Fireblade: Chapter 29
SAMARAN’S TREACHEROUS ex-chancellor is already wheedling and pleading and bargaining for his life, promising to betray every co-conspirator he has ever worked with. I find no joy in his humiliation, my mind too full of the countless lives ruined or lost to his ruthless greed.
Tandarion’s cold stare speaks more forcefully than any spoken question as he listens to the list of names pouring from the traitor’s mouth. Jantian has reappeared to stand at the King’s shoulder once more, quietly writing down every word of this confessional.
Farang’s easy double-betrayal slows as the callous selling out of his co-conspirators moves on and changes direction. Now he is describing the places where Purmut concealed the gold taken from the Northland mines, the treasures looted from households across the land, and finally the various dungeons where Kashia’s captured spies are incarcerated.
A few brief signals from Jantian, dispatching teams of Eldrin to follow up the information. Finally he speaks.
“There is more. Confess now.”
“No!” Farang has lost most of his smooth-talking skill in his fear and panic. “I already gave you everything.”
Jantian walks down the steps and presses the tip of his dagger delicately into a few selected nerve-points on the traitor’s arms and hands. I know those points. Basic Nishan training. Least damage for maximum pain. When he has finished screaming, the Fang delivers a few more scraps of information. More places where tortured prisoners can be found and released. I can only assume he was hoping to save those as bargaining chips for later.
Then it stops. The traitor is led away, his chains rattling as he walks.
Why did they let him off so easily?
“Marin? What’s that all about? Whose idea was it to make others suffer so much but not him?”
Maybe I’ll just go down there and finish him off myself!
It is Deris who answers, emerging silently from the forest shadows as only Elf or Nishan knows how to tread.
“Ariel, leave it. The next few months will doubtless have the Fang begging for Lord Gullin’s quick end. Tandarion spent the time confined in his apartment by going over his recollection of the years our traitor must have been planning this coup. He worked out just how well-established and extensive Farang’s spy network would be by now. It will take a long time to discover every connection and we can’t do that if the source is dead. Leave it unchallenged and we risk someone else taking over that leadership. Think about what happened when Dragar took over from Purmut.”
I don’t feel entirely convinced, searching for another objection to Farang’s apparent reprieve. Lupine appears from the forest and runs to Marin, laying her head on his knee, whimpering. I have never seen her like this before. Then I notice the bloody bandage on Deris’ hand. Something else must have happened down there that the mirror did not reveal.
“Deris? What’s wrong with Lupine? And what happened to you?”
He gives a self-effacing shrug. “My fault. She went wild when they started torturing Marin. She tried to attack and rescue him. I should have known she would do that, should have taken her out of the way before it started. The guards would have killed her if she had gone anywhere near the executioner. I had to hold her back by force and she bit me.”
I can understand only too well how she felt. Lucky for Deris he didn’t try to stop me while I was totally caught up with doing the same thing.
“How long before the search parties catch up with us?”
“No searches. They think Marin is dead.”
“How?”
At the time I had been too overwhelmed by my own anger and my desperation to escape to even consider what everyone else might see or think or remember. Deris is trying hard to keep his account impassive, making it difficult to tell what he really thinks about what passed down there.
“That flash of light and fire blinded everyone around it for a few moments. No one saw you go into the flames except Jantian and myself––and that was only because we were half expecting you to try something insane like that. When Jantian and the Eldrin guards moved in after the fire died down, they were able to report that the mercenary posing as King Tieran had used dragonfire to try to escape and had miscalculated, succeeding only in destroying the tree, the executioner and himself. Jantian took a considerable risk with that deception, trying to protect both of you.”
I suppose the absence of pursuit is a relief but the future still looks gloomy.
“So. Not just exiled criminals.” I can hear the bitterness in my own voice. “We are now non-existent people? Marin is dead and I never even existed now my sister has replaced me.”
Deris’ tone is uncompromising now, no doubt because he is relaying orders from Jantian.
“There is still work to be done. We have to operate with whatever conditions we have been given. I left the horses by the cave at the end of the tunnel. Jantian wants us back in Maratic before nightfall tomorrow.”
Marin looks up from comforting the distraught wolf.
“We should go now. Just in case someone sees us and ruins the story about my untimely death. There is a whole army camped out down there, too close for comfort.” He heaves himself wearily to his feet. “The roads are good for the first twenty miles and we can ride slowly once the moon rises.”
I groan inwardly as I move to follow him. The syrupy lethargy from smothering the fire is lasting longer than I anticipated. Marin grips my arm.
“Not you, Ariel. You’re still too exhausted to ride. Go with Shadow and save your strength. I fear there will be more demands on both of us before tomorrow is over.”
“No! I don’t want to let you out of my sight. You’re as tired as I am and you seem to have abandoned any effort at self-preservation.”
“This is self-preservation. I’ll be ready to drop by the time I reach Maratic and I’m going to need you to get me back on my feet. Fast. I have a feeling we’re going to have to work together like this if we are to survive whatever Jantian is preparing to throw at us next.” He gives me a gentle push and turns away to follow Deris before I can ask him what he knows and I don’t.
I wait in the silent tree shadows for a few moments, hoping he will change his mind, tell me more about what our future might hold. Only Lupine pauses, giving my hand a brief lick before disappearing downhill after the others.
Shadow carries me to Maratic before I even make the request. I’m too tired to ask what is going on for him now that so much has changed in all our fates. The Eldrin guards cast curious glances at us in the torchlight but they seem to know us by now and make no challenge. Shadow hesitates in the darkened outer courtyard, his eyes roaming from the wide cave entrance to the mouth of the tunnel leading to the other side.
“Where are your jailers?”
I had hoped he would let go of this one but even so, the taunt carries less venom than the last time he threw it at me.
“If you mean the rest of the security detail, I expect they are in the other cave, still going through the archives.”
“Valara’s lies. Embellished by that sycophant Jaren.”
“Well, when the research is complete, you can add your own version to balance the historical record.”
“Why? Since when were the Eldrin interested in the truth?”
I hesitate. He has a point. Truth has been seriously eclipsed by expediency of late. But still, Jantian’s determined search through history has to be for a reason.
“Maybe your destiny is to make sure they hear the truth.”
“Hear it or actually listen to it? There is a difference.”
“I think they will listen this time.”
“We shall see.”
A cold breath of dark wings and he is gone, although I doubt he will stray far. Not after so many years of scheming and planning to make it back to Maratic. Wearily, I walk through the unsteady torchlight of the cave of bats to my familiar alcove.
My hand brushes against soft fur, bringing the first smile to my lips for some time. At some point Deris must have retrieved my wolf-cloak from where I left it outside Corinium and set it here, waiting for me.
I burrow down into its warm folds and instantly sink into oblivion.