The Order of Merlin, page 9
"Who was that?" asked Aurie after Slyvan was out of earshot.
"Radoslav's brother."
"Really?"
"Half-brother, I guess."
An attendant circled past, offering a tray of golden drinks, but Pi waved them off. They would have to subsist on the sustenance they'd brought with them. To partake of the maetrie food or drink was to commit to never leaving their realm again.
"Any sign of Priyanka or Zayn?" asked Pi.
"Not a one, and I would think that there would have been mention of other humans if they were here. Are you sure he sent us to the right place?"
"Absolutely," said Pi, even as her gut said otherwise. "We just need to find out where they're hiding."
A bright chime brought everyone's head up. The platform shifted towards the rail, bringing the horde of maetrie and two small humans. The increased chatter suggested bets were being made, or at least speculation about what was about to transpire. At the edge of the race oval, Pi spied six riders perched atop the strange glass beasts they'd seen on the streets. She didn't see the diminutive maetrie who had warned them away.
"Care to wager?" asked a maetrie with slicked-back hair and a pinstriped suit.
He leaned on the railing to her right, penetrating eyes shooting right through her. There was something feral in his gaze, covered by a thin veneer of civility.
"I don't have anything to wager," said Pi.
The corner of his mouth twitched into the semblance of a smile. "The stone in your pocket. The answer to a question. Time in service. All these can be coin."
The way he addressed her, not like a child looking down upon an insect and deciding whether or not to crush it with a rock, but rather like a potential business partner, had Pi intrigued. He wasn't like the other maetrie she'd met. Not that she trusted him anymore.
"Hurry now, the race is about to start."
"I'm outmatched by your knowledge," she said.
"Then we'll start small. The answer to a question. I'm sure you're not here for your health. I promise it won't be too probing, should I win," he said with a sour grin.
Aurie elbowed her in the ribs, the warning not to engage, but he was right. They needed answers, and what better way to start?
"The answer to a question," she said, nodding, "but you have to explain the contest that I'm betting on as part of the deal."
"A deal."
To her surprise, he extended a hand as if they were back in the city of Invictus rather than in the Eternal City. Handshakes were a human custom. He'd been in their realm before, or at least was familiar enough with humans.
"Pi."
"Dominion." He leaned against the railing and she matched him. "Which stelynka do you choose? The horse-like creatures," he added, another confirmation that he'd been in her realm.
Pi eyed the line of riders. Unlike human jockeys, they weren't equally sized. The maetrie on the backs of the stelynka varied as much as the others of their race, which suggested that lightness wasn't the most important feature. The other thing she noticed was the lack of the mats that the rider they'd met in the streets had been riding on. Did that mean they were exposing themselves to the sharp edges of the mount? Her previous observation made less sense, as she would want to be light so she wouldn’t get thrown around and injure herself.
"The first race is about to start," said Dominion.
"You choose," she said. "I'll make my selection afterwards."
His black eyes glittered with amusement. "I'll take the rider wearing the Onyx mask."
The rider that Dominion had chosen rested on his stelynka as if it were a bench in a park on a Sunday afternoon. Pi searched the others for one equally relaxed.
"Hurry," he prodded.
"The Sapphire mask," she said, right as the chime rang.
The stelynka with their riders burst from the line, racing up the slope towards a ridge that would require leaping to get over.
"The race," she said, "how far do they go?"
"The first gonka, or brutal race in your language, is the shortest, a single lap," said Dominion, not taking his eyes off the riders. "There are eleven races, the last including all available riders for eleven trips around the oval."
Her next question caught in her throat as the riders approached the bone barrier, which was below her location along the rail. As the stelynka with the Onyx rider leapt, she saw how his chest slapped against the sharp edges of the creature's neck, slicing ribbons of crimson. But he kept moving forward, staying in the lead and pushing his mount towards the next set of obstacles.
