Written in the Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones Read Free Book Online

beats.
    Szilárd lurched forward, clearing his throat. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and removed a pipe. Tamping tobacco into its bowl, he clenched the stem between his teeth, struck a match and sucked.
    Brown leaf crackled and he breathed a fragrant cloud, heavy with the scent of leather and dried fruit. ‘Never had a son myself. Nor a daughter.’ Fingers of smoke crept through the air. The boy’s uncle shook his head. ‘What am I saying? As if you didn’t know that.’ He grunted. ‘No heirs. No noses to wipe. Never in my life met the right woman for that. Met plenty of wrong ones. An army of them, I can tell you. Long time ago now. You’re a boy still, Izsák. But you’re going to have to become a man.’
    ‘Sir?’
    ‘You’ve heard what your brother did?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Go on.’
    ‘He hurt a woman.’
    ‘You know how he hurt her?’
    The boy felt his cheeks reddening. He nodded miserably.
    Szilárd sighed. He sucked on his pipe. Blew out smoke. The clock ticked, lengthening the seconds between them. ‘He raped her, Izsák. No point tiptoeing around the word. Doesn’t soften it any if we don’t speak it aloud. I went over to Buda and saw her with my own eyes. She didn’t deserve that, and your father didn’t deserve it either. Nor Jani. Nor you.’
    ‘What will happen?’
    ‘It’s already decided. All eight members of the tanács voted in favour, and the Főnök – despite whatever reservations our leader may have had personally – ratified it. I don’t know how much pressure those councilmen were facing, but the result was unanimous. He’s been cast out. A kirekesztett now, and a part of us no longer. I won’t speak his name. Neither will you.’
    ‘I didn’t mean him.’
    His uncle nodded. ‘Jani, then. They’ve blocked your oldest brother’s courtship of the Zsinka girl until this is done, revoking his right of végzet . And not just his . . .’ Szilárd stopped, frowned. He poured himself a shot of pálinka and threw it down his throat. ‘They’ve sent Jani to find the kirekesztett . I wouldn’t have believed them capable of that. But they’re panicking. Desperate to find an end to this. Your brother will bring him back to Budapest and he’ll face trial. It’ll be swift justice. Bloody.’
    ‘Sir, I know about Jani. You told me before. I was asking—’
    Szilárd cut him off with a raised hand, and suddenly Izsák knew that his uncle had been leading up to this, had been feeling his way towards the news he needed to deliver.
    When finally he began to speak, it seemed as if the man addressed himself rather than the boy. ‘It would be easy to blame the tanács for their actions,’ he said. ‘And in fact I do. But the council’s convinced it has no choice.’
    Izsák opened his mouth to speak, but again his uncle waved his words away.
    ‘The palace is involved now. You’ve been sheltered from this – tucked away in Gödöllö with your father – and rightly so. But we enjoy little goodwill in this city these days. The temperature here has plummeted.’ He poured himself another drink. ‘Some of us counselled that to live so openly among the populace would one day invite disaster. Too often has our presence here encouraged envy, distrust. Something like this happens and all that resentment boils over. They’ve demanded that an example is made.’
    ‘Of my father?’
    ‘You know that he saw . . . you know he saw the kirekesztett afterwards.’
    ‘They had a fight.’
    Szilárd nodded. ‘The Fő nök had instructed your father. A direct command. He requested that József bring the kirekesztett to face trial.’
    ‘But he let him go.’
    ‘Your father knew how serious the situation was, and despite everything, he allowed the boy to walk out of there. Jani is on the kirekesztett ’s trail, but the damage has been done.’
    ‘What will happen?’
    ‘I’m sorry. I really am.’ Szilárd stared into Izsák’s eyes. He picked up his glass, swirled