Heir Apparent (24 page)

I gave up around dawn. A servant had left a bedpan, and a pitcher of water to clean up with. I used both beneath the cover of my blanket, and I dressed under there.

Despite these precautions, I was pretty sure I heard ghostly laughter.

While I'd been away at Fairfield, someone had left an elegant gown for today's use, but I once again chose the page's outfit. The way this game had shown a tendency to go—breeches and tunic were a more practical choice than a dress.

I stuck my head out the door to see if anybody else was up yet. In the hallway, bleary-eyed servants stumbled about their early-morning tasks. And Sister Mary Ursula, wearing her fetching two-towels outfit, was just returning from her skinny-dipping trip. "My soul is refreshed, and I am One with the world," she announced.

"Congratulations," I mumbled. "Do we go to the Great Hall for breakfast, or is it brought up to our rooms?"

"Whatever you decree, dear," Sister Mary Ursula said. "You
are
our next king."

"In my room would be nice," I said, heading back to bed, too exhausted to check whether she or any of the servants had heard.

Apparently the ghosts had truly quit come sunrise. I awoke at a slightly more reasonable hour when a sleep-deprived servant came in carrying breakfast. Buttered chocolate Pop-Tarts would have been nice, but I made do with fresh bread and honey.

"Could you ask Sister Mary Ursula and Sir Deming to meet me in the solar when they finish their breakfasts?" I said.

The servant, yawning, nodded and shuffled her weary way out.

I fought the inclination to put my head back down. Surely someone who hoped to be crowned the following day had more important things to do than sleep—no matter how tired I was. There would be time to catch up
after
I was king.

I knocked on Kenric's door. Though he was dressed, I wouldn't have sworn he was truly awake. "Somehow or other we seem to have picked up ghosts," he told me.

I didn't tell him how or who. I said, "We recovered the gold."

He nodded. "I heard the wagons come in some time between the banshee wailing and the chain dragging."

So had I. I'd figured if there was any problem, Captain Penrod would have sent for me, despite the hour. In feet, I suspected that the guards who had fetched the gold had an easier night than those of us in our beds in the castle.

"I'm going to interview the advisers," I told him, "to see which one to name my official appointee. Any suggestions?"

As I reflected on past games, I saw that Sister Mary Ursula did sometimes give good advice, as when she had warned against trusting Rawdon or eating the venison stew. The trouble was, most often I couldn't tell what she was saying until after the disaster struck. Of course, she had clearly cautioned me regarding magic and Kenric, but I was willing to ignore that. So I thought for a change I'd ask Deming, whom I'd already placed in charge of the treasury. I was pretty sure Kenric would pick him, too—considering that Mr. Rasmussem had warned against choosing both Kenric and Sister Mary Ursula—and that would give me the chance to seem like I was seeking out his advice while I was, in feet, doing what I wanted.

Kenric said, "All things considered, Rawdon wouldn't be my first choice—though he was my father's counselor. And Sister Mary Ursula is a bit..."—he paused and then came up with—"mystical ... for my taste. Deming is a bit of an obsequious toady, but on the whole he's steady."

Obsequious?
Doesn't that mean the kind of person who says, "Yes, sir. No, sir. Please let me grovel at your feet, sir"? Maybe he was obsequious to some of us in the royal family...

I tried to look thoughtful as I said, "Deming. Hmm."

Kenric was probably waiting for me to go so he could lay his head down for a few more minutes, so I took pity on him and left.

In the solar, Sister Mary Ursula was doing tai chi exercises: those slow-motion, almost dancelike stretches. She had changed out of her towels to another outfit; the accent pieces looked like stuff that was either left on the beach by high tide or blown by the wind against a fence. Sir Deming wasn't there yet.

"Hello," I said. "We haven't had much of a chance to talk." We hadn't—not in this lifetime. Of course, I
had
been actively avoiding her.

She didn't stop her exercises, but she said, "I am One with my body."

"Well, that's good," I told her. "Meanwhile, I was hoping that you might stay while Sir Deming and I discuss matters of state—"

"Oh no, no." This time she
did
stop. "Oh dear, no. One counselor is all you need. A unicorn only needs one horn to be a unicorn and not a horse or a goat. A blank sheet of parchment only needs one drop of ink before it is no longer blank. A pretty girl only needs one wart on the end of her nose before she doesn't want to leave her house. One counselor is enough, my dear."

