Chapter 58
As the two of them marched through the halls of the Spire, Arico reflected on how strange this was. There were no guards nearby: the ta’sana was all the protection the Lord Ascendant needed. Arico couldn’t just vanish, either. He was perfectly willing to break his oath, but he had to be right here for when the Council arrived in two days. So he followed the oath to the letter, if for the wrong reasons.
Arico had to admit the halls were beautiful. Marble floors on the ground level, ornate drapes and pillars decorating the main entrance facing to the north. Windows looking down on the patch below from the second level. The third level contained the Council chambers, or so he’d been told. The closest he’d ever gotten before had been his and Sabra’s raid on the storage bay below.
As far as irredeemable symbols of evil went, this building certainly looked appealing. If everything went according to plan, he’d be destroying this place just as he had done with the altar back at the Laentana.
After swearing the oath, Arico had insisted on taking care of Durhu immediately. They’d all gone to Tellek patch, on the hill where Arico had once lain bleeding, and branded Durhu right there! He’d taken it well—far better than Arico had expected—not making a noise to compete with the sound of sizzling flesh. He’d started trembling and turned white shortly after that though: both signs of shock from the trauma. Arico made sure they let him bandage the wound with those same herbs from Endu’s home, and lay him down to sleep. After making sure he had enough of the Waters to last him at least a week, Arico had finally agreed to leave with the Lord Ascendant. There was still enough dried food in the pantry to keep him fed as well.
After bringing him here to Sevvas patch, Berilo didn’t lock him up—it wasn’t necessary with the ta’sana in place. Instead he took Arico to one of the modest guest rooms on the south end of the Spire and told him to stay put. After he left, guards and household staff alike crowded around the entrance looking in at Arico. They didn’t dare speak to him, apparently having been ordered by Berilo to keep silent, but they were obviously curious.
Arico knew how they felt. What was the old man up to, bringing the heretic of all people here, in full view of everyone? The ta’sana would be gone from Arico in two days’ time, but it would protect Durhu forever! Given how much Berilo hated Durhu, it didn’t make any sense for him to agree to any of this. Arico closed the door clumsily and then began pacing, trying to figure this out.
The ta’sana didn’t protect the life of the oathgiver at all. If Berilo wanted to, he could simply execute Arico at the Twin Suns and be done with it. Clearly he wanted something else. He couldn’t force Arico to publicly denounce the movement, though. That had been promised as part of the ta’sana. The same went for the location of the Hideaway or where Nemith and the others would eventually evacuate. Arico wouldn’t be required to give away any of that information. What was this all about? He was spared further speculation though, as Berilo came back right away. “Come with me,” he said softly, and led the way downstairs and out of the Spire altogether.
Arico felt a brief surge of nervousness as they made their way across the close-cut lawn to the west of the Spire. The only way this plan would work was if Arico was inside the Spire when the Council convened. If he was being housed somewhere else, he’d have to improvise when the time came.
It was pretty clear they were going to the Lord Ascendant’s Manor though, and Arico breathed a little easier. This was just a social visit. Perhaps they were going to see Hazra or the Clarion. The Manor was two stories tall, with an impressive garden and walkway behind it, near where the Waters used to flow. The entryway served as a foyer of sorts for visitors, and a waiting room for supplicants seeking an audience with the Lord Ascendant. Ornate circular staircases on each side led up to a walkway that looked down on both the garden and the entryway. Arico could see guards and household staff here as well, but these were attendants in personal service to House Fisher. They were much more disciplined, giving him only a few curious looks as they went about their duties. Berilo took Arico upstairs for the view, and then slowly turned to face him.
“We’re out of earshot up here,” he said gravely, and somewhat furtively. “And above prying eyes. We can talk more openly.” Suddenly he embraced Arico in a bear hug, wrapping his spindly arms around Arico’s slightly wider frame.
The shock of it took Arico completely by surprise. He hadn’t expected anything like this! The idea of the Lord Ascendant showing such vulnerability was strange enough, but the force of his grip belied his age and frailty. If Arico didn’t know better, he’d think the old man actually felt affection for him.
It occurred to him that even without his hands, with the nearest guards all the way downstairs, he could pretty easily wrap his arms around the old man’s neck and snap it like a dry twig. He certainly deserved it for everything he’d done to the stra’tchi over the years. Arico grimaced. He had to keep his eye on the bigger picture. Berilo would die along with the rest of the Council when the time was right.
After a few moments Berilo let go of him, and then looked up at him with a slight smile. “Look at you. You look just like my uncle Nettros did at your age. You never met him, of course—he died before you were born—but your eyes, your cheekbones, the way you hold yourself… the resemblance is uncanny.” He smiled slightly. “Thankfully you seem to be wiser than he was.”
