Moon's Artifice (44 page)

‘I’m not honestly sure what my mission is,’ Narin admitted. ‘I’m just trying to stay alive and even Rhe agrees that’s only going to happen if we stop the goshe from completing whatever they’re up to.’

‘And what they are up to involves transporting the city’s sick to Confessor’s Island, judging from the day’s discussions at court. Have you been able to work out why ? Are they clearing districts of the city ? Targeting their enemies with the fever ? Casting the blame in a certain direction ? Or are these fever victims to be used for something else entirely ?’

‘We don’t know,’ Narin said, raising a hand to ward off Sorote’s questions. ‘But their island stronghold could easily hold the answers we need – the question is, how do we find them ?’

‘Without spies reporting it or hampering your efforts ? So you came to me ; a man who is interested in the allegiances and circumstances of the House of the Sun’s influential figures.’

‘If we can free ourselves to move on the goshe, we might yet prevent whatever it is they’re planning. It involves magic and demons, that much I am certain of – if the Astaren were to hear of this it would spark a bloodbath,’ Narin said with urgency. ‘The goshe have some hold over their members – they obey orders without question, they are being controlled by a small number within their order. The Astaren would kill every goshe they could, but most were infected as children, very likely, and can hardly be blamed for the actions of the few.’

‘A bloodbath ?’ Sorote echoed with astonishment. ‘You underestimate them, my friend.’

‘What do you mean ?’

Sorote gave a weary shake of the head. ‘It would spark a bloodbath yes, but only on the first day,’ he said gravely. ‘Most likely, House Dragon stepping in to massacre anyone who faces them. But that’s not the biggest problem – it’s the following day we have to worry.’

‘Why ?’

‘Because then, reports of this forbidden magic reach the ears of other Astaren, probably several Great Houses at once. These all bring forces into the city to try and mop up what remaining goshe there are. If there is magic and demons involved, none of them can risk their enemies discovering an advantage that could tip the balance between them. They’ll fight over the bodies of goshe and any hospital or building owned by them. Open warfare on the streets of the Imperial City for the first time since the Ten Day War.’

Sorote stood and tossed back the remains of his wine. ‘I will help you, Master Narin,’ he said, ‘if for nothing else than to try and keep this city from catastrophe. I have records of Lawbringers I believe to be members of the goshe, yes, and furthermore I can provide you with a map of Confessor’s Island. It will be outdated I am sure, but should give you the lie of the land for any action the Lawbringers might intend.’

Narin stood and bowed to the man, the flicker of bitterness in his stomach lessening slightly. ‘Thank you, Prince Sorote,’ he said with more formality than his greeting.

‘Prince Sorote,’ Enchei echoed as he knelt.

‘It will take me time to assemble the information,’ Sorote said. ‘Shall I have it sent to you at the Palace of Law ? I have messengers I can trust.’

‘Law Master Sheven,’ Narin suggested, ‘or Lawbringer Rhe – either of those will know what to do with the information.’

‘It is not evidence enough to make arrests,’ Sorote warned him. ‘Whether or not some have committed treasonous acts, proving so will be difficult in the extreme.’

‘We’ll find a way to make use of it,’ Narin promised him, turning towards the exit. ‘Stopping them is our first priority – there are hundreds who’ve been taken by this fever already. Whatever the goshe have planned, we’re going to disrupt it.’ His face went stony. ‘Once that’s over, we can worry about arresting whoever’s left.’

*

Between drifting drapes that hung floor to ceiling, Synter stared out across the city. Her Blessed eyes could make out the lines of the districts in the darkness, but from the upper room of her canalside eatery, Kayme Warrant was too far to make out. Still she stared, unblinking, as the cold sun of rage continued to burn inside.

‘Orders ?’ said a soft voice behind her.

Synter didn’t move. She had known before he even spoke that it was Kodeh.

‘I don’t know,’ she admitted at last. With an effort she pulled her gaze away and turned to face the dark-skinned goshe. ‘I expected us to all be dead by evening.’

‘What’re they waiting for ?’ Kodeh asked, his enormous arms tensing and flexing in anticipation.

Synter laughed bitterly. ‘Seems I’m wrong again,’ she said eventually. ‘Been a lot of that recently.’

‘Now ain’t the time to blame yourself. Was no way you could’ve known that damn Investigator had a team of Astaren following him.’

