Текст книги "The Chosen"

Автор книги: Ricardo Pinto

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JUST ONE MORE DAY

The cruellest traps are baited

With the heart of the lotus

(from the 'Tale of the Little Barbarian')

When Carnelian came back Tain was like something dead, an uninterested stranger helping him with his crowns. Carnelian became a man of wood, a frame holding up his robe. It was all he could do to stop himself from shaking his brother. He kept telling himself that Tain did not know, could not know. 'Go away,' he said.

'You need help with the robe,' said Tain.

'Go!' cried Carnelian. He watched Tain sullenly move away. The click of the door closing unleashed Carnelian's rage. He struggled to free himself from the robe. He swore. The bird-bone scaffolding was snapping like twigs. He tugged at the ridged cloth, growling curses until at last he had tumbled down from his ranga, falling like a cut-down tree, crumpling the brocades, rending samite. He lay with the bone frame jabbing into his skin, chuckling mirthlessly. He shuffled out, like a snake discarding its skin, and when he was free he kicked the glimmering golden shell aside and went to stand upon the balcony in his underclothes until the wind had numbed even his bones.

Carnelian wresded a nightmare in and out of sleep. The sweat that chilled him was his anger's cool shell. He groaned awake and Tain stirred upon the floor. He had crept back in. 'Do you want something?'

Carnelian could not make his tongue work. In the dark he could see Osidian's eyes mocking him. The lamp flared. Tain turned to face him, accusation in those eyes.

'Is something wrong?' the boy said.

'You tell me,' growled Carnelian.

Tain closed his mouth, stared through him.

Carnelian sat up. 'Blood and iron! I'm sick to my stomach of you moping around.'

He saw fire flickering in his brother's eyes as if he were seeing distant lightning.

'I don't know who you are any more. If you've something to say, say it!'

'Do you really want me to speak, Master’

That last word was the lash of a whip. Carnelian glowered. 'Let it out, curse you, just don't stand there.'

'OK, I'll speak and you can have me punished afterwards.'

'Punished-?'

'You let them slaughter him.'

Carnelian narrowed his eyes, his anger cooling under Tain's icy stare. 'What…?'

'Have you forgotten Crail so quickly, Master? Of course, I'm forgetting, he was just a slave.'

'What? He was…' Carnelian felt the pain again. 'I did what I could… even Father couldn't save him.'

'You're all the same. He lied to us, all those years he lied to us. There in his hall pretending to be an angel, our people believing he controlled the sky, the seasons and the sea. Then he left, discarding the Hold like an old shoe, and when it came down to it he couldn't even save one… old… man.'

There are things you don't know, things-' There are always things we don't know, matters beyond us that only you Masters could possibly understand. You're no different. Don't tell me you had no idea what might happen to us boys on the road.' 'I didn't want to take you-'

'What he did to me…' Tain's voice broke. 'How could you let the Master do that to me?'

'I didn't know, Tain, on my blood, I didn't know.' Carnelian was crumbling to tears. He was too tired to fight and could put up no defence.

'You let them hurt Father.' Tain was crying.

Carnelian shook his head, licking the tears from his lip.

'You let them take me,' he sobbed, 'on the road, then into the… quarantine.' His face grew dark. 'I didn't really get a chance to tell you the worst that happened, did I?' He shook his head, staring wildly. 'Do you want to know? Do you? Well, do you?'

Carnelian shook his hands up, wanting to look away.

Tain was shaking. 'Why did you let them come… to bring us here to this evil place?' He was shouting now. 'You're evil, you're all evil… you pretend to be gods but you're a disease. I hate you.' He kicked at a jar and it smashed against the wall. 'I hate you.' There was a knocking on the door. Tain ignored it. 'I hate you, I hate you all.'

The door opened and one of the tyadra peeked in. 'Master. Is everything-?'

'Get out!' Carnelian's bellow slammed the door shut.

Tain's eyes were like coals. Carnelian felt empty. He bowed his head. 'You're right, Tain. We failed you. I failed you.' He could no longer hold back the misery. Sobs shook him. 'I'm sorry.' The sobbing choked him. 'I'm so sorry.' Arms embraced him, Tain's arms, his head pressing against Carnelian's neck.

