Spirits of Light and Shadow (The Gods of Talmor) (21 page)

Lettoria looked as though she’d been slapped, but recovered quickly. Turning to the table of men again, she asked, “Dremmei, you didn’t mention anything about this Red Manus. Did Dul Graiphen speak of such a force in the public square?”

He shook his head, but Octavia cut him off before he could give a verbal reply. “He gave this warning as well as the offer of one-day’s safe passage to me privately, through his son.” She gestured to Korbin.

Lettoria’s eyes glittered with victory. “You brought the madman’s son here, and you now admit you’re still in league with the Talmoran Dul, even after today’s massacre? These do not sound like the actions of an innocent woman. What I can’t understand is why you’re bothering to pretend. Is it because you have more planned?”

Octavia shook her head. “You’re insane, Lettoria.” She turned to the others. “The conduit who attacked Graiphen for all those months was strong and proficient. His mastery of the dark side of the One was fluid and complex.”

“He?” one of the girls asked.

For the first time since arriving, Octavia hesitated. “Of course, our adversary might be a woman. I cannot be certain, but something about the work seemed masculine to me.”

Lettoria snorted. “Even a novice knows you can’t tell the gender of a conduit by their work.” With a glance to the other women, she said, “Now you see why I doubt that Sen Rhikar would have blessed her to take on students.”

“The dark conduit attacked Korbin in my presence and I witnessed his power. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Only blood empathy was able to stop it, and even then, it nearly cost too much.”

Korbin didn’t understand exactly what this meant, but by the way some of those listening flinched, he assumed her words indicated something bad. The thought was confirmed when one or two of them cast accusing glares at him, as though he’d intentionally forced Octavia to use dangerous magic.

“What proof do you have that—”

Before Lettoria could finish the thought, Octavia pulled back the fabric of her dress and turned.

Korbin was shocked to see the state of her back, and she’d only revealed a quarter of her flesh. But covering it were fresh scars of thick welts. Their placement matched exactly the lashes he’d received at the hands of the dark conduit. Shame and remorse filled him. She’d taken his wounds on herself and borne them in silence. He started to speak, but a sharp look from Octavia swept the words from his mouth.

“That is dark work indeed,” one of the other conduits said thoughtfully. “Senne Octavia is right. We are not safe here, nor prepared enough to deal with something of this nature.”

Another chimed in as Octavia covered herself. “It’s bad enough the threat from Dul Graiphen and his temple, but to be attacked by one of the Sennestelle? It’s unthinkable.”

Lettoria cleared her throat. “I think we should—”

“I think we’ve had quite enough of what you think,” the round-faced conduit said.

“Pendra,” Octavia began, her voice soft. “I understand the instinct to be angry with Lettoria, but we must work together if we’re to overcome this threat. We need every conduit available to help our people through this difficult time.”

“I’m sorry, Senne. Of course you’re right,” Pendra said. “What should we do? What do you need from us?”

“I believe if we work together, pool our resources, we can perhaps learn more of this dark conduit, his identity and perhaps location. He will not be expecting a coordinated response. Then, when we are finished, we should separate. Perhaps Dremmei and some of the other men can help you each find a safe house, since it may be unwise to show ourselves too much inside the city.”

“You think we should stay in Vol?” Pendra asked, sounding alarmed.

“If you wish to leave, no one will blame you. I would recommend the capitol. It will likely be one of the last places to feel Dul Graiphen’s influence, since I doubt he will challenge the emperor yet.”

“
Yet
?” Korbin interjected. The others glanced at him as though they’d forgotten he was there.

“I don’t think there are any limits to his ambition or to the hunger of the Talmoran Spirit he serves,” she replied.

Pendra nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps the capitol is the best place for us. Forgive me, Senne. I understand your desire to stay, but what can we do against someone like Dul Graiphen, who can kill with this strange power granted by his god by merely flicking his wrist? And how can we serve our people if we’ve been arrested by his Red Manus?”

“Go if you must. I know you will find a way to serve no matter where you travel, as you always have done. Will you stay long enough to help me cast a counter-divining against the dark conduit?”

