Rud decided it was too hard to watch his father’s face at this moment, so he swung his gaze down to the distant calf.
‘I told Onrack,’ Udinaas continued. ‘I had to. To just… get it out, before it devoured me. Now, well, I regret doing that.’
‘You need not. Onrack had no greater friend. It was necessary that he know the truth-’
‘No, Rud, that is never necessary. Expedient, sometimes. Useful, other times. The rest of the time, it just wounds.’
‘Father, what will you do?’
‘Do? Why, nothing. Not for Seren, not for Onrack. I’m nothing but an ex-slave.’ A momentary smile, wry. ‘Living with the savages.’
‘You are more than just that,’ Rud said.
‘I am?’
‘Yes, you are my father. And so I ask again, how long will you stay?’
‘Until you toss me out, I suppose.’
Rud came as close to bursting into tears as he had ever been. His throat closed up, so tight that he could say nothing for a long moment, as the tide of feeling rose within him and only slowly subsided. Through blurred eyes, he watched the calf wander in the valley.
Udinaas resumed as if unmindful of the reaction his words had elicited. ‘Not that I can teach you much, Rud. Mending nets, maybe.’
‘No, father, you can teach me the most important thing of all.’
Udinaas eyed him askance, sceptical and suspicious.
Three adult ranag appeared on a crest, lumbered down towards the calf. Seeing them, the young beast cried out again, even louder this time, and raced to meet them.
Rud sighed. ‘Father, you can teach me your greatest skill. How to survive.’
Neither said anything then for some time, and Rud held his eyes on the ranag as they ascended the far side of the valley. In this time, it seemed Udinaas had found something wrong with his eyes, for his hands went to his face again and again. Rud did not turn to observe any of that.
Then, eventually, with the valley empty before them, his father rose. ‘Looks like we go hungry after all.’
‘Never for long,’ Rud replied, also rising.
‘No, that’s true.’
They made their way back to the village.
His hands stained with paint, Onrack tied the rawhide straps about the bundle, then slung it over a shoulder and faced his wife. ‘I must go.’
‘So you say,’ Kilava replied.
‘The journey, to where lies the body of my friend, will ease my spirit.’
‘Without doubt.’
‘And I must speak to Seren Pedac. I must tell her of her husband, of his life since the time he gave her his sword.’
‘Yes.’
‘And now,’ Onrack said, ‘I must go and embrace our son.’
‘I will join you.’
Onrack smiled. ‘That will embarrass him.’
‘No, you damned fool. I said I will join you. If you think you’re going anywhere without me, you are mad.’
‘Kilava-’
‘I have decided. I will let the journey ease your heart, husband. I will not chatter until your ears bleed and like a bhederin you look for the nearest cliff-edge.’
He stared at her with love welling in his eyes. ‘Chatter? I have never heard you chatter.’
‘You never will, either.’
He nodded. ‘This is very well, wife. Join me, then. Help me heal with your presence alone-’
‘Be very careful now, Onrack.’
Wisely, he said nothing more.
They went to say goodbye to their son.
‘This is exhausting!’ Emperor Tehol Beddict said, slumping down onto his throne.
Bugg’s face soured as he said, ‘Why? You haven’t done anything yet.’
‘Well, it’s only been three weeks. I tell you, my list of reforms is so long I’ll never get around to any of them.’
‘I applaud your embrace of incompetence,’ Bugg said. ‘You’ll make a fine Emperor.’
‘Well,’ Brys ventured from where he stood leaning against the wall to the right of the dais, ‘there is peace in the land.’
Bugg grimaced. ‘Yes, leading one to wonder just how long an entire empire can hold its breath.’
‘And if anyone has the answer to that one, dear manservant, it would be you.’
‘Oh, now I am amused.’
Tehol smiled. ‘We can tell. And now, that wasn’t the royal “we”. Which we admit we cannot get used to in our fledgling innocence.’
Brys said, ‘The Adjunct is on her way, and then there is Shurq Elalle who wants to talk to you about something. Aren’t there things that need discussing?’ He then waited for a reply, any reply, but instead earned nothing but blank stares from his brother and Bugg.