She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) (79 page)

‘Will you keep to your end of the bargain, old man?’

‘I will.  Cintar will be yours.  A single city is a small price to pay for what we have gained.’

She seemed pleased with his answer.  ‘What will you do with your king, without a kingdom for him to command?’

‘The world will be his kingdom.  You will see.’

‘If he is as great as you say, I will throw myself at his feet, for even I would not be able to resist such a slayer of kings and empires.  If he is not, he will die before my armies along with the rest.’

Anthem gave her his best knowing smile.  ‘So be it.’

Just then, the Paatin Queen looked troubled.  She dropped her cup, smashing it on the floor and clasped her face.  Anthem stood as attendants came rushing up to her side.  Samuel could see strange energy boiling around her, pouring from the ether and concentrating around her.  It was the same troubled power that now surrounded the Emperor.

‘What is it?’ the old man asked with concern.

‘Get away from me!’ she spat, slapping at her attendants, and they fled back to their places.  The magical force then seemed to calm and the pain left her face.  ‘It’s finished.  Bring me my potion,’ she said, re
suming
her seat, while one brave girl gathered up the broken pieces of her cup.  Another maid replaced the vessel, filling it with a steaming brew, which the Queen gulped at thirstily.  ‘As Ajaspah nears, so do these feelings—intense pain and craving.  I have visions, of other places and peoples.  I feel someone else inside me, other names across the aeons.  They have been burning at me so long and
,
at times
,
I do not know who I am.  My people have grown worried and only the strongest potions have kept me sane these past months.  Now, even those are insufficient.’

‘I don’t know what could be the cause.  The Star of Osirah is nothing more than a passing celestial body.  It carries no power that can affect us.  Perhaps it is coincidence.’

‘So many coincidences, old man.  No, and it is happening to your Emperor as well—I know it, even though he denies it.  I know him, and I know his true name; it is Thann.  I remember him—in different bodies, different guises.  I see him under countless skins across countless Ages, but it is always him.  I have kept him here all this time, my prisoner, in hope that this mystery will be resolved.  Alas, it only grows deeper.’

‘I
am
certainly surprised to hear that, but I will not have time to ask him.  I must admit, I am eager to pass by the Temple of Shadows and see what Cang has been doing with my magicians all this time, but the timing is unfortunate.  The child must take precedence, and I will certainly not risk taking a babe into his valley.’

‘I see him across time,’ the Paatin Queen went on.  ‘He knows me by another name, but for the life of me I cannot recall it.  They have called me Alahativa for so long, that I have forgotten the sound of my own name.  How can it be?  Who could forget their own existence?  All I know of my distant past
has been
told to me by my own historians.  But now, the memories come back in frightful bursts.  They are dangerous and violent.  I feel another woman struggling within me, but I do not want to let her have control.  She grows stronger every day and I don’t know how much longer I can contain her.  I think you know, old man, that I am older than most, even by your standards, and I am not scared easily.  These thoughts, however, keep me terrified and I weep every day from the confusion.’

‘Then why does he not remember?’ Anthem asked innocently.

‘He does!’ she said angrily, hitting her fists upon the table.  ‘But he refuses to admit it.  The Emperor within him has made him stubborn and he pines for that accursed woman and child.  I could never bear him a son and he has held it against me for all time and kept me suffering.  Somehow, that Turian wench has born him a male when hundreds before could not.  Damn her and damn him!  Damn them both!’

Anthem began to look worried as Alahativa grew
ever
more irritable.  He stood and went to the balcony
,
and swept open the veiled curtains, revealing the great comet in all its glory, burning over the city.  The streets were full of dancing and festivity, with music and coloured lights on every corner and rooftop.  ‘Come.  Enjoy Ajaspah,’ he called to her.  ‘Witness your people dancing in the streets.  Your city is celebrating.’

The Queen seemed calmed by that.  ‘I have been craving this event for a hundred years, but
,
now it is here, I do not have the heart to witness it.  My mind is troubled.’

Anthem returned sullenly from the balcony and retook his seat.  ‘Then that brings me to our final piece of business.  The Argum Stone.’

She must have retrieved it from a pocket at some stage, for she opened her palm and displayed the glittering ring set upon it.  ‘This?  Such a droll name for such a wonderful thing.  You know, it was quite difficult getting dear Samuel to part with it.’

‘I can imagine.  The poor boy.  Such a burden weighs heavy upon me, but
,
in the end, it is only one of many I must bear.  Now give it me.’

‘Wouldn’t you like me to put it on, next to this one, so I can show you what it can do?’ she ask, holding it beside her finger so that the two gleaming rings were side by side.

‘Gods, no, woman!’ he said, almost leaping from his seat, but she was only teasing him.

‘Calm now, Grand Master.  You are not a young man any more.  Such frights may rupture your heart.  I am only playing.  I have no need of two such things.’  With that
,
she pushed it towards him.  It rolled its way across the polished surface, and then fell over, spinning in tight circles before rattling to a halt in the middle of the table.  ‘There.  It is yours.  Take it.’

