Shapers of Darkness (13 page)

He found the armsmaster early in the morning in the central courtyard of the palace, training the men of Hare’s imperial guard. Most of the soldiers would be sailing for Eibithar in another few days. There was little that Uriad could teach them in the time he had left. Kayiv sensed, however, that the master of arms no longer did this for the men, but rather for himself. Perhaps fearing that the emperor’s decision had upset all his careful planning, Uriad sought to reassure himself that the army wouldn’t fail for lack of preparation. Or perhaps he merely vented his anger at Harel by working his men mercilessly. Whatever his reasons, the master of arms watched the men with a stony expression on his long face, his black eyes narrowed, as if he were watching for the next mistake so that he could yell at the soldiers again. Occasionally he barked out instructions, his voice echoing off the palace walls.

Faced now with the prospect of approaching this imposing
figure, Kayiv faltered, nearly retreating back into the palace. But he could imagine Nitara laughing at him, calling him a coward and worse. Taking a breath, he crossed to where Uriad stood, stopping just beside him. The master of arms was nearly a full head taller than Kayiv, and the minister felt like a child standing with him.

“The men look to be in fine form, armsmaster.”

Uriad glanced down at him, his expression unchanged.

“I’ve no doubt that they’ll acquit themselves quite well in the coming war.”

Still the man offered no reply, and Kayiv found himself casting about for something else to say. Too late, he realized that complimenting Uriad on the training of the men had been a poor idea. As far as the armsmaster knew, he was one of the Qirsi who had joined with Dusaan in recommending that the emperor begin his invasion sooner rather than later. No wonder Uriad had greeted him so coldly.

“What a shame that others in the palace aren’t showing such dedication in their preparation for the invasion.”

Uriad cast him another look, then turned fully to face him. “What do you want, Minister?”

Gods, the man was big! Kayiv had to fight an urge to flee. “Merely to speak with you, armsmaster. You may not believe this, but you and I are allies in this fight.”

The man frowned. “What fight? What are you talking about?”

Kayiv winced. He wasn’t handling this well at all. “I know the high chancellor made it seem that all the emperor’s Qirsi were in favor of moving the invasion forward, but that’s not the case. Some of us—a good many, really—feared that by upsetting your plans so, we risked dooming the invasion to failure.”

Uriad’s eyes flicked toward his men, and when next he spoke, his voice had dropped lower. “The plan is still sound. I would have liked more time, but the invasion will succeed.”

“Of course it’s sound, armsmaster. None of us questions that. But if you could have more time, wouldn’t you still want it?”

“We both know that’s not possible.”

“But the high chancellor—”

“The high chancellor merely told the emperor what he wanted to hear. The emperor had long since grown impatient with my preparations.”

“But he never would have changed his mind had the high chancellor not recommended it.”

“What is it you hope to accomplish, Minister? As I say, the decision has been made. You and I both know that the emperor isn’t about to change his mind. The men will soon sail for the waters off Galdasten, perhaps before the end of the waning, and by then the fleet’s battle with Eibithar’s ships will already be under way. There’s no more time.”

“You can’t know that for certain. And even if you’re right, don’t you find it alarming that the high chancellor should wield such enormous influence with the emperor?”

“Not at all. It’s to be expected.”

“But these are dangerous times. Don’t you fear giving such power to the Qirsi? What if a man in the high chancellor’s position didn’t have the best interests of his realm at heart? What if he were abusing his influence, misrepresenting the counsel offered by his fellow Qirsi?”

Uriad’s eyes widened. “Is the high chancellor doing that?”

“It would be cause for concern, wouldn’t it?”

“Answer me, Minister. Is the high chancellor doing that?”

“I’ve already told you he made it seem that all the emperor’s other Qirsi supported rushing the invasion. We didn’t.”

The master of arms frowned. “That’s hardly the same thing. I wouldn’t expect the high chancellor to relate to His Eminence every point of view presented in your discussions. The emperor hasn’t time for such foolishness. It’s proper that he merely inform the emperor of the decisions you reach.”

He didn’t discuss it with us at all
, Kayiv wanted to say. But he couldn’t go that far. At least not yet. “We reached no decision,” he said instead. “The high chancellor imposed his will upon us and then presented the recommendation to the emperor as if we had all agreed with him.”

