Stormseer (Storms in Amethir Book 3) (6 page)

Hawk had been allowed to ride with no bonds on his wrists. He had a guard posted at his tent, though he was not bound with even an ankle shackle. If he had truly wished, he could have escaped with little effort. At this point, however, he saw no reason to escape.

He gave her a rueful smile. "This still seems less than half real. I suppose I won't believe it until I wake up in Salishok again."

Her lips curled slightly--not quite a smile, but an acknowledgement. "It's real. I'll actually sort of miss you, you know." She slanted a look at him. "You've tested my patience often enough, but I suppose I've grown used to you."

"What a heart-warming compliment." He didn't suppose it was politic to admit he liked her. The enemy was supposed to be faceless and emotionless. He couldn't see her that way, not after six years of constant exposure to her. Then again, he'd never really seen the Strid that way. He had hated them, but he had always known they were people, not faceless monsters. Didn't their blood run through his own veins? Hadn't his father been Strid?

His mother, who had been of no particular family in Tamnen, had fallen in love with a Strid tanner who lived on the outskirts of town. Hawk's father had been skilled at his craft, and he had provided well for his wife and only child, but there had been a certain divide between their family and the rest of the town. A few other children straddled the Tamnese and Strid communities in town. But the relative peace into which they had all been born had only been a shaky pause in the centuries-long hostilities; tensions had been heating up again in the decade leading up to Hawk's birth. Losing both parents in the Strid invasion when he was young had cast the divide in stone.

Still, It wasn't the Strid people he hated, but the Strid army and the king who sent that army time and again into the Kreyden District, trying to seize the diamond mines and the natural resources that by rights belonged to Tamnen. Hawk wondered if Prince Anderlin or King Harkai would be there at the prisoner exchange. He might be willing to sacrifice himself if he could take Anderlin or Harkai with him.

"Don't think about it too much," Ayowir said, her voice startling him from his memories. "We'll be there tomorrow, and you'll see for yourself it's real."

Hawk wrenched himself back to the present conversation. "I suppose I'll believe it then," he said, giving her a vague smile.

Indeed, it wasn't until the next day, when he saw the hulking brown stone walls of Salishok looming up from the foothills surrounding the Shokanda River that it truly felt this exchange would actually happen. A group of soldiers from the Tamnese Army rode out to meet them while they were still at least an hour from the city. The Tamnese exchange party had not yet arrived in Salishok, and until that happened, the Strid party must camp here. Commander Ayowir seemed unhappy about it, but not surprised.

That night, Hawk was shackled to his cot.

Chapter 4

Razem had been to Salishok once before. Three years ago, the day after his sister sailed off to marry the Amethirian prince, he had ridden for Salishok at the head of his father's army. Princes of Tamnen always proved their worth on the battlefield, and Razem had been no exception. He had taken command of the Kreyden District, headquartered out of Salishok.

He had been guided by several more experienced counselors, of course. Lord-General Kho had not accompanied him to Salishok last time; he had had his hands full in the capital. But Baron Arkad, whose ancestral home was in the Kreyden northeast of Salishok, had been on hand to advise him. And Colonel Tropas, an officer with ten years in the Kreyden, had been his second-in-command. Tropas had taken over as the district commander after Razem's triumphant homecoming to the capital.

He was very much dreading his return to the Embattled City.

Salishok had been on the front edge of the war with Strid fifteen years ago. Over the years, however, the Tamnese army had pushed the Strid back forty miles from the city walls. It meant the city was not literally besieged, but there was the constant threat of it. Food was strictly rationed to maintain a six-month supply in the crown storehouses. The Salishok Reservoir was guarded day and night to prevent sabotage or poisoning of the water supply. Trade caravans were accompanied by army detachments, rather than the mercenary caravan guards that plied their trade further north away from the district.

As a consequence of the tense situation, when Razem, Arisanat, Emran Kho, and their soldiers traveled to Salishok, they took with them a long, winding caravan of merchant wagons. The merchants slowed them, of course. Veteran soldiers could easily march twenty miles a day, but the gargantuan horses pulling the merchant wagons could not be pushed, and Kho had advised letting the horses graze at least an hour each day to supplement the supply they had brought with them.

"The more we conserve on feed, the more they'll have to sell when we reach Salishok, and that earns you a great deal of currency in the current political situation there." Kho was riding next to him on an immense black gelding, his eyes constantly roving across the ranks of soldiers and to the dry plains beyond.

Razem knew better than to utter what he was thinking.
I'm the crown prince. I shouldn't need political currency.
After assessing the situation with Arisanat and learning how much clout his cousin had gained in the council recently, Razem was reevaluating everything about the crown and how the kingdom actually worked. He had been given considerable lessons in statecraft and policy all his life, but he was finally beginning to actually understand it. Upon reflection, he rather thought Azmei had understood the situation much better three years ago than he ever had.

