Chapter 44

44

Quil

It was still dark when Quil left Sirsha sleeping. He kissed her forehead and slipped away, only to spot Tas sneaking out of the groom's quarters in the inn's courtyard.

Tas grinned. "I'll keep your secrets if you keep mine."

Quil chuckled. "Nice to see that some things don't change."

"All part of the job, little brother. That groom knows every guardsman in this district. If someone comes looking for us, we'll know. Where are you off to?"

"The High Seer," Quil said. "I'd like to have a few words with him about Ambassador Ifalu."

Tas nodded. "Tread carefully. The harbor's shut down and gate watches were doubled. They know someone stole the Ikfa."

A half hour later, Quil was face-to-face with the Eye of Ankana, one of the holiest men alive. But for all that High Seer Remi E'twa of Ankana painted himself as all-knowing, the look of surprise on his face when Quil entered his monkish quarters indicated an omnipotence that was more limited.

Maybe because Quil entered via one of the man's few windows, instead of through more diplomatic channels.

"Crown Prince Zacharias." Remi rose from a simple oak desk, where a pot of chamomile tea steeped. "It's a pleasure to see you again. I did not realize you were visiting Burku."

"Maybe you need better informants, High Seer Remi."

"Perhaps, crown prince." The High Seer smiled with genuine warmth, but Quil watched him warily as he pulled another mug from his cabinet. The prince took a risk being here. If the High Seer was part of the plot against the Martials, Quil could find himself imprisoned or killed. Ambassador Ifalu certainly had no qualms about murder.

The High Seer poured a mug of tea for Quil and offered it to him.

"May I express my sympathy at the suffering of your people," the High Seer said. "We were most saddened to learn—"

"Ambassador Ifalu has been feeding my people misinformation, High Seer." Quil didn't touch the tea, nor did he much feel like acknowledging the High Seer's sentiment. Better to get to the point. "She did this while pretending to be an ally and a representative of your people. Her treachery directly led to the deaths of thousands of Martials, Scholars, and Tribespeople, as well as the occupation of our homes by the Kegari."

"Ambassador Ifalu?" Remi's shock was sincere enough that Quil believed it. "Impossible. She is one of our most respected seers, crown prince. Forgive me, but you must be mistaken."

"I'm not," Quil said. The High Seer of Ankana didn't need to know about Quil's magic. "I know the ambassador as Ena Ifalu. Has she ever gone by another name? Dolbra, perhaps?"

Remi paled. "Dolbra was her daughter's name—she died at birth. Very few people knew that Ena named her. How did you come by this information?"

"Reliably." Quil considered the suspicion on the High Seer's face. He didn't believe Quil. But he hadn't thrown him out, either.

"High Seer, I have the utmost respect for you and your judgment. Last year, the Empress told me that you sought your replacement. Everyone expected you to name Ambassador Ifalu. Your councilors and advisers. Your people. The ambassador's family. Even Ena herself. But you haven't named her yet. Why?"

Remi took a sip of tea, but he held his cup so tight Quil thought the handle might shatter. "I'm not ready to step down yet."

"Your ability to read people is legendary," Quil said. "The reason you pushed for the Ankanese to open trade with the Empire was because you met the Empress. You saw who she was and who she could be. What do you see when you look at Ambassador Ifalu?"

The High Seer's teacup clattered as he placed it on its saucer.

"The ambassador has nothing to gain from allying herself with the Kegari," he said. "She would certainly not risk Ankana's relationship with the Empire. If we break our treaty with you, we also break it with the Mariners. The Tribespeople. You tell me, prince. Why would she risk such a thing?"

"Perhaps she doesn't care about the Empire or the Kegari." Quil had been mulling this over all night. "Perhaps she has another master. I have met the Kegari leader, High Seer. I have met the Tel Ilessi. Her power is immense, and dreadful. I wonder if she has allied herself with something unnatural, and if Ifalu has done the same. So again, I ask—when you look at Ifalu, what do you see?"

"Nothing," the High Seer murmured. "I see nothing. Her future is veiled. It has been for years, and though I have tried to see anything to do with her, I have failed."

"And you've told no one," Quil surmised. "Because doing so would indicate that your power was weakening, and you feared you'd be forced to step down."

"If she has betrayed your people—"

"It's not just my people," Quil said. "Yours, too. You had a shipment that was supposed to arrive in the Vault of Seers—"

"Yes," Remi said. "Mehbahnese ore engines, for our ships. I usually don't pay attention to such things, but it was stolen last night—"

"No," Quil said. "Not engines. Ikfa."

Remi recoiled as Sirsha had. "Impossible," he sputtered. "That substance is banned. And in any case, there's hardly enough of it in the world to—"

"There are mines full of it in Kegar." Quil shared what Tas had told him, for if the High Seer was in league with the Kegari, he already knew this information. "Ifalu had it shipped here. What, I wonder, would the Jaduna say to that? They are your allies too, are they not?"

Quil put his hands on the desk. "Look me in the eyes, High Seer Remi. Tell me if I lie about the ambassador's perfidy. If so, I will apologize and leave you. But after hearing what I told you, if you have even the slightest suspicion that Ifalu might have misled the Martials and betrayed her own people, I implore you to call her to you. Ferret out the truth. I'll take my leave while you do so. I will ask you for one thing, though."

Remi sighed. "You make many requests, prince."

"This one is fair. If I am right—if your ambassador is guilty as I say she is—then I need a favor."

Quil made it back to the Pennybrush a few hours later. The sun was well up and Tas, Arelia, Sirsha, and Sufiyan waited in the courtyard, packed and ready, their horses idling outside the stables.

"About bleeding time." Tas stood when Quil entered. "Don't know how the hells we're going to get out, they've closed nearly all the gates. What did the High—"

"Tas," Sirsha said, holding up a hand. "Listen."

Tas fell silent. Beyond the voices spilling from the inn's dining room, they all heard an unmistakable sound. Boots, marching in time, toward the inn.

"Did you lead the bleeding guards to us?" Tas stared at Quil, wide-eyed with incredulity. "Of all the amateur, basic—"

Before he could move on to more colorful language, soldiers poured into the courtyard. An officious-looking captain in finely tooled gold armor approached Quil without hesitation.

"Prince Zacharias of the Martial Empire," he said. "You are suspected of stealing a pallet of goods that belongs to the nation of Ankana. You will come with me to be questi—"

"We did it." Quil drew his sword and laid it down at the guards' feet, gesturing to the others "All of us. We're thieves. We confess."