by Hannah King
He’d snuck out once again to see Fina, to tell her the good news about the wedding. He had known she’d be happy that her nephew would not be leaving Leida after all. Once the wedding was complete, Cronins would be accepted in the city, and Wes could go and visit her when he pleased, provided her masters didn’t find out. He would have family at last.
It had been a special evening. The apothecary and his wife had gone to visit neighbors and stayed the night, so instead of the back alley, Wes and Fina had sat in the kitchen with cups of hot coffee and toasted leftover bread by the fire. It had almost been like being in the kitchen with his mother one more time, and when they had finally run out of things to talk about, Wes had left the house with a warm heart even though the air was bitterly cold outside.
Just as he’d turned the corner away from the marketplace, that satisfied feeling had left him altogether. A hand had gripped his shoulder and spun him around. His heart had jumped into his throat as he faced a dark cowled stranger.
Awkwardly, Wes had tried to reach for his papers. They’d been in his pocket, in case of just such a situation, but he’d never tried using them before and he’d hoped they would carry as much weight as the Ambassador had seemed to think they would.
“I, I have permission to be here,” he’d said shakily, but as he’d spoken he had caught a glimpse of the man’s face by the faint light of a distant street lamp. The Ambassador, Wyatt Pearadur, the same man who had given him the papers in the first place.
“I know who you are,” the man had said in a low voice. He hadn’t even reached for the papers that were extended to him. “I need to speak with you, but there’s too much light here,” he’d fretted.
“This way,” he’d said, leading Wes into an alley. Finally feeling concealed enough, the Ambassador had caught his breath.
Even in the shadows Wes had been able to make out the restlessness of the man’s frame.
“I’m sorry to drag you here,” the Ambassador had apologized. “But I have to warn you. The Leiden marriage, the promise of safety, it’s a lie. They’re going to hand you over to the Parters. Messengers have already been sent to retrieve forces to collect you.”
Fear had gripped Wes’ heart.
“They’re handing us over?” he’d echoed, the words cutting down his hopes like a knife.
The young man had nodded solemnly and glanced over his shoulder.
“They hope to make a treaty with Faldir, using your lives as payment,” he’d explained.
The wedding, the citizenship, it was all a hoax? Wes had struggled to believe what was being said.
“But, what do we do?” Wes had stuttered.
“You can’t stay here,” the Ambassador had continued, “but you can’t leave either, not easily. The whole city will be watching you now. The Paraphrant will insist you go through with the union. You have to pretend as though you believe the whole scheme. They don’t want trouble, especially bloodshed during the time of Purification, but if they discover you know, they’ll fight you and chain you up.”
Wes’s heart had sunk. This would be the end, he’d thought, but then the young man had gone on to describe a course of action, an escape. Though possibly faulty, it was a chance, and for some reason this man wanted to help them carry it out.
TALITHA
“You’re wanted in the council room,” a girl startled me with her brisk words. She was a messenger, Yani was her name I remembered, with two jet black braids tied at her back.
In a bit of a stupor, I asked her to repeat herself.
“The captains and leads, they’re meeting in the council room,” she clarified.
“Thank you,” I nodded. So, I was considered well enough now, I supposed as I climbed the steps to the second level. I was surprised they’d bothered to call me back at all. I’d thought maybe they’d wanted to forget my title after everything. I certainly wasn’t bringing much to the table as a captain, especially now that my ability had proved mostly useless.
Perhaps that’s what the meeting is about, I thought suddenly. Maybe they would kindly return me to where I belonged, let me go back to the fifth rank. But would we even keep our ranks now that we were to become Leidens? Or would the old system be completely dissolved?
The council room was merely a dusty old storage room that was adjacent to the captain’s sleeping quarters. It was dark inside with no windows, and it seemed to be the only part of the second story that had a full piece of ceiling as a covering.
A single lamp was lit in the center of the room, casting shadows on the wall and on the faces of the few that were gathered there. Five, somber faces. Lead Talrinious, Lead Breiden, Captain Stalvert, Captain Lewis, and surprisingly, Wes.
I’d known not to expect Tratis or Gray. It was understood that neither he or she would be allowed to leave the citadel until the marriage ceremony took place.
“Come in Captain Amlai, and you may as well shut that poor excuse for a door now that we are all gathered,” Lead Talrinious instructed.
I pulled the cracked door over the opening and then stood facing them.
“It seems you are well enough to resume your respon-sibilities as a captain,” Lead Breiden said.
I nodded.
“I’m glad to see that,” she ended simply, and said nothing further about me.
Lead Talrinious cleared his throat and addressed the whole table.
“We have been called together this morning to discuss something that Wes Perimen has brought to our attention,” he said in a low voice.
This was about Wes? I glanced again at the boy in the corner. He looked strangely nervous.
“It seems that, unbeknownst to any of his leaders, Perimen has left the Turaphelin without Leiden permission many times during our stay here.”
I swallowed. Wes? In trouble? For sneaking out? But it was soon obvious there was more to the meeting.
