by G. D. Penman
Kaius had forgotten how dangerous the ground was here, how softly they all had to tread so as not to disturb the mechanisms operating beneath the surface. Not to mention the tell-tale tremor that reverberated along his arm when she was touching him.
Malius leaned in close and with a theatrical whisper said, “I have had a few of my students come to speak to me after seeing you fight today and they wouldn't mind risking touching you as long as you could be discreet about it. Of course most of them are a touch younger and prettier than the last one to try it.”
The Pontifex was flushed with shame and it was all Kaius could do not to pat her hand where it sat tightly gripping the arm of the seat. So easily any one of them could fall into shame but still the whole table made jokes at Arlia’s expense.
Atius and Malius made a series of jokes about trying to dance with the Chosen without touching although the double meaning of the term dancing became apparent fairly quickly. Malius' students were doubly trapped by their Master, if they refused his advances they would be overlooked and punished, if they accepted then they had committed treasonous blasphemy and could be punished when they lost his favour.
Kaius returned to sniffing the porcelain bowl quietly but it did not smell so sweet as before now that it was cooling.
Kaius was standing outside of the Beloved's private chambers before heat-rise. Having risen early from a sleepless night to perform his Forms of Bone in a courtyard that he had found on one of the levels higher than his own cell.
Feeling suitably calmed by his uninterrupted session he was able to disregard several tersely written notes brought by attractive young couriers from Malius on appropriate topics for conversation with the Beloved. He had no such notes from Atius, he assumed that either the man trusted him to conduct himself well or more likely still hadn't sobered up from the hefty carafes of ant mead he had consumed during the dinner party.
Even before heat-rise Kaius found the temperature in the city and the spire particularly to be far too high. In here it was practically an oven. His layered robes, so practical out in the dark had been switched out for the thin ones worn during the fire season. They flowed more smoothly and the parts not sticking to him were very soothing to the touch. He found himself moving restlessly to let the air circulate while still trying to maintain quiet dignity.
When the lanterns along the corridor burst suddenly into light he let out his long held breath and stepped up to the solid brass of the doors. He did not know if he was supposed to knock or just wait to be admitted so he took the third option and pushed the doors apart.
As much as the city was more luxurious than the villages this suite of rooms was more opulent than the rest of the city altogether. A lifespan of centuries, infinite wealth and no voice raised to contradict you did not make for tasteful decoration. There was silver and gold reclaimed from across the Ashen Dales worked into the ivory of the walls and bed-frame, silk wall hangings woven from the finest produce of worm farms across the dominion and at the centre of it all, silhouetted in front of great stained glass galvanic lanterns was the Beloved.
His hair was settling gracefully around his face now that he was in from the balcony. He moved with delicate steps, not quite the normal mincing of the nobles, it had more confidence. He tugged a silk tie from where it was tangled around the bedpost and swept it up to tie back his hair. With the hair out of the way his cheekbones and jaw line were more pronounced, less feminine.
He met Kaius’ eyes and smiled softly. He gestured for him to move forward and the two settled at a small table of solid copper, discoloured with verdigris around the top. There was a small smoke burner on the tabletop and for an instant Kaius was taken aback before he realised it was only incense.
They sat silently for a long moment then Valerius spoke, “Your honesty is what distinguished you last night. I would appreciate it if you would maintain that honesty rather than pursuing a course of flattery, self aggrandising and misdirection as my other Marked have done.”
It honestly hadn't occurred to Kaius what they would be discussing, he was so overwhelmed that he blurted out, “I am not sure I would know how to do any of those things.”
Valerius smirked, “My understanding is that you have been proven intelligent, both in your studies and your counsel, it is the greater part of why a Chosen is elevated.”
Kaius leaned forward, “There is a difference between knowing about things and knowing when not to talk about things and I don't seem to have the knack.”
Valerius leaned in to meet him, eyes darting over Kaius features, trying to read truth in their movements, “I swear this to you in the name of Negrath. For as long as you tell me the truth I shall not punish you for it.”
Kaius nodded, then paused before asking, “What is night?”
Valerius raised an eyebrow so Kaius elaborated, “You said my honesty distinguished me last night.”
Valerius chuckled absently, “Ah. I forget how young you all are sometimes. Night is just another word for the cold half of the cycle. Day was the name for the warm half, and for one complete cycle for some reason.”
Kaius smiled along with the explanation then decided, as he would in the duelling circle, just to press on and trust the truth to protect him, “Was there something you wanted to speak to me about, Beloved?”
Valerius thought for a moment then said, “Tell me about the ghuls. I hear pieces of reports filtered through councils and the Marked but I do not hear what they are really like.”
Kaius composed his thoughts and settled back onto the hard back of the small chair, “They look much like any person out in the dark, their skin is colour sapped, their hair is brittle. You can recognise them in their movements and sounds after they have been feeding for some time. Fresh ghuls are indistinguishable but the older ones or the ones born into ghul families, they move around as if they are calling speed but not using it, they are always twitching and moving. They giggle and cry for no reason too. It is very difficult for them to be silent and hidden so they rely on quickly unfolding ambushes even when it would be more tactically sound to let an enemy pass.”
