Fragile Empire

by Christopher Mitchell

  Karalyn suppressed a frown.

  ‘I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,’ Golspie went on. She inclined her head, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

  Karalyn sat down on the edge of the enormous bed, its sheets and covers freshly laundered. A bouquet of flowers was in a tall vase on a table by the door to the bathroom, and a single flower had been placed on her pillow. She picked it up and held it to her nose, then lay down on her side, her gaze on the shining waters beyond the glass of the balcony doors, watching the sails of a great ship. A sudden feeling of loneliness rippled through her. She had often felt lonely in the desert with only Laodoc for company, but in Plateau City she was surrounded by people, yet she had never felt more alone.

  It was the thought of going to the embassy party, she realised; the thought of meeting so many new people who would all be judging her. Veterans of diplomatic and aristocratic society, they would look at her, a dark-skinned Kellach Brigdomin who had been shunned by her own family for years. What would they make of her? Did any of them know about her powers? Her mother had assured her that it was a secret, known only to the Empress and to those who had been present at the death of the old Emperor, but secrets had a way of getting out.

  She would have to be brave. Either that, or go running back to Hold Fast like a frightened child.

  No.

  She stood, and went to the door of her rooms. She opened it a crack and peered out, sending her vision down the stairs, finding Golspie and her two assistants organising luggage in the hallway.

  You do not see me.

  Karalyn ghosted down the stairs, keeping silent, and passing first Golspie, and then Tabitha and Gerald as they struggled with the baggage on the main staircase. None of them noticed her as she went by, and she reached the front door of the townhouse. She glanced behind her, waiting until they were out of sight, then slipped outside. She stood for a moment on the steps, gazing at the street in the morning sunshine. Gentlemen and ladies were out strolling or heading to work, dressed in fine suits and gowns. Almost all were Holdings, but a few Kellach Brigdomin and Rahain were dotted around. Despite the Empress being a Brig, Karalyn knew that many in the Holdings still held to the belief that they were the superior people of the world, and that they viewed the others as lesser beings.

  You cannot see me.

  Karalyn descended the steps and began walking. She smiled. With practice, remaining out of sight was becoming easier. She noticed the tall spires of the university and headed in that direction, passing neat squares and gracefully curved terraces. Tucked away by the sea wall, this area had suffered very little damage in the fires and destruction that had ravaged the city in the wars. The streets opened up as she approached the university and she paused to take a look, gazing up at the beautiful towers. She planned to visit the library inside, but it would have to wait. She had other plans.

  She crossed the road and turned left, heading away from the aristocratic district towards the Royal Road. The houses here looked newer, and less expensive – tenements rather than townhouses, where the poorer classes of citizens resided. At the Royal Road she turned right. Ahead, the walls of the Old Town loomed, still scarred and blackened from the fall of the Emperor. The entire area before the walls had been redeveloped, with shopfronts and apartments lining the streets. The gates in the wall were open and she squeezed between the busy traffic, sending her thoughts out to blind anyone within sight of her.

  You cannot see me.

  The streets in the Old Town were narrower, and the houses smaller. The buildings were a patchwork of the old and new, and some bore signs of battle-damage. Behind them, to her left, rose the monstrous edifice of the Great Tower. Karalyn gazed up at the roof. Despite having heard the story a hundred times, she had no real memory of what had occurred there over sixteen years previously.

  She swerved as a cart nearly ran into her. Laughing with the excitement that invisibility conferred upon her, she carried on, making her way across the Old Town to the gates that led to the Kellach Brigdomin quarter. Nothing seemed to change as she passed through. The tenements were the same, and the people were still mostly Holdings, but as she walked a slow transformation took hold. The Holdings folk thinned out, and more Kellach were on the streets, and the doors of the buildings grew a little higher. She grinned as she walked among the Kellach, feeling an inexplicable joy that she wasn’t the tallest person in sight. It was the first time she had been around Kellach since she had become an adult, and she realised how conspicuous her height made her among the Holdings folk.

