The Apocalypse Script (35 page)

She had told Fiela she was going
for a walk to clear her mind. As always, the Peth had been adamant
that she be allowed to escort her. Lilian had refused and suspected
the girl was watching her from some secret vantage point but she
knew the Peth would not follow her, no matter how strong the urge.
Fiela was helpfully obedient when given a direct
command.

Lilian suffered a quick, painful
moment of doubt as she walked up the hill. There had been so much
subterfuge that she had almost lost track of who knew what. A
single indiscretion or mistake could unravel the entire scenario.
Even if everyone did their part, and all that was scripted
occurred, there remained a reasonable possibility that her plan
could fail.

She wished she could tell Ben
about her plan but the fact that it relied heavily on deception
would have only reinforced his current opinion that she was a
conniving and deceitful woman. He was right, of course, but she had
a lot more on her plate than the study of some old stone tablets.
She had a throne to win and she would do whatever it took to win
it.

Almost.

She had finally accepted that
there was one thing she could
not
do. She could not beat her sister. Not again.
Though she had tried to rationalize her failure to inflict the
dozen lashes she had planned as a calculated move not to injure a
valuable asset, a night assassin, she knew that to be a lie. She
had not inflicted a dozen lashes because she lacked the willpower
to do so. Fiela’s screams and tears had stopped her.

It was a weakness, but she fortified herself with
the promise that her love of Fiela would be the only one. Caught up
in her thoughts, she walked to the end of the path, where she was
surprised to find Ridley.

“
Good afternoon, Lilitu,” he said
as she approached. For once, he was not wearing his sweatpants and
faded red robe. He instead wore a thicker yellow robe, woolen
except for silk trim. A large hood was draped over his
head.

“
Good afternoon, Scriptus,” said
Lilian. “I am familiar with that robe. It is the one you wore while
serving my father.”

Smiling, the man said, “I’m
surprised you remember. Officially, I am prohibited from wearing
it. But such things do not matter anymore, do they?”

“
They do not,” the woman replied
agreeably, “and the guests at the reception will be pleased to see
the Great Sage in all his glory.”

The man’s smiled faltered. “Alas,
that will not happen.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because I’m leaving,
Lilian.”

The woman froze. “What?” she
gasped, the blood draining from her face.

“
My job here is done. My scripts
have converged and there is no time for any others to be written. I
am now more burden than benefit.”

Lilian shook her head vehemently.
“No, no,
no!
You
cannot leave me! Me, or Fiela! We need you now more than ever.
Surely you can see that!”

Clasping his hands in front of
him, the old man said, “You are wrong, Lilitu. This scenario is on
autopilot and I have other commitments elsewhere.”

“
Other
commitments?
Where?
”

“
Places you do not
know.”

“
But what shall
I do? I have no other scribes. There will be no one left to guide
the kingdom. Who will write my scripts?
I must have scripts, Ridley!
”

The scribe cocked an eyebrow.
“Princess, do you doubt the efficacy of the ones that I have
already set in motion for you?”

Lilian regained control and said
more respectfully, “No, Scriptus, I mean only that this
is…
unexpected.
”

“
The events of the better scripts
usually are. But do not worry. A scribe of unusual ability will be
sent to you. Do not doubt my commitment to you, Lilitu.”

Lilian looked appropriately
chastened. “I’m sorry, it is not doubt. It is shock. Why must you
leave me?”

“
Because while I am the author of
many scripts, I am the actor in still others. I am summoned to be
an actor once again.”

“
Will you return?” The feeling of
abandonment was overwhelming. Ridley was the last living reminder
of her few happy days as a child and, she now realized, the living
embodiment of her hopes.

“
Perhaps, but it is an exacting
voyage.” He paused and said, “May I ask a favor, Princess, in
return for what I have done for you?”

“
I will do anything you
ask.”

“
Be kind to my niece, always. Love
her as she loves you. I know that she can be burdensome at times.
Stubborn, petulant, immature for her age…but if you are kind to
her, she will improve and return your kindness
ten-fold.”

The voice in her head
returned.
“Kindness? Tell him, you
monster! Tell him of her screams and sobs as you beat her for
daring to sigh in your presence! You, love anyone? You’re shit,
Lilitu! If only he knew!”

Putting her hand over her mouth
and wondering if he
did
know and if that was why he was abandoning her,
she said in a hoarse voice, “I have always considered her a sister,
Scriptus, and I do love her. But will you not say goodbye to her?
She will take it very hard if you do not.”

Ridley shook his head. “No. You
see, in this way, I am a coward. I would not want her last memory
of me to be of a sobbing, broken old man. Tell her only that I am
going away to do something important and will return,
soon.”

“
Will you, though?” she asked,
hoping for a more definite answer.

“
All that matters is that you tell
her that.”

Lilian knew it was pointless to push the man. “Will
you say goodbye to Ben, at least?”

Ridley’s expression was puzzling.
“Definitely. I have some rather fantastic insights to share with
him.”

That worried her.
“Insights?”

“
Yes. The
Nisirtu world is much like the Ardoon world, Lilitu.
It is not exactly as it
appears.
”

Lilian shook her head, “I don’t
understand. Fantastic? What does that mean?”

“
Ma’am?” Ridley said, but he had
switched from Agati to English, and his voice was wrong. It was a
boy’s voice.

What the-?

Lilian swooned, steadied herself.
Blinking rapidly, she looked around and saw that she was standing
in the courtyard in front of Steepleguard. A teenage boy wearing a
vest and bowtie stood before her holding a crate of
oranges.

