Read The Queen of Attolia for Free Online

carrying the queen’s messages stepped forward.
    She noted that he was one of her first cousins, which suited her.
    “Crodes,” she said, “carry me a message to the engineer at the reservoir telling him to release the waters ofthe Aracthus this evening as we agreed. Then go on to the officer in charge of the bridge at the pass.”
    The country of Eddis lay in the mountains between the two countries of Sounis and Attolia. Through the Hephestial Mountains there was one pass to carry trade between the two lowland countries. It had been carved by the Seperchia River as it cut through the softer limestone of the coastal mountains on its way from Attolia to Sounis and the middle sea. All traffic between Attolia and Sounis climbed the mountain pass, crossing several bridges in the process, the most important being the Main Bridge, which spanned the chasm of the Seperchia near the top of the pass. On one bank there was no traversable path to Attolia, and on the far bank there was none to Sounis. All traffic bottlenecked at the bridge, and Eddis controlled it.
    “To the officer at the bridge,” said Eddis. “My compliments to him for his well-performed duties, and he will detain the next ten Attolian traders and their trade caravans. He is to confiscate everything but the clothes on their backs and turn them loose. If they protest, tell them they may apply to their queen for compensation.”
    “Yes, Your Majesty.”
    “Your Majesty.” People in the room turned to look at the Attolian ambassador. “It is my obligation to assure you that news of this will not be well received by my queen.”
    “I expect not,” said Eddis, and turned back to hermessenger. “Crodes,” she said, “tell him the next ten large caravans.”
    Politically the loss of Eugenides’s service was severe. Sounis was still eager to expand his borders, and only his fear of assassination kept him in check. But Attolia hadn’t had merely a political loss in mind. If she’d wanted Eddis to be without the Thief’s services, she could have executed him. She meant to hurt Eddis at every level, and she had succeeded. A hundred caravans of merchandise couldn’t repair the damage. Sighing inwardly, Eddis excused herself and went upstairs to see her Thief.
     
    The library was empty, but the connecting door to Eugenides’s study and bedchamber was open. Eugenides lay on his bed, and Galen, the palace physician, bent over him. He straightened as the queen entered.
    “He’s unconscious?” Eddis asked, standing by the bed.
    “He’s drugged,” said the physician. “We got some lethium drops into him.” He was glad she hadn’t come earlier. Eugenides was feverish and hadn’t recognized anyone when he’d wakened. They’d had to hold him down and force the lethium into his mouth. There’d been no way to measure what had gone in and what he’d spat out again.
    “How is his arm?” the queen asked.
    The physician shook his head and gestured to thefilthy bandages. “I haven’t gotten to his arm. I assume it was well cauterized or it would stink more.” The physician pushed the hair off Eugenides’s forehead. “His head isn’t broken, although clearly it might have been. You can see the bruising on his forehead, but if he’d cracked his skull, he’d probably be dead already. I’m more worried about his right eye, which is infected. See the grit on his eyelashes.” The physician pointed it out, sweeping his finger above the lashes, careful not to brush them.
    “If it’s prison glower,” the physician explained, “he’ll lose the sight in that eye, and if the infection spreads, he’ll be blind in both.” He shrugged helplessly.
    Two servants bearing ewers of warm water slipped into the room behind the queen.
    “You can’t treat it?”
    “I’m not an oculist. I’ve sent for one in town, but as far as I know, there isn’t a treatment. There’s a man in Attolia who says he has an ointment that will keep the infection from spreading,