“Why don't you just shut up?” Aelle said.
“Who are you talking to?” Ilaan asked. It was the first time he'd spoken in several days, and the effort made him cough. She handed him a cup of water for his parched throat. “Thank you.”
“Are you back?” she asked. It was considered rude to behave as she had—insisting on talking to a person who traveled on the path of grief. Convention dictated that such a person exile themselves, to spare their loved ones from their own pain, for as long as necessary. If these had been normal circumstances, Ilaan might have locked himself in his room, or traveled to a place outside the city walls until he could compose his appearance. But nothing about this was normal.
“I seem to be,” he said. He looked like himself, she thought. Like a picture of himself with the life not yet painted in. “Please tell Mother I'll remain here for the time being. And she shouldn't worry.”
Aelle smiled. “She will, though. Listen, I've been thinking.”
“Yes, I know. About blame. And shutting up. What was that about, anyway? Hearing voices?”
“In a way. It's nothing, forget it.” She wedged the last of the food squares between a cheap silver cup and a tightly rolled gaudzh and tied the pack shut. “I'm going back, I'll be leaving at first moonrise. Mother will need me at the house, and I'll be able to keep an eye on Father.” There. She'd mentioned him. She waited to see what her brother would do.
After a while, he said, “Why?”
“Well, he's on the Seat, he's got that poor little girl . . . don't you think I ought to?”
He shrugged. She tried not to wring the pack handles into knots. “What do you think I should do?”
He looked up at her. “I guess I just don't care.”
She decided to let the wind blow the rest of it out. “And Rhuun and Maaya - I will also be able to watch and see what they do.” She and Leef had seen the pair off a few days before, heading for the city, aiming for Father. She had remained behind, knowing Ilaan couldn’t carry his grief alone. “I should catch them quickly enough. After all, he won't be able to travel as fast as she can. I imagine the first thing they'll do is confront Father and try and take the girl away from him. He's got the Zaal at his side, but with Maaya…the way she is, even the Zaal may not be enough. Um, you know Maaya may strike out at Father.” She watched him closely for a blink, a flicker, anything.
“How lucky. We won’t have to.” He was staring listlessly at the wall again.
She sighed. “Mother Jaa will see to you. I'll contact you as soon as I get home. I'm going to practice shimmering my way across the sand. Isn't that funny? That I finally have a reason to try . . .” Her voice faded. “I'll see you before I leave. Get some rest.”
She left him as she'd found him, blank-eyed and silent. Perhaps he wasn't all the way back.
There weren't any walls in this place, that was the problem. If there had been proper walls instead of constantly moving silk curtains, you could get your bearings, you could even lean against one of them until you had the strength to keep walking. As it was, she stopped and stood with her head bowed in the middle of the corridor, steps from Ilaan's room.
If Maaya murders Father, that's another one you can take the credit for. Why, you are a warrior in secret, with so many deaths to your name! How clever you were, going to Father with your ‘concerns’ about Rhoosa and the night café. All dead, now! New Self sounded very enthusiastic. The heat on her face dried her tears as soon as they fell. She balled her fists. Stop, she told herself. Please, stop. I don't want to be New Self anymore. It's not all anyone's fault. But it is partly mine. I'm sorry Rhoosa. I'm sorry Niico. I'm sorry.
She turned and pushed the curtain of Ilaan's room open. He looked up at her.
“Ilaan, I have something to tell you. About something I did.”
She talked for a long time; about Rhuun and Rhoosa, about how she was foolish and jealous, about how she’d led Father to the night café, how Rhoosa had given up Thayree, and how it had all led finally, somehow, to Niico. When she was done, she sat and waited for Ilaan to react. It was a long wait.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I'm afraid I wasn't really listening. I'm sure whatever you were talking about is blown sand by now. Maybe you should let the wind take it, so you don't have to carry it around anymore. But like I said, I wasn't really paying attention. Anyway, shouldn't you be practicing your shimmering and flying out on the sand? It's getting late.”
“We'll talk soon,” she promised him. She hoisted her pack and shimmered off into the desert, neither Old nor New but merely herself.
