“Excellent. When he arrives, I shall instruct the Hegemon to strike there first. To defeat the Legion, the Guard will need better arms and armor than the chain and iron they are accustomed to.”
Bell released an awkward laugh.
“You think that a joke?”
“I certainly hope so.”
Rin Tepa smiled. “Was it your free tongue that has led your commander to make threats against your life?”
“I don’t imagine so. Usually, it’s better minded.”
The young man blushed and Null realized why he had been so patient with the queen’s prodding. She may look young, but she still seems the same old woman to me. But she was never that, was she?
It is hard to know how to feel. The queen smiles and laughs, but she is clearly hurt. And I cannot even tell if I ever knew her. Certainly, she must have loved her son, and she claims that he loved me, but what does that mean? Null glanced at the young legionnaire. These two speak of philosophy, but do their words hold any real meaning? If the queen is to be believed, then I have had a family all my life, one that she has hidden from me. She claims benevolence in her actions, but that intent does not change that I have suffered for them. It does not reclaim my years of loneliness.
And yet her regret seems genuine.
Descending the stairs and around one last corner, they entered the hall leading to the Council Chambers, the small room where all of this had begun. Two Trellish sentries stood outside the door, looking out of place standing where a guardsman’s brown should have resided. Bell saluted as one of the guards stepped aside and held the door open for them. It clicked shut behind Null just as her feet cleared the threshold.
The Trellish commander, a woman taller than any Null had met before, was not alone when they entered. With their backs to the door, she and a shorter man with lighter skin but the same close-cropped hair leaned over the king’s map table. A pitcher of wine and two goblets, that looked to have been untouched, waited on the table’s edge.
“And have you found the rapist, yet?” the man was asking.
“Not yet,” the Trellish commander responded. “But we will. However, I do not quite understand. Can you not find him the way you find me? Through the name book’s bond?”
“I wish I could, but the pathetic gnat resists me, and on occasion – surprisingly – the weak-willed dolt succeeds in shutting me out.”
“Well it is no matter, we will-”
Entering the room, and with a glance toward the two prisoners, Bell cleared his throat and spoke. “Excuse me, Grand?”
The woman turned as the man’s head swiveled to glance over his shoulder. The short haired man’s eyes were a magnificent green, piercing and sharp like the blades of grass from which they had stolen their color.
“Legionnaire Bell,” the Grand frowned, “you were ordered to wait in the hall.”
The green-eyed man forestalled the woman with a hand on her shoulder. “It is fine, Cyleste,” he said. “I had planned on speaking with Atep in person, regardless.” His smile twisted as his eyes fell on Bell. “This is the Magistrate Godahn’s pet?”
“Hmm,” the Grand Legionnaire hummed. “I would say that is an overstatement. More like the pet’s pet. He’s one of Taehrn’s.”
The man’s eyes flashed to the woman then back to Bell. “Ha!” he laughed. “Well said, my Grand. Well said.” With an exaggerated flourish, he bowed to Bell, a wry smile plastering his lips. “Well, Mister Cobbren, it would seem you’ve strapped yourself to the wrong end of the wagon and it’s going downhill fast. Perhaps you can overcome this ordeal, but Cyleste is a worthy foe and her wit sharp; I wish you the best of luck.”
“You wish him luck?” the Trellish Grand asked. “You should be dragging him, Taehrn, and the Magistrate back to the Pits.”
“Now, now, Cyleste. The cult must choose its own leaders, and until dear Mister Godahn acts against me overtly, I will leave him to his office.”
“Excuse me,” Bell said, his tone too harsh for the request to be genuine. “But I do not recall swearing myself to any master, nor do I recall making your acquaintance, so I do not see how my business could be of any interest to you.”
The man’s gaze rolled first to Cyleste then to the queen. “My, he has a belligerent tongue, this one. They can be rather thickheaded at times, can they not, Atep Rin?”
Queen Tepa was a pale visage, with her body rigid and her hands clasped into fists. “Do not speak to me, demon.”