“His reasons for these secret escapades are not important. We are only today discussing them because during Perimen’s most recent unsanctioned visit into the city, he was pulled aside and warned by a member of Leiden authority, about a sinister plot against our people. This informant believes that the generosity Leida promises from the union of Prince Tratis and Captain Gray, is a dangerous trap.”
My eyes widened.
“A trap?” Lewis snapped. “Why would it be a trap?”
“I knew it,” Stalvert muttered under his breath. “These people owed us nothing.”
“But they owe us the common decency to one of their own. Tratis is the queen’s own brother! The rightful heir to their throne! Surely they wouldn’t break their word to us now!” Lewis countered angrily. “Unless Tratis is betraying us…Why shouldn’t he? He has nothing to lose in this game.”
“Lower your voice captain,” Lead Talrinious warned. “The informant claims Tratis was unaware of the plot. Heir to the throne or not, the Leiden government does not seem to hold him in very high regard. While the queen may still be loyal to her brother, it has been told to us that the majority of the Paraphrant are going behind her back. They agreed to the marriage of Tratis and Gray to appease her and everyone else for the time being. It keeps us here longer, on peaceful terms, making their trap even simpler to spring. They plan to give us over to Faldir as a peace offering to ensure the Parters never bring their fury to this beautiful city. Leida doesn’t want trouble, and they’re more than willing to betray us to secure their safety. That is, according to this informant,” he shifted uncomfortably.
My heart raced with fear. Before the idea of Tratis’ union, I’d envisioned us leaving Leida when our time was up, running and hiding in the hills, surviving a little while longer, then making our way back to the mountains, and if we came against the Parters, we would fight them, even to the death. But to be given over like this, to be tricked? To be led away by our enemies through betrayal and given no fighting chance? I couldn’t let it happen. I couldn’t. My breathing tightened.
So, we’d been warned. A warning was very kin
d, maybe, but what good was it without a plan?
“Who is this informant?” I asked.
“They have chosen to remain unknown to all except Perimen,” Talrinious grumbled.
“Then, what are we going to do?” Lewis panicked.
“Well,” Wes spoke for the first time. “This outsider, they aren't just warning us. They have a plan to help us escape the city.”
“Do they now?” Stalvert raised an eyebrow, unaffected.
Wes took a deep breath and continued.
“They have a friend, or at least, someone they’re willing to pay to help us. This friend owns two trade ships that go across the reef to Indarphe to trade goods and slaves for exotic seeds and spices. The country of Indarphe is welcoming to foreigners. It’s large and sunny and there are lots of fishing villages and cities that have yet to hear about the Parter’s fury. If we arrived there safely, we could camp, hunt, restore our supplies, even start a village, and if we ever wanted to leave, if things changed here, we could take a ship back once we raise money for our fare. Then we could try to return to the mountain pass. I mean, this person doesn’t know about the mountain pass. I didn’t tell them. But we could,” he rushed to clarify.
Talrinious crossed his arms and knitted his brows together.
“And this Leiden decided to help us, out of the kindness of their heart?” Lewis queried.
Wes nodded. “They’ve taken pity on us, sir.”
“Then, it would seem we may owe him or her our lives,” Lead Talrinious speculated, scratching his beard. “But I fear that we may be walking into another trap by trying to avoid one. How can we know that this person is telling the truth and not planning to sell us as slaves across the ocean? That would be profitable, would it not? On one hand, if we ignore this story and stay, we could be sitting ducks, on the other, we might be walking right into a trap.”
“That’s come to my mind as well, sir,” Wes admitted. “I’ve racked my mind and can’t figure out a way for us to verify his story assuredly. But, as I told you earlier, this informant got me out of trouble a while ago. They helped me with something when they had no reason or motive to. That’s what makes me think we might be able to trust them. They seem to be very truthful and well meaning, and I got the impression there could be trouble for them if anyone found out they’d tipped us off. They’re taking a risk for us. I know that’s not much to go on, but, if you were to meet them, I think you’d understand.”
But who is this person? I wondered.
Lead Breiden spoke for the first time. How was it that she never looked tired or worn, even when everything seemed to be falling apart? Her patience and graceful mannerisms she’d learned as a courier to King Lardox had never left her. Was she truly unshaken by this revelation? Or had she always veiled her emotions with a thick mask?
“The issue is going on the word of one man,” she said evenly. “Lead Talrinious is right. How can we know whether or not the boat captain will trade us at one of the ports? It would be a lucrative endeavor for our informer and their friend, and then instead of being in safety here in Leida, we would be separated and sold.”
“Perhaps this person is not in need of money,” I spoke up quickly. “Are they, Wes?”
He cleared his throat.
“Oh...well, no, they likely aren’t in need of money. In my estimation they are more on the wealthy side of things. They don’t seem to need anything, or really want much even.”
“Then perhaps this offer is in earnest rather than deception,” Lead Breiden began carefully, “but we cannot rule out the greed of the rich. Desperation is only one of many reasons a crime is committed.”
Wes nodded, biting his lip.
Stalvert frowned and laced his fingers together. “It’s too risky,” he blanketed, as if the conversation was over. “We need more proof if we are to act on this.”
Wes looked torn, unsure of how he could further prove this person’s story. Whoever they were, they’d put him in a tight spot by not allowing their name to be released.
