Traitor's Moon

died.
    â€œMay I see the tassel?” Ulan asked. He maintained the semblance of respect, but his eyes were cold as he examined the hank of silk. “This was certainly cut from a Virésse sen’gai, but not one of mine. As khirnari, mine have a thread of darker red woven in among the others. This one does not.
    â€œAs for the death of Torsin í Xandus, it is as great a loss to me as it is to you. He has been a great friend of mine for many years. He understood the workings of the Iia’sidra better than any Tírfaie I have known.”
    â€œAnd he was sympathetic to the plight of Virésse,” Thero put in.
    Seregil watched in amazement. Young as he was, Thero appeared to consider himself a match for this venerable intriguer. There was not the least show of hesitancy as he met the khirnari’s appraising stare.
    â€œWhat were you discussing with him, those times you met?” the wizard asked. “A separate deal of some sort, one that would protect the interests of your clan?”
    Ulan gave a condescending nod. “But of course. We were working toward a compromise, one your Princess Klia was quite aware of: open trade through Gedre for the duration of the Skalan’s war, but with the understanding that when the need was gone, control of shipping would return to Virésse. Many of my fellow khirnari have grave misgivings about Klia’s original proposal, given the character of your new queen.”
    â€œAnd you made certain they knew of her flaws,” Seregil said quietly.
    Ulan inclined his head as if accepting a compliment. “Gedre is too remote, too unguarded, and too weak a clan to protect itself, should Phoria renege on her agreements. Who is to say that a woman who would betray her own land, her own mother, would not seek to possess the riches Aurënen can offer, once she has seen how to get at them?”
    And what was your plan, before Phoria was queen?
Seregil wondered with grudging admiration. How many different scenarios had the man prepared for to protect his clan’s interests? He’d held his secrets about Phoria in reserve, to be played like a winning hand of cards. What would he have done with them if Idrilain were still hale and hearty on the throne?
    â€œIt’s Plenimar’s capture of the northern trade routes that’s put Skala in need,” Thero was saying.
    â€œI’m aware of that, as it was Skala’s rather possessive control of that same route which cemented the bonds of trade between Plenimar and the eastern clans these past few centuries,” Ulan replied. “Win or lose, Plenimar remains the more attractive suitor for Aurënen’s affections.”
    â€œDespite the fact that they have been courting Zengati support against Aurënen in the event that the Iia’sidra votes in Skala’s favor?” asked Seregil.
    Ulan gave him a condescending look. “You haven’t heard? The Zengati have troubles of their own just now. Tribal war has broken out again, as it does periodically among that excitable race.”
    â€œYou’re certain of this?” Thero gasped.
    â€œMy spies there are most reliable. I cannot give them credit by name, of course, but I suspect Seregil would recognize one or two of them.”
    â€œIlar?” Seregil rasped as a bolt of sick apprehension tore through him. “He’s alive?”
    The khirnari smile was inscrutable. “I have had no communication with that man since his disappearance, but even if it were he, surely you of all people must admit that exiles may have their uses?”
    Since his disappearance?
Why would the khirnari of Virésse know a young Chyptaulos at all, unless he had good reason to? Meeting Ulan’s cool gaze, Seregil knew in his bones what the answer to that question would be. He knew with equal certainty thatUlan would never reveal that truth unless it were in his own interest to do so.
    â€œThe timing of this tribal war was very fortunate,” Thero observed. “It would have been disastrous for Aurënen if the Zengati and Plenimar forged a bond.”
    â€œLuck can be an expensive thing,” Ulan replied with a meaningful look. “Yet who can put a price on the security of one’s homeland? But that need not concern you, as it may work to your benefit one day.”
    â€œYou believe Plenimar will win this time, don’t you?” asked Seregil, controlling himself with an