In the Air Chapter 8
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Mistress kept her word. She spent time with Halsin not just on the next day, but for most of the following days. Sometimes it was just an hour or two, sometimes it was more. There were walks in the garden, to parts of it Halsin hadn't seen before. He got a little time on his own during each of those walks. At first, he was too nervous to enjoy it, but eventually he found calm in those moments again.
He had not seen Tarlyn, nor had Mistress mentioned him. Halsin didn't quite dare ask about him, fearing to hear that Mistress had deemed Tarlyn's behaviour not worth permanent banishment. After a while, the worry faded into the background.
Meryla he had seen once in the gardens, but only from a distance. It had been enough to make his pulse quicken and his skin crawl, but Mistress had steered them away, and she had not given him to anyone else even for an hour. He hoped it would stay this way.
At the apartment, they split their time between the bedroom and the library. Mistress allowed him to pick new books to read whenever he wanted, and she had him read to her. She started to ask his opinion on the books he read, or they read together, and offered her own. When she had first taken him in, he had surprised her with his ability to read. By now, she seemed to be pleased with him for reading as voraciously as he did, and by his earnest attempts to answer her questions and explain his opinions.
Today, he had spent most of the day alone but Mistress had joined him in the evening. She was stretched out on the couch with a book and had invited Halsin to join her on a comfortable pillow on the ground. They hadn't spoken much, but she was petting his hair while she read, winding it around her fingers.
Halsin looked up at the soft click of the servant's door. The young elf woman Mistress had threatened to whip made her way across the room to them, carrying a tray with a teapot and cups. She put it down on the low table in front of the couch, her head bowed and the hem of her simple dress pooling around her as she knelt while pouring tea into the cups for them.
"Thank you." He hadn't meant to say it. It was simple habit, voicing his gratefulness for an act of service. The woman glanced up at him, unable to mask her surprise. Mistress hand in his hair stilled, only for a moment. Halsin held his breath, expecting punishment or at least a sharp rebuke, but she simply continued to pet him.
The young woman retreated out of the room, carefully avoiding Halsin's eyes, and he kept his attention on his book. Mistress didn't comment, and Halsin allowed himself to relax by the time she picked up her tea. He took his own cup, careful not to spill anything on the book, and savoured the delicate taste, so different from any tea he had drunk on the surface.
Over the course of the next few weeks, he kept seeing the young woman, bringing food or tea or fetching dishes. It had been so rare to catch a glimpse of any of the servants, let alone the same one, that he couldn't help the suspicion of it being on purpose. He never saw or heard Mistress ordering food or tea to be brought, but she had to have some way.
Halsin tried to ignore the woman. He never spoke to her again, but most days, she was the only person he saw except Mistress, and it was hard not to watch her. She also was the only other person not a drow he had seen for any length of time since coming here. He knew Mistress had other slaves, but she had always kept him apart from them.
Having spent the day alone with Mistress away to visit another house, Halsin jumped in surprise at almost walking into the young woman. He saw her flinch and fumble the bowl of fruit she was carrying, an apple bouncing out of it. He took a quick step forward and caught it, immediately stepping back to put distance between them.
The woman put the bowl on the table, her head bowed and her hands shaking just the slightest bit. The mistake would have been enough for punishment with Mistress, and even though she wasn't here, Halsin knew that instinctive reaction only too well.
"Please, wait a moment." He knew he shouldn't ask it of her. But the desire to speak to someone, someone who was like him, was too overwhelming. He was starving for it, and he hadn't even noticed.
"I don't think we should talk." She cast a quick glance up from underneath her lashes, her hands folded in front of her. Dressed in a plain dark blue dress and with her brown hair in a braid that fell over her shoulder to her elbow, she looked younger than she was - not quite as young as Halsin had guessed, but not much older than himself either.
"She's not here. She will not return until tomorrow." Putting the apple back into the bowl, Halsin moved forward the tiniest bit and stopped when she tensed up, ready to flee. He didn't want to scare her off. "I'm Halsin. Will you tell me your name at least?"
"What for?" There was fire underneath her even tone, only for a moment before she softened. "I'm Leandra. I owe you thanks for saving me from punishment. You did not have to do that."
"There's nothing else I could have done. I was sure it would be much less painful for me, and much less dangerous. I would do it again." Offering up what was Mistress' to take anyway in exchange for sparing someone else pain and fear was a bargain worth making, as far as Halsin was concerned.
"I hope you won't have to." Leandra made a step forward, took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, her fingers dry and warm in his. "I hope we will both see the sun again soon. I have to go now. May the gods keep you, Halsin."
By the time he had recovered from being touched, she had closed the door behind her, leaving only the faintest smell of lavender on his palm.
