The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence (20 page)

Pellaz caught Eyra’s eye, sensed an ally, and sat down opposite the Chancellor in the empty seat that had been waiting for him. ‘Before you say what it is you wish to say, there’s something you should know,’ Pellaz said.

Tharmifex gestured abruptly with both hands. ‘Speak.’

‘Loki was not conceived here in Immanion. It happened at Fulminir.’

Tharmifex was silent for a moment, while Eyra shifted uncomfortably on his seat and paid more attention than was necessary to arranging the folds of his robe. Velaxis stared at his hands, his face expressionless.

‘Galdra har Freyhella is Loki’s father,’ Pellaz said. ‘For obvious reasons, I did not want this fact known. Now I think the Hegemony should be aware of it. Naturally, I expect this revelation to be treated in the strictest confidence.’

Pellaz could feel Eyra’s embarrassment; the Listener wished he was anywhere but in that office. Velaxis, as usual, was unreadable, though Pellaz couldn’t help thinking the Hegemony Clerk felt smug. Tharmifex, however, smoldered with suppressed annoyance.

‘You
created a pearl with the Freyhellan,’ Tharmifex said, deadpan. ‘Clearly, you were considering the suggestions that had been put to you concerning Galdra. You did not expect Cal to return to you.’

‘That is not the case,’ Pellaz said. ‘The pearl was an accident.’

‘Hara don’t have accidental conceptions,’ Tharmifex continued. His eyes looked completely black.

‘Well, clearly they do. When involved in the kind of work that Galdra and I undertook, it’s a risk. I was exhausted. I lost control. That’s all there is to it.’

‘And now Loki has disappeared.’ Tharmifex tapped some papers before him with one hand. ‘I read the report and find it perplexing. Why was no guard placed in Loki’s chamber?’

‘There were guards all around the house,’ Pellaz said.

‘And yet everyhar was aware of the phenomenon in Freygard which they referred to as…’ Tharmifex flicked through the papers, ‘…the “spirit window.” Did it not occur to any of you that entities might emerge from that portal who could enter premises undetected? We were all at Fulminir, Pell. We all saw the strangest things. We know Cal can traverse the otherlanes without a
sedu
, and that hara under Ponclast’s command possessed a similar ability. Frankly, I’m aghast security was so lax. Have we learned nothing from what happened to Rue seven years ago when his pearl was taken?’

‘The
sedim
pronounced the portal as safe,’ Pellaz said.

Tharmifex shook his head, expressed a sigh. ‘And yet there was a young har from Freygard in our infirmary who patently discovered that was not the case. The Freyhellan took a long time to heal, Pell. Our healers could find no cause for his malady.’

‘I accept security was lax,’ Pellaz said, ‘and that we should now apply ourselves, through every means possible, to discovering what happened. I have lost a son, Tharmifex. Another son. You can be sure I intend to put every resource behind this investigation.’ Pellaz was far from pleased Tharmifex was speaking to him in this manner in front of Velaxis. It was inappropriate. Perhaps Tharmifex deliberately wanted to discomfort the Tigron. Pellaz managed to catch Eyra’s eye again, briefly. The Listener blinked and shook his head, almost imperceptibly. He wasn’t happy about being present at this meeting either.

‘You will, of course, attempt to contact the Kamagrian, Lileem Sarestes,’ Tharmifex said.

‘I…’ Pellaz frowned. ‘Why would I do that? Cal will communicate with Thiede. That should be enough.’

‘Lileem took Ponclast into her custody,’ Tharmifex said. ‘I think at the very least he should be interrogated about this matter. Many of his hara escaped Fulminir, including two of his sons: Diablo, and the harling of Abrimel. We still have enemies out there somewhere. Part of me wonders whether, in fact, Ponclast should be brought back to this realm, kept in captivity here.’

‘That’s impossible,’ Pellaz said. ‘You can’t just go in and out of the realm Lileem discovered. She’s different to hara. She possesses abilities none of us have. Ponclast is like us. He’s quite safe there.’

Tharmifex was clearly in no mood to be deterred. ‘But perhaps we’re dealing with creatures who are more like Lileem than like us. I personally don’t relish the prospect of somehar, or something, freeing Ponclast from his prison. And that is something we should consider deeply.’

Velaxis cleared his throat and turned to Pellaz. ‘I think perhaps you should try to speak to Lileem, tiahaar,’ he said.

‘Do you? And of what use is your advice to me?’ Pellaz glared at Tharmifex. ‘I’ll be honest, tiahaar. I object to the fact that your
clerk
is present at this meeting, when my consort is forbidden to attend.’

