Forgotten (15 page)

He walked over to one of the walls and knocked on it. Kaie waited for some hint of what Callo was talking about, but when nothing happened, the big man shrugged and came back to the table. “This man picked the wrong wall.
Doesn’t matter.
There are passes built into every building in the greatest city, and underground. The servant caste uses them to avoid being seen. The apprentices use them as well, to hurry about on their master’s business. Everyone else pretends not to notice. That’s what the men of the Twelfth found when they opened up the Rit’s Gate. It was an old pass, and not well maintained. This man ordered it sealed up himself, nearly fifteen years ago. Did Kale really not know?”

“No sir,” Kaie said slowly, wondering just how the passes were accessed.
“Every building?”

“Near enough. And a great deal underground. This man doesn’t know for sure, but the story is that a man could walk from one end of the greatest city to the other without seeing any sky.”

“You don’t know? Wouldn’t the stonemasons be responsible for maintaining them, my lord?”

“It would be unacceptable for this man to ask questions like that. He is no apprentice, after all! He is expected to forget they exist. And when he was, he was far too busy to be properly curious. It is one of his greatest regrets, truly.”

Callo was laughing again, but Kaie was distracted and he didn’t think to join in. “So there are tunnels running through the whole city, and no one but the servants and apprentices use them? Does anyone know all of them?”

“It’s possible the Lady Dau knows. The courtesan caste would undoubtedly find them useful, and they’ve always held an unnatural obsession with the greatest city’s secrets. Kale should speak to her, if he is so curious.”

“I might, my lord,” Kaie mused.

Lady Dau was another councilor. One he only met only met once or twice, in all his time there. Dau was an old woman, and part of the courtesan caste. Dau was, best he could figure, almost an empress in her own right. No one would who knew was ever willing to explain how she earned such stature among the other
councilors, that
they would defer to her when it wasn’t required of them. He doubted he would get the chance to speak to her at all, let alone in such a familiar way, but it was worth hoping.

“Will Kale tell his master that this man waits for word of what the Autumnsong means to those who support his ambitions? And Kale should take a moment here, maybe to see if the cook will come out. This man will see that Losen finds his way out without his usual… embarrassments.”

Kaie nodded and even thought to flash a smile of gratitude. But his thoughts were elsewhere. Not even the slimy, groping Lord Losen was enough to turn them away from those secret pathways running throughout the city, and all the interesting things they could lead to.

“She offered me a horse.”

Kaie hid his smile by taking another swig of wine. By the time the vile fruity stuff was down his throat he could manage a thoughtful expression.
“Only one?”

“One’s enough!” Gregor shot back. “What the hell would I do with another horse?
And three?
Gods! I don’t even like horses.”

“Well, married to her, I expect you could use them to run away.”

Gregor grunted his agreement and filled up both their cups. Normally they wouldn’t dare. Too many eyes might catch a slip, even here in the manse. Kaie wasn’t sure what made today special, though it was safe to assume it wasn’t the proposal, but he wasn’t going to complain. He was learning to stomach the foul stuff, and the side effects were enjoyable enough to make up for the taste.

“Having you around was supposed to put an end to the proposals,” Gregor groused.

Kaie didn’t even try to hide his smirk this time.
“Nope.
Just scare off the pretty ones.”

Gregor made a rude gesture. Kaie laughed.

“You know,” he mused after another mouthful, “I like horses.”

Gregor scoffed. “What do you know about horses? Have you even touched one?”

“Sure,” Kaie drawled. “I used to ride them all around the Autumnsong estate.
Never walked anywhere.
I was practically born in the saddle.”

Gregor laughed and downed the rest in his cup.
“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.
My people were known as the best horse people in all Elysium.”

The other man snorted. “Why stop there? I heard they were centaurs.”

“You heard true my friend,” Kaie said with a great flourish. “All of us. Half man, half horse.”

“That does explain a lot.
Your looks, for example.”

“Fuck you.” Kaie motioned for another refill. Gregor considered for a moment before shrugging and doling out more.

“I’ve never understood centaurs.”

