| The scene shifts to a few hundred miles away from the spot where the
orcen shaman had asserted his authority over his nominal master, and also
to a week or so later. Queen Astra and King Willian (who bears the title
of "King" thanks to the events described in 2874, though his wife is Head
of State) have just gone to bed in their palace in the Aqualarian capital.
"You look a little pensive, love," says Willian. "Is anything the matter?"
"No, nothing," is the reply. As Astra says that, her nose itches and she
can't resist scratching it. Willian is well aware that if any of the Astras
attempts to lie they always give themselves away in this fashion. He raises
a quizzical eyebrow.
Astra sighs. "I'm sorry, love," she says. "What with Astra 7 having
appeared on the scene, pregnant with triplets, it's made me feel rather
broody. Most of my 'sisters' already have a family, of course. Admittedly
that arose through rather unusual circumstances, [1563] but I can't help
feeling envious. We've been married five months now, and I know that's
really not very long, but I've never been the patient sort. As a result,
I did what was perhaps rather a silly thing, and something that I should
certainly have asked you about first." "What?" asks Willian, rather alarmed.
"I went to the court mage a couple of days ago and asked him if he could
give me something to enhance my fertility. He gave me this." And from the
drawer of her bedside table she takes out a small bottle half-full of a
dark blue liquid. "I've drunk a little of it the last two nights before
we went to bed. The mage says it makes conception almost guaranteed. You
aren't angry are you?" Willian feels that he ought to be angry -
after all, Astra really should not have done this without telling him -
but he always finds it very hard to be angry with her, and anyway he wants
a child almost as much as she does. So a mild admonition is all he can
manage.
Meanwhile, the mage is in his own quarters, smiling to himself. How
fortunate it had been, the Queen coming to him like that. It would make
the plan much easier. He had been taken aback when the orcen shaman had
contacted him out of the blue, but the proposition that was put to him
had been too tempting to resist, especially since the mage's nose had been
put rather out of joint by the amount of attention the Queen paid nowadays
to those other mages based in Ethiopia. His jealousy had festered,
and eventually turned into a - necessarily well-disguised - hatred of his
Queen.
The potion he had prepared for Astra would enhance her fertility all
right (in fact there was every chance of yet another multiple birth being
the result), but it had had a second ingredient. The Words of Power that
the shaman had passed on to him were unknown to any human magic
practitioner, but he was sure that they were genuine. However, the Queen
was a very strong-minded woman, and ordinarily there was little chance
that the Words would be effective. However, the potion's second ingredient
would make her much more susceptible to them. He would say them to her
during his regular weekly private audience of her, which was due the next
day. Afterwards, Astra would have no memory of anything untoward happening
at that meeting, nor would she know that she had been ensorcelled. Indeed,
even a skilled mage would be most unlikely to detect it unless he was specifically
looking for it.
At subsequent weekly meetings he could repeat the Words of Power if
necessary, and also get her to drink another dose of the potion if its
effect showed any signs of wearing off. He would then quiz her on Aqualarian
military dispositions and plans, for subsequent passing on to the shaman.
That might be all that would prove necessary to ensure an orcen victory,
but if need be he could get her to adopt new plans that would be to the
orcs' advantage. She would not realise afterwards that the plans came from
him, but would think that they were her own idea. Though Astra was commander-in-chief
of the Aquilarian army, the plans would have to be superficially plausible
of course, or Astra's authority would be weakened, and he didn't want that
whilst he controlled her - or at least, not till the orcs' conquest of
Aqualaria had become inevitable.
Once the orcs had triumphed, then he would be installed as ruler of
Aqualaria. Admittedly, Aqualaria would no longer be independent, but even
being ruler of a colony under the orcs would be much better than being
the court mage. Once in charge, he would have Willian put to death. As
for Astra, well there was plenty of time to think of some suitably degrading
fate for her.
-
 The next day...
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