“A counter-divining?” Lettoria scoffed. “That will take half the night. If the need is as urgent as you suggest, surely we could do a sympathetic reading based on what you have already felt of him.”

“No,” Octavia said sharply. “A sympathetic reading requires that we open ourselves to him. It would give him access to our essence. Such work should never be employed against a conduit.”

Korbin could tell she was holding back much harsher words, but she stopped herself.

“I agree that a counter-divining is time-consuming, but I believe it offers our best chance. If you don’t want to stay, then go. No one is forcing you. In fact, the men should go. They can begin the search for safe houses and return before dawn to take you to the locations they’ve found.”

“But—” Lettoria began, but she was cut off by loud noises coming from up the road. It sounded like dozens of people on horseback.

“Who is there?” Pendra asked and rushed to the window.

Korbin reached out to her before she could pull back the curtain. “Stay back,” he said. “Is there another way out?”

“Yes,” Pendra replied. “There’s a door in the back.”

“We should go. Now.” He cast a worried glance at Octavia.

“You brought them here!” Lettoria shouted the accusation.

“Quiet!” Octavia hissed.

Pendra grabbed Octavia’s hand and pulled her toward the back of the worker’s house calling, “This way, everyone.” Korbin followed quickly behind the two women, and the others didn’t hesitate.

Unfortunately, there was no cover near the worker’s house except the hip-high dry stone dyke that surrounded the entire croft. Beyond it were grazing meadows and fields sown with winter crops.

One of the younger women turned to him. “What do we do?” she asked as shouts of soldiers came from the road.

“Run!” he said. “Head for the woods.” He had little hope they might make it.

“Use your talents, sisters,” Octavia said. “Their minds are focused, so yours must be as well. Quickly.” She hiked up her long skirts and clambered over the wall. Once she was on the other side, she motioned for the others to follow. “Help them,” she said to Korbin.

“Spread out,” Korbin said.

At first, it seemed the women were too frightened to move, and then in a burst, everyone ran. Korbin grabbed Octavia’s hand and they took off together, leading the way to the woods.

Shouts followed them, and he could hear pounding hoofbeats. While they moved, Octavia spoke ragged incantations, much as she had done on the road from Vol. The other conduits did the same.

When Korbin glanced back, he saw their efforts had not prevented them from being captured, however. Pendra was surrounded by three circling city watchmen. Her face was calm and she didn’t stop her chanting until one of them cuffed her hard on the side of the head. Alongside the city watchmen were interspersed red-robed priests with barbed clubs hanging from their belts. His first glance of the Red Manus.

Octavia tugged his hand. “We must not be captured,” she shouted. They ran until they reached the edge of Ancothy Wood, and she urged him onward.

Korbin didn’t want to think what would happen to those left behind.

“How did they find us?” he asked as they scrambled over thick roots and past scratching branches.

“I don’t know,” Octavia said. “We only told Sen Rhikar and Eliam of our intentions, but the Dul didn’t know the exact location. It may have been one of the others already here, of course. I do not know this man Dremmei. He was in the city today. He may have been followed back.”

Korbin didn’t believe that, of course. If Dremmei had been followed, the Manus would have arrived before he and Octavia, and he felt confident they hadn’t been tailed that afternoon.

The realization that they’d been betrayed made everything worse. He couldn’t suspect Rhikar. Although he was both a Kilovian practitioner and a man, Korbin felt certain Octavia would have sensed if he was the dark conduit.

That left Eliam as the only person who had known their intended location. A sick feeling swept over Korbin.
Please don’t be true
, he said to the thought that invaded his mind and wouldn’t leave him.

Chapter 17

“Are they sure it was Korbin and Octavia?” Eliam asked, his heart sinking further into bleak dismay with every word out of Dul Tarsten’s mouth.

“The temple claims that two of the captured witches confessed to being in league with them and that both were present at the croft where the fanatics were hiding.”

“Fanatics?” Eliam raised an eyebrow.

Dul Tarsten shrugged but looked slightly guilty. He’d begun using the language of the temple’s edicts without even noticing. “Devotees, conduits, witches. Whatever you want to call them.”

“I still don’t understand why the prisoners were handed over to the temple. Are we no longer a city of laws?”

