Chapter Nine
The fae around the room were more concerned with the potential of being splashed by the thick substance than the faery who was uncontrollably spewing. They shrieked in horror, ignoring the royal guards that were asking the nobles to sit down, to remain calm. None listened, instead shouting about poison in their food or the presence of toxins in the room. Someone on her table murmured that it could be the Somnus, and Pasiphae had to refrain from telling them that this was not what the disease looked like.
Through the chaos, Pasiphae's attention caught on a stillness. Seth was watching her pointedly and patiently, and when their eyes met, he pointed to an exit at the back of the hall.
Seth slipped away without giving her a moment of consideration. She sighed, and stood as well, using her elbows to ease her way through the crowd.
The sick man gave a sudden incoherent shout, his arm lashing out. As he flung more of the black goo onto those nearby, all the fae that he had splashed started convulsing and vomiting as well.
Pasiphae grimaced, meeting Seth by the far exit where he was waiting.
"What's going on?"
"A fast-acting virus. It'll stop being contagious within the hour, don't worry."
"And where are we going?"
With the commotion, the hallway was clear of guards, or so they hoped, anyway. Seth pulled Pasiphae along, forcing her to work her shorter legs at double speed. Pasiphae held her arms stiff, uncomfortable with the contact.
"The bathroom."
"Huh," Pasiphae said. "I didn't know you needed me to lie you into a bathroom. Do the fae only allow a ten-second peeing limit?"
"Funny." He didn't sound humoured. "I'll have you know—"
He broke off with a sharp inhale, backing away so hastily all his hair whipped into his face. Pasiphae dropped into an immediate crouch, listening.
She could pick up on the murmuring of nearby voices but Pasiphae couldn't make out any clear words.
"Where are they?" she whispered up to Seth.
Seth remained standing, his face pressed up against the wall. Slowly he peered over the corner.
"There's no one there," he whispered back, "they must be a few hallways over."
Pasiphae inched closer, poking her head over the corner too. "Can you tell what's going on?"
"Some argument," Seth whispered, frowning. "I think between a guard and a worker. It's not going to end well, stay put."
She hadn't been planning on moving anyway. Pasiphae shifted on her feet, ignoring the ache that was creeping up along her thighs. She put her hands down for support, only to touch a strange mould on the floor. Grimacing, she drew her arms back and leaned against the wall.
The cool surface was almost calming, but then—
"No!"
Following the scream, there was the unmistakable sound of something splattering.
Pasiphae jerked upright, hissing, "What was that?"
Seth reached out and made an attempt to draw her back by the shoulder, but she kept her head over the corner.
A guard strolled through the other end of the hallway, clutching something large in his hand that swung with momentum.
It was dripping a dark, thick liquid onto the carpet.
Pasiphae was numb for a few seconds, but it didn't take long for the blinding shock to catch up with her. She pulled back quickly, pressing a fist against her mouth.
"That—that's a head!" she hissed.
Seth shot her a warning glance to keep quiet.
The guard gripped onto the severed head by its hair, dragging up shocked features into further absurdity, as if the twist of a screaming mouth in death wasn't enough.
"May Callistra have mercy," Pasiphae whispered.
The guard disappeared through one of the doors, and the two of them let out a long breath.
"We need to keep moving," Seth said, wavering slightly.
Pasiphae swallowed hard, nodding.
Taking a moment to ensure there really was no more activity, they moved through into the next corridor, creeping down the silent passageways until Seth ushered them into a dimly lit washroom.
"Where do you think the body went?"
"Best not to think about that," Seth grunted.
Fingers working nimbly, he unlatched the window and a cool breeze swept in. Despite being at the furthest southern end of the globe while winter approached, Pasiphae felt no chill in her bones. Khotadi had some strange magic on its own.
The view from this side of the palace overlooked the surrounding woodlands and plains that stretched as a barrier protecting the Court. If Pasiphae squinted, she could see the urban apartments start up far on the horizon, where fae of the worker and peasant classes lived in cramped spaces. Meanwhile, the Unseelie Court was planted dead centre in its sprawling glory despite its minuscule upper class population.
