"In what way?" Shon asked.
"You mean, will we win?" The woman shrugged, her gaze distant. "It depends on what you consider winning."
Annoyed, Shon shook his head. "Of course you would say that. It would kill a Machat to give a straight answer, either in person or in writing."
The Machat woman laughed. She pointed to the parchment stuck roughly in his pocket. "You can't discern Viebold's drawings, can you? He is the only one who uses that kind of graphite. Most of us prefer full ink or watercolors and use the medium to designate various details, but not Viebold. He likes the narrow point of the lead. He does it for everything. Certainty with him is defined in the depth and breadth of his lines. Let me see it. Perhaps I can help you understand."
It was bothersome to be among people who always seemed to know what was going on when he barely grasped a clue. But Shon removed the parchment, unfolded it, and offered it to her.
The Machat woman examined the parchment. She traced her fingers across the design, nodding to herself. "This shows your death, Shon, but it is not a clear death. I don't understand it myself. But it seems to be saying that you will die, and you will not die at once."
"That is enormously helpful." Shon scowled at the image.
The Machat woman began tracing the shapes for him. "See, this is the prone body. Many battle wounds. A blade to the heart is the fatal blow. This shows that it is you. But see here as well that you are rising again. But this…it shows death of a different kind. Something far worse. Perhaps the death of what you are." She shook her head. "It would be easier if Viebold did not insist on his graphite. But that is the best I can see. I understand its general message though. It's a warning not to fight Naatos."
"Practically everyone wants me to leave Amelia and let Naatos ravage her." Shon folded the parchment up again. "Some admit it's a sacrifice. Others insist she's to blame for her own fate. Regardless, it isn't right."
"No. Vawtrians have rarely been good about honoring the rights of others when it conflicts with their desires," the Machat woman said.
Shon fell silent. He wasn't going to leave Amelia, but he needed to find a plan. He had to get the substance, weapons, and find a way to break in. But how? He couldn't even think of a way to escape this place, let alone sneak into the temple.
Footsteps sounded in the staircase below. A Machat youth appeared at the top, his hair matted to his face with sweat. "It's the king of the Libyshans!" he exclaimed, waving his arms at Shon. "He's come back, and he wants you and everyone else here now."
"King Theol?" Shon peered over the edge of the watchpoint. Was that who the rider had been? How had he even known where they were? And what was he doing on that bizarre creature?
"Come on. Hurry!" The boy started down the stairs but then darted up. "Come on, Lio. He said everyone!"
The Machat woman smiled. "When kings say everyone, they never mean the watchers. You can come and tell me all about it when it's done."
Shon followed the young boy back down the stairs. The boy chattered so fast that Shon couldn't understand more than a few words at a time. Some Machat had apparently sighted the king leaving the temple and directed him this way. Yes, he was the king. And supposedly he had news. Fantastic news. Wonderful news!
The boy skipped and jumped down the final sets of stairs. "It's always good when a king comes back!" he said.
Shon didn't know how he felt about this. It was miraculous that the king had escaped at all, but he could not help but wonder what had led to it. Perhaps it was even a trap.
The boy led him into a massive chamber filled with people. He wasn't content to let Shon remain at the back. Seizing him by the hand, the boy dragged him through the crowd, telling them that the king had asked for Shon specifically.
King Theol stood in the center of the room, speaking in hushed tones with Linufe, Vorec, and Saldon. This was all that remained of the Ayamin elder commanders. The king looked fairly worse for the time imprisoned despite the shortness of the period. His features had become sharper, and he had lost some weight. The long black robe that he wore only emphasized his pallor. But he seemed resolute, his eyes hard and his jaw set. Shon had never seen the king look so worn and yet so fierce at the same time. Had they told him about Amelia yet? He couldn't imagine how anyone would even begin to tell that tale.
Murmurs of hope and eagerness went throughout the room as more and more Libyshans pressed in. King Theol finished speaking with the Ayamin commanders and held up his hands. A hush fell over the room. Someone coughed in the back.
