The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence (58 page)

Throughout the day, Darq was simply waiting for the evening. He presumed Geburael would be at the meal and that they might get the opportunity to speak in private. Caeru had insisted that Darq take up residence in his apartments, so after their walk Darq was forced to pretend he cared about which rooms he took. Caeru’s affection and enthusiasm were endearing, but he was beginning to get on Darq’s nerves a little. A great deal of fuss was made over what Darq should wear to dinner; again a subject in which Darq had little interest. Caeru brought his dresser, his hairdresser and his beautician to Darq’s bedroom, all of whom were clearly itching to get their fingers on him.

‘Line your eyes with kohl,’ Rue advised, standing behind Darq as he sat glaring at himself in his dressing table mirror. ‘Perhaps some golden dust upon your eyelids.’

‘For Aru’s sake, why?’ Darq snapped. ‘I’m fine as I am.’

‘Oh…’ Caeru sounded wounded.

Darq felt guilty and relented. ‘Sorry, do what you like. Just don’t make me look…’ He shrugged. ‘I just want to look like me.’

Caeru hugged him from behind and kissed him on the side of the head. ‘Forgive me, Darq. I just want you to have everything, I suppose. Even Cal, whose idea of dressing up is to run cold water over his head for some minutes, wears kohl. It makes your eyes stand out.’

‘What, on stalks?’ Darq couldn’t help laughing.

Caeru clicked his fingers and a dresser swooped forward, holding out a garment of sumptuous fabric that spilled from his arms. ‘How about this outfit in dark green?’ Caeru asked. ‘It’s almost black, but there are gold threads in the material too.’

‘Fine.’ Darq sighed. ‘Will this take much longer?’

Caeru shook his head. ‘I’m afraid there’s too much of Cal in you. You should want to look good tonight. Members of the Hegemony will be there.’

Darq’s fear was that Caeru would make him look ridiculous. He cared a lot that Geburael shouldn’t see him that way.

Eventually, after what had felt like a mighty battle over the minutiae of his appearance, Darq accompanied Caeru to the Tigron’s apartments. As Caeru had warned, the dining room was full and hara were no longer discreet about submitting Darq to close inspection. He was introduced to so many hara, he couldn’t remember their names. He met new members of his family, such as Raven and Terez, and was asked dozens of questions he was too tired to answer. His face hurt from smiling.

At one point, before they sat down to eat, Pellaz came up to Darq and drew him aside. ‘You’re bearing up well,’ he said. ‘I can see you enjoy this kind of function as much as I do, which is to say not very much. Keep smiling. You can plead exhaustion and leave after we’ve eaten.’

Darq smiled gratefully. ‘Thanks. I won’t have to do this sort of thing all the time, will I?’

Pellaz raised an eyebrow. ‘Sadly, yes you will. It’s your fate, Darq. You’re Aralisian. But you’ll learn how to cope with it.’

Darq sighed dismally and thought longingly of Anakhai. ‘Is Geburael here yet?’

Pellaz scanned the room. ‘No, but that’s not unusual. Why?’

Darq experienced a moment of envy that his surakin wasn’t forced to attend the gathering. ‘I just wondered.’

‘He’s your own age, of course,’ Pellaz said. ‘You’ll meet others, Darq. You’ll soon have a host of friends, and you can be picky about who you let close.’

At that moment, Darq could think of nothing more tedious than having to consort with Gelaming hara his own age. He imagined them to be preening creatures to a har. What would they do all night? Talk about makeup and clothes? His heart slumped. Had he gone through everything in Anakhai just to reach this point? It seemed farcical.

‘I don’t want to stay in Immanion all the time,’ he said and took a deep breath. ‘I have a chesnari in Anakhai.’

Pellaz regarded him steadily. ‘Cal has spoken to me about that,’ he said. ‘He’s your first love, Darq, this Tava-edzen. A chesna bond takes time to develop. What you feel is something else. I’m not denigrating your feelings, and I think you should live them to the full while you have them. It might be that you and this har will remain together, or you might not. I’ll not stand in your way, in either case. I know what it’s like when others tell you how you should feel.’

‘Thank you,’ Darq said. ‘I thought you might disapprove.’

Pellaz laughed. ‘I’m the last one who should disapprove of controversial choices in matters of the heart, or of how young you might be when they take a hold.’ He put a hand on Darq’s shoulder. ‘Enjoy yourself. I wish you well.’

‘Come with me to Anakhai some time,’ Darq said. ‘I want you to meet Tava.’

