Erosan's Tears

by Jason Scott Gleason

  Raelyn stepped into the light, catching the attention of the guards. The two at the end of the bridge immediately stepped back, drawing their swords with unsteady hands. The two guards across the bridge began jogging towards them, shouting an alarm, their swords drawn as well. He opened his hands, showing his palms.

  “I’m not going to attack you,” he called out, walking towards them. He didn’t recognize either of them, although they obviously recognized him. “I am armed, though. I’ll kill anyone who tries to take me into custody.” The two guards glanced nervously at each other, then back at Raelyn. One swallowed. His hand was trembling.

  “I want you to send word to Corlwyn. Tell him that I’m here. I want to make a deal—me for Genevar.” You had better come quickly, Astal. I’m taking a huge chance here.

  One of the guards jogged back across the bridge while the other three stood, uneasy. They’re scared, Raelyn thought. That’s good. I don’t want any of them to think they can be a hero and run me through. Raelyn was careful to keep back, far enough out of the reach of their swords that he didn’t have to worry about a wild lunge.

  He waited for a few minutes, and then Corlwyn appeared at the door, striding quickly across the bridge. He was followed by Archeo and four other guards, all armed with bared blades. “Guards!” he shouted, his voice enraged. “Do your duty! Seize that man!”

  Tempest shot from her sheath, Raelyn’s hand moving as if by magic. He leveled the tip at the three guards. “I don’t want to make any widows or orphans tonight, but I will if I have to.” The warning was enough. None of the guards tried to come any closer.

  “Setoth’s seed,” Corlwyn swore, and drew his own blade. “Will I have to take him myself?”

  Raelyn laughed. “Even with these men helping you, I’d cut you down. Do you really think you can take me in a dual, Corlwyn?”

  Corlwyn paused as he got close. Raelyn was giving him a look, trying to convey all the anger and hopeless despair that he felt. It seemed to be working.

  “I have a proposition to make,” he continued. “A prisoner exchange. I’ve been told that you’re holding Genevar. Is this true?”

  Corlwyn’s jaw was tight, working furiously. Raelyn couldn’t tell if it was just the lantern light, but his face looked red. “I’m not telling anything to a traitor like you,” he spat.

  “Think about what I’m offering, Corlwyn,” Raelyn replied, deliberately ignoring the insult. “If you give up Genevar, I’ll be your prisoner. You will have captured one of the most wanted men in the city without bloodshed, and you’ll be able to ask me all the questions you want.” Come on, Corlwyn. Don’t think too hard about this. You’re not clever enough to turn this around on me, and this is too good an opportunity to pass up. Corlwyn seemed to be considering it.

  “Think about it,” Raelyn said again. “You’ll have the chance to interrogate me. If I can’t convince you of my innocence, you’ll be able to have me tried before the High Court, and I’ll be yours to do with what you will.”

  Corlwyn smiled. “I think that will do,” he finally replied. There was a malicious gleam in his eyes. “I think that will do quite nicely. Of course, I must let you know that I offer no immunity to Genevar. If she is captured again—and she will be, I assure you—she will be subject to the High Court’s law. Not even I have the power to save her from that.”

  Raelyn nodded his head. “I understand that. But I’ll give myself up on this one condition: neither you nor your men are to try to arrest her again tonight. In the morning you can do what you want, but tonight you are to leave her alone.” All she has to do is get to the Temple of Erosan, Raelyn thought. Once she claims sanctuary, she’ll be beyond the reach of even the High Court. He hoped that his plan would work, that she would be able to make it to the temple and that Gray would be able to rescue him. He held out no hope that he would be able to convince Corlwyn of his innocence.

  Corlwyn nodded in return. “Fine. I will instruct my men not to apprehend her tonight. She will be free to leave my custody and go where she will.”

  “I know you’re a man of your word,” Raelyn said. I hope I’m right about that. “I want you to swear, with these men as witnesses, that you will keep your word on this.”

