by Devin Madson
‘Do you think she’ll still love you with your pretty face all cut up?’ he crooned, his hand on my other cheek. ‘Such a fool you are, Darius. Did you really think someone else would love you, truly love you, knowing everything as I do?’ He chuckled. ‘No, you’re too clever for that. That’s why you never told her the truth, honourable Darius Laroth.’
‘Vatassa matas!’
Malice laughed. ‘How I missed you, yes? Resorting to Avarice’s Qitian when you are enraged.’
‘Shivats to your truth.’
‘And she would have you blind and dumb. But you haven’t forgotten how the power feels. The connection, the superiority, the mastery. It tastes better than any of the messy ways Normals seek their ecstasy. We are gods, Darius.’
‘I love her.’
Though blood obscured one eye I could see him through the other, could see the laugh die. ‘Love,’ he spat. ‘You’ve forgotten what the word means. Do you remember the day our father told you he loved you?’
It was like a punch to the gut, an ethereal jab that robbed me of breath. I love you, Darius, you are my son and I love you. Remember that, promise me that you will remember that.
That night my father had dragged me out through the garden. The storm had lashed at my face and I had kicked and scratched and screamed, trying to make him let go. My Empathy had been immature and he had brushed it aside like the reaching tendrils of the overgrown garden, bearing me inexorably toward the dark hedge looming from the night.
‘I swore I would never let someone break your heart again,’ Malice said. ‘Do you remember for how many days it was you didn’t speak?’
‘Two hundred and thirty-nine.’ I barely needed to think; the words said themselves.
‘And what was it I said to you the night before you broke your silence?’
Blood was beginning to run down my neck. It was on my hand and on my sleeve, running down my arm, determined to cover me with its pain.
‘Leave Kimiko alone,’ I said, ignoring his question. ‘She’s suffered enough.’
‘No, not yet she hasn’t, but she soon will, when she finds out to what sort of man she has given her heart.’
A drop of blood hit the floor, full of my anger, my guilt, my hurt. The floor might not feel it. A Normal would not feel it. But Malice…
‘You can’t tell her,’ I said.
‘Why? Will you kill me, Darius.’
‘I ought to have done so a long time ago!’
Peeling my hand from my cheek, I flicked the blood at him, pinpricks spraying his skin. He flinched, and in that moment of shock I stepped in, slamming my hand into his face. His nose flattened beneath my palm, a single eye left to peer between my fingers. Malice’s whole body stiffened, that eye mad with pain, his mouth gasping for more air than the room contained. Holding him pinned, I gripped his neck and squeezed, loving the feel of his hard throat beneath my hand.
And there I held him, an inch from death, unable to kill him, unable to let him go. Between my bloody fingers his eye laughed.
What did I say to you the night before you broke your silence? Malice asked, pushing his Empathy into my hand.
The sound of footsteps came through the house, some part of me aware enough to hear them, but nothing seemed to matter beyond this man, this brother I knew better than I could ever know another. ‘You said: “I would die for you, brother. I will never let you lose yourself.”’
The steps grew louder. Voices. But still I stared into that single eye.
I meant it. I am yours, Mastery.
A lantern appeared beside me, its bright light causing Malice to squint. Voices filled the air. Someone gripped my shoulder and yanked me away, my hand leaving a bloody print across Malice’s face.
‘Lord Darius Laroth and Whoreson Laroth,’ spoke a loud voice, filling the room with such authority, such a feeling of importance. ‘You are under arrest on the orders of Emperor Katashi Otako, true emperor of–’
I turned, catching the man across the mouth with my bloodied hand. He had none of Malice’s barriers, none of Malice’s strength, and where Malice’s eye had laughed, this man’s screamed. I poured my hatred into him, my contempt for his pitiful sense of power all because an emperor had given him a command. Beneath my grip his heartbeat quickened, rising to such a tempo it could not long sustain him. He clawed my arm, every breath a choke. I had the power. He would live if I let go. He would die if I held on. The room, the stage, belonged to me.
