Adversaries Together (43 page)

Jena was sprawled behind Fery with her boots
and leathers off, “Welcome to the world, princess.”

Fery turned frowning, “Don’t call me that.”
Jena just smirked.

“
What about him?” Roth
gestured to Declan.

“
Healers apparently got to
him well in time to avoid infection.” Wynne replied, “But he needs
to stay put for at least a couple of weeks.”

Roth nodded as he shed his cloak and boots,
“He’s asleep?”

Wynne looked at Declan, “They gave him some
laudanum and he’s been out for a while now.”

“
The rest?”

“
We’re fine,” Jena growled,
“Fery’ll have a lovely scar and I’m just going to look like a
beaten mule for at least a month.”

“
Somehow it makes you look
better.” Fery said and Jena glared at her, “No, I mean, the
coloring around your eyes.” Jena just stared. “You didn’t look bad
before…it’s just that…it kinda looks like make-up.” Fery was
fluster and quite red.

Kira sighed, “She didn’t mean anything.”

“
I know what she meant,”
Jena said. She gave Fery an icy stare, and then winked.

“
We’re lucky it wasn’t
worse.” Roth sat near the brazier.

Kira handed him a plate of naan, “What
now?”

“
We’ve been needing to talk
about that for some time now.” Wynne said.

Goshen pushed the armor he had shed out of
the way to get a better view of the others, “There are rather
simple facts. I can’t go back to the Cathedral after what happened
in Bandra.”

“
I’ll need to steer clear
of there as well for a while.” Jena chimed in.

“
And from what the
justiciars told me at my trial,” Goshen continued looking at Kira,
“You’re considered dead.”

“
So showing up at my
chapel…”

“…
would only cause problems
for everyone.” Roth finished her thought. He rubbed his eyes and
gazed into the fire. There was a moment where it seemed that Roth
let down his guard and looked haggard, if not exhausted. Everyone
was quiet as the rain pelted the roof and the brazier
crackled.

“
I’ve nowhere to go.” Colm
spoke up, his voice deadpan.

Roth turned to the boy sitting next to him,
“You’re coming with me. We’re going north.”

“
North to where?” Kira
demanded.

Roth was silent. Before Kira could say
anything, Declan roused. He rolled over on his side and his eyes
fluttered open. Wynne turned and put his hand on Declan’s shoulder,
“You don’t need to get up.”

“
Yeah,” Declan moved slow
but eventually got himself up into a seated position, “think I will
though.” He looked around the yurt, blinking several times. “My
mouth tastes like metal.”

Goshen stood and came over with a bota in
hand, “This is just water.”

“
That’s unfortunate.”
Declan gladly raised the bota.

“
North to where.” Kira
demanded. Roth scowled at her.

“
He’s going up pass Medves
to the taiga.” Jena broke in impatient.

Kira flinched, “There’s nothing up
there.”

“
I have to take Colm to my
hearth.”

“
What?”

Declan waved to Roth, “I could use to eat
too.” Roth passed down a plate of bread.

“
If you’re going north with
the boy, what are we supposed to do?”

“
I thought you were coming
with us to the Cathedral.” Fery asked.

“
Didn’t you just hear what
Goshen said?” Kira snapped.

“
She’s asking you to go
with her still.” Jena defended.

“
I know what she’s
asking.”

“
End it.” Declan yelled,
then groaned as he chewed the naan. “You need to come with me to
the Spires.”

“
What?”

“
Why?” Goshen
asked.

“
I need to get the rest of
the coin coming my way and to do that I need to present you.”
Declan paused and looked as if he was going to vomit, then began
eating again.

“So that’s a good point,” Wynne said, “Who
is your employer?”

“
You still haven’t
explained why you were following us?” Kira added.

Declan sighed, “I was hired by the Jacobean
Spire to make sure you two didn’t die and made it to Lappala in one
piece.”

“
Why not just join us?”
Goshen asked.

Declan nodded, “That makes sense; you
would’ve welcomed me with open arms.”

“
Well, no, you’re
right.”

“
How did they know about
our mission?” Kira asked.

