Fragile Empire Read online

‘Of course,’ Nyane said. ‘I’m glad you came round. I’m glad that you thought you could talk to me.’

  Karalyn smiled.

  ‘How will you be getting home?’ Nyane said. ‘Would you like me to send for a carriage? You can wear one of my coats over that dressing gown.’

  ‘That would be great, thanks.’

  Her eyes strayed over to the desk as Nyane rose and went into the hall. Amid the piles of books, she noticed some battered scrolls and papers.

  ‘Are those Dean’s documents on your desk?’ she called out.

  ‘Yes,’ Nyane said as she walked back into the room. ‘That’s the carriage ordered.’

  ‘Thanks. May I come round and read them some time when it suits you?’

  ‘Certainly,’ the Rahain woman said. ‘I look forward to it.’

  A few hours later, as the sun was setting in the west, a grand carriage rolled through the streets towards the palace. Inside, Karalyn sat, Tabitha by her side. She had returned to her townhouse and submitted to Golspie’s conditions, sitting through a long lecture on the nature of propriety and etiquette. She had acted suitably contrite and hadn’t once argued back to her chief of staff, much to the woman’s suspicion. Karalyn knew that she would report her behaviour to her mother in the Holdings, but that was life; there was nothing she could do about that, short of scouring Golspie’s memories. Tabitha had again assisted with getting her dressed, though her outfit was more low-key than when she had attended grand parties, the Empress’s summons suggesting informal wear for the evening. Her dress was still expensive, and her diamond earrings worth more than most earned in a year.

  Tabitha had been quiet on the journey, no doubt a little nervous after the arguments in the townhouse.

  ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ Karalyn asked her.

  ‘What? Me, ma’am? No.’

  ‘You didn’t leave anyone behind in Holdings City?’

  ‘I didn’t have much time for that sort of thing.’

  ‘What about Gerald? He seems nice.’

  Tabitha smiled. ‘He’s cute, but Gerald’s not one for the girls, if you know what I mean, ma’am.’

  Karalyn nodded.

  ‘Does that bother you, ma’am?’

  ‘Of course not. Everyone is free to love whomever they like.’

  ‘Unless they work for Golspie, ma’am.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The chief rather frowns upon the staff getting romantically involved while working. She thinks it’s a distraction, and she’s always worried about spies.’ She laughed. ‘I imagine that if I ever kissed anyone, then she’d demand to know his address, job, and where his parents are from. Probably want to interview him, too. And then she’d sack me.’

  Karalyn frowned.

  ‘Sorry if I spoke out of turn, ma’am,’ Tabitha said. ‘I greatly respect the chief of staff, I do, honestly.’

  ‘It’s alright,’ Karalyn said. ‘I was just thinking that she’d probably do the same to me. Except for the sacking. Though I’m sure she’d love to replace me with someone a little more reliable, and pliant.’

  Tabitha glanced away.

  ‘I know you have to tell her everything I say and do,’ Karalyn said, ‘but I don’t blame you for it. You’re just doing your job.’

  The young servant said nothing.

  The carriage drew to a slow stop as they passed the palace gates. Kellach Brigdomin guards were on duty in the grounds in front of the mansion, and several approached the wagon as it halted before the steps to the entrance.

  One peered through the window and glanced at Karalyn.

  ‘Miss Holdfast,’ he said, opening the carriage door. ‘Her Imperial Majesty bids you welcome.’

  He held out his hand for her. She took it and stepped down on the gravel.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘This way, ma’am,’ he said.

  He turned and Karalyn followed him towards the palace, Tabitha a step behind. A further two guards walked at their rear, and Karalyn smiled. It felt good to be among Kellach and not have to look down on people all the time. She remembered the previous evening, when she had been out with the embassy staffers. It had been a good night, and being among her father’s folk had helped to relax her guard. Well, that and the alcohol. While her hangover had gone, the dull ache in her chest had persisted. It was regret, mixed with anger at herself. She knew she would most likely bump into Daryl at some point in the future, and even though he wouldn’t remember a thing, she still dreaded it.

  They entered the palace and Karalyn was struck by how small it seemed; her mother’s residence in Holdings City looked bigger and grander. Inside, the guard led them up a flight of stairs and past more sentries.

