by Dora Machado
“You understand what I want from you, don't you?” Orgos said. “You are not dumb.”
Curse Meliahs and all her boulders. She had been playing Orgos's game all along. If Orgos killed Sariah, if he delivered her to the mob, he would lose whatever advantage he had over Kael. But if Kael thought Sariah would go free, Orgos believed Kael would submit to him. It was a cold, calculated game, and given the present circumstances, it was one Orgos could very well win.
Sariah set out to destroy Orgos's notions right away. “What makes you think Kael will yield to you on my account? I'm nothing but a stonewiser to him.”
“You lie again. You don't do it very well. I've wondered about you. There were rumors, talk he'd fallen prey to your witchcraft, that he'd left Ars for you, that he'd bled on the quartering block and almost died, all for you.”
The pain in her chest kept her silent.
“I wondered what unearthly power could do this to a man like Kael. Is it some sort of stonewiser trick? Is it sorcery? It has to be. Some say he took you by the ways of the blanket. That's where your value to me lies. You see, you'll bring Kael to me in the only way I couldn't have done it on my own—willingly.”
Fifteen
SARIAH HAD A vision of Kael's body strung on the quartering block. No. It wasn't going to happen again. She swallowed the fear weakening her throat. When she spoke, her voice was strong, calm and clear. “You give me too much credit, Orgos. But I'm willing to try it your way if you'd like, as long as you stand by your oath to me.”
Surprise flashed in Orgos's eyes. Perhaps he had expected she would argue and plead. Perhaps he thought she would refuse his offer upfront. He had been ready to force her into his game a moment ago. Now he was shocked and not a little bit disconcerted.
“The man has been a good tool to my endeavors,” Sariah said. “But you must understand, nothing can stand in the way of the stone truth.”
“You wily bitch,” Orgos said with a hint of admiration. “What won't you do for your stones?”
Honesty was easy. “There's nothing I wouldn't do for the stones.”
“Is it true then, that he'll do whatever is necessary to save your life?”
It pained her to admit it.
Orgos's blunt features came alive with his emotions. She saw the hunger on his face, immense and insatiable, fixated on the one man his power couldn't grant him. Wistful hope flashed in his eyes as he beheld his fantasies coming true. Then the deep lines on his ruddy face set like dried mud. This was Kael they were talking about. She knew what Orgos was thinking.
“See this?” Orgos yanked a fistful of red hair out of the way to display the side of his head where his ear's intricate canal sunk into his head without the lobe's protection. “I asked for so little then, just a lick of the lobe to warm my loins.”
Sariah had to keep her mouth closed. A tear escaped Orgos's eyes. That Orgos had feelings was discovery enough; that his feelings for Kael were as strong as they seemed was unbelievable. It mattered little to Orgos that Kael had killed his men and burned his quarters. What mattered to him was that Kael had denied him his price and spurned his advances. For that, Kael had to pay him back, and not with his life.
“He won't bend the knee to any man,” Orgos said. “He's too proud to submit.”
It struck Sariah that Orgos knew Kael well, that he had spent many hours thinking about the man he coveted. Orgos's conclusion, right as it might be, could mean only one thing for Kael—immediate death. Sariah couldn't allow that. She loathed the idea of fostering Orgos's fantasies, but she needed time. Could she risk losing Kael in a trade to ensure his life? Did she even have a choice?
“For a man who likes to win his battles, your pessimism is noteworthy,” she said. “It won't be easy, but I can deliver Kael to your bed, of his own accord, as you wish.”
Orgos was on her in two steps. He shook her so hard her eyes rattled in her sockets. “Are you mocking me? Do you think that I'm a smitten weakling who can be led by the nose?”
“No, nay, no. I understand your need. I do.”
“Then explain it to me because I don't.” Orgos released her abruptly.
Sariah tried to find her balance, but the room was still quaking to her shaken senses.
“Well?”
“You want to own him,” she stammered, “of body and mind, of soul and will.”
“Why?”
