by Lisa Shearin
I was in Sedge Rinker’s office. It was in the corner of the squad room, and the two walls facing the room were glass. It let Sedge keep an eye on things, but tonight it was also letting people keep an eye on us. I didn’t give a damn. I hadn’t been arrested, but I’d been asked politely, yet firmly, to come to watcher headquarters to give a statement. Oh boy, was I giving Sedge a statement. The walls may have been glass, but the door was closed and I was taking full advantage.
“Raine, my instincts agree with you; unfortunately, the proof and witnesses say otherwise.”
“Proof,” I spat. “Some elves saying they saw a goblin shove the general into a coach? One of them even said, ‘All goblins look alike.’ The moron. Sarad Nukpana is a goblin, and he killed the general.”
“Raine, I need proof.”
“I saw him driving that coach last night, and I heard his voice through General Aratus’s corpse.” My voice turned bitter. “But my word is worthless, isn’t it? You can’t take the word of a Benares and Saghred bond servant, can you?”
“I believe you, Raine.”
“Then let Tam go!” I managed between clenched teeth.
“I can’t do that, and you know why.”
I knew why all right. A handful of elven witnesses under compulsion by a certain high-ranking elven mage. Carnades Silvanus was the golden boy of the Seat of Twelve, the mages governing the Conclave, and he was one step away from being the next archmagus. He’d had the job for a few days recently, acquired a taste for self- righteous retribution, and had been well on his way to becoming a one-man inquisition.
And he had an expert at inquisition and intimidation standing right next to him. Taltek Balmorlan hadn’t taken his eyes off of me since he and Carnades had slithered through the front doors.
You could see Taltek Balmorlan in a room and look right past him—which was exactly what the elven inquisitor wanted. The word that described him best was average. His hair and eyes were an unremarkable shade of dull brown. He was of average height with average looks. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about his appearance.
It was perfect camouflage for the predator he was.
One of Carnades’s “witnesses” was an elven shopkeeper who said he had seen Tam force the general into a coach. When questioned as to why he hadn’t come forward until now, the elf had claimed goblin intimidation. If Tam’s life hadn’t been at stake, that statement would have been laughable. Unless the elven ambassador had personally delivered an announcement to the goblin embassy—which would happen as soon as flavored ices were being served in the lower hells—there weren’t any goblins other than Sarad Nukpana and his accomplice who had even known that the general was dead.
I resisted the urge to hit something. “Pay someone enough and they’ll say they saw their mother do it.” Another “witness” was a clearly frightened elderly elven mage in shabby robes who stood as far away from Carnades and Balmorlan and as close to the front doors, and escape, as he could. “Or threaten them.”
And I had no doubt that the black-silk-and-velvet-robed mage essentially holding court in the center of the squad room would have done that and more to get Tam behind bars and wards. Carnades Silvanus looked like his birthday had come early this year.
No doubt Carnades believed himself to be the pinnacle of elven fine breeding. The elf’s shoulder- length hair was the color of winter frost, and his eyes the pale blue of arctic ice. His face was like flawless alabaster, a cold, sharp beauty. He was a pure-blooded high elf and he wasn’t about to let anyone forget it.
Carnades had served as Conclave emissary to the goblin court at the same time that Tam had been the queen’s magical right-hand man. Something that happened during that time—and knowing Tam, probably more than one something—had made Carnades despise Tam even more than he hated every other goblin who breathed his air. Tam didn’t exactly harbor warm feelings toward Carnades, so the animosity was more than mutual.
And from the sound of the charges, Carnades was getting his revenge for any slight or insult, either real or imagined, in one fell swoop.
The elven mage wasn’t satisfied by seeing Tam charged with the kidnapping and grisly murder of the fourth-highest-ranking general in the elf queen’s army. He was accusing Tam of having fed General Aratus’s soul to the Saghred. When asked to explain, Carnades just smiled wider and Balmorlan coolly said that an expert would arrive soon to substantiate the claim. No one other than the rock itself could tell whether it had been fed or not. Carnades and Balmorlan were lying, and soon someone was going to walk through those doors and lie some more. The elf bastards couldn’t prove a damned thing; but their smug smiles told me that they’d found a way around that impediment to vigilante justice called the truth, and what I had been dreading was about to happen. Carnades knew that Tam could have only fed the Saghred through me.
