The Sword Of Angels

21

Princess Salina entered the garden and took a breath of the precious air. She had not been out of the palace in over five weeks, and she had counted each of the arduous days on a calendar made from beads. The day was perfect, full of sunlight and the scent of flowers. A gentle breeze stirred the palms along the cobblestone path. Behind her, her two ubiquitous bodyguards kept two paces back, watching her without saying a word. They had been with her constantly since her imprisonment began, escorting her everywhere she went within the palace, even standing outside the doors of her bedchamber when she slept. Her father had taken every precaution to keep her inside. Salina walked slowly along the path, relishing the light and sweet-smelling air. Around the bend, she could see the servants in their white jackets standing dutifully around her father’s table. King Baralosus sat with his back toward the path, waiting for his daughter to arrive. They had not seen each other since her treachery had been discovered, and her father’s summons surprised Salina. She supposed she should have been delighted by it, but she was not. Instead, Salina felt afraid.

Her weeks imprisoned in the palace had been interminable. At first, her father had not even allowed her to leave her chambers. Eventually he had softened on this, letting her move throughout the palace, but only with her bodyguards, and her contact with others was severely curtailed. She had learned quickly that her trusted handmaiden Nourah had been beaten and sent away for her part in Salina’s deception, and Kamag the tavern owner had been publicly hung. Hearing this, Salina had sent word to her father, begging him to come to her, but Baralosus had ignored her pleas. At last, Salina had given up the idea of making amends with her father.

Until today.

Nervous, she padded along the walkway until she reached the bend, where she paused to see her father seated at the table. Tea and confections had been laid on the table and King Baralosus had already begun consuming them, sipping absently from an alabaster tea cup. Salina knew her father had heard her approach. She waited for him to greet her. At last he put down his tea cup.

‘Come, Salina,’ he ordered, not turning around.

Salina steadied herself, then stepped into his view. His eyes finally flicked toward her. He seemed older than he had just weeks ago. Thinner, too. His troubled expression filled with tension when he saw her.

‘Sit down.’

A servant pulled out a chair for her, opposite her father. Another filled her cup with tea. When they were done Baralosus shooed them away.

‘Go now,’ he told them all.

The servants quietly dismissed themselves, leaving Salina and her father alone with her bodyguards. The king dismissed the soldiers as well, sending them back along the cobblestone path. An uneasy quiet filled the garden. Salina found it hard to look directly at her father. Baralosus remained silent, studying his daughter. His silence pained her.

‘You sent for me,’ she reminded him.

The king nodded. ‘Are you angry?’

‘No,’ said Salina. Emotion took hold of her, making it hard to speak. ‘I’m afraid.’

‘You’ve had time to think now on what you did.’

‘Yes,’ said Salina.

‘And?’

‘I’m sorry, Father. I’ve always been sorry. I told you that.’

King Baralosus looked neither satisfied nor assured. ‘It’s time we spoke again, Salina. I can’t keep you imprisoned forever. You’re not a pet. But you need to understand things. Do you understand?’

‘Why you’re angry with me? Yes, Father, I understand. But I don’t understand what you did to Nourah and Kamag. Nourah was innocent. And Kamag didn’t deserve to die.’

‘You are wrong on both accounts,’ said Baralosus. ‘Nourah knew that she was helping you, and what Kamag did was nothing less than treason. I cannot have that in my kingdom, Salina. Not ever.’

‘Kamag was a good man. All he ever wanted was to help people. That’s all I ever wanted, too.’

The king groaned. ‘Then you don’t understand, Salina. What you did was too big to keep secret. The whole kingdom knows about it. Not everyone is like you, you know. Many honour the old ways.’

‘The dark ways, you mean,’ said Salina bitterly. ‘Is helping people so wrong?’

‘You went behind my back, girl. You deceived me, and made me look a fool. You have no idea how much trouble you caused me. And yourself.’ Leaning forward, Baralosus said, ‘You were in danger, Salina. Even some of my advisors wanted you beaten in public.’

‘What advisors?’ Salina asked indignantly. ‘Kailyr?’

‘Yes, Kailyr. And others. You may think they’re just foolish old men, but they know the heart of the people. It was not easy to quiet them, but I did.’

Her father’s words shocked Salina. ‘Would you ever do such a thing? Have me beaten in public like a dog?’

