Devan Chronicles Series: Books 1-3 (74 page)

“Only five? That doesn’t seem very good.” Talitha said but she noted that Jarek disagreed. “All right what am I missing?”

“Nothing Matriarch. Five times is fine. The idea was to hurt Vexin not to make money. Tanjung has lost twice what we gained because they need to replace it all. Even that’s not the best part.”

Talitha thought for a moment and then grudgingly acknowledged Jarek’s words. Vexin himself was weakened by this raid, which was worth far more than anything gained through slaves and booty. Being Emperor of Tanjung was a precarious position to hold, but one Vexin and his father before him seemed suited for. That was not to the benefit of Japura. No Matriarch wanted a strong and united empire on her border, but Tanjung had shown a distressing trend toward stability over recent years. In the past, the noble houses had constantly feuded with each other, thereby fracturing and weakening the empire, but now things were changing. Feuds were still ongoing, but they tended to be political rather than the full-blooded mini-wars of the past. Assassination was an art form in Tanjung, and it was used to good effect in politics there. Talitha had ordered the raids against Vexin last year in retaliation for the piratical acts of one of his lords upon her coast. History had taught Japura that the only thing Tanjuners respected was force. Counter-raiding was the only way to make Vexin sit up and take notice.

“What are the chances of Vexin’s assassination over this?”

“Three to one against I would say,” Jarek said. “Vexin has an able spy master in Keppel. Any attempt would be anticipated.”

“A shame.” Talitha said and sipped some of her Pella juice. “Still, Vexin’s position will be weakened somewhat. That’s better than nothing. Will he talk do you think, or try another raid?”

“As I said before we sent the fleet, Matriarch, Vexin was probably not aware of the raids against us. He has other concerns right now. Deva for one.”

“Yes, yes,” Talitha said in annoyance. “I remember, but will he talk?”

“Hard to say. Vexin has shown more willingness to talk than fight over the years, but his war with Deva shows that he is willing to fight on occasion.”

“Hmmm yes. I want an eye kept on that army of his. In Tanjung Karang is it not?”

Jarek nodded. “We have eyes in all the cities. I do have a few at the fortress.”

“That is good, very good. Maybe we should kill the Strike Leader in command there.”

Jarek didn’t like that idea. “War Leader Barthan is an able warrior, but he’s our best friend where Vexin’s army is concerned.”

Talitha noted Jarek’s subtle correction. Tanjung didn’t use Strike Leaders. They had War Leaders instead. The title mattered not, the function was the same. Barthan was Tanjung’s greatest warrior, but Jarek was right. Barthan was as much stupid as he was a good fighter.

“Assassination is a bad business, Talitha. You assassinate theirs they assassinate ours. Where do we draw the line—anywhere? We assassinate Vexin. They assassinate…
you
.”

Talitha shifted uncomfortably at the thought of the Dark Brothers coming into Japura. She glanced at the reassuring sight of Force Leader Tymek. His men were always present. Tymek himself was on duty today, but half his men were always here with her. The other half were asleep and would be with her at night. Tymek alternated between the two to keep his eye on both halves of her guard. She was never alone, but she felt separate from everyone.

Talitha sighed. “It’s at times like this when I wish we had sorcerers like the Protectorate.”

“They’re more hindrance than help, Matriarch. They can do marvellous things I will admit, but they’re completely un-governable. Would you really want a new class living in Japura—one with abilities the Matriarchy lacks?”

“You forget yourself Jarek! The Matriarch is perfect, I can therefore lack nothing.”

“This is true little one,” Jarek said soothing Talitha with his pet name for her. “You are perfect and lack nothing. Therefore magic cannot be desirable. If it was you would already have it.”

Talitha mumbled grumpily. Japura was the oldest nation in Waipara. It had flourished under the rulership of the Matriarchy for thousands of years. Everyone was content in the knowledge of who his superiors and inferiors were. The Matriarch was perfect and therefore superior to all, princes were superior to all except the Matriarch, domain-lords were superior to commoners only, and commoners were just that… commoners. Slaves of course were slaves. They had no inferiors, they had no place except to serve their betters.

