The Unwanted Guest is a short story set in The Locked Tomb Universe written by Tamsyn Muir. Released on 19 September 2023 with the paperback version of Nona the Ninth, The Unwanted Guest chronicles Palamedes Sextus, Ianthe Tridentarius and Dulcinea Septimus playing a game of riddles in the aftermath of the events of Nona the Ninth. It can also be found on reactormag.com.
Introduction[]
The story is presented as stage directions to a play starring Palamedes Sextus and Ianthe Tridentarius set on The Ninth House. For most of the play, the identity of Dulcinea Septimus is concealed from the reader.
Plot[]
Scene One[]
This scene is a funeral held in an empty room with seven coffins. After a queue of mourners pay their respects, Palamedes reaches his hand into the open coffin, whereupon Ianthe sits up in the coffin, grabs his arm, and tells him that "he's fucked".
Scene Two[]
When Palamedes enters the room he tells Ianthe that he is "here to see the lady of house" again. After a brief aside about the politeness of different ways of phrasing similar questions, they agree to play a game. The game will consist of Palamedes asking five questions to attempt to discover which of the seven coffins contains the body Naberius Tern. Palamedes wastes the first question by inquiring if Ianthe will play fairly. After Ianthe leaves, Palamedes has a conversation with Dulcinea about how the game is psychological rather than logical.
Scene Three[]
Palamedes' second question is about whether or not Ianthe believes in "the permeability of the soul". After Ianthe expresses her surprise about what Palamedes asked her about, she states that she believes the soul is "indivisible and impermeable"; in other words, completely unchangeable. Ianthe elaborates that she believes that Lyctors using their Cavaliers' souls to power Necromancy works because of this unchangeable nature. Palamedes suggests that Cavaliers' soul might be decaying so slowly that it is overlooked, which Ianthe denies. After this Dulcinea advises Palamedes to ask Ianthe the kind of questions Ianthe would ask.
Scene Four[]
Palamedes' third question is about whether or not Ianthe feels regret for murdering Naberius. When Ianthe does not answer the question at first, Palamedes slams his hands on the lid of one of the coffins, which he says he did because it "felt right". Palamedes reminds Ianthe that a cavalier is supposed to protect their Necromancer and questions what Naberius died to protect. When Ianthe explains that Naberius died to further her ambitions, Palamedes points out that Ianthe does not stop to think about what she sacrifices to achieve her ambitions. In response Ianthe points out that Palamedes unnecessarily stops to argue about small details. Palamedes questions Ianthe about the details of how Naberius was selected to Ianthe's cavalier at birth, despite not knowing if there would be any complications later on and despite this, Ianthe feel no remorse for what she did. Following this Palamedes discusses with Dulcinea how Ianthe saw Naberius as a resource to be used. Dulcinea questions Palamedes about why he is smoking a cigarette, something he has never done before and Dulcinea realizes that he is doing it because of the unusual circumstances he is in.
Scene Five[]
Palmedes' fouth question is what Ianthe thought about Gideon Nav when she met Gideon for the first time at Canaan House. Ianthe expresses confusion that Palamedes is asking about Gideon, despite the fact Palamedes is trying to figure out which coffin Naberius' body is in. While they are talking, Ianthe practices fencing with several of her attendants and defeats them all easily without paying any attention. Ianthe explains that she was intrigued because Gideon and Harrowhark Nonagesimus did not act according to stereotypes about the Ninth House, unlike all of the other Necromancers and their Cavaliers. When Palamedes asks when she realized she underestimated Gideon, Ianthe denies that she underestimated her and states that she saw Gideon as a "dope". Dulcinea asks Palamedes if he can solve the riddle with only one question remaining and Palamedes expresses that he wishes the game were less psychological. Palamedes admits that from the impression he got of Naberius, he did not see Naberius very positively, but he still feels uncomfortable asking so many personal questions about him. Dulcinea admits that she and Protesilaus Ebdoma died a second time in The River and talks about a drawing of herself made by Camilla Hect that she received and included in her will. Dulcinea allows Palamedes to see her one last time.
Scene Six[]
Ianthe begins by taunting Palamedes about how little information he seems to have and Palamedes asks her if she would have used Coronabeth Tridentarius as her Cavalier if Naberius had died before the fight agianst Cytherea. While they are talking, they play a game of cards using a coffin as a table. Ianthe admits that she would not have used Coronabeth as her Cavalier because her swordsmanship was not as good as that of Naberius. Palamedes points out Coronabeth's soul probably would have had better necromantic compatibility than with her than with Naberius. Ianthe explains that using Coronabeth's soul would have been inefficient and Palamedes notes that although Gideon and Harrowhark clashed, it was better than having no Cavalier. Ianthe reminds Palamedes that Coronabeth was her sister, so Palamedes would not understand due to him being an only child. Ianthe finally admits that she would not murder Coronabeth and Palamedes asks Ianthe one more question: does she know where Naberius' body is? Before she answers Palamedes talks about why he smokes the cigarette, even though he never smoked before and speculates that it might be an unconscious reflex. Palamedes questions how Ianthe knows about how Gideon wielded her rapier, even though she did not directly see Gideon fence and Ianthe reveals that Naberius told her about it. Palamedes explains how he believes that Ianthe's answer about the "indivisibility and impermeability" of the soul is wrong and he believes it is changeable. Finally, Palamedes explains that he has deduced that all of the coffins are empty and demonstrates this by opening the final coffin.