Surrender to the will of the night

32. Tsistimed and the Chosen

There was no forgiveness in Tsistimed the Golden. And he was methodical about eliminating enemies. His biggest challenge in generations were the Chosen and their weird companions. No other enemy had come after him in more than a century. Others were content to wait for their doom to find them.

Ghargarlicea would enjoy a respite while he exterminated the threat from always-winter.

The Hu’n-tai At moved with the spring melt. They pursued the retreating freeze, guided by Chosen who had deserted their foul winter god.

It was not a war with much conflict. There was little left to find, other than starved bodies frozen alongside roads leading toward friendlier climes. Before summer’s peak the great lord of the steppe knew the Chosen would be no further threat.

No living humans remained north of lands Tsistimed ruled. He could shift ambition to the Ghargarlicean Empire, though that conquest would not now go as quickly as he would like.

The Hu’n-tai At needed time to regain strength. That could take decades.

Tsistimed was not pleased.

The wells of power continued to wane. He would not survive them by long.

Their power, and that of the Night, sustained him. While they went on, Tsistimed the Golden went on. When they failed, Tsistimed the Golden would die. 33. Realm of the Gods: Great Sky Fortress Korban Iron Eyes and his troop followed their own path back to the Realm of the Gods. When Heris and Cloven Februaren arrived with the Bastard, Heris blurted, “Shee-it, Double Great! They beat us! I’m going to crack some heads! They screwed us, taking all damned winter to get down there to that damned castle.”

“Not really. Be calm. They can’t walk across to our world wherever they want. They have to go there on foot first, from an entry point they already know.”

“Like me with the Construct when I first started.”

“Like that. But, remember, time passes differently here.”

That might be. Iron Eyes had not taken advantage of the differential to clean himself up.

Heris recognized the ascendant instantly-though, in retrospect, that was no prodigy. He was the only unfamiliar non-dwarf. And, even in Asgrimmur Grimmsson form, he radiated a powerful presence. More so while he studied the Bastard, son and grandson of the fragmentary Instrumentalities inside him.

The Bastard did not react to the ascendant. The Bastard was unhappy. Bizarre myth had caught him up, had kidnapped him, and he could do nothing about it.

When the ascendant drew near, though, the Bastard jumped as though pricked.

“He believes it now,” Februaren said.

The Bastard’s gaze rose to the Great Sky Fortress and restored rainbow bridge. “It’s real.”

Februaren responded, “It’s all real. Whatever your beliefs.”

“I believe in Ferris Renfrow. Nothing more.”

Heris asked, “Not even the New Brothen Empire?”

While Februaren said, “Then Ferris Renfrow is true inside the Night, too. Let’s adjourn to the tavern. We’ll get comfortable. Jarneyn and Svavar can fill you in on your family history.”

The ascendant growled. He insisted on leaving Svavar behind.

Februaren had provoked him deliberately, to keep the shattered souls inside from exerting too much influence.

Gallons of excellent Aelen Kofer beer passed through the principals while the Bastard learned. He had heard various stories about Arlensul and Gedanke but insisted that never had he suspected a personal connection. He had bought into the Chaldarean worldview. That old stuff was rustic folklore and discredited mythology.

“Never?” Heris asked, incredulous.

“Not once. It’s too outrageous. And heretical. And when I was young, every charlatan with any magical talent claimed he was the spawn of Arlensul. The most convincing ended up being murdered by the Church.”

“You didn’t suspect even after you knew you had all your power?” Heris had made herself lead interrogator. She had not downed as much beer as the males. And she was intrigued by Renfrow.

“Why would I? Did Februaren think he was the Bastard?”

“Well, he is. For sure. You should try working for him.”

Februaren wasted no time being amused. “Heris!”

The Bastard said, “I suspected a lot of things. That I might be the get of discredited gods wasn’t one of them. Understand?”

The Ninth Unknown swatted Heris on the behind. “Be quiet. We’re trying to save a world, here.”

“You’d better get ready to do it on crutches.”

“Runs in the family,” Februaren told the others. “Her brother…”

Heris interrupted, “I can save the world by myself, no Bastard necessary. Give me a falcon, a ton of firepowder, and two hundred pounds of silver-plated beads. The damned thing just lies there.” She gave Februaren a glare meant to remind him that her brother had no part in this. Especially considering the other hat the Bastard wore.

Februaren nodded, asked, “When did you last visit?”

“Ah. You could be right. It’s been a while. But that option is there and doesn’t require all this stuff with other worlds, lost gods, and cranky mythical people.”

“Watch your tongue, cutie,” Iron Eyes gurgled.

“There is something to be said for solving a problem by hitting it with a really big hammer. Still, let’s focus on what we’re doing here.”

The Bastard drained a flagon. Heris said, “Right there is proof that he’s a supernatural. I’d be destroyed by what he’s put away already. But he isn’t showing a sign.”

Not quite true, but close.

The Bastard said, “I might be what you claim. I can’t figure out how to make it not true. That being the case, let’s get down to the mystical business and get it done. I have obligations back in the real world. People get into mischief when I’m not there.”

Februaren conceded, “An excellent point. I haven’t checked my own folks in much too long. Svavar…”

“Last chance to get it right, old man. Not Svavar. Asgrimmur, if you have to, but not Svavar.”

The Bastard said, “And I prefer Ferris Renfrow. Bastard has unfortunate connotations.”

Februaren glanced at Korban Iron Eyes. The Aelen Kofer shrugged, shoved another tankard into his beard. “I’m just the labor, Son of Man. One of the fetch and carry folk, the Aelen Kofer.”

Februaren did not argue. That was what Iron Eyes wanted. A squabble for entertainment. He and his tribe had not yet surpassed that constituent of the northern thing. The Ninth Unknown said, “Asgrimmur, you have to take charge, now. We got the… the man you needed. He’s here. You know what you did to seal the Instrumentalities up. You know what needs doing to break them out. So now I’m like Iron Eyes. I’m labor, sitting here waiting for instructions.”

The ascendant produced a rumbling from deep within, like something from a much bigger monster. Which could have been. In the Realm of the Gods forms and attributes often existed beyond the visible.

Ferris Renfrow and the ascendant put their heads together. Renfrow mostly listened. Februaren and Jarneyn bickered about something that made no sense to Heris. She had been brought up in the Eastern Rite of the Chaldarean faith and had become Brothen Episcopal by directive after her rescue by Grade Drocker. The dormant mythos of the east did not much resemble that of the north. Which, she suspected, must have confused its own pantheon often enough.

She asked, “Is there any reason for me to stick around here, Double Great? We’ve done our part. We rooted the Bastard out and brought him to the job site.”

“We did. And there probably isn’t much more you can contribute. But you’re walking through living myth. Aren’t you even a little curious about the Great Sky Fortress and what’s inside?”

“Marginally,” she admitted. “But it isn’t going anywhere, is it? I can come back when you’ve gotten it under control.”

“Which might be in just a few outside hours.”

The ascendant and the Bastard concluded that they needed to go up for a firsthand look at the Great Sky Fortress. They had to see what was possible before they decided what to do. The ascendant admitted, “I haven’t been up farther than the foot of the rainbow bridge. I didn’t want to disturb anything without experts handy to fix whatever I break.”

Iron Eyes said, “Aelen Kofer have crossed the bridge to test it but they haven’t gone inside the fortress.”

Februaren suggested, “Let’s all get some rest. We’ll head up there first thing in the morning.”

That was a joke. Only Jarneyn got it. He awarded the effort a scowl.

It was always high noon in the Realm of the Gods.

Heris did not leave. She climbed the mountain.

That was a great fang rearing up all by itself. The view was spectacular. There was more to the Realm of the Gods than a harbor and an Aelen Kofer town. Or had been, once upon a time.

Spring had come to the nearest forests, sprawling out inland. But color faded with distance, green dwindling quickly to the hue of grass long covered by a rock. Farther still, gray ruled, occasionally tainted by shades of pale brown. The ascendant explained, “There wasn’t enough outside power to quicken the whole world.”

Cloven Februaren wanted to add something but was breathing too hard. The climb was killing him but he would not let the Aelen Kofer put him into one of their goat carts.

Aelen Kofer goats were the size of middle-world elk.

