The Ruined City

by Brandon, Paula

  “I’ve only just come home. Where exactly do you suggest that I venture?”

  “Is this maidenly coyness?” He scrutinized her closely. “Upon my word, I believe that you are in earnest. It is my pleasure, then, to inform you of your good fortune. Niece, you are to be married.”

  “Someday, I trust.” She smiled politely. He really was striving for humor. He meant well, but he shouldn’t be encouraged.

  “Sooner than that. The tradespeople will complete their work within the next few days. You will be properly outfitted, and then you will set forth for Orezzia.”

  “I don’t understand.” A certain internal quiver registered her realization that he was not joking.

  “Surely your memory is not that feeble? Have you forgotten that you are betrothed to the Magnifico Tribari’s oldest son?”

  She recalled it well enough, but only as a distant memory. Part of the past, another life, with no present reality. Ancient history, she wanted to say, but instead replied courteously, “I’ve been absent for months. The Magnifico Tribari and his House must have dismissed all hope of the match long ago, and who can blame them?”

  “Not so. House Tribari received the first half of your dowry long ago. The funds have not been returned, hence the betrothal continues unbroken. I have already dispatched a letter to the Magnifico Tribari informing him of your impending arrival.”

  The soup bowls were removed. The fish course was set before her: trout fillet in ethereal Cloud Sauce. She stared down at the plate. Her appetite had vanished. At last she replied, “It seems very hasty.”

  “Quite the contrary. The business should have been concluded months ago.”

  “But it wasn’t, and so much time has passed, and now …” Her voice trailed off.

  “Well, niece? Your point?”

  And now things have changed! I don’t want to go to Orezzia, and I don’t want to be forced into another marriage. It’s as if I were back at Ironheart. She could scarcely voice such thoughts, and therefore she answered, “Surely it would be best to wait for the Magnifico Tribari’s reply. By this time, his son may have wed some other maidenlady.”

  “Nonsense. The betrothal was firm and legally binding. In the absence of a formal termination, the arrangement stands. Rest assured, you have not been supplanted in the young Tribari heir’s affections.”

  But what if he’s been supplanted in mine? Aloud, she replied respectfully, “That may be, Uncle. But perhaps the Tribari view of the matter doesn’t coincide with yours. I think it would be wise to await reply from the Magnifico Tribari before I go hurrying off to Orezzia. In fact, I think it would be best to consult my father before taking action of any sort. He’d surely wish to judge for himself.”

  This time, Nalio’s face did turn red—a rich, deep shade. “Aureste may be gone for months,” he snapped. “And during his absence, I am master of Belandor House. I advise you to remember that.”

  “And I advise you to remember that you’ll be accountable to my father, when he comes home. What d’you suppose he’ll say if he discovers that you’ve packed me off to Orezzia before he’s had a chance to see me?”

  “I assume that he will laud my industry in carrying this marriage endeavor through to conclusion, at long last.”

  “No he won’t. He’ll want to know why you were in such a great hurry to send me away. I’d like to know as well. Why, Uncle?”

  “It is a matter of duty, necessity, family honor, and family connections. It is a happy coincidence that the Magnifico Tribari stands as patron to several of the finest artists and artisans in all the Veiled Isles. Once our respective Houses have been linked by marriage, the magnifico is certain to grant me the services of his protégés at nominal cost—or perhaps in his nobility, he himself will bear the entire expense. Our home will rise in renewed splendor. There now, is that clear enough for your understanding?”

  “You mean to say you’d barter your niece for a clutch of painters and plasterers?”

  “For Belandor House. I think only of Belandor House.”

  “And nothing of its human inhabitants?”

  “It is hardly your place to question me. At present I stand in your father’s stead, and I speak with the authority of the Magnifico Belandor.”

  Nalio’s chin rose, and his narrow chest swelled grandly. He reminded Jianna of some small tree frog puffing itself up with air in order to intimidate would-be attackers, and the comparison triggered a sputter of laughter that she camouflaged poorly with a cough.

  Nalio’s red face darkened to purple and his mouth worked nervously for a moment before he added, with dignity, “I trust I may rely upon your willing compliance.”

