by Rin Chupeco
“I apologize for that. Personal business. I see you come as the lone suitor of the Arrenley family?”
He shrugged. “Ivan has already been suitably married off, and Misha, while unattached, is too busy pursuing a military career to make courtship a priority. I am afraid you’re stuck with me for company, if you can stomach me long enough not to throw a drink in my face like you did with poor Leopold.”
“Do you intend to rule in my place, since my poor little head is ‘too beautiful to comprehend the complexities of running a city’?”
“Ah, so that’s what that cad said? You should have chucked the whole punch bowl.”
I laughed, and he grinned. “Make no mistake, Your Holiness. My father would like to cement an alliance with Her Holiness by marrying our house with yours. And I’d like to believe that I’m quite capable of managing the Golden City with you instead of against you. And at the risk of offending every asinine chauvinist in this room, I would even go so far as to say that I’d step back and watch you take the lead in most matters, shut my mouth wherever I have the least experience, including incanta and gates. I know quite frankly that my main role in this affair is to beget your mother another heir, but I hope I could offer something more than that.”
My cheeks were red. “Not a lot of people would admit all this so openly, milord.”
“I’m blunt, if I must be honest about it, but I’m also well read, moderately intelligent, and passably attractive. I can string words together without sounding like a fool most of the time, and I’m told I’m not too much of a boor. I would also add that had I not been attracted to you and thought that we would make a formidable team together, I would have told my father to go gird his own loins and woo Her Majesty himself if he wanted to marry into her family—but that sounds a bit too calculating after I listed all my favorable assets and fluffed myself up, doesn’t it?”
“You’re incorrigible.” Given all the double standards that had gone into planning this gala, his honesty was appealing. There was, of course, always the chance that he was a magnificent liar gifted with a devil’s tongue, but I was willing to overlook that for now. “But I’m not even certain I want to get married yet.”
“Neither am I. Just say the word, tell me you’re not even remotely interested in me, and I’ll leave with my metaphorical tail tucked between my legs. But if you would like to at least be friends, then perhaps you can honor me with a dance so my father thinks I’ve seduced you just a little?”
I laughed louder this time, offering my hand to him, which he quickly accepted. “Sir Belledier was supposed to fetch me a drink,” I remembered, just as we reached the dance floor.
Vanya settled a hand on my waist and lifted the other with my own. “Boring as he is,” he said dryly, “I thought I’d rescue you from more platitudes about the hot weather and sandfishing. I told him you wanted to see his collection of sandworm tackle. The poor fool probably rushed home to retrieve it.”
“And you were quick to swoop in to take his place.” Mother looked approving as we swept past the throne.
“If you would rather view his collection instead, I can step aside.”
“What I know about sandworms would fill a thimble, and my interest in them even less.” Vanya was an excellent dancer, expertly weaving his way around my ungainly dress and keeping his steps slow and deliberate so I wouldn’t have to struggle to follow. “And what do you do in your spare time beyond getting rid of potential rivals?”
“You make me sound like a criminal, Your Holiness—”
“Just Haidee. ‘Your Holiness’ makes me sound old.”
“Well, there’s history, as I mentioned before. And poetry.”
“Well versed in the Cruel Kingdom, as you’ve also mentioned?” I began on a sudden impulse, hoping I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. I regretted not taking a look at The Ages of Aeon when he’d offered. Mother’s untimely arrival had lost me that opportunity.
He took the bait. “Your family has never been light reading, milady. But Ivan was old enough to remember the Cruel Kingdom being taught in his lessons—he was thirteen then, long before anyone thought the Breaking was possible.” He snorted. “He claimed there used to be vast oceans—more than one!—where people could swim to their hearts’ content. How ridiculous is that?”
“And the Cruel Kingdom?” I persisted.
“He was a lazy student, but he did tell me stories of Inanna descending to the Cruel Kingdom for her lost love.”
Inanna! I knew that legend, but I hadn’t known what they had called that bleak underground world she had entered. “So Brighthenge was where the Breaking took place?”
“Well, Brighthenge was allegedly built atop the Cruel Kingdom’s entrance. The previous goddesses created some sacred barrier to prevent monsters from escaping, or so the books imply.”
“Has anyone in your family ever seen this Brighthenge?”
“My father has never been. Few people were allowed entry—only the Devoted, I believe. My apologies, Your Holi—uh, Haidee, but while everyone knows about the goddesses of Aeon, there’s very little documentation about their personal lives or the mysterious customs that surround them. Her Holiness dislikes talking about it—Father’s seen her demote or exile others from her court just for asking. He’d never even seen your mother until after the Breaking, when she emerged from the Great Abyss and proclaimed herself the sole surviving goddess.”
“And that’s all you know?”
“As much as anyone here does. There’s a limit to what even my father can collect.” He looked puzzled. “But surely you knew that?”
“What else do you do when not reading up on my family history, then?” I changed the subject, not wanting to arouse his suspicion. More than enough time to broach the topic again later, once his guard was back down.
