He suddenly realized that he didn’t want to let that one go. He gave her a weak smile. “Considering you were round as the moon the last time you were in Gaspar. Don’t think your activities had gone unnoticed in Aret-ni—my men were crawling all over the town.”
“Your men were there,” Sume said. She looked like she was about to snap his neck in half.
He swallowed. “Well, yes. What did you expect?”
“And there we were, waiting for you to send word, when they were there watching us all along.”
“Why on earth would I send you word? Did you think we had something, Sume, that I would pine for you after what you did?”
“What did I do, Enosh? Enlighten me.”
He gulped back another half a glass of wine. “You…with Kefier…”
“Oh, so you wanted me to wait patiently for you while you and your master were busy rampaging through Enji. And then you get jealous when another man graciously decided to assist me and my nephew away from that mess.”
“I don’t get jealous. You…”
She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t get jealous? I’m sorry, but do you even know what the word means?”
“Why would I get jealous of that half-educated git? I am something he could never be.”
“You’re right. You can’t get any taller.”
“I’m still a lot taller than you are,” he pointed out. “You seemed to like that, as I recall.”
She coloured. “Is this argument going to go anywhere?”
“Maybe. Let’s go back to the part where you left Aret-ni looking like a sack of potatoes.”
Sume glared at him, but she didn’t say anything because the waiter had arrived with the roast pork, and he didn’t say anything because the waiter was brandishing a sharp knife and stood closer to her than him. He cut the meat up with a flourish and grinned at them, oblivious of their discomfort.
“Enjoy your meal,” he said in accented Kagosh. “I’ll be over at the counter should you need anything.”
“This smells excellent, thank you,” Enosh said. Sume continued to glare.
The waiter stepped away. Enosh grabbed some pork and put it into his mouth. It was delicious—salty with a hint of garlic and sweetness, and just the right amount of fat that melted in your mouth.
“I’m sorry,” he said, after a moment. “You were going to say something.”
“It was yours.”
“Come again?”
“I was pregnant. The baby was yours.”
He looked at her, chewing. Outward, he remained a picture of calm and composure. Inside, his mind had gone blank.
“Take your time,” Sume said, after a few moments of him not saying anything. He caught a faint note of amusement in her tone.
The last time he had been caught off-guard, a Gasparian king had died. He felt his palms grow cold. He went for the wine. The bloody thing wouldn’t uncork fast enough. Sume reached out and did it herself, even pouring him a whole glassful. He drank it. She poured him another.
“How?” he said, after what felt like forever.
She gave a grim smile. “Well, you know, Enosh, when a man and a woman love each other very much…”
“Oh, don’t give me that,” he snapped.
“I don’t know what else you want to know. We tried to be careful. It wasn’t good enough. I had suspected in Kalthekar, but it was in Aret-ni that it was confirmed by a healer. Kefier tried to reach you but you didn’t even try to write back.”
He gulped another glass of wine. Keep tabs on your family, Sapphire had told him. Was this what she meant? But this went beyond that, now. His mind tried to work around the details. “Where is the child?”
“With Yn Garr,” she said, after a pause.
And suddenly, he understood. He closed his eyes and began to laugh.
“Oh, that old man and his saggy balls,” he wheezed, when he could finally get words out. “He’s been trying to get me killed.”
“Jarche mentioned you might think that.”
“And let me guess, she’s convinced you I’m wrong? Of course she would.” He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “He’s been wanting to replace me for years. What better way than with a child of mine?”
“This isn’t about you right now,” she said.
“Isn’t it?” He saw the look on her face. “Tell me about the child.”
“Jarche told me she is brimming with the agan. More than you or anyone she’s ever met. Your creature has been seeking her, and means to destroy her before she grows into her power. We need you to come back and help her.”
“Another one of Yn Garr’s ploys to get me,” he said, but he stopped, seeing her face. Did she truly believe the old man’s lies? It was possible; he used to, himself. He could be very convincing.
