The first tentative brush against my eyelash sent a shiver through me. Again I resisted, fighting back with everything I had. It did no good. Even my will seemed insubstantial in this place. In my mind, I screamed over and over, but all that came from my lips was a single word. ‘Welcome.’
The worm was about to burrow into the soft jelly of my eye, but instead of the burning pain I expected, I felt a sudden sharp cold. Stranger still, the sensation had come from my other eye.
Enraged, the obsidian worm reared back, bloating until it was the size of a python. An angry black mist came from the slits where its face should have been. I flinched, anticipating the scalding pain from those tiny droplets of black oil, but they froze and fell as a frigid cloud of white smoke poured out from my right eye. The worm grew even larger, hissing as it did, but the cloud began to whirl around it like a slow-moving tornado, becoming more solid as it shrieked at the creature.
The sasutzei, I thought dumbly.
No, the shadowblack shouted inside my ears. She mustn’t be allowed to do this!
The wind spirit reared up as it blew against the obsidian worm with the force of a hurricane. The creature hissed and more black oil emerged, winding into the wind spirit’s cloudy form, tearing a squeal of pain from her.
Kill her! the shadowblack urged the worm. She is weak here!
The two creatures coiled around each other like twin snakes, each trying to crush the other first. The screams became louder. She’s dying, I thought. Dying for me.
‘Suzy!’ I called out. ‘Tell me what to do!’
Even as the two creatures snapped at each other, their ethereal forms striking so fast I could barely follow, I heard a single word come from the sasutzei. ‘Whisper,’ she said.
For once I understood.
I poured my will back into the onyx bracelet even as I stopped fighting against the worm itself. Instead I spoke in soft breaths, using the magic that Mamma Whispers had first shown me back in the Seven Sands. You don’t need to fight, I told the obsidian creature, cajoling rather than commanding. Those mages made you as much a slave as the girl. Inside me your captivity would be absolute.
I reached the limits of my will. It wasn’t enough. I had to go further. I had to let go of everything but the one thing that mattered. For the first time, I understood what the Way of Stone meant: to be unbreakable, a thing must be pure. I left behind my fear, even my anger. The worm wasn’t my enemy. I didn’t have enemies. Such concepts were meaningless. The obsidian worm was simply a lost creature, torn from itself, worthy only of pity. Be whole again, I whispered. Be free of the machinations of others.
The shadowblack raged inside me, but I ignored it. Stone doesn’t listen to such things.
The swirl of black and white began to slow, the writhing creatures within shrinking as their strength waned, disentangling when they became too small to fight. Suzy drifted back into my right eye and fell silent. The obsidian worm slid down my cheek like a tear, falling from my jaw to land on my wrist. It crawled into the onyx bracelet and disappeared into the stones, becoming one with its other half.
44
The Debt
I must have blinked a hundred times before the blurriness faded away and Janucha’s workshop reappeared. Having spirits and curses living inside your eyeballs can’t be good for your eyesight.
The sensations and sounds that had been lost to me in shadow returned one by one. First I heard Cressia letting out a series of wracking coughs. She settled back in the chair, the chains still holding her in place. The last drops of black oil slid from her eyes and the tears of a normal girl took their place.
Janucha and Altariste practically knocked me over running to their daughter, the father wrapping his arms around her as the mother looked to me with a question in her gaze. I nodded, and Janucha began removing the locks of the chains. Only when her daughter was free did she allow herself to cry.
Cressia looked at me as if I were a stranger. They all did. Each time I fell into shadow, the world seemed to forget me a little more. ‘You’re Kellen,’ she said at last.
I nodded.
She favoured me with a weak smile. ‘I thought you said it was going to hurt. Do Jan’Tep boys never scratch their knees or stub their toes?’
At that precise moment I was crumpled up on the floor, which I felt was a poor position from which to argue the point. I rose to my feet and promptly fell over again. Ferius caught hold of me. Someone kissed the back of my head. It turned out to be Nephenia, which surprised me. ‘Not bad for a spellslinger who only ever sparked one band,’ she said, hugging me from behind.
