by Sue Tingey
“I’m sorry we fought.”
“And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you the truth before.”
I gave her a watery smile and we both sat there for a while staring into the fire like we’d used to when I was a child. “So, Amaliel is back at the palace?” I asked eventually.
“Hiding beneath the Chambers of Rectification with Henri. There’s a warren of tunnels and passageways to all kinds of hidden rooms under there—it’s where he carries out the worst of his work. Nasty stuff he wouldn’t even want the palace guards to see. And he’s got the child—Angela—with him.”
That made me look up. “Is she all right?”
“Scared senseless,” Kayla said, “but she is one tough little girl.”
“I have to get her away from him.”
“Lucky, there’s something else … Amaliel has Philip.”
“You saw him?”
Kayla nodded. “Yes, but you’re not going to be happy … I think he’s made himself Amaliel’s little pet human.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know it was Amaliel who was using him in the Overlands? Well, Amaliel must think Philip can still be useful to him, because he’s given him a second chance. Philip’s had a wash and brush up, and he’s looking quite well; at least better than he did when I rescued him from Daltas’ slimy claws.”
“What could Amaliel possibly want with Philip?”
Kayla’s dark eyes glittered and she appeared so real she could have been alive. “I don’t know, but whatever his intentions, I would wager they are going to be very bad news to somebody.”
After we’d put that aside it was like old times; we talked away most of the night. The only time we both found it hard was when she asked after Vaybian. “He’s really hurting,” I told her. “I think he blames himself because he was unable to protect you.”
“How is he with you?”
I pulled a face. “But I don’t blame him. He thinks you put me before him.”
“I did,” she said, “and I would do the same again.”
“Don’t you love him?”
“Apparently not as much as he loved me,” she said, but her tone was wistful and I had the feeling she was kidding herself.
When I eventually slipped back in between Jamie and Jinx the twin suns were beginning to cast a pale glow over the edge of the horizon and there was no point trying to sleep; my men would be waking within a matter of minutes.
We had decided Kayla was going to stay out of the way for a while until I’d had a chance to speak to Jinx and Jamie. Although Jamie wouldn’t be able to see her, Jinx certainly would and we didn’t want him saying anything to alert Vaybian to her presence. His feelings were raw wounds, and knowing she was there for me to see when he couldn’t would hurt him more than any red-hot iron.
“You seem a bit brighter this morning,” Jamie said as he helped me up onto Dobbin; I had to call my steed something and it was the best I could think of when there was so much other stuff floating around inside my head—and it was definitely better than Bob.
“I need to talk to you and Jinx alone,” I said, leaning down to whisper to him. He gave me a puzzled frown. “It’s important.”
“When we stop midmorning?”
“Okay,” I said, but wished it was sooner. Kayla was riding in the back of the cart with her body and wasn’t particularly keen on it. Despite what she’d said, I think her love for Vaybian was part of the reason she was prepared to do it.
After almost a full day’s travel, and when we were about an hour away from the palace, we stopped for what Jinx called a “piss stop” and it was on the way back from taking the aforesaid “piss” that Jamie drew him to one side.
I watched them from my place beside the cart and waited. Jamie talked; Jinx listened and then looked across at me. Jamie spoke some more and the pair of them started to walk toward me, heads down, still talking. It made me wonder what they were talking about—it shouldn’t have taken that long to tell Jinx I needed to speak to them in private.
“What’s up?” Jamie asked as he stepped up to the cart.
I had a quick look around to see that Vaybian was a little way away, kneeling down by a small stream washing his face and taking a drink, his back to us. “You can come out now,” I said, lifting the corner of the sturdy material that covered the back of the cart.
“Thank goodness for that,” Kayla said, poking her head through the gap I had made. “It’s blooming creepy riding around with a corpse.”
“Hell’s bells and vats of pus, what the f—?” Jinx said.
“What?” Jamie said. “What is it?”
