‘No.’ Tobazim rolled up his sleeve, aware that before he left, he would never have dared to say this. ‘No. I want you for my shield-brother.’
Ardonyx didn’t say anything.
‘I can’t do this without you,’ Tobazim told him.
‘You do realise that this bond will be for life?’
‘If I cannot have you, I don’t want anyone. I need you at my side, as my voice-of-reason, to lead this brotherhood into a new age.’
‘And what kind of new age will that be?’
‘I grew up and trained under the values of the Golden Age: honour, duty and service. But…’ Tobazim hesitated as his mind raced. ‘I don’t believe in blind service. I think we need to open the T’Enatuath to new ways.’
‘An age of enlightenment?’
‘Yes.’ Fresh conviction rose in Tobazim. Ardonyx saw further than he did, and this was why he needed him. ‘Will you accept?’
For answer, Ardonyx took Tobazim’s left hand. Bypassing the formal wrist-to-elbow touch to establish gift awareness, he opened his knitted vest and placed Tobazim’s left hand over his own racing heart. ‘Lower your defences.’
Tobazim did not hesitate. He felt Ardonyx’s excitement pour directly into him as his heart kept time with Ardonyx’s.
‘Are you afraid, Tobazim?’
‘Yes. If we fail, we’ll both be dead before dawn. But I would rather die with you at my side tonight than live a lifetime under Kyredeon’s rule.’
Ardonyx swallowed. Holding Tobazim’s eyes, he placed his left hand over Tobazim’s heart and lowered his own defences. ‘I swear to be your shield when you are threatened.’
‘And in return, I will shield you with my body and my gift,’ Tobazim whispered, and he led Ardonyx through the complex maze of shields he had erected to defend his gift’s source. He revealed his gift so that its nature would be evident to Ardonyx, letting him savour its flavour.
Ardonyx gasped and responded with an intimate glimpse of his own gift. It was completely alien to Tobazim’s experience. He’d known that Ardonyx’s gift wasn’t martial like his choice-brother Learon’s gift, but he did not recognise the nature of his power.
Before he could make sense of what he had seen, Ardonyx severed the connection and they both swayed, falling to their knees.
Tobazim had never felt so powerful, or so humbled.
GRAELEN SLIPPED INTO the infirmary, where a lamp burned low. Patients slept, but the saw-bones was still awake, making notes at his desk. He looked up, saw them both and went white as a sheet.
Graelen felt like laughing as Ceyne drew them into the bathing chamber, shot the bolt and hugged them both, then hugged them again.
‘They told me you were dead, Grae.’ With tears in his eyes, he cupped Valendia’s cheek. ‘And I thought you’d thrown yourself overboard. I blamed myself for not…’ Overcome, he covered his face and wept.
Valendia hugged him, whispering soft words.
After a moment, he pulled away. ‘Where were you, Dia? We searched the ship. Oriemn almost caused an incident with All-father Hueryx.’
‘I went to see Sorne in the stronghold.’
‘Enough of this.’ Impatience drove Graelen. ‘The causare has gift-infused Tobazim and me as a reward for saving her choice-son’s life. Tobazim and Ardonyx are going to challenge Kyredeon tonight.’
Ceyne went pale. He felt behind him for the edge of the bath and sat down. ‘It had to happen.’
Graelen nodded. ‘This is my chance to serve an all-father I admire. Are you with us? If you come over, with your stature, others will be sure to follow.’
IN THE FOG, all Imoshen could see of Ardonyx’s ship was the glow of the lanterns on the masts. She wondered whether Tobazim had reached him in time to form the shield-brother bond.
‘Dead by dawn or triumphant!’
She spun around. ‘Tancred?’
The geldr danced in front of her, watching her with a sly grin. Seeing that he had her attention, he performed a kick, leaping and pivoting light as a cat.
Signalling for silence, Imoshen led the geldr back to the stern rail of the rear-deck.
Had he been hiding in the fog, listening when Iraayel had returned?
‘You should go to bed, Tancred,’ Imoshen told him. Most of the time he was like a five–year-old child and, like a child, he often responded to a firm voice.
The geldr laughed and turned on one heel in mockery of the spring dances the men performed.
