The Deathless

It’s waiting for you to come back. We all are, my darling.

Pari went to the door on the opposite wall and slid it back to reveal a rack of clothing. Hanging underneath Lord Rochant’s cloak, hidden, was a second simpler one of Sapphire design, the kind worn by the castle staff on a cold night.

She took out the cloak and slipped it over her shoulders, pulling the hood forward till it cast her face in shadow, hiding her only concession to vanity: a pair of golden earrings that fastened to the top and bottom of each ear; a gift from him to her from their early, heady days.

There was a sad lack of mirrors but some of the paintings were protected by glass and, from the right angle, she was able to see a paler version of herself. Her reflection gave her an approving nod, before smiling.

Much better.

So far, her intrusion had been easy. The routines of the castle had not changed, and it was a small matter for her to sneak in through the servants’ quarters. House Sapphire had few enemies, and Lord Rochant fewer still. With most of the guards assigned to the ceremony, she had plenty of opportunities to cross from the courtyard where visitors were taken, to the outer wall. From there, it had only been a short run to the tunnel’s entrance and complete concealment all the way to Rochant’s bedchamber.

The hard part was yet to come. She slipped out into the corridor and began her walk towards the Rebirthing Chamber. By her estimate, the suns would only just be starting to rise. Rochant had been born under the lesser red sun, Wrath’s Tear, and so she still had a little time before the ceremony began.

In short bursts, she travelled, crouching by glazed vases bursting with yellowed leaves, then dashing forward to hide by a statue of a serious looking man in long robes: Lord Rochant Sapphire, rendered in crystal, and mounted on a plinth. It had been grown over years, sculpted meticulously to match the subject at every stage of life. If the rebirthing ceremony was successful, the statue would be moved to the ancestral hall and a new one would be put in its place. Accuracy had been given priority over flattery, every feature worked to match the original’s. The artist had done an exquisite job and it was no accident that Pari’s hand came to rest on the statue’s bottom.

Where are the guards? she wondered. So far, she had seen no one, heard nothing.

Halfway to her next hiding place, she saw one coming out of a bedroom, closing the door, carefully, quietly. It would only be a few moments before he looked up and saw her. Instead of diving for cover, Pari straightened, trusting to her disguise.

No longer creeping, the sudden sound of her footsteps filled the pre-dawn quiet, and the guard jumped so high the plume of his helm nearly tickled the ceiling.

Making the most of the man’s surprise, Pari hurried past: the guard stayed facing the door until her back was to him. She heard him then set off quickly in the opposite direction.

She’d noted the slight shine of his cheeks and wondered about it as she turned the corner. Something in the man’s manner nagged at her, slowing her steps. Embarrassed or not, the guard she had encountered was in the family wing of the castle on the night of Rochant’s ceremony, and he should have challenged her.

Suddenly, all thoughts of her reunion faded away, banished by the puzzle. Not only had the guard not challenged her, she realized, he had been as keen to get away as she was. And then another thing occurred to her. When the guard had left, he was going at speed, and yet she could not remember hearing the sound of his footsteps.

Pari stopped. She didn’t understand what was going on but all of her instincts were telling her to run, and so she did, away from where the ceremony would be starting and back to the door where she had first encountered the guard.

It was quiet on the other side of the door, the same kind of quiet she’d experienced in Rochant’s room. With a sickening feeling, Pari turned the handle and pushed open the door.

Dim light from the corridor bled through into the dark room, painting a sleeping girl in greys, serene. Pari would guess her to be no more than fifteen, most likely one of Rochant’s grandchildren.

Around her the room contained a few hints of chaos: a broken chair, a scattering of beads and a second body, a young woman in a guard’s uniform, chest down, head twisted too far to the left, as if she wished one last look at the ceiling as she died. Her right hand clutched at a dagger, the tip daubed in fresh blood. She marked him before she died. Good.

Unable to help the unfortunate guard, Pari crossed to the bed where the girl was. Her chest neither rose nor fell, and in the soft light, she saw a thin needle protruding from the girl’s throat.

Too late, Pari. She cursed herself. Far, far, too late.

A part of her wanted to examine the scene, another to rush to Rochant’s side but the guard, the assassin, she corrected herself, hadn’t been going towards the Rebirthing Chamber. Either he’s finished here or his next target isn’t Rochant.

