Vengeance

CHAPTER 34

‘I think the kids from the Rat Hole are there,’ said Tobry.

‘Where?’

Rix fanned himself with his hat. It was hot in the Seethings, for there was neither cloud nor breeze and the baked ground reflected the heat up at them. They were heading for an oasis whose dense halo of palms and green shrubs indicated that the waterhole was neither scalding, saline nor, hopefully, poisonous.

At the outer edge of the shrubbery they dismounted and crept on until they could see through a fringe of leaves to the pool.

Rix stopped abruptly, making a strangled noise in his throat.

‘Well, she’s not a kid,’ Tobry murmured.

Standing by the water twenty yards away, in a blue gown that clung to her small yet feminine form, a young woman was squeezing water from chin-length, golden-blonde hair. A skinny child, nine or ten years old with a pinched face and scabbed knees, was talking non-stop.

‘Close your gob,’ said Tobry. ‘You’re gawping like a yokel.’

‘I’ve never seen a woman with such luminous skin, such silky hair, such a soft mouth. Her eyes are the colour of sapphires — ’

Tobry drew him backwards until they were out of earshot. ‘I concede she’s an engaging little wench, but she’s not for you.’

‘You stinking hypocrite,’ Rix hissed. ‘You’ve seduced whole villages of women.’

‘Only small villages,’ said Tobry wryly. ‘And I don’t debauch innocents. Look at her; she could have been hatched last night.’

‘You’re not stopping me, Tobe.’

‘What makes you think she’ll say yes?’

Rix looked at his friend in astonishment. ‘No woman has ever said no.’

Tobry opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again.

‘What?’ said Rix.

‘Nothing.’

‘You’re doing it again. If there’s something I need to know, tell me.’ ‘I’m not sure you need to know.’

‘Don’t patronise me, Tobe.’

‘Haven’t you wondered why no woman has ever said no?’

‘No,’ said Rix smugly. ‘Why would they?’

‘They say no to me all the time. But then, I don’t have your looks, your title, your wealth — or your mother.’

Rix frowned. ‘What’s Mother got to do with anything?’

‘Can’t you work it out?’

Rix strained until his eardrums bulged. ‘No, I can’t.’

‘She makes sure all the young women you meet are the right kind. And clean, and willing.’

The cold sweat was back. ‘What do you mean, willing?’

‘Lady Ricinus makes it clear what will happen to any woman who refuses her precious son — ’

‘Are you saying they come to my bed because they’re too scared to refuse?’

‘I dare say they like you — you can be charming enough, when you make the effort. And no doubt Lady Ricinus encourages their forlorn hopes — ’

‘What hopes?’

‘That you’ll make them the next Lady Ricinus.’

‘But … surely they realise it’s just a bit of fun?’ said Rix.

‘You’re such a babe,’ said Tobry. ‘Do I have to spell it out?’

‘I guess you do,’ Rix said sullenly. He peered through the vegetation but the young woman had moved out of sight.

‘To most of those girls, snaring you is a way out of miserable poverty, for them and their families.’

‘That’s … that’s just like — ’ Rix could not say it. He’d never paid in his life.

Tobry’s mouth opened; closed. Heavy sigh. ‘Family duty matters to you, doesn’t it?’

‘Of course. Family is everything.’

‘To them as well. For their entire extended families, you’re the difference between the gutter and the palace. And be sure, their families pressure them.’

‘Are you serious?’ The idea that those sweet girls had been forced into lying with him, that they had been pretending the whole time, desperately trying to please him for their families’ sakes, was sickening.

‘Lady Ricinus can destroy them with a snap of her fingers,’ said Tobry.

Black fury smoked inside Rix. ‘The horrible, scheming bitch! I’m going to have it out with her the minute we get back.’

‘It might be an idea to finish the portrait first.’

The cursed portrait of his wretched father. ‘You’re right, of course.’

‘What can I say?’ grinned Tobry. ‘It’s a gift.’

‘Damn Mother! Well, I’ve had it. I’m swearing off women.’

Tobry stifled a roar of laughter. Rix did not smile.

‘What?’ said Tobry, alarmed. ‘Forever?’

Rix raised his right hand, ‘Upon my family’s honour, until the war is over I take no wench to my bed. And after the war, no woman I haven’t sought out by myself.’ It was the only way to be sure.

‘You won’t last a day.’

‘You want me to fail?’ Rix cried.

Tobry fought to restrain himself. ‘Yes, I do.’

‘Anyway, I’ve got to be ready for battle. I’m going to train night and day.’