  Corlwyn sneered. “I swear this oath to you, Raelyn; if you give yourself up, into my custody, I will release Genevar. Neither I nor any of my men will detain her or capture her tonight, nor will we do anything to do so until the morning. We will only do this if you hand over your weapons and come with us peacefully.” He stared at Raelyn, his lip still curling.

  “Good,” Raelyn said. “Everyone here heard your oath, and I know you’re a man of your word. Bring Genevar out, and I’ll hand over my sword and dagger.” He made no move to sheathe Tempest.

  Corlwyn turned without another word and strode back into the Gatehouse. The rest of the guards, Archeo included, stayed out on the bridge. There were ten of them, too many for Raelyn’s comfort, and he eyed them suspiciously. Aside from Archeo, they all still had their swords out. Each one of them looked nervous.

  Archeo walked to the front, easily within distance of Raelyn’s sword. “I think my men are nervous,” he said, loud enough for the guards to hear. “Everyone’s talking about how you faced down seven men and managed to beat them all, without taking so much as a scratch.”

  Good, Raelyn thought, let them think that. I want them afraid. His left shoulder ached where the stitches were, and he knew he’d tear them if he had to fight, but he couldn’t show the guards. He was wondering what Archeo was thinking.

  “I think it would make us all feel a bit more comfortable if we all put up our swords. Don’t you?” The suggestion surprised Raelyn, and he wondered how much he could trust Archeo.

  “I’ll sheathe mine if they sheathe theirs,” he replied. Tempest felt light in his hand, and he knew he could stand at the ready for quite some time, but not indefinitely.

  Archeo turned to the gathering of guards, whose faces held apprehensive looks. “Telos, Rori, why don’t the two of you sheathe your swords and stay up here with me and Raelyn. The rest of you can go back to the other side of the bridge. I don’t think we’ll need you up here.” The men did as Archeo instructed, obviously relieved. Once most of them had begun to withdraw across the bridge, Raelyn relaxed, sliding Tempest back into her sheath.

  Archeo looked at Raelyn, and Raelyn could tell that he was considering a lot. “Six guards, plus Trevan?” Raelyn nodded. “That must have been some fight.” Raelyn nodded again. He wasn’t sure how much to say.

  “From what I hear,” Archeo continued, looking out over the water, “you did everything you could to keep from hurting anyone. Only three men were wounded, and I’ve seen the cuts. Could have been a lot worse.”

  “Trevan’s dead,” Raelyn replied.

  “The guards who were there are saying it was an accident. You were disarming everyone when you could have been killing them. They say you lost it when you stabbed Trevan, tried to make sure he got to the healers in time. If you wanted to kill Trevan, you could have done it quick, but he fell into your blade.” Raelyn couldn’t help but think back to the fight. He was surprised that the men who had been there would be so quick to defend him.

  “It was an accident,” Raelyn said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. “The last thing I wanted was to let anyone die. Trevan least of all.”

  Archeo nodded. “That’s what I thought. I don’t see why they’d be saying what they’re saying if it wasn’t true.” He went on. “And what about this meeting with Genevar and Gray? Is there any truth to that?”

  So that’s why you’re being sympathetic, Raelyn thought. Trying to get me to open up, see what I have to say. Get me to admit that I know who Gray is. He considered it for a moment. I’m a terrible liar. But do I really know who Gray is? I know him as Astal, but he told me himself that was just a part he was playing. Can I really say I know him?

  He began carefully. “Genevar told me she had been approached by an
agent of Gray’s, that she could set up a meeting. He was trying to get her to pay him protection money, to stop paying Karduk. They’re fighting for control of the Arena District right now.”

  “So that’s what you did?” Archeo asked. “You met with one of his agents?”

  Raelyn wondered again if he could trust Archeo. “Yes,” he replied. If I keep my responses short, maybe he won’t see through me.

  “I hear that a number of Karduk’s men came after you in Genevar’s brothel,” Archeo continued. “A dozen men, all dead. Was that all you, or was Gray’s man helping you?”

  “They weren’t Karduk’s men,” Raelyn replied. “One of them said they were sent by Trevan, right before he bled out. Gray’s man had escaped by the time they attacked me, but it wasn’t twelve men. More like eight or nine.” He wondered if this would be held against him. Will they try me for murder if I was defending myself from nine men, all bent on killing me?

