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The luxorite bastards assemble in the room Damon and Lyr have taken. Doroth does not allow himself to bristle at the sight of the large bed with a fur covering, when his room contains a thin cot.

He sits in a chair beside the fire and listens idly to their plotting of how they plan to achieve their aims at Atticul’s ascension.

Damon, Harok and Tobi will pose as Doroth’s attendants, the consideration of how this could possibly be achieved, explained with the idea that Kerik Darekul will conjure some magic that will stop Damon being recognised, or Harok being seen as he is, an obvious Ambolk warrior. Even the lycat will appear as a harmless feline. No weapons are allowed inside the temple in the places for invited guests, but Kerik will be able to hide Damon and Harok’s weapons with magic.

Magic. Doroth feels sick. This is the cost? Could the world ever be worth saving when the price has been so high?

Tobi Darekul, on the other hand, is quite confident that there is no need to waste magic on him and that he can be seen as an acolyte of Zai from Ceruleum, simply by covering his hair with a cap. Doroth supposes Tobi will also dress less whoreishly. His leather breeches, which are the only pair of breeches he appears to own, certainly the only ones Doroth has seen him wearing during their time in the Bride House, are cut so obscenely low that his cock is distastefully obvious. And he currently wears no shirt at all as he sits nestled on the Ambolk king’s lap.

Nevertheless, Doroth only listens as the plan is laid out. He is so tired.

Kerik, Lyr, Elric and Perl will join the people in the viewing gallery, where Kerik will be best placed to use his magic.

The aim, Damon reminds them all, is to rescue Lukas and to identify Jemel. Then find a safe place in Attar where Jemel can read the runes on Lyr to help them uncover what they must do next to destroy Ur-Durik.

At least the fire is warm. As they talk on and on Doroth lets their words drift over him. He wonders idly if he will be allowed to simply walk into the Sarelik Temple with the other honoured guests at the ascension. Even without his party of treacherous attendants.

Was the invitation a genuine one? Could it be a trap? Atticul could mean to arrest him when he enters the city. But he knows the kind of man Atticul is, with or without his demon passenger, and he thinks it far more likely that Atticul wants him to sit and watch as he marries Inez. Doroth has no doubt that it was because he ruled such a marriage against the will of Zai that Atticul stripped him of his role as High Word.

And he had done that only to bind Damon Darekul to return to Attar. But he had no choice. Damon was about to slip through his fingers, vanish into the dark. And it would not have done to lose track of him. He had been sure at that point that he needed Damon to retrieve the Books of Alios from Jareleezi. Not knowing that Damon already possessed them.

He considers if he ought to declare that he will not go to the ascension. That it will not be safe for him after his dispute with Atticul over Inez. He could remain here at this inn. He doubts any of them would miss him in their foolhardy battle. And it seems getting into the temple would not be a concern with the sacrilegious ease with which they plan to wield magic.

But he cannot do that. He needs to return to Attar.

He needs to see Jemel. He needs to discover what that boy knows. And he has some fond feelings for him. Jemel is his charge. He had raised the boy since he was a babe. Although he had entrusted much of the actual raising to the Brides, under the direction of Pershel. An orphan boy he had told them, adopted as a Child of Zai. Of course there were the usual rumours that followed any such child. That a high born man had sired a babe on one of the brides.

In Jemel’s case the rumours had not been far from the reality of it.

Years ago, when Perl had visited Doroth and convinced him of the truth about Zai, he had refused to believe it. He had been something of an idealist then. Devoted to Zai, but Perl had told him of the babe the Immurite was to bear and what he must do.

Doroth had read the writings of Batreous. The part where Perl was charged to come to him. But he had not truly believed the tale the fae creature had told him until he saw the babe. The horrible truth had shone from that babe’s silver eyes.

Over the years since, he has devoted himself to studying the writings of Batreous. He had found more in the secret hidden libraries and had asked Pershel to translate them. She had also taught the babe. He had grown to share her skills with languages and soon took on the task himself.

And while they had worked together, Doroth had grown to love Pershel, in his way. They had even lain together a handful of times and she had told him her great secret.

She joined the Brides of Zai to be close to her sister.

The Word of Zai says that The Immurite has no family. But of course she has a family. She is a mortal woman. Every Immurite has been a mortal woman. When an Immurite dies a young maid entering the Order of Brides is chosen to take her place.

It is a great honour and a hard life. Her family are always told the girl has died of a fever. When it had happened to Pershel’s sister, she had refused to believe it. She had joined the Brides herself to find the truth. And she had. She had known it when the Immurite had spoken her first word to her sister.

Doroth had never told of this secret. Although it surely must affect the purity of the Immurite. He had thought it odd, however, that the current Immurite had lived so long. They rarely survive more than ten years. But this woman had played her role for more than twenty. Was that because she had Pershel?

When Pershel had told Doroth her great secret, he could have confessed his own in return. That the child she had raised was the son of her own beloved sister. But he never had and now he never would.

25

JEMEL

Jemel is chained to a wall in a dark cell he assumes to be part of the dungeons. He has been left here for some time. The cell is cold and he still wears only a hip cloth. His face remains unveiled. At least there is no one to see it. There is no way to tell the passing of time, but his belly growls and his throat aches with thirst.

There are many fasting rituals in the Faith of Zai. The Mulce Fast, the forty nights between the waning of the Mar moon and the Feast of MarMona, when no meat or fish or milk is eaten and acolytes are also expected to refrain from all bodily pleasures from dusk until dawn, waiting until the sun rises to eat their dishes of porridge and drink their weak ale. During Mulce Fast, Jemel would usually only allow himself another bowl of thin gruel at midday and then nothing more. He found the ache in his belly brought him peace.

But even during the final day of the Mulce Fast, when Jemel ate nothing from the midday bell until the following sunrise, he was never so hungry as he is waiting in this cell. With his belly empty of anything but some water laced with foribunda and his heart full of betrayal.

When the door eventually opens it is Atticul who enters. He holds a single candle. The light from the flame dazzles Jemel’s eyes after so long left in the dark.