Pellaz stroked his son’s face. ‘I’d like that.’ He paused. ‘Do you want to go somewhere we can talk alone soon?’

Darq shook his head. ‘Not tonight, if you don’t mind. I can hardly think straight.’

‘Well, when you’re ready, just come to me.’

‘I will. I want to.’ What Darq didn’t say was that he wanted to speak to Geburael first.

But Geburael did not put in an appearance that evening at all, which in some ways Darq found puzzling. He knew Geburael was interested in him, if only to prove Darq really was some kind of demon. Hadn’t he intuited what Darq wanted to speak to him about? If he hadn’t, he wasn’t the har Darq had decided he was. But perhaps it was a deliberate ploy on Geburael’s part to keep away.

Darq was also aware that he was being watched carefully by Cal and Velaxis. He hoped he was only being paranoid and they hadn’t worked out what he planned to do. Eventually, as Pellaz had promised, Darq was able to plead exhaustion and leave the gathering. Unfortunately, Caeru insisted on escorting him back to his rooms.

‘Everyhar thinks you’re amazing,’ Caeru said. They were walking along one of the high galleries that led between the different wings of the palace. The lighting was dim, and the corridor seemed endless.

Darq grunted in response. ‘Where was Geburael tonight?’ he asked.

‘Oh, he goes his own way,’ Caeru answered, a little coldly. ‘He’s in love with Loki, it’s obvious. Draw your own conclusions as to his absence.’

‘I don’t want anyhar to feel pushed out because of me,’ Darq said. ‘I can’t be bothered to deal with senseless enmities.’

‘You’re our true son,’ Caeru said.

‘So are the others.’

Caeru sighed. ‘Abrimel, yes of course, but… I should tell you about Loki’s parentage, Darq. It’s complicated.’

Once Darq knew the facts he realised that Loki had even more reason to resent him than he’d imagined. Was having family always this messy for hara? He yearned to return to the winter stillness of Anakhai and the haven of Tava-edzen’s arms. But he must deny himself that. He wouldn’t return there until everything was resolved; only then he could feel justified in rewarding himself.

When they reached the doors to Caeru’s apartments, and the guards on duty had admitted them, Caeru said, ‘Do you want to come for a final drink with me before bedtime, Darq?’

Darq screwed up his face. ‘Not really, Rue. I’m feeling har-drowned, if you know what I mean. No offence, but I need time alone to unwind. Thanks, anyway.’

Caeru hugged him. ‘I quite understand. See you at breakfast, then.’

Alone in his bedroom, Darq sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his face slowly. His head was aching.
Geburael, come to me!

He extended his senses and was sure that Geburael had heard the call, because he felt a slight flex in the ethers that suggested attention, but the har didn’t respond. This was ridiculous. Darq could also sense other disciplined minds scanning the vicinity. Perhaps that was a customary security measure in Phaonica, but he was wary of transmitting too forceful a mindcall, because then it could be picked up easily. A soft touch caressed his mind.
Darquiel…
It wasn’t Geburael. Darq shuddered. He suspected it was a
sedu.

Geburael, come now, or I’ll come and find you. You want Loki safe? I know how to accomplish that.

It wasn’t exactly the truth, but at least had the required effect. After only a few moments, the shadows in a corner of the room condensed and shivered, and then Geburael stepped out of them. He was in fact quite dressed up, which suggested to Darq that his surakin had been in two minds about whether to attend the dinner party or not.

‘At last!’ Darq said. ‘Are you avoiding me?’

Geburael shrugged. Like Darq, he was dressed in deepest green, which was an amusing coincidence. His hair hung loose over his breast. ‘What do you want with me?’

Darq could see no point in dissembling. ‘I want us to go to Thanatep,’ he said. ‘Together.’

Geburael grimaced, folded his arms. ‘I told you, I can’t get back there. I tried taking Pellaz with me. It won’t work.’

‘Yes it will… with me.’

Geburael sneered. ‘The Hashmallim will kill you.’

‘Or you will? Isn’t that right?’ Darq stood up, gestured at himself. ‘Come and try it.’

Geburael didn’t move. ‘You could be everything the Hashmallim say you are.’

‘Then come and find out. Come on. What are you waiting for?’

Geburael flared his nostrils. ‘Is this what you want? You want us to fight?’

Darq laughed. ‘No! I can simply see your mind, Geburael. You can’t protect your thoughts from me. The Hashmallim are right to fear me.’

‘I won’t take you to them,’ Geburael said.

