One Thousand Nights (26 page)

“Yes. He has not hurt me.”

“Yet,” Amael said, fingers digging into my shoulder. No doubt I would have bruises there to match the ones on my wrists.

“Do not be hasty,” came Besh’s voice again…and yet it did not issue from the man who even now advanced a pace or two into the room, but from a second figure, identical in every way to the one who had first appeared, down to the blood-covered sword he held in his left hand.

Left hand.
But Besh was right-handed….

Oh, Therissa,
I thought.
So you did make your escape, and somehow found my husband. But what did you two plan to do next?

Over the past few weeks, I had grown accustomed to the way Therissa could casually assume the appearance of anyone she wished. Amael, however, was not quite so nonchalant.

“What sort of deviltry is this?” he demanded, staring with disbelieving eyes at the two copies of his brother.

“Perhaps it is no deviltry at all, but only the product of your own guilty imagination,” said the Besh on the left, the one I knew was my husband. If it were not for Therissa holding her sword left-handed, I would never have been able to tell them apart.

“I bear no guilt,” Amael replied. “You do not deserve to be Hierarch of Keshiaar. And what gave you that title? A mere accident of birth?”

“I am inclined to believe that God knew what He was doing when He made sure I was born first,” said the Besh on the right in droll tones, and I knew it was Therissa who had actually spoken. My own husband would never have said anything so self-important.

Amael, however, did not appear quite so discerning. “Indeed?” he asked, lip curling. “So now you think you were anointed by God to rule this land? A man so incompetent he could not get his first wife with child, or even bed the second one?”

In his anger, he had lifted his hand from my shoulder. Besh — the true Besh — did not respond to his brother’s hateful words, but only called out, “Now, Lyarris!”

I did not stop to think. I knew he was telling me I must seize my chance in this one moment, while Amael was distracted and had let go of me. By instinct, I kicked out with my left foot, catching him behind the knee. He stumbled, cursing, and I pushed myself out of the chair and away from him, taking shelter behind one of the pillars that lined the room.

As soon as they saw I was free, Besh and the disguised Therissa moved forward, approaching Amael with careful, measured steps. “You are caught,” Besh said. “I have brought guards loyal to me, and all the traitors in your employ have been killed — as has the treacherous chancellor who gave me poisoned advice for so many years.”

From my hiding place, I could hear Amael curse under his breath, but he did not falter. Perhaps in that way he was like a trapped wild animal, too crazed with fear and anger to surrender. He stood straight and tall, meeting his brother eye to eye…before pulling the dagger from his belt and hurling it directly at the man he resembled so closely.

I screamed, and saw the second Besh, my dear Therissa, throw herself in front of my husband, shielding him with her body. The blade sank into her side, and she collapsed to the ground with a cry of agony, her assumed form melting away, leaving only the limp body of a woman behind.

“Ah, so you would allow a witch to shelter you?” Amael sneered.

Besh appeared stricken, but then I saw his jaw clench. “That woman is worth ten thousand of you, Amael.” Sword up, he advanced on his brother, even as I ran from behind the pillar and sank down on the ground.

So much blood. The dagger still protruded from her side, so I grasped it and pulled it out, then threw it away. Her face was blank and quiet, and I thought,
No, no, gods no,
before laying a finger to her neck so I could feel the pulse there. It still beat, but quickly and faint. I did not have much time.

The silver tissue of my trousers would be useless as a bandage, but the tunic I wore was of thick silk damask, heavy but fine. I grasped the edge and pulled with all my might, managing to tear away a large strip. It would have to do.

As I pressed the makeshift bandage against the wound in Therissa’s side, I heard Amael say, “But brother, I am unarmed. Surely you would not be such a dastard as to strike down a man who cannot fight back?”

Voice grim, Besh replied, “Normally I would not. But your actions have already shown you to be beyond the pale, and therefore I will not treat with you the way I would a worthy man. But you can still stand there and accept your doom with dignity, and perhaps preserve something of our family’s honor.”

For a second or two, Amael hesitated, eyes fixed on the bloodstained sword in his brother’s hand. Then he seized the chair I had occupied only a few minutes earlier, and flung it at Besh.

