Sanctuary (21 page)

Imoshen looked up at Frayvia. Her devotee wore that expression for only one person. ‘Sorne’s back?’

‘He’s coming aboard right now.’

Imoshen nodded to Tiasarone and left the children to finish their dinner while she went out onto the deck, where the lanterns had been lit. There were more Malaunje on deck than normal. They pretended to work, or stood about, waiting to catch a glimpse of Sorne.

She glanced to the nearest T’Enatuath ships and saw several lowering boats. Sorne’s rowboat had been spotted coming out from port. The all-fathers would be here in no time. ‘Send a message to all the ships. We’ll hold an all-council. Fetch Ree.’

She wondered if the all-fathers realised the honour they did Sorne, coming to hear him speak.

Egrayne caught up with her. ‘You’ve called an all-council?’

Imoshen nodded.

‘Then come back to the cabin and let my devotee do your hair.’ Egrayne grimaced. ‘You look like a Mieren, with it hacked off so short. Roskara has a real flair for dressing hair. She can hide –’

‘I’m not hiding my hair. I cut it to mourn our dead and make a point. And every time the other T’Enatuath leaders see it they’re reminded of this.’

At that moment, Sorne climbed aboard and Frayvia threw her arms around him. He laughed, and his usually grim expression lightened.

They came over to Imoshen together.

Sorne gave his obeisance. ‘Causare.’

‘What news do you have of our people?’ Imoshen asked.

‘Messages were sent to every estate ten days ago. I hoped you had news for me.’

She shook her head. ‘A few of the smaller estates have come in, just a handful of people. There’s still time.’ Albeit not much. ‘Would the king –’

‘The king is locked away in his palace. Half the time he’s raving, and the other half he doesn’t remember what he had for breakfast. Guardians have been appointed to guide the prince.’

‘At least little Cedon is safe.’

‘He’s in hiding. Eskarnor will besiege the port any day now. I’m taking the baron’s families hostage and gathering an army.’

She heard a deep voice. The first of the brotherhood triumvirates’ boats had drawn near. ‘Kiane, send them up to the high rear-deck. Frayvia, prepare the spiced wine.’

As Imoshen led Sorne up the steps, she whispered, ‘Is there anything else I need to know before the others get here?’

‘Baron Eskarnor abducted Queen Jaraile the night before you returned the prince. Cedon still hasn’t seen his mother and Jaraile was told that the Wyrds had killed him.’

‘She must be heartbroken. Is there any way you can –’

‘I’ve already sent word that he’s safe.’

‘Good.’ Imoshen found that her people had brought up a brazier and the all-council carpet.

Reoden joined them. ‘All better, Sorne?’

He gave her a deep obeisance. ‘I feel like a new man, thanks to you, the causare and the gift-wright.’

As the rest of the brotherhood and sisterhood leaders took their places around the circle, Imoshen whispered to Sorne, explaining who each person was. Then she introduced him formally. By the time this was done, the spiced wine was ready to serve.

Frayvia offered Imoshen first, and Imoshen deferred to Sorne.

‘What?’ All-father Dretsun objected. ‘That we have a Malaunje speaking at an all-council meeting is bad enough, but to give him precedence in the spiced wine ceremony?’

Sorne refused the spiced wine and indicated Frayvia was to continue around the circle.

‘At least he knows his place,’ All-father Saskeyne said. ‘A Malaunje cannot have the status of a T’En.’

Imoshen felt Sorne’s quiet fury and spoke up quickly. ‘It’s thanks to this Malaunje that we reached port alive. It’s thanks to him that we have the opportunity to shelter here and wait for the people from our estates. I think we can share spiced wine with him.’

‘And where are the people from our estates?’ Kyredeon demanded. ‘I’m waiting on a silver mine and two merchant houses. I know my people at the winery were massacred, but I’ve not had word from the others.’

‘That’s because they’re travelling across Chalcedonia,’ Imoshen said. ‘Hopefully unmolested.’

‘We were promised until winter’s cusp. King Charald –’

‘King Charald is raving mad.’ Imoshen cut him off. ‘The prince is in hiding, the queen has been abducted by Baron Eskarnor and Chalcedonia is about to erupt in civil war. Sorne is gathering an army.’

The all-fathers cast him measuring looks.

‘Yet you say he’s not your devotee?’ All-father Egrutz, oldest of the brotherhood leaders, asked.

Clearly, they felt threatened by Sorne, but Imoshen did not understand why they kept coming back to his status within the T’Enatuath. ‘Sorne is a free Malaunje, attached to no brotherhood or sisterhood.’

