by Dan Decker
Chapter 12
Soret gazed at Jorad from across the table where they sat in the common room of the boarding house. He wasn't sure what Harri was cooking up, but it smelled delicious and he was ravenous. He hadn't eaten much today and was feeling a little bit light headed. He needed to eat before they left. They had a long road ahead of them tonight and it would be a mistake to start on an empty stomach.
Jorad had never known that his mother had been found with another man. It bothered him that Adar had neglected to mention this particular detail. Jorad could understand why Adar hadn't mentioned it, but it would have been nice to hear it from Adar. The revelation had thrown Jorad through a loop. Adar had been adamant that Nelion was faithful to him. He'd even gone so far as to imply that Tere had been the one to set him up. If Adar suspected that, why was he willing to make a truce with Tere?
There were things Jorad didn't understand and he wished for a moment alone with Adar to try to dig out more details about the death of his mother, but it would be awhile before that happened. There was much he didn't know and he wondered what other surprises lay in wait for him.
The evening was still warm, but that wouldn’t last long. Jorad could see gray clouds through the window and wondered if it would rain. That would be a miserable way to start their trip. The sun broke through the clouds and the light shone between the mountains of the Pinta Peaks. The night was coming fast. Where had his last day in Neberan gone?
Their original plan to leave today was still in place as far as he knew. Adar still hadn't returned and Jorad wondered if Tere and he had found somewhere to continue their fight. It still bothered him that Adar had been planning this day for years, making arrangements and all the while counting on Jorad to be ready and willing. When he went to Rarbon, could he avoid becoming his father’s pawn?
He turned his attention back to Soret. She was more relaxed than before, which meant that she didn’t believe him that the Hunwei had returned. He was frustrated that he hadn't been able to convince her that she was in danger. The Hunwei were scouting Neberan out for a reason. He didn't know how long they had, but if he could get her away tonight, he'd feel better.
“It’s not safe here,” Jorad said. “Whether you come with me or not, you need to leave. Convince Barc and Hira to go to the mountains. Take enough provisions to last for several months, maybe longer.” Barc's store would have more than enough supplies for them and he had the horses to carry everything. They could get away tonight if they hurried.
Soret shook her head. “The mountains? My father wouldn’t last a week. Besides, how do you want me to convince them?”
“Tell them you want to see the country.”
The door to the inn opened and Jorad turned expecting to see Adar and Karn. Instead, he saw Thon and several of the town guard. Erro wasn’t with them, so he turned his attention back to Soret.
“What if we come with you?” Soret asked as Thon stopped in front of their table. Her question surprised Jorad; did she really think she could convince her parents? Did she believe him about the Hunwei?
He looked up at Thon and could see that there was going to be trouble. Thon’s eyes were bloodshot and his lips drawn back, as if he intended to bite somebody. He still wore his big sword on his back. There were six other guards with him. Jorad recognized all of them but didn't know any of their names.
Thon placed his hands on the table and leaned down. “You’re coming with us. We should have listened to Erro.”
“What did Erro say now?” Soret asked.
“Bram is dead. Stabbed a dozen times. Take him.” Thon motioned to the other guards who grabbed Jorad from his chair, one of whom snatched away his sword. Jorad allowed it to happen; it would only make matters worse if he managed to hurt the guards. Erro was hoping Jorad would do just that. Jorad didn't know how he would get out of murder charges, but fighting now wouldn't do anyone any good. His first concern was to keep Soret safe.
“I haven’t killed anybody.” Jorad had forgotten about the corpse. Adar must have reported it. It was a safe bet that this was who Thon was referring to.
Thon punched Jorad in the stomach. His arm was like a battering ram. Soret screamed as Jorad doubled over, gasping for breath, while the guards continued to hold him tightly. Thon hit him in the head. Jorad struggled to breathe and felt like he was about to pass out. After several painful seconds, he managed to get some air into his lungs. He breathed again. It felt like everything else in the world was pushed away as he struggled for another. All other concerns left him until he was able to suck in another lungful of air.
“That’s enough,” one of the other guards said.
“Bram was a friend and a good man,” Thon said. “You’re not getting away with this.”
“I didn’t even know Bram, why would I kill him?” Jorad said between breaths. It took some effort, but he straightened out. The hunger he'd been feeling earlier had been replaced with nausea and his head hurt as if it had been hit with a hammer.
Several of the guards looked uncertain about Thon’s behavior, but none of them looked ready to interfere. Jorad thought of his daggers that were still hidden, if Thon kept this up he'd be forced to protect himself. He was certain he'd be able to take out Thon but the six other men would pose a problem. Soret came into view and the look of concern and anger she wore weakened his resolve to attack. She'd end up hurt. He couldn't let that happen.
“You pretended to find his body,” Thon said.
“If I killed him, why would we report his murder?”
Soret tried to step towards Jorad but a guard pushed her back causing her to trip on a chair leg.
“Leave her alone!” Jorad said as she fell to the ground. He tried to free himself from the guards but they held him tightly. His struggle was a mistake. Thon had been looking for any excuse and this was it. Thon grabbed Jorad and slammed him into a wall, cracking his head and blurring his vision.