“I’ve fiddled a time or two with gears. I’ve been endeavoring to build a water clock at my father’s manor as an experiment to determine a more accurate way of telling time, but it’s been a long process. I’ve figured out a way to substitute most of the gears we do use with those constructed from silver alloys and a mercury-zinc compound.”
My eyes widened. I wouldn’t have put it past him to have done his due research on me and discovered my interest in all things mechanika. It was also possible that he was a genuine tinkerer like I was. “I’ve never had enough silver on hand to experiment on that scale. You’ll have to show me one day.”
“Is that an offer to visit?” Lord Vanya asked archly.
I wrinkled my nose at him. “Yes, you rascal, you’ve gotten me interested.” And maybe I’d find another chance to read his book, too.
“I would’ve thought you’d have built water clocks up and down the borders of the city by now.”
“Water clocks are considered nonessential architecture. And with the towers breaking down or losing a gear every other week, it’s hard to muster enough energy for other things—”
A commotion had risen by the throne, where Mother was already on her feet. A swift gesture put a stop to the orchestra, and the music trailed off into silence. “I’ve just been informed that the Silverguards are marching for our city gates,” she announced. “The drawbridge shall be lowered in five minutes. Redguards, form up by the entrance and prepare for potential hostilities.” She gestured at me, then turned toward the stairs.
This was not how we welcomed the returning army from the mines. “Excuse me,” I said, shaking myself free of Vanya’s hand, then stumbled up the stairs toward the roof deck, which offered a full view of the sands outside the Golden City for miles around.
From there I could see the Silverguards marching home, their steps several beats quicker than usual. My eyes flicked to the borders.
The dust storm coming our way was terrifying to behold. It stretched the whole sandscape as far as the eye could see. The army should be able to outrun it, but there could be no room for error.
“What’s going on?” Vanya had followed me up; he too
stared at the approaching disaster with mounting horror.
“I need to go higher,” I blurted out, pointing to another set of stairs that would lead to the highest point in the city. “Stay here.”
Vanya hadn’t been lying when he said he would defer to me in all things magic; he nodded briefly and stepped back. “Good luck, Lady Haidee,” he said fervently, casting another worried eye outside.
Mother was already consulting with Yeong-ho when I arrived. Above us was a perfect view of the blazing sun, unmarred by clouds. A clear sheet of curved glass, which was nonetheless dense and as durable as steel, separated us from the deadly glare. The dome had always protected us from sandstorms in the past, but I’d never seen one of this intensity before.
“We don’t have much time, Haidee,” Mother said sharply. “Focus. As soon as the army makes it inside, we’ll begin.”
We’d done this enough times together, although the size of the winds raging toward us made me nervous. I could see that the incanta encompassing the dome’s shield had already been lowered by the city entrance. The army was no longer marching in step; they were racing to the gates, the heavier caravans following behind them.
The sandstorm was nearly upon them. “Come on,” I whispered, “Come on guys, come on. . . .”
“Open the roof,” Mother instructed. “Close the gates.”
Yeong-ho hesitated. “Not all the Silverguards have made it in, Your Holiness. And the caravans—”
“There is no time, Yeong-ho. Do it!”
The man bit his lip, pushed down the lever. The shield of air above our heads flickered and began to dissipate, leaving just enough space for us to rise above the dome’s protection. Mother’s eyes glowed a light blue, and a smaller roof of air covered us again, offering just enough defense from the sun’s heat while still enabling us to direct our incanta out of the city, without the dome’s stronger barrier in the way.
I followed Mother’s lead and gated Air, watching as the storm shifted closer and closer. “A few seconds more,” Mother whispered, voice strained from the weight of all the wind she was stopping herself from unleashing.
Most of the Silverguards had found sanctuary past the gates, leaving half a dozen still without protection. One of the soldiers stumbled and fell. Another man sprang into action, dragging his fallen comrade away. For all his bravery, I knew neither had any hope of making it through.
I ignored my mother’s startled shout and directed my energy in their direction, prematurely releasing my incanta. Winds surged past me, with enough force to prevent the sands from slicing through the duo. I saw the second man force the first back onto the ground before flinging himself down, and both were lost in the resulting dust.
“Haidee!” Mother yelled, and I hastily whipped up another round of air just as the gates to the Golden City closed completely, and the bridge was swiftly brought up again. A fresh layer of Air flickered into view as the dome materialized over the entrance, once more airtight. The sandstorm hammered against the barrier, but it held secure.
And then, to my horror, the whirling sands began to burrow into the ground, attempting to bypass the dome by going underneath it.
I heard the cries of horror coming from below, from those who had remained behind to watch. I could hear Yeong-ho yelling out frantic commands into the receiver at Jes, ordering him to expand the shield several yards down into the sand to block the attempt.
Mother sent a spinning counter-wind straight into the center of the storm, and I followed suit. We both hit the eye, repelling some of the force and mitigating its strength. We fired again and again, weakening it further; after the twentieth or so attack the sands finally settled, until not so much as a breeze remained.
Mother turned to me; still breathing hard, still angry. “You acted before I gave the order to.”