'I know it wasn't you, Carnie.' The words vibrated into his neck. 'It wasn't your fault.'

Carnelian hugged his brother and they rocked each other until they were all cried out.

The knocking woke them. Carnelian had told Tain that he could not bear to see him spend another night on the cold floor and so they had shared the bed.

Tain leapt up, lit a lamp and went to see who it was. He opened a chink in the door, nodded and looked back at Carnelian, making a face. 'It's the Master,' he mouthed. They both looked at the chamber, shards scattered over the floor, boxes everywhere, Carnelian's court robe toppled broken against a wall.

Together they furiously cleared what they could of the mess and then they found him something to wear. This'll have to do,' said Carnelian at last. ‘Show him in.'

'If you're sure,' Tain said and grinned, then went to open the door.

Suth entered. 'What, are you still abed, my Lord?' He stopped. His mask surveyed the chamber. 'A storm?' He saw Tain. 'Open the shutters, Tain, let in some light, some air.'

'As you command, Master,' said Tain.

'It is such a beautiful morning.' Light flooded progressively around the chamber as Tain folded back one shutter after another. 'You should both have been up. You have missed the blushings of the sky.'

'Neither of us slept well, my Lord.'

His father was wearing a simple robe, the colour of lapis against which his hands and feet were flakes of ice. The excitement, no doubt.'

'No doubt,' said Carnelian.

Suth dismissed Tain. When they were alone he removed his mask. 'Aaah, but it was a wondrous victory… not that one should savour it too much,' he said, throwing Carnelian a glance. 'Still, it has quite put the fire back into my blood.'

'It does me good to see my Lord so happy,' said Carnelian, smiling. Though still haggard, his father looked a little more like himself.

Tomorrow, we shall descend the Rainbow Stair together to the Labyrinth. You have participated in an election but you have still to witness an Apotheosis.' His father's eyes gleamed. 'In four, maybe five days Nephron shall be made into the Gods.'

Carnelian flinched at the name. The chamber seemed to have gone dark again. There is still time for Ykoriana to do something.'

His father raised his brows. 'I think not.' He smiled. 'Nephron has assumed the powers of the Regent and the Great are deserting her like an ebbing tide. Her wings are broken and she has already been put back in her cage.' Carnelian saw his father's face become infinitely sad. 'She chose this for herself and yet I find myself pitying her.'

'So Aurum has won?' His father nodded heavily.

'He is then already become the core of power among the Great?'

'He is welcome to it.' Suth made a face. 'I am sick of its taste.' He made an elegant gesture in which something solid became smoke and then clear air. 'But let us not worry ourselves with that. The Rains are near and soon the lands and the Commonwealth shall be simultaneously renewed. And you and I shall be able to return to our coomb and begin our new life. Soon we will have restored the palaces; perhaps we might build some new halls to celebrate our return. We shall organize such masques as will dazzle even the Great.' His eyes lit up as he gazed at his son. 'You will see, my son, I shall show you such wonders.'

'What about Spinel and the others, Father?' Suth frowned deeply. They will reap what they have sown.'

Carnelian was alarmed by his father's dark looks. 'Perhaps the best way to celebrate our return would be to usher in an era of mercy and co-existence.'

Suth smiled at him. 'Yes, perhaps.' He flapped his hands as if he were washing the air clean. 'First, we must attend Apotheosis and receive the tribute and the flesh tithe.'

Carnelian wondered how he would cope with watching Osidian become the Gods.

His father came to stand near him, and crouched down so that Carnelian could look into his grey eyes, still tinged with red. 'What ails you, Carnelian?'

Looking into his father's eyes Carnelian almost confessed, but then he saw the winter sky, the Hold and his people empty-eyed and grey upon the quay. It was time he bore some pain by himself. He cracked a smile. 'It is lack of sleep, Father, just lack of sleep.'

His father leaned forward and kissed his forehead. 'I know how hard it has been for you,' he said in a low voice. 'We will establish a greater Hold here in Osrakum. You will see, Carnelian. Soon you will call Coomb Suth home.

