The Skull Throne (16 page)

The Sharach warrior escorted Fahki over to Abban at the end of his pole. The boy’s face was red with shame under the tear-streaked grime of the yard. Abban nodded to the warrior, who released Fahki and stood at attention.

“This is Lifan,” Abban said, gesturing to the Sharach. “He will be your tutor.”

Shusten looked at him. “You said Drillmaster Qeran …”

“Would teach you to fight, yes,” Abban said. “
If
you prove worthy. Lifan will tutor you in reading, writing, and mathematics. Lessons your mother began, abandoned when you were called to
Hannu Pash.
You will hop to his every command. When you can read without moving your lips and do sums without your fingers, we shall discuss whether you will be allowed to hold a spear again.”

CHAPTER 7

MORE SACK THAN SENSE

333 AR AUTUMN

Jardir gaped at the Par’chin, seeking signs of deceit—or madness—in his aura. But the Par’chin was calm, focused, and very serious.

Jardir opened his mouth, then closed it again. The Par’chin laughed.

“If this is some jest, Par’chin, it will be the end of my patience …”

The son of Jeph remained relaxed, waving him down. In a show of trust, he backed away till his back struck the window, then slid down to sit on the floor amidst the broken bits of his chair. “No jest. Know it’s a lot to wrap your thoughts around. Plenty of questions, ay? Take your time, and start throwing them when you’re ready.”

Jardir stiffened, unsure. The heat of battle was fading, but his muscles were bunched for action, knowing the Par’chin could be upon him the moment he let down his guard.

But in his heart, he did not believe it. The Par’chin was many things, but he was not a liar. His casual posture reminded Jardir of the countless hours had they spent interrogating each other, talking about everything under the sun as they fought to understand each other’s language and culture. The Par’chin’s relaxed demeanor had always put Jardir at ease in a way he never was with his own people.

He looked to the bed, but like the chair it was a wreckage, broken by the force of his leap. Instead he backed to the window opposite the Par’chin, sliding to the floor to mirror him. He remained alert to attack, but the Par’chin was right. There was nothing to be gained in fighting each other before dawn came to even the odds.

Rivalries must be put aside when night falls,
the Evejah said.

“How can we get to the abyss?” Jardir asked, picking a question at random out of the many swirling in his thoughts. “You can mist as the
alagai
do, but I cannot.”

“Don’t need to,” the Par’chin said. “There are land routes. The minds take human captives and keep them alive in the Core.” He spat on the floor. “Keeps their brains fresh.”

“We must journey to the underworld to save those lost souls,” Jardir guessed. “Then Everam will …”

The Par’chin sighed loudly, rolling his eyes. “If you’re going to make a fresh guess at ‘Everam’s plan’ every time I tell you something new, we’re going to be here a long time, Ahmann.”

Jardir scowled, but the Par’chin had a point. He nodded. “Continue, please.”

“Dunno if there’s much worth saving in any event.” The Par’chin’s eyes were sad and distant. “The minds consider empty brains a delicacy. Imagine dozens of generations, living and dying in darkness, eating moss and lichen, cattle for the slaughter. Denied clothes or even language. Ent human anymore. Become something else. Dark, twisted, and savage.”

Jardir suppressed a shudder.

“Point is,” Arlen said, “there are a number of routes we can follow to the Core, but it’s a long, winding trail. Lots of forks, dead ends, pitfalls, and dangerous crossings. Not something we could ever do on our own. Need a guide.”

“And you want that guide to be one of Alagai Ka’s princelings,” Jardir said. The Par’chin nodded. “How will we make it betray its own kind and guide us?”

“Torture,” the Par’chin said. “Pain. Demons have no sense of loyalty, and rail against captivity. We can use that.”

“You sound unsure,” Jardir said. “How can we trust a prince of lies in any event?”

“It’s a weak point in the plan,” the Par’chin admitted. He shrugged. “Need to catch one, first.”

“And how do you intend to do that?” Jardir asked. “I’ve killed two. One I took by surprise, and had help from Leesha Paper and my
Jiwah Ka
with the other. They are formidable, Par’chin. Given a moment to act, they can—”

The Par’chin smiled. “What? Turn into mist? Draw wards in the air? Heal their wounds? We can do these things, too, Ahmann. We can set a trap even Alagai Ka could not escape.”

