Coldmaker

by Daniel A. Cohen

  The Great Drought had not only destroyed beauty, it had also destroyed beautiful ideas. In the face of starvation, what good were tinkerings and inventions? Considering the World Cried was still struggling to survive eight hundred years later, the indulgences of the past had been lost.

  My heart thundered in my chest as we approached the nearest dome. Above the entrance was a system of old glyphs I couldn’t read, and I assumed Cam couldn’t either. It was a language from the time when there were many other tongues.

  ‘Heart of the Past,’ Cam read, pointing at each letter. ‘Preservation. Duty. Tradition.’

  I raised an eyebrow.

  Cam shrugged, patting the thin book in his pocket. ‘I have a lot of free time to study.’

  I nodded, but I still didn’t believe that was all it was. Most High Nobles couldn’t tell the difference between a Cry Temple and a Cold Thermae.

  Cam went to knock on the door, but before his knuckles could reach it, a clay window slipped open, revealing a pair of dark eyes within.

  ‘No Jadans,’ the voice commanded.

  Cam let his arm slump, faking an injury and pointing at his shoulder. ‘But I need him. I can’t carry—’

  ‘No Jadans.’

  The clay window slammed shut and Cam sighed, giving me an apologetic look.

  I had already expected as much, not having hoped enough even to feel disappointment, so I pointed to the nearest alleyway. ‘I’ll wait in there.’

  Cam sucked his teeth. ‘Fine. But only because I really need to get something in there. Don’t leave without me.’

  I nodded and headed to the shadows, glad that I might get to wait out of the Sun. I took up my position, and watched Cam negotiate with the hidden eyes, having to pass his huge Cold purse through the slot to prove he could afford to shop there.

  Slumping against the wall, I sighed, spending the next few minutes with my eyes closed, enjoying the taste of orangefruit still on my tongue.

  ‘What are you doing, little slave?’ a sweet voice asked.

  My heart sank and I resumed my slave stance as a burly-armed taskmaster glared at me.

  I tried to keep my voice calm, holding out the Tavor token. ‘Pardon, miss, but I’m on an errand. I was not allowed in the Ancient Shop with my High Noble’ – I made sure to emphasize the distinction – ‘so he commanded I stay here.’

  ‘Yes?’ Her mouth pulled into a wicked grin, revealing a set of yellowed teeth.

  I quickly pointed in Cam’s direction. ‘If you’d like to go and check with him, he’s in the—’

  Without another word, she grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me deeper into the alley, away from the domes. My shoulder felt as if it was being ripped from its socket, and I prayed she wouldn’t be able to smell the orangefruit remains on me.

  ‘Lying Jadans are no good. Lying Jadans are a burden on the Khat.’ She spoke sweetly, yet I couldn’t miss the venom that dripped from her words.

  ‘I’m not lying, miss. Please. I really am on an errand. If you’d just—’

  She gave my arm a sharp pull, and my words caught in my throat.

  ‘More lies.’ She kicked aside a few small piles of boilweed to make a path.

  ‘I swear, miss. If you’ll just let me—’

  She ripped my shirt over my head and spun me against the wall, pressing my naked chest into the brick.

  ‘What’s this?’ She jabbed a finger against my back and I winced against the pain. ‘Has no one punished you for your lying today, little slave?’

  ‘No, miss.’ My chest was thumping. ‘But my Jadanmaster withheld my rations so—’

  ‘Good!’ she spat, hissing in my ear. ‘Your kind doesn’t deserve rations.’

  She scraped a sharp fingernail in a long line down my back. Pain flared.

  ‘Skin so soft.’ She talked in the same bored tones. ‘You’ll learn truth in pain. Pain will cleanse you. Praise be to the Vicaress.’

  I closed my eyes and tried to prepare myself as I heard the gentle swish of the taskmaster’s whip being unravelled. I thought I heard more than one tail swinging through the air, waiting to carve into me. My breath stopped in my chest.

  ‘You will leave here with a valuable lesson for all your people, little Jadan,’ she droned.

  ‘Wait!’ Cam’s voice called, and I nearly collapsed with relief. My eyes shot open, but I didn’t take my forehead off the wall.

  ‘He’s with me.’ Cam’s voice was calm, but authoritative, like someone used to being obeyed.