“A girl child, you say?” he murmured, after a moment.
“Yes. Her name is Kirosha.”
“Kirosha.” He swallowed. “Kefier named her?”
He looked at the wine. He didn’t drink this time, but his eyes followed the rim of the glass, just like his circling thoughts. He wanted to lie down. He wanted to burst into flames. Kirosha. His thoughts turned, and although he succeeded for the most part, it was still a struggle not to cry.
Chapter Five
There was a small ship waiting on the docks when they arrived. Kefier stiffened at the sight of it, and then relaxed when he saw the white sails billowing over top of it. Sail-ships were not common in Dageis—they were generally seen as too slow. This one was different from the plain sail-ships Kefier had gotten used to seeing in the Kag, with carved designs along the railing and a masthead depicting a woman in a flowing robe.
“We commissioned it from the island,” Daro said. There was a strange note in his voice. “Bannal filed a request. They’ve got very sensitive drilling operations going on and you need a permit, and to clear yourself through a series of checks, before you’re even allowed to visit.”
Kefier tried to clear his head. “What island are you talking about?”
Daro blinked at him. “The Shi-uin island, up in the distance there. Weren’t you listening to Sapphire?”
“Not really,” he admitted.
Daro cracked a smile. “That’s where Kazfian is. A long time ago, King Hyougen threw a spell that encased the entire island in ice. The Dageis came for the agan-wells, you see, but with everything under thick ice, it became impossible to access them.”
“How hard could it be?” Kefier asked. “You drill a hole, and then…”
“It’s not that easy. The king threw every part of himself into that spell to make it so powerful. Make a crack in the ice and it is refilled before you can even blink. Indeed, only the city of Kazfian is accessible—there is a never-ending blizzard in the rest of the island.”
“I’m surprised the mages didn’t just undo the spell. They seem like they can use the agan for everything here.”
“Not everything.” Daro scratched his jaw. “Like with so many other places, the spellcraft developed by the Shi-uin people were attuned to the shiar. Queen Aliahe burnt down all the texts pertaining to this knowledge so that the Dageians could not use them. So there, in Kazfian, you will find a colony of mages attempting to study these spells, trying to undo what King Hyougen had done. It has been many years, but from what I understand, they haven’t come close to succeeding.”
“Can’t the Shi-uin people simply tell them? You Dageians seem to have a way with persuasion.”
“That knowledge was privy only to the shiar warriors. And all the shiar fell on their swords once it was clear they were going to lose, so that the Dageians might not take the knowledge from them.”
The smile on Daro’s face faded. “And I’m as much a Dageian as you are. Soldier-caste, and nothing more.”
“Hell of a life that must be,” Kefier said. “They make you file reports for everything you do?”
“All the time.”
They reached the ship. Sapphire and Mahe strode ahead.
Kefier caught sight of a robed man on deck. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized Bannal. Lord Bannal, who, the last time he had seen him, had been trying to kill him.
Sapphire returned to him on the shore.
“You didn’t tell me Bannal was here,” Kefier said, as soon as she was within earshot. “What’s going on here? He killed your sister, Sapphire!”
“I know,” she said. “Calm down.”
She took a deep breath. “We have to cooperate right now. We need access to whatever remains at the vault in Kazfian, where Farg had lived, if we’re to get ahead of Yn Garr. You saw what happened at Enji. We believe that what Yn Garr has planned is much worse, involving too much destruction and too many lives. What happened in the island was...unfortunate...but it was during the heat of the moment, and Lord Bannal had not been thinking at the time.”
“Yn Garr, whom Enosh was working for,” Kefier said.
Sapphire nodded.
“And now he’s working with you, against him?”
“Enosh has plenty of reason to believe that Yn Garr wants him dead. He has chosen to ally with us in order to preserve his own life. Lord Bannal agrees with me that both you and him—with your link to Gorent, and Jaeth—can prove valuable in our endeavours. Any information Farg had hidden would be encased in spells. It will make our job easier if these spells recognized you. It would be easier if we had a descendant of Farg himself with us, but since so many of the Shi-uin killed themselves during the Dageian invasion, we can’t count on that.”
