The Ritual (35 page)

Shani’s eyes widened and she shook her head in denial, but saying it out loud made it even truer for me, and I felt like something had died inside.

Then her eyes turned resolute. “You’re forgetting the rest of that conversation. Mior said he was never serious about it, and he also said that Zash wouldn’t be able to do it. They may have started off with that plan, but they can’t do it anymore, they won’t! I refuse to believe it!”

“Refusing to believe it doesn’t make it any less true,” I said despondently, but when I raised my head to look at Shani again I was taken by surprise when she slapped me in the face.

“Ow! Shani, will you stop doing that!” I protested, but she spoke over me, spitting out her words with such anger that I drew away from her a little.

“You and your endless pessimism! You always think the worst of people! This is the man you love, Rin! How can you think that of him? Can you not see how he feels about you? Do you really think he’ll just give you up like that, hand you over and say ‘here you are, she was a good fuck, saved my arse a few times, but you can have her now’?”

“I… I don’t–”

“He loves you, Rin! Have you not seen how he looks at you? Do you not feel it every time he makes love to you?”

“But… He never said–”

“He’s on his way to some lunatic sorcerer who will need… No, who will
presumably
need two sacrifices,” Shani said with an exasperated sigh. “He’s had weeks, months to think about it and hasn’t been able to find a solution – either he dies or you die. Do you think that’s conducive to declarations of love? For that matter, is he the kind of man who would easily admit to that anyway?”

“I… I don’t know,” I said, wanting to believe her but unable to accept that she was telling the truth.

“Rin, he’s stalling. Dithering,” she said, her voice now gentle. “He doesn’t want to reach Arlis, because he doesn’t know what to do. Can you think of any other reason for this detour to Nennomar? Or any other reason why they’ve been so morose ever since Maniaris?”

It did all make sense when she put it like that, but it didn’t make me feel any better. “S…so let’s go over that again then,” I stammered, my voice trembling as I tried to gain control again. “They were bound, then they somehow found out that Azerev intends to sacrifice them. Then they met us and–”

“Siander!” Shani suddenly exclaimed.

“What?” I asked, now even more confused.

“Siander must have told them.”

“What? But he works for Azerev!”

“And he’s a backstabbing, greedy, spineless wuss. I bet he thought he could turn a profit from it somehow, or maybe use it as leverage. Plus I can’t think of any other way how they would know. Siander is the only link between them and Azerev.”

I nodded. That, too, made sense. “
Right, so Siander told them about the sacrifice. Then they met us and we asked to come with them – a perfect opportunity to get some help and an easy substitute. No downsides for them whatsoever.” I stopped to take another shaking breath, and Shani rubbed my arms.

“Except it wasn’t so easy, because they fell in love with us, just like we did with them. Zash tried to fight it, tried to be stand-offish to you, but he couldn’t keep it up because he’s grown to love you, Rin.”

“That’s as may be, but it doesn’t change the fundamentals,” I said dully, locking my eyes with hers. “Azerev needs two sacrifices, and they can’t escape him, because he has them bound. We could run away, but they can’t. So whichever way you look at it, it’s still them or us.”

“They… But… But there must be another way,” she insisted, though she didn’t sound so certain anymore.

I shook my head. “Shani, the only thing I could possibly think of is for us to try and kill Azerev, and somehow I don’t think that’ll be as easy as it sounds. Do you think you could stand against him?”

“Against a sorcerer who bound both Mior and Zash, presumably without any real effort? I wouldn’t last a heartbeat,” she said morosely. “Mior is stronger than I, and he obviously couldn’t do anything about it.”

“And Zash hasn’t been able to think of a solution for months either,” I added.

“Can we not find someone else?”

I gave a short laugh. “What, just pluck two random people off the street? Could you do that? I know
I
couldn’t. I doubt even Zash could, for all that he can kill without blinking twice. No, Shani, I’ll keep thinking, but right now there’s only one solution I can think of. One solution for me anyway, one decision. It’s not a decision I can make for you.”

