on a mission. Being the champion of the Everqueen is to be nothing more than a glorified lackey. That is not what I imagined my life would be like.’
‘Then don’t do it. You don’t have to. You don’t even have to enter the lists if you don’t want to.’
‘You’re being very naive, brother. House Emeraldsea has made an investment in us. They want to see it repaid.’
‘I am astonished to hear myself say this but I think you are being too cynical. You are an ornament to the House. You add a certain lustre to their name just by existing. You are a hero of the blood of Aenarion. Without you they would be known only as the wealthiest merchants in Lothern.’
For such a clever elf, Teclis could be astonishingly naive when it came to politics. ‘Our beloved relatives are playing a very long and deep game. Like all the great Houses, they seek power not just prestige. You and I are counters in that game, pieces on a board. They want us where we will be most useful.’
Teclis steepled his fingers and smiled coldly. ‘And you think you would not be useful as Phoenix King.’
‘I have never said I want to be Phoenix King.’
‘You have all the qualifications. You have the looks, the charisma, the intelligence, the reputation…’
‘The gold? The political support?’
‘So you do want to be Phoenix King.’
‘What male elf does not?’
‘I, for one.’
‘You are a special case. You love nothing more than magic.’
‘There are many other special cases.’
‘Look, brother. I do not know whether I want to be Phoenix King, or whether I have what it takes to be one. I do know that in order to become Phoenix King, you need a lot of powerful political allies and a lot of money. A good deal of horse-trading goes into the making of our ruler. If I wanted to be Phoenix King, I would need the support of Emeraldsea, and a great deal more.’
‘I understand.’
‘I will never get that support if I alienate Lady Emeraldsea now.’
‘I understand that also. What I don’t understand is why you think she would not want you to be Phoenix King.’
‘I don’t think that. What I think is that Finubar is young and already a powerful ally of our kin. He is not likely to die any time soon. And in the meantime I think she would prefer to have a definite hold on the Everqueen than a warrior who might never become Phoenix King many centuries hence.’
Teclis nodded slightly, as if he was finally seeing the point. ‘A bird in the hand beats a Phoenix in the future.’
‘Yes.’
‘It does not matter.’
‘I can assure you it does.’
‘Your life will be long, Tyrion. You can’t predict how things will turn out.’
‘I can predict that if I do not do what is asked of me now then Malene will never support me, nor will any of her successors.’
‘Then do what she asks, go to the tournament and lose.’ Tyrion looked at his brother in wonder. Was it possible that even after all these years Teclis did not understand him?
Teclis smiled again. ‘No, you could not do that, could you? You have never liked to lose at anything. Is that what is really bothering you? The possibility that here is a competition you might not win.’ The mockery had returned to his voice.
Tyrion shook his head. ‘The thing that bothers me is the possibility that I might win.’
Teclis lay on the deck and stared up at the stars. The gentle rise and fall of the ship helped him relax. He remembered how, long ago, he had been plagued by seasickness and what a torment that had been. Now, like most of the other ailments, it was just a memory. It was odd how things that had dominated his life for so long could just vanish, leaving behind only strange dream-like recollections.
Of course, yesterday he and his brother had been in the jungles of Lustria. Now they were aboard the Eagle of Lothern scudding across the ocean. The jungle was the dream now, the ocean the reality.
Strange thoughts raced through his head. What was time? How did it work? What is this process that keeps us moving inexorably into the future at the same rate every day? Is it true that gods and daemons live outside time and are aware of multiple selves, in all places, at all times? Is that how their prophets are sometimes given glimpses of the future?