Neversfall (23 page)

The wall behind her was rounded, a half circle that met with the flat wall before her, and a single covered window was set in the wall instead of small openings close to the ceiling. She was in one of the towers of Neversfall, she realized.

The moments prior to finding herself in that place began coming back to her. Marlke was the traitor—he had been about to kill the formians, but she had stopped him. After that.she was unsure what had happened. She had wounded the dwarf, almost certainly incapacitating him.

Adeenya glanced around the spartan room, deciding she had not been taken here for medical attention. Even the most unskilled healers would place a patient on something other than the floor, and at the very least would have cleaned her wounds. Gray walls met bare floor that held only dust. She was a prisoner, then.

Marlke’s face came to her mind, his eyes looking past her, his lips turning up in a smile even as blood poured from the wound she had given him. As if it were a stone thrown at her by a giant, Adeenya felt the truth crash down upon her. Jhoqo had knocked her unconscious while she stood over Marlke.

She shuffled to her feet and checked the window. Crossed with wooden planks, it was well sealed. She pushed and pulled on the boards but to no avail. Perhaps if she had a weapon, she could work her way out, but she counted herself lucky to be alive, never mind armed. Her chin throbbed worse as she loosed a small growl.

“The door it is, then,” she said.

* + + + +

“There’s no mistake, Taennen. The Durpari dorir is dead by her sword. The prisoners nearly died as well,” Jhoqo said, rising from his seat. The smaller man passed Taennen, motioning toward the door with his chin as he said, “Come, we must tell the others now that you and Bascou have returned.”

Taennen had not yet spoken since Jhoqo had revealed the second traitor. He could feel his tongue in his mouth, but it felt transitory, temporary, as though his first attempt at speech would cause it to streak from his mouth and fly away, never to return. He felt like a child again, confused beyond cognition. Marlke? Adeenya? Why would Adeenya have launched such an elaborate campaign to discover the traitor if it were her?

They crossed the courtyard, Jhoqo shouting for the men to gather in the center. Word spread in ripples, one man shouting to the next, so on and so forth, until even the guards on the walls were sprinting down the stairs. The crowd fell in behind Taennen, murmuring among themselves about what the commander might say. Bascou’s voice could be heard over the whispers, telling soldiers to get out of his way as he moved to stand beside Jhoqo.

Jhoqo stopped and raised his arms high, patting his

hands in the air. He called for silence and, after several moments, had it.

“Friends, I have news. News that is tragic,” Jhoqo said.

Shouts issued from the audience, prompting the man to continue.

“We have been betrayed, brothers,” the urir said.

Loud protestations and utterances of anger boiled forth before quieting at Bascou s insistence.

Jhoqo nodded his thanks to the Chondathan leader and continued, “But there is good news. The traitors have been found!”

The Maquar slapped their leather armor and whistled, until Jhoqo again called for silence and added, “Know this, friends, had it not been for this treachery, our other brethren who are lost to us would surely be standing with you now. Without the help of these betrayers, surely no foe could begin to harm us!”

The last several things his commander had said began fitting together in the durir’s mind. Taennen looked out over the gathered crowd and saw what remained of the Durpari soldiers. What would they say when Jhoqo proclaimed their leaders as traitors? Hqw would they react? What would a Maquar say or do if someone accused Jhoqo and himself of treachery? By sheer practice of duty, Taennen steeled himself for trouble.

Jhoqo stood tall and went on. “I know that you all wish vengeance upon those who have betrayed us, but I beg your stay in this matter. These filthy dogs should be tried, publicly acknowledged as being in violation of the Adama, in their homeland. Their faces will be spat upon by their former friends and family, and they will know the true depth and consequences of their treachery.”

Cheers came in a short burst, the crowd anxious to hear

the names. The Durpari seemed to be moving toward one another in the crowd, massing together as if sensing what was about to be said. Surely they had noticed that neither of their leaders was present.

Jhoqo moved toward the Durpari, asking Maquar and Chondathan alike to part from his path. When he reached the first Durpari, he raised his arms and said, “Brothers and sisters, please understand it is with great regret that I lay before you the names of the traitors. Please know they will receive every benefit our legal code has to offer.”

