Magician In Battle (Power of Poses Book 4) Page 7

  “Is that better?”

  Lia’s face relaxed a bit, and she nodded her head. “Better. Why is it I always feel more secure around you?”

  Trak thought back to his lessons on repartee with Madame Barazzi in Santasia. An answer, but not one that would pin him down, came to mind. “Is it because you feel less secure with everyone else?”

  The princess gave an un-royal snort. “I am under intense pressure to marry Lenis by his father and the king.”

  “What kind of pressure are they applying, if I may ask?”

  “Asking is why you are here.” She looked out over the rooftops of the city and rubbed her upper arms, as if chilled. “To them, there is no reason to spend Eastern Toryan treasure to help me regain the throne unless I am united with one of their own.”

  “And Lenis is the best they could offer?”

  “He has been the only offer, and as you already know, that is unacceptable.”

  “So what do you think I can do about it? I have no influence on the King. Lenis and his father hate me.”

  “Take me away,” she said clutching the sleeve of his coat.

  Trak looked out at the other buildings and the courtyards below and gingerly removed her hand. “People may be watching.”

  Lia blushed, bringing back her beauty, and snatched her hand away from Trak. Her face took on another twisted, angry look. “I am looking like this on purpose,” she said as she took a step away. The tone of her voice did not match her expression.

  “You are experienced at taking over kingdoms and can restore me to the throne by yourself.”

  Trak shook his head. “I’ve always had help,” he said. “I can’t just walk into the palace or castle with you behind me and expect that to work.”

  Lia narrowed her eyes. “I thought you were a hero.”

  “I’ve never called myself one. Look, I can do things that other people can’t, but it takes a government or people willing to form a government to prevail. In Santasia, I fought with the Loyalist forces against the revolution and did the same thing in Warish. I just came in and removed the troublemakers, but for things to last, there must be a government left. Mori came with us from Bennin because she didn’t think Jojo had sufficient backing to make his coup work. Remember how we couldn’t leave from Homiko? There were rioters who burned down the docks. What will happen in Zamiel if the citizens won’t accept you as their Queen?”

  Lia lifted her chin. “I have the Royal bloodline.”

  “It won’t work if your subjects don’t want a Queen.”

  She showed real anger this time. “I will force them.”

  Trak sighed. “I won’t. You can jump up and down all you want, but I can promise that you won’t be able to regain a throne if no one wants you to have it.”

  Lia pursed her lips. “I still don’t want to stay here,” she said. “Let’s go to Zamiel, anyway. If no one wants me there, I will go with you to another country, even Pestle or Santasia.”

  Trak could leave her in any capital with enough money to live well the rest of her life, if she didn’t spend her funds foolishly. He had no idea if she knew how to buy anything on her own, but he nodded. He didn’t wish anyone on Lenis.

  “When do you want to go?”

  “As soon as possible. We can’t take a flyer, can we?” she said.

  Trak shook his head. “By the time we built one, or had one built, you might lose your chance.”

  “I can have a single bag ready in an hour. Can you return here by then?”

  “I will. It will just be you and me. Is that acceptable? We will be sleeping on the ground and will have to find our own food. Just showing up in Zamiel is too dangerous, so we will have to find a way to know what is going on in the capital before we arrive.”

  “I know that,” Lia said, an edge of unpleasantness creeping into her voice. “I’ll put up with anything to depart from Kizru.”

  Tembul had left when Trak returned to his rooms, and he wondered if he should leave a message for him. Trak didn’t know where Tembul lived in Kizru, so he teleported to Able’s house. He found Watul, sitting on a chair on the front porch, asleep. He kicked the guard’s foot.

  “Wha?” Watul blinked and sat up. “Trak! You’re supposed to be at the palace.”

  “I’ll return soon enough. Can you keep a secret?”

  Watul looked around, and then up at Trak. “I can.”

