In the Enemy's Service (Annals of Alasia Book 2)

by Annie Douglass Lima

  “Get back upstairs this instant,” ordered Eleya, panic in her voice. Anya turned and saw her standing against the opposite wall, Lieutenant Talifus gripping her arm with one hand and a drawn sword with his other. A blood-stained sword. Anya swallowed hard.

  “I’ll take the cup to the captain,” she offered quietly, ignoring the question and the order. “He’s less likely to suspect me of anything than either of you.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Eleya snapped. “We won’t have you marching into danger like that. Go get into bed like I told you to earlier.”

  “But it isn’t safe up there either,” Anya protested. “I heard what Lieutenant Talifus said. We’ll all be killed if this doesn’t work, but I think I can make it work. I really do.” Approaching Tonnis, she clutched his arm with both hands and gazed up at him with wide eyes, putting on what Arvalon called her pleading-puppy expression. “Please, Tonnis. I don’t want to die.” She made her voice quaver a bit, which wasn’t hard at the end of a day like this one. “Let me do it. I’m sure it’s the only chance any of us have.”

  Tonnis frowned uncomfortably. “What exactly are you thinking of doing?”

  “I’ll take Almanian the poison and tell him it’s for his head injury, to prevent infection. This afternoon I heard him tell one of the soldiers that his head was hurting a lot, and he was afraid the wound might be getting infected.” This wasn’t true, but none of them would know that. “He’ll believe me; I know he will. Besides, he said I have to be the one to bring him things.”

  “Maybe he will believe you and drink it, but that still won’t save us,” Eleya warned. “As soon as someone finds him dead and examines what’s left in the cup, they’ll know it came from the clinic.”

  “No, they won’t.” Anya spoke a little faster as the ideas came to her. “As soon as I see him drop dead or fall unconscious, I’ll run and call the nearest soldier for help, and I’ll tell him that the captain collapsed after he drank something Phenniel sent. You told me Phenniel was the one who drugged the wine right before the Invasion.”

  Three heads nodded. They were all listening.

  “So people will believe it. If he could get a drug like that, I’m sure he could get poison just as easily. I’ll tell them Phenniel didn’t think the Malornians were treating him well enough in return for what he did. I’ll say I’ve heard him complain about it several times. No one would suspect an innocent little girl of lying about something like that.” She smiled at them, making her expression as sweet and innocent as she could.

  “I don’t know,” Eleya grumbled, glowering under the lieutenant’s grip. “Something could easily go wrong. This is an awfully dangerous business for a child like you to be mixed up in.”

  “But I’m mixed up in it already just by being here,” Anya pointed out reasonably. “I’m not going to be any safer lying in bed if one of you tries and it doesn’t work.”

  “She has a point,” Tonnis admitted reluctantly. “It’s true she’s probably got a better chance than either of us. Goodness knows I’m no actor.” He bent to unhook the kettle, which was starting to whistle from the fireplace. Pouring the hot water into the cup, he stirred vigorously. “This won’t taste like any medicine the captain’s ever had, though,” he warned. “He’ll know the difference with the first sip, and one sip won’t be enough to kill him.”

  “Why don’t you mix some honey in it?” Anya suggested. “I’ll tell him I asked you to make it sweeter for him so it wouldn’t taste so nasty.”

  Grumbling under his breath about how unlikely the captain was to believe it, Tonnis opened another cupboard and pulled out the jar of honey, scooping in a generous dollop and stirring once more. His face was deeply troubled.

  Talifus chuckled. “The girl’s bright. You all just might have a chance after all.”

  Especially because of the parts he doesn’t know. Anya couldn’t tell the other two any more with the traitor in the room, but most of what she had said aloud was not in her plan at all.

  Tonnis put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed awkwardly. “Be careful, Anya. We don’t want to lose you.”

  Anya hugged him back, swallowing the lump in her throat. Eleya and Tonnis had already become like an aunt and uncle to her, much as her neighbors Merla and Bronin were. She didn’t want to think of them in danger, and she didn’t like the feeling that their lives depended on how well she could play her part. But what else was there to do?

