by K. E. Young
Calum honored him with a smart salute. "Yes, sir!"
After Calum left, Kaio did his best to compose himself to wait for Lady Sara to wake. He hoped Lord Fanul didn't realize he was prey before Lady Sara could identify any other attackers.
Meanwhile, he needed to get back and brief Dragos. Orders were orders.
Dragos: 30th of Hunting, 3837
Dragos took a sip of his wine. His instincts had been right. He should have insisted the Emperor allow them to return to Therys earlier.
Kaio's idea of letting the whole country burn to the ground was sounding better all the time, but like Kaio, he couldn't stomach leaving the innocents to suffer along with the guilty. If he purged the Lords, as they deserved, Vallen and its allies would invade. Istanetlu had gone to considerable effort to strengthen the border, but there was a limit to how effective those efforts could be. They didn't have the resources to stop Vallen completely. To do that, Therys would have to join the Drakken Empire. The old Emperor had said no. Perhaps Urash would be more willing to consider it.
Sano had questioned his men about Sara's activities and found… discrepancies. By questioning the maids, he found several guards, including his second, had turned back to their previous commander for orders, others accepted payment to look the other way.
Lord Fanul hadn't been their commander for two years but it had made no difference. Sano was rooting out the miscreants now. He had already tapped a new second and third, their predecessors dismissed and told not to return. A couple of his former men now resided in the prison awaiting trial for what they had done during the dragonlords' absence.
Kaio had left his note to Sara in Durra's hands for delivery. Durra had handed it to an assistant and the assistant had passed it to a guardsman for delivery. That guardsman was one of those Sano had just purged so the note was doubtless discarded, by Fanul if not the guard.
Dragos stared fixedly at the bloodstains on the chair opposite him. Something had happened here and Sara had paid the price. He hadn't liked the looks of her when she came in but he was very much afraid it was worse than it looked. The bloodstains on the chair she used told him that. They were a lesson to him. He had allowed this to happen by being inattentive.
The Emperor had sent him here because he needed someone who could take command and this was how he had done his job! He had failed here. Urash had let him come back but he wasn't sure he deserved his chance to redeem himself. He would do better. He had tried to lead the lords diplomatically, to outthink them rather than outfight them. Now he had a lesson in what happened when you didn't lead strongly enough. He would have to do his duty better than this, too much depended on it.
A very grim looking Kaio interrupted his musings. He poured wine for his friend, topping up his own cup too. "Sit down. How is she?"
Kaio flopped into the chair, obscuring the bloodstains. "The healer says it will take quite some time for her to heal even with his best assists. Some of the damage will take weeks, maybe even a full month. On the plus side, we know who's responsible for Sano's mysterious torture murders of women."
Dragos grunted. It figured. "I am remarkably unmoved by our good fortune."
Kaio grimaced. "Sara collapsed just as we left your office. She told me Fanul was the one who took her…"
"He raped her." Dragos' tone was flat. It wasn't a question.
Kaio sighed. "Yes."
Dragos' anger melted. He had truly failed her. He swirled his wine glumly before gulping it down. "I told her I would keep her safe. I should have taken her with me when I went to Drakken. I should have kept a closer eye on her. I should have made more time to talk to her. I should have…"
"Stop." Kaio's solemn expression matched his level voice. "This isn't the time for that. The Goddess wanted her here. Remember? A Nakairu's fate is unhappy. You know this."
Rage swept through him. "But it doesn't have to be!"
Kaio rage flared to match his own. "I don't like it either! She didn't deserve this! If she was born Drakkeni she would have been honored and cherished, but she wasn't. She was born elsewhere and the Goddess brought her here for a reason. All we can do now is help her, so stop beating yourself up and help." His eyes blazed and Dragos stopped.
Kaio was right. Usually, he was the logical one and Kaio was the one raging. He gave silent thanks to the Goddess yet again for giving him Kaio as a friend and soul-brother. His rage fell into ashes. He took a deep breath and a sip of wine. "You're right. So what do we do now?"
