Palimpsest

There are judges in Nirali, but most of what they hand down is nothing to fear. The thief works until the theft is paid back with his own hands; the one the city has merely tired of gets an escort to the gate and a firm suggestion that the next town might suit them better. That is the justice nearly all of us will ever see, and it is easy to admire from that distance.

The other kind we do not see. Murder, and the forcing of a woman or a man against their will — the crimes other cities have half a hundred quiet ways of forgiving — here the sentence is read out in the open like all the rest, and then the guilty are taken below, and there our knowing stops. The dockhands say they rot in the chains until the chains are all that holds them. The hill people say they're walked past the last gate at night and given to the mountain with nothing. Both cannot be true. What unsettles me, the older I get, is that a city which has written down four hundred years of everything has never once written down this.

—from a letter by a Nirali gate-warden, kept by his daughter, never sent

Chapter 45 It's Becoming a Habit

The smell of mildew. Perhaps it was not what woke Kaelin, but before she had even fully come to, the smell of mildew reaching her nose was enough to make her face screw up. Then she realized she was lying on a hard surface. Her face was on a thin pillow, and there was a cover beneath her, but the bed was like a flat, unyielding floor that gave nowhere under her weight. When the strength came back to move her hands, she had begun to hear the sounds in the room as well, even if she couldn't make sense of them. She could more or less pick out Ravah's and Vaelra's voices, and the others seemed to be there too. With that she pushed herself a little harder and managed to crack her eyes open. Beyond long iron bars a great many people seemed to be talking. But the image still hadn't come fully into focus. When she tried to move, she finally caught a sound she could understand.

"She's coming around!" Darian had cried in his deep voice, hushing the others. "Thank the gods," Elis had said, rushing to her side. When Kaelin finally began to see properly, she saw them all looking at her from behind the iron bars. As she forced herself to sit up, heavy with sleep, she asked, "What happened?" and started to look around at them. "Don't you remember?" Ravah answered from the back. "They locked you in here, darling, and…" she paused. "They're saying you're the murderer."

As the words echoed inside Kaelin's head she lost her balance, and trying to get to her feet, she fell back down. "What?"

"Hey, calm down and breathe," Veylith said, gripping the bars. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"Um. No. I don't know," Kaelin tried to answer, her mind unable to escape the sentence from a moment ago. "Just breathe," Veylith said, settling her without saying anything more. After a few deep breaths both Kaelin's strength and her sight had improved a little more. At last she realized she was inside a wide stone room. Beneath her was a simple little wooden bed, and right in the corner an empty bucket. Apart from that there were only the iron bars. When she let her eyes wander over the place she saw that beside hers there were three more small cells like it. Square cells, five paces wide at the most. The others were empty, but their insides were exactly the same. In front of the cells lined up side by side ran a corridor of nearly the same width, and at its end was a wooden door. All of them, Elis included, were in that corridor, looking at her. The only light in the room came from the barred window at the near end of the corridor.

When Kaelin tried to remember what had happened to her, the images began coming to her in pieces. The archive building… the shelves covering every surface… the ransacked office… the bloody dagger… and… Kaelin's eyes flew open all at once in horror, and a distinct fear came over her face. "Nivela!" she cried, looking at them. Then she got up and threw herself at the bars. She came nose to nose with Veylith. "Is she all right?"

Veylith only shook her head. "That's why they're keeping you here," Elis said, taking hold of Kaelin's hand on the bars. But after the answer she'd been given, Kaelin hadn't even heard her. She let go of the bars entirely and stepped back as though falling into empty space. Nivela's small body lying on the floor had appeared before her eyes, and the scene had started to play over and over in her head. "Orsillia is on her way here right now, and she'll do everything she can," said a voice she couldn't place, managing to cut through her thoughts. When she lifted her head to look she saw Quivar, whom she hadn't noticed was there before. But she said nothing in answer. She scanned the faces watching her with worry, all without meaning to. She could sense that everyone was worried for her, but… not everyone. When she looked to her left she noticed Tivver, just behind Elis, looking at her differently, and that he hadn't said a word until now. When she looked at him more carefully she saw an expression on his face she had never seen before. Then Tivver slowly stepped in front of Elis and came to the foot of the bars. He looked up at Kaelin, gripped the bars, and in a cold voice said, "Did you do it?"