“They were going to die!” I saw the two soldiers picking themselves up. One lifted his right arm, and I saw that he had a stump instead of a hand. My heartbeat quickened.
Mother had fallen silent too, her eyes not on the soldiers, but on a speck in the distance that was rapidly drawing closer. “Mirage,” she seethed, voice dripping with venom.
This specter looked similar to the one from a few days before. It wore the same robes in the same style, with a similar cowl drawn up over its face. A silver brooch gleamed out at us from the center of its chest; it was too far away for me to know for certain, but I was convinced it would have the same half-finished star insignia. It explained the dust storm’s unusual activity—it had been a direct, controlled attack.
I couldn’t see its face, but I knew it was looking up at us.
Mother’s hands flickered with energy, and a ball of fire appeared in her hands, growing larger with every passing second. With a snarl, she lobbed it at the silent creature, and the ground around it exploded. I gasped, and Yeong-ho slid down, hands protectively over his head.
The mirage stood, unhurt, while the sands around it burned. It made no other attack.
“Why didn’t it disappear?” I whispered. “When we destroyed the sandstorm, it should have . . .”
“It wears the robes of my sister’s Devoted,” came a hiss from Mother. “Sometimes the dead find it difficult to die.” Mother threw lightning this time. It sizzled the ground around the mirage, but undaunted, it refused to move. One lightning bolt hit it directly; a fission of energy ran through its body, but even then it made no sound, showed no emotion, and remained upright.
“Die!” Mother cried. “Why won’t you die?”
It ignored her; instead, it looked right at me. Haidee.
Mother turned away. “Yeong-ho, I want the whole city on lockdown,” she ordered.
“Mother,” I quavered, “it said my name.”
“No one is to enter or leave without my express order. There will be no rest until that thing is nothing but a smear on the ground. Tell Captain Irrada to prepare our glowfires, all that we can spare and then some more. Ah, Lord Vanya.” My suitor had crept up the stairs, looking alarmed. “Regrettably, the ball is canceled until further notice. Inform General Alistair that all residents are to return to their homes to await further instruction. I will be imposing martial law on the city today and setting a curfew. No nonessential personnel are to be wandering the streets or the punishment will be severe.”
The boy nodded, flashed me a rueful smile. “Perhaps another time on the water clock, Lady Haidee.”
“I’m happy that you’ve found at least one boy to interest you,” Mother said, “but you are to wait inside your room until I summon you again.”
“But why?” I protested. “You know I can help. Mother, it knew my name. And if that mirage is harder to kill, then you’ll need everyone capable of incanta—”
“Do not question my orders again, Haidee!” There was anger in my mother’s eyes, but also fear. “Do as I say!”
I stared back at her. “You know, don’t you?” I said slowly. “You know that it’s looking for me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You don’t want me anywhere near it. On any other occasion, you would tell me to stay by your side, to add to your spells and attack it alongside you. There’s something about the mirage that you’re not telling me.”
“Haidee, return to your room.”
“Not until you tell me!”
“No excuses, Haidee!”
“Why won’t you help me? If there’s a chance to return everything back to what it once was, then why not pursue it? We could help everyone here in the city and even beyond—”
“Because I don’t intend to!” Mother shouted. “Inanna took everything from me with the Breaking! This will change nothing!”
“There are people dying out there! We can’t just pick and choose who we should save! They deserve sanctuary, too!” The next words fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I knew I should have shut my mouth, given Mother’s previous reaction, but her refusal to tell me still hurt. “And I deserve to know about how my
father and my sis—”
The slap stunned me; for all the ferocity of our arguments, Mother had never raised her hand against me before. She was in just as much shock as I was; she stared at her hand, lowered it.
“I won’t say it again, Haidee.” Her words were slow and eerily calm, but every syllable was a warning not to be crossed. “Return. To. Your. Room. Lord Vanya, see to it that she does, then report back to me.”
“I’m sorry,” Vanya whispered, as we left the throne room, looking shaken. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Her Holiness.”
“You don’t need to explain her to me,” I interrupted bitterly.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“I suppose disobeying her would be out of the question?”
He hesitated, clearly conflicted.
I had to smile; he really was trying, wasn’t he? I leaned over and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. “My apologies. I didn’t intend to put you in a situation where you had to choose between my mother and me. Have a good day, Vanya.”
“Haidee,” the boy began, troubled.
I curtsied to him and entered my room, made a point of bolting the door so Vanya could hear the lock being turned, and wrestled my way out of my ungainly costume so I could slip into my mechanika garments. Once I was certain he had left, I grabbed the bag I had spent the better part of two days packing, and then unpacking, and then repacking, grunting slightly under the weight. I’d designed it myself and had affixed three small wheels at the bottom—two in front and one behind—for better mobility.
Mother had burned the letter for no other reason than to prevent me from reading it. If I couldn’t get answers from her, then I’d have to find information through some other source. I knew there was little to find out in the desert, and that the mirage could still be hostile, but Mother’s actions had all but cemented my decision.
There would be guards stationed at my door before long. Mother had already posted sentries just to make sure I went to her stupid party.
I had no intention of using the door, though.