by B. T. Narro
He turned to show her a quick look of fury and jerked his hand out of her grasp.
“Don’t follow so close,” she risked whispering. “It might not even be him.”
Steffen didn’t even take the time to reply, turning his back on her and continuing to follow the silhouette of a man a few yards ahead. Suddenly their quarry stopped. Shara pulled Steffen behind a tent as it looked like the shadowed figure had begun to turn.
Besides the faint chorus of snoring around them, she distinctly heard their quarry’s footsteps coming toward them. They waited, Shara’s hand shaking in Steffen’s grasp as the footsteps came closer.
She strained her ears but heard no more footsteps.
Then they came alive once more, hurrying away from Shara and Steffen. The two of them came out and followed again, staying farther back this time.
As Darri took them deeper into the campsite, Steffen seemed to be continuously fighting against the urge to break into a sprint and tackle the suspected murderer.
Soon Shara felt like she was riding an overeager horse, constantly tugging on Steffen’s hand or sometimes his shirt as his speed increased. They ducked behind three more tents when they suspected Darri would turn around, but the man’s slow walk allowed them to keep track of him easily.
Finally, Darri came to a tent four times the size of those around it. A flag of the North jutted out from its top and a guard seemed to be asleep beside its entrance. Darri paused and glanced at the guard, then walked straight in.
“My gods,” she whispered. “That must be the commander’s tent.”
“Wait a moment.”
Shara fell silent as she thought. Why wait? Jaymes could be killed. She imagined the situation unfolding. She and Steffen would be questioned. Darri would lie. The psychic would get involved, but he’d be unable to tell who was speaking the truth.
“We’ve waited enough,” she said, pulling him to the sleeping guard. “Darri snuck past you,” she whispered as Steffen hurried into the tent without warning. It froze her for a moment.
“Who are you?” The guard didn’t yet seem completely awake.
“Get up!” she uttered as her wits returned. “Darri’s inside, I think to kill the commander.”
“Commander Jaymes!” the guard yelled as he ran in.
When Shara entered the enormous tent, she sent light through her wand with a constant push of bastial energy from her body. Darri had his hands up while Steffen aimed an arrow at his chest.
“Easy, Steffen.” Darri’s voice was steady. “Put down the bow.”
Jaymes hopped off his bed wearing just a silken pair of pants. “What is this?” He grabbed his sword from the ground while the guard just stood there, nonplussed.
“Steffen put down the bow right now!” Jaymes’ voice was loud enough to wake those nearby.
“He’s a spy,” Steffen said, not taking his eyes away from his target.
“Lower your weapon this instance or you’ll be shot.”
Shara heard men shuffling in behind her. Two of them had bows. They quickly aimed arrows at Steffen’s back. He didn’t even bother to notice.
Shara was confident the stubborn chemist was calculating his chances of proving Darri was a spy. If they were too low, he might just shoot.
“Steffen, put it down,” Shara urged. “We can convince them of the truth.”
Steffen finally lowered his weapon.
“What in the two hells is this!” Jaymes screamed. He looked to his guards for answers.
“I’m not sure, sir. I dozed for just a moment, then the woman woke me and the other two were already inside.”
“We followed Darri from his tent,” Steffen told Jaymes. “He came here to kill you because he’s a spy.”
Darri laughed. “That’s ridiculous.”
CHAPTER FOUR
SHARA
“Explain yourself,” Jaymes demanded.
Darri looked somewhat entertained. “I felt restless, so I was walking around the camp. I noticed your only guard was asleep, so I came inside to make sure you were safe. I was on my way out when Steffen came in with his bow.”
“That’s a lie,” Steffen said, turning to Jaymes. “And I can prove it.”
Darri chuckled. “My gods. What are you and Shara even doing here? Last I heard, Shara hadn’t returned to the castle, and Neeko went out to look for her against the king’s orders.” Darri’s eyes went wide. “Neeko must be involved in this somehow, and he’s a wanted criminal now.”
