The Ruthless

by Peter Newman

  Rochant took Arkav’s hand and kissed it, and they stared at each other. There was something in the air between them, something she now realized had not been present a moment ago, when it was her turn. Does Arkav have a complicated history with Rochant too? Impossible! I’d have known about it. One of them would have told me. But looking at the two of them gazing into each other’s eyes, she felt a stab of doubt.

  To break the spell and nip the sudden growth of uncomfortable feelings in the bud, Pari spoke: ‘It is so good to see you back, my dear, and in such rude health. House Sapphire has been in a terrible mess since you were gone.’

  With what seemed like genuine reluctance, he released Arkav’s hand. ‘Things will be better now.’

  ‘Regardless,’ said Arkav, ‘we still have to discharge our duty. High Lord Sapphire must come with us.’

  ‘Is that why you’re here? You hope to turn me against my High Lord?’

  Pari ran her finger along one of the paintings as she replied, something Rochant normally couldn’t abide, as it left a stain on the glass. ‘Nothing so dramatic. We merely wished to see our dear friend once more. Tomorrow will be unpleasant, that doesn’t mean tonight has to be. This isn’t personal.’

  ‘If you say so,’ replied Rochant.

  Nothing! Not a flicker. He didn’t even care about the painting. She decided to test him further, letting her finger come to a rest under the subject’s chin. A weathered-looking woman in her last years, with pale road-born features. It was an ugly painting, but one she remembered Rochant was particularly fond of. ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I haven’t seen this one before. Are people sending gifts already?’

  ‘Yes, you’re not the first to surprise me today.’

  It was strange. There was no sense of the lie in his features. He spoke with all of Rochant’s calm, but she had him now. This was what the Bringers wanted me to see. This proves that the note spoke true, and that the author is privy to my affair with Rochant, but knows nothing of my break from him.

  ‘Well,’ she said, ‘tomorrow is fast approaching, and promises to be both long and tiring. We must get what rest we can. Good night.’

  They returned to Arkav’s room in silence, neither speaking until the servants were dismissed again. ‘That was interesting,’ said Pari.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It isn’t him.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘He’s quick though. Could it be that their High Lord has raised him as a new Deathless to replace Rochant? It seems illogical but this is Yadavendra we’re talking about.’ She poked him on the arm. ‘And what about you? What was going on between you two? I swear you’d have been teasing each other’s tongues if I hadn’t been there.’

  ‘I … it’s difficult to put into words.’

  ‘Now I really have to know.’

  ‘At first, I couldn’t see him at all. His face was a mask and his words were … untethered.’

  ‘I don’t follow?’

  ‘I couldn’t link them to him, to his heart. I couldn’t tell if his feelings were behind them or not. But then, when he was close, I saw him.’ Arkav looked past her and his pupils dilated, as if he were reliving the moment. ‘There is an emptiness inside him. A need that is constantly being held back. A hunger. Yes. I saw him, and he saw me. It was like looking into a mirror of the broken bits of myself.’ He gave her a shy look. ‘I like him.’

  ‘Sometimes, Arkav, and I say this with great fondness, I am convinced you will be the final death of me. Putting aside your feelings, important as they no doubt are, we’ve agreed this man is not Lord Rochant Sapphire. He might be Deathless, he might not. Either way, we need to let Lord Vasin know without drawing attention to ourselves. Preferably before tomorrow’s business.’

  ‘I take it you have a plan?’

  ‘No. But I will have by morning, count on it.’

  The suns were only just starting to rise as Chandni finished her morning preparations. Tradition had been served and, as much as she knew she should probably wait, she could not bear it any longer. She would pay her respects to Lord Rochant, and then put her fate in his hands.

  The last piece of the mosaic sat on her dressing table. It was a lower middle piece, and depicted the linked hands of the people in the picture. As she peered closer she could see that clasped between their fingers was a miniature version of the same mosaic, the picture partly replicated again inside itself. She wanted to get out the other pieces and finally complete the image but it seemed wrong to do so before she had seen her lord.

