Stained Glass Monsters

Chapter Twenty-One

"Seb."

"Ren!" Her brother turned from his desk, then checked and frowned at her. "When did you last sleep?"

Rennyn sat on the bed, dropping her bag to the floor and unclasping Solace’s focus from her wrist. "I swear, everyone treats me like I’m three years old. You probably sleep less than I do."

"But I’m only casting small magics." He didn’t press the objection, and certainly knew her well enough to know that the things most likely to keep her from sleep weren’t avoidable. Glancing past her at the door, at the signal she was giving by leaving it open, he changed the subject. "Why did you take Kendall and Sukata with you?"

"Mainly to distract myself. Though I was curious about the potential you saw in Kendall."

"I was right, wasn’t I?"

"She’d make quite a mage if she was interested. She’ll probably still become competent enough. Sukata–" She paused, then continued carefully: "Sukata might turn into something special. She has a passion for it." Rennyn put Solace’s focus on the floor, as far from furniture as she could manage, and felt the faintest tremble as it failed to break through stone. She walked around the room, checking the tight lines of sigils which ran along the walls and above the door. "The wards are good. How’s the research going?"

Shrugging, he indicated more than a dozen books lined along the shelf above the desk. "There’s still a couple of background things I want to mark, but I’ve found something similar enough for you to work with. Are you – are we going ahead?"

"I’ll mark out the room today, put up divinations. I’ll rest before activating tomorrow."

"Here?"

"For a while, perhaps. Do you want to come set up some divinations for me?"

Seb nodded briskly and fidgeted with his cuff, where a pin was threaded, a match for the one which she regularly wore. They exchanged glances, then both looked at the door. This was a conversation they’d rehearsed in part long ago, and she wondered if it sounded as artificial as it felt. Giving it up, they went out into the main hall of the Sentene barracks, where Captain Illuma was waiting, talking to a handful of the mages under her command. Since her walk in the forest, Faille had not assigned himself to play bodyguard, keeping busy with other duties. Rennyn was pretending she was glad of that.

"Will you permit observers, my Lady?" Captain Illuma asked.

Rennyn nodded, unsurprised. "You might find the construction of a few of the divinations interesting."

"To look into the Eferum from this world," said Captain Medan. "You have us all quite excited."

"Hardly interesting visually. But I’m hoping to take a few useful readings."

The Hall of Summoning was a square, grandly columned room in the Old Palace, very large. Guards had been set on it weeks ago, posted outside both ornate doors in anticipation of waves of Eferum-Get, though they’d only had curious courtiers to deal with.

Rennyn had deliberately stayed away from the room until now, and was surprised by it. The vaulted ceiling was a glorious, graceful meld of curves, and the tall windows of smoky glass kept it glowing with soft light without being open to outside eyes. A beautiful and calming place, unexpectedly soothing.

It was also very bare. Nothing but walls, columns, ceiling and the empty expanse of floor. Milky-white stone with a dark square between the columns: a dusky marble version of a slate, waiting to be covered with sigils. She gazed at the large central expanse, trying to estimate how much of it might be filled by a focus created by the Grand Summoning.

"This attunement stage is simply a further progression of what I did at Surclere," Rennyn explained, carefully creating the circle of sigils where she would tomorrow place the focus. "It’s primarily related to the container rather than the focus itself."

"Why is this vessel necessary at all?" asked a sunburned woman she’d not spoken to before. There was a fading scrape on one side of the woman’s face: remnant of battle or perhaps the explosion of Darasum House.

"Physically handling the younger focuses, or even having them bound in wire as a pendant, would interfere with the attunement. The vessel attempts to simulate the Eferum, to prepare for the final alignment between the old and the new." She glanced at the reflection of filtered sunlight on the floor. "We’ll write out all the divinations before we power them, since they won’t take kindly to people walking among them once they’re activated."

"She is right before us." Lieutenant Danress had come in late, freckled face solemn. "On the far side of the veil, but right before us."

