Chapter 3 #4
It was like breaking through a wall, pulling a smothering hood off, to hear him actually admit it.
Kai gestured sharply to his body. “I didn’t do this for my own amusement, Bashat.
I was dead! If another idiot expositor hadn’t broken the seal on the tomb because he wanted me as a familiar, we would still be there.
Do I have to tell you how bad it would have been for Benais-arik and the entire known world if he had succeeded?
An expositor with my power at his command could make himself a new Hierarch. ”
“That was not my intention.” Still not looking at Kai, Bashat winced as if at his own words. He must know that was a weak response. “I thought they meant to keep you away from the coalition renewal. I sent a vanguarder to make sure you were released—”
Kai made a derisive noise. “Your vanguarder Ramad?”
Bashat’s mouth hardened. He slid a look at Kai. “Is he still alive? Tahren did not mention him.”
Kai felt his jaw tighten. “I don’t kill allies.
” It was infuriating that he had to say this.
Except that sinking sensation in his gut wasn’t fury; when had everything gone so wrong with Bashat?
“We left him behind on the way to the Kagala. Dahin even landed the ascension raft before we put him out.”
Bashat snorted an unamused laugh. “That was kind of Dahin. Under the circumstances.”
There is no point to this conversation, Kai realized. He stood abruptly, ignoring Bashat’s controlled flinch. “I’ll make my intentions clear. I’ll tell no one else, and I mean to leave this city soon and never return. But only on the condition that you leave me and mine alone.”
That, of all the things said tonight, seemed to cause Bashat the most consternation. He began, “I don’t—” He shook his head. “Of course, I wouldn’t—”
Someone stepped into the doorway with a soft throat-clearing noise. “Prince-heir?” It was one of the cadre soldiers.
“Meital, please, whatever it is can wait,” Bashat said tightly.
“I apologize for interrupting,” Meital said from the doorway. “Prince-heir, a messenger has come to call you back to the council chamber for a special meeting.”
Kai found himself exchanging a wary look with Bashat, who said, “Did they say who was calling the meeting?” Tahren wouldn’t have broken her word not to expose Bashat’s part in her own and Kai and Ziede’s disappearances.
If the council had found out … Kai had an image of Dahin deliberately talking loudly about it near a window and the word somehow getting to someone who wouldn’t treat it as a wild rumor.
Bashat added, “If it is not so urgent I would prefer to stay to finish speaking with Kaiisteron.”
That was news to Kai. He honestly had no idea what else Bashat wanted to say to him.
“The message came from Seeker Orai,” Meital said, persistent. That was the Rising World speaker for Belith.
Bashat didn’t look away from Kai. “I see. I’ll leave in a moment. You and Vitael wait for me downstairs.”
Bashat waited until Meital’s steps faded, then rubbed his face tiredly and muttered, “Fuck Belith.”
Kai forced himself not to kneejerk defend Belith. It was to the south across the straits, and had been brutally attacked by the Hierarchs and used as a staging area against Palm. It had fought as best it could, and even after more than sixty years, was still recovering.
Bashat looked up at Kai and said, “I can be confident this summons is not your doing?”
“Not everything that happens in the Rising World is about you, Bashat.” Kai started toward the door. He had been an optimist to think that he could leave without coming here. Bashat would not have let this go without a confrontation and some sort of assurance that Kai wouldn’t expose him.
Bashat stood and said hurriedly, “Then would you like to accompany me to the meeting? Surely you don’t really mean to leave and give up all political connections.”
Kai controlled the urge to growl and thought, Only the ones who murder me.
He stopped, his back to Bashat. “I told you, don’t test me.
I won’t expose you, but I won’t walk in at your side like nothing’s changed.
” Bashat only wanted it as security against any possible rumors of his involvement with the conspiracy.
If the Witch King was clearly still his ally, then any claims that he had known about the attack on Tahren Stargard must be baseless.
“Nothing has changed. You left.” Behind him, Bashat’s voice was flat. “He died, and you left.”
Kai’s muscles locked, trembling on the edge of the step that would take him out the door.
The silence hung in the air, then Bashat let out a breath that just sounded weary. “Kaiisteron, I—”
Kai took that step and walked away.
