SWNOVELS Soulblade: Chapter 10
MARIN STEPS FORWARD and pushes back the hood of his cloak. “Good to see you again, Iryna. Lupine went back to the quayside to bring Brac and Nem here.”
Iryna’s face relaxes into a joyful grin. “Sir! I am so relieved to see you alive. Jantian told me you had survived… but I did not think it possible…” She seems lost for words for a moment before remembering her role as host. “Please, sit. Eat.”
Marin waves Deris and I to find chairs, then glances back at our host.
“Iryna, join us. You can tell us your story. And also how much Jantian has revealed to you about what has passed these last few days. We can listen and eat in peace without the need to talk at the same time.” He offers a chair for her at the head of the table, smiling at her hesitation to take the seat usually reserved for the captain. “No formalities among the Eldrin when on a mission, remember?”
Iryna sits, a little self-consciously. I find myself a place, keeping Deris between her and myself in the hope of avoiding curious questions––while looking forward to the first food we have seen for nearly two days. I need not have worried. Iryna follows Marin’s orders and starts her story.
“After the great battle, as soon as we returned to Blackthorn, Lieutenant Saros and I were posted on bodyguard duty for the King and Sarinder. Jantian said he trusted us implicitly and swore us to secrecy. Then… it was very strange. He told us he had ordered you to conceal your identity as Captain of the Eldrin so that you could take the crown and lead the army against the Rapathians.” She frowns and fixes a troubled stare on Marin. “Sir? May I speak freely?”
“Of course. Coming from you, I doubt it will include insults or treason.”
Iryna seems somewhat reassured. “I can understand why Jantian felt it was necessary for you to do it. The army desperately needed a King they could trust. Someone who so clearly knew what he was doing in a great battle like that, even before the fire-drake appeared and changed everything. But could Jantian not have trusted all the Eldrin with this knowledge? I know it meant you had broken your oath… but it was the only way to become the leader everyone needed…”
Her confusion leaves her lost for words. Marin interrupts before she can go further.
“No. Jantian could not speak openly. It was not from a lack of trust, but a need for clear focus and confidence. I know Jantian must have chosen you to hold this secret because you have a steady mind. And even so, I can tell it has caused you great uncertainty. That kind of news is not what the Eldrin needed just before a great battle in which we were desperately outnumbered. Jantian will reveal the truth as soon as things have settled down again and the traitor Farang has been recaptured.”
Iryna’s blue eyes open wide in shock. “I did not know he had escaped. This is dire news indeed. It must have happened after we set out from Blackthorn…”
She stops herself and gives a dismissive wave of her hand.
“I’m sorry. I said I would tell my story and let you eat in peace. When you disappeared in that great fireball outside Blackthorn, Jantian told us to go in there with him as soon as the flames died down. All we found was a heap of burned branches and the charred corpse of the executioner. Jantian made us gather it all up, wrap the remains in our cloaks and carry it all quickly into the Manor. Then we had to report that we had found your dead body, badly burned. I did not understand what had happened and to be honest, Jantian’s explanation was brief to the point of telling us nothing.”
“But you kept your word and spoke of this to no-one.”
“Of course.”
“That is why Jantian chose you. If it helps, I will answer any of your questions when you have finished your story.”
“Thank you. And… I am starting to see that you are right about Jantian’s decision. I’m glad I could ride into that battle believing that I was following our rightful lost King who had returned to save us.”
Much as I am interested in the food, I can’t resist interrupting. “You were. That part was true. Don’t forget that, even though the plan was always intended to be temporary.”
Following law and tradition is one thing, but sometimes I think the Eldrin take it a bit too far.
“Thank you, Ariel. I will remember that.” Iryna looks closely at me. “Now I want to ask you about your sister, but I promise I will save my questions for later.” She notices my surprise. “Yes, Jantian also told me about how you had been exchanging places with the… Queen. I suppose he wanted me to be as prepared as possible if something unexpected happened. Things were very strange and unpredictable after the battle.”
I am beginning to see what Marin means about Iryna having a steady mind.
“I would have chosen a stronger word than unpredictable, but I won’t argue so long as you get to the part that explains why you are here. We did not expect anyone to meet us at the port.”
“Well…” Iryna glances again at Marin. “We were ordered to bring the prisoner here if he had agreed to cooperate fully with the Eldrin. But we were not having much luck in persuading him. So we…”
Marin seems to guess where this is going before I do.
“Iryna, you are not disobeying orders, simply using your initiative because you didn’t want to risk arriving at the port too late, after we had sailed.”
