Vengeance

‘Where is it?’

‘Not far from Palace Ricinus, as it happens.’

She raked her hair again. ‘I’ll go to my house. I’m not afraid of some ancient plague.’

Rix’s eyes narrowed. He was staring at her shoulders, exposed where the loose sleeves had slipped down when she raised her arms.

‘Your arms are black and blue,’ he said. ‘Have you been beaten?’

They were the bruises that Mimoy’s wire-like fingers had made last night. Tali dropped her arms. ‘It’s nothing.’

Rix took her left arm, and she was almost overpowered by his physical presence. He was a handsome man … and yet, there was something about him that made her uneasy, that she could not fathom.

A deep, inflamed gash ran the length of his left forearm, as if he had been clawed by some large beast. Without thinking, she reached inside herself for a healing charm. No, what was she thinking? Always hide your gift. Revealing it to a stranger could be fatal.

‘Who did this to you?’ said Rix.

‘It doesn’t matter.’ She jerked her arm free. ‘Let me go.’

He held her, pushed the sleeve up, then drew a sharp breath.

He was staring at the scar on her left shoulder, at the complicated pattern that was both her slave mark and the symbol of her nobility — the unique and instantly recognisable seal of House vi Torgrist. Now he would believe her. Now he would know that she was as noble as anyone in Hightspall …

‘You came from the Rat Hole!’ he cried.

Tali did not know what he was talking about.

He thrust her away so hard that she tripped and fell backwards onto a tussock. Rix’s eyes were ablaze, his mouth curled down in disgust.

‘You’re no lady, you’re a lying, stinking Pale!’ he cried. ‘An enemy collaborator. How dare you try to inveigle me?’

He stalked away, but had only gone a few steps when he clutched at his stomach, doubled over and, with a moan like an animal in pain, vomited onto the ground.

He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. ‘Run, little Tali,’ he said savagely. ‘Run back to the Rat Hole where you belong. If anyone catches you spying on the land your people betrayed, you’re dead.’

CHAPTER 35

Tali watched Rix’s great horse career away, feeling worse than she had after the encounter with Tinyhead in the subsistery. As a slave, she was used to domination and humiliation, but Rix’s reaction was an attack on her very identity.

Tobry was staring after him, shaking his head. He lifted her to her feet then stepped away, hands rigidly at his sides as if to prove that his intentions were honourable.

It was not enough. She should not have trusted Rix and she wasn’t going to make that mistake twice. Why had Tobry stayed behind? What did he want? She wanted to be rid of him. But if he went, how would she escape the enemy who must be coming closer by the minute? How could she protect Rannilt when just the sight of the open sky drove her into a panic?

Why had Rix said those foul things about her? The Pale were more noble than he was. They had come from the highest families in the land, ancient, respected houses. The hostage children hadn’t betrayed anyone — they were the ones who had been betrayed.

‘May I see?’ said Tobry.

She wanted to scream out her anguish. Not even in Cython had she been treated as foully as this. Mutely, she drew up her sleeve.

He studied the scar, frowning. ‘I’ve seen that before …’

‘It’s made by my family seal.’ Tali showed it to him. ‘I spring from Eulala vi Torgrist, one of the child hostages Hightspall gave Cython to end the Ten Day War.’

‘What child hostages?’ said Tobry, clearly perplexed.

Her fury flared. ‘How can you not know? There were a hundred and forty-four of them, all children, all from noble families. All of us Pale come from them, because they were never ransomed.’

‘We were taught that the Pale willingly went over to the enemy and serve them to this day,’ said Tobry. ‘I’ve never heard your tale before.’

‘It’s not a tale,’ she snapped. Her voice rose. ‘For a thousand years we’ve been their SLAVES!’

Tobry raised his hands. ‘I believe you.’

‘It’s Hightspall’s greatest shame. And now you tell me we’re blamed? Seen as traitors.’ She advanced on him, wanting to thump him.

‘I never called you that,’ said Tobry.

‘Your friend did. The sight of me made him vomit.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Tobry was clenching his fists by his sides again.

‘Yesterday my dearest friend was beheaded because she used magery to save herself from a flogging.’ Tali looked sideways, wondering where Rannilt was hiding. ‘They would have killed Rannilt — ’ She broke off, cursing herself.

‘Ah, yes,’ said Tobry. ‘Where is the child?’

‘Promise you won’t hurt her?’ Tali said desperately.

‘What do you take me for?’

‘All my life I’ve dreamed about coming home, about being welcomed home.’ Tears were forming in her eyes and she dashed them away, furiously. She had to be strong. ‘I don’t know my own country. I don’t know my people.’ She glared at Tobry. ‘And I certainly don’t know you.’

‘I’m a simple man. What you see is all there is to me.’

‘Ha!’

She studied the craggy face, the blistered eyes and the claw marks on his arms. Tali also sensed something buried deep in him, a hurt he had carefully concealed. ‘I suppose you’re all right,’ she muttered.

He grinned. ‘Thank you for that ringing endorsement of my character. You were saying about the girl?’

The warmth of his smile made her feel better. Could she tell him? Trust no one. But she had no choice — without help, she and Rannilt would be killed within hours.

Besides, magery wasn’t a crime in Hightspall; it was a valued gift. ‘Something set off a gift for magery Rannilt didn’t know she had, and the enemy would have killed her for it. I had to bring her with me.’

She told him, briefly, about their escape.

‘They kill little children because they can do magery?’ cried Tobry.

‘Anyone who has the gift must die. That’s the lot of the Pale in Cython.’ She glared at him as though he was responsible for all their suffering, daring him to deny it.

‘I believe you,’ he repeated. ‘And I’ll get to the truth, too.’ He turned away to the pool and washed his face, drank deeply and came back, rubbing a bristly jaw. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘I don’t know. I’ve nowhere to go.’ She thought for a while. ‘Eulala was the only child of House vi Torgrist, and I think I’m her only descendant among the Pale.’

‘Then you’re the heir,’ said Tobry, and bowed. ‘Lady vi Torgrist.’

‘Lady vi Torgrist,’ Tali repeated. Her mother had said that she would be Lady Tali one day.

Barefoot Lady Tali, a despised Pale with not a brass chalt to her name. How was she to survive?

‘Why did Rix throw up at the sight of me?’ she said plaintively, feeling like a little slave girl again, in trouble for no fault of her own.