by Ken Scholes
Neb
Your story is what you are worth to him.
The redheaded woman’s words stayed with Neb long after she said them.
He’d bathed himself, waiting until the serving woman who brought the water saw him tugging at his filthy robes. The ash and dirt from his body turned the water a deep brown as soon as he settled into it. When he dried himself with the rough army towels, he saw even more ash had turned the white cotton a light gray. Still, he was cleaner than he’d been.
The robes they’d brought him were too large, but he cinched the rope belt tighter and then dumped his own wash water into the patch of ferns behind the tent.
After, he’d tried to nibble at a bit of bread, but his stomach soured after a few bites. Clutching his two books, Neb curled himself onto the cot. He thought about the redheaded woman’s words and wondered what made his story so valuable to the Overseer. And why had he seemed so flustered when he learned that Neb couldn’t speak? Worse, why had he seemed so excited to hear it in the first place? He knew the lady might tell him if he could ask her, but he also wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Eventually, he rolled over and tried to sleep. But when he closed his eyes, there was no dark, never any dark. It was fire-green fire-falling like a giant fist onto the city of Windwir, and lightning-white and sharp-slicing upward at the sky. Buildings fell. The smell of burning meat-cattle and people alike-filled his nose. And there, in the gate down by the river docks, a lone figure rushing out, ablaze and screaming.
Of course, Neb knew his own mind was drawing that part of the picture in. But in his mind, he could see right to the melting whites of his father’s eyes, could see the blame and disappointment there.
Eventually, he gave up on the cot. Instead, he slipped out into the night and went to the cart that, true to their words, the Delta Scouts had brought back. Crawling into the back of it, nestled down among the sacks of mail and books and clothing, Neb fell into sleep.
But his dreams were full of fire.‹ st.
Chapter 4
Rudolfo
Battlefields, Rudolfo thought, should not require etiquette, nor be considered affairs of state.
He remained mounted at the head of his army while his captains parleyed with the Overseer’s captains in a moonlit field between the two camps. On the horizon, Windwir smoldered and stank. At last, they broke from parley and his captains returned.
“Well?” he asked.
“They also received the birds and came to offer assistance.”
He sneered. “Came to peck the corpses clean more likely.” Rudolfo had no love for the City States, hunkered like obese carrion birds at the delta of the Three Rivers, imposing their tariffs and taxes as if they owned those broad, flat waters and the sea they spilled into. He looked at Gregoric. “And did they share with you why they broke treaty and magicked their scouts at time of peace?”
Gregoric cleared his throat. “They thought that perhaps we had ridden against Windwir and were honoring their kin-clave. I took the liberty of reminding them of our own kin-clave with the Androfrancines.”
Rudolfo nodded. “So when do I meet with the tremendous sack of moist runt droppings?”
His other captains laughed quietly behind their hands. Gregoric scowled at them. “They will send a bird requesting that you dine with the Overseer and his lady.”
Rudolfo’s eyebrows rose. “His lady?”
Perhaps, he thought, it would not be so ponderous after all.
He dressed in rainbow colors, each hue declaring one of his houses. He did it himself, waving away assistance but motioning for wine. Isaak sat, unspeaking and unmoving, while Rudolfo wrapped himself in silk robes and scarves and sashes and turban.
“I have a few moments,” he told the metal man. “Tell more of your story.”
Light deep in those jeweled eyes sparked and caught. “Very well, Lord.” A click, a clack, a whir. “The parchment containing the missing text of Xhum Y’Zir’s Seven Cacophonic Deaths came to me for cataloging and translat of„ion, naturally.”
“Naturally,” Rudolfo said.
“I worked under the most careful of circumstances, Lord Rudolfo. We kept the new text isolated in a secure location with no danger of the missing words being added to complete the incantation. I was the only mechoservitor to work with the parchment and all knowledge of my previous work with prior fragments was carefully removed.”
Rudolfo nodded. “Removed how?”
