The Dead and the Dusk (The Nightmare Court Book 2)

by Val Saintcrowe

  “I don’t know yet,” said Feteran, and his voice had gone almost oily, as if he was plotting something and he was pleased about it. “But you’ll owe me. If I tell you this, you will let me out, and you will owe me a favor.”

  Nicce turned to look at Eithan.

  Eithan was advancing on the cage, pulling his sword out of its scabbard. He thrust it through the space that Nicce had made when she’d shattered a crystal. “How about this bargain? You talk, or I stab you.”

  “You think that’s going to frighten me?” Feteran started laughing again. He laughed and laughed and laughed.

  Nicce put her hand on Eithan’s arm, shaking her head at him.

  Eithan yanked the sword back through the cage. “I bet he doesn’t know anything, Nicce. That’s why he’s stalling.”

  “If you don’t know anything, say so,” said Nicce. “I’ll let you out. I promise I will. Just talk to me.”

  Feteran stopped laughing, clutching his gaunt stomach as his laughter faded away. He was still grinning, and his grin was skeletal. “A favor.”

  “What kind of favor?”

  “I won’t know that until I need it,” said Feteran.

  “No,” said Eithan, shaking his head.

  “You’re a half-god who’s been changed into a hunter,” said Nicce. “Which, I don’t even understand.” She looked up at Eithan. “You tried to change me and it didn’t work.” She considered. “Of course, I guess Ciaska changes the hunters, and she’s got to be stronger than you are. What does she do? Bite you? Drink your blood? Is it kind of the same?”

  “I was unconscious when it happened,” said Eithan.

  Nicce turned back to Feteran. “My point is that you’re a powerful being. What do you need a favor from us for?”

  “You seem powerful as well,” said Feteran. “You have your light.”

  “Right now,” said Nicce, “I’m told the goddess of nightmares is sleeping, but I imagine she’ll wake up soon enough, and even free, you’ll have to find your own way out of the palace. So, start talking, would you?”

  “The favor.”

  “Fine.”

  “Nicce,” murmured Eithan, his eyes wide.

  “I want her dead, Eithan,” she growled. “Tell us how.”

  Feteran spread his hands. “It was a theory I had. I never did it, of course. I couldn’t, because I couldn’t find her crystals. You see, Father became rather fascinated with her, and I didn’t like it.”

  “With Ciaska?” said Nicce.

  “Right,” said Feteran. “I had a theory that if I could get the power out of the crystals, I could use that power against the god from whom it had come. I might have talked too much about it, before I came to this palace looking for Ciaska’s crystals. When Ciaska found me, she wasn’t taking any chances. She put me in here. The irony of her using these crystals against me, it’s not lost on me.”

  Nicce furrowed her brow, looking at the bars. “Use the power in the crystals against her? But it’s only light. And it’s her light. My light weakened her, but—”

  “It’s not only light,” said Feteran. “That’s how it manifests, but if you could…” He gestured. “Ingest it somehow.”

  “Eat crystals? What?”

  “Let me out,” said Feteran. “That’s all I know.”

  “I owe you a favor for this?” Nicce snorted.

  “You said you would let me out,” said Feteran.

  She glared at him, but she put her hand on another of the crystals and began muttering the spell. She tried, this time, to pull the light into herself, but she couldn’t. And letting all the power out of it left her feeling somewhat exhausted and drained.

  She sagged on the floor as Feteran crawled out of the cage.

  He stood up on wobbly, skinny legs and looked around. Tears were running down his cheeks.

  “Listen,” said Eithan, “you mean to tell me you came to this palace with the intent to kill Ciaska and nothing more than a vague idea of how to do it?”

  “I wasn’t trying to kill her,” said Feteran. “Just hurt her. Scare her off, maybe. I was stupid back then. I thought Father would have more time for me if she was gone, but I’ve had a lot of time to think about Father and the way he behaved and… I have determined it wouldn’t have mattered, anyway. He was never going to care about me the way I wished him to.”