I really liked the idea of getting multiple possibilities laid out before me, so I pointed out, "Only if the counselor is the right counselor. I want to be One with wisdom."

Sister Mary Ursula said, "Don't we all?" and resumed her exercises.

Sir Deming came in then. He raised one eyebrow in surprised disapproval at my boys' clothing. "Didn't Lady Patrice bring a dress for you?" He looked ready to turn right around and search for Lady Patrice to complain that I was dressed inappropriately.

"Yes," I told him. "But this seemed better suited to me."

"Oh," he said. I was surprised he could speak at all with his Up so curled in superior disdain. "This is a fashion statement rather than an oversight. I see."

"Good. Because my wardrobe is not what I'm seeking advice on." I smiled to show I was joking. Yeah, right. "But I
do
need advice on just about everything else."

We discussed every detail I could think of concerning the running of my kingdom. We started with taxes: how much the people were charged, how often they paid, what services were provided in return for payment. (Sister Mary Ursula, despite her contention that I didn't need her advice, gave a very loud
Hmph!
when I didn't abolish the tax system.) We discussed every single law on the books. (Though Deming pursed his lips disapprovingly and said I was asking for anarchy, Sister Mary Ursula hummed approvingly when I abolished capital punishment in favor of fines and community service.) We made plans for the improving of roads and the establishing of schools (who could have ever guessed I'd end up in favor of schools?) and the forming of a trade fair to be held every autumn in the town of Fairfield. I called for riders to announce the proclamations from town to town, hoping that my new way of running things would settle the peasant unrest.

Deming and I had our midday meal in the solar since we didn't want to stop in the middle of things. That, and I was worried about the ghosts, who were periodically knocking over piles of paper and had already spilled one jar of ink. If they messed up our notes or walked off with something we'd been working on, I was sure we'd never be able to get it right again afterward.

Sister Mary Ursula had gotten bored and left while we'd been discussing gross national product—which sounds like it means something interesting, but I'd learned in Participation in Government class that it simply means how much, totally, a country owns and produces.

Deming and I were just finishing when Kenric came by.

"I thought you'd like to know," he said, "that the magic-users have all arrived, and Mother is even now meeting with them."

"Well, how kind of her to ask you to tell me about it," I said, knowing—even before his grin—that she had not. "Sir Deming, would you please find Sister Mary Ursula? I'd like the two of you to attend with me. Tell her I know she mistrusts magic, but I would very much appreciate her counsel. And Captain Penrod, too."

Deming nodded, and I went with Kenric to the Great Hall

The guards in front of the Great Hall doors didn't wait for me to order them to let us in—which might have had more to do with Kenric than me. Whatever. They saluted and opened the door, and the page blew the trumpet to announce us.

"Oh," Andreanna said as I entered, "look. Someone has hired a stunted, shoddy little page to help us out. Oh dear; my mistake. It's only Janine."

Abas gave his surprisingly tittery laugh.

I asked, "Has lack of sleep made some of us cranky?" though I knew she could sleep as long as Rip van Winkle and still wake up grouchy.

As last time Xenos and Uldemar sat on one side of the table. The queen, Abas, and Wulfgar sat across from them. This time Orielle was sitting on Wulfgar's lap. I wondered if she had moved to him when Kenric left to fetch me, or if she had only chosen Kenric last time because Wulfgar hadn't been there. I liked to think that Kenric was her first choice but he had told her, "No way. I'm looking for Janine instead of you."

Uh-huh.

Not that I would sit on his lap. Not unless, of course, he asked me.

Andreanna ignored my superior comeback to her ill-tempered jibe and turned her sour face to the guards, ordering, "Close the doors, you incompetent fools."

"Just leave it for a few moments," I recommended to the men who were pushing, pulling, and throwing their weight against the unmoving doors.

Now, if you were a castle guard, who would you be more afraid of: me or Queen Andreanna? The guards continued trying to close the door.