The riders behind, including her Sapphire, did not make the leap as smoothly. A rider with a mask that reminded her of the dolgant workers that had tried to assault them landed hard, sliding partially off the mount before climbing back on, arm dripping with blood. The others fared better, but not a single rider escaped the leap without a wound.
"You're beginning to see the challenge of the race," said Dominion. "In the gonka, like maetrie society, pain cannot be avoided. Skill and craft will reduce the amount one endures, but no one escapes without blood dripping down their limbs."
"That's awful," said Aurie, eliciting a smirk from Dominion.
The obstacles grew more difficult as the riders circled the track. The slick bone surface made for treacherous maneuvers, and more than once, riders were thrown hard and had to wrangle the mounts to return to their backs, causing more pain. The track, which Pi guessed was about two miles, brought the riders around for the final stretch, directly opposite their location.
To her surprise, the Sapphire mount was right behind Onyx. The obstacles remaining were a quad set of deep humps. The first rider leapt from the first to land nimbly on the second, rather than traverse the valley between. The maneuver was not without its price, as she could see him grimace as he held on tight to keep from being thrown.
Sapphire made the same leap, catching up with his stelynka's longer stride. By the third hump, they were neck and neck. Pi thought she had a good chance to win. As they both made the final jump, the Onyx rider stuck out his foot and kicked the back end of Sapphire's mount.
Onyx landed awkwardly, due to the unusual maneuver, but recovered quickly for the final length. Sapphire, however, fared much worse. The impact to the stelynka's haunches created a difficult landing. The stelynka hit the final hump off-kilter. The rider could have leapt from its back, saving himself, but he tried to keep his mount on course. The snap of the front leg was like a gunshot. No one except Pi and her sister flinched.
Stelynka and rider tumbled over. The quick, violent rotations ended with the mount atop. In a human race, Pi would have expected a hushed silence to fall upon the crowd, solidarity with the injured. But the maetrie, cruel and capricious as they were, applauded. She wasn't sure if it was the kick or the landing that brought their agreement, but either made Pi sick to her stomach.
Dominion added his applause as the Onyx rider passed the finish line. The other four riders, minus Sapphire, followed him over.
Attendants with the same gold lines streaking down their neck as the bouncer at the front walked to the fallen rider as if they already knew the result. After a brief check, the attendant held his thumb down, which brought rapturous cheering.
"A fortuitous event," said Dominion with an in-breath that sounded like a hiss.
"He's dead?"
"The stelynka too," said Dominion, eyes alight with excitement. "That means there are only eleven competitors." He turned on her. "And you have lost."
Pi wanted to rage at the events that had transpired, but knew that her human emotions would only be ridiculed in the Eternal City. She steeled her reaction.
"Eleven competitors? How do they endure each race? Would they not be ribbons by the end?"
Dominion nodded towards the end of the oval, where the five riders accepted golden chalices and then promptly threw them back.
"That is udovol. It heals the flesh and provides pleasure equal to the pain endured. The more brutal the ride, the higher the ecstasy at the end."
The construction of the event shouldn't have surprised Pi. It was a microcosm of maetrie society.
"I lost," said Pi, facing Dominion. "What's your question?"
He hesitated, which confused her. Dominion glanced to the racetrack, where a couple of hulking maetrie were dragging away the fallen pair with long hooks.
"I cede my victory," said Dominion, who looked like he was trying to smile, but it came out like a grimace. "Out of respect to the fallen. You may ask me questions of your desire. Nothing personal, but I can pull away the veil of your ignorance."
Pi could hear the mocking of her human customs in his voice, but didn't want to give up the opportunity to learn more. She didn't know why he'd decided not to hold her to the bet, but something about the first race had changed it. Her first desire was to ask questions that would lead them to Priyanka, but she didn't want to give away the purpose of their visit.
"Tell me why representatives of the courts gather here, even as they conspire against each other."
