refused to resign himself to defeat.
A hubbub of excitement made him turn to see gaps opening everywhere among the Great. At their edges, crowns leaned together as the Lords watched something passing below them. Then he saw the syblings filing up onto the Osrakum platform, each pair carrying two voting urns.
'Now for the result.'
Carnelian glanced round at the speaker and recognized Tapaz. Spinel was there, Opalid, the other Suth Lords. Only Spinel dared look at him. A delicate shimmering chime was drowned by rustling as the Chosen everywhere sank on their ranga. The House of the Masks had knelt too, revealing the Grand Sapients with their homunculi looking out from under the bell. Carnelian watched the syblings lifting the urns up to the Wise. He realized he alone was still standing and quickly bent his knees.
Without any preamble the homunculi began in rapid random sequence to announce the votes. Chosen names rattled from their throats, each named Lord assigning a single vote to Molochite. Carnelian listened carefully, hoping to hear Osidian mentioned. He realized that he did not even know which way his friend might vote. Hearing that all the votes were going to Molochite, Carnelian thought at first Nephron's would follow after. The announcement of a vote for Nephron followed instantly by another for Molochite cheated him of this hope. He squeezed his nails into the palms of his hands and reassured himself that these were after all only the results for the individual Lords of blood-rank one.
'Suth Veridian for Molochite, one vote.'
Hearing the name, Carnelian looked instinctively for that Lord and found him gazing fixedly away. Carnelian's eyes were drawn to Spinel. The Lord's lips were moving as he added up the votes. He looked round as if he had felt Carnelian's gaze and smiled at him. After that Carnelian tried to show no reaction whenever another Suth Lord's vote for Molochite was called out. All five Lords of the third lineage had voted against his father.
His heart jumped when he heard,'… of the Masks.' It was now that he would hear Osidian's name. He listened to each as it was called out. There were more than thirty of them and almost all were voting with the Dowager Empress. Carnelian frowned when the homunculi began announcing the votes cast by rank two Lords. The only names he had recognized from the House of the Masks were the Hanuses who had each voted for a different candidate. Carnelian could not believe Osidian could be higher than blood-rank one. Still he listened attentively. At least now more votes were being cast for Nephron, perhaps a half of what Molochite was receiving. Among the results, the Aurum Lords had declared for Nephron, all from Vennel and Imago for Molochite. Carnelian had to endure Emeral, Tapaz and Spinel all being declared defying their Ruling Lord before the Chosen. He watched his father as each was announced having to hold his head up in plain view of all. Carnelian smiled bitterly as he heard Opalid's votes going to Nephron. His own twenty votes soon joined them. Almost thirty House of the Masks' Lords were called out, but once again Osidian's name was not among them. When the block votes began being announced Carnelian gave up any hope that Osidian was in the chamber. He tried to fight the doubts and conjectures forming in his mind. His friend had stolen or borrowed a blood-ring. In spite of his white, jade-eyed beauty, he was not Chosen. Osidian had never claimed to be Chosen. Carnelian wondered again about the taint scars that Osidian had down only one side of his spine. He watched one of the Grand Sapients reading the rings strung on a necklace with his cloven hands. He knew without a doubt now that he would never see Osidian again. The emptiness spread out from his core and seemed to fill the whole chamber.
As the block votes droned on, Carnelian became aware that the majority were now going in Nephron's favour. When the size of the blocks suddenly jumped it was obvious that the voting of the highest Houses was being declared and these too seemed to be going predominantly Nephron's way. Houses Vennel and Imago cast their block votes for Molochite, but Nephron received the endorsement of many others among whom were Aurum and Cumulus. Hope awoke in him and he tried to feed it by looking up at his father. They were winning the election. He wanted to shout it up to his father. At least they were winning. His father's misery was concealed but Carnelian knew him well enough to see it. He followed his father's fixed gaze to Ykoriana and his hope blew out. There she stood among her kin whose votes had not yet been announced. One of the highest of the Great, such as Aurum, had cast only a few hundred votes: in her own right, Ykoriana had 8,000. He felt the buzz of excitement.
'House Suth Who-goes-before for Nephron, six hundred and ten votes,' cried a homunculus.
The Chosen seemed to be quivering. The result was near.
'Lady Tiye of the Masks for Molochite, four hundred votes,' said another.
'Lady Nurpayahras of the Masks for Nephron, four hundred votes.'
'Lady Nayakarade of the Masks for Molochite, four hundred votes.'
The Regent and Jade Womb Ykoriana for Molochite, eight thousand, two hundred and twenty votes.'
The voice fell into a deep winter silence. Nothing moved except the feather flicker of the firewall.
'With his own ring added in, the total of the votes cast for Molochite of the Masks,' said the homunculi in eerie chorus, 'twenty-one thousand, one hundred and ninety-two.'
An excited murmur ran around the chamber. Carnelian caught the look of horror spreading over Spinel's face.
There was a commotion around Ykoriana. Rumour burned across the Great and spread down among the Lesser Chosen.
'She is demanding…' Carnelian heard and strained to hear more. 'She is demanding a recount.'
'With his own ring, those cast for Nephron of the Masks, twenty-one thousand, two hundred and eight.'
Carnelian saw his father turn to him, his face transfused with triumph. Carnelian swallowed, feeling his back buckling with the euphoric relief.
'Nephron is chosen by a margin of-'
The rest was lost as with a soughing like wind through a forest, the Chosen rose and turned to face Nephron in his niche.
The Wise were all turned to him. 'Behold,' their homunculi shrilled. 'He that will be They, Lords of Earth and Sky.'
The beautiful faces of the Great swam before Carnelian's eyes. Some frowned, others laughed. Spinel and the other Suth Lords looked ashen and their eyes would not hold his gaze. Jaspar was smiling at him. He started smiling back then froze as he felt the Master's eyes peeling him skin from bone. A cacophony of trumpets broke him free. He looked out across the Lesser Chosen throng and saw the snow of their faces focusing back over his shoulder. He saw the black angel coming through the Great. For a while Carnelian saw the face he expected, a face twinned to Molochite's. Something black on the forehead began his frown. His gaze snatched down to the jade eyes, searching. They saw each other as the
Turtle's Voice set the Chamber of the Three Lands trembling. The whole world was coming to pieces around him but Carnelian could do nothing but stare into Osidian's smiling eyes.
JUST ONE MORE DAY
The cruellest traps are baited
With the heart of the lotus
When Carnelian came back Tain was like something dead, an uninterested stranger helping him with his crowns. Carnelian became a man of wood, a frame holding up his robe. It was all he could do to stop himself from shaking his brother. He kept telling himself that Tain did not know, could not know. 'Go away,' he said.
'You need help with the robe,' said Tain.
'Go!' cried Carnelian. He watched Tain sullenly move away. The click of the door closing unleashed Carnelian's rage. He struggled to free himself from the robe. He swore. The bird-bone scaffolding was snapping like twigs. He tugged at the ridged cloth, growling curses until at last he had tumbled down from his ranga, falling like a cut-down tree, crumpling the brocades, rending samite. He lay with the bone frame jabbing into his skin, chuckling mirthlessly. He shuffled out, like a snake discarding its skin, and when he was free he kicked the
