“Which is why we’re sealing it,” Enosh quipped. “Look, Sume,” he said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “You’re tired. It’s been a long few days for you. Perhaps we can return to the temple and talk about this later? There is nothing we can do here now.”
Sume wordlessly drew away from him. He watched her retreating figure, one hand on his head. “I’ve screwed that one up too, haven’t I?” he murmured.
“I don’t disagree,” Sapphire replied.
“You’re still here.”
“Of course I am. On that note, I wouldn’t mind discussing what she meant when she mentioned you setting up a meeting with the Sutan Warlord.”
“She’s anxious about our daughter, Sapphire. Her mind wanders.”
Sapphire gave a dry chuckle. “You’ve spent all this time trying to convince me that that woman occasionally gets something right. Humour me, Enosh. Tell me why you shouldn’t be dancing around in flames in the next little while.” She stared at him with an intensity that made him feel like he had been stripped naked.
“It was...an option,” he said, swallowing. “Sapphire, we were running out of funds, the store barely makes enough to keep us fed, and it’s not cheap paying men left and right for information. I thought I could string him along for a few months, empty his coffers a bit. I wouldn’t have even considered it if I was able to tap into my accounts. In what world would the man even find the resources to extract and transport the creature?”
“I won’t argue any further,” Sapphire said. “Just remember that I’m keeping my eye on you.”
“After all we’ve been through?” Enosh asked. “You still don’t trust me?”
“She sleeps with you and she doesn’t,” Sapphire pointed out.
“Maybe it’s a reflection on my performance.” He tried to give his best sheepish grin.
“Somehow, I highly doubt that,” Sapphire said. She looked far from amused.
Chapter Four
Sume could not shake off the feeling that Rysaran was still alive.
It was different from the feeling she’d had the last three years, when she was convinced that he didn’t die in the ruins of Oren-yaro’s keep or in the ensuing attack on Shirrokaru. This felt like a lingering presence, one that made her feel displaced. She was the one who killed him. She knew he was dead. She had held his body until it grew cold, had wrapped her arms around his chest and felt his heartbeat ebb into stillness. His blood was still on her robes.
The closest she could compare the feeling to was when she learned of Oji’s death. It was not disbelief—back then, she was aware that his months-long silence must have meant something. But it was like waking up and knowing there was someone else in the house with you, like reaching back, knowing that if you call, it wouldn’t just be the wind that heard. A couple of times she had to stop herself from thinking, wait until I tell Rysaran, and remind herself that he was gone.
The hardest part was that people did not know and could not be told. When they returned to the temple, she had to pretend she had injured herself out in the woods. Hira, in particular, wanted to know what kept her away for the past two days. She kept a mask of dull exhaustion on her face until she could find privacy in the sleeping quarters, where, instead of changing her clothes, she dropped down and wept.
After she regained composure, she heard two raps against the door behind her. “The Beloved Princess Roa would like you to seek her audience,” a muffled voice said.
“In a moment,” Sume replied, wiping her eyes. She put on clean robes, bundling the blood-soaked ones and hiding it under her bed. She opened the door and stepped out of the hall. The servant bowed to her and led her towards the princesses’ sitting room.
“Welcome back, Sume alon gar Kaggawa,” Princess Roa said, gesturing at her with outstretched arms. She was standing in the middle of the room. Ran sat a few paces away.
Sume bowed to both of them. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Your Highness,” she said, surprised at how calm she sounded.
“My sister was just informing me of your loyal, continued service to the kingdom,” Roa said. That she sounded calm was not unexpected; Sume was starting to suspect that the sisters didn’t so much as learn the prophet’s texts as they breathed it. “You have our utmost thanks.”
“We recognize what you did as a difficult thing, Kaggawa,” Ran added. “You are not a trained warrior. He was a friend, as well as your prince.”
“You kept my sisters’ hands from bloodshed.”
“A great service,” Ran repeated. “As we said.”
