Miiya woke up two hours after sundown. Jubi continued to sleep curled into a ball.
She crawled over to the sleeping form. Jubi should be safe enough here, as long as the spell-cover lasted. The spell-cover would be functional for another day.
Why do you have to go back to that place?
I promised the woman Karila. And I need to find Jubi’s father.
Why?
Miiya shut her eyes in annoyance. To persuade him to leave.
Don’t be foolish. He is eaten inside. He’ll betray his own daughter to win a smile from the king.
What are you? A bird of prophecy?
I haven’t allowed feelings to make me stupid. You have.
Miiya felt a flash of anger and didn’t bother to hide it.
The truth can be irritating, right? The bird’s words were sardonic, but the tone of his mind was not. It was solemn, even pitying.
For a moment he reminded Miiya of Cillo. The bird seemed to possess the same ability to see through layers of pretence with which people covered themselves, into the essence. See the reality and accept it, though not with compassion as Cillo did. Cillo had so much love, even for the unlovable.
She smiled. You are probably correct in your assessment. And yes, that kind of truth can be quite irritating. But I have to make the effort, for Jubi.
She has no right to make demands on you.
I have a responsibility to finish the task I began.
First him, now you.
I have to stop that king from putting his plan into action. I don’t know if I can, but I mean to try.
How do you plan to do it?
Miiya smiled. Talk to the water.
The bird’s irritation was like claws inside her mind. What?
She gathered the few things she thought she might need this night. You heard me. Talk to the water.
You mean pray, like Jubi’s people?
No. I will appeal to the water. You see I had forgotten the lore I had learned as a child. Water is alive, just as trees are.
I don’t understand.
You might, in time. Enough talking. I want you to stay here. Keep an eye on her for me.
You’ll need me. And I’ve a score to settle.
He died for her. If she comes to harm his death would be meaningless.
The bird said nothing but his fury blazed inside Miiya’s head.
If it’s any consolation, I’m going to miss your company. But your task is here. Please understand.
Once again there were no words. But Miiya could sense the bird’s sullen consent.
Miiya Dematerialized.
Take care. Try to stay alive.
She reached out with her mind and touched the bird’s, a caress. I will.
He snorted.
The Mere called out to her as soon as she was out of the cave, offering her rest, forgetfulness. Miiya willed herself not to listen and hurried. Back on the beach, she drew in deep breaths of fresh air unsullied by human emotions. Then she strode towards the cliff and took the same overgrown path to the top.
The Castle of Eternity was a giant luminescent pearl against the moonless night. She caught her breath at the aching beauty of it. How could something so pleasing to the eye contain so much evil?
The confusion of a few hours ago seemed to have subsided. Everything looked orderly and normal, but for one glaring exception. The gate was now being guarded not just by Tailosii soldiers but also by a human, a middle aged man dressed in an officer’s uniform. He wouldn’t be able to see her. But if she climbed the gate, he might sense her.
She circled the wall, trying to be as silent as possible. Human officers were stationed with Tailosii guards at every gate. Someone in the castle had understood the fatal flaw in the previous security arrangement and corrected it.
An image flashed before her mind: a cobraline trees. She reached it soon, a hulking giant, its knotted trunk gleaming a ghostly red.
Miiya hitched up her robe and began the climb.
This time the climb was harder and once she almost fell when her aching hand failed to grasp a branch tightly enough. Halfway through, she was out of breath. When she gained purchase of a branch just above the wall, she rested for a few minutes before jumping. A human wouldn’t have been able to handle the drop. She barely did, was badly winded.
Inside the grounds, Tailosii guards were stationed at strategic points, each group accompanied by a human officer. Miiya walked towards the Castle trying to keep a safe distance between herself and the humans. Once she was close enough, she stood under the overhanging branches of a ginger-cat tree and used her Farsight.
There was a faint indication of Karila, but it came not from the dungeons but from the topmost floor of the castle.
