Forgotten (11 page)

Part of that unrest stemmed from the fact that one of the Empress’s most trusted advisors was due to arrive. Her purpose there was supposedly to facilitate the conversion of the Huduku to
a
Urazian governmental style, but Gregor was concerned there was another agenda behind the woman’s arrival.

It was always a matter of time before she arrived. From the day the Rit seized the city, the Huduku knew someone like her was coming; it certainly wasn’t a new fear. But with the news that her arrival was imminent, the discontent seemed to be ramping up to dangerous levels.

Regardless, Kaie was being sent to see a mage who managed to avoid discovery and old friend of Gregor’s. The man was at one of the riverside warehouses that
was
converted into a barracks. He almost never went outside the confines of the manse the Rit claimed when they first took the city, and wasn’t certain he could find the place without a guide. But he wasn’t about to confess that and lose his first opportunity to see the city without the oppressively watchful eyes of one of the Rit’s personal guard.

Even without the audience, it was important that he put on his costume. The people of Hudukul wouldn’t know him, but his red hair was a beacon in Jorander. Any suspicious behavior could make it back to the wrong ears, and he couldn’t hide behind anonymity with anyone from Urazin. Whether they knew him or not, it would be a matter of minutes before anyone would learn that the Ninth Rit kept a red-haired slave.

Kaie fastened his white cloak around his shoulders, tugging the hood low over his head to protect it from the sun. He took a deep breath, locked his eyes on a spot on the ground just above his feet, and slipped out into Hudukul.

The city seemed to have grown out of the wall itself. Most of the structures were built of the same strange tan material. They weren’t made of bricks. Each appeared to be carved from one enormous slab. The doorways were great ovals, and the windows were circular instead of square. Everywhere he looked, the walls and doors were painted with bright colors. It was like the residents hoped the blues and pinks and purples would balance
the hew
of bleached bones the stone gave the city.

The buildings were terribly close. The path between was just wide enough for two people. He often found himself brushing up against the wall or banging into debris as he passed others. The structures were all tall and seemed to lean inward as if a strong wind
would send them toppling to the earth. From the higher windows, there were ropes strung between buildings, and brightly colored fabrics hung from them. There were shirts and blankets and dresses, even brighter than the paint on the walls. They seemed at once heartbreakingly familiar and inexplicably exotic.

From his limited experience in the city, Kaie knew that the roads were laid out more or less like the spokes of a great wheel. The river passed beneath the wall and through the center. So long as he continued to head west he would come to the Riverside District. But the streets occasionally jutted sharply in unexpected directions, and he would often come to intersections where two or three routes seemed equally likely. Whatever the locals might think of their city, it was a nearly impossible maze to Kaie. He was willing to bet the
Urazians
would agree.

After a while, he came to an open space in the road. It was too small to be considered a traditional courtyard, but it was enough for Kaie to stretch out his arms without worrying about hitting another wall. It was a circle, just as perfect as all the windows. In the center was a small fountain. Water, crystal clear and sparkling as the rare shaft of renegade sunlight caught it, tinkled musically from a jar clutched against the right hip of a shapely woman. She was nude from the waist up. Her head and left arm were missing, broken off in violence he guessed, and there were letters scrawled across her breasts in dark red. It was the first evidence of destruction he’d seen in the city, excepting the wall itself. It jarred unnervingly with the pristine condition of the buildings around it.

A slim body interjected itself into his view of the fountain. He thought he was alone, which was why he dared look up at it in the first place. Now he was caught with his mask slipping. Kaie slammed it back into position, but it was too late. The snort it won told him that. So he dropped the pretense enough to look up at the intruder.

Her skin was dusky and golde
n, her almond colored eyes round and
heavily lidded. Her long light-brown hair just brushed the back of her knees and was bound up in an intricate braid. There were several brightly colored ribbons woven through it. Her lips were impossibly plump and painted with berries. She wore nothing but a thin white gown that ended just above her knees. It was bound about the waist with a delicate gold chain – not utterly unlike the one around his neck – that gave the otherwise shapeless cloth a hint of the body beneath it. The impression he got was not unlike the headless beauty behind her.