Heris said, “Maybe it’s because the magic is thin but everything that isn’t up close looks artificial. Like it’s all a clever painting. Like if you headed out that way, you’d run into a wall with the rest of the world painted on it.”

Iron Eyes nodded. “You’d be right. In a manner of speaking, though not literally. This world does get less real the farther you get from the Great Sky Fortress. That was always true. It’s just more obvious now. If we shut out the middle world entirely, a few thousand years from now nothing would survive but Aelen Kofer artifacts.”

Another dwarf interjected, “We build for the ages!”

They reached the rainbow bridge.

Jarneyn grinned broadly enough for it to show through his thicket of beard. “Here’s where we sort you out.”

The rainbow bridge was just that. Not a huge arc as after a storm, just a curved piece of the arc’s top spanning a chasm a hundred feet wide and a thousand deep, its bottom hidden by mist. The bridge was a bright tangle of brilliant hues. And transparent.

The mist below stirred, visible through the rainbow. The faces of the chasm were basalt knife edges all the way down. Some boasted the bones of giants fallen during one or another of that race’s periodic assaults on the Old Gods, ages gone.

“That’s a reassuring view,” Heris said.

“A fine moat,” Renfrow observed.

Jarneyn said, “Stick to the middle of the bridge. Have faith in what your feet tell you. Your eyes will lie. And don’t think inimical thoughts.” He grabbed the lead of the foremost goat cart and headed out onto the tangle of color.

Cloven Februaren gasped, “My pride is going on the shelf for now.”

“You going to crawl, Double Great?”

“I’m going to get into a cart.”

The Aelen Kofer crossed in single file, enjoying the discomfiture of the humans. Renfrow boarded a goat cart, too, and sealed his eyes.

The ascendant asked, “Heris? Will you take a cart, too?” The implication being that she had best hurry. Opportunities were dwindling fast.

Something in his tone, like a spark of condescension for the weakness of women, irritated Heris. “No. I’ll walk.” She strode forward, following Jarneyn’s advice. Trust feet, not eyes nor instinct. Don’t think inimical thoughts, which she could not have done, anyway. Her entire being focused on her feet.

The ascendant crossed behind her, close enough to catch her if she missed a step. She did not know.

Februaren, after dismounting, waited at the end of the bridge. He caught Heris’s hand as she stepped onto solid footing. “There you go. Now, take a look at Renfrow.” Still in a goat cart and shaking. “Most powerful man in the Grail Empire, maybe. Child of a god. Notice anything?”

“Not really. Unless the point of the lesson is that he’s in a cart.”

“There’s that. And the fact that his eyes are still closed. And his hands are still shaking.”

“So. The lesson is?”

“Don’t let your pride get you killed. You didn’t need to show anybody anything, girl. You needed to get across the gap alive.”

“Uhm?”

“Really. You don’t need to impress Jarneyn and his cohorts.”

Iron Eyes remarked, “She doesn’t, but it was still worth seeing, her walking the rainbow bridge. The list of middle-worlders who have managed is quite short.”

Heris snapped, “Let’s just get on with it!”

Renfrow descended from his cart. “All right. You people have me ninety-eight percent convinced.” He glared at the rainbow bridge.

Februaren said, “Let’s go inside and arm you with total conviction.” He eyed the bridge himself. His voice quavered.

Heris understood, suddenly. He was afraid. The Ninth Unknown was frightened!

Hell! After a studied look around she realized they were all frightened. Even the Aelen Kofer and the ascendant.

“Double Great, you haven’t planned this out, have you?”

“Child?”

“The plan, stated so far, is: You go in there and open the way. And hope these Instrumentalities are going to behave. That they’ll be grateful and cooperative.”

“That’s a little simplistic…”

“But essentially true. Is there anything in the mythology to make you think they’ll respond the way you want? Aren’t they all vilely self-centered?”

“You’re being too harsh.”

Renfrow interrupted, “She’s right. Dwarf. Iron Eyes. Did you have any plan deeper than what the girl just described? Did you, Asgrimmur?”

The ascendant said, “I intend to make them swear oaths to behave and help in return for their release. Beforehand.”

Uncertain if she ought to resent or appreciate being referred to as a girl, Heris said, “I grew up in a different part of the world. I don’t know the fine details of northern myth. But isn’t one of the prisoners the Trickster? Won’t his very nature compel him to mess with us?”

Iron Eyes grunted unhappily. “You have a point. A definite point.”

Heris said, “Then we ought to have the means to compel him. Or any of the others who don’t want to cooperate.”

“They’re gods, woman. They won’t take to having their arms twisted.”

“I don’t care what they like.”

Iron Eyes shrugged, turned away. “Ascendant. This goes to you, now. Look inside yourself and find an estimate of…”

“Already done. She’s right. Though he might risk eternal imprisonment, the Trickster will try something. But we’ll have the time it takes for the Old Ones to get a read on the present. The others should accept terms for freedom.”

Heris asked, “Do we need the Trickster to handle Kharoulke? Can we just leave him in there?”

The ascendant said, “We’ll need them all. And, given a chance to understand the situation, even the Trickster will behave till the grander threat is gone.”

The Ninth Unknown’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Heris. Girl. You’re scheming something. I beg you. Not against the gods. Not even pagan gods.”

“I won’t do anything stupid. But I want all this to stop. Now. Let’s build a point-by-point operation, absent the influence of beer.”

They were just steps from the tower gate of the Great Sky Fortress.

Iron Eyes announced, “This used to be a hundred times more glorious. Now it’s about as beautiful as a castle in the middle world. Only bigger.”

“Focus, dwarf!” Heris snapped. “That’s irrelevant. We’re here to deal with Instrumentalities.”

Renfrow muttered something to Cloven Februaren, who replied, “Would you believe that three years ago she was scared of her own shadow? I blame my grandson. And her brother, a little.”

“Double Great, you talk too much. Family matters should stay family matters.” Then Heris swore. If Renfrow had not gotten the point from hearing the old man, she had made it plain that he ought to take note.

Renfrow, however, did not seem interested. He was overawed by his ancestral home.

The gates of the Great Sky Fortress were open, as the ascendant had left them. One leaned on a damaged hinge. Korban Iron Eyes said, “We came no farther forward than the end of the bridge. Repairs to the Great Sky Fortress aren’t necessary.”

The ascendant said, “The place gives me the creeps,” as he headed through the gateway.

Inside, the place was dull, gray, lifeless. The power from the middle world had not reached the top of the mountain.

Behind the gate lay a level, open field. To either hand were what had been gardens and orchards. The magic was gone.

The ascendant said, “I don’t remember much. First time round I was a prisoner. What I saw was less colorful than this. Last time, I was too crazy to notice much. The Aelen Kofer will have to guide us.”

Heris stared off to their left, at the bones of an orchard, recalling that it had been sacred to one of the Old Goddesses. The remains of the apple trees were covered with scale and fungi.

Did that bode ill for the larger mission? The gods had depended on that fruit for their immortality. But it looked like the orchard depended on the gods in turn. “Did all that die since you were here?”

The ascendant responded, “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Double Great, this might not be as dangerous as I feared. But let’s take every precaution anyway.”

The old man looked puzzled.

The bulk of the Great Sky Fortress reared ahead, climbing far higher. There was no color in it. Sunlight fell upon it and died.

Heris continued to quiz the ascendant. Who continued to insist, “I was just a prisoner here. I don’t know anything.”

She glanced at Iron Eyes. The dwarf lord shrugged, said, “It’s been a long time. We weren’t invited in much once the place was finished.”

So she snapped at the ascendant, “Parts of you lived here. All of you knew enough to turn the place inside out.”

The ascendant went rigid. Then he began to swell.

And Heris could not hold her tongue.

“Yeah. Go ahead. Get all huffy and pissed off. Turn into something uglier than you already are. That’ll be real productive.” She turned her back. “Double Great, this whole expedition is about to turn sour. We’re just plain not ready, except maybe for Asgrimmur. He’s all set to tremble and shake if the Old Ones won’t cooperate.”

Though she was not behaving well the old man seemed more pleased than troubled. “You keep making the point. I heard it. Now say something useful.”