Kaio's expression was rueful. "I was hoping you would tell me. You were always the one with the plans."
Dragos huffed in amusement. "I miss the days when all we had to plan were thefts from the kitchen. When did we grow up?"
Kaio grinned wryly. "I don't know. It's not fun. I can't remember why we thought being grown up would be so wonderful."
"I don't either." Dragos sobered. "It's not over. Sara's Task isn't complete. Anyone could have tipped us off to Fanul. There's something more."
Kaio looked grim all over again as he nodded. "It's a start though. We have the opportunity to move more aggressively. It's an excuse that lets us do what is necessary." A baffled expression crossed his face. "I don't understand why she would ignore the risk of being spotted and waste energy she couldn't afford to fix a pillar that cracked a thousand years ago."
Dragos froze inside as the pieces fell into place and a shiver traveled up his spine. He had an idea why. The servant who told him about watching her mend the stone had also told him the last time anyone had seen Sara before that, was in the library. He had gone to the library. The books she had been reading were still there, as was her shawl and notes. Sara had one stack of books pertaining to the last thing she was studying… and off to one side, there was Ariset.
He had dismissed it thinking she had read it for entertainment as he himself had in his youth. He knew the legend, he should have put it together earlier. When he checked the pillar, the delicate traces of her magic were obvious. It seemed he needed to look more closely.
Dragos took the rest of Kaio's report and sent him off to watch over Sara. Then he finished his wine and went to the entrance hall. He had work to do.
It didn't take him as long as he had expected to discover it. The spells were ancient, but still in place. When the pillar cracked, it had twisted the spells out of place. For all these centuries, they had been held in suspension until the lynchpin was restored. It didn't cover Therys to the current borders, but it still covered a large portion of it. The spells were mere traces now and would need renewal, but… Would they need those spells soon? Was this why the Goddess had brought her here? These spells didn't protect against invasion or the actions of man. They protected against the soulless.
Sara fixed the pillar and now they could put spells in place to protect Therys. He didn't know of anyone alive even among the Drakkeni mages who could have done that, but he didn't think it was her Task. Drakken was all too familiar with the soulless. Those same spells had been in place on Drakken for a thousand years.
He had a very bad feeling.
6: Testimony
Sara: 30th / 31st of Hunting, 3837
I hurt. All of the pain I'd put off when it was necessary had come back to haunt me all at once. I was in a richly appointed room I didn't recognize and the windows were dark. I was still tired but needed to use the facilities so being awake wasn't an option. A maid was knitting in a chair beside the bed.
"My lady, you're awake."
I gave her a pained laugh. "And I wish I wasn't. I hurt. Could you help me? I need to use the facilities and I'm not sure I can even get out of bed without help."
"Which is why Lord Shalatu asked me to watch over you." She helped me up, gently wrapped a robe around me, and got me situated in the bathroom. After I finished, she helped me back to bed then offered me food and a dose of the painkiller, something I was in no mood to refuse.
I was working my way through a plateful of food when Lord Shalatu came in. I had never
seen him looking less than carefully groomed before. He had circles under his eyes, his hair was coming out of its ponytail, and his pants and tunic bore wrinkles. He didn't look all that cool and collected either. Something had upset him.
"Lady Sara, you're awake. I'm sorry about the hour but I want to know more about what happened. I need to make sure everyone involved pays for their crimes. For what they did to you, Dragos had mandated the death penalty."
"Death?"
"Rape will get the perpetrator castration and five years hard labor for each instance with death mandated if there are over five victims. We have found the bodies of six other women. Even if Fanul had never touched you he would still get death for the rape, torture, and murder of the others. The laws are harsh, but they need to be. We must curb the destructive attitudes and behavior that made this land into the Bane of the Blue Sea."
Wait, six others? Murdered? This was the first I had heard of others. The slave girls might have known but never spoke a single word because it was too dangerous. They didn't want their tongues cut out too.