“Neeko has nothing to do with this,” Shara said. “You killed Charlotte because you’re a spy, and now you—”
“How did you come to believe that lie?” Darri interrupted. “Is Cedri involved in this as well? What are you doing here!” he yelled, anger crossing his face. “Jaymes, they must’ve been following us. If anyone is a danger to you, it’s Neeko, Cedri, and their supporters. They’re probably the spies!”
Men kept coming in behind Shara. One of them stepped around her to face Jaymes. She’d seen him before and knew he was an officer of high rank.
“Sir,” he began.
Jaymes held up his hand, telling him to wait. Fear came over Shara as the commander rounded on her with a menacing look in his eyes.
“Where’s Neeko?”
“I don’t know,” Shara lied.
“Of course she knows,” Darri said.
Jaymes ignored him. “What are you doing here?” he asked Shara.
Steffen spoke. “If you would just let me search these quarters, you’ll see this line of questioning is pointless.”
The commander stared at Steffen long enough to make a chill go down Shara’s back.
Finally, he turned to his officer. “Send two thousand out to search for Neeko. He should be nearby.”
Shara felt her face flush. Two thousand!
“Yes, sir.” The officer marched out of the tent.
Jaymes rounded on Steffen. “Drop your bow and your sword.” He obliged. “Now what would you look for in this room?”
“Signs of a trap or poison.”
“Then do it.”
“Sir,” Darri complained, “if anyone came here to poison you, it was them.”
Jaymes didn’t reply.
Steffen hurried to the other corner, testing the lock on a chest that Shara guessed to be filled with weapons. Steffen gave up and checked around it. Finding nothing, he asked, “Where is your water so I can test it?”
Jaymes grumbled and fetched a water skin from one of the bags close to the tent’s entrance. The water skin was right on top.
Other mages had come in, helping Shara provide light. She watched Darri’s expression as the commander handed the water skin to Steffen. His anger had diminished, but there was no worry evident in his eyes.
Steffen took the water skin, removed the top, and had a deep sniff. “No odor, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
“This is completely absurd,” Darri said, offering a laugh.
“Quiet,” Jaymes said.
Steffen looked around the tent. “I need something I can pour the water onto so it can be seen, a parchment perhaps.”
Jaymes handed Steffen a scroll. He unraveled it on the floor of the tent. Shara and the other mages directed their light upon it as Steffen poured from the water skin until a small puddle formed.
The water had a green tint as if from a murky lake.
A few people gasped. Steffen raised an eyebrow at Jaymes. “I don’t suppose the water was this color when you filled the pouch.”
“No,” Jaymes answered, shifting his gaze to Darri, who became panicked, pushing out his hands.
“I don’t know what that is! I didn’t do anything to your water.”
“I don’t know what it is, either,” Steffen admitted. “But I’d assume it’s poison.”
Jaymes pointed at Darri. “Search him.”
Four men immediately surrounded Darri while Jaymes watched intently.
“This is madness!” Darri exclaimed. “I’m loyal to t
his army. I wouldn’t think of poisoning my commander.” He spat out the words as if they disgusted him.
The men searching him found a pouch in his pocket. Everyone stopped as one man peered inside.
“Just some ruffs,” Darri said.
Another man found a dagger around Darri’s ankle. Jaymes didn’t appreciate the sight of it, showing so with a tilt of his head.
“I always have that on me just in case,” Darri said.
“Something’s here.” This man was crouched over the ground a few feet from Darri. He picked up a pouch that was half open.
“I don’t know what that is,” Darri said.
The man who found the pouch started to untie the loose string when Steffen stopped him.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Steffen said, putting on a pair of gloves from his pocket. Then he held out his protected hand. “May I?”
After the man received an approving nod from Jaymes, he handed the pouch over. Steffen held it at arm’s length as he carefully opened it.
“Sir,” Darri said, “you must believe I’ve never seen that before.”
Jaymes refused to acknowledge him.
Steffen set the open pouch on the ground and peered down from above it, keeping as much distance as he could.