Arico didn’t really know what to say to that. “Sir, I wanted to talk-”
“Call me Berilo when we’re in private like this,” he cut Arico off. “I suppose ‘father’ is out of the question for now, but maybe we can work up to that someday.” He gestured to one of the armchairs overlooking the manor and took another one for himself.
Again, Arico felt that sense of separation from reality. It was like he was talking to an entirely different person! Which made sense, actually. Berilo’s position probably kept him from being open or honest with most people, and his casual chauvinism would cut out Hazra as well. Berilo’s brother Rondo lived at the family estate out in Nassa patch, and from what Arico had heard, Berilo had very little contact with him. He’d probably been at least somewhat open around Tenlor perhaps, but now Arico was the only option left.
Very well, Arico could play along. “I’ll keep that in mind, Berilo,” he said carefully, taking a seat as well. “I wanted to talk with the Hauld, if you’ll allow it.”
As per the terms of the oath, Berilo couldn’t order Arico to betray the movement in any way, any more than Arico could try to undermine him or escape. They could both make requests such as this one, though. Arico held his breath as the old man cocked his head slightly. “To what purpose?”
“I might be able to convince him to recant his actions,” Arico said carefully. “To submit to the Council and to you. That would be more valuable to you than his execution, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh, definitely,” Berilo answered easily, “but I’m sure you know better than I do how stubborn dwarves can be. I doubt the Hauld would be any exception to his people in that way.” He gazed down at the foyer, and then out the window to the north almost lazily. “No, I’m afraid it won’t be possible for you to convince him.”
“What can it hurt for me to try, though?” Arico persisted. “There’s nothing to lose by letting me talk to him.”
“You misunderstand me,” he said more firmly, focusing on Arico again. “It’s impossible because the Hauld is dead.”
At first Arico didn’t fully register that. He gaped for a moment at Berilo’s placid expression. “What?”
“It was done as soon as you were safely here in Sevvas patch,” Berilo explained casually. “I gave the order, and witnessed the guards kill him and thread his body. He’s gone.”
The ta’sana prevented Berilo from lying to him, but even without that oath, Arico could tell he was in earnest. The Hauld was dead.
Again Arico felt an almost overwhelming urge to kill the old man, right then and there. Monster, he thought as he gritted his teeth and tried to control his breathing. “Why did you do it, though?” He forced himself to ask. “He’s in custody, and he isn’t… wasn’t a navigator! He was no threat to you! You could have held onto him until the Twin Suns, just as you said in your announcement!”
Berilo rolled his eyes briefly. “Don’t be foolish, Arico. Do you really think I’ve survived this long as Lord Ascendant by giving my enemies even a slight chance at survival or escape? I’m quite certain your friends in the movement are cooking up some sort of foolhardy rescue plan to get him out, before or during the Twin Suns. I couldn’t have that, of course.”
He shook his head at Arico’s continued glare. “As I said back on the tower, I never wanted to kill the Hauld. I even had some respect for him, leader to leader, for ruling his people for so long. Even so, I couldn’t let that influence my actions. Sentiment is the enemy of true leadership, Arico. It doesn’t matter if I loathe someone or love them—I still have to treat everyone the same, as any true leader would.”
“The only reason I swore that damn oath was so that I could convince you to spare him!” Arico bit out, barely remembering to keep his voice down. There were probably some people downstairs who might be interested in this conversation. “Instead you just decided to murder him on the spot?”
“Would you have been more comfortable with him dying on a platform in front of a crowd?” Berilo countered coolly. “Would that somehow be less offensive to you than a quick clean death in private? I did what I had to do for the sake of my people, Arico. Whether you like it or not, the Hauld broke the Pact multiple times. He sent dwarves into our territory; conspired with our enemies, and fomented rebellion for months on end, all in an effort to bring down the Sustained!”
His voice thickened slightly. “He even arranged the kidnapping of my son—just to get under my skin. I didn’t hate him for that—unlike Anath’durhu, he was never my servant, so he didn’t betray me. Besides, my own Sustained Lords have done the same or worse to advance their own agendas. I couldn’t just ignore what he’d done, though. I treated him fairly, given his actions against my people!”