Lord Shalatu gave me a heartsick expression. "Things weren't always this way. At one time, this land was a place of enlightenment, education, and high culture. All of the laws Dragos put in place existed here before. After the Accuser Wars, plague drove out the remaining Aria Atlani and there weren't enough capable of rebuilding among the Ansoren who remained. Starvation dropped their level to bare survival. Just as they began to recover the Mage Wars hit and just as they recover from that, Theryn and his warlords showed up to beat them into submission.
"What has grown up since isn't a culture. There is nothing to hold the people together; just habit, greed, and desperation. People live and stay here because there is nowhere else for them to go. The poor cannot afford to move and are welcome nowhere else. The rich aren't welcome elsewhere either due to their attitudes. Only in Therys is rape a commonplace. Anywhere else, telling someone you are from Therys means they cannot trust you, at best you are a troublemaker and at worst, a rapacious murderer and thief. For generations, Therys has been the haven of scum driven out of every other nation. We need to change that. Until we do, the trade will be minimal and this country will not thrive."
I already knew most of what he said, but not in this context. The legend of the pillar had more meaning now. "You have a difficult and thankless task ahead of you."
"Yes. Fortunately, we have the support of the merchants, the poor, and the army."
"But not the lords." I had seen that much for myself. The nobility of Therys didn't have the power to overthrow the dragonlords, but they did have the power to make things difficult and they used every scrap they had. "If they step too far out of line you could charge them with treason, couldn't you? Especially since their actions are detrimental to the country."
Lord Shalatu regarded me thoughtfully. "Yes. That may be what we end up doing. A few well-placed executions would send the message such behavior is no longer tolerated."
He seated himself in the maid's chair. "Which is why Dragos wants this incident with Fanul to be public, harsh, and unassailable. He is to be an example, but we need information. We need to know who else took part, what they did, locations, timing… Everything. I know it's uncomfortable for you, but I need all the details you can provide."
Tears gathered in my eyes. I had hoped when the Goddess pulled me into this world it would be a fresh start and I wouldn't ever have to do this again. "I've found it's easier if no one is looking at me."
Lord Shalatu's expression was troubled, but he nodded and pulled the bed curtain across enough to hide him from my view. I gave myself a mental shake, clutching at the bedding, and decided where to begin. "It began two and a half weeks ago…"
Kaio: 31st of Hunting, 3837
When she said, "I've found it's easier if no one is looking at me," it implied to Kaio she had given testimony such as this before and it troubled him deeply. It was another piece of evidence someone had harshly abused her and he didn't like it. He should have learned more about her when she arrived. Dragos had been right… as usual.
He listened to her story, making notes as needed, becoming increasingly impressed with her as it unfolded. She kept to the timeline, identified everyone involved to the best of her ability, and she stated even the ugliest portions of her testimony baldly, although she gave those bits in a flat monotone, as if her spirit had withdrawn from the horrors of which she spoke.
He had wondered how they could have held an earth mage captive and she answered without him having to ask. Leaves forced down her throat kept her from using her talents while a spelled collar kept her from attempting escape. He recognized the leaves from her description. Demon's bane was an herb well known to block the ability to call on and control magic.
The collar, however, was more troubling. Construction of such an artifact wasn't easy. The purpose of this one argued that the mage who made it wasn't anyone they wanted loose in the world. They would have to see if they could retrieve the collar. It might give them some idea of who created it.
Only once did she give him reason to interrupt. "Wait a moment. Could you repeat that last bit?"
"He introduced me to his wife."
Kaio's heart pounded. "His wife is dead."
"No. She just wishes she was." Her tone was flat and emotionless as if she were commenting on the weather. "He has removed her hands, feet, and tongue. She wore the same type of collar I did. Fanul chained hers to the wall. He doesn't permit her to wear clothing, to speak, or to look any man in the eyes. No woman in his household is."
"There are others."