These new revelations didn't exactly curb his temper, but they did make him bite his tongue against quick retorts.

"I hadn't thought of that," he admitted instead. "I am grateful for your guidance, General Kho. Although I spent a year out here in the Embattled City, I never came to know all its nuances as you do."

To his pleasure, Kho smiled. "My prince flatters me."

"No, your prince speaks the truth. I am coming to understand that I have much yet to learn. I could do much worse than to learn from you, Emran."

Kho turned to study him, still smiling, though his eyes were searching Razem's. For his part, the prince tried to hide any resentment he might feel at having his ignorance on display. He wasn't at all certain he had succeeded, but he hoped Kho would at least credit him for attempting to keep a humble attitude. He lifted one shoulder in a self-deprecating shrug.

Kho laughed, a low, rich chuckle that relaxed the tense muscles in Razem's back. He hadn't realized how desperately he wanted to please Kho. He wanted peace with his cousin, of course, and he wanted to do what was required of him in Salishok, but more than either of those things, he wanted Kho to like him, to approve of him. He wanted the Lord-General of his father's army to believe Razem would one day be a king worth serving.

"I am honored that you wish to learn from me, Prince Razem." Kho held his gaze for a few moments longer, then returned to his relentless scanning of their surroundings. "I will be happy to serve in any way I can."

Razem nodded gratefully and allowed the conversation to lapse into silence.

***

The day before they reached the Salishok Plains, a courier from the city met them. She had dark circles under her eyes from riding through the night. She told them the Strid party had arrived two days ago. She had been dispatched to inform the prince's party while the Tamnese army invited the Strid to camp at least an hour's ride from the city walls.

The remainder of that day was spent in a traveling conference with Kho and Arisanat. Razem's cousin was of the opinion that the Strid party should be made to wait even longer for the prince's arrival. Kho disagreed, pointing out that the purpose of the prisoner exchange was to improve relations with Strid, not to increase the hostility.

"The crown prince of Tamnen will not bow and scrape to whatever ambassador the Strid have sent!" Arisanat said hotly. "It is not seemly, and we already do them more courtesy than they do us. We know they have not sent Prince Anderlin to make the exchange."

"Thank the gods for small mercies," Razem muttered. "Aris, I don't intend to bow and scrape, but I don't see any sense in lording things over the Strid. There is no point in embarrassing whatever lord the king has sent in place of his uncontrollable son."

"And if we receive the Strid party with more ceremony than is required," Kho added, "it will be a less obvious show of Prince Razem's position of authority. Only the man who has much has the ability to be generous."
Arisanat didn't look happy, but he managed a grudging, "Well said. I am content."

Razem nodded for Kho to set about giving the orders for a small but adequate force to be assembled for accompanying the prince's party, while the bulk of the soldiers were left behind with the merchant caravan. He waited until Kho was out of earshot before commenting, "You're not content. Nor am I. But we will make the best of this situation."

Arisanat was silent for so long Razem glanced over at him. His cousin was frowning down at his horse's mane. "I believe you are a more forgiving man than I could ever be, Razem. I still wish for Anderlin's bloody head to be hung on the Salishok city gates."

"As do I." Razem's voice was hard. "For my sister's sake as well as for Venra's. But I will bide my time yet."

"Do you truly believe Anderlin was behind the assassin who struck down Princess Azmei?" Arisanat still did not look at him. His voice was low.

"I cannot prove it. But ultimately I place the blame at his feet, even if he was not the man who paid the contract." Razem scanned their surroundings, a habit he had picked up over the past several days of riding next to Emran Kho. "We were assured the assassins had traveled to Ranarr at the same time Az did. That means they weren't hired by the Amethirians to prevent the marriage. We know the Ranarri wouldn't assassinate Azmei. They were the ones who brokered the marriage treaty."

"At your father's urging," Arisanat pointed out.

"True, but they pride themselves on being peacemakers. Murdering a princess in cold blood does not exactly strike me as an act of peace."

"A good point."

Razem sighed. "I have gone round and round in my mind over this matter, Aris. I cannot believe it was anyone other than the prince of Strid."

"There are those in our kingdom who do not wish for peace." Arisanat made a wry face. "For that matter, I am among them, as you must know."

"You've made no secret of that! But anyone who would commit such a heinous act might not speak out openly against the peace." Razem shook his head. "And what would killing Azmei accomplish, anyway? The peace might be halted temporarily. Or permanently, I suppose, if the killer convinced us Strid was responsible for the attack. But there has never been any evidence that Strid was behind it."

"Isn't it odd that Strid wouldn't claim the kill?" Arisanat asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps they realized that they had crossed a line." Razem rubbed his thumb across his fist. "Perhaps it was Anderlin acting alone, rather than on King Harkai's orders. They would have kept that quiet, were it the case."

"Perhaps." Arisanat didn't sound convinced.

