Making Peace, page 28
Sen just closed his eyes and shook his head. Vapor looked back and forth, torn over supporting her friends.
“Right, then. Votes.” Ugly held out one fist, then raised his thumb.
Sen immediately gave a thumbs-down. Shield looked at Ugly as she gave a thumbs-up. Vapor looked stricken, but ultimately followed Sen and voted no, not able to look at anyone as she did it.
“Two to two, a tie,” I said. “What happens now?”
One by one the cell turned to me. At first, I didn’t get it. Slowly it dawned on me they were waiting for my vote. Me, an author. Their eyes demanded an answer.
“What right do I have to vote on something like this, adding a member to the cell? This is a Keeper thing.”
Ugly nodded. “Yes, it is.” Still, they stared at me, waiting.
I ran my hand through my hair, grown shaggy from weeks of rough living. Saints, I needed a haircut. When had I last had one? “Listen, I’m just a writer, not a lawman. This is you guys, this life or death stuff. I don’t know anything about upholding the law.”
“That’s not true.” Shield showed me her best smile, the one she’d learned since waking up. The smile which wasn’t a mask, but came from her heart. “You have learned a great deal since you came to be with us.”
I shook my head, looking at Vapor. She just smiled and cocked her head. “You’ve really helped, Bel. Things have been better with you. Aren’t we a team?”
I couldn’t deny such sweetness. Don’t look in her eyes, Bel, or it’s over. I looked to Sen for help.
“Come on, Bel,” Sen said, and he gave me a crooked grin.
I looked at all of them standing around me. The Keepers stood in silence, waiting for my response.
I sighed. “Okay, then. I guess that’s that.” And I raised my fist in a thumbs-up.
Ugly pulled the jailer’s key ring from his belt and tossed it to me. He must have had this suggestion in mind all along to be carrying it. “Go do the honors, Scribbler.”
I went downstairs. Ina was still sitting in the middle of her cell with her back to the door, but her shoulders weren’t shaking, and she looked up when she heard me. She almost smiled when she saw me, but it didn’t quite take and her face fell again.
The lock clanked open as I turned the key, and I slid the door all the way open. I leaned against the door and crossed my arms. I was trying to look cool, but Ina shot me a confused look, so I stood up straight again. “How do you feel about taking a chance at atonement?”
She looked up at me suspiciously. “What do you want me to do?”
I walked over to the holding chest where we kept prisoner gear and fished out all of her knives and harnesses. They rattled across the stones when I tossed them at her feet, and she almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of them. This wasn’t looking good, if she couldn’t even bring herself to touch them.
“We’re going to destroy the First House, arrest the Hegemon, and get our captain back.”
She looked up at me, her eyes calculating. “You want me to join you?” Smarter than I gave her credit for, I thought. Naïve, but quick.
“Yeah.”
“As a prisoner?”
“As a Keeper.”
Her eyes opened wide in surprise, and she looked down at the knives.
“You want some time to think about it?”
She was silent for a moment. “If I do this, you think I can face my baby when I see him? Maybe he won’t hate me?”
I considered that one. Took me a long moment to fully consider it, let me tell you. “I think it would be a good start.”
“Then no, I don’t need to think about it.” She stood, scooping up the leather harnesses. She started to sling them over her shoulders but I stopped her. She gave me another confused look.
“We’ve got some light armor upstairs,” I said. “I’ve learned the value of a little protection. And it’s gonna be nasty in the First House. We’ll be going in on one of the upper floors somehow, haven’t worked that out. You’ll be my battle partner, which means we stick together and watch each other’s back. I use a longsword, so you know.”
She nodded at me, then followed me back upstairs.
Shield and Sen frowned upon seeing Ina, but neither said anything. Vapor studied her with interest. Ina only looked at Ugly. She stopped and stood at attention a few feet from him. Ugly nodded, then jerked a thumb over one shoulder. “Leather armor’s in that crate.”