She started to talk about something else, but Kefier’s attention was drawn to the figures of Enosh and Sume in the distance. They were walking a foot apart from each other. By the look on Enosh’s face, she must’ve told him about Rosha already. His heart sank. He knew that this was bound to happen, but somehow he had managed to fool himself into believing it never would.
Enosh glanced up at the sight of him. Kefier waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. He walked past him, his feet dragging under him, as if the weight of the world was suddenly resting on his shoulders. Sume followed behind, and this time, Kefier turned away. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to know what they had agreed upon.
Sapphire looked like she was going to comment, but Kefier saved her the trouble by speaking first. “Will I be allowed to run a few errands, since I’ll be joining you on this trip? You said I am not a prisoner.”
Sapphire glanced at Daro, who said, “I don’t mind. If he runs off, he’ll have to explain himself to the next officer he meets and most of them aren’t as kind as me.”
“Very well.” Sapphire placed her hand on his shoulder. Kefier felt a cool sensation on his skin. “That should sufficiently mask it, unless you go around shoving it into every mage’s face. Try not to be that sort of idiot again.”
“Thanks,” he murmured. He ducked out into the street.
A hand tapped his shoulder as soon as he found himself in the shadows. He saw Caiso and Sevlor looking at him expectantly. He placed his finger on his lips once and stepped away from them. For about an hour, he strode around the marketplace first, buying blankets and other things they had lost in the airship crash. Afterwards, he went to a food stall and bought some sausages and cheese encased in a stretchy sort of flatbread that tasted vaguely of garlic, a mug of beer, and some grapes. Caiso and Sevlor joined him.
“You’re clear,” Caiso said, stretching. He reached out to pick a grape from Kefier’s plate. “Dageis is wonderful. So clean.”
“All the slaves that have to die, just so they can keep it clean,” Sevlor replied, shivering a little.
“I think they just sweep them,” Kefier said. He swallowed. “How many of you?”
“About five others. You all know them, I think.” Caiso rattled off their names.
Kefier thought about it for a minute. “I think there’s a change in plans. I need to talk to Yn Garr, first.”
“I think I saw a mirror place up around the street,” Sevlor said. “They look so strange here. So clean and business-like. In the Kag, they’re so seedy you’d think you needed to sacrifice a baby duck or something just to get them started.”
Kefier finished his food and wiped his hands on his trousers. “Take me there.”
Witches did not operate the mirror-house, at least not like they did in the Kag. Instead, smiling, uniformed personnel made it appear like any other establishment in Dageis. Kefier paid his coin and was led to a booth, hidden behind a curtain. The mirror was a plain, flat thing that took up an entire wall. He placed a lock of Jarche’s hair in a groove on the other wall.
The mirror flickered. After a few moments, he saw an outline of Jarche’s face. “Kefier,” she said. The image became clear. “You found him. Oh, you must’ve. How is he?”
“He’s fine,” he said. “Is Yn Garr home?”
Jarche looked at him for a moment before nodding her head once. Yn Garr stepped into view.
“Where’s that ridiculous boy now?” he fumed. “Tell him I may well have his head, if he doesn’t stop this. You—keep this simple. You know these communications are being monitored.”
“He’s working for Bannal.”
Yn Garr’s face twisted. “Repeat that for me,” he said, his voice low.
“He’s working for…”
“That good-for-nothing maggot,” Yn Garr hissed. “Did he say why?”
“I assumed it was to piss you off.” He drew back, expecting Yn Garr’s anger to explode. But the man remained calm, though his eyes darkened a little. He heard Jarche murmuring something in the background.
Yn Garr sighed, his fingers wrapped around his head. After another moment of silence, he said, “Do you know what they’re planning?”