She had to think straight. She thought of all those years growing up at the keep, forced to please the absolute will of her masters and mistresses. What had they wanted from her? And most importantly, why?
Because power is absolute when you command the object of your darkest desire, she wanted to say. But this wasn't a moment for truth. Instead she said the words that would have pleased her Guild masters and mistresses. “Because you know what's best for him, even if he doesn't know it himself. Because without you, he'll never become what he's meant to be. Because only his complete acceptance of your rule will satisfy the depths of your passions and… his needs.”
She saw hope rekindled in Orgos's eyes, and then she saw it flicker. “You're right, of course you are. But he's rash. He'll make me kill him right away.”
“Not if you do this properly.” Sariah found herself in the appalling position of having to encourage Orgos's perversions. But if Kael was going to survive the day, she didn't see any other choice. “You don't want Kael's death, you want his faithful service, remember? You want his trust. This deal, it has to guarantee his life.”
Orgos smirked. “Do I detect a note of caring in your voice?”
Sariah flashed her coldest smile. “Care isn't the same as convenience. You want Kael alive and docile to serve your purposes. I need him alive for my own protection.”
“How's that?”
“Must I explain everything to you? What happens if I abandon Kael here to die in your hands and go on my merry way? What will his brothers think? What will Ars and the rest of the Domain think? I can't afford for people to think I'm a traitor. I'm not exactly welcomed in the Goodlands. I have to be able to survive in the Domain. Whatever agreement you and I reach today must secure Kael's life, at least until I'm done with my business here.”
“I see.” Orgos leaned back in his chair and fingered the stringy beard on his chin. “You'll tell him. You'll beg him to do this for you.”
The horror glutting at her throat was hard to suppress, but she knew she had to function if she was going to succeed. “You'll need to gain his trust. You'll have to show him some kindness. You'll have to give him some assurances of your good faith. Like allowing me to wise the stones before you require your due. He'll be more accepting of his fate. When he sees I've returned safely, he'll trust you.”
Sariah didn't intend to return safely from her wising. She intended to come back with help, firm escape in progress.
“A night. We'll start with a night,” Orgos said. “You'll tell him that I'll let you both go the next morning if he complies. But what happens after that? How am I supposed to keep him here, alive, serving me?”
There was no way out but forward. She had to make it all come together. “Do you think so little of yourself to ask that question? I'll be gone, by your oath, won't I?”
“Yes?”
“How will he feel when he realizes that I'm gone, that I've left him behind?”
“He'll be angry?”
“He'll be beyond angry.”
“He'll be crushed when he learns himself betrayed,” Orgos realized. “But I'll be here. I'll keep him from doing anything foolish, for his own good.”
“And then?”
A spark of comprehension ignited in Orgos's eyes. “I'll console and comfort him. I'll seduce him. It may take time, but he'll learn to like me. Won't he?”
Sariah doubted it. “How can he not?”
Orgos stared at her with a hint of respect. “Aye. This might just work. Kael's servitude in exchange for your life.”
“You won't kill him, Orgos. You'll face my wrath if yo
u do. I can come back any time and wise Alabara's stones to dust.”
“You've got my marcher's oath,” Orgos said. “I think I like you, wiser. You're as cruel as they come. If he's as smitten with you as they say, he'll be broken worse than turned soil and pulverized stone when you leave him. Yes, after you desert him, he'll be ripe for me, all right.”
“You want me to do… what?” Kael's smoldering stare shifted from Sariah to Orgos and back to Sariah.
She knew what she would wise from him at this moment— rage, disbelief, suspicion—the wild emotions of a caught beast. Something inside of her was breaking. Her soul, her heart, her spirit, whatever they called it, it was being wrenched from her being.
A chain tethered Kael to the wall post. He stood rigidly before Orgos, hands fastened behind his back, feet restrained by the irons around his ankles. Orgos had learned from Kael's last stay in Alabara. He was taking no chances this time. He was no fool. He had refused to allow Sariah to speak to Kael in private. Instead, Orgos forced her to stand beside him as he explained to Kael the advantages of his proposal.
