The Shadow Queen

“No,” Lara said. “Zagiri will not be married to that man. He is old enough to be her father, my lord Dominus.”

“An older husband is no disadvantage for a young woman. Zagiri needs a firm hand, Mother. He’s young enough to give her children, which could guarantee us peace for years to come,” Taj said to his mother.

His council remained strangely silent.

“We have no quarrel with Hetar now. We should have none in the future, and we are strong,” Lara reminded her son. “Jonah is an evil man. He will not love her, and every woman should be loved by her mate. Why would you condemn your sister to such a fate, my lord Dominus?”

“I am Dominus of Terah, Mother. The decision is mine to make,” Taj replied.

Lara could no longer contain her anger. “You are a Dominus by birth, Taj, but your father placed me in your stead until I deemed you old enough and wise enough to rule. What you propose is both foolish and heartless. We will refuse the offer.”

“I have already told Zagiri of this offer of marriage, and she is not reluctant,” Taj surprised his mother by saying. “My sister knows her duty to Terah.”

“Your sister is as foolish as you are!” Lara snapped. “She sees herself as Queen of Hetar, but she will not be. She would be nothing more than a wife whose husband happened to be in charge. This offer will be refused, Taj.”

“Let us hear from my council,” Taj countered, flushing.

“My lords?” Lara looked to the three men.

“The offer is intriguing, especially as it comes from the Lord High Ruler’s dying wife,” Armen said. “Why do you suppose that is?”

“Vilia is even more manipulative than Jonah,” Lara responded. “The idea is hers I am certain. If Jonah had approached us it would seem unfeeling of his wife’s condition. But by Vilia coming to us she portrays herself as a woman seeking to do a final service for the man whom she has loved and to whom she has been so loyal. You are touched by her caring, are you not, my lords? You are meant to be.”

“Why would she approach us at all when there is peace between us?” Tostig asked. “Can this Lord High Ruler not find a wife of his own?”

“There have of late been rumors in Hetar of the coming of the Hierarch,” Lara said. “Many think the Hierarch a myth. Others believe in him wholeheartedly. The Hierarch would, of course, challenge the rule of the Lord High Ruler. Vilia seeks to make Terah her husband’s ally in the event of such an occurrence,” Lara explained.

“Who is the Hierarch?” Taj asked his mother.

“It is said in Hetar that when things change for the worst, and things become too difficult for the people, that the Hierarch will come, and return everything to as it was before the troubles. He is believed to be like the navigator on a ship. He is supposed to put everything back on its proper course.”

“Why now?” Taj said.

“Because Hetar is going through great changes now, but those changes are not responsible for their difficulties. Their troubles have been caused by a previous government that was both corrupt and greedy. The late Gaius Prospero led Hetar into two ruinous wars. His alleged conquest of the Outlands has been a disaster with only the wealthy profiting. The Midland farmland is worn-out. There is a scarcity of food, and Razi has rendered the poor even more helpless. These are not problems that can be corrected easily, simply or quickly. It takes time, and frankly, despite the few women now getting elected into the Hetarian Council, the government is slow to act, which is very frustrating for the women who see the needs of the people and would correct them.

“Now these rumors of the Hierarch have begun among the citizens of Hetar. For the Hierarch to come and return Hetar to the way it was means the women will once again be subjugated. But the myth suggests that he will also return Hetar to its former prosperity and glory. The people believe this will happen with a wave of the Hierarch’s hand. But this creature is not of the magical world. That I know. He is a mortal whoever he may be, and the truth is it is unlikely he can perform miracles. But desperate people in desperate times are apt to believe anything they are told that offers them a way out of the darkness. Lady Vilia seeks an alliance with Terah in hopes we can prevent the Hierarch, if indeed he exists, from toppling her husband from his lofty throne. She believes if your sister were wife to the Lord High Ruler that we would not want her driven from her own small pinnacle of importance, for it would reflect badly on Terah as well as Hetar.”

“We should not put Princess Zagiri in such a precarious position,” Armen said slowly. “With all due respect to you, my lord Dominus, I believe such a marriage alliance would bring nothing of value to Terah. I deem it inadvisable as a member of your council to offer the princess to the Lord High Ruler.”

“Indeed,” Tostig echoed, “it is likely Terah would suffer in more ways than one should we agree to such a marriage.”

