Chapter Twenty

What Time Do You Call This?

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After reporting to Amelys, Tamyn stopped at Kazia's apartment before continuing to his own. When she opened the door to him, though, he immediately felt that something was amiss. Her face was pale, and set in a hardened and grave expression. Even as she invited him into her office, she looked away from him furtively.

“Kazia, what's wrong?” he asked, troubled by this appearance.

“It's nothing,” she said evasively. “Did you have something important?”

“Not really,” he answered. “I just saw Zhen and thought I'd give you a visit before retiring.”

“Is he well?” she asked, although her tone seemed disinterested, as if she asked only out of courtesy.

“He's increasingly frustrated that he can't just leave the Embassy, but he's well enough,” Tamyn told her. “Kazia, only an hour ago I promised him that I would take care of you. Please tell me what is going on. Has something happened?”

“Nothing...” she began rigidly, but then seemed to consider her tone. “It's... some time ago, Mistress Amelys formulated a version of my tincture that represses my abilities down to nothing. I reacted badly the first time I tried it, but after encountering those Alchemists in Valesk, I've decided to try it again, see if I can't slowly acclimate myself to its side effects. It could be useful if I must ever encounter them again.”

“You've taken it now?” Tamyn asked. Kazia nodded absently. “What are its side effects?”

Kazia flicked a quick glance his way.

“Without my abilities, people I encounter seem to be... dead isn't really the right word. It's like your body is walking around on its own, but without you inside it.”

“That sounds as if it would be quite unsettling.”

“I don't even want to look at you,” she replied in a harsh whisper.

“You seem angry about something, though,” Tamyn noted.

“No,” she murmured. “I really don't feel much of anything. Besides repressing my abilities, this seems to also dampen my own emotional center.

This is... it's quite disturbing, and my survival responses are alerted because my body knows that something is wrong, but I don't really even feel the fear that should be there. At first, upon taking a dose, there is a panic, with a bit of delirium, but that has passed now.

I'm sorry, Tamyn, I didn't think I would see anyone tonight, and just wanted to try first with no people about.”

“I'll go,” he said quickly, “if you think you'll be alright on your own. Experimenting with drugs alone isn't usually recommended.”

“Mistress Amelys said the same, but she knows I'm doing this, and Madame Brandra will check on me in the morning.”

