We Dream of Gods, page 34
“Your army is the Chiltaen army!” Miko shouted. “We will not stand for such trickery! This is the man that you sought to ally yourself with!”
We need to get out of here, Kaysa said. No one is paying any attention to us, or to Unus. Just walk over and grab him and walk out.
“They won’t just let us go,” I murmured back.
Which is why we have to take the opportunity while we have it. Please, Cass. Unus is in danger here. We are in danger here.
One of Miko’s guards still had hold of Unus’s arm, his other on a dagger hilt as he awaited the inevitable trouble. He wasn’t watching me though. For once I was one of the least dangerous people in the room.
Ha! Kaysa laughed. Says the assassin.
Not much of an assassin, I said. It had been a long time since anyone had hired me for a contract, not since I’d been hired to kill Leo. And he was still alive, standing calm before Miko’s onslaught, smiling faintly as he denied all her accusations and refuted all knowledge of the attack on Shimai.
It seems odd that Emperor Manshin isn’t joining in, though surely having Chiltaens attack the city wasn’t part of his proposed alliance with Dom Villius.
“Mmm,” I said, only half listening. If Miko kept Leo focussed on her, perhaps…
Which does make one wonder, if Dom Villius and Secretary Aurus aren’t working together, did Emperor Manshin know he wasn’t making an alliance with Chiltae, only with Dom Villius?
Attempting to look like I had every reason to be there, I started across the floor.
Cass! What are you doing? Unus is over there!
“Just shut up for a minute so I can concentrate,” I hissed beneath my breath.
But Cass—
No buts, Kaysa, I said as I walked on, keeping Duos in the corner of my vision. There’s never going to be a better time. He’s distracted, and there are so many people here he surely can’t discern individual thoughts. We can end this.
For Yakono?
For all of us, including Unus.
Anxiety bubbled inside me, but she kept her worries to herself as I moved on, almost in place. None of the fancy Kisians paid me any heed. Arguments went on swirling around the room, not only between Miko and Leo, everyone seeming to have an opinion everyone else needed to hear. The priest whose job it ought to have been to do the whole marrying people thing kept glancing at the door, his expression that of a man wishing to be anywhere else.
Leo still hadn’t noticed me. The masked priest he had with him seemed equally oblivious, taking no interest in anything happening around him, let alone my approach through the crowd.
Waiting could ruin my chance, any pause enough to draw attention my way, so I did what I was best at and didn’t stop to think. A step in, followed by another, my hand sliding to the blade tucked against my hip. Leo went on talking, explaining something to Miko in the most condescending way, that would have made me want to slit his throat had it not already been my plan.
Two more steps and then—
The masked priest behind Leo lifted his arm. I let out a shocked cry and, unable to stop, slammed into the man’s elbow with a crack that echoed through my skull on a quake of pain. I staggered back, almost losing my footing as my vision sparked. A few whispers shifted around me and people craned their necks to stare, but even when I spat blood Leo didn’t turn.
Desperate to finish this, I tried to push aside the pain and hurried toward the little shit. This time the masked priest didn’t move to stop me, and for a glorious moment I knew I had him. Until the priest’s arm once again shattered all momentum as though I’d run into a stone wall. I threw a foot back to steady myself, shaking off the daze. Leo was right there, so close I could almost gut him but for this fucking asshole in a mask.
Thankfully I knew more dirty street tricks than any priest.
I walked slowly forward, and the moment he moved to strike, I dropped and slammed my foot into his ankle. Between that and his momentum, he ought to have hit the floor face first, but the bastard had good balance and merely staggered, his mask falling from his face. Righting himself, the priest drew a short, deadly, and all too familiar blade as he turned.
“Yakono?”
No recognition softened his grim expression as all around us the previously curious guests let out panicked cries and sped for the door. Shouting and brawling was one thing, sharp blades another. Running seemed like an excellent plan, and it was all I could do to stand my ground as Yakono approached, every step a threat.
