“Emperor Yiloch, my primary goals in coming here were to learn what I could of the efforts to find you, which I think was sufficiently covered upon my entering the throne room, and to investigate the rumors of this army invading Lyra. I also hoped for some word of Lord Edan and…” he trailed off, catching Yiloch’s quick scowl. “I get the feeling you have something to say about him, but, before we discuss that, I want to articulate that I am willing to give you every opportunity I can to explain things. Lady Indigo had some reason for risking so much to set you free. I wish she was here to explain it to me herself, but, in a way, I am also glad that she is not. At least this way, I’m not obligated to place her under arrest.
“Tell me, Emperor Yiloch,” he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in the chair, “why would she give up everything she held dear to set you and Lord Ferin free?”
Now Yiloch eased back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. He stalled a minute longer, gazing into the dark red depths through the perfect window of the created wine glass. With an effort, he managed to hide the twisting guilt that rose up with thoughts of Indigo and kept his expression casual. “I will tell you what I know. Creator Ian traveled with her for a time when they were trying to find me and may be able to fill in some blanks.”
There was the slightest flicker of unease in Theron’s eyes as he glanced at Ian now, recognizing who and what he was, but he nodded and sat back again, prepared to listen.
“The first I knew of King Jerrin’s death was after I arrived in the prison Lady Indigo and Lord Serivar placed me in. I never ordered any assassination.” Theron met the pronouncement with an expression of forced impartiality. He’d most certainly heard about and perhaps had even seen the confessions of the three Lyran adepts. Confessions that had to have been forced upon them in some manner that involved either ascard manipulation, torture or some combination of both. He swallowed a flash of fresh anger and continued. “When they took me prisoner, I believed Indigo knew what she was doing.”
Theron raised an eyebrow at the informal address and Yiloch answered with a slight narrowing of his eyes, daring the man to take exception. Theron’s chest lifted and fell with a deep breath, but he held his tongue.
“As far as I could tell at that time, I had been betrayed by Caithin and she was the executor of that betrayal. Later she destroyed the prison, stranding Ferin and I in southern Kudan.”
“At least you ended up on the proper continent,” Theron offered.
Yiloch answered with a bitter smile. “The same continent, perhaps, but worlds away. I’ll spare you the details of the long walk, but along the way, we came upon the trail of a large army heading toward Lyra and found nothing but dead in the first several Kudaness villages we came to while following that trail. More importantly, there were only Kudaness dead. Not one of the invaders died in those attacks. In later villages, they had warning that the army was coming and abandoned their homes to seek safety elsewhere. In the Silik lands, Ferin was killed by a band of Kudaness warriors, so his freedom ended up being merely a brief stay of execution.”
Theron inclined his head in a show of respect. “I am sorry to hear that.”
“Are you?” Yiloch asked, bitterness slipping through in his tone.
“Emperor Yiloch, it is my place to assess political situations and come up with reasonable solutions. I do not blame Lord Ferin for anything at this point and I am sorry for his loss. I try to avoid passing judgment without adequate information, which I do not feel I have in this situation. The death of the royal family is not something I have been involved in, beyond a personal sense of loss, until now. As I am now involved, I must gather all the information I can and I require your help to do that, so please, continue.”
Yiloch checked his temper. He couldn’t let his pain and loss damage their tenuous rapport. “Fair enough. I crossed paths with Indigo, Cadmar, and Ian when they came looking for me in southern Murak, where I proceeded to treat Indigo rather harshly because of her role in my capture and, unfortunately, managed to chase her off. I held her accountable, unfairly it seems, for my imprisonment and for the circumstances that led to Ferin’s death. I’m afraid I was rather unkind to her. That is the extent of my involvement in the death of your former king and those who arrested me for his assassination.”
Theron’s face clouded over, his fingers tightened on the wine glass.
Yiloch waited. Theron’s next words would give considerable insight into whether they had any chance of understanding one another.
