Chapter 2 – The Grand Parade
For a minor port city like Varin, where the most notable even of a season would usually be a lucky fisherman’s especially abundant catch, the Empress’ visitation was proving to be the most momentous occasion of the last decade. It was a small part of the Empress’ greater efforts to visit every corner of her vast realm during the twilight years of her long rule, to solidify the boundaries of the empire and reinforce her control where need be. The message she wanted her people to receive was very clear; she may not be immortal, but the crown, and the empire, were. Varin, situated near the heart of the empire, would be the last stop on that tour, before the Empress returned to the imperial capital of Melkis, in order to celebrate her diamond jubilee.
By the time that Zaphyr and Zull reached the city’s main thoroughfare, where the parade would soon pass by, the entire street was already crowded almost to the bursting point, with several layers of cheering citizens standing between them and the boundaries marked by two long rows of stern-faced soldiers, creating an empty space which the parade could pass through. Unfortunately, both twins were unusually short for their age and found their view of the street totally blocked.
“Bother,” Zaphyr said, crossing her arms in irritation. “We came all this way, and for nothing.”
“Not necessarily,” Zull said, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked around. He stopped, smiling one of his rare smiles as he spotted an empty wooden barrel standing next to the wall of an alley which joined the main street. The twins walked over to the barrel, which looked like it had been used in the past to store fish while they were transported to and from the market. It had a briny, unsavory smell, but it looked relatively sturdy and had a wooden lid large enough for the twins to both stand on.
Zaphyr slid the lid atop the barrel, then lightly sprung up unto it. Then, she reached down and helped Zull climb up as well. Balancing atop the barrel, arms against the adjacent wall to support themselves, the twins were now able to see over the heads of the crowd and glimpse the parade proper.
“Just in time,” Zaphyr said excitedly. “Look, the Empress is coming!”
Zull dutifully looked and had to admit that he was awed by what he saw before him. The entire cleared section of the street was taken up by hundreds of soldiers wearing the light blue livery of the Empress’ royal guard, marching in unified lines through the street, ceremonial lances clutched at the ready in their spotless gloved hands. Behind this procession of soldiers rode an enormous, gilded carriage, drawn by eight powerful black horses that put Zeid the fishmonger’s steed to shame. The carriage itself had no roof, and Zaphyr and Zull could see three people sitting within. In the front facing seat of the carriage sat a short, almost homely looking elderly woman in a bright red dress which glittered with diamonds and other precious jewels. She appeared to be even older than Gerok, but despite the distance between them Zaphyr and Zull could see the cunning, intelligent look in her piercing eyes. While she smiled broadly and waved amicably to the people thronging the streets around her, her eyes never stopped moving, carefully studying, measuring, and judging everyone they came across, although the outcomes of her judgement could not be judged from her inscrutably friendly expression.
Across from the Empress, in the rear-facing seat of the carriage, sat two individuals. One of them was a younger man, hardly older than the twins themselves. He had long, silvery blonde hair that hid most of his face. He wore the same blue and gold uniforms as the royal guards in front of the carriage and slumped forward so much that Zaphyr almost thought he had fallen asleep. To her surprise, the young man slowly turned his head to look towards the crowd on their side of the thoroughfare, before smiling weakly at the throngs of people. As if even that much effort stole all his energy, the young man closed his eyes and leaned back against the cushioned headrest of the carriage.
The figure sitting next to him could not have been more different. A man in his middle age who sat stiffly upright, he wore a sharp green uniform and had a saber’s scabbard at his side. His expertly trimmed mustache and salt and pepper beard almost but couldn’t quite hide the wry smile on his lips. Unlike the Empress, his grin seemed to be one of genuine amusement, although what he found so humorous the twins could only speculate at.
“Zull, help me out,” Zaphyr whispered to her more knowledgeable twin. “I recognize the Empress, but who are those people riding with her?”
Zull frowned as he tried to recall what he knew. “If I had to guess, the younger fellow is the Empress’ son, Prince Blyth.”
“I recognize that name, but why does he look so pale?” Zaphyr asked.
“He has an unknown disease which has left even the greatest physicians baffled. If he gets cut or injured, he bleeds almost uncontrollably,” Zull explained. “He’s incredibly sickly and lethargic, as well. I’m somewhat surprised he came along on the Empress’ tour of the kingdom at all.”