  Archeo nodded. “So Trevan sent men to kill you,” he said. He seemed to be mulling it over. “You were Trevan’s teacher, right?”

  “Yes,” Raelyn said. I was. But not anymore.

  “I suppose he knew you pretty well, then.”

  “No,” replied Raelyn. He thought about it for a minute. “I really don’t think he knew me at all. More that he thought he did.”

  “Maybe he thought he could stop you,” Archeo said reflectively. “Everyone’s saying that you met with Gray, that you’ve been conspiring with him since the beginning. That you’ve been using your position of trust to his advantage, to find out things that are of interest to Gray. There are a lot of people who think that you could be used to get to Gray, to lead us to him.”

  Raelyn laughed then, but it was a laugh full of bitterness. “When I went into that meeting with Genevar, I had no idea how to find Gray. On top of that, I had never seen him or any of his agents before. The idea that we’ve been working together since all this started is absurd.”

  Archeo shrugged. “I believe you, Raelyn. But my opinion doesn’t matter much. The Council of Lords are the ones you have to convince.”

  Of course you believe me, Raelyn thought sarcastically. That’s exactly what I’d say if I was trying to get information, too. I’m sure whatever I tell you will reach Corlwyn’s ears. I can’t afford to let myself think I can trust you.

  To Archeo, he said, “I doubt the Council of Lords will be swayed by anything but proof, and I can’t prove what I haven’t done. All I can say is that I’ve been trying to get a meeting with one of Gray’s men in order to find out more about him and his operations. I finally managed to get that meeting, and I was attacked by men hired by Trevan. I’ve been a loyal servant of this city since the beginning of this mess, and now more than ever I want to find out who’s really behind the killings, so I can clear my own name.”

  Archeo’s brow raised. “So you don’t think Gray’s behind the killings, then?”

  Damn it, Raelyn thought, silently cursing himself for saying too much. ”I didn’t say that. Only that what everyone else assumes, I doubt. I’m much more interested in proof than allegations, and that’s all I’ve heard so far. There are a dozen men in this city who might have reason to want all of this done, and from what I’ve heard, there’s no reason yet to rule any of them out.”

  Archeo seemed to consider what he said for a moment. “That’s one of the things that makes you such a good investigator, Raelyn,” he said. The praise was apparent in his voice, and if there was any deceit in it, Archeo was hiding it well. “You consider every possibility, and you only believe what has been proven. If you think someone other than Gray could be behind this, I’m interested in hearing why.”

  I’m sure you are, Raelyn thought. There are any number of reasons you could want to hear what I have to say, and none of them are good. And I’m sure you’d love to know what I know about Gray. But that’s exactly what I have to keep you from finding out from Genevar.

  Raelyn was careful not to lie, but he didn’t want to give Archeo anything he could use. “It’s just as I said. There are a number of people that would profit from everything that’s going on, not just Gray. It could just as easily be Karduk behind all of this—he’s becoming a legend on the street, and people are more afraid of him now than they’ve ever been. On top of that, people like Gray and Karduk are usually just the foot soldiers in these games, not the masterminds. If it’s one or the other of them, then who’s in the shadows, making them dance? It’s not what I know that makes me doubt, but what I don’t know. Too many questions without answers. Too easy to point at Gray and distract everyone from who’s really running the show.”

  “I see,” Archeo said. Raelyn wasn’t sure that he did. “You think someone more powerful is choosing the targets, even if they aren’t the ones carrying out the murders. Stopping Gray—or Karduk, or whoever the assassin is—won’t stop anything. It won’t bring the person who is responsible to justice.”

  Raelyn nodded slowly. “Whoever it is that’s responsible for this, I’m sure they have something bigger in mind than just a turf war over a few taverns and cathouses. The entire city is being torn apart, and whoever is doing this isn’t stopping. We’re still missing something, and we can’t pretend we’re not.”