“
Fantastic…” she mumbled,
disoriented.

“
Yes ma’am. Organic.”

She stared at the boy, who regarded her with
concern. “Ma’am, can I help you with something?”

It was a moment before she found
her voice. When she did, she mumbled, “Can you pull the rabbit back
out of the hat?”

“
Pardon me?”

The woman turned and buried her forehead in one
hand. “Never mind.”

After leaving Fiela, Ben had gone
upstairs to collect himself. Then he showered, shaved, and put on
some decent clothes. By the time he returned downstairs to look for
Ridley, a remarkably decadent “champagne brunch” had been set up in
the Great Hall. Tables had been placed between the massive columns
and on each were silver and chrome dishes. He examined the cards
atop the silver holders that described the dishes:
Cinnamon Oranges, Grillades, Strawberries and
Chantilly Cream,
and
Spinach Frittata.

What?
No
Eggs de Fiela?

Ben had hoped to pass through the
hall unimpeded but was almost immediately approached by two guests.
The first was a man in his forties with a purple bowtie. With his
dimpled chin, square jaw, and piercing eyes, he looked to Ben like
a Hollywood leading man from the 1940’s. His name was Romini, the
Earl of something or other, of the First Kingdom.

With him was a slightly older
woman, Lady Del, of the Eighth Kingdom. Ben mentally dubbed her
‘sexy First Lady,’ without really knowing why. Unfortunately, she
was also what her own kind would call an ‘interminable bore,’
offering her unsolicited opinion on everything from fetches to
investments. She had inquired as to the researcher’s plans should
he find himself on the throne and he’d politely said he hadn’t
given it much thought.

It was a response the woman
disapproved of.

“
How many serretu has Lilitu
arranged for you?”

“
Fiela is the only serretu,” Ben
answered cagily. That was actually Ridley’s doing, of
course.

“
Only one?”
asked Lady Del, making a ‘tut-tut-tut’ sound with her tongue. “It
is unusual, having only the one serretu and to have her and your
wife under the same roof with you. When the world quiets you should
consider a few others and spread them throughout your kingdom. It
is the best way to ensure your line is not lost to a
single
calamity
.”

Ben pretended
concern
.
“How
many would you suggest?”

“
Most noblemen have at least four.
A king should have a dozen or more. That way,” the woman said, “all
of your eggs are not in one basket.” She laughed, amused at her own
wit.

“
I see.”

“
Of course,” she continued, “not
all would be in the line of succession. To protect them, and
yourself, you would secretly state in your will which among them
would inherit and which would be returned to the citizenry. It is
then in their best interest to ensure you remain alive, as their
futures are quite uncertain otherwise. This arrangement also makes
it extremely difficult for your enemies to select targets. They
could spend months scripting the death of a serretu who is not even
in the line of succession.”

Romini huffed, “Better to just get
consorts. They are far less troublesome.”

“
But,” said the woman, “they
cannot inherit and so do not extend his line.”

“
Perhaps not his line but they’ll
extend his life! When was the last time a consort assassinated a
king, eh? Three centuries ago! It is virtually a pastime for
serretu and asatu!” The man laughed. “You are fortunate, Ben, that
you had Scriptus Ridley on your team. He ensured Lilitu was kept in
check by making her reign dependent upon your life.”

Ben replied, “Actually, I believe that was an
oversight on his part.”

“
The Great Sage
made an
oversight?
” asked the woman, giving
him a skeptical look.

“
Well, I doubt he would have
planned it that way…” Ben trailed off, noticing that the earl bore
an expression identical to the woman’s. “At any rate,” the
researcher continued, “The negotiations for Lilian’s pardon
occurred long ago. I was probably in elementary school then, so I
was hardly on Ridley’s ‘team.’ Any man could have been her
husband.”

“
If you say so,” mumbled Romini,
taking a sip from his glass.

The woman said, “Speaking of which, I’d like to
introduce my daughter to you.” She stood on her toes and scanned
the room. “I saw her a moment ago.”

“
Oh,” said Ben, taking a step
back, “I should really-”

“
She’s
a
sereti
,”
said Lady Del, stepping forward to fill the gap he had tried to
create, “and just over thirty years old. She is an admirer of many
of the Ardoon. The new generation, you see. Open-minded but not
gauche. She’s quite lovely.”

Ben, wondering what a
sereti
was, struggled
for a response. He felt a hand slipping through the crook of his
arm.

“
That would
be
Persipia,
Lady Del?”

“
Ah,” said the woman with an
almost imperceptible flash of disappointment. “Lilitu. It’s so good
to see you.” The women exchanged kisses.

“
My husband prefers that I be
called Lilian.”

“
As you wish,”
said the woman with an uneasy smile. “
Lilian
. The earl and I were
discussing some trivial matters with Benzira -
Ben,
rather.”

Lilian said, “I have just returned
from a morning stroll. What of Persipia? Is she well?”

“
She is here, even.”

“
Then you must introduce her to
Ben.”

“
I would be glad to,” the older
woman said, as if the thought had never occurred to her.

Lilian leaned forward. “Do you
think Persipia would favor us by agreeing to serve as consort to my
husband?”

Ben’s face went almost as white as
Lady Del’s.

“
Ben,” Romini interjected, “are
there any cigars in this place?”

“
Yes, in my
study,” said Ben.
God bless
you.
“Follow me.”