His eyes rolled back, showing their whites. The clawing stopped. I let go and the body crumpled at my feet.
Silence filled the room; men packed into the doorway. Through the blood I could barely see our guests, but I could feel them, gazing upon their fallen leader in horror.
Malice came to my side. There were at least a dozen soldiers. More outside. Katashi knew what he was dealing with.
A man wearing a black and silver sash pushed his way to the front of the frozen group, his lips turned in a sneer. ‘We were warned you two were freaks,’ he said. ‘But the way I see it, men all bleed the same, so you’d best come without a fight.’
Malice snarled, the sound bestial.
‘All right,’ the man said. ‘Shoot him.’
With whip-crack speed a bow was drawn and released. The arrow pierced Malice’s leg and he stepped back with a grunt, sucking air through his nose. He lunged, but I grabbed him, locking my hands at his gut. ‘Stop,’ I hissed in his ear. ‘Let them take us or they’ll kill you.’
He tried to throw me off, tried to twist out of my grip, too caught by fury to think clearly. ‘Stop,’ I said again. ‘I don’t want you to die.’
Malice stopped, his chest straining within my hold. Against my cheek his tangled hair smelt so much like the past from which I had run, too weak to accept the truth.
Bunched together, Katashi’s soldiers watched us, unsure. I glared at them over Malice’s shoulder. ‘What are you waiting for?’ I said. ‘Tie us up if you’re going to.’
Their new leader nodded and they approached warily, weapons ready. I watched them come. Malice watched them come, our thoughts undoubtedly the same. There were too many. Even gods weren’t invincible.
Malice growled as they bound his hands, but he did not fight. He watched as they bound me, too, watched me fight every instinct that urged me to attack, and when they had finished, he bowed, an appreciative smile on his face.
‘Mastery,’ he said, his lips taut, his face growing pale. Blood was flowing fast from the wound in his leg.
‘Malice.’
A soldier shunted me toward the door and I walked. ‘I don’t think Katashi wants us dead yet,’ I said, addressing the man with the silver line through his sash. ‘You had best bind his wound.’
The man grunted and jerked his head back at the corpse on the floor. ‘Emperor Katashi gives me orders, not you, freak. Are you going to help my captain if I help him?’
‘He’s dead,’ I said.
‘So are you when we get back to camp, so let him bleed, I say. Get them out of here.’
Chapter 19
‘I can’t hold her!’
‘Just let her go, that’ll fix her.’
‘Shut up.’
Darkness. A hundred hands touched me and I screamed, trying to pull away. Pain shot through my knuckles.
‘Bitch just slammed me in the jaw. Drop her.’
‘Hold her arms!’
‘You hold her arms.’
‘Did you land on your head when you dropped from your mother’s cunt?’
More hands. I could barely move but thrashed to rip free of them, a single thought filling my head. I had to stop Shin leaving. I had to make him listen.
‘Shin!’
My cry echoed through the night.
‘Shin!
’
‘Shut up! He’s gone.’
‘Let me go!’ I bucked and wriggled, but I was bound wrist and ankle like a piece of meat. ‘Let go!’
‘Shhh,’ the voice soothed. ‘I can’t do that, my lady. Calm down.’
Wen. Some of the fight drained out of me, but I was breathing fast, my heart pounding like a drum. I had to get to Shin. ‘Take me back to him. Now.’
‘I can’t do that either, my lady.’
I was hanging over his shoulder, his arm clamped around my legs. Light flared. It lit the stones beneath Wen’s sandalled feet and he began to walk, the sudden motion sending my head spinning.
Licking dry lips with a dry tongue, I said: ‘I am perfectly capable of walking.’
‘I’m sure you are, my lady.’ Shifting me up with his shoulder, he adjusted his hold, tugging at the strap of his leather satchel. Other Pikes walked ahead and behind, their footsteps crunching on the rocky track.
They were taking me to Katashi.