“This army…” Theron trailed off, a flicker of distress in his eyes. He clenched his teeth hard enough to make the jaw muscles bulge then his composure cracked. “Where is Indigo now?”
That was exactly the reaction Yiloch had hoped for. Theron couldn’t abandon his concern for Indigo, not even for the sake of his position as a much-lauded emissary. There was hope for peace in that. “Indigo chose to remain in Kudan with Suac Chozai of Murak.”
Theron stiffened. “The Devine have mercy. You left her with the Kudaness? They hate Caithin and they hate adepts. She’s as good as dead.”
Yiloch met his eyes. “She chose to stay in Kudan and they chose to let her. This is Indigo we’re talking about, not some halfwit who can’t manage the duties of a scullery maid. She is quite capable of making her own choices and standing by them, as you so eloquently stated earlier.”
Theron’s jaw worked, but he was unable to argue the point. He leaned forward, resting forearms on his thighs, looking every bit the worried father in that moment. “It should come as no surprise to you that, as her ward, I am rather disturbed by how well you seem to know her.”
Yiloch met his gaze, seeing the demand for explanation in his eyes. Let him wonder for now. Not knowing might unbalance him some, but not as much as the truth would. They weren’t here to discuss Indigo, after all.
Adran shifted in his chair and Ian sat forward a touch, both uneasy with the current tension.
“It comes as no surprise, Lord Theron. In fact, it pleases me to know you’re concerned for her wellbeing, but that isn’t why you’re here, not really.” Theron’s eyes pinched with a flash of irritation, but he said nothing. “You see, from there I continued north with Ian and Cadmar. We managed to pass the army using a more direct route than the main roads their numbers restrict them to, but they could arrive any day now. They have impressive skills in the use of barriers, but beyond that, I know little about them other than that they are ruthless and effective killers. They eliminated the entire population of several villages in Kudan and many Lyran towns along the route north from Kudan. They only suffered losses in one instance that I know of and I have reason to believe that may have involved the man you call Lord Edan.”
Theron nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. “So the army is real. I don’t envy you your position in that. King Gavin is not overly enthusiastic about the idea of giving aide at this point, though the subject has come up. I might influence that decision one way or another if you can give me adequate reason to. Which takes us back to the assassinations, if you didn’t order them, who did and why did your adepts confess to them?”
Yiloch took a long drink of his wine. None of this was going to be easy to explain. It was hard enough to make it all clear in his own head, especially now that he knew Myac was family. That was one thing Theron didn’t need to know. In fact, he meant for very few people to ever know about that particular blood tie.
“I have a very powerful enemy, Lord Theron. His name is Myac and he is a creator adept who served under my father. His power is remarkable, almost unmatched. After I claimed the throne, he apparently went to Demin and has been masquerading about, orchestrating my downfall under a created disguise as one Lord Edan.”
“Lady Indigo believes he is behind the assassinations. She also thought he may have helped compel the three Lyran adepts to sign those confessions and perhaps believe their own guilt,” Ian interjected into the brief pause.
“But he could not have managed all of that
on his own,” Yiloch added. “No matter how powerful he is, he’s still only one man.”
Theron sat straighter, a challenge rising in his eyes. “We restrict all training and use of ascard in Caithin to healing. Who would have had the necessary skills to help him?”
Meeting those dark eyes, Yiloch considered how much to say. If this man was as important to the throne as his reputation implied, then he had to know about the King’s Order. But there was so much he might not know that would make all of this even harder for him to swallow. Still, without Indigo here to support him, he had to do the best he could to try to make the man believe and that meant exposing his knowledge of some things he shouldn’t know much about.
“I know that is a lie, Lord Theron,” he dared. “I’m fairly certain that you do as well.”
Theron resisted. “How would you know if that was a lie?” His tone was calm and reasonable.
Yiloch couldn’t help admiring his composure. “I have received created missives from King Jerrin in the past.”
Theron shrugged it off. “A very benign and useful skill. Not one that would be of much use in a deception of this magnitude.”
