Valbore (Tasks of the Nakairi Book 1)

by K. E. Young

  Dragos growled then said, "Sano had already discovered that second bit. He's instituting a purge now. He'll lack staff for a while. I'll look into the message, you focus on Sara."

  Kaio bowed and helped Sara to her feet, steadying her when she faltered. He turned to Dragos to take his leave to find his friend frowning intently at the streaks of blood where the back of her gown had brushed against the leather of the chair.

  She made it as far as the hallway before she collapsed. He picked her up and sighed as his footsteps wound towards his own quarters. The court would talk, but at least he could be sure of her safety there. Kaio didn't know what Dragos had in mind to keep her safe, but he was certain it was necessary. Earth mages were vanishingly rare, endlessly useful, and terrifyingly powerful. He himself, while considered powerful, was a high-level water mage and no match for Lady Sara.

  Sara was a gracious and accomplished woman who did not deserve the treatment Fanul had heaped on her. However, he couldn't help thinking Fanul might not have targeted her at all if she didn't creep around looking as if she expected every hand to strike. She was too timid. Weak.

  The revelations of the day changed everything though. He looked down at her. His dragon was far too content he held her for his peace of mind.

  He thought back to the moment she had pulled the tunic off, her slim back crisscrossed with whip marks and burns, bruises mottling every inch of skin except her hands and face. Fanul had beaten and tortured Sara severely, yet she hadn't cried out as he cleaned the worst of her wounds. She hadn't even complained about the rough landing although she had reason. It was plain she had walked most of the night and all day to get as far as she had, yet she still handled a meeting that had to have taxed already stressed nerves with admirable aplomb. Perhaps he was wrong about her meekness. There were many kinds of strength. Her timidity was still an infuriating concern though.

  He signaled the guard to open the door. "Have a maid and a healer brought here immediately and tell Durra and Sano I must speak to them soonest."

  "Yes, my lord."

  He ignored the curious looks of the guard and walked through his quarters to lay her on the bed. Slipping her shoes off, he began stripping her. He had just finished that task and was grimly noting the damage he had not seen when a maid arrived.

  Glancing up, he said, "Get a basin with warm water and soft cloths. We need to clean the worst of the blood and dirt off before Lady Sara rouses. I would save her what pain I can. She has been through enough. The healer should be here soon."

  Together they cleaned the bite marks, burns, and slashes. When they finished with the front, Kaio turned her as gently as he could and they proceeded to her back and legs. The maid was pale and looked about ready to cry.

  "My lord," she whispered, "how did this happen? Who?"

  Kaio paused. He didn't think he should mention Fanul until he knew who else might be involved. Word would spread. "Someone abducted and hurt Sara, but she escaped. We weren't able to get details before she collapsed, but we presume that since she fled the palace after her escape that whoever they are, they have access. That's why she's here rather than her own quarters."

  Master Healer Bedin's arrival with his assistant interrupted her reply. She offered to help and Bedin got started without direction from Lord Shalatu.

  Kaio paced in the background, his concern and fury making him restless, his dragon scratching at him to help her. How had this happened to an earth mage? How had Fanul inflicted those injuries without her defending herself? As meek as Lady Sara was, he couldn't imagine she was so meek that she would allow it to happen without trying to defend herself.

  With Lady Sara's injuries treated and bound, the elderly healer pulled Kaio aside. The maid did her best to make Lady Sara comfortable, tucking wrapped hot bricks around her to warm her.

  "My lord, some of her injuries are infected so she will need to be watched for the next day or two. A few of them will scar despite our best efforts. In addition, she is suffering from blood loss, dehydration, and exhaustion. There is also damage to the nerves in her arms and hands from being hung by her hands for too long. I can repair it, but even with the help magic gives healing, it will take a few weeks at the least. It's probable it will take as much as a month. Without that magic assist, the damage would be permanent." He paused as if debating how to say what came next. "She also shows signs of multiple rapes… Most of the wounds and bruises are no older than three days. There are older bruises on her arms though, perhaps a week to ten days old. Handprints."