At this question Kaelin turned toward him and knelt down in front of him. The question wasn't a clear one, but what he was trying to ask was perfectly clear. "No," Kaelin said, looking straight into Tivver's slightly reddened eyes. "I wouldn't have hurt her even if my own life depended on it, you know that," she went on, and took his hands where they held the bars. A single tear slid from Tivver's eye. "All right, then," he said in a broken voice, "I had to ask." He swallowed and gathered his words. "Because for the first time in a long time, someone…" he said, but couldn't bring it to an end. He bowed his head. Kaelin bent the same way and rested her forehead against Tivver's through the bars. "I know." For a moment the two of them stayed like that, as though sharing a pain they held in common. But the sound from the wooden door drew them apart again.

Through the door that creaked open, Orsillia and Briyva swept in, talking heatedly, and made straight for them. Orsillia, far quicker, got out in front, passed through the middle of everyone, and came to the bars. She dropped down swiftly right in front of Kaelin, who was still crouched on the floor, and laid her hand against her cheek. "Are you all right, Kaelin?"

Kaelin flinched for a moment, not having expected this much tenderness. But she didn't take long to answer. "I don't know." She was in no state to lie or to comfort the others. "Do you really have to keep her in this cage?" Orsillia said, rounding sharply on Briyva. The others, seeing her this harsh for the first time, were taken aback. Even Kaelin's eyes widened for a moment.

"She was found alone beside the victim, the murder weapon in her hand and blood all over her. What exactly do you expect me to do?" Briyva answered with that blank expression. "If you hadn't stepped in, by now she'd have been thrown out of the city in the best case. And we all know what the sentence that ought to be handed down really is."

Orsillia rose to her feet with a chilling look and stood in front of Briyva, looking down at them from above. "She couldn't have been the one who killed Nivela, and you know it too." She spoke in a low but hard tone, as though weighing each syllable with care. Briyva, looking entirely unmoved, said with the same blank expression, "Unfortunately, security doesn't run on your feelings, Domina," speaking calmly, one measured word at a time. At this Orsillia slowly turned to Quivar and made a small motion with her head. Quivar looked at the two of them for a moment, then went to Kaelin's side. With a quick movement he crouched and reached his hand through the bars. "Will you take my hand, please, dear?" he said with that deeply reassuring smile of his. Since arriving here Kaelin had been a little guarded around the others, but Quivar had always given her the same trustworthy feeling Vaelra did. "All right," she said, and reached out her hand without thinking much about it.

Quivar took her hand gently and looked at Kaelin carefully. "You're going to tell me the truth," he said in a serious, deep voice she hadn't heard from him before. "Did you kill Nivela?"

Without thinking, almost as a reflex, Kaelin suddenly let out a "No." Then she looked at Quivar in surprise, as though she'd done it against her own will. At this Quivar threw a glance at Orsillia. And Orsillia, as if passing that same glance straight along, turned to Briyva. "If it wasn't you, then who killed her?" Briyva asked Kaelin directly, keeping that unaffected expression.

"I don't know," Kaelin began, speaking the same way, without thinking at all. "When I went into the room Nivela had already been stabbed, and there was no one in the room." With the same bewilderment on her face Kaelin looked at Quivar again. Quivar kissed her hand gently and let it go with a smile. At this answer Orsillia folded her arms and turned back to Briyva. "So?"