Seth peered out the window, making a contemplative noise.
"I'll hoist you up."
Pasiphae followed what Seth was looking at as she stuck her head out too: a collection of ledges ran along the wall, allowing a grip onto the roof. "Why do we need to climb the exterior of the palace? The guards are all in the main dining hall."
Seth waved his linked hands impatiently. Pasiphae stayed unmoving, not trusting him to be able to avoid dropping her.
He took a deep breath, as if forcing himself to remain calm in the face of adversity. "Okay, listen. The palace is structured in rings—they're not very circular and rather octagonal, but still—everywhere we're allowed access is restricted to the very outer one. There is only one proper entrance connecting each division, and there will always be guards at the post regardless of what we do. So we may as well avoid that and go over them, got it?"
Pasiphae didn't like his condescending tone. "If we're in the outer and the middle is restricted, what's in the very inner ring?"
"The information centre," Seth said impatiently, his foot tapping. "It's just one room. It's also where we are going, if you would stop standing around."
"Why don't you fly?"
Seth threw his hands up. "Saf, if I wave my wings around, I'm advertising to the guards that there's someone on the roof."
Huh. Pasiphae hadn't know that fae could sense each other with wing movements.
"You go up first."
Seth blew air out his nose loudly. "I'm not going to push you off and leave you to rot, but fine, if that makes you feel better. Give me a boost."
Pasiphae laced her fingers together. With a grunt, Seth pushed himself up to the high window, balanced precariously in Pasiphae's hands, which almost threatened to give out holding only one of his boots.
"Deaths," she wheezed, "what do you keep under that coat, blocks of iron?"
Seth shifted his weight onto the ledge. "Shh, sound carries easily outside."
His weight lifted from Pasiphae's arms, gripping onto the walls outside. A moment later, his hand came back into view. "Hurry."
Pasiphae gripped on tight, and the faery hauled her up. She moved surprisingly fast, and she barely had to give herself a kick-off before Seth had her balanced on the edge of the window.
Pasiphae took a deep breath, and began to climb after him. Her grandmother's life and perhaps her own were riding on this faery and his co-operation with their agreement, despite the fact that Pasiphae had no idea who he really was. They were inside a Court where heads were hacked off without ceremony, what was climbing a few walls in contrast to that?
When they had scaled to the top, balanced on the roofing, Pasiphae looked down. With the guards congregated inside, the gardens below were empty. If she concentrated, she could almost hear the sound of heaving.
"Careful where you step," Seth warned.
Pasiphae turned around, barely avoiding a gaping hole stuffed with insulation. It seemed that the roofing of the palace beheld both rotting crevices and shining turrets that roared into the sky. Seth was wrong in using the analogy of the palace being structures like rings; it resembled a three-tier cake more. A really strange three-tier cake, with some parts look ready to collapse and others looming tall and proud.
"We're not done climbing yet," Seth said, rolling up his sleeves. "This part gets a little trickier."
The second tier's walls looked too slick to climb. They stood right outside somebody's room, and as a curtain shifted, Seth tugged Pasiphae down hurriedly, ducking low.
"So, uh, how much longer is your virus going to last?"
Seth frowned. "Not long enough. Open that window."
"No!" Pasiphae hissed. "There's someone in there."
A commotion sounded beneath them. A horrible smell wafted out, and as they glanced down together, it looked as if all the sick were being moved outside.
"Come on."
Seth marched over to the nearest window and yanked the sliding pane up. He had climbed through before Pasiphae had a chance to protest.
And when she scurried through the window after him, there was an unmoving body lying on the plush, carpeted floor.
Pasiphae grimaced, crouching, and lifted their floppy wrist. It fell right back down.
"Dead?"
Seth shot her a look. "Unconscious. Who do you take me for?"
They sped for the door, pausing as Seth checked if it was clear. He gestured for Pasiphae to follow.
Once they slipped into the hallway, Pasiphae noted the lighting was far nicer up here, but somehow colder: bright and sterile. It reminded Pasiphae of the one electric light they had in Eo, the one that used up so much energy it was only allowed to be turned on when someone needed to perform surgery at the dead of night.
