Prophecy's Quest Page 7

Liacoren scrutinised her expression, she was not being antagonistic, just precise. 'My assistant explained that my interest in an elvan without ties is for an undercover assignment that will require close contact with a human.'

  The elvan female nodded. 'It is more than that, though, is it not, my lady?'

  So she had mind-see as well as mind-will.

  'First, tell me what you think of Malithorn Abbarane. And be warned, I have a truth-seer observing you.'

  The truth-seer was in Haranti, but he did not need to be present to do his job.

  'I once hated Keldon Abbarane. He destroyed everything I knew. But I came to realise my government, the Crown Hasdeen, had become the opposite of everything my people believed in. While it is true the new crown, Diannra and Caradon, seemed likely to rectify that imbalance, my people allowed the situation with Hasdeen to go on far too long. It is because of their neglect that I lost my family. If Hasdeen had not abused the power she was given, Keldon would never have invaded. My people brought this upon themselves. They need to stop resisting it. The Prophecy of Desolation tells them that. If they had surrendered from the start, not only would my family be alive, but these lands would be at peace.'

  Liacoren's assistant had already told her that this candidate was sympathetic to the Abbarane government, but the human mage had not expected the intensity of the passion in her tone. A brief check with the truth-seer confirmed that elvan before her was being genuine.

  'I came to believe,' the elvan female continued, 'that Keldon excised a festering wound, removing a regime that was imbalanced and no longer functioning. This is how I came to serve, my lady. Malithorn Abbarane has quite the challenge before him, because not all elvan understand what his father did, and they do not recognise that the destruction wrought by Keldon made way for something greater. Almost the entire continent is united. If Malithorn is able to finish what Keldon started, then he will create an empire in place of a fractured set of communities. Whatever this assignment is, my lady, if it will advance that cause, then I will carry it out to the best of my ability.'

  Interesting, Liacoren thought. This was not the first candidate to perceive Keldon's incursion into elvan lands in this way. This was, however, the first to speak so deeply from her heart. According to the truth-seer, her sincerity was sound.

  'What is your name?'

  'Taelyn.'

  'We have a lot to discuss, Taelyn. We have a lot to discuss, and even more to achieve.'

  Day 2 – Morning

  At-hara Desert

  Jador dropped his small, travel spade back amongst his gear. He had removed Jess's gear and let her wander while he buried the guards. Now that the sun had finally ended the seeming eternity of night, he could see Daniel more clearly than he really wanted, especially considering his condition. Only the faint rise and fall of Daniel's chest indicated that his nephew still clung to life.

  From the first moment he saw him, despite the distance, Daniel's figure had looked ragged. A closer look confirmed his fears that the devastation was worse than he imagined. Daniel hung by his wrists, the thick, hauling rope so tight it dug into the skin. Stripped of most of his clothing, Daniel was left exposed to the merciless heat of the sun. The tree provided some protection, but several parts of him were an angry red, blistered and peeling. Numerous wounds marked his body, with small claw marks next to them. If Jador saw one of those evil birds, he would kill it.

  He knew he should have found a healer to come with him, but that could have taken days, and he did not have much money to offer, either. He would have to make do. He had first aid supplies and herb mixes meant to stimulate healing, which would, hopefully, be enough until he got Daniel back and found a healer.

  A scan of the camp offered nothing easily suited to help him reach Daniel or get him down. He had three options, really; build a ladder, climb the tree, or use Jess to gain some height. Jador huffed with discontent, none of them were particularly good options. He knew he'd have to work through them, trying the most immediate one first and hope Fate blessed him.

  Jador needed a way to lower Daniel once he cut him free of the soldier's ropes. He planned to do this by securing his own rope about Daniel. If he could get it over a branch above his nephew and anchor it to another tree, he could later use it to lower him to the ground. He withdrew some light string and a long rope. Tying the end of the string to one of his bolts, Jador shot it over a solid-looking branch above Daniel. Then, he used it to pull the rope over the branch and secure it. Now, to get to Daniel.

  He called Jess over and lifted himself onto her back. But even on the pony Jador could only reach Daniel's feet. Pushing aside his apprehension, he drew his feet up onto her back.

