Maia (Beklan Empire 1)

As Maia stood breathing hard, one hand against the column at her back, Terebinthia, all serenity, took two steps forward and, smiling, embraced her. Then she gestured towards a curtained opening a little way up the corridor--the one through which she must have entered.

"We'll go to my room. I hope this is as pleasant a surprise for you, Maia, as it is for me. Somehow, when Mesca told me, I had an idea it might be you."

If Maia could have fled from the house she would: have done so; but somehow it was still not in her power to resist the smooth domination which Terebinthia had always exercised. Having recovered a little from her initial shock, she was doing her best to tell herself that she no longer had any reason to be afraid of Terebinthia. On the contrary, she had cause--yes, of course she had cause--to be glad that the woman she had come to see had turned out to be an old acquaintance with every reason to feel well-disposed towards her. Lespa's stars! Enough of the money she'd made had found its way into Terebinthia's pocket: and she'd always been obedient and cooperative and never done Terebinthia any harm.

And yet she was afraid. The Terebinthia she had known had never been kind or generous to anyone.

Always in dealing with her there had been apprehension, an atmosphere of cat-and-mouse; and it had not evaporated--not as far as Maia was concerned. But she's no longer got the power! thought Maia desperately. She hasn't got the power like she used to. She's no more saiyett now than what I am. Yet even as she tried to impress this on herself her misgiving grew. This acquaintance she had rediscovered was no friend, had never been a friend. " "Well, I certainly never could have guessed that Almynis would turn out to be you," she replied, in a tone as light and genial as she could manage. "Never even entered my head! You've certainly got a nice place here. Gave me a surprise: I mean, in Nybril--well, it's rather out of the way, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," agreed Terebinthia, "but that has its advantages for me, as I'm sure you must realize."

Opening a door on their left, she gestured to Maia to enter. Maia found herself in a small sitting-room, pleasantly cool, with a floor of pale-green tiles, two couches, a table with benches and a wide window, west-facing and shuttered. The tiles were dappled by sunlight through the louvres.

"Sit down, Maia," said Terebinthia. "You must have had a hot walk from Nybril. We'll have some wine and you Can relax a little."

She had seldom felt less relaxed, thought Maia. Terebinthia went to the door and called. Maia (who had not sat down, but remained standing tensely in the middle of the room) heard a girl's voice responding. Returning, Terebinthia looked at Maia with an air of mild surprise, paused a moment and then, with a slight shrug of her shoulders, sat down herself.

"You're looking well, Maia. Renown evidently suits you. You've done very well for yourself, haven't you? Or ought I perhaps to say you were doing well for yourself? I wonder what may have brought you here?"

Her broad, sleepy-eyed, dark-complexioned face regarded Maia intently, very like a cat indeed, and she leaned back, spreading her arms along the top of the couch as she waited for Maia's answer.

To Maia there seemed no point in beating about the bush.

"I left Bekla because Queen Fornis tried to murder me."

Terebinthia nodded, rather as though Maia had told her that she had decided to travel for her health.

"Are you alone here, then?"

"No: I'm with Bayub-Otal of Urtah and a Katrian officer of King Karnat."

Terebinthia raised her eyebrows. "A Katrian officer? And Bayub-Otal, you say? I thought he'd been killed in the fighting at Rallur."

"No: they were both prisoners in Bekla, but the three of us were able to get away."

There was a tap at the door and a fair, slight girl, who looked no more than eleven, dressed in tawdry finery like Mesca, came in with a tray--a wine-flask and cups, serrardoes and a plate of prions.

Terebinthia remained silent while she set down the tray and left them. Maia, whom the child had rather reminded of Kelsi, was unable altogether to contain her feelings.

"Isn't she rather young for--for the work here?"

"She is young, of course," replied Terebinthia smoothly, "but she's shaping well, I'm glad to say, and learning quickly."

She poured the wine and handed Maia her cup. Suddenly, Maia was overcome with a terrible conviction that the wine must be poisoned. Don't be silly, she thought; why should she poison you? Well, to please Fornis and reinstate herself. For envy. For what she can get.

"Bayub-Otal knows I've come here today, of course," she said.

"Of course," replied Terebinthia; and drank. Maia sipped too, staring down into the cup. It looked like ordinary wine--she could see no discoloration--and there was no unusual taste. She helped herself to a prion and nibbled it. Her hand was trembling, but perhaps Terebinthia had not noticed.

"And how's dear Occula?" asked Terebinthia suddenly, putting down her cup.

"Occula? Oh--oh, she's fine," answered Maia. "That's to say, she was when I come away."

Terebinthia waited inquiringly, allowing it to be clear that she knew that Maia must know that this was not an adequate reply.

"She was arrested after the High Counselor's murder, of course--"

"You both were, weren't you?" said Terebinthia.

"--only Queen Fornis took a fancy to her, see, and she's been with her ever since."

/> "Queen Fornis? And yet you say she tried to kill you!"

"Well, thing was, she thought I was out to be Sacred Queen, see; but I wasn't."

"No, of course not; because you and Occula were working for the heldril all along, weren't you? You contrived the murder of the High Counselor between you."

There was no disguising, now, the malice in Terebinthia's eyes. The Serrelinda, however--now that it was out in the open--was equal to looking steadily back at her.

"I had nothing whatever to do with it, Terebinthia. I didn't know anything about it until it happened."

"Well, of course I must take your word for that, mustn't I?"

"You can. I'll be perfectly frank with you: I'm not sorry he died, but I had nothing to do with it."

"And Occula?"

"I've no idea."

"Come, come, Maia. You and she were inseparable. You're telling me she told you nothing?"

"She'd nothing to tell, Terebinthia, that's why. Had, she'd 'a told me; I agree with you that far."

"It's important to me, you see," went on Terebinthia. "I've got a lot to thank them for, those who killed Sencho. I was under suspicion of having had to do with it myself; I knew that. As if I could have had any motive for wanting him dead! He was worth a fortune to me. But I wasn't going to wait to be condemned by the Council. So I had to forfeit everything and leave Bekla at once."

"Is that why you left?"

"Of course. But I could never have succeeded if Elvair-ka-Virrion hadn't paid me very generously in return for letting him take Milvushina away the day after the murder. He got me out of the upper city in disguise, with everything valuable I could carry. Why else do you think I'm here with a false name in a place like this, instead of Ikat or Herl-Belishba? So you see I've very little reason indeed to feel friendly towards those who killed Sencho."

Maia, who was now beginning to feel really frightened, gazed back at her silently.

"And now you know, don't you, where I am? You could tell anyone you wanted to. I confess that worries me rather, Maia."

Hadthere been something in the wine? Maia's head was swimming. The room seemed like a little box, over which was brooding an enormous presence; the forest-giant of Purn, the gigantic doorman--they were one and the same. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. She must retain an outward appearance of self-possession.