Multiverse Mashup Omnibus, page 69
“Not at all,” I said. “This is a lot for a young man to go through without his mother.”
Cuna nodded. “You are protecting your child. There is nothing to apologize for.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I dislike being apart from Ustoffe for even a moment. At least until the Keblian threat is ended.”
“And Edric’s killer is caught,” I added.
Her smile tightened slightly. “Yes, of course.”
Neema rejoined us. “Faith is amenable. After the first stage of the ceremony is over, she will beckon for you to enter the circle. You should stand at Ustoffe’s shoulder while each Keeper gives their speech. The two of you will lead him to the throne together, and then we’ll be done.”
Malinali embraced her. “Thank you, Neema.”
Neema smiled and hugged her back. “Of course, my friend.”
The crowd was gathering around the circle, so we moved to a spot where we could see. I saw Maccus on the other side and waved, but he didn’t notice. He had a piece of paper in his hand and kept looking at it, looking up, reciting a few words, then looking back at it. He was sweating profusely. He finally noticed me and we both laughed.
“My speech,” he mouthed.
I gave him a thumb’s up and he went back to being nervous. Faith clapped her hands and the chamber fell silent.
“For thousands of years,” she began, her voice echoing in the large chamber, “it has been the honor and privilege of the Keeper of my office to oversee the Claiming ceremony in which a new Keeper of All is chosen. Through the Keeper of Faith, the Promised God chooses a new ruler, ushering in a new age for the Kept Lands.”
She lifted the massive robe from off its stand. The train trailed on the ground as she came and stood behind the prince.
“There is but one Claimant today,” she continued. “Ustoffe, as rightful heir to Edric, none may contest your Claim.”
Ustoffe held out his arms and Faith slipped the robe on him. The slight young man was absolutely swallowed up by the thick garment. His head was the only part of his body visible. It looked like a fabric store had collapsed on him. There were titters from the crowd, quickly silenced by vicious glares from the soon-to-be ruler.
Faith coughed. “Claimant, speak your intentions.”
Ustoffe rolled his eyes and said nothing. He shook his arms, trying to get his hands free of the sleeves, to no avail.
“As we practiced, my lord,” Faith muttered out of the side of her mouth.
Ustoffe sighed. “I’m supposed to make a speech about all the wonderful things I’m going to do as your Keeper of All, but mostly I’m just going to keep doing what I want and let mother run things. I’m going to have all the stupid, scratching cats drowned, that’s one thing. And no more Truthseekers. Who cares about some stupid treaty with stupid Uscurg? Nobody even goes there. Maybe we’ll invade them.” He grinned. “Yes, as soon as we kill all the Keblians we’re declaring war on Uscurg! I just decided.”
“Yes,” Faith said, “thank you, my lord. That is sufficient.” She wiped some sweat from her forehead.
“Oh, and I’m going to execute that man who made my shoes!” Ustoffe said, apparently warming to the idea of becoming an absolute monarch. “I told him they were too tight, and he said they fit perfectly, and mother made me pay him and thank him anyway, so he’s going to be executed! Is he here? Let’s cut his feet off!” He laughed. “That’d be funny! Can you kill someone by cutting off their feet? Let’s do it right after dinner.” He frowned. “It’s very hot under this robe.”
Faith stepped forward. Her red face was even redder, and she wobbled a little. “Thank you, my lord. We should…continue…” She wiped more sweat from off her brow. She stared at her hand for a moment, blinked, then looked back up at us. “Forgive me. I…I seem to have forgotten what…comes next…”
She swayed on her feet. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head.
I grabbed Cuna’s wrist. “Something’s wrong. Get the kids out of here.”
Immediately, she scooped the children up, one under each arm. They yelped in surprise as she pushed against the crowd and bolted for the door.
One of the Children of Truth stepped forward. “Keeper?”
The Keeper of Faith convulsed and fell to the ground. Someone in the crowd screamed.
Malinali cried, “Ustoffe!” and bolted into the circle.