Pari rushed outside and noticed a speck of blood, glinting in the gemlight of the corridor. She went in the direction the assassin had gone, finding another speck some way further down. Whatever wound he’d received was bleeding slowly, making a poor tracking aid, but it confirmed she was going the right way.

She ran, wondering where in the name of the Three Blessed Suns any of House Sapphire’s guards were. Their absence now seemed glaring, ominous rather than fortunate.

A soft thud sounded from one of the rooms behind her. She slid to a stop, backtracked three paces until she was level with the door, and went straight in.

The assassin was kneeling, bent over a baby’s crib, his right hand raised and curled around something she couldn’t make out through the gloom. The thud she’d heard had been his head being banged against the side of the crib by the woman on his back.

Even in the half light, Pari could tell the woman was highborn, her skinny arms sticking from her flapping nightdress like sticks from a sail.

By some miracle, the baby wasn’t crying, making Pari fear she was too late a second time.

With a grunt, the assassin drove his elbow backwards into the noblewoman’s gut. She bucked with the force but kept hold, knocking his head against the crib a second time. The assassin elbowed her again, then brought his fist up into the woman’s face.

Pari was halfway across the room as the woman fell down.

She considered her opponent, as yet unaware of her arrival. He looked young, fast and strong. Closer now, she could just make out another of those long murderous needles in his grip.

Not someone to play games with.

Though her body was not as fast as it once was, her instincts remained sharp, and Pari let them guide her, flowing into action before her conscious mind fully understood what she was about to do.

She reached out to his raised hand and plucked the needle from it. His reaction was swift, one fist lashing out on instinct. Pari barely managed to get her arms in the way in time. The force of the blow slammed into her, bruising forearms, and she tripped on the other woman’s leg, stumbling back to the far wall for support. Before she could recover her breath the assassin was leaping after her, one hand raised, index and middle fingers locked together ready to strike.

His movements suggested that his hand-to-hand training was excellent, at least as good as one could be in a single lifetime. In a younger body, she would have dealt with him easily, now most of her efforts were going into staying upright.

As if he sensed her fatigue, the assassin lunged forward but Pari, still leaning against the wall, showed him her empty hands before giving her best smile and flicking a look to his throat.

The gesture made him pause. His eyes widened as his fingers touched the side of his neck and the needle protruding from it.

He just had time to look at her in understanding before something seemed to switch off inside, and he collapsed to the floor.

Pari pushed herself upright and moved to the side of the crib, rubbing her arm. It turned out that the baby had woken after all, his eyes staring up at her, two black pools in the grey.

‘Well,’ she said, picking him up. ‘You’re a very calm fellow, aren’t you?’

The baby didn’t reply, watching her with intensity. The woman by Pari’s feet however, was another matter. ‘I know that voice … Pari? Lady Pari Tanzanite, is that you?’ At her nod, the woman became haughty. ‘I demand that you tell me what is going on this instant! Who was that man? Why was he trying to kill my Satyendra? And what are you doing here?’

Pari peered down at the woman, unflustered. Satyendra did the same. She saw a delicate face, the kind that smiles too rarely and was not built to handle tears. ‘All good questions …’ she paused to allow the woman to introduce herself.

‘Chandni.’

‘Can it be? Little Chandni, all grown up and an Honoured Mother! I never would have recognized you. Who is in charge here?’

‘I am,’ she replied, standing up and regaining something of her dignity. ‘Lord Rochant entrusted me to oversee the castle in his absence.’

‘My, my, it has been too long, my dear.’

‘You haven’t answered my questions.’

‘True,’ replied Pari, ‘and you haven’t thanked me for saving you and your baby either.’

‘I … thank you,’ said Chandni, then again more calmly, earnest. ‘Thank you.’

‘Much better. As to who the man is, I’m not sure yet. But he’s already killed at least twice tonight.’

Chandni took a fortifying breath. ‘Who?’

‘One was a girl, younger than you, the other her guardian.’

‘No!’ Her hands flew to her mouth. ‘It must be Dhruti. But why?’

‘She was a descendant of Lord Rochant.’

