by Peter Newman
‘Nonsense! We will see this through, save House Sapphire from itself and annoy Priyamvada in the process, and look fabulous while doing it.’ She frowned. ‘How is my face looking? Be honest?’
‘They’ve covered the bruises and I can only see the swelling up close.’
‘That will have to do. Shall we?’
The door was opened, and the two of them climbed out, her dress and his jacket so long that servants carried the ends of them to keep them from the dirt. At her nod, they unfurled a banner of seven colours – purple, black, blue, violet, red, white, green – and marched behind them with it. It made clear that they came as representatives of all the houses joined together rather than just Tanzanite.
People hushed as they passed, and Pari approved of this. She did not look at them, keeping her eyes forward and her mind on the future. A servant, rather than Rochant himself, came to welcome them, and led them into the keep. A rather unnecessary number of guards were in evidence inside, and she wondered if they were for her benefit. In fact they were so ubiquitous that when she passed a corridor without any, it invited comment.
‘What’s wrong with that hallway?’
‘I beg your pardon, Lady Pari?’
She stopped. Arkav and his staff stopped, and, a step later, their escort stopped. When she was sure she had their attention, she gestured lazily towards it. ‘That hallway there. Does it not deserve protection too?’
‘Ah, that has been cleared for the Bringers of Endless Order to use, as is tradition.’
‘Marvellous,’ she replied, and started down it. When she began to walk, so too did Lord Arkav and his staff.
‘Lady Pari, I’m afraid I cannot allow you to go that way. Lady Pari, I must insist … Lady Pari! Lord Arkav! Please! Come back!’
She smiled as his protests grew fainter. ‘It’s good to know,’ she said to Arkav, ‘that people are still more afraid of the Bringers than they are of their Sapphire masters.’
When they had left their escort far behind them she came to a stop and dismissed the staff. ‘Go back to the main corridor and wait for word that the Bringers have left, then return to us here.’
To her surprise, she found that Arkav was smiling. ‘Are you doing this just to upset the Sapphire or are you planning something?’
She smiled back. ‘Yes.’
‘Did you see their faces when you brought out the banner?’
‘I did.’
‘They’re scared, Pari.’
‘So they should be.’
He thought about this for a while. ‘No. They shouldn’t. This isn’t right. Don’t you see? The people out there aren’t scared of us. They’re scared for us, and what we might make Yadavendra do.’
‘We’re not going to make Yadavendra do anything.’
Arkav raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re lying again.’
Pari wasn’t sure what to say to that.
They hadn’t been waiting long when the Bringers of Endless Order came round the corner. As always, there were seven of them, all identically garbed in black and white robes, all masked, all carrying golden wands. They came to a stop before her and looked at the two of them, their green eyes expectant.
‘They don’t look happy,’ whispered Arkav.
‘Tell me something I don’t know.’
‘I don’t think it’s anything to do with us.’
She wondered how he knew, but didn’t question it. In his better days Arkav had a knack for seeing the truth in people. It was one of things that made him such a good ambassador for the house.
‘Lord Arkav—’ said the lead Bringer.
‘And Lady Pari—’ said another.
‘Tanzanite,’ echoed the others.
‘How unexpected,’ finished the first.
How do they talk in time like that? she wondered. Is it a trick? A power? Do they practise in their rooms all the time? There was too much about the Bringers she did not know, which made what she was about to attempt all the more a gamble.
She and Arkav bowed.
‘I apologize for ambushing you like this, but given that you’re here, I was hoping we could talk.’
The lead Bringer gave a slight nod.
‘Thank you. My brother and I have been tasked to bring Yadavendra, High Lord of the Sapphire before the Council of High Lords. He has ignored all summonses so far.’
‘This, we know,’ replied the Bringers.
‘Twice now, he has broken tradition, and I fear he will break with it again when we see him. But if you were to invite him to the Hall of Seven Doors, he could not ignore it.’
