The Deathless

The flesh of the organ slid under her teeth as she found purchase, then stretched out absurdly, before tearing open. One end of the rope was still joined to the gland, the other to her belt. Pari squeezed hard to force the milky ooze to the surface of the new hole before jamming it against the roof of the chute. With a sound like a wet kiss, it adhered to the stone, sticking fast.

There was just long enough for Pari to shudder at the flavour on her tongue – a muddy bitterness with a stomach-turning gritty aftertaste – and then the edge of the chute thrummed past her feet, past her fingers, and she was spinning through space.

She tumbled for only a second before the silk jerked taut at her back, stopping her fall but leaving her at the mercy of the winds. And if Pari had thought the breeze that blew up the chute was cold, it was nothing compared to being fully exposed to the elements.

As she spun there, like a child’s toy dangled between the underside of the castle and the great chasm waiting below, buffeted back and forth, Pari considered her options.

In many ways the simplest thing to do would be to detach herself and allow this lifecycle to come to an end. There would be a brief moment of pain when she hit the ground but that would be tempered by the memory of the fall, an exhilaration that she would treasure for many incarnations to come. The next thing she knew, she would be rebirthing in a Tanzanite stronghold, in a younger body. Several had been prepared, raised elsewhere in preparation for her next life. From what she had heard, the primary match, Rashana, her granddaughter was perfect.

However, her family would want to wait for an auspicious day for the rebirthing ceremony, and the required alignment of the suns was months away. That would be months for Rochant’s enemies to act freely. Chandni was a spirited girl, and Varg, despite his coarse edges, would be an able protector for baby Satyendra, but neither of them were Deathless, and a single life only got you so far. Pari could feel the hand of another immortal behind all of this and did not dare a long absence.

She took a long hard look at the crack in the earth below. Its dark was thick, fathomless: the combined light of the three suns did not penetrate its depths. All floating castles of the Deathless were built above similar fissures and were kept aloft by the ethereal energies they exhaled. Nobody knew how deep they went, or if they even had an end. There was a chance that if she let go, she would not die. She would simply fall, endlessly. Perhaps her soul would travel too far, beyond even the reach of the Bringers to call back. Or perhaps she would travel beyond this world, into the realm where the demons lived. Pari normally had little patience with such superstitious nonsense, but dangling there, gazing into the hole far below, her usual bravado faltered.

Taking death out of the equation, there were few roads open to her. Her recent adventures were fast catching up, and she could feel a great wave of fatigue building, heralding a sleep that even the winds and the cold would not disturb.

It was tempting to simply hang there and sleep. Scaling the underside of the castle might be possible if she were more rested.

Pari laughed at herself, knowing that such thoughts were folly. The truth was that the next time she woke would be agony, her body already preparing to punish her for all she’d put it through in this ill-considered venture. Besides, she would never wake from such a sleep. Either the cold would finish her off, or the constant swaying of the silk rope would work the Spiderkin gland loose from the chute.

Come on, she exhorted herself. Putting this off isn’t going to make it any easier.

Gritting her teeth, Pari hauled herself upwards. Three times, she heaved, placing one hand above the other, before she had enough slack to wind the rope around her right foot, taking some, but not nearly enough, of the strain from her shoulders.

It was dizzying, the way the wind spun her, but she blocked it from her mind, narrowing her focus down to the silk, her hands, her feet, and the next stage of the climb.

Soon, she had a rhythm, and her left foot was looped too, allowing her to progress swiftly back to the mouth of the chute.

She leaned against the back of the chute, letting it and the silk share her weight. The fatigue threatening to overwhelm her, and again she pushed it away.

I can’t climb any more. I can’t. I daren’t fall. If only I had my wings!

In her mind she could picture her armour mounted on its stand. How she longed for its embrace, the feel of the crystal against her skin, protective, supporting. If she were wearing it now, it would be a simple matter to ride the essence currents to safety.

How strange, she thought, that the great mass of Rochant’s castle could defy gravity, while she would fall as swiftly as a common stone.