Miiya slipped from shadow to shadow, looking for a door she could enter. Her search was fruitless. She counted twenty seven doors leading into the castle. Each one was guarded by a troop of Tailosii and a human officer. She’d have to do something to distract them. The dragonfly-buzzard could have helped had she allowed him to accompany her. She could perhaps get-
The idea came to her in a lightning strike.
Miiya resumed her prowling, until she reached a narrow side door guarded by five Tailosii and one human officer. About twenty paces away, there was a grove of trees. The trees clustered round a marble replica of a sea dragon.
Ideal.
She stood as close to the door as she dared and threw her voice.
The human officer, a man as tall as he was broad, looked up at the sound of the first grunt, but didn’t move. She waited for a few seconds and threw her voice again, a louder grunt. The officer peered into the darkness, his body taut. A fortuitous gust of wind laced through the grove, rustling the leaves. She threw her voice again, a sharp short moan of pain.
The officer pointed a finger at two of the Tailosii. “Don’t allow anyone to enter or leave.” He turned to the other three guards. “To the grove with me.”
Miiya threw her voice one last time, another grunt of pain. The officer broke into a run and the three Tailosii imitated him. Miiya slipped in between the two Tailosii guards and pushed opened the door. The guards spun around. She slammed the door in their faces and ran.
The Farsight was tenuous. She had to stop several times to get her bearings. Her feet barely touched the ground as she tripped up the stairs, fear and excitement keeping weariness at bay. Once on the topmost floor, the trail was clear. It led her down a twisting corridor to a door guarded by two Tailosii.
Tailosii did what they were ordered to do. Nothing more. She hoped this pair of guards had been ordered only to stop unauthorized egress.
Her surmise was right. The Tailosii continued to stare ahead, as she opened the door and slipped in.
With ordinary sight she would have seen nothing but darkness. Her witch-eyes saw a room, small and meagerly-furnished, a narrow bed and a curtained recess, walls and floor bare. No blue and silver here, just a dull brown. The room was windowless and the stale air was clogged with the ordure of human waste.
The single occupant of the bed opened her eyes, trying to peer through the gloom. Miiya barely recognized Karila. The woman seemed to have aged by several decades. Her face was pale and pinched, almost skeletal. Her eyes were clouded and her tightly-pressed lips trembled as if something was pushing against them, a moan perhaps or bile.
Miiya walked up to the bed. Karila’s eyes darted about. She swallowed hard, opened her mouth and managed a word, even though it ended on a whimper. “Witch?”
Miiya bent over the bed and placed her hand on Karila’s. “Yes, it’s me, Karila.”
The woman winced, as if the touch was painful. She swallowed again and asked, “Jubi?”
“She’s safe. Don’t speak until I ease your pain.”
Miiya closed her eyes, placed her hand on Karila’s fevered brow and reached in. It took a lifetime of training not to react to the lightning strikes of pain which assailed her. Karila’s arms and legs were broken in every joint: elbows, wrists and fingers, knees, ankles and toes. Not physically; physically they were whole, untouched; in her minds they were in tatters. Physically she was well; in her mind, her limbs floated on a sea of pain, like broken twigs.
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Miiya drew out some of the pain; she wanted to take it all into herself, but feared it would immobilize her completely.
Karila exhaled in a sob. “Oh thank you. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of hearing me cry. This is how he makes us talk; mind-torture. You are whole on the outside and broken on the inside. He can do whatever he wants to you, without lifting a finger.” She paused for a second. “I didn’t mention you.”
Miiya managed a smile. “Thank you for that, Karila. I came to free you, but I don’t think I can get you out of here.” She was pronouncing Karila’s death sentence and wished she didn’t have to. But after what the woman had endured, she had a right to the truth.
“I don’t want to live. Even if you can get me out, I can never be free of him. A quick death is the only freedom you can give me.”
