If I Pay Thee Not In Gold

• Chapter 9

Xylina had not really expected to get an immediate audience, despite Ware's insistence that she go to the Queen right away. She presented herself to the majordomo and sat on one of the hardwood benches in the dark, polished-granite anteroom. She heard her name called, ahead of others who had been waiting there longer.

She was certain there was some mistake, or that she was going to be told to return in the morning. The majordomo was a high-ranking slave who had the duty of relaying the Queen's orders when it came to whom she would see and whom she would not. When new petitioners arrived, the majordomo would send a slave in with the new name to the Queen, and she would decide whether she wished to see a particular person that day. Xylina expected to be told to return later. That would be fine, since she would at least have the evidence that she had presented herself today to show that she felt her cause was urgent.

But the majordomo beckoned, then ushered her into the audience chamber without a single word. Light spilled out as he quietly opened one of the bronze doors just enough to let her inside, then closed it behind her.

The silence within the audience chamber was intimidating. Xylina looked around, and suddenly felt very small. She took a firm grip on herself and took a second look. The chamber had obviously been designed to achieve just that effect of intimidating the petitioner and making her feel insignificant. The great double door behind her was far larger than it needed to be. The white marble from which the chamber had been crafted made it difficult to judge exactly how large it was, as the walls and ceiling receded into a haze of light. Everything in the room seemed to be just the slightest bit oversized. The empty benches beside her, for instance, which would hold waiting groups while their spokeswoman approached the Queen, were all just a little too tall and too wide to fit the average Mazonite comfortably. The bronze oil-lamps riveted to the white marble wall were of the same shape and style that she had seen in many other homes, yet they, too, were larger than normal. She had the feeling that the walls were not exactly parallel, that they were slightly skewed. The chamber focused on the raised platform at the end, and the scarlet-draped throne placed in the middle of it, the only spot of real color in the whole room. There was a single armed Guard behind her, and the Guard's eyes were focused on some point high above Xylina's head. If not for the gentle movement of the Guard's chest and the occasional blinking of her eyes, she could have been a statue. Beside the throne was a small bronze gong.

As if to contrast with the white of the room and the scarlet of her throne, Adria wore starkly cut black silk, ornamented with gold embroidery at the shoulders and hems of her tunic and breeches, clasped with a belt made of gold and onyx plates. A simple, brushed-gold coronet adorned Adria’s short gray-threaded black hair, and she sat relaxed and erect in her throne with an air of complete self-confidence.

She showed no sign that she recognized Xylina. As the girl approached, walking softly so that the sound of her footsteps would not echo in the enormous room, there was not even a flicker of recognition in the Queen's eyes.

But she reminded herself that Adria must have years of practice in maintaining control over her expression. The Queen was a consummate politician, of course, and it would be important that her enemies never be able to judge what she was thinking from her face. It would be just as important that Adria's own people never know what she was thinking.

She must remember this, Xylina told herself firmly. She must be as controlled as the Queen was. Adria must not know what Xylina was thinking, either. If the Queen knew, she could manipulate her; if she didn't, Xylina might control what the Queen thought of her, at least to some extent.

But how to accomplish this, when Xylina had no time to prepare herself, and was only a little less naive than she had been before today? She was not used to hiding her feelings-she was more accustomed to blurting out the truth than concealing it. And she still felt bewilderment and anger at Adria-both of which had to remain hidden.

Then she realized that she need not hide anything-she need only choose what to display. She could use one set of emotions to cover another. She would remember how she felt a moon ago, when Ware revealed his secret to her. That was hardly difficult; it was in fact far easier to call up that rage and fear-which was still with her-than it was to maintain the complex welter of emotions with which today's conversation had left her. The anger at Ware was closest to the surface and easiest to call upon. Despite what he had said to her, the way he had tried to help her, she was still full of that rage. After all, what he had said about her mother's death might not be true; it might be a ploy to set her against the Queen. And fear-that was easy to invoke as well. Who wouldn't be afraid, faced with exile?

She made up her mind all in an instant. This must be simple; she was calling upon the Queen for justice. The demon tricked her because he lusted after her. She did not know that Ware served the Queen; she did not know that the Queen had been trying to destroy her.

She approached the throne with her heart pounding loudly in her ears, her stomach quaking, but her head held high. She tried to keep those two things firmly in mind- her anger at Ware and his deception, and her fear of what might come. Adria's expression of bored tolerance did not change in the least. Xylina realized that she would not know if her plan was succeeding until Adria reacted-possibly when it was too late.

The majordomo had not told her what to do or given her any kind of instructions on protocol. But Xylina had always been taught that a Mazonite bowed to no one, not even the Queen. So she stopped two steps from the foot of the dais, and inclined her head, slightly. Then she stood stiffly erect, waiting.

This brought an ironic smile to Adria's lips. The expression did not move beyond her lips, nor did it warm her face to something less mask-like and more human. "So stiff," she murmured. "So proud. Well, Xylina Elibetas, what brings you before us that is so urgent it impressed even our majordomo?" She used the royal plural, but Xylina had expected that. What she had not expected was the quality of Adria's voice. Warm, dryly persuasive-Xylina found herself wanting to believe everything that voice told her. And she found herself wondering if Ware had lied to her.

Never mind. What she was about to do did not depend on the Queen's innocence or guilt, it depended on telling the truth. Not what she thought or guessed, not what Ware had said, but just the simple facts. In fact, if Adria was innocent of what Ware had accused her of, it would be all the better. The Queen would surely be inclined to give her aid, then.