“As far as I can tell, they’re making a trip to Shi-uin Island to gather information.”
Yn Garr looked up. “Shi-uin?”
“Have you finally gone deaf? You heard me.”
“But that’s…” He swore under his breath. “What could they have found? That entire place is nothing more than a block of ice, and protected by Dageian mages, besides. I suppose you’ll have to go with them.”
“It’s already arranged. They’re expecting my cooperation.”
“And your men are all set?”
“They’re ready.”
“You go ahead. Tell your men to wait for me. I can probably be in Shi-uin in a few weeks.”
Jarche said something again, and he shook his head. “A third time in such a short amount of time would kill you. Aina’s Breath is at the docks now. I can reach the ship by evening.” He lifted his hand.
Kefier shook his head. “I want to talk to Rosha.”
“No,” Yn Garr said. “You need to start getting ready for…”
“I’m getting your work done, you miserable old man. Don’t deny me this time. Let me see my daughter.”
Yn Garr gave him a look and then sighed a second time. He stepped away from the mirror.
“I’ll call her,” Jarche’s voice said.
Kefier leaned to one side of the booth and placed another coin on the counter. The attendant, passing by, took it and drew the curtains shut again. He tapped his fingers on his knee.
“Papa?” Rosha’s voice, so long-unheard, was like a balm to his soul. He saw her looking up at him from the mirror.
“Hello,” he said. “How are you? They treating you all right?”
“I found a kitten outside,” she said. “Miss Jarche let me keep it. But the other cat hates it.”
She smiled at him. “I named him Kiko, after our old dog.”
“I’m surprised you still remember Kiko.”
“Mmm-hmm. I miss him. And Opi. But I can see Opi again, right?”
“I hope so.” He scratched his face, glancing at the wall. “They’ve got strange cats here, you know. I saw one without any fur.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Did they shave it?”
“I don’t know.” Kefier glanced back at the mirror a
nd traced the edges with his fingers. When had his little girl grown so tall? Since he had last seen her, her face had lost so much of its childish angles and there were dark circles around her eyes. He wished he knew more about this agan or that he had some skill in it, so that he could be the one to protect her from her dreams. What did Enosh know, anyway? Why should he even care?
“You’ve been gone so long, Papa,” Rosha said, at length. “When are you planning to come back?”
“Soon,” Kefier said. “Did you get my book?”
“Yes. It’s wonderful. Thank you. Is Mama with you?”
“Yes. But she couldn’t come right now. She’s busy.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.” She wrinkled her nose. “Miss Jarche says I have to go, now.”
“Listen to Miss Jarche,” he said. “And you need to sleep more.”
“It’s hard,” she said. She rubbed her eyes. “I love you, Papa.”
Kefier felt something creep up his throat. “I love you, too.”
Caiso and Sevlor were waiting for him by the docks. “You been crying?” Caiso asked.
“Bug in my eye,” Kefier murmured. “Yn Garr’s orders. Stay here until he arrives, he’ll let you know what to do next. Caiso, you’re in charge until then.”
“Ugh,” Sevlor grunted. “Why him?”
Caiso slapped him on the head. “Because I’m an officer, you fragrant idiot. You need to pay more attention.” He turned to Kefier. “So you’re going ahead? Care to let us know the details?”
“Nope,” Kefier said. “I’ll see you when I see you.”
He placed his hands in his pockets, hesitated for a moment, and then made his way back to the ship. Daro was sitting on a crate where he’d last seen him, playing a game of dice with his senior officer. He gave Kefier a quick check before allowing him to board.
“I think we’re setting sail tomorrow noon,” he said. “They’re just trying to clear everyone for entry. Sapphire wanted you to talk to her as soon as you got back.”
Daro accompanied him below deck, pointing out Sapphire’s door before returning to his officer. Kefier walked down the hall and saw Sume leaving Sapphire’s room just as he came around the bend.
An Elegy of Heroes Page 74