  Yet she didn’t move. ‘Stand back, please,’ she said calmly. ‘This Jadan needs to be taught a lesson. It’s the Crier’s way.’

  Cam begun waving his hands, growing animated. ‘No, he doesn’t. He doesn’t. It was my fault. Look, here’s my crest. I’m from House Tavor.’

  ‘Move aside, please.’ Her voice was frustratingly composed. ‘This is not your business. Out of the alley would be best.’

  ‘Didn’t you hear me?’ Cam’s voice took on an authoritative edge that I hadn’t heard before. ‘Look. Tavor.’

  ‘I don’t care what House you’re from. This is the Crier’s work. And He has the highest House of all.’ I heard her lick her lips. ‘I’ll ask you one more time, please.’

  This was the point at which I knew things in Paphos had become really bad. A High Noble would normally only have to clear his throat and the taskmasters would stand at attention. But Shilah’s stunt had poisoned the natural order, and discipline had begun to overrule status.

  ‘Spout didn’t do anything wrong,’ Cam said. He sounded almost frantic now, and I could tell he was worried. ‘Here, I just spent most of my Cold, but I have a little left. Take this for your troubles.’

  She didn’t reach out her hand, but simply looked at him impassibly. ‘You shouldn’t try to bribe a taskmaster, little Noble. It’s quite frowned upon.’

  ‘Look, if that’s not enough, I’ll bring you more—’

  ‘Bribing is not the Crier’s way,’ she said calmly.

  My heart leaped to my throat. Cam wasn’t going to be able to save me with words or Cold. I was going to get all the tails and more. Probably the Procession.

  ‘If you stay there,’ the taskmaster said, ‘your pretty shirt might get stained.’

  ‘Eyes above! Why won’t you listen to me?’ He was shouting now. ‘He’s on an errand with me, you daft, stupid—’

  I heard the crack before I felt it. Fire erupted across my back and my whole body went stiff. I clenched my teeth as tightly as I could, as pain blossomed through me. I nearly tumbled to the ground.

  ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!’ Cam screamed, followed by a crash that sounded like wood, with a chink of metal spilling after.

  ‘The Crier’s will,’ the taskmaster commanded. ‘Let him take his punishment.’

  ‘LEAVE HIM ALONE!’

  I felt blood ooze down my back. I squirmed beneath the throbbing. Another crack, and the pain was something out of a nightmare.

  ‘PLEASE! STOP!’ Cam’s voice broke.

  ‘The Crier’s will.’

  Tears came to my eyes and I stared at the brick through a watery veil. The second lash had been worse than the first, and I didn’t think she planned on stopping.

  The whip swished through the air behind me, and I braced myself. But then something soft pressed against my body before the next crack. A howl of pain swelled through the alleyway, but surprisingly, it hadn’t come from me.

  ‘Oh. Oh no,’ I heard her say, followed by the sound of her feet racing away.

  The soft something was still pressed against my back, and I distinctly heard whimpering behind my ear before the pressure lifted.

  Wiping the tears from my eyes, I turned to find Cam on his knees, eyes scrunched in pain. I stepped around him and saw the deep trail of red against his sun-shirt. And next to him was a decorated wooden box with one of its sides split, gears and guts spilling out.

  Suddenly the pain in my back didn’t feel so intense. A High Noble had just taken
a lashing. For a Jadan. For me.

  ‘Cam,’ I said, kneeling down. ‘Are you okay?’

  Cam sucked in deep breaths, tears welling at the corners of his eyes.

  ‘I—’

  Cam brought a hand around to his back, his face aghast. ‘You live through this every day?’

  I gulped, giving a nod. ‘Yes – but are you okay?’

  ‘This isn’t right.’ Cam’s face grew hard, and for the first time, I saw the boy beneath. Cam was different from the rest. He cared, he truly did. ‘This shouldn’t be. This shouldn’t happen to you.’

  I looked around, gathering my bearings. It was only half a bell’s walk back to my barracks and I had just enough salve left to soothe a virgin whipping.

  ‘She’ll get what’s coming to her,’ Cam said, his breathing still fast and full of pain. ‘I promise.’

  I lowered my hand, helping him to his feet. I couldn’t imagine what it would cost him to get his fancy sun-shirt cleaned of all that blood. And I didn’t want to think about the artefact he’d dropped to save me.

  ‘Come on,’ I said. ‘I’ll take you to my barracks.’

