Forgotten

by Lyn Lowe

  “There now,” Callo grumbled. “See what Losen has done? Chased away the Ninth Rit with all his prying and poking. Come now, boy, this man will help you clean the dinner it seems he will not get to enjoy.”

  Kaie gave the former mason a searching stare. Callo always acted like he was oblivious to the difference in their social standing, and rarely displayed any concern over proper behavior. Still, it was unlike him to make such an offer, especially in front of a man like Losen, who would be tripping all over himself to report to anyone that would listen how Callo thought himself equal to a foreign slave. No matter how friendly they were to Gregor and the soldiers, there was no way the people would be pleased if they believed it. Kaie knew Callo wasn’t a fan of political machinations, but the man wasn’t blind to them either. The offer couldn’t possibly be as innocuous as it seemed.

  “Yes sir,” Kaie murmured when the man’s friendly smile revealed none of the ulterior motives that must hide behind it. “Thank you sir.”

  Losen was eyeing them both, undoubtedly trying to sort out answers to the same question Kaie was. “The boy will leave the noodles for now,” the fat man instructed, waving to the bowl in front of him. “This man will let the boy and his good friend, Callo, know when he has finished.”

  He wasn’t sorry Losen wasn’t joining them. He scooped up three bowls, Callo grabbing the same number from the other side of the table, and led the way through the airy hallways of the manse, to the kitchen.

  Night always came early to Hudukul. The wall blocked out so much of the sky, which meant morning came late as well. Somehow, though, the manse always seemed to cling to daylight a little longer than the rest of the city. It was nothing more magical than the odd white stone used to build it. But Kaie could never quite rid himself of the surprise when the walls seemed to glow. So, though it was full dark just outside, the inside was lit enough that he didn’t bother with a lamp for the trip.

  The low lighting served another purpose as well, one he didn’t think of until the moment they turned the corner from the dining room and Callo began speaking. As long as they kept their voices low, anyone catching sight of them wouldn’t be able to make out that they were talking at all. It gave the short trip a conspiratorial feel.

  “What does the boy’s master know of this ship and the Autumnsong it carries? Tell this man true now. He knows Gregor can’t be ignorant as the Rit claims, and that Kale knows his master’s mind.”

  Kaie shook his head, unsurprised at Callo’s directness. It was how the man always spoke with him and Gregor, when there was no one else around to hear it. “We haven’t spoken about it, my lord. He didn’t even tell me the ship was spotted until just before dinner.’

  Callo frowned and leaned in a bit closer, dropping his voice even lower. “And what does Kale know about the Autumnsong?”

  He wore her brand on his shoulder, just above the military’s. Not that anyone here knew that, aside from the man who put that second one on and Gregor. Not even personal slaves like Kaie were expected to run around with their shoulders uncovered in the military. Especially not in a place like Jorander, where every bit of exposed flesh made a person more vulnerable to all the sun’s ferocity. But he could hardly share that bit of with Callo.

  Even if the man didn’t act it, Callo was a politician in an occupied city. He made noises about supporting Gregor’s revolt, and Kaie believed he meant it, but his loyalty didn’t lie with the Rit. It belonged to his city and his caste. He was helping them only because he thought it would help his people. If Callo spoke of the brand on Kaie’s shoulder, and the wrong sort of people heard it, it would bring disaster on them all. The former stonemason would not know that, though. All he would see would be a bit of leverage to use against his city’s occupier.

  So Kaie shook his head again. “I’m sorry sir.”

  Callo pulled his head away and sighed sadly. “It was foolish to hope for good news. The boy should not be troubled by it. Still,” the big man winked and nudged Kaie with an elbow. “It is surprising. This man was led to believe all Urazians know one another.”

  Kaie chuckled, because it was expected of him. “Yes sir. We all used to get together for lunch and discuss our day.”

  “That does sound like fun. This man will have to look into implementing it here. He has never eaten with the men who clean the shit from the sewers. They would probably have many interesting things to tell me about their day.”