The whole setup was the doings of an ailing mind. Before he sent for Kael, Orgos had taken pains with his appearance. He had combed out his long hair, making sure to place a few strands over the balding middle. His cheeks were freshly shaven and his scrawny beard had been braided into a plait that dangled beneath his jowls like a turkey's wattle. A whiff of overly sweet perfume scented the air in the chamber.
The table was set with a selection of meat, cheeses and dry fruit. Leandro's tiny snakes and scorpions lined up on their checkered cloth, as if Orgos intended a game or two. A flagon of wine stood on a table by the bed, flanked by two pewter cups. For some reason, the sight of those cups struck Sariah like a fist to the gut.
Even though Kael's hands and feet were bound, Orgos approached Kael cautiously, measuring the rage in the other man with a keen attention to self-preservation. Kael just stood there with his feet planted apart, his matted hair sticking up, and his bruised face caked in dry blood, enduring Orgos's scrutiny.
“One night,” Orgos said. “In exchange, she gets safe passage from the mob. It's not such an outrageous request. All I ask is that you don't fight me. Tomorrow you leave with your woman safely.”
For all his stoicism, Kael flinched when Orgos's hand landed on his shoulder and slithered over his bicep. It moved slowly, as if testing the reality of the man before him. Kael's hands fisted, his body went still as stone, and his face turned blank. Sariah thought she would break. Her resolution was crumbling to dust. Was the promise of Leandro's game worth the risks? She couldn't leave Kael to this man, could she? Not even for a moment. Did she really have the courage to walk away and leave him behind?
“Take the woman to do her wising,” Orgos commanded Alfred.
“No,” Kael said. “I'll have her safe and away before we conclude this transaction.”
“No, nay, no.” Sariah tried to conceal her alarm. “It's all right, Kael. It's all arranged. I'm going to do the wising and only when I return will you… it… happen. We'll be going tomorrow morning. Together.” She hoped he caught the hint.
“I want her out of the settlement before the sun settles,” Kael said without looking at her. Was he trying to wreck her plan?
“You need not worry about me,” she said. “Orgos and I have made very thorough arrangements. Everything's fine.”
“Everything's not fine.” Kael glared at Orgos. “I don't trust you or your oaths. I make my own deals. If you want my—me,” he gulped dryly, “you'll deal with me.”
“Kael?”
“Shut up, Sariah, I know Orgos better than you do. He doesn't intend to fulfill his oaths. Any of them. What is it going to be, marcher?”
“You'll come to my bed willingly?” Orgos said. “And you'll stand whatever I say?”
“Provided you'll give her whatever she asked you,” Kael said. “Let her go. Now. No delays. I must have proof that she's safely away.”
No. That's not what needed to happen. Sariah launched another warning look in Kael's direction, but he wasn't meeting her eyes. She tried to keep desperation from her voice. “I must wise Alabara's stones. The settlement is in danger. Orgos is being fair here, there's no need to—”
“There's need.” Kael cut her off. “Great need. What say you, Orgos? The stones or me?”
Orgos's greedy eyes were fast on Kael. By the changes in Orgos's expression, Sariah could see her carefully negotiated agreement disintegrating before her very eyes. Kael was recklessly undoing her precious gains. She was furious, desperate, terrified.
“Orgos, those stones must be wised,” she said. “You are a marcher. You can't put yourself above duty.”
“I can't, can't I?” Orgos turned to Kael. “I can't send her through the front gates, but she'll be gone, believe me. She can wait for you out in the flats. Nobody wants the wench gone from Alabara worse than I do. Trust me on that, my boy.”
Kael winced at the nickname. “She has to go. Now. And I have to know. Else, you take me dead.”
“You're being difficult,” Orgos said. “But I suppose I like that best about you. It's the challenge, I think. I'm going to enjoy it.”
Sariah fought a suicidal impulse to rip Orgos's suggestive smirk off his face. “It's not necessary to change our agreement—”
“A witness,” Orgos said, ignoring Sariah. “Pick any witness you like.”