“Let us take a vote on the matter,” Corrado, who had been silent until now, said. “All in favor of refusing the Lady Vilia’s proposal speak out. Aye!”

“Aye!” Armen said.

“Aye,” Tostig agreed.

“Your council has declined to give your sister in marriage to the Lord High Ruler, and I concur with them. Now, my lord Dominus, what say you?” Lara asked him.

“I will agree with the council, my lady Domina. I did not know all the facts,” Taj said loftily in an effort to save face.

Lara was not of a mind to let him off easily. “You acted rashly, my lord. You behaved like the boy you are. You saw what you believed to be a golden prize, and you reached for it greedily without realizing there was rot beneath. Never allow anyone to press you into a decision until you have examined all the facts of the situation. Now you must accept the responsibility of your actions. Go and tell your sister of the council’s decision, and why they have made it. Then return and dictate a refusal to the Lady Vilia,” Lara told her son sternly.

The young Dominus arose from his place at the head of the table, and bowed to them all. He was flushed with his embarrassment as he hurried from the chamber.

“Forgive me, my lords, for acting so harshly with my son,” Lara said, cleverly knowing that the three men in the chamber, while realizing she was correct, were still in sympathy with Taj. Males were, after all, in most cases the superior beings in Terah, but in Hetar that was changing, which the Dominus’s Council disapproved of and found threatening. “He must learn, and I could see no other way of making my point. As I have said before, Hetar is a danger to us. But perhaps under these circumstances it is time for us to find a husband for Zagiri. May I rely upon your advice in such a matter?”

Corrado refrained from chuckling aloud. His sister-in-law had just neatly turned the irritation of his fellow council members away from her angry words to her son. He could see her sly flattery pleased them.

“She will need a husband who cannot be cajoled by her willfulness,” Lara murmured. “And of course his birth must be impeccable, and his wealth without question. You will take your time, my good lords, seeking out such a paragon. It would please me if Zagiri could love her husband, and he her. The candidates you present to me will be winnowed down, and then I will invite them to the castle so Zagiri may come to know them, and they her. If something happy should come of it then we may count ourselves fortunate, eh?” She smiled a dazzling smile at Armen and Tostig.

“I think you are very wise, my lady Domina, to consider seeking a husband for Princess Zagiri,” Armen said. “But what of the Lady Anoush?”

“My eldest daughter is fragile, and with her gifts it is better she pick her own husband, for he will understand her, know her, and not be intimidated by her talents. I suspect she will choose a husband from among her father’s people in the New Outlands,” Lara told her companions. “She prefers living among them.”

Armen nodded. “How wise you are, my lady Domina, that you know your children so well,” he said.

Lara laughed. “Your praise, my lord, is appreciated. Now it is time for me to return you all back to your homes. I thank you for coming this day. I believe the Dominus has learned a good lesson, and you have seen how adroit Hetar’s wickedness can be.” She lifted her hand and spoke the spell. “Return, Lord Armen, from whence you came. Lord Tostig, Captain Corrado, do the same!” And they were gone.

Lara sank back into her chair with relief. What on earth had convinced her son to make a decision without asking her first? Had he not realized the seriousness of playing with his sister’s life? Someone had obviously been encouraging him, and she knew it had to be her mother-in-law. Taj was very fond of the old lady, and visited her regularly several times a week. Lara sighed. She would have to speak with her and the sooner the better. And with the thought and the need she found herself in Lady Persis’s hall.

Her mother-in-law was sitting working a tapestry. She looked up, slightly startled, at Lara’s appearance. It wasn’t often her daughter-in-law visited. “Good afternoon, dear,” she greeted Lara.

“Good day to you, Lady Persis,” Lara responded.

“What brings you to my hall, for you visit only with a purpose,” Lady Persis said astutely. But she did smile a genuine smile.

“You have been encouraging Taj to assert himself,” Lara began.

“He is the Dominus,” Lady Persis replied.

“He is a thirteen-year-old boy whose father died less than a month ago, madame. Today he almost gave his sister in marriage to the soon-to-be widowed Lord High Ruler of Hetar. Do you know what a disaster that would have been?”

“I certainly never told him to do that!” Lady Persis exclaimed. “Which of his sisters? Not Zagiri! Not my beautiful golden girl!”

