The Thief Who Spat In Luck's Good Eye (21 page)

There was one thing we still had time to share.

I made my way down the uneven steps of the tower and back to camp. Holgren looked up at me and I put a finger to my lips. Ruiqi was sleeping again. I grabbed a couple of blankets, turned back toward the city, and gestured for him to follow me. He did so with a look of puzzlement on his face. I led him to another walled garden, one with springy turf and a shattered fountain that still trickled pure, sweet water. There I spread the blankets out and began to undress. He looked at me with a sort of amazed bemusement on his face. I took my filthy shirt off and, taking his head gently in both my hands, bent it down so I could kiss him. My heart was pounding, in excitement for once instead of fear.

After a deliciously long time, I broke away and started pulling my boots off. He just stood there.

“
The sooner you strip,” I said, “the sooner we can help each other clean some of the grime off. I’ll be much less distracted if I'm not worrying about how badly I stink.”

I may have had a head start, but he managed to get undressed before me. The water of our bath was breathtakingly cold. We warmed up rather quickly, though, afterwards.

Somewhere along the way I managed to tell him I loved him. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. In the rush of it all I wondered distractedly why I had made such a fuss about saying it, or showing it.

It was with more than a little regret that I disentangled myself from Holgren's sleeping form and started dressing. The sun was setting, and the cold could no longer be ignored. But I didn't want to leave our little pocket of peace and happiness.

The wind had picked up. A frigid gust blew through the garden and plucked the blanket off Holgren. He grunted and shivered, and felt around for me with one hand, eyes closed.

“
Wake up, lover. Time to face the future, such as it is.”

“
Mmm. In a bit. Come back. I'm cold.”

I finished buttoning my shirt and knelt down beside him. I ran my fingers through his long, tousled hair. How could I have known him so long and not seen just what he was, what he meant to me?

“
Get up and get dressed, Holgren, or you might get frostbite on some very uncomfortable spots.”

He cracked one eye open and regarded me. “I love you,” he said.

“
I love you too. Now get up, you lazy bastard, and help me gather firewood. Tonight's going to be a cold one. We'll need to move Ruiqi indoors as well. Don't want her to die before it's time.”

“
Amra, please—”

“
Sorry. I’ll leave it alone from now on. I promise. It won't be an issue after tonight anyway.”

He nodded, stretched, and started getting dressed. “Tomorrow morning, then?”

“
If you and she are prepared.”

“
We will be. The preparations are minimal, and not terribly complex. All I will be doing is supplying her with an extra measure of power, as most of hers is absorbed in keeping her body functioning.”

“
I didn't know mages could lend out power.”

“
Normally they can't. We are now members of the same khordun, though, so it's a simple matter in this case. One of the few advantages of the situation, and poetic in that it might ultimately lead to the Shadow King's downfall.”

“
Here's hoping. Come on. It'll be dark by the time we get back to camp, and we still have to move to a better shelter.”

Holgren and I moved Ruiqi and our few belongings to a windowless building nearer the Tabernacle, one that still had most of its roof intact. The wind had really started to blow with the coming of night, and the temperature was falling fast.

We built a fire up in one corner, huddling in blankets around it, Ruiqi propped up against a wall and Holgren and I nestled next to each other. Damp wood hissed and crackled in the fire and the wind moaned and shrieked. All three of us were cold and hungry. Ruiqi was talking to Holgren.

“
Adepts of the Order are taught to make even their deaths serve the will of the Emperor. It is what we call the
argilleh
, the last blow. In the days when battle mages were an integral part of warfare, sometimes even in defeat those of the Order would secure victory for the armies of the Empire by preparing themselves in just such a way as you will help me prepare.”

“
Aridhall Flamehand killed dozens of the Order at the battle of Isinglass,” I said. “Or so the story goes. Why didn't their ‘last blows’ kill him?”

“
Flamehand was unique. No one before or since could match the kind of control or mastery of the Art that he achieved. And no one had the raw power that he possessed, not since before the Diaspora. The Order at that time was rotted through with evil and ineptitude. Flamehand was a blessing in disguise. After Isinglass, the Emperor reshaped the Order and cut out what deadwood was left. Some trees need drastic pruning in order to survive, and thrive. So it was with the Order.”

“
Which is all interesting but strays from the point. Can you say with certainty that your
argilleh
will knock Athagos out?”

“
I cannot promise it, no. I believe there is a very good chance it will succeed. Between Holgren and me, we should be able to muster sufficient power to produce the intended effect. I offer no guarantees.”

“
Then I want you two to work on a way to temporarily deafen Holgren and me as well.”

Ruiqi nodded. “Prudent and already discussed.”

“
I think I've got a way to produce such an effect,” said Holgren. “I do wish I had access to my sanctum.”

“
I wish I had a bottle of wine and a leg of lamb.” I shivered and drew my blanket tighter around me. “If it gets much colder we might not have to worry about tomorrow. We'll freeze to death in our sleep.” I wrapped my blanket tighter still and lay down on my side on the leaf-littered floor, scooting as close to the fire as I could. The front of me sweltered while my backside froze. Such is life.

I watched the flames and listened with half an ear as Holgren and Ruiqi talked about theorems and paradigms, and occasionally uttered sounds I recognized as magical triggers.

Magic was at heart a simple matter of impressing your will on reality, or so Holgren had explained to me long before. In practice it was rarely that simple. It seemed that mages could spend weeks on the simplest of tasks, though usually when somebody was paying them for their time rather than results.