“We need to make sure there’s no way they can get out without them doing what we want. Meaning all the damned doors better be locked before we open the way. Meaning we have to use up all of whatever magic still exists here. Meaning we have to send the Aelen Kofer home so the Old Ones can’t bully them into engineering their escape into the middle world. I might even borrow some of Gisors’s toys in case we have to enforce an attitude adjustment.”

Februaren grinned. “Darling girl! I think we’ve found our Twelfth Unknown. Clever, that. And I do see your point. Gentlemen. My student has, again, made a powerful argument. We dare leave nothing to chance. We won’t be conjuring everynight demons.”

Eyeing Heris, Ferris Renfrow observed, “The overconfident sorcerer has become a clich?. There’s a reason things become clich?s.”

Heris showed him a thin smile. Remarkable. She said, “Iron Eyes. We can adjust to this. With Aelen Kofer help. Come talk to me.” She headed back toward the rainbow bridge.

Cloven Februaren watched. He glowed with pride. He muttered, “She’s coming along just fine.” Then, “Boys, how about we explore this dump while we’re waiting?” 34. Commander of the Righteous: Raiders and Invaders The move into the Eastern Empire by the Commander of the Righteous was a complete surprise. The immediate reaction to the news, everywhere, was that people up there on the frontier were in error and unduly alarmist.

Hagan Brokke and Clej Sedlakova led mounted infantry in swift dashes to isolate the Krulik and Sneigon works. Carava de Bos and Rivademar Vircondelet got the opportunity to demonstrate that Titus Consent’s faith in them was not misplaced. They roamed the wilderness around the establishment, romancing the locals, then the mercenaries protecting the manufactory.

The Commander of the Righteous reached the sprawl of smelters, foundries, timber ricks, and charcoal kilns five days after launching the incursion. There was no resistance.

Carava de Bos brought out the managers. Hecht had spoken to some of the same men after the destruction of their Brothen enterprise. They had pledged to restrict sales of their product to the Patriarchal forces.

Hecht ignored their pleas. “De Bos. Do you have an inventory?”

“I don’t have enough fingers, sir.”

“What?”

“Sorry, sir. A poor joke. It’s incomplete. There’s so much firepowder we may not be able to haul it all away. That could be true for the weapons, too. I’ve found nearly sixty finished pieces already. They’d just started to make deliveries.”

“Then we got here in time.”

“We did, sir. Shall we start pulling things down?”

“Yes. And don’t waste time. Sooner or later someone from the Eastern Empire will decide that something has to be done.”

Hecht spent hours touring, inspecting, and being amazed. Krulik and Sneigon had performed prodigies here.

Locals helped with the demolition. Hecht let them take whatever they wanted, excepting only weapons, firepowder, and the belongings of guards who had stood with the raiders. Everyone else would be bare naked but alive when the Righteous left.

Titus Consent chose not to show himself. He needed fashion no more enmities amongst the Devedians. Instead, he headed downriver to Liume to hire coasters. Hecht wanted to get his plunder into Imperial territory as fast as possible. The nearest friendly country lay across the Vieran Sea.

Clej Sedlakova approached Hecht the second afternoon. “What’ll we do with all these Deves, boss?”

“You don’t think we should just leave them naked in the rain?”

Head shake.

“Why not?”

“They’ll just start over. Maybe here, maybe somewhere else. But right now they figure you’re gonna kill them so they can’t.”

“And you think they’ve got the right idea?”

“Just don’t ask me to do it. I’m not that hard.”

“Be a serious waste of talent and knowledge. Let’s take them with us. We can lock them up in Hochwasser. They can pursue their trade in service to the Empire.”

“Make slaves of them?”

“Forced labor. My father would find that delicious.”

Sedlakova showed confusion. “Sir?”

“Nothing. Identify the most valuable people. Have Vircondelet take them away as soon as he can.”

“Yes, sir.” Sedlakova’s relief was obvious.

Why had the man not believed that they would be left naked and starving?

Hecht reflected briefly on the legacy left him by Redfearn Bechter. Had there been more to that than just Grade Drocker’s journal? If so, he could not figure it out. And Drocker had not been the sort to indulge himself with deep puzzles and riddles.

The Empress, accompanied by fewer than a hundred companions and guards, arrived as Sedlakova went to deal with the prisoners. She did not look comfortable. Hecht thought she was sick and putting on a bold face. He ran to greet her, stifling the protests she was sure to have heard a hundred times, already. She was here. He would have to pretend to be pleased.

Katrin made no effort not to be noticed. “I want Monestacheus Deleanu to know that this was my adventure, not a rogue action by my Commander of the Righteous. God’s enemies cannot be allowed to arm themselves with these horrible weapons.”

Then greed flashed. Her thinking included the savings this meant for the Imperial treasury.

The presence of the Empress only added to the chaos.

The Commander of the Righteous received a summons to the Imperial Presence the evening of the day following her arrival. The lifeguard who brought the message told him the Empress expected him to dine with her. He should dress accordingly.

That meant a hurried bath and a change to his other clothes. He traveled light in the field, seldom dressing better than his soldiers.

He grumbled because this might cause a delay in leaving.

He was ready to go, having accomplished his mission.

The Empress had taken the quarters of the directors. Living rough. She did not mind, though she had only two distraught young women to manage her needs, leaving much to her lifeguards. Who, Hecht noted, went about their business grimly.

Protecting this impulsive Empress might be more difficult than had been protecting the Captain-General. Katrin had no real need to go dangerous places. She did not have to be difficult. But she did feel compelled to be her father’s daughter.

Katrin was not in a good mood. “Is that the best you have to wear? You look like one of your foot soldiers.”

“It is, I fear, Your Grace. I did not anticipate a need for anything better.”

Katrin dropped it. “This went well. What next?”

“Back to Hochwasser and Alten Weinberg. Then steady training and planning for next year. For now, we should send an advance party to the Holy Lands. What we know now isn’t much more than rumor.”

Katrin had established herself behind the bulwark of a large, rude table. She remained there, unmoving, occasional flickers of discomfort darkening her features. She was, for sure, not well.

One of her lifeguards brought a chair, placed it opposite her. She indicated that Hecht should sit.

She began to talk the business of crusade and empire but seemed vaguely distracted.

The first course arrived, something local that Hecht neither recognized nor appreciated. It was a dough ball filled with shredded meat, unfamiliar spices, and strange chopped vegetables. The Empress observed, “Their people weren’t big on luxuries. Especially food.”

Hecht caught a whiff of coffee. It made him sit up straight and look toward the doorway whence the server lifeguard had entered and departed.

Katrin managed a smile. “Some things are too marvelous to give up, however much I don’t mind living rough.”

The coffee arrived with what turned out to be both the main and final course, a roast slab of unidentifiable beast the attending lifeguard divided according to status rather than capacity.

Hecht tied in, ate slowly, talked planning, and hoped the disappearance of the lifeguards and the absence of courtiers did not foreshadow another difficult situation.

Katrin did get personal. And became personable. A little food, a little wine, doing wonders for her mood.

She quizzed him about his past and plans, about Anna Mozilla, the children, what he thought of Helspeth as a person and his feelings toward her. She knew an uncomfortable lot about Piper Hecht. As always, she came to the question that seemed to consume her: Had he and Helspeth yet been intimate?

“This is difficult, Your Grace. The answer is, no. We haven’t. Nor will ever be. Though I might find it difficult to keep my place if she insisted.” He might want to sell a dangerous lie later.

“Helspeth wouldn’t insist. Helspeth is dutiful to the needs of the Empire. But a well-timed nudge could tip her over with her heels in the air.”

Katrin was tormenting him. Trying to provoke him. Being jealous of Helspeth. Again. “I’m not comfortable discussing these things, Your Grace. My role is to help you liberate the Holy Lands.”

“As your Empress we’re free to interpret your duties as it please us, Commander of the Righteous.” Using an Imperial “we” for the first time in his experience. With a tremor in her voice.

Hecht was frightened now. He had a notion where Katrin was headed. He did not want to be there when she arrived. But he saw no way to escape.

Katrin said, “Have you heard rumors about my private court, Commander?” Voice more tremulous.

He could not deny that. “I have, Your Grace. Canards put about by your enemies, surely. All rulers suffer such things.”

“But you’re afraid there might be some truth there, aren’t you?”

