Read Online The Masque of Vyle by Andy Chambers - Free Book Online Page B

Kassais and Vyle as he grandly presented Yegara to Ashanthourus with another of his exaggerated bowing fits.
    +What’s Motley’s game now?+mused Cylia. Ashanthourus did not respond but the Shadowseer could sense the heightened tension in the High Avatar’s mind.
    ‘This worthy fellow has volunteered to participate in our first act, your majesty,’ Motley trilled proudly. ‘He’s assured me he understands all of the potential risks entailed.’
    Ashanthourus inclined his mask fractionally before turning back to Vyle and Kassais. ‘It seems we already have a volunteer thanks to Motley’s efforts. If you will excuse me, my lords, this means I must attend to my troupe and make certain adjustments to the performance. We will be ready to begin the first act momentarily…’
    +Risky…+ admonished Cylia.
    +Motley has left me little choice,+Ashanthourus sighed mentally. +I believe they won’t be able to resist the baited hook once it’s properly dangled before them.+
    ‘You’ll go nowhere until you’ve explained what’s happening to me,’ Vyle snapped. He snatched up a goblet and drank deeply from it, both to give himself more time to focus his thoughts and to force Ashanthourus to wait upon his pleasure. The Shrike Lord had a sense that the Harlequin troupe-master was trying to keep a worthy prize from him, thinking him unfit for it. ‘Well?’ he barked as he slammed the delicately fluted drinking vessel back onto the table. A slave hurried forwards to refill it.
    Ashanthourus looked a little chagrined, his grinning mask pointed at his toes as he spoke. ‘Ursyllas’s masterpiece calls for one or more members of the audience to weave their own tales into the grand array of events being depicted. It was felt that the events of the Fall could be rendered more poignant and immediate to the watching audience by employing them as the backdrop to a personal story, if you will.’
    ‘I can do that,’ Kassais blurted suddenly before looking momentarily surprised at his outburst.
    +And you impugn my sense of subtlety?+ Ashanthourus sniped. He received only the impression of Cylia’s tinkling laughter in return.
    ‘Indeed,’ Vyle nodded approvingly. ‘Kassais here has plenty of tales that would turn your hair white – and some of them might even prove to be true! All of them are pale shadows in comparison to the depth and richness of my own history, of course, and I feel aggrieved that you seem so intent on denying me the opportunity to participate, troupe-master.’
    ‘Please believe me, I meant no slight,’ Ashanthourus said, his rich and mellifluous tones replete with regret. ‘As I mentioned the process is not without risk. In the past participants have become so caught up in the performance that they have harmed themselves in the belief that they were living through the events depicted either in their own tale or the wider canvas of the Fall. Some have even lost their lives… As our honoured host and patron I would not wish to expose you to any danger.’
    +Again – don’t oversell it, my king of fools,+Cylia breathed into Ashanthourus’s mind.
    ‘Dangers are meat and drink to our kind,’ Kassais purred, having recovered some of his usual aplomb. ‘I don’t give much for Yegara’s chances of survival but Vyle and I are certainly made of sterner stuff. All true archons of Commorragh have a fine insight into playacting versus reality; it’s a game we play with one another every day.’
    +Again, you underestimate the bravado of Commorrites,+Ashanthourus replied somewhat smugly. +These are creatures reared in a nest of razors rather than the soft confines of a craftworld.+
    ‘Quite,’ said Vyle, while looking sidelong at Kassais’s rather gauche assertion. ‘It’s settled then – Kassais and I will participate. You said there will be three acts. Yegara can have the first to show how not to do it, Kassais has the second to warm up the crowd with his outrageous boasting and I’ll take the final one