I tried to breathe evenly, to relax, to think. Listening, I could hear two men ahead and one behind, but they were not my problem. If I could break free the slope wouldn’t welcome desperate scrambles for freedom. Even with a lantern, every step would be a potential death trap.
‘How long was I out?’ I asked, settling my cheek against Wen’s back.
‘Long enough for me to throw you over my shoulder without you taking a bite out of me.’
‘I could bite you now.’
He laughed. ‘Good luck trying. This is thick leather.’
His steps slowed. Small stones slid away from his sandals, tumbling down the slope.
‘Damn stinking place,’ one of the others complained. ‘All rocks and paddy stench.’
‘Try carrying this cat, too,’ Wen said, his voice vibrating by my ear.
At the next step I hit him with my tied fists and he grunted, causing the others to laugh. ‘She’s all yours.’
‘How did I get stuck with her?’
‘You’re the one who picked her up. I wasn’t going anywhere near that. I ain’t carrying a woman unless it’s to throw her down and take her hard.’
‘You could do that, Wen, she’s tied up already.’
There was another round of laughter, but Wen didn’t join in.
‘Wen? Why do you fight for Katashi?’ I asked, closing my eyes in an attempt to stay calm.
‘I’m not much in the mood for talking, my lady,’ Wen replied.
‘Then you had better get in the mood, or you’ll just have to listen to me talk the rest of the way for you.’
He didn’t immediately reply, just walked on, feet crunching on the stones. Then: ‘A man’s got to have a captain.’
‘But shouldn’t you fight for what is right? For what you believe in?’
The only reply was the shrill of insects, but I knew they were all listening.
‘I mean, if you’re going to risk dying for a cause, make sure it’s the right cause.’
‘And what do I know about what’s right?’ Wen said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m not an Otako. No god set my ancestors on the Crimson Throne. Who am I to decide what is right and wrong? It is right to be loyal, to be useful and to do as you’re told. That’s what my mother taught me.’
‘And to wash your face,’ another chimed in with a snort.
I felt Wen turn his head. ‘Must have been the last time you washed your face, Bei.’
‘There’s only so much washing a body can take.’
They continued to jab at each other until the ground levelled out, Wen the only one who took no part.
Minutes melded together in the dark, every second dragging me closer and closer to Katashi’s wrath. Panic hovered just beneath the surface, the urge to kick and scream barely suppressed. It wouldn’t help. All I could hope was that Kin’s men wouldn’t let Shin through their defences.
The gentle hum of voices rose on the air like the drone of insects. We stopped. A short conversation sounded ahead. Footsteps milled around. I heard one word in twenty and guessed scouts had found us. Bei grumbled behind me and the lantern light vanished, Wen’s feet disappearing into the night. Almost immediately we were moving again, silent but for shuffling steps. Then I could see other feet in the moonlight, corners of tents and bundles of supplies.
Wen slowed. Silence seemed to follow us and I could imagine hundreds of watching eyes and grinning faces. My heart sped against Wen’s back.
Again our procession stopped.
‘A gift for His Majesty,’ Bei said.
‘You think it’s a good time for whores?’
‘This isn’t a whore, you fool,’ Wen snapped. ‘This is Lady Hana Otako.’
Footsteps sounded and a man appeared, his head tilted to see me better. He lifted a shrouded lantern into my face and I closed my eyes, catching the sound of laughter.
‘Get that out of my face,’ I spat.
‘You better watch out,’ Bei said with a chuckle. ‘She’ll claw your eyes out if you let her.’
The man withdrew the lantern. ‘Wait here,’ he said.
I tried to wriggle free, but Wen tightened his grip. ‘Too late, my lady,’ he whispered.
The muffled sound of Katashi’s voice came through the tent and I felt sick.
‘Go on, take her in.’
The words came to me like a dream and we started moving again. Silk brushed my hair and staring at the ground I saw Wen’s sandals leave dirty tracks across the reed matting. I turned my head, trying to see, the smell of Katashi so strong its fingers squeezed my heart.
