Forgotten (22 page)

“Why, I’m always helpful,” the old man winked. “You should make your way to the river before nightfall. If you can find yourself a storehouse that hasn’t been claimed by the
Urazians
, you might just go unnoticed until things calm down a bit.”

He pursed his lips. “Not the worst idea,” he admitted reluctantly. “But my business with the Rit is pressing. I’ll have to take care of that first.”

“Well then, I suppose you’ll want to know the way.” The old man gestured to a small side-street. “It’ll take you straight there. Drop you off at one of the doors, if I recall. Just make sure you stay out of the market for as long as you possibly can. You understand? Not unless you have no other options.” Then he laughed, once again enjoying a joke that Kaie was not privy to. “Consider this one free.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“I’m Maal,” the old man supplied.
“And my grandson Anton.
Make sure you remember, will you?”

Kaie nodded, though he hadn’t asked for the names.
Didn’t want them.
Before he could get anything else he didn’t ask for he darted off down the street.

It was several minutes before he realized that he’d never told Maal who he was.

The old man made it sound like the manor was close, but the trek felt like forever. Part of that was in his mind. Another part was because every time he heard a shout or clank of metal he darted for what little cover he could find. That happened with greater frequency as he went along. By the time he finally made it within sight of home, he was out of breath and wound up so tightly he half hoped to bump into some soldiers, just to get some relief.

He nearly leapt out of his skin when he jerked open the heavy wooden door to the servant’s entrance. Peren was on the other side, her hand posed to push it open. Her dark blue eyes widened and for a second she lit with joy. She threw her arms around him, and Kaie managed not to flinch as she buried her face in his shoulder.

She was perfect. Exactly how he remembered her, only better. Her angles were softer than the last time he saw her, filling her out in ways that made her stunning. The setting sun caught her white-blonde hair and set it on fire. She even smelled better.

It was
wrong
. She wasn’t supposed to be here. Not in this place.
Never in this place.
She might see the garden. Or see him look at the garden. Then she would know. And then her eyes would fill with pity. He didn’t feel safe with her in his arms. He felt exposed.

“You’re really here!”

He gently pushed her away as he closed the door behind himself. “Vaughan wasn’t supposed to tell you,” he muttered.

She snorted. “That’s stupid. Of course he told me. Where have you been?”

“Taking in the sights.”
He answered quickly, turning away so that she couldn’t catch his eyes. “Why are you here?”

“To see you, of course.
Are you okay?”

“Well enough,” Kaie answered. “Why?”

“Why?” She sounded surprised. “Do you have any idea what’s going on out there?”

A laugh burst out of him in a bark. “I have a pretty good grasp on it, I think,” he replied. The manse was quiet, except for them. He wished someone would burst in and put an end to their time alone. He wanted this over so badly it ached. “Is the Rit here?”

She shook her head, tucking her hair back behind her ear. He was waiting for the worry lines to fade from her face, but they showed no sign of easing. That was his fault. He couldn’t fix them.

“Good. You need to go back to Vaughan now. I’ll come for you soon. I promise.” He brushed his lips against the top of her head. He hated that he was comforting her the same way he did a dead girl. He released her and headed to the rooms in the back.

“Kaie!”
He stopped and glanced back, battling against the strong need to rush away. “You need to do something about your hair before you go outside again. The soldiers…”

He flashed a smile and nodded.
“Right.
Thanks for the warning.” Then he paused, a question he didn’t want to ask settling around his shoulders. “They’re all looking for me, then?”

She shook her head again, and the worry lines only seemed to deepen. “One of the soldiers mentioned red hair. The rest… Oh, Kaie, I wanted to stop her!”

“What? Stop who?”

“Mistress Autumns
o
ng
!” The word tore loose from Peren’s throat with a pain that could not be mistaken. Kaie’s stomach twisted as he realized he had no idea what she was talking about.

“What’s going on?”

