The Devil Incarnate (The Devil of Ponong series #2)

by Braden, Jill

  “Is that why you saved me tonight? For my information?”

  She perched on the small table. Her hands folded in her lap. “All my life, I’ve been told that Thampurians are more civilized than the Ponongese. I thought I’d rejected those teachings, but apparently some of the poison wormed its way into my brain and affected my thinking. I will not make the mistake of underestimating Thampurians’ capacity for violence again.”

  He had no idea what she was talking about. All he knew was that she hadn’t answered his question. “Why did you come to my rescue?”

  “Because you were horrified by the other soldiers’ attack on my people in Old Levapur.”

  “Who told you that?” Of course she knew what had happened. The Devil had spies everywhere. For the first time, he was glad the criminals’ network was so well organized. It shamed him that the Thampurians couldn’t make the same boast.

  QuiTai leveled her spooky eyes on him. “I don’t like you, Voorus. I don’t want to trust you. But your true nature has been revealed, and people of honor are too rare to sacrifice to a mob.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Voorus took the cup of tea Hadre handed to him.

  Hadre settled on the low stool with some difficulty. Such seats were meant for servants. Tall Thampurians looked ridiculous on them.

  “I hope you’re behaving yourself.”

  “Never,” QuiTai said. He could have sworn she was amused.

  “I meant Voorus, but I assume you knew that,” Hadre said.

  “He tried to arrest me.”

  Voorus didn’t know why Hadre scowled at him.

  “I’m sure he felt compelled to act dreadfully Thampurian in the face of a confusing situation. Thankfully, I believe he’s worked that out of his system,” QuiTai said.

  She had no respect for authority. How was he supposed to keep order if people simply ignored him?

  “You’ll end up in the fortress eventually, and then we’ll see how smug you are,” Voorus said.

  QuiTai leaned forward, her strange eyes full of mirth. “I absolutely shiver in fear, Captain.”

  There she went, mocking him again. He took a sip of the drink Hadre had handed him. He winced. “This tea is horrible.”

  “It is, isn’t it? But it will help you stay alert for a little while. How does your head feel?” QuiTai asked.

  He wasn’t sure how to react to this woman. Even if his head hadn’t been hit, he was certain that his mind would still be reeling. She wasn’t behaving the way he expected her to. One moment she was bitingly sarcastic; the next, almost solicitous. After a moment of thought, he realized that she answered civility with civility and aggression with sarcasm. He’d never met a woman who could dismiss a man so completely. “The throbbing is a bit better,” he admitted cautiously. This was a test. If she said something rude, he’d be proven wrong about her.

  “A good night’s sleep will help. Unfortunately, we can’t wait. I don’t think anyone saw my lieutenants carry you here, but these are dangerous times, and as you’re well aware, there are spies everywhere in Levapur.”

  So that was how to handle her. Be polite, even if it killed you. Voorus blew on the surface of the tea and took another swallow. It was as bitter as the first taste. His tongue felt dry. “Do you have any sugar?” he asked Hadre.

  Hadre shook his head. “I expected this meeting to b–” He made an apologetic face. “I’m sorry, Lady QuiTai. I told you I’d make a terrible spy.”

  “You two meet here often?” Voorus asked. The gossips would love this.

  “No. Our last meeting was accidental, and we had planned to meet tonight to finish some business, but after this we will not come back here again,” QuiTai said.

  “The Zul clan does business with the Devil?” Voorus asked Hadre.

  “It was an entirely personal matter between Lady QuiTai and myself. Not business.” Hadre seemed offended.

  Voorus pointed to QuiTai. “She said business.” He set the tea cup on the floor and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I delivered a personal message for Hadre, in exchange for which he promised me some information. It is a perfectly legal transaction,” QuiTai told him.

  “What was the message?”

  “Listen here, Voorus –”

  QuiTai held up her hand to silence Hadre. “I told Kyam Zul to leave Ponong.”

  She sounded so convincing, but that couldn’t be the truth. “That’s it? I told him as much myself a few days ago.”

  “So did I,” Hadre said. He nodded, his expression reflecting something like regret.

