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the
tittering ladies with a friendly grin and then, as if the evening
hadn’t been quite upsetting enough already, he took a long breath
and began to speak in a sonorous tone.
    “ Be still, the beating
wings of my heart, dry up, the windows of my soul, do not weep for
that which could never be…”
    The first claps were
awkward, lonely things, but the swell of applause grew and grew and
even Queen Eleanora had to accept that the man was here, after
all.
     
    ***
     
    “ Lowren.”
    He stopped his recital.
    “ Yes, Majesty?”
    She stood there very straight and grim.
She clapped her hands.
    “ Ladies.”
    They shuffled and giggled and stood up
straight. They tittered and covered their mouths and waited upon
their sovereign’s instruction.
    His mouth opened. He winked, looking
around in sly understanding.
    “ Ah.”
    She blushed. He grinned in pure
enjoyment.
    “ Ladies. You will please
retire. And no eavesdropping.” This was always a hazard.
    All the women of noble birth were
confined to this end of the house during the hours of darkness for
many reasons, some of them not so obvious.
    She could always lock them in
indefinitely. It had been done before, although not by her...not
yet.
    There was a second exit at the far end
in case of fire, but the look on Lowren’s face told her that this
too would be guarded.
    “ Perhaps Theodelinda would
care to stay and be of counsel.” Those dark eyes glittered at
them.
    There were squeaks and giggles as the
group made their exit into the inner reaches of what could only be
described as the harem. It was a harem of virgins, presumably.
Bright, round eyes took one last look back, an appreciative look,
even a speculative look in one-too-many cases. The last girl went
out the door.
    Her cousin was right there. Quiet
reigned at last.
    Her face was grim.
    “ Lowren. What is the
meaning of this intrusion?”
    “ I needed to speak to you,
Eleanora. And yet, so far, you have rejected or refused to
recognize my embassies. There are matters of grave import which
require attention, both yours and mine.”
    “ This is a most
extraordinary act. Even for a barbarian. Explain
yourself.”
    “ If I had sent a rider,
with messages of state, and if he did not arrive, or if you should
send him back…and if the message should fall into the wrong hands,
it would be tragedy for all concerned. These are serious matters. I
must speak frankly with my neighbors. With all due respect,
Majesty, that includes you.”
    “ And what message would
that be?” Theodelinda glanced at Eleanora, unsure of the reaction
but reassured by her short nod.
    “ That the Hordes are
arming. And they have taken Sinopus, on the Great Blue Sea. And
there are a half a million men under arms…probably more, actually.
The Great Khan does nothing without reason, Majesty.”
    She took a sharp breath.
    She’d heard the news of course, and
troubling it was.
    “ And so naturally, you
thought of us first.”
    “ Something like that,
yes.”
    The King looked down at his
attire.
    “ I hope you will be
inclined to listen, for I mean you no harm. My own presence is
evidence of my sincerity, for surely we cannot stay long without
being discovered and overwhelmed.”
    He wasn’t about to tell her that she
had been taken by a bare dozen men, all of them
volunteers.
    She stared, half-believing it. As far
as barbarian rulers went, he was better than most. His word was
said to be good, and the Lemni were some of the finest light
cavalry known outside of the boundaries of proper military
discipline and organization. But they were good nevertheless. They
were also known to raid far up and down the coast in their
long-ships when the cause suited them. They accepted gifts from
many other states, which were usually seen as tribute by the
recipients. Lowren’s kingdom was at least stable and had been so
for a couple of generations.
    There weren’t very many of them, of
course. In that sense, they didn’t carry much weight