Zaphyr nodded, taking in this information. “Well, why doesn’t the Empress just have her hemomancers heal him? If he’s the Crown Prince, I would think it rather in her interest that he live.”
Zull shook his head sadly. “This is all after the hemomancers tried to heal him. It’s only thanks to the greatest hemomancers in the empire that the Crown Prince isn’t bedridden all day. Even so, they say he will be dead within a year.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “They also say the Empress has already picked who she will nominate to be her heir in his place.”
Zaphyr’s eyes widened at that. “Wow. And who’s the other fellow?”
“I think that’s General Steroth,” Zull said, squinting slightly in the carriage’s direction as he did so. “He’s been the Empress’ most trusted advisor and aide since the Emperor died, years and years ago. I hear he has never lost a battle, and they say that the Empress has chosen him to be her heir.”
Zaphyr looked at her twin with incredulity. “Where do you hear all of this gossip, Zull?”
Zull sniffed, pretending to be insulted. “I have many reputable sources.”
Zaphyr rolled her eyes dramatically. “You overheard it at the fish market, didn’t you?”
“Of course not,” Zull protested. “…All right, maybe. Probably.”
By this time, the Empress carriage had rolled well past the twins, and the rest of the parade strode by them. The twins saw acrobats leap and tumble their ways down the streets, more soldiers in ceremonial uniforms march smartly past, followed by captive animals from far, foreign lands, including a strange animal like a horse but with mangy yellow fur and two large bulges on its back that whispers through the crowd informed them was called a “camel.”
Taking up the very rear of the parade was a man in an almost sparkling white suit, riding an equally snow-colored stallion. He looked like a far healthier and more energetic version of Crown Prince Blyth. The man held in his hand an enormous sack brimming with golden crowns, the imperial currency, which he tossed out by the handfuls into the cheering crowd. The man basked in the crowd’s adoration with an almost manic air, grinning broadly all the while.
“Who’s that?” Zaphyr asked.
“I’m surprised you don’t recognize him,” Zull responded. “That’s Prince Grevel.”
Zaphyr looked at her sibling in surprise. “Prince? I didn’t know the Empress had two sons.”
“Not her son, her nephew, from her younger sister who died,” Zull explained, impatience beginning to creep into his voice. “Hence, Prince Grevel and not Crown Prince Grevel. Do you see?”
“I guess so,” Zaphyr said, scrunching her face up in thought.
“He’s very popular, almost as much as the Empress herself,” Zull said. “And he’s an expert hemomancer. One of the best, they say. Apparently, the talent runs in the royal family, although the Empress herself doesn’t have it.”
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“Fascinating,” Zaphyr said. “I’m surprised that the fish market gossipers are so knowledgeable about the royal family.”
Zull coughed awkwardly into his hand. “That piece of information I heard from Gerok, actually. He tries to keep his information about other hemomancers, especially ones near the royal family, as recent as possible.” Under his breath, Zull added, “Maybe if you paid attention to some of his lectures you would know this.”
Zaphyr groaned. “Don’t you start, too. Let’s try to enjoy the parade without a fight, if possible.”
The twins watched Prince Grevel ride past, the crowds pushing in around him as he hurled coins all about. He stopped his horse just across the street from the twins, his benevolent expression turning to one of confusion for the briefest of moments as his gaze swept the street. For a moment, he seemed to linger on the twins themselves, before his attention swept past. Looking somewhat disappointed, Grevel spurred his horse into a brisk trot so he could catch back up with the rest of the parade. Behind him was the very end of the demonstration, another set of soldiers pulling along enormous catapults as a demonstration of the full military prowess of the Empress’ military. Once the engines of war were past, the crowd gradually dispersed, finding nothing further to keep their attention.
Once the crowd had disappeared, Zaphyr and Zull dismounted their barrel and sat down on a relatively uncrowded section of the adjoining alley. The twins divided between themselves the bread that Gerok had given them, along with the thin strips of preserved fish meat, which they eagerly ate. They washed the meal down with the skin full of water, enjoying their meal in a pleasant silence occasionally punctuated by the normal evening sounds of people walking through the city streets, finding their ways home or selling their own wares. Life around them went on as it always had in Varin, and always would, despite the occasional interruptions by momentous moments and personages such as the Empress.