King Theol opened his mouth to speak and then hesitated. A wave of emotion spread over his face, but he regained control, clearing his throat. He pressed his arms down at his side, trying to force a more relaxed posture. "These past days have been dark days indeed," he said. "No Libyshan suspected what lay in wait for us, and we are only now coming to realize the severity of the threat that rests within the heart of our nation. Even as we speak, the former Paras have restored the Tue-Rah and will begin bringing in their troops to start the subjugation of this world and all its people. But dark though these days may be, they are not our final hour. Nor will the Vawtrians succeed.
"I have been informed that the Machat have a weapon that our forces will use to take down the Vawtrian brothers and prevent them from bringing their troops into this land. We will survive. You have all served well. Now, continue to uphold that honor. Care for yourselves and for one another, extending grace and mercy to your fellow Libyshans and Machat. Elder commanders, please join me for a brief counsel.
"Shon," he said, lifting his hand. "Come with me."
Shon caught Matthu's eye from across the room. This was interesting, though hardly fantastic news.
They filed into a chamber similar to the one where the intervention had taken place.
King Theol told them to take seats, but the king himself did not. Instead, he stood in the center, his hands pressed together and tapping against his chin. His brow was creased. "It has been a very trying day," he said. "It started with my meeting a sad-eyed woman who visited me in my cell, who turned out to be my daughter. All grown up in a matter of days. And forced into marriage with Naatos. The Tue-Rah's restoration followed that rather shocking revelation. I informed the Para of my feelings, and he made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would not release her. That she was, in fact, his wife. I was then shunted back to my cell where I struggled to understand what sense any of this made.
"But the strangest event of the day was yet to come when WroOth, the supposed Para of this world, came to my cell, had me brought out, gave me a dragon horse, and told me to be on my way. When I demanded to know his reasons, he embraced me and told me that my daughter had suffered enough grief for the moment. That she had in fact been betrothed to and loved an Awdawm boy, one of my very own Ayamin. He then told me that he would find me later and kill me if I should become a bother, and then he vanished back into the temple." King Theol shook his head. He began to pace.
"Yet even stranger things were yet to come. Inale told me where to go, and a few Machat guided me the rest of the way, thank Elonumato. Otherwise, I would have been riding that infernal beast of the pit for who knows how long. But that wasn't the strangest of occurrences. That came when I arrived. Once I entered this place, I heard my daughter being referred to in all manner of vile names and descriptions. I have heard other problems as well, and the overall response far more than I can say."
He turned his gaze on Linufe, Vorec, and Saldon. "Tell me that I am wrong or that I have somehow misunderstood, but my daughter is not to be rescued? She is being referred to as a pinchat, a whore, and worse? Some are saying that she is responsible for this? And nothing is to be done to save her from this fate?"
Vorec cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, we presumed that you would understand the risk to the nation and choose to put its needs before the needs of this woman who can hardly be considered your daughter."
King Theol's eyes narrowed. "Can hardly be considered?
" he said, lifting his chin. "In what realm do you exist, elder commander? Amelia is as much my daughter now as she ever was, and she is under my protection. Do you think I would abandon her?"
"Our allies will not come to our aid if she is seen as your daughter," Saldon said. "They will require that she be banished and—"
"Damn our allies!" King Theol shouted. "They are not prepared to fight the Vawtrians. They are not present. They have no say in what we do now. It is my decision."
"To sacrifice one woman for the survival—" Vorec began.
"This isn't sacrifice. This is abandonment! And I will never abandon my daughter. She may not be the child she once was. She might be a blood child, but she is my daughter. It is not as if Naatos has taken her and said that if we let him have her, he will not attack. No! He's taking her, and he's destroying all of us. No, this boils down to a deeper issue. A far deeper matter of mistrust. You believe she deserves to die. You believe that it is right for her to be abandoned, and I will not have it!"