“It contains green dust of some kind,” he announced.
Steffen then asked for and received a fresh water skin and another parchment. He placed the new parchment beside the old and poured from the fresh water skin, creating a small puddle like before. This water was clear.
With slow yet steady hands, Steffen poured a trickle of the powder into the water. It dissolved instantly and the puddle turned green to match the other beside it.
“I’ve been set up!” Darri yelled. “Steffen must’ve put the poison in your water and then discarded the pouch near me!”
“Why would Steffen go through so much trouble?” Jaymes asked dubiously.
“He wants me dead because he thinks I killed Charlotte. I didn’t do it, Steffen. I wouldn’t kill anyone helping our army.”
Jaymes stroked his chin, holding the silence of the tent quite comfortably. “Let me understand what you’re saying. Steffen came here with a pouch of poison because he knew you would come into my tent while I slept. Then he poisoned my water and threw the pouch near you to make it seem like you did it.”
“Yes, sir. I was checking on you and didn’t see or hear him come in.”
“Shall I fetch the psychic, sir?” one man asked.
“He’s useless until he can be certain when a lie is told. I’ll decide who’s telling the truth.” Jaymes held his sword fiercely, keeping his gaze on Steffen.
Tension filled the air. Shara found herself realizing she believed Darri was innocent.
But Steffen couldn’t have framed him. He would’ve mentioned if he had some sort of poison. Unless this was his plan from the start.
There was no more time to think. With sudden speed, the commander came at Darri with his sword high.
“No, no!” Darri fell backward as the commander’s sword came down, plunging into Darri’s thigh. He let out a gruesome scream—then another as Jaymes pulled his weapon free. Blood gushed out of the enormous wound. Shara felt herself sickening at the sight, but she couldn’t look away.
Jaymes pointed his sword at Darri’s face. “You are charged with being a spy, committing murder, and attempting to poison a commander. Your penalty is death.” He lifted his blade to strike.
“I’ve done none of those things!” Darri yelled.
“Wait!” Steffen shouted.
Darri looked hopeful.
“What?” Jaymes spat out over his shoulder.
“Let me be the one to do it, sir,” Steffen requested. “He killed a member of my party from Ovira.”
“Fine.”
Darri slowly crawled away. “Steffen, I swear on my life that I didn’t kill Charlotte!”
Steffen calmly loaded an arrow onto his bow. This seemed so wrong. Shara tried to say something, but no words came.
Steffen aimed his arrow as Darri continued to plead.
Shara turned away, closing her eyes and plugging her ears, but she could still hear Darri screaming.
“Please you have to listen to me! Steffen, I—”
For what seemed like an eternity, there was silence. Cracking open an eye as she turned, she saw an arrow through Darri’s forehead, his eyes stuck open in a look of terror.
At one point she’d considered him her ally, her friend. She couldn’t tell if she’d ever stopped thinking of him in that way.
She started to leave the tent so she could be sick.
“Wait, Shara,” Jaymes called out. “You’re staying with me until Neeko’s found.”
She fell to her knees right there and spewed.
CHAPTER FIVE
SHARA
Jaymes came to the truth early in his questioning—that Shara and Steffen were there to kill Darri. It became impossible to deny, so Shara simply admitted it.
Jaymes told them they were fortunate Darri turned out to be the spy instead of Cedri. If they’d encroached with intentions of killing a valued member of his army, he would’ve seen to executing them himself. Shara had spoken with the commander many times in the castle but had never seen this side of him before. He was as protective as a mother bear and certainly just as dangerous.
He forced them to admit they were traveling with Neeko. Yet afterward, Jaymes seemed less menacing. He questioned them about Neeko’s whereabouts, but he issued no threats when they refused to answer. He simply said they would stay with him until Neeko was caught or they told him where Neeko was hiding.
At one point he asked Shara what had happened in Antilith’s forest that caused her to go missing. She explained being captured, brought to Swenn, tortured, and then held captive to bait Neeko into coming and dying at the hands of a pyforial mage of the PCQ. She also informed the commander of her terrible guilt for revealing to Swenn that there were spies in the forest, some of whom were found and killed. Finally, she told him about Henry’s death and his disrespected carcass strewn on top of the cave.