And there, with all our people, we both shall begin a healing.'

He stood up. 'Get your household ready. With the next rising of the sun we will return to the earth below.' His father started walking to the door. He came back. He smiled. 'I almost forgot to give you this.' He gave Carnelian something small and hard. Carnelian looked in his hand. It was his blood-ring. He clutched it as he watched his father leave, tighter and tighter until he could feel it cutting through his skin.

Carnelian put the ring on when Tain returned. He could see his brother had something in his hand. 'What's that?' 'A letter.' Tain gave him it.

It had been sealed with a blood-ring. He saw the two-face House cypher, the name glyph 'Nephron', the blood-taint with all its zeros. He stared at it.

'What's the matter, Carnie?'

Carnelian looked up, thinking to send him away. His brother's face was filled with concern. Carnelian would do nothing to damage their delicate re-emerging intimacy. 'Let me read it and then I'll tell you.'

He broke the seal. The paper bore only three glyphs: 'I must see you.' Carnelian read them over and over again.

'Perhaps you'd rather be by yourself,' said Tain warily.

Carnelian put out his hand to take his wrist. 'No, stay with me. It would help me to talk about it.'

Carnelian told Tain of his meeting with the strange boy in the Library of the Wise, their expedition to the Yden. Tain could see the brightness of the lagoons in his eyes as Carnelian told him everything. The tale brought Carnelian and Osidian back to the Halls of Thunder and the long days of separation.

'And you hoped to see him at the election?' asked Tain.

Carnelian nodded. 'Did you?'

Carnelian's glower made Tain flinch. 'Oh yes, he was there.'

Tain waited for the words to come. 'He is the one we chose to become the Gods.' Tain gaped. The actual, the very Gods?' Carnelian shook the letter. 'And now, he writes that he must see me.'

'Are you going to?'

'No,' cried Carnelian. 'I won't be his plaything again.'

'Carnie, are you sure that's what it was?'

Carnelian glared at him. 'What else?'

Tain lowered his eyes and played at interweaving his fingers. He kept snatching glimpses at Carnelian's face until he could see that he had sunk back into sad introspection. There's one thing you should think about, though, Carnie.'

Carnelian impaled him with his jade-green eyes.

'Once he becomes the Gods, you'll never see his face again.'

Carnelian's eyes went out of focus; his head shook. 'So be it. I can't see him. I'll never see him again.'

Something was tickling his hps and Carnelian brushed it away. The tickling returned. He opened his eyes, irritated, and looked straight into familiar green eyes. He lashed out, punching bone, pushing himself away up the bed.

Osidian was there as tall as the sky and as beautiful, even as he grimaced holding his face. 'You hit me.'

'What did you expect?'

'Anger, I suppose.'

It welled up so strongly in Carnelian that all he could do was glare.

Osidian took a step back, his palms in front of him in a sign of appeasement. He looked so funny that Carnelian had to frown really hard to stop himself from smiling. Osidian's hands dropped slowly. For some reason, that made him the enemy again.

'What do you want, Nephron?'

To explain,' said Osidian, dropping into Vulgate.

Carnelian crossed his arms and continued to glare at him.

'You aren't going to make this easy, are you?' Carnelian glowered more darkly. 'OK, OK.' Osidian scratched his head. 'I meant to tell you.' 'When?'

‘Several times. Before the election I even thought of sending you a letter, but…' 'But what?'

'You were deep in the Sunhold. I was reluctant to give it to your father and afraid to give it to the Ichorians in case it should fall into my mother's hands.'

'It wouldn't have made any difference even if you'd sent it. By then it was already too late. You had plenty of time to tell me.'

Osidian looked at his hands, then up again. 'I did tell you my name. Well… one of them.'

'Am I supposed to be grateful?'

Osidian's face darkened. 'You could make a vague attempt at seeing it from my point of view.'

'Your rank, you mean, Celestial?' asked Carnelian, returning to the Quya.

'No,' replied Osidian, grimacing.

Carnelian could feel his anger cooling. 'What then?' he said, trying to reheat it.

Osidian grew taller, stiffed out his heavy-sleeved arms.