  ‘This is her Imperial Majesty’s private quarters, ma’am,’ the guard said. ‘Normally, new visitors are presented to the Empress in the audience chamber below, but I have been asked to bring you here.’

  They stopped by a door and the guard knocked.

  ‘Enter.’

  The guard opened the door and gestured for Karalyn to go inside. As she stepped over the threshold, he put his hand up to block Tabitha.

  ‘Miss Holdfast only,’ he said.

  Karalyn smiled at the young servant, then the door was closed behind her.

  ‘Come and sit over here.’

  She turned, her eyes adjusting to the flickering light coming from a hearth. She was in a small library or study, with shelves of books, a desk and a low table, where a woman with pale blonde hair sat, a glass in her hand.

  Karalyn walked over. The woman was the only other person in the room.

  ‘The Empress won’t be a moment,’ the woman said as Karalyn sat on a couch. ‘She’s putting her children to bed. I’m Dyam, Imperial Herald.’

  Karalyn smiled.

  ‘I don’t suppose you remember me,’ Dyam went on. ‘I was in Slateford when you and your mother arrived. You were a baby at the time. Then I saw you briefly again after the Emperor was killed.’

  ‘I’m afraid I don’t remember any of that.’

  Dyam put down her glass. ‘Would you like a drink?’

  ‘Water, please.’

  The herald raised an eyebrow and stood. She went over to a cabinet, poured a glass of water, then handed it to Karalyn.

  ‘May I smoke?’ she said.

  ‘No. There’s a balcony behind those curtains, but the Empress will be here any moment, and I don’t want you outside when she arrives.’

  Karalyn shifted in her seat, resisting the temptation to read the woman. She had promised herself that she would try to get through the evening using her wits alone, and already she was finding it hard.

  ‘You look nervous.’

  ‘I am,’ she said. ‘I’m about to meet the Empress, and I want to make a good impression.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I want to work for her.’

  The blonde woman smiled, her pale features glowing in the firelight. ‘Are you sure? Are you prepared to do whatever her Majesty asks of you?’

  ‘I won’t kill anyone.’

  ‘Not if your life, or the life of the Empress depended upon it?’

  Karalyn paused. ‘In that case, aye, I would do it, if I had to. What I meant is that I’m not a soldier, or an assassin. I’m not my mother.’

  ‘No, you’re not,’ said a voice from the door. ‘You’re Karalyn Holdfast. Come on, give me a hug.’

  Karalyn turned to see Empress Bridget standing by the door. She rose to her feet. Bridget enveloped her in her arms and squeezed hard.

  ‘Good to see you, my girl,’ she beamed. ‘I hope Dyam hasn’t been too rude. She has a suspicious nature.’

  The blonde woman laughed. ‘I was perfectly civil.’

  The Empress sat in an armchair and Dyam handed her a mug of ale. She took a long drink and sighed, her eyes falling on Karalyn’s glass of water.

  ‘Not drinking tonight?’ she said. ‘And I heard you’ve been carousing through the town these past few evenings.�
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  ‘Maybe I had a little too much last night, your Majesty.’

  ‘Tough,’ Bridget said. ‘I’m not sitting here drinking while you stare at me all sober. The invitation said “informal” and I meant it. Dyam, pour her an ale, or a wine, whatever she fancies. Not whisky though, we’ll save that for later.’

  The herald went over to the cabinet. ‘What will it be?’

  Karalyn frowned. ‘Ale.’

  ‘Good lass,’ Bridget said. ‘And relax. It’s just the three of us.’

  Karalyn nodded.

  ‘We know about your powers,’ Bridget said. ‘We’ve known about them since you were a baby. But now you’re a grown woman – you made it through childhood relatively unscathed and are one of the world’s most powerful mages.’

  ‘Your potential is astounding,’ said Dyam, bringing over a tray of drinks. ‘The ability to read and manipulate thoughts and memories, and of making yourself unseen to those around you; next to you, Isobel, our best vision mage, is a rank amateur.’

  Karalyn flushed.

  ‘But can you control it?’ Bridget said. ‘Laodoc tells me that you’ve been having some trouble recently.’

  ‘You’ve spoken to Laodoc, your Majesty?’

