As she approached, two pages pulled wide the large doors leading into the royal quarters, a palace within the palace effectively. The entranceway to the familys living area was larger than Lady Franciezkas entire house, a two-storey, vaulted antechamber in which a half-dozen ladies already were gathered to accompany the Queen. She knew that in another part of the apartment a like number of lords of the Kingdom would be waiting to accompany the King. The oddest quality of royal life, Franciezka had always observed, was how the King and Queen shared a bed every night, but on formal occasions dressed in different rooms, departed from the apartment through separate doors, and met in the large hallway before their entrance to the throne room or the grand hall as if arriving from different places. She had once asked the royal historian about it, and he had been at a loss for an answer. The best he could summon up was that this was the way it had always been done.
She nodded greetings to the other ladies who returned polite words, then swept past them into the Queens private chambers. The Queen was just rising from her vanity table, having endured, no doubt with her usual good grace, the ministrations of her attendants in applying whatever final touches they deemed necessary to achieve fashion perfection.
She nodded greetings to the other ladies who returned polite words, then swept past them into the Queens private chambers. The Queen was just rising from her vanity table, having endured, no doubt with her usual good grace, the ministrations of her attendants in applying whatever final touches they deemed necessary to achieve fashion perfection.
Franciezka curtseyed before her Queen and then came to kiss her on either cheek.
Youve been gone too long, my girl, Queen Gertrude scolded with affection. She hugged her and whispered, We have no idea what is taking place. Lord John has said nothing.
Franciezka nodded. We must all be ready for anything.
My daughter?
Safely away, Franciezka whispered back.
Barely holding back tears, the Queen said, Good.
A page approached and said, Majesty, the King is ready.
So practised were the ladies of the court that it took no more than five minutes to have everyone in place outside the entrance to the Queens boudoir. A nod from an assistant to the Master of Ceremonies had both the Kings and Queens parties moving at precisely the right moment, so that they both reached the intersection of the grand hall entrance and the hallway marking the boundary of the royal apartment.
Massive doors swung wide as the Master of Ceremonies intoned, My lords, ladies, and gentlemen, the King!
Franciezka was one step behind the Queen, in her place on the right as her senior lady-in-waiting, but something felt amiss. Then she recognized what it was. The four children were missing. Crown Prince Constantine, the Princes Alber and Grandprey and Princess Stephane should be entering behind their parents. The court had a pensive quality to it, as well, for while this was ostensibly a gala, there was obviously nothing to celebrate, at least in the minds of the lords and ladies in attendance.
Franciezka saw Lord Servan, the Kings nephew and her most trusted agent, the man who would take over all of Roldems intelligence concerns should anything happen to her. He barely nodded greeting and she inclined her head slightly.
Nearby stood three young lords about whom Franciezka had mixed feelings. Foreign born all, they had risen in Roldems service and been knighted by the King, and all had some sort of relationship with Jim that annoyed her all the more. Yet she had been reassured more than once by Servan that she could count on their loyalty to the end. Lords Jonathan, known as Jommy to his close friends, Tad, and Zane stood quietly alert, much as they had looked when last she had seen them, at the previous Masters Court. Zane was recently married and a little distance away his wife was showing with their first child, talking to the wives of the other two young lords.
Had it only been months ago? she silently wondered. It felt like years since the last gathering.
Waiting to greet the King and Queen at the throne dais was Lord John Worthington, his son Serge at his right hand. Now titled Prime Minister of Roldem, Lord John bowed and waited until the King and Queen were seated. Then, turning to the assembled gathering, he announced, My lords, ladies and gentlemen, I have the great honour of announcing-, Franciezka half-expected that he was going to announce the betrothal of his son to Stephane despite her absence, -the cessation of hostilities between the Empire of Great Kesh and the Kingdom of the Isles.
This was completely unexpected, but welcome news, and the applause that greeted his words was heartfelt as a wave of relief swept through the room. Perhaps, more than one lord thought, things will now begin to return to normal.
The applause grew in volume until suddenly there was cheering and foot stamping. Finally, Lord John held up his hand and a moment later quiet returned.
