by Jaine Fenn
“I heard shouting.”
Dej waited until they were out of earshot of the cave before she spoke. “Were you and your sister arguing about where to go back to?”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw his head whip round. “Yes. We were.”
“Because you want to go to Zekt?”
“I don’t know. I found something in Zekt, something amazing. Well, a person.”
“A girl?” Dej was surprised at how that made her feel.
“No, nothing like that. A religious leader. Sounds odd, I’m not a religious person. But he was amazing.” They reached the ravine, “Uh, can you show me the best way down here?”
“Of course.”
As Etyan was soaking his shirt at the pool Dej said, “So, this religious leader in Zekt?”
“The eparch. I was going to get initiated. Then I fell ill.”
Dej remembered the sickness she’d sensed on him. It was still there, if she concentrated, though he wasn’t acting unwell. “Ill, how?”
“That’s the thing. One night after the evening service I felt feverish, and collapsed. And so did three others, according to the priest who was looking after me. They all died. I nearly did. It was horrible. Everything hurt. And I remember, after the others died, how the eparch came to visit. He sent the priest away, and he prayed over me, but before he left he said something, I’m not even sure I heard it right but… I thought he said, ‘You have to live. I can’t fail.’”
“What did he mean?”
“I don’t know but… it was weird, four people who barely know each other all getting ill at once like that. Almost like it wasn’t an illness at all. I’d put it from my mind, until Ree got ill, but you know what?”
“What?”
“I think I was poisoned.”
“Why?”
“I wish I knew. Can I ask you something?”
“You can.”
“Do you know who hired you, Dej?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
She wouldn’t take offence or refuse to answer. “Actually I wondered if you might have some idea. Could it be this eparch?” What if she bypassed the clanless and took Etyan to whoever had hired them in the first place? But she had no idea who that was. And she’d be selling him out.
“Perhaps, though I’m not sure why. More likely something to do with politics… I told you a bit about life at the duke’s court, but Zekti nobles are something else. They marry their sisters and assassinate their rivals. The only reason they haven’t killed each other off entirely is because the eunuchs stop the craziness from getting out of hand.”
“Eunuchs?”
“They’re men who’ve… let’s just say they often have fine singing voices.”
Dej wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but he seemed to be attempting a joke. “So you don’t really want to go back to Zekt?”
“No. It has to be Shen. There’s stuff there I don’t want to face, but the eparch was always talking about taking personal responsibility and to be honest I’ve been pretty shit at that for most of my life.”
“You’re assuming I’ll do what your sister wants.”
“If you don’t, then me and Ree are going to die out here. You do know that, don’t you?”
She certainly did.
Rhia looked up as the pair returned. Behind them, the sky was pale. Dej handed over the sopping shirt. As Rhia wrung it out over her mouth her arms quivered with effort. The water tasted faintly of sweat but she didn’t care.
As she lowered the shirt Dej said, “I’ll do it.”
“You’ll go for help?”
Dej nodded. From the way Etyan looked at her she had not shared her decision with him.
“Thank you.”
“And I’m going to Shen, not Zekt?”
“That’s right.” Rhia looked up at her brother, but he turned on his heel and went to stand at the mouth of the cave.
“Will your people believe me?”
“Yes: they’ll know we’re missing. And I’ll give you a letter.”
“Can I take the cloak?”
“The cloak? Well, I guess it’s not much use to us. Yes, that’s a good idea, it’ll make you less conspicuous once you reach Shen.”
Dej looked unsure. “Will there be trouble?”
Rhia shook her head. Even if Alharet was the traitor Sorne had intimated, Rhia could see no link to their current predicament. “No, no, I’m sure there won’t be.”
Chapter 54
“Slow down! I’m not used to having to remember so much stuff.” Dej tried not to sound as pissed off as she felt. The shadowkin was making her feel stupid, expecting her to repeat complicated instructions after only hearing them once.
“I’d write it down but…”
“…but what?”
Rhia narrowed her eyes. “Can you read?”
“Of course I can read!”
“Ah, I’m an idiot. You were educated in a crèche. Yes, yes, I’ll write it all down. I can draw you a map too.”
“No need. I just find my way back to the caravan route then follow it south, don’t I?”
“Yes. Will you be able to work out which way’s south?”
“I always know which way I’m going.”
“You do? How?”
Dej tried not to grin at the shadowkin’s expression. “My animus tells me.” Whether I want it to or not.
“Really? I had no idea they did that. Fascinating. That’ll certainly help. But you’ll need a map of the city.”
Rhia tore blank pages from a book, and used them to draw the map, and write what she called “a letter of introduction”. She wrote a list of names on the back of the letter. “Only hand this letter to one of the people listed here, do you understand?”
Dej nodded. That there were people the shadowkin didn’t trust enough to rescue her wasn’t reassuring.
Finally, Rhia gave her a pouch of coins and a chunky ring with a complex design of feathers and flowers cut into it. From the weight Dej guessed the ring was made of solid metal.
