Trial and Glory (16 page)

“For now.” Rygar’s voice grew serious. “But not after this. If we make it out of here alive, we’ve decided to leave the Hell Patrol.”

Drake choked. “I didn’t see that coming either.”

“It kind of snuck up on us too, but we decided that we want a family, and as much as we’re going to miss everyone, this isn’t the best place to be raising children.”

Children?

Drake tilted his head. The scout only had him by a few years, but suddenly he looked much older than he remembered.

He smiled, trying to be supportive. “Well, those are going to be some lucky children.”

Rygar grinned. “I hope so. But first we have to survive this.”

“There is that.”

One Above, the heart of this outfit is growing weaker by the minute. Jonrell. Hag. Yanasi. Rygar. Who’s next?
He swallowed, knowing the answer.

Kaz.

* * *

Elyse closed the chapel door behind her. Legs weak and fatigued, she added one last prayer for strength of mind and body as she released the door handle.

At this rate, the One Above will need to hire assistants to keep up with my lamentations.

She took a deep breath, and walked down the dreary corridor, pausing briefly at several open doorways, wondering where Lobella had run off to.

She let me stay in there too long again. I’m going to be late for my meeting with Jeldor.

“As I said, you can just give the message to me. I’ll see that it reaches her,” came Lobella’s voice from around a turn in the hallway.

The frustrated tone in her friend’s words made Elyse pause.

“I’m sorry,” came a man’s voice. “I have orders not to give this letter to anyone but Her Majesty.”

“And I’ve been instructed to act as a liaison by Her Majesty. All messages are to be delivered to me first. This is the way it’s been done for weeks now. None of the other messengers have questioned my authority,” she snapped.

Liaison? Other messengers?

“Well, I’m not like these other messengers. My orders came from Her Majesty herself. So, if you’ll excuse me—”

“No! Wait,” she said, lowering her voice so Elyse had to inch closer to the turn in the hallway, straining her ears. Lobella sounded nervous when she spoke again. “What if I make it worth your while to have that letter?”

One Above, what is going on?

His voice quivered. “Are you trying to say what I think you’re saying? That you’d be willing to . . .”

Piecing recent details together, Elyse wanted to charge out and confront Lobella, but she swallowed her rising fury and refrained. Before she could plan her next step, she needed to first learn how far Lobella was willing to lower herself to betray Elyse and also whether she could trust the messenger.

“Yes,” Lobella whispered. “I’d do anything.”

A long pause followed and Elyse dug her nails into her palms, ready to scream.

The messenger cleared his throat. “No. I have strict orders from Her Majesty.”

Elyse had heard enough. She knew right away how she needed to handle the situation. She rounded the corner, putting on a calm mask of indifference to hide her anger.

“Lobella. I was just looking for you,” she said, pretending she hadn’t heard a word of their conversation.

Lobella had pushed the messenger against one of the walls. Both looked uncomfortable. The two quickly separated, both red. Lobella rubbed her hands violently as her eyes darted between Elyse and the letter in the messenger’s hands.

She turned to the messenger. “Horin, right?”

Horin bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for remembering.”

“Is that for me?” she asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” He looked at Lobella, then walked forward with hand extended.

She took it from him, but did not look at its contents. “Do you know what it says, Horin?”

“No, Your Majesty. I was told nothing.”

She nodded. “My thanks for your speedy travel. Please feel free to rest for the night. I’ll have a response for you in the morning.”

He bowed again and left, shooting Lobella one last glance.

Elyse faced Lobella, keeping her face a mask. Her servant wore the look of a corpse. The queen frowned. “Lobella, are you alright? Perhaps you should take the rest of the night off.”

Lobella straightened, forcing a swallow. “No, Your Majesty. I’ll be fine.”

“Good. Let’s get moving then. I’m late.”

Lobella fell in slightly behind Elyse to her right, though she normally walked on her left.

But then again, I usually don’t carry around an unopened message in my right hand.

