Malediction (Scars of the Sundering Book 1) (36 page)

Princess
Valene curled her upper lip. "Did you bring evidence of this
slaughter?"

"Evidence?
What… what sort of evidence?" It was clear Lord Reznik did not expect his
claim to be challenged. "Volos carried a rod of office. We could not find
it. I believe the draks took it as a prize. Search them!"

Delilah saw
Pancras shift his weight and adjust his robes, pulling them across his legs.
Kali stepped forward, spreading her cloak with her arm. "You're welcome
to. Just watch where you touch my tail, human."

"I
think it's obvious she has nothing hidden on her." Princess Valene
gestured to the advancing guard. "What else, Lord Reznik?"

"Is
that not enough?" He clasped his hands behind his back.

"Identify
yourself, drak, and tell us your tale." Princess Valene gestured to Kali.

Kali stepped
forward and took a deep breath. "I am Kali Firescale, sometimes known as
Blackclaw. Three hundred years ago, the leader of our clan, Elantan the Grim,
made a pact with the ancestors of Lord Reznik. In exchange for the dissolution
of our debt to him, we would supply workers for his salt mine. For three
hundred years, his family kept us as slaves, taking more Firescales whenever it
suited them, working them to death—"

"Slaves!
Pah! You were paid a fair wage."

The guard to
the right Princess Valene stepped forward and leveled his spear at Lord Reznik.
Princess Valene cocked an eyebrow in disapproval. "Kali Firescale has the
floor now, Lord Reznik. You had your say."

Delilah was
surprised these humans intended to give audience to Kali. She expected Lord
Reznik's testimony to be taken at face value and Kali's to be dismissed.

"Yes,
we were promised a wage. By the terms of the contract, two copper pennies a
day. However, what Elantan failed to tell the rest of the clan leaders and what
Lord Reznik and his ancestors kept from us was that we would have to pay for
food, lodging, and equipment. These tallied tens of talons a week. Far more
than we were earning! Our debt increased the more we worked."

Princess
Valene ordered her guard back to his post. "It's not quite slavery if you
were getting paid, but it certainly sounds like the terms were misleading.
Anything else?"

Kali glanced
at Lord Reznik, daggers in her glare. "Plenty. Draks were worked to death
in starvation conditions. When too many died, men were sent to collect more
from our villages in the mountains. Our villages are surrounded by human
guards, making sure we're always ready to be pressed into service. I escaped
with the hope of finding a way to free my people, and when I saw these two
striped draks"—she gestured to Kale and Delilah—"I knew the time was
right."

Delilah
shifted and looked at the floor. She hoped Kali would be able to make her case
without involving Kale or herself. Her brother spread his wings and reached
forward to take Kali's hand.

Kali looked
over her shoulder at Delilah. "Our elders tell us stories about striped
draks. How they carry the favor of the gods. When Kale's wings grew while he
was helping me, I knew it was a sign from Rannos that our victory was
preordained."

Delilah
resisted the urge to laugh. Kali was certainly aware that Kale's wings were
completely unrelated to freeing the slaves. She hoped Pancras hadn't told the
prince or princess the truth.

"This
is utter nonsense." Lord Reznik took a step onto the dais. The guards
adjusted their stances and readied their weapons. "These sla—The workers
went on an unfounded, murderous rampage."

Prince
Gavril nodded his head in agreement. "Well, certainly I'm not prepared to
take the word of random draks who wandered in off the street over a member of
this court."

Delilah
reached into her pouch and pulled out the papers she took from the mine.
"You won't have to." She waved the papers in the air. "I have
documents here that show the wages the slaves were paid in addition to the
expenses they were forced to bear." She hoped that's what the papers
showed. She never took the time to verify what Kali and her father told her
during their escape.

"Lady
Milena, if you would?" Princess Valene gestured toward Delilah. The
sorceress handed the papers to Lady Milena. She opened them and looked through
them.

