by Peter Newman
And he was cold. Most of his clothes had been stripped from him and the stone floor was sucking the heat from his skin.
More than anything else though, he was hungry. And he was alone. The room he was in was small. There was little in the way of furniture or decoration. Just rough-hewn rock and a bit of light from outside that managed to illuminate the gaps where the door had warped in its frame.
I am in a cell. Wait. I know this place.
He gave a grim laugh as he realized this was the same cell he’d been keeping Pik in. An unhappy accident or a deliberate bit of spite on Rochant’s part? He decided it was probably the latter. If the Story-singers were to be believed, Rochant never did anything by accident.
A voice came from nearby. A woman’s voice, laced with age and bitterness. ‘Care to share the joke?’
‘No.’
‘Fine. I doubt I would have laughed.’
He tried sitting up and failed, only getting halfway before collapsing again. As he lay on his back, panting and feeling sorry for himself, it occurred to him that the woman didn’t sound like a guard or a servant. ‘Who are you?’
‘A prisoner of Lord Rochant, same as you. What did you do to gain his ire?’
He considered lying but what was the point? They’d got him now. And besides he was too tired to lie. He was almost too tired to think. ‘I pretended to be him.’
That made her laugh for quite a while. ‘You pretended to be a Deathless?’
‘Yes,’ he smiled at the incredulity in her voice. ‘It was easy. At least, it was until the real Rochant showed up. How did you become Lord Rochant’s enemy?’
‘I rejected him in a previous lifecycle.’
‘You’re a Deathless?’
‘I was, once.’
‘Which one?’
‘Nidra Un-Sapphire.’
‘But you’re dead! They sent you into the Wild before I was born.’
‘My brother, Yadavendra, sent me but I didn’t oblige him by dying.’
Suddenly it made sense. ‘Now your son is High Lord you’ve come back. But Rochant doesn’t want you to come back.’
‘It’s complicated. He doesn’t want me to come back on my own terms.’
‘Well, he doesn’t want me to come back at all.’
‘Then you should ask yourself why you’re still alive. There will be a reason.’
He frowned. Nidra was making sense. His frown deepened as he considered all the reasons why Rochant might have kept him around. None of them were good. ‘I’m more interested in why he put us together. Seems sloppy.’
‘Oh, that’s easy,’ Nidra replied. ‘It’s to allow us to talk under an illusion of privacy and give away our secrets.’
‘In that case we should talk about how annoying he is.’
Nidra laughed again. It wasn’t a nice laugh but he liked it. He’d made his mother laugh once but that seemed like a long time ago. ‘Actually, he’d enjoy that. He enjoys the challenge. It’s better not to talk about him at all.’
Satyendra nodded. ‘How did you survive in the Wild?’
‘That’s a pertinent question. If he doesn’t kill you, exile is your most likely fate. I survived by skill, luck and sheer bloodymindedness. It’s hard to find food and it’s hard to avoid the predators, but that isn’t the greatest threat. The Wild has a presence of its own. It’s like someone is pressing down on your chest making it hard to breathe. They don’t push hard but they never let up. If you relax or drop your guard, they squeeze a little more and they never give back what you’ve lost. Just being there is a slow death. If you ask me, you’d be better off with execution.’
‘Easy for you to say.’
She didn’t reply to him immediately, then asked: ‘What’s your name? Your real name?’
‘Satyendra.’
‘Hmph. I remember now. Always said it was too long. Satyendra sounds like a high lord’s name.’
‘It’s supposed to. I was born on the same day as Yadavendra. Apparently, he was so pleased he gave me a name as long as his.’
‘With a start like that, it’s no wonder you’ve ended up here.’
Satyendra’s temper began to flare. ‘What, the same place as you?’
‘Don’t confuse us, boy. We are not in the same place. I’ve managed to fight my way back from the dead. I will rejoin the ranks of the Deathless soon, one way or the other. I have options. You are dead. The only questions for you to consider are what does Rochant want to squeeze out of you before he kills you. And how long and painful does he intend your death to be.’
