the slave plantations of the lands around the Inland Sea and the heart of the Empire, the capital

Tigral. She even read despatches from those who had travelled all the way to the edges of the

Southern Desert, an ungovernable land inhabited by a nomadic people cal ed the Horse Fol

owers, the tribe from which Ramil's mother had come. They were no friends to Fergox, but kept

themselves hidden in their desert, beyond the march of any army foolish enough to attempt to

cross that waterless expanse. As yet, they stood apart from the resistance, wishing it well but

considering it none of their business.

The only shadow over her days in Nerul's tent was the continuing campaign by Merl to win her

favor. He was witty, kind, complimentary and Tashi was not impervious to the charm of being

gently wooed by a handsome man. Yet she found it all very confusing, not certain of her own

part in this game. In the Islands, his behavior would have been an affront; here it seemed that

gifts and sweet-talking were an accepted part of life between men and women, not even

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necessarily meaning courtship. He presented her with a ribbon for her hair and tied it on

himself; he caressed her fingers

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on handing her papers, leant over her as she worked so that his breath tickled her neck. He'd

even once kissed her playfully to congratulate her on her first mistake-free translation. She had

been stunned at the familiarity, wondering if she should protest, but he had moved on quickly to

another subject as if it had all meant nothing. It was most perplexing.

After seven days of this treatment, she decided to go to her friends for advice. As Easterners,

Ramil and Gordoc should be able to tell her how to respond to these approaches. She sought

them out in Melletin's tent after dark one evening, taking care not to be seen by anyone as she

crossed the camp. Her luck was in: they were alone, tending their weapons, checking straps and

sharpening blades.

"May I come in?" she asked shyly, leaning on a walking stick.

Gordoc jumped up. "Princess, of course you may join Old Gordoc and Ram.

We've been wondering what had become of you." He guided her to the cushions. "We thought

you'd quite forgotten us."

She shook her head. "Of course I hadn't but it would look strange for a cousin of Nerul to spend

too much time with mercenaries. I have my family's reputation to think of."

"How's the leg?" Ramil asked tersely, not looking at her.

Tashi thought his manner cold but put it down to their being affronted by her failure to call on

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them earlier. "Much better, thank you. The stitches have 204

been taken out. I think I'm fit again, though Professor Norling still wants to cosset me a while

longer."

"So what have you been doing closeted with Merl all week?" Ramil enquired, polishing his blade vigorously.

She raised an eyebrow. "How did you know about that?"

"The camp gossip. They're talking of how he's hardly left your side."

She rubbed her ankles, pulling her knees to her chest. "Actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, yes?" Ramil's tone was stil hostile.

Tashi turned to Gordoc's more friendly face. "I'm a stranger to your ways and I wondered if you

could tell me about . . . well, you know . . . how men and women treat each other here."

Ramil dropped his sword with a clatter. He grabbed it up again swiftly.

"What do you want to know, my pretty?" Gordoc asked, his expression one of puzzlement. "Do you want me to scare Merl off--thump him for you? Just tell him your Uncle Gordoc will have

words with him if he offends you."

"No, no, I don't mean that." Tashi smiled. "He's not insulted me--at least, not by Eastern 211

standards, I suppose." She wrinkled her nose.

"What's he done?" growled Ramil.

"Well, first there's the gifts--flowers and jewelry, mainly. What should I say when he gives me

things?"

"Thank you' usually does the trick," said Gordoc

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bluntly. "That's what the girls I know do. They put them away for a rainy day."

"So it doesn't mean anything if I accept them?"

"It means you are encouraging his attentions. Do you want to encourage him?" Ramil asked,

mustering all his self-control. She was free to be romanced by whoever she liked, he reminded

himself, though he really wanted to tell her to throw the gifts back at the red-haired, fox-faced

flirt.

Tashi shrugged. Ramil now noticed she had a new chain around her neck--a costly one by the

looks of it.

"I don't know." She sighed. "I want to be nice to him. I'm grateful for all that he's done for me."

"And what else has he done?" Ramil couldn't keep the suspicion from his voice, but Tashi did not seem to notice.

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"Well, he pays me extravagant compliments all the time--"

"That usually means nothing," Ramil advised. "Not that they aren't deserved," he added hastily.

"Don't you start!" Tashi laughed. "But the thing that worries me most are his kisses."

"Kisses!" Ramil jumped up and strode to the other side of the room.

Tashi frowned. "Is that very shocking? I thought it might be but I wasn't sure."

"What kind of kisses?" Ramil sounded as if someone was strangling him.

"Oh, just light ones on my hands and neck a couple of times, once on my lips."

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"And did you kiss him back?"

"Ram! Of course I didn't! What do you take me for? I just wasn't sure what was allowed and

what wasn't. He always does it in a very respectful way."

"It's never respectful to kiss a girl on the lips, Tashi," Ramil warned her.

"He's taking advantage of your ignorance."

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Tashi bit her lip. "Oh."

"But if you like him, my pretty, it is not wrong to kiss," Gordoc said fairly, stretching out on the cushions with a reminiscent smile.

"It would be very wrong back at home. We never touch our admirers and only accept poems and

paper flowers," Tashi told him.

"Kissing is nice. It's fun," Gordoc continued. "But you must not let him do any more unless you want to bed him."

"Gordoc!" Tashi was now blushing bright red, as was Ramil. "I didn't come here for that kind of advice."

Gordoc looked confused. He propped himself up on his elbow. "Where I come from, Tashi, men

and women bed each other first, then wed when they have children. No one wants a barren

wife. Merl may wish to find this out."

Tashi got up. "I'm not. . . that wasn't what I meant." She got up, fastening her cloak with clumsy fingers. "Forget I asked."

She limped out quickly. Gordoc raised an eyebrow at Ramil who was still standing on the other

side of the tent.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

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Chapter 12

Lady Egret, a Brigardian noble in exile, begged an interview with King Lagan three weeks after

Midwinter.

"Must I see her?" he asked Lord Taris with a groan, clearing a space on his desk for a new file of army reports.

"If it was any other Brigardian I would say no," replied the Prime Minister,

"but Lady Egret is not one of the troublesome ones and has more sense in her little finger than