‘Then he is not under anyone’s protection,’ Dretsun said, and Imoshen finally understood. If a brother was turned out of his brotherhood, he was without protection, hunted down and killed. It followed, an unaffiliated Malaunje...

‘He is in the causare’s service,’ Imoshen said. ‘And he should have the gratitude of every one of us.’

There was some muttering at this.

‘I ride back to lead an army to war,’ Sorne announced, without asking permission to speak. ‘It would greatly weaken Eskarnor if I were to free the queen. He’s holding her captive in the Celestial City.’

There was even more muttering at the thought of the Mieren baron turning their beautiful city into a prison.

‘Why should we help free a queen who made war on our people?’ Dretsun countered. ‘Why should we care who rules Chalcedonia?’

‘It was not Queen Jaraile who declared war on the Wyrds,’ Sorne said. ‘She owes the T’Entuath a debt for healing her son.’

‘And we want someone sympathetic to our kind ruling Chalcedonia.’ Imoshen gestured to the fleet. ‘Here we sit, waiting on people from nearly thirty estates, most of whom still have to cross the kingdom. And Chalcedonia has emerged as the power of the Secluded Sea. If we want to trade with any of the other kingdoms, we need to be on good terms with their ruler.’

‘And then there are the Malaunje born to Mieren parents,’ Sorne added. ‘Charald was going to forbid anyone who produced a half-blood baby from having children, but that kind of law is unenforceable. More of our kind will be born. The
Wyrd Problem
won’t go away. Jaraile –’

‘Is still King Charald’s queen.’

‘The king is raving mad. Weren’t you listening, Dretsun?’ Hueryx snapped.

Sorne nodded. ‘Charald is king in name only, and it’s not as if Jaraile had any choice in the matter. She was fifteen when he forced her father to hand her over. Now Eskarnor has raped and abducted her, and –’

‘Believe me, we don’t want Eskarnor crowning himself king,’ Imoshen said. ‘He cut a T’En boy’s throat without compunction. He will not hesitate to destroy our people.’

‘I volunteer my warriors,’ Kyredeon said, surprising Imoshen. ‘My best assassin Graelen will lead a team into the city, free the queen and bring her back –’

‘To Riverbend Stronghold,’ Sorne said, unaware of the insult he offered by interrupting a T’En, and an all-father at that. She glanced to Sorne. Would he be able to live with the restrictions of T’Enatuath life?

‘The causare thanks All-father Kyredeon and acknowledges his brotherhood’s stature,’ Imoshen said. Then something occurred to her. ‘What part of the city is the Queen being held in?’

‘She’s in the grandest sisterhood palace.’

‘Our palace?’ Egrayne was disgusted. ‘He’s turned our palace into a prison?’

‘It’s not ours anymore,’ Imoshen reminded her then looked across to Kyredeon. ‘You’ll need my sisterhood warriors. They know the palace inside out.’

‘No sisterhood warrior will trust a brotherhood warrior at her back,’ Imoshen’s hand-of-force stated.

‘I’ll go,’ a voice said from above.

To Imoshen’s horror, Iraayel climbed down the mast and dropped to the carpet. He sank to his knees, placing his hands in front of him, then pressing his forehead to his hands in the obeisance of deep supplication. ‘Forgiveness, Causare Imoshen. I was up on the crow’s nest and did not realise an all-council had been called below.’ He looked up, desperate determination in his wine-dark eyes. ‘I know the sisterhood palaces. I can go with the brotherhood warriors.’

Part of her knew it was a master stroke to win stature. Another part of her was horrified. Her sixteen-year-old choice-son, alone with Kyredeon’s warriors...

‘It’s decided, then,’ Sorne said. ‘I’ll have to go with them. Jaraile trusts me. They can come back with me to the stronghold tonight. We leave at first light.’

And the all-council broke up. Iraayel packed his travelling kit, and there was barely time for Imoshen to bid him goodbye. She caught up with him as he was heading for the deck.

‘I know why you do this,’ she whispered. ‘You hope to win stature.’

‘If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well die rescuing an innocent woman.’

Imoshen grabbed his robe. ‘Don’t do anything stupid. There’s still hope, Iraayel.’

He did not look convinced, and it was on the tip of her tongue to reveal her secret bond-partner and the plans they’d made to take over Kyredeon’s brotherhood, but this would put Iraayel in danger, and he was in enough danger already.

‘If you die,’ she told him, ‘I will be very angry with you!’