Not particularly wanting to think about such things, Rennyn pushed on. Working with Seb, she prepared a series of divinations, answering the occasional question about the Sigillic construction, but for the most part ignoring her audience. Not completely, for she knew very well that Captain Illuma’s attention was on her, not on the interesting magic she was preparing.

Rennyn was painfully aware of the damage she had wrought by allowing her guard to drop with the Kellian. After her behaviour the last few days, there would be none among them unaware that she was dreading tomorrow. And they were puzzled and concerned and worried for her. She mattered to them. She’d tried to convince herself that they were simply being superlative bodyguards, but that day in the forest she’d looked into Faille’s eyes and seen that he hated that she wouldn’t trust him. Tomorrow would always have been bad, but–

How would she deal with their reaction? She should have kept her distance, alienated them from the start as she’d initially thought to do. But it had proven too difficult to offer them the cold discourtesies served to them by an ungrateful kingdom. Now their instinct toward her was strongly protective, and they would feel so betrayed.

Walking about in an oppressive cloud of misery had been distracting everyone around her, and she suppressed it as best she could, allowing herself to be drawn into the complexities of setting the divinations, patiently explaining how each operated as she activated them. Concentrating on work was better than thinking about tomorrow. Seb was useful, preening a little as the Sentene mages realised they’d underestimated his knowledge, and handily distracting them often enough that she was sure none could have noticed when she pricked her finger and pressed a tiny droplet of blood on one corner of the black marble. She and Seb would be coming back here tonight, and that would be the beginning of the end.

Kendall didn’t think much of being returned to the Arkathan to sit doing nothing, so just after lunch the next day she used a half-forgotten promise of a book as an excuse to go see Sebastian. The Sentene barracks were a lot busier than usual, with everyone gathering for a big meeting later that afternoon, and Kendall bet Sebastian Claire would know just what was going to be said. The challenge would be convincing him to tell her.

After settling her approach while she was escorted to Sebastian’s room, Kendall was thrown off stride when Rennyn, not her brother, answered the knock at the door. Sebastian was noticeably absent.

"Uh, my Lady?" asked the Ferumguard escort, a stocky, fair man. "Your brother is–?"

"Gone," Rennyn answered, shortly. "He’s out of this now."

"Gone–?" the man repeated, then took a look at Rennyn’s flat, black gaze, saluted confusedly and departed to tell those in charge.

Kendall, not so easily cowed, asked: "Gone where?"

Between yesterday and today Rennyn Claire had found enough sleep to ease the haggard lines which had marked her face. Her eyes were focused and determined, but lacking any warmth. "Did you want something?"

"To go to the meeting," Kendall said, worried to the point of being truthful. "I want to know what it is you’re going to tell them." And she wanted to know what in the Hells had happened to Sebastian Claire that his sister looked so empty. For a moment all those suspicions of ambition and plot resurfaced, but this only prompted Rennyn’s expression to lighten marginally.

"You need to learn to hide your thoughts, Kendall. No, I haven’t done away with my brother. Of everything I do, keeping him alive is the most important to me. As for this meeting, it’s not exactly–" She paused. "Go get Sukata. You can both watch the attunement, and if you should follow me back to the meeting, I doubt there’ll be objections."

Not entirely happy to be given what she asked for, Kendall went and found Sukata, diligently studying in their dormitory.

"So why would Rennyn particularly want you to be at this meeting today?"

"Lady Rennyn has asked for me?"

"I don’t think she means to be nice," Kendall said, disliking the way Sukata sat up straighter, eyes widening with pleasure. As they started back to the Sentene barracks, she grit her teeth and asked: "What do you think she’s going to tell everyone?"

"Nothing we will like." Sukata’s grey eyes were steady. "Mother has been studying the accounts of the Grand Summoning, attempting to discover further details of Prince Tiandel’s actions. Lady Rennyn has so steadfastly refused to discuss the final attunement that our best guess is that it involves Blood magic."