The old man took a moment to sum her up; then leaned forward, reaching for the glittering ring.  Within the table, a host of tightened springs and mechanisms kept the diabolical blade hidden and readied to explode from its housing.  Anthem reached over and put his palm upon the Argum Stone, looking the witch in the eye.  It seemed he, too, suspected treachery, but as he withdrew his hand
,
the blade remained still and the Queen let him take the magical relic without so much as a fuss.  Slowly, he sat back and dragged the ring back to his place, where he plopped it into his other hand and held it aloft.  He gazed at the thing and
,
with his mouth agape,
turned it over so that it caught the light
.

‘Put it on,’ she suggested.

Anthem nodded dumbly and brought the ring down to his wrinkled old hand, with one finger extended, and readied himself to receive its power.  His hands quivered with nervousness, and he licked his dry lips as he shut his eyes and prepared himself.  Onto his finger he slid the thing and he waited for its effect to take hold of him. 

After a moment, he opened his eyes again, bewildered.

‘Nothing!’ he declared, and pulled the ring off and scrutinised it
in
disbelief, even biting its edge to see if it was solid.  He popped it onto another finger
,
and again there was no effect.  ‘What is this?  I thought this thing was full of power?’

‘Of course not, you old fool.  There is no power within it at all.  These kinds of magical relics are useless to anyone who already has attained their power.  Their only effect is to remove the obstacles to allow the wearer to reach their own potential.  It is a ring for beginners
,
that is all.’

‘I would never have believed it.’

‘For an apprentice or someone not schooled in magic, such as I, it is a blessing, but for an experienced magician such as you, this relic is as useless as spectacles for the well-sighted or a crutch for the able-bodied.’

‘But Samuel?’ the old man began.

‘Samuel was anxious and stubborn.  He grew reliant on the ring and that was his downfall.  Whatever was keeping him from his power was of his own making, but
any magic he did wield was his
.’

‘Then I have no use for the thing either.’

‘Don’t you want to keep it for your new king?’

But the old man only displayed contempt at the suggestion.  ‘
Pah!
  He won’t have need of such trinkets.  If it is of no use to me, it is of no use to him.’

She reached across and took the ring back into the folds of her pale garments.  ‘Then I will use it to tempt Thann.  When he decides to join my side, it will be a symbol of our union.  Are you not worried that I am keeping your Emperor?’

‘Not at all.  I wanted him dead for a long time.  As long as you keep him, I am not worried.  Even if he were to return, the coming child would make his
claim to the
Empire redundant.  Now, all I have to do is wait for the birth.  Perhaps I will go down and see what is holding them up.  You said it w
ould
not be long?’

‘I would not do that if I were you,’ Alahativa told him.

‘Oh?’

‘The young woman has a novel ability, so the good Ambassador Canyon revealed.  He even experienced it firsthand, much to his dismay.  She can absorb the energy of others, gaining from their strength at the cost of their lives.  She can devour people, leaving nothing
behind
but the clothes they are wearing.  If the labour is difficult, my healers and midwives are there to act as nourishment for her, but I would not recommend
that
anyone else be in the room.  I will ensure she lives until the child is born.  At that point, my servants will go in and sever her head quickly and painlessly.  It will assure she has a quick death and that she does not bother me any longer.  I have persevered nine months of misery putting up with that woman.’

‘Fascinating.  I never thought anyone else would learn of such a spell.  I know a similar spell of Sapping, but she seems to have mastered the concept beyond what I thought possible.’

‘Poor Samuel thought so highly of you.  It’s a wonder you could put him through all this.  He really was a naive boy.’

‘I couldn’t.  That’s why I sent Tudor on my behalf.  It was his task to put the two together, but he did not quite succeed in that matter
,
hence the need for our bargain.  Also, I had business in the north that has kept me busy until now.  I must admit I am not happy with what happened to Samuel in the end, but it is just another sin I will need to atone for one day, along with all the rest.’

‘Don’t worry,’ she reassured the old magician.  ‘His death was quick and painless.  I did not want him to suffer, but I could not tolerate him after he destroyed my wizards—and
,
once the woman was with child, we had no need for him.  Despite his faults, he was quite endearing.  It’s no wonder the Koian woman loved him.’

‘I was told she was a heartless puppet, incapable of such feelings.  How can you tell?’

‘Come now, Janus.  I have been on this earth long enough to know such things; and, I am a woman.  She is a tormented soul, trapped within herself by the foolish customs of her people, but she loved him—I have no doubt.  She knew she was supposed to bed him from the start, but she would not, no matter how Canyon commanded her.  But
,
somehow
,
that foolish boy won her over and she gave herself to him willingly.  Come, I am tired of waiting.  I shall have the healers hurry the birth and
I will make
ready my axeman.’

‘Wait,’ Anthem said, holding his hand up for silence.  The noises of celebration from outside the window continued, but the old man stood slowly and surveyed the room, listening intently.

‘What is it?’ Alahativa asked, coming to stand beside him, with her shimmering gown flowing over her body.

‘I feel something.  A strange sensation, but familiar—a magician—a spell of scrying.  I have felt it before.  It feels like...’  A look of realisation then came over him.  ‘It is Samuel.  He’s alive!’