  QuiTai turned to Hadre. “I did my best, but it wasn’t enough. My apologies.”

  Voorus snorted. “Of course Kyam didn’t listen! He hates you.”

  Voorus couldn’t read the glance they exchanged. Apparently, they knew something he didn’t. He didn’t like being the only one in a room that didn’t understand what was going on. It was as if he’d peered into a window, but instead of seeing the room behind it, an alternate world was revealed.

  “I only asked that you try, Lady QuiTai. Success was never part of our arrangement,” Hadre said.

  “I told him that I could get him onto a smuggler’s ship bound for a free port. He didn’t turn my offer down, but he hasn’t taken me up on it either.”

  Why was he here if they were going to talk over his head? “But he has signed articles of transport! Both Chief Justice Cuulon and Governor Turyat signed the papers. Why does he need to take a smugglers’ ship?”

  Voorus felt like shrinking back as QuiTai’s strange eyes turned to him again. It was as if she peered into his brain, and the way his head felt, that was a little frightening.

  “That’s a good question, Captain Voorus. A very good question. I think Hadre has the answer, and it’s part of the picture I need to see if we’re to unravel the mysteries of the past few weeks. So, Hadre, why is Kyam still in Levapur?”

  Hadre sucked in a long breath. He rubbed his thighs. “Grandfather isn’t going to like this.”

  “I have a feeling Grandfather Zul isn’t going to like anything we say tonight.”

  Hadre gazed at QuiTai with admiration Voorus couldn’t understand. He’d heard every word she said, but didn’t understand why Hadre acted as if it were a revelation.

  “You’ve figured it out,” Hadre said.

  QuiTai’s thin shoulders rose in a jaded shrug. “As your cousin is fond of pointing out, I’m quick to form a theory before I have proof. This time, I must be certain of my facts. Matters have come to a rather delicate juncture, and one false move could be disastrous.”

  Voorus glanced from Hadre to QuiTai and back again. “What has she figured out?”

  “Information first,” QuiTai said. “Then I’m going to tell you gentlemen a story.”

  Chapter 17: Strange Allies

  “Who goes first?” Hadre asked. “I’m not sure of the protocol.”

  He wasn’t sure he could tell them everything. It was one thing to rebel against Grandfather; quite another to allow strangers a glimpse inside the family’s hold, so to speak. He felt he could confide in QuiTai. Despite her protestations, he was sure she had some feelings for Kyam. Besides, he’d promised her the information. But then she’d shown up for their meeting with those thugs of hers and the limp body of Captain Voorus. They could have talked after her people put Voorus on the bed in the servants’ quarters, but she’d stalled him.

  He was a bit ashamed that he’d thought she was responsible for Voorus’ state. The fear dispelled as he’d watched her bustle around Voorus, checking his vital signs and looking quite grim. Finally, she’d stepped back and announced that Voorus would probably sleep for an hour and that he’d be in pain when he woke, but she didn’t think he was in immediate danger.

  “I’m most interested in hearing about the soldiers your grandfather brought here on the Winged Dragon,” QuiTai said. “I –” She smiled as if gently berating herself. “It would be unwise of me to state my perceptions now. Please, Hadre.
Tell us about them.”

  Voorus leaned forward. “There isn’t much to tell. After we took everyone to Cay Rhi, we were told to sail back to the harbor and await instructions.”

  “Who did the orders come from?” QuiTai asked.

  Family was all the mattered. A man who betrayed his family was nothing, not even dirt.

  “Hadre, lives are at stake.”

  He reluctantly admitted, “Grandfather.”

  She nodded. “Go on.”

  “The next day, the Winged Dragon sailed into port. To my surprise, Grandfather was on board. He rarely sails anymore. And even more surprising...”

  Hadre turned pleading eyes to QuiTai. Did she really need to know this? She gestured for him to continue.

  “He stayed on board. He wouldn’t let me tell anyone he’d come, even Kyam.”

  “Why not?”

  Voorus also seemed interested in an answer.

