Chapter Thirty-Two
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Four years ago
Sarai wandered the bazaar, newly purchased reed pens and parchment in hand, though she was pretty sure the merchant had fleeced her for the goods.
She grimaced at her threadbare tunic and trousers. At least half her hair had escaped its braid, a white ribbon precariously hanging on to the remainder. She needed a comb. And a proper pair of shoes.
Nothing I can do about that . How to get to the Academiae was the question.
Debating on whom to ask, her gaze fell on a tall figure in iudex regalia striding through the bazaar. She hadn’t expected iudices to be young. He looked only a few years older than her, although there was a severity to his features that suggested the job had hardened him early.
Hushed voices followed his path. The wary side-glances thrown his way became disapproving whispers when he stopped before a wine vendor, purchased a bottle, and proceeded to down at least half its contents. He didn’t seem to care. Holding a few gazes, he inclined his head and toasted them. Buying a second bottle, he tucked it under his arm and stalked out of the crowded market. She followed. Perhaps someone like this, who flouted social convention, would be willing to help her.
Stopping some paces behind the fence he’d used as a hitching rail, she worked up the courage to speak while he stuffed the uncorked bottle into his saddlebag. Then, two men in opulent robes approached him on horseback.
“Iudex Kadra?” an ivory-robed man asked, dismounting.
The man he’d called Kadra looked irritated. “Tetrarch Aelius.”
Tetrarch? She hid behind a post, peering at the iudex. He had the most beautiful voice she’d ever heard.
The other man beside Tetrarch Aelius regarded Kadra grimly, eyes going from the half-empty bottle under his arm to the one in his saddlebag with an expression of habitual distaste.
Aelius smiled pleasantly at Kadra. “What a surprise to see you here.”
“Indeed. Especially given how well known it is that I frequent this bazaar,” Kadra said dryly.
Sarai stifled a laugh.
“I’ll keep this brief,” Aelius said coolly. “I’d like to request your presence tonight at Sidran Tower.”
“For what purpose?”
“Dinner. A few Guildmasters and noblemen are eager to meet the brightest star of Edessa’s judiciary.”
Kadra’s smirk showed what he thought of that, but he shrugged. “I’ll be there. Anything else?”
“Straight to the point.” Aelius’s eyes seemed to harden. “Do try not to be late.”
The Tetrarch mounted his horse and left in a flurry of dust. His friend watched his figure diminish in the distance, then turned to Iudex Kadra, eyes icy.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” he demanded.
“I have twelve more trials to sit through.”
“And enough wine to ensure that you’re sloshed through them all.” The man’s lips thinned. “The assaults in Aelius’s Quarter last night. Was that you?”
“If they were missing a few limbs, then yes. ”
Assaults? Limbs? Sarai shrank against the fence post. People leaving the market eyed her with disapproval.
“Didn’t I warn you to cease targeting his people?” Aelius’s friend argued.
“Then they shouldn’t brand children.”
“That last one. He’ll be disfigured for life!”
“Hopefully. I held the brand on his face for at least a quarter hour.”
“You—” The other man raised his hand, and she saw Kadra hold still, waiting for the blow to strike. Gritting his teeth, the man whirled away, spitting on the ground.
“Well done, Father.” The word held a wealth of mockery. “After all, we’re in public.”
She winced.
“Why do you think Aelius invited you tonight? I warned you that targeting his men would get you in trouble. When you go tonight, go expecting death.”
“And a few Guildmasters and noblemen will be witnesses. And you, of course. Tell me, what will you do when Aelius drives his blade home? Fawn at his feet? Or will you finally grow a spine?” Kadra didn’t sound like he cared either way.
His father’s jaw visibly clenched. “You think the bloodshed you unleash is ‘growing a spine’? What of the people who watch that, the children who’ll grow to believe that emulating your violence is right? You’re only spreading hurt and violence, and you’re corrupting them all.”
“I am.” Kadra shrugged. “Don’t you have duties to attend to?”
“You—”
Sarai couldn’t hold her tongue. “I wonder,” she broke in, peering over the fence. “Is it really right to coddle a child and assure them that the world is theirs for the taking, only for reality to push them into despair later on? Wouldn’t it be kinder to equip them with the tools to navigate reality from the outset, even if that means opening their eyes to its grimness?”
Kadra whirled around.
