"The High Counselor's house--his property--that's being guarded, I suppose?"
"Naturally, esta-saiyett: there are soldiers there, and the domestic slaves have been left in the house for the time being."
"Including the woman Terebinthia?" asked the Sacred Queen.
Kembri looked embarrassed. "She--er--she left the city very suddenly the day after the murder, esta-saiyett. We don't know where she's gone. However, she's not under suspicion, for we know she never left the High Counselor's house at all that day."
"Perhaps not," replied the Sacred Queen, "but I think you know very well why she left the city so quickly, don't you?"
Before the Lord General could reply she went on, "And the High Counselor's girls?"
"Two of them were with him in the gardens that night, esta-saiyett--"
"I know that."
"Naturally, we're holding them for questioning."
"Naturally. But there was a third girl: I don't mean Dyphna, the one who bought her freedom that morning. Whom do I mean?"
Kembri hesitated. Maia could see that he was uneasy. The extent and accuracy of the queen's knowledge had evidently taken him by surprise. Fornis, now looking directly at him, spoke a little more sharply.
"I mean a girl named Milvushina. Where is she now?"
"She is--just at the moment--that is, while the household is being fully inventoried, you understand, esta-sai-yett--she is being looked after by my son."
"Yes. What you mean is that Elvair-ka-Virrion bribed Terebinthia and helped himself to the girl before any inventory of the High Counselor's property had been sub-mitted to the temple or to the High Baron?"
"Well--er--I dare say you know, esta-saiyett, that the girl is well-born--she came from the baron Enka-Mordet's family in Chalcon; a family we unfortunately had to destroy for sedition. I was quite unaware that the High Counselor had issued private instructions to the soldiers and enslaved her. Had I known, I would never have agreed. I think it's very doubtful in law whether she can be held to be a slave at all. In all the circumstances my son took pity on her. He thought that she--well, that she ought to be properly cared for."
"How very considerate of him! He probably also thought that I wouldn't come to learn of it. You know, of course, that by law all slaves in the household of a man who dies intestate without heirs belong to the temple?"
"Well, strictly speaking, esta-saiyett--"
"Yes, I am speaking strictly," replied she. "But perhaps Elvair-ka-Virrion consulted the chief priest before he helped himself to this girl, did he?"
The chief priest said nothing. The queen stood up.
"What a strange empire this is! Santil-ke-Erketlis must have every benefit of the law, but for the god Cran it's apparently otherwise. Let's hope he's not angered. Luckily he has at least got me to defend his interests."
She turned and looked at Maia, still standing against the wall in the posture of a waiting slave, head bent and hands clasped below her waist.
"This child was one of Sencho's girls too, wasn't she? What are you going to do with her? Help yourself? Or perhaps she's already earmarked for the governor here, is she?"
Kembri seemed to be controlling himself with an effort. "Esta-saiyett, if I may say so, you are a shade too exacting. The city has been turned upside-down by this murder. Everything has been in confusion--"
"Oh, very much," said she. "I'm confused myself; and not least by your son's blasphemous temerity."
"Esta-saiyett--"
Fornis turned her back on him. "Come here, child."
Maia, startled and blushing, obeyed. Fornis looked her slowly up and down.
"She looked much better when she was swimming in the Barb the other night. I'm afraid you can't have been looking after her very well, poor girl. She ought to have been treated in accordance with the law, of course. Never mind; I'll see to it for you. That will save any risk of further irregularity, such as household saiyettts accepting bribes to hand over girls who are temple property and then leaving the city before they can be called to account for it."
"Esta-saiyett," said Kembri, "for the sake of public safety and our own safety too, let us both be plain. I confess my son helped himself to the Chalcon girl and that he had no legal right to do so. But at least that causes no real harm. The Tonildan girl I need. She is vital to a secret and important scheme which could very well turn out to be of great advantage to us all."
The queen raised her eyebrows. "This child?"
"This child, esta-saiyett. As things stand, no other girl will do. I beg you not to make too much of my son's-- lapse. This girl here may quite possibly be able to effect something of critical value to us all. Let me explain to you what I have in mind."
"No, you needn't," she said, raising her hand, on which the snake ring, catching the light, flashed an instant in Maia's eyes. "I can guess well enough. Some man is to be decoyed--enticed--betrayed. How else do you work, and what else could such a child be good for? As for your son, I was on my way to speak to the High Baron about this profane act on his part--"
"I'm convinced, esta-saiyett, that all he wanted was to show some kindness to a young woman of good family who should never have been enslaved to a man like Sencho--"
"And do you expect either me or the High Baron to believe that? For one thing, your son's ways are notorious." She paused reflectively. "But also I rather suspect, Lord General, that you may be entertaining certain notions on your own behalf regarding the future of the girl Milvushina. However, I'll say no more of that. In fact I'll oblige you: I'll oblige you in two respects. I'll disregard your son's sacrilegious behavior--for the moment--and I myself will look after this girl--this piece of temple property--until further notice."
"But I need her tomorrow, esta-saiyett."
"Then you may send to me and ask for her!" flashed the queen in a tone of conclusive finality. "The girl is temple property--not yours. Maia!" (Maia jumped.) "My saiyett is waiting for you in the corridor."
Thereupon she swept out of the room. Maia, bewildered, afraid to obey her and afraid not to, remained where she was beside the chair. After some moments, however, her eyes brimming with tears of nervous anxiety, she fell on her knees before the Lord General.
"My lord, Occula! If you'd only let me see Occula-- just for a few moments--"
"You'd better hurry up and obey the Sacred Queen," replied Kembri coldly. "Whatever else you do, I don't advise you to displease her."
Maia, raising her palm, stumbled from the room. Outside, the Palteshi woman, giving her a half-smile, wrapped a cloak round her shoulders, took her arm and led her along the corridor and down the temple staircase.
41: QUEEN FORNIS
For a good nine hours and more Maia lay sleeping in a great, soft bed, while the sunlight moved slowly across the floor until at length evening fell with a gradual melting and vanishing of the hard, black shadows of the afternoon. The unexpected lifting of the horrible fear in which she had lived since the killing of Sencho; Kembri's plan to make use of her against Bayub-Otal; the unexpected appearance of the Sacred Queen and her own sudden removal--whither and for what purpose she had no idea: these had left her as much confused and bewildered as a bird flown by chance into a lighted room.
She had not even had the self-possession to ask Queen Fornis's saiyett where they were going, but only hobbled on, leaning on the woman's arm and taking in little or nothing of their surroundings. They stopped. She found herself in a jekzha. A quarter of an hour later she could not even have said whether or not they had passed through the Peacock Gate. Two things she knew--that she was no longer a prisoner and that she longed above all for sleep.
When at length they reached their destination, she was aware--vaguely--only of a great, stone-fronted house, a flight of steps and a heavy, panelled door which was opened to the woman's knock--by whom she did not notice. Inside was coolness and two rows of green columns between which hung suspended some huge, dully-gleaming, winged effigy. She was led up one staircase, then another