The giant smiled and patted the Terrian’s back again. “I like you, Jarrett Murata,” he said and then turned and shouted at the red curtain, “Get your good-for-nothing arse out here, Mott!”
The little man appeared, followed by a slim, beautiful raven-haired girl. The two shuffled to the table and stood at attention beside Muzik, awaiting his command. Muzik grabbed Jarrett’s arm and drew him close. “Pretty, eh?” he said. “See, I’ll take care of you, all right.”
Jarrett glanced up at the young woman. She started in surprise and he guessed he didn’t make a very becoming sight with dried blood tracking down his face. She cast a glance in Kendrick’s direction, but quickly looked at Jarrett again. Muzik took her hand in his and drew her to the table.
“This beauty’s Tosa,” he said with a smile, “And this, my dear, is Jarrett Murata. As you can see he’s been wounded in battle and is in need of attention. I figured you were just the girl to give him the right sort of attention, eh?”
She didn’t say anything, but nodded, her eyes never once leaving the Terrian.
Kendrick frowned. “Jarrett, I don’t think...” he began.
“Go on, boy,” interrupted Muzik, waving the Nazarien off. “Tosa here will take care of you and show you to a room, while Mott takes care of your friend.”
Jarrett wasn’t sure he liked the situation either, but he had little time to protest because Muzik passed him into the waiting arms of the young woman with a booming laugh. “Wait,” he said, struggling from her grasp, “What about our horses?”
“Don’t worry about the horses. No one would dare lay a hand on them with Kian guarding them.”
Jarrett had only enough time to cast a parting glance at Kendrick before the young woman whisked him toward the stairs and the row of doors above.
She led him to a small, dark room. Once inside she took a pitcher from the dressing stand and left again as Jarrett explored every corner, finally taking a seat on the edge of the bed, weariness pressing down on him. She returned in a moment with water in the pitcher and a small tray of vials on her other arm. As she filled the bowl on the dressing stand, she watched the Terrian. Jarrett was disconcerted by her constant gaze and crossed to the window, parting the torn curtain to look out.
The streets of Cambia stretched before him in winding, dusty paths of barren land. The citizens moved down these roads in small clusters, moving slowly as if nothing demanded their immediate attention. He could see others lying sprawled out alongside the roads on their backs, faces turned to the dark, lowering sky. He started as he felt the girl’s warm hand on his arm. She hadn’t said a word, but stood staring up into his eyes.
He allowed her to lead him to a chair beside the dressing stand. As he took a seat, she reached for the ties of his shirt. He caught her hands in alarm and looked up into her dark eyes.
“What are you doing?” he said, frowning.
Her eyes widened in terror. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. You’ve got blood all over your shirt and I thought I could have it cleaned for you.”
He shook his head, then regretted the motion when the pain behind his eyes intensified. “No, I’m sorry, I misunderstood.”
He’d mistaken Muzik’s intentions entirely. He felt suddenly foolish and quickly pulled the shirt over his head. He chided himself for the fact that such thoughts had even crossed his mind. This young woman was hardly more than a child.
He started as he heard a scream from the street below. Rising quickly to his feet, he crossed to the window and parted the curtain once again. In the center of the street, a few men had gathered in a circle around a woman. One of the men moved into the center of the circle and grabbed the woman’s arm, pulling her roughly against him. She tried to strike him, but he caught her hand and forced it around behind her back. Jarrett started for his sword where it lay in the middle of the bed, but Tosa barred his way, placing her hands against his chest to stop him.
“If you go down there, they’ll kill you.”
Jarrett stared at her. “But that woman...”
“You don’t understand. They aren’t going to hurt her. It’s a...well, a game they play.”
“What do you mean?” he said and then it struck him. He moved away from her and backed to the window. The woman had stopped struggling; in fact, she had her arm intertwined with one of the men and was moving toward the porch of the tavern.
Tosa took Jarrett’s hand as he stared out the window and pulled him toward the chair once more. He sat because he suddenly felt ill.