A few of the Durpari nodded, while the others stood silently, hands away from their weapons. They had no doubt seen the caution on the faces of everyone else present.

Jhoqo nodded and motioned the Maquar and Chondathans to back away. “My Durpari comrades, I am afraid you have been deceived. Your leader and her second have betrayed us all, and the dwarf lost his life by Adeenya’s own hand.”

Taennen’s eyes moved at lightning speed across the scene before him. When Jhoqo finished his sentence, one of the Durpari drew his sword, the steel singing against the scabbard. Taennen’s khopesh was in his hand and arcing up as he moved to intercept the Durpari.

“Halt, for your own good!” Taennen shouted. “We will resolve this without steel. She will be treated fairly.”

The Durpari who had drawn his sword froze, surprise etched on his face. He held out his hand, palm facing front, and bent to place the sword on the ground. Rising, he nodded to Taennen, who lowered his own blade.

The Durpari looked to Jhoqo and said, “Consider my blade on the ground a gesture of our cooperation. While we do not believe our honorable leader to be guilty of the crime you accuse her of, we wish for no further bloodshed

or treasonous behavior. We will continue to serve with the righteous Maquar and help you secure this citadel. We will await her trial back home in Durpar.”

Jhoqo smiled as the Durpari motioned to his comrades to keep their weapons sheathed. “Thank you, brothers. You honor us with your trust. The orir’s trial will be adjudicated fairly, I promise you this.”

The speaker for the Durpari nodded and herded his men out of the crowd, leading them back to their barracks, no doubt to discuss what to do next. The Maquar in attendance muttered amongst themselves until Jhoqo dismissed them. The Chondathans present returned to their duties, all except Bascou.

The bearded man approached Taennen and Jhoqo, his head shaking. “I cannot believe this,” he said with a smile. “She seemed such a good soldier.”

Taennen wanted to slit the man’s throat even though his words complimented the woman. The young Maquar’s blood boiled at the thought of the Chondathan speaking of Adeenya at all. She was a soldier, and he was a darkblade unworthy of even her company. Taennen stayed his hand, however, staring straight ahead. He knew without a doubt that Jhoqo’s eyes were on him, and he needed to measure his actions. Jhoqo answered the Chondathans comment with something Taennen did not bother to hear.

Taennen’s mind struggled with the idea that Adeenya was the traitor and wouldn’t accept it. He was more certain about her than he was about anyone else in the Citadel. If she had not betrayed them, then Jhoqo had been misled in what he had seen.

Bascou said something else and offered a parting salute to the Maquar commander. Taennen fell in beside Jhoqo as the shorter man headed toward his command center. The

courtyard, bustling with activity only a few days earlier, now felt deserted. The bulk of the troops had been assigned to the wall, watching the forest and plains around them in shifts, wary of the savages coming once again. They were hens trapped in a coop, but at least they were armed with swords to defend against the foxes. Neither spoke on their short trek to the command post, both knowing they would speak privately there.

Jhoqo waited for Taennen to clear the doorway before closing the door. He sat in his chair near the map-covered table in the center of the room. He waved to a chair for Taennen, who refused, preferring to stand, arms dangling at his sides.

“Speak,” Jhoqo said, undoing the upper chest strap on his armor.

“Sir, are you—”

“She is responsible for the dwarPs death, son. Of that I am certain,” Jhoqo said.

“She couldn’t have,” Taennen said.

“I’ve had time to think this out,” Jhoqo said. “During the first fight here at the citadel, as we fought for our very lives, did you see her during the battle? Did you see her killing our enemies as our Maquar and Durpari brothers and sisters died?”

“No sir, but I could not see the entire battlefield,” Taennen objected. “And neither could anyone else.”

“I’m no fool, Taennen. I’ve spoken with others, and no one else saw her during that fight,” Jhoqo said with a sigh.

“No one, sir? You’ve asked everyone?”

“Don’t patronize me, son,” Jhoqo said. “And the night our own Loraica died? Where was she then?”

Taennen shrugged, wishing he could answer the question.

“And where did we find Loraica’s body?” Jhoqo asked.

