To Francesca’s surprise, Nicodemus replied: “To be effective, a commander must be sure of his officers. To better serve the Sacred Regent, the captain of our guards might have a seat on the Outer Council. Perhaps you would agree?”
Pleased that he was playing into her maneuvering, Francesca repressed a smile.
Dhamma put her head to one side and froze in brief consultation with the Trimuril. At last she nodded. “The terms are agreeable.”
Nicodemus raised an eyebrow at Francesca to ask if she was satisfied. She showed him her most winning smile and nodded.
Nicodemus grunted. “Very well. One of us will report immediately to our family compound to assume command.” He bowed.
The goddess returned the gesture. “That concludes my concerns. Please don’t hesitate to consult me should you require assistance.”
“Thank you, Goddess. Might we use this room before we set off?”
“Of course, take as long as you need.”
They bowed again and the goddess rose and left the room.
“Subrosa?” Nicodemus asked.
Francesca pulled from her belt purse a sheet of paper and cast from it a subrosa spell. In moments, they were surrounded by the sound-deadening paragraphs.
Nicodemus sighed. “All right, Fran, out with it.”
“Out with what?”
He crossed his arms.
“What?”
“You know something.”
“One or two things.”
“Fran.”
“You’re the one who spoke to Leandra. You haven’t even told me what you learned.”
“Nothing helpful. She believes that the River Thief was wearing her face as a ploy to win devotees who were mistakenly worshiping her.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I can’t come up with another explanation. Can you?”
She reached out and took his hand. It wasn’t really fair. Nicodemus could touch so few people that he was unduly swayed by physical touch. “Nico, I just want what’s best for our family.”
He looked down at her hand. “The two of you are so similar it’s frightening.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lea also took my hand when she wanted to blow smoke in my eyes. I let her do it so she wouldn’t shut me out.”
“Nico, you shouldn’t let her get away with that.”
“Why? So that she could be alienated from both of her parents?”
“She doesn’t respect you when you let her get away with things like that.”
“I’m not trying to win her respect, Fran. I’m trying to get her to accept my bloody help before something disastrous happens.”
“And how’s that working out for you?”
Nicodemus let go of her hand and pressed his hands to his face. “At least the door is still open.” He dropped his hand and reached for hers, but she withdrew it. He looked up into her eyes. “Fran, please, what do you know?”
“I know enough to keep the city watch from interfering with Lea’s investigation.”
“Will you share?”
“We have to keep the watch away from the Lesser Sacred Pool at dusk, but we should keep them close enough in case help is needed.”
“And why must we do this?”
She studied his face but said nothing.
“Fran, why are you withholding this information from me?”
She paused. “I believe that we shouldn’t interfere or we might prevent her from gaining some precious information. And … the last time I interfered … well, we both know how that ended up.”
“You don’t trust me not to interfere?”
“I don’t trust myself.”
That admission shut him up for a moment. “The only reason I played along with your idea of running the nightwatch from our compound is that I told Lea I would try to spend the night there. I’m hoping that she’ll come to me with her trouble.”
“Were you going to have her followed so you could know if she gets into trouble?”
“I am considering it, but I haven’t yet.”
She smiled. “Perhaps we should have someone near her in case her plans go awry.”
“You’re already up to something?”
She changed the subject. “But what are you going to do in the compound other than wait around for Lea to come to you?”
“Well, now there’s the nightwatch to command, but I was thinking that I should start writing another metaspell—”
“Nico, that’s an excellent idea; I was just thinking earlier about how you should in case Vivian tries something.”
He nodded slowly. “I’m glad you agree. But you’re avoiding my question.”
“We should trust our daughter, right?”
“We have trained her well. She’s been an excellent Warden so far. Well perhaps not excellent, letting the River Thief escape her for so long. But very good.”
Oh Nico, Francesca thought, how wrong you are there. But should I tell you before I know more?
Nicodemus continued. “Do you know of a reason why we shouldn’t trust her?”
Francesca did, but she said, “Give me until tomorrow to tell you everything. I will say that I’ve discovered Lea has had dealings with a smuggler from the empire. I am not sure of their relationship, but I wanted to give her the chance to meet with him at the Lesser Sacred Pool to see what she might learn. If we interfere, even if we simply make Lea tell us everything, that might spook her and scare off the smuggler. We can’t risk that.”
Nicodemus thought about that before nodding. “All right. What are you planning?”
“I won’t follow her, but I’ll hide near the Lesser Sacred Pool in case something goes wrong.”
“Fran, how do you know that’s she’s meeting a smuggler?”
“Give me until tomorrow morning? Let’s just trust her for tonight.”
He again pressed his hands to his face. “Well … I suppose we can give her tonight at least.” He started to say something more but then stopped.
She squeezed his hand. “Give me until morning.”
“Then I had better leave for Chandralu.”
She kissed his hand. “Thank you, Nico. I’ll place my followers in the compound as well. Oh, I have picked up a young demigod. His name is Lolo and the twins will be looking after him. Nothing for you to worry about.”