He knew her. A girl like that was not the sort men forgot. She was a fairly regular guest at Gregor’s dinner table. One of the councilors brought her with him for at least half of his visits. Callo, who was one of the few the Rit trusted at all, introduced her as Mola and an apprentice. He never said anything further about her, and she rarely spoke. Kaie didn’t believe a word of it. She was no politician’s apprentice.
S
he was there to seduce Gregor and put the Rit under the councilor’s power in some way.
She wasn’t even subtle about it.

If anyone was going to manage, it would be her. If she made any attempt to conceal her hatred of them, it was a poor one. Even a blind man would feel the weight of it around his shoulders. But even the way she glared at them across the table was enticing. Often, Kaie found
himself
entranced by the way she bit her lip with an undisguised desire to speak
when the Rit mentioned some new policy to ready Hudukul for the Empress’s envoy. And he suspected Gregor spent just as much time lost in fantasies of her in bed after her visits as Kaie did.

When he looked up
, the woman’s lips pressed thin and a line appeared between her brows. She scanned Kaie up and down with unwavering intensity. After how long he wanted her, being the focus of her undivided attention should be thrilling. Today it felt threatening.

“The boy’s mouth is very pretty.”

Kaie scowled and shifted his weight. There was no use playing the broken slave now. That was a small relief. But he couldn’t afford to give away the whole game to her. There was no question she would only use the knowledge to hurt him and Gregor.

“Trying to charm your way into my pants, beautiful? You’re going to have to do a lot better than that.”

She sniffed. “The boy flatters himself. This girl would rather have a dog than one of the Urazian trash ruining the greatest city.”

“Unless it’s Gregor Ironfist,” Kaie muttered.

Her lips curled up into a snarl. “He will tire of the boy. For now he is pleased, but it won’t last long. The boy is still filled with fire. But Mola has seen his kind before. Soon, the boy’s ferocity will dim and he will grow fat and lazy. Then the Ninth Rit will come to the girl.”

Her jealousy was absurd. It would be, even if there was something to be jealous about.

There were plenty of pleasure houses in Hudukul.
So many that there was a whole courtesan caste.
But Gregor forbade any of his soldiers from visiting them. He didn’t want to press their tenuous position with the Huduku by burdening them with a score of bastards to care for. He also wouldn’t risk dividing his men’s loyalties by allowing them time to fall for the local whores. Two years was a long time, and the Huduku were sure to take advantage of any opportunity to shake his hold on the city they could find. So the Twelfth were limited to the pleasure houses set up in two of the buildings they appropriated. The whores who followed the army from Uraz set up there, and their numbers were augmented by the steady stream of Hollows brought in.

Which meant that if Mola managed to bed
a
Urazian, she did it by choice. When she was done with him, she could go back to her normal life. Even Gregor wouldn’t dare speak of the affair. It was against
his own
orders, and all it would do was drastically undermine his authority. Kaie, however, was marked. He would go straight to those Urazian pleasure houses if Gregor ever took off the Aulis. The gold chain around his neck was more protection than a girl like Mola could possibly understand. If it weren’t for their friendship, Kaie would spend every minute terrified of the day it was removed. That wouldn’t be an enviable situation.

“Maybe.
I think I’d make a great fat man, though. And for now I’ll all fit and fiery, and he’s quite pleased. So why don’t you find some other powerful man to attach yourself to?”

Her eyes locked on Kaie’s. His skin flushed. He wanted her to look at him with something other than smoldering hatred.
Something that would give him the excuse to shove her up against the wall of the closest building and have her right there, with all the world looking on.
“The boy won’t be so cocky when he loses that pretty gold necklace.”

“Aw, beautiful, you wouldn’t say that if you got to know me. I’ve got way more than a necklace to be cocky about. Want to see?”

She sneered and stepped toward him. The distance between them felt intimate and terrifying. Her hand slid up her thigh. For a second, his heart thundered in his ears and his mind emptied of all but a single thought as his eyes followed her fingers. Then he noticed the misshapen bulge at her hip, hidden beneath the folds of her dress. It only took him a second to realize it was a dagger. When he looked closely, he could make out a second one strapped to her other side.