“What do you think, Amlai?” Lead Breiden spoke up. “I called you here, not only because you are a captain, but because you, yourself, have seen firsthand the Paraphrant’s workings. Do you believe them to be capable of such a crime against us?”
I didn’t have to think long on my answer.
“They are capable, I think,” I said fidgeting with the folds of my cloak. “They scorn us, to say the least, and they think solely of their own gain.”
They were kind to us at first, I thought, but only when they thought I could benefit them with my “gift”.
If I had succeeded they could have guaranteed themselves peace and well-being for years. With Faldir’s reign ended, they could have prospered even more, taking the Parter’s wealth, and more importantly, the shazod. They could have wielded them against anyone so long as they had me. I would have been a weapon in their hands. I shuddered. My failure had been for the best.
“I have seen firsthand that their queen is merely a pawn in their hands,” I rushed on. “They have no respect for Captain Tratis. The Paraphrant only wanted us here when we were useful to them,” I looked down.
The room was quiet for a moment as they considered my words.
“And, even if the escape voyage to Indarphe is a trick,” I added suddenly, “wouldn’t it be better to be sold as slaves than to be given over to the Parters?”
Lead Breiden inhaled slowly, folding her hands in front of her. She looked from me to Lead Talrinious, and then to Wes.
“I, for one, feared that this generosity, the offer of citizenship, of land and jobs in exchange for a mere ceremony seemed too good to be true. Their minds were changed so quickly, with so little effort. Why offer us so much all at once? All that we requested was longer sanction. Yet they suddenly felt as though they must sweeten the offer, to be sure we would stay within their walls.”
Talrinious frowned and shook his head woefully. “It has just the right amount of glint to be a trap,” he admitted.
More discussion followed, but minds were beginning to be made up. The possibility of the trap would be foolish to ignore, and so, it was decided. We would follow the informant’s plan.
Over the next few days, the news was spread carefully by messengers and commanders, behind walls and beneath staircases, anywhere the Leiden guards weren't.
Slowly, steadily, the whole camp became aware of our imminent danger and the course of action we would have to take. On the outside, we went on with our usual drills and chores, acting as natural as possible. We couldn’t let Leida know we’d caught on, or it would be all over.
Silently preparations and plans were made and put into place, instructions and orders were passed on for the night of escape.
We went about our way, memorizing our own individual commands, but we were scared. Some were disappointed that Leida would not truly be their home. They’d gotten wrapped up in the idea of safety and belonging. The glittering promise that the Leidens had offered was certainly more appealing than stowing away on slave ships.
Others, like myself, were at least relieved that we wouldn’t be giving up to belong to a country that could never truly be home. But we all struggled with the fear of the unknown. We wondered whether the plan was true, whether it would work, and beyond that, what would greet us in Indarphe?
The thought of traveling across the sea gave even more weight to a truth we’d often wrestled with. We might never see our families again. We kept that pain to ourselves, but I knew at night there were silent tears being shed, some of them tracing my own face.
Da and Mem would want me to be safe, I’d told myself one night when I was desperate for comfort, but it didn’t take away the sting.
As the days went by I started to feel ill again, a sickness beyond the wound left on my mind. Perhaps it was from the cold of temper, but I struggled to suppress a rattling cough and every morning began with aches and nausea. I wondered what it was, but found I was able to carry on, mostly.
/> Poor Camphraz wasn’t quite as lucky. While he’d left the care of the healers and tried to stand tall, I often observed him shivering and frowning, his eyes narrow. They were, as all had said, filled with distant sparks. I tried not to stare whenever I caught a glimpse of his pupils. The tiny specs truly were like gold, and it was a wonder to think that I’d once suffered the same effect.
Day to day, everyone was oddly quiet without trying to be. Our heads were so full of things we couldn’t say. There was an occasional low hum of conversation, that seemed to stop and draw out until people realized it was too silent. Within our minds, the silence was just a lie. The fears that surrounded us were so loud, but we could only voice these thoughts under our breath, in case the Leiden guards would catch wind of what we knew.
At least we had a chance. Lavalt had sent us a messenger of mercy in a city full of treacherous people. He hadn’t left us alone, and I prayed that somehow that same mercy would get us out of Leida and into some form of safety; Anything better than falling by Faldir’s blade.
TRATIS
Tratis had never liked the Ambassador. He hadn’t wanted to believe him. After all his arguing and pleading, he thought he’d finally secured exactly what Cronin needed, and then Wyatt had repeated to him what he’d overheard.
Despite how he’d once felt about the proud, doleful, stiff shouldered man, he hadn’t doubted the report for a moment. It had to be true, and it was infuriating. He had to go on with the wedding as if nothing had transpired.
He clenched his fists, feeling like a fool. First, he’d put poor Talitha in so much danger, and after that, in desperation, he’d found himself groveling in front of those horrible people for more time. Begging to become part of a kingdom he’d vowed to forget the day he’d ridden away from it at fourteen. He hadn’t been pleading for himself. It had all been for the Sustainers, King Lardox’ people, the family he’d come to call his own.