'Everyone has always known who I am.' He let his arms drop to his side. 'When you obviously did not… well, I went along with it.' 'Playing with me.'

Osidian's chin dropped to his chest. 'No,' he groaned. He looked at Carnelian. 'No. No. No. It was that… that you allowed me to forget who I was… to forget the election.'

The election.' Carnelian thought about how close the result had been, how even now, Molochite was under sentence of death. He lost his grip on his anger and let it leak away.

Then we went down to the Yden,' said Osidian, light seeming to shine from his face.

Carnelian saw again the glittering lagoons, the smell and touch of him.

Osidian looked at him with longing. 'After that, the fear of losing you was greater than my fear of losing the election.'

'You were so cold when we were coming back,' said Carnelian.

'My father was dead,' said Osidian, a note of pleading in his voice.

'I didn't know that.'

They were both measuring the space between them. 'You know it now.' Osidian looked at him with hunger. 'But..Carnelian was overwhelmed by grief. Osidian came closer. His hand touched Carnelian's shoulder.

Carnelian looked up at him. 'But you're to be-' Osidian interrupted him by covering Carnelian's mouth with his own. He lay down on top of him. The sharp brocades of his court robe scratched into Carnelian's skin but Carnelian did not care. Osidian pulled up to look at him. His eyes and breath were fire. Carnelian buried his face in the small part of Osidian's neck that was exposed. He drew him closer, gasping as the metal brocades bit deeper into him. He pulled him closer still. It was an exquisite pain.

When Osidian saw the weals his robe had gouged, only Carnelian's smiles allayed his remorse. 'I would bear much worse for you.'

Osidian kissed the pain away from each wound. Then he straightened up and began to struggle out of his robe. Propped up on his elbows, Carnelian looked on entranced. 'Are you just going to watch?' grimaced Osidian with his head caught.

Carnelian grinned and nodded. Osidian looked like a white butterfly pulling itself from the crusty prison of its chrysalis. Once free he unfolded his arms like wings. Carnelian sighed as Osidian slipped his warm alabaster skin past his.

They lay intertwined like sun-warmed serpents, firm and hot against each other.

Osidian lay in Carnelian's arms as peaceful as a sleeping child. Carnelian touched his body with wonder, examining the vessel that would hold the coruscating energies of the Twins. He shuddered at the thought, and Osidian nuzzled closer. Carnelian ran his hands over him as if he were feeling the pale yielding marble for hairline cracks that might allow the ichor to weep through.

Carnelian stroked Osidian's birthmark. 'It really does look as if it was left by a kiss.'

'Some of the Wise have argued that it made me unsuitable for the double Godhead.'

'Unsuitable?'

They said that it was the mark of the Black God.' 'And the God Emperor must be both Twins and not favour one above the other.' Osidian nodded.

Carnelian lay back. 'How did you come here?'

'I came to see the Lord Suth, to thank him for his help.'

'You mean, to see me.'

Osidian lifted his head and looked at him solemnly. 'I owe your father the Masks and will not forget it' 'You came as yourself?'

Osidian grinned. 'I came disguised as one of the Lesser Chosen of my House.'

Carnelian bit him. 'My Lord seems much given to passing himself off as someone else.' He looked over at Osidian's discarded robe. He should have noticed the lack of ranga. 'Why the disguise?'

'I didn't want to be mobbed by the Chosen.'

Something occurred to Carnelian. 'You did come with guards?'

The Quenthas. They're outside your door now.' 'Two girls?'

'Girls? Those girls could fillet a half-dozen of your best guardsmen without breaking into sweat.' 'I do like them.'

They like you too. There was a boy.' 'My brother Tain.'

Osidian raised an eyebrow. 'Brother?'

Carnelian stiffened. 'Do you have a problem with that?'

Osidian adopted an expression of appeasement, flapped his hands. 'Brother it is.'

Carnelian relaxed. 'He's been through a lot. We've been close since we were children.' He reached up to smooth the frown from Osidian's forehead. 'I know it isn't worthy of one of the Chosen, but there it is.'

Osidian squeezed him, kissing him passionately. 'You could do nothing that was unworthy.'

