woman, in memory of the love you shared and lost.”
“Your Highness is well informed.”
“An ill-informed king will soon find himself a beggar, or dead. It will not surprise you to know that I became aware of your presence here within two days of your stepping onto the docks of Hahn-Shi. A remarkably efficient intelligence and messenger network was one of the more useful legacies of the Emerald Empire.” The twinkle faded and the king’s eyes took on a sudden hardness. “I would know the fate of my emissaries to your tower.”
“They were murdered by a member of their retinue.”
“The weapons I sent them to purchase?”
“Will not be forthcoming, at least until my queen rules on the matter, which will take months and even then, I fully expect the answer will be no.”
“Her response might be altered were she to learn her most favoured general is now a guest in my palace.”
“I assure you, Highness, it will not. When it comes to negotiations, Queen Lyrna will not suffer any disadvantage and I caution you against rousing her anger. Not long ago, an entire empire was crushed for making the same mistake, as I suspect a well-informed king would already know.”
A steely glint crept into the Merchant King’s eyes and his voice became a low, steady murmur. “For the sake of a pleasant outcome to this meeting, make no assumptions as to what I do and do not know.” He held Vaelin’s gaze and blinked, the murmur abruptly replaced by a brisker, more businesslike tone. “What became of the assassin?”
Vaelin considered some form of obfuscation, finding it doubtful that most men, even a king, would find the truth believable. But he had a sense that this man possessed a very keen ear for dishonesty. “He possessed abilities derived from what my people term the Dark and your people call the Blessings of Heaven,” he said. “Using these abilities he killed Ambassador Kohn and General Gian before being captured. He died as I questioned him, having taken poison before carrying out his mission.”
“And what information did you glean from him before he did so?”
“That our kingdoms are under threat from the creature he served.”
The king’s eyes narrowed, a slight shift in the angle of his head telling Vaelin he may actually have told him something he didn’t already know. “The Stahlhast and their living god,” he murmured. “That is who he served.”
Vaelin shook his head. “I don’t think so. He said the Stahlhast are just a tool but that they served the same master. What its nature is, or where it resides, I know not.”
Lian Sha’s granddaughter let out a loud “hah!” Vaelin glanced over to see her miming out a fight with two of her dolls. The larger doll was evidently some kind of mythical monster with the head of an orange-striped cat and a man’s body, whilst the other wore a soldier’s uniform. The cat-headed doll appeared to be winning.
“You may be wondering,” Lian Sha said, smiling at the child’s antics, “why you are not dead. Why I have not punished you for your most heinous crime.”
Vaelin’s gaze lingered on the battling dolls, watching as the monster pummelled the soldier to the ground before the girl let out another “hah!” and swiftly brought him back to full height. Within a few seconds he had laid the monster low and stood with arm upraised. “You won!” his owner congratulated him. “Now you get all the cakes.”
“I imagine,” Vaelin said, “Your Highness has use for me. I find it is often the way with kings.”
Lian Sha smiled again, inclining his head. “You travelled deeper into my domain than I expected,” he said. “Perhaps you might actually have made it to the High Temple if I hadn’t sent the Red Scouts to intercept you. You were correct in not formally presenting yourself to me on arrival. It would have taken weeks to navigate the web of bureaucrats I employ to protect me from unwanted or unfamiliar petitioners. And what would have been achieved once you had done so? Only a brief audience and a polite refusal. A foreign barbarian requesting leave to traverse my realm on personal business? I could never publicly countenance such a thing. But now, you are my prisoner. By the laws of this land you belong to me, and I may use you as I will.”
“I did not come here to fight your war.”
“No, but come you did. You came for the Healing Grace. That’s what they call her, this