The Black King (Book 7) (46 page)

“Golems are not my specialty. I’ve told you that before.”

“But you know something of them.”

“I know they shatter,” she said. “But usually what causes that comes from inside, not the outside. I would assume that whatever shatters regular stone from the outside would shatter them as well.”

“It takes a lot of power to destroy stone,” Arianna said.

“An Enchanter would have it,” Xihu said.

“It seems we have no Enchanters,” Arianna said. “At least none that would work with us. Our enemies have two.”

Our enemies. Xihu sighed and extended the doll to Arianna. “You don’t have to destroy the stone,” Xihu said, feeling like she was betraying a confidence and not knowing why. “If you capture the loose soul, the golem is as useless as this doll is right now.”

Arianna smiled. The smile was surprisingly warm. “I am too linear sometimes. I had forgotten how good it is to have another thinker, one who specializes in other methods of thought.”

“I take it there is a way to release the soul from these dolls.”

Arianna nodded.

“Then I would make sure, if you want the soul to remain captured, that no one knows how to get it free.”

“That’ll happen as soon as my troops level Constant. You see, Xihu, I’m not sending anyone to destroy my brother. I’m getting rid of the Islander religion. That’s what made the boy attack me. And that’s what will harm us, if we let it.”

“I don’t believe in that kind of retaliation,” Xihu said.

“You don’t have to.” Arianna spoke softly. “But I have learned that it’s the only thing that works.”

FORTY

THERE WAS A BOAT DOCK near Coulter’s school. Dash directed them to it. Gift was relieved that they had arrived. Rowing hadn’t bothered him, but Matt’s continual soft moans had. Each time the boat shifted slightly, Matt made a sound of pain. Chandra tried to ease him, but the things she did didn’t seem to work.

The boy would get better. Chandra had convinced Gift of that. But he had long months of healing ahead of him, months where pain would be his constant companion.

They tied the boat to the dock, and had to struggle to remove Matt from the bottom. Gift left the bags he had brought for the Lights of Midday in the boat. He would have to return for them. For once, Gift wished that Coulter had been with them or Matt had been conscious enough to help. They probably hurt the boy unnecessarily, banging him around like a sack of meal.

In contrast, carrying him up the slope and along the river path until they reached the school was easy.

The school surprised Gift. He had expected a building like the Tabernacle or the palace, something spectacular. Instead, Coulter had cobbled together several homes into a maze. There was a dirt area out front that looked like a Pitakan playground, but which was, Dash said, a place for the students to practice their skills.

When they had the school in sight, Gift sent Dash ahead to get Healers and helpers to bring Matt inside. Gift and Bridge struggled with the litter, trying to make sure that Matt was comfortable.

Then a swarm of people left the side door of the school. Seger ran ahead of the crowd. Gift would have recognized her anywhere. She had been Rugad’s Healer, and had saved Sebastian’s life. She had stayed on with Arianna and had helped Coulter spirit her away from the palace.

When Seger reached Gift, she smiled at him. “You look good.”

“So do you.”

She held up her hands. “Let me take your burden. I’m used to carrying these things.”

Other Healers had surrounded the litter. Gift was startled at how many of them there were at the school. He and Bridge crouched so that they were able to pass off the litter at an equal height to everyone around them, so that Matt wouldn’t get bumped again.

The group carried the litter away, leaving Gift and Bridge standing outside.

Gift studied the others. Most of them were young, and most had tan skin, which suggested a mixed heritage. Some had a upswept features while others had rounded cheeks and blue eyes. There were young Islanders in the mix, and one or two pure Fey.

Coulter had never told him how diverse this group was, only that most of them had been dumped here by their parents. Most of the parents had been Islanders who hadn’t known how to deal with their magickal offspring. Some were the results of mixed relationships between Islanders and Fey, and neither side wanted to raise the child. In some ways, Coulter had become a surrogate parent to a number of children.

Gift smiled at them and continued forward. He wanted to make sure Matt was settled before he went to his next stop, and he wanted to see Sebastian.

“So,” a voice said from beside him, “The Black Heir joins us from his lofty perch on the Eccrasian Mountains.”

Gift looked down. Scavenger was standing beside him. He looked no older than he had fifteen years ago. “Scavenger. I never thought I’d be glad to see you.”

