скачать книгу бесплатно
One of the figures, Obeisance, steps out, her feet finding purchase in the air, descending, her weight borne by The Seven’s love. This is an act of faith she makes daily. The second, Vesper, draws the sword and holds it out. Silver wings unfurl from the hilt, feeling the currents of essence mixed with the air. An eye is revealed set within the crosspiece. It opens and Vesper looks into it.
The young woman gives a half smile and steps out after Obeisance.
Neither falls.
One walks gracefully, the other with a quiet confidence.
When they arrive on the uppermost stair, Vesper frowns. The eye in the sword has not closed, instead, staring up over her shoulder, it is wide and worried. She risks a glance but sees only the side of the great cube and the two suns above.
Such concerns are soon banished from her mind, for the eyes of the Shining City are upon her. When she speaks, they will listen. And, at her request, every word will be spread throughout the remains of the Empire, via chips whispering into the mind, via runners, traders and all of the networks at the disposal of the Lenses.
Her own chip feeds the words of the speech to her now. She knows what to say but, as Obeisance tells her, only the ear hears the words. It is up to her to win their hearts.
She looks for support, a last boost of confidence before beginning.
She finds it in a pair of amber eyes watching from several steps down. Her father appears strange dressed in armour. Even groomed in the style of the city, he stands out, uncomfortable. Despite all the honours, she knows he’d much rather be at home, tending goats and making wonky additions to the house.
The thought makes her smile. She is both surprised and warmed to see him there.
Her father smiles back.
It is enough.
She takes a breath and begins to speak, holding up the sword. ‘Our war with the infernals has been over for ten years. The Breach remains sealed. But the wounds from those times still linger.’ For the briefest of moments, she pauses, searching for any kind of reaction. There is none. ‘The south has been ravaged by war. When the demons first came our people called to the Shining City for aid and we did nothing. Time and again they repeated that call. Time and again, we did nothing. Now, we have to put that right.
‘Some of our colonies, like Sonorous, felt abandoned by the Empire, and so they left us. And they were right to be angry because we let them down when they needed us the most. We’ve lost Sonorous now, just as we’ve lost the southern Empire. But it isn’t too late to form bonds with them again and make amends. They don’t need our swords anymore but they do need our help.
‘You see, the world out there has been forced to change. There are new powers across the sea, human, demon and half-breed, and wonderful mixes of all three. Some of those powers stood with me against the worst the Breach had to offer.’
She falters, her gaze travelling across the hundreds of staring faces. Only her father’s head moves as she speaks, nodding, encouraging. The others, in their multitude, are motionless, their expressions frozen. Do they agree with what she is saying? Do they even understand?
‘We can no longer see the infernal simply as our enemy. Some are hostile, yes. But not all. And some of them have extended their hands to us in peace.
‘In New Horizon, our people were made into slaves and it was not the might of the Empire that freed them. It was an infernal. It was not the Empire that tended their wounds or saw them fed and clothed, it was an infernal.
‘I’m going to go south again soon to visit our estranged people. But I won’t be marching at the head of an army, I’ll be going there as a friend.
‘If we want to find our place in the new world, we need to change too. We need to find a new way. To that end, I’ve arranged a gathering of the greatest leaders of the age. Together we will find a way to live and work alongside each other. Put the past behind us and make a better future for our families and friends, together.’
There is no applause when she finishes, no sign from the crowd that they have heard.
Her father smiles up at her, eyes scrunched with pride.
She wonders whether to go off-script, to say more, find some way to reach past the numberless masks, inscrutable, and get a reaction.
In her hand, the sword begins to hum.
She looks at it.
It is looking past her, looking up.
So is Obeisance, her father, and the crowd.
Twin shadows lengthen, falling across her, making her shiver. Behind her, something moves between her and the suns, red and gold, something vast.
As realization dawns, the assembled drop to their knees, a great wave of dominoes, toppling together.
Vesper does not need to turn round to know what is happening.
She turns anyway.
The sanctum of The Seven, a cube of shining metal – one mile across – is rising. Turning slowly as it goes, the Sanctum blocks out the suns.
Everyone watches the ascension, open mouthed, confounded.
A curve of blood-red light peeks from beneath the cube, glimmering, then a second of gold can be seen. Clouds part long before the cube reaches them, seeming to bend away, reverent.
Still higher the cube floats.