“Who’s this?” His father jerked a finger at her .
She faltered under Kadra’s stare. He had the sharpest eyes she’d ever seen. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” What did one do with upper-class folk? She dived to the ground, prostrating herself.
“An outsider.” Kadra’s father sighed. With a sound of frustration, he swung onto his mount and rode off.
“You can stand up now,” Kadra informed her.
She climbed to her feet, grimacing at the mud along the hem and knees of her trousers.
Kadra’s gaze narrowed. “Have you eaten?” he asked brusquely.
“Not for some time, to be honest.”
“Give me your hands.” When she stared, he took them anyway. Fishing several aurei from a pocket, he closed her fingers around them. “Have—”
“ Tibi gratias ago , but I cannot accept this.” She shoved the coins back into his hands. “If you insist on charity, a few denarii is enough.”
“You’ll hurt yourself if you go on like this,” he informed her.
She drew herself up to full height, affronted, and he appeared mildly taken aback. “I know how I look, but that’s only because I just arrived here, and it’s been a rough journey. I’m not entirely without coin.”
“Where from?”
“The north.”
His eyebrows rose. “That’s a difficult journey for a child to make on her own.”
“I’m fourteen,” she said indignantly.
“Why here?”
“The Academiae.” She beamed. “I’m going to challenge the entrance exams.”
“Hmm. It won’t be easy,” he warned her. “They aren’t kind to charity students. Or northerners.”
“I know, but I’ve nothing else to hope for.”
He paused. “You don’t sound afraid.”
“Gods, I’m terrified,” she admitted. “But I can do this. I’ve trained myself for years. Which brings me to why I was … listening. I would like your help,” she said politely. “I can’t figure out how to get into the Academiae. Is it true that only students are allowed in?”
He looked bemused. “Why sneak in?”
“I don’t have anywhere to stay until the exams begin.”
“You won’t find anywhere to stay in the Academiae either.”
“I’ve a friend there. We grew up together. She’ll let me stay with her.”
He thought for a moment and nodded. “I’ll help you.”
Excitement shot through her. She paused. “Why?”
“So suspicion rears its head now?”
“Talking is one thing. Helping is another.”
“And if I’ve a favor I require in return?”
As long as it isn’t anything physical . She nodded, hesitant. “Then you have a bargain. How do I get inside?”
“Don’t take any of the gates. The magi will refuse you entrance. There’s a dirt road between Lisran Tower and Aoran Tower going down the citadel. Follow it to a trapdoor within an alley. Hardly anyone knows of it, and it leads to a tunnel underneath the gates and into the Academiae. It’ll be difficult,” he warned her. “It’s pitch black in there, but you’ll evade the vigiles.”
“Hold on a moment.” She rummaged in her worn satchel, pulling out a reed pen, ink, and a roll of parchment to record his directions.
Kadra’s brow furrowed. “Don’t.” He placed a hand on her arm. “There’s no need to waste your supplies.”
Pulling out a warped metal ink pen and a crumpled bit of parchment from his saddlebag, he wrote out his instructions. “Dirt road. Tunnel,” he repeated. “There are seventeen steps to the bottom. The ground will slope up as you get close, and you’ll reach a staircase. Seventeen steps to the top. Open the door and you’ll be inside a broom closet within Sidran Tower.”
“Really?” She beamed.
He smiled faintly. “Really.”
“Thank you!” She took the parchment from him reverently. “Gods, thank you! And what would you want from me in return?”
He was silent .
She sighed. “I’ve heard it all, really. Tell me.”
Kadra studied her. “Only this. No matter what the other students do to you, hold on. Understood?”
She stilled as the request registered.
“I asked if you understand me.”
Blinking away tears, she nodded. “I do.”
“Good.” He mounted his horse, looking for all the world like a Tetrarch. Powerful, unyielding. Perhaps someday, she could aspire to such a position.
“Wait! Sir.” She grasped his reins. “When I complete my training, in a few years, do you suppose I could thank you?”
A smile lifted his lips, almost making him look human. “I suppose.”
Wisdom and Radiance, she didn’t have a single token to give him. Inspiration struck, and she pulled the ribbon from her hair.
“Here. I’ll come back for that. And then you’ll know it’s me.”
“Sarai!” Cisuré’s eyes were huge. “I don’t understand. How are you here?”
