Blood and Iron: The Book of the Black Earth (Part One)

by Jon Sprunk

  When they reached the top Horace guessed they had to be a dozen floors or more above the ground. He was taken through more doors, all made from fine-grained wood with bright brass hinges and pulls. Artwork in metal and fired clay adorned the walls of the hallways. The floor was flagged in cardinal-red stone, the walls and ceiling in sand-colored blocks with flecks of black and gold. Despite the opulent surroundings, or perhaps because of them, Horace began to sweat. Where were they taking him? He looked around every turn expecting to be startled by something horrible. By the time they stopped at a door at the end of a hall, his hands were shaking. He tried to recapture that feeling of calm, to accept whatever happened, but his nerves refused to obey.

  The robed man opened the door and went inside. Horace waited with the silent soldiers. The doorway led to some kind of antechamber tiled in cream-colored stone. One soldier produced a key and unlocked Horace's shackles. He almost wept with relief as the metal cuffs came off. His wrists were red and raw. While he massaged them, the soldiers took position on either side of the doorway, but none of them moved. With a deep breath, Horace entered.

  The door closed behind him. The robed man disappeared through another archway, leaving Horace in the antechamber. The ceiling was domed and painted to resemble the sky. People in bright garb sat on clouds, laughing and cavorting while tiny children played pipes and other instruments. In the very center was the sun in yellow, its shining rays emblazoned with gold leaf. It was quite striking.

  A throat cleared.

  Horace almost jumped when he saw the woman, standing in the archway the robed man had taken. She was…

  Better-looking than the painting.

  The thought popped into his head before he could squash it. But she was good-looking. Her face, with its perfect cheekbones, could have graced a masterpiece. She looked younger than him by a few years, with startling blue eyes and long, golden-blonde hair that tumbled past her shoulders. Her tunic matched her eyes, short-skirted and belted with a white cord, but his gaze was drawn to the gold collar around her neck. It was slender, almost like a choker necklace, but there was no denying that it was a slave's collar.

  “Please,” she said. “Come in.”

  “You speak Arnossi?” It made sense. She looked Arnossi.

  He followed her into the next chamber, which was circular and set up like a sitting room with three large, cushioned divans and a pair of chairs. Everything looked like it was of the finest quality, from the furniture to the pastel frescoes painted on the curved walls. Three other doorways radiated out from the room, two of them closed. A nice breeze entered the room through a tall, open window.

  The robed man spoke, and the young woman translated. “Sire, Chancellor Unagon says these rooms have been provided to you by the queen. You are instructed to remain here until Her Majesty calls for you, but you are her guest. Anything you require, you need only ask.”

  “All right,” Horace replied. “Tell him I'm honored and I will call on him personally if I need anything. And thank him for me.”

  He listened closely as the young woman interpreted his words. Chancellor Unagon nodded and walked out to the swish of his robes, but the young woman remained behind. Horace looked to her, not sure what he was supposed to do.

  “I am Alyra,” she said. “I'll be your servant while you stay in the palace.”

  “I don't want a…” He gestured to her collar.

  “I have been commanded to serve you. Please. I have drawn a bath. You must want to refresh yourself.”

  Horace looked down at himself. He was filthy, and the sumptuousness of the room only made him feel more out of place. He followed her through the open doorway into the largest bath chamber he had ever seen. It was almost as big as the townhouse he and Sari had rented right after they were married. A huge copper tub stood in the center of the floor, filled with steaming, soapy water. A mosaic of four nymphs cavorting in a stream decorated the far wall.

  Instead of leaving, the young woman untied the cord around her waist and set it on a wooden bench beside the tub. Sudden warmth suffused Horace's face as she stripped out of her tunic. He held his breath without intending to, unable to take his gaze off her, even as she turned back to face him.

  “Shall I help you remove your clothes?” she asked.