“It isn’t my place to be concerned. My mission…”

“Those rumors might be true, Commander. I’ve become infatuated with human coupling. I’ve made some of my ladies mate with their lovers while I watch. Some find that exciting.”

Most, he suspected, had been humiliated. Their humiliation would be what Katrin fed the darkness within her.

“You don’t think well of me. For that. I don’t think well of myself. I did stop watching those who objected. I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity, anyway.”

Which left Hecht puzzled. And disinclined to believe her.

“Of course. I’m no virgin. Why should I be curious? Because Jaime is my only experience. Jaime was never the kind of lover my ladies whispered and giggled about when they thought I wasn’t listening. Jaime was a brute. He did nothing to make me want to be there while he spilled his seed. My agents found other women he used during his stay in Alten Weinberg. His ill usage wasn’t reserved for a disdained spouse.”

“Your Grace, I beg you. This isn’t something I need to hear.”

“But you do. Jaime of Castauriga is, was, the watershed event of your Empress’s life. Jaime of Castauriga created what you see: A woman sick in body and soul. A woman who can’t fulfill her foremost duty to the Empire. I can’t produce an heir.”

Hecht tried to be reassuring. He failed.

“Commander, I know there are diplomats out west trying to lure Jaime back. For my sake. For the sake of the succession. For the sake of their own ambitions. It doesn’t matter. He won’t come. The conflict between the Jaime I imagined and the Jaime of reality will shape me for as long as I go on. My problem at the moment is my terror, knowing I may not go on long.”

Hecht grew uncomfortable in a different way.

Had he misjudged? Was she just venting secret torments? Ridding her soul of things she could not share with anyone else because anyone else would use her revelations as political tools?

“Commander, I’m dying. Slowly, but definitely getting there.”

“Uh…”

“It isn’t just the poison. Though I’ll never fully recover from that.”

“But…”

“The second pregnancy. It did something to me. Sometimes I’m deathly sick. The physicians and healing brothers can’t figure it out. Can’t make it go away. I piss purple and turn blue. It brings on episodes of madness. I don’t know that while they’re happening. People tell me, afterward. When it’s sometimes too late to undo the damage.”

Hecht was becoming more comfortable in his discomfort. This was, indeed, just a guided tour of Katrin’s inner hell. “Not to insult you in any way. Have the healers considered exorcism?”

“I’m sure they’ve discussed it. They haven’t had the nerve to suggest it. Should I raise the matter myself?”

“That might ease their fears.”

“When we get back to Alten Weinberg, then. Meantime, I have a new assignment for you.” Katrin left her seat, moved to a shadowy corner where she fiddled briefly with a wall hanging. Her hands were shaking. “Help me with this, please.”

“All right.” He shoved his chair back, rose, went.

Katrin’s gown collapsed around her. There was nothing but pallid, lean woman underneath. She stepped out, spread the gown around, dropped to hands and knees atop it, lowered her forehead onto her folded hands.

“Your Grace!”

“You know what you have to do.”

“I can’t! It’s not…”

“Then I’ll have a new Commander of the Righteous in the morning.”

Her tone left no doubt she meant what she said.

Even so, he had to debate himself before he began, reluctantly, to unbuckle.

This could not be good. In no way. It might cost him big, and forever. But he could not give up being Commander of the Righteous to avoid it.

His choices might have nothing to do with his intellect if his flesh refused to perform.

“Your Grace, this isn’t the best way.”

“This is the way I know. This is the way Jaime taught me. He wasn’t interested in any other way. Sometimes he missed the proper channel. He didn’t care.”

And still the man obsessed her.

Hecht could think of no escape save resignation.

His body was more easily swayed than his mind. He had been away from Anna for a long time.

Hecht executed his Empress’s demands, amazed to find her ready and further amazed that she responded once she understood that he would not be brutal.

Katrin was made different than Anna, in there. He did not have enough experience of women to understand what that might mean. If anything.

Self-loathing, dread of potential repercussions, even concern that he might disappoint the Empress, made him last longer than ever he had with Anna.

Katrin became deeply embarrassed after it was over, Hecht suspected more because of her behavior during than because of what she had done to make it happen. He had no idea what to say except to express an unromantic concern. “What happens if that quickens?”

“Another of my husband’s blessings, Commander. I told you. My last pregnancy left me barren.”

“I didn’t know.” That was explosive news.

“No one should. I shouldn’t have told you. That information could be dangerous to the Empire, internally and externally. Don’t mention it to anyone. Especially not those idiots who are always scheming in my sister’s name.”

“Of course not.” She had just pulled him in further. He was deeply invested in her. He needed her reign to go on. Those idiots who schemed in Helspeth’s name did not love him. Verbally, he admitted what he had confessed with his flesh. “My post is too important to me to risk on gossip.”

Possibly not the best thing to say despite the absence of romance in the situation. But Katrin was no more experienced than he.

“Thank you, Commander.” She finished shrugging into her gown. “For everything. Are you all right? You look pale.”

“My wound. I didn’t feel it while… It’s reminding me that I’m not supposed to indulge in strenuous activity. Even now.”

Flicker of a smile. Self-congratulation? “You’d best get back to less arduous labors, then. Before someone imagines a reason for a new wicked rumor.”

“As you command, so shall it be, Your Grace.”

“Of course.” To herself more than him, she said, “A pity I couldn’t be Helspeth.” Louder, “Commander, this didn’t happen. I had an idea about attacking Hovacol on the way home. I sent the others away because I’m convinced that one of my lifeguards is spying for King Stain. I’m quite mad on that point. In fact, I’m starting to see spies everywhere. It took you all this time to talk me out of the invasion.” She paused, then added, “I really have been thinking about Hovacol. I talked it over with my people.”

“Smart thinking, Your Grace. But, don’t. It’s a side issue.”

Just how smart? Was she manipulating everyone? Had the past half hour been the product of a longtime scheme? If so, how often were her sicknesses and mad spells tactical?

On reflection, he concluded that was not the Ege style. Both daughters wanted people thinking they were more fierce, straightforward, and stubborn than their father had been.

Vircondelet was waiting when Hecht returned to their makeshift headquarters in the former employee barracks. “Wow! You don’t look so good, boss. What happened?”

“The wound is barking back. I got excited and tore something. What’re you still doing here?”

“They’ll move out at dawn. With de Bos doing the moving, if that’s all right. He’s got something going back in the berg. I don’t. How did you tear it?”

“I lost my temper. I’m starting to think I outsmarted myself, signing on with this madwoman.”

“Sir! That kind of talk…”

“I’ll be more circumspect. I promise.” He settled into a rickety chair, gingerly. There would be no sudden moves for a while.

Others from the duty section began to gather.

Again, Vircondelet asked, “What happened?”

“She was all about Hovacol and King Stain again. She wanted to attack them on the way home. And wouldn’t listen when I told her we don’t have the numbers and we’ll be too busy hauling falcons and firepowder and trying to avoid Eastern troops to go haring off on an adventure she dreamed up because some pipsqueak local tyrant doesn’t share her religious prejudices.”

Several men groaned. Vircondelet asked, “Do we have to? We’ll need to start planning right now.”

“No. I talked her out of it. For now. But she won’t forget it. I just need to keep her eyes on the Holy Lands. By the way. Don’t mention this to her people. She’s sure some of them are spies for King Stain.”

Hecht saw nothing to suggest suspicion of bad behavior on his part.

A clerk asked, “What is it with her? All this holy war stuff.”

“She isn’t well. And she thinks she’s sicker than she really is. She doesn’t want to be another Lothar.”

“She wants to make a splash that will buy her passage into Paradise?”

“So it would seem, Mr. Tharep. With luck, stubbornness, and a lot of yelling, I weaseled us out. Now, if we have to travel tomorrow I’d better go lay me down and let this wound recover some.”

Nervous discomfort. Some of these men could not get past their commander having been slain, then returned to life. No argument could quiet their conviction that the Night had intervened. Not that it was, ipso facto, always bad to be hallowed by the Night.

They were unaware that the Night already knew him as the Godslayer.

Hecht lay back on his commandeered cot and failed to fall asleep. Katrin would not get out of his thoughts. Inevitably, when he replayed specifics, she morphed into the Princess Apparent.

