had dared not alienate. Her favor carried the new Lord Arnmigal along.

No one saw that at the moment. Nor was it obvious that Helspeth could defy the old men more easily because they were so much older today. Hilandle and fon Tyre had used themselves up trying to rage through Firaldia like youngsters still in their forties.

None of the dismissed Councilors had the fire in their bellies anymore. They preferred to get their ways by banging their swords on their shields. But an Empress with Ferris Renfrow, Algres Drear, Katrin's uncles, and Piper Hecht behind her was not likely to be intimidated.

*   *   *

“This is Lady Hourli,” Hecht said. “She's my new intelligence chief.”

Eight people had crowded into Helspeth's refurbished palace quiet room. The smells of fresh plaster and fresher paint lingered. With Hecht and Hourli were the Empress and Lady Hilda, Ferris Renfrow, Algres Drear, and, to their consternation, Grand Duke Hilandle and Lord Admiral fon Tyre.

“Intelligence chief?” Helspeth demanded. “A woman?” Hourli was harvesting a crop of admiring looks from the older men.

Six people chuckled. Hourli did not. “Said the female emperor.”

Hecht said, “She found Anselin. And Titus wants to try other things.”

Renfrow said, “I can vouch for the lady's competence.”

“Ferris? You know her?”

“A distant relative.” Not strictly true. “She's brought some family members in to help the Commander. All women, except for her twin brother.”

Hecht added, “And they're helping out of conviction, not for pay.”

Helspeth did one of those things that would startle people throughout her reign. She dismissed the matter. “All right. Your department, your problem. Talk to me about Anselin.”

Hecht glanced at Hourli. The Instrumentality deferred with a nod. He then glanced at Lady Hilda, who, this time, was not busy with coffee. War in Dreanger had interrupted the smuggling chain. Daedel winked.

“Anselin wanted to see Hypraxium on his way home.” Which was common knowledge, now. “He visited the great buildings and was a guest of the Emperor, who suggested he take an overland route home in order to avoid interception by Navayan or Plataduran warships. Anselin took that advice.”

But once Anselin departed Hypraxium, accompanied by one knight, two squires, a serjent, and a gaggle of servants, including a personal confessor, he had tumbled off the edge of the earth.

“Anselin's party was too big to go unnoticed but too small to fight.”

“He's dead?” Helspeth blurted. “Murdered by bandits?”

“No. A false guide took him along a wrong road, into Hovacol. King Stain has him. He plans to auction him off. Stain has been behaving strangely for several years. His enemies claim that he is possessed.”

The Grand Duke opened his mouth for the first time. “How could she possibly know all that?”

“Lady Hourli has unique resources.”

Ferris Renfrow said, “She does.”

“But…”

The Empress interjected, “We've been told, gently, that how the sausages get made is none of our business. Be content with the meat on the table.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Hecht said. Then, because Helspeth hated being called that if only because it had pleased her sister, he said, “Sorry. I meant Majesty. And it's true. Every profession has trade secrets.”

“Do get on with it. Tell us what you plan, Lord Arnmigal.” Rubbing it in.

Lady Hilda winked again. Hecht pushed that distraction aside. “I mean to take Anselin away from Stain. I need your permission.”

“Do you? You must be exceeding confident that permission will be forthcoming. Buhle Smolens and Rivademar Vircondelet, with two hundred fifty men and twenty light falcons, left early this morning.”

That caught Hecht off guard. “Yes. I try to keep the men sharp with field exercises.”

Helspeth stared for several seconds. “A good idea, I don't doubt. The sword's edge should be kept polished. Stay a moment when the others leave.” Perhaps a sop to the old men, him facing a dressing down. “I want to hear how much this perfect edge is going to cost.”

“As you wish.”

“Always. Proceed with your plot. Although, I'm thinking, had you dealt with Stain when Katrin asked, this situation might not have arisen.”

Unfair, and even the old men saw that.

“This opportunity would not have befallen us.”

It would have been a different world. The Righteous would not have taken the Krulik and Sneigon works before hearing about King Jaime. The Righteous would not have had the falcons that had made the difference at the Shades. Katrin would be alive and a prisoner of the Church. Serenity would still be Patriarch.

Helspeth stepped back. “You're right. Anselin would have ridden in here. We'd be trying to get Anne of Menand to bully Serenity into trading him for my sister.”

Said sourly. Helspeth was in a contrarian mood. Hecht glanced at Lady Hilda, seeking a clue. He got another wink.