Declan punched Wynne in the shoulder, “This
is where you come in.”

“
What’s he talking about?”
Goshen asked.

Wynne glared at Declan, then looked at Goshen
and Kira, “The Rikonen Alders paid for Asa Salda, the corsair we
fought at the Cruor, to abduct Kira and bring her to them.”

Goshen looked shocked, but Kira nodded, “You
weren’t a part of that decision though. You only came to the
council afterwards.”

“
Still,” Goshen was
indignant, “You’re responsible for all this?”

Kira held Goshen’s arm, “We’ve already been
over this. It’s the reason Wynne and Fery came with Roth and me, to
atone for what their leaders did.”

Goshen gnashed his teeth, “Still.”

“More to the point,” Declan broke in,
“Rikonen got the information from someone high up in the Cathedral,
one who knew that you two were being sent on a mission with the
purpose of dying.”

“That makes no sense.” Goshen said.

“You weren’t picked randomly or casually.
You were sent to Lappala because certain people were certain you
would die in route.”

“What people?” Goshen asked.

“I don’t know who’s involved in the
conspiracy but it’s made up of some very high ranking members.”
Wynne said.

“So then…how did the Spires find out about
us?” Kira asked.

Wynne and Declan spoke over each other, “I
told them.”, “He told them.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been working with a group of Kyrios to
end the Blockade. Trying to fix what the Alders have been mucking
up.”

“They hired me on his information.” Declan
added.

“Wait…”

Roth raised a hand, “Whoever sent you on
your mission wanted you to die on the way. Asa told me as much, he
claimed he was hired to do so.”

“
Really?” Wynne said. “And
what happened to him?”

“
He took your contract to
get more coin for the same contract.” Roth reached into a shirt
pocket and pulled out a bloodstained envelope, “This is a marq
giving the holder the authority to draft soldiers of the Spires
under the aegis of the Cathedral.”

“
Where did you get that?”
Goshen asked.

“
Asa had it.”

“Which means…” Wynne began.

“Whoever sent him after you has to at least
be part of the Vicegerents’ circles.” Goshen finished the
thought.

“
Spire soldiers acting
under the auspice of the Cathedral are now spread out, dead and
rotting, all over the Siracenes?” Jena gave a sad laugh.

“
It’ll only be a matter of
time before other come looking for those units.” Fery
said.

“No one knows the way to the Cruor.” Roth
replied.

“Trackers can still do the job.” Jena
said.

“By then, we’ll be all well away.”

“Why did they want us dead?” Kira
muttered.

“That’s what we need to find out. That’s why
I’m going to the Cathedral, to meet with the contact that the
council had.” Wynne said turning to Roth. “You still haven’t said
what happened to Asa.” Roth ignored him.

“I should go with you.” Fery said to
Wynne.

“No, you need to go to the Spires with
them.” Wynne pointed to Kira and Goshen.

“
The Kyrios we know there,
they’ll be better able to explain what is going on.”

“
I don’t know how much I
like the idea of wandering into the enemy’s capital after killing
its men.” Goshen said.

“
They don’t know we did,”
Declan said, “Besides, we’re not going to be meeting in public.
Nothing about what’s been going on has been above
board.”

“If anything that will put us more in the
know.” Goshen said then pointed to Declan, “And you’re going to
need help to get back there.”

Declan smiled, “I don’t mind the company,
but I’m just in this for my pay day.”

“You don’t have any worries about your
Kyrios finding out you killed Silvincian soldiers?” Kira stared at
Declan unflinching.

“
For an alm, you’re getting
pretty menacing.”

“
I’m not an alm anymore.”
Kira whispered.

“
Why do you have to take
the boy north?” Fery asked Roth.

“
My name is Colm Bene.”
Colm said flatly.

Fery nodded as an apology, “Why do you have
to go north with Colm.”

“
I’m responsible for him
now,” Roth tore the last piece of naan in half and split it with
Colm, “I’m the reason his father was killed, I’m the reason his
home was destroyed. I owe him a life.”

“
What’s in the taiga? Why
not stay at the Cruor?” Kira asked.