Carnelian smiled. 'You think not?'

'You've even chosen the Gods for a lover,' said Osidian, grinning.

Carnelian put his fingers to Osidian's lips.

Osidian kissed them and lay back. 'Who did you think I was?' When Carnelian said nothing he turned to look at him. 'You blush, my Lord,' he said in Quya.

Carnelian could not look him in the face. 'I thought you were. ..'

'Who?'

'A sybling.'

'A what?' cried Osidian. 'How did you work that out?'

Carnelian hid his eyes with a hand. 'Well…' He peeped at Osidian. 'You look a bit like the Lords Hanus…'

Osidian looked horrified. The expression softened. 'I suppose… my grandfather sired them… but a sybling?' He made a big show of feeling his shoulders. He blew out. 'I didn't think I had a second head.'

Carnelian blushed again. 'I know it's stupid, but when you told me you had a twin… and you seemed embarrassed about telling me who you were… well, I put two and two together-'

'And ended up with a sybling.' Osidian chuckled, shook his head. 'I see… no wonder you asked no more questions.' His face went very serious. His eyes looked deep into Carnelian's. 'And even then, you went with me… the Yden…'

'You're beautiful,' said Carnelian and it was Osidian's turn to blush. 'Besides, I loved you for who you are.'

'Love?'

Carnelian looked away. 'What am I supposed to call you?'

Osidian pulled Carnelian's chin back. His eyes were a furious green. 'Whatever you want.'

They lay wrapped in each other's sweat. Osidian's arm lay over his eyes. Their legs were intertwined. Carnelian was staring at the ceiling.

'What about your taint scars?' he said suddenly.

'What about them?'

'You only have them down one side.'

Osidian lifted his arm off his face and looked at him with one eye. 'Even you must've realized by now that I was fathered by a God Emperor?'

Carnelian punched him and Osidian laughed.

'But the blank side is on your left, the mother's side.'

The God Emperor's paternity goes on the left because of the sinistral nature of Godhead.'

'I see,' Carnelian said and resumed his staring. A little while later he sat up. 'Can I see your blood-ring?'

Osidian lifted up his arm again. 'Does my Lord need proof that I am who I say I am?'

Carnelian growled and showed his teeth.

Osidian affected fear. 'All right. All right.' He removed his ring and gave it to Carnelian who peered at it. Four zeros. He whistled. Blood-rank four. He held it up to the light. Even the fifth number was low, a five. He gave it back to Osidian.

'It surprises me that I can't feel the heat of your fiery blood from here.'

Osidian smiled at him. 'Are you sure you can't?'

Carnelian turned and hugged him so hard he cried out. He relaxed the circle of his arms, buried his head in Osidian's neck, nibbled it. His hands slid down his spine. He could feel the taint scars with his fingers.

This is your mother's taint?' he said into Osidian's neck.

'You know it is.'

'Do you love her?

Osidian pushed him gently away so that he could see his eyes. 'She's my mother.' 'But do you love her?'

Osidian frowned. 'I've seen very little of her. Mostly, I fear her.'

'So do I. You know she tried to have us all killed?' Osidian nodded slowly. ‘She slew my sister who would have been my wife.' That is rumoured-'

That is fact!' Osidian cried, making Carnelian flinch. 'She knew that Flama would have voted for me.'

Carnelian put his hand out and stroked Osidian's head. 'I'm sorry.'

'We loved each other since we were children. When I am the Gods …'

Carnelian shivered when he saw the chill look of anger that came into his face. 'Does she know you feel like this?'

'How could she not? Her eyes are everywhere.' Carnelian looked around the chamber. Osidian laughed. 'Not literally.' 'And your brother?'

Osidian's mouth showed his distaste. 'Molochite will be taken from her. He's always been her creature.' He shook his head. 'His cruelties … There are many in the House of the Masks who'll breathe relief when my crowns're painted with his blood.'

'Will many others die?' Carnelian asked, almost whispering.

'Some.' The green fire in his eyes went out. 'My sons…' 'Your sons?'

'Only syblings, but I feel something for them.' He smiled a pale smile. There're always children from the House of the Masks slaughtered at an Apotheosis.'