The metal man tapped his head. “It’s… complex, Lord. I do not fully understand it myself. But the Androfrancines write metal scrolls and those metal scrolls determine our capacity, our actions, our inactions, our memories.” Isaak shrugged.
Rudolfo studied three different pairs of soft slipper. “Go on.”
The metal man sighed. “There is not much more to tell. I cataloged, translated and copied the missing text. I spent three days and three nights with it, calculating and recalculating my work. In the end, I returned to Brother Charles to have the memory of my work expunged.”
A sudden thought struck him, and Rudolfo raised a hand, unsure why he was so polite with the mechanical. “Is memory of your work always removed?”
“Seldom, actually. Only when the work is of a sensitive or dangerous nature, Lord.”
“Remind me to come back to this question later,” Rudolfo said. “Meanwhile, continue. I must leave soon.”
“I put the parchment in its safe, left the catalog room and watched the Androfrancine Gray Guard lock it behind me. I returned to Brother Charles, but his study was locked. I waited.” The metal man whirred and clicked.
Rudolfo selected a sword in an intricate scabbard, thrusting it through his sash. “And?”
The metal man began to shake. Steam poured out of his exhaust grate. His eyes rolled and a high pitched whine emanated from somewhere deep inside.
“And?” Rudolfo said, sharpness creeping into his voice.
“And all went blank for a moment, Lord. My next memory was standing in the city square, shouting the words of the Seven Cacophonic Deaths-all of the words-into the sky. I tried to stop the utterance.” He sobbed again, his metal body shuddering and groaning. “I could not stop. I tried but could not stop.”
Rudolfo felt the mechanical’s grief, sharp and twisting, in his stomach. He stood at the flap of his tent, needing to leave and not knowing what to say.
The metal man continued. “Finally, I reversed my language scroll. But it was too late. The Death Golems came. The Plague Spiders scuttled. Fire fell from sulfur clouds. All seven deaths.” He sobbed again.
Rudolfo stroked his beard. “And why do you think this happened?”
The metal man looked up, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Lord. Malfunction, perhaps.”
“Or malfeasance,” Rudolfo said. He clapped and Gregoric appeared, slipping out of the night to stand by his side. “I want Isaak here under guard at all times. No one talks to him but me. Do you understand?”
Gregoric nodded. “I understand, General.”
Rudolfo turned to the metal man. “Do you understand as well?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Rudolfo leaned over the metal man to speak quietly in his ear. “Take courage,” he said. “It is possible that you were but the tool of someone else’s ill will.”
Isaak’s words, quoted from the Whymer Bible, surprised him. “Even the plow holds love for splitting the ground; and the sword grief for spilling the blood.”
Rudolfo’s fingers lightly brushed a polished shoulder. “We’ll talk more when I return.”
Outside, the sky grayed in readiness for morning. Rudolfo felt weariness creeping behind his eyes and in the tips of his fingers. He had stolen naps here and there, but hadn’t slept a full night since the message bird’s arrival four days before, calling him and his Wandering Army south and west. After the meal, he told himself. He would sleep then.
His eyes lingered on the ruined city painted purple in the predawn light.
�
�Gods,” he whispered. “What an unexpected weapon.”
Jin Li Tam
Jin Li Tam hid the stolen magicks pouch in her tent. As she straightened, she heard a polite cough behind her. She spun.
The young lieutenant-the one that had brought her the horse while they were on the road-stood in the openin C inan" g.
She pulled herself to full height. “Yes?”
“Lord Sethbert informs you that Rudolfo and his entourage will be arriving within the hour. The Overseer is expecting you at the banquet table.”
Jin Li Tam nodded. “Thank you. I will be there.”
The lieutenant shuffled uncomfortably, and she could tell that he wanted to say something but was unsure. “Come in from the night, Lieutenant.” She studied him. He couldn’t have been much past twenty and had the solid look of some minor Delta noble’s son, eager to make his mark in the world. She took a step closer to him, but no more because she knew her height might intimidate him, and in this case, for this moment, she wanted his trust. “You wish to say something?”
