Sacred Knight of the Veil (6 page)

A wave of intense sadness and joy engulfed her together, making her smile while her eyes burnt with tears. The bittersweet joy of his presence was almost too much to bear. A great weight lifted off her, and warm strength rushed into her, as if he was the font from which her life force sprang. He gave up trying to free himself, although he could easily have done so had he chosen to bruise her. She clung to him for as long as she dared, until his impatient sigh forced her to release him and step back.

"My Lord."

Chiana lowered her eyes and sank down in a far deeper curtsy than she had ever accorded Kerrion. As she rose on trembling legs, she noted the stiff bow he granted her, then put the candle on a table when her hand shook. The rush of adrenalin and emotions his presence brought made her weak and giddy. She had almost forgotten the affect he had on her. Dozens of questions clamoured to be asked, and she fought the need to burble.

"How did you get in here? How long have you been here?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"No, I suppose not."

Chiana turned to light another lamp, longing to study him. The extra light made him squint and frown, but revealed more familiar particulars. He seemed to be wearing the same tight black leather outfit she had first seen him in, with its fine chain mail that protected his torso and the high collar that guarded his neck. He did not look like a forty-five-year-old man, but one of no more than thirty. Nothing about him had changed. He might have stepped straight out of her memories. She moved closer, hardly able to believe her eyes. He still possessed a boy's smooth pale skin, unblemished by adolescent pimples or the sprouting of a beard.

The Cotti had denied him that when they had stripped him of his manhood at twelve. Yet he was still a man, even though he lacked most of the masculine traits that coarsened the average male visage. In fact, it only heightened his strange allure, and had made him the deadliest assassin to ever walk the streets of Jashimari. Only she, Queen Minna-Satu, Kerrion and his former mentor, Talon, knew that the secret of Blade's success was that he had lured many of his victims to their death disguised as a woman. She had often tried to imagine what he would look like in his disguise, and found the image disconcerting.

Blade sighed and walked over to a table to pour himself a cup of wine from the bottle placed there for her nightcap. Realising that she had been staring at him for some time, lost in thought, she pulled herself together.

"You have not changed."

"Shamsara's curse."

The speech she had prepared for their first meeting had deserted her, leaving her floundering for something intelligent to say. She longed to embrace him again, if only to reassure herself that he was real, but dared not. His cool remoteness, so prevalent throughout their relationship, was more marked than ever. He sipped the wine and gave her a measuring look that brought a hot flush to her cheeks and made her want to straighten her hair. Blade sighed and glanced away.

Chiana quelled a strong urge to tell him how much she had missed him, knowing that it would mean nothing to him. She longed to pour out her feelings, even if they were rebuffed, but he already knew what she felt. He had not cared then, nor would he now.

Instead, she said, "I thought I would never see you again."

"Nor would you, if not for that damned messenger of yours. Too clever for his own good."

Chiana bowed her head to hide the tears that burnt her eyes, determined to show no weakness. He hurt her without even thinking about it, and his offhand manner only made it worse. She moved to the table where he stood and poured herself a cup of wine, giving herself time to regain her poise, then turned to him with a brittle smile when she found him eyeing her.

"I knew you would come."

"Did you now? I doubt that, somehow."

"I hoped and prayed."

"That is more like it."

Now that she stood close to him, she was surprised to find that he was not as tall as she remembered. Casting her mind back, she recalled that she had mostly seen him in the company of Minna-Satu, who was diminutive. He had stood half a head taller than Minna, but was only a few inches taller than his wife. In her memory he had grown in stature, but in reality he was a slender man of slightly less than medium height.

Chiana's eyes drifted to the hand that held the goblet, his long fingers scarred by tiny white lines that were a legacy of dagger-throwing lessons in his youth. A shiver went through her as she remembered how Cotti torturers had mangled his hand on the day he should have died. No trace remained of the broken fingers, but his chest would still bear the scars of the burns they had inflicted. She wondered if he still limped, and glanced up to find him studying her, making her avert her eyes from his frigid gaze.

"Have I grown old, while you have not?" she enquired.

