The Malazan Empire, page 414
They had reached the bridge. Hull Beddict halted and rounded on her. ‘You knew me once, Seren Pedac. Enough to give me back my life. I am not blind to this truth, nor to the truth of who you are. You are honourable, in a world that devours honour. And would that I had been able to take more from you than I did, to become like you. Even to join my life to yours. But I haven’t your strength. I could not refashion myself.’ He studied her for a moment, then continued before she could respond. ‘You are right, I am not blind. I understand what it means to embrace destiny. What am I trying to tell you is, it is the best I can do.’
She stepped back, as if buffeted by consecutive blows. Her eyes locked with his, and she saw in them the veracity of his confession. She wanted to scream, to loose her anguish, a sound to ring through the city as if to answer, finally and irrefutably, all that had happened.
But no. I am a fool to think that others feel as I do. This tide is rising, and there are scant few who would stand before it.
With heartbreaking gentleness, Hull Beddict reached out and took her arm. ‘Come, let us pay a visit to the First Eunuch.’
‘At the very least,’ Seren tried as they crossed the bridge, ‘your own position has become less relevant, making you in less danger than you might otherwise have been.’
‘Do you think so?’
‘You don’t?’
‘That depends. Rhulad may not accept my offer of alliance. He might not trust me.’
‘What would you do then, Hull?’
‘I don’t know.’
The guest house was crowded. Finadd Gerun Eberict had arrived, along with the First Eunuch’s own bodyguard, the Rulith, and a dozen other guards and officials. As Seren and Hull entered, they found themselves in the midst of a fierce exhortation from Prince Quillas Diskanar.
‘—sorcerors in both our camps. If we strike now, we might well succeed in cutting out the heart of this treacherous tyranny!’ He swung round. ‘Finadd Moroch Nevath, are our mages present?’
‘Three of the four, my prince,’ the warrior replied. ‘Laerdas remains with the ships.’
‘Very good. Well, First Eunuch?’
Nifadas was studying the prince, expressionless. He made no reply to Quillas, turning instead to regard Hull and Seren. ‘Acquitor, does the rain continue to fall?’
‘No, First Eunuch.’
‘And is Buruk the Pale ready to depart?’
She nodded.
‘I asked you a question, Nifadas!’ Quillas said, his face darkening.
‘Answering it,’ the First Eunuch said slowly, fixing his small eyes on the prince, ‘makes implicit the matter is worth considering. It is not. We are facing more than Hannan Mosag the warlock and his K’risnan. The emperor and his sword. Together, they are something…other. Those accompanying me are here under my guidance, and at present we shall remain in good faith. Tell me, Prince, how many assassins have you brought along with your sorcerors?’
Quillas said nothing.
Nifadas addressed Gerun Eberict. ‘Finadd?’
‘There are two,’ the man replied. ‘Both present in this chamber.’
The First Eunuch nodded, then seemed to dismiss the issue. ‘Hull Beddict, I am hesitant to offer you welcome.’
‘I am not offended by that admission, First Eunuch.’
‘Has the Acquitor apprised you of the situation?’
‘She has.’
‘And?’
‘For what it is worth, I advise you to leave. As soon as possible.’
‘And what will you do?’
Hull frowned. ‘I see no reason to answer that.’
‘You are a traitor!’ Quillas said in a hiss. ‘Finadd Moroch, arrest him!’
There was dismay on the First Eunuch’s features as Moroch Nevath drew his sword and stepped close to Hull Beddict.
‘You cannot do that,’ Seren Pedac said, her heart thundering in her chest.
All eyes fixed on her.
‘I am sorry, my prince,’ she continued, struggling to keep her voice even. ‘Hull Beddict is under the protection of the Tiste Edur. He was granted guest status by Binadas Sengar, brother to the emperor.’
‘He is Letherii!’
‘The Edur will be indifferent to that detail,’ Seren replied.
‘We are done here,’ Nifadas said. ‘There will be no arrests. Prince Quillas, it is time.’