Try and try again, he could not get events as they had occurred to fit his prior expectations-least of all that Katrin Ege would take such pleasure from the encounter. Maybe the exercise of absolute power had moved her.

His flesh began to respond to his recollections.

“Well. Living proof that it’s a good idea to knock before entering.”

Hecht started up, in a panic of embarrassment. He dragged his blanket across his lap. “Heris? What the hell are you doing here?”

“Sweet welcome. I didn’t come to see that. I’ll tell Anna you miss her.”

“Heris, I… I…”

“Forget it. I’m embarrassed, too. I had to remind myself that you’re my brother.”

Which left him just that much more unsettled. “What do you want? Why are you here? What’s happened? You seem different.”

“I am different. Keep your voice down. Your mother hens will be all over us. Let me talk.” She plunged into everything she had seen since last they had visited. Hecht did not interrupt. Heris had a knack for reporting essentials.

“So you’re all set to release those devils.”

“All set to try. But not real sure we can pull it off. Which is why I dropped by. I need some weapons,” she explained.

“Damn! I ought to give you to Rhuk and Prosek. They could use somebody who understands firepowder as well as you do.”

“Even a girl?”

“That could be a problem. Drago is a total cocksman. Anyway, your timing is good. There’s about every type firepowder weapon ever imagined here. Tell me what you need. I’ll leave it behind.”

“A lot of firepowder. Several light falcons. And some of those hand weapons you don’t let your men use anymore. Why is that, anyway?”

“I do let them. Some of them. But giving them to everybody-besides being expensive-is counterproductive. Originally, the idea was for every man to have a weapon he could use if he came up against some Night thing. But they won’t hold back. If it’s dark and they’re scared they go straight to the smoke and bang. They end up hurting each other.”

“God, Piper. You sound like Grandfather giving a lesson on the Construct.”

“Sorry. Any news from home? Have you been?”

“Not for a while. Last time I was there, Anna was all upset because the girls were spending so much time with Grandfather. He has them learning the Construct. And Pella was being a handful. Anna has to remind him about the incident with the rotting demons all the time. He should be out here with you.”

“He should find something better to do with his life.”

“Anna would agree. But, what? Think about his background. The best he can do is have your light shine on him. I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. I’ll pop over to the town house and steal a night in a real bed. Don’t forget to leave me my toys.”

“I won’t. How will you shift them?”

“Dwarf power. I’ve got troops of dwarves I can call in. All mythical and imaginary, of course. Me being a true-believing Episcopal Chaldarean.”

Heris turned sideways, leaving Hecht unable to ask further questions.

As with everything in life, departure took longer and was more aggravating than had seemed likely beforehand. Everyone wanted to know why Hecht was leaving a cache of firepowder and falcons in the barracks. He refused to explain.

While questions were asked and going unanswered a courier arrived. He bestrode a badly blown bay gelding. He was as bad off as his mount. He belonged to the party that had gone down to Liume. Hecht and Vircondelet helped him dismount. He had just enough will left to hand over a folded note. Vircondelet helped him lie down, which was all he wanted now.

“Vircondelet. I have something to do. You’re in charge till I get back. Keep things moving. And be ready for trouble.”

“The locals say there’re no…”

“Ready for trouble, Mr. Vircondelet. It’s stalking us now. Don’t let it surprise us.”

“Yes, sir. As you command.” Clearly puzzled.

Hecht strode through the ruins of the manufactory, bent by his burden. He found Katrin’s lifeguards in a frenzy of activity. They had no specific invitation, and seemed determined not to coordinate, but were not eager to be left when the Righteous departed.

Hecht cornered Captain Ephrian. “I need to see her. Now. Bad news.” Rather than argue, he presented the note.

“Oh, shit. Holy fucking shit. You think it’s true?” In a flat, stunned monotone.

“I can’t imagine my men sending the news the way they did if it was just a rumor.”

“I’ll take you to her, she likes it or not, because I don’t want to be the one who tells her.”

“Coward.”

“Damned straight.”

“She’ll take it hard.”

Ephrian growled, “She’ll go way beyond the bug-fuck she already is. I’m willing to bet.”

Hecht would not have stated it that colorfully but he agreed. Katrin would do something dramatic.

She was not pleased to see him. She tried to avoid talking to him.

“Your Grace. I’ve just received terrible news from my intelligence chief. You need to know. Right now.”

“Speak. And it had better be interesting, Commander.”

“There was a battle near Khaurene, in the Connec. Connectens and Direcians fighting King Regard of Arnhand, who invaded the Connec at the bidding of the Patriarch.” Underscoring the obvious.

Katrin went from imperious and impatient to pale, bowed, and bleak. “Tell me.”

“King Peter of Navaya and King Jaime of Castauriga were slain in the fighting.” He did not try to soften the reality. He wanted to get in quick, deliver the blow, get out, and let Katrin bring her Ege iron to bear.

Katrin barked, “Don’t toy with me, Commander! I made you. I can unmake you in an instant.”

“You can, Your Grace. I merely report. How you respond is up to you. But the fact remains, there’s been a disaster in the Connec.”

The Empress fixed him with a searing gaze. She did not speak. Her attendants began to shuffle and mutter, worried. Hecht met her eye steadily. He did not like what he saw, a huge internal collision between personalities, each demanding control of the mind’s interface with the exterior world. A momentarily dominant personality asked, “You hired ships to move the material you captured?”

“I did. With what success isn’t certain. The courier who brought this news knows. But he collapsed before he could report.”

“There’ll be ships, then. We’ll cross the Vieran Sea.”

“What? Your Grace? What?”

“Serenity’s mad greed has made a widow of me. Now I’ll make him long for the quiet, gentle affections of my father before I kill him.”

Hecht gulped air. He gurgled. He trembled. This was… He could not find an adequate metaphor. He looked to the heavens. For a sign? In an appeal for divine intervention? The heavens did not speak. He saw nothing but a low overcast. Rain was coming.

Katrin said, “Forget the Holy Lands, Commander. We won’t be going till my barons have had their fill of what they’ve wanted since I took the ermine.” In a fainter voice, to herself, she said, “I can’t believe he betrayed me.”

Hecht concealed mild elation. He would not have to make war on his religious kin. For now.

Then he thought about Pinkus Ghort and other friends still active in the Patriarchal forces.

“That’s your decision, Your Grace?”

“Yes. Irrevocable. Serenity must be punished.”

“Then I’ll leave you. I have fresh work to do.”

The Commander of the Righteous watched unhappy soldiers board ships, none of those large. The horses were less pleased than the men.

Titus Consent arrived, gasping. “It’s really real, what I hear?”

“Yes. And completely off the cuff. Great job pulling the transport together.”

“Not really. I had only to say the Empress wanted to hire ships. There isn’t much work for these sailors, these days. That’s every boat and coaster capable of being bailed fast enough to not sink.”

“We’ll use them all. I’m taking four hundred men and the captured falcons. Messengers are headed for Glimpsz with orders for men there to get down to the coast so they can be brought along next.”

“You intend to invade Firaldia with four hundred men?”

“They won’t be expecting me. And Katrin will call out the garrisons of the Imperial cities.”

Consent grumbled, “I don’t believe it.”

“It’s a challenge.”

“Sounds like a suicide run.”

“The first Praman army to invade Direcia numbered seven hundred.”

“It isn’t so much the numbers. What gets me is, we’re getting distracted from our proclaimed task again.”

Hecht frowned. “Explain.”

“Once upon a time we were hired to help tame the Connec. You were, actually. I didn’t know you then. You ended up conquering Calzir instead. Then, a while later, you were back in the business of taming the Connec and doing a damned good job, thanks to my help. You had the eastern half in the bag. Then we get a new Patriarch and we’re off to pound on some pagans in Artecipea instead. So. Now we’re supposed to be getting ready for the biggest damned crusade ever to head into the Holy Lands. And we’re getting on with it really good. But. So. All of a sudden, here we go again, getting aimed in a different direction.”

“You could be on to something. Makes you wonder about divine intervention, doesn’t it?”

“Divine distraction, maybe.” Titus counted ships. “If I was inclined to worry, I’d wonder why God is suddenly pissed off at Serenity.”

“Maybe the Maysaleans are right. Maybe their Good God is stepping in.”