‘They all dance for you. Clever Imoshen, cunning Imoshen.’ Tancred waved a finger in front of her nose like a choice-mother admonishing a child. ‘The lad whispers of love with the girl, while the one who would die for you faces death.’
Tancred knew about Ardonyx? Back in the Celestial City, the geldr had often been in her chambers, playing with Umaleni while Imoshen spoke with Egrayne or her devotee. She’d never told Egrayne about her secret bond-partner and, although her devotee knew about Ardonyx, Imoshen didn’t think she’d discussed him with Frayvia in front of Tancred.
He must be thinking of Graelen or Tobazim, who she had gift-infused tonight. He’d mistaken that ceremony for something deeper, but he was so close…
If it was revealed that Ardonyx was her secret bond-partner it could cost him his life. Kyredeon might be dead by dawn, but there were other brothers who would kill Ardonyx to cripple her. Why, her own inner circle would be horrified if they knew she’d made the deep-bonding with one of the brotherhood men.
Which brought her back to the geldr. She studied him.
Falling to his knees, Tancred peeped up at her from between his fingers.
Would he remain silent?
Did it matter if he didn’t? No one would believe him, after all; they all thought him mad.
The geldr lifted his head with a shaky laugh. ‘Tancred lives another day.’
Imoshen shivered. She was the only raedan in the T’Enatuath.
But the geldr had just read her.
Tancred rocked his weight onto his heels and performed a backward shoulder roll before coming to his feet.
He gave a shallow obeisance. It was the bow of equals.
Startled, Imoshen hesitated. She not sure if she was dealing with the simple child or the sly geldr. Some people were opaque to her raedan skill – not that she let anyone know this – and Tancred was one of those.
She swallowed and reached out to the geldr.
‘It hurts to touch the causare.’ Tancred flinched. ‘The causare has killed, and the shades she banished stole a little from her when she sent them into…’ He shuddered. ‘Tancred doesn’t like that place. Afraid of it. One day, Tancred won’t find the way back.’
‘The higher plane,’ Imoshen whispered. She hadn’t realised Tancred could slip onto the empyrean plane. It was a wonder the predators hadn’t hunted him down and devoured him. ‘You poor thing. I can help. I can come and find you if you get lost there. All you have to do is let me link with you.’
He backed off. ‘No, no, no.’ The words stopped but his mouth kept working, eyes wide with fear.
‘It’s all right, Tancred. I won’t force a link on you.’
But the geldr wouldn’t listen. He scurried away, clambering over the rail and jumping to the lower rear-deck.
Talk of the empyrean plane reminded Imoshen of the risk Ardonyx took tonight. Her gaze was drawn back across to his ship, an insubstantial glow in the fog.
It was time to go to the bathing chamber and prepare. If Ardonyx needed her, she would help him.
But she must keep her identity hidden from Tobazim. He had accepted her gift-infusion because he had earned it, but the causare could not interfere with a brotherhood challenge.
Chapter Twenty-Four
TOBAZIM RAN LIGHTLY down the steps to the rear-deck, where he met Graelen coming out of the passage leading to the cabins.
‘Ceyne is with us.’ Graelen reported. He closed his eyes and concentrated, a slight frown puckering his brows. Tobazim realised he’d opened his
empyrean sight to see them on the higher plane. ‘You’ve formed the bond. It’s deep and it’s made you both much stronger. You’ll make good brotherhood leaders.’
Tobazim glanced to Ardonyx, who nodded once. ‘We want you for our hand-of-force.’
Graelen gestured to the mid-deck where the others were on watch. ‘You have other gift-warriors.’
‘We want you.’
‘Your hand-of-force must be ready to die in your defence. I have Valendia to consider.’
‘I’m not going to lead through fear and intimidation,’ Tobazim said. ‘Think about it.’
And they went down to the mid-deck, where the others joined them to congratulate Tobazim and Ardonyx. Only Haromyr hung back. He regarded Graelen with mistrust, and Tobazim knew the impetuous young gift-warrior had wanted to be hand-of-force.
‘Wait here, I’ll fetch the initiates and young adepts,’ Ardonyx said.
This was where they would get most of their supporters from. At least Tobazim hoped so.