Roth was hesitant, chewing slowly, “I was
raised a Caretaker.”

“
A what?” Declan
asked.

“
A Caretaker.” Wynne said,
“I didn’t think there were any left.”

“
Well, there are more
Athingani, let’s put it that way.” Roth replied.

“
I don’t know what that
is.” Fery said.

“
They are an order of lore
keepers, scholars really.” Kira said airily.

“
They use to have a
presence in every city and sent a representative to every wealthy
house, every landowner. They kept histories.” Goshen
added.

“
Servants. Bookkeepers.”
Jena mocked.

“
Hardly so,” Wynne said,
“Caretakers kept and maintained and practiced all the know
skills.”

“
So you know everything do
you?” Declan said looking at Roth.

Roth shook his head, “Everything you’ve said
is wrong and completely right.” He drank from a bottle he had
brought with him. Declan’s eyes grew wide and he motioned for it;
Roth passed it along.

“
So then, the taiga is
where…” Kira prompted.

“
It’s where my order’s
citadel is,” Roth said, “I’ve been needing to go back there for a
long time and now, with Colm, I must. There will be others there to
help him.” Colm didn’t look at the others or at Roth, but simply
stared into the brazier flames.

“So you’re leaving us.” Kira said.

“
This takes precedent over
your situation,” Roth said evenly, “But I still owe you as
well.”

“You don’t,” Jena said assertively, “You
don’t owe them anything; you don’t owe us anything. You don’t have
to do any of this.” She stared up at the ceiling of the yurt
looking angry.

“
I’m not going to argue
with you about this again.” Roth said quietly.

“What have we decided then?” Goshen asked.
“Because we can’t just keep talking, we need to act.”

“You, Kira, Fery, and Declan will leave for
the Spires once Declan is healed properly.” Roth replied, then he
pointed at Wynne, “You are going to the Cathedral to find out more
about who sent Asa after Kira and why. And, I suspect, to try to
negotiate the Cathedral’s intervention regarding the Blockade. As I
said at the beginning, I’m going north with Colm.”

Fery broke in, “What about Jena?”

“Yeah, what about Jena?” Jena asked.

Roth looked over the fire toward her, “Jena
will tell us what she’s going to do once she’s decided.”

“You could just ask me.”

“I’ve already asked you to do too much.”

“That’s not my point.”

“It’d be easier to travel if we did so
looking like a family.” Roth said. Jena just continued to stare up,
but Kira’s face twisted and Colm’s betrayed the briefest glimpse of
hope.

“Who’s going to clean up your mess?” Jena
asked.

There was a long silence. Wynne spoke to
Roth, “They should be buried, not left to the birds and the
wolves.”

“Would you do that?” Roth asked.

Jena sat up, “I would.” Roth smiled and
nodded.

“So what then? What happens after we all go
our separate ways?” Goshen pressed.

“We’ll need to meet up again, figure out
what needs be done once we know more.” Wynne asserted.

“Do you all even have an end in mind?” Jena
asked.

Wynne shrugged and Roth said nothing.
Finally, Kira spoke up, “We need to put an end to the Blockade; we
need to stop war from happening.”

“So nothing ridiculously out of reach.” Jena
replied. There was a beat and then Colm started laughing, which
opened up the others. Passersby moving quickly through the rain and
mud caught glimpses of a warm fire, heard hearty laughter, and felt
a bit less oppressed by the sour evening.

EPILOGUE

The sound of the fountains’ allowed
Amar-Sin’s mind to wander. He felt the cool air on his skin as he
gazed up through the stone latticework of the gazebo. Farther away,
than he could ever imagine the flawless beryl sky seemed to be
forever motionless. These moments, when he allowed himself to
indulge his sentimental side, were coming less and less. The idiocy
of the cartel’s junior members was deepening, as was their endless
clamoring for more of the stores of bithumin to be sold north.
Larsa and Sippa were no longer listening to him and Ruppik and
Erudu were in a constant state of needing handholding. Amar-Sin
closed his eyes tightly trying to banish the thoughts of his fellow
Ensi from ruining his solitude.