Daughter of the Empire Read online

  Mara nodded. 'Your logic is difficult to fault. Now tell us what we need to know of you.'

  The stranger answered frankly. 'I have been employed for over twenty years, to establish and oversee a network of spies spanning the Empire. It now rivals any in the land, including the Warlord's. I even have agents working for other Spy Masters, one who is dormant, never having been employed, harboured against a day of great need - '

  At this, Keyoke leaned forward. "The obliteration of your house was not a great enough need?'

  Arakasi took Keyoke's rudeness in stride. 'No agent of mine could have aided my master, or prevented his final fate. Especially not the one I mentioned. He works with the Imperial Chancellery, on the staff of the Warlord.'

  Even Keyoke couldn't hide his astonishment. The Spy Master continued. 'My master was a man of vision but limited wealth. So extensive was his commitment to gathering intelligence, he was unable to use it to good effect. Perhaps if I had not been ambitious in my requirements . . .' Arakasi set down his chocha cup with barely a click. 'Had the Minwanabi not grown fearful of my Lord's ability to anticipate their every move, today the Tuscai might have been among the most powerful families in the Empire.' He sighed in regret. 'But "might have been is but ashes upon the wind", as they say. The attack was simple and straightforward. My lord's warriors were overwhelmed by brute strength. I have since learned that my agents do little good if their information cannot be acted upon.'

  Keyoke had barely touched his cup of chocha. His eyes glinted through rising steam as he said, 'So where are your agents today?'

  Without hesitation, Arakasi faced Mara. 'Lady, I will not reveal who they are. If I offend, I ask pardon. I still owe much to those who once served my master, and will not expose them to additional danger. If you take us into service, we shall require the same concessions that were made by my Lord of the Tuscai.'

  Mara acknowledged Keyoke's warning glance with a half nod. 'Those being?' she prompted, and waited keenly for Arakasi's reply.

  'I will oversee my couriers and contacts, and I alone will know the names of the agents, and how to reach them; you will be told only where they serve.'

  Keyoke set his chocha cup down forcefully, as near as he had ever come to displaying anger. 'These are unreasonable requirements!'

  'Force Commander,' said Arakasi, 'I do not wish to be difficult. I may not have served my master as well as I wished, but I protect those who worked so diligently on his behalf - in ways as dangerous to them as battle to a soldier. A spy dies in shame by the rope. My people risk both life and honour for a master they will not betray. I ensure that no matter what may happen,, their master cannot betray them.'

  Confronted by uncertain expressions, he nodded and qualified his statement. 'When the Minwanabi crushed the Tuscai, they interrogated my master . . .' Shifting dark eyes to Mara, he softened his voice. "There is no reason to relate details. I know of these things only because one of my people was left for dead and managed to observe for a while before escaping. Jingu's torturer was efficient. My master could not have withheld any information, despite being a courageous man. Lady, judge fairly: if you wish my services, and the services of those who worked for me, then you will have to take us on faith.'

  'And if I don't?'

  Arakasi stilled, his hands in plain view to banish any impression of threat. Slowly he turned his palms upward, a sign of resignation. 'Then I shall return to the hills.'

  Mara cocked her head slightly. Here, at last, the man showed a moment of genuine feeling. To wear house colours again was more important to him than he cared to admit. Concerned lest she cause him embarrassment, Mara asked simply, 'Then what?'

  Arakasi shrugged. 'My lady, I have worked in many guises to protect my identity. I can fix a wagon, play the flute, scribe, and do sums. I am also a talented beggar, if the truth be known. I will manage, have no doubt.'

  Keyoke fixed him with a penetrating look. 'I think you could gain a position and live comfortably at will. So then what were you doing in the woods with outlaws?'

  Arakasi shrugged, as if distrust of his motives was of no consequence. 'I keep in touch with Saric and others of the Tuscai. I often traded in the cities on their behalf, using my wits and talents-. And through them I met Lujan and his band. I had just reached Saric's camp when Lujan's call came. I thought I'd come along and see what this odd business was.' With his head inclined towards Mara, he added, 'I must say I admire the way you bend tradition to suit your needs, Lady.'

  Mara answered, 'Only as needed, Arakasi, and never broken.' She looked at the man for a moment. 'Still, you've not said why you haven't abandoned your network. I would think it safer if you all simply faded into the roles you portrayed when your master died and lived out your lives.'