Ardonyx disappeared into the passage to the rear-deck cabins and, after a few moments, the initiates and young adepts poured out. They’d come from their beds and still wore their sleeping wraps, or were dressed only in their breeches. They shivered in the chill, fog-laden air as they whispered amongst themselves. Some looked relieved, but more looked worried. Did they fear Kyredeon so much?
Ardonyx signalled for silence. ‘Tobazim has something to tell you.’
‘Ardonyx and I are shield-brothers,’ he said. ‘By dawn, Kyredeon will be dead and I will be all-father. I promise to lead our brotherhood with honour. When you give your vow to serve me, my vow to serve you will be equally binding.’
They murmured in approval.
‘Are you with me?’ Tobazim asked.
Ionnyn and the remainder of Chariode’s decimated brotherhood crossed the deck, but there were only seven of them in all. The young adepts and initiates who had accompanied Tobazim and Ardonyx to the port also crossed the deck. But that still left a large number who were too fearful of Kyredeon to risk supporting him.
‘I’ve only ever read about brotherhood challenges,’ Athlyn admitted. He was nervous, yet determined. ‘What do you want of us, Tobazim?’
‘When the time comes, Kyredeon will try to draw on your strength to defeat us. Block your brotherhood link to him.’
Ardonyx put a hand on Tobazim’s shoulder. ‘Ready, shield-brother?’
‘Ready.’
As Ardonyx climbed the steps to the rear-deck Tobazim watched him go with a mix of trepidation, fear and excitement.
When Ardonyx entered the passage to the captain’s cabin, Tobazim tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong. Instead, he concentrated on mentally preparing himself.
Ardonyx was sure to sense the force of his gift through their link, just as he sensed the steady pulse of his shield-brother’s power.
Tobazim drew a long, slow breath.
Leadership challenges were meant to take place in the privacy of the brotherhood’s palace. Strange to think that his future would be decided on the deck of a ship just a few days before they left their homeland for ever.
At the other end of the ship, in the foredeck cabins, All-father Hueryx and his inner circle would be aware that something was happening.
Tobazim smiled grimly when he heard Kyredeon’s raised voice. He was furious.
Ardonyx returned, moving swiftly down the steps to join Tobazim on the mid-deck.
First out the door was Kyredeon’s hand-of-force, followed by the voice-of-reason. They both descended to the mid-deck and stalked towards Tobazim, radiating barely-contained fury.
Strangely enough, it was not Oriemn who confronted Tobazim first, but the voice-of-reason.
Farodytor’s top lip lifted in a sneer. ‘So this is who challenges my all-father’s rule? An adept still wet behind the ears, stinking of female gift power. What have you been up to tonight? Unsanctioned trysting?’
This explanation had not occurred to Tobazim, and he laughed.
It unsettled Farodytor, who deliberately turned his back and returned to the ranks of the high-stature initiates who had come down to the mid-deck. Their gifts were on alert, and their bodies radiated energy.
Kyredeon took his time coming down the steps. He had dressed in breeches and boots, nothing more. His chest bore the scars of past battles, and he exuded power as he prowled towards them.
He was everything Tobazim was not, an all-father of many years’ experience, empowered by a martial gift, unhampered by the limitations of conscience and honour. Why had Tobazim ever imagined he could beat Kyredeon?
Ardonyx leant close. ‘Let me have the honour of trading insults on your behalf.’
Tobazim nodded, mouth too dry to speak.
Folding his arms, Tobazim spread his feet and projected a confidence he did not feel as he waited. This was all part of it: the baiting, the testing of resolve – it offered those supporters whose loyalty wavered a chance to make their final decisions.
And it could be very final.
‘What is this?’ Kyredeon asked his high-ranking adepts, gesturing to Tobazim. ‘He is barely two years an adept, yet he thinks he can challenge an all-father. I’m insulted!’
‘Challenge has been given and accepted by your voice-of-reason,’ Ardonyx said. ‘All that remains is to meet on the empyrean plane. Or are you afraid of what you will discover there?’
Kyredeon’s eyes narrowed, the scars of long-ago challenges pale against the flush of anger staining his skin. ‘You. You sweet-talked your way into my brotherhood and this is how you repay me?’
‘I’ve served two all-fathers, but I believe the third will be the greatest,’ Ardonyx said.
There was a murmur of approval.
