by Sue Tingey
I dragged my legs back up onto the bed and slumped against the pillows. ‘I don’t know what he’s likely to find that would be helpful.’
‘Anything, something, nothing,’ Shenanigans said. ‘I think he just wanted to keep busy and he knew there was nothing else he could do for you here.’
The door swung open and Jamie returned, his expression perplexed.
‘Well?’ Kerfuffle asked.
Jamie pushed the door closed behind him and ran a hand through his hair in agitation. ‘Just when I think Baltheza can’t possibly surprise me any more, he manages to do just that.’
‘He’s not acting crazy again?’ Kerfuffle asked.
‘No,’ Jamie said. ‘Here’s the thing; he’s genuinely upset that Lucky’s in so much pain. He’s also concerned by Jinx’s disappearance and its significance. For once he’s acting like a responsible monarch and worrying about what effect this could have on his people.’
My guards stood in silence for a few moments.
‘I must admit he’s treating you in a way that he never treated me,’ Kayla said. ‘Quite often he would say words of concern about my wellbeing, but they were just that – words. There was never any sincerity.’ She tapped her lips with her forefinger. ‘It makes me wonder how long Amaliel had been drugging him.’
I repeated this to Jamie. He thought on it for a moment. ‘Amaliel had been poisoning his mind for years – maybe, towards the end, he wanted to hurry up the process. Maybe he had an endgame in mind.’
‘Amaliel did say he’d suspected I was the Soulseer from the moment I was born. Maybe that was when he started to plan?’
‘No,’ Kayla said, her expression grim, ‘it must have been going on long before then.’
‘Baltheza is going to have Henri questioned,’ Jamie said.
‘Even though he’s a horrible little shit I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,’ Kerfuffle said with a shudder. There was muttered agreement from the rest of my guard.
‘Maybe we should speak to Henri first,’ Vaybian suggested. ‘Once Baltheza’s been at him he’ll be good for nothing.’
‘He hasn’t got Amaliel to do his dirty work now,’ Shenanigans pointed out.
‘That’s what I mean,’ Vaybian said, his lips twisting in distaste. ‘If Baltheza’s in charge of Henri’s questioning he’ll go too far, probably leave him as nothing more than a gibbering wreck, then we’ll get nothing of value out of him.’
‘That’s if he doesn’t kill him outright,’ Kerfuffle added.
‘They have a point,’ Kayla said with a sigh. ‘Daddy has never had much finesse when it comes to the extraction of information.’
‘I doubt Henri will tell us anything,’ Jamie said. ‘He hates Lucky with a passion.’
‘Well,’ I said, pushing back the covers and swinging my legs out of the bed again, this time a little more gently, ‘unless we try, we’ll never know.’
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Jamie said.
‘To see Henri.’
‘No way—’
‘Yes way: if anyone knows what Amaliel’s plans are, it’ll be Henri.’
‘And Henri has no reason to be loyal to Amaliel,’ Shenanigans added. ‘He hung Henri out to dry.’
‘Exactly,’ I said. ‘He may have revenge on his mind.’
‘Lucky, if he’s feeling vengeful towards anyone it’s going to be you,’ Jamie pointed out.
‘That’s true,’ Kerfuffle said, and Shenanigans gave a grunt of agreement.
‘You stabbed him, mistress, and Pyrites burned him, scarring him terribly,’ Shenanigans reminded me.
‘And Henri le Dent was always vain about his looks,’ Kerfuffle added.
‘They have a point,’ Kayla said.
‘Then there’s the small matter of cutting off his hand,’ Vaybian said with a snort of laughter, and Kayla giggled.
‘I stabbed him to save my life,’ I said, though why I thought I should justify my actions I didn’t know, ‘and I cut off his hand to save Pyrites from getting his throat cut.’ Hearing his name, my drakon rubbed his head against my legs. ‘Anyway, there’s no harm in trying.’
‘Let me do it,’ Jamie said. ‘You don’t want to go down into that terrible place again.’
‘Jamie, you can’t protect me from everything,’ I said in exasperation. ‘I need to be doing something – anything – to stop myself going mad with worry.’