Arico opened his mouth to object, but Berilo continued with an intense expression. “I don’t enjoy confronting you with all of this, my son, but you are an adult. It’s time you faced the truth about your… ‘adoptive’ parents. I’ve spent decades ensuring that the Council followed the Pact closely, walking the line without ever crossing it. Thanks to me, we even had a fragile trading partnership with the Enclave. The Hauld clearly didn’t care about the Pact, or a lasting peace, or he never would have tried undermining us in the first place! You probably think that I ordered the attack on the Enclave because of some primitive hatred of dwarves, but that’s just not true. I ordered the attack to protect myself and my people.”
Arico couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How dare this hypocrite blame the dwarves for his actions! “They were only trying to protect themselves and you know it!” He answered heatedly. “The Sustained nearly destroyed them all a hundred years ago. The Hauld had to make sure that never happened again!”
“So he did what he had to for the sake of his people? Doesn’t that sound familiar, Arico?” Berilo grunted. “I don’t blame you for your perspective here—you were raised to hate me. But can you honestly say the dwarves acted honorably? If our positions had been reversed, if the dwarves had been ruling the city and the Sustained had been in the minority, wouldn’t you want to destroy us all the same? Simply because of what you were taught and raised to believe?”
“This isn’t just about being raised to hate each other, Berilo,” Arico said harshly. “Your attack wasn’t more of the same propaganda meant to keep people afraid and suspicious of the dwarves! You wiped them all out!”
“That wasn’t my intention, as I’m sure you know,” Berilo said, giving a remarkable impression of sorrow. “I wanted to take the keep intact, and remove the Hauld from power in a controlled and stable way. I didn’t expect him to blow up his own tunnels, along with most of my Ascendants, just to spite me. He chose to do that, Arico. Most people would consider that an act of madness, wouldn’t they?”
Arico stood and walked a few steps away, fuming. He was twisting it all, manipulating what had happened to try and justify what he’d done! It was sickening! “Perhaps we should change topics for a while,” Berilo said from behind him. “At least for the time being.”
“What about the people you claim to care so much about?” Arico continued suddenly, ignoring his suggestion. “You’ve promised them a public execution in two days. They’re expecting to see a Hauld die there, and you’re exactly one Hauld short!”
He was deflecting, changing the subject to avoid thinking about what Berilo had said, but the old man went along with it. “We captured one of his bodyguards along with him,” Berilo said, shrugging as Arico turned around again. “Since only a handful of people including the two of us know exactly what the Hauld looked like, it should be easy enough to pass the bodyguard off as the real thing.” His eyebrows furrowed slightly. “In fact, I was surprised we were able to take them as easily as we did. I expected the Hauld would be in his chambers near the top of the keep, but instead he and his man were walking the grounds outside. Good fortune, I guess.” Arico grimaced. The only information they had on the interior of the keep had been what they’d coerced from Codi, or tortured out of Alzhi.
There was a light tapping noise to the left, and they both looked at the stairway in that direction. A servant in Fisher gear hesitantly made his way up the stairs. At Berilo’s nod he approached, whispered something into the old man’s ear, and then stepped back a respectful distance.
Whatever it was had apparently surprised the Lord Ascendant. “We’ll have to continue this discussion later,” he said abruptly. “Tulo here will take you to one of the guest rooms. I’m ordering you to remain there for the time being, but I’ll make some time for you tomorrow.”
He lowered his voice again, and approached Arico. “I know you hate me for what I’ve done, Arico. I can’t blame you, but please consider this: had you been raised here, my actions would most likely have stopped the dwarves from killing you and your entire family. I am your father, as much as I am Lord Ascendant. Think about that while you wait.”
-.-
There was a grinding noise at the circular entrance to the Hideaway. Someone was moving the stone and coming in. Whoever it was had neglected to give the special knock beforehand!
Endu grabbed for her gun, checked to make sure it was loaded, and then aimed it, dimly aware of a half-dozen or so others doing the exact same thing. Nemith and most of the other men were out clearing tunnels, in case Arico’s mad plan didn’t work. Veles and Tarith were out with them, but Balter was still here. As he had no training in how to fight, he quickly herded the children into a corner and urged them to be quiet. Endu spared herself a moment of pride at her boys. How far they’d come from that farmhouse in Tellek patch!
Steps echoed lightly down into the chamber, and a familiar face peeked down at them from the stairs. “Hold!” Endu commanded sharply. “She’s a friend.”
Velya’s face broke from concern into relief. “Endu! It’s good to see you alive. After I heard about the Enclave, I feared the worst.”
Endu thought about Alzhi for a moment, and had to resist the gut-punch feeling that always accompanied that thought these days. “How did you find this place, Velya?” She asked suspiciously. Arico had trusted the Thornes, as had Jaas, but Endu had never really been sure just where they stood.
