“What’shis name?”Zaria asked.“Your uncle?”
“Berith.”
“Berith,huh?Berith the Bone Hunter?”The hyena nodded, letting her hand free of hisshoulder.“I’ll remember that.”
Isaacfelt his chest get fluttery again.
“So,”Zaria said, regaining a serious voice, “you’re saying he has experiencecrawling through ruins and fighting horrible monsters?He’s been all over theNine, fighting evils blacker than night?”
“Essentially,yes.”
“Right,well, I got a new question, then.Why the fuck ain’t he here with you?Soundsperfect for the task.Hardly a better choice.”
“He’stenured now,” Isaac replied.“He teaches at college, assists Diet agents withtheir expeditions, performs alchemical research.He’s a very busy sorcerer.”
“He’stoo busy to rescue his brother?”
“They,um....”Isaac cleared his throat.“They never liked each other.Listen to myuncle, and he’d tell you my father was a glory hound with no respect forprocedure.Apparently, my father has ruined several expeditions bycontaminating the samples.He’d touch any mysterious object without a secondthought.My uncle said he had no respect for anyone’s safety, and that alwaysinfuriated him the most.My uncle—Berith—is very particular in his ways.”Isaacglanced at a shadowy library glowing faintly like gold.“I’ve always thoughtit’s why he hated having to raise me.”
Therewas no response.When Isaac glanced at her, she was watching him with a carefulexpression.
“Doesthat satisfy your curiosity?”
“Notyet,” she said.“That was all in service of my final question.”
Hegestured for her to continue while looking at another mural.This one, like theothers, seemed to depict a necrotic god giving benediction to his worshippers.Somehow, this one involved summoning swarms of very small flies, which burrowedinto the skin of the supplicant.The man was taken with rapture.
Isaacdecided to move on.
“Whyyou?”Zaria asked.“Why was the burden of rescuing your father placed only onyour shoulders?”
Hesighed, rubbing his face.“It was politics, mostly.”
“You’llhave to explain a bit.”
“TheDiet of Nine likes to appear as a monolithic force, but there’s an embarrassingamount of internal strife.All the nine kingdoms have their own concerns, theirown petty rivalries that still exist between each other, and they all refuse tosecede any real amount of governing power, which has led to factions,blackmail, malicious bureaucracy, even assassinations.There’s a reason I hadto use a safehouse while traveling.”He waved a hand.“It’s a slow, pettymachine.My uncle was right—my father made many enemies with his lack ofpatience.Every time a proposal was made to assemble a rescue party, it wouldbe voted down in committee.Many times, the motion would be killed before evengetting that far.”
Heshrugged.
“Youalso have to consider that this tomb is at the edge of the map, in the middleof an empty desert, surrounded by pirates and sandwyrms.Risking that manylives just for my father was never seen as ...politically expedient.”
“That’sall well and good,” Zaria said, “but it ain’t what I asked.I asked whyyouwere made to do all this.Rather sounds like it got forced on you by someoneelse.”
Isaac didn’trespond.He gazed up at the giant rib cage.
“Forcedon you by your uncle, actually.”
“Isuppose—”
Shegrabbed him by the shoulder, not ungently, and forced him to stop walking.“Isaac, I’m gonna say my piece now, and I’d appreciate it dearly if you’d letme speak it out.”
Heblinked up at her, silent.
“Here’show I understand this,” Zaria said.“Your father comes down to this dead cityand gets captured.That seems fair enough—evil sorceress and all—but you’restill growing in your mother’s belly when he does.Your mom then dies givingbirth to you.Also fair.Happens to many.Once she’s gone, though, you’retossed off to your uncle, who by no means wants a sniveling reminder of hisbrother to care for, except he has a very secret soul chat with your fatherhimself, which somehow sways his opinion.You spend your entire life trainingin magic, treated like a caged bird, thinking it’s your responsibility torescue your parent when your uncle is perfect for the task.Then, when you’vecome of age, your uncle speaks to your father again just before you leave onthis quest.As you’re out the door, your uncle sabotages the mission—”
“He didnot sabotage—”
“Yes,he did.He told you to walk through a nest of sandwyrms, and, for good measure,gave you bad directions for water.That’s fact, ain’t it?”