Scavenger looked up. “You gonna let your Gull Rider join us?”

“He’s on the look-out. There’s an Assassin after Coulter.”

“Coulter?” Scavenger frowned. “Who would—?” and then his mouth dropped open. “Rugad wouldn’t.”

Gift shrugged. “He already has. It might avoid the Blood.”

“It probably would. There’s an argument to be made that someone should break the Binding between you and Coulter so that you wouldn’t have to die.”

“Coulter says that’s not possible.”

Scavenger snorted. “You always believe everything Coulter says. You’re a grown man and you still don’t realize that boy likes being you, even in a small way.”

“He’s not a boy, Scavenger.”

“He didn’t want to leave here, you know,” Scavenger said. “He liked having your sister all to himself.”

“He’s been doing well. It’s Matt we’re worried about. He went up against Rugad alone and lost.”

“If he’d lost,” Scavenger said, “he’d be dead. Which, I assume, is what happened to Wisdom.”

Gift nodded. He let Scavenger lead him across the dirt yard. Scavenger looked over his shoulder at Bridge.

“You’re not Rugar,” Scavenger said, “and you’re too young to be Rugad in the flesh. I assume you’re one of Jewel’s brothers.”

Behind Gift, Bridge chuckled. “And you must be the famous Red Cap who knows more about magick than the rest of us.”

“That’s my Uncle Bridge,” Gift said.

“You’d better be trustworthy,” Scavenger said. “I have a lot invested in this side of your family.”

Bridge smiled. “I’m not very fond of my grandfather.”

“No one is, but be warned. I’m not afraid of any Fey.”

“Scavenger,” Gift warned.

Scavenger shrugged and let them in a warm kitchen. A cistern sat on one side, ovens on the other. In the middle was a large table that seemed to double as a food preparation area. Two young Islanders, a girl and a boy, were chopping vegetables. As Gift came in, the two of them stopped. The girl curtsied and the boy bowed.

“Your Highness,” they said in unison.

Gift started. He had forgotten Islander ways. “It’s all right,” he said. “Stand up.”

They did, but he could see a wariness on their faces, a nervousness at being in his presence. He wondered if Arianna had had to deal with this while she lived here.

At that moment, the kitchen door opened and Sebastian walked in. Leen was behind him. She grinned at Gift, but waited for Sebastian to reach Gift first.

Sebastian still moved slowly, but he looked different. His gray skin had no cracks in it. The smoothness made him look younger. When he saw Gift, he smiled. Gift hurried to his brother and hugged him. His skin was smooth and cool, like it had always been.

Gift had missed him more than he cared to admit.

“I...did...not...ex-pect...you,” Sebastian said. “It...is...good...to...see...you.”

Gift smiled. “And you.”

Then Sebastian gave Dash a worried look. “Where...is...Ari?”

“On my ship,” Gift said. “She’s safe. She’s with Coulter.”

“Ship?” Sebastian asked.

“It’s a long story, and one I don’t have time for, I’m afraid. I have a lot to do here today, and then I hope to go back to Jahn.”

“The...plan...did...not...work.” Sebastian sounded sad.

“No,” Gift said. “But it was a good plan, and it gave us ideas on how to get rid of Rugad the right way. Only Matt got badly hurt.”

Sebastian nodded. Up once, down once. Such a familiar gesture. Gift was amazed at how little his brother had changed. “I...was...a-fraid...of...that.”

Gift put his hands on Sebastian’s shoulder. “I will come see you when this is all over.”

“I...can-not...come...with...you?”

“No. I need you here. There’s a Fey Assassin after Coulter.”

“Why?” Sebastian asked.

“I’ll explain it later,” Scavenger said.

“I need you to make sure that this Assassin stays away from the school,” Gift said. “Coulter’s pretty angry that I didn’t let him come with me today.”

Sebastian smiled—his slow beautiful smile. “He...would...be. I...will...make...sure...no...one...harms...Coul-ter...or...the...school.”

“I’ll make sure of it too.” Leen stepped aside and Gift reached for her, pulling her close. She looked different—stronger and older. Gift could see how she had become Coulter’s second in command.

“Thank you,” Gift said, knowing he could trust her. “Let me make sure Matt’s settled before I go.”

