‘You need?’ the squirrel cat repeated. ‘You need a lot of things, kid. What’s in it for me?’ He shuffled over and started pawing at the pockets of my trousers. ‘Don’t suppose you’ve got anything to trade?’
‘Stop that,’ I said, pushing him away. If I’d been smarter I would have brought something from my father’s study to bargain with. In my defence, I’d never had to put the lives of people I cared about in the hands of overgrown avaricious part-feline rodents before. ‘You said … You said there was a tradition between your people and the Mahdek. You said sometimes you worked together.’
‘So?’
‘So, be my business partner.’
The other squirrel cat chittered.
Reichis gave what sounded like a loud, stuttering cough. It took me a moment to realise he was laughing. ‘Him? What’s he got to offer?’ He started walking around me like a merchant inspecting defective wares. ‘He doesn’t own anything, he can’t fight worth a damn and from what I’ve seen so far, he doesn’t have any magic. Why in the world would I—’
The other animal was on him again. This time Reichis resisted, but within seconds she landed him flat on his back with her teeth around his neck, shaking him. ‘Fine!’ he growled. ‘Gods damn it. I’ll do it.’
The female gave one more shake and then let him go. With as much dignity as anyone could muster in the situation, Reichis righted himself and snarled at her. ‘You’re a terrible mother, you know that?’
‘That’s your mother?’
He looked up. ‘Of course she’s my mother. Can’t you see the resemblance?’ Without waiting for a reply he ambled back to me. ‘All right. We’ll try this thing. One time. I’ll help you find your sister and the Argosi and in return you help get me something I want. But I’m not your familiar, understand? I’m not your pet and I’m not your friend. If you can’t hold up your end of the bargain, I’m gone. Got it?’
‘I guess that’s fair,’ I replied, my eyes still on the other squirrel cat, who now looked as placid as still water.
‘Hold out your hand,’ Reichis said.
Great. He’s going to bite me again. I figured this must be part of the ritual and, not being in a position to refuse, I did as he asked. Sure enough, he sunk his teeth into my palm. It hurt worse than the other two times. ‘Do your people have any traditions that don’t involve biting?’ I asked.
Reichis started for the door. ‘That wasn’t for any tradition. You just piss me off.’
With the effects of the lightning weed having worn off, it was even harder for me to keep up with Reichis and his mother. The pair of them led me down the pre-dawn streets and alleys on such a winding path that I soon lost my bearings entirely. It wasn’t until we stopped in front of a long, vine-covered wall over ten feet high that I realised where we were. ‘What are we doing behind the palace?’
‘Climbing,’ Reichis replied, leaping up to swiftly ascend all the way to the top of the wall. He turned and looked back down at me. ‘Quietly, if you can manage it.’
It took me forever to make the climb. It didn’t help having Reichis sniggering at me all the while. By the time I got to the top I could barely get in enough breath to speak. ‘I don’t understand. Is my sister here?’
I heard a soft rustle as Reichis’s mother climbed up effortlessly behind me. She chittered something I couldn’t understand. ‘We don’t know where your sister is, kid,’ Reichis replied. ‘That’s why we’re here. We need to talk to the prisoner.’
I looked out over the endless gardens within the walls, my eyes settling on the dark shape of its lone cottage. I felt ill. I’d thought the dowager magus had been trying to help me, or at least wasn’t part of whatever conspiracy was trying to tear down the clan. ‘Who is Mer’esan keeping prisoner?’
Reichis looked up and tilted his head. ‘You really don’t know anything, do you? The old lady isn’t keeping anyone prisoner. She’s the prisoner.’
31
The Cell
‘I suppose this was inevitable,’ Mer’esan said as she opened the door to the cottage. She caught sight of the markings around my eye and something like sympathy flickered in her expression. ‘Come inside. We’ll need to cover that up before someone sees you.’
As I entered, Mer’esan noticed the two squirrel cats following behind and her upper lip curled. ‘Hideous little monsters, aren’t they?’
Reichis sauntered past her. ‘You’re no prize yourself, you rancid old prune.’ He clambered onto the lone chair in the room, then hopped up onto a shelf and began examining the various trinkets adorning it.
‘Foul-mouthed too,’ Mer’esan said, motioning for me to stand beneath a lantern.
‘Wait … You can understand them?’
‘I’m three hundred years old, Kellen. You think I haven’t the magic to follow their simple little minds?’ She gave me a look of disdain that was remarkably like the ones Reichis kept giving me. I decided not to mention the similarity.
From within the folds of her garments, Mer’esan pulled out a small jar. She opened it and dipped a finger inside, then spread a small quantity of lotion over the markings around my left eye. She knew, I realised. Not just that I had the shadowblack, but that I’d end up back here.
‘There,’ she said, once she was done. She handed me the jar. ‘Keep this with you. The paste blends well enough with your natural skin colour, but you’ll need to put more on as it wears away over the course of the day.’ She grabbed my jaw and forced me to lock eyes with her. ‘This won’t protect you, you understand? Mages who know the spells will be able to track you if they want to. Believe me, son of the House of Ke, they will want to.’
‘Is there a cure? Can you—’
The dowager magus took a seat in her customary chair. ‘What did I tell you about asking questions to which you already know the answer?’
My heart sank. She was right – I already knew the answer. My parents had already confessed to me that they’d long feared I would contract the condition. They must have searched everywhere for a cure, if only so I didn’t embarrass our house and hurt my father’s bid to become clan prince. Was there ever a time, even just a moment, where they saw me as their son and not as some danger to our house that had to be dealt with?
‘Great,’ Reichis chittered, peering down at me from his perch on the shelf. ‘He’s crying again.’
‘I’m not—’
‘They are simple creatures,’ Mer’esan said. ‘For all their cunning, they do not comprehend the notion of sympathy.’
Reichis’s mother stepped forward and gave a low growl. The dowager magus bowed her head in reply. ‘I suppose you have a point, little mother. I stand corrected.’
‘What did she say?’ I asked.
‘She reminded me that our people sometimes suffer from the same deficiency.’
‘So it’s true? You’re locked in here?’ I started looking around the small one-room cottage, at the walls where they met the floor and the bottom edge of the door. I could find no signs of anything that might be used to hold a mage captive.