The fall of Highwatch

CHAPTER NINE

How is the eye?"

Jatara's jaw tightened and she breathed heavily through her nose. Guric saw the fury in her remaining eye, and it warmed his heart. A strip of gray cloth around her forehead bound a linen bandage over her right eye. Lord Guric, two guards behind him, faced Jatara, who stood guard outside the door of Argalath's chamber.

Jatara bared her teeth. Perhaps it was supposed to be a smile, but it seemed more snarl to Guric. "Which eye, my lord?"

"Why the only one you have left, of course. I was told you lost the other in failing at the one task given you yesterday."

No mistaking it. He could definitely hear her teeth grinding.

"It won't happen again, my lord."

"I should hope not. Only one eye left. Tell your master I wish to speak with him. Now."

Jatara bowed and stepped inside the room.

Guric suppressed a shudder. He didn't care for any of Argalath's bodyguards, but Jatara in particular made his skin crawl. It wasn't the too-pale skin of her people, nor the odd way she shaved off the front half of her hair. She had never shown Guric anything but the utmost deference and obedience, but he sensed no genuine respect in her. She honored Guric because Argalath wished it, and no more. What hold his chief counselor held over the woman and her twin brother, Guric neither knew nor cared. As long as they did as they were told.

He could hear whispered voices beyond the door. Jatara and one other. Probably Vazhad, Argalath's Nar bodyguard.

His patience gone, Guric told his guards, "Wait here," pushed the door open with his fist, and stepped inside. A low fire burned in the hearth, more for heat than light, since bright light pained Argalath. Jatara stood a few paces away. Vazhad was beyond the bed, helping his master into his robes. Both were scowling at Guric for barging in.

"Out," Guric ordered them. "I wish to speak to your master alone."

Both waited for Argalath's nod before obeying, which only fueled Guric's fury. He slammed the door behind them.

"How may I serve you, my lord?" said Argalath.

"I want to see her. Now."

"My lord?"

"You know who I mean, Argalath. Don't vacillate with me. I haven't the patience for it."

"My lord, I… I don't think that wise."

"Your wisdom brought this upon me, counselor. After last night, you'll forgive me if your counsel holds less weight with me."

Argalath looked at the floor. "You wound me. I did my best. If you will remember, my lord, I did warn you that in… these matters, nothing is certain."

"Damn you! What have you done with my wife?"

Argalath started at Guric's shout, then bowed low and did not rise again. "She is being well cared for, I swear. I beg you, my lord, heed my counsel."

Guric ground his teeth together and took a deep breath. "Stand straight and look at me."

Argalath straightened but still did not look him in the eye. "My lord, please. Listen to me. Your wife's body is being given the utmost care, under the watch of the best guards. But you must understand: The body moves, speaks, sees, hears… but whatever is inside the body, that is not Valia."

"You think I don't know?" Guric could feel his fury rising again, but he kept his voice low. "I was there, Argalath. I saw what she… it did. I looked into its eyes. But-"

"It is not too late. Do not despair, my lord. The rite did not fail."

"Did not fail? Are you mad? I-"

"The rite worked perfectly. It was our knowledge that failed. The Nar sent after Hweilan were mistaken. They swore that the body we saw was hers, that the House of Highwatch was gone from the world. They were wrong. Once that error is rectified, your wife will be restored to you. I swear it."

Guric winced and turned away. "She's just a girl, Argalath."

"You regret our actions?"

"No! What was done two days ago, that was justice. That was battle, and innocent lives are sometimes lost in battle. But this… this feels like murder."

"And murder it is." Guric felt Argalath's hand on his shoulder. He hadn't even heard his counselor cross the room. "But it is the only way to return your beloved Valia to you."

They stood in silence a moment, the only sounds Guric's heavy breathing and a slight crackling from the low fire in the hearth.

"It is not too late," said Argalath. "Kadrigul leads the hunters. If you find this whole business too distasteful, we can call them off, exorcise the… thing from Valia's body, and set her to rest. But if we do that, there is no going back. She will be beyond my powers to restore."

Guric swiped Argalath's hand off his shoulder and said, "Where is my wife?"

Argalath sighed. "My lord, nothing has changed. I fear seeing her will only bring you further pain."

Guric looked down on Argalath with the full weight of his authority. "Pain is part of the price of leadership. Take me to her. Now."

After crossing several courtyards and many stairs to one of the upper sections of the fortress, they had climbed well over two hundred steps to the top of one of the northern towers. At Guric's insistence, they had left their guards behind. Guric cursed the time it had taken. Argalath leaning on him was no burden, but the man was damnably slow.