There was a pause.
‘You have slept long, child of the Tanzanite. You have missed much. We made invitation to Yadavendra six years ago.’
‘And he didn’t come?’
A look was shared among the Bringers. ‘He has not yet graced us with either reply or his presence.’
‘Then why haven’t you taken action?’
‘It is not our place to interfere in the business of the living. But when the time comes we will do … nothing.’
‘Nothing?’ Her first instinct was to be angry, but then she noticed the way they were staring at her and thought about it. They mean that literally. She exchanged a look with Arkav, and he nodded in understanding. They’re saying that when Yadavendra dies, they won’t bring him back! That’s how they will deal with this. She thought about it some more and quickly got angry again. ‘But that will be too late! I’ve heard about the situation at House Ruby. They cannot wait for Yadavendra to die, nor for House Sapphire to pull itself together.’
‘We cannot interfere. To do so would be to upset the balance.’
‘The balance is long past upset. It’s furious! It’s running around and setting things on fire!’
‘Pari,’ warned Arkav.
She went on, determined to make her point. ‘As we speak, people are dying. And I’m no seer, but I am confident that it’s going to get a lot worse if we don’t stop Yadavendra immediately.’
‘Then stop him,’ they replied. ‘That is your task, not ours.’
They seemed unmoved, her words unable to touch their strange hearts. She bowed again and said as politely as she could, ‘I am sorry for wasting your time.’
The lead Bringer waved away her apology. ‘We are all rich in time here, but we are wondering when you will raise the real reason for this meeting.’
‘I don’t understand.’
They all looked from her, to Arkav and back again, their eyes flashing unnaturally. ‘You understand.’
Pari conceded the point with a tilt of her head. ‘When we are between lives, our souls drift in another place. Is it possible to go there without dying?’
The Bringers were now giving her their full attention. ‘It is.’
‘Then I wish to make that journey. How do I get there?’
‘Below this castle, below every castle, are the fountains of essence that the Deathless ride. If you were to dive into the fountain, and fly against the currents, you would pass beneath the rock of this world and into another place. That is where the soul goes between lives.’
‘And if I wanted to find a particular soul, would it matter which place I went in?’
The Bringers did not answer.
‘They have no idea,’ said Arkav.
‘That is a simplistic answer,’ replied the lead Bringer, ‘and as with any simplification, it distorts truth.’
‘Will you enlighten us?’ asked Pari.
‘In that place, up is no longer up. Distance is irrelevant. Maps are meaningless. Would it matter where you entered it? Perhaps. Perhaps not.’
‘I’m going to go there. Will you help me?’
‘That depends on why you wish to go.’
Pari hesitated. She had feared they would ask this. To tell them the truth would place Arkav at risk of being branded an abomination. But to lie to the Bringers was a crime. To lie to their faces was insanity.
‘My reasons are my own. But perhaps we could
come to some arrangement? What can I do in exchange for your help?’
The Bringers said nothing. It soon became clear this was not a pause, but a reply in and of itself. They’re not interested, thought Pari, and began to despair.
‘She wants to go for my sake,’ said Arkav.
Pari turned sharply towards him. ‘Don’t. We know where to start, we can work out the rest on our own.’
One of the Bringers at the back of the group snorted.
‘Imagine if our situations were reversed, Pari. Would you let me do this without help? Without even knowing the risks?’
She pouted. ‘No.’
‘Would you let me die for you?’
She felt the urge to cry but pushed it down. ‘No.’
‘Then I have to tell them. It’s our best chance.’ He broke eye contact with her to address the Bringers directly. ‘When I am reborn, a part of me doesn’t come back. Pari saw it when she was between lives. She wants to go and get it. To make me whole again.’
Pari felt their attention move swiftly to her. ‘You remember your time between lives?’
‘Not all of it. Snatches. And, I think I’ve seen Arkav there more than once. The memories are hard to hold onto though. It’s like trying to recall a dream.’