  Kaio's dragon growled and he took a deep breath to restrain it. "It is fortunate there can be no child from this."

  "Yes, my lord. I have never felt gratitude that Ansoren and Aria Atlani can't mix until now." He paused again. "My lord, I have seen identical patterns of injury and rape in six other victims in the past month."

  "Can you tell me who? It might help me make sure I get all of the offenders."

  "Unfortunately, I cannot. The women in question are all dead. Lord Haradis called me in to list their injuries and determine the cause of death. Lady Sara is the sole survivor as far as I know."

  A chill crept up Kaio's spine at the narrow escape she had suffered, the reasons for her running away far clearer and more justified than he had ever imagined possible. "I want a detailed list of all of her injuries. Everything, no matter how small.

  Bedin nodded. "I will even include the blisters on her feet."

  Kaio made sure the maid could watch over Sara as he attended his duties, then went out to the main room.

  Sano was already waiting for him, sprawled indolently in a chair by the hearth. "Hey Kaio, what's this I hear about you having a woman in your quarters?" His grin was mischievous.

  Kaio shook his head repressively. Now was not a time for humor. "That is part of what I wanted to speak to you about. Three days ago, Lady Sara was abducted. Last night she escaped and fled the palace to stay out of her captor's hands. She is the sole known survivor of someone who, according to Master Bedin, has killed at least six other women. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to so you may have an idea of what she experienced.

  "It came to my attention when Dragos sent me to retrieve her on an unrelated issue. She collapsed leaving her meeting with him. Exhaustion, blood loss, probably shock. Before she collapsed, she informed me Fanul was responsible. Sano, that last bit goes no further for now. I don't want to panic him. We don't know who else may be involved."

  Sano was no longer sprawled, sitting bolt upright in shock. "Fanul? He murdered those women? She'll need protection. He'll want her silenced quick."

  "Yes. The other part of this has to do with why Dragos sent me to retrieve her." Kaio paused and poured a glass of wine. "As she was leaving the palace last night, a servant saw Lady Sara melding the cracked pillar in the entrance hall into a single piece. She's an earth mage."

  Sano was silent for a heartbeat before he swore quietly. "So we can't use guardsmen from Therys on your doors."

  "No. Dragos may end up sending her to Drakken to keep her safe, but I know he would like to keep her here because of the Goddess's Task."

  Sano looked thoughtful. "We may want to see if the General has anyone he would trust. If it weren't for the mage thing, I would say using some from the garrison would be ideal, but now… we have to be very careful. There are too many we wouldn't be able to trust. To be honest, I don't have many guardsmen that aren't from Therys. Not enough for what's necessary. Gelal may have the same problem. We can get dragonkin from Drakken, but that will take too long, we need them now. It's possible we could make sure there is one on duty with another guardsman, but I don't think that's good enough." His voice trailed off in thought.

  "Can I leave that to you?"

  Sano nodded. "Might as well. I'll go see about the extra guardsman and see how many are available for this. I'm short on people at the moment." He stopped with a thoughtful expression. "There is one possibility. There are relatively trustworthy bonded marines available in
the port. It would cost since it's not their usual thing, but you could have your guards almost immediately. I wouldn't trust them long-term though. Just long enough to bring in someone less mercenary."

  "That is an excellent thought. It would be faster than waiting for whomever Istanetlu sent or for dragonkin." Kaio considered his options. "Get me what you can. I don't want to leave her alone. We haven't dealt with Fanul yet."

  "Let me know when you move on him. I'll watch your back."

  Kaio lifted an eyebrow. "You don't trust him either then?"

  Sano stood and tugged at his tunic. "I'd rather trust a starving whore to keep my purse safe. Too many of his 'servants' have sword calluses."