But it seemed Besh had anticipated the move, ducking out of the way. The chair crashed to the floor only a few feet from where I cradled Therissa in my arms, and I flinched. Then Besh was moving, sword a blink of silver in the light from the sconces on the walls, flashing so quickly I could not quite comprehend what was happening. Then followed a heavy thud, and I realized the sound had come from Amael’s head hitting the carpet. His body toppled next, falling over to lie next to his head in a great spray of blood.

I believe I flinched, for I had never been witness to such personal violence before. This was different from the battle at the oasis…and yet just, for Besh had merely done what the executioner could not. Far more important to me, however, was the woman lying limp against me, her blood oozing past the fabric I held and staining my now ruined clothing, the beautiful pieces I had put on with such anticipation earlier that day.

Besh approached, then knelt down on the carpet next to me. “Is she — ”

“She is still alive, but I do not know for how long. You must send for a doctor.”

A half-familiar voice said, “No need for that. Let me see her.”

Blinking, I looked toward the doorway and saw the last two people I would have expected: Besh’s former tutor Alim, along with Nezhaam, Besh’s dear friend. Alim hurried forward, a satchel clutched in one hand.

“So you are not only a man of learning, but a man of medicine as well?” I asked as he came to kneel beside me.

“They are not mutually exclusive,” he said, his tone wry, although his gaze was serious enough as he opened the satchel and pulled out a sharp knife, along with a quantity of fresh, clean gauze. “But let me see what I am working with here. Go ahead and let go, my lady. I daresay you have saved this woman’s life, but now let me finish the task.”

Blinking back tears, I released my death grip on the bandage, pushing myself to my feet as I watched Alim cut away Therissa’s blood-soaked tunic with quick, efficient movements. There was so much blood that I could not see how deep the wound actually was, but I was startled to see Alim give a grim smile and then nod as he reached into his satchel for a bottle of clear liquid, which he poured over the wound.

Although I had thought she was completely unconscious, Therissa twitched and moaned softly. I sent a questioning look at Alim, and he said, “The wound is not deep enough to have cut into any of her organs, so, while it looks alarming, it is not as bad as I feared.”

“That is good,” Besh added, coming to stand by me, Nezhaam a few paces away. “So she will survive?”

“I believe so.” Alim continued to work as he spoke, cleaning the wound, then fetching a long curved needle and a length of some kind of stiff thread from the satchel. He poured more of the clear liquid over the needle, threaded it, and began to stitch the wound closed.

It was rather a gruesome procedure, if a necessary one, and so I was glad that my husband captured my attention, taking my hands and turning me slightly so I would not have to see Alim working on my fallen friend.

“He will take care of her,” Besh said, raising one palm to his lips and kissing it, and doing the same with the other. “Mistress Larrin could not ask for better aid, and well she deserves it, for I do not think I have ever seen a woman with such courage.” He smiled grimly, then added, “And…you are quite well? You did not suffer any hurt?”

“Nothing more than a bruised dignity from being flung over the shoulder of one of the guards and carried here like a sack of potatoes,” I replied, thrilling at his touch, despite my various bumps and bruises, despite my ongoing worry over Therissa.

A slight chuckle. “Well, if that is your only wound from this day, then you have fared better than many.” His expression darkened, even as Nezhaam approached. “Your report?”

Nezhaam straightened. Gone was the happy-go-lucky man I had known from our journey to view the conjunction; his expression was unsmiling, his mouth tight. “This house has been cleared completely, and although the traitors who followed Tel-Karinoor have not all been caught, I have no doubt they will be by morning. The palace is likewise safe, although I fear your servants will have quite a time of it putting things to rights.”

Although Besh nodded, he did not look entirely happy. “How many lost?”

“We are still making a count, my lord, but I believe it will be above two hundred by the time we are done.”

For a few seconds, Besh said nothing. I could see his gaze rake the room, linger on the body of his brother, and then move to where Therissa lay, Alim’s needle glinting as he worked to close the wound Amael had inflicted. “How does Mistress Larrin fare?”

