The Burning Page

‘If she speaks,’ the Empress said, pointing at Irene, ‘knock her unconscious.’

Irene mentally cursed, while plastering on her best politely-confused-but-helpful expression. And that was the problem with hanging around, after using the Language to affect people’s perceptions. They remembered what you’d done to them.

‘Your Imperial Majesty—’ Kai began.

‘Him too, for safety’s sake,’ the Empress said.

Kai shut his mouth.

The Empress looked at them both critically. ‘Young woman, young man, you may both have done me a service, but I cannot be sure until I have fully investigated the matter. It is clear that some foul entity possessed my loyal servant Nicolai. You will be interrogated later and will give me your full story then. In the meantime—’ She turned to the elderly man in charge of the escort. ‘Maximum security, the cell with the highest wardings, and shackles.’

Kai’s arm stiffened under Irene’s hand, and she knew without looking that his face would be showing every one of his feelings, and none of them good. She squeezed his arm reassuringly. As long as it wasn’t Alberich organizing their accommodation, they should be able simply to walk out of any cell, once she had her voice back.

The Empress turned back to a man delivering his report, and Irene and Kai were marched out of the Great Hall in dead silence. The sub-basements they were led to weren’t on Irene’s maps of the Winter Palace. And the heavy shackles on their wrists were applied with the utmost politeness. The guards were clearly aware that Irene and Kai were accused but not convicted, and might still come out of the affair smelling of roses. The prison cell even had beds. And candles. And a heavily locked door, of course.

And now that they were theoretically restrained from working magic, and theoretically alone – except for the person probably listening on the other side of the wall, of course – they could talk.

Kai sat down heavily on the bed, his shackled hands between his knees. ‘What language?’ he asked. He’d deduced the probability of a listener, too.

‘English,’ Irene said. After all, in this alternate world the British Isles were a small country that had never risen to empire. If there was someone eavesdropping, it’d take a little while to find a translator.

‘Well, you spoke to Alberich, and I hope you’re satisfied.’ He stared at his chains. ‘I suppose my relatives will get us out of here. They’re certain to investigate a chaos incursion like that one. But they’ll ask questions . . .’

Irene sat down next to him and patted his hand. Her chains clanked unmusically. Both their sets of shackles were overwritten with complicated runes and embossed with gold and lead. No doubt they’d completely annul the magic of this world. But they couldn’t bind the Language. ‘Kai, I intend for us to be well out of here by the time anyone comes to investigate.’

‘You’re in a damned good mood,’ Kai muttered.

‘And you’re in an unusually bad one.’

‘Given the last half-hour, I have reason.’ Even though their bodies weren’t touching, she could feel the tension in him like a vibrating wire. ‘How am I supposed to keep you safe when you keep on—’

‘No,’ Irene said, cutting in. ‘This is not the time.’ She was distracted. An idea was bubbling through her mind, trying to take shape and concrete form. In comparison, Kai’s little fit of temper was unimportant. ‘I’m trying to work something out.’

‘It never is the time,’ Kai muttered. Then, curious, he asked, ‘What?’

‘Let me ask you some questions.’ It would clarify her own thinking, and there were a few points she wanted to be certain about. ‘This is a high-order world, so the power of chaos is hindered. Alberich in particular couldn’t use much of his strength here, since he’s made himself a creature of chaos.’

Kai nodded. ‘That’s correct. I think he must have been shielded by his stolen skin. When the Empress and her servants attacked him, it shredded away and he had to escape into the void.’

‘Were they the ones that closed the hole into chaos, then?’

‘No, that was the world’s natural stability. Humans couldn’t affect something like that.’ The thought seemed to cheer him for some reason. ‘What they did was basically to keep him in the void with their spells, until it closed. It wasn’t very efficient, of course, but they threw enough raw power at him to hold him back, and the hole closed on its own. Though they probably don’t realize that.’

Irene nodded. ‘So, since Alberich was severely weakened by being in this world, we can assume that if he had had a less dangerous method of achieving his goals, he would have taken it.’

Kai frowned, then relaxed. ‘Ah, you mean that he can’t have any allies among the dragons! Yes, that’s a relief.’

‘Not exactly,’ Irene said. ‘Or at least, that’s not the point I’m making here.’

‘Then what is your point?’ The candle cast huge shadows on the wall as he leaned forward.

‘Alberich told me he traced us here because of the disturbances we caused. The mess at the sleigh-port, the storm you raised. He was waiting in the Great Hall and watching for us to show up.’ Irene saw Kai frowning in thought, and decided to jump straight to the conclusion. ‘If he had known which book we were after, then he’d have gone straight there and laid a trap for us. He wouldn’t have needed to chase us down.’