  “I’ll be all right,” she told them all, and gave Eleya a brave smile from across the room. She would have liked to hug her too, but not with the lieutenant standing right there with his sword in the way.

  Before she could change her mind or anyone could talk her out of it, Anya picked up the cup, drew a deep breath, and turned to go.

  “Remember, girl,” Talifus called after her, “if he doesn’t drink it, or if anyone comes in here suspecting what’s happened, these two die; and you’ll be next.”

  “I know,” Anya called back as she hurried through the front room and out the door.

  It had stopped snowing, but the night air was freezing, and the moment she stepped outside she realized she had forgotten her coat. Well, too late. She wasn’t going back now. Her shoes crunched over the thin layer of snow underfoot as she made her way toward the towering bulk of the castle, lamps and torches flickering from behind dozens of glass windows in the darkness.

  Anya focused on the sadness she had felt as she had hugged Tonnis goodbye, picturing how terrible it would be if he and Eleya died after they had been so kind to her. This morning the tears had come unbidden; now it was easy enough to call them up on purpose. She slowed her steps to give them more time, willing them to flow faster, thinking of all the horrible things that had happened that day; that could still happen to her and others.

  By the time she reached the palace, tears were streaming down her face, icy cold in the stinging breeze. Would they be convincing enough? Crying usually worked with other grownups. When she had been little, she had often used her skill to persuade relatives to give her things she wanted. When she was slightly older, it had sometimes been useful to get herself out of a punishment. Now it could save three lives, including her own. If she did it just right.

  A few soldiers glanced her way, perhaps wondering why she was out so late and what she was upset about, but nobody stopped her. Nobody ever suspected a cute little girl of anything serious. Anya climbed the stairs to the second floor and shuffled slowly down the hall toward Captain Almanian’s office, sobbing now. She clutched the full cup with one hand and felt in her pockets with the other for a handkerchief, but she had thrown out the blood-stained one she’d been using earlier.

  Approaching the closed door at the end of the hall, Anya slowed her steps even more. She had to look as though she were trying not to cry while making sure she didn’t actually stop. She drew a deep breath to slow the sobs and wiped her eyes and nose with her sleeve. Her heart was pounding, and the cup shook in her hand. If this didn’t work, she was dead. Literally.

  With her hand raised to knock, she paused, hearing voices on the other side. Someone was in there with the captain. Should she go in anyway? Or wait till the other person left? Anya bit her lip, trying to decide if the presence of a second soldier would help or hurt her plan. Well, she couldn’t exactly go back to the clinic, and it wouldn’t look good for her to be standing here listening at the door again when it eventually opened. Her heart in her throat, Anya knocked.

  The voices ceased. “Yes?” called Almanian’s voice.

  Anya froze, realizing she didn’t know what to say. Just cry, she reminded herself silently, and look like you’re trying to stop. With a trembling hand, she turned the knob and stepped inside.

  Captain Almanian was sitting behind his desk, Lieutenant Lasden once again standing at attention before him. For the second time that day, Anya was relieved to see that the bedroom door beyond them was still closed. What with everything that had happened that afternoon and evening,
she had nearly forgotten about the books.

  For an instant, looking at Lasden’s bearing, Anya got the impression that the lieutenant was being scolded. It reminded her of when Father would call Arvalon into his study and speak to her brother sternly about something he had done wrong or some responsibility he had failed to fulfill. But what could Lasden possibly be in trouble about, especially when he was supposed to have had the rest of the day off?

  Both men turned to her in surprise as she stepped hesitantly into the room. “I-I brought this for you, sir,” she whimpered, sniffling, her gaze fastened on her feet.

  “What’s that?” the captain demanded, puzzled.

  “It-it’s for your head injury,” she replied, shuffling forward. She could feel the tears sliding down her already wet face and dripping off her chin as she set the cup on the corner of his desk and backed away.

  The captain frowned. “I didn’t ask for anything this evening.”

  Anya stifled a sob and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “P-please drink it, sir. It-it will help you get better faster.”

  Almanian rose to his feet and picked up the cup, peering suspiciously at its contents. “Why have you brought me this?”