Finishing up the last of the meal, Zull stood to his feet as he wiped his fingers off on the hem of his cloak. He glanced up to see the red disk of the sun hovering just above the bay. “It will be dark soon,” Zull said. “We should be heading back.”
“Not just yet,” Zaphyr protested. “Where do you think the Empress is staying?”
Zull shrugged. “I don’t know. I would suppose the mayor’s palace? Or perhaps the fort besides the bay, where the town’s garrison lives.”
“Do you think we could sneak in to see her?” Zaphyr suggested, an impish grin spreading across her face.
Zull shook his head violently at his sister’s idea. “Wherever she is, that place is going to be literally crawling with guards. And can you even imagine the kind of trouble we would be in if we got caught? Do you want to go to prison? Or worse?” Zull put his hands around his own neck and mimed getting hung.
Zaphyr winced at the thought. “Now that you mention it, it is getting rather late. Maybe we should just head back to see Gerok.”
“That seems wisest,” Zull agreed. Seeing Zaphyr’s slumped shoulders, he said, “Hey, cheer up; we might get a chance to meet her in person, someday.”
Zaphyr perked up immediately at that idea. “You really think so?”
“We have our whole lives ahead of us,” Zull said. “Why not? The imperial court will always need hemomancers. For now, though, we really should be getting back to Gerok.”
So saying, the twins set off, making their way along the carefully memorized route of “safe” streets back to their teacher’s abode. While not the largest, most populous, or wealthiest city in the empire, Varin still had its share of crime, especially in the form of a local crew of thieves and thugs known as the Plague Rats. A vicious, yet exceptionally cowardly lot, the Plague Rats never went anywhere as individuals, and mostly kept to the safety of the night. Neither Zaphyr nor Zull had ever seen any of the Plague Rats in person, although they, like everyone else in Varin, knew the crew by reputation.
Fortunately, their journey back was uneventful save for running across several fishermen whom they knew and greeted warmly. Nothing strange or unusual happened to the twins until they reached an alleyway, less than a few minutes from Gerok’s house.
As they passed besides another alley narrowly separating two of the roughly constructed wooden tenements that made up the bulk of the city’s buildings, they heard a strange yowling sound come from within the alleyway. They paused, confused and a little startled by the noise.
“What do you think that was?” Zull asked.
Zaphyr shivered a little. “I don’t know, but whatever it was, it definitely didn’t sound natural.”
Curiosity gradually overcoming their fear, both twins peered into the alley’s entrance. At first, in the waning sunlight, all they saw was a confusing mixture of shadows without shape or form. Then, gradually, some of those shadows morphed themselves into a clearly bewildered stray cat, its lone green eye glittering at them from the darkness. Both twins sighed and relaxed somewhat, their fears dampened.
“I wouldn’t have thought a creature that small could have made a sound that horrid,” Zull commented.
“Look at the condition this cat is in,” Zaphyr said sadly. “No wonder it cried out in pain like that.”
The cat’s fur was matted and falling out in several places, and scars could be seen crossing its entire body. Where the cat’s other eye should have been there was a still raw wound, its sides caked and oozing with infection.
“Ugh,” Zaphyr said, wrinkling her nose in both disgust and pity. “The poor, poor thing. I wonder how it got hurt.”
“Probably in a fight over some of the fishermen’s leftovers with the other strays,” Zull said. “With how bad that wound is, it will be out of its misery pretty soon, I should think.”
Zaphyr nodded her head once, a look of determination crossing her face. “I’m going to help it.”
“What?” Zull said. “Zaphyr! Are you insane? We need to get back!”
“Come on, Zull, this will only take a minute,” Zaphyr protested. Zull reluctantly acquiesced, following his sister as she walked into the alley and towards the wary cat. The creature hissed at her, arching its back and waving its mangy, bedraggled paws as she approached.
“Hey, hey, relax,” Zaphyr said in the calmest, most soothing voice she could. “Here, let me touch your eye, and I can help.”
She reached out a hand towards the cat, which hissed again and drew away from her touch.