  Bridget laughed. ‘Of course I have. He came over to see me on your first night in the city, while you were attending the reception at the Holdings embassy. And enough with the “Majesty”. You called me Auntie Bridget when you last visited.’

  Karalyn sighed. ‘I do have a problem. I’m starting to pick up more than I intend to, whenever I read someone. I go in for a name, and instead end up seeing their darkest secrets, or catching a glimpse of their futures. I don’t mean it, it just happens.’

  ‘That sounds like something you can learn to control,’ said Dyam, ‘and from our point of view, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.’

  ‘Your point of view?’ Karalyn said.

  ‘Aye. You said you wanted to work for the Empress, and a spy that reads secrets they weren’t even looking for could be very useful indeed.’

  ‘Direct to the point as ever,’ Bridget laughed. She finished her ale and poured herself another. She glanced at Karalyn. ‘I want to know more about the prophecies,’ she said. ‘I remember being told about old Kalayne, and that he’d predicted how certain events would turn out. I thought it was bullshit at the time, but I was wrong.’

  Dyam refilled Karalyn’s mug. ‘How does it work?’

  ‘I don’t know. I can’t make it happen on command. I look out through someone’s eyes, and mostly I see what they’re seeing, but sometimes it jumps to another scene. Often it’s just a flash, so quick that I can barely understand what I’m seeing. Other times, it lingers for a while.’

  ‘The way Killop talked,’ Dyam said, ‘Kalayne could do it whenever he wanted. Maybe that’s something else you’ll learn how to control with time and practice.’

  ‘So if I asked you to try it now,’ Bridget said, ‘it would probably fail?’

  ‘Probably,’ Karalyn said, ‘but would you really want me to try?’

  Bridget took a long drink. ‘That’s the question I’ve been asking myself. It would be risky but the answers I get could save the empire.’

  Karalyn frowned. ‘From what?’

  ‘Laodoc tutored you well,’ Bridget said. ‘I’m sure of that – he was my tutor once. But there will be many things that he wouldn’t have been able to tell you, for he hasn’t been part of my inner council for years. Dyam, do the honours.’

  The herald got to her feet and strode to the desk. She picked up a scroll and set it down onto the low table, using glasses and mugs to weigh it down. It was a map of the Star Continent, like many Karalyn had studied in the desert with Laodoc.

  ‘There have been no major wars or conflicts since the fall of the Emperor in five-oh-seven,’ said Dyam. ‘The only fighting worth talking about has been on the fringes of Sanang, but with the rebel Sons defeated and scattered, even that country has been at peace for years. From a flying carriage you could look down and assume that the empire is prosperous, peaceful and thriving, and it is, on the surface. However, scratch below, and the rats emerge.’

  Karalyn frowned.

  ‘We have been infiltrated, top to bottom,’ Dyam went on. ‘Agents from Rahain, hiding themselves in the army, the government, waiting for something, a signal.’

  ‘I thought Rahain was completely isolated.’

  ‘There’s a village in the far east of that country,’ Dyam said. ‘It is called Silverstream, and it’s name must not leave this room, like many of the other things I’m about to tell you. Understand?’

  ‘Aye.’

  ‘The town’s inhabitants are Rakanese, settled there after the Migration. The Rahain know nothing of its existence or location, and we have been using it as a base to gather intelligence about what’s been going on inside Ghorley’s republic.’

  ‘You’ve been spying on them?’

  ‘Aye,’ said Bridget. ‘It would have been negligent of me if I hadn’t.’

  ‘And it was just as well we did,’ said Dyam, ‘because we discovered just how much they hate us, and wish to see us destroyed. As well as burning libraries and universities to the ground, they’ve been indoctrinating their people with the creator faith, in particular a theology that says the Empress is guilty of usurping the Creator’s throne, and they are eager for vengeance. For years, they’ve been building up their armies and supplies, ready to strike us.

  ‘Here,’ she said, stabbing the map with her finger, ‘is where we will stop them when they come, for come they will.’

  Karalyn glanced down. She was pointing at Rainsby.

  ‘As well as fortifying Rainsby,’ Dyam said, ‘we’ve also rebuilt the old Holdings frontier fortresses here at Westport, and in the east at Stretton Sands. If they try to bypass Rainsby, they still won’t make it into the northern half of the Plateau.’

