by Howell, Rob
I laughed again. “No one was stupid enough to get in the ring and try to lead him, even after he tired.”
“Except you.”
“Except me. I had no fear of Deor. If he killed me at least I’d have tried to save him. Even Bedarth couldn’t fault me for breaking my oath to the World Tree.”
Sebastijan cocked his head.
“Sorry. You can’t know. I swore an oath to the World Tree, both before as youngling and after my father’s death. I swore that I would live as its branches decreed.”
He shook his head at me in confusion.
“The World Tree holds a branch for each of us. That branch determines when we should die.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Though the World Tree decreed our length of life, it cannot control what we do with it. We cannot extend our branch, but we can break it by killing ourselves. However, in so doing we hurt the World Tree and everyone in the all the Nine Worlds.”
I paused, looking through my memories.
“After I killed my father, I wanted to kill myself. By making me reaffirm my oath to the World Tree, Bedarth trapped me into fulfilling my branch of the Tree.”
“So you couldn’t just kill yourself.”
“No. Nor could I attack Cynric and force his thegns to kill me. I could not use them to kill myself.”
“But you did not want to live.”
“No, I did not.”
“And Deor?”
“I couldn’t kill myself. But I could face a challenge. I could fight, as long as the fight was not simply to find an opportunity to die. This fight included the chance to help another creature live the life the Tree’s branch decreed.”
“And if you died accidentally—”
“Then I would have died, but I would not be forsworn.”
“Which is what you wanted.”
“Which is what I wanted. Bedarth knew what I was doing, of course, but maybe I never understood that Bedarth knew what he was doing too.”
Sebastijan looked puzzled.
“Maybe Bedarth knew that I had to use my hate. Maybe…”
I paused.
“In any case, I stepped into the horse pen and challenged Deor. He accepted the challenge, and we battled. My anger and hate against his. He bit my arm and broke my leg. I broke a knuckle punching him in the head so I could grab the ropes around his neck. We fought until I managed to jump on his back. He bucked me off. I jumped on again. He bucked me off again. That’s when I broke my leg.”
Karah and Ragnar had joined Sebastijan to hear this tale.
“Then I laughed.”
They all looked at me strangely.
“No, I mean it. I laughed at Deor. My hate had turned into joy. He would slay me, but I would sing my death at the hands of a mighty foe. Surely the Victory Judge would call me to his halls for the glory of this death.”
Ragnar nodded, though Sebastijan and Karah continued to stare like I was a catfish swooping in the sky, whiskers flowing in the breeze. I laughed at their looks but continued my story.
“I hobbled up to Deor, who stood panting in his own pain and pride. I waited for him to kill me, but I suddenly saw in his eyes a joy of his own. I reached for the ropes on his neck, and he nipped at my arm. It barely hurt and certainly drew no blood. Not like the other bite that bled through my tunic. We talked and became friends. I named him on that day, for Deor simply means ‘dear,’ and he is dear to me.”
I laughed. “Cynric had to give him to me, and none thought it odd that he bestow such a mighty horse upon a kinslayer who had raised steel against him. Certainly no one else wanted to keep him, especially since his rage had not lessened for any others.”
“But he lets Eirik care for him?”
“Yes, Karah, he does. Eirik does not try to own him. He is his own creature. Perhaps the legends of old fill his blood, I don’t know, but he has become my friend and my partner, not my steed.”
Sebastijan was shaking his head, and I answered his thought. “Now you see why I wonder about taking Deor to the Bardheküülle.”
“I do indeed.”
Chapter 19
Late Afternoon, 6 Blommemoanne, 1712 MG
Sebastijan and I sat in silence with our thoughts as the shadow of Samiel’s Keep lengthened above the Faerie.
Emilija had lounged there all afternoon until Zoe slid a small plate of sliced vegetables before her. She ate those quickly and left before most of the other regulars arrived. Time for her to go to work, I supposed.
Marko and Flavian walked in together, Flavian laughing at something Marko had said. Flavian had the strangest laugh I ever heard, high-pitched and squeaking.
Gordan and Branimira came in holding hands and sat at a table. They nodded at me shyly, and I smiled back. Zoe popped out briefly to chat with them. I decided to buy another tunic from them before I left for Basilopolis.
Others filtered in, some joining at tables, others sitting alone. Zoe’s cooking brought people from throughout Achrida, some wealthy, most not.
I watched Ragnar work his magic, lifting the spirits of all his guests.
Another day at the Faerie.
Neither Sebastijan nor I wanted to make a decision, but I was about to begin our discussion again when a short, pudgy man dressed in worn workman’s clothes diffidently approached my table.
“Uh, goodman, uh, may I speak with you.”
I waved at a seat and watched him settle down.
Something about him…
Recognition struck, and I sighed.
“You’re probably the right person for such a strange day.”
Sebastijan turned to me, surprised I would speak in such a harsh, sarcastic tone to a polite workman.