Tarsten didn’t answer the question. They’d gone over it several times. Eliam
understood
; he just didn’t like the answers. The senate had always been a fractious group with shifting loyalties, full of men of wealth and ambition. The eight who made up the ruling circle of this province were no exception.

Graiphen had somehow managed to straddle the line of government and religious power. He used his new position with the temple to persuade the rest of the council, bar Tarsten and Eliam, to vote to allow this Red Manus to question those captured at Dramworthy. It would, he’d argued, allow the council to keep their hands clean while ensuring the necessary information was gleaned in the quickest and most efficient way.

Just remembering Graiphen’s tone at the meeting the previous evening made Eliam’s skin crawl. Every senator had appeared equally uncomfortable. Only he and Tarsten voted to keep the prisoners in the hands of the city watch.

Seba had looked like he wanted to support them, but he didn’t dare cross Graiphen openly. Eliam had argued that no one temple could be seen to have more influence with the council than the rest. To hand over the province’s system of justice to one would cause difficulty with the others.

The withering glare he’d received from Graiphen had made his stomach clench. Eliam had not imagined the man could be more intimidating than he had been as head of the Council of Eight. All seven of the other senators seemed to feel the heat of Graiphen’s new-found influence, and in the end, only Tarsten voted with Eliam, and he did so reluctantly.

“We’ve been reduced to hearing about decisions by temple messenger and gleaning what we can from veiled hints. This may be the quickest, most bloodless revolution in the history of Talmor.”

“Be quiet, boy,” Tarsten said testily. He glanced around his study as though afraid the paintings on the walls might report what was said between the two men.

“We have to do something about this,” Eliam persisted.

“No, we don’t. You don’t seem to understand. We’ve lost what influence we had. Our biggest strength before was our alliance with Dul Graiphen. Now that he’s
Ultim Qardone
Graiphen, he’s no longer an assistance to our cause.”

“And what is our
cause
? Sanity?”

“Talk like that will get you nothing but trouble,” Tarsten said, then added with a mumble to himself, “There’s nothing left but to do it.”

“Do what?” Eliam asked.

“We must inform the emperor.”

Eliam blinked. The emperor was a reclusive figure in Talmoran life. He still held enormous power and sway, but his influence went beyond political power. He
was
Talmor. The senators always acted with the motivation of keeping their cities and provinces running in such a way that they didn’t attract the emperor’s gaze. Although Talmor had a representative senate, the emperor’s word was law and would instantly quash any illusion of democratic governance. The more reclusive and uninvolved he was, the better. If Tarsten wanted to involve him, Eliam could only assume the senior legislator saw no hope of controlling the situation.

“Surely there’s another way,” Eliam said.

“What way?” Tarsten shot back. “Braetin’s temple is effectively taking over the senate in Vol. You said yourself it’s practically a revolution.”

“I was being dramatic,” Eliam said, knitting his brow. “Have you spoken to the other senior legislators?”

Tarsten nodded reluctantly. “Only Dul Ursin seemed amenable to my words.”

“Ursin? Since when have you two agreed on anything?”

Tarsten snorted. “Since I agreed with his long-standing opinion that Graiphen is wielding too much power.”

Eliam shook his head. “I wouldn’t like to see Ursin garnering as much power as he’d like, either. On the other hand, he voted with Graiphen last night to allow the temple to question the prisoners. If he believed Graiphen wielded too much power, why didn’t he support us? Seba looked like he wanted to join us as well. Why did they vote the way he demanded?”

“Because a few days ago, Graiphen shot fire out of his hands and killed twenty people without recrimination. Only a fool would have voted against him.”

“We did,” Eliam said, then nodded when he saw the look on Tarsten’s face that said they had taken a huge risk by doing so. “But surely Graiphen wouldn’t attack senators. That would be madness.”

“Indeed,” Tarsten said, but his heart wasn’t in it.

“What is Dul Ursin willing to do?”

“So far, nothing,” Tarsten said. “He asked me the same thing. When I said I had no immediate plan for how to deal with Graiphen, he told me to come back to him when I did. I may speak with Seba, but he’s got even less influence in the senate than you do.”