Chapter Twelve
Eriis
“. . . and if you send someone to the Crosswinds, they're gone forever. They must be very bad indeed, if they go there.”
“I know where it is.” Thayree yawned and rubbed her eyes.
This surprised Yuenne, for though he had made the Crosswinds the focus of his lectures (along with reminders that those inside the Arch were superior to those outside it) she hadn't mentioned this. “Who told you where they were?”
“My Gamma. Mommy was mad at her for telling, but I wasn't supposed to know she was mad. Can I have Dolly back?”
Yuenne sighed and handed the doll back to Thayree. He'd promised her that if she was good and paid attention to her lessons she could have the raggedy thing back, but he supposed there was a limit to how much such a small child could absorb. He tried to recall Aelle at that age. Surely, she'd been clever? Not as brilliant as her brother, and not as gifted as this child, but clever. She must have been.
“You know her mother just contradicts everything you say once she's got her alone.” Yu spared a glance at Hollen, who was working on his 'elegant indifference' as he lounged on a chair in the corner of the High Seat Hall. It came off as sullen. Now there was a poor student. He regretted pulling the young man into his confidence, but he had, after all, given up several of his friends—Niico chief among them. At moments like this, Yu wished Niico had turned out better. But sand trash couldn't be transformed, no matter how you polished it, no matter how much the old king fancied its mother. He sighed again.
“Yes. Speaking of, why don't you take our little Thayree back to her mother's quarters? I think we've had enough lessons for one day.”
The young man rose slowly and laboriously to his feet, his expression betraying his belief that this task was, perhaps, beneath him. “Maybe later we can talk about Aelle, and when you expect her to return.”
Aelle was a constant in Hollen's mind, the reward for his act of betrayal. Or heroism, depending which side of the Arch you stood. Yu knew perfectly well his daughter would laugh in the boy's face if he tried to claim his prize. He suspected she'd grown into the sort of young lady who would not hesitate to disobey her father, should he instruct her on what was expected of her. That she had withdrawn from society to mourn her friend was correct, but that she hadn't told him where she'd gone was troubling. He suspected Siia's influence. Well, Hollen didn't know that. He'd fed him enough half-truths and vague promises to keep him satisfied, at least for the time being.
Hollen frowned at the girl. “Let's get—”
“I'm going to see my mommy,” she announced with her tiny nose in the air. She marched past Hollen, and with a look of disgust he followed after her.
Yu smiled. Even though she could be flighty and had the attention span of a jumpmouse, he had grown quite fond of Thayree. She carried herself like a little princess, and even as small as she was she managed to compose her face better than Hollen.
“Power in that one, Counselor.” The Zaal had crept out of wherever he spent his days to murmur in Yuenne's ear. “What will we use her for, I wonder?”
“We won't use her for anything, and you'd best leave that line of thought in the sand,” he snapped. In his new court of smilers, pouters, and slitherers, he sometimes thought the girl was the best Eriis had to offer. Well, he supposed he ought to thank Aelle for the gift of the girl as well, since once she turned over Rho
osa she finally had no choice but to talk about her talented little cousin. “There must be others like her out there, past the Arch, maybe at the Edge.”
“Like her how? Rude and spoiled?”
As usual, the Zaal missed the bigger picture. Yuenne wondered if his years in the dark had left him unable to see such things.
“Like her, unusually gifted. Prodigies. I'm thinking it's no longer enough to suggest people serve the Council. There ought to be some sort of incentive to come forward.” Thayree's mother was a fine example. Even after it was plain she'd been hiding her daughter's talents, even after it came to light that without the girl's ability the prince would never have escaped, even then there was no talk of retribution. Kaaya was moved from her little house near the market and now lived inside the palace itself, where the Council could keep a close eye on mother and daughter. Kaaya had little to say in her own defense, and nothing to say about her child's new lessons. Kaaya was no fool.
“Or punishment if they fail to. Good of the kingdom and all that.” The Zaal brightened at the thought. “I might be able to put something together to assist.”