Synter glowered. ‘Blaming myself ? No. Doesn’t stop me feeling their deaths on my account, though – nor wondering why they gave us time to interrogate him first.’

‘Disinformation ?’

‘If he’d been lying about Irato’s memory,’ she argued, ‘they’d have taken the artefact by now. Our wards were to keep the foxes out, not resist an assault. What sort of long game would possibly match taking possession of it ?’

‘What else is there ?’

‘Could he be caught up in something else ? They were hunting him, not watching his back ? Might explain the delay.’

Kodeh’s great shoulders rose as he shrugged. ‘Could be they’re bluffing – Astaren got Irato, but his memory really is wiped. So they let the Investigator tell us all he knows and make it look like they allowed it to happen. We assume they know everything and shit ourselves.’

Synter ran her fingers through her hair, scratching at her scalp in an irritated gesture. ‘We could go mad trying to work it out, but that won’t help us. They’re in play somehow – that’s all we can be sure of.’

‘So what now ?’

She patted a pouch on her hip, the contents tightly packed. ‘We get ready for them. I want all the Detenii on the island as fast as we can manage, armed with our special crossbow bolts. We’ve been holding on to them for years now, time to break out the stock.’

‘You sure the firepowder heads will work against Astaren armour ?’ Despite his concern, Kodeh’s whole demeanour brightened as he imagined using the weapons at long last.

‘I’m sure of nothing, but if they come I mean to be ready for them. Tell the Elders nothing, they’ll just panic and we need them ready for the ritual.’

‘They have enough to do,’ Kodeh agreed. ‘Near as much every ship in the city’s going to be pressed into service tomorrow – each one filled with fever-struck citizens to bind to the artefact. By this time tomorrow, the moon rises.’

‘I got to admit it,’ Enchei said, puffing out his cheeks and looking from Irato to Kesh. ‘You surprised me with this one !’

The tattooist didn’t look entirely happy at the revelation that Irato’s head contained a handful of demons, but made no actual complaint. Other than briefly tightening his fingers around his baton, he did nothing as he absorbed the information.

‘Am I, ah, talking to a demon now ?’ Narin hazarded.

The four of them sat in the smokehouse, the lamps turned low in deference to the late hour. Pirish had retired once Narin and Enchei had arrived, taking a pewter mug of rum up to her bed. She’d left a thick stew bubbling on the stove, but in their determination to get their news out, no one had yet touched the food.

Irato shook his head. ‘They can hear you, but it’s me in here.’

‘And you think this is what the goshe’re about ?’ Enchei added.

‘Don’t you ?’ said Kesh. ‘It has to be, doesn’t it ?’

‘Depends what you think it is – this means nothing by itself.’

Kesh waved a hand at Irato in frustration. ‘There’s a bloody demon in his mind – a few of them !’

‘Aye, but that’s not a plan. From what you said the demons are riding him, rather than being passengers under Irato’s control.’

‘But the fox-spirits aren’t the only sort of demon out there. What did you call those demon princes ? Apkai ? What if one of them was behind the goshe, controlling them all ? What if it’s building itself an army it can command, every soldier in the army working to one single purpose, each one knowing their place and knowing no fear ?’

Enchei looked far from convinced. ‘The demons told you this ?’

‘No,’ Kesh said with a shake of the head, ‘but they told me the object stolen from them could link up the paths between their minds and there are thousands of goshe out there. What human could control so many people ? Perhaps one could give orders to a few linked to it, but an entire army ?’

‘But why mess up Irato’s head to make so much space ? Space for three demons in each goshe mind at least ?’

‘You said the Apkai were like Gods to the fox-spirits – could be one’s using them as weapons,’ Kesh persisted. ‘One of them could be strong enough to keep them under control.’

‘There are Shure in two dozen cities across the central isles,’ Enchei argued, ‘let alone those further afield in the merchant domains and in House-ruled lands, that’s tens of thousands of goshe outside of the Imperial City. Ask Irato’s new demon friend how many of its kind there are – I doubt there’s nearly enough for each goshe, quite aside from how they would catch half the demons in the world. You can’t exactly breed them like sheep.’

‘So what’s your explanation, then ?’ Kesh demanded, not intending to sound petulant but the exertions of the day were catching up with her at last.

As Narin winced and shifted in his seat, Enchei stood. The former Astaren went over to look Irato closely in the eye. ‘Come out to play, little demon,’ he said, ‘I’ve got some questions for you.’