Kael sneered. “I don't know the honest people of Alabara.”
“I'm told you know a couple,” Orgos said. “The caretaker? The weaver?”
Sariah didn't need any witnesses. The smaller her escort, the better. “Really, Kael—”
“The weaver,” Kael decided, mostly because they believed the caretaker had betrayed them to Alfred. “You also allow my deck and my friends to go free. Right now. I know you keep them under vigilance.”
Orgos couldn't conceal his surprise and neither could Sariah. How did Kael know that?
“You know where they are, although you haven't seized them yet. Set them free.” Kael must have been talking to his guards while Sariah had been negotiating with Orgos. At the very least, he had been doing some good listening.
“Throw them out kindly,” Kael said. “Tell them I command them to go. I won't be willing if any of my friends are harmed.”
“That's a lot to ask for one night,” Orgos said. “Next you'll be asking for my marcher's right.”
“It's my last condition.”
“Why should I agree to it? I can do as I please with you and your friends.”
“That you can. But not with my leave.”
Kael's acceptance, his submission, his compliance, those were Orgos's deepest cravings.
“And if I let them go?” Orgos asked.
“I'm sure you'll require fair trade for that too, perhaps later?”
Sariah blinked twice. Had she just seen Kael… flirting with Orgos? The slight tilt of his head, the shy tug at the corner of his mouth, the faint shrug offering a quick show of the clavicle and the base of the strong neck, they were not imagined. Orgos had seen them too. His tongue ran over his lips. By the rot. What was Kael doing?
Ensuring her life. And the others’ too. Making sure she got out of Alabara with Leandro's game in hand. Doing everything in his power to help secure the tale that would safeguard Ars. She knew what he was thinking. He would see to himself later, if there was a later for him and if there was a way. But all those ifs were making Sariah sick. Because he was also spoiling Sariah's chances of getting him out of Alabara unscathed.
“Throw them out,” Orgos said to Alfred. “Don't harm them.”
“They're close to the gates, my lord. It won't be but a moment.” Alfred went to issue Orgos's commands.
Sariah's pulse was pummeling her ears. She wished she could talk some sense into Kael. But he was still avoiding her eyes, staring straight at Orgos, provoking him with the sheer intensity of his presence.
Orgos fiddled with a lever on
the wall. To Sariah's astonishment, part of the wall rolled aside to show a narrow balcony overlooking Alabara's gates. As a precaution, Orgos clutched the lead chain around Kael's neck. Both Kael and Sariah took a step forward and looked down.
Within a few moments, their deck floated into view, pulled by Delis and escorted by a number of Alfred's guards. Mia was not in sight, thank Meliahs. Malord was arguing with the guards to no avail. When the deck reached the gates, the guards halted and turned toward the balcony.
Orgos caressed the length of Kael's back. “Will you wear the chains for me, my boy? It would please me so.”
Every muscle on Kael's body contracted in a communal clench. “If you let them go.”
Orgos signaled. The gates opened. The two men watched in silence as the deck advanced down the channel and into the Barren Flats’ vastness. Then Kael and Orgos turned as one and a colorful quad of ferocious eyes fell on her, black and green, hazel and gray.
“Give her things back to her,” Kael said.
Orgos gestured with his head. Alfred, who had just returned, dumped their possessions into a basket.
“The game set too.”
Alfred scooped the snakes and scorpions into their little sack and added it to the basket.
“Satisfied, my boy?” Orgos asked.
“When the witness returns,” Kael said. “Get her out of here.”
Sariah tried to keep her bluff together. It was hard. Alfred seized her arm. Sariah stood her ground. “This is not what we agreed to do, Orgos.”
“I'd say this is better for you, unless of course you'd been planning on betraying me the entire time?”
Had Orgos known? Had she been playing his game all along? She had been a fool to believe his oaths. She might be getting out of Alabara alive and with Leandro's set, but her game was over, and it was Orgos who had won the day.
She made a last, desperate plea. “Kael, please. Some things aren't worth the price.”
“And some are.” He looked out the window. “Go.”