"You were very young before. Now we are on a par, I suppose."

"Do you still find me pretty?"

He frowned. "I do not recall ever telling you that, and if you are fishing for compliments you have found an empty pool."

She winced at the rebuff. "You have stayed fit. Do you still dance?"

"On occasion. I doubt that I could defeat Swift now."

"I doubt that Swift can still dance."

Blade smiled in his sweet, heartrending way, an expression that sent thrills through her, even though it did not reach his eyes. She remembered its power, and how he used it as a weapon rather than a reward. She turned away, shaken.

"Would you like something to eat? My maids await in my bedchamber. I can send one to bring you a meal."

"No." His gaze raked her dress. "Why do you dress in widow's weeds? I did not know I was dead."

"They are not widow's weeds. I just see no reason to dress up."

"No wonder they call you the Grey Virgin. Never have I seen such an ugly gown."

"I am wed to a sacred Knight of the Veil, I must dress conservatively."

"Do you want people to pity you?" He shook his head. "I must be the richest man in Jashimari, and my wife dresses like a damned pauper."

Chiana raked his drab, worn outfit with a scathing glance. "And will you follow your own advice, My Lord?"

"I do not have to. I am neither a woman nor the Regent, and what is more, I do not live in this god-awful palace. I thought women took pleasure in wearing expensive gowns and jewels?"

"Only when there is someone to admire them." He raised a sceptical eyebrow, and she added, "Someone whose admiration they seek."

"Ah." He smiled. "Well, here I am."

"Had I known of your arrival, My Lord, I would have donned a more suitable gown for the occasion."

Blade chuckled, revealing even white teeth in a rare grin. "Ah, Chiana, you play the dutiful wife so well."

"Do I? It must be a gift, for I have had little practice."

"Indeed it must, or perhaps the years of berating me in your mind have honed your sharp tongue."

"Indeed, My Lord." She returned his smile, aware that her sorrow shone in her eyes, and made no effort to hide it, for it was no secret. "And now that you have returned, I can sharpen it further."

His smile vanished, and he swung away. "I think not. Let us get down to business, shall we?"

"Now? It is late, and I am quite tired. Can it not wait until morning?"

"Will it take so long to tell me?"

"No, but the argument afterwards will take the rest of the night."

Blade put his goblet down on the table. "Then I shall give you my answer now. No."

"Wait!" Chiana raised a hand as he headed for the window. "Please, Blade. I will tell you now."

He returned and collected his goblet before sinking down on a cushion. Chiana glanced towards her bedchamber, where her maids still waited.

"I will dismiss my maids, since I have no time to bathe now. There is no point in making them wait all night."

Turning her back on him, she tugged the cord that would summon her maids. At least he was willing to listen, which might mean he would help, or it might be simple curiosity. She hoped it was the former.

One of her maids arrived in answer to her summons, and stopped short when she spied Blade. Her eyes widened, then darted to the Regent, who smiled.

"It is all right, Resha. You and Skeril may retire. I have business to discuss, which will take some time "

The maid bobbed and withdrew, with a lingering glance in Blade's direction.

"In a few minutes the palace will be rife with gossip about your new lover," he commented.

"As soon as she describes you, most will know the truth. Shall I have Arken find you some more suitable clothes?"

"I will not be here long enough to change."

Chiana sank down on a cushion, fighting the urge to shout that he had only just arrived. He watched her with narrowed eyes, as if expecting such a reaction. The tension between them filled the air with invisible sparks. Blade sipped his wine, allowing the suspense to build for a while before he broke it.

"From your message, I assume that a Cotti prince, presumably Endor, plans to threaten your young charge. This is easily prevented, if not by you, then by Kerrion."

"Yes, it would be, but the situation is far worse than that, and without your help it will be a disaster." She studied her hands. "Three tendays ago, I received a letter from Kerrion. His wife has been kidnapped, and for her safe return, Endor has demanded to visit Kerra. Kerrion suspects that Endor plans to take Kerra hostage and rule Jashimari, perhaps even declare himself Regent. Once she is in his power, no one will be able to stand against him without endangering her. Kerrion has instructed me to send Kerra into hiding until he can free his wife."

