by Victor Poole
"Rane pretended to be in love with you?" Savage asked, sounding taken aback.
"You knew Rane?" Delmar demanded.
"Everyone here knew Rane," Savage said. "Well, that is not true. Everyone who was any manner of spy, and who was worth their salt as a spy, knew about Rane. Rane was a legend."
"I told him Rane is dead," Ajalia said to Delmar. "Why are you surprised that Rane did that?" she asked Savage. Savage let out a short bark of laughter.
"Rane told me once," Savage said, "when I was a younger man, that the one thing he would never do in his line of work was pretend to care about a woman. He said he'd sworn himself off of that kind of lie."
"He pretended about Beryl," Ajalia said.
"Rane and Beryl?" Savage asked. "How is Beryl?" he demanded.
"Dead," Delmar said. Savage's mouth puckered.
"How did she die?" he asked.
"She was a witch," Ajalia told him. "I saw the black cord that came out of her heart, and the dozens of souls she had collected. I killed her in the square in front of the Thief Lord's house, the day that Delmar was made the new Thief Lord."
Savage's eyes had grown dark in the shadowy moonlight.
"I have not seen Beryl for many years," he said. "She was a young woman, here in the palace, before she was sent to Slavithe. Rane loved her then."
"Rane told me he never liked Beryl at all," Ajalia said. Savage let out a bark of laughter.
"Then he lied to you," Savage said. "They were a great love match. Beryl was a great beauty then. People said that the princess sent her away because she was jealous. So Rane told he loved you, then?"
"No, he never said that," Ajalia said.
"He as good as said it," Delmar snapped, pulling open the door. Ajalia saw that the courtyard paved with pink stone lay beyond the doors.
"Well," Ajalia said.
"He did," Delmar insisted. "He said he understood you better than I did, and he said that he didn't see why you shouldn't like him better than me or Ocher." Savage was listening to this with benign amusement.
"Isn't Ocher that man in the white city who manages the quarries?" Savage asked.
"Yes," Ajalia said.
"And he tried to get Ajalia to marry him, as well," Delmar said with a growl. "It's exhausting," Delmar told Savage. "These men just won't stop. Philas as well," he added moodily.
"And Chad," Ajalia told Delmar. Delmar waved his hand dismissively in the air.
"Oh, Chad doesn't count," Delmar said easily.
"Chad thinks he counts," Ajalia said. "He's going to marry Esther, maybe."
"I was going to give you a piece of advice," Savage said, "but all of this is very interesting."
"It's irritating," Delmar complained. "They're like annoying and persistent leeches."
"I haven't encouraged any of them," Ajalia said. She went out into the courtyard, and saw that a group of stable boys was collected around her black horse. One of the boys had gotten through the barrier of invisible magic Delmar had set up, and had removed Ajalia's saddle. The boy was brushing the black horse, who was nosing his way through a fresh pile of hay.
"You encouraged Ocher," Delmar protested, following her into the courtyard. "And I am pretty sure that you said things to encourage Chad, as well," Delmar added, his brow creased. "He looks at me funny sometimes."
"How did you get through the magic?" Ajalia asked the little boy who was brushing her horse. The boy stared up at her with wide eyes. Ajalia could not tell if the boy was frightened, or impressed.
"Mop can see that magic," one of the other boys said. The boys had scrambled to their feet when they had seen Ajalia approach; one of the boys was clutching Ajalia's saddle in his arms. Ajalia saw that the boy had been cleaning her saddle. Another boy was holding her bridle. There were six boys altogether.
"I climbed through at the bottom part," Mop said. "There are bars that cross over. I crawled through." Mop reached over to the horse, and scratched at the black shoulders. The black horse gave a shiver of delight, and sighed deeply.
"Can you see that magic?" Ajalia asked Savage. She turned to look at the former priest, who had followed Delmar into the courtyard.
"Yes, I can see it. May I?" Savage asked Delmar, who shrugged, and nodded. Savage fixed his gaze on the place where the invisible magic surrounded the horse. Ajalia looked to see the invisible outlines again, and saw them melting away under Savage's direction.