He frowned at her.
“I’ll explain in the morning. Meantime, you have the metaspell to worry about. By the way, what was wrong with you down in the front hall?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I asked Ellen and Rory to work together, you looked like someone poured ice down your pants. Does Rory have some other girl?”
“Not exactly.” He was fidgeting with his sleeve.
“You’re hiding a secret for your man, aren’t you?”
“If I were I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Oh come on, Nico,” she said playfully, “there shouldn’t be any secrets between us.”
“Then you’re going to tell me what you learned about Lea?”
“Well, you have me there,” she said quickly before reverting to her playful tone. “Don’t look so serious, Nico, this is only gossip.”
“Committing gossip would be serious indeed.”
Francesca rolled her eyes. “You’re so stuffy all of a sudden. I wonder what it could be about Rory…”
“Fran, don’t we have enough things to worry about? The empire, our daughter’s disease, the volcanic deity on the bay who might be Los himself?”
This sobered Francesca enough to erase her smile. “Do you think it’s possible whatever is out in the bay is an ancient demon?”
“Whatever destroyed Feather Island was more powerful than any neodemon I have ever seen.”
“But if it truly were an ancient demon, why would it hide? Why attack a tiny fishing village?”
“Could be the first demon to cross? Perhaps the harbinger of the Pandemonium?”
Recognizing the co
ncern in her husband’s voice, Francesca made her expression as serious as possible. “Husband, in such a difficult time, I have to ask you a grave question.”
He looked at her, his green eyes concerned.
“Will you promise to consider what I ask carefully before you respond?”
“Yes, of course.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise. Fran, what is it?”
She looked him in the eye, waited a moment, and then asked in her most serious tone, “Rory prefers men?”
Nicodemus looked away.
She laughed. “Oh, it’s so cute how you’re trying to hide it!”
“Fran, I … This is…”
“Oh, and your Lornish knight, who was standing behind you and looked like he wanted to laugh, but then looked at Rory, it’s the two of them then?”
“Fran, there’s no reason for you to think Sir Claude—”
“Sir Claude!” she sung out. “How perfect! That is just so cute. It’s like something in one of your knightly romances.”
“Fran, in the knightly romances, two men don’t—”
“Well they should!” she interrupted. “So, Rory and … Sir Claude … found each other in your service? Hunting neodemons?” She sighed, remembering how she had fallen in love with Nicodemus during the intrigue that surrounded the events of Avel. Now it seemed romantic, but at the time it seemed terrifying and Nicodemus thick-headed.
Well, at least that last part hadn’t changed. Much. She sighed again.
“Fran, now let’s get this straight—”
“They’re not?” she interrupted.
He paused, confused, but then he caught her wordplay and blew out an exasperated breath.
She laughed again, smiled again, once more let herself dip into old memories. “Good for them. Good for them. Oh, but poor Ellen, just when she thought she found a man who was worth the while.” She looked at Nicodemus. “But what’s got you all flustered. You don’t disapprove, do you?”
“No, no. Of course not. It’s only that … I never said … Hypothetically speaking, if a knight and a druid from very traditional Southern cultures were to…” He waved his hand vaguely in a gesture that couldn’t possibly have meant “are homosexual” even though that was what he should have been brave enough to say. “… well, they might not want everyone to know about it.”
“Well, that would be true, especially if we were in the South.” She shrugged. “But we’re in Ixos.”
He looked exhausted. “Fran, I didn’t say anything.”
She suppressed another smile. “Of course you didn’t, my love. I am sorry that I pried. You’re trying to be a good friend. Age is turning me into a gossiping old crone. I’ll stop. I don’t know a thing.” But she couldn’t stop herself from sighing. “Well then, we had better get ready. I have to get to the Lesser Sacred Pool before Lea or her officers do.” She kissed Nicodemus’s hand, but then she had a new thought. “Should we have had someone follow Lea until she gets to the Lesser Sacred Pool?”
“It’s only a few hours,” he said. “Until then I’m sure Lea can keep herself out of anything too bloody.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Blood splattered across Thaddeus’s sheets and onto Leandra’s legs. Dhrun struck another punch across Thaddeus’s jaw, another spray of blood.
“That’s enough, Dhru,” Leandra said. “Sit him up.”
Dhrun hoisted Thaddeus up and kicked his legs over the edge of the bed. Her four arms became a blur as she released the double shoulder lock and twisted both of Thaddeus’s hands behind his back in a double arm lock. This forced Thaddeus to lean forward and cry out in pain. Dhrun looked to Leandra, who shook her head. Reluctantly, the goddess relaxed her grip. He stopped yelling and his face went slack.
Leandra pulled the chair over to him. During the fight, she had forgotten her fatigue and pain. Now they flooded back.
From the hallway came sound of wetly tearing flesh. Leandra looked up and saw that the hallway had dimmed into a net of red light that undulated across the walls. “Damn it, Kai,” Leandra swore and then shuddered. She had wanted to search the bodies. Again she heard the sound of serrated teeth tearing through flesh. He couldn’t resist feeding, not now. Nightmarishly, blood trickled across the floor.