“I’m not sure how I’ll carry all this,” said Dej.
After a moment’s pause Rhia emptied her satchel, putting the papers and the strange tube in a neat pile behind a rock. “It’s not as though we’ll be going anywhere for a while.” The shadowkin’s voice was brittle.
Dej left around mid-morning. Rhia took her hand when she said farewell, a very shadowkin gesture. So did Etyan. “Stay safe,” he said. Dej nodded, unsure how to respond.
She paused to drink at the stream. When she reached the far side of the ravine she had a choice. If she really was going to Shen she should head southwest. If she struck north she would be heading back towards the clanless settlement.
Last chance to decide.
She could just take news of the shadowkin’s location to the surviving clanless. The shadowkin had let her go. They’d even given her money. But what would Etyan’s fate be then? It depended on who in Zekt wanted him, and why. And Rhia would most likely end up dead.
Then again, not wanting Rhia dead didn’t mean she had to obey her without question. The shadowkin noble’s manner pissed her off, with her assumption that Dej would obey her, would remember everything, would do everything she wanted. Would behave, in fact, like a servant. She was no one’s servant. And if she did walk away from the clanless now, they’d never have her back.
A simple choice. Southwest to save the shadowkin and shed her old life. North to damn them and reclaim it.
Rhia watched Dej leave, following her progress until she lost sight of the skykin in the bright landscape. She caught herself scratching the back of her hand; where it had been hot and sore, now it was itchy, the skin peeling. Seeker of Thir had written of the unshaded Sun burning not just the skin but the very blood, and causing cankers and other maladies even after the burns had faded. Not a pleasant thought, but she had more pressing concerns.
From the shade at the back of the cave Etyan
said, “You’re not thinking of going outside?” With the skies cloud-free, the light was blinding.
“No, I can see from here.” Something still nagged at her about this strange valley. Her sightglass would make observation easier but it would be dangerous to use in these light levels. Instead she shaded her eyes with her hand and stared out, down the slope and across the bowl of the valley, hoping her vision would adjust. But the intense sunlight washed out colour and made her blink. She would have to wait to confirm her suspicions.
Even at the back of the cave it was hotter than midday in the shadowlands, as well as being close and airless; she pulled her skirt up as high as was decent, rolled up her shirt and removed her mask. She would kill for a fan. Although she had got Dej to fetch more water before she left, the thirst was back. And she was exhausted. Perhaps she could sleep. “I’m going to rest now,” she told Etyan, who nodded. His own eyes were half closed.
She lay down, making herself ignore the hard floor, the dust encrusting her sweaty skin, her hollow and aching guts.
She closed her eyes. But her mind refused to rest. They had over a week before they could expect rescue. Four days for Dej to get to Shen city, four days back. Possibly a day to get the expedition together, although she hoped Francin might prepare a search party as soon as he heard they had been taken from the caravan. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Eight days was not so long. They would survive. They just had to conserve their energy during the day, and make sure they got plenty of water once the Sun went down.
At some point, Etyan would open up. She knew her brother; if nothing else, boredom would drive him to make conversation.
She must have slept, as she started awake at Etyan’s gasp.
“What’s that?” Etyan was pointing at a hand-sized creature crawling diagonally up the cave wall. It had two parallel bodies, long and hard-shelled, connected by a lacy integument; its many legs and red-brown colour reminded Rhia of a centipede.
“I have no idea,” she admitted.
“Is it dangerous?”
“I have no idea of that either. I’d advise watching, but not bothering it.”
They observed the creature’s silent traverse: up, across, over. Etyan edged away as it came down the far wall. Rhia got up and looked more closely. It appeared to be two creatures, possibly mating. One end of each had a cluster of what looked like eyes. At opposite ends, interestingly. The bug-thing/things found a crack between floor and wall and crawled into it. She turned to Etyan and smiled. He looked embarrassed for a moment then smiled back.
Outside, the shadows had shifted towards evening, and though the Sun still burned bright she decided to risk examining their surroundings.
When she picked up the sightglass from her pile of papers Etyan asked, “What is that?”
“It’s for looking at distant objects. I can show you how to use it, if you like.”
He shrugged. “Maybe later.”
He felt rejected in favour of her other interests. Well, he only had to speak to her and he would have her undivided interest. She made her observations methodically, starting with the leftmost part of the field of view and working across, concentrating on rocky outcroppings and bare patches where the soil was free of vegetation. Even the soil was red. But the red markings were not uniform. It was as though something had been washed from the rocks and earth, staining the land.
Analyst of Durn had written of such landscapes. Durn was the richest shadowland, its wealth legendary.
“Etyan?”
“Yes?”
“You might want to look at this.”
Etyan got to his feet.
Rhia handed the sightglass to him when he joined her at the cave mouth. “So I just look through it?”
“That’s right.”
Etyan raised the tube. “View’s a bit blurry.”
She showed him how to adjust the focus. “Ah,” he said. “That’s clearer.” He smiled without lowering the sightglass. “This is a clever little device. Did you make it?”
