Before he could react, I grabbed onto his thin neck and pulled him out of the water. I held his dangling body in the air while he gasped in surprise.
“I would get into my boat and leave this place. If a pesky human started asking me ridiculous questions instead of following my instructions, I would gut him and let the fish feast on his innards.” I lowered the shaking man back into the water and slowly let go of his throat. “Fortunately, you are about to leave on your travels, which makes me happy and prevents me from even thinking about disemboweling anyone.”
“Yes, Mistress. Of course, I was just leaving. Great talking to you! Glad to be of help!” He skipped quickly through the water and jumped on the back of my horse. He gave a quick wave and then kicked the animal forward into a trot that led him southward through the grove of pine trees.
The river was already taking the canoe downstream, so I couldn’t be sure that the bard followed my orders. Even if the man failed it would still be difficult for anyone to find me. The letter I left Relyara would throw them off, the tracks I laid in all directions would confuse them, and then the real set of prints that the bard’s new steeds would lay would waste more of their time. They could search the coast in all directions but they would find no trace of me to follow.
My life was my own now. There was no one to answer to but the Dead Gods and my memories. I was free of everything but the longing for Kaiyer.
That would never go away.
Chapter 22-The O’Baarni
The cold stone held my arms, shoulders, and head like a lover’s embrace. I swam through my incomplete dreams and woke delirious with fever. The Earth roared through my blood immediately and the discomfort disappeared from my weary body.
I sat up and took account of my surroundings. I lay upon a granite pedestal in an empty cavern. A single brazier cast a dull glow from the foot of my bed, but its weak light filled the space. The distant corners sucked the light away, leaving an empty void around me.
I wore a simple robe of thin white canvas, a shroud like Entas had worn at his funeral. Where were my friends? I could not even hear the sounds of the army nearby.
Slowly, I remembered Iolarathe’s execution. I heard her screams. I remembered my anger. My hate. What my friends had done.
I remembered what I did after my love had been burned in front of me.
I remembered the feeling of Malek’s sword against my skull and reached up to feel my head where the blade had struck. There was no wound there, I must have healed already. My kind could heal from almost any injury, as long as it didn’t separate the brain from the spine or totally obliterate the heart.
Malek’s blow should have killed me.
I swung my hips over the side of my pedestal and found my legs strong beneath me. Now that I was more aware, I could feel the flow of a breeze coming from behind me. I walked in that direction and came upon a tunnel that led me away from the empty room.
“Did you see his body?” The question drifted down the tunnel.
“Naw. It was covered in a sheet. Bloody as all fuck. They ripped him into pieces.” A second voice replied. I slowed my walk and crept closer to them.
“Served the bastard right. How many died last week? Four thousand?”
“I don’t think there is a count yet.”
“I heard that number from one of Malek’s commanders.”
“It might be close then.” The voice sighed. “I met him once.”
“Kaiyer?”
“Yes.”
“Shit. When?”
“A long time ago. Feels like a lifetime ago, because it was. I got to the final round of the Games, but was bested by Jutea. Afterward, he told me I fought well and if I focused more on my footwork, I’d win the next Game.”
“Damn. I didn’t know you were that old. Why are you pulling guard duty instead of leading a unit?”
“I never much liked the thought of leading. Too much shit to worry about.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Nope. Not until the Dragon Battle. Saw him kill both dragons himself and chase the third one. No wonder it took Thayer, Alexia, Gorbanni, and Malek to finally kill him. He was one tough asshole.”
“What do you think about the rumors?”
“Which ones?”
“They say he’s still alive. They couldn’t kill him and just told everyone he was dead to ease their fears.”
“The body they brought in looked rather dead to me.”
“But you didn’t see his face?”
“No. That is true.”
I had crept to the end of the tunnel and saw the two men sitting at a table under the bright light of four torches. Past them was a set of rough stairs that led up to a thick oak door. I guessed I was deep in the same dungeons beneath Shlara’s Rest.
The door opened and a third soldier entered. All three of them wore Thayer’s uniform and bore the stout muscle structure and stance of his warriors.
“Tyil, I’m relieving you.”
“Good. The air down here is depressing.” The one who told the story about me stood and nodded down to the other guard. “Chat with you later.”
“Thanks, old timer.” Tyil walked up the stairs. I did recall speaking with the man some forty or more years ago. He was a talented warrior and I was glad he was leaving his watch.
“Any news from the camp?”
“Burrno said Thayer wanted twenty guards in here.” The woman laughed.
“What? That is crazy. To guard a dead body? They worried someone might steal the corpse?”
“Who knows?” The woman took off her sword belt and hung it from a hook on the wall next to the other guard’s weapon. “Burrno said that was the order, but he also said he wasn’t going to follow it. Probably because he knows it is stupid to waste that many guards on a corpse. Let someone take his body. Who the fuck cares? I hope they desecrate it.”
“Yeah. Fuck him.” The man laughed.
“Apparently they are all in a big meeting. Been there for the last few hours.”
“Who?”
“The generals.”
“All of them? Shit. Probably patting themselves on the back for taking him down.”