Through our umi’atsu bond.
Carnades knew all about it.
He hadn’t ratted us out. Yet. The self-righteous elf was saving it for just the right moment—much like Sarad Nukpana’s gift of a dried corpse.
From the smug expression on his face, that moment had come.
I knew that General Aratus’s soul was inside Sarad Nukpana, not the Saghred. But just as Carnades couldn’t prove that the Saghred had been fed, I couldn’t prove that it hadn’t. And Mychael and I had been the only ones to hear Sarad Nukpana’s threats spoken through the general’s dried corpse. I couldn’t tell Sedge Rinker that. The only way Mychael had heard those threats was through the part of the umi’atsu bond that I shared with him.
After Tam had been arrested, Vegard had ordered one of the Guardians on sentry dragon patrol to return immediately to the citadel and tell Mychael what had happened.
I pinched the bridge of my nose against the headache that was well on its way. Mychael would probably be here any minute, and when he got here, that would put him in the same room with me and Tam. Our proximity to one another would leave no doubt about the bond the three of us shared. Any and every mage in the room would know.
Which was precisely what Carnades wanted.
I wasn’t about to leave Tam alone in the same room with Carnades.
The elf mage knew that, too. He also wanted everyone to know what he already did—the paladin of the Conclave Guardians was in an umi’atsu bond with a goblin dark mage and accused murderer, and the bond servant of the Saghred. If it were proven, Mychael would be arrested, tried, and executed; and Tam and I wouldn’t be far behind him.
Carnades had seen the proof of our joint powers two weeks ago when Mychael, Tam, and I had worked together to close a Hellgate that had been opened on the island. Phaelan had clubbed him over the head with a rock to keep him from exposing the three of us right then and there. Markus Sevelien had visited Carnades the moment his ship had docked. Mychael had sources in Carnades’s household, and those sources reported that Markus told Carnades to stay home and see no one. Either Markus had rescinded that order, or Carnades was feeling rebellious this evening.
And for the icing on the cake, Taltek Balmorlan reported to Markus and now seemed to be Carnades’s new best friend. Best friends didn’t keep secrets. Balmorlan knew about our umi’atsu bond; I was certain of it. What he was going to do about it remained to be seen, but from his self-satisfied smirk, he couldn’t be happier with how things were playing out.
There was a cell waiting next to Tam’s that had Mychael’s name written all over it.
Or mine.
Dammit. Mychael knew I was here with Tam, yet he was coming down here anyway. He knew it was a trap and he was walking right into it. Mychael was coolheaded and a tactician; I told myself that he would never walk into a trap without a plan to spring it on its maker. I was sure he had a plan, a good one. I’d just feel a hell of a lot better if I knew what that plan was.
If it came down to it, I would do anything I had to do to keep Tam and Mychael from the executioner’s block. The Benares in me had a few ideas; the Saghred in me had a few more.
>
I would do whatever it took, and whatever it did to me didn’t matter.
Mychael had told me once that if anyone wanted his head on an executioner’s block, they’d have to fight him for the privilege. Sounded good to me.
“Magus Silvanus has requested that I take you into custody as an accessory before and after the fact.” Sedge sounded almost apologetic.
“Are you?”
“No. He has no proof or witnesses to substantiate his charge.”
I barked a short laugh. “Give him another hour; I’m sure he’ll come up with something and someone.”
