Chapter Thirty-Two: A Necessary Lie
In which Ian comes up with a lie that might save Xian.
A servant entered d’Tarjian’s chambers and bowed low to whisper in the lord’s ear. d’Tarjian’s mouth twisted in a grimace. He rose. “Excuse me, your highness. My presence is required in the emperor’s court for a time. Please, eat and drink. My servants will see to your every need.” He left the room with no more sound than his slippered feet on the marble floors.
Ian let out a long breath. “By the gods,” he whispered.
Ursula knelt next to him on the low cushions. “d’Tarjian is not a man to toy with.” Her voice shook.
“No.” Ian took a long drink of wine, thinking. “He says Xian spied for the Tal’Amuni government. Since when is Tal’Amun at war with Espara?”
“Not at war, precisely,” Ursula said. “There are vast unconquered territories between Espara and the Eastern Rim. Tal’Amun and Dal’Imur both send scouts into the wildlands there. The emperor sees it as a violation of his borders.” A guard stepped closer to them, and Ursula lowered her voice. “Esparan borders do not look the same in reality as they do on Eiryan maps, your highness.”
“And Xian somehow helped his countrymen or caused an Esparan defeat?”
“I can’t say.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
She shrugged.
Ian’s head spun. Too much wine, not enough food. He finally picked up some cheese and bread from the tray in front of him and ate. He leaned back against the cushions and rubbed a hand across his face, failing to suppress a yawn. “If I ever get away from this place, I’ll sleep for a week,” he mumbled.
Donal chuckled and leaned against a wall, arms folded over his chest. “You’re the one who keeps chasing after Xian. I’d have come back to the ship back in the Miróns had it been me.”
“Are you so hard-hearted, my friend?”
He shrugged. “I don’t trust him. The Esparan said Xian gave his government information that led to Esparan deaths. Put yourself in Esparan sandals for a moment, lad. What if some Taurin ambassador were giving shipping information to his government, and it led to Eiryan deaths? Would your father not be puttin’ the man to the gallows?”
Ian closed his eyes. Don’t trust him, he says. Because of poorly tied knots? How would Xian even know what knots to loosen? I don’t think he did it. He opened his eyes as the idea occurred to him. “Maybe I don’t have to,” he said.
Ursula frowned. “Highness?”
The door opened, and a guard pushed a bedraggled, weary Xian through the door. His hands bound before him and his face streaked with dirt and tears, Xian gave Ian a weak, resigned smile. “My friend, I’m sure you’ve tried, but it’s time for me to accept this fate.”
Ian drew himself up and put a hand on Xian’s elbow. “A moment with the prisoner,” he said to the guard. The man hesitated, but Ian didn’t leave him room to refuse. He steered Xian to one side and spoke in quiet Taurin. “Tell me about the border.”
Xian sighed. “It was a decade ago—more, perhaps. I was very young. It was early in my career with the diplomatic corps. I was serving on the west side of the Zhasta Mountains, near the plains. Esparan rangers came through the region, destroying villages and burning fields. They set up camp too close to the border for my superiors’ comfort. I was sent back to the capitol with a message about the Esparan movements, and the emperor responded by sending a regiment into the wildlands to beat back the Esparans.” He shrugged. “I was a messenger only. Later, when I ran from my debts here in Espara, d’Tarjian investigated my past and discovered that my information led to the skirmish on the border. He used that to justify arresting me.”
“You believe if you pay your debts, he would let you go?”
Xian nodded. “But I don’t have the money.”
Ian’s eyes flicked up to the guard, who had taken several steps closer to listen to them. He lowered his voice. “I have an idea, but you have to play along.”
Xian’s eyes widened. “What—”
But Ian shook his head and looked at the guard again. “You’ll let me give him food and water?” he asked in Esparan.
The man grunted and nodded toward the food and drink. Ian guided Xian to a cushion, but when he started to sit, the guard protested. Xian remained standing, and Ian put a goblet of water and a piece of bread in his bound hands.
The walls of the chamber pressed in around them while they waited for d’Tarjian to return. The guards allowed Xian to eat and drink water, but refused him wine or any comfort greater than leaning against the walls. Ursula and Donal fell into quiet conversation, and Ian watched the tilt of her head and the sparkle of her dark eyes from a distance. He smiled. She would do well in a court, he thought, and then shook his head. No. She would do well on an adventure.
Finally, early in the afternoon, d’Tarjian returned. “My apologies, your highness,” he said. “I trust you’ve had time to refresh yourself and satisfy your curiosity about your friend’s indiscretions?”
“I have,” Ian said. He stood and faced d’Tarjian. “You can’t execute the ambassador.”
One eyebrow arched. “Can’t I?”
“No. Not without angering the Eiryan government.” Ian paused. “Ambassador Xian needs to return to Eirya to be tried for crimes against the captain of the Emerald Wind, IES.”