Warbreaker Part 59

How long? he asked. Until it's obvious that you will bear a child, I mean?

"I'm not sure," she said, frowning. "I don't have much experience with this, obviously. I know that some of the women back in Idris complained of not being able to have children as quickly as they wanted, so maybe it doesn't always happen immediately. I know other women who bore children almost exactly nine months after their wedding night."

Susebron looked thoughtful.

A year from now, I could be a mother, Siri thought. She found the concept daunting. Up until a short time ago, she hadn't really thought of herself as an adult. Of course, she thought, feeling a bit sick, according to what we've been told, any children I bear the G.o.d King would be stillborn anyway. Even if that was a lie, then her child would be in danger. She still suspected that the priests would spirit it away, then replace it with a Returned. Chances were that in such a case, Siri would be made to disappear as well.

Bluefingers tried to warn me, she thought. He spoke of danger, not only to Susebron, but to myself.

Susebron was writing. I've made a decision, he wrote.

Siri raised an eyebrow.

I want to try making myself known to the people, he wrote, and the other G.o.ds. I want to take control of my kingdom for myself.

"I thought we decided that would be too dangerous."

It will be, he wrote. But I'm beginning to think that it is a risk we must take.

"And your objections from before?" she asked. "You can't shout out the truth, and your guards are likely to rush you away if you try something like escaping."

Yes, Susebron wrote, but you have far fewer guards, and you can yell.

Siri paused. "Yes," she said. "But would anyone believe me? What would they think if I just started screaming about how the G.o.d King is being held prisoner by his own priests?"

Susebron c.o.c.ked his head.

"Trust me," she said. "They'd think that I was crazy."

What if you gained the confidence of the Returned you often speak about? he wrote. Lightsong the Bold.

Siri gave that some thought.

You could go to him, Susebron wrote. Tell him the truth. Perhaps he will lead you to other Returned he thinks might listen. The priests will not be able to silence us all.

Siri lay beside him for a moment, head still resting on his chest. "It sounds possible, Seb, but foolhardy. Why not just run? My serving women are from Pahn Kahl now. Bluefingers has said that he will try to get us out, if I ask. We can flee to Idris."

If we flee, Hallandren troops will follow, Siri. We would not be safe in Idris.

"We could go somewhere else, then."

He shook his head. Siri, I have been listening to the arguments in the court of judgment. There will soon be war between our kingdoms. If we run, we will be abandoning Idris to invasion.

"The invasion will happen if we stay, too."

Not if I take control of my throne, Susebron wrote. The people of Hallandren, even the G.o.ds, are obligated to obey my will. There will be no war if they know I disapprove. He erased, then continued, writing faster. I have told the priests that I do not wish to go to war, and they appeared sympathetic. However, they have done nothing.

"They are probably worried," Siri said. "If they let you start making policy, then you may begin to think that you don't need them."

They are right, he wrote, smiling. I need to become the leader of my people, Siri. That is the only way to protect your beautiful hills and the family you love so much.

Siri fell silent, offering no further objections. To do as he was saying would be to play their hand. Make a gamble for everything. If they failed, the priests would undoubtedly figure out that Siri and Susebron were in communication. That would spell the end of their time alone together.

Susebron obviously noticed her concern. It is dangerous, but it is the best option. Fleeing would be just as risky, and it would leave us in far worse circ.u.mstances. In Idris, we would be seen as the reason the Hallandren armies had come, and do you really think that we could survive in another country?

Siri slowly shook her head. They'd have no money and would make perfect subjects for ransom. They'd escape the priests only to find themselves being held captive to be used against Hallandren. The Kingdom of Iridescence was still widely disliked because of the Manywar.

"We'd be taken captive, as you say," she acknowledged. "Plus, if we were in another country, I doubt we'd be able to get you a Breath every week. Without them, you'd die."

He looked hesitant.

"What?" she asked.

I would not die without Breath, he said. But that is not an argument for us to flee.

"You mean the stories of Returned needing Breath to live are lies?" Siri asked incredulously.

Not at all, he wrote quickly. We do need Breath-but you forget that I hold the wealth off Breath pa.s.sed down for generations in my family. I heard my priests speak of this once. If it were necessary to move me, I could survive based on the extra Breaths I hold. Those over and above the Breath that makes me Returned. My body would simply feed off of those, absorbing one a week.