“The Betrayer name is really going to stick now.” The woman chuckled.
Every second I remained down here was another second closer to Thayer realizing that there were not twenty guards posted. Malek’s sword had not taken my life, and I did not want to waste whatever luck I had by waiting for them to return and finish the job.
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. If these two guards believed that I was alive, this would be impossible, but fortunately they were lax in their duties. Still, they would hear me approaching and make it to their weapons much faster than I could.
Unless I made a sprint for the blades.
It was reckless, but I didn’t have my own weapons or armor. I forced my blood to slow, and my heart to pause before I made the quick dash to the two sword belts.
The woman saw me first and let out a gasp of horror. I already had my hands on her weapon and it cleared the sheath before the male guard turned. The blade sliced his skull in half at the midline and then I took a step forward against the rim of the table and drove the point of the weapon through the woman’s face.
I stepped clear of the gore that spouted from their corpses and returned to the rack to don the other weapon belt. Once both belts were secure, I opened the door to the corridor. On the other side was another tunnel, roughly cut by unskilled hands, which carried the scent of fire and wind. I listened for any signs of life and then sneaked down the rest of the tunnel and into the open air at the end of the cave.
The mouth exited the side of a cliff face fifty feet above the bottom of a canyon. I recognized the place and knew that I was five miles north of Shlara’s Rest. Near the riverbed below were hundreds of tents organized just as they would have been when I ran the army. I was even able to find the wolf, snake, ram, and bear emblems of my old generals on many of th
e tents.
There were no guards on the ledge, but there were plenty of soldiers milling about the camp below. Any second, a sentry could look up and spot me. I tried to act as nonchalant as possible and strolled down the path to the bottom of the canyon. I assumed I had succeeded when no one raised an alarm.
Soldiers were posted on the perimeter of the camp, but the path led me past their lines and into the northwest corner of the canyon where Thayer’s army was stationed. I braced for an attack at the first warrior I passed, but he ignored me. Soldiers were returning to their tents after bathing. Some walked the grounds naked, most wore robes similar to mine and carried swords. Only my long hair and beard made me look different from everyone else, so my presence raised no suspicion.
A group of men departed a nearby tent and turned south toward the river. They each wore a fresh robe or held clean towels. I casually moved off of the main pathway toward their tent and listened for heartbeats. I didn’t hear any so I entered the tent and rummaged through the chests where fresh garments would be kept.
In short order I was wearing a stolen uniform and walking again through the camps with a backpack loaded with looted traveling equipment. I was still somewhat out of place amongst Thayer’s army; the men in his group never had long hair and only a few wore a beard. Even the women devoted to the Bear mostly kept their hair cut short. My body was not as muscular as it had once been. The cut of my muscles and veins were easy to see through my skin, but it was obvious that I wasn’t enjoying an abundant amount of food and didn’t carry the stocky build of Thayer’s infantry.
The memories of my past droned through my head like the hundreds of conversations in the camp. The sights, smells, and activities took me back to the simpler time when my friends and I had no concerns outside of killing Elvens. My chest felt heavy and I found myself sighing when I considered what I had lost with my choice.
I paused and stepped off the path to consider my next move. I had to get as far away from here as I could before my friends realized I had awoken. I could just walk out, but this would leave them with clues as to my location. Soldiers seldom left camp alone. I would be questioned and remembered. Standing out in the open like this was already exposing me to discovery. In the time I had waited here, fifty soldiers had passed me. Eventually, I would be recognized.
A wagon rolled past, a single soldier steered a set of two massive horses. The cart was uncovered and the bed was empty save for a few small chests labeled as camping gear and outpost supplies. The soldier wore Thayer’s brown colors and I decided to take another risk.
“Where you heading?” I grabbed onto the side of the wagon seat as it passed and pulled myself up onto the bench next to the driver.
“Back to Shlara’s Rest.” He nodded at me and then turned back to the task of steering the horses.
“What is your shipping doc?”
“Five eighty-six.” He raised an eyebrow.
“Ahh, you are my ride.” Every shipment was tracked with a numbered grouping that could be tallied and ordered later. I hoped that he would buy my lie.
“I was supposed to meet you guys on the road.”
“I got back early. Got a quick fuck and a wash. Figured I could just catch a ride with you instead of running back. Don’t tell my unit though, they’ll be jealous.” I smiled and gave him a wink. The man looked a dozen years older than me, but our magic easily disguised someone’s true age. We were made practically immortal as soon as the magic changed us.
“Your secret is safe with me, kid.” He laughed and then leaned back in the seat. “To tell you the truth, I was more than happy to take this job. The air here is too tense and I’d rather not be stationed at the rebuilding. Traveling between gives me some time to enjoy the wilderness.”
“I can understand that. Why do you think the air is too tense in camp?” Now that the man mentioned it, I did sense something uneasy about the warriors who walked by the cart as we drove to the outskirts of the camp.
“You haven’t heard?”
“Heard what?”
“The generals killed Kaiyer and entombed his body in the ruins of the cave they found up above the cliffs. They are going to make an announcement tonight. There is another rumor going around that Shlara’s spirit has been seen walking through the tunnels.”