I am pleased to announce that our most gracious King has offered to broker a final treaty between our neighbouring nations, and that within a month Gregory, King of the Isles, and Sezioti, Emperor of Great Kesh, will arrive in Roldem for a supreme conference to bring final peace to the Sea of Kingdoms and beyond.
This brought applause but no small chatter, for in the history of the Empire of Great Kesh, the Emperor had never left his home above the Overn Deep. And no sitting King of the Isles had ever visited Roldem princes later to be kings, yes, but never once the crown was set upon his head. This was unprecedented.
Franciezka cursed silently. She had mistaken Lord Johns words to his Kingdom double. He didnt mean to dispatch the King as a euphemism for killing him, he meant dispatch him to Roldem.
Franciezka Sorboz, Queens lady-in-waiting and head of the nations intelligence network, glanced over at her deputy, Lord Servan, whose dark features reflected exactly the same thought as her own. What exactly was going on here?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ty held up his hand.
Instantly the others fell silent. He motioned to Gabriella to move with the Princess into a depression below the road and hide out of sight. To Hal he pointed behind and then held up his hand to his ear, and then again pointed to the rear.
Hal paused, cocking his head to one side, and then he heard it: distant footfalls, slowly coming their way. He motioned back to Ty to take up a position on either side of the game trail they had been following.
For two days they had circled up into the high foothills heading mostly west by north, then straight west, roughly parallel to the Kings Highway, hoping to reach the road close to the city of Ran. They had subsisted on stream water and summer berries found along the way, but otherwise had nothing. They might be young and fit, but hunger was robbing them of strength daily, and Hal and Ty knew they would be less able to fight as time wore on; it was time to make a stand.
Hal motioned again and Ty nodded, understanding he wanted their pursuers to come past them before they attacked. Both young swordsmen hunkered down behind concealing undergrowth.
Soon the sound of footsteps grew louder and four men in the tabards of the Kingdom came into view. Hal didnt have to look at their boots to know they were counterfeit soldiers, as they were as ragged and unkempt a lot as he had ever seen. Pirates in stolen tabards was his best guess, and they looked ill-humoured and angry. For them to still be on the trail of the fugitives indicated the lesson of those slain on the Kings Road hadnt been lost on the rest of them. Hal could hear them speaking in a language foreign to him, and guessed they were Ceresians.
They were not being especially quiet, but they were being cautious, and the man in front appeared to have some tracking skills as he pointed to the prints Hal and the others had just made. He knelt for a moment, placed his hand into the depression of a boot heel and pressed with his fingers. He raised them up, rubbing with his thumb and Hal knew exactly what he was doing.
The leader tracker said something as he drew his sword and pointed down the trail to where the ladies lay in hiding. Hal waited until the last of the four was past, then leapt at him from behind, cutting him down as Ty went past to take out the next man.
The fourth man turned to intercept Hal, but the tracker hung back, shouting, Theyre here! at the top of his lungs. He managed to get three shouts out before he suddenly stiffened and then collapsed, revealing Lady Gabriella standing behind him with a bloodied belt knife.
The two best swordsmen at the previous Masters Court finished off the two remaining pirates in quick fashion, but shouting from the distance told them the damage had been done. Ty cast around, determining where the noise was coming from. Theyre above us!
The fourth man turned to intercept Hal, but the tracker hung back, shouting, Theyre here! at the top of his lungs. He managed to get three shouts out before he suddenly stiffened and then collapsed, revealing Lady Gabriella standing behind him with a bloodied belt knife.
The two best swordsmen at the previous Masters Court finished off the two remaining pirates in quick fashion, but shouting from the distance told them the damage had been done. Ty cast around, determining where the noise was coming from. Theyre above us!
He started down the hillside as fast as trees and brush would allow, assuming, correctly, that the others would follow without question. As they reached a clearing he paused to seek the next path down and said, We got below all of them but that one that stumbled on us. Had we been a little quicker maybe He looked back. We need to strike for the Kings Highway and hope we can outrun them to Ran.
How far? asked Gabriella and with a slight incline of her head showed she was asking on behalf of Stephane, not herself.
If Im correct, three, maybe four miles.
Well never outrun them, said the exhausted Princess. Leave me. You go and get help and come after me.