‘Do we scurry at this emperor’s command, First Eunuch?’ Quillas was shaking with rage. ‘He asks for us, well enough. Let the bastard wait.’ He wheeled on Hull Beddict. ‘Know that I intend to proclaim you an outlaw and traitor of Lether. Your life is forfeit.’
A weary smile was Hull’s only reply.
Nifadas spoke to Seren. ‘Acquitor, will you accompany us to our audience with the emperor?’
She was surprised by the offer, and more than a little alarmed. ‘First Eunuch?’
‘Assuming Buruk is prepared to wait, of course. I am certain he will be, and I will send someone to inform him.’ He gestured and one of his servants hurried off. ‘Hull Beddict, I presume you are on your way to speak with Emperor Rhulad? At the very least, accompany us to the citadel. I doubt there will be any confusion of purposes once we enter.’
Seren could not determine the motives underlying the First Eunuch’s invitations. She felt rattled, off balance.
‘As you wish,’ Hull said, shrugging.
Nifadas in the lead, the four Letherii left the guest house and made their way towards the citadel. Seren drew Hull a pace behind the First Eunuch and Prince Quillas. ‘I’m not sure I like this,’ she said under her breath.
Hull grunted, and it was a moment before Seren realized it had been a laugh.
‘What is funny about that?’
‘Your capacity for understatement, Acquitor. I have always admired your ability to stay level.’
‘Indecisiveness is generally held to be a flaw, Hull.’
‘If it is certainty you want, Seren, then join me.’
The offer was uttered low, barely audible. She sighed. ‘I do not want certainty,’ she replied. ‘In fact, certainty is the one thing I fear the most.’
‘I expected that sort of answer.’
Two K’risnan met the party at the entrance and escorted them into the throne chamber.
Emperor Rhulad was seated once more, his new wife standing at his side, on the left. Apart from the two K’risnan, no-one else was present. Although Mayen’s face was fixed and without expression, something about it, ineffable in the way of the secret language among women, told Seren that a consummation had occurred, a binding that was reflected in Rhulad’s dark eyes, a light of triumph and supreme confidence. ‘Hull Beddict,’ he said in his rough voice, ‘blood brother to Binadas, you arrive in questionable company.’
‘Emperor,’ Hull said, ‘your brother’s faith in me is not misplaced.’
‘I see. And how does your prince feel about that?’
‘He is no longer my prince. His feelings mean nothing to me.’
Rhulad smiled. ‘Then I suggest you step to one side. I would now speak to the official delegation from Lether, such as it is.’
Hull bowed and walked three paces to the right.
‘Acquitor?’
‘Emperor, I come to inform you that I am about to leave, as escort to Buruk the Pale.’
‘We appreciate the courtesy, Acquitor. If that is all that brings you into our presence, best you join Hull.’
She bowed in acquiescence and moved away. Now why did Nifadas want this?
‘Emperor Rhulad,’ Nifadas said, ‘may I speak?’
The Edur regarded the First Eunuch with half-closed lids. ‘We permit it.’
‘The kingdom of Lether is prepared to enter negotiations regarding the debts incurred as a result of the illegal harvest of tusked seals.’
Like a snake whose tail had just been stepped on, Quillas hissed and spat in indignation.
‘The issue of debt,’ Rhulad responded, ignoring the prince, ‘is no longer relevant. We care nothing for your gold, First Eunuch. Indeed, we care nothing for you at all.’
‘If isolation is your desire—’
‘We did not say that, First Eunuch.’
Prince Quillas suddenly smiled, under control once more. ‘An opening of outright hostility between our peoples, Emperor? I would warn you against such a tactic, which is not to say I would not welcome it.’
‘How so, Prince Quillas?’
‘We covet the resources you possess, to put it bluntly. And now you give us the opportunity to acquire them. A peaceful solution could have been found in your acknowledgement of indebtedness to Lether. Instead, you voice the absurd lie that is it we who owe you!’
Rhulad was silent a moment, then he nodded and said, ‘Letherii economics seems founded on peculiar notions Prince.’
‘Peculiar? I think not. Natural and undeniable laws guide our endeavours. The results of which you will soon discover, to your regret.’
‘First Eunuch, does the prince speak for Lether?’
