Shilah was already on her way towards the back of the cave to look at the Adaam Grass. I’d never seen her skip before, and it was quite disorientating.
‘Like what,’ Split huffed.
‘Like is what the Vicaress said true? You fell in love with a Jadan?’
Split hunched over further, grumbling something into his knees. ‘Don’t say that in front of a Hookman. He might slice your tongue out just for the notion.’
Dunes collapsed further into his slave stance. ‘I am not a Hookman.’
‘He’s family,’ I said without pause. ‘And you had a daughter with this Jadan?’
Split rubbed a hand under his nose. He looked disappointed to find it clean. ‘Yeah, so what?’
‘So,’ I said. ‘So that means you’re family too. And you must want the World Cried to change as much as we do.’
Split fell silent, his hands squeezed into fists.
‘What happened back in that cart?’ Cam asked after a spell, gesturing to the hand I was keeping hidden behind my back. ‘We were just about to come and check on you, and all of a sudden there was shouting and mayhem, and everyone was grabbing weapons, and there were horns blasting everywhere. I thought those bastard Hookmen had found us for sure.’ Cam swallowed hard, giving an apologetic wave to Dunes. ‘The real Hookmen I mean.’
‘It was an accident,’ I said, making sure to keep my hand out of sight. Jolts of fire raced up my arm with each word I spoke.
‘Accident?’ Cam asked, trying to sneak a look behind my back. ‘Must have been a pretty powerful accident. What happened, you sneeze out a big explosion of Cold?’
‘Don’t joke!’ Shilah exclaimed from the back of the cave, hunched over the Adaam Grass. ‘He’s actually hurt.’
‘It’s. Fine.’ I said between my teeth.
‘Is Camlish Tavor being true, Meshua?’ Dunes asked in such a serious voice that it made my stomach clench even further. ‘Is that a power that the Crier above has bestowed upon you? Sneezing Cold?’
‘No,’ I chided. ‘He’s not being true.’
‘I was joking,’ Cam said. ‘Obviously.’
‘Nothing is obvious any more,’ Dunes said, taking a step closer to my back. His presence was so large it felt as if he was blocking my entire retreat. ‘The world will be reborn, just as I have been. A new day is dawning for Jadankind, under the Opened Eye of the Crier above.’
‘Okay, that’s fine,’ Cam said, stepping away and making sure he didn’t slip into the water. ‘Anyway. That cart had traces of Ice everywhere, and those runaway girls looked like they were in shock.’
I finally took a moment to survey the walls of the vast cavern, the tunnel behind the Khatclock having funnelled us down into a wide dome beneath the land, bigger than all the other chambers combined. There were alder prayers and Opened Eyes scrawled on the walls wherever I looked, and more shrines to the Crier piled with ancient gifts. But the most interesting thing about the place continued to be the perfectly round pool, the current ushering the waters to the centre.
‘Are they alive?’ I asked, having trouble getting the words out. ‘The Domestics in the cart?’
‘Yes. I think so,’ Cam said, his face betraying his uncertainty. ‘We didn’t stay long once we realized you both had run. And Spout, you should have seen it! All the Nobles were so scared and confused by everything and they just babbled on and tried to rationalize things. The Coldmaker really is going to change everything! They didn’t know what to do!’
‘They knew what to do, all right,’ Split said, gently scratching his thigh.
‘Split, are we safe in here?’ I asked.
The Pedlar let out a dark laugh, his scratching growing more pronounced. ‘Safe?’
‘This is all part of the Coldmarch, right?’ I asked. ‘So it’s still a secret? The Khat doesn’t know about it in the city? Dunes said that—’
‘It was a secret.’ Split cracked his knuckles, waves of pain wafting off his face. ‘It was safe.’
‘Why only was?’ I asked, trying to spot any ledges where bodies might hide. The cave had dozens of nooks, which did not make me feel confident that we were alone.
Split finally turned towards me, his expression pure rage. ‘Because there’s a Sun-damned Hookman standing right behind you, fool!’
Against the candlelight cast onto the walls, I watched Dunes’s shadow grow taller.