  “B-because he – I mean, we had – I mean, I thought you might need it,” she gulped, her voice quavering.

  “He? Who is he?” the captain demanded, picking up on the pronoun just as she had hoped he would. “What’s going on here?”

  Anya gave another sob and covered her mouth with her hand. “N-nothing, sir,” she wailed through her fingers. “Please don’t hurt me. Please just drink it.”

  “Why would I hurt you?” the man demanded, crouching down before her and seizing her wrist to pull her hand away from her mouth. “Tell me what this is all about. Have you done something wrong?”

  “No-o-o,” Anya sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks once more. “He said – I mean, I have to – I mean, it’s not my fault. P-p-please don’t hurt me. P-please don’t kill us.”

  “Let me try, sir,” Lasden suggested, and at the captain’s nod, he limped forward and awkwardly bent down on one knee before her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t cry, Anya,” he said gently. “Nobody’s going to hurt you if you haven’t done anything. But you have to tell us what’s going on. Has somebody threatened you?”

  She nodded, looking up to meet his gaze for just a moment before lowering her head and rubbing her sleeve across her nose.

  “Who is it? The same person who told you to bring the captain this drink?”

  She nodded again, not looking at him.

  “What’s in the cup, exactly?” the captain demanded, picking it up again and sniffing the contents.

  “I-I don’t know, sir,” she whispered truthfully, stifling another sob. “B-but it’s something bad. I didn’t want to bring it, but – but – ohhh,” she began wailing again, “I had to! I had to! Please don’t hurt me, sir! He said he would kill us all if I didn’t get you to drink it!” She broke out into a volley of fresh sobs while the two officers looked at each other, mystified.

  Lasden pulled a folded handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Here. Dry your eyes and calm down; just don’t blow your nose again. Come and sit down, and then you can tell us what you’re talking about.”

  Anya accepted the handkerchief, thankful to have an alternative to her sleeve, and let him lead her to one of the armchairs against the back wall. She wiped her eyes and nose and took a long, quivery breath as the lieutenant sat down on the chair next to hers.

  “Now,” he began again, when her sobs had quieted a little. “Was it Tonnis who made you do this?”

  “No. Tonnis would never do anything like that.”

  “Eleya, then?”

  “No!”

  “Then who?” demanded the captain, pacing before them. He was growing impatient. She had better not overplay this.

  “He said he’d kill Eleya and Tonnis if I told anyone,” Anya muttered, staring down at the handkerchief she was twisting in her hands, “and then me too afterwards. I don’t want to die like Jommal and the others earlier, and I don’t want them to die. They’ve been so kind to me-e-e.”

  Her voice rose into the beginnings of another wail, and Lasden hastily put a hand on her shoulder before she could erupt into sobs again.

  “Don’t worry about that. If those two are really innocent, we won’t let anyone kill them. Goodness knows they’ve saved enough soldiers’ lives to deserve to keep their own. But you have to tell us who’s threatening the three of you, so we can stop him.”

  Anya looked back at Lasden, blinking through her tears, and then up at the captain, standing over them waiting for her response. When she was certain she had both men’s full attention, she whispered, “It’s Lieutenant Talifus.”

  There was silence in the room for a moment. The two men stared at her and then at each other, and she could tell from their knowing expressions that they were not surprised.

  “So Lieutenant Talifus ordered you to come here and serve a poisoned drink to Captain Almanian,” Lasden clarified, “and he said he would kill you and Tonnis and Eleya if you refused or told anyone.”

  Anya nodded. “Yes. Or if I couldn’t get the captain to drink it.” She wiped her eyes with a clean corner of the handkerchief. “He came into the clinic just now all angry because he said Malorn wasn’t giving him what he’d been promised, and he said it’s all the captain’s fault. Eleya and Tonnis tried to reason with him, but he’d been drinking too much, and he wouldn’t listen.”

  “Again?” Almanian scowled. “I’ve warned him about his drinking once this week already.”

  “So what did he hope to accomplish?” Lasden wanted to know. “Even if his plot succeeded, what then?”