“My brother told me,” Velya said, walking slowly into the room. She wasn’t armed as far as Endu could see, and the others relaxed a bit. Two of the women holding guns moved up the passage behind her and made sure the door was rolled shut again. “I heard that the Monster had been spotted back in the Deathwatch patch, so I tracked him down and he let me know where this… Hideaway was. It’s impressive.”
Endu’s breath quickened a bit. If Velya knew about this place, it was possible the rest of the Thornes knew as well. Did the Ascendants know by now, too? Without any of the navigators here, they had no easy escape. If push came to shove Endu would be willing to help them, but hopefully it would never come to that.
“Where’s Arico?” Velya asked suddenly, all business again. “I heard he’d survived as well, but I didn’t see him anywhere on my way in here.”
“He turned himself in to the Council,” Endu said dourly. “Almost a day ago now. He’s in the Lord Ascendant’s custody by now.”
Velya gave an exasperated little sigh. “I figured he might do something stupid like that. Hopefully they won’t kill him outright. The only way we can help him is to finish his work. I think we can do that, if we hurry.”
“We?” Endu echoed. “As in you and the rest of the Thornes?”
“As in you and me, actually,” Velya clarified. “Along with anyone else here who’s willing to come along. The other Thornes would never get involved in this fight, but I guess I’m more like my brother than I was willing to admit. I can’t just let the Council keep getting away with murder, whether it’s one child at a time, or entire patches full of people! We have to show everyone what they’re up to. We have to strip away the layers of protection these monsters have built up over themselves, and lay their true ugliness out for everyone to see!”
“Very inspiring,” Endu said sarcastically. “Do you have a plan to go along with that little speech?”
Velya smirked slightly. “It’s pretty simple. Ever since Arico told us about the children going missing, the Thornes have been compiling a list of children born, relocated to stra’tchi patches, and relocated to Sustained territory. Ever since your daughter was murdered, I suspect you’ve been doing the same. If we compare notes, we should be able to get a pretty accurate Registry to show the Clarion. Then we compare it to what the Council has been claiming is the Registry, and prove what they’ve been up to! If we can convince him to show it to the people, they’ll believe him. He is the Clarion, after all.” She hesitated briefly. “The trouble is, in order to do that, we’ll need to raid Penntu patch and get a look at the official copy of the Registry.” There was a faint rustle of dismay through the others present. Though most of them had put up their weapons, it seemed the majority was still distrustful of the Thornes, just as Endu was.
“I know you’re brave and strong, being a Deathwatcher and all,” Endu said as diplomatically as she could manage, “but going after the Registry right now is—how can I put this diplomatically—just plain stupid.”
Balter let out a small laugh from behind her. “Arico wanted to get his hands on the Registry too,” Endu continued, “but the records vault was too heavily guarded. He didn’t want to risk breaking into the lower levels, and that was back when we still had the dwarves backing us! Since then the Ascendants have reinforced it. Aside from Sevvas patch itself, Penntu is probably the most heavily defended patch in the city by now. We’d need an army to break in there!”
“Or an edge that no one’s expecting,” Velya said slyly, reaching out a hand. “I know just where to look, but I need your help, if you’re willing.”
-.-
Arico had been slowly pacing in his room in the Manor, when a soft knock came from the door. He looked that way suspiciously, but somehow polite knocks didn’t seem like Berilo’s style. “Yes?”
The door opened and admitted a tall, sandy-haired man wearing simple blue robes. By the insignia on his tunic, he was a servant of House Fisher. Arico looked away, annoyed. “What does he want this time?”
“The Lord Ascendant merely wanted you to meet me, my lord,” the servant said smoothly, stepping in and closing the door behind him. He seemed to do a visual inventory of the room, and of Arico himself, before bowing respectfully. “I am your new manservant. My name is Chulesh Harper.”
“Right. Go away,” Arico ordered abruptly. He was in no mood to see more of Berilo’s sycophants right now, and this one was probably spying on him as well.
Harper immediately turned to leave. From what Arico had seen, all servants to House Fisher were trained for unconditional obedience and absolute loyalty, and this guy didn’t seem to be any exception. House Harper had fallen apart years ago, the victim of massive debt to other houses as well as an ill-advised feud with the much more powerful Grover family. It wasn’t surprising some of them had been hired by other families.
Naturally, this Chulesh manservant just stepped outside and waited there. He may have been ordered to leave, but no manservant was ever out of earshot of his master. True, Arico did need the help from time to time, but this was a bit over the top. Arico would have to remember to order Chulesh to go get something from outside the Spire, before he tore the whole building down. At least the servants should survive what was coming.