Jinx gestured with his head toward Kayla still kneeling in the cart. “Kayla.”
“What about her?”
Jinx gave an exasperated snort. “Lucky Lucinda is the Soulseer, so what does she see?” he waved his hand in a rolling motion.
“Souls,” Jamie said, giving us both a blank look, and then it dawned on him. “Kayla’s here?”
“In the willing spirit, but not the rather unwilling flesh,” she said.
“Yes,” Jinx said. “She’s back.”
“Why didn’t you say before?” Jamie asked me.
“You were all asleep and this morning I didn’t want one of you saying something in front of Vaybian; he’s having a rough enough time as it is.”
“Why haven’t you passed over?” Jinx asked Kayla.
“Lovely to see you again too, Deathbringer,” Kayla said with a huff.
“You have no reason to stay.”
“Actually, I have. I promised Lucky with my dying breath that I would protect her and wouldn’t leave her and I won’t.”
“She’s safe with us.”
“Let me be the judge of that. Anyhow, I want to see that glob of slime called Amaliel Cheriour meet his end, and the bloodier and stickier the better.”
“Fair point,” Jinx said.
“Er, could someone translate?” Jamie asked. “Or at least tell me the gist of what she’s saying?”
“The Lady Kayla promised Lucky she wouldn’t leave her—and there is the small matter of revenge tying her to this world.”
“I’m not tied to anything or anywhere,” she said with a pout, “I’m just not ready to go yet.”
“Is that how you could follow Amaliel?” I asked.
Kayla smirked at me. “I’ve never been a conventional spook, have I?”
“No,” I said with a laugh, then saw Vaybian get up and walk toward the cart and the smile dropped from my face. “Vaybian mustn’t know,” I told Jamie and Jinx.
“He won’t hear it from me,” Jinx said, “he’s already crankier than you on a really bad day.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said with a Cheshire Cat grin. I wiped the smile from his face by telling him and Jamie what Kayla had said about Philip.
“Of course it could be Philip’s just doing whatever he can to survive,” I said, though I was beginning to think I was kidding myself.
Both my men gave derisive snorts of disgust and Kayla slapped her forehead. “Lucky, when will you learn that Philip Conrad is nothing but trouble?”
“I can’t believe you’re still defending him,” Jamie said.
“The man’s a total scrote,” Jinx said.
“He won’t have any if I get hold of him,” Kayla said.
“You,” I pointed out, “can’t get hold of anyone.”
She gave me an over-the-top sweet smile. “Then I’ll have to leave it to the Deathbringer.”
“Fine by me,” he said.
“What?” Jamie asked.
“Come on,” Jinx said, throwing his arm around Jamie’s shoulders. “I’ll explain on the way back to my steed.”
“I’ll ride with you,” Kayla told me. “At least I know how to ride a shavna.”
“Is that what they’re called?”
“Hmm,” she said, “I’m glad they gave you a docile one; they can be a bit of a handful.”
/> As I’d had years of practice, it wasn’t so hard hiding the fact I was talking to Kayla when we spoke, though Vaybian gave me odd looks once or twice; of course, this could have been because he really didn’t like me. I had thought that when he pledged himself to me our relationship would get a little better, but obviously not.
By the time we reached the road leading to the fortress my anxiety levels had risen to boiling point. Telling Baltheza Kayla was dead was not going to be an easy conversation, and it could mean that both Vaybian and I would be heading straight down to the Chambers of Rectification. Although this was to be my first destination after seeing Baltheza, I’d hoped it would be under my own steam.
We entered through the front gate and Jamie called to the guards. He requested they go straight to Lord Baltheza to tell him we had grave news, and to ask that we be granted an audience. Put that way, I supposed Baltheza would at least have an inkling we weren’t about to make his day. Within ten minutes we were being ushered up to his private apartments.