“And Indigo told me about the adepts and creators of the King’s Order.”
Theron’s lips pressed into a tight line. Thoughts raced behind those eyes. “What would Indigo know about the king’s affairs? She’s only a healer.”
At this point, there was little reason not to divulge more. It wasn’t fair to Indigo to expose her, but the fate of his country and their alliance with Caithin required this man’s support. “Indigo is much more than a healer. She is the strongest adept I have ever encountered. Without her help in my campaign, I might not have taken the throne from my father. Lord Serivar has been training her for the King’s Order since before she came to Lyra the first time. Hasn’t he told anyone that yet?”
His face clouding over with anger and an encouraging flicker of uncertainty, Theron shifted forward in the chair as though ready to rise and stared at Yiloch. “Indigo is only a healer,” he said again, though his tone lacked conviction this time.
“Lady Indigo is an amazing adept, Lord Theron,” Ian said, the flash of enthusiasm in his eyes making him look as young as he was and, whether intentional or not, it added convincing sincerity to his words. “If she were here now, we would be certain to defeat the Grey Army,” he added, throwing a quick, accusatory glance at Yiloch.
Theron put his elbow on the arm of the chair and lifted his hand, resting his forehead against the fingertips. He looked suddenly very tired. “I won’t say that I believe you, but, if everything you say is true, you must realize what that implies.”
“Yes, I do. Indigo told me she suspected Lord Serivar of some sinister intentions back when she was here with the Caithin healers. She was worried because she found out he hadn’t told the king about her.”
Theron’s eyes narrowed to angry slits and he snapped, “Why would she tell you this and not me?”
Yiloch shrugged. “Perhaps she simply wanted to talk it out with someone outside the situation before she made such an accusation to someone who could do something about it.”
“Perhaps you could stop avoiding and explain to me what your relationship is with her. Maybe that would shed some light on this situation.”
The emissary’s voice was tight with hurt and anger. Yiloch was reluctant to upset him further, but it was a little too late to turn back now. “Indigo is a remarkable woman, Lord Theron. I couldn’t help taking an interest in her and I spent perhaps a little too much time around her whenever the situation allowed.”
“He loves her,” Ian piped up and Adran’s head dropped into his hands as he muttered a soft curse under his breath. Yiloch gave Ian a warning look, though it was much too late for warnings. Ignoring the look, the creator added, “She loves him too, or at least she did before he chased her off in Kudan.”
Theron looked dazed, as though someone had struck him a solid blow to the skull.
“It’s growing late.” Adran cast a pointed glance at the windows. “Perhaps we should adjourn for the evening and get some rest. I’ll see that proper accommodations are arranged for Lord Theron if that is acceptable.”
Theron glanced at Adran, looking as though he equally loved and hated the idea. Yiloch could sympathize. There was so much more to say, but he needed sleep and this wasn’t going exactly as he had hoped it would. The only consolation to that was that he suspected Theron felt equally out of control of the conversation. If only Indigo were there. He needed her testimony for Theron. He needed her power against the army. More importantly, he needed her, just her, if for no other reason than to lose himself in those vibrant blue eyes.
“Is that agreeable, Lord Theron?” Yiloch asked, anxious to leave all of them so he could struggle with the swell of misery and heartache away from prying eyes.
To his relief, Theron nodded.
“Good. We will continue in the morning when we have all rested and our heads are clear.”
Adran rose and asked Theron to follow him. A few minutes after they left, Yiloch felt a light touch on his arm, not a physical touch, but a touch of power. Glancing up, he saw Ian leaning against the doorjamb, watching him. The youthful exuberance was gone from the creator’s eyes. He looked exhausted… and determined.
“You should consider the impact of your words before you say them,” Yiloch snapped.
Ian’s expression hardened. “You need to sleep. Now.”
“When did you become so bossy? I should never have encouraged you.”