The armsmaster seemed to weigh this for some time, shrugging at last. “I’m not even certain I see anything wrong with
that. He leads your people here in the palace, he speaks for you. It seems natural to me that his opinion on certain matters should carry greater weight. I say that even knowing that he and I are working at cross purposes in this instance.”

Kayiv shook his head. “You still don’t understand.”

“Then tell me what’s on your mind and be done with it!”

“I can’t. Don’t you see? The high chancellor is a powerful man—as you say, he leads our people. I . . . I’m afraid of him, of what he can do to me.”

Uriad’s eyes narrowed once more. “And what is that?”

“He can have me banished from the court.”
He can have me killed
.

“And you honestly think he would?”

“If I defy him openly, yes.”

“Well, I have no desire to see you sent from the palace, but I still don’t understand what you want of me. I have no sway with the high chancellor. I respect him, and I believe he respects me. But I wouldn’t presume to tell him how to treat the other Qirsi any more than he would tell me how to train my men.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything of that sort, armsmaster. I merely wish to help you convince the emperor that the invasion has a better chance of success if we follow your original plans. I’d be willing to approach the emperor with you, to let him know that some of his Qirsi feel as you do, that this was the wrong decision.”

A wry smile touched the man’s lips and was gone. “Harel the Fourth does not take kindly to being told that he’s in error. We’d both wind up with our heads on pikes.”

“Not if we made it clear to him that he was the victim of poor counsel. Surely he couldn’t take offense at that.”

Uriad pressed his lips in a tight line, glancing at his men once more. “We still have several ships in the yards at Finkirk. If we wait another turn or two, the ships will be completed and we can add them to the fleet. Our navy would be stronger than it’s ever been.”

“How many ships?”

The armsmaster looked at him again. “Four. Each with three masts and three rows of sweeps. They’ll be the finest warships ever to sail the waters of the Forelands.”

“Four ships,” Kayiv repeated. “Such vessels could mean the difference between victory and defeat.”

“Perhaps.”

“Don’t we owe it to the emperor to tell him as much?”

The armsmaster smiled thinly, though there was no hint of amusement in his dark eyes. “You can be very persuasive, Minister. But I still want to know what game you’re playing.”

“I assure you, armsmaster—”

“Don’t,” Uriad said, shaking his head. “I may not be as skilled in the machinations of the court as you are, but I’ve served here for long enough to learn a thing or two. You want something. It may not be from me directly, but you certainly seem intent on using me to get it. And that’s fine. If you’re sincere in your desire to help the emperor and delay this invasion a short while, then I’m willing to play along, within reason. But I won’t do so blindly.”

Kayiv felt like a child, caught breaking one of his father’s rules. “I am sincere,” he said. “And I will do all in my power to delay the invasion, to return it to the timing you had foreseen. As to the rest . . .” He shrugged weakly. “The rest is difficult to explain.”

Uriad merely stared at him. “Try.”

“It’s a Qirsi matter.”

He faced the soldiers once more. “In that case, I’d suggest you enlist the help of your fellow ministers and chancellors and leave me alone.”

“I intend to go to them, armsmaster. You must believe me. But I need the help of someone outside our circle. In essence, I’ll be pitting myself against the high chancellor, and if I give the other ministers and chancellors such a choice, they’ll be afraid to ally themselves with me.” He hesitated, though only briefly. This was the path he had chosen; there could be no turning back now. “But if I can claim you as an ally, the others may be willing to join me.”

“And what would you do with such an alliance, Minister?”

Expose the high chancellor for what he truly is
.

“I’d make certain that the counsel offered to our emperor was sound, that if it was said to come from all of his Qirsi, it would come from
all
of his Qirsi and not just one man. Consider
the times in which we live, armsmaster. Can we truly afford to do any less?”

“You raise an interesting point,” Uriad said, with some reluctance.

“I can’t promise you that we’ll change the emperor’s mind about the invasion. But I’ll try, and perhaps I can prevail upon other ministers to join me in the effort.”

“What would you want from me in return?”