She moved past him and dug through the contents of the crate he indicated, fishing out braces and a kidney belt.
She finished assembling her kit and came to stand next to me in front of Ugly. He looked at her, hard. “Part of joining us means you will never kill again without our sanction,” he said. “And you will never, ever kill a pregnant lady, of any House. Never. Is that clear?”
She shrank in on herself for a moment, but drew a quick breath and straightened. “I never want to. I never really wanted to.”
“Well, you did,” Shield said, and Ina cringed. Shield looked away and was silent.
Ugly looked back and forth between us. “If you’re going to be Keepers, there are some things which need to be said, facts to be accepted. You’re probably scared right now. We all are. It makes good sense, being scared. And it’s easy to want to back out, to run instead of standing. The coward always believes he has excellent reasons for what he does. He can rationalize and reason his way through, and his arguments make good sense.”
Ugly raised one finger. “The only problem is a nibbling doubt that something isn’t right; that, somehow, it’s wrong to abandon your friends. That honor and integrity are more important than wellbeing or even life itself.” He let the finger drop, hooking both thumbs in his leather battle harness. “And for the coward who chooses rationalization and reason, that gnawing doubt he’s lost something vital will be there every day for the rest of his life.”
Ugly gave Ina and me a hard look, one at a time, as he spoke the next part. “Every life is about principles. Not only what you stand against, but what you stand for. To spend your life never taking a stand is to live a life which will leave no lasting impact, no legacy. Define your principles, and allow them to fully define you.” He turned to Ina. “What principle guides you today?”
Ina squared her shoulders. Her voice cracked with emotion but sounded resolute. “To make my son proud of me.”
Ugly nodded at her, then turned to me. What was I supposed to say? What mattered to me? I was here to write a book and make a dent in the mountain of debt piled on my head. This whole thing started because I was in debt back home. Still am in debt, I reminded myself! I still have to pay back some folks, and tend to some things on Garden. And my next book, the editing isn’t finished. And…
I looked around me, at these people who had become my friends. They looked right back at me with open eyes, seeing me for who I was. Probably guessing my thoughts from the look on my face.
I remembered Cora and Maren, who couldn’t stand here with us because they’d been butchered while changing bedding or shepherding people out of a burning building.
I remembered Tavel. He had been one of my first friends on the planet. Tavel had committed murder and then run away, leaving his friends to face his punishment. He was one of the kindest men I’d ever known, and this planet had broken him.
I remembered Cheena, the servant girl who threw herself from a window because she was too afraid of the next horror this city would throw at her.
And, yes, I remembered Ina standing right here beside me. I looked into her eyes and she looked back into mine, not a drop of doubt in her as she faced her past and tried to make things better.
I found myself speaking without realizing I’d meant to. “To stop the senseless killing, and to protect the people who’ve given up hope of being protected.”
Ugly nodded at me as I turned to meet his gaze again. “These principles are your banners,” said Ugly. “Your standards. Your flags. Raise your flag. Never let it fall, never waver. Raise your flag for all the world to see. Die with your flag held high in the air, so your enemies can never forget the sight of you, even in their dreams.”
He folded his hands in front of his waist, standing up straight. “Repeat after me.” And we did, our voices following his:
“Not for power, but for the powerless.
Not for wealth, but for the poor.
Not for pleasure, but for the broken.
Not for control, but for peace.”
Our oaths spoken, Ugly relaxed again. “Today we put a terrible wrong to justice, we end the reign of an evil tyrant, and we rescue our dear friend. You both go with us as Keepers. Today, and all the days of your lives, until the end.”
He reached up and tore a Keeper emblem from the shoulder of his own shirt and handed it to Ina. She took it and thanked him in a small voice. Shield got up, pulling her handy sewing kit from a pouch on her belt, and went to help Ina sew it into the chest of her shirt. Neither woman looked at the other as Shield stitched the patch, but Shield offering some help was better than nothing at this point.