“How old are you, Tosa?” he demanded.
“I’m old enough to understand what must be done.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“When you’re living in a time of war, you do whatever you must to protect and feed your family – even serve one of the forbidden,” she said emotionlessly and then suddenly her eyes lifted and fixed on the man. She pressed against Jarrett and her hand ran up the outside of his thigh.
He pushed her away and stumbled to his feet, backing against the dressing table. She moved toward him, her hand lifting and stroking his hair, the other against his bare chest. “You’re handsome, though,” she said. “I’ve never seen eyes like yours.” Her voice had fallen to a seductive purr, which unsettled him. He shoved her away and placed the chair between them.
“You’ve got this wrong,” he said. “You’re just a child and I don’t think you even begin to realize what you’re suggesting.” He jumped as another scream ricocheted through the room. “Look, please just leave. I can take care of myself.”
Her face fell. “Leave?” she said. “But I can’t. I was told...”
“I don’t care what you were told!” said Jarrett, his voice rising. “I want you to leave.”
She stayed where she was, her eyes riveted on his face. Jarrett moved to the bed and opened his pack with trembling hands. At the bottom was a worn leather pouch, bound with string and tied in a knot at the top. He fumbled with it until it was open and then poured the contents into his palm. Selecting a few of the larger coins, he replaced the others and put the pouch back in his pack, tossing the coins at Tosa’s feet. She gazed at him a moment longer, then retrieved them, backing from the room, her eyes no longer on the man, but on the saddlebag instead.
After the door had closed behind her, Jarrett took a seat on the chair and placed his head in his hands. When the pain in his temples had subsided enough, he rose and washed his face in the water she brought. He looked at the vials on the tray, but he knew little about healing. He decided he’d take his chances on none of them and turned back to the bed, weariness suddenly overcoming him.
He lay back on the bed, his hand resting against the hilt of his sword, and told himself he would simply rest for a moment and then find Kendrick, and the two of them would leave Cambia immediately. Before the plan had formed solidly in his mind, he was asleep.
He dreamed of home then. He saw the rolling hills surrounding the valley and the blue of the Theodar River as it snaked across the valley floor. He saw the small cottages with thatch roofs lined up tidily along the hard, even roadways, faint white streams of smoke drifting up from the chimneys. And he saw the children in the yard of the small cottage on the corner, the children who ran up and down the porch and disappeared among the trees, crawling under the brush of the gate and peering out of the branches, squealing with laughter. He was among them and held his breath in hiding behind the largest tree in the yard, his arms hugged tight about its trunk.
But suddenly the laughter was gone and the children were gone from the yard, and yet he remained where he was, hiding behind the tree and holding his breath. He flexed the taut muscles of his legs to ease a cramp and listened, his body tingling not from excitement now but apprehension. He caught his breath, straining so he might hear better.
Then came the sound, the screen scrapping across the polished wood of the porch and falling shut with a bang, and the sound of heavy footsteps, of heavy boots that moved t
o the edge of the porch. The rail groaned against the weight that pressed down on it and Jarrett’s heart pounded in his ears, sweat racing down the valley of his spine. The sound of the blood in his ears was maddening, drowning out the sounds from the porch. He could no longer hear the heavy fall of footsteps.
Run! he thought, and braced himself, but he couldn’t run. Then suddenly he heard the footsteps again – this time on the stairs and the voice in his head screamed again to run, but his cramped legs wouldn’t respond. He shrank down behind the tree, wishing to blend with it, and his heart began to pound wildly in his ears. Run! He took a step toward the gate, his foot falling on a dry branch. It broke with a snap. He froze and the sound of footsteps changed to the sound of running. Run! the voice screamed inside of him, but it was too late…
Jarrett woke with a start, his heart pounding in his ears and he was almost too late – too late to stop the dagger that rose above him. He twisted suddenly and caught the arm that held the dagger, forcing it back and throwing the weight of his body into his assailant. He rolled over and pinned the struggling form beneath him, striking the dagger from the outstretched arm. He was surprised by how small his assailant was and pulled him to his feet, dragging him across the darkened room and to the window. As he threw back the curtain, the light from the street outside fell across Tosa.