Jamie dipped his head in acquiescence, but I could tell he wasn’t happy about it.
They followed me out of the room and to the dark stone staircase that led to the Chambers of Rectification. As we descended, I began to wish I’d taken Jamie’s offer and let him deal with Henri. Each downward step brought a little more fear to my heart and by the time we reached the cell-lined corridor which led to the torture chamber, I had to grit my teeth to stop them chattering.
‘You don’t have to do this, you know,’ Jamie said.
‘We can attend to this matter for you, mistress,’ Shenanigans added.
‘Probably best if you let us attend to this for you,’ Kerfuffle mumbled and by his grim frown and stony eyes I knew why none of them wanted me there; they didn’t think I’d have the stomach for what might have to be done to get the information we needed out of Daltas’ former assassin.
At one time they would’ve been right. Now I wasn’t so certain. Someone – and I was pretty sure it was Amaliel – was torturing Jinx, one of the two men I loved, and I knew I was prepared to do whatever it took to save him and get him home safe to me.
We stopped at a cell halfway along the corridor. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Jamie asked.
I took a deep breath. ‘Let’s get on with it.’
Jamie drew back the bolts unlocking the door. ‘I’ll go in first, you follow with Pyrites, and you three,’ he said to Shenanigans, Kerfuffle and Vaybian, ‘come in behind us and watch our backs.’
Pyrites grew a bit until he was the size of a mastiff. If Henri was scared of any of us it was my drakon – he had good reason to be; Pyrites did not like him one little bit and would happily finish off roasting him given half the chance.
‘Right,’ Jamie said, ‘let’s do this.’
He pushed open the door and walked inside. I was right behind him, Pyrites and Kayla by my side, and the others crowded in after us and closed the door.
Henri was sitting on the floor in the far corner, his knees bunched up to his chest. He looked up with fearful eyes, but upon seeing us his misshapen lips twisted into a sneer and he straightened his legs out in front of him, displaying a stained shirt and grubby breeches.
‘And to what do I owe this pleasure?’ he asked.
‘We’ve come to talk about Amaliel,’ Jamie said.
‘And why would I want to talk to you about him?’
‘He deserted you. He left you here to suffer. You help us find him and we may be able to get you out of your present predicament.’
‘Not to mention prevent you from receiving a visit from Lord Baltheza, who also wants to know Amaliel’s whereabouts and won’t be quite as restrained in his methods of extracting the information,’ Vaybian said.
Henri’s eyes flicked from Jamie’s face to mine and back again and he licked his lips, clearly rattled. ‘I don’t know where Amaliel is. As you pointed out – he left me.’
‘What were his plans? He must have spoken to you of his intentions,’ Jamie said.
‘What would I know? He didn’t tell me he planned to leave me, that was for sure.’
‘He must have said something about what he was planning.’
‘I know it was all about the Sicarii.’
‘What about the Sicarii?’
‘He was going to make them into an unbeatable force, depose Baltheza and take over the Underlands.’
‘With you by his side?’
Henri gave a snort. ‘That was what he said, but as you can see, he lied.’
‘Then help us find him,’ I said.
Henri glared up at
me, and I knew Jamie was right: Henri’s animosity towards me was tangible. His eyes glittered with hatred and when he spoke his voice dripped with venom.
‘Why don’t you ask your human friend, Philip? After all, it was he whom Amaliel saved – but I suppose if you’ve lost Amaliel, you’ve probably lost the human as well,’ Henri said with a smirk.
‘You are such a little shit,’ Kayla said, glaring down at him.
‘We know exactly where Philip Conrad is,’ Jamie told him.
‘Then go and ask him what Amaliel intends.’
I glanced at Jamie; his expression was far from angelic. ‘Hard to ask a dead man to tell tales.’
If Henri was surprised by this news he didn’t show it. ‘I thought she was the Soulseer.’
Jamie and I looked at each other, and Jamie began to smile. ‘Thank you, Henri,’ he said, ‘you’ve been very helpful.’
‘I have?’ Henri said with a confused frown.
‘You’re right: if you can’t – or won’t – help us, I’m sure Philip will. Amaliel slaughtered him, so I guess his longing for revenge will be greater than yours. Although I would have thought an impending visit from an angry Lord Baltheza would be enough to loosen your tongue.’