Miiya gritted her teeth against the pain she knew would come and put her hand inside the pocket of her robe. Bolts of agony crisscrossed her arm. The pain felt so real, so physical. The witch-part of her mind assayed this new form of torture, trying to understand how it worked. The other part, clogged with human emotions, was horrified at what had been done to Karila.
The witch and human parts agreed on one thing. It was an abomination that had to be ended. Other kings lived with the disappointment of not having an heir and died without turning into abominations. What made Iretsa different? She wished she had the time to find out.
Her fingers found the tiny glass bottle and closed round it. The pain ebbed and flowed as she unstopped the vial and placed it in Karila’s hand. “Drink this. It’s undiluted by a soporific. It’ll cause you pain, but will bring death faster.” She paused and added, “I’m sorry.”
Karila’s fingers closed on the vial. “I’ve seen the worse death. Compared to that, this would be heaven.” She carried the tiny bottle to her lips and drank, the way a dying woman would drink a life-giving draught.
“Miiya-” That was all she could say. Her eyes dilated. Her head moved from side to side with an almost inhuman speed. Her body writhed as if she was a sapling caught in a hard wind. She drummed her feet and lashed her hands. But her lips remained pressed tightly together. When the toxin raced to her lungs, choking her, she didn’t emit even the tiniest moan.
One last heaving shudder and Karila’s body relaxed. Miiya closed Karila’s staring eyes. A trickle of foamy saliva dripped out of the woman’s mouth, but her face was peaceful.
The empty vial had fallen from Karila’s hand during her death throe and rolled into a corner. Miiya pocketed it and turned to leave.
The door slammed open. Jubi’s father rushed in. Three Tailosii guards followed him, one carrying a lamp. Jubi’s father grabbed the lamp, saying, “Don’t let anyone out.” The guards formed themselves into a barrier, shoulder to shoulder, blocking the narrow doorway.
Miiya’s eyes flashed around. There was no other exit. She flattened herself against the far wall and waited.
Jubi’s father bent over Karila’s recumbent figure. His indrawn breath was as sharp as a lance. The hand holding the lamp shook, causing its meager light to flutter like a desperate moth. He knelt by the bedside and caught Karila’s hand, feeling for a pulse that wasn’t there.
The bellow could have come from an angry bull. It filled the small room.
Jubi’s father sprang up. His eyes were on fire, lips pulled back in a snarl. He stood still for a moment. Miiya could sense him fighting for control. When the light from the lamp ceased its wild flutter, she knew he had succeeded.
“I know you are there.”
Miiya willed herself not to breathe.
The man smiled, the way a predator would once the prey is cornered. “I know you are there, witch,” he said again. His voice had enough venom to fell a thousand people. “I let you go last time because I didn’t want my girl caught. She betrayed me, she let me down, but I love her still. She is my daughter and I couldn’t be faithless to her. Now she is not here. Once I hand you over to the king, his faith in me will be restored.”
The door opened, slowly.
Minister Bansham walked in. The guards parted to let him through and moved back to the original position.
“What are you doing here?” he asked Jubi’s father. His voice was cold, colder than the room. The smell must have hit him because he pulled a white handkerchief from a pocket and carried it to his nose with one delicate milky blue hand. His expression was one of distaste.
Jubi’s father pointed a trembling finger at the still figure on the bed. “She’s dead.”
Bansham moved with unimpaired calm towards the bed. He picked up Karila’s arm to check a pulse. After a while he placed it back on her unmoving chest, with surprising gentleness. He stared down at the still form for a second or two more and turned around.
“You are right for once.” He paused and added, “She must have had some poison concealed on her.”
Miiya blinked, trying to summon a memory. Where had she heard that tone of voice before?
“When she was arrested, she was stripped and searched.” Jubi’s father hissed the words. “She had nothing concealed on her. Nothing. If she did, and the guards failed to find it, our lord would have sensed it. It’s a witch. She is here. She is here in this room. That’s the only explanation.”