Standing, he walked out through the narrow space Ian’s lean frame left open in the doorway, noting that the youth made no effort to give him more room. His father would have punished such behavior and perhaps he should as well, but he had grown to like the creator. The last thing he wanted right now was to get into a power struggle with the talented youth. Ian was loyal, formidable, and smart. That seemed like a good combination, one he needed to have on his side.
“My lord,” Yiloch hesitated in the hallway, glancing back over his shoulder. “You can take credit for a lot of who I am now, but Indigo gets credit for this part.”
“Belligerent,” Yiloch muttered, but he couldn’t stop a weary and much too wistful smile. “Get some sleep.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Indigo’s breath created a ghost of white in the air before her. The landscape, lumpy with the moonlit shapes of resting warriors, was growing quiet as sleep called most of them into its embrace. The Kudaness travelled fast on foot, faster than she would have thought possible, and they slept hard as a result. Even the horse she rode, grown lean and hard with so many long days of travel, was weary from the speed of their journey and rested soundly.
Sleep proffered no warm embrace for her. There were battles coming. A strange and powerful army marched toward Yiroth. Toward people she cared about. People she loved. She needed to be as strong as she could be to help them and there was one way she knew now to strengthen her already formidable ascard connection. Whether the sucar truly increased the strength of her connection or simply enhanced her control of it made little difference. Either would be useful in trying to bring down the barriers that protected the Grey Army’s warriors. Those barriers had to come down if Yiloch’s army was going to have any chance of defeating them.
Her breath came fast, each exhale creating a brief white wisp in the darkness. Moving with quick light steps, she snuck to where Suac Chozai slept. He carried a small skin of sucar in his pack. One never knew when a walk with the gods might be necessary. Every suac in the Dursik un Kar carried some, but she didn’t dare borrow from anyone other than Chozai. Using ascard to hold those resting nearby in sleep, she knelt by Suac Chozai’s head and slipped a hand into the pack he was using as a pillow. She jumped when he shifted, her heart pounding, but the influence of her power kept him from waking as she resumed her search.
When her hand closed on the small skin, she let out a shaky exhale and drew it out. A light breeze ti
ckled along her skin, making her shiver as she hurried back to where her own packs lay next to her horse. When she was hunched down beside the animal, she drew back her power, letting those she’d influenced return to a normal sleep. For a few minutes, she listened to the sounds of the night, the breathing of the horse beside her, the calls of owls. The nervous flutter in her chest reminded her of times she’d snuck out with Caplin as a child when her uncle took her into the city with him.
Dear Caplin.
What was he doing now? Did he worry about her or had her apparent treason and his jealousy turned him cold to her?
Dashing away the thoughts with a shake of her head, she pulled the stopper from the skin, grimacing at the pungent aroma wafting out. She would never get used to that stench. Drawing in a breath to steel her nerves, she lifted it to her lips.
A hand grabbed her wrist. She let out a soft cry and twisted to face Chozai. His copper eyes took on an eerie glow in the moonlight and his furious scowl threw hard shadows over the planes of his tattooed face. She yanked her wrist away, scowling back at him in the darkness. Defensive anger quickly gave way to the heat of guilt rising in her cheeks and she was thankful that the moon hung behind her in the sky, hiding her face in shadow.
“There is no need for you to walk with the gods now,” he growled in a low voice, switching indiscriminately between Lyran and Kudaness in his anger. “You have accomplished your task. The Kudaness are on the move.”
“We haven’t defeated the Grey Army yet,” she hissed, also keeping her voice low and stretching her ability to keep those who slept near them from waking.
He gestured to the sucar. “How is this going to help?”
“It…” She hesitated. Should she tell him the truth? Given their beliefs around ascard use, was there any way to make him understand or would the truth only make him angrier? She needed to take the chance. “My ascard connection grows a little stronger every time I walk with the gods,” she confessed, yearning for him to understand and accept. He had to see that this made sense in light of the current situation.
Apostate: Forbidden Things Page 10