Siri sat back thoughtfully. That seemed to imply something about Breath that she couldn't quite figure out. Unfortunately, she just didn't have the experience to sort through it.

"All right," she said. "So we could go into hiding if we needed to."

I said this was not an argument for fleeing, Susebron wrote. My treasure of Breaths might keep me alive, but it would also make me a very precious target. Everyone will want those Breaths-even if I weren't the G.o.d King, I would be in danger.

That was very true. Siri nodded. "All right," she said. "No fleeing; that means exposing your captivity to the other G.o.ds. If we're really going to try this, I think we should do it soon. If I display any signs of being pregnant, I bet it will take the priests all of two heartbeats to sequester me away."

Susebron nodded. There will be a general meeting of the court in a couple of days. I have heard my priests say that this will be an important meeting-it is rare that the G.o.ds are all called together to vote. That meeting will decided wither or not we march on Idris.

Siri nodded nervously. "I'll sit with Lightsong," she said, "and plead for his help. If we go to several of the other G.o.ds, perhaps they-in front of the crowds-can demand to know whether or not I am lying."

And I will open my mouth and reveal that I have no tongue, he wrote. Then let us see what the priests do. They will be forced to bow before the will of their own pantheon.

Siri nodded. "All right," she said. "Let's try it."

Chapter Forty-Nine.

Vasher found her practicing again.

He hovered outside the window, lowered down from the roof via an Awakened rope which gripped him about the waist. Vivenna repeatedly Awakened a strip of cloth, unaware of Vasher. She Commanded the cloth to wiggle across the room, wrap around a cup, then bring that cup back without spilling.

She's learning so quickly, he thought. The Commands themselves were simple to say, but giving the right mental impulse was difficult. It was like learning to control a second body.

Even as she watched, she got it wrong. The cloth wiggled across the room, but climbed into cup instead of wrapping around it. It shook, making the cup fall over, then finally returned, leaving a soggy trail. Vivenna cursed and walked over to refill the cup. She never noticed Vasher hanging just outside. He wasn't surprised-he was currently a Drab, his excess Breath stored in his shirt.

She replaced the cup, and he pulled himself up as she walked back. Of course, the mechanics of how he moved about on the ropes were far more complicated than they seemed. His Command incorporated making the rope respond to taps of his finger along its length. Awakening was different from creating a Lifeless-Lifeless had brains and could interpret Commands and requests. The rope had none of that; it could only act on its original instructions.

With a few taps, he lowered himself back down, Vivenna's back to him again as she picked up another colored swatch to use as fuel when she Awakened her cup-fetching ribbon.

I like her, Nightblood said. I'm glad we didn't kill her.

Vasher didn't respond.

She's very pretty, don't you think? Nightblood asked.

You can't tell, Vasher replied.

I can tell, Nightblood said. I've decided that I can.

Vasher shook his head. Pretty or not, the woman should never have come to Hallandren. She'd given Denth a perfect tool. Of course, he admitted wryly, Denth probably didn't need that tool. Hallandren and Idris were close to snapping. Vasher had stayed away too long. He knew that. He also knew that there was no way he would have come back earlier.

Inside the room, Vivenna successfully managed to get the cloth to bring her cup, and she drank from it with a satisfied look that Vasher could just barely see from the side. He had the rope lower him to the ground. He ordered it to let go up above, then-once it had twisted down around his arm-he recovered his breath climbed the external steps to the room.

Vivenna turned as Vasher entered. She set down the cup, hurriedly stuffing the cloth in her pocket. What does it matter if he sees me practicing? she thought, flushing. It's not like I have anything to hide.

Practicing before him made her feel embarra.s.sed. He was so stern, so unforgiving of faults. She didn't like him seeing her fail. "Well?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Both the house you were using and the safehouse in the slums are empty," he said. "Denth is too clever to get caught like that. He must have figured that you would compromise his location."

Vivenna ground her teeth in frustration, resting back against the wall. Like the other rooms they had stayed in, this one was simple. Their only possessions were a pair of bedrolls and their changes of clothing, all of which Vasher carried about in his duffle.