Kaie laughed. “I know two things at once is a confusing concept for you, man, but it’s really not that that complex. And it’s not so difficult to see the appeal. They were supposed to be the most elite soldiers in the world, right?”

“See, that’s what you say,” Gregor exclaimed gesturing wildly to make the point.

“That is what I say,” Kaie agreed. He slumped against the wall. “I know because I just said it.”

“You say that,” Gregor insisted, “but have you ever really thought about it? Where would the stomach be?
In the man part or the horse part?”

His eyebrow rose. “Who cares?”

“Anyone who had to fight them!
How are you supposed to know where to stick the knife when you go to stab them in the stomach, if it could be in either place? Or both! And what do they eat?
Meat?
Oats?”

“If I ever meet one, I’ll ask for you.”

“No. Forget that,” Gregor muttered. “If you meet one, you ask it about sex.”

Kaie laughed loudly, unconcerned about anyone overhearing. “Think about that a lot, do you?”

“You’ve heard the stories too, the ones about people falling in love with a centaur and the two of them running off and getting married. Don’t tell me you haven’t wondered how in the Abyss that happens!”

“Never crossed my mind.
Sorry man.”

“Come on! Have you ever seen a horse’s cock? They’re intimidating! What kind of woman sees one of those and decides she wants it in her for the rest of her life?
And what about kids?
How would any woman push a little half-horse out?”

“My friend, you spend entirely too much time obsessing about puzzles that don’t have a solution.”

“And you’re so much better?” Gregor retorted.

“My puzzles always have a solution.” Kaie set his cup down and stretched his arms back behind his head. He would need to straighten his pallet out before he went to bed. Somehow, the blanket and all the pillows were gravitating toward the desk were Gregor was sitting.

“Bah.” The Rit propped his feet up on the desk and leaned back in his chair.
“And what about the men?
It’s been a long time, but how lonely do you have to be to look at a horse’s ass and think ‘yeah, I can hit that’ exactly?

Kaie snorted. “Maybe that’s what the second horse is for: to keep you occupied when your new wife doesn’t want your attention.”

Gregor repeated his rude gesture. “Joke’s on you, Kale. That’s what you’re for.”

Kaie’s brow quirked upward again.
“Me?”

“Oh yes. Marta promised she would take you into her home and allow me to ‘use’ you as I wish, when she doesn’t have need for one of us.”

They were both quiet for a minute. Kaie considered the offer. Marta probably thought it was generous.

“Well then,” he said softly, “I guess you’re going to be busy. You’ve got to keep Marta, me and the horse satisfied.”

Gregor’s laugh filled the room. “You’re the one satisfying me, remember?”

“Only because you find my cock so intimidating.”

Gregor just took a swig straight from the bottle and passed it to him. The Rit smirked as Kaie downed the last of it.

“So are we going to spend all night talking about centaurs?”

Gregor was quiet for a long time. Kaie regretted polishing off the wine. The Rit looked like he could use some more. The air in the room went sour and cold. “We’re not talking about my sister.”

“I gathered,” Kaie said. He was sorry he changed to subject. Things needed to be said.
Important things.
But it was so much better when he was imagining having sex with a horse.

Gregor sniffed like he thought Kaie was lying. “I mean it.”

“I believe you.” He hesitated. “Did you know it was the Autumnsong family being sent?”

Gregor eased back in his chair, his face the same stony mask Kaie remembered from the months before they discovered they didn’t despise one another. It didn’t come out often anymore. “No.”

Kaie sighed and shifted in his seat until he was facing the Rit. “Oh, well, I’m convinced. Glad I asked.”

Gregor didn’t scowl. He never scowled, not unless it was in jest. But somehow the feeling was conveyed just as effectively. “This doesn’t change anything.”

“The Abyss it doesn’t,” Kaie said. “Best case scenario, it’s the Lady Autumnsong who didn’t own me. Of course, she might know who I am anyway. For all I know, she and I were
secret lovers before the Namer got her fingers in my head.
But maybe not.
Maybe no one on that boat’s ever seen me before. I’m still pretty confident they’ll recognize my brand.”

