Chapter 2: The Lady

The Royal Palace of Salaking was a very different place now to the way it had been. Originally intended as a retreat for the sitting Empress when she visited that city, it had been seized by Princess Aurana as her power base when she was fourteen. Jadra had lived there since then, but it had never been the same since the Princess had died.

After Antus and the rest of Lady Nagina's guards had managed to drive off the assassins on the Night of Knives, the Lady had taken it as her base of operations, relying on it for its obvious authority and its strong defenses. Now it was always bustling with soldiers, its gardens being used for stables and exercise grounds, and the damane kennels had eaten up an extra couple of floors.

The Palace had always been intended as a retreat. The walls were all polished white marble and hung with beautiful tapestries commemorating the Consolidation, and other historical epics. Windows let the sunlight shine in everywhere.

At least that's how it had been. Now the marble was stained by blood and ashes, which da'covale were still clearing up. The tapestries were torn and tattered. Even if the sun had been out, it would not have penetrated the ramshackle wooden barricades over the windows.

Nowhere was the change more evident than the map room. Previously one of Aurana's largest sitting rooms, it was dominated now by tables with maps all over them. The large glass doors to the balcony were closed all the time now, to prevent gusts of wind upsetting the carefully tended maps. It was difficult for Jadra to even remember his long times spent out on the balcony, keeping a careful eye on Aurana as she entertained members of the Blood out in the sun.

Usually the centre of the room was devoted to a large map of the whole Empire, but today, as Antus and Jadra pushed past some scurrying da'covale cupbearers into the room there was a large map of Salaking in the centre, with Lady Nagina hovering over it with her other generals, while other members of the Lady's inner circle sat at the other tables, frantically writing messages for runners.

The usual line of red stars was in place across the city showing the parts under the Lady's control. Across from it were a scattering of white discs showing the larger part of the city under the control of the True Blood.

Jadra was always saddened when he saw the map like this. It was the first time in anyone's memory that Seanchan were fighting Seanchan on the battlefield. Shortly after Lady Nagina had secured the palace and surrounding areas of Salaking, word had come through that the attack was not an isolated event, that the entire royal family were dead. Three of the more prominent members of the High Blood in Salaking had instantly declared themselves in charge of the city.

Lady Nagina had refused to allow them or the troops following them into her controlled parts of the city and had co-opted the local barracks of the Ever Victorious Army to supplement her personal forces under Antus. The city had devolved since into a simmering civil war between Nagina and the self-named True Blood.

It was not the stars or discs on the map, that were getting Jadra's attention now though. Many black discs marking engagements were dotted all over the Lady's section of the city, and there were quite a few in the rest of it too. There were apparently no active battles between the True Blood and Nagina though. As Jadra puzzled over this Lady Nagina turned to look up at him.

Aurana had never suppressed a shiver when she looked at Jadra, Aurana had never been hesitant about meeting Jadra's eyes. None of this should have mattered when Nagina did it, but it did. Jadra had served Aurana too long and become attached to her, as often happened with the Deathwatch Guard. Guards and Gardeners were meant to stay impersonal, and detached in order to safeguard their charges and fulfil their duties. Jadra had been conditioned all his life to defend Aurana without knowing her at all.

It didn't matter. All the training in the world couldn't make Jadra forget the princess. He missed her, to the point where his memory of her was more important to him than his life or his duty.

But that could not be. Jadra had mostly agreed to help Antus serve Nagina to throw himself back into his duty, and try to begin piecing his life back together. Nagina wasn't Aurana, but she was his charge now and he had to remember that.

"Jadra, Antus." She said quietly and forcefully. "The blood has hit the ashes."

"I don't understand, Lady." Said Antus "We had no plans for an attack…"

"This wasn't Ternoc and the others, it was someone else." Jadra always admired the girl's growing confidence when she spoke of military matters. No other 17 year old girl in the Empire likely knew as much of war as Lady Nagina had learned in the past few weeks.

"Who?" asked Jadra carefully.

Lady Nagina began to pace over to the windows, while carefully keeping her face a mask of unconcerned authority.

"As far as we can tell they attacked both our and the enemy's patrols and attempted to take two of our bases. Survivors said they were all men and women, no damane or cavalry of any kind. Oh, and some of them were carrying these."

She pointed at a knife sitting on the table. Antus picked it up. Bloodknife. Jadra snarled. This was a rare thing, issued only to elite Fists of Heaven, not something that should have been found on an unknown enemy assailant. He began to understand why he could hear the faintest hint of terror in Nagina's voice.

"Could these be the ones behind the Night of Knives?" he asked. Antus looked at him carefully.

"Its possible, but we can't be sure." Said the Lady. She was also hesitantly watching Jadra. "Anyway that's what I want of you two. Whoever planned this could tear this city apart worse than it is already. I want you two to personally find out who they are and stop them before they make another attack."

That settled it. Lady Nagina was worried. Jadra and Antus were both among her most trusted fighters, and she wouldn't want to risk losing both of them on one job unless it was serious. Of course the situation didn't get much more serious than a citywide series of attacks on soldiers of both sides.

"We're finally beginning to make some headway against the traitors." Nagina was saying. "I need this new enemy shut down as soon as possible, or we'll lose our momentum."

She was staring at both men, as hard as she could. "Do not fail me. This may be our only chance to save the city, and I will not let anyone take that away.

Jadra was always a little saddened when he saw the Lady like this. She was frail, blonde and quite beautiful by human standards. She should have been idly entertaining courtiers, not making decisions about commanding troops.

On the other hand, he knew he'd chosen the right side. The Lady was determined to bring order back to the city, and even though her hair was wispy and messy and her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, Jadra could see that she would ensure it happened.

These thoughts all rushed through Jadra's head in the half second it took him to drop to one knee beside Antus and chorus "We live to serve, Lady."