Empire of Avarice Read Free

your majesty,” the palace guard
commander Mercos smiled thinly. “I shall fetch her at once.” He bowed and
backed away, closing the door behind him.
    “You I know,” the empress addressed High Cleric Burnas. “We
will talk later. But you I don’t,” she said to the tall thin man. “What is your
name?”
    “Pepil, your majesty, major domo of the palace. It is my
job to ensure this place runs smoothly and all your needs are attended to.”
    “Then attend to them, Pepil; start making sure this
palace runs smoothly. You can’t do that standing here doing nothing.”
    Pepil bowed low again and backed away, leaving High
Cleric Burnas with the empress. He drew himself up fully and stared her in the
eye. He was going to show her that he was no submissive servant. He was only
the servant of the gods, and no emperor or empress would change that. Certainly
those that had come and gone in the palace during his tenure as head of the
Temple in the empire had acknowledged that, and this family would do the same. Or
else, he mused, they would find themselves up to their necks in religious
discord which was the last thing they wanted given the delicate situation with the
empire.
    No, he decided, looking at the empress, it would be they
who served him, not the other way round.
    “You have to plan the service to crown my husband as
emperor, High Cleric?” she put to him.
    “Indeed, your majesty,” he confirmed, a slight bow of the
head was all he was prepared to make, and it could be interpreted as merely
agreeing with the statement she’d made.
    “Then I shouldn’t keep you any longer from that duty,
High Cleric. We all need sleep before the event tomorrow.”
    He smiled thinly. Such abrupt dismissal would not go
unanswered in the fullness of time. As he turned to go, turning his back on
her, a deliberate insult, Teduskis opened the door and almost bumped into him. He
quickly began to apologise but halted halfway through as the priest’s look
could have shrivelled him on the spot. The soldier stared at his back as he
stalked away, then he turned in puzzlement to the empress. “What was the matter
with him, ma’am?”
    “I dismissed him. He didn’t take kindly to that. Is
everything in order, Teduskis?”
    “As much as it should be, ma’am. The imperial guard is
barracked nicely; they like the quarters, they’re much better than they’re used
to!”
    “Good. Watch out for the palace guard commander, a man
called Mercos.”
    “Mercos?” Teduskis said sharply. “I know him – or
rather, know of him. A slimy piece of work, shifts allegiances with the wind. Totally
untrustworthy.”
    The empress nodded. “So I thought, judging by his
manner. He’s fetching Amne. Go see if you can find them both – I don’t want
anything untoward happening.”
    “Of course, ma’am,” Teduskis bowed and backed out of the
chamber.
    ____
    Amne was enjoying herself immensely. She’d asked one of
the palace servants where her room was and had been pointed in the direction of
a suite of rooms that she was told had been the empresses’ only the day before.
The servant had clearly not known who she was and had then gone on her way
without so much as a curtsey, but Amne was too excited to take her to task. Time
for that another day.
    In front of her was a treasure trove. More dresses and
shoes than she’d ever seen before in her entire life! Beautiful clothes, softer
and smoother than she’d ever imagined! Now she was a princess she’d dress in
such clothing, and never again have to have the coarser, rougher material she
was used to. The former empress’s clothes must be of wormspun, that magical
stuff from far away that cost a fortune because of the distance and danger on
the routes that were taken to bring it here to Kastan. Even further east they’d
never seen wormspun. And the shoes – she knelt in front of the open wardrobe
and ran her hands and fingers down the soft leather. Made so beautifully. The
best artisans in all