Her eyes were drawn to a cluster of sapphire poking from the rock. Over the years the crystals had grown, giving the castle greater stability and, to her mind, beauty. As the essence currents met the base of the castle, it made the crystals vibrate and sing, soft, like the murmurings of a sleeping giant.

The crystal …

By leaning out and trusting her weight to the silk she could just reach a long slender lance of sapphire that cut a diagonal slash across her view of the horizon.

The crystal …

She tapped along its length with her nails, attending to the way it chimed, until one of the notes sounded off. She tapped that place a second time to be sure. Again, the note was dull, flat. The crystal here was flawed.

Pari pushed against it, so that she swung backwards on the silk rope. When the momentum drew her forward again, she leant with it, striking the crystal with the heel of her hand. There was a sharp crack and then a chunk broke away. Pari tried to snatch it from the sky but the crystal tumbled from her tired grasp, splintering into fragments, leaving her to watch, powerless, as it fell.

But the fall was only momentary, the next updraught catching each splinter and making them tinkle, like rain on a rooftop, as they rose once more into her waiting arms.

Once she was wedged into the chute again, Pari bound the sapphire pieces into her cloak, bundling them tight, binding the ends together, and tying each to her wrists.

She worked the gland free of the wall, paused, and sighed.

This is it.

Too tired to jump, Pari simply released the tension in her legs, flopping out through the hole.

As soon as the bundled crystals entered the current, they began to push upwards, taking the cloak with them and snapping Pari’s arms vertical. Not enough to hold her there, but enough to allow her a measured descent.

Perfect.

It was not the same as hunting. She had little control beyond being able to nudge slowly to the left or right. But she had spent many lifetimes in the air, and made the most of that skill to keep to the stronger currents, dropping in gasps and stutters.

To the east she could make out the Bridge of Friends or Fools and, despite the early hour, a cart rumbling along it. Though it was flying no house flags, she was certain it was of Sapphire design, and moreover, that Rochant was tucked away inside it.

They are taking you from me, my love. But where?

She stared after it, straining her eyes until it was swept from view and she was forced to consider her own predicament again.

Gradually, the crack in the earth below grew larger and darker, and she could make out individual wisps as they first emerged, a pluming flurry of purples, yellows and greens. Rather than be repulsed, she found herself drawn, a part of her wanting to give herself over to that place and be swallowed up. But it was a false part of her, and she repressed it with a shudder, forcing her eyes away from the hole and towards the rocky ridge that surrounded it.

The further she moved away, the weaker the currents became, turning her landing into a barely controlled fall. She hit the ground at speed, falling naturally into what would have been a graceful roll had she not become tangled in her own cloak.

Several tumbles and groans later, she came to a stop amid moss and stone. Pari allowed herself a victorious grimace before taking a tally of her injuries. No bones were broken but she had sprained muscles in her shoulders, thighs, and ankles. And the bruises! She managed to count three on her cheek and was just about to start on her arm when sleep embraced her.

CHAPTER FIVE

‘Tell us the story!’ said a voice from one of the far tables.

‘Yes,’ chorused several others. ‘Tell us!’

Vasin smiled easily, casting his gaze across the feast hall. ‘Again? Most of you have heard it already, several times.’ He sipped at his drink, then added, ‘I’d rather hear about how Mia led the other successful hunt.’

All eyes went to Mia, and she was nudged swiftly off her cushions to the applause of the assembled. Before she started her story, she bowed low to Vasin, and he saw the admiration in her eyes, and the desire.

To his surprise, he felt a flicker of lust. It had been a long time since he’d taken anyone to his bed. But then, it had been a long time since he had felt up to it. His victory over the Scuttling Corpseman had given pride back to House Sapphire, just as it had restored his own.

Even though it was not his victory.

Even though it was a lie. His mother had battled the Corpseman, the first person ever to wound it as far as anyone knew, and the second Sapphire Deathless to betray her house. What did that make him? The third?

Mia began her own story of the day, starting with a generous account of how Vasin had stirred them all, and as she told it her eyes met his, sparkling, and his smile grew that little bit wider.