In the Unseelie Court, there seemed to be an electric light dotting every surface.
"Move it, Saf," Seth called, already disappearing around a corner.
"How much energy does the palace rack up per day?" Pasiphae asked in response, taking her time. "Where is it coming from?"
Pasiphae was met with a tense silence. The hairs at the back of her neck stood up.
"Hello?" She broke into a run, turning the corner. "Se— oh."
She bit down on her tongue, swallowing the rest of his name. Seth stood with his arms up, attempting to placate two guards, each pointing a strange, rectangular silver box at him.
"Hands up!" the one on the left demanded, her voice hardly a whisper but with the conviction of a shout. "This is a restricted area. You will be charged with treason for such an offence."
Great, two charges of treason in one week.
Pasiphae raised her palms to her head. "We got lost," she explained slowly, mimicking the quiet tone of the guard. She forced a hitch into her words. "It was so scary down there."
The guard on the right made a noise of disbelief. "We were guarding the intermediary entrance all evening. You did not pass through." He looked to Seth. "Is this your consort?"
Seth nodded vigorously. "She has startled easily in the past. We didn't come up here to do any harm."
The boxes were still being pointed at their faces. Pasiphae swore she saw a spark fly off the edge.
The left guard frowned. She had noticed the wording of Seth's statement.
"Do you intend harm anywhere?"
"Of course not," Pasiphae jumped in with. "How silly. If you check your recordings, you'll see that you let us up not more than ten minutes ago."
"Impossible."
Pasiphae frowned. "Why do you not check then?"
The guard on the left tucked away her strange weapon. "I will," she said. To her partner, she muttered, "Keep them there. Watch the human especially."
As she left, the other guard did not blink once, watching them with the intensity of a statue.
"This really isn't necessary," Seth said, his words as smooth as butter. "The queen has welcomed my presence personally."
"The queen wouldn't welcome her own lifeblood to this floor," the guard said icily. "This area is restricted even to the noble—"
Seth took a step forward and the guard immediately went on high alert. "Stay right there!"
There were no whites in Seth's eyes. Only black irises trying to swallow him whole.
Pasiphae almost wanted to take a step back.
"This is what you will remember to be the whole truth," Seth said. He sounded jovial, relaxed. "You were the one who let us up into this area. You were embarrassed to admit it. You erased the recordings. This will reflect badly on you if the queen hears of it."
"That is ridiculous," the guard spat. A bolt of light danced off his weapon. It struck up and diagonal, casting a flare against the ceiling and then arching to the wall.
"That is going to be the truth," Seth said again, and then, switching voices like a switch had gone off, he yelled, "Saf, grab him!"
Pasiphae didn't know how they moved in such careful sync. She lunged forward with her head ducked, her small frame ducking under the guard's outstretched arm and grabbing the guard's middle right as Seth shot forward and twisted the guard's arm over his shoulder. A crunch of flesh sounded, the weapon forced to drop with a hard thump. The guard made a noise of pain and held ramrod straight as Pasiphae pinched the spaces where his neck met his shoulder blades.
Right as she pressed her knee into the tail of his spine, Seth smacked his palm against the guard's forehead.
There was a vibration in the air around them. Pasiphae's insides screamed as Seth's magic flared to life, twisting around the guard and pulling him to the fall in a heap.
The magic ceased as soon as it had started. Barely recovered, Seth pulled at Pasiphae, hustling her out. "He's going to wake in a few seconds. Let's go."
Pasiphae grimaced, rolling out her muscles. She hadn't felt his magic for very long at all, but even with that tiny taste, she knew that a pinch of the power he possessed was a thousand times greater than what Charlize had altogether.
Who are you? she wanted to ask.
"Another roof-climbing expedition?" Pasiphae asked instead.
"Not quite," Seth murmured, deep in thought. "Do you know how many doors we passed?"
"Five."
Seth looked at her in surprise. "Oh." Then he looked up. "You're right."
He pushed open another plain door, glancing around to make sure no one was coming after them first. Then, instead of going inside, he stepped on the door knob so he could reach the ceiling.
Pasiphae saw what he was fiddling with then: the tiniest air duct that looked like it couldn't even fit one of Seth's shoulders.