She dug her nails once more into her palms as they walked, anything to take her mind off her anger.

* * *

Kaz ran into Crusher as he left the smithy. The giant carried his warhammer, spinning it in his hand.

“What do you think?” asked the Ghal. “I took a chance and had Cisod make some modifications.”

The point at the back of the weapon’s head had gone from one to three. Spikes also jutted out from the top. A new hand guard covered the top of the handle, unusual for that sort of weapon.

Kaz rubbed at his goatee. “I like it.”

Crusher hoisted the weapon across his shoulder as they walked. “So, did you ever take my advice?”

“Advice?”

The Ghal lowered his voice. “About talking to Elyse.”

“I did, actually. It didn’t go well. Things will continue as they have.”

The giant shrugged his massive shoulders as they walked across the catwalk separating the inner and middle walls. “Well, at least you got to say your peace. That’s more than most get. That’s more than I got with my brother.”

Kaz winced. Months had passed since his battle with Grin, yet he still hadn’t been able to find the nerve to tell his friend what had happened that day on the bridge.

You owe him the truth. There will never be a good time to do it, and you could die tomorrow.

He stepped off to the side. “Wait.”

Crusher pulled up next to him, out of the way of soldiers moving to their posts in time for shift change. “What is it?”

Kaz sighed. “That day on the bridge . . . Kroke might have finished Grin off, but he was already as good as dead. And not entirely because of wounds from the
rihulask.
I was trying to get information from him and I . . . I got carried away.”

Crusher wore a mask of stone. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you should know the truth. And because of what you just said when we were talking about Elyse. I robbed you of the chance to set things right with him.”

“Set things right? Is that what you think?” He laughed. “Trust me, what I wanted to tell Grin wouldn’t have made anything right.”

“But you seemed so upset with Kroke.”

“That was because he got to do something I always dreamed of doing myself. But since you had more of a hand in it than he did, it doesn’t bother me as much.”

“Why is that?”

Crusher slapped his wide hand on Kaz’s arm. “Because you’ve been a better brother to me than he ever was. Blood doesn’t mean much in the end. It’s what’s said and how you’re treated that matters.” He changed subjects before Kaz could respond. “Now, when do you think I’ll get a chance to test Cisod’s modifications out?”

“Soon enough.”

* * *

Elyse reread the letter for the third time. The news Lady Arine and her uncle had been trying to get to her for weeks sat plainly on the parchment.

The rumors are true.

In her absence, Elyse’s council had begun to redistribute wealth to certain lords while trying and hanging others found guilty of treason. To make matters worse, taxes on certain goods had been increased to further benefit the nobility while the commoner, the ones the war had affected most, had been given nothing.

Her head spun. No one on her council had the power to make such decisions in her stead. Not even the edict she gave to Gauge would have given him the right to do all that had been done.

Months before, she never would have imagined her advisor capable of such treachery. Her eyes were open, and she would not close them again.

She reexamined all the man had done for her in the past in a different light than before.

All his help was just a way to nurture his own power. To keep me in the dark about what he had been doing behind my back. What does he have planned when the battle at the High Pass is done? He must know I won’t let these things stand. One Above, how does he expect to hold onto the power he’s cultivating? He must have something prepared. Why else would he make such blatant decisions?

A knock sounded. “Your Majesty, it’s me. May I come in?”

Lobella. When did Gauge turn you?

Elyse had sent her servant away on an errand before reading the letter in private.

“One moment.”

Elyse hid the letter, and picked up another filled with useless information from Segavona instead. She walked to the door and opened it.

Lobella wore a look of concern. “Is everything alright, Elyse?”

Elyse? I told you to call me that when I thought us friends. Who better to spy on me?

She smiled. “Yes. Everything’s fine. I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

She looked at the letter in Elyse’s hand. “I thought I should hurry back in case you needed me.”

How considerate.