Lord Reznik
spun on Delilah. "How did you acquire those?" He pointed a finger at
her and turned to Prince Gavril. "You see? Thievery! I am the victim of
murderers and thieves!"

"The
evidence of these documents is clear. The draks were paid insufficient wages to
cover the expenses they were levied. One of these papers is a personal note
from Lord Reznik addressed to the miners calling out Volos by name and
referring to the miners as 'vermin slaves'." Lady Milena took a step
toward Lord Reznik, glared at him, and then brought the papers to Princess
Valene. The princess looked over them, fighting to keep her ever darkening
expression neutral.

When she
looked up, contempt and disgust painted her face. Her lips were a thin line,
and her eyes flashed in anger. "Lord Reznik. Slavery is forbidden in
Etrunia. This was clearly a slave revolt." She turned her glare on her
husband.

Prince
Gavril clucked his tongue. "I am shocked, Lord Reznik. Shocked, I tell
you." He sighed, an exaggerated display of contempt. "I suppose I
must punish you." He yawned and waved his hand in the air. "You are
hereby stripped of your titles, Reznik. Be gone."

Delilah
snorted. A noble without a title was still a wealthy man.
He'll probably buy
his way back into influence before the end of the year.
Kali shook her head
and stepped back to stand next to Kale. Delilah sneered as she saw the female
drak's tail intertwine with Kale's.

Reznik
sputtered, his head turning to glare at the draks and then snapping back to the
prince and princess. Delilah snarled at him.

Princess
Valene stood. "Furthermore, I decree that your lands and properties are
forfeit, to be sold at auction, the proceeds of which will be given to the
draks of Firescale Clan as restitution for three centuries of mistreatment, and
you are banished from Almeria, forthwith, upon pain of death." She sat
back down, crossing her arms over her chest. "Although, execution of that
sentence is commuted until such time that the roads out of town reopen. Lady
Milena?"

Delilah
blinked and stared at the princess. A smile crept across the drak's face.
Reznik's bald head turned beet red, and Delilah thought she noticed a vein
throbbing in his temple.

"Yes,
Your Highness." Lady Milena stood at attention.

"Escort
Reznik back to his estate. He is permitted one change of clothing and
sufficient funds to purchase lodging at a modest inn in town for the rest of
the winter. See to the administration of his estate until the proper
arrangements can be made and ensure Reznik’s thugs are removed from the drak
village as soon as possible. Take him away."

"It
shall be done, Your Highness." Lady Milena bowed and then grabbed Reznik
by the arm.

Reznik
snatched his arm back from Milena. He spun to face Princess Valene. "This
is an outrage! The Council of Nobles will hear of this. You will—" Lady
Milena stepped forward, drawing her sword and laying it across Reznik's neck.

"The
Princess of Etrunia, a sovereign of Etrunia, has spoken. You have been
dismissed. Exit with me or you will be carried out and left for the carrion
eaters."

Reznik
sputtered and fumed. His mouth moved in wordless rage as he trembled. Lady
Milena stared at him, cold determination on her face. She might as well have
been a statue, so unmoved was she by his sputtering.

"Give
me an excuse, Reznik."

Prince
Gavril clucked his tongue. "You've been stripped of your lands and titles
Reznik. She is the captain of the Royal Guard. You know no one will question
her if she runs you through right here. Not after what you did."

Reznik threw
up his hands and stalked out of the throne room. Kali cheered and hugged Kale,
reaching over his shoulder to pull Delilah into an arm-crushing hug. Kale's
wing slapped her in the face as she tried to extract herself from the tangle of
arms, wings, and tails.

"Now,
all of you except the minotaur, get out!" Prince Gavril stood and pointed
toward the doors. "Minotaur, come with me. I wish to speak to you."

* * *

Once they
returned to their living quarters, Kale no longer could contain himself He
whooped and hollered, jumping up and down and hugging Kali. She nuzzled his
neck, nipping at his ears as their tails intertwined.