His eyes moved around the room and he twisted his cap in his hands. “I wish to ask a question.” The words came out slowly, then sped up. “But I’m not sure I want to know.”
“I may not want to tell you,” she said. “But you may ask.”
“Some of the men have heard the Overseer talking to his generals over the last two days. Others have overheard the scouts. They say there’s nothing left of Windwir but for those metal men and that boy.”
“That seems to be true enough,” Jin Li Tam said. “Though I hope it will be proven false.”
He’s not come to it yet, she thought. There’s more he wants to ask, but he’s not sure he can trust me. She took a risk and used the subverbal finger language of the Delta Houses.
You can trust me, she signed.
He blinked. You know our signing?
She nodded. “I do.” Even as her mouth formed the words, her hands kept moving. Ask what you will, Lieutenant.
His hands fumbled with the hat and he pulled it back onto his head. “It wouldn’t be proper for me to question.” But his hands now moved too. They tell us that the Overseer had advance knowledge of Windwir’s doom from spies in the city; that we rode out to her aid by way of kin-clave. His hands went limp and she understood. This young man was on the edge of the blade now.
“You’re right,” she said. “It would not be proper. He is the Overseer. You are his lieutenant. I am his consort.” The Overseer did have advance knowledge, she signed back.‹ Ck.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you, Lady.” And his hands again: The men have heard him boasting. They say he claims he brought down the Androfrancine city.
“Please let the Overseer know that I will join him for dinner shortly.” Jin Li Tam hesitated. Confirming his fears could lead him down a dangerous path. It was easier to be uncertain than it was to pretend a noble cause or to bury his uniform and flee. The Overseer’s boasting is true, she finally signed. She watched the color leave his face.
The lieutenant swayed and he dropped his hands. “He must have had good reason,” he whispered.
Jin Li Tam stepped closer, now revealing her height as she put her hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Once you see the Desolation of Windwir,” she said in a low voice, “you’ll know there could be no good reason for what the Overseer has done.”
The lieutenant swallowed. “Thank you, Lady.”
She nodded once, then turned away and waited for him to leave. Once he was gone, she closed the flap to her tent, hid the magick pouch in a different location, and laid out her clothing for the night’s event.
As she brushed her hair, she wondered if her father were right about Lord Rudolfo. It was clear now that she must leave sooner rather than later. Sethbert rode a slippery slope on a blind stallion, and no good could come of it. She wondered what her father would say, and she thought perhaps he would tell her to go to Rudolfo. A strategic alliance with the Ninefold Forest Houses-at least until she could return safely to the Emerald Coasts-could keep her about her father’s business a while longer.
Sethbert no longer stood when she entered a room. In the early days he had, of course, and certainly during formal occasions he followed the proper courtesies. But he was alone now with his metal man and he was chuckling as it hopped on one foot and juggled plates for him.
“Lord Overseer,” she said in the doorway, curtsying.
He looked her over, licking his lips. “Lady Jin Li Tam. You look lovely as always.”
As she walked into the room and took her seat, he waved off the metal man. “Wait in the kitchen,” he told it.
It nodded and shambled off, clicking and hissing.
“The newer ones are much better,” he said. “I think I’ll replace him.”
Jin smiled and nodded politely.
“And how are you this evening? Have you kept busy?” Sethbert seemed jovial now.
“I have, Lord. I checked on the boy and made sure he was well cared for.” When Sethbert frowned, she continued. “I’m sure he’ll be talking in no time.”
The momentary storm passed from his face. “Good, good. I will want to hear his story.”
Jin placed her hands in her lap. “Should I be aware of anything this evening, Lord?”
Sethbert smiled. “You’ve not met Rudolfo before.”
She shook her head. “I’ve not.”
“He’s a fop. A dandy of sorts.” Sethbert leaned in. “He has no children. He has no wife nor consort. I think he’s-” He waved his fingers in a feminine way. “But he’s a great pretender. If he asks you to dance-and I suspect he will-dance with him no matter how distasteful it may be.”
“If my lord wishes.”