Elyse continued the charade so Lobella would not expect her intentions. “Oh, this? It’s nothing. Just some boring news about minor lords vying for Conroy’s old seat.” She handed the letter over. “You can read it, if you like. I’m sure you could do as good a job picking between that lot. I mean who’s really thinking about Conroy’s seat with that horde outside.”

Lobella grabbed the letter and read, noticeably relaxing. “Well, at least it isn’t bad news.”

Elyse narrowed her eyes. “Yes, there is that.” She stared at her servant. “What do you say you turn in for the night? I know it’s early, but it looks as though you’ve had a rough day.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I may do the same after I wrap up a few things on my desk.”

“Shall I help you undress first?”

Elyse looked down. “Yes, of course.”

Lobella came over, helping Elyse into her nightclothes. She allowed her servant to ramble on about things inconsequential as though nothing had changed between them, when in fact, everything had.

A part of Elyse wanted to scream at the woman for betraying her, but another part kept her calm. That part of her found her friend’s betrayal just one more lesson from which to learn. Elyse would not fail to take full advantage of the betrayal. She would keep playing the game and use their ruse of a friendship for her own means.

Jonrell, I hope you’re looking down on me somewhere, proud that all your lessons have finally sunk in.

Chapter 10

Nareash paced the tent, listening to Mizak summarize his latest findings. With each step, he rubbed his hands more vigorously than the last.

The old man’s voice stopped. Nareash waited impatiently. His feet pounded the earth beneath him, doing anything to drown out the annoying sound of shuffling parchment as Mizak shifted to his next series of notes.

“I’m waiting.”

Mizak’s throat cleared. “Actually . . . I believe that’s it.”

Nareash halted mid-stride. “What do you mean, you believe that’s it?”

“I mean that’s it. I’ve been talking for over an hour with barely a breath between each statement.”

“You said you made a breakthrough.”

“I did. I found the second key in the language.” Mizak gestured to the books and papers spilling over the side of the desk and onto the floor.

“So, you found this key and brought me nothing. I knew most everything you mentioned from my studies on Estul Island.”

“That’s not true. We hadn’t known the scepter could—”

“I already know what the scepter can do! I need to know how to stop it. And in that area, you gave me nothing.”

Mizak didn’t seem bothered by Nareash’s tone. “Perhaps if you helped me as you were supposed to.”

Nareash cursed. He did promise he would help more, but his suspicions that Hezen, Colan, and Guwan would cross him caused him to spend more time looking over their shoulders than researching with Mizak.

One Above, why do you try me at every turn? It’s like Amcaro placed a curse on me before he died. Can nothing I do be easy?

He sighed. “I’ll try to make time.”

“How about now?”

“I can’t. I need to—”

“Then go,” said Mizak, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. “I’ll get back to work.”

Nareash wanted to strangle the old man for showing him such disrespect, but he couldn’t.

Not while I need him. After this is over though . . .
His thoughts trailed off as he exited the tent.

* * *

Guwan passed Colan as he entered Hezen’s private tent. Neither acknowledged the other.

What is he doing here?
He thought about how Nareash had worried about the shaman working behind his back with Hezen.

Then again, what am I doing here?

Before he could dwell more on the matter, Hezen called out. “Let me guess, he hasn’t said anything to you since we took the outer wall?”

Guwan paused at the entrance. Hezen stared at the deep red coals glowing in the brazier.

The Kifzo grunted and moved further inside.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Hezen finally looked up, wearing a condescending smile.

“Yes.”

“And you’ve given more thought to what we discussed earlier?”

Guwan hid the sneer wanting to form on his face. “Yes.”

He hated having to lower himself to this man, but he saw no other way. Nareash became more unhinged each day, focusing on little else but his obsession with Krytien.

I need someone who will support me. Not work against me. If I don’t salvage something out of this siege it’s likely the Kifzo will turn their backs on me and chance a trip back to Hesh. Every day wasted is another of humiliation for them.

Hezen extended his hands over the brazier in a relaxed manner. “And?”