  She kept walking until she saw what she had come for. Standing on its own on the street was a large tenement building, its stonework marked by great jagged cracks. It was supported by a lattice of strong wooden scaffolding to prevent its collapse, but the front doors were open and a couple of Kellach Brigdomin soldiers were on duty outside.

  In front of the building was a bronze statue atop a tall plinth. The sculpture was twice life-size, and rose high into the air. It was of a woman, her right arm outstretched, her long hair flowing. By her knees huddled a little girl, clinging on in terror, but the look on the woman’s face was serene, cocky even.

  ‘Hello, Aunty,’ Karalyn whispered as she approached.

  There was a plaque on the front of the plinth that read:

  Keira – Fire Mage and Saviour d.507

  She was glad that the little girl had not been named. She wondered if people assumed she was in the tableau to represent a generic person that Keira was saving, rather then Karalyn Holdfast. She hoped so.

  The street was busy with Kellach Brigdomin. Some were opening up their shops and taverns, while others were walking, or gathering in small groups. A couple of men were leaning against the plinth, smoking, and Karalyn felt a pang of loneliness.

  Without seeming to make a decision, Karalyn dropped her powers, and walked towards the pair. They glanced over to her as she approached, their eyes widening.

  ‘Who have we got here?’ said one. ‘You lost, lassie?’

  ‘I was hoping you had a spare cigarette,’ she said.

  The man frowned. ‘Holdings accent. Holdings looks, but…’

  The other man shook his head at his friend and handed Karalyn a cigarette. ‘Sorry about him,’ he said. ‘You appear to have confused him, but to be fair it doesn’t take much.’

  Karalyn lit her cigarette. ‘I’m guessing you’ve never seen anyone like me before.’

  ‘I’m just saying,’ said the first man, ‘what everyone else will be thinking. So what are you, hen? A tall Holdings, or a dark-skinned Kellach?’

  ‘Is it not obvious?’ said the second man. ‘She’s half and half, just like those bairns in Denny’s tenement.’

  ‘Oh aye?’ said the first man.

  ‘Are there others like me?’ she said.

  The second man shrugged. ‘Seen a few about. One Holdings ma or da, the other Kellach. Not too many, but.’

  Karalyn’s heart surged at the thought that there were children living in the city who shared the same inheritance as she. There was a noise at her elbow and she turned to see a small group had gathered.

  ‘You live round here?’ said one.

  ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Where you from?’

  Karalyn started to wish she had stayed invisible as the people pressed around her. An older, dark-haired woman pushed her way forwards.

  ‘Give the lassie some peace, for pyre’s sake,’ she cried. ‘She hasn’t got two fucking heads.’

  The woman led Karalyn from the growing crowd.

  ‘Are you looking for somewhere, hen?’ she asked.

  ‘I came to see the statue of Keira.’

  ‘Aye?’ the woman said, her eyes narrowing as they darted from Karalyn to the figures on the tall plinth. Her mouth opened.

  ‘I’d best be going,’ Karalyn said. ‘Thanks for the help.’

  She stood back and gazed at the crowd.

  I am not here. I was never here.
/>
  She smiled as the faces staring at her blinked, then looked around in surprise. The crowd dispersed, and the older woman shook her head and moved on.

  The loneliness returned and Karalyn sighed. Time to be heading back to the townhouse.

  ‘If you absolutely must do that,’ Golspie cried, her face livid with rage, ‘then I insist that you inform me first. I had no notion of where you were, or even that you’d left the townhouse.’

  ‘That was the idea,’ Karalyn said. ‘I will come and go as I please.’

  She reached out and tore her mother’s barriers from Golspie’s mind.

  You will let me come and go as I please.

  Golspie’s face froze, her eyes tightening, then she nodded. ‘As you say, ma’am.’

  Karalyn watched as her chief of staff left the room. She turned and faced the balcony doors. Swinging them open, she stepped outside and took a deep breath. The western sky was glowing red as the sun began to set over the Inner Sea, and the wind-ruffled waters were reflecting the dying light. She lit a cigarette and leaned against the railing.

