Maia (Beklan Empire 1)

"D'you reckon they're going to make you Sacred Queen at the end of this year?"

In the freezing silence that followed her question, the wretched girl stammered, "Well, miss, I--I only just-- only people keep saying--I mean, there's them as--"

"Get out!" cried Maia, hurling the towel at her. "Get out! And if ever you dare to talk to me like that again I'll have you sent to Zeray, d'you understand? Zeray?"

As Ogma, flabbergasted--for Maia was almost always the most easy-going and conversable of mistresses--stumbled out of the room, Maia flung herself across the massage-couch, sobbing, beating her clenched fists in the cushions and swearing as fluently as Occula herself.

"Opportunity!" whispered Zen-Kurel in her mind's ear. "Aren't you the girl who had the wit to dress herself in golden hiies to meet the king? D'you suppose I've forgotten; d'you suppose I could ever forget my princess of opportunity? Only find the opportunity, Maia!"

After a time she dried her eyes, dressed and went pensively down to breakfast in the sunny garden.

Half an hour later, the silk trader temporarily forgotten, she was lying in a low-slung hammock with one foot on the grass when Nennaunir, all diaphanous gauze and perfume, burst into the garden with a fervor like that of a hound welcoming a returning master. Before she rightly knew what was happening, Maia found herself embraced and so smothered with kisses that she could hardly find breath to greet the shearna or ask what it was all about. .

At length Nennaunir rose from her knees beside the hammock and stood looking down at her with a smile that broke into the outright laughter of pure joy.

"You--you miracle-worker!" said the shearna, wiping tears from her eyes. "You conjuress! How d'you do it-- m'm?"

Maia, feeling good-humored enough but a shade impatient of this unexplained transport, was visited by a touch of the Occulas.

"Well, on my back, mostly, but sometimes I--"

Nennaunir, grasping her two hands in her own, swung her to and fro in the hammock.

"Oh, Maia, thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! What more--what more can I say?"

Maia looked up at her frowning, and shook her head.

"You mean to say you don't know?" asked Nennaunir.

"That's 'zackly what I do mean to say. What you on about?"

"It's Sednil! Sednil! He's back, he's back in Bekla! He's freel Randronoth's given him a release token! And now the queen's gone, he's got nothing to be afraid of! I suppose you didn't arrange that too, by any chance, did you?"

Maia jumped up.

"Sednil; free? Oh, Nan, I'm so glad! Well, good old Randronoth--I never guessed he'd be that quick! I reckon he's a lot better than what he's given credit for; some ways, anyhow. What happened, then? Tell me! When did Sednil get back? Did he come straight to see you or what?"

"No, dear; I went to see him. Well, he couldn't possibly hope to get admission to the upper city, could he? He reached Bekla early yesterday morning. He'd been three days walking from Lapan. He was in rags--good as--and he had two meld on him. And then by sheer luck he overheard someone in the market saying look, that was the Serrelinda's servant-girl over there buying vegetables, so he went up to her and gave her his two meld to come and tell me. So it was your Ogma who brought me the news. That was why I was so surprised you hadn't heard."

"So'm I. 'N then what?"

"Well, I went straight down, of course, and there he was, waiting by the Scales in the Caravan Market. My dear, we've hardly been out of bed for the last twenty-four hours! But I've got him some reasonable lodgings down near the Tower of the Orphans, and given him enough money to buy some decent clothes. He's started looking for work already." For a moment Nennaunir looked troubled. "I only hope he'll find something, and not get into any more trouble."

"But surely, now, you can keep him going as long as ever he needs, can't you?" asked Maia.

"Yes, of course I could," replied Nennaunir, "if only he'd have it. But I told you before, didn't I? He's a very funny lad that way, is Sednil. That's partly why I'm so fond of him, I suppose. He won't take money from anyone unless he reckons he's earned it himself. D'you know he's actually tallied up everything I've paid out for him? As far as he's concerned it's a loan and he means to pay it back, every last meld. That's what's worrying me: I don't think he's going to find it all that easy. I'm never sure how much you know, Maia dear, about Beklan ways; but it's usually rather difficult for branded men to get respectable work. Silly, I call it, because often, of course, it only drives them back to crime."

Ogma came into the garden to clear away the plat

es.

"Ogma," said Maia, "Miss Nennaunir tells me you saw her friend Sednil in the market yesterday, just after he'd got back from Lapan."

Ogma looked startled and somewhat confused. "Why, yes, that's right, miss: he came up and spoke to me."

"It didn't cross your mind that I might be interested to know he was back?"

"Why, no, miss; I can't say as that occurred to me at all," replied Ogma, in a tone of defensive indignation. "Why, I didn't even know as you knew him!" Then, as Maia remained silent, she added, "I hope you're not thinking as I acted wrong, miss, in not telling you? It never even entered my head. He didn't look--well, to tell you the plain truth, miss, and I don't want to speak out of turn, but he didn't look at all like someone as you'd --that's to say--" Conscious of Nennaunir's eyes on her, she became even more disconcerted. "I'm sure I'm very sorry, saiyett, if I--"

Maia laid a hand on her arm. "No, it's all right, Ogma. You weren't to know I knew him, and nobody's cross. Just forget all about it. I think Miss Nennaunir's staying to dinner" (Nennaunir nodded, smiling) "so we'll have those pigeons U-Sarget sent, shall we? That's if you think they've hung long enough? How do you think they ought to be cooked? You tell me."

"You know," said Nennaunir, when Ogma had been sufficiently flattered, soothed and sent about her business, . "she was right, of course. Strictly speaking she wasn't to know. But all the same, a girl who's looking after someone like you really ought to have her ear a bit closer to the ground and be able to put two and two together better than that. It's part of her jot>--or it ought to be. Terebinthia, Sessendris: why don't you get yourself someone like that? You could easily afford it, and it might make all the difference one of these days."

"No, I won't get rid of Ogma," said Maia. "She was with us at Sencho's and she knows my ways."

"I'm not suggesting you should get rid of her," replied Nennaunir. "But why not get yourself a proper saiyett as well, someone a bit sharper--"

"Well, I'll think it over, Nan, honest; and I'll think it over 'bout Sednil, too, and help if I can."