137 - Hauling Buckets With Your Eyelids

“Amir.” Kyrus the elder’s voice was quiet, over the plish plish of the water being pumped up and the steady creak of the water wheel.  “Would you be so kind as to check and see that we are private here?”

“Ahv course, Brilliance.  Not a problem.”

The storm still raged outside and the skins of the sala’r lizards was dim and some were starting to stink as they rotted instead of drying.  Dukir could barely see Kyrus, walking in the wheel, by himself.  It was very unlikely that anyone lurked in the water cavern but he did the check thoroughly, nonetheless.  The air was full of dust almost this deep in the cavern, driven by the relentless wind.

“You called me to speak with me, Brilliance?”  His salute was somewhat less than razor perfect, but Kyrus didn’t seem to notice, or chose not to.

“Why don’t you set aside your scabbard, Amir and join me?  I’d like to talk and I thought this would be the most private place, once I chased the boys out for a rest.”

Privacy.  Well, He’s unorthodox in his choices but... it makes a certain sense. Most Hive Lords wouldn’t think of stooping to pumping water while pumping for information. “Of course, Brilliance.”  As a bonus there is just enough noise with the wooden wheel squeaking occasionally, the water rushing through the filters and so forth that anyone who might have gotten some kind of bug to function here will hear more noise than words. He waited for the iron spar to pass and stepped into the wheel beside Kyrus. Tramp tramp thud tramp creak

The wheel lagged a bit, before his step matched Kyrus’s, and sped up again.  At this rate the old reservoir would be a puddle before they left, the bulk of the water filtered clean. 

Dukir draped his forearms companionably over the support bar next to Kyrus and they plodded on to infinity for a while together, in silence.  Creak creak creak. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about the stint I did as an irrigator’s apprentice.  We hauled water with every part of our bodies it felt like.  Some days when the windblown salt was bad you’d feel like you were hauling buckets with your eyelids and sucking air through a warbird’s cloaca.  This is easy.

Without turning his head, Kyrus began speaking to the slats in front of them both.  “Perhaps the Amir might, in the future, enlighten me when the policy of ‘travelling fast and in secret’ is about to change suddenly?” creak tramp creak thud

“Oh, ay, Naser.” Snide, boy.

“Good.  Because it was somewhat startling to me, when confronted with an angry Lainz basin-man with a major reservoir pollution issue, holding my son responsible to boot, to be thrust into the roll of Siwion.” He sighed but it was only a pause.  “Amir...it is as obvious to me as the beak on my bird’s face, that the most honourable is hardly an amir.” He didn’t pause and Dukir didn’t interrupt.  “I don’t care right now.  I am quite allergic to being tested however much I understand the reasoning behind it.  Silly me.  I thought His Radiance would be the one testing me.”  This time he did pause, and glance sideways.  Dukir just shrugged and they kept walking.

Although Dukir fully expected Kyrus to continue, the only thing that filled the cavern was a lot of nothing.  I’m not giving up information that easily.  I can wait all day for a straight question.  Or a twisty one. They trudged on, creaking and splashing. Creak creak splash tramp thump creak

“I’m assuming that you either somehow achieved approval from His Radiance, or had it before you ever came into Milar,” Kyrus said finally.  Not bad, not quite right but not bad.

“I had my ‘provals, Naser,” Dukir said, blandly. Splash thump creak creak

“I see.”  More walking silence.  Dukir glanced over this time.

“Your Brilliance handled it well, should I dare tah comment. ‘n news of your existence has been linned all over the endarkened, farkin’ Empire, pardon my language, Naser.”

“Hmm.  Should you dare to comment?  Hmmm?  I have the idea that who you say what to is an enormous part of your training, Amir.  Not that I’m speculating here... but it seems that anyone shiney needs to have people commenting on one’s behaviour with intelligence and... discernment... shall I say.”

“’s a good idea, Naser.” Tramp tramp creak

“Should I perhaps be addressing you as Naser?  Should I ever meet you on your high bird, one day?”

You really want to ask that?  Children.  “Oh, never, Brilliance!  No one is higher saddled than you, right now and fixin’ to go higher still.  After all, even the moon isn’t higher or brighter than the Radiance o’ the Sun now isn’t it?” tramp thump tramp

“Hmmm.”  The inarticulate grunt was the only answer Kyrus gave as they marched on in water-raising silence again.  Think hard, boy, how are you going to ferret this out?  How are you going to finish this?  This kind of mental gyration is what kept him in the field, though to be honest he was getting tired. Creak tramp creak thump

“Amir.  You’ve obviously brought along enough officers so that the fewest of our Asses have gotten killed over the years.  His Radiance surely needs the equivalent.  Now I’m not saying that you are the man who kicks the Emperor in the butthole when he needs it, but I can certainly see that I’m going to need someone who is prepared to thump my skull a few times should I need it.”  He was watching him out of the side of his gaze as they marched.  “Without naming damning names or stupid, hindering titles, I’m going to hope that you and I will be able to work together once we arrive at the city.”  A short pause as he swigged a draught of water out of his belt flask.  “With his Radiance’s oversight and approval, of course.” Creak creak creak

Ream me fakin sideways, how in the enlightened hells did he figure it out? I must be slipping. Scrape me raw and stake me out, you mandering owner-minded pup!  You went straight in with the stinger just like your Granda.

“With his Radiance’s approval.  He’s dying, you know.”

“I know.” Creak creak tramp tramp  “I’m surprised anyone is still trying to kill him.  All they have to do is wait before trying to invade the Hive and become Queen Bee.  But no one alive remembers how that is done, precisely, except the Emperor.  The Emperor must be the Queen and only he knows how that happens.  I hope he doesn’t die before we get there, however callous that sounds.  It’s not just a matter of claiming the throne.  The Hive has to agree.”

Endarken me you’re so much like your Granda you make my anus pucker up tight sometimes.  That’s the one thing that no one has said anything about... the one thing that no one dares say a word about.  Except you.