‘She was,’ Chandni’s eyes widened. ‘Like Satyendra!’

‘Yes –’ she replied, giving the baby a squeeze ‘– like Satyendra. How many more blood descendants are there in the castle?’

‘I …’

‘Come on, Chandni, think!’

‘Well, two. There’s Satyendra’s father, Mohit, and Kareem. But Kareem was chosen, he’s in the Rebirthing Chamber now.’

‘Show me Mohit’s room.’

A minute later they stood at Mohit’s bedside. There had been no guard to protect him and the needle in his neck was still quivering. Like the girl beforehand, Mohit’s death had been swift and, she hoped, painless.

‘He’s only just died. You know what this means?’ Pari asked, pointing at the needle.

Chandni covered her mouth and gasped behind her hand, ‘Poor Mohit. Quickly, turn Satyendra away.’

‘It means there’s a second killer, maybe more. The castle isn’t safe.’ She passed Satyendra back into Chandni’s arms. ‘You have to leave.’

‘What?’

‘Right now. Don’t stop to pack, take Satyendra and go, use the tunnel.’

‘What tunnel?’

‘I’ll show you. It’ll take you to the main doors.’ Pari took off one of her earrings. ‘I have a man outside, his name is Varg. Give him this,’ she said, and placed the earring into Chandni’s hand, ‘tell him I sent you. Tell him to get you as far away from here as he can.’ She kissed the baby’s forehead. ‘Keep Satyendra close. If things go badly, he might be Rochant’s last hope. I’ll come for you when it’s safe.’

‘Wait, where are you going?’

‘To the Rebirthing Chamber. Someone is trying to erase Rochant’s line, and I intend to stop them.’

Vasin’s mother stood before him. Wonderfully impossible. Though her body had been weathered and scarred, aged by time and sorrow, it didn’t matter. She was here! As purposeful as ever. Just the sight of her made him feel safer, as if things could begin making sense again. And yet, her very presence meant that the world did not make sense, and would not again.

‘They may take my title, strip me of my crystal skin, sever my link to the immortal, bury me with lies and hatred –’ she reached up to his face and he could not decide whether to move forward or back ‘– but I will always be your mother, I will always be yours, and you mine.’

She was also a traitor, accused and found guilty of selling out their people to the Wild. Treating with demons was a terrible crime in itself, but for a Deathless it was a thousand times worse, a betrayal of their most sacred duty. Such a thing could not stand, especially not in House Sapphire where it had happened before.

But this was his mother, alive and fierce. He’d never entirely believed she was guilty. Never forgiven himself for not doing more to defend her when he’d had the chance.

‘Forgive me, Mother. I’m happy to see you, thrilled. I never thought … I mean … I thought you were …’ He couldn’t finish the sentence. There was a chance he was dreaming and if that was the case he didn’t want it to end.

Nidra gestured to the looming trees. ‘This is a kind of death. A slow and terrible kind.’ She gave him a bitter smile. ‘I intend to outrun it.’

‘But how did you survive? Where have you been living?’ He looked down at the smoking torch. ‘How did you become one of Sagan’s tributes? I don’t understand.’

‘I’ve spent lifetimes studying the Wild. I’m not afraid of it like my brother is. A hunter is more than weapons and armour. That knowledge saved me. And I have allies still, ones that serve from the shadows. We have been preparing, they and I. One will come to you soon. Treat her requests as if they were mine.’

‘I will, of course I will, but I need to know, where have you been?’

‘Sorn. The Wild has had its way with it and nobody else dares to go there. It’s a ghost town, and I’m its ghost.’

‘And now you’re in Sagan?’

‘No. I stole the torch so that I could signal you. I knew none of the other hunters would be able to fly this deep.’

With the Sky-legs he was so much taller than her that he had to lean down to bring his face close to hers. Her fingers touched his cheek, smearing the fresh tears there and he finally leaned into her touch, the grief and sadness he had kept bottled up these years melting away.

‘I’ve been lost without you.’

‘I know. And now you’re found again.’

Her stoicism made his guilt worse. How could she be so strong when she had lost so much? ‘I should have been there at the end. I’m so sorry.’