  She would need to do something more lasting to Golspie. What she had just done would endure for a day or two, then wear off, unless she went in and reinforced it more thoroughly. She shook her head. She couldn’t; it would be wrong. But how was she meant to live her life if Golspie was watching her every move?

  She heard a cough behind her. ‘May I?’

  ‘Sure, Laodoc,’ she said.

  The old man walked out onto the balcony, his stick feeling the way. She took his arm and led him to the railing.

  ‘I could smell the smoke,’ he said, smiling, ‘but I guessed you might be out here at this time. I remember the sunsets from when I stayed in this city with your mother. We watched them right here on this balcony.’

  ‘You settling in alright?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘My quarters are wonderful, and Tabitha appears to have assigned herself the role of helping me get up and down the stairs. She seems like a lovely girl.’

  ‘She’s spying for my mother.’

  ‘What? That’s ridiculous. Your mother I’m sure is keen to learn what you do here, as would any parent, but “spying” is a little extreme, no?’

  ‘I can’t believe you’re siding with her,’ she said. ‘Why can’t she leave me to get on with my own life without sending her minions to report on my every move?’

  ‘I’m not siding with anyone, my dear. I love both you and your mother. Golspie, on the other hand, can occasionally be a little over-bearing.’

  ‘I could change that.’

  ‘Now, dear,’ Laodoc said, ‘you know how we’ve talked about that. You have a precious and rare gift, and you have a responsibility not to abuse it.’

  ‘I know,’ she muttered, frowning, ‘but a little tweak here and there could make ours lives so much easier.’

  ‘But where would it end? And would you really be satisfied if you knew that you were manipulating everyone around you? That none of their responses were genuine?’

  ‘You don’t need to lecture me,’ she said. ‘I know every word you’re saying is true. It’s just… tempting.’

  ‘You must rise above it,’ the old man said. ‘Don’t allow yourself to be consumed by any emotions you may be feeling at the time. What is paramount is your safety, as well as the safety of those around you.’

  ‘Alright, Laodoc,’ she said, her temper rising, ‘I get it.’

  ‘I’m not sure that you do, my dear.’

  Tabitha appeared at the balcony door before Karalyn could say anything back.

  ‘Excuse me, ma’am,’ she said. ‘Madam Golspie has asked me to remind you that it is time to get ready for this evening’s reception at the Holdings embassy.’

  Karalyn’s heart sank. ‘Do I have to go?’

  ‘Certainly,’ said Laodoc. ‘It would seem rude if you didn’t turn up at a party being held in your honour.’

  ‘I didn’t ask for any party.’

  ‘That is inconsequential,’ he said. ‘You are a Holdfast, which means that sometimes you have to do things even if you’re not in the mood.’

  Karalyn stormed off the balcony and into her room.

  ‘I don’t have anything to wear,’ she said, as Tabitha hurried after her.

  She threw open the door to her large closet as if to prove it, then stepped back, her mouth open. Racks of new clothes – dresses, robes and outfits in a diverse spread of colours and shades were laid out before her.

  ‘Madam Golspie took the liberty of ordering these in advance for you,’ Tabitha said. ‘They’ve been made specifically to your measurements. Would you like me to help you try some on before you choose?’

  Karalyn reached out, her hand touching the soft, velvet fabric of a ball-gown.

  She nodded.

  Tabitha accompanied Karalyn in the grand carriage as her personal aide and, Karalyn thought, so she could report back on everything she saw. She didn’t care. The emerald green gown she was wearing was the most expensive garment she had ever put on, and she was determined to enjoy herself. Tabitha had also shown her a selection of jewellery, and she had picked earrings and a necklace that matched the colour of her dress. Her shoes were tight and uncomfortable and she wished she had chosen the ankle boots she usually wore; after all, who was going to see them under the layered folds of her gown?

  ‘You look beautiful, ma’am,’ Tabitha said as the carriage rolled along the paved streets.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, her make-up hiding her embarrassment. She didn’t feel beautiful. She felt tall. Among the Holdings, she stuck out like any Kellach would, and she thought back to her visit to Keira’s statue, and how it felt being around her father’s folk. She wondered if any Kellach would be at the party.