He had allowed himself some Tack before the evening’s festivities. Not a full dose, he needed his wits about him still, but enough to ease the tension in his jaw and shoulders. He had to appear relaxed, the very image of the champion they considered him to be. When news of Rochant’s death reached the High Lord, there would be an investigation, and it was important he only draw the right kind of attention.

And so, despite the stress, he sat back and listened to Mia’s voice, his thoughts made pleasantly fuzzy by the Tack.

Then he saw a figure drift by the entrance to the room, pausing just long enough to catch his attention, and the smile fell from his face faster than a wingless hunter from the sky.

To a casual observer she appeared like just another Sapphire servant but he knew better. Her loyalties were more discerning than that. There was no signal given, no communication needed to get his attention. The very fact that she had come was all the summons he needed.

It’s all gone wrong! he thought, even as he forced himself to smile again and set his drink down, so that others would not see the way the liquid trembled in his cup.

Her name was Yi, and she had first come to him after his mother’s judgement at the hands of the High Lord. It had been night, the castle had slept. She had presented herself to him at the zenith of his grief. She had talked and the words had meant nothing. Yi was an agent of his mother, raised and trained in secret, ready to serve in all things. To advise, to take revenge, to act where others could not.

At the time he’d had no interest in taking action, had screamed at her to leave him, and she had gone without protest. The whole incident was soon forgotten, buried under a tide of emotions and drug-fuelled emptiness. Now he remembered, however, and now he understood, and now, he would listen.

To leave in the middle of Mia’s story would be an insult to her. And though any possibility of enjoying her company later had vanished, she deserved better than that. Besides, if he survived whatever Yi had come to warn him about, he would need many allies within his house.

So he waited, trying to be calm like his brother would be, while nodding and laughing at all the right places.

When he did stand to go there was a pleasing sound of disappointment from the assembled. ‘Please,’ he told them, ‘enjoy the bounty that grateful Sagan has provided. Eat, drink, whatever else brings you pleasure.’ There was a chuckle that he turned into a laugh by adding, ‘Except you, Zir. You stick to the food and drink.’

They made another attempt to get him to stay. He very nearly sat back down again. Another dose of Tack and he’d be able to escape his worries until tomorrow. A single thought of his mother, exiled, alone, mortal, was enough to banish that idea. ‘My friends,’ he began, ‘to be with you again has been the greatest of honours. I must go now, but I promise you this: keep the lights shining, keep your voices warm, and I will find you again.’

And with that, he left, the sounds of their banging on the table and singing his name, honouring him, carrying him from the hall.

He moved swiftly, worried he would attract more servants or dignitaries hoping for a private word, working his way to the lower, less frequented sections of the castle.

A door opened on his left and he could see Yi’s outline within. He turned quickly, went through and she shut the door behind him. Without a word she led him on. The light of the gemstones was waning, their stored energy almost spent, casting the walls in pale twilight. Even though it was late, the corridors were clear, and they made their way swiftly, without seeing another soul.

Vasin did not think too hard about how this was possible, there were plenty of other things to worry about. Though Yi appeared calm, the fact that she had sought him out anywhere other than his private chambers conveyed urgency, and disaster.

They descended deep into the bowels of the castle, into a tunnel that appeared on no maps, a short, angled, bumpy thing, like a piece of anatomy evolution no longer needed, forgotten, useless. Here, Yi stopped. ‘You met with my lady?’

‘I did, and I swore to do whatever it takes to bring her back.’

‘Then you should know that we have already begun and there have been complications.’

‘Well?’ he demanded.

‘All of Lord Rochant’s descendants are dead, save two.’

A partial success or a total failure? ‘Which two?’

‘A baby, Satyendra. His mother managed to remove him from the castle. She had outside help.’

‘Outside help?’ He pressed a hand to his forehead. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘Lady Pari Tanzanite. She knew we were coming.’

‘How?’

Yi bowed deeply, apologetic.

If Pari knew then who else did? And did they know about his involvement? The deal he’d made with his mother? What she was trying to accomplish? A wave of panic rose up inside, enough to make him lean on the wall for support. From the tumult of worry a thought managed to swim free. ‘Two. You said two had survived. Who was the other?’