“I had not heard that. Sounds like a good time to get out of camp. Shlara’s Rest should be more pleasant.” I tried to put as much concern in my voice as I could.
“Ha. Hardly my friend. When was the last time you were there?”
“Been a few weeks.”
“Yeah? Well, they still haven’t put out many of the fires, so half the rubble of the city is still burning. Crews are working night and day to put them out, but the flames just won’t be extinguished. Throw water on them and they turn into steam, then rekindle five minutes later. Like I said, I am glad I am not rebuilding there. Kaiyer cursed the place for sure.”
I wanted to ask him how Kaiyer cursed the city but I stopped myself. The memories tugged at my brain and I knew that speaking more of it would unleash the emotions I had felt when they killed Iolarathe. I had to focus on escape.
The wagon wound away from the last parts of the campground and began to follow the river eastward. My companion and I didn’t speak for a few hours and instead enjoyed the sounds, smells, and sights of the dark canyon night. Finally firelight shone up in the distance and he spoke.
“Here are your friends,” he said and I nodded at the words.
“Thanks for the ride, friend, and thanks for keeping my secret. I’m going to sneak around through the back so they won’t know I was gone,” I whispered to him and slipped out of the wagon seat. He grunted a sound of acceptance and I moved to the outskirts of the camp before circling around to the other side. My path allowed me to avoid the light from the campfires and put me downwind of them. I doubted any guards were looking for me, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
The wagon rolled up to a long cabin and simply constructed watch tower. The structure was old and I guessed it had been crafted twenty or thirty years ago during the war to guard the entrance to the canyon. It could have even been built by Elvens, but I did not care to inspect it closely to find out.
“Ho!” the wagon driver greeted the gathering of Thayer’s warriors. Some sat around the campfire and others came out of the long house. No guards were posted at the perimeter of the camp, so I easily circumnavigated the ordeal and began my eastward run out of their earshot. If my luck held, the wagon driver wouldn’t mention I rode with him.
My generals could still hunt me. But they would have nowhere to start. I would reach my destination and complete my quest before they ever found me.
Iolarathe’s wish and the thought of the beautiful woman made my heart seize. I had to return to Shlara’s Rest, find the magical orb she told me about, and then journey to the shrine our daughter had used.
Then we would be together.
Chapter 23-Kaiyer
I awoke to the sound of footsteps echoing down the long, dark corridor of the dungeon below Nia. It was no coincidence that being down here had triggered a memory of fleeing another dark underground prison. My dreams for the past two days were full of nothing but darkness and impossible, inescapable situations.
The steps grew closer. There were eight of them. I went over what I would say in my mind quickly before I moved to the bars of my cell and leaned against the cold steel. If I wanted to, I could have ripped them from their anchors in the thick stone walls and left. But I did not want to escape. I needed information that only Telaxthe could provide, and I would stay here until she gave it to me, or tried to kill me.
I had had little contact with Vernine or Fehalda since we returned to the castle. Vernine delivered my meal the first night, but told me nothing other than that the empress was meeting with Turnia. The clan leader and her warriors had accompanied us the rest of the way back to Nia. Fehalda had quickly crafted a lie about me, explaining that I was a guide hired to he
lp them hunt a group of dangerous lizard creatures in the East. She explained that several of her warriors had died in the hunt and I was accompanying them back to the castle to obtain my payment.
I suspected that Turnia did not believe the story, though she did not question Fehalda’s explanation. To keep up the ruse, we traveled at human speed for the rest of our journey back to Nia. We expected the O’Baarni to grow impatient and leave us behind, but Turnia seemed happy to provide a large escort. As we traveled, she would drop back to walk next to me and ask various questions about the countryside, fauna, and human population. Thanks to the education Paug provided me, I was able to answer most of her questions, but her blue eyes bore into me as I spoke; she was a hunting bird studying its quarry.
I was confident that Telaxthe would also keep the truth from Turnia to protect herself from the wrath of the O’Baarni. She would probably explain that Kannath had departed months prior with the Pretender in tow, and feign ignorance of his current whereabouts.
“My sister said you wished to speak with me.” Telaxthe was flanked by her generals as well as Vernine and another pewter-colored guard that pointed a large crossbow at me with an unwavering grip. Each Elven general wore decorative robes the color of their armies and had weapons belted to their sides. The empress wore an elaborate tied silk ordeal that was embroidered with thousands of suns and moons against a leafy backdrop of green.
“Yes. I wanted to speak to you alone.”
“That is not acceptable.” Alatorict almost spat the sentence and the torchlight highlighted the hate in his eyes. He had always been strangely friendly to me in our past conversations.
“These words are better suited for you alone.” I ignored him and looked at Telaxthe. I was again struck by how similar she looked to Nadea and I wondered how the duchess, princess, and the rest of my friends were doing.
“Fehalda and Vernine have communicated your wishes,” Telaxthe said calmly. “This will be your only opportunity to speak with me.” I had prepared a request in anticipation of this.
The Destroyer Book 4 Page 26