He laughed and hugged her, then looked past her shoulder and she turned to see Saffazi waiting.

‘I should be going with you. I’m trained as warrior,’ Saffazi said.

‘No sisterhood warrior would trust a brotherhood warrior to defend her back,’ Imoshen said, to test them.

Saffazi bristled. ‘I’d trust Iraayel with my life,’

So perhaps there was hope for this new generation, forced together by exile, growing up free of the artificial constraints of the Celestial City. Imoshen smiled. ‘Make your goodbyes quickly.’

Out on deck, she caught Sorne before he climbed over the side and into the waiting rowboat. ‘I don’t trust All-father Kyredeon. It’s not like him to volunteer his warriors. He’s up to something. Be wary of this Graelen. He’s a trained killer.’

Sorne stiffened. ‘I know Graelen. I’d trust him with my life.’

Imoshen had been going to hint at her plans for Ardonyx and Tobazim and her fears for them. But now she hesitated.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on Iraayel.’

‘If only you’d had a vision. We’d know if this scheme to rescue the queen was worth the gamble.’

He laughed. ‘No more visions for me. I’m not risking the predators of the empyrean plane. The older I get, the more cautious I become.’

It suddenly occurred to her that she might be able to trigger a vision in him. If she took his hand right now and drove enough power through him, it would knock him out and power his latent gift.

‘Imoshen?’

But it could be a vision of anything. That was the problem with the male version of the futures gift. Unlike female scryers, seers could not direct their visions.

And he would be imprinted with her gift. Her raedan ability surged, telling her that if she made him her devotee, the service he gave freely now would be resented.

‘I felt your gift rise. Is there a threat?’

Yes, me. I could imprint you and use you...
But she wouldn’t.

Iraayel joined them and there was no more chance for private talk.

Chapter Fifteen

W
HEN HE WAS
called into the captain’s cabin, Tobazim went expecting trouble. He did not expect to meet Graelen at the door. For a moment they stared at each other, and then Tobazim gestured for him to go first. He didn’t want the assassin behind him.

Graelen hesitated, then went ahead.

As they made their obeisance to the all-father, light glittered on Kyredeon’s silver and glass sculpture of the Celestial City. Made by the all-father and his voice-of-reason, it was a thing of beauty. How could two such heartless men create beauty?

‘You have a chance to win stature for your brotherhood,’ Kyredeon told them. ‘Grae, you will lead a mission to the Celestial City to rescue the kidnapped Mieren queen.’ The assassin looked as surprised as Tobazim. ‘You will be his second, Tobazim. You leave tomorrow. Go pack your travelling kits.’

As they stood up to leave, Kyredeon added. ‘A word, Grae.’

Tobazim walked out, certain he was not meant to return from this mission. Down in his cabin, Ardonyx, Athlyn, Haromyr and the others waited, their expressions worried and grim.

‘What’s going on?’ Ardonyx asked.

‘Athlyn, pack a travelling kit for me,’ Tobazim said. ‘The assassin is leading a party to rescue the Mieren queen.’

‘And kill you,’ Ardonyx muttered.

‘This is it.’ Haromyr’s features hardened. ‘You must kill Graelen.’

‘If Tobazim comes back without Graelen, he’s as good as challenging Kyredeon,’ Ardonyx warned.

‘If he dies, we are all lost,’ Haromyr countered. ‘Kyredeon will pick us off one by one.’

‘He won’t kill Ardonyx,’ Eryx said. ‘He needs the sea captain.’

Athlyn handed Tobazim his travelling kit. ‘What will you do?’

‘Stay alert. Watch Graelen and if... if I have to kill him, I will.’

Ardonyx drew him into the bathing chamber, the only place they could be private, and shut the door on the others. ‘Graelen is older than you. He’s killed many times and he’s a gift-warrior.’

‘He has to sleep sometime.’

Ardonyx smiled and shook his head. ‘You would never kill a man in his sleep. Do you want to become my shield-brother?’

He wanted it more than anything, but not for this reason. Tobazim’s gift surged, and he forced it down. ‘There isn’t time to do it properly.’ It should be a blending of mind, body and gift, offered in joy, not desperation. After all, a shield-brother was for life. And it would reveal to Ardonyx how he really felt. ‘Besides, if I died after we became shield-brothers, it would weaken you.’

‘You...’ Ardonyx caught the back of his neck in his calloused sailor’s palm, pulled him close and kissed his forehead. ‘You come back alive. You hear me?’

Why? Because he cared, or because he needed Tobazim to defeat Kyredeon?