"Azmei was loved by everyone. Even if someone didn't approve of the peace, most of the common folk wouldn't have the resources."

"And the nobility? The Nine may have open access to your father, but the lesser nobles have no such recourse. They would have to file a petition to see your father, and even then he would have the power to deny their request. Perhaps one of them grew impatient."

"It can't be inexpensive to have a princess assassinated," Razem objected. "No, I cannot believe it of any of ours."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Arisanat's shoulders relax. "I am glad to hear it. I would hate to think any of us had lost your confidence."

Razem smiled. "You never could, Aris. You know I love you. For your own sake, as well as for Venra's. We have had many pleasant times together, have we not? Of all the places I have seen in our great kingdom, the hill region around Burojan Manor is my favorite."

Arisanat smiled back and reached over to clap a hand against Razem's shoulder. Though they rode in silence the rest of the morning, Razem felt a weight lifted that he had not realized he carried.

By lunch time, Kho had given all the orders necessary to separate their force in two. He explained it as they ate. When they set out again, the force that was to ride with the prince has separated itself from the merchant caravan. Razem, Kho, and Arisanat joined them, along with Duke Oler's medical wagon. They traveled at a much faster pace that afternoon. As the sun was setting, they could see the squat walls of Salishok in the distance.

Razem gave the messenger letters to carry to both the military and civilian authorities, as well as one for her superior that commended her for her service. Razem and Kho had questioned her during the afternoon about the mood in Salishok, and the prince had found her informed and well-spoken.

The next morning they rose early. Razem had his usual morning status report on Duke Oler's health--he was in good spirits now that they were within a day of their destination, but he had weakened considerably over the course of the journey. They ate breakfast on the march. Razem wanted to arrive at the city by noon. He had given orders that the Strid party should be allowed to arrive in Salishok once the prince's party was inside the gates. There would be rooms prepared for them, though they would be required to leave the majority of their soldiers outside the walls.

The first thing they did when they arrived in Salishok was endure an official welcome from the city leaders. Razem put on his most cordial expression and did his best to convey that he was pleased to be in Salishok again, and that he was looking forward to enjoying all the delights the city had to offer. It was partly true, at least. He enjoyed the dry heat of the Kreyden District, and he was looking forward to the unique fruits that grew in this region. After diamonds, the largest exports of the Kreyden District were fruit and fruit wine.

"I am honored to have you here, Prince Razem," Baron Arkad said as they made their way to the palace. "We have set aside the most luxurious accommodations for you and your honored companions." He wiped a finger along his thin mustache. "I was not certain what you intended for Duke Oler, so we have prepared a comfortable and secure room for him. I have heard that he is in ill health."

Razem nodded. "He is very weak. His mind is still as hale as it ever was--which I realize is not saying much. But the healers who have treated him for the past year of his illness know best what he needs. I will have Rendon, the head healer, speak with your chamberlain."

"Very good, very good." Arkad was a solid man who had once been a warrior of some note. His muscle had largely run to fat in recent years. He was at least sixty and possibly older; his son led their soldiers now. He smiled at Razem. "You are looking well, your highness. It truly is a joy to see you again."

Razem felt a rush of affection for his old advisor. "And you, Arkad. You look hale and happy."

"I am a grandfather now! Rasha's wife gave us twins this past Autumn Evener. Twins! Bless her, a girl and a boy. It has brought new joy to my life, having the babes." Arkad beamed. "I confess, I have not been as attentive to matters of state as I should have since they were born."

Razem chuckled. "I congratulate you and Rasha's wife both. And Rasha, I suppose, though I wonder if he has any time to spend with his children, if he is taking up the slack you leave in the rope."

"Insolence," Arkad said happily. "Rasha and Jemi are here in the city. I summoned them when I learned you would be coming with the Deranged Duke. I could not have you here without seeing them again."

"I am glad to hear it." Razem's pleasure had dimmed somewhat at the mention of Duke Oler, though. He pursed his lips. "Arkad, what is the mood here in Salishok? What do people think about Duke Oler's imminent release?"

Arkad frowned, scratching at his beard. "Well, it has been...a rather mixed reaction, I suppose I should say. There are those who see this as a step towards peace, and plenty of us here in the Kreyden would like to see that. Goodness knows, I had hoped Rasha would inherit my lands in a time of peace, and now here I am twenty years later hoping that perhaps my grandchildren at least will see peace." He shook his head. "But there are others who... Well, they aren't so optimistic, I suppose you might say. And it is hard for me to fault them. This city alone has six or eight score who lost family or property to Oler's depredations. When you look out at the region as a whole, there are probably hundreds of orphans who were made by the Deranged Duke and his men. And that's not counting Dinnsan, which I know was particularly painful for you." He glanced over his shoulder, where the rest of the prince's party walked some distance behind. "Not to mention poor Burojan there. I can't believe he came with you!"