Authoress's Note: a brief interlude today, dear readers. We will return to the Seven Isles in the next chapter.
Chapter the Thirty-fifth: An Interlude on Treason
18 Fairdawn 2076
The door to Juliana's chamber opened. The Archen lady turned to see the Grand Vizier's chief servant.
"You will present yourself to the Grand Vizier tonight and dine with him," the servant stated, emotionless.
"Very well," Juliana replied, equally emotionless.
As the Jewel navigated the Brenn channel far to the North, Juliana prepared herself for this long awaited meeting. Her comfortable incarceration had given her time to evaluate the cold, vulnerable reality of her new position. As much as she rued the youthful rashness that betrayed her, her malice and desire for power grew in equal measure. Guile and patience, she realized, would serve her now best of all. So, she dressed carefully for the evening, selecting a flattering green silk dress that set both her eyes and her emerald necklace off to great advantage.
As the sun washed the tropical island in the last warmth of sunset, the chief servant returned for her. Juliana followed him without a word. After winding through the mansion's halls, they entered a wide, airy room. Pale sandstone pillars supported the ornately decorated roof, and wide windows left the long walls open to a lush courtyard beyond them. A low table sat in the room's center, surrounded with large, plush cushions and covered in Calormen delicacies. The Grand Vizier himself sat upon a cushion at the table's head.
"Please, sit, my lady," he invited, without rising. Without replying, Juliana took a seat at the opposite end of the table, her spine straight and proud.
A moment passed in silence as the chief servant poured wine into each goblet. Other servants lit inlaid lamps suspended between the columns.
"Please, help yourself," the Calormene nobleman spoke, gesturing to the table's wealth of food. Juliana comfortably began to sample the various dishes, unhurried and unspeaking.
"I trust your stay has been comfortable." The tarkaan's eyes carried a sharp, calculating intelligence.
"Indeed, my lord. You have my thanks," Juliana inclined her head slightly as she took a sip of wine. He returned her nod and continued to eat in silence.
"What service do you wish in return?" She met his sharp eye with her own. The corner of his mouth flicked upward in a sly smile.
"What is treason, my lady?" He rested his elbows on the table's surface and, clasping his hands, fixed the Archenlander with an intent gaze.
It was Juliana's turn to smile slightly. The tarkaan asked a question she had pondered much.
"Treason, my lord, is what the powerful call the self-interest of others."
"Well answered," the Tisroc's chief advisor commended her. After a pause, he fixed his sharp gaze on the Archenlander anew. "You are here, my lady, because I find the concept of treason most intriguing."
"Indeed, my lord?" She returned his gaze without flinching.
"I have studied it at length—from the assassination of the first Tisroc to the barbarian child-king of Narnia. Treason, my lady, has ancient power. It is woven into the very fabric of the World."
The Grand Vizier paused, assessing Juliana with a calculating eye.
"In return for my continued hospitality, I offer you the opportunity to participate in an experiment on this subject."
Juliana leaned back and assessed him for a moment, then took her wine goblet in her hand.
"It would be my pleasure," said she, raising the goblet briefly in salute before taking a sip.
Authoress's note: three chapters in a month; I think lockdown is accruing to your benefit, dear readers! I always appreciate you staying with my lengthy adventure. Blessings!