None dare take their eyes from the sight. Unspoken questions hover on the edge of lips. What does this mean? Is it a sign of The Seven’s triumphant return, or of worse things to come?
Like a balloon on an invisible string, the colossal cube continues its journey, straight up, until it appears smaller, a silver moon joining the stars.
When it is nothing more than a glinting speck in the sky, attention returns to the top of the steps. Vesper looks across the sea of faces, licks lips suddenly dry. She has no idea what to say. No pre-prepared speech is fed to her via her chip, and she has no insight into The Seven’s actions.
Seconds tick by, agonizing, slow.
A bead of sweat appears on Vesper’s forehead and runs down to her ear.
Her father gives her a nod, then, after a beat, raises his eyebrows and circles his hand three times.
She opens her mouth, takes a breath … and then Obeisance speaks.
‘People of the Empire, attend to me. For truly, today is a day of greatness. The Bearer stands before us all and asks us to rise and meet the challenges ahead. And behold! The Seven have risen, an inspiration to Their people. For Their eye is upon us, and They expect only the best. We must not disappoint. Go now, back to your duties, and carry the words of the Bearer with you, and the grace of The Seven in your hearts, and know that They are watching.’
In orderly rows, the crowd disperses. Fervour fizzes within measured steps.
Obeisance turns to Vesper. ‘It seems The Seven do not leave you to toil alone any longer.’
‘It’s true,’ she replies, forcing a smile. ‘We’re very lucky.’
But the sword in her hand suggests otherwise, its eye still staring at the sky, troubled.
Vesper meets her father on the outskirts of the Shining City. It is the first time she has been alone with him since she left on her great tour five years ago. It takes a moment for her to marry up the man standing before her with the image of her father. The amber eyes are the same but they seem to have been transplanted into a different face, a younger one. Long hair has been trimmed short, stubble banished. Though the collar is loosened, his clothes are crisply cut, a symbol of the Winged Eye woven into the shoulders. The scarring on the side of his head has been treated. There are still stripes running into his hairline but they are less stark than she remembers them. His frame is fuller too.
‘Wow,’ she says.
When he steps towards her there is no sign of his limp and when he hugs her, she is lifted from the floor, just as she was as a child.
For a few precious moments, the worries of the world disappear, unable to break through her father’s arms. She hugs him back, fierce.
The sound of a nearly human shout makes her jump. It comes from the other that has been waiting for her to come out of the city, and Vesper’s face shifts instantly to delight. The kid has grown, become a buck. The buck stands tall, struts proudly where once he scampered. Where the kid’s bleat was cute, endearing, the buck’s is a thing of horror. Sometimes a shout, sometimes closer to a scream, not quite a goat’s call but neither a man’s. An awkward, ugly, in-between noise. Vesper alone finds it charming.
The buck dashes over to her side, eager, his mouth already watering.
She doesn’t disappoint, popping a thick, fibrous shoot into his mouth. ‘You’re looking magnificent today.’
The buck’s eyes sparkle, though whether this is due to the food or the compliment is unclear. Jaws set to work and the shoot squeaks, indignant. Vesper chuckles, ruffling his ears. The buck whimpers and her fingers retrace their path slowly, until they come to rest on the edge of the buck’s right ear, finding a jagged edge where things were once smooth. ‘And don’t worry, I’ll be talking to that monster when we get home. She won’t bite you again.’
The buck’s expression is forlorn.
Vesper sets off, arms waving as she talks to her father, while the buck trots alongside, chewing, enthusiastic. On her back the sword’s eye is open, staring hard into the horizon.
‘You really think the speech was good, then?’
Her father nods.
‘I know I keep asking, it’s just …’
He reaches out, putting a hand on her arm.
‘Thanks. And The Seven coming back now, what do you think it means?’
Her father shrugs.
‘Obeisance says it’s a sign of Their favour. That’s what she’s got the Knight Commander to tell everyone anyway. I’m not so sure. When I looked up, I didn’t feel hopeful, I felt … scared.’
Her father frowns, stays quiet.
Vesper slows as she approaches the hill. She expected to be excited, perhaps a little nervous, but in truth she is reluctant.
It has been ten years since she sealed the Breach. Ten years of rebuilding, renewing, trying to restore some of what was lost during the war with the infernals. During that time, she has grown into herself. Though the Empire of the Winged Eye is dedicated to The Seven, the immortals have been silent for as long as she has been alive. Her orders, given in Their name, are what shape the future now.