‘I am not a Hook—’
Split wrenched himself to his feet, looking wobbly and confused. I wondered if the Pedlar had somehow managed to snag himself another vial of Dream from someone in the caravan. He dug around in his pocket, fingers fumbling, and pulled out a small blade, the perfect size for coring a young Khatmelon. Split let out a frustrated cry and stumbled towards us, pushing me aside and plunging right for Dunes’s chest, heartbreakingly slow for such an impassioned attack.
‘My daughter!’ Split cried, followed by a hiccup. ‘Her little fist didn’t even fit all the way in my palm, you monster!’
Dunes didn’t have to react very quickly to avoid getting stabbed, wrapping a hand around the Pedlar’s soft wrist to halt the blade. Dunes left the weapon’s point against his chest, however. The veins in the Pedlar’s neck bulged as Split pressed and squirmed, but to no avail.
‘You might as well have killed her!’ Split shouted, flecks of spit jumping off his lips. ‘You Sun-pissed, shit-brained beast! You’re all the same!’
Dunes turned to me, sadness all over his face, but otherwise completely in control. ‘What do you wish me to do, Meshua?’
‘YOU DON’T GET TO CALL HIM THAT!’ Split tried using two hands to push the blade in, his legs slipping on the smooth stone. Dunes easily held him at bay. ‘YOU BETRAY HIS KIND!’
Dunes kept his eyes locked on mine, the question still on his lips. The Pedlar started to use his feet as weapons instead, aiming violent kicks at Dunes’s shins, thrusting a knee at his groin. Even with considerable blows, Dunes didn’t seem to register any of the damage, remaining completely still.
‘Split!’ I shouted, reaching out, but then seeing the boilweed on my wrist and stopping short. ‘Calm down!’
The Pedlar only grew more furious, pushing harder against the behemoth, his eyes bloodshot and distant. ‘My wife was more beautiful than the night sky.’
‘Do something!’ I shouted to Dunes. ‘Don’t let him stab you.’
‘The knife is so small,’ Dunes said, as if commenting on the weight of a pebble. ‘There is no concern for you, Crierson.’
‘Get rid of it!’ I shouted.
Dunes gave a single nod and performed a twisting manoeuvre with his hand. Split’s blade went clattering sideways, slipping into the swirling water.
‘What else may I do to serve you?’ Dunes asked calmly. ‘I am yours to command.’
Split’s arms went down, hanging straight by his sides, hands still in fists. He stared up into Dunes’s face, ready to spit. ‘This pool is peace, you imbecile! You can’t throw weapons in.’
Dunes shrugged. ‘Apologies. I did not know. This is all new to my eyes.’
I stepped in between Split and Dunes, trying to keep my voice as gentle as I could, as fear was flooding my heart. ‘Split. He didn’t kill them. He had nothing to do with it.’
Dunes stepped closer to me, watching from right over my shoulder.
‘Can you back up, please?’ I asked him.
‘Apologies,’ Dunes said. ‘What were their names, Pedlar?’
‘I’ll gouge out your eyes!’ Split shouted, hurling an accusatory finger.
I heard a violent rip and turned to see Dunes ripping his shirt in two, revealing the rows of scars, not an ounce of his skin left unmarred. It made all my whipping marks seem pathetic in comparison.
Dunes took a deep breath. ‘These belonged to Hamman. His name is not mine.’
‘Anyah Ben-Fellezehall,’ Split said, his hand going over his heart. ‘My perfect daughter’s name was Anyah. And her mother, Lizah. And they were stolen and butchered by one
of you.’
Dunes shook his head. ‘This was not by my hand.’
Split erupted, the bald patch on his head reddening. ‘It doesn’t matter. One of you stormed into my camp and—’
‘How long ago?’ Dunes asked quietly.
Split’s eyes were daggers. ‘Fifteen. Fifteen empty, hopeless, lifeless years.’
‘Hookmen are put to death after ten years of service,’ Dunes said without hesitation. ‘The Vicaress calls it a reward. If it’s any consolation, I can assure you that whoever took your wife and daughter is most certainly gone.’
A heavy silence descended.
‘Hamman was a Hookman for eight years,’ Dunes said, a tear crossing the fresh wound on his cheek. ‘And made to do terrible things. I am very sorry for what has been done to you, Split the Pedlar. I am the only one here who knows what that truly means, and I will do everything I can to keep you safe on this, most holy, Coldmarch. You have my word on all the Cold that falls from the sky and on Meshua’s golden miracle. I am not your enemy.’