The Zaal had relocated from Ilaan's airy tower room to an entire suite below the main floor of the palace, calling it his 'new Raasth', and had populated it with a few stray Mages left over from the disaster of the old one. He complained about the new space just as he had about the tower, although he said he was particularly happy there were no windows to board over. Yu had observed that Siia had the ashboard panels removed from Ilaan's room (it wasn't Ilaan's room any more than it was Yuenne's house, he knew) and this gave him a bitter sort of satisfaction. He supposed that between Siia and the Zaal, he would side with Siia, even if neither of them appreciated what he was trying to do for Eriis. For the millionth time, Yu wished Ilaan had fallen in line, because as it stood he had no eyes on the Zaal at all. He didn't think the nasty creature had set his sights on the High Seat, but certainly something was going on down there. He wondered if, somewhere out on the Edge, there might be someone he could put forward to replace the Zaal once and for all. Inside the Arch the sentiment ran in his favor—the missing Queen was always reckless (and more than likely dead, rest her now) and her son obviously unacceptable—but even they would rise against him if he brought down the Zaal with no one to replace him.
Outside the Arch they still talked as if the prince would bring back the rain, but as long as that unfortunate young man remained missing, they could talk until the moons fell in the sand. He recalled instructing Hellne on controlling the narrative. She'd certainly taken that idea and flown with it. If she'd only confided in him when it might have made a difference. He gave a sigh.
“Oh, before I forget, you'll receive a visitor today. More than one, in fact.” The Zaal had a look of satisfaction Yuenne had come to dislike.
“Is that the end of your message? Is it Wind? Or perhaps Light comes to chat, on a chariot of seven flaming jumpmice…”
“As big as houses. Yes, that would be a sight, coming up through the Arch. No, as it happens, it's the prince and his woman. They'll be here soon.” Yu rarely was caught without words. “Thought you might like to know. In case you wanted to lay out the good silver cups.”
“And how long have you known this?” It was possible the Zaal had only just learned, or seen, or whatever he did down there to come by this knowledge and had not been biding his time. The important thing was not to appear too grateful. “It doesn't matter. If the boy is here we shall receive him. Even if the High Seat is no longer in his family's possession, he should be treated properly.”
The Zaal snickered. “You think he's here on a social call? He's brought that grotesque human with him - don't be fooled by her Eriisai face like you were last time. Best bring up your finest warriors. Ah, look. Here comes one now.”
Hollen, with one foot inside the Hall, looked from face to face, confused.
“Get Thayree,” said Yuenne. At Hollen's expression, he added, “Now.” The man turned and vanished down the corridor.
“So you'll use her after all. On Mistra they'd call her a 'human shield.' Clever. Might even work. Well, best of luck to you.” The Zaal turned to leave.
“Scorping coward. Afraid of the human woman.”
“So are you, Counselor. You wouldn't be standing behind that child if you weren't. And I have more important things to attend to than the games you're playing. Inside the Arch, outside—it's grains of sand to me.”
He desperately wanted the Zaal to continue, to shed a light on his agenda, but the older man gathered his robes and with a nod shimmered out of the room, ignoring his own injunction against the rudeness of such an act. He is afraid, thought Yu. He was strangely excited. If he could remove the woman, he'd have the blood of the prince to dispense as he saw fit. It might even lure Ilaan home, if he made it clear Ilaan's presence was the key to his friend's well-being. It began to fall into place in his mind; he'd have his replacement for the Zaal, he'd control the prince, and perhaps even Siia would see things differently. Surely Aelle would quickly follow her brother home. He wondered if he could get Thayree to deliver the human to the Crosswinds without losing or harming the child herself. He called for his household guard to keep the door to the High Seat Hall closed no matter what once they'd parted to let Hollen and Thayree back in.
“Mommy says it's not your turn anymore.” The little girl, dressed in her sleeping smock, looked out of sorts and cross.
“When you're training this one, you might want to include a session on minding one's mouth.” Hollen looked equally ill-humored.
