Heirs of the Blade_ Shadows of the Apt_ Book Seven - Adiran Tchaikovsky [111]
‘Rise of the Engineers and the merchants,’ Thalric told him.
Varmen raised an eyebrow, baffled.
‘Commonweal pickings were all very well, lots of art, some decent treasure, more slaves than anyone knew what to do with, but the Lowlands is rich. They had artifice and knowledge that exceeded our own, industry, real money. Once the Consortium and the Engineering Corps got their way, the Lowlander invasion was inevitable.’
‘Goes to show you shouldn’t be too clever, eh?’ Varmen grunted, seeming much amused, then he pointed suddenly. ‘She moved!’
Thalric was instantly over beside Che again, seeing her eyelids flutter. He spoke her name three times, but only when he tried the full ‘Cheerwell’ did she frown and twitch, and then stare up at him.
‘Thalric?’
‘Che, tell me what’s happening.’ He didn’t like the hint of fear in his own voice, but there was no helping that.
‘Thalric . . . I was in Khanaphes, with her—’
‘Che, that doesn’t help me.’
Abruptly she was clinging to him, as though about to be swept away at any moment. ‘Thalric, it’s not over. I can still feel her there. I’m falling back. Thalric, this is magic – you have to believe me. This is old magic, and I’ve got myself into it, and I don’t know what to do.’
‘I believe you.’ His words came out without thinking, and it was almost a relief to cast off his responsibility for the situation by admitting such.
‘Suon Ren,’ Che told him urgently. ‘Salma’s father – foster-father – will have a magician at his court. He must! You can trust him.’
‘Che, not without you there to make the introductions,’ Thalric replied sharply. ‘What can I say to him? That I’m the man who enslaved his son, and whose people killed him? I won’t be welcome—’
‘He will have to understand,’ she gasped. He could feel her trembling violently, trying to brace herself against him as though a great tide was building up, ready to tear her away. ‘There is no one else. Please . . . I need help, Thalric. Please help me.’
‘Che, this is insane—’
But she cried out, wrapping her arms about him and, despite himself, he felt the moment when the invisible wave caught hold of her and ripped her away from him. So that, even though her body remained limp in his grasp, Che was gone again, fallen back into whatever abyss she had briefly clawed her way out of.
He laid her back down, scowling furiously, aware that Varmen was watching him, but not wanting to see the other Wasp’s expression.
‘You’ll be wanting to hop one of the locals’ barges, then,’ was all the man said.
‘They’d take me?’
Varmen shrugged. ‘Can’t hurt to ask. Maybe they’ll try to kill us, or maybe they’ll make us their new kings, who knows?’
‘Us?’ Thalric looked at him then.
The former Sentinel was sitting with one hand draped companionably across the pack-beetle’s back. When he saw Thalric’s scrutiny he shrugged, almost embarrassed. ‘Can’t see you manhandling the poor girl all that way on your own, even if you did hop a barge.’
‘And I thought you wanted me dead, because I was Rekef?’
‘Oh, you? Just don’t press your luck, is all I’ll say. She seems decent enough, though.’ Varmen smiled. ‘Wouldn’t have thought I’d find a Rekef man so caught up with one of the lesser kinden.’ His grin broadened as Thalric rounded on him, rising to the bait. ‘Don’t take offence at that, Rekef. We all need something to keep us human, right?’
The Masters of Khanaphes regarded Seda stonily.