"It's gone now," Mop told the other boys, and the boys sprang into action. The boy holding the bridle went to the horse's head, and slipped the bit into the horse's mouth. The boy with the saddle placed it on the horse's back, and the other boys began to clear away the hay and the bucket. One of the boys took the rags and the brush, and dashed with them towards the stable annex. "We thought you'd come back for your horse," Mop explained to Ajalia, "but I didn't want him to wait with his saddle on."
"That was thoughtful," Ajalia told the boy. "How did you learn to see that magic?" Mop made a dismissive face, and shrugged generously.
"It's easy," Mop said.
"Would you like to come with me, and be my particular boy in Talbos?" Ajalia asked Mop. Mop did not smile, but a gleam came into his eyes.
"Yes," Mop said calmly.
"You will not be my very favorite boy," Ajalia warned. Mop looked at her speculatively.
"How many favorites do you have?" Mop asked.
"You will be my fourth favorite boy," Ajalia said. Mop narrowed his eyes, and pushed out his lips.
"What about pay?" the boy asked. Savage made a disapproving ticking noise with his mouth, but the boy ignored him.
"Pay is based upon merit," Ajalia told Mop. Mop nodded.
"I'll take it. Here, you," Mop said harshly to the boy who was adjusting the girth of the saddle, "move over. She's mine now."
The other boy, looking irritated, stepped reluctantly back from the saddle, and Mop slapped away the child who was buckling the bridle.
"He's more violent than your other boys," Delmar murmured to Ajalia, who smiled.
"My boys could use a little violence," she said easily. Delmar's face crinkled with disapproval. He turned to Savage.
"You agree with me, right?" Delmar demanded of Savage. Savage, Ajalia saw, was keeping a smile out of his eyes. Delmar saw that Savage was reluctant to say anything, and Delmar waved a hand in the air. "Well, man, say what you think. Everyone may as well speak their minds. Ajalia tells me I look like a fool sometimes, so you might as well make it your mission to reform me."
Savage's eyes flashed at this, but he opened his mouth.
"I think what she thinks," Savage said carefully.
"What, that boys should be violent?" Delmar demanded. Savage looked at Delmar with steady eyes.
"He can take it," Ajalia told Savage. "Delmar is much sturdier than he looks." Savage glanced at Ajalia, and she nodded encouragingly. Savage took a deep breath.
"You say that you have killed your grandfather, the king," Savage said.
"Yes," Delmar said. "Well, I cut him off, and the guards killed him, but yes, I made him able to be killed. I killed him."
"What do you think this kingdom would be like now," Savage asked, "if, when the king had been a boy, another boy had been left alone to beat him, when he first went wrong?"
Delmar was watching Savage closely. Ajalia studied the way Mop adjusted the bridle. She saw that the boy was careful with her horse, and that he checked the fit of the cheek pieces, and the smoothness of the girth. Mop, Ajalia told herself, was going to be her particular horse boy.
"What do you mean, when he first went wrong?" Delmar asked.
"Like Coren," Ajalia said, without looking away from Mop, and her horse.
"Coren, my little brother," Delmar explained to Savage.
"How did your little brother go wrong?" Savage asked.
"He lied," Ajalia said. "And when we told him to stop lying, and made a safe space for him, and protected him from the people who would hurt or kill him, he lied again."
"What she said," Delmar told Savage.
"Why do you not speak for yourself?" Savage asked Delmar.
"Delmar hasn't learned to use words," Ajalia told Savage. She went to the saddle, and drew down one of her stirrups. Mop watched her closely, and then went to the other side of the horse, to make the other stirrup the same length. "Delmar's thoughts are clear and strong," Ajalia told Savage, "but he has lived among liars, and thieves, and witches. He has never heard honest words. I don't think he knows how to speak his mind yet, and he will not call things by their proper names."
Delmar stood agreeably through this speech, and Savage turned back and forth between them, his eyes crinkled.
"Doesn't it bother you, when she says these things?" Savage asked Delmar. Ajalia was reminded of the way Ocher had stared at Delmar, the first time they had come together to the dragon temple. Ajalia had spoken openly of managing Delmar then, and Ocher had asked her if Delmar always just sat by, and took what she said without protest.
"Why should it bother me, if she is right?" Delmar asked reasonably. Ajalia saw that Savage gained deeper respect for Delmar by what he said; she could practically see the way Savage's heart dropped down, and how his loyalty grew up towards the Thief Lord.
