Maia (Beklan Empire 1)

She could not answer him. Nor could such a conversation, now clearly ended, be convincingly followed by any polite small talk.

"I'll think over your lordship's advice very carefully," she said.

Ten minutes later, having walked with him as far as her gate, she was down in the cellar, removing Randronoth's money to a less conjecturable hiding-place.

72: FRIENDS IN SECRET

She was walking in the big, smooth-grazed meadow with Gehta, the girl who had befriended her at the farm on the journey to Urtah.

"Why don't you find yourself a rich, noble husband?" said Gehta. "It means good and not harm."

She was carrying Randronoth's carved cabinet of the fishes in one hand. She opened it and showed Gehta a sheet of parchment, sealed at the foot.

"That's an order of release," she said. "It's entirely correct; I've only to take it down there. Then Zenka and I can be married."

"Ah," said Gehta, "but dad's farm's slap in the way."

Then she was running with Zenka--her own, dear Zenka--his staff officer's badges on his shoulders and a dagger in his hand.

"Forms--I'm going to kill her first," he said. "I'm utterly in love with you, Maia. I'll always love you. We'll meet again in Bekla and I'll marry you, if only you'll have me."

"Oh, Zenka," she cried in an agony, "don't go! Don't go! You'll be killed, I know it!"

"What kind of talk's that, Miss Maia?" And with this he began to fade and disappear before her eyes, like morning mist on Crandor. "What kind of talk's that, Miss Maia, Miss Maia?" And she was pitching in the Valderra, rolling hither and thither, struggling for her life.

"Miss Maia, Miss Maia! Oh, Gran and Airtha, you care a hard one to wake sometimes and no mistake!"

She was in her great, soft bed, with Ogma standing beside her. "Oh, miss, I been calling and shaking you very near to pieces, that I have! I was going to let you sleep on, see, only there's a girl downstairs with a message. She says it's important and she's been told she's to give it you herself."

Maia rubbed her eyes, yawning, and blinking at the sunshine.

"Do you know her, Ogma?"

"No, miss, but I done like you said and made sure she hadn't got no knife nor nothing of that."

"Where's she from?"

"From the Sacred Queen's palace, miss. She says her name's Chia and you know her."

"Chia? A big, dark girl with a squint and an Urtan accent?"

"That's her, miss. She seemed upset you wasn't awake. Said she couldn't stay all that long. That's why I come and woke you."

"Send her up here now."

A minute later Chia came hesitantly into the big, sunny, white-painted bedroom, gazing about her as though in fear. Her cropped hair was tousled and dirty: she was wearing a dirty sacking smock and had a shrinking, cringing manner, different indeed from the blustering, hefty lass in Lal-loc's hall who had stuffed her apple core down Maia's neck. She looked underfed, too, and it was easy enough to guess that she was no stranger to ill-treatment. Seeing Maia sitting on the edge of the bed, she stood stock-still and raised her palm to her forehead with downcast eyes.

"For Cran's sake, Chia," said Maia, jumping up and taking her hands, "don't do that! How are you?"

"Oh, saiyett--"

"And don't call me saiyett, without you want to make me feel a total fool. Come and sit down. Would you like some breakfast?"

Chia nodded speechlessly and Maia called down to Ogma to double everything she was getting ready to bring upstairs.

It proved difficult to draw Chia out, but after she had wolfed down two or three eggs, half a loaf of bread and butter, most of a honeycomb, a pint of milk and some fruit, she began to gain confidence.

Maia, sitting beside her in the window-seat, begged her not to hurry away. "I'll see as you don't get into trouble," she said. "That's to say, long as you haven't run away?" .

Chia shook her head. "No; it's a message."

"From the queen?" Maia, fearful, looked at her tensely. "Has she come back?"

"No, she's still in Paltesh, far's I know. It's from Zuno."

"Well, then, it can wait. Tell me what's been happening to you since we left Lalloc's."

Chia's story would have drawn tears from a basilisk. Not long after Maia and Occula had left for the upper city to be sold to Sencho for fifteen thousand meld apiece, she had found herself on the block in the Slave Market, one of a job lot of six or seven unattractive but strong girls suitable for domestic work.

She had not understood the bidding and had no idea how much they had been sold for; but she knew--and had good reason to know--who had bought them: the Sacred Queen's household bailiff.

Since that day, the only occasion on which she had left the kitchen quarters at the palace had been when she was taken upstairs to be beaten in front of Maia. Upon her first arrival in the queen's house she had had a recurrence of the illness about which she had told Maia at Lalloc's; and had nearly died of it, since no one had paid her the least attention, except to drag her to her feet and set her to work as soon as she was sufficiently recovered to show fear of punishment. She had been ill-fed, worked from morning till night and never allowed further than the yard. Once--and at this point in her account she did break down--a letter had come for her, brought by a carrier from northern Urtah who had actually taken the trouble to go to Lalloc's and find out where she was. Herself unable to read, she had asked for help from the housekeeper, who, having taken it from her and read it, had torn it up and told her to get back to work.

Naturally the kitchen-slaves, like everyone else in Bekla, had heard how Maia swam the river, and Chia had let it be known that the two of them had been together at Lal-loc's. One morning, many weeks later, Zuno had come down to the kitchens with a message that the Sacred Queen wished to know whether any of the slaves had ever been friendly with Maia. Chia, of course, had had no least idea what would follow. While being beaten she had been in such agony that she had not even realized that Maia had come into the room or had interceded for her. She had never known that Maia had been there at all, and had understood nothing about the business until now.

All this made Maia so angry that she was past caring what she did.

"You say Zuno sent you here this morning?"

"Yes, sai--I mean, Maia. He came downstairs and told the housekeeper it was me as was to go."

"I see: so you've got every business to be here. That's all I need to know."

Having told Ogma to get a bath ready for Chia, Maia sent Jarvil out to fetch a professional scribe. When Chia came downstairs an hour later, dressed in one of Maia's second-best robes (which was rather too small for her), Maia kissed her and said, "Well, now I'm going to read you two letters, so just sit down and listen.

" 'To the Sacred Queen's Household Bailiff. Sir, I write to inform you that I am purchasing your slave, Chia of Urtah, for the sum of two thousand meld, a price which I imagine you will not be disposed to regard as inadequate. The money is with the bearer of this letter, which you should receipt and return to me by his hand. Chia I have already sent to northern Urtah on personal business of my own. Maia Serrelinda.'

" 'To Surdad, elder of--you'll have to tell me the name of the village, Chia--'greetings. The bearer of this letter is Chia, a girl whom you will recall that you selected for your Beklan slave quota last summer. She has been my slave, but on account of her excellent conduct I have freed her and sent her home. Please assure me by return that she will never be included in any future slave quota. Maia Serrelinda.' "

Chia was so much overcome by this that she could not really pay attention to Maia's dispatch of Jarvil to the palace with the first letter and the money. It was not until Brero was being asked whether he would oblige by accompanying her down to the market and handing over the necessary payment for her to join the next caravan for northeastern Urtah, Gelt and Ortelga, that either of the girls remembered that in the first place Chia had come with a message. They both burst out laughing, as much from high spirits as anything