With another shudder, Leandra turned back to Thaddeus. He stopped panting long enough to spit. None of his teeth had come out. Yet. “Thad,” she said. “Start talking.”
Dhrun tightened one of her arm locks. “Okay!” he yelled. “I’ll talk. I’ll talk!” When Dhrun relaxed, he panted a few more times and then raggedly said, “They came a few hours after you did. I didn’t hear them. I … I was working on the loveless spell. Then there was a flash. Next thing I was censored and bound. There was a man with a black beard, pale skin, and blue eyes. He made me tell him everything.”
Tears streamed down his face, blood from his nose. “Then he cast the death sentence on my heart. He told me that when you came back, I had to cast a stunning spell on you and that his men would take care of anyone else you brought with you.”
“Did he tell you why?”
Thaddeus shook his head and spat again.
“He was a wizard?”
“Yes, I saw him spellwright Magnus and Numinous.”
“He was from Astrophell, from the empire?”
“Could have been. But he could have been from Starfall.”
“Accent?”
“Nothing distinct.”
“Clothes?”
“A plain blouse and longvest. He looked like a merchant of the Cloud Culture.”
Leandra chewed on her lip. An hour ago she felt through her godspell a spike of confusion and surprise. That had come to pass. But afterward she had felt a great lifting of emotion. There was something here. She just had to find it.
“What else happened?”
Thaddeus shook his head. “Nothing. He said that they’d be watching me. I was to work on your spell like my life depended on getting it done. Then he punched me in the stomach and left.”
“So maybe that’s what you needed to become an adequate spellwright.”
“A deadline with grave repercussions?”
“A punch in the stomach.”
“Lea, believe me, I wasn’t going to cast the stunning spell on you.”
“Don’t, Thad.”
“But Lea, I would never—”
“I saw you reach over your research spell for another one. I know you sold me out.”
“No, no—”
“They gave you the choice of selling me out or dying. I would have done the same to you. I’m not angry.”
“You’re not?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea how they found you, whoever they are. I should have anticipated that, or at least warned you.”
She caught her old lover’s gaze. His left eye was already swelling. It made him look frail, mortal. But the important thing was the eye contact.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, looking down.
“Thad, look at me.”
At first he glanced up at her. Then he held her gaze. “I’m sorry.” Then his face collapsed like a child’s. “Don’t kill me.”
If he had been stronger, he would have died rather than sell her out. Not that she would have had the strength to do that. Not for him. But she hadn’t been given that choice and he had. So went injustice.
“Thad, were you telling the truth about the loveless spell?”
He nodded vigorously. “Maybe it was the death threat, maybe it was the punch in the gut, but I’ve never produced finer Numinous prose. It will work, or if it doesn’t I’m sure it won’t hurt you.”
Leandra considered this and then looked up to Dhrun. The goddess only shrugged. Leandra wondered what Holokai would think, but when she looked to the hallway she saw only blood pooled on the floor.
Quickly she looked back at Thaddeus. Through her godspell she felt that in an hour, most of her future selves were filled with an expansive
, uplifting emotion. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more of her future selves felt that victorious emotion and freedom from pain. The more she thought about it, the more this possible future became the only possible future. “Could you still cast that spell on me?”
“I … I could … but I don’t know why you would trust me.”
She tapped her temple. “Through my prophetic spell, I can feel that you will not betray me again and that your spell will succeed.”
He looked at her, his face tense.
She nodded. “You’re going to cast the loveless spell on me now. If anything goes wrong, Dhrun breaks your neck.”
“B-but…”
“Is something the matter?”
“No, no … I can cast the loveless spell, if that’s what you want.”
Leandra gestured to Dhrun, who released Thad. With a lurch and a groan her old lover hugged himself. Leandra gave him a moment before she reached out for him. At first he flinched but then let her take his hands. “From what I have sensed through the godspell, your loveless spell may offer me my only escape from a horrible prophecy. So I’m going to tell you once more, very sincerely, don’t let me down.”
His hands were trembling, but his gaze was firm. “I won’t.”
“Then let’s get to it. Dhrun, watch him. I believe that he is sincere, but if anything happens to me, don’t feel any responsibility to make his death quick or painless.”
Dhrun grunted.
Tentatively, Thaddeus stood and walked toward his desk. Leandra sat on his bed and pressed a hand to her aching belly. Her knees groaned with pain. But she could still feel the brave new future. Something in her nature cried out for what the loveless spell would bring. For the first time, she felt the touch of what she would call destiny.
Thaddeus was again moving his hands above his desk, but this time with greater care and more intricate motions.
Again Leandra felt as if she were approaching something fated. But then Thaddeus turned toward her with an invisible spell pinched between his fingers, and she wondered if she had lost her mind. Had the stress hormones deranged her thoughts? She hadn’t felt this strange future emotion until she had started the steroids. And this sensation of destiny …
“Wait, Thad, am I sounding sane?”
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