"Sounds reasonable enough." Blade did not look particularly shocked or outraged, but then, he had always professed not to care about anything or anyone.

Chiana kept her voice firm and steady. "But sending Kerra out into the world is dangerous. Should anything happen to her, Jashimari would be thrown into an uproar, and if Endor declares himself King, it will be war. I need someone who can guard her well and make her disappear completely, so Endor cannot find her."

"A group of your elite veterans should be ideal."

"No. Kerra is... headstrong. She could order them to do something stupid, and they could not refuse her. She is the Queen."

"You mean she is a spoilt brat."

Chiana sighed. "It is difficult to raise a child who cannot be punished, and whose only parent rules another kingdom."

"And you think I am going to spirit away this uppity young girl and guard her from the lecherous advances of every lout who claps eyes on her, in addition to hiding from Endor's search parties. What sort of fool do you take me for?"

"If Endor captures her..." She forced herself to meet his eyes. "Shamsara's prediction will come true. The streets of Jondar will run with blood. Only you can stop it. That is why he saved you. When you were dying, he saw a future steeped in blood. He said it is your destiny to prevent this, and when he had saved you, he told me that the future was changed, the blood gone from it.

"So I know you will help me in the end, no matter how much you argue against it now. You did not have to come here. You could have disappeared again as easily as you did before, and it was not mere curiosity that drove you here. You are the instrument, and fate has not finished with you yet."

Blade's eyes narrowed while she spoke, and his hand tightened on the goblet. "Fate will not use me again. I told you so before I left."

"I remember. But perhaps you have no choice in the matter."

"If you believe that, you are a fool." Blade rose to his feet in a smooth motion, banging the goblet down on the table. "I want no part of this. I will not be a pawn in this game of queens and princes."

Chiana rose to face him, lifting her chin in her most regal manner. "You cannot stand by and watch war tear this kingdom apart. Endor will stamp out any rebellion. A Cotti prince will rule us. If Kerrion tries to intercede, his wife will die, and once Kerra is Endor's hostage, Kerrion will be placing her life in danger too. Our lives depend upon you. If nothing else, will you not stand by your promise to me?"

"What promise is that?"

"You swore to avenge my death."

He frowned. "And who do you think is going to kill you?"

"Endor. Once he has captured the Queen, or perhaps before, he must dispose of me. He will make himself ruler, but, as the former Regent, I will be a threat he cannot ignore. Minna-Satu appointed me. I represent her wishes, and the loyal lords will rally to me. My continued existence will encourage them to rebel."

"Then I shall avenge you. It will be easier than dealing with a pig-headed young Queen."

The blood drained from Chiana's cheeks, and she swayed, putting out a hand to steady herself. "You will let me die?"

He stepped closer. "Have I ever led you to believe that I care whether or not you live?"

"Yes."

"A moment of weakness, then." He turned away, then swung back, clearly agitated, his brow furrowed. "I should never have made you such a promise."

"But you did, and you cannot keep it."

"How so?"

"If you do, Kerrion's wife will die. From his letter, I gather that she is important to him. A sentiment I applaud, but one that puts all of us in danger. What will he do if she is killed?"

Blade refilled his goblet. "How should I know? He is a damned Cotti."

"Then why is she so important to him? Why does he not have many wives as all his forefathers did?"

"Because he is a damned fool, and he claims to love her." Blade snorted. "We would all be better off if such an emotion did not exist."

Chiana nodded. "Perhaps. But it does, and if Kerrion feels it for his wife, then her death will bring an even greater disaster, should he seek to avenge it. He will be executed for high treason, and Endor will dispose of Kerrion's sons so he will inherit. Then he will appoint one of his brothers to rule Jashimari. All that Minna-Satu sought to avoid will come to pass."

"You think I care?"

Desperation drove her to step forward and grip his arms, feeling the daggers strapped to his wrists through his sleeves. "You do. I know you do. You do not want the Cotti to rule Jashimari, you hate them. You almost died to protect Kerra from Armin."