“If you don't mind, so will I,” Tamyn said in tone suggesting that he would be there even if she did mind.

~~~*~~~

Abrizhen stumbled in feigned drunkenness through the lobby of the Valeskan Embassy and onto the lift.

He'd really only had enough wine to smell it on him, and as the lift rose, the poor operator held his breath while Abrizhen leaned an elbow on his shoulder and regaled him with a mostly incomprehensible story about some pigeons he had seen outside.

By the time they reached the topmost floor of the building, the operator was certain that he should be thankful Lord Devratha hadn't brought those pigeons back to be roasted.

Alone in his own hallway, Abrizhen dropped his act. As he inserted the key into the lock, though, he found the door to his suite already open.

Pushing the door slowly, he saw that the lights inside were on. His body rigid, and holding his breath, he crept quietly through the entry chamber.

Peering covertly into his sitting room, he found Yilina sitting in the chair at his writing desk, swiveling herself side to side.

He relaxed and blew out the breath he'd been holding as he stepped into the room.

“What time do you call this?” Yilina sang cheerfully.

“Yilina, you scared me half to death,” Abrizhen said with a deliberate slurring of his speech. “What are you doing here?”

“Your mission is over,” she informed him. “I'm here to take you home.”

Abrizhen froze.

His mind froze.

He struggled to think of some counter, some way to refute this, but all he could think was no, no, no, no, no...

“What?” he finally said. “I... what?”

“I thought you'd be happy,” Yilina said, a hint of ice in her voice. “You didn't want to come here in the first place. Let's go.”

“I can't,” he protested. “I'm... I'm making good progress with Kazia now. She's been willing to meet with me privately. She's warming up -”

“I see,” Yilina said flatly. “When exactly was the last time you met?”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow as she stared him down.

“Maybe two weeks or so?”

“You poor boy,” she said pityingly, “you have no idea what's been going on, do you?”

She breathed a sigh and ignored his confused expression.

“So, you met with her and didn't just grab her and drag her back?”

Abrizhen's expression turned to incredulity.

“She always has guards with her. I don't have all your Alchemy tricks, I'm just a person. How am I supposed to do that?”

“You needn't do anything further,” Yilina snapped. “We have far more exciting plans now.”

“No, Yilina, I can do this. Just give me a little more time.”

“Time with your sister?” Yilina countered, her voice now becoming seductively menacing. “Or time with this... Master Tamyn Ilianus, that is his name, yes?”

Abrizhen's face fell in an instant as the blood drained from his cheeks and ran cold throughout his veins.

He felt as if his heart would pound itself to exploding.

“That...” he whispered, terrified. “How...”

“Did you think I wouldn't keep an eye on your activities here?” Yilina asked, while Abrizhen made every attempt to get his breath under control. “Come on. Get whatever you need right now packed up. I'll send for the rest of your things later.”

“No,” he said firmly. “I'm not going. Yilina...” His voice dropped to a plaintive whisper. “Please don't make me leave him again. Please.”

Yilina swiveled the chair to the side and swiped a sheet of paper off the desk, holding it up for Abrizhen to see. It was the drawing that Tamyn had made of the castle. She pointed her finger to the bold-outlined window on the Alchemists' tower.

“Is this where he lives?” she asked, her voice dripping acid. “If I were to climb into that window, would I find him sleeping there right now?”

Abrizhen's face became ashen.

“Don't you touch him,” he growled.

“I don't want to,” Yilina declared. “That's up to you.”

“You can't,” Abrizhen said with some confidence, shaking his head. “The castle is impenetrable. There are magic detectors. You can't get in there.”

“Can't I?” she said with a chilly smile. “It might be fun to find out. You know my capabilities.”

Fear crept around Abrizhen's heart again, but he stretched a shaking hand toward Yilina.

“Give that to me,” he demanded.

Yilina rose from the chair and crossed the room to him.

He snatched the drawing out of her hand and folded it twice before tucking it into the breast pocket of his coat.

When he'd stowed it away, Yilina leaned into him and patted the outside of his coat over the paper.

“Do we understand each other now, Zhen?”

He refused to meet her gaze, and as his eyes became wet with tears he wouldn't allow to fall, he looked past her with an expression of defeat.

Very softly, he pleaded, “Can I at least go tell him-”

“No,” Yilina cut him off. “You can come with me now, or I can go explain things to him. Those are your choices.”

“I'll tell Father you've interfered with my access to a valuable asset inside the castle,” he said in one last mustering of bravado.

“And I'll tell him how you have that access,” she snapped.

Abrizhen jerked away from her, glaring.

“You promised you would never...”

“No,” Yilina admitted softly, relaxing to diffuse the tension. “No, I would never do that.”

“But you will threaten the person I-”

“This dalliance is threatening your future,” she said firmly.

“Threatening your future, you mean,” he retorted.

“Your future, my future, they're the same.”

Yilina looked at him as if he were a spoiled child she must coddle.

“Abrizhen, you know I'm only doing this for your own good. Once you and I are married, you can have whatever lovers you want. Until then, you must behave yourself.”

He only glared angrily at her until she smiled and patted his face.

“You get your father to formalize our engagement, I'll even come grab your boy and bring him to you.”

Abrizhen grabbed her arm and squeezed it hard, meeting her eyes in a heated stare.

“Stop it, Yilina,” he hissed. “If I come back, you will leave him alone.”

“I will,” she agreed.

Abrizhen looked over her head to the massive picture window in the outer wall of the sitting room, out to the castle alight in the city nightscape.

“Then save all your platitudes,” he muttered. “Let's just go.”

 

~~~*~~~