The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure (34 page)

‘This is disgusting. This is torture.’

‘I don’t intend to pull out his fingernails. Aruna with you can’t be that terrible.’

‘I really hate you,’ Seel said.

Thiede smiled. ‘I know, but it won’t be forever. One day you’ll thank me.’

Seel uttered a low, gibbering growl, which was the most he had to say to that remark.

‘One other thing before you go,’ Thiede said. ‘Before you conceive the harling, I want you to perform Grissecon with Swift. The elixir will be useful in toppling the Varr archon Ponclast’s forces. Quite ironic really, using the essence of a son of Varrs against them.’

The last time Seel had performed Grissecon had been with Cal, years ago. He had started to sweat.

‘Don’t look so beaten,’ Thiede said. ‘This is an honour and you know it. Once you get your teeth into Galhea, you’ll be in your element. Terzian has done little to change the town since he appropriated it from humanity. It’s very old-fashioned by our standards. You know that building communities is your forte. Well, what do you think?’

Seel knew there was no point in saying any more. As had been pointed out to him, he’d willingly accepted all of Thiede’s gifts. In the back of his mind, Seel had always been aware that if a price for them were ever named he’d have to pay it. Now, he simply rose from his seat and walked out of the room, leaving the door open. On the way down the corridor outside, he allowed himself the indulgence of kicking over and smashing a priceless vase full of peacock feathers that stood on the tiled floor.

‘Seel!’ Thiede called him imperiously from the threshold of his office.

Seel froze. He was too afraid of Thiede to keep on walking.

‘There is another aspect to this task you will appreciate.’

Seel turned, said nothing.

‘I never forget a promise,’ Thiede said.

Seel felt a chill pass through him. ‘Go on.’

Thiede folded his arms, leaned against the doorframe. ‘You should know that during your friend Cal’s travels with Pell, he ran into Terzian in Galhea. Terzian was just like most other hara and fell for him like a wounded bird out of the sky. So, after Cal’s indiscretion in Saltrock, he had a suitable bolthole primed and waiting. He returned to Galhea. He is still there, Seel, with Terzian’s family.’

Seel walked back down the short corridor. Suddenly, all the things Thiede had told him in the office seemed unimportant. ‘The Gelaming will arrest him now?’

‘No need,’ Thiede said. ‘Cal will be brought to you in Imbrilim. The Varrish heir will take Cal with him on his fruitless quest and will unwittingly deliver him into Gelaming custody.’

‘Does Pellaz know this?’

‘No, and you won’t tell him.’

‘How, in the name of all that’s sacred, have you arranged this?’

Thiede laughed. ‘Strategic friendships, my dear, how else?’ He sobered and narrowed his eyes a little. ‘I am very fond of you, Seel. If you want your sport with Cal before he’s brought to Immanion in the chains you’ve dreamed of so fondly, then everyhar will turn a blind eye. You have my sanction to do whatever you please with him. Just don’t damage him too much. He must be brought to me alive and intact.’ With these words, Thiede stepped back into his office and closed the door.

Imbrilim was not just an army camp, but also a centre for refugees, both human and harish. Because of his prior experience, Seel found his time was consumed mainly with accommodating and organising this horde of helpless creatures, who all looked upon the Gelaming as holy saviours. Sometimes, Seel fell into bed late at night, fully clothed, and was up again in only a couple of hours, dealing with the next influx. It was important to keep disease in the human population under control and sanitation was the biggest project. Various members of the Hegemony were in residence continually to assist with organisation, and Ashmael’s right hand har, Arahal, was the camp commander. Seel depended totally on this capable and tireless har. Without him, Imbrilim might well have fallen into chaos.

Chrysm Luel was the youngest member of the Hegemony and many hara said that he and Seel could have been brothers. They did look alike, although Seel considered that Chrysm was far too frivolous and disorganised to be worthy of the name Griselming. It was a puzzle to Seel how Chrysm had actually secured a place in the Hegemony, but no doubt it was the result of one of Thiede’s strategic friendships. However, out of all of them, Chrysm was the one who noticed when Seel was on the verge of collapse. One afternoon, late in the summer, he virtually hauled Seel out of a ditch in a field, took a spade from his hand and said, ‘What the hell are you doing, digging like this? You look terrible. Go and rest.’