She looks relieved. “Ah, yes. We set off three days ago, and continued our efforts at persuasion as we rode from Blackthorn to here. So. We can deliver the prisoner to you in good order––but I confess he is no more persuaded to cooperate than when we started.”
“Better than having him still confined at Blackthorn and out of our reach. Thank you Iryna. I assume Saros is guarding him?”
“Yes. There is another room through that door.” She points to the door she first came through.
“Then we will talk to your captive. Maybe we will have more luck with persuasion while you and Saros get some rest and food.” Marin stands and walks to the inner door.
I follow, wondering why he seems to already know who the prisoner is. As soon as I step into the room and see the big man in red and black Rapathian livery ensconced in one of the chairs, the answer is obvious. General Dragar looks round and glares furiously at us. His face might be handsome if were not marred by the deep lines of a frown that now looks permanent, his heavy Rapathian accent edged with resentment.
“Not you again! If you have come to gloat over your victory I have nothing to say to you.”
Marin ignores him, holding the door open and addressing the guard.
“Lieutenant Saros, it’s good to see you again and thank you for your service. Please, go and get something to eat.”
The stocky Eldrin warrior nods wearily in acknowledgement. He must have endured many tedious hours of Dragar’s belligerence on the way here. He stomps off to join Iryna in the other room. Marin pulls up a chair and waits while Deris and I do the same.
“General Dragar, I assume you have been well treated while in Eldrin custody?”
No response. No doubt the captured Rapathian commander would love to have grounds to complain about mistreatment, but apart from the iron fetters on his wrists and ankles, he seems in good condition. He looks well-groomed and adequately fed. No marks from rough handling apart from the sword slash I inflicted down the side of his face when I confronted him in the battle. It has been neatly cleaned and stitched and is starting to heal.
Marin tries again. “We have been instructed to search for the mysterious evil force that Jantian thinks is somewhere in the south of your country. A force that he believes was the original cause of this war. We would be better equipped to do this if we had your help.”
Dragar is unimpressed. “Why would I assist you in spying on my country? I know perfectly well that you are searching for something you can use as a weapon. You are planning to take advantage of our defeat here and invade Rapathia.”
I can tell from the tightening of his jaw that Marin’s patience is already wearing thin. No doubt our experience in Rian’s ravaged village has something to do with it.
“General, be assured that Samaran has no interest in acquiring a vast tract of forest and swamp that we have no use for. We lost too many people in a war that you inflicted on us to need more territory. There are years of hard work ahead of us to repair the damage done on our home ground.”
“I do not believe your lies. I am no traitor to my country. Only Samarian lords are willing to engage in that level of treachery.”
I notice the tension in Marin’s fists at the mention of Farang. To my relief, he restrains his rather evident urge to punch Dragar on the nose. He stands to leave.
“General Dragar, your pride is holding you back from seeing the dark future ahead if we do not find a way to work together.” He turns to Deris. “You can take first watch on guarding the prisoner, but I am warning you to remain far more alert than when I sent you to guard the traitor Farang.”
He takes my arm and steers me back into the next room. Iryna and Saros have cleared the food from the table and have gone out. As soon as the door closes behind us, I open my mouth to ask the questions that Marin’s order to Deris has provoked, but he pushes me to the far side of the room with a whispered command to keep my voice down.
I try to hold back the impatience. “All right! I’ll keep it quiet. But what was all that about? You have never ordered Deris to guard Farang. You were just watching him that one time when Jantian sent him to… Oh. I think I just worked it out. You were telling Deris to use his Elven-gift on Dragar?”
He rolls tense shoulders. “I can see why Iryna wasn’t getting anywhere with our aggressive guest. And it generally doesn’t produce useful results if you try to beat someone into agreeing to cooperate.”
“And you needed to get out of there before you hit him.”
He looks away. “I had hoped it wasn’t quite so obvious. But after seeing what his troops inflicted on those helpless peasants, his arrogance was getting impossible to stomach. I understand why Jantian believes we need his help on this mission, but dealing with him is going to be a long and painful task.”
“Marin, I’m amazed at how you are still in control. You’re carrying so much grief about so many things. It’s not surprising it has taken the edge off the equanimity you usually show in your leadership.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I’ve not heard it called that before.”
I take his hand, brushing out the tension in his fingers.
“Do you think Deris will be able to penetrate Dragar’s barrier of aggression? He said himself that his Elven-gift only allows him to reach the part of someone’s mind that already wants to reveal the truth and then draw it out, make it stronger. What if Dragar’s mind is full of nothing but animosity?”
Marin takes a deep breath. “Then we have no choice. We take him to Rapathia with us and keep working on it.”