‘Salina, you are but a girl,’ said the king. Frustration reddened his face. ‘And whether you honour our ways or not, this is a holy land. Girls do not disobey their fathers. Especially not my girls. Now, you have been trouble to me most of your life, but I overlooked it because I love you.’ He smiled. ‘You are my favourite. You’ve always known that, and you task me because of it.’

‘Yes,’ sulked Salina. ‘Your favourite dog.’

‘My favourite child,’ corrected the king harshly. ‘But that doesn’t mean you may do whatever you wish. Being a girl child means you have a place that must be kept. When you step out of that place it is I who must defend what you’ve done. You went too far by helping those foreigners, Salina. You must understand that. I cannot go on protecting you.’

‘No? You’re my father. It is a father’s job to protect his children, no matter what they do.’

‘You are wrong, Salina. When you break the law, when you embarrass me or do things that threaten my rule, it is my place to punish you, not protect you.’

‘So my imprisonment is to continue, then,’ said Salina, looking down at her empty plate. ‘You do not trust me.’

‘You’ve given me no reason to trust you. That’s what pains me most of all. I brought you here to discuss these things, but after five weeks you still don’t see the wrongness of what you did.’

Salina said nothing. Her father saw her clearly — she didn’t think her actions wrong. This time, though, she had sense enough not to argue. There were other plans being laid in her mind, plans she had not given up. And everything her father said convinced her of her rightness.

‘Kailyr wanted me flogged?’ she asked.

The king nodded. ‘Yes. Publicly.’

‘Just for helping those wretched northerners?’

‘And for betraying Aztar. Or have you forgotten that?’

His words stung. ‘No,’ said Salina. ‘I haven’t forgotten.’ She carefully steered the conversation. ‘A month ago you told me you’d send men to Aztar. Did you, Father?’

Baralosus picked up his tea cup. ‘I did.’

Salina tried to curb her excitement. ‘He is well, then?’

‘No.’ Her father seemed distracted. He began toying with the confections on his plate. ‘What you heard from the northern boy was true. Aztar was burned. The men I sent to see him say he suffers greatly.’

‘Oh. .’

The king picked up a tiny cake, looked at it, then put it down. She could tell he was mulling things over.

‘Prince Aztar wants nothing to do with us,’ he said. ‘I offered him help, but he claims he has all that he needs. His camp is in the Eastern Skein, a day or so from here.’ The king shrugged. ‘He’s close enough to come to Ganjor for food and supplies, but his people are content, or so he says.’

‘His people?’ Salina remembered what Gilwyn had told her. ‘His followers are still with him?’

‘Some. Aztar was always a remarkable man. People follow him because they love him, because he makes them believe. Whatever you think of the way I used him, I always respected him, Salina. I made a good bargain for you with him. Even you might have learned to love him.’

Salina glanced away. Her feelings for Aztar were a great mass of confusion. ‘Has he asked about me, Father?’

‘What Aztar wants from you no longer matters,’ said the king sternly.

‘But Father-’

‘I won’t have you speaking about him. Don’t even think about him. You betrayed him, and that’s all you need to remember.’

For Salina, it was impossible to forget.

‘You’re being unfair,’ she told her father. ‘I know what I did to Aztar. I know I was wrong. All I want now is to know if he asked about me.’

‘There is no point to it,’ said Baralosus. ‘And that is the end.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Do you understand?’

With great effort, Salina nodded.

‘Good. Now, I have news for you.’ The king brightened. ‘You’re not the only one who had time to think, daughter. I have considered what you’ve done and how well behaved you’ve been these past weeks, and since I have quieted the ones who want you punished, I think it’s time you were freed from your curfew.’

‘No more bodyguards?’

‘No more guards. Let’s make things the way they were, and forget about all the bad. Would you like that?’

‘Yes,’said Salina, meaning it sincerely. ‘I would.’

She wanted desperately to have her father’s love again. Lying to him broke her heart.

‘And you’ll remember what we talked about today? About your place?’

‘I won’t forget, Father.’ Salina smiled at him sadly. ‘I know how important it is to you.’

Satisfied, King Baralosus called the servants back to the table, inviting his daughter to enjoy the confections. Salina chose a berry tart. Her father quickly launched into a story. Like they had throughout her girlhood, Salina and her father shared private time in the garden, Baralosus telling unimportant tales, his daughter laughing politely at his jokes.

But Baralosus didn’t know that things had changed, or how deeply he had hurt his daughter. She was grateful for his love, but Salina realized it had limits, mostly born of politics and pride. He was not the man of boundless protection she had imagined as a child.

Now, more than ever, she wanted to see Aztar.