  “No, Uncle Nalio. I’m afraid you may not.” Swallowing her amusement, she spoke calmly and firmly. “I don’t wish to vex you, but I feel that I must confer with my father before leaving Vitrisi. I’m certain that is what the magnifico would prefer.”

  “It is not—not—not your place to speak for the magnifico. That is my privilege.”

  “Then don’t abuse it.” The words slipped out, and she regretted them at once.

  “You—you—you are an impertinent, undutiful flibbertigibbet!” His eyes flashed moist fire. “Your father indulged you shamefully. I have always said so, and I have always been right!”

  “Please, Uncle. I don’t wish to quarrel. I’ll live here quietly until my father returns, and then the matter will be decided once and for all.”

  “The matter has been decided! By me, the acting head of the household! There is nothing more to be said.”

  “In that last, I defer to your will.” She swallowed a mouthful of fish. “This trout is excellent. Do taste it.”

  Slamming his fork down with unnecessary force, Nalio surged from his chair to stand glaring down at his morally deficient niece.

  “I will not endure such—such—such extreme impudence and insolence!” he informed her. “Perhaps your father would, but not I! Now that I am master, you will—will—will demonstrate proper respect and obedience. Do you understand me?”

  “Quite.”

  “You will accept my decisions without argument. You will prepare to embark for Orezzia within a week’s time.”

  “No, Uncle. I will not.”

  “This—this—this is unacceptable! Inexcusable! You featherbrained sauce-box! You coddled cosset! You mischievous, malapert minx! You will obey me, or suffer the consequences!”

  “Really? What consequences?”

  “Go to your room! Go to your room this instant!”

  “I prefer to finish my dinner, first.” Jianna applied herself to the trout, but managed to slant a glance up through her lashes, and saw her uncle’s fist clench. She stiffened, but kept on eating. He would not dare to lay a hand upon Aureste’s daughter. She had spent enough time in the company of people ready and willing to hurt her to know that she confronted no such danger now.

  And sure enough, Nalio’s fist came nowhere near her, but instead sought the table bell. A furious summons tinkled sweetly, and a Sishmindri entered, no doubt expecting to remove the fish course.

  “Escort the maidenlady back to her chamber.” Nalio paused a dramatic moment before adding, “And then lock her in.”

  Jianna stared at him, astounded for a moment, but rallied quickly. Addressing herself to the Sishmindri, whose mottling was familiar but whose name she did not know, she declared, “I will finish my dinner before retiring to my chamber. I’m certain that I express my father the Magnifico Aureste’s will in telling you that your services are not required at present.”

  The Sishmindri blinked uneasily.

  “Take her to her room.” Nalio swept a gesture. “Now.”

  The Sishmindri hesitated a long, unhappy moment, before advising Jianna, “Maidenlady, come now.”

  “Presently.” She sat still.

  Scenting victory, Nalio directed, “If she resists, do what you must.”

  “Maidenlady. Please. Maidenlady.”

  She ignored the pl
ea, and then the unthinkable occurred. A web-fingered hand closed on her elbow and tugged gently. The pressure was apologetic, more appeal than command, and yet he had actually dared to touch her. Jianna lifted outraged eyes to the Sishmindri’s face, wherein she discovered nothing intelligible. For a moment she considered arguing, shouting, even struggling, but controlled all such impulses. Her angry expression, which should have daunted the creature, exerted no such effect. Evidently Nalio’s displeasure was more to be feared than her own. Moreover, an adult male Sishmindri was strong, muscular, and quite capable of overcoming her resistance, should it actually come to that. Never in all her life had she conceived such a possibility, but she considered it now.

  It was unbelievable. Prissy old Uncle Nalio could actually compel her obedience. And he’d do it, too. He was turning what was left of Belandor House into another Ironheart. She threw him a disgusted glance and met a glare of nakedly triumphant virtue. Jianna stood up, and the Sishmindri’s hand withdrew itself at once.

  “You’ll have much to answer for,” she informed her uncle, “when my father gets home.” Turning from him, she made for the exit, her Sishmindri guard hurrying in her wake.

  Behind her, Nalio’s voice arose.

  “Aureste will honor me, when he gets home. If he gets home. In the meantime, I am master here, and don’t you forget it, you petted little cacodemon!”

