When she thought about it like that, there was really no question that she’d done the right thing. Nash was old enough to make his own choices and he’d made the choices that led to death.
Funny thing is, Nashan, my love, I would have given everything to you had you asked. You never needed to take anything from me . . .
And Alija? How much of this was her doing? And how would she react to the news her lover was dead? She certainly couldn’t accuse Marla of anything. Not without betraying herself. But that was a problem to be faced tomorrow. And the day after.
And the day after that.
From this moment on, nothing would ever be the same for Marla Wolfblade.
Marla sighed and turned away from her children. They were safe now. Safer than they’d been for a very long time. Nobody would ever be allowed to threaten them again like that, she silently vowed.
And Marla intended to make certain of it, even if it meant taking the throne of Hythria herself.
As she stepped into the candlelit hall, Marla wished Elezaar was here, thinking the dwarf would know what to do. But then, she’d done all this without him. Perhaps she’d finally reached the point where she no longer needed his counsel. Marla smiled at the thought, imagining the panicked look on Elezaar’s face if she even hinted that she might no longer have a use for him. She wasn’t blind to the dwarf’s desperate need to stay at her side. It puzzled her at times and she was determined to get to the bottom of his inexplicable devotion to her some day, but for now it was time she retired to her room.
It was very late and she was going to need a good night’s sleep, because tomorrow morning the city guard would be banging on the doors at some ungodly hour to inform her that, tragically, her husband was dead.
Epilogue
F
rom the balcony overlooking the great staircase of the Greenharbour Palace, you could see tomorrow . . .
Marla remembered thinking that the last time she stood here in her dressing gown, waiting for the ball to start. Memories of that innocent and foolish child seemed to belong to someone else. The ruthless young woman who stood here now found it hard to credit that she had ever been so innocent, so naive.
She looked down at the preparations for the Feast of Kaelarn Ball with a wistful smile. You couldn’t see as far as tomorrow, but you could see right across the hall, and get a very nice view of the handsome and smartly dressed young men who had come for the ball this evening.
In a way, she missed that girl; the one whose most pressing chore was to decide which of those handsome and smartly dressed young men would be her husband. Marla was thinking along the same lines again, but she was no longer content to choose a young man for his looks or his smile. She’d fallen for that once and the cost had proved more than she was willing to pay. No, the next time Marla got married it would be for far more tangible things in life. Money. Power. Influence.
The sixteen glorious cut-crystal candelabra showered their warm yellow light over the guests. The musicians in the corner were tuning their instruments discordantly and barefooted slaves hurried back and forth from the kitchens, piling the long tables with exotically displayed foods and countless flagons of the fine imported Medalonian wines for which the palace was so famous. The thirty-two fluted marble columns no longer looked as if they could support the weight of the entire world in Marla’s eyes. These days they were just another unique architectural feature in a palace that was full of unique architectural features.
Marla pushed her long fair hair off her face, remembering the gesture as if she had somehow stepped back in time. As she had that evening so long ago, she knew that somewhere down there, amid the sea of faces, polished boots and slicked-down hair, was her future husband. She had no idea who he was, but he was sure to present himself at some stage this evening. These days, she didn’t care if he was handsome, but he would be wealthy, probably old. She had promised Lernen she would marry whoever he wanted the next time and she meant to keep her word.
She would never marry for love again. That was certain.
The chances were high that her next husband wouldn’t be the son of one of the many noble houses. Lernen needed friends in the increasingly affluent and influential merchant class and they were looking equally attractive to a princess wishing to acquire material wealth. Marla already had two sons who were the heirs to two different provinces and the High Prince’s crown. She did not intend to complicate matters further by adding a third heir to the mix.
“Is something wrong, your highness?”
Marla turned as Elezaar approached. He’d arrived back several weeks ago with Almodavar, who was now responsible for the security of her children. She was sleeping much better since he had arrived from Krakandar with three hundred battle-hardened troops.
“No. I was just reliving old times.”
“Old times?”
“I stood here once, Elezaar, a lifetime ago, trying to imagine what my husband might look like. That was the night I met Nash. And Laran. Wrayan, too, now that I think about it.”
“Sounds like quite an eventful evening.”
“It was.”
“And are you still determined to marry again?”
“More than ever,” Marla told the dwarf. “As a widow, I’m powerless. As a wife I have much more freedom.”
“Is it only freedom you want, your highness?”