“Demon? You wound me, niece. How about a little kindness? Though it is invariably and irrevocably true, I do not go around calling you butcherspawn.”
“You have no right to speak to me of kindness.”
“No right? You think the moral authority of your beliefs so strong as to leave me unable to challenge them? I am Justice, dear niece. I am the authority on moral authority.”
“I think… perhaps I should go,” Bell said.
“Yes, yes,” the older man agreed. With palms to the floor and the fingers of both hands wagging, he shooed the legionnaire toward the door. “Think well on what you’ve heard, Bell Cobbren. Perhaps you can reassess your loyalties before you do something truly unforgivable. If Cyleste is harmed, I will not respond lightly.” Rising to point at the ceiling, the man’s fingers snapped. “Aha! The perfect time to showcase our dear rapist as an example, too bad he is nowhere to be found.”
For a moment, Bell stared at the strange man, his expression unreadable, before turning and letting himself out.
The old man smiled as his attention shifted to Cyleste. “You may go as well, Cyleste. Atep Rin and I will require some privacy.”
The Grand Legionnaire bowed. “Of course, lord. Will we speak again before you go?”
“Unfortunately not. Your Settish counterpart has informed me that there has been some unrest in his province, and once I’ve attended to him and his needs, I must head to Vale so I can discover what maniac it was that has made such a mess of our once, so-lovely moon.” The strange man tapped his skull. “But I will keep you informed, dear friend.”
Cyleste motioned to Null. “And the girl?”
“She is here at my request,” Queen Tepa explained. Her eyes held a fury like Null had never seen before. How she kept it simmering beneath the surface, Null couldn’t fathom.
“If it is so, let it be so,” the man shrugged. “Besides, the dear girl and I have already been acquainted.”
“We have?” Null asked, as Queen Tepa’s eyes rounded on her.
“Why yes, Entaras. Do you not recall our chat in New Luddahn? I wore the mask of the cowardly fool who wore the mask of me.”
Mask? “You are Twil?”
“Mother’s indecipherable will, of course not. But I have spoken with the use of his rather pernicious tongue.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Yes, yes. I am well aware of your ignorance.”
The Grand chortled once as the door shut behind her. The man’s attention fell on Rin Tepa, who glared back at him, silent. The man smiled and waited.
Queen Tepa tsked, then opened her mouth to speak. “Why are you here, Just?” she demanded.
“Why am I here? Is it not obvious, Atep? I am here because you have not kept your promise. When Dydal and I agreed to help Lock with his succession, you agreed to act as the nation’s steward. You promised not only to uphold my laws, but also to stand against, and eventually dismantle, Atherahn and its pathetic blood cult. You have done neither of those things, Atep.”
“You are wrong. I have upheld your laws.”
The man scoffed. “The convenient ones perhaps. No, Atep Rin, you have grown careless and have allowed these so-called Atheists to persecute godkind.”
“No, I have kept them under control, as difficult as it has been.”
Just motioned to Null. “You call this under control? When children are tied to posts and stoned to death? Where you force the other godkind to live in secret, in their hidey-holes beneath the city proper, for fear that if, g
ods forbid, they be discovered for what they are they might be driven out of their homes by the rabble you call well controlled citizens.”
“You expect me to have orchestrated each and every mortal’s life? I have done the best I could, but the mortals have taken Lock’s ideology to the extreme. Without me, it would have been far worse.”
“Oh, Atep Rin, that is despicable. This was the best you could do? With a mouth to the ear of every king and four hundred years at your disposal? If this was the best you could achieve, then surely you must understand why I have intervened.”
“Perhaps I could have done better, but who are you to speak? Half of my city is burned, dozens of godkind are murdered, including my son, and thousands more are dead.”
“None of which, am I responsible for.”
“None? You try to force me to recognize my failures without any thought for your own?”
Just’s smiled faltered. “You are right… I will accept the deaths caused by my soldiers, but the fires and Tabetha’s rampage were not my doing.”