The only sound in the cave came from the swirling water of the pool. I could hear my heart beating in my ears, trying to decide if I should intervene.
‘I will never trust you,’ Split said, venom oozing from his words. ‘I will never trust you. You have the scars to prove why I won’t.’
Dunes nodded. ‘I am here to protect you either way, Split the Pedlar, Shepherd of the great Meshua.’
Another long pause struck. I had a feeling the Meshua thing wouldn’t be going away anytime soon, regardless of my requests.
‘You must have killed dozens of wives and children,’ Split said.
‘I only captured them.’ Then Dunes’s face jolted in shock. ‘He only ever captured them. The Vicaress kills. Hamman is gone.’
‘That’s the same damned thing, and you know it,’ Split said. ‘Innocent Jadan lives were stolen because of you.’
Shilah came back, her palm closed tightly into a fist. A bit of light escaped the cracks between her fingers. ‘Split, I’m with you,’ she said. ‘But can’t you see Dunes has been a slave his whole life, just like us? Just like your wife and daughter. He didn’t have a choice. He’s a victim in all of this, which is exactly the kind of reason why we have to finish the Coldmarch and get our machine to Langria so—’
‘There’s always a choice,’ Split snarled, pointing a thumb at his chest. ‘I was born a High Noble and I chose right. You don’t think I wouldn’t have been captured too if the Khat found out I chose to abandon my blood and become a Shepherd?’
Dunes nodded. ‘Yes. And I finally know the path.’
‘Eight years too late, Hamman,’ Split said, hocking some phlegm and going to spit, but then keeping it in his mouth and swallowing. He thrust a finger at the ground near the pool. ‘Peace.’
Then the Pedlar stormed off, disappearing into one of the dark nooks.
Cam cleared his throat. ‘So … I guess no Crying Dance then.’
Shilah scoffed, readjusting the Coldmaker bag on her shoulder so she could push Cam in the chest. ‘Show some respect.’
Cam sighed, lowering his head. ‘I’m sorry, I’m not good with these situations. I just—’
Split returned all of a sudden, his hand outstretched. In his fingers was a vial of Glassland Dream. He came up to me and placed the grey powder against my chest. ‘I got it for you, Spout. In case you wanted to make another scroll. And don’t ask, because I don’t know why it’s not full. Anyway, good luck fixing a dead world.’
Then the Pedlar turned and stumbled towards Picka. He grabbed her reins and tried to pull. The beast wouldn’t give, braying with her lips pulled back from her teeth.
‘Get up, you daft girl!’ Split said, poking her haunches with his foot. ‘We’re going home.’
‘Split,’ I said. ‘I need your help. I need to know what you know.’
‘Here’s something I know,’ he said. ‘The Khat didn’t shut down the Coldmarch. Langria shut down the Coldmarch. And I never found out why.’
It felt as if I’d been punched in the throat. ‘What do you mean?’
Split grunted, Picka refusing to yield. ‘I know you’re the supposed saviour for your people and everything, but even saviours should know that sometimes you just can’t save everyone.’
I unravelled the boilweed, dropping the soiled wrapping on the stone and angling my hand so the dim light might catch my shame. ‘This is what happens when I don’t have my Shepherd. Please, Split. I can’t do this without you.’
Split gave another yank of the camel’s reins and then dropped them with a frustrated huff, turning to me instead. At the sight of my nasty wound, his face became more pinched than normal.
‘You dip it in fire?’ he asked.
I shook my head, my whole arm trembling. Having my humiliation out in the open made the pain more real, and I started breathing heavily, thoughts of my father pressing hard against my chest. Air became difficult to capture, and I could feel my limbs beginning to grow numb.
‘It was an accident,’ I assured myself in between breaths, sobs wracking my chest. There was no sense of wonder here. No reason. Just regret and despair. ‘The Cold attacked me.’
‘It’s okay, kid,’ Split said, coming over and giving me an awkward pat on the head, unsure of his movements. ‘Shhh. It’s okay.’
‘I lost my family too,’ I said, sucking in a heavy breath. ‘And my friends.’
‘Me too,’ Shilah said gently. ‘I lost my mother.’