  He laughed again, for the same reason, wishing Callo would just hand over the bowls and leave. He really needed time to sort out a plan for dealing with the Autumnsong family’s arrival that didn’t result in a herd of Namers descending on the city and obliterating his mind. “No doubt, sir.”

  The kitchen was empty and lit by a single oil lamp in the far corner. It was one of the few rooms that wasn’t open to the world, and the only one in the whole manse without a trace of gold-trimmed decoration. There wasn’t a single richly colored rug or jewel-crusted golden weapon hanging from the walls. For those reasons alone, it was his third favorite place, right after garden. He would never be comfortable around the careless display of wealth left over from the previous owner. Just one decoration would be enough to buy food for a year, yet instead it was used only to ensure visitors knew just how rich their host was.

  He and Gregor stripped their rooms of it, thank the gods. But Gregor insisted the rest of the place needed to remain untouched. When the manse was turned over to whomever the Empress chose to rule the city in his place, it might be needed again. Apparently, Urazian nobility found such opulence appealing.

  He set his bowls down on the table, not sure what he was expected to do next. The cook and her assistants took care of the left-over food and the dishes. Kaie was always ushered out with a string of incomprehensible mutterings when it came time to clean up from dinner.

  It was forbidden, for reasons that seemed extremely stupid to him, for members of the servant caste to be seen by people from a handful of other castes. They apparently considered Gregor to be in one of those. Because of that, when the Rit was home, none of the manse’s servants would set foot in a room where Gregor might pass through. So it fell to Kaie to handle those tasks. But they took their work very seriously, and were quite put out when he attempted those same tasks in any of the rooms they were willing to enter. The kitchen was one of those, but with no one present he was at a loss.

  “Is the boy waiting for something?”

  Kaie looked around the kitchen again, half expecting one of the women who worked there to appear in a burst of magic. “The cook, my lord. She wouldn’t want me to clean this up without her.”

  Callo shrugged. “Because of this man’s position, none of the servant caste will share a room with him anymore. She’ll be out once he is gone, no doubt.”

  His brows knit as he took the bowls out of Callo’s hands and set them beside his own. “Out, sir? From where?”

  The big man waved his hand in the direction of a wall. “From the passes. Kale is kidding this man, right? All the soldiers know of the passes.” Kaie shook his head. Callo laughed. “Two years in the greatest city, and Kale has not learned even the worst kept secret? That is funny! How did he think the Twelfth got in?”

  He walked over to one of the walls and knocked on it. Kaie waited for some hint of what Callo was talking about, but when nothing happened, the big man shrugged and came back to the table. “This man picked the wrong wall. Doesn’t matter. There are passes built into every building in the greatest city, and underground. The servant caste uses them to avoid being seen. The apprentices use them as well, to hurry about on their master’s business. Everyone else pretends not to notice. That’s what the men of the Twelfth found when they opened up the Rit’s Gate. It was an old pass, and not well maintained. This man ordered it sealed up himself, nearly fifteen years ago. Did Kale really not know?”

  “No sir,” Kaie said slowly, wondering just how the passes were accessed. “Every building?”

  “Near enou
gh. And a great deal underground. This man doesn’t know for sure, but the story is that a man could walk from one end of the greatest city to the other without seeing any sky.”

  “You don’t know? Wouldn’t the stonemasons be responsible for maintaining them, my lord?”

  “It would be unacceptable for this man to ask questions like that. He is no apprentice, after all! He is expected to forget they exist. And when he was, he was far too busy to be properly curious. It is one of his greatest regrets, truly.”

  Callo was laughing again, but Kaie was distracted and he didn’t think to join in. “So there are tunnels running through the whole city, and no one but the servants and apprentices use them? Does anyone know all of them?”

  “It’s possible the Lady Dau knows. The courtesan caste would undoubtedly find them useful, and they’ve always held an unnatural obsession with the greatest city’s secrets. Kale should speak to her, if he is so curious.”

  “I might, my lord,” Kaie mused.