He gaped at her in shock as she struggled from his grasp, her dark eyes flashing. “Leave me alone!” she cried, but he caught her arm again and forced her to take a seat in the chair beside the dressing table.
“Why were you trying to kill me?”
Her eyes pierced his. “You’re one of the forbidden. The Court at Sarkisian will pay well for...” She paused and her face fell under the strength of his stare.
Jarrett took a seat on the edge of the bed, his knees shaking. What evil possessed this place! Whatever it was, he wanted out. Since they’d arrived even his dreams were affected, calling forth memories that he’d buried many years before.
He struggled to his feet and grabbed his pack, yanking out a clean shirt, then snapping the pack closed. He crossed to the other side of the bed and picked up the dagger Tosa had dropped, securing it in his belt.
He paused at the door and looked back. The girl still sat in the chair with her head bowed, but she lifted her eyes to meet his and they glowed with hatred.
He opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and closed the door behind him. Leaning against it, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then tugged the shirt over his head. Eldon’s star, what was awaiting them in Adishian?
CHAPTER 3
Jarrett stood in the hallway for a moment, undecided. He didn’t know how to go about finding Kendrick or the horses. What if Kendrick wasn’t even alive? How had he been so foolish – they had brazenly told him about the bounty and yet he’d trusted them. A mistake that quite possibly had cost Kendrick his life and very nearly cost Jarrett his own.
He moved into the shadow of the hallway and paused to listen. Everything seemed to be quiet upstairs as well as down. A burst of lightning and a rumble of thunder shook the tavern, but all remained still after it passed. He moved to the stairway and paused on the upper landing, gazing down into the bar. The room was shrouded in darkness, lit only momentarily by flashes of lightning. He paused again and drew a deep breath, realizing his muscles were trembling.
How would he begin searching for Kendrick? He passed a hand over his sweating brow and took another deep breath to steady his nerves. He’d have to check each and every room on both floors. It would be best to search the top floor first, then the bottom, making his escape when he was done no matter what he found. He moved away from the banister, but as he did so, he heard the scrape of a chair against the wood of the floor below.
He turned and drew his sword, moving soundlessly down the stairs and onto the landing below, peering into the darkness. A flash of lightning revealed a man sitting in a chair. Jarrett halted and relief spilled over him.
“Kendrick,” he said and the Stravad turned quickly, his blue eyes flashing in the darkness. “Gods, Kendrick, I can honestly say I’m glad to see you.”
The Stravad rose, his look guarded. “Are you all right? You look pale.”
“I will be after we get the hell out of here. These people are insane.”
Kendrick reached for the handkerchief he always carried and handed it to the Terrian. Jarrett turned it over, noting that it was clean. It seemed rather incongruous to notice the Stravad had clean handkerchiefs when he’d only just been fighting for his life, but it was another example of how very different they were from each other. He hadn’t even thought to pack one handkerchief, let alone a dozen or so. He lifted his eyes to the Stravad.
“You’re bleeding again.” Kendrick motioned at his temple.
Jarrett sheathed his sword so he could press the piece of cloth to the wound. His eyes fell on Kendrick’s sword. “Have you had trouble?”
“Not precisely, but I’ve been expecting it.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it.” Reaching for the dagger tucked into his belt, Jarrett tossed it onto the table. “I almost had that sticking out of my gut.”
Kendrick’s brows rose. “Tosa?”
“Seems she had her eyes on that bounty. When I refused her service of one kind, she decided to perform another.”
“Then you didn’t...” Kendrick paused and glanced away.
Jarrett could only stare at him in disbelief. “Bloody hell, Nazarien, you really do think I’m morally corrupt, don’t you?”
Kendrick shook his head in obvious discomfort. “I wasn’t sure. I mean...”