For the last five years she has travelled the world with her knights, the Order of the Broken Blades, meeting with demons, half-breeds and humans, a disparate group of leaders forged by misfortune and hardship. Not all of those meetings were pleasant, but through a combination of persuasion, natural enthusiasm and, where necessary, a demonstration of power, she has managed to establish working relationships with most of them.
Progress at home and abroad is slow but she is close now, so close to realizing her vision. And yet coming here that sense of triumph fades. She has been away too long, neglected things at home to work on her great vision. Now she has to face up to that.
She feels a squeeze on her shoulder and glances down to see a small silver wing draped across it. She brushes it with her fingers and smiles.
As she walks, the grass beneath her feet becomes shorter, neater, testament to the work of many goats. They dot the landscape, dull whites and patchy browns against the green, big and small, nearly twenty generations of them. There was a time when Vesper knew every goat by name. That time is long gone.
Two buildings come into view. She stops to marvel at how they’ve changed. The first, the house she grew up in, has grown. A new extension has been built on the side, lopsided. Clearly this was not built by the Empire’s engineers. Each brick is placed by hand, laboriously. But to Vesper, the imperfections add charm.
She turns to her father. ‘You’ve been busy.’
He looks at his work, then away again, embarrassed, before going into the house. She does not follow. She is not quite ready to face what awaits, not yet.
The second building is smaller, a shelter for their animals and a storehouse. As Vesper walks towards it, the buck slows, lagging further and further behind.
Inside it is dark, ripe with aged and musty smells. Vesper peers into the shadows until she makes out a shape in one corner.
Hands go to hips. ‘Wake up, you miserable thing.’
A head raises slowly, unsteady on a scraggly neck. The dark eyes do not see as well they used to but hate just as hard as ever.
‘Now, I don’t care how old you are, if you don’t stop biting everyone I’ll have you turned into stew, okay?’
The goat’s eyes narrow.
‘I’m serious this time.’ Vesper points a finger for emphasis, then reaches into her bag. ‘But I got you this. I don’t know why I bothered though, you ungrateful monster.’
She tosses a leathery strip to the goat and pats her on the head. The goat sniffs at the offering and then starts to eat it, ignoring the affection as best as possible.
Vesper goes back to the house and stops at the door. Her hand lifts as if to knock but hovers there, uncertain. She can just make out sounds from inside. Adult voices talking, and a younger voice rising above them. Yelling? Is it play or some kind of argument?
A knot forms in Vesper’s stomach and her hand remains poised.
At her back an eye opens and the wing squeezes her shoulder again. Vesper does not need to turn round to see the sword’s silent encouragement.
‘Alright,’ she murmurs. ‘I’m going in.’
She knocks once, so soft as to be inaudible. The sword frowns at her back and the wing squeezes more firmly. Vesper knocks a second time, louder.
The sounds on the other side stop.
She takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, then opens the door and goes inside.
Vesper passes through the hall quickly. Each glance is bittersweet, conjuring childhood memories and showing their inaccuracies. Cupboards are the wrong colour, the walls show signs of age, and everything is smaller than she remembers it.
Except the kitchen. One of the walls has been knocked through to make space for a new table. Around it, four faces gawp at her.
She waves and smiles, awkward. ‘Hi.’
As one, they rise to greet her.
It is hard to know who to attend to first. Before she can decide, Jem is on his feet, moving in close. He leans in, kissing her, arms circling her shoulders only to stiffen as they knock against the sword.
She has barely had time to register the kiss or enjoy it before he is pulling away.
They study each other, noticing the little changes. She has grown as tall as him but seems taller, standing straight where he slumps. His eyes are as sharp as ever but there are smudges underneath, hinting at sleepless nights. A good diet has softened his features, save for his smile which remains feral.
Looking at his face, she cannot tell if that smile is aggressive or not.
Before either of them can speak, another voice interjects. ‘Vesper, is that you?’
Her Uncle Harm is reaching out for her, tentative. She takes his questing hand in both of hers and squeezes. ‘It’s me.’
They embrace, and Harm’s fingertips move up to her face, skimming over cheeks, the bridge of her nose and her forehead. He nods, content. ‘No new scars. That’s a good sign.’