‘My dear, Hana,’ he said. ‘You are just too late for a family reunion.’
Gripping my waist, Wen lifted me from his shoulder and gently lowered me to the floor.
‘Why is she bound?’
The rest of the Pikes were already kneeling on the matting, and as Wen joined them he said: ‘To keep her from escaping, Your Majesty. Lady Hana threatened us with violence.’
‘Your pardon, Captain,’ Bei added, looking up. ‘But it was Shin’s belief she betrayed information to The Usurper.’
Katashi sat at a low table set with wine, but he was not alone. A young woman sat with him, dark curls tumbling about her shoulders – curls I had last seen disappearing through a solid wall. Kimiko.
‘Captain Shin has gone to kill The Usurper.’
Their emperor’s head snapped around. ‘What?’
The Pikes flinched. ‘He has taken Lady Hana’s maid to seek an audience with Kin.’
‘Fool!’ Katashi growled. ‘How dare he! Send riders. Order General Roi to prepare the men. I want Kin alive.’
‘And Lady Hana, Your Majesty?’
‘Leave her with me. I will deal with her before I ride for Kin’s head.’
His guards withdrew quickly, leaving the four Pikes unsure what to do.
‘Well, go on!’ Katashi snapped. ‘Get out of here.’
They rose, adjusting their worn and dirty armour as they walked out, unable to meet each other’s gaze. Only Wen glanced back, slightly frowning as the red silk fell closed behind him.
With a hand on the table, Katashi rose slowly to his feet, unfolding to his full height. ‘Well, dear Hana,’ he said, hooking a thumb into his sash, the tip of Hatsukoi touching the tent roof. ‘You ran away from me. How you broke my heart.’
I pulled at the cord tying my hands. ‘What heart? You sent a man to drown me, Katashi,’ I said. ‘I would have fought for you.’
Bending down, he gripped my shoulders. ‘You lie so prettily,’ he said. ‘I had no choice, Hana, you would not listen to me. Did you think I would let you marry The Usurper? What would happen to the Otako cause then? To justice?’
�
��I never said I would marry him!’
‘You didn’t need to,’ he said, letting me go. ‘Being a leader means having to make hard decisions, something you don’t seem to grasp. The Usurper is my enemy.’ He began to pace the matting floor, his heavy steps depressing the reeds. ‘What choice did you leave me? If it was announced that Lady Hana Otako was to marry Kin Ts’ai, I would become the laughing stock of the empire. Even my Pikes would snicker behind their hands that I could not control my own cousin. Men would abandon me. I would lose numbers, lose the war and then lose my head.’
He slammed his fist into the tent's centre pole, causing the silk canopy to tremble. ‘I will not let him kill me, too. I will not let him mount my head beside my father’s and complete his destruction of our family!’
‘If it is our destruction he wants then you’re helping him in every way you can,’ I cried.
‘Enough!’ Katashi spun, eyes flashing. ‘I have heard enough of my own iniquities for one night.’
Behind him Kimiko had remained at the table, hands clasped in front of her. She had told me not to trust him.
‘It was Shin who got you out of Koi, wasn’t it?’
Though I knelt, bound at his feet, I lifted my chin and did not speak.
‘Protecting him?’ Katashi said. ‘Even when he has gone to hack off your lover’s head?’
‘Emperor Kin is not my lover,’ I snapped. ‘I do not belong to anyone.’
‘You are forgetting that you’re an Otako. Whatever else he has done, that is a mistake Shin, at least, has never made. Perhaps when he gets back you can ask him why he took such an interest in your welfare, before I execute him as a traitor.’
‘You wouldn’t!’
Katashi smiled. ‘You think there is anything I would not do?’
Behind him Kimiko grimaced. Our eyes met, and holding my gaze, she passed her hand through the table.
You think there is anything I would not do?
‘And what will you do to me?’ I managed, dragging my eyes back to his face.