‘You might be killed in the war,’ Tobry said slyly. ‘And never make love again.’

‘At least I’ll die knowing I’m not abusing girls too afraid to refuse me.’

Tobry went forwards until he could see the young woman again. ‘She doesn’t look as though she’s afraid of anything.’

Rix pushed past, deliberately jostling him. ‘From this moment she’s under my protection, so keep your eyes off her.’

‘My eyes weren’t on her.’

‘I mean it, Tobe.’

Tobry sighed. ‘Have I ever mentioned that you overdo everything?’

Who were these men? What did they want? Were they safe? Tali might be innocent but she was not naive. She knew what could happen.

Her bare feet felt cold. ‘Get down. Don’t let him see you.’

Rannilt scurried behind a broad clump of grass. ‘He already has.’ Tali edged towards the rocks where she had left her robes, surreptitiously picked up Mimoy’s small knife and slipped it through the back of her waist sash. ‘Is he a Cythonian?’

‘Can’t see any face tattoos,’ said Rannilt. ‘And he doesn’t have grey skin.’

He must be one of Tali’s own people. What was he doing here? Or was it just a coincidence?

‘Keep talking; don’t look around.’

‘There’s two of them. They know we’re here.’

Though they were well back in the bushes, Tali’s eyes were used to the dim light of Cython and she had no trouble picking them out — definitely Hightspallers. She swallowed. Why were they watching her? Then she saw that they wore kilts that exposed their thighs. She looked away, her cheeks hot.

Rannilt’s head was visible above the clump of grass, her mouth agape. ‘Ooh, they’ll be in trouble!’

‘We’re home now,’ Tali said softly. ‘That’s how noblemen and warriors dress in Hightspall. Men’s thighs are only indecent in Cython.’ She peeped again and they were still shocking. ‘Creep away and hide. Don’t come out until I call you.’

‘What if they take you away?’ the girl whispered. ‘Who’ll look after me?’

‘Go!’ Tali hissed, and turned to face them.

The man with the black hair was far bigger than any Pale man, the other fellow more normal-sized. Both wore swords and looked as though they knew how to use them. Both were richly dressed, and therefore noble or wealthy. Tali knew that not all Hightspallers could be trusted but they did not look like hard men. She swallowed and turned towards them. They were her people. Surely they would help her. But first she had to convince them that she was also noble …

‘Hello?’ she said, trying to smile.

They came through the bushes. What was she to say? How could she prove herself to them? Tali wasn’t used to meeting new people. In Cython she had known most of the slaves she worked with all her life. What if these men wouldn’t listen?

Her smile felt odd. The muscles had not been used in a long time. She needed their help but must also appear proud and confident, for she was a lady now and would never act like a cringing slave again. Did ladies go barefoot out of doors? She suppressed her anxiety — surely a lady was a lady no matter how she was dressed.

As the black-haired man stepped into the clearing, Tali moved back involuntarily. His face was flushed — he looked as though he had been arguing. And he was even bigger than Tinyhead; she had never seen any man like him. Most Pale men were small and thin, their skin mottled with bruises and scars. Many had teeth missing and feet misshapen from rock falls in the mines.

This fellow was handsome, appeared well fed and looked as though he owned the world, yet there was something soft, almost melting in his eyes. Some trouble that made him seem vulnerable, that made her warm to him, though … no, the thought was gone.

‘I’m Rix, of House Ricinus,’ he said, holding his hands up to show that they were empty. ‘Don’t be afraid.’

Tali did not realise how engagingly the damp gown clung to her. Having lived her life among female slaves, where no one wore more than a loincloth and male visits to the mated women were doled out even more meagrely than dinner rations, she was ignorant of the effect her figure might have on the opposite sex. Nonetheless, she found him disturbing. His eyes kept drifting towards her, then flicking away as if he did not want to look at her.

‘I’m not afraid. I’m home now.’

Even the baked lands of the Seethings were part of Hightspall. It still did not seem possible that she could be here, and free. Had her legs not been so sore, she would have danced for joy.

‘My friend is Tobry Lagger,’ said Rix, indicating the man behind him. ‘Who are you?’

‘I am Thalalie of House vi Torgrist,’ said Tali, formally, for that was how she imagined a lady would speak. She bowed; she was determined to put the life of a slave behind her forever. She paused so Rix would have the opportunity to recognise her noble name, then added, to be friendly, ‘But you may call me Tali.’

Now he would help her, and the Cythonians would hardly dare to take him on.