"Blood magic? That means killing people, doesn’t it?"

"Despite her attempts to disguise it, we’ve seen how strongly Lady Rennyn reacts whenever certain matters are discussed. The topic of sacrifice is particularly upsetting to her."

"You seriously think she’s going to ask people to let her kill them?"

"It would explain a great deal. But it is a guess, no more."

Kendall stared at the girl, who was walking with an almost eager, very upright step. "You’d volunteer. Wouldn’t you?"

"Yes." Sukata was serenely certain. "Now, will you tell me something?"

"What?"

"Why is it so important to you to not admire Lady Rennyn?"

Kendall felt her face go hot. "Because she lies. And she decides things for people without asking first."

"Those are details."

"They’re damn important ones."

Sukata gave Kendall a pensive glance, but didn’t comment. They found Rennyn still in Sebastian’s room, standing at the window, but she just nodded and led them to the main hall of the barracks where Lady Weston was waiting with her Senior Captains and a small selection of Hand Magisters.

"You have sent your brother away, Lady Montjuste-Surclere?" Lady Weston asked.

"We’re moving into the most dangerous period," Rennyn said, even curter than before. "Shall we go?"

They went. Everyone including Lady Weston had learned that there was no point arguing with Rennyn when she went all brief and crisp. Exit Sebastian Claire, without so much as saying goodbye.

Grumpily, Kendall focused on her first excursion into the palace proper. She made herself enjoy it. Massive halls, tapestries, fancy pictures, golden candlesticks and mage glows fitted everywhere. It was worth looking at. Just as good were the goggling courtiers, who would stop and stare quite openly. Rennyn was worth watching, too; the many times great-granddaughter of the Black Queen, sweeping through the Halls as if they were deserted. Everything she did said hard and clear: "I want to get this over with."

They went to a chilly pale room with a black square in the centre, covered in glowing sigils. Rennyn removed the active spells one-by-one, politely informing the Grand Magister of the result of each divination, but going on to the next before anyone could try and discuss them with her. Kendall had no particular interest in a bunch of numbers representing the strength and speed of the storm raging in the Hells. The way Rennyn avoided looking at anyone except the Grand Magister was much more fascinating.

Was she really going to ask them to let her kill some of them? Would anyone actually volunteer? What if she needed to kill dozens of people? How many before it became too many? How many to make Rennyn as big a monster as the Black Queen?

With a glance Rennyn cleaned all trace of the divinations from the floor, leaving only the big central circle of chalk figures. Into this she carefully lowered the Black Queen’s focus. Nothing spectacular happened. Rennyn made the sigils glow, but the focus just sat there. Getting closer Kendall could see that it had filled with a murky blackness, though the focus was still visible, shining like a star in the night sky.

"This simulates the Eferum?" Lady Weston asked.

"As much as anything can." Rennyn picked the globe up. "The next time I take it into the Eferum, the link will complete as the compression of the greater focus begins. That’s what we need to talk about now."

"Ah." The Grand Magister looked relieved, as if she’d been biting back demands for answers all day. "An explanation past due, I think. Shall we return to the Houses?"

As Rennyn had predicted, no-one objected when Sukata and Kendall followed them back to the Sentene barracks. The main hall of the barracks stretched about a third of the length of the building, and rose two levels to a dim ceiling. It was overlooked by walkways circling the next level up, and had a single long table down the centre with plenty of space on either side. This was filled with a sea of black uniforms, made brilliant by the Montjuste phoenix, and sprinkled with senior representatives of the Hand and the Ferumguard as well. Tyrland’s defenders.

While Rennyn sat at the end of the table, Kendall tucked herself and Sukata away in the near corner. They were close to where Sebastian’s room sat empty, and had a good view of the audience, but could only see Rennyn in profile. She was turning the Black Queen’s focus slowly in her hands, examining it.