"We're not going through that."
"Yes, we are," Seth said. "It's supposed to be bigger on the inside. A straight climb up and then we're in."
Seth gave the covering a tug, handling it with the ease of someone used to being surrounded by metal. Pasiphae still couldn't quite believe the lack of scarcity with the materials and resources here.
"Is there no other entrance?" Pasiphae hissed.
Seth gave a small jump. His foot seemed to slide off the doorknob, and Pasiphae hurried to grip his ankle. He looked down, grinning.
"Aw, look at you, saving me from falling."
Pasiphae glared up. "Climb, you cumbersome oaf."
Seth jumped again, and this time, he pulled himself through the vent, grunting. He must have had some crazy upper body strength hidden under that coat, because before long, Seth had somehow managed to upheave his entire body through. His hand shot back down. "Come on."
Sighing, Pasiphae stepped on the door knob too, and reached for the faery's hand. "Watch your shoulder," he warned, right as she banged it hard against the edge.
Stifling a scream, Pasiphae brought her shoulder in, pulling through the rest of her torso and then her legs. The vent was indeed roomier inside, with enough space to stick out her elbows and roll around her bruised shoulder. Her heels were balanced carefully on the thin linings around the air duct. One wrong move and she would go tumbling out feet first.
"It's only upwards from here," Seth called, already hauling himself up the ladder.
They climbed for so long Pasiphae was certain that they had to be in the sky. Finally, slight rays of blue-tinged light shined into the vent, and Seth punched out an exit.
Pasiphae frowned at the dented covering when they emerged from the floor.
"How are you going to fix that?"
Seth waved his hand absently, straightening the metal and probably straightening something out inside Pasiphae's intestines too.
"Don't do that," she seethed.
Seth jolted like he had forgotten that she was there. "Sorry," he said, not sounding apologetic at all. "Usually non-fae don't react like you do."
Pasiphae already knew something was sorely wrong with her magic. Why did the universe have to keep rubbing it in?
"What do we—"
"Welcome."
Pasiphae jumped in fright. Great, the walls were talking again.
"Two bodies detected. You are not cleared for entrance to—"
"Where is your control panel?" Seth asked the ceiling.
The lights seemed to dim and brighten as the system listened to his question.
"The third grid controls my system operations," it replied lightly. "I will need to see clearance—"
Seth pulled up a chair to the third control grid and snapped one of the wires, halting the disembodied voice to one continuous error tone. The entire room, save for the thin door, was covered in screens. On the walls and on the other control panels, they jutted out with buttons and levers, closely resembling the intricacies of a ship's motherboard. Pasiphae peered closely at the buttons, organised in tight rows. Some on their own had pictures or symbols, but many seemed to be grouped together, with letters printed on them.
"Have you seen a keyboard before?" Seth asked, his eyes not leaving the furious string of commands appear on the screen.
"A board of keys?" Pasiphae confirmed, pointing at the letters. "No, but I've read about it. I can work it out."
"Good. Pull up the logs of border control."
Pasiphae stared down at the panel, green and red lights flashing. Many screens around them displayed security footage, but the one in front of her was only grey.
"Am I supposed to press something?" Pasiphae frowned.
"No, the mouse," he said without looking at her. "Use the mouse."
He was referring to a smooth black surface next to the board of keys.
"I've seen what mice looked like," she sniffed. "This is not a mouse."
Seth made a noise that lied between amusement and sympathy. "I guess you haven't read about the mouse then. When this is over, maybe the next agenda is to re-introduce technology into Medeis."
Pasiphae sniffed again. "We're doing fine without constant surveillance, thanks." She tapped down on the mouse, and suddenly the entire screen lit up, frozen on the recent file.
The error tone in the room stopped as Seth gave a cheer. "Artificial intelligence, for shame," he said, pumping his fists in the air.
Pasiphae's attention was caught on the scene in front of her, the image frozen on a blurred moment. She could only make out two figures kneeling while others stood. The carpet was red.
Without meaning to, Pasiphae's hand came down on the mouse again, and the footage rolled.
A deafening scream came from the screen.