“You are guests in the queen’s palace,” the bartender replied flatly. “We do not need your outsider coin.” He waved an airy hand at the room and the tables behind us. “You owe us nothing. Please enjoy Irrikah to your heart’s content.”
“On the house, then. My favorite phrase.”
We took our drinks and retreated to one of the tables along the wall. It was isolated and somewhat hidden but offered a clear view of the room.
Halek took a sip from the cup in his hand and immediately coughed. “Oh goddess, that is... sweet,” he wheezed. “And strong. I can almost feel my teeth retreating into my head.” He coughed once more, then set his glass on the table and looked at me. “So, what do you think of this place, Sparrow?” he asked ina low voice. “Not just the tavern—sorry, thesylgellia—but this whole kingdom. Irrikah, the city of the Deathless queen.”
“I...” I hesitated, trying to put my thoughts together. Figure out what I had felt ever since I’d set foot in the palace. “I don’t think they like outsiders,” I said, making Halek nod. “They’re being hospitable because we’re guests of the queen, but I don’t think they want us here.”
“Yes, that was fairly obvious,” Halek said. “And it can be quite common in such insulated societies. The iylvahn don’t get many visitors, I’d guess. And, from what Raithe has told us, I can see why. To the iylvahn, everyone who comes to Irrikah is a threat. To their safety and their queen.”
“That’s why everyone forgets about Irrikah when they leave, I suppose,” I muttered.
Halek furrowed his brow. “Yes, about that,” he said thoughtfully. “So, how are we going to know what we’re supposed to do regarding Maederyss’s loom?” he asked. “If we don’t remember anything about Irrikah or what happened while we were here, how does the queen expect us to accomplish the impossible mission she’s sending us on?”
“I...” I blinked. “That’s a good question.”
One I hadn’t even considered until now, but the Fatechaser was right. Howwouldwe know what to do if we lost all memories of what happened in the city? “I’m guessing the queen knows that already and has accounted for it,” I said. “It would be silly to give us such an important mission and then have us forget about it the second we leave Irrikah. Or, maybe...” Ifrowned. “Maybe we’ll remember the mission, but not the city. I don’t know. I would ask Raithe, but... I can’t rely on him to tell us anything.”
And then, as if the goddess had somehow heard our conversation, two kahjai entered the tavern.
I straightened, and Halek glanced over. His eyes widened. Quickly, I scooted back into the shadow of the wall, ducking my head so they wouldn’t see me. I didn’t know why I had such a reaction; neither kahjai was Raithe. One was a female; the other, a sharp, angular male. I recognized them by their distinctive white hoods and the easy, predatory grace with which they walked into the room.
The other iylvahn noticed them as well, though they pretended not to. Bodies stiffened very slightly, eyes tightening then glancing away. The iylvahn playing the harp on the divan continued plucking the strings with no change in the music, but I saw the thinning of her lips, the ripple of distaste crossing her features. The two kahjai retrieved a bottle of wine from the bar, then continued to an isolated corner.
My heart picked up. Raithe wouldn’t tell me anything about the kahjai. From what I’d learned from the queen, I knew they had their own code, their own rules, their own conclave. And even their own people seemed to fear them. Why?
Halek looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking, Sparrow?” he asked, lowering his voice. “You have that ‘I’m going to go be sneaky’ look.”
I frowned at him. “I’m not going to be sneaky. I’m just going to... wander over there and make sure they don’t see me.” Halekgrinned, and I sighed. “They’re kahjai. I want to know more about them. I figure this is the only way I’m going to learn.”
“Uh-huh. And this has nothing to do with aparticularkahjai, does it?”
“Are you going to help me or not?”
His grin widened, and he slid out of his chair, grabbing his wineglass. “Distraction, then?” he asked, and gave me a wink. “Not a problem, I’m very good at being distracting.”
He sauntered across the room, being very obvious, and walked up to the harp player in the center. She pulled back, staring at him with suspicious eyes, and the harp chords faltered. Halek smiled cheerfully and introduced himself, ignoring the cold stares from everyone in the room. Abruptly, he started singing, his clear tenor voice rising over the harp, and the iylvahn’s glares went from disdainful to appalled.
While everyone was gazing at Halek, I slipped out of my seat and melted into the shadows along the wall. There weren’t many; the tavern was fairly well lit. But I managed to stealth my way across the floor and slide behind a large potted plant near the two kahjai in the corner. I couldn’t see them, but after a moment, a sultry female voice drifted to me through the leaves.
“Ugh, the outsider is very noisy. Should we try Nessyll’s bar? It’s down by the water, but at least it will be quieter.”
“I invited Raithe to meet us here,” said the other kahjai, and everything inside me froze. “I figured he needed one free night in his homeland before he has to venture out with those people again.”
My stomach turned over at the mention of Raithe. So, thesewere his friends. The people he spent time with in Irrikah. I wondered if all the conclave members were close. If Raithe considered them family or if they were merely colleagues, even rivals.
“I don’t know why these outsiders are here,” the female kahjai said, sounding disgusted. “I know the queen needed to speak with the Fateless, but none of them looked special or competent enough to be Fateless.” She snorted. “Maybe it’s the insect rider? At least her clan are warriors.”
“It’s the girl,” said the other, causing the ice in my veins to spread. “I heard she’s a thief from Kovass. She fled the city when the Deathless King was resurrected.”
I bit my lip. The kahjai were aware of the Deathless King. Did the rest of the city know? Or was the queen keeping the king’s presence a secret to avoid panic?
The female kahjai made another noise of contempt. “Bad enough that the outsiders would destroy us if they had the chance,” she muttered. “Now they raise one of the Deathless Kings to conquer the world for them. I know the queen has been waiting for the Fateless, but I don’t know why Raithe didn’t slit the rest of their throats before they reached Irrikah.”
“He’s always been like that, and you know it.” The other kahjai’s voice was a warning. “Always more interested in the outside world than his homeland where he belongs. Strangely sympathetic to outsiders.” He sighed. “I don’t know why the queen chose him to be kahjai when he is so reluctant to kill. She must see something in him that we don’t.”
“He’s been away from home too long,” said the female kahjai. Her voice had changed. She didn’t sound annoyed or disgusted,just slightly sad. “This is why the queen cautions us about being among outsiders. If he starts developing... outsider thoughts, I’m afraid for his future with the conclave. He’s such a talented kahjai—it would be a shame if the queen...”
