Shandral

By Charlotte E. English

Reeling in the aftermath of the malefic curse, the city of Ekamet knows no peace, for a new killer strikes — and strikes again.

Two men lie dead, gaping holes where their eyes used to be, with knives of carved bone sprouting from their butchered hearts.

But who is to deliver justice for them now?

For Konrad is adrift in the wake of disaster, severed from all he loves. Will his hard-won friends be enough to save him?

And can he be enough to save them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frouse Books
• Release date: Aug 15, 2019

Charlotte E. English

English both by name and nationality, Charlotte hasn’t permitted emigration to the Netherlands to damage her essential Britishness. She writes colourful fantasy novels over copious quantities of tea, and rarely misses an opportunity to apologise for something. Spanning the spectrum from light to dark, her works include the Draykon Series, Modern Magick, The Malykant Mysteries and the Tales of Aylfenhame.

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Shandral

The Malykant Mysteries, 12

Charlotte E. English

Copyright © 2019 by Charlotte E. English

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by EU copyright law.

Contents

1. Chapter One

2. Chapter Two

3. Chapter Three

4. Chapter Four

5. Chapter Five

6. Chapter Six

7. Chapter Seven

8. Chapter Eight

9. Chapter Nine

10. Epilogue

Chapter One

At the door of a certain luxurious study at Bakar House stood Inspector Nuritov, hatless and bemused.

‘Tasha,’ he said. He paused, and looked behind himself as though he suspected life of playing some prank upon him. ‘Have you seen Konrad?’

What puzzled the good inspector, Tasha realised, was twofold. The absence of Konrad was half of it. The other half was Tasha’s emphatic presence, for she was not only occupying space in Konrad’s private study, she had taken possession of it. She lounged at her ease in Konrad’s favourite chair — a respectably well-worn article with wide arms, smooth leather and plentiful stuffing — and in her hand she held Konrad’s snake-headed cane. It felt rather like wielding the royal sceptre. If only she’d been able to avail herself of one of his tall, glossy hats, too.

‘Not lately,’ she answered, which was sort of true depending on your definition of lately. Two whole days had passed since she had last exchanged words with Konrad, and that was a long time, wasn’t it?

‘He isn’t here?’ said the inspector, venturing a step or two beyond the threshold.

‘No,’ said Tasha. ‘But you can relax. I’m the new Konrad.’

‘The new…?’

‘You did come here looking for the Malykant?’

‘I… a case has come up, yes, and I wondered—’

Taking pity on her erstwhile superior’s bewilderment, Tasha smiled. ‘Wondered why Konrad wasn’t already all over it? He—’ She stopped, for doubtless if Konrad was present he would have already been all over it, and therefore why wasn’t she? ‘How did you find out about this case?’ she said abruptly.

‘I am the police,’ he reminded her, gently enough.

‘Yes, but Konrad always gets there before the police. What am I not… oh.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Eetapi!’ she yelled. ‘Ootapi! Get down here.’

A long silence followed, so lengthy and so pointed she wondered if she was to be obeyed at all. She tried not to look too closely at the inspector while she waited; the look of befuddlement was fading fast, replaced by narrow-eyed comprehension laced with disapproval.

‘Eetapi!’ she screamed.

Cold descended, wrapping around her shoulders — no, her throat, icy draughts slipping over her neck, and down her back. Deep, dark winter took hold of her, and squeezed.

Was there something? hissed Eetapi.

‘Yes!’ choked Tasha. ‘Manifest, please. Do I have to talk to empty air?’

She regretted her insistence at once, for bright bands of ghostly energy wound around and around her throat; Eetapi, her incorporeal serpents’ form locked in an icy death-grip. ‘Stop that,’ she gasped, swallowing down a slight tremor.

Eetapi ignored her command. If anything, the cursed creature’s grip tightened; Tasha choked, and shivered.

‘Why,’ she gasped, ‘have you not reported this death to me?’

‘To you,’ said the inspector. ‘Why should she?’

‘Because I— am the Malykant, now.’

The inspector, to do him justice, did not waste time on futile questions or exclamations. He was silent for a short time, no doubt putting the pieces together in his mind.

What death? whispered Eetapi, innocence itself, but Tasha heard the echo of a harsh laughter behind the words.

‘That death,’ she said furiously. ‘The one the inspector is here to report. Unless it is more victims of the malefic?’

‘Not unless the malefic has taken to blinding its victims and then stabbing them to death,’ said the inspector, watching Tasha with calm, sad eyes. ‘And you know there have been no further sightings of the malefic in two days.’

‘Before you ask,’ said Tasha, ‘which I know you are dying to do, yes, Konrad is dead.’

‘I see,’ said the inspector.