“She has lost a good deal of blood, but she seems strong and healthy enough,” Alim replied, not looking up from his work. “However, I do not think she should be moved very far.”

“We will take her upstairs when you are done,” Besh said. His amber eyes glinted, and he added, “This house will do well for her convalescence. After all, my chancellor has no further need of it.”

T
he final tally was some
two hundred and eighty souls dead, most of them the turncoats who had thrown in their lot with Amael and Tel-Karinoor. Even so, there were many loyal men who had given their lives in defense of their Hierarch, and the realm mourned their loss while at the same time reeling from the brief but bloody revolt.

Although Besh and I had made a vow to each other that we would become husband and wife in more than just name, I did not want to selfishly attend to my own pleasures when my dear Therissa was in such a bad way. True, Alim had saved her life, but it would be some time before she was up and about, and I told Besh I wanted to tend to her and make sure she was well on the road to recovery.

“I understand, dear wife,” he told me. “After all, I have made you wait all these months. It is certainly not fair for me to begrudge you a few days.”

I smiled and thanked him, and inwardly sent a quick prayer of gratitude heavenward, so the gods might know how indebted I was to them for sending me such a wise and understanding husband. And so I sat at Therissa’s side, noting how the cheery flush that usually filled her cheeks was gone, and her face was somehow thinner than it had been a few days earlier.

But then she opened her eyes and smiled at me, and said, “So you have decided to play nursemaid, Hiereine?”

Since she had used that title, I knew she was teasing me. Inwardly I cheered at seeing her recovered enough to make a joke, but I said in mock-severe tones, “It is the very least I can do, Mistress Larrin, seeing that you saved the life of the Hierarch and kept this realm from falling into utter ruin.”

“Well, then,” she replied. “I suppose it is all right for you to be a nursemaid for a little while.” Almost as soon as the words left her lips, her eyelids fluttered shut, and she fell asleep again. That did not unnecessarily disturb me, as Alim had said she would sleep a great deal as her body fought to recover from the wound and the blood loss it had caused.

But the next morning when she awoke, her eyes were bright, and she took in her rich surroundings with lively interest. “It seems I have moved up in the world,” she remarked.

“You are in the house of the late
visanis
,” I told her. “Alim thought it best you make your recovery here, as there was a danger of your wound reopening if you were moved too far. And, as my husband pointed out, Tel-Karinoor had no more use for it.”

She smiled then, albeit weakly. “True. It is a pity you were busy being kidnapped, for watching the Hierarch run that viper through was highly satisfying.”

Besh had not told me exactly what had happened, only that he had dispatched the traitorous chancellor. However, Nezhaam had given me more detail, had described how my husband came upon the
visanis
, and was taken by such a cold rage that he slaughtered all six of the men who accompanied Tel-Karinoor, and then plunged his sword into the older man’s black heart with such force that the blade was buried up to the hilt. I shivered slightly at the recollection, but managed to say, “I had no idea you were so bloodthirsty, Therissa.”

“Indeed I am not, except when someone richly deserves it.”

I could not dispute that, so I only said, “Indeed, that must have been quite a blood thirst, for I could swear that the blade you held was not exactly pristine.”

A long sigh, and she closed her eyes for a moment. “Self-defense, my dear Lyarris. And before you ask, yes, I have learned something of how to handle a sword over the years. A woman on her own should know how to protect herself.”

“You are a woman of many talents, it seems.”

“As are most women, I find. It is only that my talents are perhaps somewhat different from most.” She shifted slightly in the bed, wincing a bit, then regarded me closely for a few seconds. “It was good that you had already proven the ledge outside your window as a handy escape route. The guard pursuing me could not quite figure out where I had gone — at least, not until I had a healthy lead on him. And as soon as I reached the balcony, I took on the guise of one of the guards, and so was able to make my way more or less safely through the palace to your husband’s quarters. The clash between his men and the traitors was just beginning then, but they had not yet reached him. So I was able to warn him, and we made our escape.” Putting a hand to her head, she offered me a weary yet cheerful smile. “It was touch and go for a bit until we met up with Nezhaam and a squad of loyal guards, but your husband acquits himself very well with a sword. You should be proud of him.”