“Well, what did you tell him then, madame?” Lara demanded to know. “And, aye, it was Zagiri. What is worse is that he told her he was making the arrangement. Now I have sent him to tell her it is not so, and she will be furious having already seen herself in such a high place.”

“I did not mean to cause any trouble,” Lady Persis quavered. “But my grandson is now the ruler of Terah. I just wanted him to behave like a Dominus. I still cannot believe that his father appointed you the regent. You are a woman.”

“Persis, I know it is difficult for you to understand that Magnus came to respect my opinion, and frequently asked my advice, but he did. I have appointed Corrado, Tostig and Armen, Taj’s uncles, to advise me and to advise him. There has been no official announcement regarding my position, and there will be none. I respect Terah’s customs far too much although I hope one day we can make some changes. As far as the average Terahn is concerned Taj is Terah’s ruler. And it is his wisdom that will publicly prevail. As Marzina has so cleverly pointed out I am a Shadow Queen. Taj is young, and this is not the same kingdom his father inherited. Terah is no longer isolated and unknown. Hetar looks to us like a greedy wolf eyeing a fat ewe sheep. My son, for, Persis, he is my son, too, needs to learn that a Dominus must be thoughtful, must have knowledge of all that affects his kingdom, must be clever. Taj has the capacity to learn these things, but until a month ago he was a carefree lad. Magnus was just beginning to teach him what he needed to know. Now I must pick up where my husband left off.

“Magnus was not a child when his father died. He had experience because his father had seen to his education as a future Dominus. Taj needs time to cultivate that experience and learn. You have encouraged him to swagger and make decisions he is not ready to make, Persis. If you expect to receive regular visits from your grandson you must cease this behavior. Taj is Dominus in name only right now, but as long as Terahns believe that he alone rules them they are content. Surely you do not want your grandson’s position challenged, Persis? Both of your daughters have sons, and they would gladly plunge Terah into a civil strife to gain power for their own.”

The old woman had become very pale now. “I did not realize…” she began. “I only wanted to see that Taj was confident in his place.”

“He’s still half child,” Lara replied. “He thinks giving orders is being Dominus.”

“Hetar wants Zagiri for their ruler’s wife?”

Lara carefully explained the situation to her mother-in-law.

“And his own dying wife has importuned you,” Lady Persis said. “She must love him dearly to seek another wife for him as she lies dying.”

“Vilia is a clever woman,” Lara said dryly.

“But you will not let Zagiri make this marriage, Lara, will you?” Lady Persis made no secret that Zagiri was her favorite grandchild.

“Your golden girl is going nowhere,” Lara assured her mother-in-law. “The council agrees, knowing all the facts, that it would be a bad idea, and now that Taj knows he agrees, too. I have, however, made him tell his sister of his change of heart. She will not be happy, but I have also asked the council to seek out prospective candidates for Zagiri’s hand in marriage. I think it is time.”

“Oh, that is a fine idea!” Lady Persis responded. “I might even have a few suggestions to make in that direction myself.”

“Please do,” Lara encouraged her. If the old lady was busy considering husbands for Zagiri she would be less apt to encourage her grandson to behavior he was not yet ready to exhibit. Lara realized that Lady Persis was lonely, and she was grieving Magnus as they all were grieving Magnus. Let her put her energies to something happy. No parent should outlive her child, Lara thought, even though she probably would. “I must return to the castle now, Persis. Taj may need a little bit of help with his sister.”

“You tell my golden girl that I want her to wed in Terah. I cannot lose her,” Persis said. “Goodbye, Lara.” She turned back to her tapestry.

Lara magicked herself back to her apartments. She could hear Zagiri sobbing bitterly, and crying for her as she entered her dayroom. “What are you howling about, Zagiri?” Lara asked although she already knew. Still, Zagiri could be very dramatic when she chose to be, and that was usually when she was not getting something she wanted or thought she wanted.

“Taj said I was to be Queen of Hetar, and now he says I can’t,” Zagiri cried, flinging herself at her mother.

“Hetar has no queen, my darling,” Lara told her as she disengaged her daughter from her person.

“The Lord High Ruler’s wife isn’t his queen?” Zagiri said, surprised.