Titus was appalled. Titus took his faith seriously though he was no fanatic concerning points of dogma.

No one told the ship owners and sailors where they were headed till after the troops and cargo were loaded. The soldiers themselves were not informed till it was too late for news of their coming to beat them across the Vieran Sea. Thirty-two vessels put out with the feeble evening tide.

The Mother Sea was landlocked. Tides there were minimal. Only in very narrow places were they of much import.

There was vast confusion. The sailors had no experience sailing in convoy. Despite that, collisions were few and did no harm. Only one small vessel was lost. It went hard aground on an unexpected rock near the Firaldian coast. Crew and passengers survived. The weather turned no worse. The wind blew just hard enough to carry the fleet across quickly enough to let the landing start at sunrise, after forty-two hours at sea.

The landing took place on a beach of Vis Corcula, one of the least of the Patriarchal States, though a principality. It was not strong. Prince Onofrio was not fanatically devoted to the Patriarchal cause. He should do little more than go through the motions.

Ashore, Hecht polled his troops, looking for someone who knew the territory.

He settled for a peasant couple whose curiosity brought them too near and whose cupidity overruled their patriotism.

By midmorning a comfortable villa with a sea view had become Imperial headquarters. By noon the Empress herself had taken up residence, her presence undesired but her behavior beyond reproach. She did not interfere. Having declared the strategic objective she was content to let her Commander deal with operational details. For the moment.

Piper Hecht pushed on with two hundred men and fourteen falcons, toward Fuerza. His lieutenants took smaller bands to show the colors in the principality’s villages.

The Imperial advent was completely sudden and unexpected. There was little resistance. One firepowder barrage discharged outside Fuerza convinced the would-be diehards.

Prince Onofrio Taglio di Fuerza bent the knee to the Grail Empress at the Fertelli villa thirty-two hours after her arrival.

Katrin was not harsh. Hecht had convinced her to be gentle with those who cooperated. His reputation, from the Connec, would give thought to those inclined to resist. Terms were: Onofrio had to provide some foodstuffs, some drayage, and fifty armed men who would not be required to fight the Patriarch. Onofrio had no trouble agreeing. In return there would be no plunder, no rapine, no murder-so long as the Prince and people of Vis Corcula did not hinder or harm the Imperials.

Heris popped in as Hecht was about to lie down his second night in Firaldia, in a villa near Vis Corcula’s western frontier, beside a road that crossed the Monte Sismonda to the Old Empire’s central military road, which, in time, reached Brothe.

He could reach the Mother City in three days if he wanted to push it hard. If nobody got in his way.

He had numbers enough to cause panic but not nearly enough to attack a sizable city, even taking it by surprise. Nor would Bronte Doneto allow himself to be captured. And that would be the only way to end this quickly.

Heris observed, “You should be too tired to be that jumpy, Piper.”

“I’m tired, all right. Of…”

“Don’t waste time. I’ve got to go lead my dwarves to the promised land pretty soon. Here’s what you need to know. The news about Katrin being pissed off and after Serenity’s guts hit Brothe a couple hours ago. About one hour before word that you’re here in Vis Corcula, in a bad mood, and headed that way.”

“Word gets around fast when the news is bad.”

“You don’t know the half. The city is in a panic. The Collegium worst of all. You really got the hoodoo on some of those old men. I don’t get that.”

“Blame Principat? Delari.”

“Grandfather?”

“He’s no adventurer. But he knows how to lay down a lie and make it smell like gospel. I’d bet he started some rumors.”

“Could be.”

“He doesn’t like Bronte Doneto.”

“Serenity has been screwing with him since you signed on with the Empire.”

Hecht sighed. “Life is strange. And keeps getting stranger.”

“Preaching to the choir, little brother. Ten years ago I was a slave, hauling water and lying down for an asshole… No! That’s all gone. Though I did birth a couple of children I wonder about sometimes.”

Hecht grunted. This was news. “Do the old men know?”

“I never mentioned it. I’m not sure why I’m telling you.”

“Did Drocker know?”

“If he did, grandchildren didn’t interest him.”

“Same with me. Though I didn’t know who or what he was till you and Delari told me.”

“You have children, too?”

“Two daughters, last seen in al-Qarn. By now they may have starved, died of a pox, or been murdered by the regime. I was promised that they’d be cared for. I have no way to know what actually became of them. Now I’ve made Anna, Pella, Lila, and Vali into a new family. Serenity better let them be!”

“Calm down, Piper. Grandfather will look out for them. And Serenity knows they’re protected.”

“I’m calm. How pressed are you?”

“Depends on what you want.”

“It would be useful to know what the rest of the Righteous are doing and how soon I can expect them. It would be nice to know how the Patriarch hopes to keep me from making the Empress happy. And I’d love to know how this is playing in Alten Weinberg and Hochwasser.”

“You don’t want much, do you?”

“If I’m going to wish I might as well wish for the stars. Information is addictive.”

“Sure. I’ll do what I can. But, like I said, I’ve got a herd of dwarves to keep in line and a clutch of gods to bully.”

“All…”

Someone pounded on the door to the room, tried to get in. Hecht had barred it.

Heris stepped into a dark corner, turned but did not leave. She could vanish without notice if necessary. Hecht opened the door. It had begun to creak as people shoved against it. He found Rivademar Vircondelet and several self-appointed lifeguards about to use a bench for a battering ram. “What in God’s Name are you doing?”

“Kinzer heard voices. We thought you might be in trouble.”

“Did I call for help?”

“No, sir. But…”

“Go away. And don’t do this again.”

The men behind Vircondelet were trying to see inside. They looked less sheepish than they ought.

Hecht shut the door.

“They’re worried about you.”

“They’re more worried about themselves. They watch me close because they think that I died and came back to life.”

“You did. But you weren’t possessed by the Night. We kept all that at bay.”

“I did? I died?”

“I thought you understood that.”

“I… No. I thought…”

“Don’t you go getting silly, too. There’s nothing different about you. A lot of people have been gone much longer than you were. They came back untouched. Will you still be here tomorrow night?”

“Probably. I don’t have the manpower to take this much farther. An unexpected diplomatic success could change things, though.”

“See you tomorrow night, then.”

An unexpected diplomatic success occurred. The high roads of Firaldia swarmed with messengers, Imperial and Patriarchal. On the Imperial side the news they carried was good. The nearest Imperial cities quickly affirmed their support for the Empress. Several nearby Patriarchal dependents volunteered to stay out of the squabble. “Promises written on air,” Titus Consent observed. “They’ll turn on us if Serenity has any success.”

“Of course. That’s Firaldian politics. They’ll never change.”

“Unless a strongman comes along and ends it.”

“Someone strong and long-lived. Johannes might have managed if he’d survived al-Khazen.”

Consent shrugged. “He did, we’d be on the other side, here.”

“No doubt.”

“I’m thinking Johannes’s offspring might have what it takes, too. If it interests them. If they have the drive.”

“Meaning?”

“Katrin and Helspeth are both capable of making the tough decisions. And their people seem accustomed to the idea of a female monarch, now. But the Empress doesn’t seem to have the commitment.”

“Uhm?”

“She’s changeable, boss. We could be knocking on the gates of Brothe and she’d get distracted by some ephemeral ambition somewhere else.”

“She’ll be constant till she’s shoved Serenity against a wall and made him explain why her special guy is no longer among the living.”

“You’re enjoying the hell out of this, aren’t you?”

“Titus?”

“You’ve changed since the Empress changed her mind about Serenity and the Church. You’re happy about it. Even though we’re likely to end up having to face friends we campaigned with before.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that, Titus. I hope we can give Katrin what she wants before Pinkus can disengage in the Connec.” Word from that direction had the Captain-General facing serious difficulties. Serenity had few friends in the eastern Connec. Count Raymone Garete and his Countess had harvested the crop.

Hecht did think that Serenity would scream like a scared little girl when he understood what was headed his way. He was very much the product of his past.

His Plemenzan captivity had not been harsh. It was just time taken out of his life. But torments he had suffered earlier in the Connec remained tattooed on his soul. Never again would he allow himself to be at the mercy of another.

Failure, defeat, surrender, captivity, none were acceptable options. Unless God deserted him completely.

Hecht desperately hoped to see Heris again. The more he eyed the chances of success the more worried he became for Anna and the children.

