‘Swift-thinking Tanal Yathvanar.’
He carried the goblet over to Karos Invictad, not sure if there was irony in that last statement, so distorted was the voice. ‘The guards were struck unawares-vicious betrayal-’
‘Those that aren’t yet dead will wish they were,’ the Master of the Patriotists said. ‘Why weren’t we warned? Chancellor or no, I will have his answer.’
‘I did not think we’d take the whore yet,’ Tanal said, retrieving his own wine. He watched over the rim of the goblet as Karos pulled the soaked cloth away, revealing the terrible assault done on his face as he gingerly sipped at the wine-wincing as the alcohol bit into gashes and cuts. ‘Perhaps the Edur should have been first. Bruthen Trana-he did not seem such a viper. He said not a word, revealed nothing-’
‘Of course not. Nor would I in his place. No. Wait, observe, then strike without warning. Yes, I underestimated him. Well, such a failing occurs but once. Tonight, Tanal Yathvanar, a war has begun. And this time the Letherii will not lose.’ Another sip. ‘I am relieved,’ he then said, ‘that you got rid of that academic-too bad you did not get Nisall to play with, but I needed to act quickly. Tell me how you disposed of her-the academic. I need some satisfying news for a change…’
Tanal stared at the man. If not you…
From the corridor, rushing feet. The healers had arrived.
‘Commander,’ K’ar Penath said as he hurried alongside Bruthen Trana, ‘do we seek audience with the Emperor?’
‘No. Not yet. We will watch all of this play out for a time.’
And the bodies?’
‘Hide them well, warlock. And inform Hannan Mosag that I wish to speak to him. As soon as possible.’
‘Sir, he is not in the Emperor’s favour at the moment-’
You misunderstand me, warlock. This has nothing to do with Rhulad. Not yet. We conquered this empire. It seems rhe Letherii have forgotten that. The time has come to stir the Tiste Edur awake once more. To deliver terror, to make our displeasure clear. This night, K’ar, the weapons are drawn.’
‘You speak of civil war, Commander.’
‘In a manner of speaking, although I expect nothing overt from the Chancellor or Invictad. A war, yes, but one waged behind the Emperor’s back. He will know nothing-’
‘Commander-’
‘Your shock at my words does not convince me. Hannan Mosag is no fool-nor are you or any of his other warlocks. Tell me now you anticipated nothing… ah, I thought as much.’
‘I fear we are not ready-’
‘We aren’t. But neither were they. This taking Nisall-this murder-tells me something gave them reason to panic. We need to find out what. Something has happened, or is happening even now, that forced matters to a head. And that is the trail Hannan Mosag must pursue-no, I do not presume to command him-’
‘I understand, Bruthen Trana. You speak as a Tiste Edur. I will support your advice to the Warlock King with all my zeal.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Tonight, Commander,’ K’ar Penath said, ‘in witnessing you… I was proud. We are… awakened, as you said. This civilization, it is a poison. A rot upon our souls. It must be excised.’
And now I hear Hannan Mosag speaking through you, warlock. Answering other… suspicions. So be it.
Nisall. First Concubine, I am sorry. But know this, 1 will avenge you in truth. As I will avenge my brave warrior-Sister take me, that was careless-
‘The Chancellor will speak to the Emperor-’
‘Only if he is stupid,’ Bruthen Trana said, ‘or inclined to panic. He is neither. No, he needs to be pushed, kept off balance-oh, we will deliver panic, yes, and sooner or later he will do as you say. Speak to Rhulad. And then we will have him. And Invictad. Two snakes in the same basket-a basket soaked in oil. And it will be Triban Gnol himself who strikes the spark.’
‘How?’
‘You will see.’
Tehol stared down through the roof hatch in unmitigated horror. ‘That was a mistake,’ he said.
Leaning beside him, also looking down, Bugg nodded. ‘It was an act of mercy, Master. Twelve hens in a sack, half crushing each other, jostled about in fetid darkness. There was the risk of suffocation.’
‘Precisely! Peaceful demise, remote, unseen. No wringing of necks required! But now look at them! They’ve taken over our room! My house. My abode, my very hearth-’
‘About that-seems one of them has caught fire, Master.’
‘It’s smouldering, and too brainless to care. If we wait we can dine on roast chicken for breakfast. And which one laid that egg?’
‘Hmm, a most gravid mystery indeed.’
‘You may find this amusing right now, Bugg, but you are the one who will be sleeping down there. They’ll peck your eyes out, you know. Evil has been bred into them, generation after generation, until their tiny black bean brains are condensed knots of malice-’
‘You display unexpected familiarity with hens, Master.’
‘I had a tutor who was a human version.’
Bugg leaned back and glanced over at the woman sleeping in Tehol’s bed.
‘Not her. Janath was only mildly vicious, as properly befits all instructors, plagued as they often are by mewling, lovestruck, pimply-faced students.’
‘Oh, Master, I am sorry.’
‘Be quiet. We’re not talking about that. No, instead, Bugg, my house has been invaded by rabid hens, because of your habit of taking in strays and the like.’
‘Strays? We’re going to eat those things.’
‘No wonder strays avoid you these days. Listen to them-how will we sleep with all that racket going on?’
‘I suppose they’re happy, Master. And in any case they are taking care of that cockroach infestation really fast.’
Creaking from the bed behind them drew their attention.
The scholar was sitting up, looking about in confusion.
Tehol hastily pushed Bugg towards her.
She frowned as the old man approached. ‘Where am I? Who are you? Are we on a roof?’
‘What do you last recall?’ Bugg asked.
‘Being alone. In the dark. He moved me… to a new place.’
‘You have been freed,’ he said.
Janath was examining her shapeless, rough tunic. ‘Freed,’ she said in a low voice.
‘That shift was all we could find at short notice,’ Bugg said. ‘Of course, we will endeavour to, uh, improve your apparel as soon as we are able.’
‘I have been healed.’
‘Your physical wounds, yes.’
Grimacing, she nodded. ‘The other kind is rather more elusive.’
‘You seem remarkably… sound, Janath.’
She glanced up at him. ‘You know me.’
‘My master was once a student of yours.’ He watched as she sought to look past him, first to one side, then the other. Bemused, Bugg turned, to see Tehol moving back and forth in an effort to keep the manservant between him-self and the woman on the bed. ‘Tehol? What are you doing?’
‘Tehol? Tehol Beddict?’
Bugg spun round again, to see Janath gathering her tunic and stretching it out here and there in an effort to cover as much of her body as she could.
‘That lecherous, pathetic worm? Is that you, Tehol? Hiding there behind this old man? Well, you certainly haven’t changed, have you? Get out here, front and centre!’
Tehol stepped into view. Then bridled. ‘Hold on, I am no longer your student, Janath! Besides, I’m well over you, I’ll have you know. I haven’t dreamt of you in… in… years! Months!’
Her brows rose. ‘Weeks?’
Tehol drew himself straighter. ‘It is well known that an adult man’s adolescent misapprehensions often insinuate themselves when said man is sleeping, in his dreams, I mean. Or, indeed, nightmares-’
‘I doubt I feature in your nightmares, Tehol,’ Janath said. ‘Although you do in mine.’
‘Oh, really. I was no more pathetic than any other pathetic, lovestruck student. Was I?’