"The need for justice is what brings me, Queen Adria," Xylina replied, letting her outrage creep into her voice. "Justice that only you can dispense. I have been driven to the danger of exile-or of worse-through no fault of my own, and I ask your aid."

Briefly, she explained her "misfortunes," making no accusations, acting (as best she could) as if she truly believed that everything that had happened to her had been just a long series of mischances. She reported everything, from the first vandalism through the series of attacks by ruffians. She concluded with the fire. Throughout her recitation, the Queen’s expression had not changed.

Except-except that each time she detailed how an attack or "accident" had driven her further into debt, the Queen's eyes gleamed for a moment. Had she not seen it happen repeatedly, she might have dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.

"One might almost think you had some unseen enemy, Xylina," the Queen said casually. "Or perhaps that tale you told us of the curse is a true one."

Xylina hung her head for a moment to hide her shock, for she had not spoken of the curse, nor had she implied that she had thought of an enemy. Was the Queen baiting her?

"I can't imagine who would be my enemy, Queen Adria, unless it could be a device of the demon to put me into his debt," she said quietly. "And I was always told that no Mazonite could be touched by the curse of a mere male."

"Very proper," the Queen murmured.

Xylina looked up as soon as she thought she had her expression under control again. Her indignation grew, as she began to detect another subtle change in the Queen's expression-a growing smugness.

Adria thought Xylina a fool.

Then came the second realization. The Queen really had done all this. She really was her enemy.

The realization that Ware had been right, and that she must continue to play the fool, galled her. Yet there was no choice for her, when all was said and done. She must let Adria think that her head was as empty as a jug with a hole in the bottom, if she wanted to survive.

She recited the aftermath of the fire-the knowledge that she must now pay the whole of the sum she owed, and still have nowhere to live. Then she told of the shock when the tax-collector arrived. She did not accuse anyone, she only told of her bewilderment.

And the Queen's eyes lit with unmistakable enjoyment.

"We know it must seem unfair to you, but that law was instituted because there were Mazonites who could not pay their year-taxes, and chose to burn their own property so that they need not do so," the Queen said coolly. "You know that we cannot make an exception for anyone, lest those same women come flocking to us, looking for an exception for themselves."

"Of course, Queen Adria," Xylina said meekly. Xylina had never heard any such thing, and neither had Lycia or any of her friends. That was utter nonsense; no one with any intelligence would ever believe it.

Finally she detailed the loan, how the manservant had come to her with the offer. She told the Queen that she had believed that Hypolyta had been nothing more than a generous and kind-hearted businesswoman, only to learn she had become indebted to a demon. "And he did not reveal himself to me until after the debt came due," she said, and she did not have to feign anger. Her voice shook when she related Ware's suggested "bargain," and when she told the Queen of her answer, she knew that she was hot with rage and shame.

Through it all, the Guard behind her looked completely indifferent to what she said. Xylina wondered for a moment, looking up at her, if there was anything that could make the Guard change her statue-like calm.

"Did this demon tell you his name?" Adria asked.

"He said that it was 'Ware,' Queen Adria," she replied softly. "I can't say if it was his true name. I did not even know he was a demon until he told me-I have never seen a demon before."

The Queen smiled, just a little, and she picked up an ebony stick that sat beside her and tapped the bronze gong set into the floor beside her throne with it. The majordomo appeared immediately.

"Is Ware in attendance with the court?" she asked. The majordomo bowed and answered in the affirmative. "Then summon him here, before us," she ordered. She turned to Xylina. "You can tell us if this is the demon who contracted with you."

The servant disappeared, and returned in a heartbeat or two, Ware pacing elegantly at his side. The demon bowed low before the Queen, and raised a long, tapered eyebrow at Xylina. He had already changed his costume; now he wore shirt and breeches of scarlet silk, and a tunic of crimson velvet. With them he wore belt, gorget, and rings of rubies and gold.

"Did you contract a debt with this young woman?" Adria demanded. "A debt that you knew she could not repay?"

Ware smiled. "It is within my rights, my Queen," he said pointedly. "Yes, I did. I have only exercised a right that every creature of my kind has, as granted by long tradition and the law. You can not deny me that right."

"We are not disputing that," Adria replied. "We only wish to know if you offered a more-physical way of discharging the debt, when this Mazonite could not make her payment. There are certain outgrowths of that proposition that we are not certain the young woman was aware of."

"That is also within my rights, Majesty," Ware reminded her. "It is not incumbent upon a demon to keep your subjects from disporting themselves with my kind. And my kind favor congress with yours, as you well know. If she should choose to exercise that option, the price is more than fair, considering the magnitude of her debt."

He would have said more, but the Queen cut him off with an imperious gesture. "Enough," she said, and turned to Xylina. Now she wore an expression of interest and amusement. "This is intolerable, of course," she said warmly. "But there is nothing we can do about the contract or the offer. Ware is right; there are no laws against what he offered. These creatures twist and turn their just rights about until they no longer resemble anything like the original intentions of our fore-mothers. However, we do not care for his presumption, and we feel that he has tricked you. You have certainly not had justice; something must be done here. Allow us a moment to think; this must be something that will not violate the law, nor make exceptions to it."