“How can we even find one?” Jardir asked. “After I killed one the first night of Waning, its brothers fled the field. They kept their distance the following nights, moving quickly.”

“They fear you,” the Par’chin said. “They remember Kaji, the mind hunter, and the many he killed with the crown and spear and cloak. They will never come within miles of you willingly.”

“So you admit Kaji was the Deliverer, and I am his heir,” Jardir said.

“I admit Kaji was a general the mind demons feared,” the Par’chin said, “and when you faced them with his spear and crown, they came to fear you, too. Doesn’t make you heir to anything. If Abban wore the crown and held the spear, they’d piss themselves and run from him, too.”

Jardir scowled, but it was pointless to argue. Despite his doubtful words and the Par’chin’s disrespect, he felt hope kindling in his breast. The Par’chin was building to something. His plan was madness, but it was
glorious
madness. Madness worthy of Kaji himself. He embraced the barb and pressed on. “How can we know where to set wards to trap one?”

The Par’chin winked at him. “That’s the thing. I know where they’re going on new moon. All of them.

“They’re going to Anoch Sun.”

Jardir felt his blood go cold. The lost city of Kaji, where the Par’chin’s theft of the spear had set everything in motion. “How can you know this?”

“You’re not the only one who’s fought minds, Ahmann,” the Par’chin said. “While you struggled with one in your bedroom, I fought its brother north of the Hollow. Would’ve had me, if not for Renna.”

Jardir nodded. “Your
jiwah
is formidable.”

The Par’chin accepted the compliment with a nod, but sighed deeply. “Maybe if I’d listened to her, I wouldn’t have been caught with my bido down by three of them last month.” His eyes dropped to the floor, and his aura colored with shame. “Got inside my head, Ahmann. Couldn’t stop them. Rooted around my memories like a rummage trunk. Most of all, they wanted to know where I found the wards …”

“Raise your eyes, son of Jeph,” Jardir said. “I have never met a man who fought the
alagai
harder than you. If you could not stop them, they could not be stopped.”

Gratitude flushed in the Par’chin’s aura as he lifted his chin. “Wasn’t all bad. Even as they looked into my thoughts, I got a glimpse into theirs. They mean to return to the lost city and do what three thousand years of sandstorms could not. Dunno if it’s fear the city has secrets yet to divulge, or a wish to shit upon their ancient foes, but they will exhume the sarcophagi and raze the city.”

“We must stop them at any cost,” Jardir said. “I will not have my ancestors profaned.”

“Don’t be a fool,” Arlen snapped. “Throw away all strategic advantage over a handful of dusty corpses?”

“Those are heroes of the First War, you faithless
chin,
” Jardir snapped. “They carry the honor of mankind. I will not suffer them to be sullied by the
alagai.
”

The Par’chin spat on the floor. “Kaji himself would command you leave them.”

Jardir laughed. “Oh, you claim to speak for Kaji now, Par’chin?”

“I’ve read his treatise on war, too, Ahmann,” the Par’chin said. “
No thing is more precious than victory.
Kaji’s words, not mine.”

Jardir balled his fists. “You’re free with the holy scripture when it suits you, son of Jeph, and quick to dismiss it as fantasy when it does not.” His crown began to glow fiercely. “Kaji also commanded we honor the bones of those who have given their lives in
alagai’sharak
above all others, and let none profane them.”

The Par’chin crossed his arms, the wards on his flesh flaring to match the crown. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you will give up our one chance to take the fight to the demons just to preserve the honor of empty shells whose spirits have long since gone down the lonely path.”

Our cultures are a natural insult to each other, Par’chin,
Jardir had once said.
We must resist the urge to take offense, if we are to continue to learn from each other.

The son of Jeph’s aura was plain. He believed he was in the right, but had no wish to fight over the matter.

“You are not wrong,” Jardir admitted, “but you are a fool if you think I will stand idle and watch a demon shit upon the bones of Kaji.”

The Par’chin nodded. “And I do not ask you to. I ask that if it comes to it, you watch them shit upon Isak. Maji. Mehnding. Even Jardir, should they find him.”

“They will not,” Jardir said, relieved. “My holy ancestor is interred in the Desert Spear. We can move the body of Kaji there.” Still, the thought of letting the
alagai
desecrate the bodies of the great leaders of the Evejah horrified him. Even with all Ala at stake, he did not know if he could witness such a thing and not act to stop it.

