Autumngale

by Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Amaryllis’ lips tightened. “Don’t be like that, Tam. I’m so happy to see you that I just want to think about happy things. For years I dreamed we’d see you when we visited Jingen and we never did and now here you are – in my home!”

  “Your home,” he echoed. The words felt like a slap. He was out there trying to fix things and save the world from sacrifices and risen dragons and everything and she was here making a home in a palace.

  She laughed a tinkling, musical laugh. “My home with Renli, of course. We’re marrying on the last day of Autumngale and then all of this will be mine. Father is so pleased, and of course, so am I!”

  “Father is pleased.” He sounded like a sailor’s bird repeating everything she said.

  She frowned. “Tam, don’t spoil this. It’s just nice to see you again. We had such magical times when we were children, didn’t we? You and me playing together ... before you went away?”

  “I didn’t just go away, Amaryllis,” Tamerlan said gently. What was the point in raging against her? None of this was her fault. “I was sold. I was ripped from my home and sold like a stock animal. Like one of our blue bulls. And my family took money for my life.”

  She blinked back tears. “I know.”

  “And they would have taken money for yours.”

  “It’s how things are. But I was saved at the last minute. By Renli.”

  “Who also paid a price for you. A bride price, but still a price.”

  Her frown deepened. “Renli loves me.”

  “Renli owns you. That’s different than love. Come away with me.”

  She gasped. “I would never.”

  “You don’t have to marry him.”

  She scoffed. “You don’t get it, Tamerlan. I want to marry him. I don’t care that he paid for me. Don’t you get it? He saved my life. And why should I be mad at Father? He was just trying to help our family – like he did when he sold you. If he hadn’t sold you, we wouldn’t have been able to pay our debts to the Di’Sham family. He wouldn’t have garnered us the favor that made all of this,” she looked around her at the Library, her meaning clear, “possible.”

  Tamerlan felt the blood rushing from his face. If he’d had control of his body, he would have stumbled backward.

  I think we’ve heard enough, don’t you?

  He would have died for her. And she wasn’t even sorry that he’d been sold all those years ago. Not once she began to benefit from it. Horror filled him. And a betrayal that felt like a stab to his belly.

  Lila took his voice and for once he gave it to her willingly.

  “I wish you well then, sister. Many happy returns on your wedding and may your bond be blessed. Would you be so kind as to show me where your books on Legends are located? Surely you wouldn’t deny your brother a chance to browse through your library?” She smiled charmingly with his lips.

  “I promise, I will put all the books back in place before morning.”

  His lips were still smiling as he released his hold on her and while Tamerlan’s heart withered in his chest, Lila’s words brought a familial smile to Amaryllis’ lips.

  “I knew you’d understand. And of course, you can look at the books. Just be sure to be gone by morning. Father wouldn’t understand why I indulged you.”

  Indulged him? It was his life that made hers possible. First when he was sold. Then when he gave up the shreds of his life that were left to try to save hers.

  Ignore her. Fools are a dozen to a half-copper. Use them as needed, then discard.

  “I’ll be certain to leave this place in order,” Lila said with Tamerlan’s voice before leaning down to kiss her cheek. Tamerlan wanted to close his eye. To stop the pain of kissing his sister goodbye with the bitterness of her betrayal still on her lips. Amaryllis. He would have died for her. He had been so certain that she loved him, too.

  “Take the light,” Amaryllis said lightly, handing him her candle. “I have no need of it.”

  “Good-bye, dear sister and may you find what you seek.”

  Maybe it was best that Lila was controlling him. He wouldn’t have been able to force out those words. He fought against waves of sadness that threatened to steal his mental focus as Lila slipped into the library, never looking back when the library door shut behind Amaryllis with a click.

  See? It’s good when I’m in charge.