'Why then did you make them?'

'It's one of my duties to make blood for ritual.'

'I must go soon,' said Osidian and they clung to each other more tightly. 'Must you?'

'I've already been away too long.' The shutters rattled a long tattoo. 'When I'm the Gods…' 'Let's not talk of that.'

Osidian slid his hand to squeeze the nape of Carnelian's neck. 'We must.' Carnelian closed his eyes.

'Our We'll be difficult,' said Osidian. 'But if we both really want it to, we can make it work.'

'But they'll put your face for ever behind the Masks.' Carnelian could feel that Osidian's body had grown wooden.

'Yes. But we can still talk. The Wise'll not know it if we touch hands.'

'Will we touch like this?'

'Perhaps yes, perhaps even that.'

Carnelian did not believe him. He knew the Wise would be always there. 'I can't bear it,' he said. Osidian silenced him by pulling his face into his chest. He could feel Carnelian's mouth, his tears. Carnelian pulled himself away. 'How much time do we have?'

Osidian said nothing, but stared up into the shadowy ceiling.

'How much?' Carnelian demanded. There's no more time.'

Carnelian felt his heart become a stone. He felt it spreading numbness up into his head, down to his groin. 'No.' He shook his head. 'No.'

Osidian jabbed a tear from his eye. 'We have to face it.'

'My father said that there're four days, maybe five until they do it.'

'Yes, but the rituals, the preparations… they're endless, inescapable…'

'But you've to go down to the Labyrinth?' Osidian looking at him, nodded. 'Couldn't we go there another way?' 'What other way?' Through the Yden.'

Osidian stared. Carnelian watched Osidian's eyes lose their focus as he calculated the possibilities. 'No,' he said at last. 'I couldn't do it.'

Carnelian fixed him with his eyes. 'Even one more day like this. Just one!' He could see the cracks appearing in Osidian's resistance. 'So we'd cause consternation. What of it? You'll have your whole reign to appease the Wise.'

Osidian was crumbling. Carnelian could see the boyish hope peeking through. 'We'd have to let them know… tell them something…'

'We could leave my father a letter. In all this world he at least should understand.'

Osidian nodded slowly. 'He won't quickly forgive us for forcing him to stand alone against the Wise.'

'He bore thirteen years of exile for your father's sake. He's stood against your mother and won. He speaks for the Great. Are the Wise so terrible?'

Osidian looked at him with round eyes, as much as to say, you have no idea. 'As you say, we'd have all my reign to make it up to him.' Then you'll come?'

Osidian smiled a crooked smile. 'How could I not?'

Carnelian gave a whoop and threw himself on him. They wrestled violendy until they fell onto the floor and rolled apart.

Osidian sat up panting, grinning. When Carnelian began to move towards him, he put up his hand. 'I submit. I submit.'

Carnelian embraced him. They leaned their heads together.

'Will you write the letter?' Osidian asked.

Their ears rubbed together as Carnelian gave a nod.

'I'll still have to return to my household, give them instructions.' He disentangled Carnelian's arms gently, stood up. They placed him back into his robe. 'Meet me before sunrise at the usual place.' They grinned at each other, they kissed and Osidian left.

Carnelian. slumped onto the bed. He gathered up the sheets and wrapped himself in them. Doubt surged in his stomach. He frowned, wondering if he was making a mistake.

Carnelian sat cross-legged, with the parchment on the low table in front of him a narrow rectangle in the lamplight. He drew the glyphs carefully with the pen as his father had taught him. Several times he stopped, angling the pen so that it would not drip ink onto the parchment, then looking off into the darkness. His lips moved as if he were speaking but he made no sound. He was trying to explain to his father how he felt. How could his father not understand? But if he did not, no matter. Carnelian knew with a deadly certainty that he would withstand his father's fury a hundred times if that was the payment demanded for this last day of freedom with Osidian.

Carnelian let Tain in when he scratched at the door. His brother stared at the nest of sheets, the table in the middle of the floor, and at Carnelian's white flaming weary happiness, his haunted look, the way he danced a little when he walked, the way he looked at him but saw another.

