Spellbreaker (45 page)

Leandra and Francesca knelt at the table and stared out at the city. Even in the room's dim light, Nicodemus was struck by how similar they looked: fair skin, pretty faces, freckles, wide brown eyes. Mother and daughter. Behind each woman stood her followers. The lamplight shone on the eyes of Leandra's four-armed wrestling god, who was staring at his daughter with protective concern. Nicodemus allowed himself a moment of pride that she inspired such loyalty.

Nicodemus took a place at the table and looked from his daughter to his wife. Francesca was composed, tension around her eyes. Leandra, on the other hand, was at ease. Her gaze wandered, as if she were distracted.

“So,” Nicodemus said, “what happened?”

Oddly Francesca looked to Leandra and then flicked her gaze to Holokai, who seemed to return a knowing look.

Leandra spoke plainly. “I had been cultivating a relationship with a smuggler of imperial godspells. I met with him tonight to try to make him my spy. Instead he nearly killed me. It turns out that he himself was an imperial spy.”

“Not just a spy,” Francesca said. “But Lotannu Akomma.” She described Lotannu's narrow escaped from her attack and the subsequent appearance of the airships. “Since then, my officers have reported that the wind mages killed near the Lesser Sacred Pool all have the perfect circle tattoo on their hips.”

“The same tattoo that we found on the bodies on Feather Island?” he asked.

It was Leandra who answered. “The tattoo was also on those who have been attacking minor deities. Now it makes sense why those who attacked the minor deities were so often unsuccessful. We thought the thugs were underestimating the strength of the deities, but it was the other way around. They are imperials. In the empire, under Aunt Vivian's metaspells, spellwrights are much more powerful. Their initial attacks were too weak because they hadn't yet adjusted to how weak they would be within your metaspell.”

“But why attack minor deities at all?” Francesca asked. “It doesn't weaken the league significantly and it made them liable to discovery.”

“There are rumors of a divine sickness spreading through the minor deities,” Leandra replied. “Supposedly the Banyan god was deconstructed by it, and I witnessed the pitiful god Baruvalman suffer from it. When I touched Baru, he nearly came apart. The street rumor is that the divine sickness is from a demon who is out on the bay, but I see Aunt Vivian's hand in it.”

Nicodemus understood. “You think the imperial spellwrights have brought to Ixos whatever spell it is they use to deconstruct their own deities?”

Leandra nodded. “I think Lotannu was mining godspells from our deities before attacking us. It would empower his authors and provide godspells to sell to me while he pretended to be a smuggler.”

“And why, under the fiery heaven,” Nicodemus asked, “were you trying to buy godspells you thought were smuggled out of the empire?”

“To better fulfill my role as a Warden of Ixos.”

Francesca shifted in her seat. “Was there another role you were also trying to fulfill?”

For the first time, something like surprise moved across Leandra's expression. She narrowed her eyes at her mother. “What do you mean?”

Francesca didn't reply.

Nicodemus frowned. “Tell me what is going on.”

After a tense moment, Francesca spoke. “It was only a question. I agree with Lea. If the empire could prey upon weaker deities, it would cause many to lose faith. Without prayer, our pantheon cannot protect us. There is also the matter of why Lotannu should be willing to sell godspells to Lea.”

Leandra grimaced. “He was setting me up. I did not realize, but he had manipulated a prophetic godspell that he sold me. He edited the spell so that it would blind me to certain futures. I stepped into his trap. If not for Mother, I would be bound and censored on some imperial airship right now.”

“Without you, Lea, I would now be skewered on the foresails of the empress's flagship. We saved each other.”

Leandra pursed her lips and sat a little straighter.

Francesca continued. “I wonder if Lotannu wasn't also trying to undermine the league by empowering you with the godspells.”

“What do you mean?” Leandra asked flatly.

“It's no secret that we don't get along. If Lotannu strengthened you when there is something about which we disagree…”

“Mother, you sound as if you have something specific in mind.”

Nicodemus looked at the two of them. “Creator damn it, you two. What is going on?”