“I think there can be more than one explanation.” Bansham’s voice was dry. “Such as you and your daughter are acting together to undermine our master. Personally I find that to be a far more convincing. After all, everything was functioning normally, until your enterprising daughter’s arrival.”
The veins on Jubi’s father’s forehead bulged. But his eyes had narrowed into slits. His voice was steady. “Your Excellency might not be aware that a security breach had occurred near the sea-dragon grove. Office Paenda reported to me of it just minutes ago. That’s why I came here.” He started inching about the room, taking long breaths. “I of course do not possess the powers you do, not yet. But I do sense something alien here. I think the witch killed Karila and I think she’s still in this room.” He stopped to flash a smile of triumph at Bansham. “I propose to appeal to our lord. He’d be able to sense if the witch is still here.”
There was a moment of silence. Bansham broke it, his voice as smooth as ever. “That would be an excellent idea, as a last resort. I’ll check the place first. Then, if the necessity remains, we can beg our lord to come here. I’d be loath to disturb him at a time like this. He has had a trying few days and it is my intention to discommode him as little as possible.”
Jubi’s father bowed his head, mockingly.
Bansham started prowling round the room, peeping and sniffing, the way Jubi’s father did, the way a bloodhound would do. Miiya knew she had little choice left. She tried to weave a spell of concealment, but her mind was too tense and she couldn’t focus.
She’ll have to stun the two humans and incinerate the Tailosii.
Bansham continued his prowling. He stopped at the foot of Karila’s bed, inhaled deeply and said, “I believe you are right after all. Here...” His voice was no longer smooth. It trembled with a note of excitement.
Jubi’s father cried, “Let me see.” He pushed Bansham aside and lunged at the space between bed and the wall. For a second he stood frozen in motion, arms stretched to grab the intruder. Then his legs buckled and he began to slide down. Bansham caught the falling form with one hand, the same time Miiya realized what had happened.
Bansham had immobilized Jubi’s father by pressing a vein on his neck.
The old man lowered the still form of Jubi’s father to the ground, straightened up and looked around.
“Witch?”
Miiya responded at once. “Why did you do it?”
“Because I hated him. Because he was planning to step into my shoes. Because he reminded me too much of the way I was once, at the beginning of my illustrious career.” The old man’s voice was acrid. “All of that is true. But none of that would have mattered, not as much as a grain of common sand, had it not been for the events of the last few days. With you here, I see a chance of ending this horror.”
Miiya waited.
Bansham shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me. But if you do, I’ll help you to get out of the Castle.” He turned his head to cast a glance at the inert form of Jubi’s father. “For a long time, I was as assiduous as he was in promoting the horror. You may not know this. It was my idea. But lately, I began to develop doubts. Now I fear it and loathe it. I wanted to end it, but I lacked the means. I definitely lacked the courage. Watching that girl did something to me, just as it did something to Karila. We don’t have much time. Come with me. I’ll get you out. The rest is up to you.”
“Why did you come here?”
Bansham sighed. “To give her death.”
Bansham’s reaction to Karila’s death had puzzled her. Now she knew why. His had used the same tone of voice Karila had used when she informed Jubi of the sudden death of the king’s last wife.
“I believe you,” she told Bansham. “And I will accept your help willingly.”
Bansham walked up to the Tailosii. “Let us through. But let no one else out.” He turned towards Miiya. He couldn’t see her, but his senses seemed strong enough to gauge her exact location. “He’ll come to his senses in a short while. I want to keep him in here for as long as possible. I suppose I can kill him, but I’d rather not.”
The old man walked briskly, traversing corridors, going down staircases. Miiya walked behind him, all her senses on full alert. She trusted him, but knew she could be wrong.