  Arakasi smiled. 'Safer, undoubtedly; even the infrequent contacts I've maintained over the last four years put some of my people at risk. But for our honour, we keep the network alive.' He paused, then said, 'Our reasons are part of my requirements to take service with you. And you shall hear them only if you choose to reach an agreement.'

  About to speak, Keyoke then gave a simple shake of his head; no one should presume to bargain with the Ruler of the Acoma in this fashion. Mara glanced at Nacoya, who was thoughtfuly following the conversation, then at Papewaio, who nodded once, lending Arakasi his silent endorsement.

  Mara took a breath. 'I think I see the wisdom in your requirements, Spy Master. But what would become of your network should mishap befall you?'

  'My agents have means of routinely checking upon one another. Should a needra pause to sit upon the spot where I nap, thus ending my career, another agent would make himself known to you within one month's time.' Arakasi sobered. 'He would give you proof that could not be counterfeited, and you could trust him as you would me.'

  Mara nodded. 'Trust, though, that is the difficulty. Either of us would be a fool to relinquish caution too quickly.'

  'Of course.'

  A slight breeze caused the flames to gutter in the lamps, and for an instant the chamber swam with shadows. Nacoya made an unthinking gesture against disaster and the gods' displeasure. But Mara was too absorbed to worry over superstition. 'If I agree to your terms, will you take service?'

  Arakasi bowed slightly from the waist, a gesture he accomplished with grace. 'I wish to serve a house as much as any soldier, mistress, but there is one thing more. We keep the network intact for reasons of honour. After the House of Tuscai fell, I and those who worked with me made a vow. We will not take service if we must break that vow.'

  'What is the vow?'

  Arakasi looked directly at Mara, and his eyes reflected fanatic passion, unmasked by any attempt at guile. In even tones he said, 'Vengeance upon the Lord of the Minwanabi.'

  'I see.' Mara settled back against her cushions, hoping the passion in her own heart was not so easily read. 'We share an enemy, it seems.'

  Arakasi nodded. 'For now. I know the Acoma and the Minwanabi are in contention, but the tides of politics often change -'

  Mara held up her hand, silencing him. 'The Acoma have a blood feud with the Minwanabi.'

  Arakasi stilled and regarded the worn heel of the sandal tucked under his knee. So profound was his silence that all in the chamber felt chilled. Here was a man of seemingly limitless patience, like the tree-lord serpent, who would blend with a branch, unseen, tirelessly waiting for prey to pass by, then strike with unexpected fury. When at last Arakasi stirred, Mara observed the strain of this interview had begun to wear at his control. Despite his talents and training, the Spy Master had the same conflicting emotions as those ragged soldiers and servants who had come to her: he might gain a second beginning, only to become masterless once, again. Yet his voice reflected no turmoil as he said, 'If you will have us, I and mine will swear loyalty to the Acoma.'

  Mara nodded.

  Arakasi's face suddenly became animated. 'Then, my mistress, let us begin, for an advantage may be gained if you act quickly. Before coming to the hil
ls, I spent time in the north, with a friend in the House of Inrodaka. It is common gossip among the workers there that to the west, near the woodland borders of their Lord's estates, a cho-ja hive has spawned a new queen.'

  'No word has been sent?' asked Mara, instantly interested.

  Arakasi gestured in the negative. 'The Lord of the Inrodaka is a quiet man with few guests and even fewer sojourns abroad. But time is short. The fruit harvesters soon will carry word to the river. The news will then race the breadth of the Empire, but for now you are the only Ruling Lady or Lord to know that a new queen of the cho-ja will soon be seeking a home. She will have at least three hundred warriors to serve her,' and with a glint of humour he added, 'and if you win her loyalty, you can be certain none of them will be spies.'

  Mara stood. 'If this is true, we must leave before morning.' Gaining a cho-ja hive for her estates would be a gift from the gods. Alien the cho-ja might be, but they made fierce and loyal allies. The new queen might begin her nest with three hundred soldiers, each easily the match for two Tsurani, but over the years the number might grow to several thousand; and as Arakasi pointed out, none of them could be agents for enemy houses. To Keyoke, Mara said, 'Have trailbreakers ready within the hour. We will start the journey to this hive at dawn.' As the Force Commander departed, she returned her attention to Arakasi. 'You will accompany us. Papewaio will arrange for servants and see that your needs are met.'