"You are an honest man," Savage observed. Delmar shrugged.
"I don't think so," Delmar said. "Ajalia says I'm a liar."
"I have said that," Ajalia admitted.
"Do you lie?" Savage asked. Mop and the other boys were staring at Delmar, as though waiting for him to shout at Savage, or strike him.
"Why do you let people talk to you like that, if you're going to be king?" Mop asked Delmar boldly. Delmar glanced at the boy, and Ajalia saw the shadow of a smile passing over Delmar's mouth.
"I want to surround myself with people who will tell me what they really think," Delmar said. "I want to be able to have trusted helpers."
"You don't have to talk to me like I'm a baby," Mop said. "I'm practically a man." One of the other boys snickered, and Mop punched that boy hard in the side. A scuffle commenced, and Ajalia saw that Mop was considerate enough to direct the festivities away from the horse, who turned his black head, and watched the boys with his ears pricked forward.
Ajalia saw that Delmar was staring at the boys with something like panic in his eyes.
"Should I do something about that?" Delmar asked Ajalia.
"No," she said, and mounted her horse. She held out a hand to Delmar, who was still watching the boys with vague distress in his eyes. His mouth was drawn down at the corners.
"But what if they hurt each other?" Delmar asked.
"Then they will get hurt," Ajalia said.
"But shouldn't someone teach them to be civilized?" Delmar asked.
"They are teaching each other to be civil," Ajalia said. "I will only interfere with my boys if there is a cruel boy, or a boy more cunning than the others, who seeks to control them with words and emotions."
"That is wise," Savage said, nodding.
"It is not wise to let children fight!" Delmar said, sounding shocked.
"Get on the horse," Ajalia told Delmar. Delmar frowned at her, but took her proffered hand.
"I think you're wrong," Delmar said.
"Let's back up," Ajalia said. "There are several things that we have begun to talk about. I will list them, and we will proceed in an orderly fashion." She turned the horse, and Savage moved along beside her.
"Shouldn't we get a horse for him?" Delmar asked Ajalia in a low voice. Savage laughed, and Delmar glared at him.
"I see what you mean about Delmar," Savage told Ajalia, and she saw in the moonlight that Savage's eyes were soft, and kind. She told herself that Savage would dedicate himself to teaching Delmar now, and she relaxed a little bit. She felt relieved to know that she would no longer be the only one watching Delmar, and correcting him where he made mistakes.
"You are very thoughtful," Savage told Delmar, "but I am a servant. It is my place to walk."
"I don't think a bodyguard is a servant," Delmar said, frowning.
"But my life is dedicated to serving Ajalia," Savage said gently.
"Yes, sure," Delmar said, nodding. Ajalia thought it was funny that Delmar would bridle at the idea of Savage walking, but that he had no qualms about Savage saying he was going to dedicate his life to serving her. She was sure that Delmar did not notice this dichotomy himself.
"And would it not take several valuable minutes, to secure a horse, and a saddle?" Savage asked. Delmar nodded again. They were passing now beneath the arch of the courtyard with the pink stones, and moving into the wider courtyard that lay beyond it. "So," Savage said, "to better serve Ajalia, I choose to walk."
"That still doesn't seem fair to me," Delmar said. His eyes brightened, and he slid his leg over the haunches of the walking horse, and dropped easily to the ground. Ajalia drew back on the reins in surprise, and the black horse stopped, putting his head up a little into the air. "I will walk, too," Delmar said, looking at Savage and Ajalia. "Then everything is fair. And Ajalia can have her horse all to herself," he added. Savage and Ajalia, and even the black horse, had all looked at Delmar, and he blushed. "Well, I'm in charge, and I say I'm walking, so there," Delmar said loudly, and he began to walk through the courtyard. Ajalia laughed, and followed him. Savage, looking a little uncomfortable, tried to place himself behind Delmar, but Delmar wouldn't have it. "I can't see your face at all if you're back there," Delmar told him impatiently. "Ajalia said she was going to make a list. We're going to talk about all the things. So stop trying to be all subservient, and walk next to me."