Nifadas shrugged. ‘Does it matter, Emperor?’
‘Ah, you are clever indeed. Certainly more worthy of conversation with ourselves than this strutting fool whose nobility resides only in the fact of his crawling out from between a queen’s legs. You are quite right, First Eunuch. It no longer matters. We were simply curious.’
‘I feel no obligation to assuage that curiosity, Emperor.’
‘And now you show your spine, at last, Nifadas. We are delighted. Deliver these words to your king, then. The Tiste Edur no longer bow in deference to your people. Nor are we interested in participating in your endless games of misdirection and the poisonous words you would have us swallow.’ A sudden, strange pause, the ghost of some kind of spasm flitting across the emperor’s face. Then he shook himself, settled back. But the look in his eyes was momentarily lost. He blinked, frowned, then the gleam of awareness returned. ‘Moreover,’ he resumed, ‘we choose now to speak for the tribes you have subjugated, for the hapless peoples you have destroyed. It is time you answered for your crimes.’
Nifadas slowly tilted his head. ‘Is this a declaration of war?’ he asked in a soft voice.
‘We shall announce our intention with deeds, not words, First Eunuch. We have spoken. Your delegation is dismissed. We regret that you travelled so far for what has turned out to be a short visit. Perhaps we will speak again in the future, although, we suspect, in very different circumstances.’
Nifadas bowed. ‘Then, if you will excuse us, Emperor, we must make ready to depart.’
‘You may go. Hull Beddict, Acquitor, remain a moment.’
Seren watched Quillas and Nifadas walk stiffly from the throne chamber. She was still thinking about that display from Rhulad. A crack, a fissure. I think I saw him then, young Rhulad, there inside.
‘Acquitor,’ Rhulad said as soon as the curtains fell back into place, drawing her attention round, ‘inform Buruk the Pale that he has right of passage for his flight. However, the duration of the privilege is short, so he best make haste.’
‘Emperor, the wagons perforce—’
‘We fear he will not have sufficient time to take his wagons with him.’
She blinked. ‘You expect him to abandon the iron in his possession?’
‘There are always risks in business, Acquitor, as you Letherii are quick to point out when it is to your advantage. Alas, the same applies when the situation is reversed.’
‘How many days do you permit us?’
‘Three. One more detail. The Nerek remain here.’
‘The Nerek?’
‘Are Indebted to Buruk, yes, we understand that. Yet another vagary of economics, alas, under which the poor man must suffer. He has our sympathy.’
‘Buruk is a merchant, Emperor. He is used to travelling by wagon. Three days for the return journey may well be beyond his physical abilities.’
‘That would be unfortunate, for him.’ The dead, cold gaze shifted. ‘Hull Beddict, what have you to offer us?’
Hull dropped to one knee. ‘I swear myself to your cause, Emperor.’
Rhulad smiled. ‘You do not yet know that cause, Hull Beddict.’
‘I believe I comprehend more than you might think, sire.’
‘Indeed…’
‘And I would stand with you.’
The emperor swung his attention back to Seren. ‘Best take your leave now, Acquitor. This discussion is not for you.’
Seren looked across at Hull, and their eyes met. Although neither moved, it seemed to her that he was retreating before her, growing ever more distant, ever further from her reach. The intervening space had become a vast gulf, a distance that could not be bridged.
And so I lose you.
To this…creature.
Her thoughts ended there. As blank as the future now breached, the space beyond naught but oblivion, and so we plunge forward…‘Goodbye, Hull Beddict.’
‘Fare you well, Seren Pedac.’
Her legs felt wobbly beneath her as she walked to the curtained exit.
Gerun Eberict was waiting for her ten paces from the citadel doors. There was smug amusement in his expression. ‘He remains inside, does he? For how long?’
Seren struggled to compose herself. ‘What do you want, Finadd?’
‘That is a difficult question to answer, Acquitor. I was asked by Brys Beddict to speak to his brother. But the opportunity seems increasingly remote.’
And if I tell him that Hull is lost to us, what would he do then?
Gerun Eberict smiled, as if he had read the thoughts in her mind.