“And what advantage do we gain by this … sacrifice?” Jardir asked through bitter tones.

“We do not steal Kaji away,” the son of Jeph said. “The first Shar’Dama Ka will serve his people once more, baiting the trap we will set upon his tomb. Anoch Sun is enormous. We cannot predict precisely where the mind demons will strike, save that one crypt, seen so clearly in my memory. They are coming there, Ahmann. They are coming in force. And we will be there to meet them, hidden in Cloaks of Unsight. When they enter the chamber, we will capture one, kill as many as we can while surprise holds, and flee.”

Jardir crossed his arms, looking skeptical. “And how are we supposed to accomplish this?”

“We use the crown,” the Par’chin said.

Jardir raised a brow.

“The Crown of Kaji’s warding field can repel any demon, even an army of them, up to half a mile,” the Par’chin said.

“I am aware of this,” Jardir said. “It is my crown.”

The Par’chin smiled. “Are you also aware that you can raise the field at a distance? Like a bubble, keeping demons out, or as in the Maze …”

“… keeping them in,” Jardir realized. “If we get in close …”

“… you can trap them in with us,” the Par’chin said.

Jardir clenched a fist. “We can destroy Nie’s generals before the first sallies of Sharak Ka even begin.”

The Par’chin nodded. “But it won’t do much good if their queen can lay more.”

Jardir looked at him. “Alagai’ting Ka. The Mother of Demons.”

“Just so,” the Par’chin said. “Kill her, and we’ve a shot at winning the war. If not, they’ll come back again, even if it takes another three thousand years. Eventually, they’ll wear us down.”

“What if I do not agree to this plan, Par’chin?” Jardir asked. “Will you steal the crown and try alone?”

“Half right,” Arlen said. “Minds are coming to Anoch Sun on new moon and I’ll be there with or without you. If you can’t see the value in that, then you’re not the man I thought you were. Take your crown, slink back to your ripping throne, and leave Sharak Ka to me.”

Jardir grit his teeth. “And the spear?”

“The spear is mine,” Arlen said. “But you swear by the sun to do this with me, I’ll give it to you free and clear and call it a bargain. If not, I’ll take it to the Core and put it through the demon queen’s heart myself.”

Jardir stared at him a long time. “That will not be necessary, Par’chin. It grates me to be given what is already mine, but what kind of
ajin’pal
would I be if I let you walk such a road alone? You may think Everam a lie, Par’chin, but truly He must love you, to grant you such courage.”

The Par’chin smiled. “My da always said I had more sack than sense.”

Arlen bustled about the kitchen, his hands a blur as he worked. He had never been a great cook, but years spent alone on the road had made him efficient enough at boiling potatoes and pan-frying meat and vegetables. He used no fire; heat wards etched into the pots and pans did the work, powered by his touch.

“May I assist?” Jardir asked.

“You?” Arlen asked. “Has the self-proclaimed king of the world ever even touched unprepared food?”

“You know me well, Par’chin,” Jardir said, “but not as well as you think. Was I not
nie’Sharum
once? There is no menial task I have not bent my back to.”

“Then bend your back to setting the table.” The banter was familiar, something Arlen hadn’t realized he had missed all these years. It was easy to fall into their old patterns, brothers in all but name. Jardir had stood with Arlen on his first night in the Maze, and in Krasia, that was as great a bond as blood. Greater.

But Jardir had been willing to kill him for power. He had not done it with malice, but he had done it all the same, and even now, Arlen had to wonder if he would do it all over again if he had the chance … or if the chance came again in the future. He searched Jardir’s aura for a clue, but he could discern little without Drawing magic through him and Knowing him fully—an intrusion Jardir would no doubt sense, and have every right to take offense to.

“Ask, Par’chin,” Jardir said.

“Ay?” Arlen asked, surprised.

“I can see the question that gnaws at your spirit,” Jardir said. “Ask, and let us have it done.”

Arlen nodded. “Soon enough. Some things are best done on a full stomach.”

He finished preparing the meal, waiting patiently as Jardir said a prayer over the food before they set to eating. A single serving was enough for Arlen, but Jardir had suffered serious wounds in their battle on the cliff, and while magic could heal them in an instant, it couldn’t make flesh and blood from nothing. He emptied three bowls and still reached for the fruit plate while Arlen cleared the table.