“There’s a tunnel that avoids the Tower Gates!” Sarai smiled ear to ear. “A man I met told me of it. You said you lived in Lisran Tower, remember?”
“By Wisdom, what sort of strange men have you been meeting?” Cisuré laughed, but there was an odd strain to her eyes. “Why did you come?”
Sarai faltered. “I sent you a letter two months ago.” At Cisuré’s baffled expression, she swallowed. “That I was coming?”
“Oh, that . I didn’t think you’d—” Cisuré broke off. “I’ve only been here five months, things have been so busy … I’m so sorry, I meant to reply. Where are you staying?”
“Well … can I stay with you for a few days while I get an appointment to challenge the exams?” Sarai rushed on as Cisuré tensed. “Just to rest and bathe. Even just bathe. I’ll leave for the rest of the day. I know it’s an imposition, but these magi are prejudiced, and maybe if I’m well groomed, they’ll think better of me? ”
“But you’ll have to wait months! It isn’t easy to get an audience with the instructors.”
Months? Her heart dropped. “I thought you said that it was only a few days’ wait.”
“That was—” Cisuré twisted the fabric of her robes . “They changed it soon after I arrived. It’s a lengthy process now, and I can’t hide you for that long!”
Shame sunk beneath Sarai’s skin. The sole denarius left of her savings seemed to burn through her pocket. She shouldn’t have spent so much on those writing supplies. She swallowed. There’ll be a tavern that needs help . She’d think about it after she left.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to trouble you.” Her voice was a sliver of sound. “I’ll go.”
Cisuré sighed. “Didn’t you research this before coming here?”
“I just believed you.” Sarai didn’t mean for the reply be so caustic, but the other girl flinched, staring at the ground for a long moment before taking Sarai’s hand.
“There’s a party tonight. A number of influential people will be there, including Head Tetrarch Aelius. If we tidy you up in time, I can bring you as a trader’s daughter. That might be enough to get the process going faster. They could even test you then and there.”
Glorious relief swept over her. She decided not to mention that she’d seen Aelius earlier with Iudex Kadra. “I’ll do anything. I won’t let you down.”
“I know.” Cisuré’s smile was finally genuine. “Tetrarch Aelius is an exceptional man. He’s the Magus Supreme, too, you know, Head of the Academiae. He’ll be fair with you.” She looked Sarai up and down, grimacing at her travel-worn tunic. “Now, let’s get you dressed up.”
“A hidden room?” Sarai gaped as Cisuré removed the portrait to reveal the door set in the wall .
“You’re a trader’s daughter tonight,” the other girl reminded her. “Don’t stare all wide-eyed and unsophisticated.”
Sarai nodded, feeling opulent in the navy robes Cisuré had lent her with her hair braided in an intricate knot.
Cisuré pushed the door open, and a glittering new world unfurled ahead. She stepped into a brightly lit ballroom with frescoes tiling the walls, sweeping up to the cavernous ceiling. Jewels dripped from the party’s wealthy attendees, winking from ears, necks, and rings. Platters of meat occupied a long table at the center of the room, people popping a few morsels into their mouths as they sized up their peers.
“That’s Tetrarch Tullus.” Cisuré tilted her head toward a stately man in indigo and navy robes. “I’ll introduce you. Tetrarch Aelius is occupied.”
Sarai was impressed. “How do you know him?”
The other girl flushed. “Well, Tetrarch Aelius noticed me when I attended the Grand Elsarian Temple for worship. He’s a great leader, you know. Kind, and caring”—she turned red—“and he practices what he preaches. This is a real honor. You’re meeting the most powerful people in all Ur Dinyé, so don’t embarrass me.”
“I won’t. I promise.” Sarai put on a glowing smile as Tullus approached.
Cisuré bowed low. “Tetrarch Tullus, if you’ll please forgive the intrusion, this is my friend. She’s a trader’s daughter come to challenge the exams. I believe she could be extremely helpful to you. She’s brilliant at healing.”
“Well then.” Tullus looked fascinated. “What are you called?”
“Sarai,” she said, bowing until she nearly split in two. “I’m so honored to meet you, Tetrarch Tullus.”
“Talent is always worth nurturing, Sera.” She almost corrected him but Cisuré shook her head slightly. He turned to Cisuré. “Why don’t you take a turn about the room? I’ll take care of your friend.”