  Exhaling slowly, Horace shook his head and undressed himself. When he got down to his small clothes, he whisked them off and stepped into the tub. Only after he was submerged in the hot water did he chide himself. Why should he be embarrassed? She was a servant of the palace, certainly accustomed to seeing people without their clothes. But then she leaned over the tub holding a sponge, and the nearness of her nudity was impossible to ignore. The women of his homeland did not parade around stark-naked. At least, not outside houses of ill repute.

  To take his mind off the situation, Horace asked her, “Where did you learn to speak Arnossi so well? Your accent is almost nonexistent.”

  “My parents were Arnossi, sire.”

  He turned around in the water, sending waves across the tub. “They were? Then how did you become a…?”

  “A slave? We lived at the colony of Marico on the island of Thym when the Akeshians attacked. My father died in the fighting, but my mother and I were taken as slaves.”

  “I'm sorry. That's horrible. How old were you?”

  “Ten, sire.”

  He leaned back against the side of the tub. “May I ask, what became of your mother?”

  “I don't know. We were separated a couple years after our capture and sold to different owners. I haven't seen her since.”

  The knot in his chest returned as he imagined how a child might feel to be enslaved by the people who had killed her father, and then to be separated from the only other connection to her old life. He could understand what that would be like. “I'm…that's…I'm sorry.”

  The talk of slaves reminded Horace of Jirom. “Alyra, I have a friend. We came to the city in the same caravan, but he was taken somewhere else. Sold, presumably. Is there any way I can find him?”

  He described Jirom and what had happened at the slave market.

  “I'm not sure,” she said. “But my guess is that he was shipped out to the mines. Or maybe sent to the army training camp north of the city.”

  “Can you try to find out, please?”

  “I'm afraid there isn't much I can do, sire. Please forgive me.”

  Finished with his arms and chest, Alyra poured a fragrant white liquid into his hair and rubbed it in, then rinsed him with fresh water from a copper pail. Afterward he felt better. His eyes drifted shut for a moment, but they snapped open as something warm and slimy attached to his face. Horace bolted upright, reaching for his chin. His fingers came away covered in a warm, brown sludge. “What are you doing to me?”

  Alyra stood beside the tub, holding a cup. Inside was more of the odd-looking substance. “Shaving you, sire. Please sit back.”

  Horace put his fingers to his nose. The stuff had a minty smell, which was rather pleasant, actually. He returned to his former position and leaned back, allowing her to finish applying the salve. “What is it?”

  “An extract of honeymint and the bark of the sarbatu tree. It will nourish your skin and make the shaving easier.”

  It occurred to Horace, as she stood over him with a steel razor, that his life was literally in her hands. He held still as the blade ran across his neck, but breathed easier after a few strokes. She had a sure hand, and within a short time he was relaxed enough to enjoy the sensation of being shaved, surrendering to the hot water and the bubbles and the slick whisk of the razor across his skin.

  “May I ask you something?” she asked.

  Horace let his eyes droop half-closed. “Sure.”

  “I've heard rumors among the palace servants. They say a storm struck your entourage on its way across the desert. They also say that you saved everyone. Is that true?”

  He recalled the sensations he'd experienced in the cell, the feeling of lightness
and the seed of hot and cold in his chest, and suddenly he felt empty. “I suppose it is.”

  He told her what he remembered of the storm, but just like when he'd told the queen, he didn't have any way to explain his actions or the results. “Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. It was unbelievable.”

  “It's amazing,” she said.

  “I don't know. Lord Isiratu didn't seem pleased.”

  “You shamed him, sire.” Alyra wiped his face with a wet towel. “You succeeded where he and Lord Ubar had failed. According to the law, you had the right to take his life, had you so wished.”

  “That's crazy. I didn't even know what I was doing.”

  “All the more impressive, my lord.”

  Horace reached up to find his chin smooth and tingling. “Do all zoanii have this power of sorcery?”

  “Yes, sire. It is what makes them zoanii.”

  “And they are the ruling class of this land.”

  “That's right.”

  “Are all children of the zoanii also sorcerers?”