  Hadre shook his head. “I have no idea why he refuses to talk to Kyam. He always has these convoluted reasons for everything he does, and in the long run, I always wonder why he bothers, but that’s Grandfather for you.”

  “But he came here for a reason. I can only assume he wanted to talk to someone and didn’t trust that a farwriter message would be private enough. It must have been a very important message for him to deliver it personally.”

  She had a way of cutting to the heart of the matter. It was as if she’d been there. If she knew so much, though, why did she need to hear it from him?

  Despair was an unaccustomed emotion for Hadre, and he didn’t like it one bit. He glanced at QuiTai. She didn’t smile or try to make it any easier for him. He’d seen that expression on her face before when she’d been aboard the Golden Barracuda. At the time, he’d been glad he hadn’t been the one squirming under her gaze.

  “The soldiers, Hadre.”

  Maybe she was going to let him keep one secret. Relief poured over him.

  “They came with Grandfather. They aren’t military, despite their uniforms. They’re Grandfather’s private army.”

  He’d expected some reaction from QuiTai, but she only nodded as if she already knew that. Voorus, however, worked himself into a state of outrage.

  “Private army! That’s illegal.”

  “In Thampur, maybe – but as you’re well aware, Voorus, there’s a second set of books when it comes to the law here,” QuiTai said.

  Voorus’ head snapped in her direction. “How do you know about that?”

  “That you’re studying the law? If you were trying to keep that secret, you failed.”

  It looked as if Voorus might lunge off the cot at any moment. Hadre motioned for him to calm down.

  “Since Grandfather Zul set down most of the colonial law, I’m going to assume that he’s well aware that he can get away with many things on Ponong that would cost him his life in Thampur.” QuiTai raised a finger. “Private army.” She raised another. “Attacks on innocent civilians.” A third finger rose beside the other two. “Slavery.”

  “Slavery!” The stool flipped over as Hadre jumped to his feet. How dare she suggest a Zul kept slaves!

  Voorus had also risen. “Shut up! Not another word! That’s a military secret!” He advanced on QuiTai. “Oh, I have you now. You’re going to hang.”

  “What are you talking about?” Hadre looked from Voorus to QuiTai. Voorus shook, but he couldn’t tell if it was from rage or fear.

  QuiTai calmly brushed her braid over her shoulder. “Shall I tell him, Captain Voorus, or do you want to? Tread carefully here, because if you try to make it sound pretty and reasonable, if you dare breathe a word of justification, I will correct your version.”

  It dawned on Hadre that this wasn’t a baseless attack. QuiTai and Voorus knew something. They were simply fighting over how to explain it. He had to give QuiTai grudging respect. She’d delivered a devastating blow, and there was no way to ignore it now. His stomach lurched as he leaned over to right the stool. He took his time settling into it as he tried to calm the horrible sense of doom hanging over his head.

  Voorus turned to him. The shame in his eyes wasn’t faked. “When we went to Cay Rhi, we discovered that the Ravidians had enslaved the Ponongese natives. We killed the Ravidians and secured the compound.”

  “As well you should have,” Hadre said. He didn’t understand why Voorus had such a hard time telling his tale.

  Voorus’ throat bobbed as he swallowed something that obviously left a bad taste in his mouth.

  Relentless, QuiTai growled, “Tell Hadre what ‘secured’ means”

  “We were under orders. I personally didn’t agree with it. None of my men do.”

  “How terribly uncomfortable for you, Voorus. How do you sleep at night?” QuiTai snapped.

  Voorus seemed to be pleading with her, but from the look on her face, she wasn’t in a merciful mood.

  “We let you go. I’ll bet you didn’t know that. My men called off the search.” Voorus sounded like a plaintive child.

  QuiTai made it clear she wouldn’t let him get away with that. “And yet, if I were to step out on the streets, would I be arrested?”

  Voorus’ lips quivered as he seemed to struggle with himself. “Yes.”

  “For what?” she asked.

  He sank onto the cot. His voice was a rough whisper Hadre barely heard over the rain. “For knowing.”

  “And I’d be executed. For knowing the truth.”

  Voorus nodded. He seemed to shrink and age before Hadre’s eyes.

