The Madness Project (The Madness Method) (17 page)

“Well, Tarik, this is a hell of a party.”

I bristled.  “Feel free to leave.”

He laughed, and stayed, twirling his hat back and forth the
way I was starting to find incredibly annoying.  Finally, more curious than
anything, I reached over and grabbed his hand to make him stop.  Just as I’d
expected, that little flare of electricity chased up my arm.  I made a noise
somewhere between a snort and a laugh and released him.

“So,” I said.

Zagger arched a brow, but I trusted he’d figure it out.

“Why do you think I’m here?” Kor growled.

“What’s your gift?”

“It matters to you, why?”

“Just curious.”

He smiled, torchlight flaring on his bared teeth.  “I’m a
Shard.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Learn.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him an impatient, half-obscene
gesture.  “Well?  Teach.”

He flicked his wrist and a knife materialized in the
uncertain light, flashing as he twirled it between his fingers.

“All right.  I’m a hell of a good fighter,” he said, and the
tone of his voice and the way he twisted the knife around made me reconsider
arguing with him.  Almost.

“Really?” I asked.  “You have to have magic to fight?”

He drew up, eyes narrowed, and I took the opportunity to
curse myself for being flippant.  But all he said was, “You wouldn’t understand
even if I explained it.”

“Language is a difficult skill,” I said blandly.  “Is there
magic for that too?”

He glared at me for half a moment, then suddenly he threw
back his head and laughed.

I decided that was a perfect moment to escape before I
actually made him angry, so I got to my feet, Zagger right there beside me. 

“See you in the morning, I suppose.”

“I can’t wait.”

Part of me wondered if I could get away with strangling him
once I was a Jixy tramp.

*  *  *  *

I didn’t meet with Kor in the morning.  With the household
preparing to leave for our country lodge up in Lamanstal, I spent the time
staying out of everyone’s way until the carriages were ready to depart.  As the
servants got my father up into the carriage, my mother drew me aside and laid
her hand on my cheek.

“Be careful, Tarik,” she murmured.  “I know what he’s asked
you to do…and I know you can do it, but, please.  Don’t take any unnecessary
risks.  Come back to us.”

I nodded, because there really wasn’t anything I could say. 
I couldn’t tell her I’d be fine, or that there was nothing to worry about.  She
would know I was lying.

She pulled me into an embrace, drawing my head down and
murmuring in my ear, “You are stronger than you know.”

Then, without another word, she kissed me on the forehead
and let the footman hand her into the carriage.  My father extended his hand to
me through the carriage window, but for a long moment he just clasped my hand
and studied me. 

When he spoke, all he said was, “Good luck.”

“I hope you’ll recover quickly.”

He nodded and gave a signal to the driver, and the carriage
rolled out.  I backed away to stand with Zagger, watching as the better part of
the palace household departed for the winter.  I’d never stayed behind before. 
Never expected how empty the palace would feel, with a mere skeleton staff on
hand to keep the rooms dusted and clean for the annual parade of visitors.

“Well,” I said, folding my hands behind my back.  “I guess
that’s that.  Where’s Kor?”

“He holed himself up in one of the safe rooms.”

“You knew about them too?  Did everyone in the palace know
about them besides me?”

He grinned and led the way down to the subterrane.  Kor had
occupied a different chamber than my father’s secure state room.  I couldn’t
tell what it had been intended for.  An interrogation room, perhaps.  It was a
cramped little space and almost completely empty, with just a few chairs
against one wall, and a table shoved against the wall opposite.  One lone chair
cowered in the center of the room, and when Zagger and I entered, Kor had a
foot propped on the seat. 

He leaned over his knee, twirling his knife back and forth,
back and forth.  I was starting to imagine he had to have something to twirl or
he’d lose his grip on sanity—though watching him was beginning to threaten
mine.

“About time,” he said.  “What’d you bring him for?  Too
afraid to come alone?”

Zagger sat down in one of the chairs, leaning back and
giving me a long knowing look. 