"Your Majesty," Linufe said, clearing his throat. He bowed his head. "The Machat have said that if Shon goes, he will most certainly die, and if he dies, then Amelia will die."
"I was in the prisons that those beasts set into place," King Theol said, his tone grim. "I watched them take our Ayamin, our brothers, and use them in their ritual training as obstacles and targets in what they called the Trolnan. You witnessed it as well, Vorec. I saw you there though you did not see me. Oh, they were very careful of that. I watched their dispensement. All violations, all crimes, are punished by death, and I watched as dozens of men and women were executed in one of seven ways: burning, boiling, drowning, crushing, eaten alive by spiders, eaten alive by wolves, and wasting.
"The dispensement wasn't only for Libyshans, of course. No. It was their own men as well. Apparently it's a ritual practice. Every fourth day during a conquest and once a month after settlement to weed out all the criminals. I watched them fight one another in something they call kuvaste. The purging of emotions or whatever it is. Whatever violence they demonstrate toward their enemies is nothing compared to what they do to one another in sport. And this is the world in which my daughter would live?
"Do you not think he will abuse her in some fashion? Do you not think she will suffer? If given the choice between living out the rest of my days in that place or risking death to escape, I would choose death every time."
"For the sake of the kingdom, it is not wise to risk resources in such a rescue attempt," Vorec said. "Besides, she wants to be with them. She did not attempt to use her position to aid our people, and when the brothers fell, she showed concern."
King Theol turned slowly to face Vorec, his expression hard. "She demonstrates compassion, and you reward her with disdain. You are not the man I thought you to be, Vorec. I spoke with her in my cell. I watched her with that monster. She may have grown into a woman, but I still know her. If she has erred, then I will deal with her when the time comes. But if you are so concerned about her joining their side, then abandonment would seem more likely to guarantee rather than challenge that outcome. Regardless, it has never been our policy to follow such a practice. We did not abandon the children taken by the Talbokians fifteen years ago, nor did we abandon the lost village when the Ulans overran it. We sought them out. We fought to protect them. We will do no less for my daughter. My decision on this is final. There will be no more discussion. Libysha still stands, and I am still her king."
King Theol turned to Shon, his voice shaking slightly. "Under any other circumstances, I would have been delighted to learn that you were my daughter's betrothed. I am not entirely clear on how there was enough time for such a relationship to form, though I have heard I can thank a Machat called Kepsalon."
He looked at his hand for a moment. "Traditionally, Shon, I would have given you my ring to present to Amelia. Clearly, I have none. But I give you my blessing. Now, before anyone objects, I am aware that Amelia's marriage to Naatos is valid. I am very well aware of that. But in the event of his inevitable death, she will be free to marry again. Until such time, you will be regarded as her betrothed to be, Shon. You will not, however, make my daughter an adulteress. Her reputation has already suffered enough. So you will refrain from physical intimacy with her until her husband is dead. Can you agree to that?"
Shon nodded. "I do."
King Theol's eyes filled with tears, but he spoke with a stronger tone now. "You will head a separate force, Shon. But you must go prepared. It will be necessary to stop the Tue-Rah from functioning for a time, and that may leave Amelia stranded on the other side in Ecekom. I am asking, if you accept it, to go through with as many Ayamin as will willingly join you to protect her there."
"Gladly." Relief flooded Shon. "I will go alone if I must."
"You won't have to go alone. There is just one other vow I would ask you to make."
"Anything."
"Swear that you will never abandon her."
"I swear it," Shon said. He touched his hand to his heart and then to his shoulder in the sign of the vow.
King Theol grasped Shon's hand in his. "I will never forget this," he said. "Never. May Elonumato grant you favor. You will always have mine."
43
The Eagles
Until Naatos left, Amelia remained motionless. She couldn't leave too soon, and WroOth remained at his post.
Time passed so slowly. The fibers of the blanket tickled her shoulder and cheek.
Then came soft snores.