Henri licked his lips again and I’m sure I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. ‘I have nothing to say – I’ve told you all I know. Amaliel didn’t share any confidences with me. I swear it, I swear it …’
‘It’s not me you’ve got to convince,’ Jamie said with a dark smile, and as if on cue, the sound of footsteps echoed along the stone corridor outside. ‘Goodbye, Henri. I doubt we’ll meet again – at least, not in this life. As for the hereafter, I somehow think our paths will be different ones.’
He swung around towards the door and gestured for me to leave first.
‘Wait, wait,’ Henri cried, all his haughty indifference gone. ‘Give me time to think.’
Jamie glanced back over his shoulder. ‘Time’s just run out.’
‘The Soulseer!’ Henri almost screamed. ‘The Soulseer, Deathbringer and the Guardian – Amaliel called you “the Trinity”. He said if you were his, nothing could stop him; he would rule supreme. And if he couldn’t tame you, he’d kill you – with the three of you gone, there’d be no one to stop him from becoming Lord of the Underlands.’
‘Not enough and too late,’ Jamie said.
We walked out of the door and Shenanigans slammed it shut behind us.
We met Baltheza and four of his guards in the corridor. His nostrils flared, but he said nothing until we stopped before him.
‘Learn anything useful?’ he asked.
‘Nothing we hadn’t surmised already,’ Jamie said. ‘Amaliel seems to think he can use Lucky, Jinx and me to fulfil his ambitions.’
‘How?’
‘I can see how he could use the Deathbringer, but I’d have thought Lucky would be a danger to any plans he might have. He curses the dead to remain bound to this world, while Lucky sees them on their way.’
Baltheza shrugged off his burgundy velvet jacket, folded it and handed it to one of the guards, then rolled up the lace cuffs of his very white shirt. I watched in morbid fascination. His glowing orange eyes met mine.
‘Don’t feel any pity for Henri,’ he told me. ‘If it were you waiting in that chamber he wouldn’t feel an ounce of it for you.’
I managed a small nod; I couldn’t find the words to speak. He gave me an affectionate smile before looking back at Jamie. ‘I’ll let you know if I learn anything of interest.’
‘We’re travelling to Dark Mountain,’ Jamie told him.
‘Explain.’
‘It’s where the human, Philip Conrad, met his end. Amaliel cursed him, and although he’s now released from the curse, he’s bound to the mountain’s caverns forever – unless Lucky helps him pass. As he was in Amaliel’s company for some time he might know something of his plans.’
‘Will he tell you if he does?’
‘He has no reason to love Amaliel.’ Jamie gave him a grim smile. ‘And we will give him an incentive to tell us what he knows.’
Baltheza frowned. ‘Incentive?’
‘To remain alone, bound to Dark Mountain for ever, or to pass onto the place where he deserves to be.’
‘Ah. In his position it is perhaps his good fortune that he has been so bound.’
‘Funnily enough, I doubt he sees it that way – but it’s worth a try.’
We stood aside to let Baltheza and his men pass. ‘Let me know how you get on,’ Baltheza ordered as he reached the cell door.
‘Lord Baltheza,’ Jamie murmured, bowing, with my other guards following suit.
One of his guards stepped forward and opened the cell door and Baltheza entered, followed by his men. The door slammed shut behind them and we started to walk away. As I climbed the first step of the staircase out of the dungeons, Henri began to scream.
I hesitated, but Jamie placed a hand under my elbow and urged me on. I didn’t resist him.
*
Back at our chambers we made ready for our trip. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to. Dark Mountain had once been the home of the Sicarii, a sect of assassins who cursed their victims, forcing them to remain tied to this world so the assassins could feed on their torment. The mountain itself was actually a huge shard of ruby that had erupted out of the ground. It towered over the landscape – it should have been beautiful, but stacked high around its base were the mouldering bones of the thousands of daemons the Sicarii had sacrificed over the years. It was as close to Hell as I ever wanted to be.
‘Do you think it’s even worth trying to speak to the human?’ Kerfuffle asked. ‘From what you’ve told us he’s probably just as unlikely to want to help.’