When Jorad could see again, he noticed that the common room, which had been almost empty before had begun to fill with people. He struggled to free himself from Thon’s grasp but several of the other guards latched onto him as well. The anger that Jorad had been trying to keep at bay was released. As Jorad gasped, he managed to wrench his arm free and grabbed for a dagger. He hoped Soret wouldn't get hurt, but he couldn't let Thon kill him. Before he could grasp it, his arm was secured again by one of the guards.
Jorad tried to knee Thon in the groin but missed and hit his leg. It only served to make him angrier. Thon slammed a ham-sized fist into Jorad’s chest.
“Baurn!” Thon said to the guard that had pushed Soret. “Help her up.”
Through his blurred vision, Jorad saw Baurn hold a hand out to Soret but she sneered and stood without help. There was a tense moment when Jorad could tell that Soret was thinking of doing something to Baurn, but it passed and she turned to Thon.
Jorad took a deep breath and tried to calm his anger. Kneeing Thon had been a mistake. The next time he attacked, it would have to be a killing blow. That meant he had to get to a dagger and attack right after. Thon wasn't going to let him leave this room alive.
“Thon! Has Kore possessed you?” Anny asked, having just entered the room. “Get out of my house. Now!” She was breathing heavily, her apron straining under each breath. She waved a large wooden spoon at Thon. “Get out!”
“Jorad murdered Bram and he's resisting arrest.”
“He was complying until you started beating him!” Soret stepped towards Thon; she looked ready to slap him.
“Are you cotton brained?” Anny asked. “Jorad isn’t a murderer!”
“Multiple people saw Jorad arguing with Bram last night near the place where his body was found.”
“Is Erro your main witness?” Jorad asked, hoping to distract him by continuing the conversation. Thon’s glare was answer enough. The guard holding Jorad's left arm looked the weakest. If Jorad could free his arm, he could grab the dagger he kept on his right side.
“I was with Adar last night. Did Erro mention anything about him?” Jorad eyed the guard who looked uneasy holding Jorad's sword. He put the sword out of his mind. His best hope was one of his daggers.
“You’ll have to do better than that.”
Xarda and Leron had appeared at the top of the stairs. The insanity of the last couple of days came crashing down unto Jorad, his insides swirled in turmoil and he found himself opening and closing his hand. As his anger spiked, he almost reached for his dagger prematurely. His head hurt and he was still having trouble breathing. He took another breath, trying to calm down. His timing would have to be right for this to work. He'd only have one shot.
Jorad stared into the eyes of Thon who was barely recognizable. His normally friendly face was pulled back into a scowl and his eyes were determined. He was going to kill Jorad if given the chance.
Would Leron and Xarda join the fight when Jorad attacked Thon? Jorad closed his eyes, took a breath, and released it again. This had all happened because of Erro, the bitter jealous fool.
“Erro is manipulating you,” Jorad said. “Bram--”
“Don't you dare utter his name!” Thon put his hands around Jorad’s neck. Xarda had a dagger out and was approaching. Leron was right behind her. They both wore the look of people headed into battle and looked ready to kill.
“Leave him alone!” Soret screamed.
Thon continued to squeeze and Jorad gasped as he struggled, all thought of his plan to attack pushed out of his mind by his desire to breathe. His head was starting to spin. It wouldn’t be long now.
Anny screamed at the other guards. “You can’t let Thon kill him!”
“Thon, let go.” Jorad recognized Baurn through his fading vision. “Once you’ve calmed down, you’ll see I’m right.”
“I won’t regret this!” Thon said.
Anny came up, stood right beside Thon, and touched his shoulder. “This is wrong.” Xarda was only a foot away from Thon now, but she waited. Jorad tried to speak, he wanted to urge her to attack, but all that came out was a groan.
Thon let go, snarling as he did. Baurn and the others dragged Jorad to the door as he gasped for breath. He’d never realized how much breathing meant to him, it was something he wasn’t going to take for granted again. He took breath after breath. The more air he got into his lungs, the hotter his temper became.
Thon wasn't any calmer. Several of the guards were standing at his side and one had placed a hand on Thon's arm. Thon hadn't taken his eyes off Jorad. That man would come at him again, Jorad didn't have any doubt. The attack had been delayed but it hadn't been stopped.
Jorad's eyes locked onto Soret. Her eyes were red and her face was covered with worry. Xarda and Leron stood at either side of her. He had to get her out of Neberan. That was paramount. He couldn't let his anger get in the way of that and if he continued to let his temper run, that's what would happen. He focused on pushing the anger away. When Thon came at him again, Thon would come at a time when he would be certain to win. Jorad would have to be ready. That meant watching and waiting.
“Who is going to pay for the damage?” Anny demanded.
Baurn avoided Anny’s glare as he took in the room and muttered. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Sorry.” He nodded and motioned towards the door.
“The mayor will hear about this,” Anny said.
“Jorad--” Soret began.
“Tell Adar.”
As the guards led him out the door, Jorad resisted the urge to feel his face, which felt as if it was a bloody pulp, or rub his neck, which he was sure had imprints from Thon’s hands. He swallowed. For a moment there, he'd been wondering if he’d ever be able to swallow again. The sun was almost down and he checked the sky, hoping that the Hunwei didn’t choose tonight to come. It was still cloudy and thank the gods, he didn’t see any ships.