“Sir, Lori could not have been killed in Adeenya’s quarters. There wasn’t nearly enough blood there. Besides, only a half-wit would store her victim in her own quarters.”

“I hoped,that she had simply been mired in a dispute with the dwarf and that his death was an isolated incident,” Jhoqo said. “But the more I looked, the more I thought, and the more I realized the earlier tragedies of our betrayal seemed to fall into her lap.”

Taennen did not move or speak.

“You still don’t believe me?” Jhoqo asked, standing up and walking to meet Taennen face to face. “Sir, it’s just—”

“You trusted her,” Jhoqo finished for him. “She didn’t seem capable of it.” Taennen nodded.

“I know,” Jhoqo said. “The best thing we can do with this is take it as a lesson, son. People can always fool you. I know you liked the woman. Whether I showed it or not, I did too. I still think there’s hope for her, if you hear me out.”

Taennen looked at the slight smile the man’s face held and asked, “Hope? What hope could she have?”

“The Durpari might never allow her to serve again after her trial, but I would gladly find a place for her in our ranks, maybe even as our terir,” Jhoqo said.

Expecting to feel pleased and relieved by the man’s words, Taennen was taken aback by his simmering anxiety and uncertainty. A former Durpari soldier, let alone soldier turned criminal, would never be allowed to serve in the Maquar, even if Jhoqo made the request to the highest echelons of command. Even considering such a thing was beyond the scope of reason.

“Why would you do that?” Taennen asked.

“We all have the capacity to change and grow and learn from everything we do. She can learn too,” Jhoqo said, taking a seat at the table.

Jhoqo stared at the table before him, the look on his face caught somewhere between concentration and contentment, as though he were about to solve some great puzzle. It was a look Taennen had seen on his father’s face countless times as the man teased out new spells or formulae. In his right senses, Jhoqo would never make such an offer. Something was very wrong. If Adeenya was a traitor in league with Marlke, why would she go to such lengths to set a trap for him?

“Is she with the other prisoners?” Taennen asked.

hoqo shook his head. “That didn’t seem prudent.”

They stood in silence several moments longer before Taennen took his leave. In the courtyard, the evening meal was being dished out, but he had no appetite. Clouds with bellies full with the promise of rain floated through the dark blue sky. The small gatherings of soldiers scattered about were quiet, conversation an art best left to those who were not awaiting more bad news.

Taennen noticed a Chondathan soldier idling near the eastern tower that had been designed to serve as guest and dignitary quarters. Since arriving at Neversfall, the troops had not used it. Jhoqo would not have locked Adeenya away in one of the accessible buildings to prevent her own men from attempting to free her. Their goodwill would only last so long, Taennen knew, and if he knew, then Jhoqo knew. Eventually the Durpari would try to free her.

There could be no other reason for the Chondathan’s presence near that tower. The man was trying to be inconspicuous but failing miserably at the pretense.

Certain Jhoqo would have his rank for it, Taennen strode

toward the door, deciding that hearing Adeenya’s side was worth the risk. The rules of his duty felt constricting. He needed to look at the bigger picture. For that, he needed to hear from Adeenya. Fairness in all things, as his father had often said.

Taennen’s legs gained strength beneath him as they propelled him forward. He pushed past the door and strodeup the stairs. He heard the Chondathan outside the tower scrambling toward him from behind, but he did not stop.

The stone steps unwound before him. He climbed one level, passing the platform that led to the first set of rooms, then another, and then he stopped counting. He would know the door he sought when he found it. More Chondathans would be there. His boots thundered on the stone, the echoes bouncing off the cylindrical walls and back to his ears in strange waves. As he approached another level, he heard the voice he had been expecting. “Turn around, young one,” Bascou said, starting down the stairs toward him.

“I will speak with her,” Taennen said.

“I’m afraid not,” Bascou said, as a pair of Chondathans peered over the walkway, weapons exposed.

Taennen stopped. “What business do you have with her?” he asked.

“It is not my business, but your own commander’s business that brings me here,” Bascou replied.

“Jhoqo’s business is my business,” Taennen said.

Bascou smiled and said, “Then perhaps you should talk to Jhoqo.”

“I am his second-in-command,” Taennen replied. “Everywhere I step is with his authority.”