“One that, unfortunately,” Roa said, “comes with repercussions.”
They paused, letting the words sink in. If there was one thing Rysaran had not been good at, it was the showmanship. Perhaps you have a better chance of holding on to the throne without a dragon, Sume thought wryly, staring at Roa. That is, if they let you get close to it. Eventually, Roa cleared her throat, pulling herself up straight. “You understand that one does not simply shed a prince’s blood without incurring consequences.”
“I knew as much,” Sume murmured.
“Rest assured, we know that it would seem most ungrateful of us if we should choose to take your life for it,” Roa continued. “But you must understand that we cannot simply let you walk away, either.”
“Our offer is most generous, alon gar Kaggawa,” Ran said, emphasizing her caste without shame. “Work for us, as your father once did. The Ikessars could use a loyal agent like you. Pledge yourself. We will regard it as just payment for our brother’s life.”
Sume swallowed. In her head, she could still hear the drunkard in the village inn. Knives in the dark, and blackmail...just two of the many tools the Ikessars used to change the course of history. He was right. The dark times will return. In fact, they’re already here.
It was different with Rysaran. Her friendship and loyalty had been given to the prince freely. She had never felt coerced into doing what he asked, had never felt like her life was on the line if she chose to disobey him. There were moments in their years together that she would forget that she was speaking to a prince.
“With all due respect, Your Highnesses,” Sume said, glancing at each of the princesses in turn. “I don’t know what skills I might offer you. You said yourself that I’m no warrior, and I lack the skills and experience of someone like Hira alon gar Sethi or, as I’ve come to understand, my own father. The only things he ever taught me were the things any merchant’s daughter were expected to know. I highly doubt these would be useful to you.”
“Anything is useful to us, in times of need,” Roa said. “Besides which, we know that true power sometimes lie where it is least expected. It is around the inconspicuous that people let their guard down.”
“After all,” Ran added, “it is your inconspicuous self that killed the last direct Ikessar son.”
Sume bowed, trying her best to hide her irritation at the reminder. “If you know how I can be of further service, then I will do my best. Only...”
“There is one thing you have to do first,” Roa said. “A test, to prove your loyalty.”
“Dire times call for desperate measures,” Ran said in a low voice. She looked troubled.
“These two foreigners you were with,” Roa continued. “They saw too much.”
“They will not speak,” Sume quickly replied. “They care nothing at all for Jin-Sayeng politics, Beloved Princess. They will be able to tell you as much.”
Roa’s face remained a mask of indifference. “Inconsequential. The knowledge of last night’s events is too valuable for foreigners to carry. It is unthinkable that they would hold love or loyalty to the throne. Unlike you, we have no reason to trust them.”
“An unfortunate reality, Kaggawa,” Ran said. “We have come to the decision that this cannot be seen any other way.”
“Kill them,” Roa said. “Prove your loyalty.”
Sume tried to keep her face blank. “You overestimate me, Your Worship. These two are
...more powerful than you give them credit for.”
Roa dismissed her words with a wave of her hand. “Even skilled swordsmen can be knifed in their sleep.”
“We will arrange to have them in the appropriate quarters, to make it easier for you,” Ran said. “The man should be easy enough. He trusts you, does he not?”
Sume slowly nodded. “The woman, Sapphire Orsalian, is part Dageian,” she said. “She doesn’t.”
“A Dageian in our midst? All the more reason to dispose of her,” Roa said. “Poison would be the easiest.” She glanced at Ran.
“I could have Usha prepare something. Scatterfern, perhaps? We’ve some left over, imported from Herey.”
“These must be done no later than tonight,” Roa said. “Remember the consequences of your refusal. We know your family lives in the Sougen plains. Hana alon gar Shoho, your departed brother’s wife, and her son Goen. You are dismissed.”