"I want you to wear these clothes today. I will come get you by midday." Mistress handed Halsin a neat pile of clothes the grey of undyed linen, gave him a quick kiss and was out of the room before he could say Yes, Mistress.
He said it anyway and carried the clothes with him to the bathroom to get ready for whatever the day would hold. Not a walk in the garden, Mistress would not have made a secret of that. He didn't think he had given her any reason to punish him, and he didn't think she would have made a secret out of that either.
While he showered, his thoughts circled the mystery, finding and discarding theories, searching for gold in a pile of pyrite.
Maybe it was about Leandra. That thought froze Halsin in place. He never should have talked to her. He had been so lonely, and it had made him foolish. Reckless.
There was breakfast laid out for him when he stepped into the living room, the linen clothes comfortable and soft on his bare skin. But Halsin had no appetite. Dread sat in his stomach and twisted it. He could not let go of the idea that he had gotten Leandra into trouble, by speaking to her not once but twice. He should have kept his mouth shut and his eyes on his book. Yes, he had thought it safe the second time, with Mistress gone, but who knew what magic was hidden in these walls.
The morning passed ever so slowly, the moments creeping by. Halsin picked up a book, put it down again, went out on the balcony to watch the garden, went back inside to pace the room. None of it made time go any faster or distracted him from wondering what Mistress might do to Leandra.
He knelt in front of the couch in his usual place when the door finally opened, hoping against hope to mollify Mistress with impeccable behaviour. She smiled at him, a little distracted, and fitted a collar around his neck. It wasn't one he had seen before - silvery metal, thin and ornate, even less suitable to actually restrain him than the leather one but broad enough to prevent him from lowering his head. The chain Mistress clipped to it was equally thin, only there as a sign of his submission.
She was dressed in robes of ashen grey, spiderwebs embroidered on them in white silk that reflected the light with a bright sheen. Halsin had never seen those clothes before. They seemed formal and severe to him. Whatever she was planning, he doubted it would involve anything he had done. These clothes were made to project power to people much more important than him.
"You will accompany me. Don't be afraid, nothing will happen to you." Mistress waved at him to stand and led him out of the apartment and to the enormous front stairs that Halsin had only seen once when she had brought him here. At their foot, the doors were opened onto the narrow garden separating the house from the street, protected by a high wall and a gate. A riding lizard was waiting for them, flanked by two soldiers.
When he had been captured and marched to the city together with a few other prisoners the soldiers had caught, Halsin had seen one of these lizards bring down a fleeing human with terrifying speed. It had taken the man's arm clean off with one bite and the soldiers had left him to bleed to death. Halsin stayed back as far as he could when Mistress walked right up to the animal to feed it a mushroom. It took the treat from her hand with great care and held perfectly still while Mistress swung herself into the saddle.
"You will ride behind me." Mistress had kept hold of the chain, forcing Halsin to step much closer to the lizard than he wanted already. Now he pulled himself up, using the animal's back leg as a step and finding a surprisingly comfortable seat for himself behind the saddle. Thick padded armour protected the lizard from attacks, and his riders from its rough scales and sharp spikes. Halsin held on to it when the lizard started to move, its swaying gate belying the speed it was capable of. Outside the gate, they were met by more lizards, ridden by soldiers who took them into their middle and set off down the street.
Halsin had not been in any condition to take in the city when Mistress had brought him to her house. Simply staying on his feet and walking fast enough not to fall behind had taken all his attention and strength. Now, he had all the time he wanted to look around.
At first he only dared quick glances to the side, watching the crowds on the street. Among the drow were trolls, goblins and ogres, even a few humans. All of them made room for the lizards, hurrying to the side, many stopping to watch until they were past.
It wasn't so different from other cities, seen like this: people went about their business, sold food and clothes and weapons and everything else one might need. People talked and gossiped, or walked along to get where they needed to be.
It was very different from other cities once he finally gathered his courage and looked up, tipping back his head as far as the collar allowed while tightening his grip on the lizard's armour. The roof of the cavern far above was barely visible, disappearing into the dark. It was dotted with tiny lights that he knew to be enormous beetles who used the light to attract prey.
Some of the towers reached almost all the way to the roof, their walls glowing from within in swirling patterns that changed if he watched them long enough. Many buildings seemed much too delicate for their size, high narrow bridges between their impossibly curved walls. The magic imbued in them hung in the air like the scent of a thunderstorm on the horizon, prickling on Halsin's skin.
The lizards made their way down a broad street lined by glowing mushrooms that loomed over them. They were headed towards a temple, slender towers around a central dome, flying buttresses hung with spiderwebs giving it the appearance of crouching on long legs, ready to rise up and stalk away.
