Saiai Webnovels

«I thank your lordship for his hospitality, noble Zamoshan.»

«Your ladyship is always welcome.»

Despite what had happened at the banquet, Helena had been invited to lunch with the lord of Shavek once again. But since the opening reciprocal greetings she realized the atmosphere had changed. Zamoshan had grown colder, less talkative. It was the least that I expected, she thought.

This time the lord did not entertain her with explanations or fun facts like she had grown used to. He seemed instead to be trying to find the words to ask her a question, without success.

After about half a glassturn of quiet eating, finally Zamoshan spoke: «I’ve heard that few days ago your ladyship visited selyann outside walls. Why did she?»

He said that slowly enunciating every word. Helena could not say whether that was a way to make himself sound threatening or hesitancy due to the awareness of what he was telling her, and that she already suspected.

He is revealing me I am being spied on. Though perhaps not as closely as to know everything she did.

«They simply wanted to thank me for having offered them food.» she lied to him, observing his reaction and ignoring Captain Astor who had discreetly raised his guard behind her.

Zamoshan gave no sign of doubting her words. Whatever way Artor Deutarid had of figuring out when she was lying was evidently unknown to the lord, nor did he give the impression of knowing the truth.

«Be careful, noble Ghelena.» he said. «Selyann are… treacherous. They feel no shame in deceiving and taking advantage of their neighbor for their own ends. And they know no honor. Even gratitude for your ladyship’s… foolish… gesture, will only become excuse to ask more of you. Your ladyship must not trust them.»

The irony of the fact that he was telling her to not trust somebody else risked to make Helena burst into bitter laughter. But she controlled herself and answered him: «I noticed.»

Which was not necessarily a lie. Kuts had taken advantage of her for his own ends. It had been one week since the beginning of the training of the selyann. “Just to make them good enough to avoid hurting themselves, it will take at least four weeks.” had been Astor’s forecast. She had asked him to bring it down to three.

They were training in the farms, far from the eyes of the dvar. Helena still had not guessed what plans Zamoshan had for her, but she felt that sooner or later she would need to flee, to hide or to defend herself. Once the training was complete and she had earned their trust, the selyann would be perfect for any of those purposes. That, of course, if they were not discovered by the lord.

He however did not seem suspicious. Maybe he was underestimating her. Or maybe he was underestimating the great mass of people outside his walls. Probably both.

The rest of the lunch passed in relative silence. When Helena stood up from her chair, Zamoshan did not call anyone to accompany her out of the palace, unlike all other times she had been there.

But as she exited the dining room and Astor closed the door behind them, suddenly a woman tripped and fell in front of her. She was wearing the colorless robe and the gray apron Helena had learned to associate with servants.

Going against Astor’s evident apprehension, she leaned forward and helped the woman up, as she had been taught to do when seeing someone in need.

And then the woman put one arm around her neck, moved her mouth close to her ear and whispered: «This afternoon. North-west quarter of the city. Seek the blue fox.»

It all happened in little more than a heartbeat. Then the nameless woman stood up as if nothing had happened, bowed respectfully to her and left.

Helena was sure that not even the captain had noticed what had happened. For the second time, someone had gotten past his surveillance. Luckily, it seemed the person responsible had been the same as the first time.

After two weeks, the sender of the message she had received the night she had arrived in that city had kept their promise and contacted her again.

Finally.

---

«Given the… “language barrier”, is that what it’s called? Thank you. Like I was saying, given the language barrier, teaching them stuff like battle tactics and coordinated attacks is out of the question. The best we can do, my Exarch, is to draw our weapons and make them imitate our movements.»

Helena was back in her tent, and Barys Rafidid was reporting to her the progress in the training of their extemporaneous recruits.

Captain Astor was guarding the entrance of the tent, while Ergon was standing by on Barys’ right.

«Fortunately they know of sklerygron and they use it in their work in the fields. If we had the time we could teach them to make real weapons with it, but considering our situation it’s better to teach them to fight with the tools they’re already used to shaping it in.»

In all honesty, Helena was not really listening to him. Her mind was still on the servant’s words and on the confirmation that she was being spied on. Days earlier she had been informed of the sighting of a suspicious person around the camp, and fortunately she had not underestimated the warning. Barys at the moment was wearing civilian clothes, like all the watchers assigned to his very special mission. A man or woman in uniform leaving the camp would draw attention, but it seemed normal citizens were not worthy of the interest of those who were watching them. It appeared that Helena’s tent too was safe from prying eyes.

But the moment she took a step outside, the felt that her every movement would be reported to the lord. A potential ally had arranged to meet her inside the walls, but how could she reach them without letting the wrong people know? Changing clothes would not be enough, not for her: the spies almost certainly knew her face.

Suddenly she realized Barys had stopped talking and seemed to be waiting for a response.

«You are doing a wonderful job. Keep it up.» she said, hoping it would be enough.

Her hopes were fulfilled: Barys made a small bow and headed for the exit.