‘There was nothing you could have done. I’m glad you didn’t have to see. Your uncle made the whole thing a public show. My humiliation a spectacle for his amusement.’ Her face hardened at the thought of it. ‘They hacked at my reputation with their lies, the Story-singers making me into a monster in the minds of my people, and then the Bringers came and cut the bonds between my soul and my Godpiece. It was an agony I have no words for. It left me without dignity, an animal.’ She shook her head, firm. ‘No, that is not how I wanted to be remembered by my son.’

‘I still should have gone to the trial. I know Gada did.’

‘Yes. But Gada is not you. If you had been there, you would have done something beautiful and foolish. It was right that Gada was there then, just as it’s right that you’re here now. I need you, Vasin, I need you more now than I did then.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘It’s simple, do you want me to die, finally and forever?’

‘No! No. Not when I’ve just found you again. I’d do anything to make things the way they were, you know that.’

She removed her hand from his face. ‘Good. Because I am going to need you to do things for me, things you may not like.’

Vasin frowned. Living too long in the Wild was known to bring on madness. ‘But there is nothing to do. The Sapphire High Lord has given his judgement. And even if he overturned it, he’s already destroyed your Godpiece. Your soul is without anchor … It’s too late.’

Her features hardened. ‘There are other Godpieces among the Sapphire that would suffice.’

He was aware of her eyes on him as he thought through what this would mean. It would be like becoming Deathless for the first time again. Her soul would need to be attuned to a new Godpiece by the Bringers of Endless Order. Though what she said was true about there being other Godpieces within the house, they were already allocated. To give one to his mother would mean destroying another member of the family, wiping out every member of their line. Rather than follow that to its unpleasant conclusion he decided to focus on a different issue. ‘But only the High Lord can take or give Godpieces.’

‘Then you will have to find a way to persuade the High Lord … or replace him with another more sympathetic to our cause. There are those that will support us. It will take a long time to achieve but things have already begun, this very night plans are in motion. I will provide the Godpiece and you will mobilize the house to see that it is used to restore me.’

‘I wouldn’t know how. Since your exile, I have not been myself. I turned my back on the court. I … left those things to Gada.’

She took a deep breath and Vasin shrank from her barely contained anger. When she spoke however, her voice was calm. ‘Then you will go back to court and you will see who remembers the name of Nidra Sapphire with fondness.’ She slipped a pack from her back and began unfastening the top.

‘There was a time, before you were born, when I was considered the best choice for High Lord. However, the machinations of my brother and his pet, Lord Rochant, put paid to that. Your uncle was not always head of this house, nor will he reign forever, that I promise you.’

She opened the bag and held it out for him.

Vasin peered inside to see what looked like a human arm rendered in shell, with antennae sprouting from the knuckles. ‘What’s that?’

‘A trophy. You’ll take it back with you, as part of your glorious return to court.’

His eyes widened as he realized what it was. ‘Wait, you killed the Scuttling Corpsema—’

She hurriedly put a finger to his lips, cutting him off. ‘Not killed. Maimed.’ She looked over her shoulder suddenly as if expecting to see something. Vasin tensed and did the same but there was only darkness between the trees. ‘It’s still out there, somewhere. We would be wise not to use its full name.’

‘But how?’

‘Later. You must go before questions are raised. Take my gift, take the glory. Use it well. Come to me when you have news and I’ll tell you all about the Corpseman and what I’ve been up to in the last few years.’

‘I will. I won’t fail you again.’

‘I know you won’t.’ She pulled up her hood and made to step back into the shadows, but Vasin could not bear the thought of her leaving, and dragged her into an embrace, lifting her till her toes skimmed the top of the long grass. ‘I love you.’

‘And I you, my sweet one. Remember that when you are in the world above the Wild and I am but a memory.’

She had to force herself out of his arms, and only when she was gone from sight did he turn back towards home. He would find a way to make this right, or he would die, a true and final death, in the attempt. Vasin swore to himself that if it came to that, he would not go alone.

CHAPTER THREE

It was as Pari feared. The majority of the castle’s guard had taken up posts outside the Rebirthing Chamber, protecting the two doorways into the room. Traditionally, one was used by the Bringers of Endless Order as they escorted the vessel in, one was for the High Lord, if he or she wished to attend. There was a third way into the room but this was used only as an exit should the ritual fail.

