The Shadow Queen. Bertrice Small

taken aback by his tone so reminiscent of his father’s tone when annoyed. “Let me continue.”

      What had happened to the boy who just several weeks ago had cried in her arms, and claimed he was too young to rule? It was obvious that all the deferential treatment being lavished on her son had turned his head. But she would not embarrass him publicly. However, when they were alone she would speak most firmly to him.

      “The physicians tell me I will live but a few more weeks. It would comfort me in my last days to know that my beloved husband will have a proper new wife, and my sickly young son a good stepmother. I do not have to tell you, my lord Dominus, of the advantages such a marriage alliance between Hetar and Terah would have for both of our kingdoms. And your sister will have the privilege as I have had of being wife to Hetar’s ruler, a position for which she is eminently suited. I will eagerly await your thoughts on this proposal…”

      “No,” Lara said. “Zagiri will not be married to that man. He is old enough to be her father, my lord Dominus.”

      “An older husband is no disadvantage for a young woman. Zagiri needs a firm hand, Mother. He’s young enough to give her children, which could guarantee us peace for years to come,” Taj said to his mother.

      His council remained strangely silent.

      “We have no quarrel with Hetar now. We should have none in the future, and we are strong,” Lara reminded her son. “Jonah is an evil man. He will not love her, and every woman should be loved by her mate. Why would you condemn your sister to such a fate, my lord Dominus?”

      “I am Dominus of Terah, Mother. The decision is mine to make,” Taj replied.

      Lara could no longer contain her anger. “You are a Dominus by birth, Taj, but your father placed me in your stead until I deemed you old enough and wise enough to rule. What you propose is both foolish and heartless. We will refuse the offer.”

      “I have already told Zagiri of this offer of marriage, and she is not reluctant,” Taj surprised his mother by saying. “My sister knows her duty to Terah.”

      “Your sister is as foolish as you are!” Lara snapped. “She sees herself as Queen of Hetar, but she will not be. She would be nothing more than a wife whose husband happened to be in charge. This offer will be refused, Taj.”

      “Let us hear from my council,” Taj countered, flushing.

      “My lords?” Lara looked to the three men.

      “The offer is intriguing, especially as it comes from the Lord High Ruler’s dying wife,” Armen said. “Why do you suppose that is?”

      “Vilia is even more manipulative than Jonah,” Lara responded. “The idea is hers I am certain. If Jonah had approached us it would seem unfeeling of his wife’s condition. But by Vilia coming to us she portrays herself as a woman seeking to do a final service for the man whom she has loved and to whom she has been so loyal. You are touched by her caring, are you not, my lords? You are meant to be.”

      “Why would she approach us at all when there is peace between us?” Tostig asked. “Can this Lord High Ruler not find a wife of his own?”

      “There have of late been rumors in Hetar of the coming of the Hierarch,” Lara said. “Many think the Hierarch a myth. Others believe in him wholeheartedly. The Hierarch would, of course, challenge the rule of the Lord High Ruler. Vilia seeks to make Terah her husband’s ally in the event of such an occurrence,” Lara explained.

      “Who is the Hierarch?” Taj asked his mother.

      “It is said in Hetar that when things change for the worst, and things become too difficult for the people, that the Hierarch will come, and return everything to as it was before the troubles. He is believed to be like the navigator on a ship. He is supposed to put everything back on its proper course.”

      “Why now?” Taj said.

      “Because Hetar is going through great changes now, but those changes are not responsible for their difficulties. Their troubles have been caused by a previous government that was both corrupt and greedy. The late Gaius Prospero led Hetar into two ruinous wars. His alleged conquest of the Outlands has been a disaster with only the wealthy profiting. The Midland farmland is worn-out. There is a scarcity of food, and Razi has rendered the poor even more helpless. These are not problems that can be corrected easily, simply or quickly. It takes time, and frankly, despite the few women now getting elected into the Hetarian Council, the government is slow to act, which is very frustrating for the women who see the needs of the people and would correct them.

      “Now these rumors of the Hierarch have begun among the citizens of Hetar. For the Hierarch to come and return Hetar to the way it was means the women will once again be subjugated. But the myth suggests that he will also return Hetar to its former prosperity and glory. The people believe this will happen with a wave of the Hierarch’s hand. But this creature is not of the magical world. That I know. He is a mortal whoever he may be, and the truth is it is unlikely he can perform miracles. But desperate people in desperate times are apt to believe anything they are told that offers them a way out of the darkness. Lady Vilia seeks an alliance with Terah in hopes we can prevent the Hierarch, if indeed he exists, from toppling her husband from his lofty throne. She believes if your sister were wife to the Lord High Ruler that we would not want her driven from her own small pinnacle of importance, for it would reflect badly on Terah as well as Hetar.”

      “We should not put Princess Zagiri in such a precarious position,” Armen said slowly. “With all due respect to you, my lord Dominus, I believe such a marriage alliance would bring nothing of value to Terah. I deem it inadvisable as a member of your council to offer the princess to the Lord High Ruler.”

      “Indeed,” Tostig echoed, “it is likely Terah would suffer in more ways than one should we agree to such a marriage.”

      “Let us take a vote on the matter,” Corrado, who had been silent until now, said. “All in favor of refusing the Lady Vilia’s proposal speak out. Aye!”

      “Aye!” Armen said.

      “Aye,” Tostig agreed.

      “Your council has declined to give your sister in marriage to the Lord High Ruler, and I concur with them. Now, my lord Dominus, what say you?” Lara asked him.

      “I will agree with the council, my lady Domina. I did not know all the facts,” Taj said loftily in an effort to save face.

      Lara was not of a mind to let him off easily. “You acted rashly, my lord. You behaved like the boy you are. You saw what you believed to be a golden prize, and you reached for it greedily without realizing there was rot beneath. Never allow anyone to press you into a decision until you have examined all the facts of the situation. Now you must accept the responsibility of your actions. Go and tell your sister of the council’s decision, and why they have made it. Then return and dictate a refusal to the Lady Vilia,” Lara told her son sternly.

      The young Dominus arose from his place at the head of the table, and bowed to them all. He was flushed with his embarrassment as he hurried from the chamber.

      “Forgive me, my lords, for acting so harshly with my son,” Lara said, cleverly knowing that the three men in the chamber, while realizing she was correct, were still in sympathy with Taj. Males were, after all, in most cases the superior beings in Terah, but in Hetar that was changing, which the Dominus’s Council disapproved of and found threatening. “He must learn, and I could see no other way of making my point. As I have said before, Hetar is a danger to us. But perhaps under these circumstances it is time for us to find a husband for Zagiri. May I rely upon your advice in such a matter?”

      Corrado refrained from chuckling aloud. His sister-in-law had just neatly turned the irritation of his fellow council members away from her angry words to her son. He could see her sly flattery pleased them.

      “She will need a husband who cannot be cajoled by her willfulness,” Lara murmured. “And of course his birth must be impeccable, and his wealth without question. You will take your time, my good