  It took her longer than usual to get ready. Being nervous did not sit well with her perfectionism. A hand she couldn’t feel didn’t help either. Luckily she had planned for all of these things, and allowed plenty of time to cater for her foibles.

  She was surprised to hear one of the young lads from the kitchens singing for entrance. She quickly hid the mosaic piece as he came in with some fruit and fish, and set in on her bedside table.

  ‘What’s this?’

  ‘Cook wasn’t sure if you’d be up for leaving your room today so she asked me to bring this up.’

  Chandni couldn’t recall the last time she’d eaten but her stomach was wound far too tight to even consider breakfast. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘And please pass my thanks to Roh.’

  ‘She asked for you to come down and see her, as soon as you were able.’ He rubbed at his ear and pulled a face.

  ‘Did you hurt yourself?’

  ‘Oh,’ he froze, and then unable to lie, looked at the floor. ‘That was cook, she said it was important that I tell you to go down, and she clipped my ear so I wouldn’t forget.’

  ‘She clipped your ear preemptively?’

  ‘Yes, Honoured Mother. Said it was a taste of what I’d get if I actually forgot.’

  Chandni frowned, not exactly approving, but not wanting to challenge Roh’s authority either. ‘I see. Tell her I’ll make time later, though I’m not sure when.’

  ‘Yes, Honoured Mother.’

  She checked her appearance one last time before setting out. The castle would be slow to wake today, she knew, which suited as there was not an ounce of smalltalk in her. The familiar twist and turn of the corridors took her to Lord Rochant’s chambers. She noted Zax and another of Yadavendra’s hunters by the stairs and two of her guards by the door. All four looked tired, no doubt they had been there all night.

  The morning shift are slow to arrive. I must have a word with the guard captain about that.

  She ignored the hunters and asked the guards if she might enter. After a short discussion she was allowed inside. To her surprise, Lord Rochant was still in bed.

  She bowed deeply. ‘My apologies, my lord. I’ll come back later.’

  ‘M—Honoured Mother Chandni? No. Wait. I’m awake now. What did you want?’

  ‘Two things, my lord. To see you with my own eyes and know you are returned to us. That is the most important thing of all.’ He was back. He was truly back. In her heart, she rejoiced. All of my sacrifice, and my Satyendra’s sacrifice, was worth it to see this.

  ‘And the second?’

  ‘There are things you must know, my lord. Things I did to protect your vessel and restore you to life.’

  He sat up. For a moment she thought there was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes but no, it was just the sunslight reflecting through the window. ‘I am listening.’

  ‘When the assassins came at your last rebirth, Satyendra was the only Honoured Vessel to survive. I fled with him into the Wild, and to survive there, to make sure he survived, I …’ She forced herself to keep looking at him ‘… broke your laws.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I made compact with the Wild. Once to keep myself alive, and a second time to keep my son alive. I intended to confess when we returned, but my son was sick, and I feared that without me, he would die. He struggled sometimes, but I helped him, and in the end, he overcame the taint of the Wild and brought you back to us.’

  ‘You made two deals with the
Wild?’

  She lowered her head. ‘Yes, my lord.’

  ‘What were they exactly?’

  ‘The first was with a Hunger Tree. It saved me from the assassin’s poison and in return it took the nails from my middle finger and thumb on my right hand. They’ve never grown back.’ She showed him her gloved hands. ‘I’ve kept them covered ever since.

  ‘The second deal was for the Wild to protect Satyendra. I sacrificed the life of another in exchange for his. She was an exiled woman called Fiya, whose family had served our house long ago. She turned on us and I … did what I had to to protect your line. I don’t know which demon accepted Fiya’s body, but I know that one did.’

  ‘You killed someone, gave them to the Wild, so that a demon would protect your son?’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’

  ‘Is that why he was sick?’

  ‘I don’t know. So much happened to us there. A Whispercage tried to steal him. Perhaps its touch infected him. Or perhaps he caught something in the Wild. Forgive me, my lord, I hate to think that it might have been my actions that made Satyendra sick, but it is possible.