Pari had never witnessed a ritual go wrong but she had heard rumours of bodies inhabited by infernal spirits and turned into tragic, destructive creatures. Some believed, if the proper rites were not observed, a demon could push aside the waiting soul and enter the world in its place. Pari had little time for such notions, sure that the pain and confusion of a botched rebirth would be more than enough to explain away the rage of the poor wretches.

Whether due to madness or demonic possession, the results of a failed ritual were too dangerous to be allowed to live, and the third exit was a means of dealing with them: a beautifully designed portal covering a chute that was nothing more than a glorified hole in the underside of Rochant Sapphire’s floating castle. Anyone unfortunate enough to use it was ejected directly above the gaping chasm, far beneath.

Unguarded, and unknown to most of the castle’s inhabitants, it was arguably the ideal route for someone trying to sneak in without being seen. However, the only way to reach it was by scaling the outer walls, and even if she’d had time, such feats were beyond her in this lifecycle.

Pari studied the faces of the three guards stood to attention outside the first entrance. The Bringers of Endless Order must have already gone inside. She didn’t like what she saw. Nothing was obviously wrong but she didn’t recognize any of the guards, and as her eyes swept over them, a word screamed into her mind: killers.

Quickly, she moved to the second entrance. It was similarly guarded, but one of the men was familiar.

She tried to think where she had seen him before. A wispy beard covered his chin and cheeks, but beneath it was a face she knew. Older and harder but not entirely unfriendly. The picture of a young boy came to mind, shy, with watchful eyes, who blushed at the slightest praise.

She approached him, so bold that it took them all a moment to react.

‘Who are you?’ he demanded, one hand going to the Sliver Pistol at his side. The man and the woman flanking him followed suit, reaching for well-worn hilts.

She ignored the impulse to run and focused on the man she knew. ‘Shush now, Dil, I need you to listen.’ Then she noticed the extra bands of colour around his right arm. A captain now, she thought. And he was such a quiet boy.

The man spluttered in surprise at the use of his name but something in her tone and manner disarmed him and he came forward. ‘Do I know you?’ He frowned. ‘No! It can’t be! Lady Pari Tanzanite?’ Despite himself, Dil bowed.

She couldn’t help but smile at his naked amazement. ‘Your eyes are sharp as ever.’

And there it was, the sudden colouring of his cheeks. ‘But …’

‘There’s no time to explain, Dil. Lord Rochant is in danger. Assassins are in the castle dressed in House Sapphire uniform. You must find them. And you must let me inside the chamber. I’ll protect him.’

‘What? That’s … No.’

‘No? You don’t believe me?’

‘I believe you.’ A little sweat formed on his top lip. ‘Has anyone already been killed?’

‘Mohit and Dhruti.’ She let it sink in. ‘At least one of your people died defending them. One assassin tried for Satyendra but I managed to save him …’

She sighed inwardly as Dil’s hand slipped from the Sliver Pistol, his frown deepening. ‘Who else knows?’

‘Just you, me, and Chandni.’

‘Good. Where are Chandni and Satyendra now?’

‘Safe.’

‘Are they in their room?’

‘They’re safe, don’t worry.’

‘Tell me.’

‘Later. We don’t know who else might be listening.’

He turned away with a scowl. ‘Of course.’

She stepped past him to find the other two guards had drawn blades and were levelling them at her chest.

‘Stand down,’ commanded Dil and they reluctantly sheathed their weapons. ‘Open the doors.’ As they complied he turned to Pari and added. ‘If you do anything to disrupt the rebirthing …’

‘I’ll be quiet as a Flykin,’ she replied, ‘I promise.’

The Rebirthing Chamber was not much to look at, smooth stone walls that curved to make a circle, and a stone floor, equally smooth, grey, featureless. A spiral of pillars started by the first entrance and slowly wound their way towards the centre. Though the pillars were as dull to look at as the walls, each one was double her girth, giving Pari plenty of places to hide.

The soft light in the room came from the Bringers of Endless Order: stored sunslight released slow and muted through cloudy diamonds atop their wands of gold. As tradition dictated, seven Bringers were present, dressed in robes of black and white, their faces covered in plain masks divided down the middle, white on the left, black on the right.