by Jane Routley
“We did it that way to avoid offending your government,” whispered Shadow.
We were laying side by side on the floor under my bed. He wouldn’t come out, nor talk above a whisper, after the incident with Illuminus, so since I was curious about his story I had crawled in there to join him. There was no need to keep a lookout in case Illuminus came back. You can always tell where mages are by the shining of their crystals. And if Illuminus tried to come in without using magic, I would hear his tread on the creaky old boards.
The ghost was holding something in his hands, a small shiny metal tube. When I asked him if it was a talisman, he said it was. I hoped it was comforting to him.
“There were three of us. Our leader asked to speak to the head of the mine. When she came out, she asked if any of us was a healer. A man had been hurt in a rock fall. Bad wounds with gangrene already set in. Since I was the trained healer, I went off to see to him.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes,” said the ghost in an offended voice. “I may seem ignorant to you, but I am good at healing.”
“No, it’s not that. People are scared of ghosts. The sick man would have thought you were the spirit of death come to collect him.”
“True. But your folk also believe that we know a lot about healing, and we do. I trained long and hard to learn it. How could they not have a healer at that mine? We would have had one. That poor fellow had awful injuries, but easy to treat if you knew what you were doing. Anyway, just as I started to patch him up, the mine was attacked. Masked mages and a whole lot of men with crossbows.”
“Rogues. You get gangs of them in frontier lands.”
“One of the masked men was your cousin. And before you ask, I saw his face, as well as hearing his voice. One of the miners hid me under the floor of the room where I was operating. Your cousin took his mask off to wipe his brow and I saw his face through a gap in the floorboards. Just now I thought I knew his voice, so I took a look at him from under the bed.”
Illuminus did have a very distinctive voice. Some injury to his throat as a child made it low and husky. But why would Illuminus be helping rogues? He was a Lucheyart, for Lady’s sake! We owned most of the crystal mines in the country. It was the source of the family’s power. Why would he help destroy one of our own mines? Could the manager have offended him somehow? Or a bet? That seemed irresponsible, even for one of the mages.
“And before you ask how, I could see his reflection clearly in that mirror on the wall over there.” He shook his head. “Wilkhkje, wilkhkje, wilkhkje! He must suspect I am here.”
I could feel the tension in him. “Don’t worry, the place is full of mages who can protect you from him.”
“Yes. All his relatives.”
I laughed ruefully. “Just ’cause we’re family doesn’t mean we get along. Plenty of people here would happily see Illuminus disgraced. His own brother Scintillant, for a start. They fight all the time—proper punch-ups. Then Blazeann and he have some kind of feud going on, and Lucient would happily help us because he’s a sweetie. If you’re really certain it was him, we could take you out of here and show you to everyone and get you a real protector.”
I felt him relaxing.
“I know! Great Aunt Glisten is here. She’s one of the Council of Elders. No one goes against her. She’d be perfect.”
His arm tightened again.
“No, she would not. Djthlyer. She would be the worst.”
“Why...? Ah! The whole diplomatic incident thing.”
“We were not doing any harm. We wanted to find out how the crystal is getting out. Black market crystal is causing our government all kinds of problems...”
“But how do you know it comes from here?”
“There is not anywhere else.”
“Really?”
He sighed. “Is there any point in my telling this story if you don’t believe a word I say?”
“No, I believe you. I’m amazed. I didn’t realise.”
“That is how the Empire of Light has so much dominance in the world. They control all the crystal and most of the enhanced mages. If they wanted to run the whole planet they could. But I guess there is no point in conquering places when you’ve got such a hold over people. So tell me, can you do anything to stop him coming in and getting me?”
“No. All he’d get would be a lecture from Impi. Although killing would be more serious. He’d have to stand trial for that. Hey, why—?”
“I suppose that means he is not certain that I am here. Actually he might have been one of the people who searched this room this evening. In which case he might be almost sure I am not here. I suppose it would be safe enough to stay.”
“I still find it hard to believe that Illuminus would be smuggling crystal,” I said—gently, so as not to upset the ghost again. I was thinking aloud more than talking to him. “It’s treason and he’s undermining his birthright. Crystal is the basis of Lucheyart power. Shola’s pact centres around it.”
“Tell me how this Shola’s pact works, exactly.”
“Oh, you know. Well, I suppose you don’t, do you? Once upon a time there was war between mage and mundane. Rogue mages enslaved the mundanes, and peasants had to run away and hide in forests and hills. There was famine and uprising and also the hunting down and assassination of mages by bowmen. Shola was the first Empress, the one who brokered peace with the mundane leaders and killed off the rogue mages for them. Shola’s pact gives protection to mundanes, and any mage who doesn’t sign and uphold it has their crystal removed, loses their powers and is driven out as a rogue.”
“And this would happen to your cousin if caught smuggling crystal? Would he be punished?”
“He would certainly be stripped of nobility—that’s what happens when you lose your crystal.”
“Is that for good?”