There was an ancient saying: “Children are hostages to Fortune.” And, unhappily, any other asshole who could lay hands on.

A grimly weary Heris turned sideways, into being, seconds after Kait Rhuk and Drago Prosek left Hecht. She grumbled, “I know. I can sleep after I’m dead.”

“You can’t tell if there’s somebody here before you do that, can you?”

“Sometimes. Mostly not. I can halfway arrive and keep from being seen if I’m rested enough.”

“You missed popping in between Rhuk and Prosek by five seconds.”

“That would’ve been embarrassing.”

“You think?”

“Worried about them finding out?”

“Absolutely. About anyone finding out. We have a huge advantage as long as nobody knows. We lose that fast as soon as they do.”

“Get one of those folding screen things to drag around with you. Wherever you set up shop, put it in a corner so I can pop in behind it. That way I can get away again without anyone seeing if you’ve got somebody with you.”

“That might work. What do you have for me?”

“You don’t have a social life, do you?”

“What?”

“I know. All business, all the time. Saves having to deal with stuff. Story of my life, too.”

Hecht was confused. This was not the Heris of his experience. “You’re hanging around with the Ninth Unknown too much. You’re turning into another him.”

“I am a bad girl, little brother.”

Heris proceeded with a long report, some of it not very interesting. Since her last visit she had been a fly on the wall in a dozen venues, including Krois in Brothe, Pinkus Ghort’s camp a dozen miles above Antieux, Alten Weinberg’s Winterhall, Hochwasser, and even briefly in Salpeno, where Anna of Menand was ecstatic about the deaths of kings at Khaurene. There was panic in Krois and elation in Alten Weinberg because Katrin had come back to her father’s path. There was crippling indecision in Ghort’s camp. Pinkus himself was willing to carry out orders but he was up to his ears in legates, envoys, Society angels, and other pests, all of whom insisted on telling him what to do.

Though the news about the Empress was fresh, levies had been assembling at Hochwasser for weeks, according to annual custom. Those forces were in motion already, according to a marching plan laid down in the reign of Johannes II. That plan was no secret. Once through the Jagos the Imperial main force would advance down the West Way toward Brothe. Resistance would arise mainly at river crossings.

Thus it had been with invasions and defenses for two thousand years. Thus it would go. Geography dictated it.

“Nothing remarkable there,” Hecht said. “And though they’ll make a lot of racket, they won’t move with any vigor. How close to Serenity did you get? What’s his plan?”

“Close enough to sit on his lap. If I wanted. Close enough to blow hot air down the back of his neck. Close enough to convince him that his favorite wing of Krois is haunted by Ostarega the Malicious and Ostarega doesn’t love him.”

“Ostarega the Malicious?”

“One of the early Bad Patriarchs. His reign name was Clement. The Second. He was awful. God had the Collegium bend him over a wine cask and hurry him on to Paradise by impaling him with a white-hot iron rod. So there would be no blood spilled.”

“Strangling or drowning would’ve worked.”

“That wouldn’t have made a strong enough point. It was personal.”

“I guess so. Serenity’s plans?”

“The reason I keep him jumping. The haunted wing of Krois is where the good quiet rooms are.”

Hecht controlled his impatience. If he barked too loud Heris might just go away. So he said, “Good thinking.”

Heris did a little jig, absurd for a woman of middle years. “I’m so smart!” Like a child. Grinning. “All right. I’m done messing with you. He means to pull together every man he can and come straight at you, through the Shades.” The Shades being the nearest stretch of the Monte Sismonda, the mountain range forming the spine of the Central Firaldian peninsula. Why the local stretch was called the Shades had been forgotten. It had been the Shades when the Old Empire arrived.

It would have something to do with the Night.

“That wouldn’t be smart. If I don’t go meet him.”

“He means to swarm you before you pull together enough Righteous and Imperials to turn into a real nuisance.”

Which did not make Hecht nervous enough to suit her. “He isn’t playing around, Piper. He’ll order the prisons turned out. He’s already summoned the militias. He’s posted a call for mercenaries. He could have twenty thousand men here by the end of the week.”

“Twenty? Thousand?”

“That’s what he thinks. There’re a lot of hungry people in Brothe. And he’s offering good money.”

“Twenty thousand.” That was a kick in the gut. Even if Serenity’s plan was fifty percent wishful thinking. “A rabble, though.”

“Sure.”

But there would be men he had trained among them, giving them backbone.

“Are you all right, Piper?”

“Just in shock. I didn’t count on Bronte Doneto being another Tormond IV but I did think he would dither awhile.”

“He’s thought about this, Piper. Knowing he might have to butt heads with you someday. He knows you won’t let him have time to waste. So he’s done what he has to do.”

Hecht began to pace, muttering, “Twenty thousand.”

“Think about the others instead of Serenity.”

“The other what?”

“The other men involved. The ones Serenity has to rely on. Who aren’t him. Are they eager for a fight? Will they drag their feet, hoping you’ll go away? Because they’re afraid of you? Because they’d have to leave Brothe filled with uncontrolled enemies if they came out to meet you?”

Hecht muttered, “Twenty thousand men.”

“Will you get over that?”

His mind did slide past it. He began to think like a general. A general faced with a hopeless task.

First, he had to protect the Empress.

Then he had to protect and salvage the Righteous. And the firepowder weapons. Having provoked the Eastern Emperor so thoroughly he could not let that prize get away.

And he had to ensure the safety of such Firaldian allies as had begun to accumulate. That was only right.

“I wish I could talk this over with the old men.”

“No help for you with Double Great Grandpa. He’s inside the Realm of the Gods. But Grandfather is a possibility.”

“I don’t see how…”

“I can skip there. And take you with me.”

“You can what?”

“Come here.”

Hecht did as she said, still distracted by the possibility of having to face an overwhelming Patriarchal force within a few days.

Heris seized him in a fierce grip, twisted, wrenched him violently.

Darkness followed.

Darkness swarmed with dreams that were mostly nightmares. Terror pounded Hecht. He was sure he would be trapped there forever.

“Damned good thing you had some get-acquainted time with the Construct,” Principat? Delari said. “That gave Heris the leverage she needed to drag you all the way through.”

Pale, exhausted, Heris still shook, minutes after arriving. There had been unexpected problems.

Also shaking, Hecht grumbled, “Wonderful. Marvelous. What the hell happened?”

“Calm yourself. I don’t know. I don’t use the Construct that way. Heris hasn’t had this problem before.”

Heris said, “Tell me what you saw, Piper. That might give me a handle.”

“Crawling chaos. Ghosts. Nothing that made sense. Nightmares and monster games. What should I have seen?”

“Double Great and I see the world without much color, other than reds and darkness. With everything moving a thousandth the speed of normal when we’re traveling.” She explained that her journeys took her through a thousand shades of red, few of them dark. She went where she wanted by thinking about it hard. Now that she was experienced, she could go places she had not visited before.

Hecht was frightened but also amazed because here he was in the quiet room of Muniero Delari’s town house, only minutes after Heris had taken hold of him a hundred miles away.

Anna and the children soon learned of Hecht’s presence. Principat? Delari had insisted that they move to the town house to shelter from Bronte Doneto’s malice.

Hecht thanked Delari for that, enthusiastically. Then he thanked Anna for swallowing her pride and letting the Principat? put the family where they would be harder to reach. “Lover, Doneto is a bad man.” He eyed Delari, wondering where the feud between the Principat? and the Patriarch stood.

Anna said, “Don’t pat my back before you hear the whole story.”

“So you did try to be stubborn, eh?”

“Absolutely. Nobody was going to bully me and my kids. Not even the Infallible Voice of God.”

“But?” Hecht was having trouble keeping his hands off her-though he did keep it clean enough for the presence of family.

“That new man at the Castella, Addam Hauf? He came to the house. He said Serenity wants to take us hostage. That was before the news about you landing in Vis Corcula.”

Delari said, “The Brotherhood of War has no affection for Serenity. Their obsession is the liberation of the Holy Lands. Serenity is interested only in his vendetta with the Connec.”

Hecht made a snorting noise.

Delari continued, “Serenity’s personal crusade has not gone well.”