  Mara signalled an end to the meeting. As her advisers rose to depart, Nacoya touched Arakasi's sleeve. 'The girl knows nothing of the cho-ja. How will she negotiate?'

  Effortlessly courteous, Arakasi took the old woman's hand and ushered her to the doorway as if she were some treasured great-aunt. 'The sending of a new queen occurs so rarely, no one can be prepared to negotiate. The Lady of the Acoma must simply accommodate to whatever the new queen requests.'

  As the pair disappeared into the corridor, Mara could barely contain her excitement. All thoughts of her forthcoming wedding were eclipsed by this news; to have a hive upon one's estate was more than an honour and a source of military power. For beyond being superior warriors, cho-ja were miners, able to find precious metals and gems buried deep within the earth, from which their artisans wrought jewellery of surpassing delicacy. The insectoid aliens also held the secret of making silk, the cool, soft fabric most prized by those who lived in the ever-present heat of the Empire. Wars had been fought to control the silk trade, until imperial edict allowed for neither guild nor noble to monopolize it. Now any lord who could gain silk could trade it.

  Cho-ja products were valuable, and their requirements simple: grain and items fashioned of hide; for these reasons families would kill to gain a hive upon their estates. And among all the hives known in the Empire, the cho-ja sent forth a new queen less often than once in a human lifetime.

  But Mara would need to convince the new queen to migrate to Acoma lands. If she failed, representatives of other houses would follow, until the queen received an offer that pleased her. And as Arakasi had observed, what would strike the fancy of a creature as alien as a cho-ja remained a mystery.

  Lujan and his company left for the hills to search for recruits, all but unnoticed amid the bustle of servants gathering supplies for the escort who would depart to bargain for the new cho-ja queen.

  Mara left her quarters well before dawn. The herders had not yet stirred to drive the needra to the meadows, and the mists hung still over grasses shiny with dew. Cloaked in dark cloth against the damp, she waited before an unadorned litter with Jican at her side. His tally slate was written over with notes, and he held his stylus poised while Mara dictated last-minute instructions.

  Suddenly she bit her lip in agitation. 'Gods, the excitement almost made me forget!'

  Jican raised his brows. 'Mistress?'

  'Wedding invitations.' Mara shook her head in frustration. 'Nacoya will direct you to the proper ritual verses. She will know even better than I who must be invited and who may be ignored. Be sure to ask her on my behalf to oversee all requirements I have forgotten.'

  Jican questioned as he jotted hurried notes. 'What about the summer stock sale, mistress? Animals to be auctioned must be registered with the Breeders' Guild in advance.'

  'You've chosen well so far,' Mara said, aware she had run out of time. 'I trust your judgement.' Keyoke arrived with a chosen troop of warriors, and Papewaio and Arakasi already waited, talking, a short distance away.

  The men assembled with the silent efficiency of veterans and soon the last one took his place. Keyoke approached, wearing the dark, serviceable armour suitable for unobtrusive travel in the wilds. His officer's helm carried only a single short plume, and his ornate ceremonial sword had been replaced with the one he preferred to use in battle.

  Stopping before Mara, Keyoke bowed. 'Mistress, the men are ready. Your bearers stand with the supplies, and the trailbreakers are already on their way. We may depart at your word.'

  Mara dismissed Jican with a wish for prosperity and fair trading. Then she entered her litter and reclined upon the cushions. 'Tell the men to march,' she ordered.

  As the half-naked bearers bent to shoulder her weight, she knew the swift thrill of fear. This was no formal state visit to another Lord but a bold move to steal an advantage on every other player in the Game of the Council; that boldness carried risks. As the party swung around a small hillock, Mara watched her estate house fall behind. She wondered if she would return to see it again.

  Guided by Arakasi, the Acoma retinue hurried secretly along back-country trails. Each day Mara observed growing signs of strain in the soldiers' behaviour. Tsurani soldiers would never lose discipline in the presence of their Ruling Lord or Lady, but on previous marches she had listened to quiet conversation, banter and jokes about campfires. Now the men kept silence, broken only at need and then in whispers. Their usually animated faces were now set in the expressionless masks of Tsurani warriors.