Tobry chuckled. Unlike Rix, he was not at all handsome, especially with those bruised and blistered eye sockets, though he had a pleasantly craggy face. His arms and legs were scratched, and through a tear in his shirt she saw that his left shoulder was bandaged. Both men looked as though they had been in a fight and she wondered about that.

Rix’s brow wrinkled and he turned to Tobry, murmuring, vi Torgrist? Tobry said something that Tali did not catch and Rix turned back to her.

‘Ta-lee.’ He might have been tasting her name with his tongue.

‘I can see that you are gentlemen. Would you be so kind as to escort me to my family’s manor?’ Tali did not mention Rannilt; first, she had to be sure it was safe for her to come out.

Rix choked. ‘Gentlemen!’

Tobry laughed ironically. Rix glowered at him.

‘I beg your pardon,’ said Tali. Had she unwittingly offended them? ‘Is something the matter?’

‘My friend is noble,’ said Tobry, and the mischievous humour in his eyes made her smile. ‘Rix is heir to the vast wealth and endless estates of House Ricinus.’ He pronounced the name with weighty import. ‘One day he will be Lord Ricinus, one of the most powerful men in all Hightspall. Therefore he finds the term gentleman a trifle … er, vulgar.’

Tali went through the list of ancient noble houses her mother had made her memorise as a child. ‘House Ricinus?’ she said, frowning. ‘Is that a new House?’

Rix’s jaw tightened and his eyes went flinty. ‘How can you not know of House Ricinus? For a hundred years — ’

He broke off, breathing heavily, but regained control of himself and forced a smile. His gaze passed down her gown to her bare feet, up again, but flicked away once more. What was the matter with him?

‘I have urgent business elsewhere and cannot escort you to your home,’ he said, ‘wherever that is. However I will provide you with silver enough to outfit yourself respectably.’

He did not call her lady, nor even use her name. Clearly, she had angered him, though Tali had no idea how. However, his offer of coin to outfit herself respectably was an insult. House vi Torgrist did not ask for charity. She had to make it clear who she was without antagonising him further. She needed his help, for Rannilt’s sake as well as her own.

‘House vi Torgrist is not wealthy, nor powerful,’ she said with cool dignity, ‘yet our line extends unbroken back to the Second Fleet and the founders of Hightspall.’

‘Why only the Second Fleet?’ Rix said mockingly. ‘Why not claim the First?’

‘Only Herovians came on the First Fleet. Clearly, I am not descended from those big, black-haired, brawling buffoons.’ Her eyes raked his huge frame, his black hair, then, remembering her manners, she said coolly, ‘Thank you for your offer, but we do not accept pennies from strangers.’

‘Pennies!’ cried Rix. ‘Are you suggesting that I’m cheap?’

Tali’s self-restraint foundered. ‘How dare you insult me by offering charity, sir!’ she snapped. ‘Has House Ricinus no nobility at all?’

His face flushed and he strode towards her.

‘Rix!’ Tobry called, warningly.

Rix stopped, his massive chest rising and falling. ‘I show you more respect than a scallyscragging impostor deserves,’ he cried, still keeping his eyes averted.

She did not know what the word scallyscragging meant, though it must have been an insult. ‘I am not an impostor,’ she said coldly, drawing herself up to her full, meagre height. ‘Every word I’ve said — ’

‘My lady Tali?’ said Tobry.

Was he mocking her? No, all she saw in his eyes was a bittersweet amusement. ‘Yes?’

‘I know every noble house in Hightspall. House vi Torgrist was wiped out in the Fester Plague seven centuries ago, along with one-third of the other First Families. So, who are you?’

Tobry’s words were like a sunstone imploding inside her — burning heat followed by shards of ice, then a sickening dizziness. She sagged, clutching her stomach. Her house wiped out? It could not be.

She studied him from under her lashes. He had the air of a man stating facts that were well known to all, so it must be true. Yet again she had allowed her expectations to run away from reality. What was she to do now? Without the aid of her people, how could she hope to complete her quest? The cellar where Iusia had died might have been anywhere and she had no idea where to begin.

‘I am Tali vi Torgrist,’ she said, raising her chin and looking him in the eye.

‘It’s a crime to pretend you’re noble when you are not,’ said Rix, still smouldering. ‘You can be stoned for that.’

Tali, proud lady that she was determined to be, could take no more. ‘I can recite the names of every one of my ancestors back to the Second Fleet. Can you do the same, sir?’