A large gang of humans and hara were helping to dig, but Seel could only think about how he needed this task out of the way, because there were so many others to attend to, and the best way to get something done was to do it yourself. ‘This has to be finished by tonight,’ he said, reaching for the spade.

Chrysm laughed and jumped backwards. ‘Oh no you don’t. Tell you what –
I’ll
dig. I’ll take your place, when I could be wandering around the meadows composing poetry. See? You’ve no excuse. Go and sleep.’

Seel sighed and relented. He knew very well that the moment he’d left the area, Chrysm would throw down the spade and wander off, whistling cheerfully, but he was so tired he could perhaps grab a few extra hours sleep. A bath would be nice too.

Back at his pavilion, Seel’s staff prepared him a bath and then spent an hour or so pampering his body. Seel relaxed in warm steam and thought about how he actually enjoyed his work in Imbrilim more than running round after Pellaz back home. His life had purpose again now. He liked getting his hands dirty, being involved in actual construction work. As yet, there’d been no sign of Swift the Varr and Seel sincerely hoped he’d fallen into a marsh and drowned, or perhaps Cal had gone mad on the journey and slaughtered his companions. Wishful thinking, even if it wasn’t totally unlikely.

Seel wandered into his sleeping quarters and threw himself face down on the bed. He groaned in pleasure. Ah, sweet sleep…

Half an hour later, Arahal was at the threshold. Seel sensed an emergency and was fully awake in seconds. He saw that Arahal appeared troubled. ‘What is it?’ Seel asked, reaching for his clothes.

‘You’d better come,’ Arahal said. ‘Our scouts have reported the approach of a party from Galhea.’

Seel threw down his clothes again. ‘Oh no! Fuck!’ He sighed and picked up his trousers. ‘Can’t you arrange a tragic accident?’

Arahal grimaced, then laughed rather uncertainly. ‘I’ll wait outside, OK?’

‘I meant it,’ Seel said as Arahal left the pavilion.

They found one har at the Varrish camp site, which was in a small clearing near a river. The Varr was quickly overpowered and gave them his name: Leef Sariel. Two hara held him on his knees, while Seel began an interrogation. ‘Where are they?’ he asked.

The Varr spat at him. Seel sighed. He turned away and hunkered down by the meagre fire that the Varr had just built. ‘Arahal, search the area.’ He did not look at the Varr, but addressed him. ‘You should tell us where they are. We’ll find them anyway.’

Then he heard a panicked cry from beyond the camp, ‘Swift, go back! Go back!’

‘Too late,’ Seel said softly to himself. He looked up and there he was: Cal. He stood at the edge of the clearing, his hair reddened by the evening sun. He looked exactly how he used to look in the early days. He never changed. He never would. He was more like a physical expression of dark desire and danger than a living har. Seel wondered whether he did in fact want to kill Cal or not. He didn’t feel anything, strangely. A younger har stood in front of Cal. He looked terrified and angry, but also brave.
Here goes your life, little one,
Seel thought. He stood up and turned his back on them. ‘Arahal, take charge.’

Seel walked from the clearing and mounted his
sedu
. He thought about riding back to Imbrilim, but changed his mind. He wanted to ride just ahead of Cal all the way back. He would be silent and in that silence would be the threat that he held the key to Cal’s life in his hand. It looked like iron, but it wasn’t. He could snap it in two very easily.

There wasn’t much time. Thiede had informed Pellaz of his plans for Swift, and because the House of Galhea was such an important one, both he and Thiede knew that Swift should be greeted by hara of the highest rank. The Gelaming wanted to impress the young Varr and also to make him feel valuable. Pellaz had said that once Swift was at Imbrilim, he wanted to come to Megalithica himself to meet him. Thiede, carefully, managed to get the Tigron to change his mind and suggested he should send the Tigrina instead. Seel knew this was because Thiede didn’t want to risk Pellaz running into Cal. Thiede had already told Seel he wanted Cal well out of the way by the time the Tigrina came to Imbrilim. News would be sent to Immanion immediately, but it would not reach the ears of the Tigron or Tigrina for some days. In that time, Seel realised, he had to decide what, if anything, he wanted to do to Cal.