“What are you saying?” she whispered, her eyes suddenly frightened.

I met her gaze without flinching. “
They
cannot escape.
They
have no choice. So the choice has to be ours. And my choice is that I’d rather die for him than live without him.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Oh, Gods, you mean it,” Shani said after a long, long pause, and I smiled sadly at her. Now that I had made that decision I felt strangely calm, with a certain sense of inevitability. Deep down in my heart I knew it was the right decision, though I knew I had to attempt to explain it to my sister.

“I love him, Shani. Love him more than I ever thought I could love anyone other than you. You may be right that he loves me too, but for him it’s different.” I focused past her, my thoughts going back to the conversation I had had with him on the way to the Monastery of Balance. “We talked about our life one night, about what we do. He lives for the thrill, Shani. He is a thief through and through, much more than I am. I do this because I don’t know what else there is, but for him it’s a way of life, and he’ll get over me. It may take a while, but he will, because he can live without me. Whereas I…” I shrugged helplessly. “I don’t like to admit it, but I don’t think I could live without him anymore, certainly not if I knew that I could have saved him. Don’t get me wrong, if I can see a way in which to save us all then I’ll grab it with both hands, but if it comes down to him or me then my choice will be that it’s me.”

Shani was quiet for a while, then she nodded. “I’m with you.”

I took her hand and locked my eyes with hers. “It’s
your
choice, Shani. I need to know that you’re not just doing this because I am. That it really is your own choice.”

She smiled wanly. “I could take that as an insult, you know. I know I’ve always left important decisions to you, but I do have a mind of my own. No no, you don’t have to explain, I know what you’re trying to say. You’re my sister, Rin, I know you better than anyone. I can’t imagine what life would be like without you, even if I had Mior with me, but there’s two reasons why I’m going ahead with this.” She clasped my hand more tightly and took a deep breath. “One, I don’t think I can live without Mior either. I don’t know how he’d do without me – he’s not a thief, he doesn’t live for the thrill like Zash does – but he’d still have Zash there with him.”

“And the other reason?”

“Rin, do you think I could live without you? Or live with myself in the knowledge that I’d knowingly, willingly let both Zash and me lose a twin? Besides, he’d kill me if I did, both for you and for Mior. No, we’re in this together, just like we’ve always been.”

Her smile at me was wistful, and her eyes held all the love we had for each other, and suddenly I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. “Oh, Shani!” I sobbed, and threw my arms around her neck.

She clamped hers tightly around me and I felt her tears drip against my cheek. “I don’t want to die, Rin!” she cried, and I rocked her with me.

“Neither do I, believe me. If I can find any way out of this then we’ll take it, but until then this is the only option. Remember, they have no choice. They’re bound, whereas we’re not.” Then I pulled back and said urgently, “We can’t let on that we know, Shani. We
must
act like nothing’s wrong. And once we reach Arlis, no matter what happens or what they say, we
cannot
let them out of our sight.”

She wiped at her eyes and shrugged. “I’ll try, but you’ve always been the better liar.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself. Mior’s life is at stake, and you could do anything for him. Besides, maybe we will think of something yet. Don’t lose hope.”

She nodded, sniffling, and I patted her on the shoulder. “Come, let’s go and have some breakfast. Everything should be as normal when they come back.”

I didn’t know when that would be though, and after we had eaten I became restless. I had washed everything that needed washing, mended everything that needed mending, and the common room held the constant presence of Shiza, and with all three of us in the same room the atmosphere was so thick I could have cut it with a knife.

“Let’s go out,” I suggested. “We can hit one of the markets and see if we can snag some stuff.” Zash and I had had a decent haul the night before, but extra coin was always welcome, and it would keep us occupied.

We chose the market on the south side of town. It wasn’t in the elvish district – that was way too posh to hold something as common as a market – but it was in an adjacent, affluent district and it was known for its exotic wares. Shani needed distracting, and it was an old pastime of hers to ogle all the riches and point out the things she’d like to have.