“Are you going to attack me?” I said, desperately hoping the answer was no. “I know it was shitty of me to tie you up in that tent, but I’m… I’m sorry. You know, for whatever that’s worth.”
He made no sign of hearing me, let alone caring, and I sighed, not liking my chances. I drew my blade, risking a hesitant step forward. “Yakono, it’s Cassandra.” Another step. “You don’t really want to do this.” Step. “Just put the blade down and we can—”
He lunged, lodging a gasp in my throat. I threw myself awkwardly to the floor and rolled, every part of me hurting. A vibration in the wooden boards was all the warning I got as he came at me again, and I rolled back the other way. His blade pierced the air beside me.
Be careful! I don’t want to die yet!
“Neither do I!” I said, scurrying to my feet and spinning, block ready. But the strike I braced for didn’t come. Yakono had returned to Leo’s side like a dog that wouldn’t stray beyond its leash.
“You’re not going to get through him,” Duos said, grinning like this was the most amusing thing he’d ever seen. “This man isn’t just any puppet; he’s one of the famed Jackals all the way from Suon on the other side of the Kuro Mountains. The Nine paid very handsomely indeed to have me assassinated, and still they failed.”
“Yakono!” I called, trying to draw his attention. “Snap out of it!”
“What makes you think that’s even his real name, Cassandra?” Duos grinned, all teeth and mockery. “He’s a professional after all, unlike you. I’m enjoying the irony of being protected by the man sent to end my life.”
I had never considered it might not be his real name, and the realisation I didn’t really know him struck hard. Duos chuckled, and wanting nothing more than to stick a blade through his face, I lunged. Yakono moved fast, every defence a precise and economical takedown. His blade slid close and he blocked all my attempts to get under his guard, and though I was soon gasping he wasn’t the slightest out of breath. Most of the fancy Kisians had fled outside, leaving only a handful of highly ranked soldiers having a conversation in the corner that wasn’t quite a discussion nor quite an argument. Somewhere beyond the sliding doors, Lady Sichi’s voice was being wielded like a whip, while outside shouts for horses and palanquins all merged into one desperate plea to get out of here.
“Giving up, Cassandra?” Duos said from safely behind Yakono. He stood alone now, Miko and Emperor Manshin both having disappeared about far more important business.
“No,” I said, wishing my lungs didn’t ache with the effort. “But why don’t you fight me yourself instead of hiding? Are you afraid of me?”
“Afraid?” Duos laughed, the sound echoing into the tangle of rafters rising above. “No, not afraid. You’re just not worth the effort. And it’s far more entertaining to stand here and let your Yakono kill you and capture my brother while I do nothing. How kind of you it was to bring me so perfect a tool.”
“You—”
My reply was cut short as I spun—Kaysa hunting for sight of Unus. He hadn’t moved, but none of Miko’s guards were watching him now.
What’s the idiot doing just standing there? I said, which Kaysa translated as: “Unus! Run!”
Control returned like a flood of cold water pouring down my spine and spreading into every limb as I spun back to face Yakono’s blank stare. Neither he nor Duos had moved, Duos continuing to smile like he was enjoying a show.
We should go with Unus, Kaysa said.
We can’t leave Yakono here!
We have to, Cassandra! You’ve tried getting through to him, and it isn’t working!
I ignored her and stepped in again, but there was no sign of the Yakono I’d thought I knew in his eyes, not even when I almost got under his guard and we were briefly close enough to touch. “Time to snap out of it,” I said, more plea than order. “We—”
A powerful shove in the chest and I fell back, unable to keep my feet on the ground as I toppled. Landing hard, I slid, tunic riding up as I skidded along the floor, burning my skin. Breathing was an effort. Pain filled my chest. My head came to rest against something—not a wall, but a foot, unmoving and stinking of mud.
I looked up. Unus. He should have run; instead he stood there with his eyes closed and his fists clenched tight. His whole body trembled with effort.
A sharp gasp was cut short. Duos staggered, a hand pressed to his head like someone had hit him. “Try now,” Unus growled through gritted teeth.