“Not your doing? How can you expect me to believe that?”
The man frowned. “Well, because it is true. I had intended to take Dydal’s text, but it seems that another has beaten me to it. Had I known that Dydal had tied Nikom’s Blessing to the book, I would have stopped it.”
“So you claim in retrospect.”
With a hand on his lower lip, Just turned and paced to the table. “I do not abide unnecessary death, Atep Rin. I am not your father.”
“And Tabetha?”
The man turned his head and smiled. “She is not your father either.”
“This is not the time for your jokes.”
“Ah, but it is always time for humor, Atep Rin. I wish more people understood that. Where is dear Sybil when you need her?” Just turned, leaning backward to sit on the table with his hands in his lap. “But I know what you mean, Atep Rin. To answer your question, I do not know why Tabetha was here. I had thought her hiding somewhere in Trel, but for the life of me, I have never been able to find her. As blood-addled as I have heard her to be, she is surprisingly resourceful. As to why she was here, I suspect she may have followed Silt.”
“Silt? But Silt is dead.”
“So I thought, too, but it seems his death was not as… lasting as it appeared. I have suspected for some time, but… well, that is a story for another time.”
The room fell suddenly quiet as the two studied one another. Null let her eyes wander between them, back and forth. Their words were more confusing than a Chapter House on Speech Day. She didn’t dare ask the queen what was transpiring, for whoever this man was, he seemed important. Important enough that the queen deferred to him. Well… he called her niece and she didn’t bat an eye. With how young she looks now, maybe he really is her uncle.
When Queen Tepa spoke, her voice sounded grudging. “Where do we go from here?” she asked.
Just’s face brightened. “We?”
“Yes, we. I plan to rebuild this city and its people, and I’d like to know if I’m going to have to fight you every step of the way. I’d like to know your intentions.”
“Well…” the man mused. “I intend to unify the peninsula, then, once that is finished, rid it of its injustices, like your Atheists and the Butcher’s Cult.”
Queen Tepa’s eyebrows rose as her back straightened. “Reunite Trel? But why now? Why not five hundred years ago?”
“To be honest,” the man shrugged, “for a time, I had given up hope. But this is no sudden decision… I have already reclaimed my ancient seat in Settin, and reformed the Settish Legion. Through the Trellish Legion I control Trellahn, and with them have already reclaimed Gable-”
“Reclaimed Gable? So, it was you who caused Trellahn to annex it?”
“Yes.”
“But that was seventy-five years ago.”
“As I said, this was no sudden decision.”
Rin Tepa’s teeth gnawed her lower lip, her eyes contemplative. “Is this why Dydal has returned? Once more, the two of you are in league together?”
“Actually… actually, no. I do not know why he has returned, nor do I know what he intends. He has reclaimed his priesthood, but whenever I try to speak with him, he is nowhere to be found. The man is avoiding me. So far, he has not interfered with my plans, so I leave him to play with his precious deacons and clergy. When it finally comes time for full unification, I will reinstate the Divine Right, but he can keep Trellahn and his priesthood so long as he obeys my laws.”
“So then… What does that mean for Lock and my people?”
“I have not yet decided. I feel I should punish you for violating our agreement, but you are one of the few godkind remaining that is worthy of the name, and despite your failures… I appreciate the effort. I must admit, aside from the abuses you have allowed against our kind, you have done a rather admirable job keeping Lock together. I expected it to have been devoured by the Atherahnians centuries ago.”
“Then why not speak to me before this crazed invasion? All of this could have been avoided…”
“Now why would I have done that? You are a criminal.”
“Excuse me?”
“You have failed in your duty to me, worse, in your duty to your people. If you were not of value, I would not be speaking to you now.”
“Value?” the queen laughed. “You think I’m going to help you? After what you’ve done?”
Just smiled. “Of course I do. I know you will.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because, Atep, you need me as much as I need you. You want Atherahn more than I do.”