  Karalyn saw the two towns marked on the map, both ports on the Inner Sea.

  ‘Well,’ Dyam went on, ‘that’s the plan. However as I said before, the government, diplomatic corps and the armed forces have been infiltrated. Ghorley has Holdings and Kellach folk in Rahain, as well as the local inhabitants. and this is making it much easier for them to evade capture.’

  ‘We want you to find them,’ Bridget said.

  ‘Root them out,’ Dyam said.

  ‘You would report directly to myself and Dyam,’ Bridget said. ‘No one else will know your true role. Officially, we can take you on as a junior assistant, so you’re on the books and can draw a wage.’

  Karalyn sipped from her mug. ‘May I have a cigarette now?’

  Bridget laughed and got to her feet. ‘I’ll join you on the balcony.’ She walked to the cabinet. ‘Time for a whisky, I think.’ She picked up a bottle and poured two measures. ‘Severton’s finest.’

  Karalyn stood, and pulled back the curtain leading to a set of balcony doors.

  ‘You stay here,’ Bridget said to Dyam, who nodded.

  The Empress and the dream mage went out into the cool, clear night, the lights of the city sparkling around them. Karalyn lit a cigarette and leaned against the railing as Bridget passed her a glass of whisky.

  ‘I’m not an assassin,’ she said.

  ‘I know,’ said Bridget. ‘You won’t have to kill anyone. Just find them, identify them to us, and we’ll do the rest.’

  She glanced at the Empress. ‘Doesn’t that amount to the same thing as killing them?’

  Bridget shrugged. ‘It needn’t. Some we’ll leave in place, so we can watch them; others we might arrest and put in prison, but some, aye, some we might have to kill.’

  Karalyn took a sip of whisky, and felt it trickle down her throat, warming her.

  ‘If Rahain invades,’ Bridget said, gazing out into the city, ‘and we’re unprepared, then the carnage they could cause is immeasurable. Folk have lived in peace for sixteen years, and I would do anything to preserve that, even if it means occasionally kill
ing people. But that’s my responsibility; your conscience will be clear.’

  The Empress turned to her, and looked her in the eye. ‘Will you do it, Karalyn Holdfast?’

  ‘Aye, Auntie Bridget, I will.’

  Chapter 15

  Love Nor Money

  Anamindhari, Eastern Plateau – 19th Day, Second Third Spring 524

  ‘Happy birthday, brother,’ Yanin said, hugging Ravi.

  ‘You too, sis,’ he said. ‘We made it to twenty.’

  They raised their glasses, Kerri joining them.

  ‘A thought for our brothers and sisters,’ Yanin said, ‘those still stuck in Arakhanah, and those who lost their lives in the famine. May we never forget them.’

  ‘Well said, sis.’

  They downed the wine in their glasses.

  Ravi smacked his lips. ‘Damn fine stuff.’

  ‘It should be,’ Kerri said, ‘we’re in the capital of wine-making country.’

  Ravi nodded, his eyes glancing over the other tables in the square where they were sitting. Bars, cafes and teahouses formed three sides, with vine-covered trellises and citrus trees dividing the large, paved courtyard. On the fourth side lay an artificial lake, on the far bank of which the governor’s mansion stood, surrounded by walled gardens. Hanging lanterns lit the square, and a multitude of folk were out enjoying the evening air. The great majority were Rakanese, but a few Holdings merchants were dotted around.

  ‘I like it here,’ said Yanin.

  ‘It’s alright if you have money,’ Ravi said.

  Kerri frowned. ‘How much do we have left? That wine wasn’t cheap.’

  ‘Come on,’ Yanin sighed. ‘Can we not just relax and enjoy ourselves for once?’

  Ravi smirked at his sister. ‘I’ve seen you and that travelling girl together over the last few days. You looked to be enjoying yourself to me.’

  Yanin flushed. ‘Would you deprive me of a little romance? It’s been a while.’

  ‘It has,’ he laughed, then remembered how long it had been since he had slept with Kerri. Still, he thought, they were in Anamindhari, with rooms in the hostelry behind them already paid for. He smiled.

  ‘But we’ll have to look for jobs soon,’ Kerri said.