'Did I do right to let the Master in?'

Carnelian grabbed him, hugged him, kissed him. 'Never have you done so right.'

Tain smiled uncertainly. 'He gave you joy?'

'Joy, yes, and…' Carnelian stopped, his limbs seeming suddenly cast from lead,'… despair.'

Tain could not understand it at all. It seemed a kind of madness.

'Yes, it is a kind of madness,' Carnelian said, smiling sadly. 'Such consuming fire…'

Tain brought him food, and cleaned him when he stood still long enough. He tried to chat and sometimes Carnelian seemed to listen, but then he would narrow his eyes and look away. Tain made a bed for himself upon the floor. When he turned off the lamp, he could almost feel Carnelian staring into the darkness.

Tain could not wake Carnelian. He shook him, a wail beginning to escape through his gape. Suddenly, Carnelian came alive, gulping as if Tain had just drawn him up drowning from the depths of a well. His arms locked around the boy, squeezing.

'Carnie! Carnie!' Tain cried as he struggled to free himself.

Carnelian kissed his neck with passion. Terrible, terrible, terrible,' he muttered.

Tain was scared. 'Carnie, Master, please let go.'

Carnelian opened his eyes impossibly wide. His arms lost all their strength and Tain fell out of them. Carnelian put his hands to his face. 'Sorry, I didn't… it was…' He sighed, shaking his head, backing away up the bed. 'A dream…' His mouth gaped, his eyebrows twitched.

Tain stared for moments, then, Today… we must get ready to leave today.'

Today,' echoed Carnelian. He remembered the letter. He stumbled off the bed and found it where he had left it. He stared at it, knowing he must tear it up. His mind saw his hands tearing it but instead they gave it to Tain. Carnelian turned to focus on Tain standing gripping the letter. It was already out of reach. He felt suddenly free, as if he had escaped from a court robe of stone.

He smiled at Tain. 'I'll not be coming with you.'

Tain frowned, looked nervously down at the letter in his hands and back up at Carnelian.

'I've been a little distraught, Tain. Don't worry about it. I'm going away but will join you in a day or two. Please, give that to the Master this evening. Don't give it to him earlier. If he asks tell him that I commanded you. Once he reads it, he'll understand.'

'But Carnie… where are you going?'

That doesn't matter. You'll do as I say?'

Tain looked miserable, but he gave a hard nod.

That's good. Now let's get me cleaned up a bit.'

As Carnelian said his farewells to Tain, he assured him that he would see him in the Labyrinth the next day, the day after at the latest. Then he left the chamber.

The corridor was a flurry of packing. Guardsmen dropped what they were doing to escort him but he sent them back to their work.

The Ichorians at the mouth of the tunnel into the Sun in Splendour were more difficult to persuade, but eventually they too gave way and opened the portcullises.

The air in the Sun in Splendour was rosy-hued. He crossed to the trapdoor and opened it. He lit his lantern and hesitated for a moment looking down into the darkness, then went quickly down. After the commotion above, the silence was eerie. Doubts came crowding in with the blackness. He stopped and could just hear faint sounds coming down the stair. He lifted the lantern to push back the gloom and reveal more steps below him. He imagined Osidian waiting for him at the moon-eyed door. The thought of him quickened his heart. He laughed at the darkness. Osidian was a bright beacon.

He walked through the midnight halls. Unusual brightness swelled ahead. His steps faltered. He shuttered the lantern. Soon it was bright enough for him to see his way without it. He listened for voices. He drew closer and looked into the great round chamber. Lamps had been hung all round its wall. The door to the library was gaping open. Arranged before it, like sarcophagi washed out by a flood, were rows and rows of chests. Hearing nothing, Carnelian crept into the light. He looked at one of the chests. It was long and narrow and had five rows of paired golden nipples on its top. Its side was studded with silver spirals. Nearer the floor, a long carrying pole passed through several rings of brass. He realized it was a beadcord bench closed for transport. The Wise were taking their library down with them to the Labyrinth. He heard footsteps and saw light swaying through the silver door. He looked round desperately, stomach churning. What if Osidian had not come?