  They arrived in front of the palatial Embassy of the Holdings Republic, a building almost as grand as the one the Empress called home. It was situated in the diplomatic district, a small cluster of missions and embassies between the Senate and the Holdfast townhouse. Light blazed from its open windows, along with soft music from string and wind instruments. Karalyn took Tabitha’s offered hand, and descended to the pavement.

  A courtier bowed.

  ‘Miss Holdfast,’ he said. ‘I would be honoured to escort you to the ambassador.’

  Karalyn nodded, and they walked up the wide steps to the front doors. As they entered a large, busy hall, Karalyn noticed the heads of everyone present turn to look at her. There were Holdings, Rahain, Rakanese and, she noticed to her relief, Kellach present, all turned out in their finest clothes, with several in dress uniform. She smiled, though her stomach was churning with nerves.

  ‘There you are, Miss Holdfast,’ said a voice above the hubbub. ‘I’m so pleased that you could spare some time to attend our little get-together.’

  Karalyn turned. The ambassador, a white-haired Holdings man in cavalry colours, approached and stuck his hand out.

  She shook it. ‘Thank you for inviting me.’

  ‘As the daughter of the First Holder, and the heir to your name and estate,’ he said, ‘you will always be welcome here. I am Ambassador Tinwall of Hold Wain. Now, let’s get you a drink. There are lots of people for you to meet, and I find introductions to be thirsty work.’

  A glass of wine was thrust into her hand before she could refuse, and the ambassador raised his own as the crowd of diplomats and government officials watched.

  ‘To Miss Karalyn Holdfast,’ the ambassador cried, ‘Let us welcome her to the imperial city, capital of the empire.’

  The onlookers cheered and drank. Tinwall nodded at her and also drank. Karalyn stood frozen for a moment, then raised the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Expecting something awful, she was surprised to find it tasted quite nice. Sweet, but bitter underneath. The ambassador put his arm out and she took it, letting him escort her towards the groups of people in the hall, who were forming into a long line.

  They stopped at the first person in the queue.

&n
bsp; ‘This is Lady Isobel of Hold Nestor,’ the ambassador said, ‘a member of her Imperial Majesty’s council of advisors.’

  The woman curtsied and Karalyn smiled. ‘Nice to meet you.’

  Her eyes glanced down the long line and she suppressed a groan. She knew she was going to forget most of the people’s names by the time she reached the end. Somewhere in the middle, a tall Kellach man smiled at her. His height made him stand out among the Rahain and Holdings folk on either side, and he looked handsome in his officer’s uniform. She looked away, and took another sip of wine.

  ‘This is Lady Nyane,’ she heard Tinwall say, ‘Chief Engineer to the Empress.’

  Karalyn glanced at the Rahain woman. Her black and yellow eyes were wide, but she appeared calm.

  ‘Hello,’ Karalyn said. ‘Chief Engineer? Sounds interesting.’

  ‘It certainly keeps me busy,’ Nyane said. ‘If you like, I’d be happy to show you what we do. I can arrange a tour of the city.’

  Karalyn hesitated for a second. Something in the Rahain’s eyes held her. Without thinking, she entered the woman’s head.

  She knows I’m a mage, Karalyn realised, keeping her smile even. She fears me, but wants to know more.

  ‘That would be lovely,’ she said. ‘My diary is free for the next few days; perhaps you could send word to my address of when would be convenient?’

  She watched Nyane suppress her tongue-flicker.

  ‘I shall do so, Miss Holdfast,’ she said, her words tumbling out.

  ‘How marvellous,’ Tinwall said. ‘You’ve made a friend already. However…’ His eyes darted towards the rest of the long line.

  ‘Of course,’ Karalyn said. She smiled at Nyane and they moved on.

  She took another sip of wine as the ambassador introduced the next person. She was starting to feel its effects; her thoughts were loosening, and her smile was no longer forced. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe drinking wasn’t that terrible after all. She drank again, and realised that her glass was empty. Within seconds, a waitress took it from her fingers and passed her a fresh one.