The Bringers formed a circle that excluded them and began to whisper amongst themselves. Pari didn’t need to be able to make out the words to know they were having an argument.
At one point, two of the Bringers came over to stare at Arkav. They moved their wands up and down his body, studying the way the light played on his skin, then they returned to the others and the whispers continued.
‘You seem very calm about this,’ Pari murmured to her brother. ‘I’m jealous.’
‘For the longest time, I’ve been lost, and I haven’t even been able to say why. At least now, thanks to you, I know that something will happen.’
‘Even if it means the end of your life?’
‘Look at me, Pari. This isn’t living, it’s suffering. I’d rather die than go on this way. I’m sick of letting House Tanzanite down, and I’m sick of being a thing that you or the High Lord have to look after. I’ve had enough of pity.’ He gave a short, sharp shake of his head. ‘I don’t want to be a burden any more.’
She took his hands. ‘You know I’ve never seen you that way.’
‘I know, and I love you for it. But it isn’t enough.’
He kept hold of her hands while they waited. When they broke their circle, a different Bringer stepped forward to speak with them. Despite the identical dress, Pari could see that this one was of stouter build and, she was fairly sure, female, where the last had been male.
‘Do you have your armour with you?’
‘We both do,’ Pari replied.
‘Good. When you have discharged your duty with the Sapphire, meet me on the edge of the chasm beneath Lord Rochant’s castle. Come after sunsset.’
Pari nodded. ‘You’re going to help us?’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you.’
The Bringer’s eyes widened. ‘You may not wish to thank me when this is over.’
‘Why are you helping us?’ asked Arkav. She saw he was looking at the other Bringers, some of whom had turned away. For the first time they appeared like separate clumps of people, rather than one mass. They are not all in agreement. Someone’s pride has been hurt in all this. Suns, they are no better than we are!
‘It is our role to shepherd the soul from one body to the next. In this, Lord Arkav, we have failed you. And,’ she added, a little excitement creeping into her voice, ‘such a thing has not been attempted in over a thousand years.’
Pari decided not to ask why. ‘We’ll be there.’
‘Before you come to us, you will pay your respects to the recently returned Lord Rochant, yes?’
Pari fought to keep the frown from her face. She wasn’t sure where this was going but Rochant was the last person she wanted to see. ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘It would be rude not to.’
The Bringer was already walking past her, the others following. It seemed the conversation was over. Stunned, Arkav and Pari watched them go.
‘Well,’ she remarked when they were well out of earshot, ‘I suppose that explains why nobody ever invites the Bringers to dinner.’
‘They are unhappy about Lord Rochant’s rebirth.’
‘Aren’t we all?’
Arkav ignored her sarcasm. ‘Their mood was off when they first arrived and it darkened again when his name was mentioned.’
Pari frowned. ‘They want us to go and see him. No, they want us to see something about him. But what?’
‘There’s only one way to find out.’
She gave his hand a squeeze. ‘I might need your help this time. Are you up for it?’
He squeezed back. ‘Always.’
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
There was so much on his mind that Satyendra was almost back to his own chambers before he realized his mistake. This room isn’t mine any more and Rochant has no reason to go this way. Idiot! I might as well have the word ‘imposter’ tattooed on my forehead. Luckily, he knew where Lord Rochant’s rooms were, as he’d been taken there in the past as part of the alignment process. None of his entourage questioned the sudden change in direction. After all, a little disorientation was to be expected after a rebirth.
It struck him that, in a way, his life would not change that much. He’d still be pretending most of the time, and if people found out the truth about him, he’d still be destroyed. However, in one very big way, things had changed: for as long as he could convince people that he was Lord Rochant, he had all the powers of a Deathless Lord at his disposal. And he intended to make swift use of them. So, instead of resting, he turned to the most senior member of staff present. ‘What is you name?’
‘Win, my lord. Do you not remember me? I was still coming into my beard when we last met.’