“You said you knew!” She hiccupped, tears spilling down her cheeks. “She ordered them killed, Kaie! The Huduku! Some soldiers said they were attacked by a mob of Huduku people, and she ordered the soldiers to bring her the heads of no less than one hundred men! I couldn’t stop her! Normally she listens to me, but this time…”

Understanding ripped through him. The slaughter of more than a hundred innocent people was about to be on his shoulders. Then, because there was nothing else to do, he pulled her into his arms and let her sob against his shoulder. For uncountable moments, they just stood like that. Kaie was aware of her, of time, in only the vaguest of senses. He was preoccupied with sorting out what repercussions he should expect for himself and Peren.

They were Urazian. It wouldn’t matter if they ever learned the role he played in the mass murder of their people. If there was not open rebellion yet, there would be soon. Gregor never stationed guards. There wasn’t likely to be a better time to go after the Urazian leadership, and he and Peren were standing in the heart of the beast, unprotected. They weren’t going to forgive the Rit for the coming bloodshed just because he wasn’t the one who issued the order. The only chance left to any of them was to launch Gregor’s revolt now, when the uprising against the Urazian forces was still new and battle lines were being drawn.

The only chance for survival was to stick to the plan. But it did change things for Peren and her brother. Gregor’s success would hinge on removing the Lady Autumnsong from Hudukul as quickly as possible. That would include her slaves and staff. If they were allowed to live, it would be as prisoners. Kaie knew well what Gregor did with prisoners.

No matter how he worked at the problem, tugging one thread or knotting another, there was only one solution he could find that carried any chance of surviving. It didn’t alter the plan much, but the difference was extreme. It looked like he was going to be taking an active role.

He stepped just far enough away that he could look into her eyes. As always, he was struck by the knowledge he saw lurking in them. But she didn’t flinch away from him. He could detect no sign she saw the changes in him. Not yet. He wondered if she would ever forgive him, once she did. Once she realized he used her feelings to trick her.

He wiped away her tears with the thumb of his left hand as he cupped her face. “Hey, enough. You don’t blame yourself when a storm kills people, and you don’t blame yourself when a noble orders a massacre.”

The right corner of her mouth turned up again, just a bit. It was less than he hoped for, but enough to at least acknowledge that she heard him. “She’s not a bad person,” she murmured. “Not really.”

Kaie sighed and tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear. “I need you to do something for me, Peren.”

She tilted her head into his palm, hiding her eyes beneath thick lashes. “What can I do? I’m just a slave, caught in a storm.”

He managed not to shake her. There was no time for her grief now. The window for saving her was small and closing quickly. “You’re a survivor, remember? You can do plenty. Now listen! You need to get back to Losen’s house. Do you know the way?”

Her lips pursed and she drew away from him. It wasn’t much distance, but it spoke volumes. Especially as she squared her shoulders and the heartbroken girl began to drop away from the woman he knew. “I’m not leaving. Not while you’re still here. I won’t lose you again.”

Kaie shook his head. “I know. Isn’t what I had in mind,
either.
” He
paused,
trying to sort out the best way to make her do what was needed. “I told you, I’m going to come and get you. I swear, I will. But I need you to keep the Lady Autumnsong safe until I do.”

Her nose crinkled.
“How?”

“There are tunnels.
In the walls.
I need you to find a door in wall,
then
push on the bottom. The door will open, and you two can hide there until I come to get you.”

“How will I find it?”

“Check the kitchen,” he guessed. It made sense. “Knock on every bit of the wall that isn’t blocked. You’ll hear a spot that sounds different. That’ll be the door. It won’t take you long.”

“I don’t know…”

He felt the argument coming. Peren took care of him when the Namer left him weak, and she kept their son. She was no coward. She wouldn’t leave just because it would make her life easier. Kaie needed to convince her.
Quickly.
Time was pressing in against them. Any second could bring Gregor or the Huduku down on them.

“You’re the only one who can keep her safe through what’s coming, Peren. I need you to do this. Please.”

Peren shook her head and backed away from him slowly until her back was pressed up against the door. “She won’t come just because I ask.”

“No. She’ll come because you convince her it’s the only way to save her life. It
is,
which should help.”

“Why would she believe me? She’s been kind to me, but I’m still just a slave.”