  “Often that is the case, especially with the older bloodlines. Or so I've been told. Yet sometimes there are children born without the zoana, which is why producing a true-born heir is so important. Such is the case of Lord Isiratu. Lord Ubar is his sixth son, by a third wife, but the first among his children to possess the power. Very sad.”

  “What happens to the children without it?”

  “It is not spoken about,” she said, “but some are killed by their families to rid them of the shame. Many are sent to the temples to become priests and priestesses.”

  Horace imagined all those unwanted children, consigned to lives of prayer. “I've seen some of these Akeshian priests. Why do some wear yellow robes and others red?”

  “The clergy of the pantheon wear many different-color robes, sire. Among the Sun Cult, the ministers wear gold, while the members of the Order wear red.”

  “The order?”

  “The Order of the Crimson Flame. They are responsible for enforcing the temple's edicts.”

  “Like a private army?”

  “Somewhat, sire. The Order's members are chosen at a very young age and train for many years.”

  That sounded like a secret society. Arnos had them, too, although they were mainly political movements. “How are they chosen?”

  “They all possess zoana.”

  She said it as a matter of simple fact, but a chill ran down Horace's back. More sorcery. It seemed like it was everywhere in this forsaken country. “Wait. So they are sorcerers, but not zoanii?”

  “Yes, sire. Once accepted into the Order, they disavow all former ties, including the bonds of family and rank, to serve the Sun Temple.”

  “Why would someone do that?”

  “There are many reasons, sire. Some members of the Order were orphans raised by the temple. Others committed an offense against their family or liege. Please, excuse me.”

  Alyra left the chamber, and Horace took the opportunity to hop out of the tub. His legs wobbled a little as he stepped onto the floor. He started to reach for his clothes and then realized they were gone.

  She probably took them to burn, and I can't blame her.

  Dripping wet, Horace looked around for something to put on. He opened a cabinet but found only more sponges and a row of small bottles. He was just closing the door when Alyra reappeared. Horace covered his groin with his hands as he stood there, dripping water on the tile floor. She offered him a robe. As soon as the fabric touched his skin, Horace looked down in wonder. He had never worn silk before. The robe was a rich burgundy color with a black border and wide cuffs at the wrists. Alyra tied the sash around his waist in an intricate knot that resembled a flower blossom. While he was admiring the garment, she held out a swath of material that looked like a tiny hammock of black silk. It took Horace a moment to realize it was some form of undergarment. His face heating up again, he took it from her and bent away as he slipped it on. The garment felt strange, riding up between his legs and into the crack of his behind. As he moved his hips from side to side, trying to get the thing to sit right without adjusting himself in front of her, Alyra assisted him in putting on a pair of sandals. He felt a little odd as she knelt to help him, but the sandals fit so well, the soft leather molding to his feet like they had been made specifically for him, that he forgot his qualms.

  “Does everyone dress this way here?” he asked.

  She stood up and began to put on her clothes. “This is the customary garb for a zoanii man of the do'jun, the tenth rank, sire. You must look presentable for your private audience with the queen.”

  Horace was about to tell her that he wasn't zoanii, that this was all a big mistake, but her mention of a private audience stole his attention. “I'm going to see the queen again?”

  “Yes. Right now, in fact.”

  A loud knock echoed from the front room.

  “Excuse me,” Alyra said, and she hurried away to answer it.

  He followed, dreading the upcoming interview. The queen's presence had been powerful and alluring when he saw her in the great chamber. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of meeting her in a private setting. He couldn't help wondering if this was all just a hoax, some cruel torture designed by his captors to lull him into complacency before they tossed him back into a cell.

  Alyra opened the door, and two soldiers in scale armor entered. They both stopped in the atrium and placed a fist over their hearts.

  “They are here to escort you, sire,” Alyra said.

  Horace tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry. “All right. I suppose this is it.”

  “May the blessing of Sippa be upon you,” she said, bowing to him.