Secrets stepped out of the crowd, her yellow robe billowing around her. She reached out for Malinali, but was too far away. “Stop her!” she yelled. “Don’t let her touch him!”
In the confusion, none of the Peaceful reacted. I ran after Malinali and managed to grab her an instant before she touched her son. I pinned her arms to her side but she twisted and bucked in my grasp, trying to get free.
“Let me go!” she shouted. “Let me go to him!”
“Mother?” Ustoffe’s face was dripping with sweat. “I don’t…I don’t feel…”
His eyes rolled up. He dropped to the floor, shaking.
A Peaceful ran for him. “Get the robe off!”
Secrets lunged for her, shoving her away. “Do not touch him, you fool!”
“Seal the room!” Maccus shouted. “And keep everyone out of the circle!”
Some of the Peaceful moved to cover the exits, while the rest of them kept the onlookers clear. Only a few of us remained inside the golden circle.
“Ustoffe!” Malinali cried. “Ustoffe!”
Secrets leaned over the young prince, who had fallen still. She leaned in close to his face, being careful not to touch him. She looked up at me with a solemn expression, then shook her head sadly.
Ustoffe’s body was barely visible under the billowed robe, but my heart broke to see his face. There was no peace there, only pain. He looked younger than his thirteen years and, despite the monstrosities he promised to commit as Keeper of All, I found nothing but pity in my heart, for him and for his mother.
Malinali stopped moving. She stared at her son on the floor. Everyone was still. After a moment, she began moaning softly, in quick, short breaths. “Oh. Oh. Oh.” I had to hold her up. The moans grew longer, and louder, and she bent double. I had my arms around her waist and she held my wrists, digging her nails into my skin.
She inhaled deeply, then screamed, letting all her air out in one long, piercing shriek. When she finished, she stood up and shoved me off her. Tears poured down her face but her eyes were wide and wild.
“Liar!” she shouted. She ran for Maccus, on the far side of the circle. “Liar!” She shoved him and he stumbled back. She fell on him again, beating his chest and slapping him across the face. “Liar! You promised me he’d be safe! You promised me!”
Maccus said nothing. He took her blows, making no move to stop her.
“Liar!”
Neema ran to her. “Malinali. Malinali, stop.”
Malinali froze. She took a step back, her hand still raised as if to hit Maccus again. “Neema?”
“I’m here, Malinali.”
Malinali collapsed into the Intimate. Neema sank with her to the polished wooden floor, and stroked her hair as the grieving mother sobbed in her arms.
History and Maccus joined Secrets and me near the prince’s body.
“Faith is dead,” History said. “How did this happen?”
“Was it the robe?” Maccus asked. His voice was tight. “They both touched the robe.”
Secrets took a dagger from one of the Peaceful. She used it to carefully flip open a fold of the robe, then scraped the metal along the inside fabric. She held the dagger up and peered at the tip of the blade. “Poison.”
“You acted quickly,” I said.
She sneered at me. “Poison is a spy’s weapon, and it is my responsibility to know of such matters. I recognized the signs in Faith as she fell, and this residue in the robe confirms it. A fast-acting contact poison, placed on the lining. Touching the outside of the robe would be safe, but the poison must have gotten on Faith’s hands when she helped Ustoffe put it on.”
Maccus shuddered. “I was so focused on protecting the child himself. We’ve been having his food tasted but I never thought…”
“It’s not your fault, Maccus,” I said.
“Indeed not,” History agreed. “I have never heard of such a poison.”
“This poison is extremely rare,” Secrets said. “Not a popular choice because it’s so dangerous to handle. And it is from a Banned Land, so not easy to acquire.
“Which Banned Land?” I asked.
“Adrava.”
I felt Maccus tense a little as he came to the same realization I had. Adrava. Same place the smuggled cheese came from. That solved the mystery of what had been inside the missing fish.
“What happens now?” I asked the Keepers.
“Now?” Secrets gestured around us, at the weeping Malinali, the dead bodies, the terrified crowd. “Now, we die. There is no Keeper of All. There is no heir.”
