Puzzled by the crudeness of his dress, feeling cold, he allowed the Quenthas to lead him through the maze of empty robes to the next stairway. Framed against the legs of an avatar, another Master attired like him was climbing with a staff. Carnelian turned to the steps. Free of the encumbrances of court robe and ranga, the ascent was easier. Two Masters passed him, coming down, talking, each with a staff topped with his House cypher, each wearing a robe of unbleached fibre. They stopped to look at him, their eyes haughty sapphires. The beauty of their faces and limbs was made even brighter in contrast to their coarse-weave. He realized he was staring, gave them a bow and climbed on.
The second landing was paved with jade. Throne-daises enclosed it, behind which standards spiked up like irises. Masters in coarse-weave robes were gathered, all Ruling Lords, all facing something Carnelian could not see.
He leaned towards Right-Quentha's copper mask. 'Is this the Thronehall?'
The sisters shook their heads. That lies at the top of the final stair.'
He looked and saw at the landing's end a third stair rising up into darkness. On his right, flanked by oily black, winged avatars, steps led up to a flinty door in whose centre was a tearful eye. Carnelian stared for a moment, remembering the opium box. The sisters touched his hands and walked towards the Ruling Lords with sure steps, though they were both blind. The Lords did not seem to notice them. Some were in groups talking with their hands, but Carnelian noticed that most seemed focused off to where another stair ran up between two quartz colossal youths. At their feet he could see something like a narrow window opening onto a bright meadow. Carnelian kept walking, glancing at the oblong of emerald light, seeing its luminous Chosen face.
'My Lord.'
The Master approaching had a familiar voice. He turned. 'Vennel!' The Master's eyes were like water welling on a cake of salt. They looked at each other. Vennel tried a little nod of his head. Carnelian said nothing.
The Jade Lord has requested that you approach him.' Vennel curled a hand back to indicate the emerald figure.
Tell my Lord that I hasten to a meeting with the Regent.'
Vennel gave him a frosty smile. 'I had forgotten how little you know. When a Jade Lord makes a request it is really a command.'
'Perhaps, Vennel, you have also forgotten that the Regent outranks your Master.'
Vennel smiled. 'I will be pleased to convey your refusal to the Jade Lord.'
Another Master joined them. Jaspar. He looked at Carnelian and indicated Vennel. 'Is this creature bothering you, my Lord?'
Vennel moved forward. The Jade Lord-'
'Has sent me to correct yet another of your mistakes.'
Vennel’s face seemed brittle enough to shatter.
'You might as well return to your place beneath his feet.' Jaspar used a sign of dismissal whose shape was close to that used for servants.
Vennel hesitated, then struggled to free himself from his frozen stance. They watched him walk off with ungainly steps.
That one has been reduced to his rightful size.' Jaspar gave one of his cold smiles. 'You have seen your father, cousin?'
Carnelian made a nod, hearing in his mind the word, Patricide!
'I trust that he has fully recovered from the little unpleasantness on the road.'
Carnelian jerked another nod.
The Jade Lord Molochite wishes to meet you.'
'Well, I do not wish to meet him.'
Jaspar's eyebrows lifted. 'He is not a person to be slighted casually, Carnelian. Nothing raises him more than the whim to wreak revenge.'
'I do not fear him.'
Jaspar shrugged. 'Why give him one more reason to hate your father?'
Carnelian frowned. Jaspar flourished his hand to offer Carnelian the lead. He took it, walking through the Ruling Lords, ignoring their stares, his eyes fixed on Molochite who was framed between two staves held by his entourage of syblings. Carnelian stopped as the Jade Lord pulled himself up on the staves, and only then realized the Lord had been kneeling. As his green flame came burning towards Carnelian, the Great bowed out of his way. Carnelian waited, clearing his face of expression, his view filling with Molochite's wall of faceted emerald. His eye was level with the Jade Lord's waist.
'Why, cousin, will you not let us see your eyes?'
Carnelian looked up fiercely, refusing to be appalled by the Jade Lord's height, but when he saw the white face he forgot himself and gaped. It was the most beautiful being he had ever seen that was gazing down at him. Molochite's eyes were spring, the smile on his lips was summer. Carnelian felt the light going out as Molochite turned away, replacing the radiance of his face with the smoulder of his green-jewelled crowns.
'Imago, you spoke truth, he has the beauty of the Masks. Our blood breeds true however it is tainted.' Molochite's eyes turned their depths back on Carnelian. It was like looking into the Yden. 'Son of Azurea, you are welcome to our court.'
Carnelian bowed to take his eyes away. 'My Lord.' He tried to find a shred of composure, then looked up.
'Would you then like to stay with us a while?' Molochite swept an exquisite hand round loaded with four Great-Rings. 'However worthy, these Lords weary us with the endless business of the election.' His smile opened like a window allowing sunlight into a dark chamber.
Carnelian struggled to unhook his eyes from the glorious face. 'My
… my Lord is very kind, but I must go… to see my father.'
The window closed. 'Well, run along then. We must not keep the Regent waiting, must we?'
The emerald angel moved away. Carnelian rose and walked off feeling like a child being sent to his room.
Halfway up the third stair, Carnelian began to frown. He could not believe what he was seeing coming into sight.
The top half of a massive gate entirely wrought from iron. 'A gate
… a skymetal gate.'
The Iron Door, Seraph,' said Left-Quentha.
'Inconceivable… riches.' He was breathing heavily.
Right-Quentha fumbled a hand out to steady him. The Seraph should rest.' He was touched by the concern in her voice.
‘You seem to be right,' Carnelian said, squeezing her hand. Her sister's stone eyes looked at his hand as if she could feel its touch.
'It must be the sky sickness still diminishing my strength.'
While he caught his breath, he turned to look back down the steps. The Great were there like pieces of torn parchment. Molochite was a narrow prism of emerald. At that distance Carnelian found it hard to understand the power the Jade Lord had had over him.
He resumed the climb, his eyes fixed on the Iron Door. He stroked his blood-ring. He knew that iron hailed from the sky in nuggets, but surely, so much iron must have fallen as a mountain.
As he came up over the brow of the stair he glimpsed Masters standing with their staves and as he surveyed them he found himself looking into Aurum's face. The old Master stared as if he were seeing Carnelian rising from the tomb. He pointed the horned-ring finial of his staff at Carnelian. 'What are you doing here?'
Carnelian lost his speech. He had forgotten the compulsion of those misty blue eyes. Aurum repeated his question. Carnelian found his tongue. 'My father, I have come to see my father.'
'Do you know this boy, Aurum?' one of the other Masters demanded. All the cold blues and greys of their eyes settled on Carnelian. Aurum's stare had moved to the syblings spilling up round Carnelian from the stair.