“Prince Ranen arrived in the palace last night,” Jarek said in an off-hand manner.

Talitha smiled. “I heard. Do you know what he wants?”

“He said he would like a private interview with you, Matriarch. I said I would enquire,” Jarek said with a smirk.

“Oh you!” She threw a cushion at Jarek but he ducked and it landed at Tymek’s feet. The force leader ignored it of course.

“Do you like him Talitha?”

She nodded, but she liked many people. What Jarek was asking was whether she thought Ranen might be the one for her. Jarek was concerned with providing the Matriarchy with an heir, which Talitha knew reflected the people’s concerns for her.

“Is he whom you choose?” Jarek said hopefully.

“I think… yes. But I haven’t spoken to him about it.”

“Perhaps this is why he is here.”

Talitha thought it unlikely. Ranen never mentioned anything about marriage. When Talitha ordered his father to kill himself last year, she had seen something she liked in Ranen. All of her princes were loyal and intelligent men. Most were handsome, but Ranen felt different to her. Was that love?

“Ranen never talks about things like that,” Talitha said. “We always talk about flowers, or poetry, or history… many other things. But we haven’t spoken about the Matriarchy with regard to marriage.”

“Perhaps today is the day to discuss such things.”

Perhaps it was, Talitha mused. “Have we more business to discuss?”

Jarek nodded. “Yes, but it’s the last. I can see you want to jump in the pool again. I swear you seem smaller each time I come in here. You really are shrinking!”

“I am
not
shrinking! I was always exactly one and three quarter yards tall, and I still am. You’re the one who’s shrinking, not me!” Talitha scolded but she was laughing as she said it.

“Old age does that. My replacement should be the same age as you Matriarch.”

“You’re not old!”

“Sixty
is
old Talitha. Ten years more perhaps and I’ll be gone. I have a man in mind. I’ll introduce you. If you agree he can take over at my death.”

“I don’t want to talk about this!” Talitha said worriedly.

Was Jarek ill? There had been that cramp earlier. Was it age or something else? He seemed fine now, but some illnesses didn’t show. She would tell Wani to make enquiries. If Jarek was seeing a healer, Wanikiya would find out. She was her personal healer and had many friends among the other healers in Pura.

“No hurry, Matriarch.”

Talitha’s face froze. She would see Wanikiya straight away! There
was
something wrong with him. Trying not to let her fear show, Talitha asked what other business they had to deal with.

Jarek frowned in puzzlement at the change in his Matriarch. “Er hmmm. What was it… ah yes Tindebrai.”

“What about it?”

“Verner has been receiving a great many massages over this last year.”

Verner was ostensibly a merchant who had settled in Pura from Tindebrai. What he was really doing was spying for Empress Marzina of Tindebrai. The empire was huge. It covered most of the continent, and was extremely rich and powerful. The few remaining independent lands were insignificant in comparison. The only reason they hadn’t been absorbed was that mountain regions were of no interest to the empire for some reason.

“Ships arrive and depart all the time,” Talitha said. “There’s nothing new in this.”

“True, but the content of the messages is different.”

“In what way?”

Jarek shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Slaves and slave prices have always been of concern to them. The messages always talk about trade of one kind or another, but…” He shrugged again. “I can’t point to any one thing, but they feel different as if what I’m reading isn’t what was written.”

“That is strange, but then Tindebrai always is. Why do they prevent our traders from leaving port and going in land? What does Marzina have that we must not see?”

“That question has been asked for nine hundred years or more, Matriarch. Anyone leaving the ports to find out would disappear. It’s happened before.”

“Have you copies of the messages with you?”

Jarek rummaged in the pile of scrolls by his side. He handed her six of them.

Talitha looked through them and frowned. Amongst the trade ship names and cargoes was a section dedicated to her warships.

“They noticed the fleet was sent against Tanjung I see.”

Jarek nodded. “What do you think of page three?”

Talitha scanned the page and frowned harder. What business of Marzina how many slaves Japura kept out of the market place? These figures couldn’t be right!

“These numbers are all wrong.”

“Six million is ridiculous!” Jarek burst out. “That’s more like the entire population of Japura!”