The blade dropped from Yakono’s hand with a heavy clang and he blinked rapidly, a man trying to dispel a waking dream.
“Yakono.” I rolled back onto my feet. “Can you hear me now? It’s Cassandra.”
He swayed, a hand pressed to his forehead.
“Yakono?” I risked a step closer, followed by another, sure he would lunge at me again at any moment. “Yakono, can you hear me?”
“I can’t hold it!” Unus cried, real pain behind his words.
“Shit!” No time left. “I’m sorry,” I said, and stepped past to kick the back of Yakono’s leg. He dropped, knees striking the floor—his skills finally contained. It was the work of muscle memory to twist him onto his back and pin him there between my knees, and never would I admit how cathartic it felt to slap him hard across the face. I brought my hand back the other way, catching his cheekbone with my knuckles.
“How about now?” I said. “Can you hear me now?”
A concerned notch cut between his brows. “Cassandra?” he whispered, my name the only sound in the sudden silence. “Where…?” Realisation slowly dawned across his face, fear pushing all concern aside. “I attacked you. I… I almost…”
He pushed me off, scrabbling to his feet. Once upright he backed across the floor, eyes darting as he sought to contain his panic.
Cassandra!
“Not the time,” I murmured, eyes on Yakono.
Yes, it is about fucking time you listened to me—they’ve gone!
“They’ve…” I spun. The room was empty. No arguing Kisian soldiers, no cowering priest, and definitely no Duos. Or Unus. “Fuck!”
I sped to the door, taking the steps in one leap. The field around the pavilion contained far fewer guests than I’d expected, and even fewer soldiers. Some servants milled about, averting their gazes as I swept a look around. No Unus. No Duos. No Miko.
“Unus!” I called, trying not to give in to Kaysa’s rising panic. “Unus!”
Rounding the corner of the building, hope flared only to immediately die. A few servants were picking up the crushed paper prayers off the grass, while at the mounting stones a lady in a fine green robe argued with her head carrier.
“Unus!”
I made a quick circuit of the building, getting no reply nor finding any sign of him or Duos. They might as well have evaporated. I found Miko, however, or rather her distant, retreating back. Crimson-clad, she made the shining centre of a group of mounted soldiers shrinking as they rode up the slope to the road. Other groups of soldiers were departing too, one surely led by Emperor Manshin. Every Kisian had run, escaping like rats from a sinking ship.
“Get the fuck back here!” I shouted after the retreating empress. “You fucking brought us out here, and now you’re just leaving us?” I spat on the grass and found I was trembling with a fury I couldn’t contain. How I had wanted to trust her, to help her, to be there for her as Hana would have wanted me to be, and after everything I’d tried to do she’d let Duos take Unus and then fucked off about her own suddenly more pressing business.
“Fucking stupid place with its fucking stupid people,” I said, turning to look back at the pavilion, now little but an abandoned monument to the most ridiculous wedding that had ever been attempted. “Fuck!”
Deep inside my mind, Kaysa started to laugh. “Don’t you start,” I said, making my way back to the main entrance, still holding the tiniest sliver of hope I would find them inside. “I don’t want to hear it.”
No, what you don’t want to hear is I fucking told you so! I told you we ought to have gone with Unus, have gotten him to safety while we had the chance, but no. It’s always about you and what you need, and I’m sick of it, Cassandra. So sick of it. Of always being the last person you think of.
As I reached the steps, I almost ran into Yakono, striding down them with his face set in a determined scowl.
“Feeling better?” I said, but he didn’t stop or speak, just strode on. “Yakono?”
He waved a dismissive hand, which for him was as good as telling someone to fuck off, and rounded the corner out of sight.
“Great,” I said, starting after him. “Just great.”
Clearly he doesn’t want to have anything to do with you, and I can’t blame him. Just leave him alone.
“No, that’s the stupidest suggestion you’ve ever made.”
What? I—
“You want to find Unus, and Unus will be with Duos. And who needs to find Duos and kill him so he can go home?”