Cisuré beamed. “ Tibi gratias ago , Tetrarch Tullus.”
Throwing Sarai a meaningful glance, she strode toward the dinner table .
Tullus smiled. “Would you like to see the ballroom upstairs?”
Tullus chuckled, bringing her to a balcony at the top. Edessa spread out below them.
“Well, Sera, I can allow you into the Academiae if you pass a test of skill. My tests aren’t easy, but I’m confident that anyone Cisuré recommends will succeed. Tetrarch Aelius vouches highly for her.”
Sarai’s chest swelled. “Name it and I will.”
“It’ll be toward the end of this gathering, I’m afraid. We’re getting stormfall soon.” His eyes went to a point beyond her shoulder, and he sighed ruefully. “Ah, but here comes Cisuré to take you away. If you’d prefer to do this another time …”
“No! I’m happy to wait. I’ll let her know!”
Excusing herself with a smile, Sarai raced to where Cisuré waited. “He’s asked me to stay until the end for a test! If I pass, he’ll let me in.”
“Gods, you’re going to join me!” Cisuré squeaked. “This is wonderful !”
Sarai gripped the other girl’s shoulder in delight. “It’s all thanks to you. And to Tetrarch Aelius, although I haven’t seen him yet.”
“Anything for you,” Cisuré said affectionately. “Don’t worry, he’s just mingling with a few Guildmasters. He’s a busy man.” She dropped her voice. “Just watch out. I hear Tetrarch Aelius is expecting some high-flying iudex to make an appearance tonight. He’s notorious for his violence, but the people love him.”
I wonder if it’s Kadra . “I’ll watch for him.” She really did owe him.
Cisuré squeezed her hands. “I need to go assist Tetrarch Aelius, but come find me when you’re done and tell me all about it.”
“I will.” She accepted a glass from Tetrarch Tullus, who’d reappeared at her elbow, and took a sip. It tasted as if it had gone a bit off. “I promise.”
She shrank back as a door creaked open. Footsteps entered the room, a group of men judging by their voices. One approached the closet, purposeful strides ticking like seconds on a water clock. He stopped before the doors.
Gods save me.
The man leaned against the door of her pitch-black prison. “—doesn’t matter,” another familiar, cultured voice said. Aelius . She must’ve passed out only a few minutes after she met him. “They’ll all buy it up. It’s almost a pity how gullible they are, but it’s profitable.”
She grew cold. The man she’d spoken with hadn’t sounded so patronizing.
“You’re sure they won’t find out?” an unfamiliar male voice asked.
“That the miracle shield I’ve discovered doesn’t actually run on faith? No, Helvus, they won’t. The public isn’t known for their critical thinking.”
“Should have seen the hick girl I had to chaperone the whole evening. All acquiescence and nothing in the way of intellect.”
Tullus . She bit down her rage.
“So we pretend it’s some sort of miracle from the gods, hide our stakes in the mine, Helvus manufacturers it and everyone snatches it up.” Tullus whistled. “We’ll be rolling in aurei.”
“And if a few hundred homes blow up, then they’ll only curse themselves. The Guild gets the land.” Aelius laughed. “Foolproof.”
Petrified, she crouched by the door, hoping they’d leave. Stay quiet , her instincts told her. Wait for them to leave, then break your hands and ankles, whatever it takes to get the restraints off and the door open.
Something skittered past her leg. She heard it again, a clacking in the same space as her. The narrow slit of light between the hinges illuminated a many-legged insect preparing to crawl up her leg.
She involuntarily shrieked. The sound, muffled by her gag, cut through the conversation outside.
The men fell silent. Aelius’s weight shifted away from the closet.
What have I done ?
Whatever had secured the closet’s handles hit the ground with a thump, and the door opened. She stared up at Aelius, tears streaming down her face.
His features turned ugly. “Tullus,” he hissed. “You have some explaining to do.”
She was going to die.
Tullus had beaten her before trying to strip her. Then he had beaten her some more when she’d resisted. And now Aelius was going to throw her off Sidran Tower.
The monstrous gods had stayed quiet.
Tullus dragged her onto the balcony. Her body wove a path through fragments of the vase he’d smashed over her head.
“You’re disgusting,” she whispered to Aelius with the last of her strength. “You think you’re clever. But someone will notice. They’ll wonder why I died.”