"The slave girls. One of them gave her life to help me escape." Her voice was small at this last as her voice finally cracked. Kaio could see her hands clench the blanket convulsively and he could hear her labored breathing as she fought for control.
Fanul's wife was alive? That Fanul held others changed how they handled this. They couldn't merely keep Fanul from getting away. Stealth was necessary. They had to get in and ensure the safety of Fanul's prisoners even if some of their prey got away. Fanul's men were no doubt already looking for Sara and they would assume that she could talk when they heard she was back in the palace. The lateness of the hour gave them a chance though. The dragonlords had to move before morning or Fanul could get spooked and eradicate the evidence.
He regarded her still clenched hands. Perhaps it would be best to give Sara a break anyway. "Forgive me, Lady Sara. I fear we will need to finish this later. I need to speak to Sano and Dragos immediately. Can you tell me how many slave girls there were?"
"No, I'm sorry. Fanul and Dagresh kept me separate most of the time. The one I interacted with most was the mute girl who helped me escape. Once I got the collar off, I ran. When I got to my quarters I realized Fanul wouldn't stop until he had me back, so I left."
Kaio caught himself wondering where the bottom of this well of horrors was. Sara deserved better than this. "You had good cause to leave. I'm sorry about the rough landing. I should not have done that."
Her breath caught. Was that a laugh? He wished he could see her face.
"You were angry about being sent on a menial errand to fetch someone you didn't like."
Demons spit! If he hadn't already felt ashamed, he would now. "I don't dislike you and it's no excuse. I will do my best to make it up to you. Rest. I will let you know when we can finish this."
"Yes, my lord."
Her meekness still scratched at his scales. He still wanted to make her stop, but he was beginning to understand her better. She didn't need more violence. She needed care.
Kaio left her to get some sleep and went out to wake up Dragos and Sano. He was not looking forward to this.
Dragos was bleary-eyed. "Kaio, you better have a good reason for this. I have an early meeting with the merchant council."
"Fanul's wife is alive."
Dragos mien snapped into focused attention. "What?"
"Lady Sara said Fanul introduced her to hi
s wife. Fanul has crippled her to keep her from running away and keeps her chained up. She also says the servant girls aren't there by choice, slaves. From what Sara has said so far, not a single guard or servant in Fanul's household is innocent. Rape of the slave girls is commonplace."
Dragos was alert by now. "Torture, rape, murder, and now slavery. I want him Kaio. I want him to pay. How did this go on under our noses?"
"I intend to find out. I think it would be best if Sano and I go in before morning. We can't give him time to dispose of them and they'll know soon that Sara is here and able to talk."
"I'm coming with you. You get Sano. I'll wake Arhis and Girru. We end this now. I don't want Fanul dead… yet."
Kaio nodded and headed off to Sano's quarters. Sano was a light sleeper and was already awake before Kaio had even gotten to his bedside. "Going after Fanul already?"
"Lady Sara woke up and told me more about her ordeal. Lady Loyas is alive. Fanul held her at his mansion in town. Dragos, Arhis, and Girru are going in with us."
Sano sat up in dismay. "I'll call out the troops. We need the coverage, too many exits." He swung out of bed and started dressing.
Kaio laughed grimly. "Stick Girru on the roof in dragon form and tell him anyone who leaves is prey."
Sano grinned at the thought. "Heh. That would do it. Still, might want troops as backup and coverage as we sweep the mansion. There will be servants to deal with."
"Okay, but I want to do this as silently as possible. The girls are there as slaves and Fanul might take it into his head to keep them from talking. They're considered victims just as much as Sara and Loyas are."
"Demons spit. If we had even suspected…" He checked his weapons before belting them on.
Kaio scrubbed at his face. "I know. We can give them justice now though. On the plus side, this whole situation is horrific enough even the lords will have to back the new laws, at least in public."
"We can hope. I'll go roust the troops. Meet up in the plaza north of Fanul's mansion?"