"This thing has a range," she said, before everyone had quite settled in. The words brought an instant hush, and every eye in the room focused on the dark-haired woman. "When my family were using it to push her back at the beginning of the Summoning the range was small, because none of the power of the full Grand Summoning was behind it. When this is complete, it will reach beyond the kingdom, the continent."

She looked up, her expression more resigned than anything else. "That range is a very important thing. Because sixty years ago was the first time a Kellian was within reach."

Kendall felt Sukata flinch. Whatever they’d been expecting her to say, the Kellian hadn’t anticipated an accusation.

"While Solace is in the Eferum, her link to the Kellian is severed," Rennyn went on, her voice pitched a little louder so she could be heard over the ripple of disbelief running through the room. "But for the final day before she returns, the attunement will be complete, and will act like a door between worlds. Solace will be able to project her will into this world. As my family believe she did sixty years ago, when my great-grandfather was murdered."

The human Senior Captain, Lamprey, was first to manage to speak, his hand on the arm of a Kellian woman as if to hold back her anger instead of his own. "You – you are suggesting that one of the Kellian killed him?"

"Solace killed him. But, yes, I am saying that the weapon she used was a Kellian." The words were flat, precise. Rennyn hadn’t wanted to tell them this, but she was quite certain of what she was saying.

Noise rippled through the room again, but Sukata’s mother quelled it with a brief gesture. "We are not the original Ten, Lady Rennyn," she said, very carefully. "We have more human than golem ancestry, and are by no means lacking in will. Why would your family believe that Queen Solace is able to control us?"

Rennyn had been staring across the room – to the place Captain Faille was standing – but she turned her head at this, then said: "Kneel."

Captain Illuma knelt. Without hesitation. Lively astonishment crossed her face – the most human expression Kendall had ever seen on a Kellian – then she stood up again, every inch of her radiating shock.

"The Kellian were made to be inherited," Rennyn Claire said, as the entire room took a single, outraged breath. "Though Solace’s control over you will be considerably more profound than mine."

Kendall reached out blindly to take Sukata’s hand, and had it immediately crushed. The Kellian girl’s face was frozen with horror, staring at Rennyn as if she were a nightmare made flesh. Which, to the Kellian, she must be.

"And you’ve waited till now to tell us this?" asked – shouted – Captain Lamprey.

"You would have preferred this was known earlier?"

"Of course!"

"Wait." Lady Weston, pale but unwavering, moved to the forefront. "See the consequences, Elias."

"The consequences?!" Captain Lamprey’s dark skin had gone a purple shade, but he stopped shouting and swallowed harshly as the Kellian woman he was with took one of his hands between both of hers.

"Debates in Council," she said, gazing steadily at Lady Weston and not anywhere near Rennyn. The Kellian had all turned their faces from her. As if it hurt to keep looking.

"The question of exile or imprisonment," the woman continued. "Imprisonment. The question of execution, for safety’s sake. It is exactly what we will face now, but with so little time left it does not have the chance to reach the same fever-pitch it would have after a full month. And it means we were there at Darasum House."

This calm recitation of exactly why it mightn’t have been a good thing to know earlier did a small amount to ease the anger in the room. But even the Kellian woman who had spoken so reasonably could do no more than glance at Rennyn before her eyes flinched away. Sukata was shaking.

"I am presuming that if there is a way to prevent this you will inform us," Lady Weston said, turning to Rennyn.

"There is none." Rennyn’s face was impassive. "The Kellian are a spell construct. Symbolic magic, which has not altered in form for all that it is perpetuating itself in a rather unique way. To be Kellian is to be–" She paused. "To be at the command of the Montjuste-Surcleres. You cannot be one without the other."

She stood, and lifted the focus in both hands. "When this is complete, the range will be far beyond the distance you could have travelled in a month. I cannot be entirely certain what will happen when Solace’s will replaces your own. The original Kellian were extensions of Solace. She could see through their eyes, experience everything they experienced. I don’t know if she will be able to access your memories. But I cannot work with you any longer."