Kai left through the Old Palace’s front gate and didn’t bother with the veil, ignoring the ripples of consternation as he passed the other departing guests.
It was a relief to get outside into the cool night air.
Retracing his path through the trees into the plaza, Kai found Dahin standing under a lamp near the pavilion that held the Hierarchs’ heads.
He was eating something that looked like a lump of red-glazed sugar on a stick.
As Kai reached him, he held out a second one. “Here. They have fruit inside.”
Kai took the treat and bit into it. There was indeed a slice of plum in the center. He noticed some of the honor guards craning their necks to stare at them. One was hissing at the others to turn around and look.
There were paintings of Bashasa and the other wartime Prince-heirs on the inside walls and rotunda of the little pavilion, along with the Tescai-lin, various leaders of the coalition factions and other prominent figures, like Tahren, Ziede, Kai, and Dahin.
Of course the painted version of Kai looked nothing like he did now, but Dahin hadn’t changed much.
Physically, at least. Ignoring the guards, Kai asked, “Did you follow me because you thought I was going to start a war?”
“If you did, I wanted to be there for it.” Dahin looked over at the honor guards and raised his voice to say, “Yes, he’s a demon and I’m a Lesser Blessed, but we’re not who you think we are. Pay attention to your job, the heads might make a break for it.”
Kai looped his arm through Dahin’s and drew him away toward the shadow and noise of the market. “Let’s go.”
Dahin glanced back at the Old Palace. “Why are the lights coming up? Oh, is Bashat going to chase us? That’ll be interesting.”
Kai didn’t look back. Bashat wouldn’t come after them. “He was called to the council for something about Belith.” He couldn’t help adding, “He asked me to go with him.”
Dahin didn’t need the politics of that explained to him. He turned his back on the Old Palace with a derisive snort. “The little shit. I’ve still got the raft, if you want to leave immediately.”
Kai huffed out a breath. “You’re very confident that I have what you want.”
Dahin stopped, suddenly alarmed. “You do, don’t you? You did read my treatise?”
Kai considered teasing him but Dahin sounded genuinely worried. “Yes, I read it. And yes, I have Bashasa’s notes on the Enalin expedition to Sun-Ar.”
“That’s a relief. How soon will you and the others be leaving? I need a chance to read the documents.” Dahin gestured with his fruit stick toward the fire performance in the market plaza. “Not that I don’t enjoy this city.”
That sounded like Dahin was possibly considering leaving with them.
Kai didn’t want to push too hard on that point.
He said, “Tahren will have to decide if she wants to stay and keep talking to the council or not.” The political maneuvering around Tahren was always intense when she came here, but the revelations about the conspiracy and her abduction would just make everything that much more agitated.
Chewing candied fruit, Dahin made a noise of reluctant agreement. He swallowed and added, “There’s a meeting called by Belith? Tonight?”
“Yes.” They had reached the edge of the market, and the opening of a street that led back toward the canal. Kai faced Dahin and said, “Why do you ask?”
Dahin visibly considered a lie, then sighed and said, only a little evasively, “Belith figures in my research. I might go and have a listen. Just in case.”
Dahin was more than capable of getting into the closed council meeting without anyone noticing. Kai pulled the folio from his coat pocket and held it out. “Come to the Cloisters when you can. There’s a bed there for you and we can talk about it in the morning, if you want.”
Dahin started to reach for the folio with the hand still clutching the syrupy stick. Kai held it out of reach, lifting his brows pointedly. “Sorry, sorry,” Dahin muttered, tossing the stick into a nearby Sweepers Guild bin. After he scrubbed his hands on his coat, Kai surrendered the folio.
Dahin tucked it away and turned to head back toward the plaza and the Rising World Assembly. He waved at Kai as he slipped through the crowd.
Kai hesitated, watching him go. Dahin’s treatise hadn’t said anything about Belith.
He should follow along too, see what the meeting was about.
But he was tired, an ache all through his back and shoulders, and the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally encounter Bashat again.
Because he might say, You’re right, I left you.
I shouldn’t have, but I did. He died and I wanted to go with him, leave the mortal world.
Anything to not feel that loss like a gaping hole in his chest.
Kai turned back to the street that led toward the canal.