Dominion made tsking noises. "Come now, you can do better than that. What is combat without a field of battle? They come here for the game and to ensure their advantages are not ceded in their absence."
"Which court is ascended?"
He creased his eyes. "A difficult calculation as much occurs beneath the surface. Ruby was diminished by its failed attempt on Jade some years ago." His lips curled at the corners, suggesting he knew her role in those events. "While Diamond failed its attempt to infiltrate your city of sorcery, losing its favored son, Prince Aethalstar, in the process. One could say that Jade is rising, but that would be false too. The battle is stagnant, possibly because the combatants have grown too cautious in recent years." His gaze flitted to the bone racetrack, where Sapphire had fallen. "But to overreach is to invite disaster."
"Tell me about the Diamond Court. If Queen Zaire lost her favored son, then who is her favorite now?" asked Pi.
Dominion licked his lips. "Under normal circumstances, Prince Orráine would have taken his brother's place, but he has a soft heart and consorts with outsiders." He nodded towards the section of the platform where the nobility were clustered tightly. A smallish maetrie wearing the regal clothing of the Diamond Court stood alone. "To allow him to ascend the throne would be the end of the court."
"There is another?"
"Princess Ylassa," said Dominion with a sigh. "She is young, not yet a century old, and while she is as cunning as her mother, she is often absent, refusing to participate in the machinations of the court. Do not look for her. She is not here. Some say she is on her Liebereisen, which is a Journey of Discovery."
"You seem quite different than the other maetrie," said Pi. "Have you spent time in our realm? Or are there other humans here that have previously made your acquaintance?"
"To come here would be foolish," he said. "No one else would dare, but I suppose you have the protection of your head patron, though even he has limits."
A warning chime had her looking to the racetrack, where six new riders including the maetrie who had spoken to them in the streets had lined up.
"Care to bet again?" she asked, hoping to learn more.
Dominion clucked his tongue. "Better to leave our conversation on a good note." He inclined his head. "I have business with Duke Charon. May we speak again in the future when it would be profitable to both."
Her companion at the rail headed towards a knot of maetrie, including the heavyset one with the glass top hat. Their affiliations were unknown, but Pi quickly lost interest as the chime sounded for the start of the race.
Aurie tugged on her arm. "We should check out the Diamond Court area. Maybe someone can clue us to where Priyanka is."
"Wait," said Pi, staying her sister's hand, "I want to watch."
"We need to find her." Aurie glanced to the track. "This race is an abomination."
"It is, but if we're going to find them, we need to understand the maetrie better."
Her sister but took her position at the rail right as the riders approached the first obstacle. Pi watched in earnest, her gut tightening as the maetrie with the smoky mask made the leap, a few steps behind the others. Her passage was graceful, but the other riders were pushing their limits, risking pain and being rewarded by gaining distance.
Before this visit, Pi had thought herself an expert on the maetrie. Working for Radoslav had taught her much, but now that she was seeing them in their element, she recognized that there were many facets of behavior she didn't understand. Oxyvain. The rider had warned them. It wasn't a what but a why. The same was true for the maetrie.
Pi checked back to the nobles, who were chatting as if they were at a Sunday brunch, while the riders fought for position in a race that had claimed one of their own already. The riders did not hold back. She saw more kicks when stelynka drew too close. To win by all means necessary. Oxyvain made the capitalism of her world into a child's game. They came here to compete, whether it was on the track or on the platform.
The second race wasn't as exciting as the first, as the lead rider crossed well before the others, and the rider she was rooting for came in last by a good margin. Pi didn't know if she was holding back, since they'd be racing many times this day, or if it was her caution that was to blame.
While the riders drank from their golden chalices, a diminutive maetrie, Prince Orráine, approached. He was everything the other maetrie were not: short, cherub-faced, sickly. Yet, he carried a strength in his gaze that was unlike the others—not a challenge but a sense of self-knowledge.
