The Chosen

Coming towards him, Tain gave a nod. He began cleaning him.

'You know what that means?'

'No, Master.'

That soon the Rains will come and we'll return to our coomb.'

Tain gave another nod.

'Soon things'll return to the way they were, you'll see. Ebeny'll be here, Keal and Brin and Grane and…' Carnelian stopped, unable to put Crail into the list. He went on. They'll all come up from the sea and we'll make a new Hold here.'

Tain gave a nod. Carnelian looked at him. Cold clutched his stomach. What if all of them were like this when they arrived? Carnelian went to open the shutters to let in some light. He stared for a moment at the dawn sky. Its colours were a promise of a fresh new day, but they also looked like blood.

He turned his back on the sky. Tain was still there, waiting with his head hanging. Carnelian returned silendy to stand in front of him and comforted himself with the hope that he might see Osidian, even if only from afar. ‘

Carnelian sent Tain to see who was rapping at the door. The boy opened it a crack, then bowed deeply as he shuffled backwards to open the door wide.

'My Lord,' said Carnelian seeing that it was his father plugging up the entrance. He had to stoop to come in and seemed to fill the chamber with his gold and rubied robe. Tain had fallen to his knees. Looking down from his great height, Suth spoke.

'Rise, child.'

Tain rose, head still hanging.

'Come, look at me.' Tain looked up. Carnelian watched his father's mask survey his marumaga son from on high. 'We are glad to have you back with us, Tain.'

Tain mumbled something.

'Now go and prepare people to come and dress your brother.'

Tain slipped out and Suth removed his mask. His face was troubled. He threw a glance to the door.

'I told you he had not come through this unscathed.'

His father nodded. 'You will have time enough to heal his hurts. Now we must give thought to the day ahead.'

Carnelian withstood the intensity of his father's eyes. He had not felt the pressure of that gaze for an age.

'I have sent commands that the Suth Lords of the other lineages are to come here and take you with them into the Three Lands.'

'I thought, my Lord, I would be there at your side.'

'Even if I were not today He-who-goes-before, I would be sundered from you. At elections, Ruling Lords keep with their peers.'

'What makes my Lord think Spinel will obey him in this when he defies him with his vote?'

Carnelian was glad that the wrath that appeared in his father's face was not turned on him. That Lord will one day give me account for that. How he votes is his business, but I am still his Ruling Lord.' The wrath passed from his face like the shadow of a cloud. 'Come here, my son.'

Carnelian took the steps towards him, feeling his nakedness.

Although his father knelt on his ranga, Carnelian's head only reached his chest. His father took it in his hands. Carnelian looked up into his eyes. He did not see their yellow bloodiness but only the fierce love.

'You know, you are my heart.'

Carnelian's tears distorted his father's face. With a groan of effort, his father managed to bend down to kiss Carnelian's forehead. He let go and rose so that Carnelian's eyes were level with his waist. He took some steps back and hid his face with his sun-eyed mask.

Today all our fates shall be decided.' Carnelian could hear the sorrow in his father's voice. 'Perhaps, even now, we shall be victorious.'

'Aurum said-'

His father cut his reassurances from his mouth with a scissoring motion of his hand and left.

When Tain returned he came with others and Carnelian was forced to hide his distress behind a stony face. He could not rid himself of the harrowing conviction that his father had come to say goodbye.

As they put him into his court robe he bit his tongue to stop himself from spraying them with bitter words. He could not bear to look at Tain's remote expression. When they were finished he almost snatched his Great-Rings from their hands and, ordering the door open, he strode through it so fast he almost toppled over.

The Ichorians lifted the portcullises for him. Carnelian walked through into the nave and was suddenly among giants.

'Cousin Carnelian,' said a voice he recognized as Spinel's. Carnelian saw him there with the others, the nine Lords of House Suth with their chameleon-cyphered court robes. Carnelian looked past them to the gleaming Great. Beyond, the nave ran empty to the closed door of the Chamber of the Three Lands.

Carnelian bowed his head. 'My Lords. My father told me you would be here.'

Then you have spoken to him today, cousin?' asked one of the Lords.

'I have…' Carnelian read the name glyph on his crowns, 'Cousin Veridian.'

The Lord bowed. 'At the service of your lineage, cousin.'

'I am heartened to receive it,' Carnelian said.

'Does our Ruling Lord anticipate victory for his party?'

Carnelian shrugged his hands. 'It hangs in the balance and why should it not when even those of his own House betray him?' He looked at Spinel.

The Lord lifted his right hand to show his blood-ring. This is no mere bauble, my Lord. I will cast its votes as I will. That is my right.'

'And you feel no duty whatever to your Ruling Lord?'

Spinel opened his arms to take in the gleaming concourse. 'Only when we vote does the tyranny of our Ruling Lords lift enough to let us for a moment into the light. Like many others here, I will not be persuaded to walk back into the shadows merely by some rhetoric about family loyalty. Are you making me an offer for my votes, cousin?'

Carnelian controlled his anger, tried to think of something. 'My father is a fair man.' He turned to the other Suth Lords. 'He will treat you as you treat him.'

'I see,' said Spinel. 'So on the basis that your father is a "fair man" you would have me declare myself apostate before all the gathered Great and make the new Gods and Their mother my foes.' He shook his crowned head. 'I think not. I shall honour the agreement I have made with Molochite and we shall see what transpires.'

A Ruling Lord appeared towering at the edge of their group. Carnelian saw the House Imago dragonflies on his robe.

'Internecine conflict within the House Suth, tsk, tsk,' said Jaspar. 'Not that one can own to much surprise, to judge from the lack of care with which its Ruling Lord is wont to treat its interests.'

'My father's interests are his own, Jaspar.'

Looking at Jaspar, Spinel pointed at Carnelian. 'Lord Imago, my kinsman here was attempting to detach me from my agreements.'

'Indeed. That would be foolish, Suth Spinel. One should not lightly abandon one's commitments.'

'Spare us your threats, my Lord,' said Carnelian. 'My kinsman is already determined in his act of treachery. He had better only hope that when this election is over, Ykoriana will be able to protect him from my father's wrath.'

'Carnelian, you should not concern yourself overmuch with that. Once Molochite wears the Masks he will reward his friends and, no doubt, become an inconvenience to those whose lack of foresight led them to become his enemies.'

'We are not afraid-'

Carnelian was interrupted by a chime that shook the air all the way from the Chamber of the Three Lands.

'Aaah, cousin dear, we must discuss your fears some other time. You are summoned into the chamber.'

Another chime rang out. Carnelian waited for its reverberations to dull. 'In spite of all your treacheries, Jaspar, the victory will be ours.'

Jaspar laughed at him through his mask and walked off, dragging a train like a sunset sky.

Carnelian stood rigid, feeling set about with enemies as the bell's pealing shuddered over him. He felt a pulling at his sleeve. He looked up to see his own mask reflected in that of one of the third lineage Lords.