  Eithan let out a disgusted noise. “We’re no better off than we were, Nicce. We might as well try to dose her wine again. This is nothing. It helps nothing.”

  Feteran took several unsteady steps across the floor. “I have had a long time to think about it, though, and I’ve had some ideas.”

  “Oh?” said Nicce, getting to her feet. “Do tell, or do we have to bargain for those as well?”

  “I’ve often wondered what happens if someone drives the blades made from the crystals into her,” said Feteran. “What if she were in my cage? What would that do to her? What if someone cut her with them?”

  Nicce raised her eyebrows.

  “Well, that’s something to try, I suppose,” said Eithan.

  “And I wanted to find all of her crystals,” said Feteran. “When the gods siphon off their power and make the crystals, they store it in small amounts, but if one had the entire collection, that would be a great deal of concentrated power, wouldn’t it? So, to gather all of it, maybe…” He shrugged.

  “Why do the gods siphon off the power?” said Nicce.

  “I don’t know,” said Feteran. “But it’s a highly guarded secret that they do. Phir did that with Father’s crystals because he was done, and he was about to die. Also, I think he was angry about Father fucking his daughter.”

  “Who?” said Nicce.

  “Ciaska, of course.”

  “No, no.” Nicce shook her head. “Ciaska climbed out of Garr’s mouth. She was born from a father only, no mother at all. Then her father fell in love with her, and he had to have her, but from that depravity, she was impregnated with the nightmares, and she gave birth to them—”

  “Who is Garr?” said Feteran. “Ciaska is a younger generation than my father and Phir. She was born of a union between Maliatha and Phir, and she was raised in this palace as the daughter of death. I don’t know what sort of childhood that was.” Feteran shrugged. “As for the nightmares, they have always been here. Your story is preposterous. Not a bit of truth to it. Something made up by the humans, I suppose?”

  “They tell stories about you, too,” said Nicce.

  “Truly?” said Feteran.

  “Yes, but I always thought you were a cautionary tale, made up by kings to keep the peasants in their place,” said Nicce. “Or that’s what the Guild told me. ‘Let not your reach extend your grasp.’ That is the moral of the story of Feteran. Do not hope. Do not dream. Do not try. Just roll over and take it. Not me, that’s what I always told myself when I heard that story. Not me.”

  Feteran laughed again. “Well. Best of luck with that. I hope you live. I shall look forward to collecting on my favor.”

  She folded her arms over her chest.

  Feteran staggered across the room and began to descend the steps.

  She looked up at Eithan.

  He looked defeated.

  * * *

  Absalom was arguing with the guards at the gate.

  “We’re going to let you go,” said one. “There’s no need to kill us like you did with the others.”

  “If I don’t kill you, Ciaska will torture it out of you that we left,” said Absalom, clutching the jewel in one sweaty hand.

  Septimus was tossing a dagger back and forth in one hand. “The longer you talk to them, the harder it’s going to be to kill them, Absalom. You’re very soft in that way. Why don’t you give me the jewel?”

  “You’re going to kill them,” said Absalom to Septimus. “That’s why you have the dagger.” He turned back to the guards. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing for it.”

  “Ciaska’s going to know you left anyway,” said one of the guards. �
��You’ll be gone. She’ll hardly need to torture us.”

  “And it’s not as if she can’t guess you’ve gone through the portal,” said the other guard. “You really don’t need to kill us.”

  Absalom hesitated.

  “You’re going to let them live, aren’t you?” Septimus was disgusted.

  Jonas put a beefy finger in the faces of both of the guards. “You keep quiet as long as you can out of gratitude, then?”

  “Yes, yes, of course,” said one of the guards.

  Jonas took Septimus by the arm. “Let’s go.”

  “Seriously?” said Septimus. “When do I get to stab someone? Everyone keeps promising me a proper stabbing, and it never happens. I’ve got blue balls for blood, and do either of you care? No.”

  Jonas tugged harder.

