The Power and the Glory

Book 2 Chapter II: In the Crypt

Abihira looked askance at her creation. It was still shaking its head; more slowly now, like a clockwork toy that needed wound up again. Hardly the sort of thing she could trust to carry out a mission like this. Truth be told Abihira had no idea what she actually intended the corpse to do to Haliran. She didn't mean to kill her because then how would Ilaran bring her to justice? But she meant to frighten her so badly that she wouldn't dare say a word about necromancy to the empress. And there lay the problem. A corpse who needed ten minutes just to move or stop moving would hardly frighten anyone.

No one liked having to face the unpleasant fact that they simply didn't know what they were doing in spite of their protestations to the contrary. Abihira's usual method of dealing with that fact was to ignore it and hope it would go away. This was one time when doing that would just lead to disaster for everyone.

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If someone had asked Irímé a day ago how he expected to spend the early hours of the day after the festival, his answer would not have been "climbing out a window and running to Abi's house while dodging guards like some sort of criminal".

After all that he expected Abi would at least have the decency to be at home when he knocked on the door. Where else would she be at this time of the night? The servant who answered the door quickly disabused him of this notion.

"Her Highness left half an hour ago," she said. She wasn't the usual servant who opened the door. Her uniform and air of bewilderment suggested she was a kitchen maid unexpectedly handed someone else's duties. Just as well for Irímé; the usual servant had been with the family for centuries and would have been very reluctant to answer questions about any of their whereabouts. No matter who the questioner was, or the reason for them asking.

"I don't know where she's gone," the maid continued. She winced at the very loud shouts from one of the rooms down the hall. It sounded like at least ten people were having a contest to see who could yell the loudest. "She seemed very angry. I think that visitor said something to upset her."

Irímé had been about to thank her for her information and go back to Ilaran, who -- being a stranger to the family, and therefore unlikely to be granted entry at this hour -- was waiting at the gate. Her last sentence stopped him in his tracks. "Visitor? What visitor?"

"One of the people who'd been at the party," the maid said, which hardly narrowed it down much. "Didn't much like the look of her. Not the sort of person I'd ever want to play cards against." She suddenly blushed. "Er, not that I ever play cards, your Highness."

'Your Highness'? Just who does she think I am?

On the bright side, if he'd been mistaken for one of Abihira's many cousins it would prevent any of the nasty rumours that might start if word got out her fiancé had visited her house late at night. Almost everyone would take into consideration the extenuating circumstances of the fiasco at the party and would realise there was nothing untoward about it. But certain people would make a scandal out of anything. If the situation was less dire Irímé would have waited until the morning to visit.

He thanked the maid for her information and made some vague comment asking her to tell Abi he hoped she was all right. He was hardly aware of what he said, too preoccupied by worrying about the mysterious visitor. There was only one person he could think of who would have any reason to visit Abi at such a time. But what would Haliran want with her?

Irímé scurried out of the gate. He stopped abruptly. Where was Ilaran? He'd been here just a minute ago.

A shadow detached itself from the darkness under the trees a short distance away. Irímé started violently before he realised it was only Ilaran.