"Paladine is signatory to an agreement to defend Is- phardel while she is building roads through Songuard."

318 She looked at the Queen and saw a sallow and dissat- isfied woman. She almost pitied her-almost.

Naxania pursed her lips. "Technically true," she said with a sketch of a smile.

"Oh, more than a technicality, royal lady," Olivder- val replied, "oath-bound." She reached out patted the Queen's arm and saw her freeze. She withdrew her hand quickly.

"As we recall," Naxania said coldly, "we are a guar- antor of the freedom of pa.s.sage rather than a defender oflsphardel."

"One leads inexorably to the other. Majesty, but I doubt if we shall ever reach that pa.s.s."

Naxania drew back slightly. "Are you absolutely sure of that?" she asked with as much lightness as she could muster.

The Oligarch shrugged. "Absolutes are for G.o.ds and, in Isphardel, there are many G.o.ds."

Naxania looked directly into Olivderval's eyes. It was a tactic that had cowed a number of young men of rank.

"Tell me," she said, gaze locked, "does Isphardel intend to seek our intervention?"

"Only if absolutely necessary," Olivderval said cheer- fully. "If the Umbrians behave, it won't be necessary.

The fact remains, though, that if aught should go awry, Paladine is pledged to respond."

"We shall abide by our treaty obligations, Oligarch.

Have you any reason to doubt that?"

"None whatsoever, Majesty," Olivderval demurred.

"It does my heart good to hear your Majesty affirm your country's commitment." She performed her half- curtsy again and backed slowly away, aware that she had attracted attention. She faded in among the other guests, well pleased with her work,

Naxania was puzzled at the woman's behavior, but her speculation was cut short by the soft chiming of 319.

gongs announcing dinner. The guests began to file out and make their way to the Great Hall. Royalty re- mained aloof, drinking a final gla.s.s of chilled fruit juice, designed to sharpen the appet.i.te. Arabella left first with the Emperor. Prince Saxton offered Naxania his arm.

"We can either go in looking like gloom personified,"

he said as they wended their way through the corridors, "or I can tell you ribald stories until we reach the Hall."

He had abandoned the Formal Mode.

She flashed him a grateful smile. "There is only one problem with that," she replied, following his lead.

"When a jest gets past my guard, I tend to lose control.

I doubt that it would be too seemly if you had to carry me to my chair."

"Then this certainly is no time for me to embark upon my repertoire."

"Perhaps at a more auspicious occasion," she said.

He had treated her like a woman and a friend rather than an honored guest and she appreciated it.

They arrived at the Great Hall in companionable si- lence and he escorted her to her chair. Her brief burst of goodwill evaporated when she saw that her dinner companions were Varodias, seated to Arabella's left, and the Thane of Talisman. It was to be expected, but she was disappointed nevertheless. Think of it as dip- lomatic opportunity, she told herself.

She smiled at the Thane, partly because she knew that she would be talking to him during the first course and partly because she was still annoyed at Varodias.

She took advantage of the lull that preceded the serving to cajole herself into a more social mood. At home, she reflected, she would not need to speak if she did not feel like it. The Court would take its cue from her. Here, alas, set between Emperor and Thane, the manners drummed into her by her mother obtained. To the left

320 for the first course and to the right for the second. A bowl of soup was slipped in front of her and she turned, dutifully, to the Thane.

In the event, the Thane proved easy. He had a cata- logue of problems that he wanted to talk about. She listened, attentively at first, to a lamentation on the de- clining number of cloudsteeds, a discourse on a murrain that had cut sharply into the woo) trade and the diffi- culties of collecting taxes from the independent-minded farmers of Talisman. All Naxania needed to do was nod and make sympathetic noises between spoonfuls of broth. When the bowls were withdrawn, she was almost sorry to take her leave.

"We have the pleasure of your company once more, cousin," Varodias said.

Naxania smiled and nodded, noting as she did so that the Emperor looked even shorter sitting down.

"Since we have this unusual chance to speak face-to- face, and more or less privately," she said, "are there matters of state that we might usefully discuss?"

"Matters of state are best decided between those whose divine right it is to rule," Varodias agreed.

"We have no quarrel with that," Naxania concurred, though she felt that divine right had little to do with fitness to rule.

"Let us say, therefore," Varodias continued, "that it grieved us to see you in colloquy with the Isphardi Oli- garch. They are an untrustworthy people with no sense of national honor."

Naxania bridled internally at the criticism, but she kept her face still. "We have trading relations with Is- phardel and, of late, treaty obligations," she said rea- sonably. "Common sense, and common good manners, would dictate a certain level of social intercourse be- tween us. Besides, the Oligarch Olivderval was at

THE UNICORN PEACE t 321

Stronta for the meetings of the Commission for the Outland."

"The Isphardis are leeches," the Emperor declared flatly, "battening on the labors of honest men and suck- ing the profit from their enterprises."

Naxania shrugged and picked up her fork. "They have the expertise and they control the sea-lanes. We do our best to foster a merchant fleet, but Isphardel lies between the Empire and ourselves. Our captains must, perforce, put in at Isphardi ports and the levies imposed make direct trade between us unprofitable."

"All the more reason, think you not, to eschew any notion of aiding them with arms?" It was less a question than a statement.

"Your amba.s.sador was head of the Commission that drew up the treaty/' Naxania reminded him tartly. "If nations renege on their sworn obligations, chaos re- sults."

"You speak as a woman," Varodias said dismis- sively, "ever clinging to the rules laid down by others.

You cannot, in all seriousness, consider sending troops into Songuard. The distances are too great, and Paladine lacks the resources." He paused to cut his meat.

"We would remind you, cousin,"-there was a bite to the word-"that it was we who recaptured Bandor and not you."

Varodias chewed and swallowed before replying. "A matter of luck," he said, "and with a general who is no longer yours to command."

"The success of our armed forces does not depend on the Holdmaster ofGwyndryth," she retorted hotly. She speared a wedge of vegetable and bit into it.

"Oh, come now," Varodias said smoothly, appearing to enjoy himself, "you cannot pretend to have an army to match ours. You have no rotifers, you have no battle

322 wagons, you have no cannon. You rely on an anti- quated cavalry and ill-equipped infantrymen. You cannot think that your forces can equal Umbria's."

"Not only are they a match, sirrah, but you under- estimate the power of Magic. Combine the two and Umbria is a penitential dog." She spoke with controlled anger.

Varodias smiled imperturbably. "Brave words, my dear, but foolish. We know full well that Magic is im- potent in the face of science and frankly, sweet cousin, your forces may be sufficient to put down the occasional rebel but, given the amount of money that you have spent on training and arming fhem in the past ten years, they can hardly be considered a threat to a professional army."

Naxania considered a moment before replying. Tact and diplomacy warred with her pride in the Discipline and in her own forces. In the end, it was her distaste for Varodias and his condescending a.s.sumption of su- premacy that won out.

"Should the Isphardis," she said measuredly, "re- quire our support, you may rest a.s.sured that we will supply the troops. Should the need arise, we shall use our influence with the Discipline. Were we you, my lord, we should hesitate to provoke such a response." She finished with a formal little smile and felt much better for having spoken her piece.