Valerius held up a hand. “Who do they consider to be enemies?”
“Everyone,” Kais replied without hesitation, “The moment you stop thinking of people as people and start thinking of them as fodder to pick over and dish out, everyone becomes your potential prey. Most ghuls tear themselves apart before too long if they do not have ready access to supplies of food.”
Valerius cast a glance over to the balcony and asked, “If there were ghul living in the city, operating in secret, how would you ferret them out?”
Kaius looked hard at the apparently disinterested profile of the man before him, “Are they truly operating in secret or do you already have suspicions about certain groups? Perhaps religious groups?”
Valerius scowled back to him, “Do not overstep yourself. If we had no knowledge of them, what is the best way to destroy them.”
The problem was too complex for Kaius to consider, he thought of a half dozen partial solutions then answered, “The best way would be to remove the source of food.”
Valerius sighed, “Emptying the city is not an option.”
Kaius shook his head, “If they are hidden in your population then they will just travel with them and feed in a new location. You need to make the meat inedible.”
Valerius gestured for him to proceed after a moment, “Poison everyone. Not lethally. Not even with enough poison to make them sicken. But with a poison that lingers in the flesh. That builds up in the body and sickens you once you have too much. I recall hearing of certain heavy metals that could serve the purpose.”
Valerius face remained impassive as Kaius outlined his plan then cracked into a genuine smile when the younger man was finished, “You would have made a great Beloved if you had been born correctly. I feel like so much of my work is poisoning our people for their own good.”
Kaius was unsure if that was meant to be a compliment. Vale
rius moved on. “You are to be my champion in the Trial of Steel. I understand that you would have been better suited to the Trial of Bone.” He paused to see if Kaius would argue then went on. “I have been told that your skill with the sword would have been sufficient to win out against the last few years crops of contenders, excluding Vulkas' beasts. The prestige of a win in the Trial of Bone would not justify your ascension. Something that dear Malius has been campaigning for the entire time that he was simultaneously fighting to keep you out in the provinces instead of here, protecting me from harm as is your duty.”
Kaius interrupted, “I am still protecting your interests when I am out among your people Beloved.”
Valerius swatted at the air, “Not Beloved, not here. Valerius. It is my hope that we can form a bond of friendship as well as servitude Kaius. Titles and inequality will stand between us,” he conceded, “I acknowledge that you were doing good work out in the Dales. I do understand the value of having Chosen out among my people. I do understand the value of those people who live out in the dark. But I have so many years weighing down on me and so many more still to go. I am surrounded by these sycophants. These deceivers would tell me anything they think I want to hear if they thought they could curry my favour for even a moment. How they do not realise that all deceptions crumble with time, that I will always see through them in the end, I do not know.”
Kaius remembered to shrug his shoulders, “Sometimes people can't see beyond what they want in the moment.”
Valerius licked at his thin lips and finally asked, “What do you want Kaius? What makes you happy?”
He considered it for a long moment, it was not something that he had ever given much consideration to, “I want to do my duty in service to Negrath. I want to serve you to the fullness of my abilities.”
Valerius set his jaw, narrowed his eyes and snarled, “I do not want platitudes and flattery, tell me the truth or I will have you cast back out into the dark for the rest of your days.”
He glowered across. Watching Kaius' face as it shifted from surprise to a flash of anger then confusion. Valerius called speed and snared Kaius chin between manicured fingers, he looked up into the taller man's eyes and slowly his expression softened into surprise, “In Negrath's name. It is true. Isn't there anything that you want in the world?”
He released Kaius chin and let him speak, “I have never had the opportunity to want anything since I was Chosen.”
Valerius stalled him, “Before you were Chosen, when you still had need for things, what did you want then?”
He realised the answer even before Kaius gave it and they said it in harmony, “To be Chosen.”
The heat had grown oppressive as time flitted on. Valerius had asked questions throughout their time together. Ostensibly it was always to learn more about Kaius, to understand his position on the issues of ruler-ship but in reality he was gaining perspective on the things that his other advisers withheld.
As cold fell the heat in the room just went on rising. Valerius casually discarded the upper half of his robes and lay on the bed. Kaius let his eyes trace over the strange patterns of Valerius torso. The odd ridges of bone protruding amidst the carefully sculpted planes of muscle. If you had no knowledge of how a human body was meant to look then they were quite beautiful as delicate decoration. If you were attached to the traditional notions of beauty without mutation then they would have made your skin crawl.
Kaius felt nothing. Not in the usual, deep cold way that he felt nothing at all. Aesthetics were not an area of intense study for the Chosen and Kaius could not recall much of his time before coming to the city. He could recognise the layout of anatomy that was meant to be attractive through observation of the reactions of others but he had no strong feelings about them himself. Valerius watched him for a reaction and seemed halfway to disappointed that there wasn’t one.
The conversation continued until heat rise was approaching and they were both laying, propped up on their elbows as servants fetched in more iced water. The conversation had come full circle by this point.