One final flight of steps, a narrow corridor, a door and they entered what looked like an anteroom. Two male Tailosii stood on guard; a female Tailosii was arranging flowers and fruits on a large flat-bottomed cane basket. Bansham went up to the woman, inspected the basket and nodded. The woman picked it up with two slim hands and placed it on her head. She was dressed in a silvery robe made of some translucent material. Pearls adorned her hair, throat, ears and wrists. She didn’t look a day older than twenty.
Bansham opened a door at the far end of the room and went out, nodding in Miiya’s direction. She hurried to his side. The female Tailosii came next, followed by the two guards. One more door and they were out in the garden. Miiya closed her eyes as the salty night air enveloped her in a cold embrace.
If only she could fly one more time!
Bansham walked with ponderous grace towards the closest gate. The human officer on guard came up to the old man and saluted. Bansham said in clipped tones, “There is a traitor among us. Karila has been killed. I have been instructed to make a special offering to the God. Open the gate.”
The young man hesitated for a fraction of a second, his eyes dashing from Bansham to the Tailosii woman. He bowed his head and barked an order to the guards.
The gate opened. Miiya stepped out in tandem with Bansham. The human officer ordered the gate to be closed, but stood behind it, his eyes full of unease.
Bansham circled the wall until he was out of the watching officer’s sight. He glanced in Miiya’s direction and whispered, “I think whatever the spell is beginning to wear off. I can see a shimmer.” He smiled suddenly, an old man’s smile spiced with a hint of triumph and a hint of mischief. “I’ve done my part. Fire or water, that’s up to you.”
“I can’t do anything so long as the humans remain in the castle. I need to get them out. Not the king of course. The others have to be saved.”
“There are no humans left here.”
“Karila changed. You changed. The same can happen to the others.”
Bansham stared at her for a second. Then he walked towards the cliff edge, motioning the female Tailosii to follow him. Once he reached the edge, he took a step back and made a gesture.
The Tailosii walked up to the cliff edge and jumped, her hands never letting go of the fruit basket.
The sound of the Tailosii’s body hitting the water brought Miiya out of the stupor. She ran to the edge and peeped – and saw only the waves.
She turned around and faced Bansham. “Will you come with me?’
“Like Karila, I crave for oblivion far more than I once did for immortality.”
Miiya touched his arm, briefly, with a partly-visible hand. “Thank you.”
“Good luck, witch.”
Miiya hurried towards the cliff path and clambered down, going through the water-lore in her mind. Once she was on the beach she looked up. Bansham was kneeling on the edge of the cliff, head bowed, hands held out to the sea in gesture of supplication.
A sudden vision of Terryc flashed before Miiya’s eyes, kind, warm, smiling, human. She embraced that memory and walked into the sea.
The waves wove round her ankles, her knees, her waist, rising higher with each step until they were splashing against her shoulders, their foamy touch a fleeting caress on her face.
She knelt, immersing herself in the sea, and reached out, touching each drop of water with her mind, telling her story, pleading for help.
A great stillness fell over the sea.
The Tailosii can be stopped only with fire and water. I don’t have enough power left in me for fire.
The sea was silent.
I’m weak. The fire might escape my control and spread to the Mere and even Draca.
A wavelet rippled above her.
What is in the Castle is outside humanity. It is beyond nature. It must not prevail.
The ground trembled beneath her. The water churned around her.
Miiya stood up and turned towards the cliff, her eyes passing over the still-kneeling Bansham and resting on the Castle of Eternity. She marshaled her powers, gathered them into one central point and spread out her hands.
The sea heaved, disgorging two waves. Miiya stood motionless in the eye of the storm she had summoned until the waves grew into two walls, vertical and gigantic. She moved her hands slowly, as a dancer would, bringing them together until they met high over her head. The waves followed the path of her hands, moving towards each other and forming a mountainous arch over her.
She brought her tightly clasped hands forward and pointed them towards the Castle in one swift movement.
The wave obeyed her command. It reared over the cliff like a ravenous beast, swallowed the still kneeling Bansham and rolled towards the Castle of Eternity.