She appeared to think for a moment, then turned again to Ware. "You have entrapped this young woman, and that is certainly not to be permitted. We will guarantee the debt," she told him severely.

Ware only bowed, and said nothing. Xylina thought she saw his eyes glinting with amusement, but she could not be certain.

The Queen turned to Xylina, and explained, as if to a very small child, "This does not mean, Xylina, that you no longer owe this demon his agreed-upon sum. You contracted a debt, and it has not been discharged. You will still owe it to him, with interest-but with the guarantee of the Crown, no annual payment will be required. This means that you do not owe him anything at this time, nor next year, and so on, until the full term of the debt is over."

Xylina nodded, and blinked, trying to look innocent and not irritated at having all this explained to her. But she felt free to show her amazement at the Queen's action, as this gave her three more years to make good.

The Queen continued. "If the term of your debt-or you-expire without the debt being paid, the Crown will pay it off. That is what the guarantee means." She glanced at Ware, obliquely, and there was no doubt in Xylina's mind that something about this arrangement pleased her immensely. "Now, this also means that this demon must make every possible effort to see that you repay him; he must, therefore, forfeit his other interests and accompany you wherever you may go until the debt is paid. You must offer him lodging in your home, if he wishes it, or you may move into his if he prefers that. If you go somewhere, he must go with you."

Xylina paled as she realized what the Queen had just done. With the demon following her everywhere, there would be many opportunities for him to get what he wanted from her. In fact, only by being extremely careful to have witnesses about her at all times could she avoid the imputation that Ware had obtained congress with her. She was thankful only that Faro was so devoted to her; she must get him registered as able to serve as a witness, so that no one could contest his word. Ordinarily a slave could not be a legal witness, but it was possible to have one certified in advance so that he could provide signatures on a contract or testify in a court. She did not think that the Queen realized she knew this, and that was a chink in whatever plan Adria had in mind.

"Now, we cannot leave you destitute, and with no means of repaying this creature," the Queen continued smoothly, her eyes glinting with enjoyment. "Obviously, your efforts up until this moment have not been sufficient. And you must also repay the service that the Crown is doing you. We have a plan that will serve in both cases. In recompense for our generous action, we will require a service of you."

Her tone left no doubt in Xylina's mind: Adria would not accept "no" for an answer. Xylina had agreed to this simply by asking the Queen for a solution. She was now bound to whatever the Queen asked.

Still, until she heard what this service was, she should not reject it out of hand-her only other choices were the ones she had before, and they were all impossible.

"If you complete this service successfully," the Queen continued, "we will be happy-very happy-to pay off the debt immediately. That is a Crown promise, Xylina, and we will contract to it if you choose. So, you see, this is a good solution for everyone."

As Adria leaned back in her throne, a pleased and smug smile now openly on her face, Xylina knew that this "little service" was going to be neither "little" nor easy. But what choice did she have?

If she refused, Adria would have every reason to simply cast her into prison or send her into exile at once. Xylina had in effect given the Queen license, so there would be no impropriety in such action.

"What is this service, Queen Adria?" she asked, stalling for time to think. "Please, I would like to know what it is before I say anything."

"We need a stone-a jewel of a kind," the Queen replied, regarding Xylina from beneath long eyelashes. "It is quite unique and very valuable, one of the last of its land in existence."

A stone-a gem. Probably it was hundreds of leagues away, and guarded by monsters.

The Queen appeared to be thinking, but Xylina had the impression that she was only pausing in order to savor Xylina's discomfiture. Her next words confirmed Xylina's fears. "It is actually a fragment of a crystal, rather than a jewel or a gem. It is only fair to warn you that it is in a very dangerous place, well outside our realm. Those who have it now will fight to retain possession."

Meaning they probably were monsters.

The Queen paused again, this time for what appeared to be a moment of genuine thought. There was a gleam in her eyes that Xylina did not immediately recognize until she looked at Ware out of the comer of her eye. He was regarding her with a certain peculiar expression that seemed compounded equally of greed and acquisitiveness. The Queen wore the same expression, talking about this stone. "Additionally, once you have it, there is another problem. The stone itself is treacherous. Stones like it have been known to turn upon their possessors."

As Xylina listened, she became aware that this really was the emotion that possessed the Queen whenever she contemplated the notion of this gem. It was an avariciousness that surprised her. Adria really wanted this stone, deeply, greedily-whatever, wherever it was. There was a different kind of gleam in Adria's eyes when she spoke of it, a gleam that had nothing to do with eliminating her putative rival.

"It is also fair to warn you that it is possible that you will die in this quest, child," the Queen continued, her tone replete with satisfaction. "Only a truly talented, resolute, and powerful woman will be able to accomplish what we are offering you as a quest. But you have already proved your ability in the arena-you are exceptional. If anyone can bring this stone back to us, it is you. We believe that you should do this, that you would be an ungrateful fool if you did not accept our offer."

There it was: her marching orders. And they were orders; there was no mistaking the iron under the silk of Adria's voice. Xylina felt her voice quavering, and she did not try to stop it. Let the Queen think that it was fear and not anger. "Am I to attempt this alone, Queen Adria? This hardly seems better than the choice I have without your quest! Is this not a kind of exile? Do I not face death equally if exiled from Mazonia or on your mission? Prison would be safer!" She did not mention acceding to Ware's desires.

