Imperial Spy by Mark Robson Read Free Book Online Page B

suddenly appeared out of the other end with a metallic ringing tone. It was good for him to see she had not been bluffing. She placed it on the desk beside her and
crossed her legs in a relaxed pose. ‘I’m sure you’re aware what would happen if I branded you a traitor. If I called for the guards and had you searched right now, they would find
a weapon. If my supposition is correct, then tests would prove that weapon to be poisoned, as is my comb.’
    ‘How do you know this? I told no one – not even my wife!’
    ‘How is irrelevant. Listen; I’m currently in the fortunate position of having the new Emperor’s ear, and there’s a lot about him you don’t know. You were a fool
today. A brave fool, but a fool nonetheless. Throwing your life away in an effort to prevent Surabar becoming Emperor would have been a pointless waste. Your eldest son is growing up fast, but he
isn’t ready to fill your shoes yet, my Lord. Please don’t rush into any self-sacrificial nonsense again. The truth is, Surabar doesn’t want to be Emperor. He doesn’t intend
to keep the Mantle long.’
    ‘What? Then why in Shand’s name has he taken the Mantle at all?’ Kempten asked in disbelief.
    ‘Try to look at it from this perspective, my Lord – who would you expect to see take the Mantle if not Surabar?’ Femke replied.
    ‘Well, I don’t know exactly. There are several Houses that have legitimate claims to the Mantle—’
    ‘Exactly!’ Femke interrupted. ‘To be more precise, my Lord, there are several Noble Houses that would cut each other to pieces in order to place the Mantle on the shoulders of
one of their Lords. It would be a blood bath. What Shandar needs now is peace, not more killing. We suffered drastic losses during the ill-advised invasion of Thrandor. The last thing we need now
is to decimate our Noble Houses by entering a bloody succession feud. When General Surabar unmasked the traitor, Vallaine, he decided, for the good of Shandar, to take power for long enough to
re-establish order. He will then decide which of the Houses has the strongest claim to the Mantle. My understanding is that once he’s established who among the Noble families has the most
deserving and able candidate, he intends to abdicate his position to this chosen person. You must agree, my Lord, that there are Nobles who, though they have a claim to the Mantle, would make
terrible leaders for Shandar.’
    ‘Yes, that’s true,’ Kempten admitted. ‘I follow the logic, but do you honestly believe that Surabar will give up the Mantle? Power can be an addictive drug.’
    ‘Surabar has been a General for some years now, my Lord. He is used to wielding power over large numbers of people. To my knowledge he has never abused that responsibility, and he’s
well known to be a man of his word. I believe that he’ll follow through his intentions. He took the Mantle under duress. I can say no more of the circumstances, but I want you to think
very
carefully about what I’ve said. Please – no more assassination attempts. I must also advise you that the Emperor’s intentions are to remain secret. Surabar will be
watching for the strongest candidate to emerge. Tampering with this process by leaking his intentions will have dire consequences both for you, your family, and the Empire. You’re to tell no
one. If it is discovered that his plans have spread further than your lips, then you, and your entire House, will die swiftly. You have been warned, Lord Kempten. I’ll lead you back out to
one of the Palace side exits now. I suggest you support Emperor Surabar and encourage others to do so as well. Those who listen to you stand to benefit greatly, particularly if they belong to one
of the major Houses.’
    As Femke watched a thoughtful Lord Kempten leave through one of the servant gates a few minutes later, she felt satisfied that he had taken on enough of her speech to make him cautious. He would
doubtless feel great relief at his