“One day soon, Mola will teach the boy the cost of his people’s arrogance.”

“Before or after you wiggle your way into Gregor’s bed?”

Her hand
jerked,
opening and closing quickly. He wasn’t sure if she was about to draw her blade or simply hit him. Her face was a mask of pure fury for all of a minute. Then it smoothed, the rage erased in the blink of an eye. She gave him a smile, and it was a poisonous one. “This girl will watch for the boy in the pleasure houses. She doubts it’ll be much longer before he proves a disappointment.”

“Well I’m sure to disappoint someone then, aren’t I?” Kaie returned the smile, hoping it was just as toxic as hers. “That makes it real easy for me.”

She snorted and pushed past him. Her sinuous walk drew his eyes to her hips, and he couldn’t believe that was an accident. Kaie sighed. His day was shaping up fantastically. He couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

With nothing else to do, he picked the middle of the three possible roads in front of him and put his eyes back on the spot just above his feet. Maybe this time he would be lucky enough to have chosen a path that led to the river.

It took more than an hour and countless wrong turns, but Kaie found the riverside. By that time, the sun was high enough in the sky to overcome the heights of the wall and beat down on the bleached stone roads. The heat was intense, leaching at his energy and his patience both. When he finally entered the barracks – only cooler than the world outside by a small margin – his temper was frayed and he wanted little more than to climb into bed.

But his wonderful day wouldn’t be over until he sat through yet another lesson from Gregor’s friend in the barracks. The Rit was determined to teach Kaie everything he could about the army and the empire, but the man was busy trying to hold the city together and didn’t have time to do it himself. Or, though he never admitted it out loud, the inclination. So the Rit dumped it on one of his soldiers. One who was just as pleased as Kaie about the whole
arrangement.
It was going to be exactly as fun as everything else since he woke that morning.

The man was waiting for him. Judah was always waiting for him. His lessons usually took place in the garden of the manse where he and Gregor lived, right after breakfast. The soldier found a way to be waiting for him even there.

The man was young. All the soldiers Kaie met were young. Aside from the one who tried to kill him on his way out into the desert, Gregor was among the eldest member of the Twelfth. And the Rit could hardly be called old at thirty-two.

The other man held out his hand in greeting. He towered over Kaie like a mountain, tall and broad-shouldered, his long wheat-colored hair and lopsided grin undoing much of the intimidating effect. Every one of the man’s pores seemed to excrete friendly enthusiasm. It was so overwhelming that, for a moment, Kaie was going to take the hand.

His position – both the real one and
the play-act
– came back to him just in time. Kaie dropped his eyes and his hands until both were pointed firmly at the ground. Even without being able to see the other man’s face, he could feel the guy’s disappointment at the rejection. He didn’t know why Judah was acting this way. Most likely, it involved all the other soldiers clustered in the main room of the barracks, all of whom were working quite hard to look like they were doing anything but watching the exchange. Whatever the reasoning, Kaie wasn’t going to do anything to betray
himself
here.

“Aw, there’s no need for that. Every one of us wears the same brand on our shoulders as you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re no different than anyone else here.”

“Yes, sir,” Kaie answered quietly.

The other man sighed. “Gods, will you look at me? I can’t stand talking to the tops of people’s heads.”

Kaie did as he was told, and was blasted with more of the man’s pleasant disposition. It was disturbing. No one should ever look that pleasant. Especially not when it was so far from what he knew the man was really feeling. “That’s better. And no more of the ‘sir’ either. You know my name.”

“Yes, sir.
It is an honor, sir.”

The man rolled his bright hazel eyes, crinkles forming in the corners. “Nope, that’s not it. Judah, remember?
Juuuudaaah
.
It’s not a hard one.”

“Yes, sir.
Judah.”

That won him another eye roll and blinding smile. “Better. You heard me about the polite thing, right? I’m trying really hard to be nice here, man. It would be great if you didn’t make it so damn difficult.”