The Queen laughed. Oddly, it did not sound as if she was gloating, but as if she were truly amused. "Alone? Hardly, child! You are one of our best and brightest subjects, and if you survive you will be invaluable to us in the wars of the future. It is not in our interest for you to fail, after all; we want this stone, and we can make use of your abilities when you bring it back. We will not force you into an impossible task; we will give you whatever assistance you might need. We will send you with an ample entourage: servants, guards, supplies, and whatever gold and silver you might require. It will be a military party, in fact, of which you will be the leader. We send you to a far and hostile land, but we will not send you alone or unprepared. You will represent Mazonia on this mission."

Xylina pondered the "solution"; certainly if she were killed, this would solve Adria's problem, with no guilt or censure being attached to the Queen afterward. But she was making the offer of help and supplies with Ware still present as a witness, and demons were acceptable as witnesses. Her promise of help was genuine. She truly wanted that stone; this was no ruse. Perhaps even more than she wanted Xylina dead or compromised.

"Do think," the Queen added, coaxingly. "You will be the head of a military expedition. When you return, you will already have had experience commanding in the field. We would not be averse to granting you a high position in our Guard or our Council based on that experience. Ware will go with you, of course, but the presence of our guards should guarantee your safety with him. This is an excellent chance for you. There are many among my Guard who would be glad of such an opportunity."

Then why not offer it to them? Xylina thought wryly. She knew, of course, that it probably had been offered to Guards in the past-and that since the Queen still did not have the stone, they had in all probability died in the attempt to fetch it.

Xylina was not particularly sanguine about her own survival, as far as that went. Still-this would be better than being escorted to the edge of Mazonia and left there with only the clothes on her back. It was preferable to prison. And it was much preferable to giving in to the demon. She had been maneuvered into this commitment, but it did have its points.

"You are right, Queen Adria," she said, trying to sound naive and sincere. "This is a good solution to the entire situation. I must accept your offer with all gratitude. I would, indeed, be a fool if I did not."

"Excellent." The Queen applauded. She rang again for the major-domo, and directed him to bring her seal and paper. When he returned, she wrote out a note under her seal, guaranteeing the debt and specifying both the "service" and that the debt would be paid when Xylina returned with the stone. This she gave to Ware, who accepted it with a bow.

"It will take about a week to assemble the party and supplies," the Queen said, when she had finished. "If you can think of anything you might need, simply send word to my majordomo and he will arrange for it to be added to the expedition. We will send for you when the party is complete, to give you your final instructions and send you off."

"Thank you, Queen Adria," Xylina said.

The Queen smiled winningly. "We simply do our best for a loyal subject. Now remember, Ware must accompany you wherever you go, and this must begin from this moment."

Xylina had forgotten that, and it irked her, but she nodded her agreement. Ware, too, had maneuvered her rather more neatly man she liked.

The majordomo escorted them both out a side door. Ware looked about for observers, but there was no one in sight. Nevertheless, he waited until they were some distance from the walls before he said anything. "This is rather what I had expected her to do," he said, as Xylina wondered if he were more her foe than the Queen. "This is the most serious challenge that the Queen could have arranged for you, but I did not expect less from her."

"You might tell me something I could not have guessed for myself!" she snapped. "The likelihood is that I am going to be killed on this foolish quest!"

But Ware only smiled. "This is where she miscalculated. She still does not realize that I intend to help you. Without me, you would certainly die. But my desire for you is extraordinarily greater than incidental lust. With me, and with my help, you can complete this task. However, there are special precautions that you must take."

Once again, Xylina was taken aback by both how human and inhuman he was. And by how accurate his reading of the Queen was. Certainly, if Adria had thought that Ware intended to aid her rival, she would have done something to prevent him from going along, instead of the opposite. Now that she thought about it, she realized that Adria could have assumed the debt herself, buying it from Ware. Xylina would still have been forced to go on this quest, but without Ware's help. Surely the Queen assumed that the only action Ware might take would be to whisk her away from certain death, and take advantage of her. And in that case, Adria would not even have to assume the guilt for sending Xylina into a fatal situation.

"What must I do?" she asked quickly, but Ware only shook his head, and made a cautioning movement.

"It is too public here," he replied. "Let us wait until we are within your walls-and let us wait until you have Faro with you. He will likely play an important role in this; he should be fully informed."

She could hardly restrain her impatience, but Ware was right. Faro should be present, and not just to receive information. She held her tongue until they were within her gate and she had sent for Faro to come to her little office.

Faro knew only what had occurred up until this afternoon. He had no idea of what Ware had said and done since he had arrived in Xylina's office this day. The slave drew himself up protectively, glared angrily at Ware, and he said, threateningly, "I do not care what you are, demon, nor what your powers are. If you hurt my little mistress in anyway, or dare to do anything she finds repugnant, I shall rend your limbs from your body, pull what passes for your heart from your chest, and stuff it into your deceitful mouth! You may have tricked her, but I am bound by no vows regarding you."

Xylina blinked, astonished by his protective vehemence, but Ware only nodded with approval. The demon seemed completely undisturbed by the threat. "Good," he said. "It is as I hoped, and as Adria does not guess." He turned to Xylina. "She thinks that this slave hates you, as he most likely hates all Mazonites, and will do nothing to protect you when he has no obvious responsibility, Xylina. That his performance in street fights will not be echoed when the threats are more subtle. We must not let her become aware that she is wrong."