“You want me to respect you?” I asked, turning around to
face Kor.  “Then start by showing me a little.”

“Why should I?” Kor snapped.  “I’m here to scour off all
that royal veneer that makes you so high and mighty.  And what’s left?  Get rid
of your fine clothes and your title and your florid talk, and what are you
underneath?  A spoiled, irresponsible, self-serving brat.  You don’t deserve
any respect.”

“You might want to take that back,” Zagger interjected, his
voice a low growl.

“You might want to shut up and stay out.  If you want that
boy to survive two days on the streets, you leave the colt-breaking to me.”

I cringed at the comparison, but calculated it would do me
no good to complain.

“Fine,” I said.  “Look, I don’t care about you or what you
think of me, so can we get past the insults and name-calling and start doing
what we both came here to do?”

Kor eyed me sidelong and pointed to the chair.  “All right. 
Sit down.”

Zagger bristled, but I waved him off and moved to sit down. 
Kor’s leg flashed out and the chair clattered across the floor.  I stared at
it, then at Kor standing motionless in front of me, arms crossed, boring holes
in me with his eyes.

“What the hell is your problem?” I cried.

“I told you to sit down, not pose on the chair like a
skewered monkey,” he snapped.

“Pick it up,” I said.

“No.”

Zagger launched himself from his chair, but he’d barely
moved when Kor grabbed me by the collar and shoved me against the wall.  He
threw his other arm back, and it took me a second to realize that he had a
revolver trained on Zagger, his thumb hovering over the hammer.

Kor flicked a glance at him over his shoulder.  “Back off.”

Zag froze, face white with fury.

To me, Kor said, “Call him off or he’ll do something stupid,
and I’m not playing.”

“Zagger!” I said.  “I’m fine.  Get back.”

He hated me for saying it, I could tell.  He didn’t move
away, but he didn’t come any closer either.

“Get your hands off me,” I told Kor.  “Now.”

“Make me.”

“What is your
problem?
” I cried, for the second
time.  “This is idiotic.”

“What’s
your
problem?” Kor retorted.  His hand
tightened on my collar, pressing against my throat.  I half-expected to catch
the stench of liquor on him, but I didn’t smell a thing.  “Do you have any idea
what’s going on here?  Didn’t you hear a word I just said?  Do you think this
is a damn game?  I’m here for one reason only, and that’s to make sure you
don’t get ripped apart when they throw you on the streets.”  He drove my
shoulder back with a glare like shattered glass.  “Are we clear?  They will
tear you up and spit you out, and they won’t even blink.  You walk out there
with this attitude, this arrogance?  No Mask you wear will save you.  So stop
playing by the rules.  They won’t.”

I slammed my arm against his and pushed him as hard as I
could.  I felt a little less like a weakling when he staggered a step and
released me.  But I didn’t say a word.  I dragged the chair upright and
straddled it backwards.

“So tell me how to survive.”

“That’s better,” he said.  He holstered the gun and turned
to Zagger.  “We’re here for the same reason, too.  We both want to keep
him
alive.  So stay out of my way.”

“I’ll make that decision.”

Kor swung toward him.  I sprang back to my feet, slamming my
hand against the chair and sending it crashing to the floor.

“
STOP IT!
” I shouted.  “Both of you, shut up and look
at me.”

They both turned around, Zagger contrite, Kor surprised.  I
went to Zagger and pushed him back a few steps, out of Kor’s hearing.

“It’s all right,” I said.  “I’m doing this.”

“Let me know when you’re finished with him and I’ll make
sure he has a warm send-off.”

I patted his shoulder and pushed him toward his chair.  “You
can stay, but only if you keep that big mouth shut.  Got it?”

“Fine, but if he crosses the line…”

I just looked pointedly at the chair, and he turned away
with a heavy sigh.  I returned to Kor and folded my arms.

“So where do we start?”

He grinned, savagely.  “Fight me,” he said.  “No weapons.”