She looked up at the empty throne.
“Now the Lacunae come.”
Fifteen
It was a rough night. I helped Maccus conduct interviews, but we didn’t discover anything of use. Nobody had been searched upon entering the Chamber of Unity, and people had been coming and going all day, Keepers and attendants alike. Once the doors had opened to the public, the guests had been allowed free access to the robe. Anybody could have placed the poison at any time.
By the time I got back to our chambers, the kids were asleep. I filled Cuna in, but word had already spread, and she had spent most of the evening consoling the crying children. They were tough, and smart, but they had been treating their time in Sacred Oath like one big adventure. The death of a kid not much older than they were was a little too real for them.
After breakfast, I got a message that a Keeper meeting had been called for early afternoon, and Maccus requested that both myself and the children attend, wanting our advice. He asked us to meet him at his quarters, but we had a couple hours to kill first, so we went to check on History. The old man had seemed pretty shaken up about Ustoffe’s and Faith’s murders, and I thought a visit from the kids might cheer him.
He opened the door to us, and Billy and Sally immediately hugged him. He patted their heads, a sad smile on his face. “Come in, come in, my friends.”
We sat around his cluttered table. He tried to clear some space, then gave up, sitting and resting his arms on a small stack of books. “Any news, after I retired last night?” he asked.
I shook my head. “History, I know Secrets is your friend…”
“I understand, Jed. Before the rest of us grasped what was occurring, she was already reacting to prevent Malinali from touching the poisoned robe. It is true, the knowledge of such poisons is her business, but still…”
“But wouldn’t that be too obvious, Grandpa?” Sally asked.
“Sally,” Cuna interrupted, “I am aware that the Keeper is not your grandfather. You needn’t keep up the pretense when we are alone.”
History waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, that’s all right, that’s all right. I don’t mind. The children may call me what they like.” He beamed down at her. “What do you mean, Sally?”
“If Secrets poisoned the prince, she wouldn’t want to call attention to herself by revealing she could identify the poison, could she?”
“Good point, good point.” He blew some of his beard out of his mouth. “I hope you are correct. I hate to think my dear friend capable of such an act. To murder the heir to the throne.” He shook his head. “Treason.”
“Maybe Ustoffe wasn’t the intended victim,” Billy suggested. “Maybe it was the Keeper of Faith. Everyone knew she’d touch the robe, right?”
“True, true,” History said, rubbing his chin. “But surely there would be simpler ways to reach Faith.”
“Maybe they were both targets,” I said. “Or maybe it was just the prince, and the killer didn’t care who else died.”
“Might the killer want the Lacunae to come?” Cuna asked.
“I don’t know why anyone would want that,” History answered. “The Lacunae kill at random. The murderer will be as much at risk as anyone.”
Sally swallowed hard. “Are the Lacunae on their way? Will they be here soon?”
“Oh, forgive me, forgive me, child.” History patted her head. “I speak out of turn. Historically, it has always taken several days with an empty throne before the Lacunae appear. We have ample time to find a new Keeper of All, fear not.”
One of the Castle’s monstrous parrots landed suddenly on History’s window and squawked. Sally jumped. Billy laughed and she thumped him on the arm, then cooed at the bird, her fear momentarily forgotten.
“It’s so pretty!” she said.
“You expecting a message?” I asked.
“From my counterpart in Keblia,” History answered. “We continue the charade that there is not an invasion fleet headed for our shores. Politics.” He shook his head sadly. “It is pointless. Still, I should take this in private.”
“Sure,” I said. “It’s still early, but we can see if Maccus is ready.”
Maccus’s chambers weren’t far from History’s. In a few moments the four of us were standing outside his closed door. I gave a light knock, but there was no response. I knocked a little harder, and heard a muffled, “Coming.”
The door swung open, revealing Maccus, wearing only a pair of knee-length breeches. His eyes were sleepy, his long hair was messed, and his chest was broad, muscular and hairy. I snapped my eyes up to his before he finished wiping the sleep out of them.
“Hey,” I said casually. “Sorry, did we wake you?”