Faro was clearly taken aback by Ware's casual acceptance of his threat. And a moment later, he was deeply absorbed in everything the demon had to say, as Ware explained all that had happened since he arrived in Xylina's office.

"Now you understand why your willingness to protect Xylina is so important," Ware concluded, speaking to Faro as he would to an equal, which also surprised Xylina. "Xylina can protect herself, but only while she is awake, and not against overwhelming odds," Ware continued. "She must sleep sometimes. I doubt that Adria will send any females with her. The armed guards she sends will be all male slaves, licensed to be armed outside of Mazonia, and as the only female with a Mazonite expedition, she will be the obvious target in an attack. Anyone who has faced Mazonites before knows who the leaders are in any group, and they will know that without Xylina, the slaves will be free to run away. The guards that Adria sends may be halfhearted in their defense because of that-but not if they know that you, Faro, will beat them senseless, then remove limbs, if she comes to grief."

Faro actually smiled, a feral, hungry stretching of the lips. The smile of a man who had been trained for the arena.

"Are we all agreed, then?" Ware said. "Are we to work as a team? Our purposes differ, but on this mission I believe we have a common cause. We all want it to succeed. Faro, I pledge you my word that I will do nothing with Xylina that she does not herself approve. In fact, she will tell you what she wishes in that respect."

"Agreed," Faro said positively, knowing Xylina's strength of will in this matter. Xylina nodded.

Ware sat back, in a relaxed pose. "Now, let me tell you all that I know about this stone that we are to retrieve. If you have any questions, please ask them at any time. I do not wish to leave anything out, and your questions may prompt my memory." He grinned. "It is at times as fallible as any mere humans."

Somehow, despite everything he had done to her, directly or indirectly, Xylina found herself beginning to like the demon. So far, except for what he wanted of her, and that deception about the contract, he had been completely honorable with her.

"This crystal-or rather, crystal shard-dates from a time long forgotten by your people, Xylina." Ware's face took on an absent and thoughtful expression, almost as if he was dreaming of something. His eyes swirled with many colors, an effect that Xylina had never before seen when she looked at him. His face changed as he spoke of the remote past, subtly, but unmistakably. At this moment, she knew he was truly unhuman; there was something about the angular shape of his face and that remote expression that made him appear truly alien. Now she wondered just how old Ware really was, how much he had seen.

"It is a lost fragment of a much larger crystal which was shattered long ago," he continued, his voice as remote as his eyes. "This original crystal polarizes all the magic of this realm-it makes the magic work in particular ways, along specific lines and following specific rules. Do you understand this so far?"

"I think so," Xylina replied. She had never before thought of magic as following rules, or being governed by anything. It just was. And she had certainly never had the notion that there was some relic of ancient times behind it all.

"Where is this crystal?" Faro asked. "Are we going to be trying to find it, too?"

"The main crystal is hidden in the heart of a fortress in the center of the realm. It is heavily guarded." Ware raised an eyebrow. "Although the Queen is not aware of it, the guards are descendants of the very first Mazonite Queen and a select number of her Guard. They are there, not to keep the crystal from being stolen, but to keep a new fragment from coming near it. Not surprising, since whenever a missing fragment is brought to it, its polarity changes- and that causes the magic of the entire realm to change."

"Change?" Xylina said, puzzled. How on earth could magic change? "What do you mean?"

Ware grimaced. "It is difficult to explain. The last addition brought about the present order, the one that you and all Mazonites believe that has been in place forever. Once, my dear, women were not the rulers. Men were not slaves. Your order is not the 'natural' order, it is only one of many possibilities."

She blinked. Where did that leave the words of the historians, who recorded nothing but female superiority since time began? Where did that leave the priestesses, who told their followers that the Supreme Power was, of course, female?

"Since that addition," Ware continued, "magic has been that of conjuration, and is channeled only through women. And since I am sure that you are curious, yes, I do know what the previous order was like."

Xylina hung on his words, avid with curiosity.

"Before the moment of that addition, it was a kind of magic that could make events occur," Ware told them. "What I mean is that this magic would force things to happen that would not otherwise have occurred, and it was controlled not by women, but only by virgin children under the age of puberty. The next addition-" He shrugged. "Who knows what that will bring?"

"What do you think?" Faro asked shrewdly.

"Well-" Ware lowered his eyes for a moment. "Let us say that I do not yet have an opinion. Many of my kind believe that it will bring about a complete reversal of the current order, and that magic will then be channeled through men. I do not think I need to tell you what that will mean."

Faro's eyes gleamed, and Xylina held her breath. Really, the only thing keeping men subservient to women was the women's ability at conjuration. If that were lost-if, in fact,men got magic power of some kind, the entire world would change. And she had no doubt how it would change....

"They would make us their slaves," she murmured, awed and horrified. "They would force us to serve them in every way, to wait upon them, bear them child after child, to serve their pleasures whenever, wherever they pleased-"

She shuddered. She knew that although she cared for and respected Faro, as she had Marcus, she could not live under a regime of that sort.

"I do not know that this will be true," Ware cautioned. "Just because such a reversal seems logical, it does not follow that it will be so. The last change did not follow such a logical reversal-the next may grant magic only to those who are blue-eyed, or those with golden hair, or to virgins, or those past bearing children. Or to those with a particular birthmark, or of a particular lineage! I cannot say. This magic is not even remotely logical."