He was seated on the couch with his pet slave at his feet. She smiled as we entered; he did not. We had left Vaybian with Kerfuffle, Shenanigans and Kubeck; I hoped being out of sight would keep him out of mind. Baltheza had made it quite clear what would happen to Kayla’s green captain should we return without her.
Kayla came with us, and I hoped that with her guidance I might be able to quell Baltheza’s volatile temper, though now he was no longer being poisoned perhaps he would be a little calmer.
“Where is my daughter?” he asked.
“My Lord,” Jinx said and he and Jamie bowed their heads.
“I said, where is my daughter? Deathbringer.”
“I am very much afraid I have the worst of news,” Jinx said.
Baltheza pressed his lips together into a tight line. He tapped the slave on the shoulder and gestured to the flagon of wine on the small table by his side. She uncurled her legs from beneath her and stood, smiling that unpleasant smile. There was something about her that made me want to shudder. I wasn’t sure if she reminded me more of a big cat or a snake.
“Kayla is dead?” Baltheza said.
“I’m sorry, My Lord,” Jinx said.
Baltheza’s blazing orange eyes turned on me. “Yet you are not.”
“It was a close thing,” Jamie said.
“You no doubt saved she who bares your mark over my daughter?”
“Here we go,” Kayla said, “same old papa working himself into a right royal strop.”
I wanted to ask her what to do to defuse the situation, but talking to his dead daughter, whom he couldn’t see, would hardly help.
“Amaliel killed Kayla during our rescue attempt so he could escape us,” I said.
“There was nothing to be done,” Jinx said.
Baltheza’s lips curled into a sneer. “Only a few short days ago you managed to save the innkeeper’s son from imminent death. You did this and yet you couldn’t save my daughter?”
“Odin’s life was in the balance; Kayla’s was not.”
“How so?”
Jinx glanced my way, or he may have been looking at Kayla, I wasn’t sure. “He slit her throat. She bled out before anything could be done.”
“You must have been able to do something?”
“I am the Deathbringer, not a miracle worker,” Jinx snapped.
Baltheza raised an eyebrow. “Have a care Deathbringer.”
“No, Baltheza—you have a care. I am sorry for your loss, I truly am, but if you want to point the finger of blame, point it in the direction of Amaliel Cheriour. He murdered your daughter and would have killed your other one had he half the chance.”
Both men glared at each other for a few moments before Baltheza took a swig of his drink. “Bring another flagon of wine,” he said to the slave, unclipping the lead from her collar and waving her away.
She strolled out of the room. It wasn’t until she closed the door behind her and I let out a long breath that I realized I’d been holding it in.
Baltheza’s eyes fixed on me over the top of the goblet before he took another slug. “Last time you came before me it was as your demon self; why has she gone to be replaced by this pale human imposter?”
Kayla choked back laughter. “Light the blue touch paper why don’t you?”
“What you see is what you get,” I said.
“Today I do not see my daughter, therefore I shall not treat you as such,” Baltheza said, looking down his very aristocratic nose at me.
“Well that’s just fine with me,” I retorted.
“Lucky,” Jamie murmured a warning.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t send you down to my Chambers of Rectification for some correction.”
“Maybe because you no longer have a court torturer?” I said, giving him a bitchy smile.
He glared at me. “Amaliel can be easily replaced and don’t you forget it. Now,” he said, getting to his feet, “I wish to see my daughter.”
“I think it would be better if you didn’t, My Lord,” Jamie said.
“Why ever not?”
“Surely it would be preferable for you to remember her as she was in life?” Jinx said.
“Amaliel had tortured her?” Jinx nodded. Baltheza slammed his goblet down onto the table. “I will have his hide decorating my wall along with his balls!” he said, and strode to the door. “Take me to her.”
Jamie opened the door for Baltheza to leave and we all filed out behind him. Jamie moved forward to fall into step beside Baltheza and take him to Kayla’s body.
“This is so not going to go well,” Kayla said to me as we followed her father along the corridor.