  “Good. I can always find you with my magic.” That wasn’t really true, but Watul wouldn’t know that, and Trak had to get information to Tembul, but not immediately. “I am leaving with the Princess tomorrow. Tell Tembul that we will be going to Zamiel to return Princess Pullia to the throne. I hope to see him again.”

  “That’s it?”

  Trak nodded. “Simple enough. Don’t tell anyone this, especially Lenis. Make sure that you tell Tembul that I wished I could take him with me, but it will be too dangerous.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Watul said.

  “Good. Don’t forget to tell him.”

  Trak teleported back to his rooms in the palace and began to gather his things, which only took him a few minutes. He grabbed a couple of pillowcases and rolled up a few blankets and slid them inside. He meant what he said about sleeping on the ground. If their journey became too rough, he could always take her back to the palace, but Trak had already given up on spending any length of time in Kizru once Princess Pullia’s position had stabilized. The nobles just weren’t trustworthy enough, and he expected the Western Toryans to be much the same.

  Trak looked around at the room and tried to drink in the flavor of Toryan culture. He liked Tembul, but the Toryans hated outsiders, and no matter what wonderful deeds Trak performed, he’d never be a full-blooded Toryan. He checked the contents of his treasure bag and stuffed it into his shirt before he grabbed his cloak and teleported to Lia’s apartments.

  “You’re early!” she said, clutching a dress to her body.

  “I’m sorry. I came as soon as I could,” Trak said, immediately turning around.

  “Leave!” she said imperiously.

  Trak shook his head. “We will be traveling companions. There is no need to be so sensitive. I’ll just have my back turned. I hope the dress that you are putting on is suitable for travel.”

  “I may be called many things, but the names have never affected my thinking,” Lia said. She fiddled with her dress, from what Trak could tell. “You can turn around now.”

  Lia had the good sense to procure a simple dress and a thick woolen cloak. She wore used shoes. Trak wondered where she had found those. If Lia had used a servant to help her get ready, there might be guards heading to her quarters as they spoke.

  “We have to leave now,” Trak said. “I had to leave word with a guard that I know.”

  “For Tembul?”

  He nodded.

  “Then let’s go. I have everything I will need immediately in these two bags.”

  Trak looked at the two overfilled valises. “You can take what you carry,” Trak said.

  Lia put her fists on her hips and stomped her foot on the floor. “That is not acceptable!”

  He thought the princess was ready to sacrifice in order to leave, but this behavior gave him second thoughts. He had already committed to flee, but if she didn’t bend a bit, he’d soon be heading north to Espozia.

  “Are you coming or not?” Trak said, standing tall and trying to put on as grim a face as he could.

  “I don’t need that one,” Lia said, lugging a single bag, and leaving the other in its place.

  “Hold onto my arm,” Trak said. He thought of a spot to the north and teleported.

  They materialized in a small meadow. “Stay here and don’t move,” Trak said, dropping his possessions. “I’m going back to Kizru and buy some food.”

  When Trak returned, Lia sat on her bag, with her elbow on her knee and her fist holding up a perfect chin.

  “Hungry? Thirsty?” Trak lifted his arms carrying sacks of food and two sk
ins, one filled with wine and the other filled with water.

  She brightened. “Thirsty. Do you have water?”

  Trak laughed. “I do.”

  They ended up sharing a few pieces of fruit along with the water.

  “Where is Zamiel?” Trak said.

  “West and a bit south of the Lazanti Pass,” Lia said.

  Trak closed his eyes and scanned the surrounding area for traces of magic. Not finding any, he felt that they could stay the night in the meadow, while Trak interrogated Lia about Western Torya.

  They conversed for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. Trak brought out some bread, cheese and dried meat, and Lia had a few draughts of wine. She lost the edge of her personality that typically alienated others, and Trak was surprised by the woman’s insights of her people.

  When Trak pressed her about the reasons her father sold her to the Emperor of Bennin, she yawned and said she wanted to sleep, so Trak unrolled the blankets, and they slept close to each other in the cool air of the night, even though the day had been unseasonably warm for autumn.