On the way back to the sleeping quarters, Sume caught sight of Hira being led away by a guard. “I’m being taken to go on patrol with Mihad,” Hira said, in a voice that spoke plain and clear: the Ikessars have me, too.
“Sakku guide you,” Sume told her. They exchanged glances. Hira gave her a one-sided smirk and tapped her shoulder before following the guard down the corridor, looking for all the world as if she was marching to her own execution.
Sume was allowed to return to her bedchamber to rest, but hearing the guard pacing outside her door only heightened her anxiety. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself by listening to her own breathing. None of this was supposed to happen. Things were supposed to end after she found Rysaran and brought Enosh to him; she was only supposed to worry about her daughter afterwards, figure out a way to get her away from all of this.
A part of her wasn’t convinced. Isn’t this what you wanted? A way into the life your father tried to hide from you? After all, if you hadn’t allowed yourself to become entrenched in Rysaran’s politics… She stopped, turning that thought around. If she hadn’t, she and her daughter would be dead by now. The district where she had lived with Rosha and Kefier had been completely destroyed in the creature’s rampage.
Princess Roa’s words returned to her. It is around the inconspicuous that people let their guard down.
She retrieved her dagger from under her bed and tucked it in her belt before opening the door. The guard wordlessly handed her a small piece of paper. She could feel the crinkle of powder as she placed it in her pocket.
The guard followed her down the corridor towards Enosh’s quarters. She knocked twice. She heard shuffling inside before the door opened.
“Do you have a moment?” she asked, seeing Enosh peering at her.
“Of course, my lady,” Enosh murmured, the look of surprise quickly disappearing from his face as he ushered her inside. She caught a glimpse of the guard taking position against the wall right outside the hall before Enosh shut the door behind her.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Sume said, stepping forward—as far away from the door—as she possibly could. Enosh took her elbow before she could sit on the bed.
“I do want to talk,” he said. “Surprisingly enough. I have decided that you are being unfair over your accusations. I know that my behaviour has not always warranted trust, but if you would give me a chance…”
She placed her finger over her lips. He looked at her, confused. She reached out to take his face in her hands, pulling him towards her.
“Already?” he murmured. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you…” His lips brushed over hers, but she placed her fingers over them and placed her mouth close to his left ear instead.
“There’s a guard outside,” Sume whispered. “Maybe more. The princesses ordered me to assassinate both of you by tonight.” She pulled away.
“Oh,” Enosh mouthed. He glanced at the door before looking back at her. “Bastards.” Despite the easy-going tone of his voice, the disappointment was plain on his face.
She shook her head at him before pulling out the packet of poison and the dagger to show him. He placed the packet against his nose. “Scatterfern,” he whispered. “Not exactly tasteless. They don’t care if this attempt gets you killed.”
Sume shrugged. She sat down on the bed and watched him begin to pace, one hand on his chin. Eventually, he took her dagger and went to the door. He carved a rune on the edge of the frame and began tracing his finger along the length of it. “There,” he said, after a moment. “That should mask our voices. Not enough to alarm them, but whatever they hear will be more difficult to understand through that barrier.”
“They’ll be expecting me to strike soon,” Sume said, keeping her voice low anyway.
Enosh shook his head. “No. Not while we’re talking. If getting me and Sapphire killed immediately is their goal, there are better ways to do it. Why do they want you to do this?”
“A test of loyalty, they said.”
“I see.” He sat down beside her. “They’ll be expecting you to seduce me. I’m not exactly opposed to the idea.” He quirked an eyebrow.
“You’re horrible,” Sume whispered. She pointed at the wall. “We have to let Sapphire know.”
“That was my other plan.” He walked to the end of the room. “They’ll hear it if we called out to her,” he murmured. “In fact, I’m almost sure any sound that doesn’t involve a creaking bed or moans of ecstasy is bound to set their alarm bells ringing.”
“Focus,” she hissed.