“I am,” I said at once. “And of you, dear Therissa. Goodness, what a tale I will have to tell when I write my brother next!”

“You will need to edit the account a good deal, I think. I cannot imagine your husband will be too overjoyed to have an account of such treachery in the heart of Keshiaar sent straight to the Emperor of Sirlende.”

She did have a point there. “Oh, dear,” I replied in some dismay. “I had not thought of that.” Pausing, I considered the problem, then added, “But then again, my brother has a goodly number of spies here at court, so I have no doubt that he will get a true account one way or another.”

“And no doubt he will not be overjoyed, either, to have you reveal such a thing to me.”

I began to protest, but then I saw the dancing light in Therissa’s eyes and knew that she was teasing me again. “And I am sure that you know who every single one of them is, so there is no reason to play the innocent with me.”

Her mouth curved in a smile. “As to that, I will say neither yea nor nay.”

In that moment, I heard something of a clamor downstairs, and I stiffened, worried that somehow some of the rebels who had not yet been caught had returned here to cause mischief. But then I heard my husband’s voice, accompanied by one that sounded quite familiar, although I couldn’t quite place who it might be.

Therissa seemed to know, however, for her eyes widened, and I saw her reach up to smooth her hair — quite unnecessarily, as I myself had run a brush through it not less than an hour earlier. There was a sound of heavy feet in the corridor outside, and then the door to Therissa’s chamber, which I had left partway open to catch the fickle morning breeze, opened all the way. Besh peered in, smiling.

“Normally, I would not intrude, Mistress Larrin,” he said. “But as my wife reports that you are doing much better, I thought you might like to have a visitor.”

He stepped aside, and in stepped Ambassador Sel-Trelazar, looking quite fit and hearty, although his brow puckered with worry as he gazed down at Therissa. However, he had not forgotten himself quite enough to forget to acknowledge me; he bowed, hands pressed together, and said formally, “Most High Majesty, I am pleased beyond measure to see you so well.”

“Thank you, Ambassador,” I replied. “But I think there is someone here who is even happier to see you than I am, and so we will leave you to speak in private.”

“A thousand thanks, my lady.” And that seemed to be all the niceties he had time for, as he turned from me at once and went to the bed, taking Therissa’s hand in his.

This was their time to be together, and so I did not linger. But even as I shut the door, I saw Therissa’s face light up so much that one would never have guessed she was recovering from a grievous wound, and I felt my heart fill with happiness for her.

I saw Besh waiting for me in the corridor outside, a smile of his own illumining his face, and I went to him, then took his hand. “That was well done, my husband. How is it that the ambassador came here now?”

Besh lifted my hand and pressed it to his lips, then released it. “This is the time of year when he usually returns to Keshiaar to make his report. No doubt he did not expect to find that so much had happened in his absence, but when I told him of how bravely Mistress Larrin had acquitted herself, he wanted to come and thank her in person.”

“Indeed,” I said, my tone dry. I knew Besh was aware of the relationship Sel-Trelazar and Therissa shared, for I had told him of it myself. “How very thoughtful of you.”

“I felt it best, especially now that I have requested the good ambassador stay here in Sirlende and give up his traveling days. I find I am in need of a new
visanis
, and I cannot think of anyone with a better heart or mind to take that position.”

Indeed, I had not thought my own heart could grow any more full, but it seemed to swell further in that moment. I flung my arms around Besh, going on my tiptoes so I might kiss him and show him my gratitude for his thoughtfulness. Yes, guards stood on either side of the door to Therissa’s chamber, and more watched the head of the stairs, but in that moment I found I did not care who was watching.

“Ah,” he said, after I had pulled away and he had recovered his breath. “I shall have to play matchmaker more often, if that is how you intend to reward me.”

“I look forward to rewarding you, my husband,” I replied with a sly smile, and he gathered me into his arms and kissed me again, and again, and I knew we would not have much longer to wait.

A
nd so it
was that Malik Sel-Trelazar, lately appointed
visanis
to the Hierarch, and the Lady Therissa Larrin, lately of Sirlende, were wed one fine spring evening in the house that had been made theirs by royal decree. True, they were married with the lady still in her sickbed, as Alim had not yet given his approval for her to be up and about, but the new chancellor and his bride did not want to wait.

