THE SHADOWLORD (17 page)

"From your lips to Alluvia's ears." Aradia glanced at him. "You think Orithia is beautiful?"

He nodded. "Not as beautiful as you, but I wouldn't turn her way if she came to my bed."

Aradia grinned. "I bet you wouldn't." At Jaelan's snort, she shook her head and returned to the former topic. "So what happened when Samiel led the caravan to Fazdia? Isn't that near Dahrenia?"

"Aye, it's about ten miles from the Nilus River." He stared at the table, his expression inscrutable, but a muscle worked in his lean jaw.

"Was it that bad?"

"It was the day I met Lord Gehenna and his brother, Arch-Deacon Jahannum Dahur of the Brotherhood of the Domination."

"From the way you say their names, they're not men whose acquaintance I'd enjoy making."

"You wouldn't."

"Did you run afoul of them?"

Jaelan's eyes narrowed in memory. "I made enemies of both that day."

"At nine?" she asked, her eyebrows elevated. "What did you do?"

He scratched at a faint scar on his right cheek. "Before that, I could read Meridia's mind. But I realized that day I could read the minds of others, too. I'd never tried it with Samiel, but then again, I'd had no reason. Despite his gruffness, he treated me well enough. Sofia was a different matter, and I had tried with her on occasion, but she tended to be scatterbrained and never kept one thought in her mind for long. Since none of the other children in Uadjit would have anything to do with me, I was pretty much alone with just Meridia's thoughts to catch. But that day in Fazdia, things changed. When the knowledge settled in that I could delve into the minds of those around me, childlike, I tried it out on everyone with whom I came into contact." A deep scowl passed over his face. "I made the mistake of reading the wrong mind that day."

"The king's?"

"One of Gehenna's henchmen from the Tribunal." After running both hands through the thick hair at his temples, he laced his fingers behind his neck and lowered his head. "I've often cursed myself for reading the man's thoughts that day...one of the worst mistakes I'd ever made."

"What was he thinking?"

"Who to blame for the king's death that evening."

Aradia blinked. "He was planning an assassination?"

"The Brotherhood was, and the murder of not only King Kharis, but the young prince Hasani, as well. Since Kharis had no other sons, Arch-Deacon Jahannum would have installed the king's cousin, Imhonen, a young man with limited mental ability. Imhonen would have been the perfect puppet, doing whatever the Brotherhood wished."

"A terrible thought."

"Aye, but not far off the mark even now with Hasani. He's a weak monarch, easily led, and fearful of the power of the Domination."

"I take it you told your father about the planned assassination."

"Samiel was not in camp. He'd gone to Sigil for extra supplies--King Kharis was a man of extraordinary appetite."

"I heard he was the size of a barge," Aradia quipped.

Jaelan chuckled. "A small barge, but aye, he was grossly overweight."

"So whom did you tell?"

The smile left Jaelan's face. "A minor guard by the name of Sekhem Neter."

"Another man you don't like."

"I despise the son-of-a-bitch, and one day I'll slit his treacherous throat."

"He didn't believe you?"

"He said he didn't, but he reported it to his sergeant to cover his ass, just in case."

"Did the sergeant seek you out?"

"No. He went to his lieutenant, who passed the information up the line until it reached the ear of the Chief Guard." Jaelan snorted. "Another hour and it would have been too late."

"Since King Kharis lived to a ripe old age and his son now sits the throne, word must have reached the right ear."

Jaelan sputtered, then began laughing so hard, tears came to his eyes. He swiped them away.

"What did I say that was so funny?" she demanded, her face hot.

He held up a hand until his laughter passed, then gave her a wicked look. "His name was Tarsis, a tough old bastard. He had only one ear--his right one--the other having been removed as a punishment when he was a young man. His face is a road map of vicious scars from that time, as well."

"Oh," she said, seeing the unintentional humor. "He must have been something to look at. Were you afraid of him?"

"While he was as ugly as a Diabolusian warthog and as foul-tempered as a cornered cobra, he nevertheless seemed to like children, even though few of them would venture near him."

"Because of the way he looked."

Jaelan nodded. "He hasn't gotten any better looking over the years, either," he said, and a warm tone entered his voice.