‘He died… slaying the malefic. That’s why no one has seen either of them in two days.’

Yet, hissed Eetapi, his was an unclean death. I felt it.

‘The—’ Tasha swallowed painfully. ‘The malefic wasn’t too clean, was it?’

It was not like that. He died by the hand of another mortal. Like you.

Tasha, catching the inspector’s eye, hurried into speech. ‘He died a heroic death, isn’t that great? Saving the city and the spirit-lands alike from the predations of an ancient curse — selflessly sacrificing himself for the greater good—’

‘So you mean you were there?’ said the inspector.

‘Um. Yes.’

‘You’ve known for two days he was dead, and did not tell me?’

‘I… was going to.’

‘When?’

When she was ready to reveal herself as Konrad’s replacement. Her first plan had been to do so at once, not only to the inspector but to the Order of the Malykt as well. Only, it had proved difficult. Something had kept her hesitating, postponing the moment. She ought first to familiarise herself with The Malykt’s Temple, had not she? So she’d done that. And then someone ought to keep Konrad’s seat warm at Bakar House…

In truth, she had been a coward. The enormity of what she had done had only hit her when it was far too late. And wasn’t that just the way of things? It didn’t matter what you thought you were ready for. You never were.

‘I was there,’ she acknowledged again. ‘So was Nanda.’

‘Nanda?’ Misdirection successful: the inspector was entirely diverted. ‘What was she doing there?’

‘Helping… Konrad.’ Sort of.

‘Is she all right? Where is she?’

‘She isn’t dead,’ said Tasha hastily. At least, hopefully Nanda wasn’t dead. Where she had gone, there was no saying for certain. ‘She will be back soon.’

‘Back from where? Tasha, if you will not be honest with me—’

Tell him the truth, hissed Eetapi, and a needle-sharp pain blossomed suddenly in Tasha’s ear. The filthy creature had bitten her! Tell him the truth or I will slay you where you sit.

‘You can’t slay me, I am lamaeni,’ said Tasha. ‘Not that we cannot die, but that isn’t how you go about it—’ Her words failed as the pressure on her throat increased, cutting off her air.

Tasha flailed.

‘Eetapi,’ said the inspector sharply. ‘Please, leave be.’

Somewhat to Tasha’s surprise, the serpent obeyed this request, slinking sulkily away from Tasha’s throat and taking up a position near the inspector’s left shoulder instead.

Two sets of eyes — one mortal, one ghostly — stared balefully upon Tasha. How could she suddenly feel so small, when half an hour ago she’d felt the size of a house?

‘Fine,’ she sighed, sitting up. Massaging her throat did not help, damn the serpent. ‘I killed Konrad. I think. He went up to the spirit-lands in pursuit of the malefic, and Nanda and I followed him. He fought it, and killed it, but it injured him — again — and you know they said anyone marked by the malefic has to die? Well, Konrad would probably have died of the wounds anyway, they were quite bad I can tell you, but I had to make sure, so I killed him the rest of the way.’

‘Why?’ said the inspector, in a low, ominous tone Tasha had never heard from him before. Not even when she had broken the framed miniature of his wife he’d once kept on his desk.

‘I told you. Those struck have to die—’

‘You planned this before the malefic appeared. Did not you? Did not we?’

‘There was the small matter of that bargain with The Malykt,’ said Tasha quickly. ‘And Konrad’s misery and how he was losing his marbles. You agreed that something must be done.’

Some of the indignation went out of the inspector in a rush, leaving him weakened, for he sank into a chair. ‘I did not think it would be like this,’ he said simply.

‘Well, neither did we. You can thank the malefic for that.’

He said nothing.

‘Anyway,’ Tasha said crisply. ‘Never mind all that. What was this about a corpse?’

‘The Malykt accepted you as Konrad’s replacement?’ said the inspector, looking sharply at her.

‘He did.’

‘Then why is Eetapi enraged with you?’

‘She disagrees.’

‘And Ootapi?’

‘I don’t know where he is.’

He is gone into the Deathlands, said Eetapi, in an oddly small voice. In search of the Master.

‘He is not your master anymore, Eetapi. That’s what I am trying to tell you. You work for me now.’

The Malykt has not said that this is so.

‘I’m sure He is just busy.’

‘Where is Nanda?’ said the inspector, and Tasha wished fervently he wasn’t so tenacious of mind.

‘I shouldn’t say this part out loud,’ said Tasha. ‘If it were to be known what she’s trying to do—’

‘You can tell me. And you will, or I will haul you before Diana by your hair and let her deal with you.’

‘Oh, she knows about me already,’ said Tasha airily. ‘She’s completely in support of this. Said I’d be a great Malykant.’

‘All lies.’

Tasha growled. ‘Nanda’s