“What? You believed I just might go preying on desperate children?”
Kendrick met Jarrett’s gaze. His expression was contrite. “I apologize. I realize I was wrong. We’re just so different that I wasn’t sure.”
Jarrett crumpled the handkerchief in his fist. “Well, get sure because I’m not going to spend the rest of this miserable journey having you doubt me. We might be different, but I’ve never preyed on anyone in my life, and speaking of that, if we’re going to get out of this fix, we’re going to have to rely on each other, which means trusting each other.” When Kendrick grimaced, Jarrett gave a humorless chuckle. “Yeah, I’m not so thrilled with the idea either.”
“Well, maybe we’ve all mistaken each other then.”
Jarrett and Kendrick both reacted, grabbing their swords. Muzik was standing at the top of the stairs, but he held out his hands as he descended. Neither Jarrett nor Kendrick relaxed their pose as the giant came to a halt before them. He glanced down at the swords, then lifted his gaze.
Jarrett glared. “I don’t think we’ve mistaken you. The problem is we were too trusting to begin with. I actually believed you.”
“Listen, I have no quarrel with either of you,” Muzik said. “I didn’t betray you, we’ve merely had a misunderstanding, which I hope to fix if you’ll allow me. I can offer you help, my protection in Adishian as I told you before...”
“Protection?” said Jarrett. “Your protection nearly got my throat slit.”
“I realize that,” he answered, raising his hands once more in a universal show of peace, “but I won’t let it happen again.”
Jarrett lifted his sword. “Damn straight. Now, let me clarify things so there’s no misunderstanding. I’m in a bastard of a mood right now and killing you would feel pretty good, so shut your mouth and listen.” He was grateful that Kendrick didn’t try to intervene. He wasn’t feeling steady, and not up to fighting this giant, but he was certain that if they were going to escape this with their lives, they were going to need Muzik to get their horses for them. “We’re leaving. All I need from you is our horses.”
Muzik opened his mouth to speak, but Jarrett shoved the sword under the man’s nose. The giant had the sense to close his mouth again.
“You only need to nod, understand?”
Muzik did as instructed, careful not to impale himself on the sword. Jarrett
used every ounce of will power he had to make sure the blade never wavered, even though he felt as if he might pass out. “You’re going to walk in front of us. You’re going to lead us to our horses and then you’re going to let us ride away. If you raise an alarm or attempt to follow us, I will kill you. Got me?”
Muzik nodded again.
Jarrett lowered the sword a little. “Now turn around. We’re going to walk toward the door.”
Muzik did as he was instructed, keeping his hands in view. Jarrett met Kendrick’s concerned gaze, then nodded at the giant’s back. Kendrick tightened his hold on his own sword, shouldered his pack, and preceded his companion from the tavern. Jarrett followed close behind, hoping that they weren’t going to have to walk far. He wasn’t sure if he could make it and if he collapsed, he was just a little worried Kendrick might leave him behind.
* * *
The road out of Cambia cut a muddy path to the east. They followed the dilapidated signs pointing the way to Adishian. The rain continued to fall, drenching through their cloaks, soaking their hoods, and reducing visibility.
Jarrett couldn’t get his mind off the previous night. He’d never come so close to losing his life, and for what? A bounty? The depravity of such an idea kept ambushing him as the miles stretched away in front of them.
Muzik had tried to explain, but Jarrett didn’t want to listen. Not only was he embarrassed that he’d let himself trust the man, but he didn’t think there was any explanation that would make him feel better about the situation.
It worried him no little amount. They’d been sent on this journey with so little information. Had they been sent to their death? Had the Terrian leader really not known the situation in Adishian? He couldn’t allow himself to believe that he had, but doubt was creeping in with the rain.
He motioned for Kendrick to bring his horse down to a walk. They were far enough from Cambia that Jarrett felt it was safe. He angled his mount in closer so that he could talk to the Nazarien without shouting.
The World of Samar Box Set 3 Page 5
