Guardian of Heaven and Earth
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Kanbal
Part 3 - Secret Plot
Chapter 3 - Radalle's Weakness
The royal palace of Kanbal seemed so much emptier with the riders from all the clans gone. The new year decorations were still in place, festooning the walls, but they contrasted sharply with the hard expressions on the faces of the palace guards. No one really felt like celebrating.
The echoes of footsteps and horses’ hooves filled the entrance hall. King Radalle could hear people and horses moving from his secluded study deeper inside the palace. The light filtering in from his window was slight and thin due to thick gray clouds. The air smelled like snow.
There was a large fire set inside the study. Unlike the large and sturdy hearths that were used by most of Kanbal’s clan lords, this one was delicately carved and designed for decoration as well as function. Fat logs burned in the fire’s center, belching smoke.
Even the large fire wasn’t enough to chase the cold and the darkness of winter away. King Radalle sank deeply in his cushioned seat, facing his visitor. He was a messenger from the Talsh Prince Hazar, a Yogoese man in his late twenties with a nervous expression. His eyes shifted back and forth. But then he smiled, and King Radalle thought for a moment that he was sitting across from Prince Raul himself.
“The queen thanks you for your gift of a necklace,” King Radalle said. “It made her very happy.”
The Talsh messenger smiled. He’d come to the royal palace two weeks before to propose an alliance between the southern lords of Rota and Kanbal. In the time he’d been there, he had discovered a good deal about Kanbal’s government and economic circumstances.
“Your words gladden me, but there’s really no need to thank me,” Prince Hazar’s spy said. “Consider it a token of appreciation. Your assembled cavalry were a wonder to behold. I hope to learn your preferences so that we can best help and support one another.” The man spoke Kanbalese smoothly, but with a slight accent.
“The more I learn about Kanbal, the more I sympathize with your struggles as its ruler. Kanbal’s clan lords are strong and tough, but also isolated, from you and one another. They are fierce and splendid warriors, but I feel that they’re worthy of much more praise and support--as are you, King Radalle.”
King Radalle gave the Talsh messenger a bitter smile. “You’re a smooth talker; I’ll give you that. I hear what lies behind your words. It would be difficult to subdue us by force due to our cavalry forces. You hope to use them in your own war efforts.” His tone was firm, but truthfully, he was exhausted to the core of himself. This exhaustion never faded these days, no matter how long he slept.
Long ago, King Radalle had asked Yuguro Musa for advice whenever he was uncertain of what to do. Yuguro was a wise man of long experience and had always given him good advice.
Yuguro’s treachery and ambitions had harmed Radalle as well as himself. He had never fully recovered his mind after what had happened to him in the Mountain King’s Hall. He had become indecisive--hesitant and uncertain where before he had been solid and sure. Radalle missed his old friend and counselor now more than ever.
King Radalle knew that he was a weak king that didn’t command the respect of his nation’s warriors, or even his own protectors, the King’s Spears. None of them had allowed Radalle to confide in them. The only hint he ever received that the King’s Spears disagreed with him was when they sighed or whispered behind his back.
Radalle suspected that he was always tired because of his lack of support. Every decision had to be made by him, and all the consequences were his to shoulder. He rubbed his raw, red eyes.
“Your Majesty,” Prince Hazar’s messenger said, “I have said--have I not?--that I understand your suffering, and that of your people. I have traveled to many nations as a diplomat and am familiar with many different nations and situations. I can see that you are weary and in need of aid. I have come to offer you that aid.”
Radalle placed his hands in his lap and considered the Talsh spy. He had no desire to make an enemy out of him or Talsh. And he did believe that the Talsh could provide him with aid. His concern was how much it would cost.
“I believe that we can help one another,” the messenger said. “If you’re worried about opposition to an alliance with Talsh, please put your mind at ease. I will take care of any potential threats or betrayers for you.” The man had rooted out many counter-spies in Old Yogo, so he had extensive experience in this area. “I have no desire for needless violence or bloodshed, so I will work, first, to win people to our side. If that fails, I know how to be discreet.”
Radalle’s expression clouded over. His father had poisoned his brother to death to assume the throne. Radalle was not a violent man, and he didn’t like to think of his enemies being disposed of by violent means. He would rather have no enemies at all. He understood that the Talsh used assassination as one tool to enforce compliance. He disliked some of their policies and hated others, but they were dangerous--and far more dangerous as enemies than as friends.
King Radalle’s main concern in these negotiations wasn’t his own well-being, but that of his family’s. His uncles and his cousin Aron were all under potential threat of assassination or sabotage if he refused Talsh’s offer of an alliance. He didn’t really care if he was deposed, but losing Aron, a powerful commander who the people would rally behind if he died or was captured, would shake him to the core.
King Radalle also had a small son, but his wife’s health had been delicate since the birth and the boy was still very small. He still loved his wife as strongly as he had at their marriage. His chief concern in these negotiations was his family’s safety.
Radalle had never wanted to become king. Now that he was, he hated the political backstabbing and threats that came along with it. He wanted to be the kind of man who wasn’t afraid, no matter what happened: to fight those who opposed him and force them to their knees.
The Talsh messenger in front of him might be able to make him into that kind of man. The thought lightened Radalle’s mood somewhat. He and the messenger talked for a little while longer, then the messenger opened the door of the study to return to his specially appointed room reserved for high-ranking foreign diplomats.
A servant sat outside the door of the study; King Radalle noticed him as the Talsh ambassador was leaving. “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I have an urgent message.”
“What is it?” Radalle asked.
The servant notified him that a wing of Kahm Musa’s palace had burned down the previous night. “Kahm Musa came to visit you this morning, but he took ill with a fever and returned home.”
“Shiam, you idiot,” the Talsh messenger muttered. “Did Crown Prince Chagum die in the fire?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” the servant said. “Kahm and the two others left only recently and didn’t provide details.”
“He probably got away,” the Talsh messenger said. “Are you searching for him?”
“Searching for him? How?”
The Talsh messenger rubbed his chin. “This is a mess, but we can still salvage it, even if Shiam’s been caught. Kahm did well in informing His Majesty of his blunder right away. However…”
The Talsh messenger grinned. “In this rare instance, having Your Majesty’s retainers see you as hesitant and lacking courage may work in your favor. You can be swift and decisive now, and catch them all off-guard.” He faced the messenger from Kahm’s palace. “Inform your master that a failure to capture Crown Prince Chagum will result in the entire palace being burned, not just one wing. I’ve heard that the royal spies of Rota are capable of doing some truly creative things with fire.”
The servant from Kahm’s palace bowed and withdrew hastily.
The Talsh messenger looked out of a small window. They needed to recapture the Crown Prince quickly. He had directed many assassins as well as magic weavers to go out searching already. Many of these magic weavers could see through the eyes of hawks, allowing them to track their quarry at great speed without being easily noticed. All of their messages could reach the Talsh messenger quickly: he was the spider at the center of a web of information.
The only thing that worried him was the continued presence of the spear-wielding woman. Kahm had informed him about her, so he knew that he would have to be cautious. Kahm had no desire to fight her; she was skilled and had strong ties to Kanbal’s clans.
But the woman was only a minor irritant, soon disposed of. The situation was completely under control. As the Talsh messenger looked at a hawk flying outside the window, it started to snow.
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