"He became a friend?"

"A mentor. But, aye, I consider him a friend. He's retired now, but he stayed at Abbadon, so I see him almost every day."

"When he was told about the plot, he sought you out?"

"And demanded I tell him what I'd heard."

"Wait," she interrupted. "Is reading people's mind so common in Rysalia that he didn't question that ability in a nine-year-old?"

Jaelan shifted in his seat. "I didn't tell Sekhem Neter I had read the man's mind. I didn't think he'd believe me. I told him I'd overheard the plotting. Anyway, Tarsis listened to me, then put his hand on my shoulder and took me with him to the king's tent. He said he wanted me to repeat what I'd heard to the king and the young prince."

"Were you scared?"

"Terrified...but not of King Kharis."

"Of whom?"

"The Arch-deacon and Lord Gehenna were with the king. Samiel had told me to stay clear of them, not to garner their notice, because they were as evil as the demons of the Abyss. When I repeated what I had overhead, it was Lord Gehenna who accused me of lying. He said his man was loyal to the king and would never plot to harm him."

"Did the king believe you?"

"Not at first, but then something happened that made him believe."

Aradia waited for him to continue, watching the faraway look settle in his gaze. Sensing he would go on only when ready, she gave him time without pressing. She offered to pour the last of the coffee into his cup, but he waved her off.

"Gehenna stared at me," Jaelan said, his voice hollow. "He had been since the moment Tarsis brought me into the tent." He shifted his shoulders as though an insect had crawled down his spine. "I felt his eyes moving over me like hot, damp fingers, and I could almost smell his foul breath washing over my face. It was like being in the presence of pure evil." Jaelan got up and moved to the window. The rain had finally stopped. "He called me a liar, and his brother agreed. They said I was a beggar child looking to worm his way into the King's household by pretending to have heard a ridiculous plot. They urged the king to have me whipped for daring to bring a fanciful tale before the assembly. The king agreed and motioned Tarsis to take me away."

"Ungrateful bastard!"

He shrugged. "I might have been only nine, but I had the makings of a Shadowlord in my veins even then, and I was offended he'd called me a liar. I pulled away from Tarsis and shouted that I didn't lie, that I'd read the man's mind. I said if something were not done, the king would die. If not that day, then the next." Leaning his forehead against the cool windowpane, Jaelan stared out at the dark day. "Everyone laughed at me, except Tarsis. The prince even threw a pomegranate at me. Someone else threw a handful of dates, then Gehenna challenged me to read his mind."

"And you did..."

"Aye, but his thoughts made no sense. I looked at Tarsis and said I didn't understand what the Lord's thoughts meant. I asked him why would the Lord want to hear me scream as he took me. Where did he want to take me that I would scream to keep from going there?"

Aradia's face turned crimson. she covered her mouth with her hand.

He closed his eyes. "When I spoke the words aloud, you could have heard a pin drop in the sand."

"How did Gehenna and his brother react?"

"They shot to their feet, sputtering and coughing, their faces turning as red as yours did just now. They accused me of having been bribed by a detractor to create filthy insinuations about them. They asked the king to cut out my tongue for daring to make such accusations. "

"What did Kharis do?"

Jaelan's eyelids opened, and he turned to her. "I was a child and didn't know about such things, but the men in the tent did. Many had guessed about Gehenna and his brother, but until that day, no one knew for sure. The king had his own suspicions, though he couldn't have cared less what Gehenna and Jahannum did. As the two railed against me, demanding punishment, the king held up his hand. He waved me forward. Tarsis walked behind me, his hand on my shoulder. He bent down and whispered, 'Tell the truth, boy, and everything will be set to rights.'

"I was trembling so violently, my teeth were clicking together, but the king ignored my terror. He grabbed my arm and pulled me between his legs. Anchoring me there, he glared into my face and demanded I read his thoughts. And he warned me that, if I couldn't, he'd have my head on a pike before the next hour had passed."

Aradia gripped her cup so hard her knuckles turned white. "Did you read his thoughts?"