“Yes, but what does it mean? Perhaps Verner simply made a mistake.”

“I don’t know, but the mention of warships worries me.”

“Yes I saw that, but we did send the fleet out. They were bound to take notice don’t you think?”

“Yes, but you see what I mean. They’re talking trade as usual, but the information is mostly wrong.”

Talitha
didn’t
see really. The numbers of slaves was wrong, but they had the size of the fleet correct. Jarek was not usually prone to worry over nothing, but…

“Keep an eye on this, Jarek. Without more information we can’t know what it all means.”

“That’s what worries me.”

Jarek left shortly after that and Talitha prepared for her bath. Ranen was here and she wanted to look her best. Thoughts of Tindebrai were far from her mind, but Jarek wasn’t.

“Send for Wanikiya.”

“Yes mistress,” the slave girl said and hurried away on her errand.

Later that day, Talitha was sitting comfortably in her favourite room of the palace with prince Ranen. It was an extravagance she supposed, but a room made of glass was wonderful in the summer. The palace was all heavy stone and marble floors, but this one room was an exception. When entering here the immediate impression was sunlight and spaciousness. The solarium was built on grand scale in keeping with the rest of the palace of course, but the styling was completely different. It boasted a massive bay window designed to open in sections. She could enjoy the cool sea breezes, or perhaps step into the garden for a pleasant stroll among the carefully tended flowers. The bay window accounted for one wall, the adjacent walls were of glass also, but where the bay was clear, these were styled using mosaics of coloured glass.

Stained glass windows and the scenes they depicted were a common sight in Japuran noble estates, but as far as she knew, no other country had the same fascination with them. Even the commons had coloured glass in their homes. Not windows with pictures of course, but there were always figures or other ornaments to be found that a family could be proud of. The traders had found a good reception in Deva with glass figures and other baubles, but with the trouble that kingdom was currently experiencing, trade had fallen off until it barely paid for itself. Few traders came through the pass now, and those that did bought less.

Ranen had been quiet all morning, almost subdued. Talitha had tried to interest him in a game of Dragons and Sorcerers, but he had yet to make a move. It was obvious that he wasn’t interested in the game. It was time to become the Matriarch again.

“Prince Ranen, look at me,” Talitha ordered.

Ranen heard the change in her voice and instantly obeyed. “What do wish, Matriarch?”

“Tell me what is troubling you.”

Ranen didn’t hesitate. To do so could have meant his death. Talitha liked him too much to have him executed, but his training would not let him do other than instantly obey her.

“Mother insists it’s time for me to provide an heir for Lushan. My brother is a year younger than I—he has a daughter and another babe on the way,” Ranen sighed. “I had thought to wait awhile, but then father did what he did, and you had to do what you did—”

“And now you are not only a prince, but head of your family as well,” Talitha finished for him.

“I am first prince of Lushan, yet my mother is still my mother. She has long planned to link our family closer to Jundai. The girl she has in mind for me is nice enough I suppose, but I want—” he broke off unsure of himself.

Now was the chance Jarek had spoken of. Why did she hesitate? Jarek had investigated and learned everything there was to know about Ranen and his family. He had agreed that Ranen was perfect for her, but still she wasn’t sure. Talitha once told Jarek that her slaves satisfied her needs, and they did. She also told him there was no love in the world for her, but this remained to be seen. When she said those things she had believed them to be true, but even then she had hoped to be proven wrong. Ranen might be the proof, but she wasn’t sure and feared to find out. Did that make her a coward? That was unacceptable! The Matriarch was perfect. Fear of something new was far beneath her.

“Is your mother still in Lushan?”

Ranen shook his head. “Visiting friends in Pura.”

“That is good. You will convey my invitation to her.”

Ranen frowned not understanding. “Invitation Matriarch? I don’t—”

“To our wedding of course… perhaps you wish time to think about it?”

Ranen was gaping at her in shock, no not shock, surprise. Anyone would think he had never heard an order from his Matriarch before. Talitha was just about to send him on his way with his mother’s invitation, when she remembered Jarek’s latest lesson.

Ask him little one; don’t order him!

Damn! She had forgotten that part.