The Deathless

by Peter Newman

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  They were waiting for Vasin on the Godroad: all of his problems, eagerly slipping back onto his shoulders. Though Vasin dawdled all the way, he soon found home speeding towards him.

  He noted more than the usual number of Yadavendra’s guards on patrol along the Godroad, no doubt hunting for Lord Rochant, and was forced to wonder how the High Lord had fielded so many so quickly.

  It’s almost as if he was expecting it …

  Lady Anuja Ruby’s warning rang in his head. If the Sapphire High Lord did not answer for his crimes, there would be war. What if Yadavendra had come to the same conclusion? What if he had taken steps to prepare, and these guards were here to secure the border? Nothing to do with the search for Lord Rochant at all. Perhaps war was to be Yadavendra’s answer.

  More than ever his decision to withdraw and bury his grief in a haze of Tack smoke seemed like an error. Things had changed so quickly while he wasn’t looking, and now he felt like he was struggling to keep up.

  His own settlements appeared peaceful when he passed them, save for the search parties moving along the Godroad still searching for Honoured Mother Chandni and her baby. I only hope that Yi has found them and dealt with them, so I don’t have to …

  His castle came into view and he noted with relief that only his brother’s flag flew, indicating that no other Deathless were in residence. He landed smoothly on top of Mount Ragged, walking the Bridge of Friends and Fools to the castle gates.

  No dramatic flights to the battlements this time.

  The Gardener-smiths met him in the Chrysalis Chamber and, together, they stripped off his crystal armour, checking each piece for damage before storing it reverently on its rack. Then he bathed and told his staff that he was going to rest after his journey.

  In truth, he was hoping that he would find Yi in his chambers but there was no one. He stood for a while, looking at the decorations and trophies, and tried to remember why he had chosen them. A few hangings, the odd gift placed on a shelf. None of it really meant anything to him, and yet, if he got rid of them the room would seem …

  Soulless. There has been little of me present these last few years and my room reflects that.

  He fell into bed, fatigue pushing his worries aside enough to sleep but not enough to sleep well. In the morning, he woke to the red glare of Vexation stabbing through his open window; fresh clothes were ready on his bed and nearby was a servant who appeared to be tidying, his movements hurried.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ he asked.

  The servant jumped. ‘I, no, my lord. It is just that Lord Gada is on his way here and—’

  Vasin sat up abruptly. ‘Why wasn’t I informed?’

  ‘Forgive me, my lord, but I did inform you about an hour ago.’

  ‘I don’t remember this.’

  ‘I swear it’s true. You didn’t answer me, my lord, but you nodded.’

  Vasin sighed. It sounded all too plausible. ‘Very well. Get the room tidy and get me dressed. Finding me still in bed at this hour might kill Lord Gada, and we couldn’t have that, could we?’

  ‘No, my lord.’

  He felt very irritable. His brother always had that effect on him. Vasin decided he was going to have to do something about that, if he was to gain Gada’s support.

  Then a thought began to niggle at the back of his mind, and for once, this irritation had nothing to do with Gada. He turned back to the servant.

  ‘How did you get in here?’

  ‘My lord?’ The man pointed to the open arch that led into his chambers. ‘I … I walked in.’

  It was true, there were no physical barriers stopping staff coming in and out. There were societal ones, however. ‘Without my permission?’

  ‘I’m sorry, my lord, I didn’t want to disturb you.’

  ‘But you already had, apparently, an hour ago. Did you not sing for entrance then, either?’

  There was an awkward pause and the servant glanced towards the archway, making Vasin wonder if the man were about to try and run through it. He tried to place the servant’s face but couldn’t. On its own, this wasn’t alarming, lately he’d not paid much attention to his staff.

  And if he were an assassin, I would be well on the way to my next lifecycle by now.

  ‘I … I’m sorry, my lord.’

  Vasin crossed the room in three swift strides, his rigid fingers coming to rest on the servant’s throat. ‘Tell me, what are you really doing here?’

  There was another pause, and Vasin pressed deep, until there was no more give in the man’s flesh. ‘Tell me.’

