1618686836 (F) (26 page)

"You wouldn't dare trade me out for Eden."

"No? Broc became too troublesome, and we both know what happened to him. Your position in society does not make you immune to my justice, Shiver."

"No. A man that considers a king within the reach of his sword is not a man to treat lightly."

"I'm glad you recognise that. It's a shame Vance doesn't. There again, a man with such little political intelligence and awareness does not deserve to hold the throne. How he came out on top instead of you, after the end of the war, is a complete mystery."

Shiver paused at the mocking edge to the baron's voice. Everfell was a seat he had long coveted. Had it been Sammah, after all, keeping him out of it for all this time? Had the Sha'sek baron tricked him so neatly, so easily, and kept him onside for so long when it had been Sammah that had in reality cheated him out of the throne?

"Don't even think about it, Shiver. I'm not an enemy you want to gain. And I'm a hard friend to keep. Venn knows his place. You need to learn it. Just keep doing what you do best. Drink. Sleep with women. Be a war hero. Keep your men well trained, and that idiot Vance distracted. That is all I need you for. Remember your place, and perhaps I'll forget to have you murdered in your sleep."

39

Eden kept fidgeting in his seat. It wasn't that it wasn't comfortable, or that Sammah was not being welcoming. It was just that, on his table, the book Maertn had described to him sat in plain view. That had to be what they were looking for. Those pages could unlock what they needed, why Sammah needed Quinn so badly. Why he had to keep her alive until his work was done.

Sammah's pleasantries, however, didn’t appear to have an ending. Eden knew he wouldn't be able to take the book out of the room from under the baron's nose, but he was hoping to distract him, or even bring the conversation around to the book itself. Several hours now, however, and he had been unable to draw Sammah away from the new treaties to come out the meeting between the Lords of Everfell. Eden didn't care about those treaties; they had no bearing on his immediate future. Not like the contents of that book.

"... and so Daggerdale and Mossvale have reduced fees to the king, whilst Sevenspells, Yender and Achteren appear to be picking up the pieces of the mismangagement of the other lords. How your father can sit by and watch this happen is beyond me. Didn't he argue for your guilds at the meeting?"

Eden shrugged. "I wouldn't know, baron. The trade agreements in the meeting are left between father and sometimes Rowan. I'm a third son; I don't need to be involved."

"Why does he bring you here then?"

Eden waved his hands to indicate he didn't know. "I think he brought me here as captain of the guard. Shiver doesn’t go anywhere without his protection, and I’m now a major part of that."

"And what of marriages? He doesn't appear keen to start making matches for any of you yet. How old is Rowan now? Twenty winters?"

"Twenty two. River is twenty-one. I am nineteen this year."

"All of a marrying age."

"Father has never found us a suitable match."

"And what does he mean by suitable?"

"I don't think he wants to marry us off to an alliance with a lord that is not favoured in the long term. Life has been uncertain since the end of the last war." Eden saw an opportunity and leapt for it. "Vance is seen as being in, dare I say it sir, an unstable position. A marriage made in haste may be regretted in the future."

"A keen eye you have there, lad. Much like your father. Like your father, though, you're going outside your remit, Eden. Your task was to find the Satori. Not to seduce my daughter."

"Baron I'm not...I didn't...I haven't."

"So you're not interested in Quinn?"

"I ah, I..." Eden looked lost. "What do you want from me, baron. Tell me, and I'll make sure I deliver."

Sammah clapped his hands together with glee. "So much more pliable than your father. I like you Eden, you have superb potential. I know you like Quinn. I'm not blind. She may not be my daughter by blood, but I have raised her, and I know her better than she even knows herself. She's told you what she is, hasn't she?"

"I don't know what you mean, sir." Eden stammered by way of a response.

Sammah smiled, looking almost sympathetic. "Eden, please, do me a little justice at least. You spend so much time with us, yet get nowhere. Your desire to find this murderer has...waned somewhat. And that's because you know the Satori is Quinn, and you know full well, knowing Quinn as well as you do now, that she is not behind the killings. So what does that make you think, logically?"

Eden gulped. "That someone close to Quinn is behind them."

"Wonderful. You can't even tell me to my face! Are you scared of me, Eden."

"I'm petrified of you, Baron Sammah."

"That is the best answer you could give. You should be petrified, Eden, because I have more power than any man in Everfell could begin to imagine. Would you indulge me for a time? You don't seem to have anything else on your mind for the day?" Eden, cold and nervous because of adrenalin, his palms itchy and sweaty, indicated to Sammah he should continue. He tried not to let his eyes flit to the book. He suspected he was about to be given a long and egotistical speech about aims and worth. He suspected, because Sammah seemed as power-deranged as his father, and it was clear the men were cut from exactly the same cloth. "Excellent. You seem like a bright young man Eden.

“War is coming back to Everfell, and I'd hate for you to be caught on the wrong side. You see, the war didn't end because one particular side won. The war ended, because neither side wanted to lose." Eden was confused, and his frown told Sammah as much. "The wars went on for well over a decade. Many men were killed from Everfell. Sha'sek lost many of its finest men and women. No one wanted to back down, but no one wanted to push forward and win either. We just didn't have the resources. The lords and the council decided that a diplomatic agreement was the only way to end things."

"The retreat?"

"Yes, the retreat. We would both agree to keep our men behind our own borders, with a few exceptions. Each ruler has a noble diplomat from the other. I have been in Everfell since the end of the war. Lord Lynton, Vance’s cousin, has been in Sha'sek, in its biggest state, to sit on matters with the rest of the council."

"But neither of you have any influence in state policy?"