  Kaio frowned at him. "I was not aware of that. Vallen and her friends have taken too much of my focus. Thank you for the information." Kaio was angry again. He didn't like Fanul. Fanul's new wife had been 'kidnapped by bandits' on their way to Fanul's country estate a short time after the dragonlords had arrived in Therys, but no one found any sign of the bandits and there were no ransom demands made. Kaio had always suspected her disappearance had more to do with Fanul and nothing to do with bandits. Added to that, Fanul's opinion of women was extreme even for Therys.

  The women of Drakken had always been strong and proud by nature. Their dragon souls demanded it and the culture that had developed on Drakken reinforced it. It was no accident that Akkad, settled by dragon-less Drakkeni, was matriarchal. Despite their lack of a dragon side, those of Akkad often kept many of the behavioral traits of dragons even above the human traits. The meekness fostered in the women here grated on his nerves and their attempts to gain his interest and his protection, since they knew he wouldn't hurt them, made him nauseous. Sara's own timidity hadn't grated the same way, but he still had the urge to shake her and tell her to stop it. Being around her made him angry. She was smarter than the others. Better. Nakairu or not, he couldn't imagine any reason for her to behave as if she were less.

  He wished the Drakken Empire had not answered Therys' request. Admittedly, it gave Kaio and his friends more responsibility than they might otherwise have at their age. Dragonkin were long-lived and it would have been years before they would have gained this much responsibility in Drakken. More personally, it kept Kaio himself out of the Drakkeni court and away from those who would use him against Urash.

  General Istanetlu was the exception in their group. He was the lone dragonlord here who wasn't from one of the high clans. On sheer ability, he had worked his way up through the military from commoner beginnings in Akkad to high office. He had demanded to be the one to go stating that with Therys' current problems, they needed a competent and experienced general far more than Drakken did.

  Sano left and Kaio returned to the bedroom. Sara was still unconscious but resting better, her slight frown smoothed away. Kaio addressed the maid. "Let me know if she's about to wake. She'll be famished."

  "I understand, my lord. We've worried about her. We thought it was just Lord Fanul and his cronies chasing after her. Then she disappeared. I knew there was something wrong, but when I heard Borla talking about how she had seen her fixing the cracked pillar I thought she just feared what would happen when the lords found she had usurped their power. I never imagined… She is always kind to us." She looked down and brushed at her gown. "I don't like seeing her hurt."

  Kaio sighed. His frustration at this argument burned down to ash through sheer repetition. "Lady Sara did not usurp their power. No mortal can steal another's magic and the gods bequeath it where they will, not the lords. The lords hate anyone else having power, especially if it's outside their control." He sighed. It was doubtful that the argument would convince her any more than it would convince anyone else here no matter how often he repeated it.

  "She will need someone to care for her for a few days. Would you be willing to help? I would understand if you said no. I still need to deal with those who did this to her."

  She nodded with a shy smile. "I can stay with her until morning, my lord. My shift ends at midnight, but I can stay later if you need me to. Tomorrow I have to get back to my family though."

  Kaio bowed in gratitude. "Thank you. I will make sure you get paid extra for this."

  Kaio went into the main room to wait for Durra. He couldn't go hunting until he spoke to Sara so he paced with impatience. Reliving the minutes in Sara's room, he realized she hadn't fought against her pain. Someone who wasn't used to pain tensed up against it or fought it. She hadn't. It was clear she was in a great amount of pain, but it hadn't crippled her. It left him with one conclusion. Pain was familiar to her. Which begged the question of what kind of life she had before.

  His gut roiled at the implications. Was she meek because someone had beaten her in her old world? Hegall had asked her, but she hadn't wanted to talk about it, saying that her old life was over and she needed to put it behind her and focus on her new life. Had she other reasons to forget the place? The day's revelations had called all of his assumptions into question. His dragon-half roiled in his mind wanting desperately to punish the ones who had hurt her, while his human side knew he had to wait. If he didn't do this right, their detractors would label him a rogue. Lady Sara wasn't his mate. He couldn't slaughter those who hurt her, much as he wanted to. He needed proof. It left him unbalanced, his dragon fighting with him for control.

