The Heresy Within (56 page)
“The guards... they didn't...”
“Rape me?” Jezzet laughed. “Two of them tried. After I broke the ugly one's nose the Captain came in to see what all the noise was. He had both of them whipped for the attempt and even apologised to me. Mark of a civilised society, I reckon, guards apologising to the prisoners.”
“Rape is treated severely here in Sarth.”
“Aye, so I hear. He didn't think giving me some clothing might help the matter though,” Jezzet said with a grin. The Arbiter hadn't stopped staring at her body since he walked in.
“Mhmm. Oh, sorry.” He shrugged out his coat and passed it through the bars with his left hand.
“Thank you,” Jezzet said as she slipped her arms through the coat and pulled it closed. It was warm and more comfortable than she'd have guessed and only a little bit on the large side. “Did you deal with the Inquisitor?”
Thanquil nodded. “Inquisitor Heron is dead and I'm only a little worse for wear. The Inquisition kept me in a cell for two weeks but the evidence they found against her was... overwhelming. They were forced to let me go.”
“Just like that?”
Thanquil smiled. “Oh no, they couldn't let me go without punishment. What I did was right but apparently the way I did it was wrong. Though no one seems to be able to agree on how I should have done it.”
“Punishment?” Jezzet was almost afraid to ask.
“The council have decreed that I shall never be able to attain the rank of Inquisitor,” the Arbiter laughed.
“Did you want to be one? An Inquisitor?”
He shook his head. “My name precluded me from joining that select group long ago. They would never allow an Inquisitor Darkheart.”
“Oh.” Jezzet didn't understand. “What about Thorn?”
Thanquil shrugged. “No sign of the Black Thorn, or of Arbiter Kessick, was found. I assume he went through with his promise to leave after killing the Arbiter.”
Jezzet nodded. The Black Thorn would never have stuck around in Sarth; he was no doubt half way back to the wilds by now. “So... where are you going from here?” she asked.
“The Dragon Empire. I've always wanted to see a dragon and it seems the Emperor of Sarth still has further need of me. My ship sets sail tomorrow morning,
the Screaming Gale
. You should see the size of the cabin they've given me; the bed could easily sleep two people. Passage is expensive though, fifty gold coins per person.”
Wouldn't mind seeing a dragon myself. Nor sleeping in a bed for two.
“So... how about you get me out of here?” she asked with a smile.
Thanquil winced and the silence seemed to stretch on for hours. He couldn't meet her eyes; his gaze was locked on the bars.
“You are here to get me out?” she asked without the smile.
The Arbiter shook his head. “I can't. You were seen committing murder on the streets of Sarth. Your case is a matter for the guard. The Inquisition has no authority.”
“The man I murdered was an Arbiter!”
“No. He wasn't. The Inquisition has claimed no knowledge of the man you murdered because doing so would... undermine their authority and their image.”
Just like that, Jez. Do a good deed, take the fall.
She wasn't surprised, nor was she angry. A part of her had suspected it if she was honest.
“I'm sorry, Jez.”
She nodded and turned away from him. Last thing she wanted him to see was the disappointment on her face. “So why are you here, Arbiter?”
“Because I owe you a debt. Two hundred gold coins. The purse is in my coat, left inside pocket, you'll find it.”
Little good gold will do me in gaol. I'll be damned if I'm giving the coat back until he asks.
She heard him sigh. “Funny thing about being an Arbiter,” he said. “When you put on that coat, you become invisible. No one wants to look at you. No one wants to question you. It's like magic... in a way.”
Jezzet waited. Waited for him to say more, waited for him to ask for the coat back, waited for him to... do something. After a few minutes of silence she turned to find herself alone. The Arbiter had snuck out sometime during the silence.
Well? What the fuck did you expect, Jez?
She sighed and leaned back against the bars and stumbled as the door to the cell swung open. For a long moment Jezzet Vel'urn stood there, frozen in shock and unsure of what to do.
She fumbled at the buttons to the coat, to make sure the thing stayed closed.
One hundred and fifty gold bits and only a few hours to spend them, Jez. First things first. A Blademaster without a blade...