"You don't expect me to enforce the law on the strength of your husband's gift, surely," Briyva answered, eyes still on Kaelin. "Plenty of people saw her covered in blood beside the body. What would you have me tell the public? Pay no mind to how it looks?"

Orsillia unfolded her arms and, with an angry hiss, took a step toward Briyva. But Quivar caught her wrist at once and whispered, "Calm down." Just as Orsillia was about to take the next step she stopped herself and began to breathe more evenly. Passing by her, Quivar approached Briyva himself and didn't stop until they were almost nose to nose. "You know she's telling the truth. Now cut out this ridiculous macho act and help us find a way out of this." He had whispered it, but Kaelin had never seen him so frightening. This time Briyva answered with a plainly serious expression. "I need to give the people a culprit. There's only one thing you can do to prove her innocence."

"Find the real murderer," Veylith finally cut in, approaching them with heavy steps. Then she and Briyva held each other's eyes for a moment. "How long?" she asked again, but in a harder tone. "You have three days at most before she's thrown out of the city," Briyva said, then turned around and headed for the door. "Thanks for the help," Veylith said after them. "Great work, head of security."

At this Briyva paused in front of the door, and their hand gripped the hilt of their sword hard. But then it loosened, and they let the sword go. They opened the door and slammed it shut behind them. The sound of the door echoed inside, and for a while everyone kept their silence. "So we're going on a murderer hunt in the city," Tivver said, breaking the silence, an utterly cool expression on his face. "Exactly," Veylith said, turning to them. She had seen everyone's resolute faces, but instead of fixing on that she'd chosen to look at Kaelin, who stood behind the bars watching her uneasily. "We can talk to the council and maybe find a way to settle the public down," Quivar put in, his hand at the waist of Orsillia right beside him. "Maybe we can find another way, or at least buy some time."

"That really would be very good," Veylith answered, looking at them both. "And in that time we'll catch the murderer," she added, running her eyes over the team's faces. Orsillia came to Kaelin's side and, again laying her hand on her cheek, said, "We'll find a way and sort this out, don't you worry." Kaelin only nodded. Then Orsillia, taking Quivar with her, headed for the door. As they passed by Veylith she said, "I'm granting you the authority to go almost anywhere in the city," and paused for a moment and turned to the others as well. "You're free to do whatever's needed. If anyone gives you trouble, you have only to give them my name. And if anyone gives you trouble after that, you have only to give me their name."

Ravah, thoroughly impressed by this manner of hers, said "Yes, ma'am," and nodded calmly in agreement. Then they went on walking toward the door, and Quivar nodded a farewell and touched Veylith's shoulder. After Veylith returned it the same way, they went out the door and were gone. "Now what do we do?" Ravah said, coming closer to Veylith. The others looked at her with similar looks. "The first place we need to go…" Veylith said, drawing nearer to them.

"Hey!" Kaelin cut her off, calling out from inside the cell. When everyone turned to her at once she went on, "I don't remember asking anyone to go on a murderer hunt."

"I don't think anyone asked your opinion, darling," Vaelra shot back at her instantly. "There's a murderer out there, and I don't want you risking your lives going after him."

"So you believe we'll just sit and wait without knowing what they're going to do to you? Would you do that?" Veylith broke in. Kaelin looked at her but couldn't say anything.

"Besides, we're practically experienced now," Tivver added, in a voice closer to his normal one. "What?" Kaelin said, looking at him, trying to work out what he meant. "You're being accused of a murder you didn't commit for the second time, in case you hadn't noticed," Tivver explained with a slight smile. "I'm starting to worry it's becoming a habit."

Kaelin looked at him for a few seconds, and then the two of them burst out laughing at the same time, helplessly. A distinct weight of bitterness could be felt in the laughter of both of them. Everyone was aware of it, but even so this small moment that cleared the air had done them all good. With the tension on her eased a little, the numbness in Kaelin's body had nearly passed too. "All right, then," Kaelin said, finally going on. "There's not much hope of making you listen to reason. But at least promise me you'll be careful and won't try anything stupid."