“I’m just saying.” He pressed his hands against the wall. “Sapphire,” he whispered. “Hey, Sapphire.” He turned to Sume. “The old nag’s probably asleep.” He watched as she rose to join him.
“How effective is that spell?” she asked.
“Very,” he said. “I used it a lot for my room back in Sutan.”
“You used it a lot for...oh Sakku, you’re disgusting.” She was about to tap the wall when she noticed the shuttered window. “Could you detach the louvres without them noticing?” she asked.
“If they don’t see me from the yard, sure,” Enosh said. “I don’t know why you think that’s disgusting. I thought it was very gentlemanly of me, what with your room right next door.”
“We could do it once night falls,” Sume continued, ignoring him. “Shouldn’t be any more than an hour away. Like you said, I’m supposed to be seducing you.” She returned to the bed, removing her shoes as she climbed up. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when it’s dark.”
“Why can’t you seduce me for real?”
“Because,” she said, closing her eyes. A moment later, she realized he was waiting for her to reply, and opened them again. “What in Sakku’s name are you doing?”
Enosh froze in the middle of sitting by her feet at the edge of the bed. “Pushing my luck?” he ventured.
She shut her eyes again.
“Sume?”
“What now?”
He hesitated for a moment. “Who does Rosha look like?”
Sume thought about that. “Like you,” she said, eventually. “Skin darker than mine. Brown hair. Your eyes, the exact same. Her face scrunches up like so, when she’s thinking, which she does. A lot.” She made a face.
Enosh chuckled. “She gets that from you, I suppose.” He glanced away, his fingers playing with her ankle. There was clearly something on his mind, which was unlike him. She longed to ask what it was, but she did not feel like being lied to at that moment. She leaned back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling.
She didn’t know if she fell asleep or not. Almost as soon as her eyes closed again, she felt Enosh at her side. “Dark out,” he murmured. “Let’s break some windows.”
Sapphire was already waiting for them when they entered her room. “This better be good,” she said, arms crossed. “I heard Sume in there and guards out there and assumed the worst.”
Enosh opened his mouth.
“No making babies jokes,” Sume said, fighting the urge to throw something at him. “Not n
ow. Not ever.”
“But I had a particularly good one,” he said. He walked to the door to perform the same spell he did in the other room.
Sapphire rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. Her royal highnesses have changed their minds about our involvement in their dear brother’s death. I had an inkling. If I had the strength to find us another way out of those woods, I would have done so. How was it supposed to happen?”
“Scatterfern,” Enosh said, showing her the packet.
Sapphire snorted. “How droll. And you were going to be knifed in the middle of your relations, I supposed.”
Enosh grimaced. “Why not after? Give me a sweet memory to carry to my grave.”
Sume looked at Sapphire. “What now?”
“We wouldn’t stand a chance if we tried to fight them,” Sapphire said. “And I suppose you tried to talk your way out of the whole thing?”
“You don’t talk back to royalty, Sapphire. I’m just a merchant’s daughter.”
“So no, then.”
“If it’s any consolation, I told them it probably wasn’t going to succeed.”
“My darling ladies, erase those pouts from your pretty little mouths,” Enosh broke in. “I think I have a solution, depending on how well Sapphire here actually knows her craft.” Sume watched as he crossed the room and returned with the pitcher and washbasin from Sapphire’s table. He placed the washbasin on the ground and poured water into it. “I need you to connect to a mirror,” he said.
“I’m not some common hedge witch,” Sapphire snapped.
“I know you’re not, but surely this is a spell you learned in your youth. It’s simple enough, isn’t it?”
“It’s not simple enough. It is a horribly inefficient use of the agan that requires using the elemental properties of water to reflect…”
“I don’t care about the facts of it, Sapphire.”
“You should. There’s a reason this is performed in specialized buildings in Dageis. It is not as taxing as a portal-spell, but each time it is used, it creates little ripples in the agan fabric which builds up over time and…”
An Elegy of Heroes Page 102