"He's your maternal grandfather, too, Kirsh. Besides, like you, I'm a second son. Rees has a much better claim to Damita than I do. Misha has the best claim of all. He's the eldest son of Oscon's eldest daughter. Whether or not you want to add to his burden once he returns to Avacas by asking him to take on Damita's throne as well, is another matter entirely."

"But the Church declared Oscon a heretic."

Dirk smiled. "I am the Church, Kirsh. As of now, he's forgiven."

Kirsh shook his head in bewilderment. "Is nothing sacred to you?"

"Political decisions imposed by the Church to suit the ambitions of a prince they're trying to placate aren't sacred, Kirsh. They not only deserve to be overturned, they must be, if you intend Senet to survive this and prosper."

"And that's the difference between you and me, Dirk," Kirsh replied heavily. "You're a born politician. You're already thinking about ten years from now. I just want to keep Senet intact until Misha gets home."

Chapter 68

Marqel exploded with fury when she learned Kirsh had not only released Dirk Provin, but reinstated him. Eryk told her about it. He was bubbling with the news Prince Kirsh had reconsidered his rash decision of the previous day and had rightfully released Lord Dirk and restored him to his position as Lord of the Suns.

The stupidity of the decision left her gasping. And it worried her. If Kirsh loved her as much as he claimed, he should have killed Dirk with his bare hands. He should have destroyed him without hesitation. Instead, he had caved in like a tunnel built of sand and allowed Dirk to take charge the way he took charge with everything.

She found Kirsh in the morning room, talking with Rees Provin. Storming into the room, she didn't even wait for them to acknowledge her presence before she let loose with her tirade.

"You let him go!"

Kirsh looked up at her, wincing at her tone.

"What were you thinking? Do you realize what you've done?"

"Would you excuse us, Rees?" he said to the duke.

Rees Provin bowed silently and left without a word, deliberately avoiding meeting Marqel's eye. He thoughtfully closed the doors behind him when he left.

"You freed him," she spat angrily. "You let him just walk away."

"I didn't have a choice, Marqel."

"Of course you had a choice. Your choice was not to let Dirk Provin get away with murder."

"I need him."

"For what? To remind you what an idiot you are?"

"Antonov's sick," he tried to explain. "I need Dirk's help..."

"What's wrong with doing it on your own?"

"If these were normal times, there'd be nothing wrong with it," he said, wounded by her lack of sympathy. "But in case it slipped your notice, yesterday the G.o.ddess very publicly turned her back on the Shadowdancers, Marqel, and made a mockery out of your whole religion. Without the Lord of the Suns very publicly supporting me, I haven't got a hope in h.e.l.l of controlling anything. Strange as it may seem, threatening to execute him for murder isn't really the way to secure his cooperation."

"So he gets away with it. Like he gets away with everything else he's done."

"Unfortunately."

"Why can't you just kill him and appoint a new Lord of the Suns?"

"Because the appointment would take months. Months I don't have. Dirk is Lord of the Suns and I'm stuck with it."

Marqel was livid. "And what happens to me? Did you spare that a thought while you were forgiving your old chum for everything else?"

"You're still High Priestess," he a.s.sured her."High Priestess of what?" she snarled. "Leave Dirk Provin in charge of the Church and within a month there won't be anything for me to be High Priestess of!"

"And if I execute the Lord of the Suns after the G.o.ddess so loudly declared her support for the Sundancers, it will rip Senet apart. I don't mind fighting a war, Marqel, but I'm d.a.m.ned if I'll start one among my own people."

"So I'm to be sacrificed to save Senet from a civil war?" she concluded bitterly. "If you really loved me, you'd fight a dozen wars for me, Kirsh."

He tried to take her in his arms, but she pushed him away impatiently.

"Marqel, please try to understand. I am doing this for you. I won't let Dirk denounce you. I won't let him remove you and I won't let him destroy the Shadowdancers. But you saw what happened in Bollow after the eclipse didn't eventuate and those fires didn't burn. That will happen again, all over Senet, if I don't do something to nip it in the bud."

Marqel realized anger wasn't getting her anywhere, so she decided to try a different tack. "But he's dangerous, Kirsh," she said, leaning into his arms. "I'm afraid for you more than I'm afraid for myself."

"I'll be fine, Marqel," he promised, pulling her close. "And you'll be safe in Omaxin for the time being. Once this is-"

"Omaxin?" she cut in.

"My father wants to go to Omaxin to speak to the G.o.ddess. You'll have nothing to worry about.

n.o.body will be able to harm you up there. I'll send plenty of troops with you. You'll be well protected."

She looked up at him, her eyes suddenly filled with crystal tears. "You're sending me away?"

"It's for your own safety, Marqel."

She pushed him away impatiently. "And did you want me to sleep with your father while I'm there?

Is that all I am to you? Someone you can pa.s.s around the family? Thank the G.o.ddess Misha's gone, or I suppose you'd have me servicing the Crippled Prince as well."