“I’m going to have to do something about the eyes,” came a light, whimsical voice. “Nobody else sees through me like you, Sevener. You ruin all my fun.”
“Go pout elsewhere, Katarina. I know I’ve given you all the fun I’ve owed you.”
She giggled, an incongruous sound coming from a crusty old workman. Sebastijan glared at both of us.
“True enough. I’ve been well paid for my services so far. Of course, that’s what I specialize in, getting paid well for my services.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m here to offer these services.”
“If I’m going to use the services of a whore, I’ll choose Emilija.”
“Oh, good choice. She’s one of the nicest of my employees.”
“Does she know she’s yours?”
“Of course, but I don’t really emphasize it. It bothers her, and she’s a good earner.”
“So she’s not simply a toy to you.”
“Actually, she’s a boring but useful tool.”
“We both know I’m not going to use your services, so you can leave.”
She giggled again, loud enough for Ragnar to notice something odd. He sidled our way slowly, but I waved him away.
“Oh, Sevener, you’re so sweet. But I came to offer different services.”
“And what could you offer?”
“I can help your little errand succeed.”
I sighed.
“I won’t even pretend that you don’t know nearly everything we’re planning.”
“Good, because of course I do.”
“Then how do you think you can help?”
“You remember I have some useful skills?”
“Yes.”
“I think it’s obvious how those skills would help you.”
“Yes, I can indeed see how those talents would help me—”
Sebastijan turned to me with an open mouth.
“—but I can also see you betraying me. In fact, I can’t see any way I wouldn’t expect you to betray me.”
“A girl’s got to have her fun.”
“As long as your fun does not involve me, I’m happy for you. However, I’d rather you left me alone.”
“So mean you are.”
Her forehead wrinkled an
d her eyes lost focus, but I was having none of it. I grabbed her hand and broke her concentration before she could shape my emotions with her magic.
“Stop that. You’re not going to get me to trust you by enchanting me.”
She pouted. “So serious.”
“Yes.”
“What would you say if I could promise to get you to Lezh safely?”
“I would doubt the promise, but I would ask how.”
“There’s another way to get there.”
“There is? Besides Crownstreet or Bujerruge past the Bardheküülle?”
Her laugh was the bark of a skilled bargainer. “Of course, I should have guessed Sebastijan here would point out that option.”
I nodded.
“Did he explain the problem?”
I nodded again.
“Then you know I can help.”
“I don’t know that at all. I also don’t know that you will help. And I still don’t know why I would expect you to do anything but betray me.”
“What if I told you I needed you?”
“How could you need me? And anyway, you’d just betray me after you needed me.”
She smirked. “I need you for so many things, Sevener.”
“Besides the threat that I might kill you.”
She moaned happily. “Oh, Sevener, you are so good for me.” She moaned again, loud enough to get the attention of others around us. “Oh, yes, Sevener, you need not ever fear that I would let you go so easily.”
The sight of a pudgy workman squirming in sexual ecstasy bothered all who saw it.
I sighed and looked at Sebastijan, who watched Katarina in horror.
“Enough, Katarina.”
She slowly caught her breath. “Oh, Sevener, it’s not nearly enough, but I’ll stop for now.”
“You could just leave.”
“Not until I’m done, my dear. We have a bargain to strike.”
“I’m not seeing a bargain here.”
“You don’t entirely understand what I want. I need you at the Bardheküülle.”
“Why?”
“There’s something at the Bardheküülle that I want.”
“What?”
“Nothing large, simply an amulet.”
“So you don’t need me to carry it.”
She laughed. “I’m sure you don’t want to, but actually, I do need one of you to carry it out of the tower.”
“Why so mysterious?”
“Because it’s a mysterious thing. The amulet is hidden in the Bardheküülle. However, also in the Bardheküülle are guardians that I cannot defeat alone.”
“From what Sebastijan tells me, we don’t want to visit the Bardheküülle at all, much less venture into it for any length of time.”
“Of course not, that’s where I come in.”
I waited.
“I can protect you from the anger of the Bardheküülle and allow you to not only pass it freely, thereby avoiding the ambush that awaits you, but also see a few of its treasures.”
“Why would you not betray me once we’re inside?”
“What, and let you release your anger upon me? You’d surely slay me there, but not in a fashion I would enjoy.” She started to squirm again.
“Katarina.”
She subsided with a slight giggle. “So serious.”
“You’ve already noted that. What are the guardians of the Bardheküülle and why can’t you persuade them to leave you be, just as you did at Gropa Mansion when you convinced us to let Pal go free?”
“The guardians are men just like you.”
“Men can’t live there,” interjected Sebastijan.
“These can, and the evil that has been done to them is greater than I have ever achieved.”
“If they are men, then you can convince them to let you pass.”
She shook her head. “That I cannot. Even my talents are insufficient. The magic in the Bardheküülle is ancient and vast. I will spend all my power simply to protect us all. I will need you to deal with them.”