He had nothing to say to that, so he went back to lying there, cold and tender and hungry. He clenched his jaw, squeezed his fists, and wrapped himself in a cloak of self-pity.
But Nidra was not done.
‘What I don’t understand is why you’re just waiting for it to happen.’
He didn’t answer her.
‘If I was in your position,’ she continued, ‘I would be thinking of ways to escape … or to make him suffer.’
He licked his dry, cracked lips, answering despite himself. ‘Why are you saying this if you know he can hear us?’
‘Oh, he was listening. He’s not now. An urgent matter drew him away not long before you woke up. The guards went with him in a fluster. All of them,’ she added with a note of delight, ‘so it must be very taxing indeed. I’d love to know what it is, but you can’t have everything.’
‘Why are you doing this?’
‘Simple. I want revenge. On Rochant. I imagine you want the same. Find a way to make him suffer and if I can, I’ll find a way to spare your life.’
‘How can I trust you? And don’t give me anything about Sapphire honour. I know how much that’s really worth.’
‘If you won’t trust my word, trust my hate. I would give anything to see it satisfied.’
He could feel her hate as sure as the stone beneath him, and recognized something of himself in it. Whatever else she was lying about, her enmity with Rochant was undeniable.
Why not? he thought to himself. I have nothing to lose. ‘Very well. I’ll take you up on that offer, though I hardly see how it’s relevant here. I’m beaten. Powerless.’
‘He needs you for something, and in the right hands, that need can be twisted. Stay alert and a chance will come.’
She’s right. I have faced death every day and won. I tricked all the Sapphire Deathless for years by cunning alone. I can beat Rochant as well, but only if I stop whining and start thinking.
But as he tried to take comfort from that thought, another came: This idea of self-reliance, of him tricking everyone with his brilliance, was merely a comforting lie.
All these years, Mother protected me. Perhaps only so that I could be sacrificed for Rochant’s benefit but, without her, I never would have got this far. I wasn’t alone until I sent her away. And how long did I last after she left? One day. One miserable day. Perhaps this is justice.
His features twisted into a mask of hate and he forced himself to sit up, wincing as the burned skin pulled tight on his back.
I spit in the face of justice.
I spit on the Deathless.
I spit on them all.
For a moment he managed to convince himself, and then he sagged down again. Even in his own mind the words had a hollow ring.
I am doomed and alone. Is hurting Rochant really all I have to live for now?
It was easy for Nidra to talk of hate and battle. That was her world. She had survived terrible things but always with the promise of a return to glory. She was Deathless, destined for greatness. He, on the other hand, was something else, something outside the natural order. Perhaps he’d find a way to make Rochant pay. Perhaps he wouldn’t. Either way, Satyendra held no illusions about his own fate.
Vasinidra flew through the night. The only light was the Godroad, cutting an arrow-straight path ahead of him. Either side of it was the Wild, a vast sea of darknesses, all twisting together.
For him, flying was the
purest of actions. It focused his mind and body totally, devoting both to the moment. He had worries about what he would find in the Ruby Lands. He had worries about his mother, about his ability to lead the house, about a hundred things. But in these moments, all he thought about was the dip and rise of his wings, of essence currents playing over his armour, and of moving onward.
The vagueness of the dark below and the unchanging road contributed to an odd sense of going nowhere. As if he were hovering in the sky, not diving through it.
Time passed.
Vasinidra flew.
When at last, the sky began to lighten in anticipation of the sunsrise, he saw the lands of House Ruby laid out before him. Forest had given way to a rising swamp that threatened to submerge the Godroad in places. It seemed the denizens of the Wild had not been idle in his absence. For each settlement that he passed intact, there was another abandoned or in the midst of being repaired. Most of Raften had been ripped from its stilts and dragged down into the muddy waters, leaving only jagged stumps and a single house behind. Fourboards remained, but it looked more like a battleground now than a home, its people grim faced as they sifted through the rubble. None of them looked up as he passed. None saluted. It seemed they lacked the energy for hope.