I looked out at Carnades. He must have sensed me and turned toward Sedge’s office. Our eyes met. I’d given Carnades the benefit of a doubt ever since I’d met him; hell, I’d even saved his life twice. He was through playing games. Well, so was I. He had lied and manipulated his way into having Tam caged like an animal, and he wouldn’t stop until he’d done the same to me and Mychael. Though the one thing he wouldn’t be lying about was that Mychael shared an umi’atsu bond with me and Tam. That Mychael had done it to save both of us wouldn’t matter to Carnades and his ilk. Once Mychael was proven to be a criminal, Justinius Valerian’s political power base would be weakened. He’d handpicked Mychael as paladin; his judgment would be suspect.
Carnades Silvanus had taken the first steps to getting himself elected archmagus. If that happened, he would have the power of life or death over every magic user in the seven kingdoms, and the Guardians would be reduced to his personal enforcers.
It had to stop. Tonight. Now. This was war; my gloves were off.
I gave Carnades a slow, cold smile that told him that and much more. If Tam could act cool and confident, so could I. In reality I was scared shitless and mad as hell, but considering how close I was to a whole row of empty cells, I thought I’d keep that to myself for now. I could always let my rage out to play later. I didn’t want to, but if Carnades pushed me too far, I would push back. He’d seen the Saghred’s full power in me when I’d crushed a demon the size of a small house, right here in this very room. He knew what I could do, but he thought I wouldn’t do it. If he laid a hand on Tam or Mychael, I’d show him just how wrong he was.
I opened the door and walked out into the squad room. I vaguely heard Vegard order Talon to stay put. Like that was going to happen, though I hoped the kid showed some sense for once and did as told.
Normally Vegard would be trying to keep me from saying or doing anything to Carnades or Balmorlan that I’d regret later. Not this time. He knew that whatever I did, I’d have no regrets. Vegard was as pissed off and fed up as I was. His solid and reassuring presence at my left shoulder told me, without saying a word, that whatever I wanted to start, he’d help me finish. I got a lump in my throat and forced it down. Hugging Vegard would definitely ruin my badass Saghred-wielder act.
I still had my blades, every last one of them. Since I hadn’t been officially arrested, Sedge hadn’t ordered my weapons be taken. I stopped when I got about ten feet from Carnades Silvanus and Taltek Balmorlan. I didn’t trust myself to get any closer. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t want to be any closer to them. I’d rather touch a dried-up corpse.
When I spoke, my voice was cool and conversational. “So you boys don’t believe Sarad Nukpana has gone on a high-elf killing spree?”
“I believe that he’s a convenient scapegoat for the crimes perpetrated by you and your goblin lover,” Carnades said smoothly. “You even carry goblin weapons.”
“Because they kill better than elf blades.” I gave him a tight smile. “I only use the best.”
“You’ve always preferred the company of goblins, haven’t you, Mistress Benares?” Balmorlan said smoothly. Hell, even his voice was bland.
“I certainly prefer them to elves like the two of you. In fact, I don’t know of any elf who wouldn’t.”
“You have quite the reputation among several of our agents for succeeding where they have failed,” Balmorlan noted. “Goblin prisons are notoriously difficult to break into, some would even say impossible, but you have done it on more than one occasion and made it look almost easy.”
“I’m a Benares, remember? Jail breaking is in our blood.”
“I don’t believe your success was due to skill either as a criminal or a seeker. I believe, as do others, that you had goblin allies inside those prisons. You believe that Markus Sevelien retained your services because of your criminal tendencies, but no doubt he knew precisely what was going on. He didn’t care how or who”—Balmorlan paused in contempt—“or what got our people back; he was only interested in the results. That it was accomplished through a traitor made no difference to him.”
It was like a slap in the face, a knife to the heart of my worst fear—Markus had only been using me. I kept my breathing smooth and steady, my face expressionless. Even if what Balmorlan said was true, I wasn’t about to give him any satisfaction.
“And tonight you brazenly meet in the street with Imala Kalis, shaking hands like old friends,” Balmorlan continued. “Working for the goblin secret service, Mistress Benares? Or will you simply work for any government with a treasury to pay you?”