"I don't think we can promise you the second one," Vaelra said with a smile. "Those are usually the ones that work."

"I hate all of you," Kaelin said to this, shaking her head hopelessly.

"We always find a way, princess, don't you worry," Ravah answered her from the back. Then she went on in a lower voice. "Worst case, we break you out of here and run from the city. We're experienced, remember," she said with a wink. "Now that you've worn yourself out, we can move on to the planning part," Veylith said, giving Kaelin a knowing look. Then she turned to the others. "The first place we'll look is the office in the archive; after that we'll see where things stand. And in the meantime…" she turned to Darian, "I want you to take one more person with you and go to the infirmary. Maybe you can get a clue out of the body too."

Darian nodded and turned to Ravah, but at that moment Elis cut in. "I can come with you," she said suddenly, and when every head turned to her she added in a lower tone, "if you'll allow it."

"Nobody here asks anybody's permission, don't get that wrong," Veylith answered. "We just—"

"I'm aware that I'm not part of this group," Elis cut her off. "I just want to help her the same as the rest of you," she said, gesturing toward Kaelin. "Then the two of us will go to the infirmary together," Darian said, stepping in and coming to Elis's side. At the same time, he brought the conversation to a close before it could wander anywhere else. "Agreed," Veylith said, showing a faint, vague hesitation about it, and turned to the others. "We'll head to the archive building and split up from there depending on the clues." After getting a resolute look from everyone, she turned to Kaelin. "And you'll sit here on your backside and wait for us to save you. Understood?"

Kaelin was caught off guard by this and gave Veylith a strange look. "I'm saying it to the others, but I know how you think too," Veylith said, coming closer to her. "I need to trust that you won't manipulate the guard and try to get out of here."

Kaelin looked at her with a sly grin. Then she reached her hand through the bars and answered, "Deal." Veylith shook her outstretched hand, and they held each other's eyes for a few seconds. Then Kaelin, cutting the whole mood dead, said with a thoroughly serious expression, "Now fuck off," and let go of her hand. "I'd like to pick up my sleep where I left off."

Veylith answered her with a smile much like the grin Kaelin had given a moment before, tipping the edge of her hat in a small salute. "Yes, ma'am." Then she turned to the others and called out, "You heard the lady. Let's get to work!" At this they all turned toward the door at once, and Kaelin gave them a bitter look from behind.

When she noticed that Elis hadn't headed for the door but was looking at her, Kaelin this time gripped the bars and looked at her. Though a great many things passed through her mind, she couldn't find anything to say. "About last night," Elis began, seeing that she was struggling. "It was the best evening I've had in a long time, and honestly I have to admit I've taken quite a liking to you, too." Kaelin looked as though she might answer, but Elis went on talking without letting her. "But you don't need to say anything for now. This could go somewhere different, or it could stay a good memory. Either way the way I treat you won't change. So you don't need to try to solve this one in your head too. Just rest, and focus on what you're going to do when you get out of here. Leave this matter for later."

Kaelin's eyes filled almost imperceptibly, but she tried not to let it show. For even if she felt something toward her, she didn't know what she wanted to do about it. Especially when she had a situation like this to deal with. Elis had given her exactly the answer she wanted, or perhaps the one she needed most, to hear. "Thank you," Kaelin answered her with a faint smile and shining eyes. At this Elis said, "See you later," and placed a kiss on Kaelin's hand where it gripped the bars. Then she headed for the door and passed by Veylith, who was holding it open for everyone, and went out. At last, when everyone had gone, Veylith, holding the door with one hand, met Kaelin's eyes. Neither of them said anything, and for a moment they only looked at each other. Then Veylith gave her one last nod of farewell. Kaelin answered her with a smile that was warm but utterly bitter. Veylith went out the door, and Kaelin held herself together until she had closed it behind her—then let the tears go.