He fought to keep his eyes locked on hers and his expression neutral. “You’ll tell her that the Ninth Rit has betrayed the Empress. That he’s turned some of the
army,
and that his people are going to take advantage of the chaos this mess has created to kill her. It’s almost entirely true, so it shouldn’t be too hard to sell.”

Peren shook her head again. “Kaie, I’m her ladies maid. I have never even seen the Ninth Rit. How could I possibly explain having such intimate knowledge of his treachery? Why would she believe me?”

“She will. You’re going to say you overheard some soldiers talking about it while you were going about your duties. They saw you, of course, and meant to kill you. But a man showed up and helped you get away. She won’t ask what happened to me, but if she does, you have no idea. You ran straight to warn her.”

She said nothing for several moments. Kaie tried to keep himself calm, recognizing that little time was actually passing, but with everything hung on whether Peren agreed to his plan. He could fit an eternity in the time she was taking to make up her mind. “Why won’t I know what happened to you?”

“Because,” he said flatly. “Trust me, Peren. Please.”

Magic words.
He should have used them in the first place. Small lines appeared above her eyebrows, like she was holding in a frown, but she nodded. He wished he could hate himself, for using her like that, but mostly he just felt grateful. She sighed and slid back into his arms. “Find me, Kaie. Promise you’ll come find me.”

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.
“Always.”

She looked up at him, seeing his hesitation. Her eyes were filled with tears but she smiled. “I love you, Kaie.”

He squeezed his eyes shut against tears of his own. He didn’t understand her devotion, couldn’t comprehend how she didn’t feel the same chasm between them. She thought he
was still hers, and he was allowing it. Her hand brushed against his shoulder, and then she was gone.

Kaie stood where he was for several minutes. He waited for it not to hurt anymore. After a while, he gave up. There wasn’t time to feel normal again. He needed to get to Gregor’s room.

Time dragged on. One of the hardest parts of surviving horrible things seemed to be waiting for them. Every minute he spent in the relative isolation of Gregor’s sitting room was a minute he spent going over his plan, finding all the ways in which it would be fail.

Gregor was taking too long. Kaie expected him to be there by the time he got back. For all he knew, the Huduku around the manse didn’t know about the slaughter the Urazian soldiers were ordered to take part in, and Gregor was stuck playing host to keep the unrest from boiling over. But Kaie didn’t think so. He didn’t believe there was going to be a festival tonight.

He used the opportunity to consider everything that was happening.

Peren and Vaughan shouldn’t be there.
Autumnsong, maybe.
It was one hell of a coincidence, but Gregor said the woman was sister to one of the Empress’s most trusted advisors. So it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. But the only two people in Elysium he might count as friends?

No.

Kaie wasn’t stupid enough to write that off as the gods dealing him a favor. They weren’t interested in making his life easier. Kissa was proof of that.
Another return that couldn’t possibly be coincidence.

Gregor didn’t believe in the gods. The Rit only believed in what could be measured and weighed. Kaie believed. He was sure they even knew he existed. They were out to get him. Peren and Vaughan were tools one of the gods intended to use to do him some special sort of harm.

Fine.
If they wanted to declare war on him, he would fight.

He began the slow process of unfolding his legs, stiff and sore from being in still so long. That was the moment the Ninth Rit stormed into the bedroom. Kaie’s heart and breathing stopped as he waited to be spotted, but Gregor stormed right past.

It took a while, finding a spot against the curved wall that wouldn’t be terrifically visible. But his spot between the bed and the wall was a good one. There was enough space between the corner of the bed and the wall for him to slip out of his spot without any trouble.

Gregor closed the door without looking around. This was his room, and for two years no one crossed the threshold without his permission. He thought he was safe here. He crossed the room casually, tugging off his gloves one finger at a time and tossing them on the bed.
Then he walked over to the table, where a basin of water waited. He dipped his hands in and splashed it on his face.

This was his moment.

It took five steps to move across the room. At the last one, Gregor turned around. The Rit’s eyes narrowed and his mouth opened. Kaie didn’t wait to find out what the man wanted to say.