  He went to the outer door and pulled it open. "Did Durra say how long he would be? I must talk to him."

  "He's delayed by a problem in the kitchen my lord."

  "Lord Haradis will assign a second guard to stand watch with you. Send him in when he arrives."

  The guard's startled reply was lost as Kaio slammed the door again.

  He resumed his pacing. After a time the healer finished the list and left.

  Durra entered to see Kaio snarling in frustration. He paused a moment to reassess, his body language slipping into a more cautious subservience than was his wont. "My lord, please forgive the delay. A potboy shoveled a load of wet coal into an already hot oven and it exploded, damaging the oven. I needed to arrange for the mason to come in and a healer to see the potboy. What do you need from me?"

  "Lady Sara is injured. The fact she is an earth mage means she'll need more secure quarters once she heals enough. In the meantime, I need her things packed up and moved here for safekeeping. In addition, she will need a maid to watch over her and help her until she's healed enough to manage for herself. I already have a maid watching her, but she must leave in the morning. I will pay her and any other maids who take up this task extra funds from my own accounts since it is outside their normal duties."

  Durra frowned with doubt. "She seemed hale enough as she was leaving last night and I saw her walking with you earlier."

  Durra's response irritated Kaio. His dragon's ire flared protectively and his voice rose in response. He stalked to loom over Durra. "She has been functioning on sheer desperation and fear since she escaped from them. She collapsed coming out of her audience with Dragos. Master Bedin's list of her injuries is… extensive." He waved the sheaf of paper he still held. "She will always bear scars despite our best efforts and at least six other women had the same pattern of injuries over the past month. They are all dead." Kaio glared down at Durra for a moment. "Sano is assigning extra guards since we know her attacker is in the palace or has access. If you know anything, now is the time to say so."

  Durra was unsettled but businesslike. He had never been the target of the dragonlords' more predatory attentions and didn't appear to know how to handle it. "I am sorry, my lord. I know nothing. I'll make the proper arrangements. Will you need a spare bed brought in for her? I can have one brought up in about an hour."

  "Yes. I will be the one using it though. Bedin doesn't want her moved any more than necessary."

  "I understand, my lord." He nodded and went into the bedroom to speak to the maid.

  The guardsman poked his head in. "My lord, the second guardsman is here with a message from Lord Haradis."
>
  He took a deep breath attempting to control his dragon's fierce pacing. "Send him in."

  The new guard entered and extended a note to Kaio before coming to attention. In Drakkeni, the note read, "There are two who meet the requirements. Calum here is one. I'm pulling the other, Thorn, from duty on the wall as we speak and will reassign him to relieve Calum. I've already sent my new second down to the port to secure additional staff among the marines and a messenger is on his way to Istanetlu. For now, Calum and Thorn will act as squad leaders unless you find someone else to be more to your liking. They are to take their orders directly from you. I'll let you know when we have help."

  Kaio looked up. "You're Calum? Did Haradis explain the duty?"

  "Yes, sir. Lord Haradis assigned me specifically to guard Lady Sara, but I was to take my orders only from you."

  Kaio sighed, grateful that Sano had agreed to accompany them when they came to Therys. "There are two issues involved here. First, someone abducted, tortured, and raped Lady Sara. The one who did it has done the same to at least six other women before he killed them. We have reason to believe the villain has access to the palace and wants her silenced. Second, a servant saw Lady Sara performing a feat of earth magic and the fact she is both female and powerful will make her a target here in Therys regardless of the other matter. The reason we chose you is you are not Therysi and are less likely to allow local attitudes to sway you from your duty." He paused. "Will you help me protect her?"

  Calum's eyes had widened in surprise at Kaio's recitation. "I will do my best, my lord, but I am not sure I'll be enough." Calum gave him an anxious but resolved expression.

  "Sano is hiring some bonded marines to fill out the guard rotation for this duty. Take up station at the door. Remember, your duty is to protect Lady Sara; not me, not my quarters, but Lady Sara. Even from your fellow guardsmen if necessary."