House Ruby had been teetering on the edge when he left. Now it seemed to have fallen.
I’ve been gone a matter of days. If I’d stayed, could I have prevented this?
Soon, the floating castle of the Ruby High Lord came into view. In the twilight it was a heavy blot against the clouds, like a rough-edged smudge on a painting. The High Lord herself was between lives but her daughter, Lady Anuja Ruby, had taken the role temporarily. During his last visit, she was the only active member of the house remaining. He recalled her desperation, and her plan to bring her mother back early.
He dearly hoped she hadn’t followed that plan.
It wasn’t until he was close that he saw the guest flags flying, four colours, four of the seven houses present to aid their wounded ally – Tanzanite; Peridot; Opal; and, at last, Sapphire.
He came down to land where the Godroad ended. The guards didn’t challenge him as they had before, but they didn’t welcome him either. Their expressions were tired, old before their time.
Vasinidra stopped nonetheless and gave the proper greetings as the cage was winched down. He climbed in and ascended alone, the cage swinging in the wind. There was plenty of time for him to examine the old pulleys and chains.
The metal is as worn as its people. When was the last time these were changed?
It felt as if House Ruby had been under too much pressure for too long, and the cracks were starting to show. In previous lifecycles, the castle had been a proud and happy place.
I will make it so again, he promised himself.
At the top, servants in ruby livery tried to direct him to the Gardener-smiths, but he waved them away. ‘There’s no time for that. Is Lady Anuja here?’
‘Yes, High Lord Vasinidra. She is meeting with your family as we speak.’
‘Good. Take me to her.’
He marched down narrow corridors, having to twist awkwardly at times to accommodate his wings, as the servants struggled to keep pace. It pained him to be breaking with protocol and not remove his armour. It pained him further to feel like he was repeating Yadavendra’s behaviour. He knew he’d been exalted for too long, and that such a state could become addictive. But he also knew that time was of the essence. The Corpseman was on the move, and they had to act before it did. He was sure that the demon had a plan, and that it centred around House Ruby.
As he drew closer to the room, he could hear the sounds of argument. There were lots of voices, but two rang out more clearly than the others: Lady Anuja Ruby and his uncle, Lord Umed Sapphire.
His heart sank.
Given his attire, he did not dare break tradition further by entering without permission. But waiting as the servants announced him with song, and waiting still longer for an invitation was painful.
When it came, he strode in. There were many Deathless present: Umed, Yadva, and Gada from his own house, a single noble from house Tanzanite, and then one from each of the minor houses, Opal, Peridot, and Ruby.
Though both the Opal and Peridot were dressed in their finest and painted for the occasion, no amount of artistry could hide their injuries fully. Lord Lakshin Opal’s long face was swollen on one side, the glittering lines around his eyes sagging with exhaustion. Lord Quasim Peridot remained upbeat, despite the fact that one of his arms was bound to his side.
Lady Anuja was on her mother’s throne. The gold star around her right eye flashed angrily with each flick of her hand. However, the aggressive movements were testing her injuries, the pain plain on her face. ‘Talk of the future all you want, Lord Umed. My people’s end is coming now. Tonight. And I will not be sitting in this chair when it happens. I will be out there. With them.’
Quasim and Yadva nodded approvingly, but Umed raised his hands. ‘If my understanding is correct, the demons are looking for your people, for you above all. If you go out there and die, all this fighting will have been for nothing.’
‘If I don’t go, I am nothing.’
Any surprise Umed showed at Vasinidra still being armoured was matched by relief. ‘Ah,’ he said. ‘If you won’t listen to me, then please, listen to my High Lord.’
Vasinidra bowed to her, though technically he no longer had to.