  For the next three days, the Belandor and Corvestri parties traveled the Nor’wilders Way decorously distanced from one another. Around sunset of the third day, when the tents had been pitched and preparations for the evening meal were under way, Aureste’s game of chess with his brother was interrupted by the approach of a guard, who saluted and placed a folded message in Innesq’s hand.

  Innesq unfolded the missive, scanned the contents, and announced with apparent pleasure, “It is from Vinz.”

  “Really.” Aureste’s brows arched coldly. Vinz. “What does he want?”

  “My presence. He invites me to dine with him.”

  “But how hospitable. Again, what does he want?”

  “Not to poison me, I trust. Even you cannot convince yourself that we’ve anything to fear from him so long as we share a common goal.”

  “You underestimate the treachery of the weak. Trust me in this, I’ve seen it too many times. Despite his arcane talent and accomplishments that weigh so heavily with you, Vinz Corvestri is weak and stupid—”

  “Not stupid.”

  “Not backward, but scarcely a first-rate intellect. Please, don’t bother to argue. He’s fearful and irresolute, and therefore not to be trusted by anyone, least of all by any member of House Belandor. You mustn’t rely on his goodwill or place yourself in his power. The importance of your mission obliges you to protect yourself.”

  “You doubt the competence of his chef?”

  “Very amusing. If anything, I doubt your competence to exercise caution. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could be there to look out for you. Ah, but I wish I could be present to witness Corvestri’s alarm when he first discovers that I am leading the Belandor expedition.”

  “He’s known that since yesterday morning.”

  “Has he? Then I take it he’s less concerned with arcane economy than you appear to be. Perhaps he will make himself useful and smooth the road.”

  “I doubt it. Vinz made no use of his personal resources to discover your presence. I mentioned it in my note.”

  “You sent Corvestri a note yesterday morning? Why?”

  “It seemed the amiable thing to do.”

  “Excessively so. I don’t like it.”

  “I suspected that you might not. And I fear that my acceptance of the invitation will only increase your displeasure.”

  “My displeasure together with my incomprehension. Why must you do this, Innesq? There’s no sense to it. I believe it’s sheer perversity.”

  “Scarcely that. I’ve no pleasure in plaguing you, but you must understand that my exchanges with Vinz serve a purpose. It will soon be necessary for him and me to work together in a particularly close and personal way—”

  “ ‘As one,’ you keep insisting.”

  “Yes. This will be easier to accomplish if all my colleagues come to share a certain degree of mutual confidence and comprehension. I am not certain that it will be possible, but we must try, and clearly the process must begin with Vinz Corvestri and me.”

  “It’s clear that I can’t dissuade you. Do me one kindness, then. When you go among Corvestri’s people, don’t go defenseless. Take along three or four armed guards, for the sake of my peace of mind, if nothing else.”

  “I shall need assistance navigating my chair along the roadway as far as Vinz’s camp and back again. One of the guards may accompany me.”

  “Not enough.”

  “Even for your peace of mind, I can’t accept more.”

  Shortly thereafter Innesq departed, inadequately attended by a single armed guard. Aureste watched, frowning, as his brother’s chair made its way toward the cluster of lights that marked the site of the Corvestri camp. Presently the chair, its occupant and attendant vanished into the deepening gloom.

  Aureste turned away and applied himself to mundane matters, but nothing held his attention. Visions of treachery filled his mind. Innesq, in all trusting innocence, lured into the enemy camp, captured and held hostage, or perhaps simply butchered out of hand. His betrayers would die to a man, but vengeance would scarcely soften the loss. First Jianna, and then Innesq. It did not bear thinking of, and he could think of nothing else.

  Night fell, dinner was consumed, fires banked, sentinels posted, and those servants not immediately assigned to guard duty betook themselves to slumber. Aureste did not bother striving for sleep that was certain to elude him. For hours he waited beside one of the few fires still burning, and at length his patience was rewarded. The smooth whisper of a well-oiled mechanism alerted him, and a moment later his brother’s chair rolled into the circle of firelight.

  “Well?” Aureste demanded, noting with annoyance the other’s look of pleasant tranquillity. “Well?”