‘Lord Rochant. He survived the rebirthing ceremony but we have him.’

‘Where?’

There was the slightest pause, Yi’s thin lips pinching in displeasure. She pointed to the door behind her.

It was everything Vasin could do not to shout. ‘Here? You brought him here?’

‘On Captain Dil’s order.’

And clearly that order had left a bad taste in her mouth. ‘Where is Dil?’

‘With the prisoner.’

Vasin levered himself upright and strode through the door. The top of a crystal had poked itself through the back wall, its gemslight weak, silhouetting the two people in the room. They had stopped mid-motion at his arrival, giving them an unreal appearance, like a painting, presented for his approval.

And he did not approve. Not in the slightest.

A pole had been driven into the ground, old enough to have held many other prisoners before this one. Now, Lord Rochant Sapphire was tied to it, his wrists bound above his head, his legs tucked underneath so that his feet could be tied to the pole also. A rough sack with a breathing hole was strapped to his head. Through it, Vasin could see bruising, fresh. He looked from that to the swelling on Dil’s knuckles, and the heat in his face.

Enough, he thought.

And though his reflexes were dulled by the Tack, they were more than enough to intercept Dil’s wrist. He could feel the fine bones under his fingers and, in his anger, it was tempting to break them. How dare this man, this underling, sully the face of a Sapphire! But Vasin could not stoop to his level, so instead, with a single shove, he ejected Dil from the room.

Rochant had been responsible for his mother’s fall. He deserved to be punished, but that punishment would be just, and it would come from his or his mother’s hand. Anything else demeaned their cause.

He became aware that the bag had twitched in his direction. He turned and felt Rochant’s regard. It was as if the man could see through the bag, as if Vasin stood exposed before him.

And whether this was true or not, he could not bear to stay in the room a moment longer.

Once the door was closed behind him, he converted his fear to anger and turned it on Dil. This man had forgotten his place in the order of things and Vasin would ensure that he never forgot it again. ‘You failed us.’

‘It was that devil, Pari—’

Vasin’s fingertips came to rest on the soft flesh of Dil’s neck, cutting him off.

‘And how did you deal with Lady Pari Tanzanite?’

‘I trapped her in the Rebirthing Chamber. I think she’s still there.’

His fingers pressed ever so gently deeper. ‘You think?’

‘I mean she is. She’s there. She’s definitely there. We sealed her in. There’s no way out and … and her body is old. It might even be dead by now.’

Vasin glanced at Yi, who nodded.

At some point, he’d pushed hard enough that Dil had gone on tiptoes to escape the pressure. Vasin took a breath. To navigate these waters he would need to master his emotions, be more like Gada.

‘And if she isn’t dead?’

‘I-I could denounce her!’ exclaimed Dil.

Yi gave a slight shake of her head, mirroring Vasin’s own. ‘Your word is wind against a member of the Crystal Dynasties.’ She turned to Vasin. ‘For it to hold, his accusation would have to be unchallenged. We would need proof of her betrayal.’

‘Her presence in our lands was secret, yes?’

‘Yes,’ Yi replied. ‘The official word is that she has withdrawn to her castle to recuperate after a mysterious illness.’

Vasin nodded, a plan forming in his mind. ‘Who else can access the Rebirthing Chamber?’

‘Only the Bringers of Endless Order and High Lord Sapphire himself,’ replied Dil, tilting his head up in order to speak. ‘I have the only other key, my lord.’

‘Then we go there, now, before the High Lord does. We must find out what she knows. And how she knew!’

‘I will make her talk, my lord,’ said Dil.

Vasin did not like the look in the man’s eye, he turned his hand ever so slightly, snuffing out Dil’s disgusting enthusiasm. ‘You will do as I command, nothing more.’ His lip curled as Dil capitulated.