Kaie pursed his lips, giving serious consideration to turning around and going back the way he came. Well, not the exact way.
But back to the manse.
The pool in the gardens would be warm, but infinitely cooler than this place smelling of unwashed masses and leathers. And there were few activities he could think of that he wouldn’t rather be doing than having this conversation.

“Yes, Judah.
I’ll try to be more cooperative. My master instructed me to do as you asked.” Somehow, he managed to keep the scorn out of his voice. It was not easy.

Judah’s lips relaxed from the smile that showed every one of his teeth into a grin that seemed far less painful. “Excellent. Now come on, Kale. My bunkmates are on duty until nightfall. I thought we could take advantage of the situation and discuss those things Gregor wants you to do in my room, all nice and alone.”

Kaie’s throat grew tight. Swallowing this part of the act never came easy. There were others in the common area, mostly men. They were sharpening blades, playing cards, drinking some foul smelling ale, and watching him and Judah out of the corners of their eyes.
Every last one of them.
Judah was Gregor’s friend. It wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows if the Rit shared his slave once or twice. It was a convincing cover. It didn’t mean he liked it.

He let out a slow breath. There was always the chance Judah would take advantage of the situation, and there wasn’t a soul who would do anything to stop it. Not that Kaie was worried the man would actually try to sleep with him. The soldier might be thinking about killing him, though. That was almost to be expected, based on their previous encounters. But there was no way Judah would actually try it without Gregor’s permission. So there was no real danger.

And if he was wrong, they were going to a room shared by soldiers. There would be weapons. Judah was massive, meaning a high center of balance. Kaie could always knock him
over,
All he needed was enough time to get back out the barracks and out of site before
the man alerted anyone. Gregor would have some fallout to deal with, but Kaie would be safe.

Either way, there was a way out. He had a plan.

“That sounds perfect.”

Judah’s room turned out to be everything Kaie expected from it. The chamber pot in the corner seemed to be freshly emptied, thank the gods, so it didn’t smell of piss. That was about the nicest thing he could find about it. Cramped, with two small beds and a hammock strung in the corner, the place was filled with the same smell as the central room amplified. There was a small wash bowl on a pedestal against the far wall, a common sight in Hudukul, but there didn’t appear to be any water resting inside. Three chests occupied much of the remaining space, two of them open and empty, the third solidly closed with an impressive looking metal lock.

It was to this final chest that Judah steered him. Kaie did his best to conceal the wash of gratitude he felt at being able to sit for the first time since breakfast, but the return of the other man’s smile told him he wasn’t very successful.

Judah dropped onto the bed across from the chest. “We can drop the games here. The rooms on either side are empty today too, so we don’t even have to make noises for them to overhear. Gregor’s gone to some trouble to make it easy on you.”

Kaie bit his tongue to keep from scowling or saying exactly what he thought of Gregor’s troubles. “I understand.”

“Kosa’s balls, man, will you quit with the meek little slave boy already? I know you’re a pain in the ass, so be a pain in the ass. We’ll get a lot more accomplished that way then wading through this murky dance you’re clinging to. Besides, it’s got to be exhausting.”

He blinked, startled. Lately, their sessions started much differently.
Typically with accusations.
The animosity between them wasn’t a fresh thing, but the giant liked to keep it close to the surface.

It all stemmed from a single moment.
One comment to Gregor, at the right time for the Rit to believe it.

Gregor was just starting to trust his ‘gift’ of reading people. Kaie still wasn’t sure he believed the Rit’s big plan, and almost certain he didn’t think it would work. That much wasn’t so different than now, but back then he was reluctant to put out any effort that could be construed as helping it come to fruition.

He knew about the woman for some time, of course. She was one of Gregor’s personal guard, and the woman who ran to fetch the Aulis that day out in the desert. She was trusted. And she shouldn’t be. He didn’t plan to tell Gregor that she wanted his rank, and that she was looking for some way to prove herself to the Empress and take it. It just sort of slipped out during one of their sparring sessions.