“I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry,” Leen said as she led Gift through a large dining room with several scratched and well-used tables. “One night won’t make a difference.”

“It might make all the difference,” Gift said. “Matt caught Rugad by surprise. It’ll take him some time to recover. I don’t want to give him that time.”

Behind Gift, Scavenger grunted. Sebastian, who had been following, said, “Did...any...one...else...get...hurt?”

“Several Fey died,” Gift said softly.

Sebastian didn’t ask any more questions.

Leen led Gift into a corridor. It twisted and turned, and it became clear that this was where the buildings joined. The corridor’s patterns made no sense otherwise. Finally they ended up in a Domestic area.

Gift slipped in, followed by the rest of his group. Empty beds sat side by side, healing blankets were folded against the wall, and bottles of potions, wellness liquids and herbs were scattered on a nearby table.

Matt was on a bed toward the far end of the room, covered with a healing blanket to his waist. The stone material that Chandra had used to bind his wounds was peeled back, and Gift saw mottled flesh and swelling.

The boy was still very ill.

Several Healers and Domestics stood around him. Seger looked up at him and smiled. “Gift.”

He walked toward her, hugging her with one arm. “Take good care of this boy. He almost saved all of us by himself.”

“It looks like he’s lucky to be alive.”

“He’s going to need more than we can give him,” one of the other Healers said. “We’ll need the Islander woman.”

“No!” Matt’s voice was soft.

Seger went to his side, and put a comforting hand on him. “She’ll want to know, anyway.”

A tear formed in the corner of Matt’s eye. “I don’t want her.”

“You’ll need her if you’re going to heal well,” the other Healer said. “Such wounds became her expertise in the war.”

“What are we talking about?” Gift asked.

“The Islander woman that they’re referring to,” Seger said, “is Matt’s mother.”

“What can she do?” he asked.

“Let these wounds heal,” Seger said. “All we can do is repair the skin with the same clay as Golems are made of. It’s not the best solution, as you can see. He’ll lose range of motion, and he might still succumb to an infection that so many victims of Foot Soldiers get. We don’t have good remedies against our own magick.”

Matt was watching the whole interchange. The tear had fallen from his eye, staining the pillow.

“I was going to take you to her anyway,” Dash said from the back of the room. “She’s one of the keepers of the Vault.”

“No,” Matt said again. “I have to take you to the Vault.”

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere,” Seger said.

“You can’t go to the Vault,” Scavenger said to Gift. “It’s got all the holy secrets. Holy water, everything. Matt’s brother is as crazy as Matthias was. He’ll never let you in there.”

“He’s going to let me in there,” Gift said.

“Not without me,” Matt said.

“I’m sorry.” Gift crouched beside Matt. “I’m going.”

Matt’s skin was so pale that he looked translucent. “You need me, even if Alex isn’t there. You won’t know what to get.”

Gift smiled gently. “I’ve seen the Lights of Midday before.”

“Get...them...from...the...Roca’s...Cave,” Sebastian said.

“There aren’t enough,” Gift said. “Coulter and Dad used most of them there. We need as many as we can get, and we don’t have time to make them.”

“You’ll need to focus the beam.” Matt’s voice was raspy.

Gift frowned. “From the Lights?”

Matt nodded. “Otherwise you’ll have to lure Rugad outside. Then you’d send a wide beam of light and everyone nearby with Fey magick will be affected.”

Gift leaned on his heels. He was embarrassed to realize he hadn’t thought of that at all. Matt was right. The light flowed out like a wide flat beam and destroyed anything in its path. That was how it hit Gift and Arianna the first time.

“So what else do I get?” Gift asked.

“Diamonds to cut through walls,” Matt said. Seger put her hand on his forehead. She gave Gift a warning look. “Emeralds to narrow the beam. And the black stones, the heart stones, to chose the target.”

“All right,” Seger said. “That’s enough.”

“How do I use the stones?” Gift asked.

“Line them up horizontally. Diamond first, then a hand-span away, the emerald, and another hand-span, the heartstone.” Matt grabbed Gift with his good hand and squeezed. “Whoever holds the heartstone must think of the target and only that target. Or it will not work.”

“Will I need anything else?”

Matt’s eyelids fluttered. “I hope not,” he whispered. “I truly hope not.”