  The next morning, Trak let Lia wander for a bit in the woods and took the opportunity to wash his face with some of their water.

  “I’ll take some of that,” she said. She assumed a pose and used a spell to separate a tiny square of one of the blankets and used it as a washcloth to scrub her face.

  When Lia handed it to Trak, he was surprised at the change in Lia’s looks.

  “I can see your stunned expression,” Lia said. “I am an expert in applying cosmetics. Do I look less like a princess?”

  “I like what I see better.” Trak gazed at the face, less glamorous, but an unexpected look of intelligence emerged on Lia’s face. “Why don’t you always go around like this? You look smarter.”

  Lia gave Trak a half smile. “And disappoint so many people? I can manipulate others much better with my regal look. That’s what I call it.”

  Trak could see what the woman meant, but he liked the more natural beauty, where her inner character stood out. “So did your ability to manipulate fail you? Is that why you were sent to Bennin?”

  “I was bored,” Lia said. “I had never gotten along with my father, and there were many times when my irritability was no act. But I had no idea that within months he would be dead, and my uncle would have risen to power; otherwise, I would have stayed.”

  “You were treated according to your expectations in Bennin?”

  Lia nodded. “For the most part. I loved the time at sea and spent most of it on deck taking in the personality of the ocean. I didn’t have to worry about being waited on. I frightened Hana so much that she spent virtually the entire voyage below decks. What can I say about the exotic trip to Beniko from Homika? I drank it all in, but once Lenis arrived, my new environment had become boring again. The Emperor finally told me he wanted me to marry his fourteen-year-old son.”

  “I never remembered seeing any children.”

  Lia laughed. “The seven Imperial children lived on the Emperor’s estates to the west of the capital. I only saw them once every two or three months. Of course, I never had to worry about violations of any kind, being groomed to become Empress, but Lenis had other ideas.”

  “I know about that,” Trak said.

  He knew about Lenis, but if the Emperor had seven children, that would only complicate Jojo’s efforts to solidify his hold on Bennin. No wonder Mori didn’t want to stay in Beniko, and she knew Jojo better than he did.

  She shook her head. “You don’t know how persistent Lenis was at first. The Emperor finally had to put him on the lowest level of the dungeon. By the time he made it all the way to the top floor in the castle, he only had enough energy to try to wheedle out a kiss, and I never let him succeed.”

  Trak put his hands behind him on the ground and looked up at the sky. “That was why he babysat Hana and the Vashtans. He would have been there, even if the rest of the cells were empty, right?”

  Lia nodded. “I am well rid of him.”

  “For now,” Trak said. “His father and he are very determined people.”

  “I don’t see the benefit of marrying someone so weak in personality and so weak in power,” she said.

  Trak had never bothered to look at her through magic eyes himself and took the time while they talked. It took him a while to get back to the idea of splitting his mind, but when he did, Trak was impressed by her strength. If she continued to confide to him and earn his trust, he would teach her the rudiments of poseless magic. He suspected she would be more adept with it than Tembul or Jojo.