Marla smiled thinly. The dwarf saw through her so easily. “I want power, Elezaar. I want people to think twice before they harm me or mine again. I want the men of this land to think about what they could gain by harming my sons, and then consider what they might lose if they fall out of favour with me. I want the power to ruin, not just to kill. Any man with enough coin can hire an assassin to redress a wrong he feels has been done to him. I want the serious wealth it takes to destroy a man’s livelihood and his family’s future. That’s the kind of wealth and power I want. I’ll need it, if I’m to keep my children safe.”
“Will you keep them here in Greenharbour with you?”
She shook her head. “I’m too busy with my work at the palace and too frightened for their safety. I’m sending them back to Krakandar. Almodavar will watch over them. And he’ll teach them to look after themselves. Far better than I could. Besides, with Mahkas and Bylinda there, it’ll be just like a real home. Leila and Xanda are there too, although Travin’s gone to Elasapine with Charel now. Anyway, I don’t want my children growing up in this cesspit. If Lernen wants to be a doting uncle, he can do it from a distance. I won’t let Damin or the twins be corrupted by him.”
“Have you thought about asking the Sorcerers’ Collective to manage Krakandar until Damin comes of age?”
“With Alija in control? I think not. Besides, Mahkas has done a good job as regent so far. I see no reason why his stewardship of Krakandar shouldn’t continue.”
“And what of Alija?”
“What of her?”
“You’re just going to let her get away with everything she did?”
“I have no proof she was involved in anything, Elezaar, other than sleeping with my husband. Besides, she’s High Arrion now. Unless I want to take on the whole Sorcerers’ Collective, there’s no way I can confront her without incontrovertible proof that she was involved in something illegal. I put an end to Nash’s push for the throne. For the time being, we’ll have to be content with that.”
“She turned him against you.”
Marla was silent for a time, then she shrugged philosophically. “Did she? If Nash ever really loved me, Elezaar, Alija couldn’t have made him betray me the way he did. Decent men don’t arrange to have babies murdered to further their own ambition.”
“Wrayan believes she was behind it all.”
“Wrayan also claims he speaks to the gods and that he’s been living among the Harshini in Sanctuary for the past few years, Elezaar. You don’t believe that, too, do you?”
“I’m not sure I don’t believe him.”
“And that’s why I’m
sending him back to Krakandar, too.”
“Almodavar will be busy.”
Marla smiled. “Look at it this way. Either Wrayan is crazy, which means that with Almodavar watching over him in Krakandar he can do very little harm, or he really can speak to the gods and wield Harshini magic, in which case I’d much rather have him where he can watch over my children.”
“And the High Prince?”
“What about him?”
“Will you do nothing about your brother?”
“I will fight to keep him on the throne with my dying breath. Damin deserves that much from me.”
“Even knowing what he is?”
Marla sighed. “Kagan told me once that Lernen’s greatest virtue was his total obsession with his own pleasure. He’s not interested in anything else. I believe he was right. Lernen can do what he pleases, Elezaar. I will look after Hythria until my son comes of age. And then Hythria will have a High Prince it can be proud of.”
“I think Hythria already has a princess it can be proud of, Marla Wolfblade.”
She looked down at the twisted little man fondly. “Do you remember telling me once that your only purpose in life was to remain in my good graces, dwarf?”
“I do, your highness.”
“Keep coming up with comments like that,” Marla replied with a smile, “and you may yet get your wish, Fool.”
Table of Contents
Part I
chapter 1
chapter 2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
chapter 10
chapter 11
chapter 12
chapter 13
chapter 14
chapter 15
chapter 16
chapter 17
chapter 18
Part II
chapter 19
chapter 20
chapter 21
chapter 22
chapter 23
chapter 24
chapter 25
chapter 26
chapter 27
chapter 28
chapter 29
chapter 30
chapter 31
chapter 32
chapter 33
chapter 34
chapter 35
chapter 36
chapter 37
chapter 38
chapter 39
chapter 40
Part III
chapter 41
chapter 42
chapter 43
chapter 44
chapter 45
chapter 46
chapter 47
chapter 48
chapter 49
chapter 50
chapter 51
chapter 52
chapter 53
chapter 54
chapter 55
chapter 56
chapter 57
chapter 58
Part IV
chapter 60
chapter 61
chapter 62
chapter 63
chapter 64
chapter 65
chapter 66
chapter 67
chapter 68
chapter 69
chapter 70
chapter 71
chapter 72
chapter 73
chapter 74
chapter 75
chapter 76
chapter 77
chapter 78
chapter 79
chapter 80
Part V
chapter 81
chapter 82
chapter 83
chapter 84
chapter 85
chapter 86
chapter 87
chapter 88
chapter 89
chapter 90
chapter 91