Her accusation cut him to the core-which was precisely what she intended.

"I'm trying to keep you safe, Marqel," he said, begging for her understanding.

"No, you're not," she accused. "You're trying to save your own precious neck. My fate runs a poor second to that."

"Then what do you want me to do?" he cried in frustration.

"Kill Dirk Provin."

He shook his head helplessly. "Don't you think I have as much reason to want him destroyed as you do? But I can't, Marqel. He's got me by the b.a.l.l.s."

"That would account for why you don't seem to have them anymore."

"Marqel..."

"Don't even bother, Kirsh," she told him coldly. "If you need Dirk Provin to hold your hand while you try to sort out the mess he created in the first place, you're not the man I thought you were."

She turned on her heel, heading for the door. Dirk was right. Why settle for the boy when you can have the man? Antonov would never have let himself be manipulated like this.

"I'm divorcing Alenor."

She stopped and turned to stare at him."You're what?"

"I'm divorcing Alenor," he repeated. "When all this is straightened out, we can be together, Marqel.

No more hiding. No more sneaking around. Just like you wanted."

"Does Alenor know?"

"Not yet. But she won't object."

"What about your father?"

"My father's dead, Marqel. The man who inhabits the sh.e.l.l of his body is not the Lion of Senet.

You'll realize that as soon as you see him."

Marqel stared at him in wonder. "So you're the Lion of Senet now?"

"In practice, if not in reality."

A world of possibility suddenly opened up to Marqel. Her eyes filled with compa.s.sion, she hurried back to Kirsh and threw her arms around him. "Oh, Kirsh! That's awful!"

"n.o.body must know he's mad, Marqel."

"They'll not learn it from me," she promised. She searched his face for a moment and then let the light of comprehension dawn in her wide, ingenuous eyes. "That's why you want me to go to Omaxin with him, isn't it? To look after him. To keep his terrible secret. Oh, my love, I'm so sorry. You should have explained. I didn't mean those awful things I said just now. Of course I'll go to Omaxin. And I'll stay with your father for as long as you need me to."

"You have to cover for him, Marqel. If anybody learned the Lion of Senet was no longer capable of ruling... even if they smell a hint of weakness..."

"It's all right, Kirsh," she said soothingly. "I understand. I won't let anyone near him. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, he will be simply deep in his devotions to the G.o.ddess."

He kissed her and then held her close. Marqel bore his embrace patiently, although she was itching to get away from him now. This was an unbelievable opportunity and she wanted time alone to savor its full potential.

"I wish I didn't have to send you away."

"We'll be together soon," she promised. "Just be careful while I'm gone. Don't let Dirk get the better of you. And don't trust him."

"I can handle Dirk," he a.s.sured her.

Don't kid yourself, Kirsh, she replied silently. He'll play you like a balalaika. But you're too dense to realize it.

"I know you can, my love. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise."

She sighed heavily. "I suppose you want us to leave as soon as possible."

"Sergey's getting things organized now."

"Then I should go and pack," she said, disentangling herself from his arms.

He let her go reluctantly. Marqel stood on her toes and kissed him lightly and then she fled the morning room, afraid if she stayed any longer Kirsh would see the excitement in her eyes.

Chapter 69

The Queen of Dhevyn had spent her entire life living in a palace, so the experience of staying at an inn, even a good one, was something she found rather novel. It was Jacinta's idea, of course. Although there was no question Alenor would be welcomed at the palace in Avacas, Jacinta thought it prudent not to risk placing themselves within the power of the Lion of Senet any more than was absolutely necessary.

It would take just one small carrier pigeon from Bollow to change their status from guests to prisoners, and she didn't intend to let that happen to her queen.

The inn they found was located in the better part of Avacas, a little too close to the palace for comfort, but Jacinta reasoned their anonymity demanded it. The better inns were discreet and solicitous of their guests' privacy. Putting the Queen of Dhevyn up in a dockside tavern, even under an a.s.sumed name, would be as good as hiring a town crier to broadcast their presence to the whole city.

Tael and his men had shed their uniforms at her insistence, although she wondered why she had bothered suggesting it. The Guardsmen rode like Guardsmen, they walked like Guardsmen, they even ate like Guardsmen. If they had been standing stark naked in a field full of naked men, she could have picked them out, just by the way they carried themselves.

"You're looking very pensive," Alenor remarked.

Jacinta was sitting by the window, looking out over the busy Avacas street, lost in thought. They had been at the inn for six days now and the queen was feeling trapped.

"I was thinking about a field full of naked men, actually."

"Jacinta!"

She turned to her cousin with smile. "One has to do something to pa.s.s the time. It beats wearing a hole in the carpet."

Alenor self-consciously stopped her pacing. "Tad's been gone a long time."

"He's hardly been gone any time at all, Allie. Stop fretting."

"Do you think he'll be able to find us a ship?"

"Avacas is the busiest port in the world. I'm sure he'll manage something."

"I hate this sneaking around. I was never any good at it."