"King Kharis was an evil man, but he had a brilliant mind. He knew he would need to think of something a child my age could relate to. 'Whisper to me my thoughts, boy, so no one else will hear,' he demanded. When I told him what he was thinking, he just stared at me, the room having gone as quiet as a sarcophagus."

"What had been thinking?"

Jaelan smiled. "About a favorite hunting dog he'd had as a boy. The animal had a unique name--Belleon. I told him that he used to sneak the dog into his quarters at night so he wouldn't be so afraid of the dark."

"What happened?"

"No one dared speak, dared ask if my reading had been correct. For a long time I stood there, the king's fingers digging into my shoulders, staring into his hard black eyes. Then he released me, looked at Tarsis, and ordered Gehenna's henchman found and beheaded."

"I imagine that did not set well with Gehenna and his brother."

"They were too afraid to protest. They knew they had to protect themselves, so they condemned the man, agreeing with the king he should be executed."

"Why didn't the king condemn them, too?"

"He bid me read their minds, but when I tried, I was unable to do so. They had closed off their thoughts as easily as one would shut a door. Not one image could I pluck from their heads."

"King Kharis had to have known what they were about."

"He did, but he thought having them in his debt for not condemning them would keep them in line. He meant to have the Brotherhood under his control. Until the day he died, he thought he had won."

"And you garnered two lifelong enemies..."

"And the king knew I had, for he ordered Tarsis to guard me with his life."

"What did your father say when he returned?"

Jaelan smiled. "He found me under guard in a tent Tarsis had made off-limits to everyone but the king. They wouldn't let Samiel see me, and no one could tell him what I'd done, since no one other than those in the king's tent that day knew what had transpired. The only other person privy to the secret was Sekhem Neter, and he was one of Jahannum's men."

"That figures," Aradia drawled.

"By the time Samiel located Tarsis and learned what had happened, King Kharis had decided he preferred the comfort of the palace at Abbadon to the heat of the desert and ordered his entourage to make ready to leave. I was to go with them."

"To have your talent exploited."

He nodded. "There were Magi from all over the world at the temples in Abbadon."

"Priests from the Brotherhood?"

"No, these men were not connected in any way to the Brotherhood. Most were members of the Windwarrior Societies of Serenia or Virago. The king wanted me sent to the Wind Temple to be taught how to read and write, schooling that had been denied me here in Uadjit. Truth told, I was looking forward to it."

"Did you get to say goodbye to Samiel?"

"No. It would be many years before I saw him again. And by then, I was a full-fledged Death Lord and even more unwelcome in Uadjit."

Aradia jumped as the door swung open and a large man with a dark complexion and ferocious scowl barged in. With his mud-splattered clothing and black hair escaping a loose queue at the nape of his neck, he presented a wild appearance. The fierce scowl flicked over Aradia, then leapt to Jaelan.

"By the Prophet, Ben-Ashaman, I've been trying to get those prophet-be-damned peasants to tell me where you were, and not a single one would give me the time of day!" The bold intruder swiped a filthy hand over his face, smearing the mud already there. "I'm of a good mind to hang every one of them from that Joshua tree and call it good riddance!"

"Be my guest," Jaelan said, folding his arms over his chest. "But leave Samiel to me."

Aradia stood, her hand going to her thigh. She glanced down, shocked to find the blade missing. She turned accusatory eyes to her husband. "Did you steal my weapon, warrior?"

"I thought it prudent, wench."

Her eyes narrowed. "When? How?"

Jaelan shrugged. "When you brought in the oranges."

Stunned that she had not felt him lift the blade from its scabbard, she ground her teeth. "Don't do it again. My weapon is my weapon and no one touches it save me. Understand?"

"Will you promise not to skewer some villager without first gaining my permission?"

"I'll not ask permission if your life is in danger. I'll gut first, then ask."

"No one is going to make an attempt on my life here, Ardy."

"You have more faith in these people than I."

The intruder's jaw dropped. "What's going on here, Jael? Who is this woman?"

"Who the hell are
you
?" Aradia countered. "And who gave you permission to barge in without knocking?"

The man's dark face turned darker. "Woman, how dare you speak to me in that disrespectful tone! I am a Death Lord and..." He took a step forward but Jaelan put himself between them.

"She's a bit overprotective," Jaelan quipped.