Hecht then first heard about the death of King Regard. “Does that mean Pinkus Ghort is out there on his own?”

“No. There are several smaller Arnhander forces roving around, commanded by Society priests. Complete incompetents. However fierce she is, Anne of Menand can’t manage the intervention herself. With Regard gone she’ll probably abandon Ghort and Serenity.

“She’ll be scrambling to hang on to power till Anselin hears the news and comes home. Which he might not do. He has no love for Anne and might make her regret it if he does come home. He has an independent streak. He might not suffer the abuses that Regard did.”

Anna and the children grew more sour while Delari talked. They cared nothing about any of that. Hecht was their interest.

As they were his, for the moment.

He was startled by how much emotion seeing them brought upwelling. And how much guilt he felt on recalling his involuntary interlude with the Empress.

In truth, he doubted that Anna believed he would remain celibate while away. He was a man. Indulgence was expected.

Delari gestured at Heris, who said, “We’ll let you enjoy one another for a while, now. Piper. Remember. I need to get you back in time for your morning staff meeting.”

That did not improve Hecht’s temper. “Early enough for me to have time to get myself together?”

“Good idea.”

Heris and Delari began arguing softly. Hecht paid no attention. He gathered his family round, suddenly fearful that this might be his last chance to enjoy them all together.

Anna wanted them to be alone.

But the children were determined to get a share of him, too. Hecht was touched that the bonds of family included Lila, now.

He led everyone to a lounging room where the furnishings were low divans and large pillows. Delari called it his orgy room, though nothing of the sort had happened there in recent centuries. It was a comfortable place to relax with loved ones.

Hecht took the opportunity to catch up on all their lives, devouring the trivia. What seemed so dull when it was there every minute, all around, was a treasure from afar.

Pella claimed he was going crazy. That he had to get out. And not to any stupid studies at Gray Friars or down under the Chiaro Palace. And, damnit! Yes! He did know that actually doing what he wanted might well land him in the clutches of somebody who would use him to gain leverage on the Commander of the Righteous. It was not fair! He never asked for this!

“That’s life, boy. If you’re lucky, you’ll have problems for another hundred years.”

Lila was still too shy to chatter about herself. Vali, however, had lost all her reticence. Hard to believe that she was the quiet little girl who had attached herself to him and Pinkus in Sonsa.

She said, “Pella is right. Gray Friars is really, really boring. Especially if you’re a girl. But afterward we get to go to school with Grandpa Delari. That’s fun.”

“Doing what?”

“Learning the Construct. I’m not so good with it and Pella doesn’t pay attention but Lila is like a genius. She already knows how to…”

Hecht finally cut her off. Despite having no private time with Anna he was pleased to have these rare hours with his unexpected family.

“Time to head out, little brother.” Heris shook Hecht’s shoulder again.

He had fallen asleep with Anna and the children piled around him. Only Anna and Vali stirred as he extricated himself.

Heris whispered, “It’ll be dawn in an hour. We need to go.”

He whispered, “I’m not sure I can take that again.”

“No option, Piper.”

“I know.” He scratched his left wrist.

Anna wakened. She got her feet under her, got up, leaned against Hecht groggily. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”

“I wish I didn’t, too.”

“There’s so much to talk about.”

“I know. If everything goes right I could be back in a few days.” He scratched again. Then started, raised his hand, and stared.

Anna clung. Vali joined her. Lila and Pella went on snoring. Anna said, “I’ll pray that it goes that well. But I don’t have much hope.”

Nor did he.

“Piper! Come on. We’re running out of time.”

“Heris, I need to see Grandfather first.”

“He isn’t awake. There isn’t time. Come on.”

“Then you need to tell him when you get back. There’s something coming. Something dark. My amulet started nagging me a few minutes ago. It hasn’t done that for so long that I thought it had stopped working.”

“Let’s hope nobody knows you’re here. I like Turking and Felske.” The implication being that those two could be the only sources of leaks should news of his presence get out. And that the price they would pay would be dear.

There was a harsh soul inside a harsh woman, Heris. Very harsh.

Hecht did not remind her that their enemies had darker and sneakier espionage resources. Though he imagined that it did take human eyes to look inside Muniero Delari’s house.

The harsh soul promised, “I’ll see him as soon as I deliver you. If something is headed our way he’ll deal with it.”

“I’m holding you to that.”

“Piper, enough! Let’s go.”

Hecht found this transition no easier than the last. And it could have been worse had he not been distracted by concerns about Anna, the children, and Principat? Delari.

Their situation was sure to grow riskier by the day.

Titus Consent rousted Hecht out. Hecht congratulated himself on having unbarred his door before he collapsed, too exhausted to dwell on nightmares seen during the transition. Consent said, “Time to get up, boss. Work to do. Man, you look like shit warmed over. What’s the deal?”

“Nightmares. Bad news nightmares, Titus. I think they mean that there are some Night things around here and they’re looking for me.”

“Sent by someone? Or just local spooks?”

Hecht shrugged. “One, the other, or both. Doesn’t matter.”

“I’ll look into it.” Consent’s tone suggested deep skepticism. “There have been no reports. And the villa is warded at double and triple depth.”

“Was it exorcised before we moved in?” He was taking the pretense too far but could not stop.

Consent said, “That might be it. We’ll move you to a room far away from this one.”

“That’s all right. I like this one.”

“Despite the nightmares? You’re getting scary, boss. I wish you’d stop.”

Hecht understood perfectly. He had done a lot, lately, that Titus considered troubling.

“Titus, I don’t do it on purpose.”

Consent seemed to understand what he meant.

Hecht told his staff, “You’ve all been worried about me lately. I point out that I’m still doing my job. And the Empress and I expect you to go on doing yours. Which will be whatever she tells us it is. I don’t expect you to be happy about that. I’m not. But the discretion I enjoy will be limited because she’s right here with us. I can argue with her. She tolerates that. And lets me change her mind occasionally. But that’s only when there aren’t any witnesses. If someone is watching she won’t budge to save her own life.”

Clej Sedlakova asked, “What’s your point?”

“That, going forward, we won’t have the freedom of action we’re used to. We’ll operate according to the Empress’s mood because she plans to stay right here with us.”

Rumble rumble. Somebody growled, “That’ll draw unfriendlies like shit draws flies.”

Hecht nodded. Having trouble staying awake.

Sedlakova quickly established himself as the loudest voice. “Boss, we need to get a lot stronger before we go racing around in open country. I’d bet they could have a force ten times the size of ours up here by tomorrow. If they’re really in a mood to be nasty.”

Consent observed, “That all depends on one man. Serenity.”

Hecht asked, “You suggesting we go on the defensive, Clej?” Disinclined to mention Heris’s suggestion that Serenity might field a mob twenty thousand strong.

“We aren’t known for that, I admit.”

“But that’s your recommendation. And I agree. Much as I’d like to go whooping through the hills and vales toward Brothe, setting fires and ruining Patriarchal vineyards. That’s why I have all those scouts out. They’re looking for a place to make a showing if we’re forced to. That’s why you’re all supposed to be thinking about ways we can protect ourselves while we wait for our friends to show up.” Twenty thousand. He could not get that number out of his head.

“Will she be patient?”

“She’s impulsive but she isn’t stupid. She’ll listen.”

Drago Prosek asked, “You think we can count on the Grand Duke to answer her summons?”

The key question, perhaps.

“I do. For reasons to do with his character rather than his notion of an obligation to the Grail Throne.”

Consent inquired, “So now we buy time?”

“Aggressively. As aggressively as we dare. Making Serenity focus on our trivial force while the real storm gathers behind him.” Twenty thousand.

Prosek said, “That’ll be easy. All we need to do is what they did with Sublime, back when. Destroy his family stuff. Whatever he sucks money out of.”

Sedlakova did not like that. Neither did he like Serenity. But he could never be comfortable while hearing a Patriarch accused of corruption, even obliquely.

“Come on, Clej. Even you got to admit…”

“Never mind,” Hecht snapped.

Kait Rhuk, who had just arrived, settled next to Hecht. “I found the place. It’s perfect. I’ve got people moving up there already. Hey! You all right, boss? You don’t look so good.”

Hecht muttered something about the pain from his wound. Then he fell asleep right there, in the middle of the meeting.

He dreamed unpleasant dreams.