Reichis came over and clambered up to my shoulder, then he bit me. ‘What did I tell you about getting into fights without me?’
‘It was Suzy that did most of the fighting,’ I said, trying to feel the sasutzei’s presence. If she was still there, she was dormant again. I guess even wind spirits get tired after a while. I couldn’t blame her if she’d decided to leave. It would be too bad though; I was just starting to get used to having her around.
‘Give me that foul thing,’ Altariste said to me, reaching for the onyx bracelet. ‘We will destroy it once and for all.’
I started to remove it, but a subtle breeze in my right eye – barely noticeable at all – stopped me. Apparently the sasutzei was still around. ‘The worm wasn’t entirely responsible,’ I told Altariste. ‘The creature was taken from its natural habitat, cut in half and implanted in Cressia. It belongs back in its own home.’
Ferius let go of me, making sure I could stand on my own before she said, ‘Guess that means someone’s going to have to take it back there some day soon, don’t it?’ There was something both sardonic and … amused in her expression.
It took me a moment to figure it out. ‘Give me the damned card,’ I said finally.
She grinned and gave me one of her crimson debt cards.
‘Is this what it means to be Argosi?’ I asked. ‘You nearly kill yourself trying to do the right thing and you still end up with more debt?’
She clapped me on the shoulder. ‘Why do you think I gamble and drink so much?’
‘I’d like to speak to Kellen,’ Cressia said, rising unsteadily from the chair. She turned to her parents. ‘Alone.’
With some reluctance and not a few warning glances my way, they left the room. Ancestors, I thought, I nearly died trying to rid their daughter of the worm. What harm do they think I’m going to do to her now?
When we were alone, Cressia came to stand before me. I’ll admit, I kind of expected an outpouring of gratitude. Instead she held out a hand, palm up. ‘I believe you have something of mine.’
‘What?’
She gestured to the card I was holding. ‘That is my debt to pay.’
‘Cressia, you don’t understand how this works.’
‘I don’t?’ She shot me a look that made it clear any expressions of gratitude or declarations of heroism were now behind us. ‘Is it especially complicated? The card represents a debt to take the worm back to its home in the Seven Sands and find a way to free it where it will not harm anyone else. Or have I missed some subtlety to this matter that only a great Argosi like yourself would understand?’
‘No, that’s pretty much it.’
She took the card, then slid the bracelet from my wrist and put it around hers. Despite her bravado, I saw her shudder. ‘I will travel back to the Seven Sands and complete this task. Then we will have an end to it.’
I was stunned to silence by her dauntlessness and the way honour and duty came so naturally to her.
She gave me a smile. ‘You know, my friend, you look much wiser when your mouth is closed.’ Suddenly she embraced me in a hug that took the breath from my lungs. ‘Thank you, Kellen.’
It was awkward at first. Part of me kept wondering if she was about to kiss me, which was stupid because I’d learned from her friends at the Academy that I wasn’t her preferred gender. But my people aren’t affectionate by nature, so everything like thi
s feels … strange. I think Cressia must’ve sensed this somehow, because she just kept holding on, as if waiting for me to get the hang of this. Finally I did, I think. It’s possible for a second there that I hugged my friend fully without any of the nonsense that usually goes around my head at times like that. It was a remarkably pleasant experience.
Something changed, though, and I felt a slight tension in her even as she still held on to me. She whispered in my ear, ‘Don’t trust my parents.’
I tried to pull away but she didn’t let go. ‘I love them. They are the finest people I have ever known. But something has changed in this house. Zavera, the head of the secret police has been here several times since my return. This creation of my mother’s … I believe there is more to it than they have told you.’
‘What do you know?’ I asked.
‘I cannot say with any certainty. I … I misspoke when I said something had changed inside my home. It is my entire country that seems to be changing.’
The doors to the workshop opened and Janucha entered. ‘Forgive me, but I must insist my daughter sees a proper … That is, she has wounds from the worm’s passing. I would like one of our healers to see to them.’
