Burying the Shadow (22 page)

Then, another
inevitability manifested itself upon my threshold; one which
Metatron himself had predicted years earlier. Avirzah’e Tartaruchi
made his approach.

I had risen
late that day. The skies were overcast, which miserably reflected
my less than carefree mood. Sitting in my salon, I was reading
through a manuscript for a new play; although when we would be able
to perform it, I could not imagine. Tamaris came hurtling through
the door, her face flushed, her hands aflutter. ‘What is it?’ I
asked, in dread. We had come to expect the worst when our servants
were agitated.

‘You have a
visitor,’ she replied, her eyes round with excitement.
‘Tartaruchi!’

‘Avirzah’e?’

‘
Yes!

I arranged my
gown more artistically around my legs. ‘Then show him in, Tamaris,
and bring out the brandy.’

It did not
occur to me Avirzah’e was about to fulfil Metatron’s prophecy. I
expected some kind of immature silliness, but nothing sinister.
Avirzah’e and I had not been in the same company for several
months, and I hadn’t spoken to him properly since The Thorn Path
had ended its season, fifteen years before. If he’d hoped to
achieve any kind of intimacy with either Beth or myself through
involving us in his production, he’d been sadly misled. I supposed
he’d since given up trying to command our attention.

I was
uncomfortably stunned by Avirzah’e’s appearance when he swept into
the salon. His presence filled my tasteful little room like a ball
of flame. He was dressed in garments of the deepest, bloodiest
crimson with muted gold embellishments. Ropes of dark, polished
crystal beads adorned his neck and glinted in his carefully coiled
hair. He bowed, and the heavy beads rubbed together with a gentle
clinking sound. ‘Gimel, thank you for receiving me.’

I inclined my
head. ‘The pleasure is mine. Please, make yourself comfortable.
Tamaris, relieve the Tartaruchi prince of his travelling
cloak.’

He sat down
opposite me - the place, coincidentally, where Metatron always
chose to sit when he visited me - flicking back his black,
red-ticked hair. I instinctively curled up my limbs.

It was all
very formal to begin with. Tamaris poured out the brandy, while
Avirzah’e and I swapped chilly pleasantries. I began to wonder what
he had come for. He asked me how Beth was. ‘Splendid,’ I replied.
‘He is splendid.’

Avirzah’e
smiled, thinned his lips and sipped his drink; very pointedly, I
thought.

We had begun
to discuss a new ballet that the Eshim were working on, when
Avirzah’e suddenly, and very bluntly, changed the subject. ‘There
have been no suicides among the artisans for three years now,’ he
said, not looking at me.

I was rather
taken aback by his comment. What had it to do with the ballet?
‘No,’ I replied carefully, with a faint note of interrogation.

‘Has the
sickness passed us, do you think?’

‘We can only
hope so.’ I wondered whether he was aware of how many eloim had
been forced into retreat for exhibiting overt signs of depression
and self-destructiveness. I knew, because Metatron kept me
informed.

Avirzah’e
laughed. ‘You are transparent, dear Gimel! You know as well as I do
what is going on. Still, there has been a marked decrease in
casualties, I understand.’

I made no
comment on this, but reminded myself firmly of Metatron’s
suspicions and, however much my instinct was to discredit them,
vowed not to let the Tartaruch deceive me. ‘I have a feeling you
are leading this conversation to a predestined point,
Avirzah’e.’

He leaned
forward earnestly in his chair. ‘Never think I underestimate your
intelligence. We, as a race, are balanced upon the point of a
needle; a needle which stands in corrupting fire. Soon, there is
every likelihood we will fall - again.’

I shivered.
‘You touch upon a delicate issue - one which I am not prepared to
discuss.’

‘Every cell
proclaims you Metatron’s spawn! It is time you woke up, Gimel!’

‘Speak
plainly, then, but do not be surprised if you offend me.’

‘Do you want
to die?’ he asked.

The silence
that followed these words was almost vertiginous. I stood up. ‘I
would like you to leave my house, Avirzah’e Tartaruchi.’

He remained
sitting. ‘No, you don’t and, if you will permit me to answer my own
question, neither do you want to die. At least hear me out,
Gimel.’