“How many of them are there?”
“Not many, but a few score.”
“We are but two, how can we face a few score?”
“Individually they are weak, twisted by anger, and they will not marshal themselves together.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I have visited the Bardheküülle. I have desired this amulet for years, my dear.”
“Of course, once you have the amulet, once we have defeated these men, you can betray us.”
“That’s the best part. I can’t betray you.”
“Why not?”
“It’s as I said before. If I release my protection of you in the Bardheküülle, you’ll become enraged. Tell him, Sebastijan.”
He nodded.
“Who will you strike at in your anger? Sebastijan or myself?”
“I don’t know. With your skills, you could convince me to strike at Sebastijan or him at me. Or just calm both of us and leave us there.”
“No, the Bardheküülle is too powerful. I can either fight its will and prevent the anger, or I can allow its will to take control. I cannot simply shape your emotions to suit my needs, as it will have taken charge of them. You will strike where your rage is greatest, and I know that would be me.”
“And when we leave the tower?”
“Then you will go west to Lezh, and I will leave to come back to Achrida.”
“With your amulet.”
“With my amulet.”
“What does the amulet do?”
She paused for a moment, uncharacteristically serious. “It is made of Mavric iron.”
“What!? You want to retrieve a piece of Mavric iron? Are you completely insane? Or just foolish? Do you not know what it is?”
“I know exactly what it is. And you know I’m insane.” Her smugness had disappeared like a leaf in an icy wind.
I did not know what to say. For all her evil, I had finally hurt her. Oddly, I did not enjoy the feeling, though I knew that evil as well as anyone.
“I apologize, Katarina.”
She accepted the apology without a hint of a smile. “Now you know.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the cruelest person I had ever met with pity for a moment.
“Katarina, I will slay you with my saex at the time and place of your choosing. I will play your games and give you the distraction that you so desperately desire. I will watch you manipulate this city and even kill, kidnap, and ruin at your whim. I will not enjoy these things, but I recognize your strength. But this… this I cannot give you.”
She shrugged. “I am insane. I know this. I know I find joy in things that horrify the rest of the world. I know that I will never find love, only loathing and hate. Worse, I know these emotions intimately, for they are my tools. I lust, but I can never feel the joy that lust entwined with love can bring. I see happiness, but mine comes with only with pain and fear, not the clean happiness I see in others.”
She looked at the wall behind me, and, after a moment, I nodded.
“Yes, I knew all of this about you.”
“You’re one of the few.” She smiled wryly. “As this one here with his mouth open watching us bargain now does.”
“Are we still bargaining?”
“Yes, more than ever.”
“Then I will bargain for your life, Katarina. Mavric iron will ruin you completely. It will leave you burning in agony inside and out. None who have used it lived for any length of time, and every scholar says those who tried died horribly. Your beauty would fade to a wasteland of wretchedness.”
“What is Mavric iron?”
We turned to Sebastijan.
“It is an enhancer of magic power,” I explained. “It is a refined version of pitchblende, the only known substance that enhances the power of every magician, no matter which of the Five Streams they use. Mavric iron makes weak magicians strong and strong magicians immensely powerful.”
“And y
ou’re worry about what it would do to her? Imagine her evil with that in her hands!”
Katarina laughed bitterly.
“Yes, she could cause immense harm,” I answered, “but she would die within months, maybe weeks, should she use it routinely. Then it would fall into the hands of some other who would also die. And all the people around them.”
I turned back to Katarina. “Let it remain in the Bardheküülle, Katarina. You have power enough.”
She smiled. “You don’t know me well enough yet, Sevener.”
I looked at her.
“You know I’m greedy, vain, corrupt, cruel, selfish, and, yes, evil. In fact, you probably do know me as well as anyone ever has. You’re the first person in years to actually look at me and listen. Everyone knows my reputation and my actions. No one else sees that my eyes are different.”
I shrugged.
“Yet even so, you do not know what I want.”
“Besides fulfilling your whimsy?”
“Besides fulfilling my whimsy.”
“Then tell me, Katarina, what can you want so much risk the pain of Mavric iron?”
“I want to be remembered well.”
I sat back in shock.
“Remembered well?”
“Surprising, no?”
“Astonishing, actually.”
“I can feel that emotion in you.” She smiled sadly.
“Yes, you can.”
I paused.
“How will doing this help you be remembered well?”
She turned to Sebastijan. “Have you ever wondered why the Bardheküülle was so powerful?”
He shook his head.
“Few have. People have just avoided the Bardheküülle for two millennia and abandoned the easy road to Lezh. The Readers know there is great knowledge in that place, yet even they are loath to go there because of its power. That amulet is its power.”
She shook her head as I started to object. “Not all of it, no. Simply the reason that it projects its emotion so powerfully in its place. Without that amulet, the Bardheküülle’s strength will fade and someday, decades or centuries from now, it will ebb, and generations hence will be able to learn all of its secrets.”
“How will this help you?”