Ugly motioned for me to follow him a few paces away. I did so, and he pulled a sack out of one of the crates. “It survived the fire, somehow,” he said, handing me the sack.
I opened the bag and pulled out a leather pauldron. It was hard and rounded, made to fit well up on the shoulder and protect the entire socket joint, with some flexible pieces designed to hang down the outside of my arm to protect from cuts and stabs which could otherwise disable my swordarm. The whole thing was etched in intricate designs and the Keeper emblem was stamped hard into the surface of it, gleaming in the candlelight.
I didn’t know what to say and my throat was closing, so I just started strapping the pauldron on. “Survived the fire, huh?” You made it for me back then? I wanted to ask, but couldn’t make it all the way there.
Ugly grunted. Yeah, I made it for you back then. Don’t make a big thing out of it.
But it was a big thing. It really was.
The pauldron fit perfectly on my shoulder, feeling like a second skin. I rolled my arm, feeling the freedom it gave me. No restriction at all. Perfect. I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it again.
Ugly gave me an odd look I hadn’t seen before: approval and kind regard. I remembered something my uncle had taught me about his soldiering days, particularly with one of his comrades from Iron Sky. I held out one hand at an angle, palm upward, and offered it to Ugly. He looked surprised but, grinning, reached out and clasped my wrist. I closed my hand over his wrist and we both squeezed, observing the old ritual. It felt good: a test of muscle on muscle, a physical ritual of thanks and brotherhood.
“You’re not so ugly when you smile,” I said.
“Remind me not to smile, then,” he said, and chuckled.
He went to check on Shield and Ina, so I went over to Sen and Vapor. Sen was sharpening his sword and checking it for nicks. I leaned against the crate next to him.
“You okay with Ina?” Vapor asked Sen.
Sen shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. She’s one of us now. Bygones, and all that.” He glanced across the room at Ina. “Besides, with a body like that, I don’t mind keeping her around.”
“Hmm.” I watched him slide the whetstone over the blade, timing my delivery. “Your sister said you’ve never been with a woman.”
The whetstone scratched out of time, and his hand narrowly missed the sharp edge. I watched him bite his lip and give me a look from the corner of one eye.
“Well, no,” he said slowly, “I have not, shall we say, crammed the lotus.”
I groaned. “Why use a euphemism that makes it worse?”
Sen glanced around to make sure no one else had heard. He blanched when he saw Vapor leaning in close on his right side, her face inches from his.
“You’re a good man, Sen,” she said. “You don’t need to pretend. In fact, I like you better when you don’t.” She kissed his cheek, then withdrew and went back to checking the blade release on her staff. Sen turned bright red and started muttering to himself as he hunched over his blade.
Our preparations completed, we all gathered up our gear and walked out through the front door. Six Keepers marched through the streets, heading to the Second House to begin an assault on the most fortified building on the planet.
CHAPTER 39
UGLY, SHIELD, VAPOR, Sen, Ina, and I linked up with the forces of the Second House in the giant courtyard fronting their property. A quick headcount ended at well over a hundred soldiers, more than enough to surround a property and wage a war against any organization in the city.
Ugly conversed with the scouts on their force. The scouts reported the captain of the City Watch was invoking his neutrality and staying out of this, no matter how the Hegemon raged. That cut down the Hegemon’s reserve of forces but still left us with a brutal match on our hands, especially because we had no idea how many Gift users he had secreted throughout his House.
The Second House nano-mages had formed into a squad of their own, and Ugly drew their leader aside for another consultation. I was amazed at how easily Ugly fell into this role, commanding a large-scale force. I had to remind myself that at one time he had been a powerful military leader.
Preparations made, our combined force marched through the streets toward the First House. We Keepers strode at the head of the formation with the Gifted squad behind us; the Second House squad leaders and their troops splashed through the mud behind them. Window shutters slammed and door locks clicked ahead of us as the streets cleared, the coming storm driving every critter into the deepest hole it could find.