She looked away. ‘Hull Beddict is under the emperor’s protection.’
‘I am pleased for him.’
She glared. ‘You do not understand. Look around, Finadd. This village is filled with shadows, and in those shadows are wraiths—servants to the Edur.’
His brows rose. ‘You believe I desire to kill him? Where has that suspicion come from, Acquitor? I did say “speak”, did I not? I was not being euphemistic.’
‘Your reputation gives cause for alarm, Finadd.’
‘I have no reason to proclaim Hull my enemy, regardless of his political allegiance. After all, if he proves to be a traitor, then the kingdom possesses its own means of dealing with him. I have no interest in interceding in such a matter. I was but endeavouring to consummate my promise to Brys.’
‘What did Brys hope to achieve?’
‘I’m not sure. Perhaps I was, once, but clearly everything has changed.’
Seren studied him.
‘And what of you, Acquitor?’ he asked. ‘You will escort the merchant back to Trate. Then what?’
She shrugged. There seemed little reason to dissemble. ‘I am going home, Finadd.’
‘Letheras? That residence has seen little of you.’
‘Clearly that is about to change.’
He nodded. ‘There will be no demand for Acquitors in the foreseeable future, Seren Pedac. I would be honoured if you would consider working for me.’
‘Work?’
‘My estate. I am involved in…extensive enterprises. You have integrity, Acquitor. You are someone I could trust.’ He hesitated, then added, ‘Do not feel you need to answer here and now. I ask that you think on it. I shall call upon you in Letheras.’
‘I think, Finadd,’ Seren said, ‘that you will find yourself rather preoccupied with your military duties, given what is about to happen.’
‘My position is in the palace. I do not command armies.’ He looked round, and his gap-toothed smile returned. ‘These savages won’t reach Letheras. They’ll be lucky to make it across the frontier. You forget, Acquitor, we’ve faced similar enemies before. The Nerek had their spirit goddess—what was it called?’
‘The Eres’al.’
‘Yes, that’s it. The Eres’al. And the Tarthenal their five Seregahl, the Wrath Wielders. Warlocks and witches, curses and demons, we obliterated them one and all. And the Ceda and his cadre barely broke a sweat.’
‘I fear this time it will be different, Finadd.’
He cocked his head. ‘Acquitor, when you think of the Merchant Tolls, what do you imagine it to be?’
‘I don’t understand—’
‘The commercial core, the heart of the financial system which drives all of Lether, its every citizen, its very way of looking at the world. The Tolls are not simply coins stacked high in some secret vault. Not just traders howling their numbers before the day’s close. The Tolls are the roots of our civilization, the fibres reaching out to infest everything. Everything.’
‘What is your point, Finadd?’
‘You are cleverer than that, Acquitor. You understand full well. That heart feeds on the best and the worst in human nature. Exaltation and achievement, ambition and greed, all acting in self-serving concert. Thus, four facets of our nature, and not one sits well with constraints on its behaviour, on its expression. We win not just with armies, Seren Pedac. We win because our system appeals to the best and worst within all people, not just humans.’
‘Destiny.’
He shrugged. ‘Call it what you will. But we have made it inevitable and all-devouring—’
‘I see little of exaltation and achievement in what we do, Finadd. It would seem there is a growing imbalance—’
His laugh cut her off. ‘And that is the truth of freedom, Seren Pedac.’
She could feel her anger rising. ‘I always believed freedom concerned the granted right to be different, without fear of repression.’
‘A lofty notion, but you won’t find it in the real world. We have hammered freedom into a sword. And if you won’t be like us we will use that sword to kill you one by one, until your spirit is broken.’
‘What if the Tiste Edur surprise you, Finadd? Will you in turn choose to die in defence of your great cause?’
‘Some can die. Some will. Indeed, unlikely as it is, we may all die. But, unless the victors leave naught but ashes in their wake, the heart will beat on. Its roots will find new flesh. The emperor may have his demons of the seas, but we possess a monster unimaginably vast, and it devours. And what it cannot devour, it will smother, or starve. Win or lose, the Tiste Edur still lose.’