His fists knotted and red waves flooded his face. ‘I’ve had enough of this — ’

Tali fought an urge to scream and bolt. He might be twice her size but he was not going to dominate her. She had to take control, and there was only one way to do that — with calm, clear logic.

After taking several breaths, she said gently, ‘I understand that you feel inferior because your House is newly risen, but there’s no need to get angry. It’s the way things are, and if you’ll just — ’

At Rix’s bellow of rage, she yelped and took an involuntary leap backwards.

Tobry caught Rix by the arm and dragged him off for several yards. ‘Given your vow of a few minutes ago,’ Tobry said savagely, ‘I’d have thought you’d treat a girl down on her luck more honourably.’

Rix might have been smacked in the mouth with an eel. He jerked free and turned away, clenching and unclenching his fists, then snapped, ‘Thank you for reminding me. Despite her insults, I will take her to her house. If she has one.’

Tobry said softly, ‘What about the portrait?’

‘Damn it! And Mother, too. And damn you to hell, Tobry Lagger.’

Stalking back towards Tali, he bowed and said stiffly, ‘Forgive me, Lady Tali. My manners do my house no credit. I will personally escort you wherever you wish to go.’

She bowed back, her mind racing. If her house had fallen centuries ago, where could she go? She knew the names of the other noble houses but why would any of them help her? Tali looked up at Rix, gnawing her lip, his sheer physicality intimidating her. Despite his bad temper, she did not think he had any ill intentions towards her. Even so, there was something about him she could not read. And also, now that he was close, something vaguely familiar about the eyes …

Unconsciously, Tali ran her fingers through her hair. She had to have food and somewhere safe to stay; and clothing and boots. Without help, her quest would fail. Besides, with Rannilt to look after and the enemy hunting her, there was no choice but to go with them. But go where?

‘Thank you,’ she said, bowing again.

His sword rattled in its sheath and shivers ran in waves along her arms. He struck the hilt an angry blow with his fist and the rattling stopped, though her unease did not go away. A darkness lay on him, or within him, something she had not sensed before.

‘Does Torgrist Manor still stand?’ said Tali.

‘More or less,’ said Tobry. ‘It’s a plague house. The whole of House vi Torgrist died there, and most of their servants. There are terrible stories — ’

‘What kind of stories?’

‘The townsfolk wouldn’t let them out the gates, nor let any food in. The survivors were starving and the Lady vi Torgrist tried to escape underground with her children to the palace down the hill …’ Tobry went still for a moment. ‘Some say they were walled up in the tunnels, others that they were massacred there. No one ever got out and the plague house has lain empty ever since.’

‘Where is it?’

‘Not far from Palace Ricinus, as it happens.’

She raked her hair again. ‘I’ll go to my house. I’m not afraid of some ancient plague.’

Rix’s eyes narrowed. He was staring at her shoulders, exposed where the loose sleeves had slipped down when she raised her arms.

‘Your arms are black and blue,’ he said. ‘Have you been beaten?’

They were the bruises that Mimoy’s wire-like fingers had made last night. Tali dropped her arms. ‘It’s nothing.’

Rix took her left arm, and she was almost overpowered by his physical presence. He was a handsome man … and yet, there was something about him that made her uneasy, that she could not fathom.

A deep, inflamed gash ran the length of his left forearm, as if he had been clawed by some large beast. Without thinking, she reached inside herself for a healing charm. No, what was she thinking? Always hide your gift. Revealing it to a stranger could be fatal.

‘Who did this to you?’ said Rix.

‘It doesn’t matter.’ She jerked her arm free. ‘Let me go.’

He held her, pushed the sleeve up, then drew a sharp breath.

He was staring at the scar on her left shoulder, at the complicated pattern that was both her slave mark and the symbol of her nobility — the unique and instantly recognisable seal of House vi Torgrist. Now he would believe her. Now he would know that she was as noble as anyone in Hightspall …

‘You came from the Rat Hole!’ he cried.

Tali did not know what he was talking about.

He thrust her away so hard that she tripped and fell backwards onto a tussock. Rix’s eyes were ablaze, his mouth curled down in disgust.

‘You’re no lady, you’re a lying, stinking Pale!’ he cried. ‘An enemy collaborator. How dare you try to inveigle me?’

He stalked away, but had only gone a few steps when he clutched at his stomach, doubled over and, with a moan like an animal in pain, vomited onto the ground.

He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. ‘Run, little Tali,’ he said savagely. ‘Run back to the Rat Hole where you belong. If anyone catches you spying on the land your people betrayed, you’re dead.’