Carnelian saw the venomous look that Rud shot Osidian as he moved off.
The sun heated the boathouse like an oven. Through the holes gaping in the hide roof, fire poured down over the earth floor, caught in the rib curves and bleached the ruined bone boat. An edge of heat reached slowly towards their feet. They tried to move out of its way but could not. Carnelian felt it begin to roast his feet. He looked over and saw Osidian's face. The gag gaped his mouth. His eyes were screwed closed. Sweat beading on his face made his birthmark glisten. Carnelian forced himself to look at that battered face, making its silent scream. Osidian had not opened his eyes since Rud had struck him.
The water down there at the boathouse's end was white-hot silver. A breeze belched up a stench of mud that told of the lowering level of the Skymere. But there was another smell. The reek of rotting flesh that he was sure was coming from their reddening feet.
Heavy footfalls woke Carnelian. He groaned, adjusting his painful spine.
'Put it there,' said a voice in Vulgate. By its timbre, it was a voice accustomed to speaking Quya.
A lantern settled brilliant as a star in front of him. One of their captors' shapes moved away from it. Carnelian squinted sight into his eyes and saw the ranga, the jewel-brocaded hem of a Master's cloak. The ranga shoes walked to stand beside the bronze lantern. Carnelian looked up at the huge shrouded figure.
'No doubt my Lords never expected to find themselves in such squalid surroundings?' said two beautiful voices together in Quya. Two white hands, each blood-ringed, opened the shroud to reveal a double mask of gold.
'… an… yus,' blurred Carnelian through his gag. He strained to see Osidian staring out from his bruised, gagged face.
The double mask turned on the boss. 'You were told not to spill blood.' The syblings' voices were deadly flat.
The boss hunched. They fought like demons.'
The double mask lingered a while and the boss seemed to grow smaller. The mask turned back. 'No greeting from you, Celestial?' said one of the syblings. 'Aaah, but I see they have stopped up your divine mouth.' Their hand made a lean, smiling gesture. 'We would remove it ourselves but no doubt you have been fingered by the hired brutes… and they are thoroughly unclean.'
He motioned to the shadow behind him. 'Ungag them.'
The man came, the boss. His thick, grubby fingers worried at the knots and the gag came away from Carnelian's mouth.
The other, the other,' said the syblings, jabbing their finger.
Carnelian watched the boss leaning over Osidian. The man stood up, gave the double mask a fearful look. The syblings made a gesture of dismissal.
The boss jerked a bow. 'Your assurances, Master…?'
'Do not provoke us. Bring in the urns. Take care that neither you nor any of your filthy band look upon our faces.'
The boss hesitated, narrowing his eyes, then ducked a bow and lurched away.
'Repulsive creature.' The Hanuses reached up and carefully, slowly, removed their mask. Freed, their alabaster faces looked around. 'We will have to arrange a fiery accident for this noisome shed.' The living eyes looked down on Osidian and then Carnelian. The blind left face smiled bleakly.
'My Lords are wondering what has brought us all to this less than salubrious spot, eh?' said Right-Hanus. 'Your silence denies nothing. I can see the curiosity in your eyes.' He looked at Osidian. 'Your divine mother sends you greetings, Celestial.'
'You think I did not know she was behind this?' said Osidian.
The Hanuses gave a little bow.
'But this is sacrilege,' cried Carnelian.
'Let us not concern ourselves with niceties of terminology,' said Right-Hanus.
'It is merely political necessity,' said Left-Hanus.
'You have lifted your hand against the Gods,' Osidian said.
The almost-Gods, to be precise, and when Jade Lord Nephron does not appear the burden of the candidature will fall inevitably on his brother.'
The rib rattled as Osidian struggled to free himself. The Hanuses stepped back, left face looking alarmed, the other glancing towards the door. Their hands lifted their mask almost to their faces. As Osidian stopped struggling, oily smiles oozed back over both.
The Empress assured us that her hirelings were dependable,' said Left-Hanus.
'One is gratified to see that this is true,' said Right-Hanus.
They are of the Brotherhood of the Wheel?' asked Carnelian.
The Hanuses' faces looked surprised. 'Why, yes, my Lord,' they replied.
'Why would the Brotherhood risk so much?' asked Osidian. 'If they are discovered, not only they but all their kind will be exterminated even if it became necessary to lay the city waste.'
The price they asked was the City at the Gates,' said Left-Hanus.
'She cannot intend to give it to them.' Osidian was incredulous.
'She would pay any price.'
'But you distract us, Celestial,' said Right-Hanus. 'Now, where was I? Aaah, yes, the Empress bade me say to her son that she bears you no more malice than you do her. She knows that if she allowed your accession you would move against her.'
'She prefers that the son who wears the Masks should be her creature,' said Left-Hanus.
'And what place has she made for you?' asked Carnelian.
The Hanuses both beamed. 'We have been promised power,' they chorused.
'You think you can trust her? She has killed her own daughter and now…'
'Her son?' suggested Left-Hanus.
'It is said that there are carnivorous saurians that when caged will devour even their offspring. Yet these same creatures will allow tiny birds to pick ticks from their hide,' his brother said.
'She will swat you like a gnat.'
'We have taken precautions,' said Left-Hanus.
The very act of making us her instrument has made her vulnerable to us,' said Right-Hanus. 'If news of this crime were ever to reach the Great and the Wise, both powers would rise against her.'
'Against them both not even she could prevail,' said Left-Hanus.
'So now you come to spill our blood yourselves?'
The Hanuses looked shocked. 'Not so, my Lord, not so,' said Right-Hanus.
'We merely came… to gloat,' said Left-Hanus.
They brought their faces very close to Carnelian. 'We have waited long for our revenge,' they said together.
'Revenge? Revenge on us? On me?'
The syblings made vague gestures. The Chosen, the House of the Masks…' said Left-Hanus.
'… even the Empress,' said Right-Hanus.
'Look at us… we are an abomination,' said Left-Hanus.
'You cannot imagine the unending horror of our lives,' said his brother.
'But this was done to you by the Wise.' 'Haaagh! They are machines,' said Left-Hanus.
'Blind instruments wielded by Chosen hands,' said Right-Hanus.
'You too are Chosen. Look, you wear a blood-ring.'
The faces sneered and spoke together. 'We are freaks, merely symbols of the Twin Gods created as a decoration for the court, nothing more.'
'I have always treated you with respect,' said Osidian.
'Aaagh, certainly you have talked to us…' said Left-Hanus.
'… but with respect?' said Right-Hanus.
They shook their head, lips pursed up to their noses. 'Not respect… most certainly not respect.'
'Now, condescension…?' said Left-Hanus.
'But we prattle on. We must have your blood-rings.' The syblings gathered up their cloak and robes and,
