Chapter 44
Kasik was made of agony and sorrow. Failure flowed beneath his skin. His bones screamed and his heart ached and there was
nothing else as he lay in the dark and dank cell in the dungeon beneath the earth.
“Fitting,” a voice said from the other side of the barred cell, “that this is where you should die. It’s where your mamay
brought you into this world.”
What heinous thing had he done to deserve this kind of torture, that his last living moments would be filled with the face
of his tayta smiling with smug satisfaction, and the vision of his mamay suffering alone? It appeared the gods wouldn’t allow
him to slip into a peaceful death. He might as well indulge in the pain.
“For someone who claims to want nothing to do with me,” Kasik rasped, “you spend a lot of time seeking me out.”
The shadow of his tayta chuckled darkly. “I’ve only come to see how far the mighty fall. It’s a long way down for you.”
The bars clanked open and then bootsteps echoed closer. Kasik opened his eyes, unaware that they had drifted shut, to find
Atik crouched and peering at him through strangely dark eyes. A hand pushed his hair back, and Kasik thought his tayta meant
to offer a comforting hand in his last moments of life.
But then that hand tightened into a fist at his scalp, making his eyes water with the sting of it, and he realized there would
be no comfort. Only gloating and suffering.
“My tayta died when I was young. He was gods-touched. Did you know?” Atik continued, voice low, barely a murmur.
“They had bestowed their will upon him, and his tayta before him, all the way back to Dimas himself. So much of that history has been lost, but not this gift. I inherited it when he died, and I thought it would change everything. I was good and obedient, just like you. But I spent my life serving others—the gods, Emperor Yachua, his pathetic sons—as if it wasn’t me with the power.
Yachua was a man felled by a mortal man’s disease.
But me? I am blessed by the gods. I am invincible.
” Atik released Kasik’s hair with a shove.
“You killed a woman,” Kasik paused to cough, “because you were afraid of your feelings. You are nothing . . . but a coward.”
Whatever strength Kasik had been able to muster to throw that insult was stolen by Atik’s boot. It flew into his stomach,
the force of it enough to make Kasik’s vision blur even further, but the pain was already there. It was like adding water
to a full cup.
“And look where bravery has gotten you,” Atik said. “I knew Maicu’s love for you was conditional. I knew it would take only
the smallest amount of pressure for him to turn against you, just as he did his brother. Just as he believes that sacrificing
Nina will save our people. He is a fool, as are you.” Atik grabbed the cord around Kasik’s neck and twisted. It bit against Kasik’s skin. “This stone you wear wasn’t
even hers. You are so desperate to be loved that you convinced yourself she would leave something behind for you.”
There was physical pain, and then there was emotional pain, and Kasik hadn’t known until that moment how different the two
were. One was manageable while the other was not, but they heaped atop one another, driving him deeper into a dark pit of
despair.
“And Master Wara? What was it he was guilty of?”
“Getting in the way,” Atik spat. “But everything is falling perfectly into place. A few more steps, and it is I who will rule Tawantinsuyu with the favor and power of the gods at my side.” His voice floated in the darkness, surrounding him like a vengeful spirit, and then Atik was whispering in his ear, a detached voice that he knew would follow him for eternity.
“But you have been measured, and you have been found entirely lacking.”
The next time Kasik opened his eyes, he was alone.
“Well, this is pathetic,” intoned a voice from the depths of the dungeon. Perhaps it was his tayta coming back to mock him
some more.
Keys rattled, followed by the clank of metal.
Another prisoner, come to keep him company?
A hand on his shoulder, firm yet gentle. “Drink this,” the voice said.
Kasik obeyed; what else was there to do when a god commanded you?
The liquid was earthy and strong enough that it sent a jolt of numb awareness through him. He realized he wasn’t dead. There
was no god with him in the cell, and he was being freed.
“What was this?” Kasik peered into the empty cup as if the answer was at the bottom.
Chaska laughed. “Master Wara’s tea. You aren’t healed, but it should help strengthen you long enough to get out of here.”
She smiled a lopsided smile as she undid his shackles. “If we leave now and ride hard, you might be able to catch them before
they reach the mountaintop.”
Kasik’s mind raced. “The mountaintop,” he repeated slowly. “Mount Rimac. That’s where they are taking Nina?” Hands suddenly
free, he pushed himself to his knees with a grunt. “How are you here?” he asked roughly, a hand pressed to his ribs where
they screamed in protest. “Did you know what they had planned?”
“I didn’t,” Chaska answered, and Kasik believed her. There were circles under her eyes, and her hand shook lightly as she
pushed a clump of hair behind an ear. “And neither did they know about my attay, or my plans. My tayta and his men surround Amaru Kancha. Maicu and Atik will have no royal seat to return to. But you have to help Nina.” Chaska stood and pulled Kasik to his feet.
“The only thing Shayim is sure of is that Nina must survive.”
“Why wouldn’t I help her?” he asked sharply. “Everything I have done has been for her.”
“Because she was powerless here, but she will not be powerless any longer. She will be angry and dangerous.”
“She’s not dangerous,” Kasik said softly. “She only wants to protect her family.”
“And when she is full of wrath and no purpose? When she is unrecognizable? Will you stand by her even then?” Chaska stepped
closer, her dark eyes flashing in the dim light. “There will come a time when you must choose a side. Will you choose wisely?”
Kasik opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it. His whole body ached and blood leaked between the fingers he held at
his side. A stab wound, he vaguely remembered.
“Come. We’ll have time for answers later, as long as you live.”
Kasik moved more quickly with her help, and though each step was a struggle, the fact that he was upright at all was a feat.
Chaska led them through the maze of the dungeon and the kancha hallways. There was no one left within the walls, and outside
was even quieter. Kasik wondered if they would continue with the processions and offerings, or if they thought Nina’s blood
was enough to suffice.
They had all stood there without raising a finger to help or a word of dissent. The way they had cheered as the emperor proclaimed Nina’s fate. He would have cut them all down, if he could. But he was only one man.
Kasik assumed Maicu had taken his most trusted walla with him. It would be almost impossible to get to him, but Atik only guarded himself. He was too proud to have a contingent surrounding him. If Kasik had the element of surprise on his side, then he might see a victory.
Capac was already roused and waiting when they arrived at the achipuma enclosure. Illari was beside him, tiny flakes of snow
collecting on both of their heads. Once seated, Kasik leaned over Capac and wrapped his arounds around the achipuma’s neck.
His fur was warm and comforting. “We must be swift, my friend,” Kasik whispered into his ear. “We must save Nina.”
Illari took off on a bounding leap, Chaska seated proudly on her back. They rode down the path and through Qorikancha where
a line of men in green guarded the outer doors. Kasik spotted Lord Anri, who lifted an arm in greeting to Chaska before placing
it over his heart, and then the city was a blur as the achipumas tore off to the side and up the mountainous path that led
to Mount Rimac.
Kasik lowered his body and held on with what little life he had left.