Imperial Spy by Mark Robson Read Free Book Online

has passed. Then we’ll take a little walk.’
    They did not have long to wait, for the General was approaching. As Surabar stepped past them at a measured, stately pace, Femke grinned as she realised that the General had taken the bold step
of accepting the Mantle in his full military regalia, including the armour. A wise precaution, she mused. It would infuriate the old-school Lords by rubbing their noses in his background, but that
could not be helped.
    ‘All right, my Lord,’ Femke whispered, leaning close on Lord Kempten’s shoulder. ‘Let’s go now. Make all your movements as smooth as you can, please. I don’t
want to jab you with this by accident; poisoning you here would prove embarrassing. Neither of us want that to happen, do we?’
    Lord Kempten shook his head slightly. Guided by Femke’s hand at his back, he eased away from the line of soldiers and into the crowd. The two of them moved slowly through the mass of lords
and ladies, taking care to do nothing that would distract from General Surabar’s progress.
    As Femke directed Lord Kempten towards the side of the Great Hall her mind was racing. She had him in her power, but what should she do with him now? It occurred to her that she could lock him
in a holding room until she could hand him over to Surabar. That was the most logical solution, but Femke knew that if Lord Kempten subsequently confessed, then Surabar would show no mercy. Lord
Kempten would die as surely as if she had poisoned him. Surabar was fair, but Kempten had planned to assassinate the Emperor-to-be. That was a capital offence. Femke did not want another life on
her conscience. Was there a way to resolve this situation without more bloodshed?
    It was less crowded near the side wall of the Great Hall, and as the sonorous voice of the High Cleric of Shandar boomed out the initial phrases of the coronation ceremony, the vast majority of
the gathered Nobility edged forwards to watch and listen. With the focus of the people on the front of the Hall, it was easy to edge Lord Kempten with quietly whispered promptings slowly back
towards the nearest exit. The door was locked. Femke would have been surprised if it had not been secure. General Surabar was unlikely to allow any obvious security breaches today. The only way out
of the Hall was through the main entrance, which was currently surrounded by dozens of soldiers. There was nothing for it. Leaving before the end of the ceremony was out of the question.
    ‘My Lord, we are going to position ourselves as close to the main exit as possible. We will leave as soon as the new Emperor makes his exit. Be assured I wish you no harm. Quite the
opposite actually, but we need to have a quiet talk before I can let you leave the Palace.’
    ‘You’re going to let me leave, Alyssa? That makes no sense. I thought you would hand me over to the guards. You’re certainly full of surprises, young lady. How did you know
what I was going to do?’ Lord Kempten asked in a startled whisper that could have been a lot quieter.
    Femke gave a quiet hushing sound without moving her lips and then nodded subtly at the raised dais at the far end of the Hall. ‘Concentrate on the ceremony, my Lord. We’re being
watched, and I don’t want to raise suspicions. Let’s say for now that I have eyes in my head and I use them. You were obvious. I didn’t want you to throw your life away
unnecessarily. Shandar needs you, and others like you. We’ll talk more later.’
    The final flattering comments were calculated to make Lord Kempten relax. They had the desired effect. As they had moved towards the back of the Hall, Femke had spotted Lord Danar pushing
through the crowds to follow their progress. Femke inwardly cursed the inconvenience of the encounter. Danar was easy to pick out, both because he was taller than most and because he was the only
person in the Hall who kept obviously looking away from the dais. She needed a clean getaway without