  ‘I was searching your possessions.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘Anything unusual … treasures from the Wild, crystals, messages, anything. They didn’t specify.’

  ‘Who didn’t specify?’

  ‘My lord, I’m finding it hard to breathe!’

  ‘Then you’ll answer my questions quickly. Who?’

  Perhaps it was an act, but the servant’s voice was becoming strained. ‘Lord …’ He trailed off, prompting Vasin to twist his fingers. The servant squealed in pain.

  ‘Lord who? Answer me, damn you!’

  ‘Lord … Gada.’

  Vasin pulled back his hand and the servant fell to his knees, gasping. ‘You are one of Gada’s then?’ Still rubbing his neck, the servant nodded. ‘And what will you tell Lord Gada when you see him?’

  ‘Nothing, my lord. I will say there was nothing here.’

  ‘Yes, that is exactly what you will say. And from now on, you will watch Lord Gada for me. I will expect a report from you shortly and if I don’t learn anything new, I will exact restitution for the insult you have done me. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’

  Vasin made a dismissive gesture and the servant fled the room. Fighting the urge to go after him and kill him, Vasin clenched his fists tight at his sides; it was so tempting to take out his anger on someone, to do something direct and physical.

  No, that was the old Vasin. I can’t afford to be ruled by my temper any more.

  He turned and went to the window, letting the cold air buffet his face. It occurred to him yet again that he was out of touch. He had let others manage the details of his household for him. More precisely, he’d let Gada take care of him for too long, and now anyone in a uniform could walk into his chambers and he’d be none the wiser.

  Vasin summoned some of his staff to help him dress, pushing the fact from his mind that he didn’t know either of them by name. Gada arrived soon after, smart as ever. Vasin watched as he stepped into the room. As if he owns it. You don’t feel the need to ask for permission either, do you, brother?

  A watercolour smile fluttered across Gada’s lips. ‘Welcome home.’

  Vasin looked at him, really looked, not caring that the behaviour would seem rude. He’d always found Gada annoying, patronizing, even suffocating at times, but he’d never felt threatened by him before. ‘What do you want, Gada?’

  Gada’s nostrils flared, indignant. ‘To see if my ungrateful brother is feeling better. You were struggling before the hunt and since then we’ve barely had a chance to talk.’

  ‘You don’t think I can hold it together, do you?’

  ‘I’m sorry my concern is such a burden for you.’

  It would have been easy to punch him then. Instead, Vasin turned to the window, letting Gada have his back, and the clouds his outraged glare.

  ‘The truth is,’ Gada continued, ‘I was worried about you. You’ve always taken everything to heart more than the rest of us, and things have been fraught of late.’

  His brother’s feet made soft scuffing sounds on the floor, pacing, the sure sign that a lecture was coming. Vasin pressed his palms against the cool stone. Don’t get angry. Don’t argue. Mother needs our help. She chose me for this, not him. I have to be worthy of that choice.

  He took a breath and said the necessary words: ‘You’re right.’

  Gada came to a stop, the
lecture dying in his throat. ‘Yes, fraught … wait, what?’

  ‘I said: “you’re right”. After Mother’s exile, I fell apart. And let’s face it, I wasn’t exactly together before then. You’ve always been there for me, picking up the slack, cleaning up my mess, covering for me. I don’t deserve you, Gada.’ He wondered if that last line was laying it on too thick, but a moment later he felt his brother’s hand on his shoulder.

  ‘You know I’m always here for you.’

  He reached up and covered Gada’s long fingers with his own. ‘I know. But nobody was there for you. It must have been hard.’

  Gada’s hand squeezed once, an involuntary gesture. ‘It was.’

  ‘We’ve never talked about Mother. That’s my fault, I know.’ He turned to look his brother in the eye. ‘What was she like that day, when Yadavendra passed judgement?’

  ‘Are you sure you want to know?’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  Gada’s hand slipped free. He began to pace again, looking anywhere but into Vasin’s eyes. ‘She was proud. Defiant.’