Cressia let go of me. ‘Of course, Mother.’ She gave me a playful punch on the arm. ‘These Jan’Tep – far too prone to expressing their feelings if you ask me.’
45
The Reward
I badly wanted to talk to Ferius about what Cressia had said, but the moment I stepped out of the workshop, Altariste grabbed onto me like the mast of a ship in the midst of a storm. ‘There is no greater gift – none – that you could have given me,’ he declared. ‘Name your price, name any service I or my wife can render to you, and it will be done. On this I swear a father’s oath!’
Despite the fact that he was smothering me, his ebullience was endearing. ‘You don’t need to—’
‘Get Janucha to end her experiments,’ Ferius said, cutting me off as she came striding into the hallway.
Altariste looked surprised, but then chuckled as though convinced Ferius was only joking. ‘My friends, I may be a poor contraptioneer compared to Janucha, but I assure you, my inventions have brought me considerable wealth over the years. If such things are beneath you, let me persuade my government to help you.’ He turned back to me. ‘Your charmcaster friend has told me something of the life you’ve been forced to lead, the dangers you face. Though I am not one for politics, my government values my services. I could press them to use their influence with your people to have this … What did she call it? A “spell warrant”? Diplomatic overtures could be made requesting that it be removed.’
The inventor’s proposal brought a sudden rush of hope to me. Trade with Gitabria was important to my people, as it was to every nation on the continent. What if he or Janucha could … but they couldn’t. The lords magi of my clan would never concede their right to have me killed. My people would rather starve to death than allow a foreign country to interfere with their business.
My expression must have revealed my deflation. ‘Or if not that,’ Altariste went on, ‘I could design something to make your travels easier. You’ve seen the fire lances? I’ve been contemplating a new kind of device, one that would be smaller, lighter. Another tool with which to surprise your enemies.’ His gaze went skyward as if he were already making plans, idly patting my shoulder as he spoke. ‘I could create such a wonder for you, my lad! Yes, already I—’
‘He doesn’t want a weapon,’ Ferius said, again speaking on my behalf. ‘Kellen wants Janucha to stop her experiments. Don’t try to replicate the mechanical bird. Convince her to tear up the designs.’
Altariste looked despondent. ‘Ask for anything within my power, but this … my wife’s research is vital to our country.’
Ferius got in his face. ‘See, now that explains a lot. At first I figured maybe you were dumb. I mean, you’re clever, obviously. Those trinkets and contraptions can’t be too easy to make. But even a clever fella can be still dumb, like when he discovers fire and can’t figure out that it might be used for something more than cooking a meal. But that look you got when I asked you to stop the experiments … that’s not the look of someone who thinks he’s just making curious inventions. It’s the look of a man who knows precisely why his people want this particular one so badly.’
‘You summon ill thoughts on a joyous day, Argosi,’ a voice called out. Zavera entered the hallway and came to stand between Ferius and Altariste. ‘A child has been delivered from the evil of our enemies. Can her parents not be given a chance to celebrate?’ She turned to Altariste. ‘Go, Credaro. Be with your daughter. I will negotiate an appropriate reward for these friends of Gitabria.’
The inventor, freed from whatever sense of obligation had driven him to seek me out in the first place, practically jumped at the chance to leave. Soon we were alone with the spymaster of Gitabria.
‘He does not understand your ways,’ she said to Ferius.
‘And you do?’
Zavera’s eyes narrowed, and she gave Ferius a cold stare. ‘You Argosi fascinate me, you know that? When I was a girl, I wondered what it must be like, to develop such remarkable talents. Defence, eloquence, persuasion … I forget the others. And then you … what exactly? You wander the world, using your abilities to enact your will as you see fit, tilting the balance here, destabilising a culture somewhere else. All without any form of rank or chain of command. It must be nice to do whatever you wish without ever having to serve any cause greater than yourself; to face no consequence when your choices prove disastrous.’