‘We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms,’ Jamie admitted, ‘but we have to start somewhere.’
‘I just wish it wasn’t there,’ I said, probably reflecting what everyone else was feeling. ‘Has Kubeck come up with anything yet?’
‘Not yet,’ Shenanigans said, ‘but there’s still a mass of scrolls, books and other documents for him to wade through.’
‘We told him to stay here and keep on searching while we go to Dark Mountain,’ Kerfuffle said.
‘I hope that meets with your approval, mistress,’ Shenanigans added.
‘It can’t hurt,’ I replied, but it was all taking too long. I wanted to find Jinx now. I wanted him safe and back with me.
‘Lucky, we will find him,’ Jamie said, as usual knowing what I was thinking. He took my hand and held it within his, but even that didn’t give me the sense of wellbeing that it usually did. It was as though a big part of me was missing.
Three
When we reached the courtyard outside the palace we found Bob surrounded by fearful guards. We hadn’t called him; he knew he was needed, but he was still unhappy, stomping his huge hooves and snorting puffs of steam at any who ventured too close.
The guards were visibly relieved to see us – whether they were scared of Bob because of his association with the Deathbringer or because he was frightening in his own right I wasn’t sure, but scared they were.
‘Vaybian, you and Kerfuffle ride Bob. Lucky and Shenanigans can ride on Pyrites,’ Jamie said.
‘May I make a suggestion?’ Vaybian interrupted as we all went to our steeds.
Jamie stopped and folded his arms, a what now? expression hardening his face; no doubt he expected more of Vaybian’s moaning. ‘Go on.’
‘Would it not be more sensible for the lady to fly with you? If she has another of her fits whilst on the back of the drakon she might well fall.’
Jamie and I exchanged a glance.
‘I would not let my mistress fall,’ Shenanigans said with a scowl.
If Vaybian was worried by the huge daemon’s disgruntled expression he didn’t show it. ‘I doubt you would intentionally, but what if you did? Are you willing to take the risk? In fact, why are we bothering to do this at all? The human won’t help us
– if anything, he will relish our predicament.’
‘We have to—’ I started to say, but before I could finish, Vaybian was proved right on at least one thing as a lightning bolt of pain hit me right between the eyes and I doubled over, clutching my head. Then it happened again and I couldn’t hold back the scream.
Someone held on to me, supporting me – I assumed it was Jamie – but then another spike of agony pierced my brain and I bucked in his arms, almost falling. As the pain subsided I could feel something warm trickling down my upper lip and I could taste blood in my mouth. I didn’t have time to figure out what this meant, for I was hit by another bolt of pain and my world turned crimson.
Jamie must have carried me back to our room, but I wasn’t aware of it; I was too consumed by pain and Jinx’s screams bouncing around inside my skull.
‘Give her some of the draught,’ a voice said, and then a phial was pressed to my lips and a dribble of warming liquid trickled down my throat. There were a few more moments of excruciating pain and then everything went black.
I awoke to flickering candlelight. I was lying on the bed covered by a blanket with Pyrites stretched out beside me. The others were sprawled out across the room. By the smell of it, they had just eaten, but even the thought of food made my throat close up.
Kayla was sitting on the end of the bed, knees pulled up under her chin and as soon as she realised I was awake she moved along the mattress to sit beside me.
‘How are you feeling?’
I waggled a hand from side to side. ‘So, so.’
Vaybian looked up upon hearing my voice and without any preamble, spoke to the room, his eyes fixed on me. ‘The fits are getting worse. We shouldn’t risk taking my lady’s sister to Dark Mountain.’
‘As she’s the only one of us who can see the dead there’d be little point going without her,’ Kerfuffle said.
I considered this for a moment – I could see Vaybian’s point, but Kerfuffle was right, I had to go – and more than that, I needed to go. I had to find Jinx.
As I stretched and pushed myself up into a sitting position, Jamie came instantly to my side. Kayla got out of his way to go and sit next to Vaybian. ‘You must see that I have to go – our only possible lead is in that mountain. There’s no alternative; without Jinx I’m the only one who can see and hear Philip.’