  ‘She contested it?’

  ‘No, but neither did she confess. It was strange. Throughout the trial she’d argued and fought them on every detail. You know how she could be.’

  ‘Magnificent.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose, but I was going to say terrifying. I remember thinking how glad I was that I didn’t have to deal with her.’ He stroked his beard, his eyes focused on the past. ‘At the end though, she just accepted the verdict in silence. The strange thing was she’d always known she was going to lose. The High Lord had already made up his mind, she said. She still fought through the trial though, hard enough to convince me of her innocence.’

  ‘Did she convince any of the others?’

  Gada laughed, a high sound, mirthless. ‘You think they’d tell me? Everyone agrees with the verdict of the High Lord, no matter what they think privately.’ A thought seemed to strike him then, and he rushed to the arch, looking both ways down the corridor. When he came back his voice was quieter. ‘I can only speak for myself, and I agree with the High Lord, as I do in all things.’

  ‘But you just said you believed Mother!’

  ‘No, I said she was very convincing. That’s different to her being right. Besides, Mother is dead. We have to accept that and move on. Our future depends on High Lord Yadavendra now.’

  ‘You really think our mother betrayed us and her people to consort with the Wild? Because that is what the High Lord decreed.’

  Gada looked away. ‘I promised Mother I’d look after us. To achieve that I’ll believe what I have to.’

  ‘Well I won’t! We both know she’s innocent. We have to do something!’

  ‘Vasin. Brother. She’s dead. Let it go.’

  He went to reply but wasn’t sure what to say. Should I tell him the truth? Can he be trusted? Even if Gada believed him, there was no guarantee he’d agree to help. He doesn’t care about right or wrong, he cares about being on the winning side. It wasn’t easy but Vasin again summoned the words he knew his brother wanted to hear. ‘Yes. You’re right.’

  ‘Good,’ Gada replied, putting a tentative hand on his arm. ‘I’m glad you can see it. Now promise me you won’t say anything about Mother’s trial to the others. As far as they’re concerned it’s over, a part of our history. If you start asking questions they’ll be suspicious, and if word gets back to High Lord Yadavendra …’ He began to pace. ‘You know he is looking for any excuse to punish us, and ultimately, to replace us. I’m certain he already has people lined up, as does Lord Umed and Lady Yadva. Oh yes, they want to take advantage too, you can count on that. If we’re to survive, we need to be beyond reproach.’

  ‘I won’t say anything.’ Yet.

  ‘Good. That’s good.’ The relief in his face was palpable. ‘Now, let us talk about something else. How fare our friends in House Ruby?’

  Vasin shrugged. ‘They were very glad to see me. They’d have been even happier if our High Lord had deigned to answer their call—’

  ‘Vasin.’

  ‘—Given that they’d asked for him by name—’

  ‘Vasin!’

  ‘—And given the urgency. But judging by the look on your face, you don’t want to talk about that either.’ Gada’s folded arms and pained expression indicated Vasin had backslid into being antagonistic. He forced himself to relax. ‘Has the hunt turned up anything while I was away?’

  Gada shook his head. ‘We went to Lord Rochant’s castle. The Rebirthing Chamber was empty. No sign of Lady Pari Tanzanite. And I discovered that not all of the dead guards actually worked at the castle.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Two of them were imposters. None of the staff could identify them. In addition, several of the regular guards had been assigned elsewhere. The attack on Lord Rochant was planned from the inside, I’m sure of it.’

  Sweat began to prickle on Vasin’s skin. ‘Do you think they might have been infiltrators from House Tanzanite?’

  ‘It’s possible. Something doesn’t add up though, and I have the feeling that Captain Dil hasn’t told us everything.’

  ‘No?’

  ‘On the night of Lord Rochant’s rebirth, I’d have expected him to post all of his veterans inside the castle, rather than out. No, this last minute reassignment seems odd to me. When he and Lady Yadva return, I intend to have a long talk with him. Which reminds me: after the attack, Captain Dil came straight here to you. Why?’