“I have been enjoying our conversations. I believe that we shall continue to have them for as long as possible,” Valerius held up a hand before Kaius could interject, “I am aware that Malius wants you back out in the field as soon as you are Marked, waging war on the other Beloved. But it is not Malius' wants that you serve. It is mine.”
After so long it seemed unconscionable to Kaius to be less than honest, “I would be more comfortable waging war than in the city. I enjoy the solitude.”
Valerius pointed at him and smiled, “I knew that there must be something you liked. Just a shame that it excludes me so completely.”
Kaius moved to apologise but Valerius overruled him swiftly, “What is your favourite thing about being alone out there in the dark?”
Kaius closed his eyes and pictured it, so far from the luxurious linens he was stretched out on now, “It is nearly silent without people to make their noises. The natural sounds become part of the silence. Around this time of day when others are sleeping I can release my armour and feel the wind on my skin. I can perform the Thousand Forms as they were meant to be performed, moving closer to a better understanding of them each time. It is peaceful.”
He opened his eyes to find Valerius' face mere inches from his own, staring at him intently, “All that you wanted was to be a warrior for Negrath and all that you enjoy is complete peace. I understand that many of my nobles have similar tastes to you, they find a willing partner to chain them and beat them and make them act as slaves. They enjoy the pain, just as you must.”
Kaius leaned away from Valerius slowly, under the pretext of reaching for his glass of water. He shrugged a shoulder, trying to be nonchalant about his discomfort, “If I wasn't Chosen I don't know what I would be, I have no trade or skills beyond war. Perhaps I would be dead by now, or working to sift gold dust from the ash in the Dales.”
Valerius smiled warmly, “I am glad that you are here with me instead.”
The heat within the sweltering chambers increased once again and Valerius seemed startled, “I seem to have lost all track of time. Excuse me while I light the city.”
He rose from the bed in a fluid motion, walking to the balcony and exposing his back to Kaius for the first time since he had shed his robes. There were lumps running down the sides of his spine and out along the ridge of his shoulder blades, some were larger and brighter red while some seemed more subdued. There was no logic to which grew where although the ones closer to his head seemed uniformly larger.
He glanced back to the bed over his shoulder, his hair was working its way out of the tie and hanging loose about his face, “I imagine you have never seen someone call anything but steel, would you care to watch?”
Kaius followed Valerius to the balcony where the Beloved of Negrath grasped hold of a pair of copper rods and smiled widely, “Stand back please.”
He called the storm. His arms shook as the galvanic force pulsed through them and blue sparks crackled and fluttered all over the uncovered parts of his body. This was why the servants of Negrath were feared by the other Eaters, this lightning could pass through called steel and cook you within its shell.
The called storm could bring down enough rain to wash away the Ashen Dales or to irrigate enough farms to support a dozen standing armies. The city beneath them came to life and lit up in layers, starting from the central spire and rippling out.
Valerius turned away once the city had been awoken and gave Kaius a mischievous grin, stepping closer he pressed his hand flat onto the younger man's stomach.
Kaius shuddered as everything around where Valerius touched tightened and hardened for a moment.
Valerius bit his lower lip and giggled like a child made large. He reached the hand up to run it over Kaius bald pate still laughing, “Don't worry, it is quite safe now.”
Kaius did his best not to flinch at the unwanted contact. When Valerius realised that he wasn't enjoying himself
he took a half step back and wiped his sweat slicked hand on the silk overhanging his belt. He pursed his lips and said, “You will be meeting Vulkas' Chosen at their border of the Glasslands two days from now. You should devote your attentions to your training until then. Following that, you will be tied into the events of the Trials for several days at least. After all is said and done you will return to me and I will raise you to the rank of the Marked. Then we can resume this conversation. My friend.”
Both men bowed formally to each other but their smiles were genuine. Kaius was relieved to find the Beloved to be all that he expected from the highest mortal servant of Negrath and he was honestly relieved that he had not been found wanting himself. He enjoyed the illusion of friendship but in his heart he knew it was probably just a ploy to control him, as he had no particular vices to exploit. It was a most pleasant illusion. Kaius had never had a friend before.
Chapter 4- The Silver Scale
Lucia decided after feeling the cycle of heat and cold pass over her several times that she was not just going to die in her sleep, however much she might have wanted to. Thirst and hunger had reared their ugly head despite her situation. Neither her legs or one of her arms could function and she could see bone protruding by her elbow.
There was pain in every part of her body, and when she tried to move it reduced her to shrieking as her bones ground together and her bruised flesh dragged along the floor. Her one good arm was enough to prop her up and gradually her eyes adjusted to the diffused starlight coming through the distant glass above.
She was in some sort of courtyard, surrounded by carved stone arches, at one side there was a fountain depicting the victorious Eaters, finally ending their war on the gods by consuming them. Whatever mechanism had once pumped water up to spray from the great dragon at the centre's mouth had been long out of use but a short length of copper pipe protruded and she could swear that she heard a trickle of water.