by her. And we find it a more than fair arrangement.”
The evening wore on for another hour, dominated by Sho Tsai’s continual quizzing of the governor on the preparedness of his city for imminent attack.
“I was surprised to see no evidence of stockpiled provisions, Governor,” the captain said. He was seated at the governor’s right, presumably due to his status as a favoured servant of the Merchant King. Like Nortah, the captain hadn’t touched his wine, and Vaelin judged that his relative silence until now had been carefully calculated to allow time for Hushan to drink himself into a more forthcoming mood. “Also, it is standard practice to enlist the menfolk of the city into a militia in times of crisis.”
“Getting the locals to march in step, let alone wield a spear with any skill, is a thankless task, Captain,” Hushan replied with a casual wave of his hand. “I have close to fifteen thousand men under my command, good soldiers all. As for provisions, given the number of cowardly swine fleeing south, Keshin-Kho finds itself with something of an abundance at present.”
“Nevertheless, I feel the Most Favoured would wish me to make a tour of the defences. Perhaps I can offer some advice . . .”
“Oh, don’t trouble yourself, good sir. It’s all well in hand. Besides, I wouldn’t wish to delay a mission of such importance. The sooner you find our wayward treasure the better, eh?”
Sho Tsai forced a smile and let the matter drop. Apparently, being one of the Merchant King’s favourites didn’t equate to unlimited authority.
* * *
◆ ◆ ◆
“The governor’s third wife,” Vaelin said to Ahm Lin. The gathering had finally broken up close to the midnight hour and they were making their way to the rooms they had been given in the eastern wing of the mansion. “She’s Gifted isn’t she?”
The mason glanced around before replying with a nod. They had been provided a discreet escort of four guards, though they seemed indifferent to conversation spoken in a foreign tongue.
“Does she have a song?” Vaelin persisted.
“I don’t think so. The sense I had of her was . . . unusual. Something I haven’t encountered before. I do know she was both surprised and displeased by our appearance here.”
Ahm Lin fell silent as they came to a suite of adjoining rooms linked by a central courtyard, the roof open to the stars. Sho Tsai and the Red Scouts had been quartered in the main barracks but the governor had seen fit to house his foreign guests in an opulently furnished suite reserved for esteemed dignitaries from the south. Ahm Lin waited for the guards to close the heavy double doors before moving to a small fountain in the centre of the courtyard, lowering his voice so that it was barely audible above the cascading water.
“There’s something else, brother,” he said. “The governor, he lied.”
“About what?”
Ahm Lin gave a wary grimace as he scanned their surroundings, clasping his hands together in a manner that made Vaelin remember that, for all his gifts, this man was not a warrior. “Everything,” he said. “The song was clear. Every word that man spoke tonight was a lie.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It had been many years since Vaelin had endured a night in certain expectation of an attack. Nevertheless, he found the sensation an unpleasantly familiar mingling of irritation and anticipation. The journey to Keshin-Kho had been long and the governor’s feast something of a trial, so he would much rather have spent the hours in slumber. Yet another reminder, he reflected, feeling the aches in his back and legs with aggravating keenness, the years pass and are kind to no one.
So, when it finally arrived, the faint grind of metal on metal that told of the lock on the door to his chamber being picked, it was something of a relief. He continued to lie under his blankets, face turned away from the door as it swung open, the creak of hinges muted by the slowness with which the lock-picker entered the room. Two of them, Vaelin concluded, hearing dual scrapes of steel sliding from leather sheaths.
He tracked their movements by their breath, low and well controlled, but even the best-trained assassin is unable to remain completely calm when the killing moment looms closer. One moved to the left side of the bed whilst the other approached from the right. A pause, then a quick intake of breath as the one on the left readied himself for the thrust, the soft gasp