‘Nice speech, sister,’ Ferius said, reaching into her waistcoat and taking out a smoking reed. ‘But next time save the poetry and just say what you came to say.’
‘Wait, what about Shalla?’ I asked. ‘When will you let my sister go?’
‘Soon. I must first question her to ensure there are no further Jan’Tep agents hiding in my country. After that is done, I will release her. In the meantime, she will be my guest at Notia Veras.’ Zavera held up a hand to me. ‘And before you ask, no, I will not harm the girl. This is a diplomatic matter between nations. I am not here to start a war.’
Ferius gave a snort. ‘Then maybe you ought to tell Janucha to leave her experiments alone, because that’s what’s got everybody up in arms.’
Zavera’s upper lip curled. ‘Mine is a small country, Argosi, with a small population. Our people are peaceful, their pursuits noble. They love art and beauty, they explore far lands and trade with any who wish to do so. The Gitabrians turn their minds to invention, to creation. They know little of intrigue or war. They don’t understand violence.’ She inched closer until she was nose-to-nose with Ferius. ‘They have me for that.’
I’ve always found it remarkable that Ferius not only stands up to intimidation, but can seem completely oblivious to it. She lit her smoking reed and took a puff from it. ‘See? More speeches. More poetry. The words you’re looking for are, “Hey, Argosi. Get the hell out of my town.”’
Zavera turned to me and gave a small bow. ‘You have the thanks of the people of Gitabria. Your name will forever be spoken with admiration and gratitude.’ When she stood up again, she smiled at Ferius without a trace of mirth. ‘Now, Argosi, get the hell out of my town.’
‘See? Not so hard.’ Ferius reached up a hand and tipped her hat to the spymaster. ‘Evening, servadi.’ Then she turned and walked down the hall to the stairs, leaving me to follow.
‘What was that all about?’ I asked Ferius as we stepped out onto the stone veranda.
She leaned on the railing and stared out at the gorge. Her smoking reed slipped from her hand to slowly drift down to the ships below. ‘That woman really sets my blood to boiling. Can’t say for sure why, but she surely does.’
‘So what now? She just told us to get out of the country and we still don’t know why that mechanical bird is so important.’ I hesitated before asking my next question, in part because it felt like a slight to Feri
us. ‘What makes you so certain that a war is coming?’
‘Because it is.’ She reached into her waistcoat for another smoking reed but her hand came away empty. ‘Darn it. Should’ve asked Altariste to whip me up some smoking reeds as a reward, seeing as how we’re not likely to get anything better at this point.’ She let out a long breath, which made her wince in pain. She took a deck of cards from one of the pockets inside her waistcoat and handed it to me.
‘These are just your regular deck,’ I said, a little disappointed. ‘The ones with the shields for the Daroman and the chalices for the Berabesq and such.’
‘Those are the cards that matter,’ she replied. ‘For all the nonsense of discordances and such, what you’re holding in your hand is what tells us that war is coming.’
I riffled through the cards, noting the images of different roles within each culture. Instinctively I lingered longer on the suit of spells of course, because those represented my people. But each suit had its own set of names and structures. General of Shields was one of the face cards of the Daroman suit. Beggar of Chalices was one of the Berabesq cards. I’d never really spent a lot of time just looking at Ferius’s Argosi deck. Something about it had always bothered me.
‘What do you see?’ she asked.
I couldn’t quite put it into words. It was almost on the tip of my tongue, as if my brain knew but couldn’t find the words to describe it. In a way the cards reminded me of the powders in my pouches – inert on their own, but whenever I put them together … ‘It’s not because of some event,’ I said suddenly. ‘This war you and the other Argosi think is coming, it comes from the very structure of each of our cultures. It’s as if the way our countries work, they almost can’t help but be in opposition to one another.’
Ferius nodded. ‘Leave tinder out in the sun long enough and all you need …’
‘Is a spark,’ I finished for her. ‘Then that’s—’
She tapped the top of the deck. ‘Pick a card, kid. Any card.’
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