  The light was a boon. They hurried along the shelves, Lila’s fingers running along the spines of the books. But it was Tamerlan who felt a thrill of pleasure strong enough to temporarily erase the hurt of the last few minutes. This library was amazing. It had every volume he’d read or heard of on each subject. It was almost painful when Lila dragged his body past them but there was no time to stop and browse each one. No time to run fingers lovingly over the spines of familiar friends or delve into the first pages of books he’d never read before. No time to flip through, perusing the more interesting ones and making stacks of which ones he would read.

  No time.

  Here they were. The books on the Legends. His heart was racing quickly with anticipation.

  Oh, look! He’d only ever heard of this volume!

  Exploits of Cherrylocks stood out, the red leather of the spine enticing him. He tried to reach for it, but Lila stopped him.

  Nice try, pretty man, but I think I’ll keep my secrets from you for now.

  Tamerlan’s eye skimmed the shelves.

  No books rumpled or torn or sticking out further than the others. Hmmm. No sign of dust disturbed, or parchments stuck in pages...

  What was she doing? He was here to find books on Grandfather Timeless, or of anything that might trap a Legend.

  Can’t you tell he’s been here? I can feel his residue like an oilslick in the spirit world.

  Who’s residue?

  Grandfather Timeless. Now, concentrate and look for what is out of place.

  But it was obvious which one the Grandfather had been looking for. Tamerlan had seen it immediately. Queen Mer and the Sea sat innocently between Abelmeyer’s Conquests and Orange Wars of the Dragonblood Plains. That wasn’t where it belonged. Those books were histories of wars, whereas the Queen Mer book was purely autobiographical. Anyone looking would have noticed it at once.

  I didn’t notice it.

  Anyone who loved books would. It was out of place.

  Lila snatched up the little book, riffling through the pages. Ah. That page was slightly torn. This was the book they were looking for. This was the one the Grandfather had been reading.

  Are you sure?

  It was the one.

  Any librarian worth their salt would have noticed that as quickly as Tamerlan had and replaced the book. The change had to be recent. Maybe even earlier that day. This was the book that would give a clue to where the Grandfather had gone. Tamerlan felt a stab of anxiety slashing through him. And then what? Would they be able to track him down again? And when they did – how would they catch him when he could blink out of existence?

  I don’t think he’s blinking out of existence. I think he’s moving to a different time.

  What, like he was suddenly ten minutes in the past?

  Or twenty years. Or a decade in the future. Who knows? I’m not time. I’ve taken a lot from people – gems, gold, fine clothing. But I don’t steal time like he does. I leave people with their days, their beauty, their memories, their health. The Grandfather snatches all of that – eventually.

  Tamerlan shivered as Lila tucked the little blue book into his shirt.

  They’d promised not to take any books.

  And she was supposed to love you and be on your side. Consider us even.

  What do you have to do with any of that, Lila?

  I’m just restoring balance to the world. You’re welcome.

  And now they needed to find a book that would teach Tamerlan how to trap the Grandfather once they found him. They couldn’t bet on beating him senseless. They needed some device, some amulet, some ... something ... that didn’t require his
eye.

  Nah. We don’t need that.

  And then she was slipping through the shadows and back up to the roof.

  We do need it!

  She ignored his protests. Frustration filled him as he fought uselessly against her hold. She ignored his protests as easily as ignoring an itch, slipping through the palace like a shadow.

  If it had been Tamerlan controlling his body, they would have been caught. There were so many eyes on him, so many guards watching, so many chances to mess up. But Lila seemed almost giddy as she slid past every palace defense and left her small candle in front of the last staircase like a burning bright flag. She tucked the little book into the front of his shirt, jamming it down behind his belt.

  It’s fun to be free – if only for a few hours!

  Did Lila have an avatar somewhere, sleeping beneath earth or sea or in a clock?

  I’ll never tell!

  Was that why she didn’t want him to read about how to trap Legends?

  There’s no such book. There was only ever one true way – not the way of Abelmeyer’s Eye, that’s a temporary thing – and that way was never written down. Hopefully, it was forgotten.