  “You’re right about that,” Archeo agreed. “We’re certainly still missing something, and I don’t know what it is any more than you do. And I believe that you’re not part of it,” he added. “I’ll tell Corlwyn what you told me, try to get him to see the reason behind what you said. But like I said, he’s not the person you really need to convince. You need to make the Council of Lords believe you, especially the High Lords. Are there any of the High Lords who you think would listen to you?”

  Raelyn thought about Lord Perinor, and his heart sank. I used to have the faith and friendship of one, but I have the blood of both of his sons on my hands. He must hate me now. I’ve certainly lost his patronage. Then he thought about Lord Elotarn, and his talk with Fethan—then the fact that Fethan, Lord Rennard, and Trevan were all suspiciously absent from the meeting earlier in the week. Could Lord Elotarn’s own seneschal be the assassin? Raelyn saw too many possibilities, too many loose ends.

  “I don’t know,” Raelyn said honestly. “I used to think so, but now it seems unlikely. I’ve done too much to make enemies of the High Lords. Lord Elotarn, maybe. He’s my best hope.”

  “Well, then I hope for your sake that he’ll listen to you. I’ll see what I can do to send word to him.”

  “Thank you,” Raelyn said. I doubt you’re being honest, he thought to himself. You’re too much Corlwyn’s man. You’d be cutting your own throat if you helped me, even like this.

  Archeo looked over to the other two guards. “I’ll be back. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere, but don’t get yourselves stabbed in the process. Everyone still wants to go home to their families, right?” The guards nodded in assent.

  He walked back across the bridge, stepping through the door into the Gatehouse. The two guards shifted nervously. Raelyn thought for a moment about trying to strike up a conversation with them, to put them more at ease, but he was too preoccupied. He was missing something about Trevan, Fethan, and Rennard. He was sure that the three of them had met, now that Trevan had come after him, but who was behind it? Everything came back to Rennard. Rennard, who was in bed with Karduk, who hated the Coscans in the city. Hated anyone who wasn’t Oervan, really. But who had just taken a Slovani seneschal, if the rumors were right.

  Raelyn suddenly realized that he didn’t know anything about this seneschal. He felt like a fool. All this time we’ve been looking for a Slovani, and I’ve suspected Lord Rennard to be behind this—why didn’t I think to find out who his seneschal is? He hasn’t been at any of the meetings we’ve had, even though all of the other seneschals have. Apparently, nobody really knows who he is. All this time he’s been sitting under our noses, and we’ve been dogs, busy barking and chasing our tails.

  Raelyn looked at the guards, though
t of trying to explain it to Corlwyn. I have to tell someone, but there’s nobody I can trust. If I tell Corlwyn, I doubt he’ll believe me. He’ll believe what I say even less if Gray tries to rescue me tonight. On top of that, he doesn’t know how to investigate without accusing someone, and he won’t accuse a high lord of the city without proof. Besides, it’s just a hunch right now. I still don’t know who this person is, or if he was around when the murders occurred.

  He thought of Gray’s plan to rescue him, and hoped it happened soon. Once I’m in Corlwyn’s hands, he’s going to torture me, he thought, and was surprised at how little that thought bothered him. He may even end up killing me in the process. I need to let someone know before that happens, just in case Gray doesn’t come in time. There’s nobody here I can trust, though.

  All of a sudden, his noble rescue of Genevar was starting to look like a bad idea. Where are they? he wondered, realizing how long it had been since Corlwyn had gone back into the Gatehouse. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get Genevar and bring her out here. Unless they’re taking one more shot at getting her to talk, trying to use this as an opportunity to get what they want out of me as well as out of her. That thought made Raelyn nervous. I hope to Tuva that she hasn’t said anything yet. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold out; I can’t imagine she would be able to stand up to Corlwyn’s interrogations.

  Raelyn continued to wait, his anxiety rising with every passing minute. He started pacing at the end of the bridge, and realized that he was making the guards nervous as well. He tried calming himself, but it was too much for him. He wished he had a drink to calm his nerves, then he thanked Aletharin that he didn’t. He needed his wits about him, even if his nerves were frayed. He kept wondering what was taking so long.