The two women stared at each other for a long moment. But then, at last, Leandra looked away. “It's complicated, but I hope you both appreciate that I am the Warden of Ixos and it is my duty—”

Francesca interrupted. “What we are dealing with goes beyond Ixos.”

“Yes, Mother, I see that far better than you imagine. I don't want us to work against each other. If you would let me finish?” She raised her eyebrows.

Francesca took in a sharp breath but then let it out slowly. “Yes, of course.”

Nicodemus had never known his wife to back down so easily. Maybe there was hope after all.

Leandra too seemed affected. “Thank you. In fact…” She paused as if deciding something. “In fact, after everything that's happening, I could use some wine. Maybe you could too?” She stood and went to the tea service.

Francesca started to speak but again checked herself.

“Don't worry, Mother,” Leandra said with a sigh. “My disease flare has resolved.”

Nicodemus frowned as he realized that Leandra's rash had disappeared.

Leandra added, “I will explain how that happened, but first may I serve you two?” She adjusted the tray and looked at Nicodemus. “Dad, tea or wine?”

“Both?”

Leandra smiled. “Let's start you on tea then.” She set out three cups and picked up the brass teapot. While she poured, she looked at Francesca. “Mom, tea or wine?”

It was the first time in sixteen years that Nicodemus had heard his daughter use that word. It didn't seem to be lost on Francesca. “God-of-gods, wine,” she said with the slightest quaver. “I could definitely use a glass of wine.”

Leandra poured wine for her mother and herself before distributing the cups. Nicodemus wrapped his hands around the cup, felt its heat.

“To survival,” Leandra said and started to raise her cup but bumped the teapot's handle with her elbow and had to quickly correct her motion.

Nicodemus reflexively leaned forward to try to catch the pot if it fell but then remembered how hot it would be. Fortunately the ornate brass thing only wobbled. He saw what he thought was a silver wire below the pot and wondered if it had fallen off. But before he could remark on it, Leandra repeated her toast, “To survival.”

So the three of them clinked their cups and sipped.

Leandra said, “I'm leaving the city.”

“Oh, God-of-god's damn it, Lea!” Francesca groaned. “I thought you were serious about working together.”

“I am serious.”

“No, you're not. There's no way you can leave the city. And why would you even want to?”

“Calm down—” Nicodemus started to say.

“I am calm!” Francesca snapped before turning to Leandra. “Why?”

“My people are out on the bay. They aren't safe. It's my duty to protect them.”

Nicodemus frowned. “Your people?”

“Dad, I am the one who has been smuggling gods and goddesses out of the empire.”

Nicodemus started to laugh but then saw that his daughter's flat expression was not changing. “You're not serious. Lea, that's impossible…”

“It is not. For more than a decade, I've run a secret society that has helped about a hundred deities escape the empire. Mostly I've brought them here to Ixos, but maybe thirty have gone to Dral. The shape shifter that the empress discovered was one of mine.”

“But … Lea … that's insane. It's tantamount to declaring war on the empire.”

“Maybe.”

“But…” Nicodemus felt as if his heart were beating behind his eyes. He took another sip of tea to preserve his nerves. “But … you can't have done this. It's our duty to preserve peace so we can fight the War of Disjunction.”

“What's the point of saving humanity if we're corrupt?”

“God-of-god's damned survival is the point! That thing you just had us toast to. We have to survive.”

“You never understood that, Dad. That's what I could never make you understand. All those talks about disability and disease, you never understood. All your life your disability has made you focus on survival. If you had a disease like mine you would know that there's no point to survival if it means doing the wrong thing.”

“The wrong thing? What in the burning hells are we doing that's so wrong?”

“We've built a civilization in which the strong prey on the weak. We create divinities to answer our prayers even though many of those prayers are malicious. Our neodemons abuse and kill the weak. And why do we do it? So we can keep up with the empire. And what's the empire do? Cannibalize their deities so they can keep up with us. There's no point to trying to survive the Disjunction if we are no better than the demons.”

Nicodemus shook his head. “So you're fixing things by starting a war?”

“I wasn't trying to start a war. I was trying to do the right thing.”

“The right thing?” Nicodemus squawked.