"We have influence, yes, to a certain extent. But we do not have a say in things. For example, Vance could advise that he wishes to establish a noble with men and standings in disputed lands on the border. With these lands kept empty as part of the diplomatic agreement, I could advise Vance against such actions, however I am powerless to stop him going ahead with such things."

"But if he did, you'd send word to the council?"

"Exactly. And the same is true of Sha'sek—Lynton would send word to Vance should they make any moves towards gathering troops together."

"That was the Sha'sek side of the bargain?"

"Yes. Because the states of Sha'sek are so separated, and its peoples partially nomadic, there is little way of us policing where people live. However, the states separately have very little by the way of military force. The agreement states that if Sha'sek begins a muster, if its troops ever gather together again, then that will be seen as a declaration of war, and Everfell can take the necessary steps to defend itself. There were many nobles on both sides that were unhappy with this solution. Your father was one of them. He'd won a number of decisive victories for Everfell, and he was convinced that, with the right application of men and tactics, Everfell would be able to defeat Sha'sek, and take control of its major island states."

"Would that have been enough?"

Sammah nodded. "Yes. The states of Sha'sek are all independent, but its larger states are the ones with the majority of the resources, the higher populations, and therefore, most of the power. The families in the smaller states would automatically accede to the new power, if only to guarantee they kept their own seats."

"So who had the ultimate decision?"

"Before the wars Everfell was split. Each land had a full ruler in its own right. Sha'sek objected to this. In the same way that all states followed the will of the council, we thought it best that all the rulers of Everfell followed the law of one king. In this way, one of the lords couldn't break away and violate the treaty. Despite their initial objections, all of the lords agreed to this."

"And the king was decided by a vote?"

"Yes, the king was decided by a vote. However, the Council of Sha'sek also had one vote each. The council, including its leaders, has eleven members."

"The vote of the council would have overridden the vote of the Everfell lords? How is that fair?"

Sammah dismissed Eden with a wave. "Fair does not come into the discussions of war. Sha'sek has many more people, the votes were proportionate to the number of people being represented. The lords agreed to it."

"And Vance was voted king?"

"Obviously, as he is king today."

"Was he a popular choice?"

"As I recall at the time, he was a surprising choice."

"And let me guess. My father thought he should have won the vote."

"He did. If the lords votes only had counted, Shiver would be king. But the council did not want a hot-headed war general to sit on the throne. That would have defeated the object of declaring the king; we were certain that one day, sooner than everyone wanted, Shiver would declare war again to get what he wanted. As a man, the council voted for Vance."

"No one respects Vance. They think he's weak, and leans on others too much for advice. That was true then, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Sha'sek didn't want a strong king on the throne. We knew that with Vance, no one would argue because, you are wrong that he is not respected. The men do respect him. Everfell is the largest city, and has the highest population. Beyond that, it has the highest revenues, and the best history of stability and peace. Vance's lineage is reputable. His fathers and grandfathers ruled in Everfell. He should have been ideal material to be your king. He was just more maleable than his ancestors. We knew that would work for others though, too. With a manipulable man on the throne, Shiver would still feel like he had enough of an ear to keep him in line."

"Keep him in line? Until Sha'sek were ready to strike again?"

"Not necessarily strike, no. Remember we lost as many people, perhaps more, than Everfell did. It was a hard time, and we are still not fully recovered from this. But Vance is reaching past his useful age, and we need to look for the future. So we are looking at making sure the replacement for this king is someone that is both a Sha'sek sympathiser, and someone that has an heir we can trust. All of the lords that signed the treaty are either dead or in their waning years. Broc was one of ours. It is unfortunate, what happened to him. Shiver, as I'm sure you have now gathered, is also with Sha'sek. Ross, he can be brought back to his old ways, I'm sure. So Everfell is a strong seat for us."

"Do you want Shiver to take the throne next?"

"We're still not sure Shiver is the right man for us. He is still hot-headed. Though he does covet Vance's seat greatly. Shiver feels like he earned it. Now, we have a lot more faith in his sons. Shiver may not be around for long. If Vance were to encounter some unfortunate accident, then I'm sure the same fate could befall Shiver. He is, of course, so fond of his drinking. Men have fallen from the parapets before. You don't have any love for your father, do you?"

"No. But I am not sure I could be a party in his death."

"You wouldn't need to be Eden; it could all be arranged for you." Sammah took a quiet sip of wine. "Though there is the small matter of your brothers, who are both in line to inherit before you."

"I don't care for my brothers, either."

"I will have to check for the truth of that before I decide. Because I have taken you fully in to my confidence, Eden, you must do the same for me. Quinn is mine, and she always will be. If I ask her to read you, to tell me if you are being truthful, she will. She fears my blade more than she honours or needs your love. Ross, too, is mine to control. Whether he likes to acknowledge that or not, he cannot help you. Do not think to go to anyone with this. If you say anything to your father—well, he'll just come straight to me with the information, like he has done since the end of the war. I have roots in this court deeper than the tallest tree. I am immovable, and I am above all. Thanks to Quinn's efforts over the years, I have enough information on every single lord that, loyal to me or not, they will not get in the way when the time comes. And you wouldn't want to see the woman you love murdered horribly by an Everfell mob, would you?"

"No baron, I would not."

Sammah’s tight-lipped grin returned. “Good boy, Eden.”

40

They were all gathered, this time in Ross's rooms. Maertn and Eden stood, whilst Quinn and Ross stayed seated in chairs next to Ross's small functional table. Maertn stamped his feet a few times. "Don't you even have a brazier? It's freezing in here!"

"What do I need one of those for? I'm only in here to sleep, and I have blankets for that." Ross looked Maertn up and down. "Get some meat on your bones boy, you won't feel the cold as badly then. Or make up a potion. That's what you do, isn't it?"