Chapter 6 #4
“What?” Ramad stared. “Why?” The obvious answer must have occurred, because his expression changed. He turned to Dahin. “What did you see in that map?”
Sura cut to the heart of the matter. “You think there’s an expositor up there?
” She didn’t sound afraid enough, was Kai’s first thought.
Her expression was grave and serious, none of the scholars gathered here were taking this lightly.
But they weren’t afraid in their bones, they had been born too late to really understand.
Domtellan added, “We have of course discussed the possibility of survivors, before the expedition discovered the earthwork and the artifacts. Ilhanrun assured them that he could deal with any problems.”
Kai did not grit his teeth. They would be lucky if one expositor was all they had to worry about. He glanced at Dahin, but couldn’t read his expression. Kai said, “If you’ve actually found the location of the Hierarchs’ homeland, there will be things up there that are dangerous.”
Domtellan opened her mouth to argue, but Ramad interrupted, “I must go as well. As the Rising World representative—”
“No,” Kai said, and managed to sound calm and not grate the word out.
“Why?” Ramad demanded. “It’s only sensible!”
A little acid in her voice, Ziede pointed out, “And what will you do with your prisoner, Ramad? Leave her with your Immortal Marshalls?”
Ramad threw a look at Arnsterath as if he had forgotten she was there. It would have been funny in almost any other circumstance.
Arnsterath watched him critically. “You promised me I would have a chance to prove my value to the Rising World. This is just that opportunity.” Her glance at the two Immortal Marshalls was brief enough to be contemptuous.
“My parole is with you and the Prince-heir of Benais-arik. I have no reason to trust the Blessed Lands.”
Less reason than most at the moment, Ziede said silently.
Kai replied, She’s not a fool. There might be Blessed who would be only too happy if Arnsterath was not around to give her testimony to the Rising World council.
Ramad’s jaw tightened. “The council will be sending a speaker and other officials here. They can’t be more than a few days behind us—”
Kai had known that had to be the case, but hearing it in so many words was not pleasant. More mortals who didn’t understand the danger would just make this so much more complicated.
Arnsterath eyed Ramad with cool distrust. “Much can happen in a day.”
Eleni was offended. “We are not forsworn.”
Rafiem frowned at her, and she threw a quick embarrassed glance at Tahren.
Tahren ignored them, but Ziede’s expression turned sardonic and she said, “I see, I’d want to get rid of those two at the first opportunity as well.”
Ramad’s mouth twisted in irritation, but he told Arnsterath, “Then I’ll take you with me. And the two Immortal Marshalls.”
Sura’s brow had furrowed in consternation.
Domtellan said pointedly, “That is a very large party for such a journey. And it is not without risk. We also have supplies for the expedition that must be sent along. We cannot be swayed in this. Ilhanrun Highsun has given the key to the anchor stones to Sura on behalf of the university and it is our decision who uses them.” She added grimly, “Unless you intend to take it by force.”
That, fortunately or unfortunately, was when the Tescai-lin walked in with two senior Doorkeepers and an escort of Enalin ambassadorial honor guard warriors.
All conversation stopped immediately. Even Kai had a moment, because Sanja was with them, which he hadn’t planned on, and she was only slightly shorter than the Tescai-lin, which just felt wrong.
Kai was beginning to have some sympathy for his friends when he was forced to change bodies; it really was disconcerting at times.
The Tescai-lin didn’t take a seat on the council anymore but their authority in the Rising World had never diminished.
Even Bashat, when he had wanted to style himself emperor, knew he could push the Tescai-lin only so far.
No one would be able to fault the university for taking advice from one of the most revered figures in the Rising World.
The Tescai-lin took in the situation for a silent moment. Then they inclined their head to Domtellan. “Chancellor.”
Domtellan recovered swiftly. “It is an honor to be visited by the Light of a Hundred Coronels.” She indicated Ramad, Arnsterath, and the two uneasy Immortal Marshalls with an eloquent gesture. “We hope your wisdom can help us understand how to proceed.”
The Tescai-lin said, “I will speak to Kaiisteron first.”
Kai followed the Tescai-lin outside, to the stone benches in the open foyer. Insects sang in the dark, in the gardens past the lamps along the low stone wall. The Tescai-lin said, “Is that Arnsterath?”