‘Trespasser or not, Lady Pari deserves our respect. I will speak with her and learn the truth behind her involvement. When I am satisfied, we will pay a visit to her home, in order to prove she is not in residence. At that point, Dil will denounce her in the name of his murdered lord. The Tanzanite will protest, naturally, and there will be an investigation, but when they find her body in the Rebirthing Chamber at Lord Rochant’s castle, all further doubt will be erased. With luck she will be tried and condemned before her rebirth, privately and without disgrace.’ He leaned close to Dil’s face and gestured towards where Rochant was being held. ‘Do not cross the threshold of that room ever again, do you understand?’

‘Yes, my lord.’

He withdrew his hand. ‘Prepare yourself for travel, we leave within the hour.’

Dil’s eyes lingered briefly on the door, but then he straightened, saluted and left. Vasin and Yi shared a look, neither needing to express their misgivings with words.

‘Look after our prisoner while I’m gone,’ he instructed. ‘Keep him secure, but if you can, make him …’ he struggled for the right word. ‘Comfortable.’

Did Yi’s eyebrows twitch as she bowed? No matter, unlike Dil, she could be trusted to follow his orders to the letter.

He returned to his room, so busy lamenting the fact that he could not return to the feast, that he didn’t spot Gada pacing by the window until he spoke.

‘Where have you been?’

His brother was in his finery, tightly bound silk on his limbs, and a river of the same fabric flowing from his shoulders. A scent like air on a cold morning wafted from his face. His cheeks were darker than usual and the formal make-up was exaggerating his scowl.

‘Well? I have been searching high and low for you.’

‘What’s wrong, brother?’

‘The High Lord is on his way here, now. And he is most displeased.’ He paused to peer at Vasin more closely. ‘Are you yourself? Tell me you haven’t been smoking that filth again.’

Vasin did not meet his stare. ‘I’m fine.’

‘You’d better be. We must be ready to weather the storm of the High Lord’s anger.’ Gada turned his attention to the rest of him. ‘You must refresh yourself, change, and help me with the preparations. There is to be a gathering of the Sapphire.’

‘Here?’ replied Vasin weakly. ‘With so little warning? There can’t be.’

Gada’s smile was weaker still. ‘There can. The whole family. Here. Tomorrow.’

A rough jolt of the wagon woke Chandni up. It took her a few moments to work out where she was and how she’d come to be buried under several layers of heavy cloth.

When it all came back, what little relaxation she’d gained from sleep flowed out of her.

But we’re still moving, she told herself. So they haven’t caught us. We’re safe, at least for now.

She began to consider her next move. The best thing to do would be to go to another family stronghold. There was an aunt in the north she could trust. If Chandni could find refuge with her she could request an audience with the Sapphire High Lord. An attack of this nature was surely an act of war. What if Lord Rochant’s line was only the first targeted? Or worse, what if it wasn’t? What if other Sapphire lines have already fallen?

Her lips were dry and her throat was worse. She needed a drink and something to eat. The best plans were made with a cool head and a quiet stomach.

She lifted Satyendra, still fast asleep, and saw a line of drool linking his lips to the clasp of her cloak. Chandni smiled and rested his head on her shoulder, before shuffling to the front of the wagon on her knees.

‘Is it safe?’ she whispered.

‘We’re well away,’ Varg replied. ‘You can come out here if you like.’

It was getting dark, the red suns Vexation and Wrath’s Tear already below the horizon, with Fortune’s Eye not far behind. She’d expected to find them on the Godroad, part of a network of crystal pathways that linked the Sapphire strongholds to those of the other great houses. Given a choice, everyone used the Godroads. Not only were they untarnished by the passage of time and quick to travel on, they kept the denizens of the Wild at bay.

But instead of pulsing crystal running smoothly beneath their wheels, she saw a path of broken stones, rough and overgrown.

‘What kind of excuse for a road is this?’

‘A quiet one,’ replied Varg. ‘I’m hoping they don’t have eyes on it.’

‘And where is it taking us?’

‘Somewhere safe. Now how about you tell me what kind of shi—’ he saw her hand raise and corrected himself, ‘trouble I’ve got myself into.’

He offered her a flask of fruit-touched water, and Chandni had a long drink before recounting events as best she could remember them. She was just coming to the part where she had to flee the castle when the words fell away.