“I do wish it.” He leaned in. “It goes without saying that the time is not right for him to know of my role in Windwir’s fall. He’ll know soon enough, but when he does it will be too late for him.”
Jin Li Tam nodded. It was sound strategy. The attack on Windwir had knocked a crutch out from under the Entrolusian economy-Sethbert might be mad, but not so mad as to be foolish. For whatever reason he’d destroyed this city, he intended to supplement the Delta’s losses by annexation, and the Ninefold Forest Houses were ripe fruit, albeit high on the tree and a bit out of the way. A small kingdom of forest towns surrounded by vast resources. The army, she realized, had never been for Windwir. “I understand.”
There was a commotion outside. The tent flaps fluttered and her young lieutenant stood in the doorway. Their eyes met briefly before he looked away.
“Lord Rudolfo rides for the camp. He’s bringing his Gypsy Scouts. They are unmagicked.”
Sethbert smiled. “Thank you, Lieutenant. Make sure he is announced appropriately.”
Jin Li Tam straightened her skirt, pulled at her top and wondered how this last meal as Sethbert’s consort would go.
Chapter 5
Rudolfo
Sethbert did not meet him at the edge of his army; instead, Rudolfo rode in escort to the massive round tent. He snapped and waved and flashed hand-signs to his Gypsy Scouts, who slipped off to take up positions around the pavilion.
Sethbert rose when he entered, a tired smile pulling at his long mustache and pockmarked jowls. His lady rose, too, tall and slim, draped in green riding silks. Her red hair shone like the sunrise. Her blue eyes flashed an amused challenge and she smiled.
“Lord Rudolfo of the Ninefold Forest Houses,” the aide at the door announced. “General of the Wandering Army.”
He entered, handing his long sword to the aide. “I come in peace to break bread,” he said.
“We receive you in peace and offer the wine of gladness to be so well met,” Sethbert replied.
Rudolfo nodded and approached the table.
Sethbert clapped him on the back. “Rudolfo, it is good to see you. How long has it been?”
Not long enough, he thought. “Too long,” he said. “How are the cities?”
Sethbert shrugged. �
��The same. We’ve had a bit of trouble with smugglers but it seems to have sorted itself out.”
Rudolfo turned to the lady. She stood a few inches taller than him.
“Yes. My consort, the Lady Jin Li Tam of House Li Tam.” Sethbert stressed the word “consort” and Rudolfo watched her eyes narrow slightly when he said it.
“Lady Tam,” Rudolfo said. He took her offered hand and kissed it, his eyes not leaving hers.
She smiled. “Lord Rudolfo.”
They all sat and Sethbert clapped three times. Rudolfo heard a clunk and a whir from behind a hanging tapestry. A metal man walked out, carrying a tray with glasses and a carafe of wine. This one was older than Isaak, his edges more boxlike and his coloring more copper.
“Fascinating, isn’t he?” Sethbert said while the metal man poured wine. He clapped again. “Servitor, I wish the chilled peach wine tonight.” Koniber
The machine gave a high-pitched whistle. “Deepest apologies, Lord Sethbert, but we have no chilled peach wine.”
Sethbert grinned, then raised his voice in false anger. “What! No peach wine? That is inexcusable, servitor.”
More whistling and a series of clicks. A gout of steam shot out of the exhaust grate. “Deepest apologies, Lord Sethbert-”
Sethbert clapped again. “Your answer is unacceptable. You will find me chilled peach wine even if you must walk all the way to Sadryl and back with it. Do you understand?”
Rudolfo watched. The Lady Jin Li Tam did not. She fidgeted and worked hard to hide the embarrassment in the redness of her cheeks, the spark of anger in her eyes.
The servitor set down the tray and carafe. “Yes, Lord Sethbert.” It moved toward the tent flap.
Sethbert chuckled and nudged the lady with his elbow. “You could take lessons there,” he said. She offered a weak smile as false as his earlier anger.
Then Sethbert clapped and whistled. “Servitor, I’ve changed my mind. The cherry wine will suffice.”
The metal man poured the wine and left for the kitchen tent to check on the first course.