It all made her dizzy just to remember vividly again, making her realize how tired she was.
Jaymes apologized that more soldiers hadn’t been sent to look for her. His words surprised Shara, and she assured him she held no ill will toward him or the king.
Two men pulling horses came to Jaymes. Shara recognized the horse she’d purchased from Norret. Sometimes she wondered about Whitspur, the horse that had carried her from Cessri to Glaine. The animal probably was in the castle’s stables, most likely in capable hands.
The man with Steffen’s horse was carrying his plant cage. Shara checked behind them but saw no signs of Neeko or Cedri. Good, they got away. Must be heading toward Aylinhall now.
“Found these horses tied up along the eastern hills but no signs of the py mage.”
“Those are ours,” Shara said.
“Return the plants to the chemist,” Jaymes ordered. “The horses stay with us until these two cooperate.”
It was near morning by the time Jaymes finally left them alone.
Shara no longer felt nervous, but her hands were still shaking. She took her blanket from her bag and put it over her shoulders as she sat beside Steffen. They were surrounded by the waking Northern army.
“Why didn’t you mention what Swenn did to you?” Steffen asked.
“Because I’d rather not talk about it.” She wondered if she’d ever get the memories of being tortured out of her mind. She’d never known her body was capable of feeling such pain. The worst part was how Swenn seemed to enjoy it, as if he wanted her to refuse to cooperate. She squeezed the fingernails on her right hand, recalling too vividly how it felt when he stuck needles beneath them.
Thoughts of Neeko helped distract her. “Neeko and Cedri must’ve seen soldiers coming and left,” she whispered.
“Yes, we’ll meet them in Aylinhall once we find a way to escape this army
.”
“I believe Jaymes doesn’t truly want to capture and kill Neeko. He just needs to show his troops he’s obliging the king’s order. If we give him a plausible lie as to Neeko’s location, he should let us go.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I want to speak with Laney before then.”
“Good luck finding her,” Steffen said.
“You’re going to help me.”
He grumbled. Shara knew they both were tired, having missed an entire night of sleep, but she still expected his assistance.
“What do you want with her?” Steffen asked.
More than anything, Shara just wanted to see her face. So much had changed since the last time Laney had smiled at her.
“I would like to see how she’s faring.”
“Unimportant.”
“And Neeko asked me to speak to her,” Shara added in an acrid tone. “You got what you wanted. Darri is dead. So why are you surly?”
“Because I don’t feel any better,” he muttered. “I wish I’d killed him before he stabbed Charlotte, but I didn’t know he was a traitor then.”
They fell silent. If Darri really was a traitor, Steffen will feel better later.
While it made her feel somewhat sick to think about, she was glad Swenn was dead. A chill ran through her body. She advocated murder now. Not just Swenn, but the king of the South and his priests. She couldn’t figure out what she was feeling, so she let words come out in rhyme.
“I’ve killed as well, and now there’s a feeling I cannot quell. I don’t know what it’s called, and it changes all the time. I feel caged, enwalled…and like I’m covered in grime. My enemy has died, but there’s too many left still. Waiting for me is my pride, and for some sick reason it gives me a thrill. But these are lives we’re taking. I should be shaking.”
“You want this war to end,” Steffen interrupted. “There’s nothing more to comprehend.”
“I feel like I’m running downhill, unable to halt. I’m eager to kill, to attack, to assault.” Her voice rose. “I suppose you’re right. I want this to end. This war is blight. But there’s so much more to comprehend.”
“There’s no meaning to war, Shara. The victor isn’t right, and the loser isn’t wrong. We fight because every other solution has failed, except for running, which is still an option for you. Now that Darri is dead, I can take you and Neeko to Ovira once we find him and Terren.” She could feel Steffen looking at her as she gazed at the ground in thought. “If that’s what you want.”