"We rarely receive visitors in our realm," said Prince Orráine, clasping his hands in front.
"Rarely, but not never?" asked Pi as the beetle made a tiny flutter against her heart. She resisted the urge to put her hand there, fearful that the insect was meant for the prince.
"It's lovely to meet you, Prince Orráine," said Aurie, stepping to her side.
"Your kind words are strange to hear," said Prince Orráine. "Like climbing into an active volcano to find a field of spring flowers."
"You have been to our realm," said Pi.
"I have," he said wistfully. "I enjoyed it. But you should not be here. This is not a place for humans, even the prodigies of Invictus."
"Thank you for your warning," said Aurie.
"How do you like the gonka?" he asked sourly.
"It is unusual and frightening," said Aurie, frowning. "I can't say I like it."
"What is the mask of that rider? The one who came in last?" asked Pi.
Prince Orráine stared down to the track, near the finish line. "That is the Wraithhawk. A fearsome predator that lives in the more uninhabited regions of the Eternal City. They suck the victims dry of energy, leaving them defenseless while they're eaten alive." He shifted his mouth to the side. "A poor choice of mask for that rider, who is too timid for the gonkas."
"The Sapphire was too bold and lost his life," said Pi.
"The riders reap no rewards unless they are victorious," said Prince Orráine. "For the lower classes, the only way to climb out of their station is through violence and pain. If Wraithhawk cannot win a single race, then she will not be allowed to return, and there are always more clamoring to join the gonkas." His gaze was filled with unusual sadness. "Why did you come to the Eternal City?"
Aurie started to speak, but Pi placed her hand on her sister's arm to stop her.
"We have our reasons."
Prince Orráine frowned. Not at them, but for them, she realized.
"Before the gonka is over, you must present yourself to my mother, Queen Zaire. She will wish to interrogate you. Be warned she does not suffer fools and is in a foul mood because she misses her daughter, who has been absent for too long. My mother wonders why you are here and assumes the worst. If you are careful, you might yet still survive this day. The blessings of elevens may yet presage your success."
"Why do you help us?" she asked.
He smiled, a twinkle in his eyes relaying an unspoken history, before he inclined his head and left them for other parties.
"Shall we?" asked Pi.
"I have a strong feeling that Priyanka is not here," said Aurie. "Radoslav sent us here for his own purposes."
The ashy feeling rotted her insides. She didn't muster a disagreement, because she was beginning to worry that her sister was right. If Priyanka or Zayn were present, they would have shown their faces to them, or given a signal. Their appearance at the Diamond Court was much too unusual not to draw notice.
As she headed up the ramp towards the upper platform, Pi's gut tightened further, like a great machine was cinching it until she would bend in half from the tension. In her time in the Halls, she'd met both the other queens, each as different from each other as they were to the one before her. When she'd met Lady Kikala, she'd been nervous but the Jade Queen had been disarming in her conversation. Of course, Pi had attended the Reaping Ceremony as a representative of the Jade Queen's son, which had made their introduction easier. The Ruby Queen, Lady Amethyte, had been playing an instrument as large as a cavern when they met, wearing simple padded leather armor to protect herself from the concussive sounds emanating from the instrument. She seemed a practical woman, more mobster boss than nobility.
The Diamond Queen bore her regality like the sun. She rested on a bone divan, speaking softly to a pair of ladies sitting with her. Lady Zaire was like a knife unsheathed. She wore a pale gown, edged with golden glitter, that hung on her thin frame. Black hair, wrapped into a braided crown, rested across her brow. Her piercing gaze swept across the crowd of nobles, derision in every glance.
Pi hovered near the divan as the third race finished to the whistles of the crowd. The queen's sharp gaze sliced through Pi's armor before a single word was spoken.
"Don't lurk in the presence of a queen," said Lady Zaire with chin lifted. "I'm already annoyed by the stench of your flesh and now you flit about the edges of my vision like a disoriented faeila."