I sat down
again, and sighed. It struck me how much I was enjoying the
Tartaruch’s company. He was right; I did not want him to leave, no
matter what obscenity he was about to blurt out. ’Very well, I will
listen. But, please, remember at all times exactly who I am.’

‘Assure
yourself I am incapable of forgetting that! I know the consensual
Metatronim opinion of my throng. But I have to say this, Gimel. You
will
die - we all will - unless preventive measures are
undertaken. The Watchers have...’

‘No!’ I
interrupted. ‘You’ll not speak that name here!’ The Watchers were
Mikha’il’s creatures. Wary of their power, which might traverse the
boundary between the worlds, we were forbidden to name them. The
spoken name alone might be enough to invoke them. ‘Avirzah’e, I
implore you, guard your words!’

Now, the
Tartaruch stood up, and began to pace my room. ‘Guard my words?
What are you afraid of? You are as conditioned as the human rubbish
who populate this world!’

‘Perhaps so,
but for good reason!’

‘Words cannot
summon
them
, Gimel,’ Avirzah’e said scornfully. ‘They are
here already! They have always been here. Now, are you the unique
creature I think you are, or are you a craven, spineless wraith as
the majority of our pathetic race are?’

I bit my lip until the
ichor ran, sucking my own juice in a moment of total indecision. I
swallowed. My voice was hoarse. ’Spit your venom, then!’

Avirzah’e made
a genuflection of respect and sat down again. ’My gratitude, Lady
Gimel. Now, in plain words, we are on the brink of many calamities.
Our minds are attacked by an unknown malady, for which there is no
apparent cure. Human puppies are snapping at our ankles, puppies
that may well grow into fierce, aggressive hounds with powerful
jaws. Years ago, I suggested to the Parzupheim that we take hold of
our own destiny and propel humanity into a position where they
could no longer be a threat. My suggestion was ignored. Look what
has happened! Can you sit there and, in all honesty, deny that the
sickness and humanity’s sudden aggressive interrogation might be
connected? I don’t think so. It is too coincidental. We have
existed for centuries in this world, without one incidence of
disease, or one human ever having the wit to question our origins
or existence. Now, the question is: what event instigated these two
dilemmas?’

I had to
interrupt his speech. ‘Avirzah’e, didn’t the impulsive and
irresponsible behaviour of certain crusading eloim, who for
courtesy’s sake I will not name, predate the incident with Oro
Mervantes?’

Avirzah’e was
silent for a moment. I raised an admonishing eyebrow. ‘Well?’

‘It is hardly
relevant! Think of this, Gimel. The Watchers will have been
monitoring our activities since we fled the other world. If they
are not directly responsible for what is happening now, I suspect
they have, at least, been waiting aeons for this moment. You can be
sure they certainly intend to take advantage of the situation! Ask
yourself this: who has kept the world free of their oppressive
machinations, if not ourselves? If the eloim fall, the Watchers
will swamp this world with their own philosophy, something that our
people fought to prevent in the past. You think I am selfish,
self-motivated, in wanting to take drastic action, but I am not. It
is true we might have to kill in order to maintain the balance, but
it is a vital unpleasantness. Your father feels my methods will
bring about a dark age, but the Watchers would bring far worse, I
assure you. Without us, the world will fall into stagnation, and
its people will succumb to the worst form of oppression. The
Parzupheim know this, so I cannot understand why they are being so
squeamish! Much as it pains me, I am forced to conclude they have
become complacent and indolent over the centuries. In short, they
are no longer fit to guide us.’ He ended his speech quite
breathlessly.

I wasn’t sure
whether to rage at Avirzah’e, humour him, or fly to Metatron
immediately and betray him. ‘I am puzzled as to why you have chosen
me as a confidante for your heresy,’ I said.

‘Because the
flame of life burns strong in you, that’s why, and you are not a
fool.’

‘And you trust
me?’

He nodded,
smiling.

‘Then it is
you who is a fool, Avirzah’e!’

He shook his
head. ‘No. For all my weaknesses, I am never that. Soon, I will
leave. For a while, you will consider informing the Metatron of our
conversation. Then, you will actually think about what I have said,
and you will realise I am right. Our people are threatened, Gimel.
This situation involves more than just humanity and ourselves. We
are caught between two blades, but I do not think the situation is
irredeemable.’

‘Why come to
me now?’ I asked. ‘What do you need of me?’