Xylina let out a sigh of relief, and Faro looked disappointed for a moment. Then, oddly, his face cleared. She thought she understood why. No matter what the change was, it would mean that power was no longer completely in the hands of women. That would be enough for him....

"The new magic will also be more powerful, because the main crystal will be closer to being complete," Ware continued. "Just as the magic of Mazonite conjuration is more powerful than the magics that preceded it. The more of the crystal that is added, the stronger magic grows. When it is complete-perhaps all humans will have magic, and all forms of magic will be in effect. We do not know. Or perhaps-there will be no magic, and every human will have to rise or fall only on his or her own efforts."

Xylina tried to imagine a world without magic, and failed. But Faro nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps it was easier for him, magic-less, to imagine a world without it.

"We demons have known of this all along, of course," Ware said, matter-of-factly. "This is why so many of my kind are 'courting' the freedmen; frankly, we expect this change to take place within the next fifty years. And if magic goes to men, then the demons will be ready to remind them of all the favors we did them in the past."

"Favors?" Xylina said, doubtfully, distracted for a moment. "What do you mean?"

Faro bent and hid his face, and from the strangled sounds that came from him, she had a strong suspicion he was choking down laughter. She could not imagine what was so funny. Ware simply looked at her, with an enigmatic smile on his face, as if he too found something amusing.

"We treat the freedmen as equals," he said gently. "You know this to be true, for you have seen how I treat Faro, and you will see how I treat my own slaves-as servants, but not as inferior to myself. We are their conduit to the world of the Mazonites, as I explained to you earlier. We contract to them for goods and services, then contract in turn to the Mazonites. We also take their goods to the world outside Mazonia, and trade there for them. But the service that I believe Faro is so amused by is that we supply them with-hmm-bed-companions."

Bed-companions? Did he mean? He couldn't have meant-

Some of Xylina's shock must have showed on her face, for Faro looked up briefly, and doubled over again. Evidently he found all this very funny. She blushed, feeling her ears grow hot, her cheeks burning.

"But-" she said, then stopped in embarrassment. She did not know what she wanted to say, but she burned with curiosity as well as embarrassment.

"There are female demons as well as male," Ware pointed out, obliquely. "Succubi as well as Incubi. But the main-ah-trade is in simulacra. Creatures made from other living things, that look human, but are not. Created 'living dolls,' if you will, with no souls and no more mind than a rodent. Many of them are made from mice, or other lower creatures. They are created for pleasure, and nothing else. These are-well, let me just say that they are very popular with slaves and freedmen who can not afford foreign women."

Well, that certainly explained some things that Marcus would not tell her about the sounds coming over the wall, from what had once been her mother's house! Xylina flushed even deeper, and decided to change the subject quickly.

"What of the change that this new fragment would bring?" she asked. "Why are your kind so certain that magic would go to males?"

"Oh, they are hardly certain," Ware replied lightly. "That is simply what most of my kind think the most likely, or so they try to tell themselves. I-my opinions vary from day to day." His tone turned to one of warning. "But no matter what happens, Xylina, you must realize contemporary society will suffer extreme changes, dislocation-without any doubt at all, power will go to some group that does not currently have it. That means that there will be a revolution, and whatever leaders are in charge at that time will be deposed. Probably, they will be killed. That is what happened a millennium ago, when the last change occurred. Of this, none of my kind has any doubts. And when the change occurs, we will vanish from your ken until the chaos is over. It will be a catastrophe that will make every natural disaster, every war, every disruption your people have endured seem tame by comparison."

And Adria wanted this shard? Xylina was incredulous. Was she insane?

"Why on earth would the Queen wish to possess this thing?" Xylina asked, aghast at the visions that Ware's words invoked in her all-too-active imagination.

Ware smiled, a smile of deceptive gentleness. Xylina saw the smile, and was reminded of a hawk basking in the sun, who could turn into a deadly killer in the time it took to spot a rabbit in the grass. "Ah, but Adria does not know the stone's true nature," he said, a feral gleam in the back of his ever-changing eyes. "She knows only what she has been told: that when properly mounted in gold, it enhances the power of its possessor, and keeps the possessor eternally young. She wants that, more than she let you know. She wants it more than anything she has ever wanted before in her life. Physically, at least, she would be immortal-if she could keep a rival from killing her over it. Anyone who knew she had such a thing would of course want it herself. On the other hand, with her already formidable powers enhanced, Adria would be the single most powerful conjurer in the history of Mazonia. It would be very difficult to challenge her."

"And of course, you had nothing to do with her learning this," Faro put in, his voice dense with irony. "The fact that all those restrictions on demon-kind would be gone if this change of yours takes place would have nothing to do with Adria learning of the shard."

Ware contrived to look innocent. "I? Why should I have told her these things? Of course, an ambitious person of my kind would have every reason to let this information slip, if he already had an extensive network among the freedmen. Although you are correct; the vows to serve and obey the Queen and the other laws we must obey would no longer be in effect if there was no longer a Mazonite government."

"Hmm." Xylina grimaced a little. She did not in the least believe his innocent ploy. As he had pointed out, one had to be very careful when dealing with demons, who had centuries in which to learn the ways of bypassing oaths. Nothing Ware said could be taken at absolute face value. Perhaps he had told Adria nothing directly-but he could have brought a document to her attention, or something of the sort. He could even have planted such a document where he knew she would find it.

She did not particularly like those repeated references to the fact that the laws governing the demons' behavior would no longer bind them when the change took place. And what if the change gave the demons all power of magic? All of humanity could wind up being their slaves!