I jerked back, but he didn’t even blink.  The man was dead
serious—and, I was beginning to suspect, dead crazy too. 

Suddenly I got the sinking feeling that ten years worth of
boxing lessons would do me little good.  Kor didn’t stand in the correct
stance.  He didn’t stand in any kind of stance.  He just folded his arms and
stared at me.  And yet I had the sinking feeling that whatever I did, he’d make
me look like a first form novice again.  I gritted my teeth and went in as hard
as I could.  Might as well go down in glory.

He caught my arm, and something cold and round drove up
under my chin.  I flinched.

“You said no weapons,” I gritted.

“I lied.”

He withdrew the revolver and slammed it into its holster. 
Zagger hovered in the background, pale and sweating, his hand twitching over
the grip of his own gun.

Kor grabbed my shoulder by the neck, squeezing hard, and
brought his face close to mine.  “Do you understand now?  Do you really
understand?  Because if I haven’t got it through your thick skull yet, I quit.”

“Yes,” I said, hoping I didn’t look as defeated as I felt.

He released me.  “You took a lot of lessons in Namolo ring
fighting, didn’t you?”

I nodded.

“Forget all of it.”

“Ten years,” I said, turning away.  “You expect me to
replace ten years of lessons with a few weeks of undisciplined fighting?”

“Undisciplined,” he echoed.  I could hear the smirk in his
voice without even looking at him.  “Expecting someone to play by the rules
when you’re on the street could cost you your life.  If someone suggests
disarming to fight, he’s got a knife up his sleeve.  If he seems to be alone,
he’s got a band of thugs out back.  And if he’s got a band of thugs who promise
to let you fight one-on-one, they will take you out if you start to win.  Are
we clear?”

“So, what do you do?”

He grinned, wolfish.  “Carry a knife in your sleeve.”

“Cheat.”

“There’s no such thing.  There’s only survival.”  He glanced
back at Zagger.  “He knows that.  Don’t you?”

Zagger glared at him but said, “He’s right.  Any bodyguard
worth his salt doesn’t train in Namolo.  You learn Cashina.”

“Street fighting,” Kor said, noting my confusion.  “Learn to
fight using anything and everything in your environment.  Brutal.  Efficient. 
Simple.  No rules except to incapacitate your enemy as quickly as possible.”

“And that’s what you want me to learn?” I asked.  My
confusion had nothing to do with understanding the name
Cashina
, and
everything to do with my upbringing.  “I thought it was forbidden for the
nobility to learn Cashina.”

“Yes,” Kor said, his eyes glinting madly at me.  “But we’re
not talking about the nobility, are we?”

Chapter 15 — Hayli

Something was digging into my back.  I tried to flinch, but
my whole side had gone numb—numb from cold, numb from the way I sprawled
there.  A minute and I realized I had a thick wood beam tracing the line of my
spine, and the skin from my left shoulder to toe had got all prickly and
wouldn’t wake up.

I tried to move again.  This time I jerked, hard, because
suddenly I didn’t find aught on either side of me.  My arms flailed and my
stomach pitched, and for a second I just chased my breath, round and round. 
Then I picked my head up, carefully, and blinked at the confusion of shadows
around me.  A minute and I realized that the greyish haze hanging over my head
was a pitched roof, all weathered wood and cobwebs and rusting nails.  And me,
I was laying flat on my back on the brace that spanned from wall to wall. 

Good perch for a crow.  Not a great perch for Hayli.

I sat up and slung my legs over the beam, the long splinters
plucking out the last whole threads of my breeks.  Pigeon droppings and wet
rust turned the air sour—sour and sharp and stale like the room never
breathed.  Only a few wispy slats of dim light snaked in through the broken
windowpanes, but not near enough for me to see by.  I sort of glimpsed some
bits of corroded machinery down below.  Nothing I cared much to jump down onto,
not from my height.  The things looked like torture devices even without being
half zotzed.