Anuja appraised him coolly. ‘I see you have come back as disrespectfully as you left. Two days you have been gone, and two nights. They came for us that first night, so on the second day we hunted them. But on the second night they came back even stronger. Demons have entered my settlements, walked into houses as if they owned them. Demons!’ she exclaimed. ‘In my streets! So many that we have had to go down and fight them in the dark or else risk losing everything. So many, that the road-born fear to sleep in their own beds. They watch from the Godroad as their livelihoods are destroyed … As my hunters are destroyed. Now my forces are too broken and tired to hunt any more. The demons know it.’ She slumped back in her chair. ‘They know it.’
It took him a while to find the right words to respond. ‘Please forgive my absence and my entrance. All I can say in my defence is that both were to serve you.’
‘And how does this insult serve me? You refuse to do battle by my side, yet come to my home, to my hall, dressed as a conqueror!’
‘I left alone so I might come back with the combined might of House Sapphire. And I came back in this manner for two reasons. The first is time. Your people have run out of time and, as soon as we conclude this talk, I will ask your permission to take wing once more, to fight for your noble house. The second is to make a point.’
Her eyes narrowed but she said nothing.
‘You and I have talked about the Wild changing. The demons are no longer simply dangerous entities. They are organized and they have adapted to take advantage of our traditions. Don’t you see? We have become predictable to them. Quiverhive has been wearing you down with its forces, but that was only the beginning. It has been in communication with the Scuttling Corpseman, who is active once more. The Corpseman is the true threat. My hunters and I went to its lair but by the time we arrived it had already fled. It is coming here, to join its strength with Quiverhive’s.’
He pointed a finger at her. ‘When the Corpseman arrives, it and the demons will destroy your settlements. They will drive your people onto the Godroad, and then they will slaughter them.’
The other Deathless looked puzzled aside from Anuja, who looked like she might be sick. ‘That is why Quiverhive was sacrificing demons on the Godroad. It was experimenting, testing the limits of our defences. Yes, you understand. They mean to use the Godroad against us.’
‘Impossible!’ said Quasim. ‘The Godroad is poison to them.’
‘It is,’ agreed Vasinidra, ‘but Quiverhive can pile enough bodies onto the Godroad to make a carpet. I saw him use Murker
s for that purpose. The Godroad turned the Murkers to ash in seconds, but for those seconds, Quiverhive could travel. Imagine if it used human bodies instead. A whole settlement’s worth of bodies that won’t burn.’
There was consternation in the room.
Vasinidra held up his hands and they fell silent. ‘The Wild has changed, it has become intelligent. Not like you and I, but it thinks now. It plans. It has watched us, learned our ways, and adapted, and we have suffered for it. If we are to survive, we need to change too.’ He gestured to his uncle. ‘Lord Umed was right when he said that they are targeting the Rubies over all others. I don’t think they’re attacking randomly any more. I think the Corpseman is trying to break House Ruby entirely. No, not break it, remove it from existence. They are hunting your people to extinction.
‘I believe all this is to draw you out of the castle, Lady Anuja. The Corpseman knows how you think. It will be expecting you to die alongside your people. And that is why you must go out there again, tonight. You, and Lords Quasim and Lakshin. They will see how tired you are, how vulnerable, and they will attack.’
Anuja nodded. ‘That they will. How will we turn it to our advantage?’
‘We will choose where the fight will be. They will think they are hunting you but in truth, we will be hunting them. When you have drawn them out, House Sapphire and House Tanzanite will come from the sky and crush them. Above all else, the Scuttling Corpseman and Quiverhive must be destroyed.’
He turned to the Tanzanite Deathless. She was a tall, solid woman, with twists of gold threaded through her thick, curly hair. He knew her by the stud-like tattoos on her knuckles and the aloof expression that followed her from one lifecycle to another. ‘Lady Farida, I understand your High Lord sent three of you to aid the Rubies, are the other two still with us?’
‘Still in their bodies, yes, but I came alone to relieve the hunters here. They continue to patrol the border.’