‘I lost my cousin,’ Cam said, his lips twitching.
Dunes went to add something, but I quietened him with a swift shake of my head.
‘I always assumed it was a Hookman that took my mother,’ Shilah said. ‘She was a runaway. The Coldmarch turned her down, so she was going to map a way North herself. We were going to go together, but she never came back.’
Another stone in my throat.
I tried, but could not speak.
Split’s face constricted with surprise. ‘Then how can you stand here while this monster—’
‘Because this is not a Hookman,’ Shilah said, opening her palm and moving it closer to Dunes’s face so the plant’s light might illuminate his features. ‘This is someone trying to do something right, and if we’re not allowed to change, then what’s the Sun-damned point in anything. Split, everything depends on us getting to Langria, and Dunes can help.’
Split took a series of deep breaths, each one deeper than the last. The air seemed to sprinkle sand over the flames behind his eyes. ‘Dammit, fine. I’ll stay.’
‘Good,’ Shilah said with a definitive nod. ‘Micah is right. You’re family too.’
The silence lasted until it turned awkward.
‘And that means you’ll show us the Crying Dance?’ Cam asked, his cheeks red.
‘I ain’t going to do no dancing,’ Split snarled.
Cam’s mouth raised into a half smirk. ‘A bet’s a bet, you trash-slinging, knuckle-licking, fart-in-a-jar, sorry excuse for a swindler.’
Shilah suppressed a gasp, and I nearly toppled over into the pool. Cam’s impression of Gilly was startlingly accurate, although performed at the completely wrong time.
Split wobbled a bit, blinked a few times, and then burst out laughing. The chuckles were followed by hiccups, reverberating around the cave. ‘You little shit!’
Cam bit his bottom lip and then shrugged. ‘Got to earn my keep somehow.’
Split sighed, slumping back next to the water, elbows again folding over his knees. The rest of us gathered beside him, taking a place along the waterline. Dunes slunk away, finding himself a nice quiet spot amongst the dark cave formations. I didn’t stop him.
Shilah opened her palm, the Adaam Grass inside having already begun to lose its shiny lustre. She gave Split a questioning look, poking at the blades with her fingernail.
‘The light dies when you pluck it,’ Split said, rubbing the blisters on his feet. ‘Something to do with the rocks.’
Shil
ah’s face deflated.
‘It’s okay,’ Split said with a shrug. ‘You didn’t know.’
She sighed, giving the dying blades a careful stroke.
I pulled another piece of boilweed from the bag and began to cover my horrible fingers, wincing each time I circled my hand.
‘I’ve never seen a Cold wound,’ Split said through his teeth. ‘I didn’t know that was possible.’
I continued to add layer over layer until my shame was gone from sight.
I swallowed hard. ‘Neither did I.’
‘Is the pain really bad?’ he asked.
‘All sorts,’ I said.
Split’s hand went to his pocket, searching with greedy fingers. ‘I thought I had something to— it could help you with the …’
‘You already gave me the vial of Dream,’ I said. ‘I’d rather not use it for now.’
‘That’s right.’ Split coughed, but I could tell it was just to cover his own shame. ‘We’ll find you a Healer before continuing the March.’ Split pointed up at the ceiling of the cave. ‘I’m sure there’s a few up there.’
‘I don’t think any Healers would know what to do with this,’ I said, letting out a sigh. ‘Maybe one.’
Shilah reached over and put a steadying hand on my thigh. I refused to look at her fingers, even as they gently dug in and massaged the muscle. ‘Let me show you something.’
I ignored her.
‘Split,’ I said, thinking back to the Domestics in the cart, musing over what they’d said about the Sanctuary. Something just didn’t sound right about the place, although few things in the Khatdom were actually right. ‘I don’t know much about things outside of Paphos. Can you tell me about the City of David’s Fall?’
Split sniffed, wiping away some crust from his nostrils. ‘What do you want to know?’
Shilah held out her palm. ‘How about why there is still Adaam Grass—’
‘Why do the Closed Eye statues all look so different?’ I asked, cutting her off, telling myself it was out of genuine curiosity and not spite. ‘The ones ringing the walls.’
Shilah’s hand lifted off my thigh.
Split looped his finger around his head. ‘Ding ding. You want to know your history then? From the beginning?’
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