“She is his wife. Nothing more,” Lara informed her daughter dryly. “And Jonah has a wife who still lives. It would be considered in very bad taste to announce a betrothal while Lady Vilia yet breathes. Besides, Jonah is much older than you are, Zagiri. He wants an alliance with Terah because he stands in danger of losing his throne at the moment. He thinks if he marries you I will use my magic to help him keep that throne. He had no interest in you at all. I want you to wed a man who will love you, and whom you can love. Taj was foolish to tell you he was planning a match with Hetar’s current ruler. He did not understand the entire situation, I fear. Now he does. We will decline Hetar’s offer for your hand, my golden girl. Even your grandmother was distressed to think you might be sent from us. She has begged me not to do it. A request I find easy to accede to, Zagiri. Now dry your eyes. We have already begun a search for a proper mate for you, my darling.”

“I would have liked to be a queen,” Zagiri said slowly, “but I should prefer to be loved, Mother.” The tears were suddenly gone. “I want a man who will love me as Father loved you. Do you think there is such a man out there for me?”

“We shall look for him, Zagiri, but you will know him when you meet him,” Lara promised her daughter.

“Marzina said I was foolish to weep over not being able to marry a man I had never met,” Zagiri informed her mother. “Sometimes Marzina is wiser than I am.”

“Aye, your little sister has good instincts,” Lara agreed.

“Will you find a husband for her one day, Mother?” Zagiri asked.

“Marzina has magic about her,” Lara said slowly. “It takes a special man to love a woman who is magic. Magical women are not easy.”

“Father thought you were wonderful, perfect,” Zagiri answered.

He hadn’t really, Lara thought to herself, but he had been a patient man, for Magnus Hauk had loved her totally and completely. How can I do all this without you, Magnus? She spoke to him in her head and heart once again. I miss you so much. “I am not perfect, Zagiri, and your father knew it. He just loved me, and that is what I want for you, my golden girl. I don’t want a marriage of convenience for you, or for dynastic purposes. I want you to be loved, and to love. When you find a man who can do that, then you will marry. And marry happily. And unless I give you permission to wed, Zagiri, you cannot. Remember that, my daughter.”

“I will, Mother,” Zagiri promised.

CHAPTER FOUR

“THEY HAVE REFUSED us!” Jonah, Lord High Ruler of Hetar, was not pleased. Angrily he held out the parchment to Vilia, almost shaking it in her pale face.

She took it from him, and read the contents, frowning. “The boy was eager for the match I am told,” she said slowly. “It is obvious now that he is not as much in charge as I believed. Nor is his council it would appear.”

“Then it is the faerie woman who rules!” Jonah said. “Has she managed to spread her seditious movement to Terah?”

“Terah would never accept a woman ruler,” Vilia replied. “She manipulates the boy from behind his throne. Any mother in her position would do so. Do you think Egon could rule Hetar by himself if you were gone, my love? I would certainly be behind my son’s throne instructing him, teaching him. That is what the Domina does.”

“Why does she refuse me? It was your first husband, Gaius Prospero, who was her enemy, not I. Her daughter would be wife to a great ruler. Does she think she can do better for the girl? Who, then? Surely she cannot believe the son of some wealthy Terahn a better match for her daughter than me?”

“Perhaps the Domina is uncomfortable with the fact I still live,” Vilia murmured. “Or perhaps she seeks a title for the girl. You are Lord High Ruler, my husband, but I am just your wife. A princess cannot go from being a princess to just a plain wife.” It had always annoyed Vilia that despite all the help she had given Jonah raising him to ultimate power, he had never seen fit to share that power with her. “Or mayhap she does believe the son of a wealthy man who would actually love her daughter would be a better husband to Princess Zagiri than you, Jonah.”

“Then the Domina is a fool, except we know she is not,” he replied irritably.

“Be patient, my husband,” Vilia advised him. “I will try again, and this time I will send a small miniature of your face for the girl to see.”

“They will hardly show her a miniature of me if they mean to refuse me again,” he snarled at her. “Do you enjoy my embarrassment, Vilia? Does it give you pleasure in your last days to see me humiliated by the faerie woman and her ilk?”

“Jonah, Jonah,” Vilia lamented. “Have you learned nothing from me? Offer to give the girl a title. One that will make it appear as if you are sharing your power with her, but that actually means nothing. Princess Zagiri will be known as the First Lady of Hetar. Is that so difficult for you to do? The girl is worth it I promise you. She is very beautiful. Would you like to see?”