"You
know, I'm happy, too, but do you have to do that out in the open?" Delilah
shoved her brother as she passed. She picked up her grimoire and flopped into
her armchair.

Kale felt
his face become hot. "Sorry, Deli."

"What
in the name of Pacha's blue bollocks is going on—" Edric stepped out of the
unused bedroom, his jaw dropping upon seeing Kale and Kali. "By the
burnin' hearth of Adranus… now there's three of them, and one 'em's got
wings!"

"Edric!"
Kale ran over to the dwarf and hugged him. For the first time since they knew
each other, Kale noticed the dwarf actually smelled clean. To Kale's amazement,
the dwarf's beard was groomed, and he was dressed in clean clothes; however,
they were in need of repair.

"Enough,
enough." Edric pushed Kale away. He shuffled over to the other armchair
and sat down next to Delilah. "How do we get ale around here?"

Kale stepped
over to the food lift and pulled aside the tapestry. While the light streaming
through the windows faded, it felt too early yet for dinner. He rang the
service bell and opened the door. The lift and tray were still down in the
kitchens.

He stuck his
head in the hole. "Hey, send up ale with dinner!" His request was met
with cursing.

"Fancy
system you have here." Kali carried a chair over to Delilah and Edric from
the table and joined them in front of the fire.

"So,
spill it. Don't leave me wandering in the dark like an elf underground. What's
all this I hear about a mine and slaves and fighting that I wasn't a part
of?"

Kale brought
a chair over in front of the hearth. "It's Kali's story, really. Deli and
I were just helping." Kali was already seated in between Delilah and
Edric, so Kale had to settle for the space next to his sister or next to Edric.
He chose his sister.

Delilah shut
her book. "Miss Drak there tricked us into helping with her little slave
revolt. Once I realized what she was up to, it was too late to back out."

"Deli,
that's not really fair." Kale placed his hand on Delilah’s arm. She shook
him off.

Kali held up
her hands. "No. No, she's right. I did deceive you initially. I didn't
know if I could trust you. My people went through a lot. I didn't survive by
being stupid."

Delilah
turned her head and glared at Kali. "It didn't strike you as stupid to
deceive a sorceress?"

Kali turned
her hands palms up, smiled, and shrugged. "I didn't know how powerful you
were. Do you know how many hedge wizards wander through town trying to pass off
peasant tricks as high sorcery? Until I saw you in action, I had no way of
knowing whether or not you were drunk on Pacha's wine."

Kale
chuckled. Delilah had a point about Kali keeping the truth from them, but when
it really mattered, she was forthright. Personally, he didn't mind helping; it
beat sitting around in the palace watching his sister read all day.

"My
brother likes you a lot more than I do." Delilah hopped down out of her
chair. "Next time, just tell me the truth." She carried her grimoire
into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

Kale took
the opportunity to jump out of the dining chair and hop into the armchair. It
was much softer. Kali climbed into the chair with him. It was snug for the two
of them to sit in it together, but she seemed to want the physical contact. It
reminded Kale of when he and Delilah used to sleep cuddled together as
hatchlings.

"So,
fine. You want to mount her, and your sister hates her." Edric kicked his
legs against the chair. "Now tell me what bloody happened!"

Kali told
Edric the story of her clan, how they were duped into working in the mines, and
how she conspired to free them. She told him of Kale and Delilah's involvement
and admitted she misled them at first. Kale watched with rapt attention as she
told the tale.

"And
now that we've freed the slaves, Kali is going with us to Muncifer!" Kale
squeezed Kali's hand. Edric wrinkled his nose and scratched his chin under his
beard.

"That's
still the plan, eh? A change of scenery might be good. I don't think I can go
back to the gambling houses here anyway."

"I've
never been to Muncifer." Kali squeezed Kale's hand in return.

"Neither
have we, me and Deli, I mean. Pancras is from there, I think. He and Deli have
to go there for some business with the Arcane University." Kale was tired
of Almeria and was ready to get back on the road. He wished Delilah could magic
up some good weather for them to travel.