Savage had a look on his face that showed his distinct disapproval of this state of affairs, but he was clearly unwilling to disobey when Delmar said what he wanted outright. Savage edged alongside Delmar, and when Delmar saw him trying still to keep a little behind, he let out an angry sound.
"Humor me," Delmar told the former priest. "Ajalia taught me how to have a servant behind me, and not to notice them, and I can do that now. I want to learn how to walk like a king. You walk like you're the king, and I'll watch you. Okay?"
Savage blinked several times, and glanced at Ajalia. She nodded, and the former priest, who was a little taller and thicker than Delmar, moved forward without protest. Savage had thick brown hair, and eyes that were like a forest in the sun. His body was a thick piece from his shoulders to his waist, and Ajalia thought that he looked like a tree who had come to life.
Mop came scrambling towards them from the pink stone courtyard; when two of the boys he had been fighting chased him, Mop turned on them, and uttered a ferocious yell. The two boys hesitated, and when Mop shouted again, and took a step towards the two boys, they turned and scattered away. Ajalia could hear the renewed shouts of the fight continuing on without Mop.
"Why don't you use magic on other boys?" Ajalia asked Mop, when he tumbled near. Mop scowled at her. He had a big scrape on one cheek, and his hair looked as though it had been pulled on by several people at once.
"Using magic is cheating," Mop told her fiercely, and Ajalia turned triumphantly to Delmar.
"Ha," she said to Delmar. Delmar pretended not to know what she was referring to, and Ajalia started her horse once again. "That is why I call you a liar," Ajalia said, and Delmar made a huffing noise with his lips. "You don't like it when other people agree with me," Ajalia added, and Delmar, who was studiously keeping his eyes fixed on the way Savage walked, ignored her.
"I like your black horse," Mop told Ajalia. The boy was walking on the other side of the horse, a little behind Ajalia's leg. Ajalia could tell by the way Mop adjusted himself to the pace of her horse that he was a sensible child, and a well-practiced servant.
"Thank you," Ajalia said to the boy. "I like him, too. Now don't interrupt." Mop said nothing, and Ajalia took his silence for agreement. She only ever asked for verbal confirmation of her demands when she was talking to a stupid person, or to Delmar, and she guessed, with some confidence, that Mop was no
t a stupid boy.
THE SOUL OF THE SKY GOD
Ajalia took a deep breath, and then let it out in a sigh. She was relieved to be moving now, and to have the long road down the mountain ahead of them. They came through the entrance to the palace, and Ajalia felt the shimmer of ocean-blue magic pass over her skin. The black horse let out a violent snort when the invisible barrier passed over him, and shook his mane. Ajalia told herself to ask someone later, Delmar, or Savage, who apparently could also manipulate the hidden lights, how to make the lights vanish from sight.
"Now," Ajalia said. "I like to keep things in order. I am going to take us back to what we first began to talk about, and we are going to resolve all the things. First," she said, turning to Delmar, "why will Philas feel more like a man for kissing Fashel?" Delmar frowned, and looked up at her in the moonlight.
"I already told you that," Delmar said, his face twisting up into a knot. "I said that she was a good woman, like you are."
"So is Philas chasing her because she's an achievable version of me?" Ajalia asked.
"I don't think so," Delmar said, too quickly.
"Fashel is my cook," Ajalia told Savage, who nodded. Savage seemed to be acclimating slowly to the idea of walking beside Delmar as an equal. Ajalia thought that Savage would alter his physical position the moment a stranger approached them. The city, Ajalia thought, seemed unnaturally quiet. There were lights on in many of the houses below in the city, but the mountain road that led up to the palace was wholly deserted.
"Who is this Philas?" Savage asked.
"Philas is going to be the king of Saroyan," Delmar said, his voice a little sour. Ajalia saw Savage hesitate, and then open his mouth. Savage closed his mouth again, and frowned. Ajalia laughed at the expression on Savage's face. She thought that Savage could not work out in his own mind why Delmar should want to interfere with the ruling family across the sea.
"I don't understand," Savage said finally. Ajalia had been waiting for the man to ask, and she launched into an explanation of Philas as her fellow slave from the East. She talked for some time, and then, when Savage looked quite up to speed, she added that Philas had courted her for a brief period, after she and Delmar had first met.