“Both of you, quiet. Hollen, over there.” He pointed at a spot next to the entrance. “You, come here.” He half-dragged Thayree to sit on the steps near his feet.
There was a tense, quiet moment.
“What are we waiting for?” Thayree demanded.
“Someone bad is coming. You may think they are your friends, but they aren't. If they try to harm me, your mother is next.” She began to cry. Despite the danger, Yu felt like a fool. “No, stop that. Your mother will be fine. But if you want to make sure, you must protect me. Remember what we said about the Crosswinds.”
“Protect you from what?” asked Hollen. “What's going on?”
There was a loud sizzling noise and some shouting from the hallway. The door opened.
“Excellent question.”
Rhuun was merely dusty. Maaya, who stood at his side, had blood on her clothing and her hands. Yu suspected it was not her own, particularly since the hallway had turned quiet.
“Prince Rhuun. Have you turned on your own people? What would your mother say?” The look of disgust on his face was not manufactured.
“No one's dead, if that's what you mean.” The woman actually spoke ahead of the prince, as if she belonged there. “Mostly some fire. It convinced them.” She looked at Thayree. “Hi Sweetheart. Hey, why are you crying?”
“Don’t talk to her, she doesn't belong to you.” The girl began to wail again, more loudly. There, the human had scared her. That was the first step. “She's not your friend, not you or your mother.”
“Everyone stop talking,” Thayree wailed. “It's too loud.”
“Yuenne, you've outdone yourself. Frightening children. Well, I was scared of you at that age, too.” The prince moved closer. Hollen took a step towards him, and the woman held out her hand without even looking Hollen's way. It was on fire. Not a nice, normal flame, but a white-blue star too bright to look at. It crawled around her arm like a living thing and strained in Hollen's direction. He stepped back, and the prince continued. “I know about Niico. And Rhoosa. I understand Daala is missing. You've been busy.”
“Someone has to run this city, since you're off playing with the humans. Where is your mother, anyway? Dead, most likely.”
At hearing 'dead' and 'mother' uttered in the same breath, Thayree wailed even louder. “Stop talking!”
Yu took the child by the arm. “See her? See Maaya? She wants to hurt your mother. Take he
r to that place we talked about.” Thayree screamed and put her hands over her ears.
“I'm here to take back the Seat, Yuenne. Let that child alone and go back to Siia. Maybe she'll open the door for you.” Rhuun nodded at Maaya. Her eyes were blank as a clouded sky and red as the blood on her tunic. Both of her hands were aflame, and she advanced on Yuenne.
“She'll burn us up,” Yu told Thayree. “Take her away, put her where she can't hurt you or your mother.”
She flung his hand off her shoulder and again screamed, “Everyone stop talking! It's too loud here!” But she cowered against his leg, afraid of Maaya's fire.
The prince could see the fear in the child as well, and he stepped in front of Maaya. Yuenne wondered if he thought he could control her. As if to answer the question, Maaya gave a shrug, and Rhuun flew backwards. She didn’t even have to lift a hand. He was more convinced than ever: she had to be removed. Rhuun collided with Hollen, who took the opportunity to grab the prince's arms and yank them behind his back. He was strong, even if he was more than a head shorter, and the prince hissed with pain as the fire in Hollen's hands burned through his sleeves.
“I've got him,” Hollen said, and Yu watched as Maaya turned back towards them. She twitched her head; Hollen's flame changed direction and began to travel up his own arms. He let out a yell and let go of the prince, trying without success to beat the smoldering fabric out with his hands.
While she was occupied with her prince, Yu took a breath and pulled Thayree to her feet. “Maaya,” he said. She turned back. He showed her his True Face.
What had he expected? That she would flee in fear from a true demon of Eriis? That she would change her face herself and they would do battle? That she would fall to her knees and beg him to let the child go? She smiled and raised her other hand, flicking the fingers as if shaking drops of water. His True Face, his weapon, withered and died. She had one palm facing Hollen, who had finally extinguished himself and cowered in the corner, and had the fingers of her other hand pointed at him. Both hands continued to burn with a blue-white flame.
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