The queen shook her head, a perverse and angry smile on her lips. “You arrogant prick. I left Atherahn behind a long time ago.”
“No. You did not. You can pretend, Atep, but I know what you want.”
“I do not want Atherahn. You think this has ever been about power for me? About ruling?”
Just shrugged. “What else am I to think? You have turned a blind eye to suffering here in order to keep your power.”
“I-” The queen paused, her gaze dropping away, then turning back to him just as quick. She spoke through clenched teeth. “I do not want Atherahn. I do not want power.”
“No. But you do want an end to the Butcher’s Cult. You do want Rathervian’s head. You do want an end to Fate. That is what I offer.”
“You’re… you’re going after them?”
“I said that I am unifying the peninsula. I am restoring decency to our home. Of course, Fate would be at the top of my list.”
“And what does it mean for me?”
“It means a chance at redemption. You work with me, you play your part, and I give you the chance to prove that you are not a monster. Should you succeed… perhaps I can see a way that you would retain your power here in Lock.”
“I only want to rebuild.”
Just shrugged. “Couch it however you like. But the offer is there.” He straightened and walked toward the queen, his smile arrogant, his steps cocky. “Come, Atep. You know this is best for everyone.”
The queen held her ground as he approached, her stare level with his. With defiance blazing in her eyes, Rin Tepa’s words were not what Null expected. “What do you need me to do?”
“The first you will do is release your slave.” Just moved his gaze to Null, then back to the queen.
“Me?” Null asked.
“Yes, you. I can forgive indifference,” Just said. “It is not the same thing as persecuting our kind yourself, but to keep one of our own as a slave within your palace? That I cannot abide.”
A slave? Null looked to the queen. The woman was silent, her eyes distant and her face looking despondent and guilty. Null’s thoughts drifted to the conversation they’d had in Mycah’s study. He loved you like a daughter, and I would not let him show it.
“I…” Null tried. “I was not a slave.”
Just’s eyes darted to her. “Hmm?”
“I was
not a slave,” Null repeated. “King Erin saved my life. He gave me a home, and provided for me. He hired a tutor, who taught me to use my gift, and… and he… he gave me a family.”
Just’s look was not kind. “Right,” he drawled. “They have you well trained, I see. You do not need to lie, Null. I can protect you from her.”
His gaze flashed to the queen before Null could respond. She was left mouth gaping, unsure what to say, or what to think.
“Atep,” Just continued, “do we have a deal?”
The queen was silent, her face unmoving, her gaze penetrating. “Null is not a slave. She is family. But… yes. For her sake, yes. I will help you.”
Just clapped his hands together. “Wonderful!” He turned away and paced back to the table, his gaze studying a map laid across its surface. “In that case, I shall leave this city in your care, with my Grand’s supervision, of course, and when your Old Guard arrives, I will tell the Legion to stand down. There will be no more bloodshed between us.”
The queen scoffed. “You think it will be that simple?”
“No.”
“My people will want retribution.”
“Yes, of course they will.”
“Then what will you do to prevent it?”
Just laughed. “Oh, Atep, is that not obvious? It is not about what I am going to do, this is about what you shall do. I do hope your hold on Hegemon Winter Blake is stronger than your hold on the Atheists.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
It was an easy thing to rationalize death, but a more difficult thing to accept it. The smell of char was inescapable. Even indoors the stench lingered, mocking and unsettling. Fire was an everyday thing. The scent should have been so commonplace as to be ignored, but it was not, because it carried death along with it. Outside these halls there existed a wasteland. It was a difficult thing to understand. Bell had not caused those fires, he should not feel responsible, but a part of him did.
Perhaps legionnaire was not the right choice of trade for me. I can handle the death, but I do not want to face it. I can respect the religion, but I do not want to practice it the way I am told is proper. I want to ensure justice, but I am no longer certain that it is a thing that can exist.
Death's Merchant: Common Among Gods - Book One Page 77