Denth lived far more luxuriously. He could afford to-he now held all of Lemks' money. Clever bit, that, she thought. Giving me the money, making me feel like I was in charge. He knew all along that the gold was never out of his hands, just like I never was.

"I was hoping we'd be able to watch him," she said. "Maybe get a jump on what he's planning next."

Vasher shrugged. "Didn't work. No use crying about it. Come on. I think I can get us in to meet with some of the Idrian workers at one of the orchards, a.s.suming we arrive during the lunch break."

Vivenna frowned as he turned to go. "Vasher," she said. "We can't keep doing this."

"This?"

"When I was with Denth, we met with crime lords and politicians. You and I are meeting with peasants on corners and in fields."

"They're good people!"

"I know they are," Vivenna said quickly. "But, do you really think we're making a difference? Compared to what Denth is probably doing, I mean?"

He frowned, but instead of arguing with her, he just pounded his fist against the side of the wall. "I know," he said. "I've tried other leads, but the truth is that most everything I do seems a step behind Denth. I can kill his gangs of thieves, but he has more of them than I can find. I've tried to figure out who is behind the war-even followed leads in the Court of G.o.ds itself-but everyone is growing more and more closed-lipped. They take the war as inevitable, now, and don't want to be seen on the losing side of the argument."

"What about priests?" Vivenna said. "They're the ones who bring things to the attention of the G.o.ds? If we can get more of them to argue against the war, then maybe we can stop it."

"Priests are fickle," Vasher said with a shake of his head. "Most of those who argued against the war have caved in. Even Nanrovah switched sides on me."

"Nanrovah?"

"High priest of Stillmark," Vasher said. "I thought he was solid-he even met with me a few times to talk about his opposition of the war. Now he refuses to see me anymore and has switched sides. Colorless liar."

Vivenna frowned. Nanrovah... "Vasher," she said. "We did something to him."

"What?"

"Denth and his team," Vivenna said. "We helped a gang of thieves rob from a salt peddler. We used a couple of distractions to cover the burglary. We set a fire in a nearby building and overturned a carriage that was pa.s.sing through the garden. It belonged to a high priest. I think his name was Nanrovah."

Vasher cursed quietly.

"You think it might be connected?" she asked.

"Maybe. You know which thieves were actually doing the robbery?"

She shook her head.

"I'll be back," he said. "Wait here."

So, she did. She waited for hours. She tried practicing her Awakening, but she'd already spent most of the day working on that. She was mentally exhausted and found it difficult to concentrate. Eventually, she found herself staring out the window in annoyance. Denth had always let her go along on his information gathering forays.

That was just because he wanted to keep me close, she thought. Now that she looked back, there were obviously lots of things Denth had been hiding from her. Vasher just didn't care to placate her.

He wasn't stingy with information, though, when she asked. His answers were grumpy, but he did usually answer. She still mulled over their conversation about Awakening. Less because of what he'd said. More because of the way he'd said it.

She'd been wrong about him. She was almost certain of that now. She had to stop judging people. But... was that possible? Wasn't interaction based, in part, on judgments? A person's background and att.i.tudes influenced how she responded to them.

The balance, then, must not be to stop judging. It was to be careful to not hold those judgments as immutable. She'd judged Denth to be a friend, but she shouldn't have ignored the way he talked about mercenaries having no friends.

The door slammed open. Vivenna jumped, putting a hand to her chest.

Vasher walked in. "Start reaching for that sword when you're startled," he said. "There's little reason to grab your shirt, unless you're planning to rip it off."

Vivenna flushed, hair twinging red. The sword he had bought her lay on the side of the room; they hadn't had much opportunity to practice, and she still barely even knew how to hold the thing. "Well?" she asked as he closed the door. It was already dark outside, and the city was beginning to sparkle with lights.

"The robbery was a cover," Vasher said. "The real hit was that carriage. Denth promised the thieves something valuable if they committed a robbery and started a fire, both as distractions to get at the carriage."

"Why?" Vivenna asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Coins?" Vivenna asked. "When Tonk Fah hit the horse, it knocked a chest off the top. It was filled with gold."