  ‘May I ask if you have felt strange since your return, my lord? Satyendra had an allergy to the castle’s sapphires, and resonant crystal could blister his skin.’

  ‘No. Any sickness your child had was purged when my soul returned.’

  She put her hands to her chest. ‘That is such good news. I had hoped but was concerned.’

  ‘Does anyone else know of your crimes?’

  She thought about Varg. He knew, and she doubted he would have told anyone else. But giving his name could place him in danger. She squeezed her hands together, aware that the nails on her left were digging into the skin on her right, but feeling nothing. ‘No, my lord.’ In this one thing, I will fail my house. I owe Varg that much.

  ‘Honoured Mother, your actions have doubtless saved my life, and for that, I, and House Sapphire, will always be grateful.’ When she looked up she found he was watching her, waiting to catch her eye. ‘However, you have broken our sacred trust and that cannot be ignored. After all, my people look upon you as a bastion of the house. You are an example to them. Let you be so in death as you have been in life.’

  The breath stopped in her throat. She had feared this, expected it even, but to hear it was something else. I deserve this. I do. And yet I feel angry. Cheated. I must not let it show.

  ‘Deathless,’ Rochant continued, ‘Sky-born, and road-born, all can rise by their action, and all can fall. You will go from my castle and you will enter the Wild. There, you will bring your life to an end. You will make two deep cuts in your flesh, one for each transgression, and then you will walk until the demons take you.

  ‘In recognition of your service, we will keep this between us. History will know only the good that you have done. Like your son, they will remember what you achieved rather than the mistakes along the way.’

  She felt dizzy, the blood rushing through her head, but she found the presence of mind to bow. ‘Thank you.’

  He got out of bed and crossed the room, putting his arms around her. It was an unexpected honour. She tried not to shed any tears on his shoulder as he whispered into her ear, ‘I will not forget you, Honoured Mother.’

  ‘When should I go?’

  ‘Immediately.’ He rang a small bell by his bed. ‘I will have my guards escort you to the gates.’

  She blinked. It was over. After all the years of worrying and hand wringing, of keeping secrets and telling lies, it was over. She bowed again, but he was already turning back to his bed. Her last sight of him as the guards led her away was of him gripping the headboard with both hands, his body softly shaking, and for the life of her, she could not tell if he were trying to suppress sobs or laughter.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Vasin stormed through the castle, his face storm-cloud dark. He’d been in a bad mood anyway, ever since Yadva had humiliated him, and he’d had to pretend to be cowed by her. Again. And he’d been unable to sleep when he’d needed all the sleep he could get. Typical. And that had been before Lady Pari had appeared like some Wild spirit in his room to tell him about Lord Rochant.

  Her remembered words floated in his head, mostly drowned out by the internal roar of his anger. As always, she had sounded calm, as if everything were as it should be. As if she was in control. Perhaps that was what had made Vasin lose his temper. On some level he was extremely jealous of Pari’s calm. On another, he began to wonder how much of it was bluff.

  She’d told him that Lord Rochant’s rebirth had not been successful. That the man at the feast was not him. She couldn’t explain what had happened, or who knew about it, but if they were going to overcome the High Lord today, he needed to understand.

  His mood radiated ahead of him, clearing a path without need for words. When he finally reached Rochant’s room, the guards straightened in alarm. ‘Give us privacy,’ he said, and they quickly moved clear of the door.

  It was dark inside the room, its occupant still in bed. Vasin ground his teeth. Rochant is an early riser. His loud footfalls as he crossed the room soon woke the imposter up.

  ‘Who is it now? Can’t I just have a couple of hours sleep without—’

  Vasin reached the bed.

  ‘—Lord Vasin?’

  Vasin grabbed the soft silk sleeping robe and tipped its wearer onto the floor. ‘Who are you?’

  The man rolled to his feet, arms up, in a defensive stance … He lacks Rochant’s grace. This only served to make Vasin angrier. He vaulted the bed and caught the man’s hand even as it was swinging for his head, twisted the man’s arm up hard against his back, and slammed him harder still against the wall. Vasin brought his middle and index finger to the side of the man’s neck.