“I find your theory . . . interesting.” I found the thought of knocking out his teeth even more interesting. “Guardians and goblins were attacked by Nightshades soon after what was merely a civil—and first—handshake between myself and Imala Kalis. Chief Rinker and his men didn’t arrive until after the Nightshades had fled.” I turned to Sedge. “Is that an accurate statement, Chief?”
“It is,” Sedge replied. “We took no living Nightshades into custody; the only ones left were dead.”
I locked eyes with Balmorlan. “It sounds like you were there watching. Did you take a walk down to the entertainment district this evening for a little spying? Or did a Nightshade tell you when he came to collect his pay? Anyone you know been dipping into the elven treasury to pay assassins to attack Conclave Guardians?”
“You dare accuse me—”
“I said ‘anyone.’ If you take offense, maybe it’s because you’re carrying around a load of guilt to go with it.”
“Chief Rinker, I demand that this woman be arrested.”
“On what charges?”
“Vicious public slander against an elven government official.”
“Inquisitor Balmorlan,” Sedge drawled, “I know every law on the books and that’s not one of them.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “I believe in government circles, an attempt to sully an opponent’s reputation is called politics.”
“We’re not here for petty arguments,” Carnades snapped at Balmorlan. He turned those arctic eyes on me. “You and Nathrach are working together to get more souls to feed the Saghred, building its power until it and you are strong enough to destroy us all. Your lover drives the coach, and conveniently drops the general at your feet. You think this gives you an alibi, but I will prove that the two of you killed General Aratus together, feeding his soul to the Saghred and attempting to blame a ghost for your crimes.”
Carnades must have been one of the idiot mages Mychael told me didn’t believe in ghosts or specters. I wasn’t surprised. “So you don’t believe in ghosts?”
“They are but feeble vapors that are of no harm to anyone, except the uneducated and superstitious.”
“When you’re face-to-face with Sarad Nukpana, you be sure to call him a ‘feeble vapor.’ I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of it, right before he sucks your life out through your face.”
“Are you threatening me?”
I actually laughed. It felt surprisingly good. “No, Carnades. Once again, I’m warning you. Perhaps if you didn’t have all that education clogging your head, you’d realize that Sarad Nukpana is regenerating himself, and to do a good job of it, he needs powerful victims, the more magical mojo, the better.”
“That which no longer exists cannot be regenerated. Such stories are merely fairy tales to frighten children.”
“They’d
be smart to be frightened. I guess there’s a difference between smart and educated,” I noted. “I understand you met Sarad Nukpana while you were at the goblin court, so I’m sure you know how he feels about elves. He thinks the only good elf is either enslaved or dead. I think he plans to do both to you, one right after the other. He hates you, doesn’t he?”
The elven mage’s lips narrowed to a thin, angry line. “I’m sure he hated me when he was alive, but since that’s no longer the case, his feelings are irrelevant.”
“Did you see General Aratus’s body, Carnades?” Mychael had released the body to the elven embassy this morning.
I saw a flicker of revulsion in the elf’s eyes—and fear.
“Then you saw that there was nothing left but a dried husk. Nukpana took everything.” I jerked my head toward Tam’s cell. “You think you’re safe. You think you’ve got your killer. You’re wrong. Your killer is still out there, and he’s starting an elf collection. If your name’s not next on his list, it’s near the top.”
“You describe a monster,” Carnades said. “And that monster is in the cell behind you. The two of you murdered our finest general in the most heinous way possible. I don’t know how you did it, but I will see you both in elven custody.” His voice went deathly quiet. “And soon I will have your secret accomplice there beside you. He mistakenly thinks his high station will save him. Inquisitor Balmorlan is having cells prepared in the elven embassy for you all; this arrangement is merely temporary.”
“That is the only way anyone on this island will be truly safe,” Balmorlan said. “And a very gifted young man will be free from your poisonous influence.”
Piaras. I stifled a growl.
“Yes, Mistress Benares,” Balmorlan all but purred. “I refer to Piaras Rivalin. The poor unfortunate whom you have deceived for so long. I attempted to rescue the boy only to have you steal him from the only people able to truly protect him.”