  Septimus fell into step with him. “You act as though I’m the one who’s so inconsiderate, but no one thinks of my needs, do they? You could practice some empathy as well, the both of you.”

  Absalom brought up the rear. “Shut up, Septimus.”

  “I hate you both,” said Septimus. “I hate Eithan as well. The only one of you I can stand is Philo.”

  “Shut up, Septimus,” said Jonas.

  They walked.

  It was dawn on the other side of the portal.

  When they reached the fortress, Absalom was surprised to see that Xenia and the other woman were still there. Revel, that was her name! He smiled, feeling proud of himself for placing her. They were in the room at the top of the steps with Lian and Philo, and they were all eating some sort of flat cakes that had been cooked over the stove in the kitchens.

  Septimus inquired if there was more, and there wasn’t, but Philo volunteered to help make more if Xenia would show him.

  The two of them descended the steps.

  After greeting everyone and giving Lian a huge bear hug, Absalom went down to the kitchens after Philo and Xenia.

  He was too tired to bother with politeness, so he just asked her point blank why she was still there.

  “We’re leaving soon,” she said defensively. “We stayed because Philo was nervous about being alone with the boy.”

  “I get confused,” Philo said to Absalom. “I said this to you, and you just brushed it off.”

  Absalom sighed. “Right, well, we’re here now, but we can’t stay. We don’t know how long we have until Ciaska comes after us. Where are you planning to go?”

  Xenia flipped over one of the cakes she was cooking on a griddle. “To my mother’s. That’s where my daughter is. But I have a bit of coin and jewels and riches saved. The king gave me gifts when I was his mistress. And I thought that we could use the money to get far away. I told Philo he could come and bring the boy.”

  Philo shook his head. “We’re all here now. Except Eithan.” Philo furrowed his brow. “Eithan’s dead, isn’t he?”

  “Eithan’s not dead,” said Absalom. “But maybe he will be.” He sighed. “Maybe we should have stayed with him and fought.”

  “What do you mean?” said Philo.

  Absalom turned to Xenia. “Listen, would you be willing to implement your plan but to hide out and wait a bit? Take anyone you care about from your home. Go to…”

  “We can go to the Conclave,” said Xenia. “My brother is one of the priests. They will give sanctuary.”

  Absalom rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Might work. But they might go after your brother. No, go somewhere you have no ties. Perhaps the Guild, where Nicce is from. I understand that they take people in. Philo might be a stretch, though, considering how they feel about us.” He turned to Philo. “Kill them if they give you any trouble, hmm?”

  Philo blinked. “Well, all right.”

  “I haven’t agreed to this,” said Xenia. “Where are you going to be?”

  “We have to see this through,” said Absalom. “We have to go back and face her.” He sighed. He wondered if Septimus would agree. Somehow he doubted it. “Will you take Septimus? Philo, make sure he doesn’t stab either of the women.”

  Xenia’s eyes widened. “What?”

  But it turned out that Septimus surprised him. After he’d eaten four flat cakes and he’d heard Absalom’s idea, he said he was in. He wanted to stab something, after all. And if Eithan wasn’t actually dead, and he was going to try to kill Ciaska, Septimus wanted a run at her too.

  So, not three hours after they’d come through the portal, they found themselves heading back to the palace.

  The guards at the gates were a little surprised to see them.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Eithan and Nicce stayed in the tower, working on wresting the crystal blades out of the bars on the cage. Finally, they got one out, and it was sharp.

  As a test, Nicce cut herself with it and then tried to heal the wound.

  It healed like any other wound.

  They determined that they needed to find Ciaska’s crystals, then. Maybe what Feteran had said about having all of them, somehow accessing all of the power at once, maybe that meant something.

  But he had no idea where she might be keeping crystals. He’d been with Ciaska for over a hundred years, and the only one he’d ever seen was the one that had encased Lian. He’d been over most of the palace at one time or other. The place was vast, but he’d been here a long time. He felt he would have seen something, somewhere.

  But for lack of anything else to do, they went looking.

