The Will of the Empress - By Tamora Pierce Page 0,10

beautiful creature, you live for worship," he said affectionately as he stroked her neck with one finger. They had met on Tris's first visit to Duke's Citadel after her return home. Vedris never tired of looking at Chime. "I brought you something that will agree with you much better than pearls." Reaching into his belt purse, he brought out a small packet of parchment and opened it on his silk-clad knee. A small pile of gold dust lay inside it.

"You spoil her, Your Grace," Tris said as Chime walked once around the duke's neck, purring, before she walked down his chest to the offered treat. Neatly she began to eat the gold dust as if it were grain. Despite their earlier anger with her, Daja and Briar watched, fascinated, as the dust flowed in a ribbon down Chime's clear gullet.

Once Chime had finished, she flew to the window seat and curled up on a cushion to nap. Tris settled next to her.

Vedris folded up the empty parchment, satisfied that the interlude with Chime had relaxed these three prickly young adults. "I understand that I am about to ask a great deal. I am certain that you three have had your fill of travel. However, I have been presented with a ... situation. You are aware that Sandrilene inherited considerable estates from her mother in the empire of Namorn."

"One of her mother's cousins administers them for her," said Tris.

"And she's a clehame — what they call a countess — from her mother's inheritance there," added Daja. "The women inherit titles on their own in Namorn."

"But even without all that, she's still awful rich." Briar was watching vines move around the deep scars on one of his palms. "From all the investing and things she does here."

"Yes, but she has neglected the Namornese side of her affairs. In part the fault is mine," confessed the duke. "We have tried to play down Sandrilene's financial situation, your teachers and I. Her magical abilities seemed more important at first. You know what the world is like. Heiresses are normally pawns, unable to live their own lives or to make their own decisions. It is not a life that Sandrilene would enjoy. Here, we have protected her from that.

"But in protecting her, we also kept her from doing her duty to those for whom she is responsible in Namorn," Vedris continued. "The people on her lands, who farm them and reap the profits for her to live on. Her cousin Ambros has looked after her interests for all of these years, managing them as well as his own lands. I know that it was wrong to encourage Sandrilene to stay here when she has responsibilities elsewhere. Berenene, the empress of Namorn, is also a kinswoman of Sandrilene's. She has expressed ... displeasure that I made no effort to force Sandrilene to go to her Namornese family."

Briar tapped a flower on one knuckle, turning it from yellow to blue. "Your Grace, her displeasure — was it military, or money?"

Vedris chuckled. "I have truly missed you three. It is so agreeable to be understood. The threats have been financial. If Sandrilene were to remain in Emelan much longer, Namorn might find other sources of saffron and copper. Certain goods that pass through Emelan would be more highly taxed in Namorn. Those who pay those taxes would be told it would cost less to ship their goods through other countries. Debts owed to banks in Emelan would be repaid more slowly, or frozen. Last year, interest paid on Emelan's loans to the Namornese empire never reached our banks. Her Imperial Majesty has indicated to me that there are ways to make our friendly relations even less friendly."

Briar leaned over and spat in the empty hearth. "Imperial language," he said, his voice quiet but savage. "Imperial double-talk. They speak pretty and sharpen their knives. The Yanjing emperor is just as bad."

"Then he and the empress must have a wonderful time together," remarked Daja casually. "They've been at war off and on for eight years."

"It is the language of diplomacy," said the duke. "I use it myself."

"I'll venture a guess," said Daja, tugging her lower lip. "Sandry found out about the blackmail."

Nodding, the duke said, "My seneschal let it slip. Sandrilene was quite outraged. She insists on making that visit to Namorn, to satisfy the imperial request so that Emelan — that our people — are no longer way inconvenienced on her account." Vedris leaned forward, bracing his elbows on