Darq could tell the har was on the point of creating a portal to leave the room and projected his will firmly. It was like a hand closing over Geburael’s intentions.

‘No,’ Darq said. ‘Don’t run. It has to be done. You have to help me get to Thanatep. It is destiny. Maybe Loki will kill me or maybe I’ll kill him. Maybe we’ll all die together or there might even be a happy ending. Who knows? But you must help me end it, Geburael.’

‘You’re unnatural,’ Geburael hissed.

‘Maybe so, but I exist.’ Darq sighed. ‘I don’t want us to fight. Listen. If I can, when this is over, I’ll pull those thorns for you. I can take the taint of Gebaddon from you completely.’

Geburael bared his teeth. ‘How dare you! You have no right to pry so deep.’

Darq shrugged. ‘I know. But don’t you want to be like a normal har? It bothers you that Loki might still find your
unusual
trait disturbing. I can help you, but you must help me first.’

Geburael took a step forward, fists clenched at his sides. ‘Will you just shut up? Stay out of my mind.’

Darq raised his hands. ‘I’m out! Well? What’s your answer? Don’t you want Loki back to normal too?’

Geburael exhaled slowly. ‘All right. I’ll help you. But if you try to hurt Loki, I
will
kill you, even if it takes the last breath in my body.’

Darq gestured to his surakin. ‘Come. It’s up to us. Nohar else can do a thing.’

Geburael placed his hands over Darq’s. What Darq sensed in him was not the wistful longings and hot passions like those he’d sensed in Zira and Amelza. Geburael was full of sorrow, because even though he and Loki had become close, Loki still thought that part of Geburael was contaminated. ‘Loki is a fool,’ Darq said softly. ‘Doesn’t he realise that his own love for you would remove this taint he despises so much?’

Geburael shook his head. ‘Don’t speak of it. We have work to do.’

Chapter Thirty-One

Lileem sometimes felt tremors from above, as if Thanatep were flexing muscles that were stiff from long disuse. She spent most of her time exploring Thannaril Below, which was vast. She wandered through towering empty apartment buildings that were like something from a narcotic dream. The people had left so much behind; their clothes, their tools, even their letters. Some homes were jungles, just like the greenhouses. Mechanisms in the buildings had continued to nurture houseplants after the owners had left.

While Lileem roamed the city, Ta Ke remained sitting on the strange black throne in his work area. He appeared to be doing nothing, although Lileem knew his mind was attempting not only to re-establish communication with his tower but to rebuild it. Ta Ke had wept the first time he’d done this. Mutandis was crippled and he felt its pain.

‘How will you rebuild it without going to the surface?’ Lileem asked.

‘The way it was created initially,’ Ta Ke replied. ‘Through sound.’

‘Won’t anyone on the surface notice it’s rebuilding?’

Ta Ke made an airy gesture. ‘I’ll do what I can to disguise the process.’

But it all appeared to be taking too long. Lileem was starting to feel impatient. She sensed some kind of deadline approaching.

Then she ran smack into it. It happened as she was walking in one of the farms, between tall trellises that were overgrown with rampant vines hung with swollen purple fruit. Without warning, the ground shook, and she was thrown from her feet. This was far more than the slight tremors she sometimes felt. Leaves and fruit rained down upon her. She had to curl up into a ball to protect her head. Once the tremor subsided, she scrambled to her feet and ran at once to Ta Ke. The Thanad had been disturbed from his meditations and was prowling round his workroom, his eyes feverish.

‘What was that?’ Lileem demanded. ‘Something’s happening above us.’

Ta Ke picked up a small vitreous sphere of indefinable purpose, which had fallen from one of the tables. ‘A portal opened,’ he said. There was a trace of blood at the edge of one of his nostrils. ‘It took some effort by whoever was responsible. Basically, they had to punch a hole through some well-constructed defenses.’

Lileem scraped back her hair; it was still full of leaf bits. ‘Who came? Can you tell?’

Ta Ke wiped his nose with the back of one hand, stared in some astonishment at the blood he found. ‘I’m not sure. Not Aasp, or their agents. That’s all I could tell.’

‘Ta Ke, I want to go up there!’

The Thanad frowned. ‘No, you mustn’t. That would be the worst folly. You have no idea what’s happening up there.’

‘Exactly!’

Ta Ke considered for a moment, then shook his head. ‘No, no, I can’t permit it. I’m so close to a breakthrough. Nothing must threaten that.’

‘But what if whatever’s up there is a danger to the tower? You have to let me investigate. I’ll be careful. Help me make a portal, so I emerge somewhere discreet.’