But as he was about to walk through the door he stopped and spoke to someone outside: «What are you doing here, kid? And what’s in that bag?»

Helena heard an embarrassed female voice mutter something, before being joined by a familiar male voice: «The Exarch requested our presence.»

She and Ergon exchanged looks. With everything that had happened at the palace, Helena had forgotten about the lessons.

In the tent came Artor Deutarid and Agatha Eleisina, while Barys left. Helena and Ergon were now alone with the newcomers.

«I hope I have not made you wait too much. I was in a very important meeting.» Helena said, politely.

«Oh, no problem.» Agatha replied.

«Do you have any new word to share with us?» Ergon asked. The four of them had formed a sort of deal: Ergon taught Agatha and Artor the common tongue of the Federation, the two of them taught him what words and rules of the tongue of Shavek they discovered talking to the selyann and Helena learned from both sides.

«Yes, a lot of them.» Artor said, sitting down. «For an example, “Vardettchen”. It means “sklerygron”.»

That last sentence made Helena flinch. They could not have listened in on her conversation with Barys, could they? No, that was impossible, the captain was standing guard…

She shook her head. It had to be a coincidence. The matter of the spies was making her paranoid.

Still, during the entire lesson she was unable to concentrate even for the shortest time. Ergon, Agatha and Artor discussed cases and conjugations, but her mind was in another place.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on Agatha Eleisina. After their first meeting she had no longer given any particular attention to her: once she had understood that Agatha was not the person who could teach her what she needed, she had mentally categorized her as an acquaintance of Artor Deutarid and removed her from her list of useful resources.

And yet now the girl’s hair had caught her attention. It was black, like hers. And though it was styled differently, she was reasonably sure it was more or less of the same length as well.

It was hard to be sure as she watched her sitting down, but despite the fact Agatha was a few years younger, Helena judged they were around the same height. Likewise, their body builds were rather similar.

A plan began taking form in her mind. Perhaps she had found a solution to her problem.

As she pondered, she almost did not realize the lesson was over. Agatha and Artor stood up, and so did she, with involuntary urgency.

«Wait!»

The two and Ergon looked at her.

«Do not leave yet. There is something I must ask of you. …First of all: Agatha Eleisina, your brother has the day off today, does he not?» Useful resource or not, Helena always took care of remembering every information she received.

The girl suddenly seemed nervous, almost worried, and she tightened her grip on the large bag she had brought with her: «Y-Yes. Because today is his-»

«Astor! Send someone to bring him here.» she immediately ordered to the captain, then she spoke to the girl again: «Now… I must ask another thing of you, and I trust your absolute discretion, as that of everyone else present here. Agatha Eleisina… I need your clothes.»

She gave her a puzzled look. Looking closely at her face, Helena saw that her features naturally were different from her own, but not so much that they would stand out.

Yes, it will work, She thought, satisfied with herself.

«A-Alright,» said Agatha, with understandable hesitation, «but, well… on one condition, my Exarch.»

«Anything you wish, you have my full gratitude.»

Agatha took a deep breath and then asked, almost imploringly: «Can I at least keep the bag?»

---

Kal exited the Exarch’s tent, muttering: «I’m not sure this is a good idea, my Exarch. Wouldn’t it be better for you to take a larger escort with you, or at least more someone more experienced?»

The woman behind him answered: «And why should a mere citizen like myself have an escort? We are simply taking a walk together in the city, Kalos. And please, make sure you call me Agatha.»

«She’s right.» said Ark, right behind them. «However, “Agatha”, you never use your brother’s full name. Call him “Kal”, like you always do, come on.»

Kal sighed. He wished he could find the situation funny as well, but he was unable to. The responsibility weighing on his shoulders was too big.

And not only that: he tried to look at Exarch Helena, who at the moment was wearing Agatha’s clothes and had let her hair down.

This is… wrong.

If someone asked him to summarize his thoughts in one single sentence, that would be the one.

It was as if for a moment he saw his sister, only to discover he had been mistaken one heartbeat later. He looked away, uneasy.

«It’ll be fine.» said Ark, who had approached him without him noticing. «Relax, if you keep acting nervous you’ll ruin the performance.»

«I don’t think the performance will work at all.» he answered him, in a low voice.

At that moment, someone shouted his name. Kal saw Kydalim, his old neighbor in Elis, sitting not too far away with his large family: they were eating lunch around the fire. He had waved his arm in his direction.

«Kal!» the man repeated. «Enjoying your day off with your sister and your friends, aren’t you?»

Kal hesitated for a moment, then he answered, raising his voice to be heard clearly: «Y-Yeah! Exactly!»

Kydalim smiled, then one of his children drew back his attention and made him focus on the food once again.

«Oh, I think it will work perfectly.» said Ark.

The three got in line in front of the gates, and in less than a glassturn they were inside the wall. At that point the Exarch took the lead, making them follow her toward the left with sure step.