The Varr was an innocent, as Pellaz had been an innocent, but even to a casual observer, it was obvious he was, or would be, a har of substance. Seel could not believe that eventually he’d have to do the things with Swift that Thiede wanted. It seemed unthinkable. Swift didn’t know about it yet, but already his mind and feelings were being manipulated. Hardly a marriage made in heaven.

Over the next few days, as Arahal began the preliminary indoctrination of the hapless Swift, Seel noticed the young Varr came looking for him whenever possible. He didn’t dare approach Seel directly, but Seel could feel Swift’s eyes on him all the time. It felt like burning and was far from unpleasant, surprisingly. Swift was a very handsome creature, slender yet strong, with thick brown hair and the most enormous dark eyes Seel had ever seen. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have objected at all to initiating aruna with a har like Swift, but it made him feel nauseous to imagine what was going on in the young Varr’s mind, what Thiede had done to him. Often he wanted to tell him, ‘Look, you don’t feel these things for me, not really. It’s all an illusion’, but of course that would oppose Thiede’s plan and was therefore impossible. Seel felt real sympathy for the Varr, but slightly despised him because of his tribe and his loyalty to Cal. He also resented him, because if he didn’t exist, Seel wouldn’t have to go and live in Galhea and start breeding. Thiede sought to make a prince out of a barbarian. It was the sort of task Thiede enjoyed immensely and he would succeed, as he always did.
Then the prince will be mine,
Seel thought.
Is this real?

After a few days, Arahal said to Seel, ‘You have to decide what to do with the Uigenna.’ He meant Cal. ‘He asks for you constantly.’

‘He wants my mercy,’ Seel said.

Arahal smiled grimly. ‘He won’t get it. Thiede says we’re not allowed to kill him.’

Like many others who were aware of Cal’s history, Arahal thought death would be the most merciful option for him.

‘Take him away from his companions,’ Seel said.

‘Where shall we take him?’

‘The old human fortress to the south. Take him there.’

‘You’ll see him, then?’

‘Give him the putiri drug. Leave six hara with him, and never let any har remain alone with him. Do you understand?’

Arahal bowed his head. ‘It will be so.’

‘Where is Swift at the moment?’

‘With Ashmael.’

‘Don’t let him see anything.’

‘As you wish.’

In the early evening, Seel rode out to the fortress. He could have reached it in minutes via the otherlanes, but spent an hour making the journey on solid ground. He needed time to think. The fortress was a ruin, and had never been used by Wraeththu, but some of its rooms were still secure.

One of Cal’s guards came out into the overgrown courtyard when he heard Seel’s horse trot under the gate arch. ‘Do you wish to see the prisoner?’ the guard asked.

‘It’s why I’m here,’ Seel said. ‘Take me to him.’

Seel’s mouth was dry as he climbed the dark stairway that led to the room where Cal was confined. He had no idea what he was going to say or how he would behave. It was impossible to make plans in this situation.

The guard opened a door at the top of the stairs and Seel walked past him into the room. It was empty of furniture. They’d given Cal no comforts. He sat on the floor beneath the window and it was clear they had taken no chances with him either. He was sprawled in a drugged stupor. Five other hara sat on the far side of the room, playing dice. They jumped to their feet when Seel walked in. ‘Is there water here?’ Seel asked.

They all nodded.

‘Bring some,’ Seel said. ‘Find buckets or something. Wake this thing up.’

While he waited for the water, Seel stood in front of Cal and stared at him. Cal’s head was sunk onto his chest. His hair was filthy. His hands trembled where they lay in his lap. He was beautiful. Seel remembered their childhood, their first kiss, the smell of Cal’s body. He remembered how he would have died for Cal and how he nearly did – of a broken heart. A fog of grief had spoilt the first few years of his Wraeththu life, because he’d had to face the fact that Cal did not love him in return.
You stole my youth,
Seel thought.
You made me love you and you made me Uigenna. I gave up everything for you. Now look at you.