Death and the Emperor

Book 3 Chapter X: To Kill an Iqui

But take care! The first word you speak, the first act you do against me, the king, will bring its certain and swift punishment. If you trouble me, I won't spare you. In spite of traitors I am still king in Strelsau. -- Anthony Hope, Rupert of Hentzau

Kilan's explanation was over, and Nadriet had staggered off to her rooms in a shocked daze. Death and Kilan were left alone to reflect on the perils of revealing such a secret.

At last Death spoke. "This is going to make your life terribly awkward."

Kilan nodded silently.

"What a pity that girl had to come along tonight," Death continued. "But at least she won't tell anyone."

"How can you be so sure?" Kilan asked, finding his voice again. "If it was the other way round and I found she was secretly meeting you, I'd go straight to our parents."

Death shrugged. "I think you'll find that your sister won't be too quick to reveal such a secret about the Emperor. She's spent the last few years hearing many people's scandals and secrets. She knows how easy it is for gossip to spread and grow. Telling anyone -- even your parents -- could lead to rumours."

"You can't know that," Kilan said. "You've never met Nadriet before. You don't know what she'll do. I don't know what she'll do."

"No," Death agreed, "but I can see into the future clearly enough to know our relationship won't be revealed yet."

That "yet" was not at all reassuring.

~~~~

It would seem it is my fate, Princess Ixerthi thought as she read the letter she'd just received, to be left bewildered by Caranilnavs.

She had understood Emperor Vretiel and his father. This next generation of Caranilnavs seemed determined to confuse her at every turn. First Tinuviel insisted she hold a referendum, and then listened to what her people had chosen -- something she had never known a Caranilnav to do before. Now this Prince Gialma, who had visited a few weeks ago on what he said was a business trip, wrote to tell her Tinuviel had asked him to see what could be done about the poverty of her people.

Princess Ixerthi knew only too well that her people were poor. Istogu had very little land suitable for farming, very few lakes, and very few natural resources except coal. Their only value in the eyes of Carann was as the closest province to Malish. While based in Istogu the Emperor's spies could keep an eye on what the Iqui was doing, and find weak spots in Malish's defenses. But the people of Istogu had little to eat, little to wear, and few jobs or ways of improving their lot in life. Even if they could afford to leave, the vast majority of her people had Malishese ancestry. They stuck out like sore thumbs among the Carannish, the eternal outsiders to be stared at and whispered about.

Ixerthi had tried to make life easier for her people. She had negotiated trading agreements with other parts of the empire -- though heaven knew Istogu had very little to trade, other than the coal and some small colourful stones that formed at the bottom of the rivers. The stones had no worth of their own, but Carannish people who couldn't afford precious gems would buy them and make jewellery of them.

She had made sure her people got the best education and health-care possible. She had introduced new ways of clearing the land to make more of it suitable for farming. Yet her people were still very poor, and for many of them their primary source of income was smuggling. They smuggled goods to Malish from surrounding provinces, or from Malish to the rest of Carann. It was dangerous and often resulted in them being caught and killed, but they had no other choices.