Halsin clung to Mistress' assurance that nothing would happen to him. Surely she would not bother to lie about that. If she wanted to sacrifice him to Lolth, there was no need to deceive him, she simply could have had her guards take him. Unless that was the point and she wanted him to go to his death without knowing until the last possible moment.
There was nothing he could do about it if it were so.
The square in front of the temple was busy with drow walking towards the open doors, alone or in groups. A few parties similar to theirs, with guards and armoured lizards, were arriving. Each kept a careful distance from the other.
Halsin slid off the lizard's back when they stopped, stepping back as far as he could to give Mistress space. She petted the lizard and then turned to him, looking him up and down. What she saw seemed to please her, at least she smiled at him.
"Follow me. Kneel next to my chair once we are inside until I tell you otherwise." Mistress turned away from him without waiting for an answer, and Halsin walked behind her, making sure he stayed at a respectful distance but close enough for the chain to hang slack between them.
The inside of the temple was cool and dark. Shapes moved in the shadowy recesses of the roof, high up under the graceful arches. Rows of seats spiraled out from a central space, affording everyone a good view of the altar in the middle. Mistress led him to one of several big chairs standing alone, taking her seat. Behind her, the members of her household rose to their feet and remained standing until she had sat down. Halsin took the place she had given him, kneeling on the marble floor.
Silence fell over the temple. The only sound was the rustle of the shapes moving overhead and then even they stilled. For the span of a few breaths nothing happened, then another door opened. Flanked by two priestesses, Tarlyn walked in on bare feet, immediately fixing his gaze on Mistress. Halsin took a sharp breath, much too loud in the dead quiet, his pulse jumping. It made Tarlyn look at him, just for a moment, with utter contempt. Halsin stared right back, determined to show none of the fear Tarlyn's mere presence held for him even now. It was made easier by the fierce joy shooting through him at the realisation that Tarlyn was about to die.
Tarlyn presented an expressionless mask to Mistress, bowing to her before taking his place on the altar. He didn't fight when the priestesses sliced into his flesh with knives, he didn't even flinch at first. It took much longer for him to scream than Halsin would have thought. The scent of blood rose in the air, warm and metallic. It darkened the priestesses' robes and bloomed on Tarlyn's clothes. The rustling from above had grown loud once more, the shapes moving faster.
Halsin watched it all. His savage satisfaction had faded into numbness that barely concealed his terror. He had seen people die before, he had killed to defend himself and others. But he had never seen anyone tortured, their death drawn out with such cold skill. He had wished this on Tarlyn, so many times. Yet now that it was happening, he wished for it to be over.
It went on long past what Halsin had even thought possible.
He jumped at a touch to his neck. Mistress had taken the chain off of him and was handing him a wickedly sharp dagger. The priestesses were standing back from the altar, their faces impassive. Tarlyn was a barely moving mass of open wounds, his eyes bright in his bloodsmeared face.
"End it, in whatever manner you wish." Mistress nodded at Halsin, her expression the calm, confident mask she showed the world. There was no question of hesitating or refusing.
Gripping the dagger, Halsin stepped up to the altar, the blood sticky under his bare feet. Tarlyn stared him down, defiant even this close to death and in unimaginable pain. If Halsin had hoped for some fear or regret or guilt, he saw none of it.
Mistress had given him implicit permission to draw this out as much as he wanted and had so often imagined. Yet Halsin's hand shook when he lifted the dagger. Not out of pity for Tarlyn. But killing someone this deliberately, with no threat to himself, was nothing like plunging his knife into an enemy intent on killing him, and for a moment Halsin froze.
The blade sliced into Tarlyn's neck, opening his jugular. Blood flooded out, over Halsin's hands, soaking his sleeves and spattering his chest. It only took moments for the life to flow out of Tarlyn. Halsin had already turned away, carrying the dagger back to Mistress. Kneeling at her feet, Tarlyn's blood growing cold on his skin, Halsin watched the rest of the ritual in a daze. The body was cut apart and offered to the giant spiders that finally descended from their nets in the temple's dome, taking the pieces from the priestesses' hands with glistening mandibles, starting to wrap them in silk even as they climbed back up. Soon, there was only a pool of blood left, trickling down onto the floor.
Mistress stood, giving the signal for her household to stand as well. A tug on the chain startled Halsin into following her, he hadn't even noticed her clipping it to his collar again. He folded his hands in front of himself in an effort not to smear anything or anyone with blood, but no-one came close to them. He caught the gaze of a tall woman standing on the other side of the circle of seats, her high cheekbones and arched eyebrows the spitting image of Tarlyn. She let her eyes slip off of him as if he were of no consequence but not before he had seen her rage. It dawned on Halsin that Mistress had used him to send a message, and it had been well understood by everyone present, except for him.
He had no eyes for the beauty of the city on the way back.
Chapter 1