He didn’t care.
She drifted in and out of consciousness in brief bursts, struggling as she did. Tullus swore when she elbowed his side. He kicked her feet out from under her, plowing her head into the ground. Her vision blurred, growing dark with each slam.
“Useless bitch,” he snarled.
Dazed, she raked her nails into his face when he bent over her. He manacled her wrists in a grip of steel and delivered a final, resounding blow to her face. Blood filled her mouth, along with shards of her teeth.
“What a shame.” Aelius eyed her dispassionately. “This is what happens when you aspire too high above your station, Sera. You fall.”
Sarai wanted to scream that she’d only wanted to study, but her mouth was in too much pain. Blood dripped into her eyes, tinting her vision crimson .
“I’m going to enjoy this show.” Tullus slit her palm with a blade, and her hand burned as skin parted. Dipping the fingers of her other hand in the blood, he drew a rune she didn’t recognize. “Where’s that pet of yours, Aelius? What’ll you say when she comes looking for her little friend?”
Through the veil of red coating her vision, she saw Aelius shrug. “I sent her off earlier. By the way, I invited Kadra tonight. Bastard’s late. But if he does show, he’ll be just in time for a good framing.”
For some reason, Tullus and Aelius found that hilarious. They maneuvered her body, puppeteering her to draw rune after rune.
Something twisted in her chest as they finished the first few, the limbs of her body growing taut, fighting as an invisible force began to pull the life from her. What are they doing to me?
“You …” Her voice was little more than a croak. “The gods will burn you for this.”
Tullus cuffed her ear hard, slamming her head against the balcony’s railing.
“The gods sanction everything we do,” he said. “Or they would have stopped us.”
A deep rumble sounded in the distance.
Aelius frowned. “Hurry with the Summoning. The storm’s almost here.”
Her blood ran cold. Blinding white split the sky, followed by another drumroll of sound. Tullus drew the last rune. Modrai . This one she recognized.
“And here we are, Sera,” Aelius mused. “If there’s a life after this one, ask them to make you a little less foolish.”
Sarai , she thought as magic drained from her. My name is Sarai .
The two men hurried back inside, leaving her lying in a mess of blood.
A heartbeat. The spatter of a raindrop on her cheek. Then, a pale blue fire roared to life around her. An agony unlike anything she’d ever experienced burned through every limb. Her mouth fell open in a scream to the storm-laden sky as an invisible force reached through her ribs to wrench at the weak heart beating beneath .
Rain lashed her face, stole her pleas. She rose above the balcony, above the tower, a marionette to invisible forces. Pressure squeezed her head in a vise until rich iron choked her throat, and she couldn’t even scream anymore.
Help me! she pleaded to the Elsar, to anyone. Please make it stop!
And, suddenly, it did. Charged air thrummed in her ears as she hovered, a speck above Sidran Tower.
Then, she fell.
Air rushed past her in an eerie wail.
Was this the sum of her life? Of her foolish dreams?
Poor Cisuré. She wouldn’t be seeing her after—
Someone crouched by her, seemingly uncaring of the raging storm. Fingers brushed the end of her braid, followed by a rough intake of breath.
“Fuck!” Anger laced a beautiful, familiar voice. She tried and failed to place it. “Damn it to the ten hells. Why is she here?” He felt for her pulse and cursed, and she knew that she wasn’t going to survive.
Her good eye blinked, squinted, trying to make out his face. Several yards behind the man—she still couldn’t remember his name—she saw Cisuré staring at her, petrified. Her mouth opened in what looked like a sob.
Then, she ran away.
Sarai slipped back into oblivion. When she reemerged, another man had joined the first one.
“Drenevan, this is unforgivable!” The man sounded horrified. “What have you done? Her face is gone.”
“Get her another.”
“You surely don’t think she can be rebuilt after this? Anyone who sees her—”
“Can be bought.”
“This is the last time I’ll cover for you. Never again! ”
A bitter chuckle. The scrape of boots. “If only that were true. Leave her, she’s gone.”
“She’s still alive!” the other man roared. “She might live if we take her to a healer.”
“She won’t.” His voice held no doubt. “And she doesn’t matter, so long as I get to Aelius.”
Shoes ground against stone, and she knew the man with the beautiful voice had vanished, and though she didn’t understand why, something inside of her split at the sound of his fading footsteps.