‘Object all you wish,’ Tharmifex said mildly. ‘Tiahaar Shiraz is of more use to you than you know. I trust his judgment and so should you. I will speak to Calanthe separately. You must appreciate that my prime concern is Gelaming security. And I am very concerned. If an enemy has taken Loki, we can only conjecture about what they want from him. Hostage, ransom, or perhaps a source of information. Of all the Aralisians, he is the most vulnerable, because of his age.’

‘I know that.’

‘Eyra, your Listeners need better training,’ Tharmifex said.

Eyra raised his hands. ‘We will do whatever we can to improve our service.’

Tharmifex nodded. ‘Good. Pellaz, I would like you to speak to Lileem about this matter, and will ask Cal to do the same with Thiede. If we have these
powers
floating about in etheric realms, it’s about time we made proper use of them, otherwise they’re pointless. The Kamagrian claims that all knowledge resides in this library she discovered. Well, you should encourage her to do rather more research. I will, of course, also contact the Kamagrian leader, Opalexian.’

‘Tharmifex,’ Pellaz said, his patience fraying, ‘that would not be helpful. If Opalexian knew anything about this, she would have contacted me. None of our psychics have picked up anything, not even Snake and Cobweb, who I consider to be more in tune with our needs than Opalexian. We should deal with this ourselves, but if you want me to communicate with Lileem, I’ll try. However, I can’t guarantee success. The conditions required for that communication are… difficult.’

‘You have Cal, your soul mate,’ Tharmifex said. ‘Take that superior kind of aruna with him. I’d have thought it would be very easy for you.’

‘For some reason, you are angry with me,’ Pellaz said, ‘which I don’t think helps this situation. I’ll do what I can. Please remember that when I was in contact with Lileem before, it was under certain circumstances. I’ve had no contact since.’

‘Then try,’ Tharmifex said. ‘If you fail, we must contact Opalexian. We know that when hara and parazha come together, they can create portals. Perhaps the time approaches for that to be explored.’

‘Opalexian would never agree to that.’

‘We all share this world,’ Tharmifex said. ‘It’s about time Opalexian woke up to that fact, and Thiede and Lileem accepted that they’ve chosen, in whatever obscure way, to remain part of our reality. Yes, I
am
angry. I’m angry with all the whimsical nonsense I see around me. I see fog, clouds, puzzles, half-answered
questions and mysteries. I want facts, action and sense. You should want them too. Contact Lileem, and find out what she thinks is happening. I believe it’s time for her to return to us. If she’s learned anything, both Kamagrian and Wraeththu need her knowledge. She can’t hide away in her studies any longer.’

‘I think perhaps you place too much importance on…’ Pellaz began.

Tharmifex raised an impatient hand. ‘I know what’s important and what isn’t. We can’t just accept the things we experienced seven years ago. We have to question, seek answers, and arm ourselves with information. If we simply dither along the way we’ve been doing, we could regret it. There’s nothing else to say. You know what you have to do.’

Pellaz stood up and bowed. ‘I’ll take that as dismissal, then, tiahaar.’

‘Do!’ Tharmifex turned to Eyra. ‘And you can go too. Have all of your Listeners working constantly. I don’t want anything occurring in the realms, to which we do have access, without knowing about it.’

Once they had escaped Tharmifex’s presence, Eyra rubbed his hands over his face. ‘I’ve never seen Thar that angry. He’s like a different har.’

‘He’s worried,’ Pellaz said, ‘and most of what he said is right. I’ll do as he suggests. It would help me if you could contact Galhea, bring them into the picture. I’d do it myself but…’ Pellaz sighed. ‘I need to devote myself fully to the Lileem issue.’

Eyra clasped Pell’s right shoulder. ‘No, don’t worry. I’ll do that for you, of course.’

Pellaz had traveled to his own inner space many times with Galdra, but now he wondered if he could remember how he’d done it. He had memories of the experience, but the concentrated feeling had gone. Also, at the time, Lileem had been trying to make contact with him too. The intense energy surrounding the whole Fulminir episode had meant that even inexperienced hara, like Tyson and Moon Parasiel, had been able to emulate what Pellaz and Galdra had done. But the energy had dissipated, and circumstances were now very different.

That evening, Pellaz asked Cal to come to his private apartments and there told him what they had to do. Cal had undergone his own interview with Tharmifex, which surprisingly had not been as caustic as the one Pellaz had endured. ‘Tharmifex is right,’ Cal said. ‘We have to do everything we can to find Loki, and discover the reasons behind his abduction.’