  “We can leave now. We should take our time getting to Zamiel and come from an unexpected direction. I suspect we can make it to the Dianzan Pass today and slip over during the night.”

  ~~~

  Chapter Nine

  ~

  Valanna climbed down from the flyer when Asem, Kulara, and she landed on the outskirts of the small town of Landsgood, a few leagues south of Pestledown, in the evening. The three of them lugged their bags to one of two inns. Valanna volunteered to get their rooms.

  “I only have one room available, but it has a large bed, and I can move a cot in, if two of you share.”

  “Is something going on in town? We are from the border close to Warish and Sesta,” Valanna said, supporting the cover story the three had agreed upon.

  The innkeeper shook his head, which made his long beard sweep his ledger. “Unrest in Pestledown. There may be riots soon, and there are a lot of people who would rather not be caught up in any of that.”

  “Unrest?” Kulara said.

  “There’s some folks who have had enough of King Harl’s tax increases. Another day brings another tax. If he doesn’t stop soon, I’ll not be able to run my inn, and a lot of hard-working people won’t be able to do their jobs.”

  “I’m sorry. I have some unavoidable business in the capital,” Valanna said. “I expect someone to be looking for me. Tell him that we are here, if he asks.” She wrote down the name she had used before, Valanna Sleekbottle, and took the single room.

  The next morning, Valanna climbed down the stairs, giving some time alone to Asem and Kulara, and discovered Coffun Cricket eating breakfast. She rushed over to him. “May I join you?” she said.

  “Of course,” Coffun said. “I hired a carriage from the city to bring you and your friends into Pestledown, except you might want to wait just a bit. We will talk about it when your traveling companions come down. Have some breakfast first. I’m enjoying mine.”

  A serving maid walked up.

  “I’ll have whatever he is eating,” Valanna said.

  Before her meal came out of the inn’s kitchen, Kulara and Asem joined them.

  “It has been a while, Coffun,” Asem said.

  The little man looked at Asem. “I’m still not a Warish tool. If I wasn’t helping Miss Almond personally, I wouldn’t be helping you at all.”

  Asem narrowed his eyes. “She is Miss Almond no longer.”

  Coffun twisted his mouth in distaste. “Miss Almond is a more honorable title than Fifth Wife.”

  “That makes her a princess,” Kulara said.

  “She already is,” Coffun said, dismissively.

  Valanna had to dissipate the tension in the air. “We are here to help each other, are we not?” she said. “I would prefer to use Miss Almond until we need to rely on a different title. Think of it as a name to cover my identity. Spies do that. I used the name Sleekbottle here at the inn, right?”

  Coffun laughed, the confrontation disappeared. “I prefer Almond to that.”

  “As do we,” Kulara said, giving Asem the flash of a glare.

  Coffun didn’t say another word while the other three started their breakfasts, and he finished his.

  “We are preparing safe quarters for you. Normally, I would suggest you use The Looking Inn, but recently Lord Puddingfan has posted thugs, uh, less friendly to our cause around the place. He thinks they are covert but—,” Coffun shr
ugged. “The city is going crazy, anyway, with King Harl’s taxes. The tutoring business has been all but obliterated by his levies. If you can enjoy the hospitality of this inn for two or three more days, I will return to take you into the city. I am afraid that instead of openly entering the city, you will have to wear disguises.” He pointed to Asem’s chin. “The lack of a beard should be sufficient for you.”

  Asem looked crushed. “And I got this going nicely once again.”

  “Let’s just hope you have the opportunity to grow it back, my love,” Kulara said. “I’ve never been to Pestledown, so I won’t need a disguise.”

  “I’ve brought a change of clothes for all three of you to wear in the carriage. Balbaam fashions are quite different from Pestledown.”

  Valanna didn’t care, but Kulara nearly pouted. She patted Kulara’s hand. “Clothes are easier to change than a beard,” she said. “Perhaps you and I can buy something new in this town.”

  “And you, Valanna, will have to change your hair color and maybe use a little makeup so you look a little less comely.”

  “Makeup comes off easily enough,” Kulara said, “but hair color?” She smiled wickedly at Valanna.

  “I’ve done it before,” Valanna said. “Whatever it takes to finish a certain task in Pestledown.”

  Asem lifted a water glass. “To our success,” he said.

  None looked enthusiastic, but Asem offered a toast that none of them could refuse. Valanna felt like the conspirator that she was. The tone of this visit to Pestledown was much more serious than her last. During her first visit, she just sought out confirmation of the situation, but this time Marom had called on her to take down the government. Asem had agreed that his slow war had ended, and with Coffun’s new evidence of King Harl’s malfeasance, Valanna now concurred.

  She didn’t imagine herself as the ruler of Pestledown, but it was plain that was what she would be if they succeeded. If they didn’t succeed, Valanna may be in dire straits again. They all might be, but death just might be preferable to returning to Balbaam.

  ~