She turned away, pausing only when Lady Weston caught her elbow long enough to murmur something in her ear. With a nod she moved on, back toward Sebastian’s room, walking past Kendall and Sukata as if they weren’t there, but close enough for Kendall to see that she was white to the lips.

Sukata’s grip tightened on Kendall’s hand, so hard now it felt like the bones were grinding together, but she noticed Kendall flinch and released her.

"Let’s go somewhere else," Kendall said, and Sukata immediately turned and fled through the nearest door, leading Kendall out into the passage and then up a stairwell to the second floor. They paused to look down into the hall, where the Sentene had started to slowly move, like people who had fallen hard and weren’t quite sure what was broken, then Sukata headed through a door into a bright living room with two other doors: a Senior Captain’s quarters. The windows up here were bigger than the lower level, and there was a huge vase of daisies on the dining table. The faint trace of sigils chalked on the floor marked the space as belonging to a mage.

Sukata opened one of the doors, and led the way into a bedroom decorated with draperies of white linen, with a big painting of a very blue lake on one wall. It was sunny, neat and totally Sukata’s, a place which was really hers, which said Sukata everywhere you looked. At any other time Kendall would have had to be jealous.

"She changed what she was going to say," Sukata said, as she stopped in the dead centre of the room, rigidly upright. "To be Kellian is to belong to the Montjuste-Surcleres. We’re property. She inherited us."

The thin voice cracked on the final two words. Kendall grimaced, searching for anything useful to say. How do you comfort someone when the thing they faced was something you found completely horrible?

"The Queen gives you orders too. And if you don’t do them you could end up in prison, or executed."

"Then we at least have the choice of imprisonment, of execution. That – that was no choice at all."

"I don’t think she’s very likely to want to give you any orders," Kendall tried, tentatively.

"She made my mother kneel, Kendall!"

"What would you rather she had told her to do?" Kendall asked practically. "Given that she was trying to warn you that you’ve got a bigger problem than her out there."

Sukata was too fair to deny the point, but only succeeded in replacing angry horror with gloom. "Permanent slavery. We thought ourselves so…above, but we will never be anything but tools."

"What if they all die? All the Montjuste-Surcleres. Would you be tools still?" When Sukata just turned restively, Kendall added: "Do you think that’s why she sent her brother away?"

The purely offended look she had in response was answer enough.

"I’d hate it," Kendall said bluntly. "Hate it, hate it, hate it to death. I’d want to kill her. I can’t stand it when anyone tries to do what they think is for my good, instead of letting me do for myself." She paused, searching for inspiration. "You saw that Captain Medan brought that cat back with him, did you? Made a pet of it, and it likes him enough to have not run off on the trip. Is it a tool? This compulsion it was under was the same thing, wasn’t it? Yours is just permanently there, waiting for an order. Could you cast one of those? Could your mother?"

"We would not," Sukata said firmly.

"Lady Weston put something like that on Rennyn when she first met her. Something to force her to tell the truth. She got really annoyed. The thing is – any mage who’s good enough can make anyone else into a tool. There’s laws about it and all, isn’t there? About whether you’re responsible for things you do under magical influence. You’re stuck under a permanent one, which is really awful, but I don’t see how it makes you not people, any more than the cat isn’t still a cat."

Sukata felt as dangerous as she had outside Falk, like she could tear someone’s arm off, but then her shoulders slumped, and she sighed softly. "I suppose we are both. Property. People. Thank you, Kendall. I don’t think I can feel any better about this, but I won’t let it destroy me."

"No bones broken." Kendall shook her head. "Will you be all right here? I need to go do something."

"What?"

"Get her some dinner. Best I can make out, she hasn’t eaten since yesterday."

Sukata went still, then she lifted her chin. "I’ll come with you."

"Sure?"

"Very."