As we walked there I studied all the houses we passed, wondering what it would be like to live in one, to always come back to the same place and have things to call your own that you couldn’t all fit into one backpack. The rain had finally let up and housewives were leaning in the doorways, chatting with their neighbours as their children ran riot through the streets, splashing through the puddles and shouting at each other. That was yet another thing we would never have, though in this case at least I had never had a desire to either.

We were still a street away when I could smell the market – the scent of countless spices intermingled with that of fruit and flowers. No stench of manure and frightened animals, not in this square, and I hunched over and made myself more inconspicuous as I walked in between the first two brightly coloured stalls.

For a while we wandered aimlessly while I let my fingers wander into the odd pocket or bag, netting me a few purses which I stashed away in the hidden pockets of my jerkin. As always I targeted my victims carefully, and left at least a quarter measure between them so I didn’t leave a trail behind me. Even in this skill – which I thought I had mastered years ago – Zash had made improvements. Not directly, but I knew I was much more stealthy than I had been before I met him, and that no one would look at me twice if I didn’t want them to.

And with that thought came the desire to find him a gift, something for him to remember me by. Maybe it was vanity that I didn’t want him to forget me, but if anything it gave me another purpose for being here, and I studied the wares on display more closely, knowing that whatever I got him had to be something he could get away with having.

I found it at one of the haberdashery stalls. It was a cloak clasp, modest in size and made of plain, functional brass. Nothing too flashy, nothing that would look odd even on a half-elf, but the simple ring-and-pin device was decorated with an elegant, stylised flame. It was beautiful in its simplicity, and it was exactly what I wanted.

For a heartbeat I debated buying it, but although I didn’t have an inherent problem with buying goods, as a gift from one thief to another it somehow seemed wrong to pay for it, so I walked past the stall and gave Shani our agreed signal for a diversion. It felt nostalgic to do so – we hadn’t used the sign in months, but it was an old habit and she gave me an almost imperceptible nod to show she understood.

I ambled away for a few moments while she moved to the stall and adopted the regretful, apologetic air of a half-elf impressed by the wares but unable to buy any of it. Most merchants were sympathetic to a degree, and although they wouldn’t ever give us anything for free, many of them were more than happy to have a chat and listen to her lamenting, as long as it didn’t interfere with a sale. It didn’t hurt that she was pretty to boot.

The merchant barely even noticed me as I sauntered back up to his stall and let my hand move to the clasp. I was about to grab it when I heard a shout somewhere further in on the market square, and I joined everyone else in craning my neck to see what was going on.

My heart jumped into my throat when I saw the bright blue and green of King’s Guard tabards, more than I could count in a heartbeat. Two of them were on horses and wore bright sapphire blue cloaks – likely the elvish commanders. I could see them gesture in various directions as they issued their orders to the rest of the guards, all on foot and spread out in a long line. Then one of the commanders lifted his arm and brought it down, pointing across the square, and the line began to move in our direction.

“Raid!” someone shouted, and it woke me from my stupor and made me aware of the cold sweat now covering my back. I snatched the clasp with one hand and grabbed Shani’s arm with the other, and heard the merchant’s angry outcry as I started to fight my way through the crowd, away from the guards.

We weren’t the only people trying to run away – everyone knew what a raid meant, and my heart was beating in my throat as I fought down panic. Sovander had always been a capricious king, prone to sudden outbursts of anger or bouts of boredom, or sometimes merely caught by one of his cruel whims. Whenever this happened he invariably sent out his guards to raid a town or city, capturing what half-elves they could find for his amusement. Rumours would reach us, weeks afterwards, of what had happened. He seemed to prefer great fighting spectacles, but sometimes his inventiveness produced something even worse. Whatever he planned each time, it left no survivors.