I went to the table and introduced myself. "Hello, I'm Princess Janine. I'm guessing you're Orielle." Orielle gave a dazzling smile that was sure to melt the heart of any young man and to make just about any female want an appointment with a plastic surgeon. I turned to the two men. "And Uldemar and Xenos."

Uldemar nodded at his name, though Xenos was hiding in his monk's cowl.

"Welcome," I told all of them. I realized I hadn't properly greeted them last time. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I truly appreciate your willingness to help."

My words must have made Xenos feel at home, for he reached into his pocket and tossed a centipede into his mouth.

Kenric sat down next to Abas, making sure that there was enough room for me to sit beside him.

At the other end of the room, the ghosts must have finished squeezing through the doorway, for the guards were suddenly able to shut the doors—which slammed with two solid thuds.

Uldemar took the opportunity to announce, "She brings the stench of the dead with her."

Because we had all been kept up all night, Andreanna knew exactly what he meant. "Oh, you're the one who let the ghosts in, are you?"

"Yes," I said. "I'll tell you my plan for them later." Of course, I had no plan, but suggesting I did
might
be a way to get the queen off my back.

She gave a suspicious, "Likely, I'm sure!" but didn't demand details.

One of the ghosts, however, poked me in the ribs.

It's hard to look self-assured and in command when you've just given a sudden squeal and jumped about a foot out of your seat. "If we're quite ready to settle down..." I said. Nothing from the ghosts, but Sir Deming chose that moment to come in.

"Sorry to interrupt." Instead of sitting, he cleared his throat. Twice. He had either developed a twitch, or he was trying to signal me about
something,
giving his head a sideways jerk toward Queen Andreanna. But when she noticed, he immediately stopped and pretended to be scratching his neck.

Andreanna snapped, "I hope she hasn't brought lice, as well as ghosts."

Deming, practicing his obsequious toady manner, said, "No, I'm sure not. Sorry. Just a crick in my neck."

Andreanna glowered as though the feet that he didn't have lice was a personal affront to her.

I asked, "Will Captain Penrod and Sister Mary Ursula be joining us?"

Deming sat down—how could any male resist?—next to Orielle. He told me, "Captain Penrod said that as a simple military man, he could not possibly attend a state meeting. He assures you that he will steadfestly follow and defend whatever policies you set."

Meaning: "I can carry out instructions, but I can't make suggestions." Silly me.

"And Sister Mary Ursula..."—Deming sneaked a glance at Andreanna, saw that she wasn't at the moment looking at him, and gave me that look-over-here nod that signified I-had-no-idea-what—"Sister Mary Ursula is on her way." Nod, nod. Seeing both my baffled expression and Andreanna's increasingly impatient one, Deming shrugged.

Probably just another disaster,
I told myself. "OK," I said slowly, "well, then, why don't we get started? I've asked all of you here so we can have a chance to get to know one another, but most pressingly because of the problem with the barbarians."

"Excuse me," a familiar voice interrupted from the doorway, "but it is not
we
that are being the problem."

I looked up and saw that King Grimbold had arrived, with Sister Mary Ursula on his arm.

Oh, so that's what Deming was trying to warn me about: Queen Andreanna's new beau had invited himself.

"I'm sorry," I said. "Terrible wording on my part. The problem is not you and your people; the problem is how to win the friendship and gain the trust of you and your people by recovering that which has been taken from you."

Grimbold gave a solemn bow to indicate he accepted my explanation.

"Please have a seat." I gestured to the bench across the table, where only Xenos and Uldemar sat.

But Grimbold squeezed himself in between Abas and Andreanna. "Have you been missing me as muchly as I have been missing you, you delectable woman you?" he asked Andreanna.

"Wulfgar," Andreanna demanded from between clenched teeth, "
do
something."

Trying valiantly to swallow a grin, Wulfgar said, "Sorry, my hands are full."

She-with-whom-Wulfgar's-hands-were-full winked and blew a kiss to Grimbold.

The barbarian king smiled and said, "Hello, young lass," but his attention was all for Andreanna.

"Sister Mary Ursula," I said, "have a seat anywhere."

"Oh dear, no," she said. "The room is One with ghosts, necromancers, wizards, and witches. No, no, I couldn't possibly sit down, no."