  Lady Dau was another councilor. One he only met only met once or twice, in all his time there. Dau was an old woman, and part of the courtesan caste. Dau was, best he could figure, almost an empress in her own right. No one would who knew was ever willing to explain how she earned such stature among the other councilors, that they would defer to her when it wasn’t required of them. He doubted he would get the chance to speak to her at all, let alone in such a familiar way, but it was worth hoping.

  “Will Kale tell his master that this man waits for word of what the Autumnsong means to those who support his ambitions? And Kale should take a moment here, maybe to see if the cook will come out. This man will see that Losen finds his way out without his usual… embarrassments.”

  Kaie nodded and even thought to flash a smile of gratitude. But his thoughts were elsewhere. Not even the slimy, groping Lord Losen was enough to turn them away from those secret pathways running throughout the city, and all the interesting things they could lead to.

  Fifteen

  “She offered me a horse.”

  Kaie hid his smile by taking another swig of wine. By the time the vile fruity stuff was down his throat he could manage a thoughtful expression. “Only one?”

  “One’s enough!” Gregor shot back. “What the hell would I do with another horse? And three? Gods! I don’t even like horses.”

  “Well, married to her, I expect you could use them to run away.”

  Gregor grunted his agreement and filled up both their cups. Normally they wouldn’t dare. Too many eyes might catch a slip, even here in the manse. Kaie wasn’t sure what made today special, though it was safe to assume it wasn’t the proposal, but he wasn’t going to complain. He was learning to stomach the foul stuff, and the side effects were enjoyable enough to make up for the taste.

  “Having you around was supposed to put an end to the proposals,” Gregor groused.

  Kaie didn’t even try to hide his smirk this time. “Nope. Just scare off the pretty ones.”

  Gregor made a rude gesture. Kaie laughed.

  “You know,” he mused after another mouthful, “I like horses.”

  Gregor scoffed. “What do you know about horses? Have you even touched one?”

  “Sure,” Kaie drawled. “I used to ride them all around the Autumnsong estate. Never walked anywhere. I was practically born in the saddle.”

  Gregor laughed and downed the rest in his cup. “Yeah?”

  “Oh yeah. My people were known as the best horse people in all Elysium.”

  The other man snorted. “Why stop there? I heard they were centaurs.”

  “You heard true my friend,” Kaie said with a great flourish. “All of us. Half man, half horse.”

  “That does explain a lot. Your looks, for example.”

  “Fuck you.” Kaie motioned for another refill. Gregor considered for a moment before shrugging and doling out more.

  “I’ve never understood centaurs.”

  Kaie laughed. “I know two things at once is a confusing concept for you, man, but it’s really not that that complex. And it’s not so difficult to see the appeal. They were supposed to be the most elite soldiers in the world, right?”

  “See, that’s what you say,” Gregor exclaimed gesturing wildly to make the point.

  “That is what I say,” Kaie agreed. He slumped against the wall. “I know because I just said it.”

  “You say that,” Gregor insisted, “but have you ever really thought about it? Where would the stomach be? In the man part or the horse part?”

  His eyebrow rose. “Who cares?”

  “Anyone who had to fight them! How are you supposed to know where to stick the knife when you go to stab them in the stomach, if it could be in either place? Or both! And what do they eat? Meat? Oats?”

  “If I ever meet one, I’ll ask for you.”

  “No. Forget that,” Gregor muttered. “If you meet one, you ask it about sex.”

  Kaie laughed loudly, unconcerned about anyone overhearing. “Think about that a lot, do you?”

  “You’ve heard the stories too, the ones about people falling in love with a centaur and the two of them running off and getting married. Don’t tell me you haven’t wondered how in the Abyss that happens!”

  “Never crossed my mind. Sorry man.”

  “Come on! Have you ever seen a horse’s cock? They’re intimidating! What kind of woman sees one of those and decides she wants it in her for the rest of her life? And what about kids? How would any woman push a little half-horse out?”

  “My friend, you spend entirely too much time obsessing about puzzles that don’t have a solution.”

  “And you’re so much better?” Gregor retorted.

