Page 44 of The Empty Throne

Gorell laughed. "The only thing moredangerous than his negotiating acumen is his skill with that hammerhe hauls around like it weighs no more than a couple of feathers.Peculiar weapon to master, I'd think, but…" He shrugged. "I'm surewe've strange practices here as well that are perfectly normal ifyou ask us."

"It's an extremely old tradition of HouseLindquist," Oskia replied. "Originally, before the family wasraised up to the nobility, they were the royal executioners. Nobodyknew for certain until after the fact, but it was rumored foryears. In most places, execution is done by blade or rope or evendrowning, but Cremisio's oldest tradition was by hammer."

"Gruesome."

"Essential in a place where the cold was sodeep that even the strongest metals grew brittle, and even thingslike rope could freeze and snap. Drowning seems even crueler if youask me. Cremisio drugged the victims and ensured the matter by,well, hammer. Grisly but effective, and does the method reallymatter when the result is the same? When execution should not be socommon a practice to begin with?"

"Fair enough," Skye said.

Giving them both a look, Gorell said, "Soyour mother's papers compelled you. What precisely?"

"They didn't say much, only spoke of somearrangement with Kenten. I was grasping at straws more thananything. I just wanted to understand what was going on," Oskiasaid, scarcely daring to draw a deep breath as the lie fell easily.I came here to figure out who to kill.

"Sobeki is so lucky to have you," Corintasaid, reaching out to clasp Oskia's hand with her own. "I can'twait to meet him."

Oskia bit off a hysterical laugh. "He andKite will be delighted to know they have a sister." She coveredCorinta's hand with her free one, then gently withdrew. "I don'tsuppose I could know the details of this alliance?"

"Of course," Gorell replied. "If the rest ofyou will excuse us briefly?"

Ralidya and Skye frowned, but followed anoblivious Corinta from the room, leaving Oskia alone withGorell.

He smiled like a tolerant father. "So did youcome to finish what I suspect your mother started?"

Oskia didn't startle, but it took everythingshe had to manage it. "My pardon, Your Majesty?"

"Wendeth took your mother in as his soleconfidant on this matter, believing she would support him. He waswrong, unfortunately. Dangerously, horribly wrong. I'm not eager tocriticize a dead man, but I feel he should have known better. TheHouse of Beltres has always been more deeply entrenched in the warsthat affect your borders, perhaps because you are so close to themost tumultuousofthose borders. Beltres has always beenvehemently against opening yourselves to anything perceived as eventhe barest weakness. That being said, I did not expect the extremeactions that were taken. You are very much your mother in manyways, so I must assume that you are following her path."

Well, there seemed little point in continuingto play oblivious. "Even if I believed you had no ambitions to putus beneath your boot, Your Majesty, there's no saying that yourheir won't, or their heir won't. I will not be the person who opensthe door to Cremisio's ruin."

"Even if means murdering the man who, Ibelieve, loves you dearly?"

Oskia looked away, jaw clenching so tightshe'd give herself a headache.

"Perhaps you'd like to see the full extent ofthe arrangement before you draw your sword?" Gorell asked. WhenOskia turned back to him, he extended a thick stack of papers."This is only the latest draft, drawn up a couple of months ago. Wewere going to finalize it soon, when we'd arranged a meeting…" Hesighed. "If only everything had gone according to plan, so manythings might have been avoided. So many deaths."

Oskia didn't reply. Given her mother'saction, and her own plans, there didn't seem to be an appropriatereply she could make. So she focused on the papers, which containeda marriage contract, a revision of the trade agreements already inplace, and something called a 'contract of peace' that laid out allthe things that neither country would do to the other while thealliance stood. That included movement of troops, making certainagreements with enemy countries without the approval of the other,and many other checks and balances. All intended to prevent exactlywhat Oskia and her mother had feared all this time.

"You're several times our size," Oskia saidas she looked up and set the papers aside. "You could renege on allof this, disregard it entirely and do as you please, and nobodyelse would stop you. They'd just appeal to you to give them whatthey want from us, one way or another."

Gorell didn't seem troubled by her words."Lady Beltres, sometimes these things must be taken on faith. I amsending one of my own children to marry Prince Sobeki, who is theson of one of my oldest and dearest friends. I stand to gain farmore from a free and equal Cremisio than I do a subjugatedCremisio. It's true I cannot promise what future generations willdo, but neither can you. We can only do the best we can here in thepresent and leave future generations to do what they think best.War is tiresome and expensive, and worst of all, it costslives—many, many lives. We struggle enough here in the north withthe elements. Terek and their warmongering grows less popular everyday. I strongly believe this alliance will have a positive ripplingeffect, and Wendeth agreed with me."

Oskia sighed, turning her head to stare atthe window to her left, where snow was falling heavily again, thesky a dark void. They probably wouldn't be able to see the starsfor more than a handful of days until Endless Night came to anend.

What choice did she really have, now that shewas here, her motives uncovered? If she continued protesting thealliance, Gorell would have her locked up to ensure she could notinterfere. It would be the right thing to do from his position, shecouldn't even resent him for it.

She couldn't kill Sobeki. No matter how weakand pathetic that made her, she could not kill the one person sheloved most in the world. Even if it meant sacrificing her kingdomto the whims of fate. May Shatar forgive her weak heart.

"So be it," she finally said, turning back toGorell. "If you or yours betray us, however, you will suffer thewrath of the Great Sharks."

"I understand, Your Grace," Gorell replied,and he seemed in earnest. "As the Lady Beltres, you have theauthority to sign these preliminary drafts, as agreement thatCremisio intends to proceed with the arrangement, though nothingwill be final until a marriage is arranged and the new king signsthe papers himself."

"Then I will sign."

Gorell smiled, and summoned a servant, whomhe immediately sent to fetch a clerk and the necessary supplies. Healso had the others brought back in, along with a lunchservice.

Corinta immediately launched into a torrentof questions, interspersed with her hopes and ideas for her journeyto Cremisio, how much she couldn't wait to meet the brother she'donly ever heard about her entire life.

Holy Shatar, let this decision not be themistake Oskia feared.

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