Page 45 of Queen Demon
The Light’s expression turned pensive. “The rest I’ll wait to say until the others are here, but the reason the envoy called for a meeting was a particular artifact, found in one of the abandoned dwellings the expedition is exploring in Sun-Ar. It was a badge for a Hierarch’s expositor.”
Unease ran in prickles along Kai’s back. The Light read his expression and said, “It’s disturbing, but it could be from long before the war, an old symbol repurposed for the Hierarchs’ invasion. There are many such symbols, from Nibet, from the old tribes of Enalin before we united, that have changed their meaning over time. But we must be certain.”
Kai pushed the surge of nerves away. “Would you speak to Dahin now? He’s been working on this for a while.”
Dahin walked into the room and stopped abruptly. “Well, you’ve changed,” he said, planting his hands on his hips. “This seems a little one-sided, going into scholarly battle with a child.”
“You have not changed, sadly.” The Tescai-lin’s expression wascool. “And only a Blessed would consider a scholarly discussion a battle.”
“Oh, there you are.” Dahin was pleased. “I knew you were still in there.”
While Dahin was setting out his maps and papers in front of the Tescai-lin, Kai let Reanis conduct him to the guest quarters so he could take advantage of a bathing room that included the luxuries of warm running water, privacy, soap, and scented oil. From Ziede’s heart pearl, he knew the others had just arrived, that Tahren was carefully lowering the ascension raft to a tight landing on a small plot of ground in a kitchen garden that was currently lying fallow. Kai told Ziede,I think Dahin was lying about coming here for research.
I thought so too,she replied,when he didn’t demand that we put together our own expedition to Sun-Ar immediately.But there didn’t seem a point in starting that fight before we got here.
Kai agreed, but he wished he knew what Dahin was up to. And why he couldn’t just tell them. But Dahin had been like this for years. Kai shouldn’t be frustrated by it. He was, but he shouldn’t be.
The others had been shown to the guest quarters by the time Kai got out of the bath, and he found one of their hastily packed bags waiting in the outer room. Digging through it, he found a pair of plain brown leggings, but the only clean shirt and skirt was of a rich blue, and the coat stuffed under them was embroidered in faded silver over black brocade all along the hems and cuffs. There was a black veil in the pocket, cobweb fine and just translucent enough to conceal Kai’s eyes. He knew Bashasa had given it to him, though he couldn’t remember when. Bashasa had had a habit of producing a thing when Kai needed it, as if it was just something he happened to have with him. Kai thought it might have been this veil, when Bashasa had never worn veils even in the places where they were in fashion, that had finally made him realize that all these casual gifts had been carefully chosen at some point.
This was more of an outfit for a formal event for Benais-arik’s court, but the heavier fabrics were sturdy and strong and would feel good in Belith’s cool evening weather. And everything else they did in this city would now be with the blessing of the Tescai-lin, so there was no point in concealment anymore. He tucked the veil away in the coat pocket.
Kai was already in the reception room, eating stuffed olives, when the others came in. It was an area with less difficult furniture, meant for more intimate guests who wouldn’t consider informality an insult. It was getting cooler as late afternoon approached evening, and round metal braisers had been lit for warmth. Two Doorkeepers set out more plates of food and carafes and cups on the small tables. “You see,” Tahren said to Sanja. “He didn’t drown.”
The Tescai-lin walked in, with Dahin saying, “But you agree that the—”
The Tescai-lin said, “Stop talking while I greet your family.”
After being introduced to the Tescai-lin, Sanja retreated to Kai’s side, plopping down on the couch next to him. As the others exchanged greetings, she whispered, “Were they a kid when you first met them? Because from the stories I thought they were a lot bigger.”
“No, they were an adult.” He handed her a stuffed olive and nodded to a set of razor-edge spears mounted on the wall. “That’s the kind of weapon they fought with.”
Sanja eyed the spears. “What are they going to fight with now?”
“Their brain. They’re good at that, too.”
Dahin managed to let the Tescai-lin finish expressing relief for Ziede and Tahren’s survival before he said, “Yes, we’re all very lucky the Nient-arik trusted Immortal Blessed who are as incompetent as they are malicious, but we raced to get here ahead of the Rising World council’s response and at this point they can’t be more than a few days behind us. So—”
“They found artifacts with Hierarch symbols,” Kai said, becausethere was no point delaying. “Including a Hierarch expositor’s badge.”
Ziede was briefly startled. “That bad?” As she leaned back against the pillows, she said silently to Kai,Somehow I thought it would all be exaggerated, a mistake. Tahren squeezed her knee, her own expression grim.
Kai answered the same way,I think I did too.
Tahren asked, “Where in Sun-Ar did they find it?”
“I was told to the northwest of the place the scholars believe was a seasonal gathering point,” the Tescai-lin said. “I have not been shown the location on a map.”
“Northwest.” Tahren considered it, her gaze going to where Dahin had moved some dishes to the floor to spread his map out. “I assume they couldn’t tell how old it was, or we would not be here having this conversation.”
“They could not,” the Tescai-lin admitted.
Tenes sat forward and signed,Learned Leader, I apologize but I have forgotten much of what I was taught. Did the Hierarchs create the expositors?
Kai had a flash of memory, camped along a river road somewhere in the Sana-sarcofa, watching Amabel’s younger sibling—it had been so long her name had slipped away—teaching the Tescai-lin Witchspeak. She had moved the fingers of their much larger hand to show them how to shape the symbols.
The Tescai-lin answered, “They did. At least, the expositors who spoke of it believed they did.”
Dahin glanced up from the map and added, “They created them to control the raw power of the Well.” Sanja drew breath to speak and he continued, “Before you ask, the expositors didn’t kill the Hierarchs because to be a Hierarch, they had to bathe in and be forged in the depth of the Well. They were impervious to its power.”