  “Then he thought he would be promoted. He wants to be in charge.”

  The captain sighed. “I had a feeling it might come down to this.” He glanced at Lasden. “Are you ready for your next assignment, Lieutenant?”

  “Yes, sir.” Lasden rose to his feet, wincing as he put weight on his sore leg. “If I may, sir, what are you going to do with him afterward?”

  “What do you think?” retorted Almanian as though it should have been obvious.

  Lasden hesitated. “We could always just put him in the dungeon.”

  “Are you questioning my decision, Lieutenant? Again?”

  Lasden snapped to attention. “No, sir. I beg your pardon, sir. It was… just a suggestion.”

  “If I want suggestions from you, I’ll ask for them,” the captain snapped. “I told you that earlier. This is wartime. I can’t afford to keep soldiers around whom I can’t trust.”

  “I understand, sir,” Lasden agreed, expressionless.

  Almanian’s features softened. “Still, we wouldn’t even be here if not for Talifus’s help. I suppose in this case I could wait and let the regent pass judgment when he arrives. And lock him in the dungeon, as you said, until then. We might still find some use for him.”

  “But you can’t just march up and arrest him,” Anya broke in, suddenly remembering Talifus’s final threat. Both men turned to her, the captain with an irritated scowl at the interruption.

  “Oops.” Anya clapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, sir. It’s just that – that he said he’ll kill them if anyone finds out; if anyone comes in.” She widened her eyes and raised them to his in her best pleading-puppy expression, letting tears well up in them once again. “Please, sir, don’t let him kill Eleya or Tonnis. He’s waiting in the clinic with his sword to find out if you drank the poison or not. Please, please don’t–” she choked back a sob and pressed the handkerchief to her face.

  “Don’t worry,” the captain replied grimly. “I know how we’re going to handle this.”

  Tonnis shifted uncomfortably, leaning against the wall in the back room. Beside him, Eleya was frowning, staring worriedly out the window. But there was nothing to see except the flicker of firelight from the torch mounted on the wall out
there, and an occasional soldier passing by. Not that they expected to see anything important through that window. Anya, if she returned, would be coming from the opposite direction.

  Anya. They had known her for just over a week, but already she had found a place in their hearts. Tonnis sighed. He would never forgive himself if she was killed. He ought to have gone instead. But what good would it have done? If he failed, as seemed only likely, she would have died in the end anyway.

  Beside him, Eleya slipped her hand into his. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, though he could tell his wife was as concerned as he was. “Anya’s a bright girl. She’ll make it believable.”

  “Stop talking,” ordered Talifus, whirling around from where he was pacing between the examining table and the cupboards, sword in hand. “Just keep your mouths shut until we find out what’s happened.” He sounded almost as nervous as they were.

  Without warning, the clinic’s outer door crashed open. Tonnis and Eleya jumped in alarm, and Talifus leaped toward them to seize Eleya’s arm once again, blade poised by her throat.

  “All right, men. Seize those filthy Alasians,” called Lasden’s voice from the front room. “Don’t let them escape.” He sounded furious.

  Talifus relaxed visibly as the other lieutenant limped into view, sword in one hand and empty cup in the other. Behind him came a dozen soldiers, all looking grim and ready for action. Tonnis swallowed hard. They had been found out.

  “Good, you’ve got them under guard already,” Lasden snapped as the thirteen men swept into the back room. “Did you think you’d get away with this?” he added, brandishing the cup in Tonnis’s face. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Captain Almanian.” On cue, the soldiers with him drew their swords. “Bring them out to the courtyard,” Lasden ordered, and two of the men seized Tonnis by the arms.

  “No! Wait!” he protested as they began to drag him out. “Please, Lieutenant, you have to listen.”

  “It wasn’t us,” Eleya added desperately. “We can explain.”

  “Shut up,” one of the soldiers ordered, and Tonnis felt the sharp prick of a sword at his back. It didn’t matter what they said. The Malornians weren’t going to believe them anyway. He fell silent in despair as he and his wife were shoved and dragged out the front door into the cold night air.