"I don't suppose this is true," she said, "this tale of immortal youth-"

"Ah, but it is," Ware replied, his eyes gleaming. "Remember, dear Xylina, we may not lie to the Queen. It is entirely true. It is simply not the entire truth."

Xylina tried to think what was wrong with this-there must be something that Ware had not yet told them. "But if that tale is true, the realm is in no real danger. She can simply keep the shard forever, and never take it to the main crystal. In fact, she would not want it out of her possession for even a moment! What on earth could ever induce her to take the shard to the greater crystal?"

But something in Ware's sly and anticipatory expression told her that she had not heard the entire story. Her guess that he still had something to tell them was right. And he was waiting for her to ask.

"All right," Xylina said, finally. "How would or could this shard be brought to the great crystal against the Queen's wish and will?"

Ware smiled again, showing the sharp tips of his teeth. "Because the shard is a subtle thing, as is the parent crystal," he told them. "It has a will of its own. It slowly corrupts its wearer to its will. While it would take something like a hundred years for the shard to wholly subvert its wearer, it does not actually need to wholly subvert someone to get her to do what it wills, as I am sure you realize." Once again, his eyes went strange and full of otherness. She shivered, looking into them. "When it prevails, the person wearing it is compelled to take it to the larger crystal so that it can be merged with the great stone. Once it prevails, the bearer will make up some reason why she wishes to do what the stone wants. It is possible that Adria will convince herself that if a small shard of the crystal is a good thing to have, the greater parent crystal would be better. So you see now, the shard will inevitably prevail, if it has a bearer."

"So unless it is kept hidden away from people so that no one can mount and wear it, the shard will have its will," Xylina said, after a long moment. "There is nothing that can be done that will stop that."

"Quite true. And the present order has endured for so long only because the fragment has been hidden," Ware said, his eyes slowly returning to normal. "But the end of the era is in sight. The Queen discovered the existence of the shard, and now she knows where it is, and she means to have it. She desires eternal youth, immortality, and enhanced power-and I think that even if she knew the whole truth, she would convince herself that she could withstand the will of the shard."

He looked carefully into Xylina's face, as if he was reading her mind from her expression. "Do not think that you will stop her from this by simply not fetching the stone for her, Xylina. She will merely send someone else, as she has been sending others all along-Guards, adventurers, fortune-seekers. She has had power for so many years that she has become corrupted by it, able to convince herself that what she wants will be good for her people as a whole. And having succumbed to one sort of corruption, she is ripe to be corrupted by another. She will have the shard, and when she does, she will soon have to merge it. She will persuade herself that the will of the shard is her will, and go to find the parent crystal. And when she does-"

Silence. Then Faro spoke. "It will be the end of their world," he said, his voice like the thunder presaging a storm.

Xylina stretched, slipped off clothing she had not, until this evening, considered shabby, and stepped into a simmering white-marble cauldron of hot, soothing water.

At last she was alone. Now she could review recent events and perhaps come to terms with them.

After much discussion, Ware had brought them both to his villa, and housed them in luxury Xylina could not have imagined enjoying a day before. He pointed out that there was no point in keeping the hired guards-Faro could complete the training of his current crop of students anywhere-and if Adria changed her mind, they would be much more secure with his slaves to guard them. And, he added rather pathetically, "Since I must be with you at all times, it would be much more comfortable to be housed in my villa, than in your home." He added hastily, "It is a very good home, Xylina, but it is not what I have grown used to. It will be a bit crowded, I think."

Faro laughed, and even Xylina had to agree that her modest dwelling could not compete in luxury with Ware's villa. So they traversed the city and entered the massive gates-

And Ware showed them the true extent of his wealth.

Within moments, Xylina gave up trying to imagine how much wealth was represented there, and simply enjoyed it all.

True to his word, Ware had not made any advances toward Xylina, although Faro watched him in much the manner of a dog scenting someone suspicious. Instead, Ware treated them to a fine dinner, served as they reclined on fine upholstered couches in his sumptuous, rose-silk-paneled dining room. As he had told Xylina, he treated Faro as an equal, and he treated his own slaves with a courtesy normally shown only by one citizen to another. His slaves were all uniformly good-looking, with graceful bodies. They served Ware and his guests without a sound, though with no sign of the kind of cowed subservience Xylina had seen in other slaves of their type.

She could not identify half of what they were served, but everything she tried was so savory that her own attempts at cooking seemed like childish scrawls compared to Faro's writing. She made a comment, and Ware smiled.

"I also train cooks," was all he said, but the slave serving him at that moment smiled.

When they finished, Ware bid them good night, then had one of his silent, handsome slaves show them to their chambers.

They had a suite of three rooms, the whole larger than her entire house. There were two chambers set up for sleeping, with a private bath that led into both rooms. In order to reach the second of the bedrooms, one had to pass through the first. There was clothing laid out for them, apparel with which Xylina wished she could have found fault. But though the fabric of her waiting outfit was luxurious, the cut was just as severe and modest as she could have required. That was when her own clothing seemed suddenly shabby. She was just vain enough to enjoy looking attractive, and the rich blue silk of this raiment was her favorite color.

She and Faro exchanged a glance; he shrugged, and gestured at the bathroom. "If you would like a bath, little mistress, I can ring for a slave, or I can draw the bath myself."

