Guardians of the West
Page 33The door opened again, and a nondescript man came in, quickly crossed to the table, and whispered something to Javelin. The man's face, Errand noticed, was pale, and his hands were trembling.
Javelin's face grew set, and he sighed. He gave no other outward sign of emotion, however. He rose to his feet and came around the table. "Your Majesty." he said formally to Prince Kheva, "I believe that you should return to the palace immediately."
Silk and Liselle both caught the changed form of address and looked sharply at the Chief of Drasnian Intelligence.
"I believe that we should all accompany the King back to the palace," Javelin said sadly. "We must offer our condolences to his mother and aid her in any way we can in her hour of grief."
The King of Drasnia looked at his intelligence chief, his eyes very wide and his lip trembling.
Errand gently took the little boy's hand in his. "We'd better go, Kheva," he said. "Your mother will need you very much right now."
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Kings of Aloria gathered in Boktor for the funeral of King Rhodar and the subsequent coronation of his son, Kheva. Such a gathering, of course, was traditional. Though the nations of the north had diverged somewhat over the centuries, the Alorns nonetheless had never forgotten their origins in the single kingdom of King Cherek Bear-shoulders five thousand years in the dim past, and they came together at such times in sadness to bury a brother. Because King Rhodar had been beloved and respected by other nations as well, Anheg of Cherek, Cho-Hag of Algaria, and Belgarion of Riva were joined by Fulrach of Sendaria, Korodullin of Arendia, and even by the erratic Drosta lek Thun of Gar og Nadrak. In addition, General Varana was present as the representative of Emperor Ran Borune XXIII of Tolnedra, and Sadi, Chief Eunuch of the palace of Queen Salmissra of Nyissa, was also in attendance.The burial of an Alorn King was a serious matter, and it involved certain ceremonies at which only the other Alorn monarchs were present. No gathering of so many kings and high-ranking functionaries, however, could ever be entirely ceremonial. Inevitably, politics were of major concern in the quiet discussions which took place in the somberly draped corridors of the palace.
Errand, soberly dressed and quiet, drifted from one small gathering to another in those days preceding the funeral.
The Kings all knew him, but they seemed for some reason to take little note of his presence, and so he heard many conversations which he might perhaps not have heard had they stopped to consider the fact that he was no longer the little boy they had known during the campaign in Mishrak ac Thull.
"Porenn is going to have to serve as regent," Garion said. "Kheva is only six, and somebody's going to have to run things until he's old enough to take charge himself."
"A woman?" Anheg said, aghast.
"Anheg, are we going to have that argument again?" Cho-Hag asked mildly.
"I don't see any alternative, Anheg," Garion said in his most persuasive manner. "King Drosta is almost drooling at the prospect of a boy king on the throne of Drasnia. His troops will be biting off chunks of the borderlands before the rest of us get home unless we put someone in charge here."
"But Porenn is so tiny," Anheg objected irrationally, "and so pretty. How can she possibly run a kingdom?"
"Probably very well," Cho-Hag replied, shifting his weight carefully on his crippled legs. "Rhodar confided in her completely, and she was behind the scheme that eliminated Grodeg, after all."
"About the only other person in Drasnia competent enough to take charge here is the Margrave Khendon," Garion told the King of Cherek. "The one they call Javelin. Do you want the Chief of Drasnian Intelligence sitting behind the throne giving orders?"
Anheg shuddered. "That's a ghastly thought. What about Prince Kheldar?"
Garion stared at him. "You're not serious, Anheg," he said incredulously. "Silk? As regent?"
"A little?" Garion laughed.
"Are we agreed, then?" Cho-Hag asked. "It has to be Porenn, right?"
Anheg grumbled, but finally agreed.
The Algar King turned to Garion. "You'll probably have to issue a proclamation."
"Me? I don't have any authority in Drasnia."
"You're the Overlord of the West," Cho-Hag reminded him. "Just announce that you recognize Porenn's regency and declare that anyone who argues about it or violates her borders will have to answer to you."
"That should back Drosta off." Anheg chuckled grossly. "He's almost more frightened of you than he is of 'Zakath. He probably has nightmares about your flaming sword sliding between his ribs."
In another corridor, Errand came upon General Varana and Sadi the Eunuch. Sadi wore the mottled, iridescent silk robe of the Nyissans, and the general was draped in a silver Tolnedran mantle with broad bands of gold-colored trim across his shoulders.
"So, it's official, then?" Sadi said in his oddly contralto voice, eyeing the general's mantle.
"We had heard rumors in Sthiss Tor that Ran Borune had adopted you as his son."
"Expediency." Varana shrugged. "The major families of the Empire were dismantling Tolnedra in their scramble for the throne. Ran Borune had to take steps to quiet things down."
"You will take the throne when he dies, though, won't you?"
"We'll see," Varana replied evasively. "Let's pray that his Majesty will live for many years yet."
"Of course," Sadi murmured. "The silver mantle of the crown prince does become you, however, my dear General." He rubbed one long-fingered hand over his shaved scalp.
"Thank you," Varana said with a slight bow. "And how are affairs in Salmissra's palace?"
Sadi laughed sardonically. " The same as they always are. We connive and plot and scheme against each other, and every scrap of food prepared in our kitchens is tainted with poison."
"I'd heard that was the custom," Varana remarked. "How does one survive in such a lethal atmosphere?"