  It struck Vasin then that perhaps the whole conversation had been to build up to this point. Are you investigating me as well? Is that why you were having my things searched, to find evidence? ‘I assume he came because my castle is closest.’

  ‘Do you remember what he said when he arrived?’

  ‘Vaguely.’

  Gada’s lips twitched downwards. ‘Vaguely?’

  ‘Yes, vaguely. Besides, what difference does it make? You already know his news.’

  ‘I do but I’m looking for more details. Something to make sense of the gaps in our picture of that night. Can you remember anything? It doesn’t matter how minor.’

  ‘He wasn’t very coherent, sorry.’

  ‘I see.’

  I hope you don’t, thought Vasin. ‘Sorry,’ he repeated.

  ‘Well, I’d best be getting on.’ Gada paused, trying to find the right words. ‘I wanted to say what a relief it is to know that we see these matters of family in the same way. I don’t know what the others are planning, but we’ll survive it if we pull together.’

  ‘I’ve got your back. Have you got mine?’

  Gada summoned his insincere smile once more as he turned to go. ‘Always, brother.’

  Vasin wandered towards the kitchens. He did his best to appear amiable and bewildered, as if he’d just smoked far too much Tack. This was difficult as what he really felt like doing was charging in and killing everyone he didn’t know by sight.

  Breakfast was over, and the space resounded to the clink of pots and plates being scraped, cleaned and set out under crystal to bake dry.

  Servants did their best not to be alarmed by their lord’s unexpected appearance. He wandered between them, changing direction without warning, generally making as much of a nuisance of himself as he could without actually breaking anything.

  He saw a man winding his way towards him, a majordomo, though Vasin did not remember appointing him. With good reason, I suspect. He pointed a finger in the rough direction of the man’s face, letting it waver a little as if he were unsteady. ‘Who are you?’

  The man gave a quick bow. ‘My name is Vis, my lord.’ When Vasin frowned as if confused, he added, with a touch of petulance: ‘Your chief of staff.’

  ‘You are? But where is Old Sen?’

  ‘I’m afraid she had to be retired, my lord. Her duties were becoming too much for her.’

  ‘Ah, a shame. I would have liked to have said goodbye.’ Vasin looked distant for a moment, in part to maintain his ruse, but main
ly so that he did not strangle this man on the spot. He dares to lie to my face in my own castle! Sen was the daughter of his previous majordomo, and had followed her mother about the castle as soon as she could walk. She’d been ordering people about with a child’s lack of mercy since the age of four. Everyone in the castle knew that Old Sen was a nickname, given in jest. Though Sen was no longer a child, she was hardly past her prime. ‘Message,’ he added.

  ‘My lord?’

  ‘I want to send her a message.’

  ‘Very good, my lord. I’ll have Mal sent to you immediately.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Mal, my lord. Do you not remember him? He oversees all of your correspondence.’

  Actually Vasin did vaguely remember someone being introduced to him by that name. He’d be hard pressed to pick him from a crowd however. ‘Ah yes. Good. Do that. Send him, I mean, so I can send a message.’

  ‘Of course, my lord. Is there anything else I can do?’

  ‘I’m going for a walk. When I get back I’d like something to drink.’

  He staggered out, grinding his teeth to keep from shouting. He would find Old Sen, to recruit her again or avenge her, whichever proved necessary. But first he had to see how far the rot had spread.

  He spent the day prowling his castle, noting the changes, the little shifts that had accumulated over time to distance him from it. Faces had been noted too, and names. It had been very informative. Some of the families that used to serve him, loyal for generations, had been moved aside by his brother to make way for new staff. All minor reshuffling, all plausible, all reasonable. But together they suggested something he didn’t like at all.

  Suddenly, the last few years came into a different kind of focus.

  When I fell apart over Mother’s exile, who looked after me?

  Gada.

  Though he always complains at my usage, who was it suggested I try some Tack in the first place, to ease my mind?

  Gada.

  Who was it came and took over my duties?

  Gada.

  And made sure I knew it, helping, yes, taking responsibility – separating me from the things that gave life meaning.