‘How are our prisoners?’ said Edmond.
‘Suffering, my lord,’ said Bastion.
‘Good.’
Leksandr looked up from the floor, his face mirroring the agony of his torture. ‘Mercy, please…’
Edmond lashed out, kicking Leksandr in the face. He crouched down by the Sixth Ascendant and gripped his throat in his left hand. With his right, he withdrew a thin knife from his belt and used it to jab and then scoop out Leksandr’s left eye.
The Sixth Ascendant screamed as blood poured from his eye socket.
‘You will receive no mercy from me,’ spat Edmond, pushing Leksandr back to the floor. He stood and glanced at Bastion. ‘Have them removed from my presence. Let them fester in the dungeons for a while.’
Bastion nodded, then clapped his hands. Another door opened, and a man walked in. Belinda stared. It was Renko, the leader of the operation that she and Corthie had defeated in the Falls of Iron; except, something was wrong with him. His skin was grey and mottled, and he was moving with an awkward gait. His eyes seemed vacant as he glanced at Bastion.
‘Take these two to the cells in the eastern tower,’ said Bastion.
Renko nodded slowly, then bent down and lifted both Leksandr and Felice, who hung limp in his arms. He turned, and left the chamber, a soldier outside closing the door behind him.
‘Renko?’ said Belinda.
‘Indeed,’ said Edmond. ‘Another who has paid for his transgressions against me. I sentenced him to death upon his return from this world; he had failed me in every conceivable way. However, I then changed my mind, but Lord Bastion had already carried out the sentence. I revived him, but, as you have just witnessed, I was too late.’ He glanced at Bastion. ‘How long was he dead for?’
‘About ten minutes, my lord.’
‘And now he is a mindless drone,’ said Edmond. ‘I expect I’ll burn him to ashes once I tire of his presence, but for now he serves as an example that I must not be too hasty in my judgements. It was he who told me that you still lived, and for that I should be grateful to him.’
He turned to the Sextant and walked towards it. ‘And now, we have this. A real Sextant; the last in existence. Leksandr told me that you had worked out what was wrong with it. Something is missing, is that correct?’
‘I don’t know; it was a mere guess on my part.’
He smiled. ‘You used to know.’
‘I used to know many things.’
‘Yes.’ He gazed into her eyes. ‘There were arguments that passed between us that I wish I could forget; cruel words said by us both that you are better off not being able to recall.’
‘Bastion told me the rudiments of our quarrel.’
‘Good. He also re-familiarised you with the vow you made me. Of course, there is now the question of whether or not someone can be held to a vow about which they have no recollection. Bastion is of the opinion that you do not have to honour it, whereas I disagree. Isn’t that right, Bastion?’
‘That remains my opinion, my lord.’
‘Yes. Bastion thinks that I should forget the vow and have you executed for treason.’ He smiled. ‘You are a traitor, after all, and that applies to you both before and after your memory loss. Bastion thinks I am being unnecessarily lenient on you; what do you think?’
Belinda’s eyes went from Bastion, who was frowning at her, to Edmond. ‘I don’t know enough about you to say either way.’
‘A good answer,’ Edmond said. ‘It holds out the implicit promise that you want to get to know me better, thereby delaying any future punishment for your crimes. It doesn’t have to be that way. I may be a fool, but I am willing to take you back based upon your word alone. Since I cannot read your mind, your word will have to do. Why did you revive the Holdfast boy?’
‘Because I care about him.’
Edmond’s eyes clouded over with rage, and Belinda almost flinched.
‘As a brother,’ she added.
Edmond relaxed. ‘Oh. A brother. I see. Well then, that seems a rather trivial offence, hardly one that warrants a restrainer mask. Leksandr also alleges that you deliberately withheld information regarding the location of the salve world. He said that you knew about a certain demigod who had used a Quadrant to travel there, and you didn’t let Leksandr or Arete know this.’
‘I didn’t realise the implications,’ said Belinda. ‘I thought that a physical Quadrant was required. I didn’t know that a person who had used one would do. You must remember that I am having to relearn everything, including matters that may seem obvious to you.’
Edmond glanced at Bastion. ‘Do you see? This new Belinda is a lost innocent, blissfully unaware of the consequences of her actions.’
‘Or, she’s a liar, my lord.’
‘Hmm. If anyone else called her that, I would kill them.’
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Leave us.’
Bastion bowed. ‘Yes, my lord.’
Edmond waited until the Ancient had left the chamber, then he gestured to a long couch. ‘Let’s sit.’
They walked over and took their places at either end of the couch.
‘I want to talk, just the two of us,’ he said.
‘What about?’
‘Us. We were lovers once. We made vows to each other, and then you betrayed me by running away with Nathaniel. It wasn’t the cause of the wars, though many believe it was, but it certainly didn’t help the situation. You don’t remember any of this, of course, but I recall every detail. I can remember the scent of your perfume on the last night we spent together; it haunted my dreams for many years. I also remember the rage I felt whenever I imagined you in Nathaniel’s arms. I have a temper at times.’
‘Why did I run away with him?’
Edmond stared at her for a long moment, his eyes fixed on hers. ‘That, Belinda, is the question I have been asking myself for thousands of