She really didn't want to don the new clothing until she had bathed-and it had been a long and tiring day. The more she thought about it, the better she liked the idea, and she nodded.

The white marble bathroom was larger than her rear garden, and the tub deep enough to swim in. The large bath was already full of hot water, and steam rose from it in wispy plumes. There was a smaller bath designed for washing in, which Faro filled with hot water for her; the larger bath was meant to soak away muscle aches and relax one's mind. While Faro busied himself with it, she took a look around. There had been a variety of scented soaps and bath oils laid ready for her, and in a cedar cabinet she found a selection of thick, fluffy towels and robes. There was even a silver pitcher of cold water and a half-dozen goblets. Water beaded up on the side of the pitcher, fogging the bright gleam of the metal, but she had no doubt that it was real silver.

Faro left her alone, after he promised her with a smile that he would take advantage of the room himself once she was done. She stepped into the smaller tub, and added an herbal extract to the water; the fresh scent cleared her head. The bath in her home was a good place in which to think, but it was functional, not beautiful, and it was just barely large enough for a good soak. She reveled in the sweetly-scented soap, giving her hair a good wash that left it smelling faintly of violets, and rinsed herself off. She bound up her hair, then took her place in the large bath. There were places built into it suitable for reclining, and that was what she did, with hot water up to her chin, and her head pillowed on a folded towel.

The white marble chamber, full of steam, seemed dreamlike; as if she floated beneath a huge cloud, cradled in the warm hand of a lake. The only sound was the occasional plink of a drop of water into the bath.

She half closed her eyes, still gathering her impressions and memories of the day. Day? It seemed like a month- too much had happened today. The wild horse that was her life had carried her into truly unknown country.

It seemed too late for second thoughts-and yet, she could not help but have them. She appreciated how readily a person might be corrupted by such luxury, and knew that it was part of Ware's campaign to win her favor. But she was not one to forget her ultimate values, or to yield to mere convenience. She was here because her situation required it. She might enjoy it, but it was business, and she would give it up when it was appropriate to do so.

Her real concern was of a larger nature. True, she had agreed to this task of Adria's, but in the light of all she had learned, could she truly go through with this? Would she not be betraying her people, and everything she had ever learned of honor?

No. She had to. She was committed. She must attempt to fetch this stone for the Queen. She had given her word, and her word must be good, or she had no honor.

And at the same time, it seemed to her that she was trading her well-being, her release from the threat of exile or prison, for the wholesale destruction of her entire world. Ware's words had left no doubt in her mind that the destruction would come, and within her own lifetime.

If that was all there was to it, simply saving herself at the expense of the women of the realm-then that would be a selfish thing to do. If only she could tell the Queen-if only she could make her realize that what she was asking for was death-

But Ware had made it clear that Adria was already too influenced by the promise of the shard to believe anything Xylina told her. The Queen would never give credence to the notion that the promise of the shard was false. If, indeed, Ware permitted her to tell Queen Adria. It was very clear to Xylina that Ware was more in control of events than he had ever allowed anyone to guess. Perhaps all the demons were.

That was a thought as fascinating as a hooded hissing serpent. Were the demons controlling affairs, yet allowing the women of Mazonia to think that they were in control?

Xylina was horribly confused; she felt as if she were compromising her honor-yet she had given her sworn word. How could she preserve her honor by violating her word? How could she keep her word without violating her honor?

She closed her eyes, and let sweat trickle down her face, emptying her mind in the hopes that an answer would come to her. She was no longer in control of anything but her own actions, and that only insofar as they affected only herself and Faro. That much was quite clear. Between them, the Queen and Ware governed her destiny, her actions. She had no choice in that. So in a way,they were the ones responsible, weren't they?

No, that was no answer, either. It was casuistry.

She could only do her best to keep her honor and follow whatever runaway course they set for her.

Faro moved a little in the outer room; she heard him stirring in his chair, then turning a page in one of the books Ware had placed in their chambers. Faro had been eager to get to those books; she fancied he missed the reading that he would have done as a scribe. She had often wished she had more books for him to read, but she simply could not afford them. There were so many things she wished she could have done for him. He deserved better. Marcus had deserved better. And that brought another, and very odd, thought to her mind.

Suppose that the change that would come, though drastic, would be beneficial to everyone? The past few hours had brought changes to her thoughts as well as to her life. She was able to look at circumstances in an entirely different light. What right, after all, did the Mazonites have to keep the men enslaved? Only the "right" of custom. Of power, stemming from the magic. Faro, and Marcus before him, had been very good to her. They had served as parents to her; they protected her-

It was more than that; she owed Faro her very life. If it had not been for him, she would have succeeded in destroying herself. Faro had shown her the reason to continue living. If circumstances had been different, if she could have, she would have freed both Marcus and Faro. Faro she could not free, by law, and Marcus had not lived long enough to be freed.

Both deserved a better lot than they had, under the Mazonite government. Neither would ever have it. The best she could do for Faro, if he ever changed his mind and chose freedom over whatever rewards she could give him, would be to take him to the border, give him gold, and tell him to run. He would then be on his own, in a strange land, among people who by all accounts were barbarians.

Would it be so bad, then, for a change to bring a betterment in the lot of men?

She shook her head, finally, sending drops of sweat into the bath. These things were too deep, too complicated for her. She could go on only as she had been, and hope that, whatever happened, she could make the right choices.