They spoke in formal Enalin, though that wasn’t a guarantee of not being understood while in the middle of a place dedicated to learning.
Kai kept alert for any movement at the edge of the lamplight, that might be someone trying to move into earshot.
“Yes, Ramad persuaded her to surrender, supposedly.” He quickly explained what else had been said.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell Ramad he can’t go? ”
The Light shook their head, not regretfully.
“I can’t deny the vanguarder. Despite the chancellor’s disbelief, he was obviously sent here by Bashat with the authority of the council to investigate.
” The Tescai-lin had no illusions about the extent of their influence, even in this much younger incarnation, but the fact that they wouldn’t misuse that power was one of the reasons that they were so widely trusted to settle disputes.
“Dahin admits he all but witnessed the meeting where it must have been decided, when he overheard Seeker Orai in Benais-arik.”
Kai huffed a laugh and rubbed his face. “That’s the second most unfortunate thing about this.”
“But I can persuade them to allow you to go as well. Who else will you need with you?”
That was a good question. Ziede, obviously.
And if Kai had to choose, he would rather take Tahren than Dahin, not only for her brains and fighting ability, but the sheer intimidation factor her presence always invoked.
But Dahin would probably lose his mind and they might actually need him to find the Well once they got up there.
“It’ll have to be Dahin, and Tahren and Ziede if possible. ”
“We’ll see if that is not too many for the journey. I will make sure Arnsterath and the Immortal Blessed stay where they are put and cause no trouble here.” The Tescai-lin glanced toward the doorway. “Do you believe she has truly surrendered and will keep her word?”
“I have no idea.” Kai had thought if he saw her again, it would be when she tracked him down to try to kill him. If he didn’t find her first. “I didn’t expect her to be that … politically aware.”
The Tescai-lin agreed. “The Nient will do everything they can to regain the council’s favor.
They would have been just as likely to turn her over to the Rising World themselves.
” If there was any part of the Nient-arik faction of the conspiracy that hadn’t fled, they would not be so eager to see her again.
If any of the conspirators had ever had any trust in each other, it must have been long broken.
“And she is right to fear the Immortal Blessed. Some will blame her for the death of the traitor Faharin, some will wish to eliminate her for anything she might know about their involvement.” The Tescai-lin frowned.
“Why did she never return to the underearth? Is she barred from it?”
Kai wished very much that Arnsterath would just vanish, but returning to the underearth was just as impossible for her now as it was for him.
“She took a different host while the passage to the underearth was sealed by the Hierarchs, so she lost her connection to it. Her original body there would have died, like mine did. The other surviving demons from the Cageling Court did manage to return, because they hid and waited the war out, until the passage reopened enough for them to get through. Arnsterath didn’t wait.
At least not long enough.” She had said she had been attacked by Hierarch legionaries and had to abandon Nefa’s body.
Maybe Arn-Nefa—Arnsterath had panicked. Kai realized that she hadn’t said anything about the other demons who left the Summer Halls with her; he had always thought that they had all fled together.
She had given no indication of why she had left them.
Or why they had left her. Her story was filled with gaps.
But then she had spent something like fifty years imprisoned in a Witch Cell; maybe her memory had been affected. Kai had never spoken to any of those other Cageling Court survivors because he had never wanted to see any of them again. Now he might have to, just to get his questions answered.
He didn’t know what Arnsterath wanted, if she had hated him or was just doing as the mortals who had rescued her wanted, for lack of any other purpose in life.
If she hadn’t before, she might hate him now that he had freed her expositor familiar and put her mortal patrons in disarray.
But whatever she felt, he didn’t want her near the Witches and mortals and Lesser Blessed in Avagantrum.
Or anywhere, actually, but mostly in Avagantrum.
“Maybe it’s safer now that I know where she is. ”
The Tescai-lin was unhappy, something it was easier to see on this younger face, a face that had never spent years concealing feelings from Hierarchs and their servants.
“You and the others must take care on this journey. The Well itself will be dangerous enough.” They watched Kai with concern in their dark eyes.
“Come, I will speak to Domtellan and persuade her that you must be allowed to make the trip.”
“You go ahead,” Kai told them. “I need to take care of something first.”