“I designed it. I got the glassblowers to grind the lenses. Do you see how red the rocks are, over there where you’re looking now?”
“Um, yes.”
“There’s a reason for that.”
Etyan must have heard the excitement in her voice, as he lowered the sightglass and looked at her.
“Those rocks,” she said, “the red ones. They’re the raw material which, when heated, yields iron.”
“Iron? But they’re everywhere.”
“Yes. Yes, they are.”
In this bleak, strange valley was a treasure beyond imagining.
Chapter 55
There was no easy answer, so Dej did what she’d always done: she followed her heart. She’d been pleasantly surprised to find she still had one.
The two shadowkin, despite their noble arrogance, had treated her better than the clanless had. It’d felt good to have power over them, for a while. Good to know she still had choices tooo, no matter how hard. And talking with Etyan had made her happy in a way she couldn’t remember since saying goodbye to Min.
She couldn’t sell him out, then go back to living with Mar and the dregs of the clanless, surrounded by empty huts to remind her of a disaster that might have been her fault. And she couldn’t abandon him to die.
She would save his life – being owed a favour by shadowland nobility wouldn’t do her any harm – and then she would make her own way in the world.
After cutting south to avoid the landslide, she headed for the shadowkin road. When she reached it, she ate a handful of fruit from a bush-like plant which smelled safe and bedded down beneath an overhanging crag.
She awoke in the deep dark, tired, chilly and uncertain. She wanted to pull the cloak tighter and go back to sleep. But time wasn’t on her side. She could rest properly when she reached Shen. She listened to the night sounds of the skyland for a while, then got up and carried on walking.
They went back to the stream as soon as the Sun set. Rhia wondered if the iron in the water would harm them if they drank too much, then discarded the thought. Not drinking at all would kill them.
The night remained clear, and the Matriarch rose. Rhia settled herself at the mouth of the cave. Her sightglass revealed a star close to the Stray, yet again. Three times was more than coincidence. What did this odd conjunction signify?
An amazing possibility occurred to her as she was observing Greymoon a while later. What if it was a moon? If the Strays were indeed spheres they might they have other, smaller, spheres going around them, as the Moons went round the world. Accepted wisdom said the world was orbited by the Moons, then the Strays and the Sun and finally the fixed stars. But if the Strays had moons of their own, what would it mean for that view of the physical universe?
She stayed up late observing, though exhaustion claimed her before the Maiden, now heralding morning rather than evening, rose.
She woke when the heat grew too intense. Clouds had closed in, and the cave was stifling. She did not feel hungry this morning. Did not, in fact, feel like she had a stomach at all. When she said as much to Etyan he grunted.
They were falling into a daze. She had recovered from her sickness and now the revelation about the Matriarch’s moon sat deep inside her, a small and shining joy. But without food they would fade, becoming lethargic in mind and body, while they waited for rescue. Before they embraced this torpor, she must address their unfinished business.
She raised her head; a bead of sweat dripped from her chin. “Etyan?”
He looked up.
“We need to talk about what will happen when we get back to Shen.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.”
“I have no idea what will happen when we get back to Shen.” He sounded exhausted.
“No. Which is why I need to ask you some questions which I hope you’re willing to answer.”
“Are you willing to answer mine?”
“That would only be fair.”
“They were militiamen, Etyan.”
“Ah. Well that would be the logical choice for guards.”
She knew that infuriating, evasive tone too well. “What are you afraid of? I have to know. Is it because of the girl in the lower city? What do you know about Derry’s death?”
He hunched in on himself. “Why do you assume I know anything?”
“Because I followed you, that morning.”
“You did what?”
“I followed you, down the hill.” She hadn’t been able to concentrate after their row, and had gone to her room, intending to nap before daylight. But she had been too agitated. Not as agitated as Etyan; she had heard him pacing and muttering. Then the front door opened. “Why did you go out again?”
“I was still messed up, Ree. I didn’t know what I was doing.”
She could believe that, given how he’d lurched and staggered down the hill. But previous binges had ended up in unconsciousness, not wanderlust. “You knew where you were going. You headed straight to the lower city.”
“I like it down there.”
“What where you looking for? What were you doing?”
“You really did watch me, didn’t you? Just watched.” Bitterness crept into his voice.
He was right. She should have called out, intervened, asked him what he was up to. Would things have gone differently then? “Yes. And I saw her.”
“Saw who?”
“I lost you near the river, in the backstreets, but then I heard you somewhere up ahead. I couldn’t find you – First knows how anyone manages to find their way around down there – and I came out at the dyers’ pools. That’s where I saw her. She… she was face down, in the water, with her hair loose. There was blood in the water.” Rhia’s already tight throat constricted at the memory. “I thought at the time she must have died in a brawl.” An assumption she was later ashamed of, when she learned the truth. “What do you know about the death of Derry, the master tanner’s daughter, Etyan?”
“I didn’t kill her!”