  They crouched around the corner from Ciaska’s quarters, waiting for the goddess to rise and leave them. When she did, she paused in the hallway, turning as if she’d seen something. She peered at the door they were hiding behind. She walked towards it, put her hand on the knob. “Hello?” she whispered.

  Nicce’s heart beat fast. Her palms sweat. This was the end of it, then.

  “Exalted One?” came a voice.

  Ciaska turned to see a guard coming down the hallway. “What?”

  “Absalom, Jonas, and Septimus left in the night and came back.”

  “Left?” she said. “All together? Where did they go?”

  “I don’t know,” said the guard.

  “Why didn’t you stop them?”

  “I wasn’t on duty,” said the guard. “I only saw them when they were coming back. They asked us not to tell you, so of course, I came straight to you.”

  Ciaska patted his bare chest. “Good boy.” She sighed. “Well, summon them to the throne room, I suppose. They have many things to answer for.”

  She disappeared down the hallway.

  “Gods take it,” whispered Eithan. “Why did they come back?”

  “Maybe they’re trying to help us,” said Nicce.

  “Having to keep them alive makes it harder for me,” said Eithan, gritting his teeth.

  She touched his shoulder. “Maybe let them look after themselves?”

  “Gods take it,” he said again. “Gods take it all to the pit.”

  They looked in Ciaska’s rooms. They searched her wardrobes and under her bed and inside two chests she had along the walls. They even looked up into the fireplace, to see if something was inside the chimney.

  There was nothing there.

  They hurried out to look elsewhere, but there were no crystals in any of the places they looked.

  Eithan wanted to go to the throne room to intercede for the knights, and Nicce told him that they had to keep looking. The knights had been free, but they’d come back. They knew the risks.

  But she could tell that Eithan didn’t like it.

  He prowled the hallways, angry as he searched room after room, muttering to himself that he needed to figure this out before he lost them all.

  Nicce didn’t want anything to happen to the knights either, she found. Well, she didn’t have any real connection to Septimus, but she had grown rather fond of Absalom. And Jonas seemed quiet but solid. She understood why Eithan wanted to save them, but they needed to stay focused. They had a goddess to kill.

  She didn’t allow herself to th
ink that they might very well be on an impossible mission that was going to end in their deaths.

  Or, knowing Ciaska, something worse than death, some kind of unending torture that would destroy them both.

  Eithan suddenly stopped, going rigid. “Of course,” he breathed.

  “Of course?” said Nicce. “Did you just think of something?”

  He looked at her and his eyes were glowing brighter than usual. “She didn’t come into that room to see Lian. She wouldn’t have done that. She doesn’t care about him, not truly. She came into that room because that’s where her godstaken crystals are.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Nicce.

  But Eithan was off and running and he wasn’t listening to her. She hurried to catch up with him. They climbed to a high floor of the palace, and Eithan brought them into a small room.

  “This is where she used to keep the crystal with Lian encased in it,” said Eithan, who was looking all over the room.

  It was empty.

  The walls were blank and smooth, and there wasn’t even a stitch of furniture in there.

  Eithan furrowed his brow.

  “There’s nothing here,” said Nicce quietly.

  Eithan stalked over to one of the walls. He rapped on it with a fist, shook his head, and then moved on to the next. This time when he rapped, Nicce could hear that the sound was different, a hollow reverberation.

  Eithan felt around on the seam between the walls, and the wall slid away, revealing a room behind it.

  A room filled entirely with huge, clear crystals.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Nicce looked around at all the crystals. There were so many of them. The room was piled high with them, and each one was nearly two feet wide and four feet long. They couldn’t carry them all. She wandered into the room and ran her fingers over them.

  Now what?

  Eithan was behind her. He was agitated. “Gods take it.”

  Nicce turned to look at him. “I don’t see how I could get all the power from the crystals, like Feteran said. I need to be touching them in order for the spells to work. There’s too many. I can’t touch them all at once, not even if I was… buried in them or…” She looked around trying to think of how it could work. “And that’s to say nothing of how we get them to her.”