  On the third day they waited in hiding until nightfall, then moved out in darkness, munching thyza bread and needra jerky as they hurried to avoid detection. The next daybreak they marched deep into the territory of a neighbouring lord, several times coming close to patrols of soldiers from the estate. Keyoke kept his men close by and avoided all contact. Even a minor lord might seize the chance to strike at trespassers if he thought his men could obliterate Mara and her fifty guards. If any other Lord knew of the queen-spawning, there was not just a chance of attack along the way, but certainty.

  Mara rode in a state of fatigue, unable to rest, not only because of the constant travelling and fear, but from the thrill of anticipation as well. Gaining this new hive would do more to preserve Acoma survival than any dozen clever plots in the High Council.

  Four more days passed, in exhausting succession. The company snatched sleep at odd hours, for nights were spent avoiding patrols, or wading through exposed expanses of meadow or thyza paddies along the banks of the many tributaries to the river Gagajin. At such times slaves brought up the rear, setting the disturbed seedlings straight to hide all traces of their passage. At dawn on the ninth day, Mara sat upon bare earth like a soldier and ate cheese and journey biscuit. She called Keyoke and Arakasi to come sit with her.

  Both declined to share her food, as they had eaten the same cold rations earlier. She studied their faces, one lined, leathery, familiar, and as constant as the sunrise, and the other seeming little more than an illusion, a mask to fit whatever persona the moment required. 'We have crossed three estates, each one of them well guarded. Yet no patrol has sounded the alarm. Am I to believe in the extraordinary skills of my guide and my Force Commander, or is it always this easy for armed soldiers to invade the estates of the Empire?'

  'A pertinent question, mistress.' Arakasi regarded her with what seemed the beginning of respect. 'One does not need a network of spies to know Keyoke is accounted a superior officer. His experience is respected throughout the Empire.'

  Keyoke inclined his head towards the Spy Mast
er at the compliment. 'We could not have managed so well without the guidance Arakasi has given us. His knowledge of the back country is impressive, a thing the Acoma will value in times to come.'

  Mara acknowledged this tacit acceptance of Arakasi. The Spy Master sat with the keen expression of a soldier, an attitude that now seemed his natural manner. The man's ability to appear what he wished slightly unnerved Mara. 'Tell me honestly,' she said, 'would you find it this easy to lead an armed company across the lands of the Acoma?'

  Arakasi laughed, an unexpected sound in a humourless camp. 'Mistress, assuredly not. Keyoke is widely admired for his knowledge of warcraft. He knows the dangers of regularly scheduled, unvarying patrols. He is prudent, and cunning, even when his command is small.' With a look of respect at the Force Commander, he added, 'Especially when his command is small. It is difficult for one man to trespass upon Acoma lands, let alone a force in strength.'

  Keyoke seized upon a discrepancy. 'You said "difficult", not "impossible".'

  Araksi inclined his head in agreement. 'True.'

  Mara said, 'Lujan's grey warriors seemed to take our needra with small difficulty.'

  Arakasi couldn't avoid a grin. 'Again true, but he had an advantage: I told him when and where to strike.'

  Keyoke became dangerously still. 'It seems we have something to discuss.' He gestured, indicating his desire to withdraw. 'My Lady?'

  Mara withheld her consent. 'Is there any estate in the Empire so well guarded that no stranger or outlaw could slip through?'

  'Only one,' said Arakasi, apparently unconcerned with Keyoke's ire. 'The estate of the Lord of the Dachindo, far to the east.'

  Mara smiled, as if she had won a small victory. 'Now indeed, Keyoke, you and Arakasi have something to discuss.' She watched as the two men rose and moved apart, conferring quietly, heads close together in the misty grey dawn. As much as Keyoke might take umbrage at the implied shortcomings in his defence of the estate, Mara knew wisdom would prevail. He would relish any information the Spy Master could offer to better his protection of his mistress. Confident that by the time of her wedding the Dachindo would no longer be the only estate impenetrable to trespassers, she sent a slave for her comb. In the last minutes before the company started off down the trail, she applied herself to the ongoing frustration of trying to work the knots from her long hair without benefit of a maid.