“You raised me to defend vulnerable humans from the neodemons in the league. Then why shouldn't I defend vulnerable deities from the spellwrights in the empire?”

“Because it's going to get us all killed!” Nicodemus thumped his hand down on the table and felt his fingers tingling. He was breathing too fast. He turned on Francesca. “This is all about what happened in Port Mercy, isn't it? That god that seduced her was a refugee from the empire and you ate him, so now she has to save every deity in the empire?”

“Nico,” Francesca said flatly, “you need to calm down.” She looked at Leandra. “He will calm down.”

“Calm?” Nicodemus asked. “Our daughter just started a war that will critically weaken humanity before the demons come, and you want me to be calm?” He paused. “Fran, why under a fiery heaven are you so calm.”

“There's nothing to gain by being upset.”

“Wise advice,” Nicodemus said, “which you have taken exactly never!” Then something occurred to him. “Creator help me, Fran, you knew. Why is it I'm always the last one to know anything in this family?”

Judging by a momentary widening of her eyes, Leandra also seemed to be surprised by Francesca's knowledge.

Nicodemus took a long breath, pressed both his hands against the table and felt his fingers tingling. He tried to breathe more slowly. Then he became aware of the tension in the rest of the room. He could hear his followers shifting and saw his wife's spellwrights staring at Leandra's two gods.

Nicodemus blew out a long breath. Francesca was right. He needed to calm down. “All right, so, what do we do about it?”

Leandra replied. “I have a hidden village in the Standing Islands. There are refugees there I must protect.”

Francesca leaned forward. “Send Holokai to fetch them back. We don't know where the imperial forces are. And there is still the matter of the lava neodemon loose on the bay. There's no need to risk yourself, Lea.”

Leandra shook her head. “These godspells have changed me. You saw when I turned the lightning back on that airship. I will be fine.”

Francesca started to talk but paused for a moment before saying, “But as you pointed out, the empire won't let you get away with it again.”

Again Leandra shook her head. “I have acquired other talents. Another of my spells has decoupled my ability to misspell from my disease.”

“It what?” Nicodemus asked, remembering how Leandra had misspelled every text that the Trimuril had cast at her.

“It's a tertiary cognition spell that stops me from being able to love. And it prevents me from suffering a disease flare when I use my talent. And…” Her face became thoughtful. “One other thing … these godspells make it seem that there is something more … to who I am…” Leandra's voice trailed off and her gaze became vague for a long moment before she looked at Nicodemus. “I must separate myself from the league. I will find a way to contact Empress Vivian. I will explain that I acted on my own and that I have since broken from my family. I will let her know her attack against the league is unfounded. All you two have to do is survive until then.”

“Lea, that's crazy,” Nicodemus said. “If Vivian's launched an invasion of Ixos, there's no turning back.”

Leandra gave him a mischievous smile, as if she were still a little girl. “I don't know, Dad, I can be very persuasive.”

He stared at her in disbelief. “Lea, the spells on your brain are preventing you from thinking straight.”

Francesca cleared her throat. “Lea, we can't let you leave Chandralu.”

“You won't be able to stop me.”

Francesca cleared her throat. “Lea, in my draconic form I was wounded, but I have been back in contact with your father. If you tried to leave, I'd fly after you.” Francesca reached out and took Nicodemus's hand.

Oddly, his fingers felt numb against her touch. He frowned at his hand.

“You could do that, Mom, if you didn't have a patient to tend to.”

Both Nicodemus and Francesca stared at her dumbly. At last Francesca said, “Lea, you are sounding very far out of your head. What patient?”

“Yesterday, early in the morning, I acquired a weakly prophetic godspell from Lotannu Akomma. Though it usually gives me limited insight an hour into the future, I temporarily misspelled it so that I could learn what would happen a day in the future. During that time, I discovered that I would have to choose between killing someone I loved and dying myself. If I ran or tried to avoid this fate, everyone I loved would die. Now I know that if I had run, the empire would have destroyed Chandralu. Now something is stopping their attack. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I have to discover what is staying their hand. That is how I will reach the empress.”