The word “Koijen” was familiar to Rielle, but she could not remember why. Think about why you’re in debt, Rielle urged silently, but the woman turned her mind to the next letter. She was about to search for another mind when a name drew her back.
“… and when the Raen came to Koijen at the behest of the Puht I did not own slaves, nor did my father, or father’s father. I have always paid my staff well. I hope that this will persuade you to consider my appeal above others, for surely you will see it is so worthy a task that even the Raen would…”
This was the world from which the people who had invaded Puht had come from.
The woman was not convinced by the letter-writer’s claims. She knew of him, and the pitiful conditions he expected his workers to endure. She tossed the letter onto the rejection pile without finishing it.
The empire deserved to fall, the woman thought. What our parents and grandparents did to other worlds was unforgivable. But many ordinary people had starved since the Raen had intervened and forbidden slavery. The fact that men no better than the leaders–like the author of the letter–clung on to their wealth by exploiting their own people instead disgusted her. So why don’t I do anything about it? She sighed as the familiar answer came. Because I have too little influence. All I can do is reject his appeal, which will harm his workers even more if he lowers their wages or they lose their jobs. Resolving not to linger too long on troubles she couldn’t solve, she picked up the next letter, which was from a farmer who had invented a better way of irrigating crops in the far north. Her mood improved. Here was a worthy recipient of a grant.
Rielle brought her attention back to her immediate surroundings and looked at Valhan. His head was slightly turned away, his narrowed eyes focused on something within the building.
She jumped as a shadow detached from the doorway. It moved forward and become a middle-aged man as it emerged into the sunlight.
“Raen,” he said, dropping to his knees. “Ruler of worlds.”
Valhan turned to face the man. Curious, Rielle delved inside the stranger’s mind. His name was Doeh, and he was the assistant of the man in charge of agricultural laws. He was trembling with excitement and anticipation.
Valhan did not speak and as the silence stretched the assistant gathered the courage to look up. His gaze flickered from Valhan to Rielle and back. “I… I… I have been told you will grant a favour to those who ask. Is… is this true?”
“It is,” Valhan replied.
The assistant swallowed and looked down at the floor. “There is a man.” He paused, then rushed on. “He gains pleasure from blocking every attempt I make to better myself and my family. Would you…?” He glanced back into the shadows of the room behind, then lowered his voice. “I can see no other way. Would you kill him for me?”
Rielle caught her breath. The man Doeh wanted to kill was his employer, Beva. Doeh believed he would be chosen to replace him. There is nobody else, he was thinking. Only I understand his system of record-keeping, and know all the tithe-collectors. It would mean a doubling of his wage. He could afford the fancy house his wife admired so much.
“What do you offer in return?” Valhan asked. Rielle glanced at him. Surely he would not agree to this.
“I have little to offer now,” Doeh replied, spreading his hands. “But if you do this I should soon have a great deal to give. Perhaps I could… owe you?”
Valhan’s chin rose a fraction. “A favour such as this requires one of equal value.”
The man blinked, then his eyes slowly widened as he realised what that meant. A murder for a murder? Surely not! I may as well murder Beva myself. Though perhaps it wouldn’t be so hard to get away with murdering a stranger than my own superior. There’d be no motive, no connection between us. “Ah…” he began and drew breath to voice his agreement, then stopped as something else occurred to him. Yet when would I have to do this other murder? Now? Later? I don’t think I could sleep knowing what I’d have to do. And if the Raen kills Beva they might still guess someone asked him to, and suspect me…
Rielle resisted the temptation to tap her foot. She wondered if Beva was keeping Doeh’s ambitions in check because he was a little slow. Assuming Beva didn’t already know his assistant wanted to kill him.
“Ah…” Doeh said again. “I… I withdraw my request. Please forgive me for interrupting.” He took a step backwards, then another, then turned and fled.
“We had better warn Beva,” Rielle said.
Valhan shook his head. “It is unlikely Doeh will gather the courage to kill him, and probable that Beva will replace him as soon as a smarter assistant is available.”
She frowned at him. “But should we leave that to chance?”
He smiled faintly. “Warning him may have greater repercussions. Consequences we can’t predict.”
Doeh would be executed, she realised. Perhaps saying nothing to Beva was better. Doeh had a chance to reconsider how far he was prepared to go to fulfil his ambitions.
“What would you have done if he’d agreed?” she asked.