  “What are you two talking about?”

  QuiTai turned to Hadre. “The colonial militia was under orders from the Thampurian military to capture a secret Ravidian bioweapon project hidden on Cay Rhi. That much you gathered from our conversations on the Golden Barracuda, or probably guessed once Captain Voorus and his men ordered your men to take us to the island. What you didn’t know about was the plan to keep any Ponongese slaves in captivity. I liberated around twenty, but had to leave the rest behind. They are still in chains, Hadre.”

  “That’s against the law!”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Thampurian law. It’s probably legal here, where it won’t offend the delicate sensibilities of Thampurians who like to pretend they’re the most civilized people on the planet.”

  Hadre had never been so offended. “That’s going too far, Lady QuiTai. It goes against everything we believe in. It’s one of our earliest laws, over a thousand years old. We freed our slaves hundreds of years before anyone else on the continent, and yes, we’re very proud of that. The Thampurian people would be outraged if they heard about this.”

  “That’s rather the point of the Thampurian military’s order, isn’t it?”

  Hadre groaned. He assumed QuiTai knew who controlled Thampur’s military as well as he did. The King’s cousin and trusted confidant. The rudder hidden under the waves. Grandfather.

  ~ ~ ~

  Maybe QuiTai and Hadre could understand what was being left unsaid, but Voorus couldn’t follow it. He caught glimpses of something big but none of it made sense to him. “You’re going to hang,” he told QuiTai.

  She waved her hand, dismissing his threat. “So you keep telling me. And oh yes, I quite believe that you’d like to, but wouldn’t it be uncivilized to hang someone just for saying something you don’t want to hear? Or worse, knowing about something that goes against every principle you believe in?”

  “You don’t know what I believe in, snake.”

  “Panic isn’t becoming in a soldier. Gather your balls, Captain.”

  “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Captain Voorus, please, just answer her questions. If you’re going to hang her anyway, what does it hurt to tell her what you know?” Hadre asked.

  “Well said, Hadre.” QuiTai pressed her palms together and bowed to him.

  Thunderclaps made it impossible to speak for a moment. Voorus almost pulled the blanket over his shoulders, but then remembered that would expose his legs. He wanted to go to sleep. He wa
s still a bit dizzy, and the cot’s leather strips pressed against his bruised legs.

  “All I’ve heard are insults, not questions.” Voorus didn’t like feeling stupid. Every moment he passed in QuiTai’s presence made him feel dimwitted. Was it possible that this woman was really that intelligent? He’d seen her come up with some good solutions on Cay Rhi. Of course, she’d tricked them into leaving her unattended while she helped some of the slaves escape, but everything else she’d told them had been useful. She’d probably saved the lives of a few of his men. He bet that galled her.

  “Who decided to ban the Ponongese from the marketplace?” QuiTai asked him.

  “I’ve been trying to figure that out since it happened! I’ve been trying to reach the governor and chief justice, but they’ve gone into hiding.”

  “I know about your efforts.”

  Of course she did, so why did she bother to ask?

  “The colonial militia wasn’t involved, was it? The other soldiers carried out the orders.” Her voice was soft, almost as if she wanted to absolve him of responsibility.

  “I demanded to know who gave them their orders, but they refused to tell me. I know that they were summoned to the government building to explain their actions.” Voorus felt like a failure.

  She looked concerned. “Those soldiers laughed at the governor. Didn’t they, Voorus?”

  “How do you know –”

  “Governor Turyat told me. Or perhaps it was Chief Justice Cuulon. It was a bit muddled at that point. I would have pried further but ran out of time.”

  Voorus laughed. “They told you? The governor and the chief justice? They told you? I’m the captain of the colonial militia, and I can’t get anyone to tell me anything – but you, the Devil’s whore, they tell you about a secret meeting? I’m supposed to believe that?”

  QuiTai said nothing. The look on her face chilled him. Did her power extend high enough that she could command a private audience with Turyat and Cuulon, when he couldn’t even get into the front courtyard of their compounds? What the hell was going on in Levapur?

  “Moving on, who decided to close the schools?” she asked.