  ‘What’s there?’ he asked, his face twisted with pain.

  ‘You get a Jadan beating,’ I said, ‘you get a Jadan healing.’

  The loose panel came away smoothly, and I slipped into Abb’s room. Cam waited outside, clutching the remains of his mystery box, the crank on the side bent out of place. I wanted to examine what he’d bought at the dome, but I didn’t have time.

  ‘Shirt,’ I said, uncapping the salve when I came back outside.

  ‘Can we go in?’ Cam asked, eagerly appraising the panel. ‘I’ve never actually been inside a Jadan barracks.’

  I shook my head, scooping out a generous portion of the gel. ‘No. We— It’s not a good idea. My Barracksmaster sometimes walks through during the day, to make sure none of us are hiding from our duties.’

  It was a lie, but it was the best I could come up with at the moment. Gramble either spent the day sleeping in his guardhouse or blowing his hefty salary at the Imbiberies. In truth, I wasn’t quite ready for Cam to see my tinker-wall, to reveal such a secret.

  ‘If he catches us, I’ll just tell him it was my idea,’ Cam said with a shrug.

  ‘This will only take a second.’ I gave a weak smile. ‘Shirt.’

  Cam peeled up his shirt and I flinched at how pale his skin was. I wondered if the Sun had ever even tasted his flesh. The red was vibrant against his back, but I didn’t think he would need stitches. It looked worse because I wasn’t used to light skin, which showed everything more vividly.

  I pushed aside his long blond hair and spread the salve across his back, and after a few moments, Cam’s body seemed to relax.

  ‘I’m really sorry,’ I said.

  Cam shook his head. ‘No. This is good. All Nobles should know how this feels.’

  This boy was irrational. I hoped no other Tavors heard him talking like that, or they might take away his crest.

  I gestured at the box. ‘What is it?’

  ‘A music box,’ Cam said, turning the crank, which didn’t do anything. ‘It’s my cousin’s birthday. I was hoping this would be a good gift for her. She loves music.’

  ‘When is her birthday?’ I asked, knowing I should just shut up.

  ‘Tomorrow,’ Cam said with a sigh, wincing as I rubbed on some more of the salve.

  I paused, taking a dangerous leap. ‘Leave it here.’

  Cam spun, giving me a confused look.

  ‘There’s someone’ – I kept my eyes down – ‘one of my family. He might be able to fix it.’

  ‘Fix it?’ Cam raised a puzzled eyebrow, although I could have sworn an amused smile flashed across his face. ‘How would a Jadan know how to fix something from before the Great Drought?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said, already regretting my decision. ‘But he can try.’

  Cam shrugged, and then winced. Then he spun the useless crank again. ‘Can’t hurt, I guess. Want me to put some of that salve on your back? Your lashes were worse than mine.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ I lied, wiping my fingers onto the inside of my shirt, greasing the cloth with a mixture of groan salve and High Noble blood. ‘I’m used to it.’

  Cam gave a frustrated huff through his nose. ‘And that’s a damn shame.’

  ‘Let’s get back.’ I looked up at the Sun, its heat pulsing down strongly. I didn’t think it liked the idea of me getting my hands on something so precious as a music box.

  But the Crier had kept me alive, letting me drink that Draft.

  And Moussa was my friend again.

  And a High Noble had even taken a whipping for me.

  Things were different now. Changing.

  I stowed the ancient treasure behind the panel and waved two knuckles at the sky, welcoming its blazing hate.

  Chapter Sixteen

  For the first time since we’d met, Cam was wearing dark colours.

  His sun-robe was a deep shade of red, and the sight of it made my throat tense up. The colour reminded me of how Jadanmaster Geb dressed on Procession day.

  Cam had two mugs of Oolong tea this time, steam billowing from the tops. I remembered how hard it was to sleep after my first bad whipping, and I wondered if he had been able to rest at all. My back was fiery to touch, but my slave skin was no longer surprised by the sting.

  Still, I hadn’t slept much. Not because I was hurting, but because the night was one I hadn’t wanted to end.

  Cam’s eyes had dark circles underneath them this morning, but still, he smiled brightly and greeted me with a little bow that every other Jadan around must have seen as a sign of insanity. I hoped Thoth didn’t catch sight of the movement.