  ‘I will ask you one more time, imposter, and if I do not like your answer, you are dead.’

  The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think. The truth was he’d stopped thinking ever since Lady Pari started talking to him. But he started thinking now. His threat was empty. Nobody killed a Deathless in their own castle and got away with it. Especially not the child of Nidra Un-Sapphire. An act like this would destroy his hard-won reputation, not to mention usher in his last death.

  While he was thinking this, the man in his grasp began to shake. Then he began to cry, his face folding in on itself like a child’s. ‘Satyendra,’ he gasped. ‘I am Satyendra.’

  ‘The Vessel?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How is this possible?’

  ‘I don’t know. Please stop hurting me.’

  Vasin’s fingers pressed deeper into Satyendra’s neck, making him gag. Then he released the pressure but left them resting lightly against the skin. ‘What happened?’

  ‘The Bringers did the ritual and it didn’t work. But everyone acted like it did. They were so happy I didn’t know what to do. Please, my lord, I’ll do anything, but please, don’t kill me.’

  He realized that he’d been digging his fingers in again. A part of him wanted to kill Satyendra. Everything was such a mess, he just wanted to lash out. But this isn’t Satyendra’s fault. The ritual must have failed because Rochant’s soul is still in this world. Until he dies, he can’t be reborn. Satyendra is pathetic but he’s no abomination, there would have been no demon for the Bringers to find.

  ‘How did you pass their test?’

  ‘I used my knowledge of Lord Rochant and I … got lucky.’

  ‘Lucky? By the Thrice Blessed Suns I should kill you.’

  But he was starting to think this might be good news after all. If Lord Rochant were still in the Wild, there was a chance they could catch him before he returned. There was a chance Vasin’s crimes against the house would stay secret! Moreover, Yadavendra was without support. There is an opportunity here. One that my mother or Pari would not pass up.

  Satyendra’s tears had started to dribble down his fingers. He released his grip and stepped back. ‘Do you know what they would do to you if
they found out?’

  ‘I can guess. Are you going to tell them?’

  ‘That depends on you.’

  Satyendra fell to his knees at Vasin’s feet. ‘I am your servant! I’ll do anything. Anything you wish, but don’t tell them. I beg you!’

  ‘Mark this moment, Satyendra. It is the one where your life became mine. Believe me when I tell you I know how unpleasant that is, so I make you this promise: Serve in the interests of the house, do not betray me, and I will keep your secret, at least until this mess can be fixed.’

  ‘Thank you, oh thank you.’

  ‘Swear it.’

  He rubbed the snot and tears from his face, controlling himself so quickly that Vasin wondered how much of it had been an act. ‘I, Satyendra, child of Chandni and Mohit, Honoured Vessel of Lord Rochant of House Sapphire, swear to obey you in all things.’

  ‘Good. And if the oath isn’t enough for you, remember the pain you’ve just experienced, and know it is only the barest hint of what you will suffer if you fail me.’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’

  ‘Less of that. It’s time to stand up and pretend to be a Deathless. Now tell me, and tell me honestly, do you like High Lord Yadavendra?’

  He looked at Vasin then, his eyes calculating, hard. ‘No. I despise him.’

  ‘Then this day may not turn out so badly for you after all.’

  He did not warm to Satyendra, much less trust him. But given the timing, he was too good a tool not to employ. Vasin knew he would have to be careful if he was to survive the day, and he would have to be brilliant if he was to find victory amid the many chances for failure. And more than that, he knew he was going to have to be cruel. For what did Satyendra’s happiness matter when held against the lives of everyone in House Ruby? Or those of all the houses? For that matter, what did his own?

  ‘We do not have much time before the Sapphire gather. Are you ready?’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘Then listen very carefully to what I’m about to tell you.’

  The night had been long and cold. Rochant constantly shivered while he slept. Despite his efforts, Sa-at could not keep him warm. The sunsrise brought light but little heat. It also brought Tal, stumbling through the trees towards them, ushered along by Crowflies, who hopped and flapped behind him.