Gregor stared at him without a hint of his usual humor. “Were you planning to be shirtless often?”

“No,” Kaie admitted. “But once they’re here, it’s going to be a risk every time I do. And if it’s the other one we’re in real trouble, aren’t we?”

“No, we’re not. You’re going to stay inside from now on. You can hide every time we have visitors. It’s that simple.”

“It’s not simple. How long can we keep it up, do you think, before Losen starts asking about me? Gods, even Callo will be suspicious after a couple weeks of that. What then? Will you tell them I’m sick? That I ran away? You can tell them I died. Of course, the servants are bound to wonder about that one. Maybe we should kill them now, before they get the chance to give us away?”

“Don’t be dramatic. Losen is the kind of man who wants everything he doesn’t have. You don’t really matter to him. Once you’ve been out of sight for a while, he won’t even remember you exist. No one in this city thinks of you as anything but a slave, Kale. And even the best slaves are, by design, utterly forgettable.”

“Thanks. Talk like that makes me feel so loved.” Gregor didn’t rise to the taunt, of course. Kaie didn’t expect him to. This needed to be said “You’re fooling yourself if you don’t this is a huge risk for both of us. You’ve kept me safe for two years. I’m not going to thank you for it by bringing the wrath of Urazin and a host of Namers down on your head. I should be on my way out of the city right now, not picking at my nails and waiting for you to tell me what the damn plan is.”

“The plan is the same it was this morning. You’re going to work with Judah and keep an eye on people, and I’m going to make sure everything is in place for when we declare ourselves against the empire. And find a way to protect people from the Namers, will you?”

Kaie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger. “This is what I meant earlier. You won’t let shit go. There isn’t a way. At least not one I’ll ever know. You can throw me at every mage we come across, and I’ll never be able to give you anything better than that.”

“You’re sure of that?”

Kaie noticed the tone, realized that it was more a challenge than a question, but barreled on. “I am. Just like I’m absolutely certain that there’s no way to be sure everything is in place. You can’t afford to plan much longer. At some point you actually have to do something.”

“And what should I do, Kale? Shout my intentions from the rooftops?”

“You shouldn’t give this Autumnsong the chance to get her fingers into Hudukul politics,” he snapped back. “You’re the one who told me how good Urazin is at convincing people it’s easier to accept their rule than fight it. We both know she’ll have the merchant and the religious caste in her hands the second she meets Losen and Sosa. Callo might hold out for a time, but when all the rest of the city has accepted the empire, he’ll be no different. Whatever you’re planning on doing to start this revolt of yours, you’re running out of time to do it.”

Gregor was silent for a time. When he looked up again, the mask was gone. Instead, the man looked tired.
Tired, and far older.
It was disconcerting. “I thought you said Tou is an honorable man?”

“He is,” Kaie answered lowly.
“Honorable and loyal.
But not to you, and his honor isn’t the same as yours. It doesn’t have the same rules. If he is ever convinced that the best chance for his people is to switch sides, he won’t even consider it a betrayal. Hudukul is his motivation.”

The Rit set down his charcoal and rubbed absently at his eyes. “Someday, I will sort out how it is you can be so certain of the hearts and minds of everyone around you, yet all you can think to do with it is irritate people. If half the shit you say is true, you could be among the greatest leaders in history.”

Kaie rolled his eyes.
“Yeah.
And, if I tried, I’d be just as dead as all the rest of them.
Maybe more dead, if the Namers can sort out how to manage that.
Look, you want insight? Here it is: You have one, maybe two days to declare your revolt or give it up for lost. And I have to leave.
Tonight.
Before I get the both of us hung from the Traitor’s Gate.”

Gregor was quiet for a long time. “I’ll consider your advice. But I’m not going to let you wander the desert alone.”

Kaie sighed. Sometimes it was easier to get his way with a wall than the Ninth Rit.
“So she really offered you a horse?”

His friend’s face split in a grin.
“Right?
What in the Abyss would I do with two horses?”