  “My puzzles always have a solution.” Kaie set his cup down and stretched his arms back behind his head. He would need to straighten his pallet out before he went to bed. Somehow, the blanket and all the pillows were gravitating toward the desk were Gregor was sitting.

  “Bah.” The Rit propped his feet up on the desk and leaned back in his chair. “And what about the men? It’s been a long time, but how lonely do you have to be to look at a horse’s ass and think ‘yeah, I can hit that’ exactly?

  Kaie snorted. “Maybe that’s what the second horse is for: to keep you occupied when your new wife doesn’t want your attention.”

  Gregor repeated his rude gesture. “Joke’s on you, Kale. That’s what you’re for.”

  Kaie’s brow quirked upward again. “Me?”

  “Oh yes. Marta promised she would take you into her home and allow me to ‘use’ you as I wish, when she doesn’t have need for one of us.”

  They were both quiet for a minute. Kaie considered the offer. Marta probably thought it was generous.

  “Well then,” he said softly, “I guess you’re going to be busy. You’ve got to keep Marta, me and the horse satisfied.”

  Gregor’s laugh filled the room. “You’re the one satisfying me, remember?”

  “Only because you find my cock so intimidating.”

  Gregor just took a swig straight from the bottle and passed it to him. The Rit smirked as Kaie downed the last of it.

  “So are we going to spend all night talking about centaurs?”

  Gregor was quiet for a long time. Kaie regretted polishing off the wine. The Rit looked like he could use some more. The air in the room went sour and cold. “We’re not talking about my sister.”

  “I gathered,” Kaie said. He was sorry he changed to subject. Things needed to be said. Important things. But it was so much better when he was imagining having sex with a horse.

  Gregor sniffed like he thought Kaie was lying. “I mean it.”

  “I believe you.” He hesitated. “Did you know it was the Autumnsong family being sent?”

  Gregor eased back in his chair, his face the same stony mask Kaie remembered from the months before they discovered they didn’t despise one another. It didn’t come out often anymore. “No.”

  Kaie sighed and shifted in his sea
t until he was facing the Rit. “Oh, well, I’m convinced. Glad I asked.”

  Gregor didn’t scowl. He never scowled, not unless it was in jest. But somehow the feeling was conveyed just as effectively. “This doesn’t change anything.”

  “The Abyss it doesn’t,” Kaie said. “Best case scenario, it’s the Lady Autumnsong who didn’t own me. Of course, she might know who I am anyway. For all I know, she and I were secret lovers before the Namer got her fingers in my head. But maybe not. Maybe no one on that boat’s ever seen me before. I’m still pretty confident they’ll recognize my brand.”

  Gregor stared at him without a hint of his usual humor. “Were you planning to be shirtless often?”

  “No,” Kaie admitted. “But once they’re here, it’s going to be a risk every time I do. And if it’s the other one we’re in real trouble, aren’t we?”

  “No, we’re not. You’re going to stay inside from now on. You can hide every time we have visitors. It’s that simple.”

  “It’s not simple. How long can we keep it up, do you think, before Losen starts asking about me? Gods, even Callo will be suspicious after a couple weeks of that. What then? Will you tell them I’m sick? That I ran away? You can tell them I died. Of course, the servants are bound to wonder about that one. Maybe we should kill them now, before they get the chance to give us away?”

  “Don’t be dramatic. Losen is the kind of man who wants everything he doesn’t have. You don’t really matter to him. Once you’ve been out of sight for a while, he won’t even remember you exist. No one in this city thinks of you as anything but a slave, Kale. And even the best slaves are, by design, utterly forgettable.”

  “Thanks. Talk like that makes me feel so loved.” Gregor didn’t rise to the taunt, of course. Kaie didn’t expect him to. This needed to be said “You’re fooling yourself if you don’t this is a huge risk for both of us. You’ve kept me safe for two years. I’m not going to thank you for it by bringing the wrath of Urazin and a host of Namers down on your head. I should be on my way out of the city right now, not picking at my nails and waiting for you to tell me what the damn plan is.”