Satyendra peered at him, and then feigned fondness. ‘Win? Ah yes, you were bright as I recall, full of promise.’
The man beamed. ‘You said so to my father.’
‘Indeed I did. It is pleasing to see I was right. Now, Win, I need you to summon all of my hunters, their apprentices, and the senior staff, but quietly. I don’t wish the other guests to know what we’re up to.’
‘All of them, my lord? In secret? It will be difficult. Very difficult.’
‘But not beyond your abilities.’
Win swallowed. ‘No, my lord.’
He felt like he needed time alone, but that didn’t seem a very Deathless thing to ask for, so he said: ‘I will be bathed, changed and prepared by the time you’ve gathered them.’
‘Yes, my lord.’
Win’s nerves began to stir the hunger, but were not enough to satisfy it. ‘One more thing. I wish to keep with tradition. Honoured Mother Chandni should not be disturbed today.’
He would have to face the challenge of his mother’s scrutiny at some point, but the longer he could put that off, the better.
The next hour passed pleasantly enough, as he was scrubbed, massaged, scented, combed, and painted. Then they wrapped his body in soft silks. He was careful to pick out things that matched what he’d heard of Rochant. Simple cuts, with fewer layers than the other Deathless favoured. Ahh, to never clean or dress myself again! It is no wonder the Deathless have so much energy.
He was just enjoying a moment’s peace before the meeting when a servant entered, brazen, as if they were welcome despite not having sung for permission. To his surprise it was the old hag, Roh, from the kitchens. She’d never been particularly nice to him, and he’d never liked her as a result. It didn’t help that his mother was strangely deferent to the old cook, allowing her to rule the lower castle without interference. Well, that will have to change.
He turned an imperious look in the cook’s direction. She was carrying a tray of cold meats but the portions looked far too small, mainly tails and innards, hardly appropriate for such an occasi
on. ‘What’s this?’
‘Food, my good lord,’ she said with a hearty cackle. ‘A snack for the ages.’ He had the feeling she was waiting for him to say something, but by the time he’d realized it was too late. ‘And may I say how good it is to see you returned to us once more. You’ve been sorely missed.’
‘I’m not hungry.’
‘Not hungry, he says? Just come back from the dead and he’s not hungry. Go on, my lord, just have one thing for old Roh. Just one.’
She held out the tray and before he could think to dismiss her, he found himself considering the options.
‘How about a nice bit of bird liver?’ she said, tilting the tray to one side. ‘Or I’ve got fried tongue here, Lizardkin and Dogkin, thin and thick. Nothing better than a crispy bit of tongue, is there, my lord?’
‘Yes, alright. I’ll take a tongue.’ Anything to get her out.
‘Oh yes, you get your teeth around that, get the blood flowing in that new body of yours.’ She gave another laugh as she trotted out. Satyendra frowned. He of all people knew a fake laugh when he heard one. He tried a nibble of the tongue anyway. It tasted of fat and little else. And on top of it all she can’t even cook! The sooner I get rid of her, the better.
Win returned shortly afterwards to declare all was ready, and the two of them went to the main receiving room. Servants were busy preparing it for the celebratory feast. Three additional tables had been added, long and low, with chairs around the top end, and thick cushions towards the bottom.
Upon his entrance, everyone bowed deeply. He let them stay like that as he crossed the room, and took his place on the throne. My throne.
He gestured for them to stand and they moved together, as surely as if he had pulled their strings. A childish urge to make them do it again – to sit or stand on his command, to dance – rose and was put aside. ‘It is good to be with you again, my people.’ He saw them straighten. ‘As you know, our enemies have tried to come between us. What you may not know is that they have done so again.’
Shock passed around the room, then anger, then fear. He took a moment to drink it in. ‘There is a spy amongst us, profiting from our trust.’ He let his gaze rest over Pik, long enough to make him squirm. Oh, I am going to enjoy this.