Harbinger of the Storm - By Aliette De Bodard Page 0,17

protest a little theatrically if she was in a bad mood, but she would understand the stakes.

She always did.

There were many feasts that night in the palace, loud and boisterous, the various candidates for the Turquoise-and-Gold crown showing their largesse and gathering their support. Teomitl, who disliked pomp, led us to the courtyard just outside his rooms, where we sat under the night sky, eating a simple meal of frogs and amaranth dough.

Afterwards, I headed back to my house to sleep – deeply and without dreams. The trumpets of the Sacred Precincts proclaiming the return of the Fifth Sun woke me up just before dawn. I got up, dressed, and found Teomitl already waiting for me, as much at ease as if it had been his own inner quarters he was sitting in, instead of under the lone pine tree in my courtyard.

”I could have picked you up on my way,” I said.

He smiled at me sweetly, innocently. “The palace is a dangerous place, Acatl-tzin.”

I snorted, but made no further comment.

”Where to?”

”The council,” I said; time to see if we could get answers out of them.

We entered the palace through the gates, where Yaotl’s wards shone in the sunlight, and headed towards the state room. We were perhaps halfway to it, bypassing the House of Animals where cages held everything from webbed-foot capybaras to dazzling quetzal-birds, when someone called out.

”Acatl!”

It was Quenami. The High Priest of Huitzilpochtli the Southern Hummingbird appeared to have found another set of ceremonial clothes: a heavy feather headdress falling on his back, and huge plumes hanging from his belt, spread like the wings of a hummingbird. He smiled at me with paternal condescension, never mind that he was the younger one here. “Just the man I wanted to see. Come, we need to see the council, and reassure them that nothing is wrong.”

Treating me like a peer when it suited him, not that I was surprised. “We were already on our way.”

If I’d expected to faze him, I was disappointed. “Perfect. Then let’s go together.”

I hid my grimace of distaste as best as I could, and fell in step next to him. He was going to be surprised, though, if he thought what I had to say was going to reassure the council.

We had a powerful summoner within the palace, capable of calling star-demons, and ruthlessly determined to influence the succession. Unless things went their way, I very much doubted that they would stop at the murder of one councilman.

Our only hope was to catch them before they struck again.

FOUR

The Council’s Quarrels

The state room was on the ground floor, below the Revered Speaker’s reception room. To reach it we crossed the courtyard, which, in daylight, was now deserted, order having presumably been restored by the She-Snake’s men.

By the noise that came through the entrance-curtain, the council was locked in a bitter discussion. I did not relish having to take part in it, but I also knew that anger made evasions more difficult. I might learn things I wouldn’t have found out from clear-headed men.

Teomitl touched my arm as Quenami lifted the entrancecurtain. “Acatl-tzin.”

”Yes?”

”I won’t be much use in here.” His eyes were fierce, still lit with something close to battle-frenzy. “I’ll go ask around, to see whose envoys they were. There aren’t that many liveries in the palace.”

I doubted that whoever had sent the envoys would have been so transparent, but, then again, I might be surprised. Subtlety wasn’t the hallmark of the nobility. They were all warriors, over-obsessed with their faces and their hearts. I nodded. Teomitl straightened up in a brief salute, and strode away.

Lucky man. I’d have given much not to have to face the whole council. With a sigh, I followed Quenami inside.

Like the reception room, the state room had been calculated to impress, painted with rich frescoes of Huitzilpochtli striding forth on the battlefield, holding four spears in His left hand, and a reed shield in His right. The Southern Hummingbird’s face, arms and legs were painted the deep blue of imperial tunics, and a huge eagle hovered over Him, its wings spread out over the whole of the Heavens.

The council sat on reed mats spread around the room. In the centre was a light lunch of maize wraps with mushrooms and frogs.

They were all men, most of middle age or older. One of them in particular looked old enough to have seen the founding of the Triple Alliance. He sat like a king, wrapped in intricate magical protections that