His black eyes narrowed speculatively. “What is it you keep from me, Vilia? Of late you have been privy to much information of a sort not available to me. How is this so, my wife?” Reaching out, he took her thin hand in his, his fingers tightening about her fingers.

“Let me go, Jonah,” she said in a suddenly hard voice. She pulled her hand from his rough grasp. “You know of my secret heritage,” she reminded him. “That I descend from Ulla, and the great sorcerer, Usi.”

He nodded.

“When our son began to sicken I reached out to any who would aid me,” Vilia told her husband. “A Darkling—her name is Ciarda—answered my call. On my death Egon will grow strong again, and fulfill the destiny meant for him as a mighty conqueror. Ciarda has a sister among the faerie post who brings her information from Terah, which is how I know the things I do. She gave me a miniature of Princess Zagiri, to show you, Jonah.” Vilia reached beneath her coverlet and drew out the small oval, which she handed to her husband. “Isn’t she lovely?”

Jonah stared at the heart-shaped face with its fair skin and soft, rosy cheeks. The girl’s mouth was lush. Seeing it, he considered the many uses those lips could have. Her eyes were green edged in dark gold lashes. Her hair was a mass of luxuriant golden curls that tumbled over her shoulders. He stared, mesmerized by her beauty. And then before his eyes the small miniature began to change, darkening first, and then growing light once again to show him an entirely different view of the painting’s subject.

Jonah’s mouth fell open with surprise as the picture now revealed the completely naked form of the Terahn princess. Her breasts were small but full with dainty coral-pink nipples. The figure in the miniature frame lifted one of those breasts as if holding it out to him while her other hand moved down her torso to rest suggestively at the smooth junction mounding between her shapely thighs. He licked his lips anticipating what it would be like to have the girl beneath him moaning with her need.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Vilia remarked once again. “She would be worth a fight, wouldn’t she, Jonah? If Terah will not give her to you then you must take her.”

“If Egon grows strong again with your sacrifice, Vilia, then why do I need a young wife to give me more children?” he asked her.

“I have told you that your offspring will be bargaining chips not just to solidify your power, but their brother’s, as well. His best allies will be his kinsmen and -women.”

“Has the Darkling fixed the time of your death?” Jonah asked Vilia. His mind was filled with lustful thoughts of the girl in the miniature. He couldn’t keep his eyes from it, and now the golden beauty was spreading her nether lips open with her fingers to reveal to him her hidden treasures. Her love bud was swollen, and pearly with her juices. The picture was so real that he could almost sense the taste of her on his tongue. Jonah had to turn away, for his lust was close to boiling over. The manhood beneath his robes was swollen and throbbing. He wanted Zagiri as he had never wanted another woman. And he would have her! Nothing, not even the faerie woman, would stand in his way.

“I cannot let go of my tenuous hold on life until I am certain that you will take this Terahn princess for your wife, Jonah,” Vilia answered him. “Bring her to Hetar. Let me see her, and I will be satisfied, but you must not delay, for our son grows weaker with every passing day. We will send your miniature to Terah, and ask once again for Princess Zagiri. If they refuse us then you will take her by force. Who are these Terahns that they dare to deny the Lord High Ruler of Hetar?” Vilia held out her hand. “Give me back the princess’s miniature.”

“Nay,” Jonah replied. “I would keep it.”

She laughed. The Darkling Ciarda had told Vilia that the picture held an enchantment that would make Jonah lust after Zagiri of Terah. And the miniature they would send secretly to the innocent girl would also be enchanted. Zagiri would fall in love with Jonah in spite of herself. She would want him, too, and would become his loyal minion. And the faerie woman Lara would have no choice but to ally with Hetar then. Jonah would be safe against the Hierarch if indeed he actually existed. I will die happy, Vilia told herself. Jonah and Egon will be safe. And Terah will be ripe for the plucking when my son is old enough to take it. Did not my cousin Kol promise me that night on the Dream Plain that Egon would be a great conqueror? “Aye, keep your miniature,” she told her husband. “It will keep your appetite whetted for the girl, won’t it, Jonah?” And Vilia laughed weakly. Then she closed her eyes, listening as he retreated from her bedchamber and closed the door behind him.