Without even realizing I was tired, I soon fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

Holgren woke me sometime before dawn. He had replenished the fire and it burned higher and hotter than before. Good thing. It had begun to snow while I slept. The part of the room open to the sky had grown a snow-drift overnight. I watched as more flakes swirled in, driven by the howling wind.

“
At first light we're going to carry Ruiqi to the gates,” Holgren whispered. “I wanted to talk out our plans.”

I looked over at her. She was still sitting up, propped against the wall. She was in some sort of trance state, motionless, arms raised to the sky, palms up. Her breathing was so slow as to be nearly imperceptible.

“
She’s preparing herself. And so should we.”

“
Did you figure out a way to deafen us?”

“
Yes, but only briefly. And if you speak at all, make any sound with your voice, the spell will unravel. Remember that. Don't cry out, no matter what, until you're sure it is safe to do so.”

“
I’ll do whatever it takes where Athagos is concerned.”

“
This is what we came up with while you slept. We will carry Ruiqi to the gate at dawn, as quietly as possible. I'll perform the deafening and we’ll stay out of sight in the square, much as you did when you dragged her back yesterday. Ruiqi will open the gates and call Athagos.”

“
The gates are already open.”

“
No, they're slightly ajar. She plans to get the goddess's attention quickly. You'll see. When Athagos takes her the
argilleh
should render her unconscious for at least a few seconds, hopefully longer, allowing you to transfer the necklace and us to slip past her into the Tabernacle.”

He leaned back and stretched. “After that point,” he said through a yawn, “planning becomes futile. Can you suggest any changes or improvements?”

“
It may take a long while for Athagos to respond to Ruiqi, whatever she’s planning to do. Our deafness might wear off before that happens. I'd prefer to approach the Tabernacle from the opposite side and use Ruiqi's suicide as a diversion. Unfortunately I've got to hang around and drop off the necklace.” I looked at him. “That doesn't mean you have to.”

“
Where you go, I go. No arguments.”

“
Alright. What's involved in renewing the spell, then, if it wears off before Athagos is incapacitated?”

“
Let's just say we don't want that to happen.”

“
Then what have we got to plug our ears?”

“
I'd love to have some wax but there’s nothing except cloth. Or dirt, I suppose. I really doubt we can fashion anything that would do the trick.”

“
We'll just have to hope for the best, then.”

He squeezed my hand and smiled. “We
will
make it through.”

“
Of course. Don't we always?” But I wasn't sure about this time, not at all.

We spent what remained of the night in each other's arms, sharing warmth. Ruiqi sat as still as a statue, the only sign of life the slow rise and fall of her chest. Prepare as she might, though, I doubted anyone could truly be prepared for death at the hands and mouth of Athagos.

As daylight crept up on us she stirred at last. She lowered her arms and placed her palms against her forehead, then put her fingertips to her lips and finally let her hands settle in what remained of her lap. “Please take me to see the dawn,” she said, voice serene. Of all her voices, that one disturbed me the most. I think. No one should be that calm facing imminent, certain death.

We lugged her outside and found a low stone wall to perch her on so she had an unobstructed view to the east. It was still snowing, and bitterly cold. There was no way she could actually see the sun rise, but it didn't seem to matter to her. Or perhaps she found it fitting.

She let a couple of tears escape, though she smiled that serene smile all the while. After a few minutes she said “I am ready,” and we helped her off the wall and carried her to her doom.

It was slow going through the snow-filled streets. One of us was constantly slipping. Finally Holgren called for a halt and put Ruiqi on his back, getting a grip on her legs above the stumps and having her cling to his neck. I walked ahead, plowing some of the snow out of the way. I don't know that it went any more quickly after that, but there were fewer spills.

The moment I stepped into the square, Tha-Agoth's voice filled my head.

What are you planning, little thief?

I stopped abruptly and Holgren bumped into me. “What's the matter?” he asked, and I held up a hand.

“
You said you'd stay out of my mind,” I said to Tha-Agoth. “Is your word good or not?”

I said I would not enter your memories, and I have not. I made no such assertion in respect to your companions.

“
We do what we have to. I hope you can understand that. We have no choice. When we're done, we'll free you. That I promise.”

Behind me. Holgren stiffened. “What are you doing?” he whispered. Not to me.

“
Tha-Agoth! Get out of his mind!”

How dare you? How dare you deliver my sister to that monster?
The ground beneath our feet trembled, and I caught an image of him twisting on his altar, beating his fists against the stone, the rod tearing at his flesh and fresh blood welling up.

He would not break free. If he hadn't yet, he wasn't going to.

“
What choice do we have?” I asked him. “What do you owe her? Have the past thousand years taught you nothing? She betrayed you! If things had gone as planned, she would have killed you! Why would you want to protect her?”

Silence, for a time. Then, less furious,
She is my twin, my sister, my wife. Whatever she has done, I will always love her in ways you cannot imagine. I cannot allow that dark mishap you name the Shadow King to have her.

“
And I have to send her to him. But I will free you as well, Tha-Agoth, and hopefully you can bring her back. Only you can stop the Shadow King once and for all. Surely a thousand years pinned like an insect have given you a taste for revenge.”

Revenge is foreign to my nature. I will do what must be done, thief, but there will be a reckoning, and not only with the Shadow King. Justice is not revenge.

“
I'll accept that. Now leave us alone to do what we must.”

If she is harmed —

“
I know. I know. Quiet, please.” I waited a few seconds, and when he didn't respond I motioned Holgren forward. I didn't have to tell him to go as quietly as he could.

We trudged and stumbled past the wreckage of the Duke's tent to the Tabernacle's massive gates. There I helped Holgren lower Ruiqi to the ground. When we had her safely deposited, I bent down and whispered in her ear.