  If that was true, then what hope did he have? Maybe she was lying.

  She was scrambling back up the rope in his body, ignoring the protests of his muscles as she climbed, hanging upside down. She’d better stick around until the climb was done! Tamerlan didn’t think he could complete it on his own.

  Isn’t this your body climbing?

  It was. But it wasn’t his mind. This kind of thing took mental toughness as much as physical strength.

  I’d say ‘you’re welcome’ but I already said that.

  She was the most puffed up creature on the planet.

  I’m only being accurate.

  But he still breathed a sigh of relief when their feet were back on the gargoyle and they were sliding back onto the roof of the Court building.

  “And what were you doing in the palace, boy?” a gravelly voice asked in the darkness. It was like a knife sliding between his ribs as he realized just who was waiting for him.

  Anglarok.

  13: Meeting of Players

  Tamerlan

  WHEN TAMERLAN HAD BEEN a child, he’d been the most afraid of the things that you found in the dark. The things you couldn’t see that crept up on you. The things whose weaknesses you couldn’t assess, because they were hidden. There was nothing good in the dark, because even good things morphed into terrifying things when the lights went out.

  When he’d lost his eye, he’d lost half the light of the world. And here in the dark the sound of that voice cut him to the soul. He was cornered on the edge of the roof by an enemy. There’d be no daring escape here.

  You forget that I’m in charge.

  Lila spun him around. She was crazy if she thought returning to the palace was a good idea. They were caught between one side and the other!

  But she wasn’t listening to him. She was already scrambling along the rope, hanging down so that his head and back were to the canal moat below and his face was looking up at his hands furiously climbing. The rope jostled. He looked back. A knife glinted in the moonlight as Anglarok carefully sawed through the rope.

  He didn’t have time to scream – wouldn’t have been able to anyway with Lila in charge. They were plunging through the air before he realized what was happening, swinging head down with the rope still clutched in his hands and the wind of their fall whistling around him.

  He could see Jhinn’s gondola below in the moat of the palace. He could see Jhinn there with his mouth open and a figure in the shadows behind him. He could see the moonlight glinting off the moat and the bobbing light of Jhinn’s gondola lantern. They were going to hit the water of the moat. And it was going to hurt.

  Pain struck him as hard as the water. It forced his breath out of his lungs. He released the rope, clawing his way to the surface of the cold water, pain and panic welling up inside of him. Would the weight of his sword and belt pull him into the clawing depths of the canal? And yet, it still wasn’t him controlling his body. It was all Lila. Maybe she didn’t find things so fun anymore.

  I’m having a blast.

  And then he was sputtering on the surface, sucking in as much water as air, the sword dragging him down in the water. Strong arms pulled him up from the drink just as Lila fled his body.

  So long, pretty. Let’s do this again.

  Her timing was perfect. She’d left just before he leapt from the wok into the flames.

  The woman holding him as he spewed out water and vomit had a single lock of dark hair hanging long over her harsh face while the rest was cut short. And the sharp expression on her face wasn’t the only pointed thing digging at him. The tip of her sword blade nicked his throat.

  “You’re not as hard to find as you think you are,” she said. “I wonder if you’re even easier to kill.”

  This woman is surely insane, Byron Bronzebow said from his mind. Tamerlan couldn’t have agreed more. Try to charm her to get her on our side.

  Charm her? He’d be lucky to survive her.

  Say something unbelievable, Lila suggested.

  How would that help anything?

  Trust me.

  “I’m harder to kill than you might think,” Tamerlan growled.

  She laughed and the sword tip eased back just a hair.

  Keep going. She’ll respect bold words.

  “If you really want to set Marielle free, then maybe you should come with me,” he suggested. “Right now, I’m the only one who can free her.”

  “I’m listening,” Liandari said, her look turning considering.

  But now Tamerlan was panicking. That was the most outrageous thing he could think of. First, defiance. Then a suggestion that they become allies. What crazier thing could he say?