“Be careful that it doesn’t bite you,” Zull warned. “Who knows what kind of diseases this thing is carrying.”
Ignoring her brother’s cautious advice, Zaphyr stretched her hand out further, making soft, reassuring noises as she did so. This time, the cat allowed her to touch it, and she gently rubbed her hand across its damaged face. The cat purred once, before letting out a gurgling half-meow that made even Zull wince in sympathy.
“There, there,” Zaphyr said. She ran one finger across the eye wound, and as she gently pulled her finger away, using hemomancy she drew with it all the ooze and pus caking the wound, which she flicked against the far wall of the alley with a grimace.
“That should provide some relief, at the very least. Hopefully, now it will have time to heal and won’t get as infected again,” Zaphyr said.
Having cleared out the infected material, she gently tapped the wound again, and a healthy scab started to develop across it. As soon as she had finished, as if realizing that what she had done was completed, the cat turned and sprinted down the alley as fast as it could, vanishing from sight around the corner of a building an instant later.
“Not bad,” Zull admitted as he crouched besides his sister. “Glad to see that you not only paid attention to Teacher’s lesson, but you actually remembered it for more than an instant after the lecture ended.”
Zaphyr shrugged. “I was working on instinct, I guess.”
Zull raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Your instinct is to help every random stray animal you come across?”
Zaphyr rolled her eyes at her sibling’s tease. “Oh, please, Zull. You saw how much pain the thing was in! How could I have avoided helping it?”
“Now, if you only showed that kind of compassion towards people,” he said.
Zaphyr punched him in the shoulder playfully. “People know better than to do stupid things that can get them hurt. Animals don’t.”
“I guess that’s what hemomancy is for,” Zull said, rubbing at the back of his neck with a hand as he did so. They both heard a sharp gasp from above, followed by a brick slab, of the kind normally used for roofs, fall to the ground besides them, shattering.
Zull and Zaphyr, startled, jumped to their feet and looked up in unison. The two of them were shocked to see, perched on the edge of the roof of a nearby building, a figure wearing a full suit of armor, barley visible in the last glimmers of evening light, staring down at them. “Hemomancy,” the figure whispered to itself. Seeing that they had been spotted, the figure vanished in a blur of motion, dashing atop the rooftop as it ran away from Zull and Zaphyr.
The twins, bewildered, looked at each other.
“Do you have the faintest idea what just happened?” Zaphyr asked her twin. He shook his head.
“None whatsoever,” she said, eyes roving the alley. “How long was he watching us?”
Zull shivered at the idea. “I don’t want to think about that. At least he left without causing any trouble. Come on, let’s get back before Teacher notices that we are missing.”
Zaphyr agreed, and as her twin helped her to her feet, brushed off her tunic and complained, “I wish the cat hadn’t run away, I would have liked to keep it as a pet.”
Zull snorted. “Right, like Gerok would have let you keep that mangy thing in the house. Did you get a good smell of it? You would have to wash and bathe the thing constantly, not to mention tend to all its wounds, not just the obvious ones.”
Zaphyr crossed her arms. “I would have taken care of it. I’m not as careless and absent-minded as you and Gerok think I am, Zull.”
“No doubt you would have,” Zull said, raising his hands in a token of surrender. “But that’s besides the point. Let’s stop wasting time.”
The twins set off, making the short trip back to their home as quickly as they could, keeping a watchful eye on the sun’s descent as they did so to ensure they would return before their promised allotment of time had expired. Just as the sun made its final dip below the horizon, signaling the night’s true beginning, Zaphyr and Zull reached their house once more, taking the alleyway besides it and entering the workshop directly rather than the front door for convenience.
Pushing the curtain that served as a door aside, Zaphyr loudly announced, “We’re home!” into the workshop. To the twins’ surprise, however, neither Gerok nor Zeid’s horse were anywhere to be seen.
“That’s strange,” Zull said, noticing the already lit candle perched atop Gerok’s desk, its tallowy light casting strange shadows around the chamber. “I wonder where Teacher is?”
“I think I hear him in the other room,” Zaphyr said. Creeping over, the twins peered through the connecting doorway into the room beyond. Upon seeing what lay beyond, they stood still, astonished.