“As I said before, I need your support. I need to know that when the time comes for my fellow ministers and me to approach the emperor, you’ll be with us, in body and spirit.”

“You believe I can protect you from the high chancellor.”

Kayiv knew he hadn’t been terribly subtle. Still, he was discomfited by the directness of Uriad’s statement. In truth, if Dusaan was a Weaver, there was no one in the Forelands who could protect him. But under the circumstances, Uriad was the most powerful ally for whom he could hope. And since at the moment he was utterly alone, he was desperate for any friends he could find.

“I’m but a minister in this court, armsmaster. I’ve some influence with the other Qirsi, and I’ll bring it all to bear in this effort. But if I stand alone against the high chancellor I’ll be crushed. With you on my side, my prospects improve significantly. Surely you can see that.”

“Yes, I can,” the master of arms said. He paused briefly, then finally nodded. “Very well, Minister. When the time comes, you’ll have my support. Speak with the other Qirsi, and send word to me when you’re ready to seek an audience with the emperor. I’ll be there.”

It was more than he had expected, more than he had dared hope. “Thank you, armsmaster. I’m most grateful.” He felt that he should bow to the man, or embrace him, so thankful was he. But he merely said “Thank you” a second time and hurried away, intending to return to his chamber so that he might consider how best to proceed now that his conversation with Uriad had gone so well.

Before he had gone far, though, he heard the midmorning bells begin to toll in Curtell City. It was time for all the emperor’s ministers and chancellors to gather in Dusaan’s ministerial
chambers. Instantly, he found himself glancing about the courtyard, looking for any other Qirsi who might have seen him speaking with the master of arms. And doing so, he caught a glimpse of white hair as a figure vanished into the tower nearest the high chancellor’s chamber. It was no more than a split second, a glimmer of white in the darkened archway, but for Kayiv, who had committed to memory every facet of her appearance, it was more than enough.

Of course it would be Nitara, and no doubt she would go directly to Dusaan, to tell him what she had seen. Kayiv felt his legs start to tremble.

He’d done nothing wrong, nothing for which the high chancellor could punish him without revealing more about himself than he wished. Certainly it wasn’t all that unusual for one of the emperor’s ministers to speak with Harel’s most important military advisor. Except that Kayiv and Uriad had never before spoken at length, and somehow the high chancellor would know this. Kayiv was certain of it. News of their conversation would start Dusaan thinking. What could the minister possibly have to say to Uriad? If anything, a member of the Weaver’s movement would wish to avoid such an encounter. The risks were too great.

The minister closed his eyes for just a moment, cursing his carelessness. He should have found somewhere less obvious to speak with Uriad, even if it meant going to the man’s private quarters. Dusaan would be watching him now, searching for other signs of odd behavior, and making whatever Kayiv decided to do next that much more difficult.

Unless Nitara didn’t tell the high chancellor. Perhaps she would seek to protect Kayiv. Maybe there remained some residue of the affection they once had shared that would keep her from speaking of this to Dusaan. The minister nearly laughed aloud at the notion.

Reaching the high chancellor’s chambers, he took a moment to compose himself, then entered, taking a seat near the door and as far from Nitara as possible. That much at least Dusaan would expect. As he lowered himself into the chair, she eyed him briefly, her expression revealing little. The high chancellor glanced at him and nodded a greeting, but that was all.

The morning’s discussion was unremarkable. The ministers and chancellors spoke briefly of preparations for the invasion and of the apparent settlement of a conflict between the lords of Grensyn and Muelry that had occupied the emperor and his Qirsi for more than a turn. The time passed slowly. Kayiv spent much of the time watching the high chancellor for any indication that he was angry or suspicious of him, and seeing none, he began to wonder once more if Nitara had kept silent about what she saw in the courtyard. Or had Kayiv been mistaken? What if the figure he saw disappearing into the palace tower wasn’t Nitara at all? What if his fears and his lingering love for the minister had played tricks with his sight?

When at last Dusaan dismissed them, Kayiv rose quickly and hurried to the door, determined to keep as far from both Nitara and the high chancellor as possible. Regardless of what he had seen in the courtyard and what Dusaan might or might not know, he thought it best to take no chances in the coming days.