He shook his head. “But I only just rose. I did not get to bed until after light. Come in, all of you.”
Maccus’s outer chamber wasn’t much cleaner than History’s. There were clothes scattered everywhere, plus plates of half-eaten food, and his table was covered with maps of the city and the surrounding area.
“My apologies,” he said. “I should have an attendant in to clean up. Sit around the fireplace, it’s not as cluttered there.”
The room had no windows, but a fireplace offered some warmth and light, and a sofa and some chairs were set around it. Cuna remained standing while the kids grabbed chairs and I took a seat on the sofa. Maccus picked a tunic up from off the floor, sniffed it, pulled it on, and sat next to me.
“Anything more after I left you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I didn’t expect anything. Malinali is…distraught. She insists on being alone in her chambers. I have honored her wishes.”
“Is she safe?”
He sighed. “Two Keepers of All murdered. Someone wants us to be without a ruler. Malinali cannot make a Claim, so I believe she is safe. I have Peaceful stationed outside her door, just in case, but it seemed a kindness to leave her to grieve in private. Oh.” He snapped his fingers. “I forgot to tell you. I spoke with Coin yesterday, before the Claiming. He confessed to smuggling the cheese, but as we suspected he claims ignorance about the missing fish. Said he expected Yaniq to get it for him that morning as usual, and didn’t know he’d left the city.”
“Is Coin in jail now?” Billy asked.
Maccus laughed. “Alas, his office protects him. He has been fined. Putting money into the coffers he himself controls is no punishment, but it is the best I can do. I sent men to arrest the fishmonger who aided him, but he had fled the city.”
“Was it the same merchant we met in the market?” I asked.
“Hm?” He thought for a moment. “I had forgotten about that. Yes, it was. Why?”
I saw Billy and Sally look at each other and nod, but Maccus didn’t notice. I didn’t want to mention their suspicions about Neema. The evidence against her was flimsy, and she and Maccus were friends.
“Probably nothing,” I said. “Don’t worry about it, for now.”
He frowned. “As you say.”
“Are these the fun sticks you gave to History, Maccus?” Billy had taken from a pile on the floor one of Secrets’ performance-enhancing concoctions, the short twigs covered in blue powder.
“I don’t understand what they’re for,” Sally said. “Are they drugs? You shouldn’t do drugs, Maccus.”
Maccus’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head. “They are…that is…medicine, Sally. Of a sort. It is…”
He looked at me. His cheeks were beet red.
I smiled. “Oh, we know what they are. Secrets told us she made them for you.”
Cuna frowned. She took the stick from Billy. “I don’t understand. Are you ill, Keeper?”
He jumped up and snatched it out of her hand, shaking loose a little blue cloud. “No! I…don’t need these at all anymore.” He tossed it in the fire. “My arrival in Sacred Oath was…stressful. I sought companionship, but it was—”
“Maccus,” I said. “Stop, it’s fine. You don’t have to explain anything.”
“I thought I gave them all to History ages ago,” he said quietly. “Must have missed this one in the mess.”
He leaned on the mantel, not meeting my eyes. We all sat in awkward silence.
Cuna looked back and forth between us, and I could almost see the light bulb go off above her head. “Ah! Children, we still have much time before the Keepers gather. Perhaps we should leave Jed and Maccus to talk. We could visit the kitchen again.”
“But we already investigated the kitchen, Cuna,” Billy protested.
“It couldn’t hurt to take another look,” I said. “Or you could go see the parrots.”
Sally lit up. “Oh, can we?”
“A fine idea,” Cuna said. “We shall visit the Pandemonium. Perhaps the parrot master will let you feed them.”
This got Billy’s attention as well. “Oh, boy! That sounds keen!”
The kids bounced out of their seats and across the room. Cuna nodded at me, just barely concealing a smile, then followed. As the door closed behind them, I heard Sally say, “But I still don’t understand what those blue sticks are for…”
Maccus remained where he was, staring down into the fire. “Staying to enjoy my embarrassment?”