Gregor didn’t bother cleaning up. He simply walked out of the garden. Kaie didn’t know what happened until the next morning. She was a Captain, well on her way to a promotion. That, along with her position on the honor guard, meant she got her own room in a house next door. The Rit headed straight there, tossed her room, and found enough evidence to prove Kaie’s suspicions. That day, she was simply gone. No one knew what happened to her, and Gregor refused to speak of it. Kaie suspected she went for a long walk in the desert.

There was no talk of her betrayal. The common consensus among the Twelfth was that she deserted to run off with some local man, and that their Rit was hiding it so that the Empress wouldn’t order the woman’s death. They actually loved him for it. But that was standard for Gregor. Everything about him seemed to become legend the instant someone spoke of it, and the rangers loved him more with every day they spent in his service.

Judah, however, warranted the full story.
Or at least as much of it as Kaie got.
Kaie tried to convince Gregor not to share it, knowing full well that the woman and the giant were involved. But his friend, Gregor insisted, deserved to know the truth about the woman he cared for. Of course, Judah didn’t see things in quite the same light the Rit did. The giant seemed to feel Kaie manipulated the situation to ingratiate himself to Gregor, and that his woman was an innocent victim. Almost a year later, the man never showed any sign of changing his opinion on that.
Until now.

He would play along. At least until he sorted out what this new layer to the game meant.
“As you say.”

The other man’s grin grew as he propped his long legs up on the other bed and leaned back against the wall. “That’s better. So you’re a mage too, huh?”

Kaie shrugged. He didn’t know Gregor told Judah about his encounter with the Namers, but that wasn’t too surprising. The Rit told him back when these lessons first started that Judah was a mage, and the man wasn’t likely to share information like that only one way. No doubt Gregor thought it would be a point of bonding between them. “I guess. I don’t remember anything about that.”

“Because of the Namers?
You kept your mind through a session with them?
Truly?”

He shook his head. “Five sessions, I’m told. I don’t remember any but the last one.”

Judah whistled in admiration. “That’s a heck of a trick, my friend. So far as I know, you’re the only one who’s pulled it off.”

“I don’t know anything about that either.” Kaie considered his next words carefully. “This isn’t what I expected from today’s lesson.”

The other man folded his arms behind his head and beamed. “I know, I’m in a spectacular mood today, and it’s made me so charming I’m irresistible.
Careful.
I know we put on a show down there, but I’m pretty sure Gregor would be upset if you went and fell for me.”

“Good call. That was a real danger there, for a second,” Kaie scoffed. “So are we discussing Namers, then? Are you going to tell me how you can avoid their notice when no one else can? Are you finally going to explain why you’re different than the others here?”

That was a question he already knew some of the answer to. The others were all slaves once. It was easy enough to spot. The way they carried themselves, the way they avoided direct eye contact, it wasn’t any different than the way slaves behaved back on the Autumnsong estate. Before now, Gregor was the only member of the Twelfth Kaie met who didn’t act like they were about to have a whip brought down across their backs every time a stranger entered a room. That lack came, he strongly suspected, from years of practice to be rid of it. Every now and then, the Ninth Rit slipped and that cautious look emerged for a second.

Judah didn’t have even a hint of it. That didn’t fit.
Especially not from a mage.
He should be more nervous, more careful. Instead, he seemed as though he truly expected people to automatically like him, to want to be his friend.
Even Kaie, before the whole matter with the woman.

“You’re not wrong,” Judah said with another smile. “I’m different. Most of the troops in the Twelfth, they’re sort of drafted. They were willing to pay the price, but they got sent out here because their mistresses had bodies to spare and the front lines were in need of those bodies. If it weren’t them, those mistresses would send someone else who wanted to pay the price more than they want to see fifty. There’s always someone else.”

“Not you, though.”

Judah shook his head.
“Never had any mistress but the Empress.
And my ma, if you want to count her as such.
She was a soldier once too.
An officer.
Made it all the way to Eleventh Rit. Was up to be promoted to Tenth when she slipped up and lost someone important along with her commission, if you believe her stories. My
da
was just a fisherman, but he was a good man. Worked hard to pay for her drink and keep me safe and fed. Ma had no use for me, being a boy and not the girl she wanted, but she didn’t mind him keeping me.”