  Not sure how to respond, Horace nodded as he left the suite. He impressed himself by not stumbling, even though his legs were still shaky and his stomach flipped somersaults. More soldiers waited in the hallway outside the apartment. They fell in around him.

  As Horace followed them through the confusing corridors of the palace, he considered his options. He supposedly possessed some great power. What if he lashed out with it? Would it be enough to subdue these men and let him escape? But then he considered that he was alone, a stranger in a strange city with many leagues between him and the shore. Even if he made it back to the beach, what then? It wasn't like he could spread his arms and fly home. No, he was well and truly trapped. His best option was to keep his head on straight and try to come up with a reasonable plan. So he watched everything, trying to memorize the route they took, the chambers they passed.

  The soldiers led him up a flight of pristine white marble steps to a door made of a lustrous red wood. Horace took a deep breath as they pulled it open and stood aside. If he thought the apartment he was staying in was lavish, he had no words for what he saw before him. The atrium at the front of the suite was large enough to hold a feast, its floor inlaid with a beautiful mosaic of cut glass in swirling patterns of sky-blue, turquoise, and white. The walls were covered in golden plaster upon which rows of colorful figures had been painted. Horace felt like he was walking through an art gallery, the lifelike eyes following his every step. On the left was a battle scene involving two armies of easterners. The details were exquisite down to the links of mail in their armor. The painting on the right was a landscape showing a great city on the banks of a green river. He knew it at once for this city, Erugash, though in the picture the mighty palace was only half-built with tiny scaffolds clinging to its sloped sides.

  Two soldiers—freakishly big men in mail armor—stood at attention flanking the door on the far side of the chamber. Large, curved swords rested against their shoulders.

  Horace took a few steps into the chamber and stopped, clasping his hands before him. Then a young woman walked out between the soldiers. She couldn't have been older than eleven or twelve and wore a sheer tunic, unbelted so it billowed around her slim figure. Horace smiled at her until he noticed the gold collar around her neck. He had to remind
himself this was a heathen land, and he was the outsider.

  The girl motioned for him to follow, so he did, passing between the huge guards and into an even larger chamber. The interior room had a high ceiling, and the far wall was open to the sky. The side walls were limned with colorful frescoes that reminded Horace of the paintings in the cathedral of St. Ephrates. The men in the pictures wore long, square-cut beards and bright garb. They had such haughty expressions that he thought they might be kings, and the women queens, perhaps. Then he noticed the clouds under their feet and the stars twinkling around them.

  Not kings. Gods.

  He studied the paintings as the girl left him alone. He didn't hear anyone else enter until a contralto voice made him turn quickly. “Welcome, Horace of Arnos.”

  The queen stood behind him. Her hair was down, the inky-black tresses cascading almost down to her waist. A dress of white silk clung to her curves, and a jade amulet the size of a chicken egg hung around her neck. Two servant girls, both wearing delicate gold collars, entered behind the queen. Smiling, they sat on a cushioned divan in a corner of the room and took up a game that involved rolling clay dice and moving wooden pegs across a marble tile.

  Horace made an awkward bow to the queen, not sure if he was supposed to kneel or kiss anything. “No chains this time, Your Excellence?”

  “I don't think we'll need them, do you?” Queen Byleth smiled as she sauntered toward him, as elegant as a leopardess prowling through the jungle.

  “Ah, no, Your Excellence. I, er…”

  Stop staring at her, idiot!

  Horace cleared his throat. “If I may say, you speak flawless Arnossi.”

  “I had very good tutors.” She stopped before him, one hand placed on her hip. “As a girl, I wished that I would someday visit the countries of the West.”

  “That would be…something.” He grasped for something witty to say and failed. Instead, he tried to steer the conversation toward the thing nearest his heart: going home. “Perhaps that day will come when our nations can meet in friendship. I would like that very much.”

  “Would you?” The queen looked to the painting again. “I see you were admiring the murals. Are you a lover of art?”