“At least he hasn’t mentioned Vaybian yet,” I said, keeping my voice low.
She glanced at me in alarm. “You won’t let my father hurt him?”
“Not if I can help it.”
“I couldn’t bear it if he had him executed.”
“I suppose you’d be together, at least.”
“I’d rather he had a long and happy life.” I knew she meant it, but I didn’t think it was going to happen; he was miserable without her. I held my tongue; I’d let her find this out for herself.
The cart was in the entrance courtyard where we had left it, with Kerfuffle, Shenanigans and Pyrites on guard. Vaybian was nowhere to be seen, which was probably just as well.
“You brought my daughter back to her home in a vegetable cart?” Baltheza said, his lips curling in distaste.
“It was either that or fling her over the back of a shavna,” Jinx said.
Jamie quickly stepped in between the two of them to lift the cart’s cover, and Shenanigans hurried forward to give him a hand in pulling it out of the way.
Baltheza moved closer as Jamie let the back down. “Are you sure you want to see her?” he asked.
Kayla’s father nodded and Jamie lifted the skins that were covering her and pulled them down to her shoulders. Baltheza’s lips stretched into a tight grimace and he raised a clenched fist to his chest.
“He did this to her? He cut her beautiful hair?”
“Yes,” several of us murmured.
He turned to my two men. “You will find him and you will bring him to me.”
“Alive?” Jinx asked.
“Yes, I want to keep him alive for a very long time. In fact I intend to think up a particularly special fate for Amaliel.”
I suppressed a shudder, but I couldn’t help thinking Amaliel Cheriour would deserve every single torment he got. Not just for what he had done to Kayla, but for all the other poor souls he had tortured, killed and cursed.
“Have you any idea where to find him?” he asked.
Jamie and Jinx exchanged a glance. “We think we may have a lead,” Jamie said. “With your leave we would start by searching his chambers below the palace.”
“Searching for clues?”
“Something like that.”
“Good,” he said and went to walk away, but then turned
back to me. “Captain Vaybian is conspicuous by his absence. You didn’t manage to get him killed as well?”
“No,” I said, “although he was also tortured by Amaliel.”
His nostrils flared. “If he helps you bring Amaliel to me I may spare his life. I will think on it.”
“You do that,” I said.
“I will also think on what I am to do with you. Perhaps if you return looking like you could be a daughter of mine I will consider letting you live.”
“He doesn’t mean it,” Kayla said. “He was always saying stuff like that to me.”
“I’ll bear that in mind,” I said to him.
He glared at each of us one more time and strode off.
“That went better than I expected,” Jamie said. “Though you two weren’t much help. When are you both going to learn to control your tempers?” He pulled the covers back up over Kayla’s face before turning back to us. “I suppose we should be thankful the effects of the verillion have worn off a bit. Otherwise we may have all ended up in the dungeons.”
“He disrespects us,” Jinx said.
“Don’t take it so personally,” Jamie said, “he disrespects everybody. Anyway, when did you start getting so precious?”
“When he threatens our lady.”
Jamie glanced my way. “When it comes to Lucky, I don’t think he means it.”
“See,” Kayla said wafting around us.
“Where is Vaybian anyway?” I asked Shenanigans and Kerfuffle.
“We sent him to the Drakon’s Rest to wait for us there,” Shenanigans said. “We thought it safest.”
“Good call,” Jinx said. “I’m pretty sure Baltheza means every word he says when talking about Vaybian.”
“I hope not,” Kayla said, “but dear Papa did always have a soft spot for me.”
“I think we should go straight down to the Chambers of Rectification,” I said.
“What do you expect to find down there?” said Kerfuffle.
Jinx glanced around us then gestured for the others to move in close so we couldn’t be overheard.
“Lady Kayla told us that Amaliel and Henri are hiding out in the tunnels underneath the palace. She says that’s where they’re keeping the child.”