He stroked his
lips with a casual forefinger, pausing before answering. ‘Your
soulscaper, Gimel. At first I must admit I considered your plan to
be without merit. I questioned whether a human soulscaper would be
strong enough to confront the perils I am now convinced face our
people. But I have reconsidered. In my opinion, this woman’s
ignorance of the Watchers would be her power, because she is not
conditioned to fear them, as we are. You are right in thinking the
soulscape is the arena in which this battle might be fought and
won. If the Watchers have penetrated this world, that is the portal
they have used. You have groomed the soulscaper since her
childhood, and I trust that your influence will have honed her
abilities to perfection. Now, she is ripe for her task.’

‘How do you
know that?’ I asked abruptly. I was aghast, not just at the ideas
he was coming out with, but the fact he seemed to be familiar with
Rayojini.

He shrugged.
‘That is irrelevant.’

‘I
disagree!’

‘Very well.
Although I lack the benefit of a psychic link with Madam Rayojini,
I have made prudent use of certain patron agents who roam Lansaal.
I instructed them to make discreet inquiries about any soulscaper
carrying the name Rayojini - perhaps it was a mistake on your part
to divulge her name at the meeting at the Castile that day - and
discovered that only one individual was of the appropriate age. I
have followed her career with great interest. She is highly
respected, apparently, but of course you must be aware of this. I
can’t understand why you haven’t summoned her here earlier.’

I felt as if
he’d dug the ground out from beneath my feet. I was scrabbling
helplessly for purchase in a world he had turned inside out. I was
appalled he knew so much. ‘Your remarks are indeed interesting,’ I
said, ‘and deserve careful consideration. I must admit I had not
envisaged bringing Rayojini into play until she was a little older,
but perhaps events have accelerated to the point where we no longer
have the time for that. However, I have to think about what you’ve
said, Avirzah’e. Perhaps you would leave me now and allow me to
contact you later.’

He frowned and
then nodded, reluctantly. ‘Very well, but please do nothing rash,
such as running to Metatron about this. I am not concerned for my
own safety, which is unassailable, I assure you, but for the
security of far greater issues. If you try to impede me, the
results could be fatal. I cannot urge you too strongly to remember
this.’

I nodded. ‘As
you wish, Avirzah’e.’

After he’d
gone, I sought solitude in my bedchamber, lying down among the
draperies whispering in the afternoon breeze. I descended into
trance and sought out my soulscaper. She was so bright! I knew she
was drawing conclusions of her own about the strange events she was
witnessing. Were these things the results of machinations of
Avirzah’e’s, or of a greater plan? I was unsure. He had seemed
genuine enough but perhaps I underestimated his acting skill.
Metatron counselled patience; now, I wondered whether we should
act. Not as Avirzah’e insisted, but in our own way. I could not
believe Metatron and the Parzupheim were ignorant of the
implications Avirzah’e had mentioned. No matter how forbidden it
was even to think of the past, it must have occurred to them that
the Watchers might be involved.

I walked with
Rayojini in the land of Atruriey, even though she had effectively
shut me out of her mind. I trailed her like a sad ghost. The
Tartaruch was right about one thing; I would have to make contact
soon.

That night, I
took my carriage to the family stronghold. I told Metatron
everything Avirzah’e had said to me. He did not react as strongly
as I had anticipated, but thanked me formally for giving him the
information. I had a feeling I’d told him nothing he hadn’t known
already.

‘Soon, I shall
leave here,’ he said. ‘Already the preliminary waking calls are
being sung to the Harkasites. Soon, I will lead them into the
world.’

I made a sacred sign.
‘Have you no other choice?’

He shook his
head. ‘No. Avirzah’e Tartaruchi is no fool, Gimel. His diagnoses
are largely correct, but his treatment of the malady is misguided.
He is aggravating the situation.’

‘You are still
convinced he is responsible for the phenomena in Khalt, then?’

‘I would be
stupid to dismiss it as a possibility.’

‘So, you will
deal with him?’

Metatron
looked at me sharply. ‘He is a mote, nothing more.’

‘Maybe so, but
a mote of disease infects the whole organism, eventually.’ I
resented Avirzah’e’s meddling with Rayojini. I wanted Metatron to
prevent him getting more involved.