The Blinding Knife(197)

Another Blackguard eventually came and told the White’s room guard that there had been an emergency session of the Spectrum called.

Now, after dawn, the White was finally being wheeled down the long hallway from the lift to her own room. Karris’s impatience was quickly replaced by concern for the old woman. She shouldn’t be made to stay up all night. The strain of it was evident on her face.

The White smiled at Karris as she was wheeled into her own room, but it was a perfunctory smile. The White had more Blackguards today than usual—two of the new inductees, and Jin Holvar, a woman who’d entered the same year Karris had, though she was a few years younger than Karris.

Karris and Jin helped the White relieve herself, having to support almost all of her weight. Karris had to help her clean herself.

“My apologies, child. The body fails,” the White murmured, embarrassed.

The two young Blackguards, Gill and Gavin Greyling, studiously avoided looking back. The time would come when the young men would have to help with this. There simply weren’t enough Archers in the Blackguard to have two women on every shift. But right now, they were no doubt simply having to adjust to the very fact that the White needed to relieve herself at all. Karris remembered being young and in awe.

Felt like a long time ago, now.

“You can go,” Karris told the young men. “I’ll meet you back in the barracks to talk. Jin and I will—”

“No, I want them to stay,” the White said wearily. “Jin, you can go.”

Jin left and Karris helped the White into her bedclothes. Karris helped the White totter toward bed, and then helped her sit up. It was, technically, not the Blackguard’s duty, but the White’s room slave was old and frail herself. The White didn’t want to buy another slave when she said she had so little time left anyway, and didn’t want to get rid of the one she had—little though the old woman did for her now.

The White sighed deeply. “Now,” she said. “Work.”

“You look exhausted, Mistress,” Karris said. “And I need to interview these men. They were on duty, earlier—”

“I know where they were. Why do you think I took them with me?” the White asked.

Karris furrowed her brow.

“The Spectrum,” the White said, “has declared war. Tonight we voted on the composition of forces.”

“Pardon me?” Karris said.

“Blood Forest and Ruthgar had already mobilized their armies, and they’re almost here. They’ve known this was coming as soon as Atash was invaded. But no one else will be able to get their armies into the fray before Ru’s fate is decided, I’m afraid. Andross Guile will be in charge of directing the Chromeria’s contribution and managing the Blood Forest and Ruthgari generals.”

“So there’s to be no promachos?” Karris asked. “And how is Lord Guile going to—”

“It is as it is,” the White said. “It was cleverly done when Gavin couldn’t be reached, so he and his new satrapy had no vote. The proposals were managed with Andross’s typical skill. He knows his parliamentary maneuvering. It was war on his terms or let Ru fall. He wanted to be named promachos, and we had to call it a victory to stop him from that. I suspect he didn’t expect to get it, but there you have it. Mobilization will begin this morning.”

Karris opened her mouth, but had nothing to say.

“Now,” the White said, turning to the Greyling brothers, “tell me what happened in the Prism’s chambers last night.”

Gill, the elder brother, cleared his throat and glanced at Karris.

“Don’t spare her,” the White ordered. “She might as well know the truth.”

“Yes, High Lady. Um, Gavin and I were selected for guard duty last night. We’ve been short-staffed, and even though we’re new, there were more experienced Blackguards down the hall guarding your room and down at the lifts, so it was allowed. The Prism arrived an hour before midnight. He greeted us and made some jokes with us—”

“Typical,” Karris said under her breath. “Charm the new blood.”

Gavin Greyling looked away. “I don’t know about that. Anyway, he said something about… um, having been on a long trip with a woman he wanted and couldn’t have.” He licked his lips and studiously didn’t look at Karris. “And he asked after his room slave. Gill and I talked about it this morning, and we couldn’t remember exactly what he said.”

“You interpreted that to mean what?” the White asked.

Gavin cleared his throat again and shifted from foot to foot. “That he, uh, wouldn’t be averse to some, erm, companionship. So when the girl Ana showed up, we figured he’d sent for her. She certainly acted like he had. The Blackguards at the lift said they got a story from her that you’d sent for her, Mistress.”