“Not really. Most people get it back after a while if they behave themselves. But for treason—crystal smuggling—I don’t know. But the risks are huge, Shadow, and what for?”
“Money.”
“But...”
I shook myself. I was starting to believe him, although the suggestion was outrageous. All our lives we’d had it drummed into us how wrong it was to help rogue mages get crystal. Rogues did terrible damage: they ransacked farms, they killed people, some of them were just plain mad.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“You are not going to run off and ask him, are you?”
“Oh, no. If his prick was under my foot, I’d stamp down hard.”
The ghost winced.
“Let the rat look after himself. I don’t care what happens to this family after Bright. They can burn for all I care.”
“So even if you doubt me, you will not tell anyone else? The fewer people involved in this, the better. All I want is to get back to my embassy in one piece.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “Though if Illuminus is searching for you, you’d be much safer with Lady Glisten guarding you.”
“Not Glisten Lucheyart. The political outfall would be terrible. No, Illuminus seems to be being discreet at the moment. He clearly does not want you to know about his activities. There is protection in that. And he cannot know that I know who he is. Ka ka, I am freezing.” He had been shivering for a while, even with me pressed against his side. Some of it must be fear.
“It’s a cold one, true enough. Are you going to come out and hop into bed? We can keep each other warm.”
I realised how that must sound only when he made one of his embarrassed noises. Curse it, I’d forgotten what an odd creature he was. I felt foolish at being so insensitive after our earlier conversation.
To cover it up, I said, “Mind, if you get a stiff prick in the morning, don’t expect me to help you sort it out.”
He laughed. After a moment he said, “No need to worry. I have taken it off for the night.”
“What? You mean... It’s detachable?”
He laughed softly. The sod was teasing me.
> “You lying rat!” I hissed, smacking him and trying not to laugh. Soon we were both giggling helplessly.
“You people are so blunt,” he explained, when we’d got our breath back.
“You’re lucky I don’t insist on seeing it,” I said. “Come on. I promise not to interfere with you. I’m too tired.”
“I would rather stay here,” he said. “It’s not you. I feel safer down here.”
“Suit yourself. Pretend to be a chamber pot, then,” I said.
I crawled out from under the bed, and passed him my quilt. I put my winter cloak on the bed and crawled under the remaining covers. All the other spare blankets were spread out among the guests. As I tried to get my feet covered, I wished Katti were here to keep me warm and hoped she was safe. I remembered I hadn’t heard all of the ghost’s story.
“So how did you wind up with Bright?” I asked in a low voice.
“Once the rogues were gone, I crawled out and looked around. Our chariot was destroyed and the others... They were dead.”
His voice went husky. I put my hand down over the side of the bed, and after a moment he squeezed it.
“I... I... finished binding up the miner I had been working on. I did not know what else to do, and he had a chance of survival. Anyway, by the time I was done, other miners had crept out of hiding to see what had happened to their mates. One of them took me down to your cousin’s regiment and left me there.”
I remembered something else I wanted to ask.
“So is Ghostland like the Empire of Light?”
“Not at all. It’s like one big city. Your land is much prettier. We don’t have many mages, and magic doesn’t give you any advantages. The rulers are mundanes like you and me, and everyone is supposed to be equal under the law, which they sort of are. We all get to vote for our rulers, who are replaced every three years. Anyone can stand for leadership if...”
It sounded like the perfect world Auntie Eff was always going on about. So as usual, I fell asleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
KATTI WAS PURRING and nudging my head just as she did every morning and like every morning I moaned and batted her away. Instead of ignoring my objections as she usually did, she jumped off the bed, her mind full of curiosity.
Why is he there?
Then a woman cried, “What are you doing under there? Bright Mother! What on earth?”
My eyes sprang open. I sat up to find Lady Klea crouching on the floor beside me. Magic shone out and Shadow was pulled out from under the bed. He flopped around on the rug like a badly landed fish, spitting out his spiky-sounding language. I reached down and helped him upright.
“What in hell’s name is that?” asked Klea.
“It’s a ghost. He’s unregistered. A secret. For Lady’s sake, Klea, don’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Of course not. Where...”
Why do you speak with her when I am here? thought Katti, purring imperiously and nudging the back of my head again. I require food.
Her fur was cold but she seemed perfectly well, unharmed and unperturbed by the night’s terrors.
“Oh, you lovely girl!” I cried, rubbing Katti’s cheeks. “Thank you, Klea. Where’d you find her?”
“She’s been up in Marellason’s hut all night, with me and Bright,” said Klea. “Well, well. A real live outlander. What are you doing with a ghost? And why under the bed?”
Katti was purring so loudly in my head I could barely think.
“Very well,” I cried. I got up and let her out of my door. “No, you’ll have to get Hilly to feed you,” I told her. “I’m busy.”
She flicked her tail at me in a distinctly unimpressed way as she padded away down the hall.
“I’m busy,” I repeated to her receding hind quarters.
“Does she talk to you?” murmured Klea in my ear, stopping me from closing the door. “You lucky thing. Is it nice?”