We Keepers walked in our battle pairs, so I had the opportunity to watch Ina as we marched. Her face was streaked with tears but she had a hard look on her face, her lips pressed tightly together. Her knives and harnesses swayed all over her body but she seemed used to them, rolling her shoulders and hips with the motion of walking to absorb the bouncing of the tools.
“You ever been in something like this before?” I asked. “A big fight, I mean.”
Ina shook her head, still looking straight ahead. Face hard, unyielding.
“Well, they’re messy. Things get pretty crazy all at once and you forget which way is up. Stick close to me, and we’ll work it out.”
Ina gave no visible response. I remembered my own first battle I’d knowingly walked into, and I couldn’t blame her for being so wrapped up in her own head.
The company came to a halt a hundred paces from the front gates of the First House, spreading out to give more even coverage. Archers from the back of the column took up position to counter-snipe anyone who tried to take a shot at us. The Gifted squad drifted apart. A few of them slipped into the crowd of normal soldiers to take the enemy by surprise, but the bulk of them moved off to the left of the House.
The palatial mansion was built up near the very top of the cliffs, with natural rock formations circling it behind and on the left side. The Gifted squad moved up the left face of the cliff, climbing onto some of the outcroppings that were sheltered from view of the building. Ugly waved for the five of us to join them on the rocks as he stepped forward to the head of the company. His massive hands lifted to cup his mouth as he addressed the enemy.
“We Keepers of the First Cell declare the First House to be in violation of Sivern Law as laid down by the Seer. The First House did knowingly engage in open hostilities against other Houses in an attempt to incite a House war. The Hegemon did himself order an attack against the Keepers of the First Cell. These are flagrant violations and can have only one answer: the absolute dissolution of the First House. Any who wish to leave the House, renounce their connections, and be absorbed into another House must state their intentions immediately, or be dissolved with their House.”
We all waited in tense silence. Ugly didn’t give them long, not as long as I’d have liked. I remembered the scared girls running around with serving trays and bruised wrists, and I wondered what was about to happen to them in the chaos. Would they end up leaping from windows? Would I be complicit in their deaths?
No, I thought. We’re here to stop that sort of barbarity. We’ll have time to take care of the servants while we’re in there. I glanced around at the troops, men fingering the razor edges of their weapons, and hoped everyone in our company had the same understanding of the phrase, “take care of the servants.”
When no one responded, Ugly turned to the leader of the Second company and gave him a thumbs-up. The leader called out orders to archers and swordsmen as Ugly moved to join us. We Keepers climbed twenty feet up the rock wall. At the first major ledge, we were still out of sight of the building as long as we stayed toward the back. Our Gifted allies waited for us there, beckoning. Ugly and Shield stepped forward first, crouching down just at the edge of cover.
Below us, the infantry leader was calling for the archers to fire. Flaming arrows arced up over the back of the shield wall the infantry had established. The projectiles imbedded themselves in the front of the First House, scattering across all levels of the mansion and smashing in windows.
I didn’t hear any screams, so I assumed the people inside had taken shelter. A grim part of my brain noted that the mercenaries hadn’t given us the chance to take shelter first, and my knuckles popped as my fingers squeezed the hilt of my drawn sword. I remembered my dream, that bloodthirsty replica of myself clutching a bloody sword with reckless abandon.
Careful, Bel, my sister’s voice echoed. Be careful of your choices.
Flames guttered all over the front of the House. Some of them fizzled out, while in other places magical winds sprang up and ripped the arrows and the flames right off the face of the building.
Our Gifted below targeted those areas as the most likely hiding spots of the enemy Gifted and began their own assault, hurling rocks and chunks of stone at the building. Many of the projectiles were repelled by powerful winds, and a contest of wills began over possession of any loose debris littering the grounds.
