Peter Brett - The Daylight War

Jardir sighed loudly. ‘Time and again, I have told men in this very hall that Abban is not to be harmed. He is my property, and any harm that comes to him will be from me alone.

‘Every man has the right to stop his daughter’s rape, or avenge it if he can. Even khaffit . Even chin . If Hasik was too weak to defend himself, then he was not worthy of the prize. His cock has gotten him in trouble for the last time. He has sons and daughters to carry on his name, and as the khaffit says, he is still fit for sharak .’

He looked to Hasik. ‘You have paid your due to Abban. The price for striking my sister is divorce, not only from your Jiwah Ka , but your other wives as well. I will not have my sister married to half a man. Hanya will keep her sister-wives, all your property and children.’ He could see how he was crushing Hasik’s spirit, but he did not pity the man. He still remembered what Hasik had done to him, all those years ago in the Maze.

‘You,’ he pointed his spear at the chained warrior, ‘will keep your spear, your shield, and your blacks. You are expelled from the Spears of the Deliverer, but Jayan will find you a new unit to fight for. None here will speak of your injury, and if discovered, you may say it was an alagai wound. Continue to win glory in the night, and you may yet see Heaven. Break Everam’s law again, with even so much as a cup of couzi, and I will see you cast into Nie’s abyss.’

He looked to Ashan and Shanjat. ‘I trust the lesson is clear to you, as well?’

Both men looked chastened, and nodded. ‘Good,’ Jardir said. ‘Make sure the other Sharum and dama know this as well. I will not repeat it.’

Inevera went immediately to her Chamber of Shadows when the audience was over. After the scene with her parents, she had wanted nothing more than to have some time alone with her husband, but it was not to be. The usual mass of courtiers and petitioners were lining up to make their pleas before the Skull Throne, and she had no patience to sit through it all.

She had hoped to save the blood taken from Abban’s kerchief for the right moment, but with his power — and boldness — growing, she could no longer afford to wait. She had not known Ahmann had given the khaffit warriors of his own, and it explained much. Still, she could not believe any kha’Sharum a match for her eunuch Watchers, trained by Enkido himself. They had killed Damaji ’s wives in their beds while the men slept beside them.

Hasik had deserved his fate, and so, perhaps, had her Watchers, if they had been fool enough to be caught. But still the trend disturbed her. Already, the khaffit had tried to supplant her. How long before he attempted to strike at her again?

She had leached the blood from the cloth while it was still fresh, storing it in a sealed vial. She took this now, pouring it over her dice. ‘Almighty Everam, give me knowledge of Abban asu Chabin am’Haman am’Kaji. Can he be trusted to serve the Deliverer? Will he continue to strike at me?’ She felt the dice grow warm as she shook, and then cast them to the floor, staring at the brightly glowing symbols.

As always, she was prepared to follow their guidance, but she was not prepared for the answer.

— The khaffit is loyal to the Deliverer. Your fates are intertwined. Harm to one is the same as harm to the other.-

333 AR Autumn

Arlen breathed deeply, unused to feeling so afraid.

‘Sure you need to do this?’ Renna asked.

Arlen nodded. ‘Ent got excuse to put things off any longer. Hollow’s recovering, and they know what to expect now. Rojer’s Jongleurs are spreading word wide through the duchy, and folk will come from all over when they hear we won. Defences’ll be stronger by the next new moon than they were on the last. Equinox is just a fortnight away, new moon ten days after that. I’m gonna do this, need to do it now. Ent got time to ride all the way to Rizon. I’ll be careful. Won’t let myself be pulled into the Core.’

He turned to Renna before she could reply, seeing in her aura that he had misunderstood the question. ‘You weren’t asking about me skating so far. You ent sure I should go at all.’

Renna gave him a look that matched the annoyance in her aura perfectly. ‘That Jongleur’s mind-readin’ act of yours is startin’ to give folk the shivers.’

‘It’s not mind reading,’ Arlen said.

‘Heart reading, then,’ Renna said. ‘Makes you hard to talk to, way you glance at a body and know everything they’re feeling, even better’n they do themselves.’

Arlen laughed. ‘Creator, if only it were so.’

Renna looked away, staring up at the stars so he could not see her face — as if that could hide anything from him now. ‘Like you’re in my head sometimes, way that demon was …’

‘Ent like that, Ren,’ Arlen said, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. ‘You see the same things I do with your wardsight. Reckon everyone with the sight does. Look close and it can tell you all sorts of things about a body. Just figuring it out myself, and I cheated a bit, stealing some of the language from the mind demon we met when I was in its head. Soon I’ll be able to teach it to you, one way or another.’

‘Not sure I like the sound of that,’ Renna said. ‘Love you, Arlen Bales, but my head’s my own place. Ent lookin’ to share it with anyone.’

Arlen nodded. ‘Honest word.’

She looked at him, her aura amused. ‘Don’t think you’ve tricked me by changing the subject. You sure this trip is a good idea? This is what you want?’

Arlen shook his head. ‘All I ever wanted was to kill demons. Didn’t want to war with Krasia. Didn’t want Miln making flamework weapons. Didn’t want to be the corespawned Deliverer.’

He sighed, feeling so very, very tired. ‘But it seems the world means to make me one, like it or not. All because Ahmann Jardir thinks the Creator speaks to him.’

Renna tilted her head, regarding him. She’s trying to read my aura , he thought, surprised at how disconcerting it was. He felt a rush as she pulled a wisp of magic through him, Knowing.

‘You still love him, even now,’ Renna said. ‘Like he’s your brother.’

Arlen shrugged. ‘Never had a friend like that in my life, and I’ve had a few. He was proud, and casually cruel in the way of Sharum . We argued plenty, but there was no one else in the world I wanted to guard my back when night fell.’ He shuddered suddenly, feeling goose pimples rise on his skin though the night was not cold. ‘At least, until he stabbed me there.’

‘And you think throwin’ him off a cliff is the answer,’ Renna said.

Arlen shrugged again. ‘Don’t know, Ren, but I can’t leave things the way they are. For everyone’s sake, we’ve got to make a change. Got to do something the minds won’t expect.’

‘Worried about you skatin’, too,’ Renna admitted.

‘Me, too,’ Arlen said, taking another deep breath. Renna reached out, taking his chin in her hand and pulling him into a kiss. ‘Love you, Arlen Bales.’

He felt some of his tension ease, and smiled. ‘Love you, Renna Bales. You keep the Hollow safe while I’m gone.’

Renna nodded. ‘And you come back quick.’

‘Swear by the sun,’ Arlen said, and dissipated.

Immediately Arlen felt the call of the Core, the source of all magic, begging to be explored. Faint fractions of its power drifted up all around him in paths, and he took the nearest of these, making sure to keep his sense of direction even as he passed through layers of soil and stone. He sensed a path heading southwest before breaking to the surface, and took it, skating along as quick as a beam of light.