Love came I was its fool
There was joy There was sorrow
Carnelian woke in such perfect silence that until he made a sound he feared he might have gone deaf. Even the shutters were still, as if the sky was holding its breath. A lingering memory of the Yden evaporated like dew. He remembered and felt as if a weight were settling on his chest. The day of the sacred election had finally arrived.
His fingers remembered the beads of the vote count. As he rose, he tried to cling to Aurum's optimism. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine what might be within the Chamber of the Three Lands' bronze wall of trees. The Masters would all be there with their wintry eyes, Ykoriana and Molochite, Jaspar and Spinel. He glanced back at the bed recalling a tatter of his dream. He smiled. 'Osidian,' he breathed, wanting to feel the name on his lips. His heart began hammering. Surely, he would be there too. He had to be. All Chosen males of an age to wear blood- rings would vote in a sacred election.
He crouched to wake Tain. He had to shake his brother so long that he was relieved when at last his eyes opened. They snapped closed again as if dazzled by Carnelian's white body. He walked away frowning, wanting his brother back the way he had been.
'Master,' Tain said.
Carnelian looked at him standing there, his eyes looking to the floor. He looked as if he were hanging from strings. 'Please, Tain, would you clean me?' He watched the boy go for the pads and unguents. Today is the day when the Gods will be elected.'
Coming towards him, Tain gave a nod. He began cleaning him.
'You know what that means?'
'No, Master.'
That soon the Rains will come and we'll return to our coomb.'
Tain gave another nod.
'Soon things'll return to the way they were, you'll see. Ebeny'll be here, Keal and Brin and Grane and…' Carnelian stopped, unable to put Crail into the list. He went on. They'll all come up from the sea and we'll make a new Hold here.'
Tain gave a nod. Carnelian looked at him. Cold clutched his stomach. What if all of them were like this when they arrived? Carnelian went to open the shutters to let in some light. He stared for a moment at the dawn sky. Its colours were a promise of a fresh new day, but they also looked like blood.
He turned his back on the sky. Tain was still there, waiting with his head hanging. Carnelian returned silendy to stand in front of him and comforted himself with the hope that he might see Osidian, even if only from afar. ‘
Carnelian sent Tain to see who was rapping at the door. The boy opened it a crack, then bowed deeply as he shuffled backwards to open the door wide.
'My Lord,' said Carnelian seeing that it was his father plugging up the entrance. He had to stoop to come in and seemed to fill the chamber with his gold and rubied robe. Tain had fallen to his knees. Looking down from his great height, Suth spoke.
'Rise, child.'
Tain rose, head still hanging.
'Come, look at me.' Tain looked up. Carnelian watched his father's mask survey his marumaga son from on high. 'We are glad to have you back with us, Tain.'
Tain mumbled something.
'Now go and prepare people to come and dress your brother.'
Tain slipped out and Suth removed his mask. His face was troubled. He threw a glance to the door.
'I told you he had not come through this unscathed.'
His father nodded. 'You will have time enough to heal his hurts. Now we must give thought to the day ahead.'
Carnelian withstood the intensity of his father's eyes. He had not felt the pressure of that gaze for an age.
'I have sent commands that the Suth Lords of the other lineages are to come here and take you with them into the Three Lands.'
'I thought, my Lord, I would be there at your side.'
'Even if I were not today He-who-goes-before, I would be sundered from you. At elections, Ruling Lords keep with their peers.'
'What makes my Lord think Spinel will obey him in this when he defies him with his vote?'
Carnelian was glad that the wrath that appeared in his father's face was not turned on him. That Lord will one day give me account for that. How he votes is his business, but I am still his Ruling Lord.' The wrath passed from his face like the shadow of a cloud. 'Come here, my son.'
Carnelian took the steps towards him, feeling his nakedness.
Although his father knelt on his ranga, Carnelian's head only reached his chest. His father took it in his hands. Carnelian looked up into his eyes. He did not see their yellow bloodiness but only the fierce love.
'You know, you are my heart.'
Carnelian's tears distorted his father's face. With a groan of effort, his father managed to bend down to kiss Carnelian's forehead. He let go and rose so that Carnelian's eyes were level with his waist. He took some steps back and hid his face with his sun-eyed mask.
Today all our fates shall be decided.' Carnelian could hear the sorrow in his father's voice. 'Perhaps, even now, we shall be victorious.'
'Aurum said-'
His father cut his reassurances from his mouth with a scissoring motion of his hand and left.
When Tain returned he came with others and Carnelian was forced to hide his distress behind a stony face. He could not rid himself of the harrowing conviction that his father had come to say goodbye.
As they put him into his court robe he bit his tongue to stop himself from spraying them with bitter words. He could not bear to look at Tain's remote expression. When they were finished he almost snatched his Great- Rings from their hands and, ordering the door open, he strode through it so fast he almost toppled over.
The Ichorians lifted the portcullises for him. Carnelian walked through into the nave and was suddenly among giants.
'Cousin Carnelian,' said a voice he recognized as Spinel's. Carnelian saw him there with the others, the nine Lords of House Suth with their chameleon-cyphered court robes. Carnelian looked past them to the gleaming Great. Beyond, the nave ran empty to the closed door of the Chamber of the Three Lands.
Carnelian bowed his head. 'My Lords. My father told me you would be here.'
Then you have spoken to him today, cousin?' asked one of the Lords.
'I have…' Carnelian read the name glyph on his crowns, 'Cousin Veridian.'
The Lord bowed. 'At the service of your lineage, cousin.'
'I am heartened to receive it,' Carnelian said.
'Does our Ruling Lord anticipate victory for his party?'
Carnelian shrugged his hands. 'It hangs in the balance and why should it not when even those of his own House betray him?' He looked at Spinel.
The Lord lifted his right hand to show his blood-ring. This is no mere bauble, my Lord. I will cast its votes as I will. That is my right.'
'And you feel no duty whatever to your Ruling Lord?'
Spinel opened his arms to take in the gleaming concourse. 'Only when we vote does the tyranny of our Ruling Lords lift enough to let us for a moment into the light. Like many others here, I will not be persuaded to walk back into the shadows merely by some rhetoric about family loyalty. Are you making me an offer for my votes, cousin?'
Carnelian controlled his anger, tried to think of something. 'My father is a fair man.' He turned to the other