Guric looked down at Argalath. His chief counselor's cheeks were even more sunken than usual, and lines of fatigue creased the corners of his eyes. Still… Guric's anger and frustration at Argalath's failure-no matter how the man painted it or placed blame elsewhere, the rite had failed; spectacularly so-were strong enough that they drowned out any feelings of remorse or pity. After last night, Argalath deserved to feel a little pain.

A door stood along the right wall and two more guards, both Nar, stood before it. The men showed no emotion whatsoever. No deference at the sign of the two most powerful men of Highwatch suddenly appearing at their post.

Still leaning on Guric, Argalath took a moment to catch his breath, then said something to the men in their own tongue. Guric had only a basic understanding of the Nar language, and this one had a different sound to the words, the accent strange. He caught only trouble and the word signifying a question.

"Nyekh," said the guard on the right, followed by a short string of words.

"What did he say?" Guric asked.

"I asked if she had given them any trouble," said Argalath. "He replied that she has not, that she has not even spoken."

Both guards bowed, then one stepped aside while the other removed a long iron key from a chain around his neck. He fitted it into the lock, twisted-the old mechanisms tumbled with a creak that set Guric's teeth on edge-then stepped back.

Guric stepped to the door and pushed it open. Beyond, all was darkness.

"It's black as pitch in there," said Guric.

"We don't mind," said a voice from the darkness, and Guric stepped back. The voice was strong but cold, and although it was utterly inhuman, there was a timbre to it that still held hints of Valia's voice. Guric felt a shiver go up his spine, and his mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"Here, my lord." Argalath had lit a torch from a brazier the guards used for warmth. He stepped around Guric into the room, holding the torch high and averting his eyes.

The light pushed back the shadows, revealing a small cell of stone walls and floor, with old clumps of dirty straw the only flooring. The roof was old timber beams and planking of the roof.

The creature-one glance and Guric could not think of it as Valia-was on the far side of the cell. She crouched against the far wall, still in the fine robes of her burial, though the skirt had been torn to shreds. The skin of her legs and one arm was pale as bone, but blood covered her other arm and face, for in one hand she held a rat, its legs dangling and entrails spilling from where she had torn out its underside with her teeth.

Guric felt his gorge rise. He clamped one hand over his mouth and took deep breaths through his nose. But that only made it worse, for he could smell the reek of blood and offal-and all around it, something worse. It reminded Guric of an animal stench. An animal of the cold and dark places.

"Where is my brother?" she said, then buried her face in the rat's entrails for another mouthful.

"He has other duties now," said Argalath. "As we agreed."

She swallowed and smiled. There was nothing human or even bestial in the expression. It was merely a movement of muscles and dead skin pulled tight over the teeth. "And what are my… duties?"

"Your time has not yet come," said Argalath.

"And when will my time come?"

"When your brother has fulfilled his promise."

"Hm." She looked down at the dead rat in her hand. "That might take some time. The tall one there… this one's body means something to him?"

"It does. We must take great care of it."

"Then I must be fed, or this shell will decay. This"-she dropped the rat and stood-"dulled the edge off my hunger. But if I have to feed off vermin, the tall one here will not like what it does to this body, I think. I will require more fitting food."

Guric fled the room.

Outside the cell, the door shut and locked once again, Argalath put a hand on Guric's shoulder. The lord of Highwatch leaned against the wall, stared out the window, and took in deep draughts of air.

"I'm sorry, my lord," said Argalath.

"Did I… did I take her-" Guric shook his head and cursed. "Its. Did I take its meaning correctly?" "I fear so, my lord."

Guric groaned. He swallowed and took in another deep breath before turning to face his chief counselor. "There is no other way?"

Argalath shook his head. "She will not need to be fed often. We could withhold as much as possible, but I fear the damage that might do to your wife's body. The body itself-forgive my bluntness, my lord-is still dead, animated only by the spirit occupying her flesh. That… life-force must be fed, lest the body decay."

"Fed… people?"

"Yes. But is the return of your beloved Valia not worth the sacrifice?"

"This is not sacrifice," said Guric. "If it were me, that would be sacrifice. To take another's life… that is murder. Again. More murder."

Argalath shrugged and at least had the good sense to try to appear uneasy. "I know of no other way, my lord."

Guric turned back to the window. His voice hardened with resolve. "You are certain this hunting party of Kadrigul's can find the girl?"

"Quite certain," said Argalath. "We have one who will find her for us."

Remembering Soran's eviscerated corpse and that horror's talk of summoning her brother, Guric shuddered.

"Show me."

Argalath leaned on Guric for their descent down the stairs. As they took their first steps, Guric said, "You said this happened because a few of our Nar lied about killing Hweilan?"

"Five of them, my lord," said Argalath. "And I do not know that they lied. They might have been mistaken."

"Find those five, Argalath. They will be that thing's first dinner guests."

"As you command, my lord."