What the hell was Daedel up to?

“Hilda?” Helspeth said. “You have something to contribute?”

“The Archbishop keeps complaining about something being wrong with the churches.”

Helspeth said, “Since none of these barbarians are inclined to take a cue and ask, what does that mean?”

“I'm not sure. The Archbishop has trouble making himself clear when he's excited. I think he means that the churches no longer have a holy feel.”

Still no commentary. It was not clear what Hilda meant, either. Lady Hourli, though, looked uncomfortable.

Lady Hilda grumbled, “I'm saying what the Archbishop said. Maybe he meant the churches aren't blessed anymore. Maybe he meant that God isn't there anymore.”

Hilda was disappointed by the numb response, obviously. Hecht suspected that she had hoped that someone could clarify Brion's complaint.

*   *   *

“No more snow jobs,” Helspeth told Hecht when they were alone.

“Including having Hilandle and fon Tyre in so the old guard doesn't get its noses out of joint?”

“I can make that exception.”

“What is this with Lady Hilda? She was flirting. Are you testing me?”

Helspeth raised an eyebrow but did not explain. “The Grand Duke of Eathered and Arnmigal is free to do whatever he considers to be in the interest of his Empress, even to rescuing the King of Arnhand. But the Empress would appreciate knowing what Lord Arnmigal intends before it becomes a public issue.”

“Understood. But it's hard to keep you up to the minute.”

“Really? When you have friends who pop into my bedroom in the middle of the night? Who know intimate details of things happening right now in a kingdom hundreds of miles away?”

Before he could placate her, Helspeth growled, “You want me to take you on faith but you won't trust me.”

Hecht's shoulders hunched. The new, imperious Helspeth was disconcerting.

Hecht felt Hourli laughing somewhere close by.

“Very well. But you won't believe the truth when I tell you.”

“Try me, my lord,” said from inside two feet, head tilted back, eyes narrowed sleepily. Then she reddened.

Hecht was too pressed to respond, with humor or contact. “My Lady Hourli is the old goddess Hourli. Her twin is the god Hourlr. Also helping the Righteous are the goddesses Sheaf, Eavijne, Aldi, Wife…”

“Stop! You're right. I don't believe you. I can't, for the sake of my immortal soul. I know those names from when I was little. My old nurses told me stories about Donner and Ordnan, Hourli and Locke.”

“Excellent. If you won't believe me I won't have to explain.” He was sure he heard Hourli laughing. Being the subject of disbelief could be an advantage, sometimes. You could do what you wanted and not be blamed. “Just carry out my recommendations and enjoy the results.”

“Lord Arnmigal … The hell with it! I have no hope of salvation if God does condemn us for sins that that we commit in our hearts.”

Hecht waited.

“Hilda was doing what I told her to. I wanted to know what you'd do. But she went a little further than I wanted. She might mean it.”

“Isn't that rather juvenile?”

“Yes. It is. But do I know any better? Have I had any chance to learn? I tripped into obsession at first sight with a man I saw for just a few minutes while my father was questioning a prisoner. The prisoner became Patriarch. The man who captured my imagination saved my life under the walls of al-Khazen. My lord, the only other man who ever forced his way into my mind, as a man, was Jaime of Castauriga, which repelled me. He believed he had the right.”

“Uh…”

“He thought he had a claim on any woman he wanted. I infuriated him by refusing. So did Hilda. She's easy but she has standards. She knows wicked slime when she winds the stench.”

“Helspeth! What are you?…”

“I'm sorry, my lord. I am Empress, now. I don't get much chance to be human. I fall apart when I try.”

Hecht heard divine laughter once more. Probably his imagination. The Instrumentalities of the Night could not penetrate a well-maintained quiet room. It had to be his guilt about his own obsessions.

Helspeth Ege was naïve about the interplay between man and woman but she did know that Piper Hecht was as captivated by Helspeth Ege as Helspeth Ege was enthralled by Piper Hecht. “There will be a hasty coronation next week. We want to get it done before the grandees go home for the winter. After that I can do pretty much whatever I want.”

“I know. That scares me. I'm a weak man. Sometimes I just can't do the right thing. And this could hurt people who don't deserve the pain.”

Helspeth nodded sadly.

Hecht said, “That old man who turns up in odd places at odd times would know right away. He knows my mind already. Others suspect.”

He was rehearsing the facts more to convince himself than to caution Helspeth. She had crossed her last river already. She might offer him no more choice than Katrin had.