Kal had already been inside the city, but he still found it strange and cold: the building were in a style similar to those of Elis, but it was like an architect had joined them two by two, or four by four, and fused them one to the other, opening the walls between them like doors and welding them together. The results were huge houses, surrounded by vast courtyards, in which at times he could see a man or woman in gray busy cleaning the pavement with a broom or watering the plants by sprinkling them with a small bucket.

By now, Kal had learned that gray was the only color servants were allowed to wear. On the contrary, the masters wore colorful garments, on which often stood out at least one element that was a vivid red.

“Masters”. Kal shuddered. That word conjured up horrifying images in the mind of each and every citizen of the Principate.

The Exarch stopped in front of a sign: a blue four-legged animal, with a triangular head. Bizarre color aside, Kal recognized the stylized picture of a fox. «Here.» was the only thing the Exarch said before going through the door under the sign. Kal and Ark followed her.

Once his eyes had gotten used to the darkness, Kal realized he was in a tavern. At the end of the hall, opposite the entrance, was a large wooden counter. Beside it, a stairway rose upward. Behind the bar stood a corpulent man, cleaning a cup: he was balding, with sagging cheeks and a large mouth. He wore a white tunic, and above it a waistcoat similar to a gilek, red and sleeveless. Coming and going between the counter and the many clients’ tables were three women, dressed in neat and beautiful but rigorously gray clothes.

The Exarch sat at an unoccupied table and motioned Kal and Ark to sit with her. Kal had the impression that the man behind the bar for an instant stopped his cleaning and looked at them, but he couldn’t be sure of it.

Soon afterward, one of the women approached their table. Kal expected her to be there to ask what they were ordering, but she spoke to she Exarch: «Forgive me, this table is occupied. We can offer you another one on the upper floor. Come with me.»

Helena Dorina looked at the woman as if it weren’t the first time she saw her. Then she said: «I see. I gladly accept.»

Following the woman in gray, the three went up the stairs. On the upper floor, there actually was a second hall, with a few empty tables, but the woman went on, opening a door and entering a narrow corridor, before suddenly stopping halfway through.

Slowly turning toward them, she said: «From here on it is best you proceed on your own.»

«Where I go, they go as well.» the Exarch replied immediately.

«What you will be told is for your ears alone.»

«I trust these two more than I trust you.»

«As you wish.» the woman resumed walking, until she reached a small door almost to the end of the corridor. She made them enter a small room with one table, a wardrobe and a bed. On the table there was an empty lantern. The only source of light was a small opening high up on the wall opposite the door.

«Wait here.» said the woman, leaving and closing the door.

The Exarch sat at the table, Kal stood by the door, Ark laid down on the bed as if he were in his own home, completely indifferent to the atmosphere in the room.

They did not wait long, before the door was opened again and in came the man Kal had seen behind the bar.

«We finally meet face to face, Stefan’s daughter.» he said, without any accent. Thinking about it, Kal realized that the woman had spoken with no accent as well. «I am Bek-Cherek.»

«It does not sound like a name from this country.» Exarch Helena noted.

The man, Bek-Cherek, curved his mouth in a thin smile. «Very perceptive of you. No, I am not Shavekian. I hail from Hinzan, in the north.»

«You are a spy.» It was an observation, not a question. «Why are you here, in a fellow member of your federation? Do you not trust even each other?»

«Oh, Stefan’s daughter, you will discover that the relationship between the three lordships is more… complicated than it appears. We’re far from being a unity in which all agree. But in this particular case, it is thanks to such discord between us that you may be saved.»

«What do you mean?»

«Remember. You sent your watchers to give a letter to the lord Zamoshan. They never came back.»

«I remember. Zamoshan told me they probably were attacked by bandits on the way back.»

«You know he was lying. They died here, inside the walls of Istak. By order of the lord Zamoshan. Because they had discovered something that had to be kept secret, especially to you.»

Despite what had been just said, the Exarch showed no emotion. «Get to the point. What had they discovered?»

Bek-Cherek shrugged, then said: «The lord Zamoshan intends to hand you over to your uncle, with whom he has struck a deal. In these two weeks he has tried to drive you away from your guards and to put your own citizens against you, all so that it would be easier for him to capture you when the time came. He has probably already sent a message to Arlis, informing them that you are here.»

The Exarch looked down, sighing. «It is worse than I feared. However… there is something you are not telling me. When I and my father escaped the Principate, regent Sofron was not in such a solid position that the could intimidate a foreign country. Something has happened, something that has convinced one of the Lords of the Federation to do him a favor, and Dysis to not attack him.»

Bek-Cherek bowed his head. «I pity you for your perceptiveness, Stefan’s daughter. It must be a curse for you right now.»

She looked at him without batting an eyelid, and in her eyes Kal saw a deep sadness. «Tell me.»

The Hinzanian spy closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, then he said:

«Your uncle has stopped being regent weeks ago. Sofron is Prince now. The day you escaped from Elis… your grandfather Aryst was already dead.»