“Mostly, yes, but when she’s hungry it’s a pain.”
“Anyone else out there?”
“Not a soul,” I said, after a quick look up and down the hall. “Too early.”
Even to my ears I sounded reproachful.
Klea grinned, pushed the door closed and swaggered back to the bed. Swaggered because she was wearing the most amazing boots, tight up to the knee and wide and loose at the top. Even if they weren’t the height of fashion—though they probably were, knowing Klea—they looked stylish. So did the pale silk shirt and matching black waistcoat and coat she was wearing. I started to feel a bit shy of Klea. She’d become so elegant and beautiful. For a most of my winters at the Family House we’d been great friends, allies against the older cousins and dour Auntie Flara, who was Matriarch in those days. When I was twelve, Bright and I had stopped going up to the Family House for some reason never explained. I’d hardly seen her since, but she’d always acted like a friend to me whenever we did meet. I’d always felt that she had a good heart and her rescuing Bright yesterday confirmed this.
“I’ve been up for hours. Tried to get your cousin’s carriage back but it’s still at the inn and Impi’s nephew is watching it. So Bright decided to fly home on a log of wood.”
I felt a rush of relief knowing Bright was safe.
“You found Graceson?”
“Oh, the lover, yes. Isn’t he gorgeous? They’re happily reunited.” She was the first person I’d met who referred to Bright’s inversion without a grimace of disapproval.
“Thanks for last night,” I said. “Was Bright hurt at all?
“He was fine. Just used up. So tell me about this outlander,” she said, flopping down in my chair, putting her feet on my dressing table and eyeing him.
“His name’s Shadow,” I said. “And he can speak our language, so don’t be rude about his looks. So what are you doing here? Or are you not here?”
She took off her hat (no feathers at all on this one, and it looked much better for it) and smoothed out her hair. Which was a shock, because it was clipped short below her ears.
“Klea!”
She grinned. “Daring, isn’t it? It’s ghost fashion. Apparently the women all wear their hair short.” She nodded at the ghost. “You’re extremely fashionable, Sirrah Shadow. And so would a half-ghost like you be, Shine, if you came down to Crystalline. Why don’t you come when Blessing’s over? We could have some fun. I’m in the theatre now.”
“Lord Impavidus wouldn’t allow it.”
“What’s that to do with him? You’re not under his guardianship.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Didn’t your mother leave you...?
“My mother’s not officially dead, so I can’t inherit an allowance and she’s not here to send me to university or make any other provision for me. Your mother is my guardian.”
“You poor thing. No one like Impi for using the pocket to pull the strings, is there? Well, maybe I can help you. I’ve got a favour to ask you. If you do one for me, I’ll do one for you.”
“How big a favour?”
“I want you to find something for me.”
“No, how big a favour will you do for me? Shadow and I want to go up to Elayison after Blessing Time. In secret.”
“Of course. I can take you there.”
She agreed so easily that I regretted not asking for something more. Though mages being mages, who knew if I’d end up getting any favour at all?
“So what’s this thing you want me to find?”
“A messenger, a woman, came here with a letter yesterday, yes?”
“A lot of people came here yesterday. Chatoyant and Aunt Glisten even came up from Elayison.”
“She was a messenger mage. Up from Crystalline.”
“Oh, yes. I saw her.”
“I don’t know who she came to see, but she will have given them a letter of mine and I want it back. I would have taken it off her, but as you know I got sidetracked helping your cousin. I can’t come here myself and search it out. That’ll set whoever it is on guard and I’ll never get it
back. So I need you to find it and bring it to me.”
“What’s in the letter?” I asked, naturally curious.
“I’d rather not say.” Klea looked at her hands. “A private matter. A delicate private matter. You’ll recognise the letter because it’s got a crouching unicorn seal on it. So you’ll find it for me?”
I’d seen this a hundred times before. Klea would have written something rude about the wrong person or something like that and now she would be worried that someone would use it against her. The feuds mages got themselves into… Probably when I got the letter and, of course, had a sticky nose into it, it wouldn’t even seem important to me. Anyway, it was an easy enough task, and I already owed her a favour.
“No problem. I’ll take a look around.”
“You’re a darling,” she said, smiling brilliantly at me. It didn’t seem fair that someone could have magic and such looks. And she was a wonderful singer, too; apparently in Crystalline, people paid money to see her sing. “I’d better go back to my little hideout. Got any food?”
“There is some cake and some fruit left,” said Shadow. He pointed out the remains of the food I’d given him last night
Klea’s eyes widened. “He really does speak our language. Is he normal ‘down there’?’
“Do you mind?” he snapped.
“I beg your pardon?” said Klea, opening her eyes.
“Shadow, at least address her as ‘my lady,’” I told him. “He’s got no manners but he doesn’t mean any harm. Ghosts are very shy about their pricks, apparently.”
“Modest, you mean,” snapped Shadow. “And if you will forgive me, my lady, people will be up soon. Perhaps if you are worried about discovery...”