  Tell her your plan! Lila urged.

  But he didn’t have a plan!

  Then now is the time to make one up. Deathless Pirate suggested. The simpler the better.

  “We will head to the sea,” Tamerlan said, scrambling in his mind. After all, the Grandfather had been reading about Queen Mer. And that meant the sea. Hopefully, he hadn’t lost the book in the fall. He thought he still felt it inside his shirt. “That’s where Grandfather Timeless has gone.”

  Liandari smiled wider and she moved her sword back to threaten Jhinn who regarded it with as little worry as he would a dead fish. “Go get Anglarok, boy.”

  Tamerlan gasped as the sword left his throat, looking around him carefully. A dark shadow waved from the bank and Jhinn steered the boat toward it.

  “I think you should trust me to guide us,” Tamerlan suggested, “and I’ll trust you not to try to kill me along the way.”

  Her laughter was echoed by Anglarok’s as he leapt into the gondola from the shore.

  “Well?” Liandari asked.

  “He smells of truth. Why not give him a try?”

  “Or I could kill him right here,” Liandari said and the sword was back to threatening Tamerlan again. She was far too fond of that thing!

  “That didn’t work out for you last time,” Tamerlan said. “And it won’t work out for you this time, either.”

  He’d have to smoke more spices. Could he pull them from his sleeve and light them without tipping his hand?

  “But then you’d never get what you want,” a new voice said from the land.

  Etienne leapt from the bank into the gondola, sending it rocking and Jhinn cursing.

  “Watch it! If you flip it now, I’ll lose the whole rig.”

  “What are you doing here?” Liandari asked but her sword was still at Tamerlan’s throat.

  “Looking for him,” Etienne said, nodding at Tamerlan, but his eyes stayed on the Harbingers.

  “Then why don’t you ask him whatever you came to ask?” Liandari said. “I’ll just keep my sword handy. And then when you’re done, you can go. I have plans for this boy.”

  Etienne shrugged,
but the way he stood seemed like he was tensed for something. “Did you find a clue to the Grandfather?”

  Tamerlan hesitated. Shouldn’t they deal with the people holding weapons on them first and worry about books later?

  Etienne coughed. “Well?”

  Liandari let the edge of her blade touch his throat again.

  Reluctantly, Tamerlan pulled the sodden book out of his shirt handed it to Etienne. “See for yourself.”

  Liandari scowled as she watched Etienne take it. He snorted, opened it, and began to read. Someone had left one of the pages dogeared.

  “And her avatar remains in the sea’s embrace, awaiting the time of the return of Legends,” he read. “The Grandfather goes to free Queen Mer?”

  “Yes,” Tamerlan said, hoping he was right. Anything to keep this chaos from spinning out of control.

  “And these two?” Etienne asked. As if the Harbingers were Tamerlan’s guests and not threatening him with blades. “What are they doing here?”

  “I think you’re done with questions now. Time to leave.” Liandari twisted and her sword darted toward Etienne.

  Etienne reacted so quickly that Tamerlan could hardly duck, parrying Liandari’s testing thrust. She looked surprised as he pressed her back with the strength behind his blade.

  “We want the girl,” Liandari said as if she were negotiating. “She’s the key to finding the one who opens the Bridge of Legends – the one who endangers us all. Why do you think that our people have returned? Why do you think we’ve come to your five cities?”

  Little does she know, he’s right here in front of her! Lila was laughing in Tamerlan’s mind, but he didn’t feel like laughing at all. He stepped back to where Jhinn stood with his paddle held at the defensive. Anglarok stood casually between them and Liandari. He wasn’t fighting them, merely keeping them from interrupting his lieutenant as she tested Etienne.

  “And I’m willing to spill your blood right now if it means getting the information we need to get her back,” Liandari said.

  “I don’t have that information,” Etienne said coolly as his sword met hers in a careful parry. The swordplay seemed like more negotiations.

  “It sounds like it’s in that book.”