‘Have you communicated with Thiede?’

Cal frowned. ‘No. The channels to his realm are closed. I can only presume he feels under threat himself. It’s rare I can’t reach him.’

‘I think Tharmifex feels something similar to Fulminir is about to happen,’ Pellaz said, ‘but I can’t feel that way. The fact is, I don’t know
what
is happening. We have one strange phenomenon and the abduction of a young har.’

‘Hmm,’ Cal murmured. ‘Another abduction. It might be that the delightful creature who took Rue’s pearl is responsible for Loki’s disappearance too. Pell…’

‘What?’

‘There is another Aralisian heir, you know that.’

‘Abrimel is safely in confinement. I’m sure we’d have heard if he’d disappeared too.’

‘I didn’t mean him. I meant… the harling he had with Ponclast.’

‘Yes, Tharmifex mentioned him too.’

‘Ponclast’s son Diablo fled with the harling. Abrimel told us that under interrogation. Diablo took Rue’s pearl. It seems pretty clear to me he’s involved in Loki’s disappearance.’

Pellaz raised his arms in exasperation. ‘And what does Diablo want? His hostling reinstated? The downfall of the Gelaming? He has no army, Cal. He’s an addled freak. If he’s responsible, then you and Thiede should be able to track him down.’

‘I think the guard should be doubled on Abrimel,’ Cal said. ‘I think Eyra should put a Listener near him.’

‘That makes sense. I’ll see to it at once.’

Cal sighed. ‘Diablo might be an addled freak, but he might also still be in contact with Ponclast’s erstwhile allies. They could simply be waiting for another chance.’

Pellaz felt a cold wave course through his body. ‘Cal, Rue’s pearl… where is the harling? Thiede hid him away, but where? He needs protection too.’

‘I can’t tell you because I don’t know. Thiede didn’t tell me. It was best that way.’

‘And now you can’t contact Thiede.’

‘That harling was… well, I know Thiede was right to tell us to forget about him. That’s his greatest protection.’

‘I wish I could be as sure about that as you are.’

Cal took Pellaz in his arms. ‘I know. Go and send a message to Eyra, then come back to me. Let’s go to the realm of dreams together. We’ll solve this thing, I know we will.’

But intentions and certainty are sometimes not enough. A har can conjure up the most intense feelings; he can soar through the ethers on silver wings in the arms of aruna’s sweet waves. He can take it to its furthest point, when the cauldron of creation opens and potential for life comes flooding through. What he finds beyond that portal can barely be described in words. Pellaz achieved those things. He went into himself, to the dark pulsing core of his own being. He could prevent conception as easily as he ever could, but there was no way he could project himself beyond that space, as he’d once been able to do. There was no Lileem, and no way to call her.

Pellaz wanted to keep trying, at least for several days, but a message came from Tharmifex’s office the very next day, demanding a report. It arrived while the Tigrons were still taking breakfast together in Pell’s apartment. Outside the day was somewhat overcast and drizzly; an uncommon phenomenon in Immanion.

‘He’ll want to contact Opalexian,’ Pellaz said glumly to Cal. ‘She’ll be furious. You know what she’s like.’

‘Mmm,’ Cal murmured, ‘don’t I just.’

‘She won’t do anything to help.’

‘No.’

‘We’ll just have to continue ourselves and let Thar do what he wants.’

‘Perhaps.’

‘What does that mean?’

Cal leaned back in his chair. ‘It might not be your fault… I mean, maybe I’m just the wrong har for the job.’

‘Whatever you’re thinking, don’t voice it,’ Pellaz said darkly.

Cal ducked his head, stuck out his lower lip. ‘Why not? What’s your problem if I don’t have one? Loki is Galdra’s son too. Perhaps you and he should be the ones to penetrate Lileem’s realm, or rather maybe you are the combination that would work. I have no great love for the Freyhellan, you know that, but I have wondered recently – since spending some time with him – whether my absence during the Fulminir crisis was somehow preordained. You two did wondrous things together, even
I
can see that. Perhaps it wouldn’t have happened if…’

Pellaz didn’t want to hear this, not least because part of him agreed with it. His feelings for Galdra were too complicated. ‘Cal, shut up. I can’t do that. It’s too prickly an area. Galdra is in love with me. He’ll read all sorts of things into it if I offered that kind of invitation. I couldn’t bear it.’

Cal laughed. ‘Now, taking aruna with a har who hates you: I can understand the ‘no’ factor in that, but…’