A flicker went across Irato’s eyes, the dart of mist on the wind that was gone in the blink of an eye.

‘We hear you,’ Irato intoned.

‘Good. Now – Kesh says you can use Irato’s body, how about his brain ?’

‘The host is open to us, nothing is hidden.’

Enchei nodded grimly. ‘These paths – once they’re opened you could reach out to control another goshe ?’

‘No. We could communicate with our kin, no more.’

‘But if you were stronger, you could ?’

‘Only from within, the paths do not extend to our animal hosts.’

‘Has any of your kind been hunted ? Imprisoned ?’

‘No, the packs tell of no such losses.’

‘What if it was the Apkai doing it ?’

‘Their presence is like the noonday sun to mortals. We have sensed no such being in our pursuit of the goshe else we would have abandoned it.’

‘And the goshe weapons ain’t exactly God-like,’ Enchei added. Abruptly he turned to face Narin. ‘Remember that question you were asked by Lord Shield ? “Who is the Moon ?”’

Narin nodded. ‘You know who it is ?’

‘Most likely this Father Jehq,’ Enchei said carelessly, as though the answer didn’t matter at all. ‘My point is, he must’ve asked you the question for a reason, must have got the name from somewhere. So how about Irato’s mind ? Moon’s Artifice takes effect while people sleep and you knocking Irato out was what inconvenienced him, no ?’

Narin was hesitant now. His entire body ached in a distant way, like a fire blazing on the far side of the room. He was aware of it, but not yet close enough to properly feel its prickle on his skin. Even so the constant presence was exhausting, and following Enchei’s train of thought was beyond him so he just grunted to acknowledge the man’s words.

‘Asleep or unconscious, that’s when Moon’s Artifice gets to work. Lord Shield grabbed a fragment from Irato’s mind, the name of what he’d just poisoned himself with or something else about the moon, but not enough to make sense of. I’m thinking the
who
doesn’t matter so much as the
what
.’

‘What ?’ Kesh echoed. ‘That makes even less sense ! How does that help us ?’

‘Be more literal,’ Enchei commanded both of them. ‘What is the moon ?’

‘A rock in the sky, isn’t it ?’ Narin said.

Enchei pointed straight at him with the wooden baton in his hand. ‘Exactly.’

‘Eh ?’

‘Be literal ?’ Kesh asked hesitantly.

‘Aye – look at the whole sky and tell me what the moon is.’

‘It’s …’ She glanced up at the ceiling out of habit, then looked down in momentary embarrassment. ‘It’s what lights the night, alongside the Constellations of the Gods.’ She gasped and turned wide-eyed to Enchei. ‘Oh, Hammer of Smith !’

‘There she blows.’

‘What ?’ Narin demanded.

‘It’s a light in the sky – it’s what the Gods share the night sky with. By comparison the lesser stars are just tiny pinpricks of light. The moon is the only equal of the Gods at night !’

Narin still looked blank.

‘It’s a rival to the Gods !’ Kesh said, almost shouting before she caught herself and lowered her voice. ‘They’re going to raise themselves a God of their own ! Whoever this moon is, the important bit is that they’re planning on becoming a God.’

‘On the moon ?’ Narin asked, feeling increasingly dazed.

Kesh clouted him around the head before she could even stop to think. ‘No you fool, it’s just a symbol ! All this linked space in the minds of others – that’s where the God will live, actually in the heads of its followers !’

‘But how do you create a God ?’ Narin asked, scowling and rubbing the top of his head.

It was Kesh’s turn to hesitate now. She opened her mouth, ready to continue her tirade at Narin, then realised she didn’t have the answer and had to turn to Enchei. The tattooist shrugged at them, again unconcerned.

‘Whatever was stolen from the fox-demons can open paths up between minds. Father Jehq and his cronies have most likely got a way to send their minds inside from the same source. Their combined intellects, magnified by the brain-power of a few thousand minds, living for ever as pure energy inside the minds of their minions – sounds like a God to me.’

‘Combined ?’

‘Why not ? Without bodies or any mortal concerns, why not link your mind to others ? For safety, if nothing else – the more of you there are, the stronger you all are. Probably they’ll end up fighting for supremacy at some point, but until then they’ll link their minds and use their mortal vessels to elevate their intellects to a level closer to the Gods than the mortals they once were.’