“For you know how people will talk if he stays here, and I an unmarried woman,” Therissa told me with a wink, and I could only laugh, knowing she spoke the truth. It did not matter that the former ambassador was near fifty, and Therissa not quite forty-five. People would talk, and Malik Sel-Trelazar had vowed that he would not leave Therissa’s side until she was fully healed, so a discreet wedding seemed the best course of action.

Besh and I left them to their happiness, and returned to the palace. It had been some ten days since the abortive rebellion, and the servants had done a truly remarkable job in restoring the interior to its former pristine state. One would never know that many scores of men had died here not quite two weeks earlier.

But I did not want to think of that. Tragic for the families and loved ones left behind — yes, even of those who had been lured to Amael’s side by promises of riches and easy advancement. In time, though, the kingdom would heal, and the entire affair would be only a footnote to history.

As we walked, I noticed that the guards were guiding us toward Besh’s apartments, and my heart began to beat a little faster. We had not spoken of that delayed “wedding night” — at least not formally — but our unspoken agreement had been that we would be together after I knew that Therissa was truly out of danger. Her bedside wedding to Malik Sel-Trelazar seemed to confirm that she would be with us for a good long time to come. There was no reason to delay any further.

One of the guards opened the door for us, and Besh hesitated, inquiring, “Will you dine with me here tonight, my lady?”

We had shared some light refreshments at the Sel-Trelazar home, but I knew that was not precisely what my husband was asking of me. By following him inside, I had agreed to be with him wholly, completely. I knew there could be only one answer to his question.

“It would be my greatest pleasure, my lord.”

A brilliant smile illumined his face, and he took me by the hand and led me inside, shutting the guards and the rest of the world out as he closed the door behind us. Almost at once he drew me to him, bringing his mouth down to mine so he might taste my lips. I tasted him as well, heat building within me, an urgent, needy fire that must be quenched.

“Come,” he said simply. We walked past his library, and past the large room he used sometimes to meet with his advisors and generals, and past sitting rooms and parlors. At last we came to the great staircase, but he did not hesitate there, instead guiding me up to the second story. In the open area on the landing had been set out light refreshments — grapes and cheese, and thin slices of cured meats and fine little pastries sweet with honey and almonds. Next to the trays sat a decanter of wine, deep, deep red. He poured a glass for me, and I came and took it from him, then waited while he poured himself some of his own.

“To the wisest and most beautiful Hiereine this land has ever seen,” he said, lifting his glass toward me.

I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks, but I raised my glass and replied, “To the bravest and handsomest Hierarch this land has ever seen.”

He laughed then, and drank, and I followed suit, letting the sweet, rich wine linger on my tongue and then slip down my throat, bringing with it a subtler warmth to echo the one that already lay coiled in my belly and seemed to throb along every vein.

“I am sorry it took so long for us to come to this,” he added, voice quiet, although something in me thrilled at the intensity in it.

“Then that will make us appreciate it all the more,” I told him, swallowing more of my wine before setting the glass down on the table next to the decanter. Yes, the wine was all very well, but I had had enough of waiting.

Besh seemed to sense my mood, for he placed his glass next to mine, then came to me, lifting me in his strong arms. I clung to him, and we moved into his bedchamber, almost twice the size of mine, with an equally enormous bed, all hung with red silk. Seeing that bed made it all the more real, and I stared up at him as he deposited me upon it, my mouth dry.

Perhaps he noted my sudden anxiety, for he asked, “Are you ready —
truly
ready, my love?”

All hesitation fell away as I gazed up at him, at the sculpted planes of his face, at those amber eyes, glowing with love…and need. “I am ready, Besh. Please…make me your wife.”

He needed no more encouragement than that, for at once he was lying next to me, mouth on mine, hands running over my body, awakening sensations I had never before experienced. In that moment, he was the world, the endless night sky, the entire universe. And I took him into me, our bodies joining in perfect joyful conjunction, and I knew I would never feel alone again.