Amelia cracked open an eye. WroOth had fallen asleep with the silver puma curled up beside him, her tablet still in hand.
Amelia sighed and readjusted her head on the arm rest. If Naatos was back, she could set her plan in motion. At least the first part.
As she waited, she went over the parts of the temple she had seen and made mental notes of what could help the Ayamin with their attack.
The main door opened. The wood grated on the stone frame. Naatos. Amelia recognized his footsteps at once.
There was something different though. Something in his presence. Amelia tucked her face closer to the pillow. She slowed her breaths. His footsteps stopped outside the common room doorway. For a moment, all she heard was the crackling of the fire and WroOth's snores. She couldn't hear Naatos, but she knew he was there. Her skin prickled. She wanted to open her eyes to confirm.
Then the footsteps began again, drawing closer. Amelia peeked through her eyelashes.
Naatos knelt beside her. He placed his hand along her cheek, caressing her. Amelia resisted the urge to pull back. Would it be believable if she sleep-kicked him? Naatos leaned forward then, kissing her on the lips. He lingered before at last pulling back. "I love you, viskaro," he whispered. "Surely one day you will love me too."
Amelia remained still. Those words stung far more than they should have. Unrequited love was painful. But he was the one who had done this to her. She hadn't asked him to fall in love with her. She hadn't even asked him to be attracted to her. Using any sort of seductive charm hadn't been on her mind. What did she owe him from this? She tightened her fingers around the blanket.
Naatos remained beside her, placing his hand over hers. He sighed, kissed her fingers, then tucked the blankets back over her shoulder and around her neck. "It'll all be for the best. I promise you, and whatever pain you endure, I will make up to you. It will get better."
Amelia bit the inside of her lip as he at last left. Tears pricked at her eyes. She didn't love him, but she did feel something. She buried her face in the couch. It was ridiculous to even consider. Why, she thought. Why did he have to want her to love him and why did she have to feel that desire?
Even worse the next split heart attack built within her chest. Perhaps it was time or perhaps it had something to do with the guilt she felt at Naatos's desire. But here it was.
Amelia closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths and releasing them slowly.
It was like waiting to vomit while having the flu, the awful
anticipation making it all the worse. Soon it came, clamping down over her chest and constricting her breaths. She clenched her teeth together, whimpering. It hurt so horribly. Would this pain be what kept her tethered to herself? She clutched her arms closer to her chest. Tears leaked from her eyes. "I'm going to lose my mind and my conscience, and my heart is going to keep trying to split," she whispered, staring at the couch's fabric.
At last the pain eased. When it had passed, the moonlight shone fully through the arched window. The cool night air was actually refreshing. She still needed to finish her mapping of the temple, and she had to make the most of the time she had.
She moved to the cubbies and removed parchment, quill, and ink. She placed these on the low table and began sketching out what she had seen. Despite everything, her memory for the layout seemed good. She used the tapestries as markers, writing a description of the relevant ones rather than trying to draw them. Her artistic skills were not nearly so good as Jacinda's but she was precise. That was what mattered.
Once she had exhausted that, she pulled out the book about the Neyeb. The instructions on page 310 were essentially what she had seen already but with a few more tips and techniques. This, at least came naturally. Having the memories that overlaid with WroOth's memories made it easier to transition.
When she closed her eyes, she saw the temple layout. It was more comfortable now, lacking in emotion. What she had seen was far more vivid, but WroOth's memories were enough. He'd been quite clear on the point that there had been no architectural changes to the temple. That was another win.
Amelia made several notations about the passage size and what strength she had noted. Since she wasn't sure which of WroOth's memories applied to the troop strength, she only put down what she had seen herself. Anything that might help the Libyshans went down on the list. As for getting it to the Libyshans…
Amelia chewed on her lip, pondering this. WroOth slept, not even stirring as she went about her task. There were eagles in the temple. Red-capped black-winged eagles. She had seen them when Naatos brought her here.
Enemy Known Page 42