I didn’t wait for an answer, just heaved an exhausted sigh and jogged after the scowling assassin.
20. DISHIVA
I had fought as little as was necessary in the battle, yet my part in the aftermath seemed endless. I had to perform blessings on both the conquered city and the injured soldiers taken to a pair of grand manors, make a short proclamation of our success, and have my few minor wounds cleaned—all before checking that Itaghai had been properly tended in my absence. And everywhere I went, Mother Li followed, her sharp gaze unwavering in its censure.
It had long been dark by the time I could escape her to wash and change, after which one of the young boys who always seemed to be around led me in search of food. I followed him through the busy passages of yet another Kisian manor taken over by people who had no reason to be there. Whether we had been welcomed by its owners or they had run didn’t matter; every step we’d taken since first entering Kisia had been ornamented with stolen grandeur. The room the boy led me to even reminded me of Gideon’s room in the manor at Kogahaera.
But it wasn’t Gideon who awaited me; it was Secretary Aurus, kneeling at a Kisian table spread with Kisian food. Without couches upon which he could lounge he looked uncomfortable and out of place. But at least Mother Li hadn’t insisted on being present to go on glaring at us.
“Ah, Your Holiness,” he said as the boy closed the door behind me. “I had begun to fear you had fallen asleep and wouldn’t be joining me.”
“My apologies, Secretary. There was much to do, and I didn’t know you were waiting.” I knelt, hoping I did Sichi justice in looking more at home at a Kisian table than he did. At least all the dishes looked familiar, and my mouth watered. Out beyond the shutters, the conquered city was in the grip of a wary hush.
Aurus slid a wine bowl across the table as I untied the strings of my mask and let it fall, the first easy breath without it always a joy.
“To our success,” he said, serving himself from a dish of steamed vegetables. “How does it feel to have conquered a city?”
“You make it sound like it was my first time when this is the second time I have taken part in conquering this city.”
“Ah, of course, though I imagine this is a little different from last time.”
“Yes, it’s lonelier. Chiltaens on the whole have given me little reason to enjoy their company.”
He pressed a hand to his chest, brows raised in astonishment.
“Not you personally, all of you. As a people.”
“And we are to be more pleased by yours when so many of our soldiers were slaughtered at your hands?”
“Truly it is astounding we made it to the end of the day without fighting each other instead of the Kisians. And for it to have reached such a late hour before you brought that up.”
He lifted his wine bowl in salute, amusement crinkling the skin around his eyes. “There are still a few hours until midnight. Plenty of time for us to turn on one another.”
I shuddered theatrically. “Don’t even suggest it, I’m far too tired.”
“You did very well today. Your Veld speech was particularly moving and, more importantly, convincing.”
I grimaced. “You must hate that I’m making use of a Chiltaen religious figure I don’t believe in.”
“Me? Oh no, not in the slightest. Faith is not my forte, and if it were I’d be very glad you had returned to lead us back to our holy imperial roots and all that.”
“Did you used to have a holy empire?”
“No idea.” He drank deeply from his wine bowl. “Some scholars say we did, some say we didn’t; some say it’s a reference to something coming in the future, while others say it’s merely… I don’t know a good word for it. Uh, pretend? Explaining something through something else.”
“I’m not sure we have a good word for that, but I know what you mean. It’s like how every story has another meaning hidden inside it.”
“Exactly.” He finished the wine and poured himself more. “That makes the most sense to me. Whether or not we were once part of a holy empire, I think the time for such things has passed, and anyone who thinks one can be conquered now is a fool.”
I looked down into my wine bowl, spinning it absently. “Do you think Whisperer Ezma is a fool then?”
“Either your whisperer is the cleverest and most patient person I’ve ever met, or she’s a fool ensnared by faith and idealism. Take this Veld thing for example. Before she got you involved, she tried to convince Gideon e’Torin that he was Veld, and assured us she could turn him to good use. Of course the old hieromonk and a collection of my fellow oligarchs found a way to turn him to good use on their own, though it came back to bite us harder than we were prepared for.”
