In Heaven and Earth Read Online Free PDF Page B

were plenty of myths about sick kings. If Vairya had chosen
this one, it meant something, although probably not sexual
dysfunction. It was a reminder that this man, for all his banter,
was a patient and a terrified and traumatised one at that. Gentling
his voice, he asked, “How may I prove myself worthy?”
    Vairya shot him a
startled look, and said hurriedly, “Do come and see my garden, Sir
Reuben.”
    “ I’m not here
to pick flowers,” Reuben started, but Vairya seized his hand and
dragged him forwards, through the deep gateway and out into the
sunlit land beyond.
    He had expected a castle
yard or a city. Instead, the walls of Vairya’s citadel circled a
vast rose garden. There were walls scattered between the flowers,
but they were all overgrown with flowering briars. The air smelt
sweet as he stepped forwards in surprise, the scent so heady that
he felt a little dizzy. Swathes of coloured flowers curled across
the ground like streaked marble: pink, red, yellow, white, all
still in bud, but close enough to opening that the air was full of
their perfume.
    “ Aren’t they
lovely?” Vairya asked and reached out to touch one of the roses
tenderly, running his finger down the pink curve of its
petals.
    “ Beautiful,”
Reuben said, “but I am here for you, not the flowers.”
    Vairya shrugged. “But I
am here for the roses. They have such short lives, and they are so
lovely when they flower. They deserve to be cared for.”
    “ What about the
people in the city? Don’t they deserve your care too? We need your
memory working so we can find out what happened to
them.”
    Vairya bowed his head
towards the flower, breathing in softly. When he looked up, his
eyes were sad. “I was starting to think you might be the one, but
you don’t understand at all. You can’t help me.”
    “ I could if
you’d let me,” Reuben said in frustration, but Vairya just shook
his head.
    What was he missing? Oh,
it was obvious enough that Vairya didn’t want to remember and was
twisting this scenario to avoid it, but there must be a weakness
here, some flaw in Vairya’s defences that Reuben could exploit to
break through all the fear and avoidance.
    “ You doubt I am
worthy? Set me a task, and let me prove my worth.” He knew the kind
of quests a scenario like this would throw up, fighting monsters,
fetching obscure items, or rescuing princesses, and he was
confident his imagination was a match for any of them.
    Vairya hesitated, lifting
his shoulders slightly. “That’s not how—”
    Reuben pressed his
advantage. “It’s only fair. I’ve come here with the best of
intentions, as a complete stranger who knows nothing of your
situation. You owe me a chance to prove myself.”
    Vairya was quiet for a
moment. Then he lifted his chin with a sudden sharp grin. “You
won’t like it.”
    “ Try
me.”
    “ Oh, I will.
Your task is trial by ordeal.”
    “ And what will
that prove?” Reuben asked, intrigued. It seemed out of
character.
    “ Your
determination.”
    “ Trying to
scare me off? It won’t work.” In here torture was merely a matter
of the mind, and Reuben knew he could out-think the mere illusion
of pain.
    Vairya led him under an
arch covered with scarlet flowers, into a round of grass. Roses
surrounded it, and a pebbled path led across it to a
door.
    It stood within a stone
archway, with the path continuing on either side. It was made of
wood, with a heavy iron ring as its handle. Reuben walked around
it, trying to swallow a laugh. He was beginning to suspect that
Vairya was taking his ideas from bad vids rather than any actual
historical source. Waggling his eyebrows, he said, “Let me guess—
the Chamber of the Ordeal?”
    “ No,” Vairya
said, though he looked cross. “Of course not.”
    “ What is it,
then?”
    “ It’s, er… It
has no name. It’s the Nameless Chamber.”
    “ Of Dread?”
Reuben inquired, grinning. “The Nameless Chamber of Doom?
Destiny?”
    “ It needs no
name,” Vairya