  ‘Morning, Spout,’ Cam said, leaning against the wall beside me. ‘Sorry I’m late.’

  I almost smiled at the thought of Cam being late. Like he owed me the debt of showing up at all. ‘Morning, Cam.’

  Cam leaned in, eyebrow going up. ‘So how did the thing go?’

  I cleared my throat, flicking my eyes in Thoth’s direction, who was glaring at us from the end of Arch Road, near the Temple. ‘Perhaps you can give me a token and I can show you,’ I said, ‘somewhere else.’

  Cam moved both mugs to one hand and fished around in his pocket, his face lighting up with intrigue.

  ‘Cam,’ I whispered. ‘Don’t look so happy. Jadanmaster Thoth doesn’t like happiness.’

  Cam frowned for a second, his eyes following mine down to Thoth. My Jadanmaster’s feet now looked poised to stomp our way and make trouble.

  ‘Don’t look,’ I said, a bit panicked.

  ‘Oh, him?’ Cam broke into a huge smile, giving a polite wave, keeping his voice hushed. ‘That’s the one who beat you with that rod for nothing?’

  I paused, the Sun heavy on my forehead. ‘Yes.’

  Cam nodded, continuing to wave as if he was the happiest boy in Paphos, giving Thoth a sincere thumbs-up.

  ‘Scumbag,’ Cam said under his breath, his face all smiles. He held up the token with a flourish and waved it about so Thoth could see.

  ‘Piece of Sunshit Jadanmaster,’ Cam murmured in Thoth’s direction, through a broad smile. ‘You’re a disgrace to Noblekind. You’re probably House Erridian, aren’t you?’ Cam gave another thumbs-up. ‘Hope that stupid knot-scarf chokes you.’

  I froze, not expecting such a tongue on a boy of refined birth; but Thoth only huffed at Cam’s display, not able to hear the actual words, and turned his attention to the Jadan on the nearest corner, touching his neck and wrenching the boy into a deeper hunch.

  ‘He probably just doesn’t know how to deal with happiness,’ Cam said, turning back to me. ‘There’s a difference. All the Cold in the World, and still most Nobles are miserable pricks. I feel like it’s proof enough that things here aren’t right.’

  I took the token and hopped off the corner, leading Cam deep into the secluded alley where I’d hidden the music box.

  �
�Hold on,’ Cam said, skirting around me.

  I stopped, aching to get to the hiding place.

  Cam put his mugs down on a stone ledge and then added a few Wisps to his waterskin. He took a sip, gave a satisfied nod, and then pressed the drink my way.

  ‘You look bad,’ Cam said. ‘Drink.’

  ‘I—’

  ‘I know,’ Cam said with a roll of his eyes. ‘You can’t. You insist. Blah blah. Just shut up and drink. All of it.’

  I sighed, knowing it was better not to argue. He hadn’t turned me in for the orangefruit, so I knew I was safe. Besides, Thoth had spilled my water rations at my feet that morning and made me sip it up from the stone. I still had sand in my teeth, and it would be a relief to swill it out.

  I drank the whole waterskin in one continuous gulp, trying to capture every moment. I was suddenly reminded of Abb’s bucket, and wondered what the Khat would think of this Nobleboy giving extra water to his slave.

  ‘How’s your back?’ I asked, wiping the back of my mouth.

  Cam slung the container back over his shoulder and grabbed his tea, sipping both mugs, one after the other to keep their levels even. ‘Don’t worry about me. What about you? You’ve got yours on bare skin.’

  I shrugged, leading him down through a narrow opening, into the dim light between buildings. My boilweed bag hadn’t shifted since I’d set it there that morning, and I took out his treasure. ‘Just more scars for the collection.’

  Cam’s eyes darkened, but then widened with joy when I revealed the music box, fixed and polished.

  My heart tingled as I remembered all the fun the invention and I had had the night before. The piece had started as a complete stranger, but it had whispered its secrets slowly, and my hands had listened. The system of bumps and gears its Inventor had used were ingenious, striking different-sized pipes and flicking metal stems as the crank turned. There were a few interchangeable rollers for different songs which had kept Moussa entranced for hours. The work had filled me with purpose, the invention and I eventually connecting, becoming each other’s keeper. I felt sad letting it go.

  I spun the crank, drawing out the soft tinks and chimes, making sure both ends of the alleyway were clear of spectators.