I caught glimpses of sympathetic looks, of other half-elves shoving their way past people in their panic. I got encouraging pats on my shoulder, but once I also felt two arms try to grab me around the waist to stop me. Whoever it was, he earned himself my elbow in his face, and I nearly stumbled over him as he went down, though another pair of hands steadied me and kept me upright.

There was no time for anger or thanks and I pushed on, the faces around me a blur. Most people simply stood, neither hindering the guards’ progress nor making way for them. Unfortunately they did the same for us; it was a dangerous practice to help half-elves, especially during a raid, but our flight was instinctive and aided by years of practice at running away.

Then I heard the hoarse cries behind me, and recognised the merchant’s voice. “Thief!” he shouted, and my panic doubled when I realised he had been shouting it ever since I began running. He would give me up for a cloak pin, was pointing the guards my way for the simple theft of such a small item. I could run and try to lose myself in the side streets and alleys, like we had always done, but this time I couldn’t be sure that it would be enough.

When we finally burst out of the square and out of the crowd I dashed into the first street I could see, daring a quick glance over my shoulder. The guards were close, far too close for comfort, and I yanked at Shani, trying to increase our speed.

It was easy going now. The women and children in the streets were gone, having melted away at the first hint of a raid, and every door was shut tight as we pelted past. I don’t know how long we ran, weaving in and out of alleys and passageways, but blind panic drove me on. I could hear Shani’s ragged breath behind me, but she wasted no words and never faltered in her step. Still, I knew we couldn’t keep this up, and forced myself to think.

A mark caught my attention, a sign carved into the lintel of a doorway, and I suddenly remembered the thief sign for a sanctuary. Had I not seen one earlier, beside one of those gossiping housewives? I frantically scanned every doorway we ran past, the sound of pursuit falling behind but never fading away altogether. I was looking for two curved lines tapering together, like a stylised pointy ear, with two slanted lines meeting into a point above it, like a sheltering roof.

My lungs felt like fire, my throat was raw and I had my hand pressed against my side against the stitches when I finally spotted the sign, on a small, unobtrusive house off to our left. I dragged Shani towards it, knocking on the door without allowing any time for second thoughts. Either the mark was accurate or we were doomed anyway. We could not run forever.

Within heartbeats the door opened a crack, and a woman peered out through it. I was still dragging breath into my lungs to plead for help when she opened the door wide and pulled us inside, motioning us further before she closed the door again with a sedate click.

“Quickly,” she said, and I felt her hands against my back as she pushed me to the rear of the house, into a small kitchen. Further we went, into a dark, cool pantry, and she darted past us and dragged a big wooden crate out of the way. It revealed a trapdoor, and my mind had only barely registered its presence when she already had it open and motioned for us to go down.

“No steps, you’ll have to jump, but it’s not deep,” she whispered as we brushed past. “And don’t worry, they haven’t found this in fifteen years.” She waited until we had both jumped in, then pushed Shani’s head down and dropped the door again, so we were alone in the dark. I heard the scraping sound as she dragged the crate back into place, then I sagged to the floor, too exhausted to remain standing.

I heard Shani drop to the floor as well, and for probably a tenth-measure there was no sound other than our ragged breathing as we rested. Then I distantly heard the thudding noise of someone banging on the door, and cold panic returned. I stretched out my hand in the blackness, towards where I knew my sister was, and when I touched her she grabbed it and pulled me close so that we clung to each other as we listened to the sounds of what unfolded above us.

I heard harsh voices, the sound made dull by the barriers between us and them, but I knew that the guards were now searching houses. The woman’s voice was audible as well, placating, fearful and questioning. We held our breath when the voices came closer, into the kitchen above us, then sagged in relief when they receded again. It wasn’t long before they went away altogether, but it was at least half a measure later – or maybe that was just what it felt like – before the woman returned.

“You’ll have to stay put for a while, they’ll be combing the town for another few measures still,” she said with her mouth close to the floor. “You’re safe down there, I promise. I’ll let you out when everything is quiet again.”