  “It was a most agreeable evening. The food was quite good, and the conversation equally so. I truly believe that Vinz and I are coming to understand one another. As you know, I regard such mutual accord as—”

  “Yes, that’s all very well,” Aureste cut him off. “But there are more important matters. To begin with, can you give me some accounting of Corvestri’s force?”

  “It is all but impossible to quantify arcane force, but if I were to assess his general ability, I should probably say—”

  “I mean, how many armed men does he command?”

  “I could scarcely begin to guess.” Innesq’s eyes widened in mild surprise.

  “Come, your powers of observation are remarkable. You must have noted guards and weaponry.”

  “Truly, I never heeded such things. My attention was elsewhere. If you desire specifics, I suggest that you simply ask Vinz. We should return his hospitality and invite him to dine with us.”

  “I would rather lie naked atop a nest of fire ants. Where was your mind, then? You mentioned conversation. They angled for information, I suppose.”

  “Certainly the boy did. It is only natural, at that age.”

  “Boy?”

  “Vinz has brought his son with him.”

  “Stupidity. We’ve no leisure here to coddle children.”

  “Ah, young Vinzille Corvestri cannot be considered a child. He is quite extraordinary—I have never met a lad of such marked talent and promise. Even his appearance is exceptional. His Steffa heritage is quite evident, and his resemblance to his mother is striking.”

  “Is it? I should like to see that.”

  “Easily arranged. You need only return hospitality. Invite the entire family.”

  “Corvestri and son, you mean.”

  “And wife. Do not forget the magnifica.”

  “Wife?” He could not have heard correctly. “You’re not telling
me that the Corvestri imbecile has dragged his wife along with him into the wilderness?”

  “Well, I do not know that ‘dragged’ is the appropriate term. The Magnifica Sonnetia strikes me as a lady of some character, and very much attached to her son. It is my belief that she wished to accompany the lad.”

  “Quite likely, but what of it? Corvestri needn’t have consented. He permits his wife to expose herself to hardship, inconvenience, even danger, upon the basis of some maternal whim. What sort of husband is that? He doesn’t protect her, he doesn’t deserve her. Why did he allow her to come?”

  “I must confess, I wondered about that. I observed the two of them closely, and almost it seemed that Vinz deferred to the magnifica as if through some sense of debt or obligation. It was an impression, perhaps only my fancy.”

  No it wasn’t. So that was it. Sonnetia had demanded repayment of sorts for the sacrifice of the Steffa jewels and for her part in obtaining Corvestri’s release from prison. No wonder her clod of a husband had found himself unable to refuse her—he was no match for her. A sense of admiration suffused Aureste’s thoughts. She shouldn’t be here, but at least she had won something that she wanted. What a woman. Aloud, he inquired inconsequentially, “And how did she look?”

  “I am not the best judge, but I should say, very handsome.”

  “And did she seem quite—well?” His queries were increasingly inane, but he could not voice the questions that genuinely interested him. Is she contented? Or is she restless and sick of her idiot husband? Did she ask about me?

  “So far as I could judge.” Innesq was regarding him with that calm, straight look that always seemed to penetrate straight to his center. “You might see for yourself, quite easily. But no, I was forgetting, you are firmly opposed, even expressing a preference involving nudity and fire ants.”

  “Nor will I alter my decision. Socialize with our enemy if you must. I cannot stop you. But our respective parties will remain separate.”

  Two days later the Nor’wilders Way brought them to a narrow defile, where the road was blocked by a fall of rocks. Belandor and Corvestri servants worked together to clear the path, and thereafter the two groups traveled in tandem. It had been made clear that liberation from her chamber demanded unconditional surrender, and therefore Jianna capitulated, tendering Uncle Nalio her formal acceptance of all his decisions made on her behalf, together with her gratitude for his care and generosity. Thereafter her door was unlocked and she was free to wander about the remains of Belandor House as she pleased. She was also free to resume taking meals with her uncle, and in fact expected to do so, but this was not so difficult as she had feared, for Nalio was awash with magnanimity and disposed to forgive. There were no reproaches, no recriminations. He was still willing to discuss Belandor House repairs and renovations. He was likewise willing to discuss and display the newly arrived communication from the Magnifico Tribari, who expressed dignified delight at the prospect of greeting his son’s bride in the near future.