Kyredeon laughed. ‘I don’t see any high-ranking adepts crossing the deck to support you and your shield-brother, sweet-tongue. What makes you think this pup can best me?’
‘I have the best interests of the brotherhood at heart,’ Tobazim said. ‘I’ll ban duels to the death. I’ll ban forcing the young initiates to fight for the entertainment of the higher ranks. And I’ll ban the usage of initiates by adepts unless they are willing to tryst.’
Kyredeon laughed. ‘That will not win the high-ranking adepts to your side.’
‘Maybe not. But it is fair.’
Kyredeon gave bark of laughter. It was clear what he thought of ‘fair.’ Eyes on Tobazim, he waited to see if any initiates crossed the deck.
‘I will serve an all-father who is fair,’ Ceyne said and crossed the deck, followed closely by Deimosh, the gift-tutor. Both were from Kyredeon’s inner circle, and both were indispensible to the smooth running of the brotherhood.
In a rush, other adepts joined Tobazim and Ardonyx, all mid-ranking.
This left a core of the most vicious gift-warriors in Oriemn’s service, and high-ranking adepts whose stature depended on serving Kyredeon.
Deimosh slipped through the crowd until he stood at Tobazim’s side. ‘You’re not a gift-warrior and neither is Ardonyx. How –’
‘No,’ Tobazim admitted. ‘But I fought alongside my choice-brother Learon when we were dragged onto the higher plane by the shades of the dead we’d killed. I have some experience of the empyrean plane.’
Deimosh looked as if he’d hoped for more than this. ‘As the challenged party, Kyredeon will impose form on the empyrean plane. He’ll try to make you bleed. Any shedding of your physical essence will drain you. He’ll try to prolong the battle and use his greater experience to hold his essence together while you lose power. If enough empyrean beasts are attracted to the battle, he will leave you at their mercy.’
Ardonyx nodded.
‘What do you advise?’ Tobazim asked.
‘Try to get in and out, quickly,’ Deimosh said. ‘I sense you two are shield-brothers now.’
Tobazim nodded.
‘Stay close,’ Deimosh said. ‘This will help you sustain your essence on the higher plane.�
�
Ceyne joined them. ‘Kill his voice-of-reason first. It will weaken Kyredeon to lose his shield-brother. Then go after his hand-of-force. Who is your hand-of-force?’
‘We don’t have one yet,’ Tobazim said. Learon should have been here beside him, tonight. He would have made the perfect hand-of-force; this was why Kyredeon had driven Tobazim’s choice-brother to suicide.
‘I offer myself,’ Haromyr said.
‘You’re too inexperienced, lad,’ Deimosh said. ‘You’d be more of a liability than an asset.’
‘I offer myself,’ Ionnyn said.
Ceyne shook his head. ‘It won’t do. Both of Tobazim’s seconds can’t come from Chariode’s brotherhood. It must be someone from our brotherhood, someone of high rank, with experience.’ And he was looking at Graelen as he spoke.
The hard-faced adept folded his arms. ‘There are others more worthy.’
‘But not as deadly,’ Ceyne countered. ‘Grae, we need –’
Before he could finish, a single chime rang out. The pure note cut the air, cutting through all conversation.
‘Enough preparation,’ Kyredeon said.
‘To win the bout, you must kill Kyredeon and both his seconds, then return and ring that chime,’ Deimosh told Ardonyx. ‘It is how we do it, in this brotherhood.’
‘Stay near me,’ Ardonyx whispered as they both stepped forward into the clear space between the two factions. ‘I’ll watch your back, you watch mine.’
Tobazim nodded. Even without looking, he could feel Ardonyx’s presence at his side; could feel the way their gifts responded to each other.
Kyredeon and his voice-of-reason clasped arms, wrist to forearm, letting down their gift defences as they prepared for battle. Oriemn ripped off his shirt, throwing it on the deck and baring his forearms. He stepped in close, touching skin to skin, forming the triumvirate, strongest of the gift-working forms.
Tobazim and Ardonyx only had each other.
He could feel his gift straining to break free, engorged by the causare’s power.
‘With the greatest risk comes the greatest gain.’ Ardonyx offered his arm.
Elbow to wrist, their hands met.
Sanctuary Page 25