  'Now, stay still, Jess. I need you to keep still so I can get to Daniel,' he explained, hoping this was one of those times the pony understood him. Cautiously, he shifted into a crouching position. Jess seemed to understand, because she stood very still.

  Jador worked his way up, using the tree for balance, until he was standing upright. His head now came up to Daniel's chest and Jador looked up into his nephew's face. He had a beard, now, and it covered most of the sores and blisters on his face. His fringe, thankfully, covered his eyes, which were probably as sunken as his cheeks because of the starvation. Jador wasn't ready to see that yet. Leaning on the tree, he caught hold of his rope and pushed it behind Daniel. Drawing it through, he pulled it taut underneath Daniel's arms and then knotted it securely. That done, he was ready to cut the ropes around Daniel's wrists. If he could reach. He had a long knife and he had taken a short sword from one of the guards. From the looks of things, he would need the longer blade of the short sword. He drew the sword and started to test his reach, but Jess shifted as Jador's weight went off balance. He wobbled and then steadied himself. He was leaning too far over.

  'Just a little closer, Jess. A little to the right. To the right,' he pleaded.

  Though he had taught her many simple instructions, such as left and right, Jess normally took signals from the reins. He repeated the request a few more times, and then, the pony started to shuffle sideways. Jador gave a small cry of triumph and reached up and started to carefully saw through the thick rope.

  Day 2 – Morning

  Sal-Cirus

  Nathan glowered over his plate as Thane Curtin popped another half an egg into his mouth. How could such a thin man consume so much food? That he was close to two meters tall might have helped, but in the last day Nathan had seen the other thane eat enough for two of him. The Thane of Ancoulan started to fidget with his cutlery; he barely had an appetite. It was bad enough Curtin had seen fit to drag him from his rooms and insist Nathan join him for the morning meal without having to endure his endless eating. He would have much preferred to eat alone.

  Curtin flicked his long, brown fringe and turned contemplative blue eyes towards the Thane opposite him. Nathan pointedly looked out the window. He almost snorted as Curtin just shrugged off Nathan's bad mood and took another bite of his toast.

  The door behind Curtin slid open with a soft whoosh and Nathan threw his fork on the table in disgust. 'Is it really necessary to sully this meal with the presence of a slave?' he asked Curtin.

  The other thane twisted briefly and took in the elvan mage standing in the doorway. 'Well, do not let all the heat out. In. Sit,' he commanded. With that, Curtin returned to his meal while the elvan mage moved to a seat at the side of the room. At least the mage was trained not to take a seat at the table. He had seen it a few times. Curtin came across as friendly and they assumed he meant them to join them. Curtin never punished them, either, he simply found it amusing.

  'Does he have to be here, now?' Nathan scowled at the other thane, continuing to fidget with the butter knife. It was the only way he had of dispelling his frustrated energy. He often found in Curtin's presence that he preferred to concentrate on the cutlery than watch the man wolf down half the larder at every meal. How was it the man was able to stay so thin?

  'We have a
long day ahead of us, Nathan, I thought it best we not waste any of it. He is here for his report.'

  Nathan's lip curled, and he pinned the mage with his contemptuous gaze. The mage did not lower his eyes as he should have under the scrutiny of a thane. In addition to this insult, Nathan was sure he could detect hatred in the strange green-blue pools.

  'Akileena got back a short while ago. I sent a messenger to fetch him to me as soon as he arrived at his room,' Curtin added, plopping a blueberry into his mouth.

  Nathan's mood lifted, and a slow smile spread over his face. So this was Akileena.

  'Akileena,' he purred. 'We do hope you are going to be of great assistance in our endeavours to retrieve our missing slaves.'

  'I am at your service, my lord thane.'

  Nathan inwardly chuckled, oh the mage was good, but he could hear it, he could 'feel' the absolute revulsion hidden beneath the obedient words. He had always wanted a Debanikay, they were the jewel of mages, able to use their talent almost without conscious effort. And if he had his way, Curtin was going to give him one.

  'Report, Akileena, to Thane Kennelm on your pursuit of the thief,' Curtin directed between mouthfuls of sautéed mushrooms and sweet potato.

  Nathan held up a hand. 'With your permission,' he said to Curtin, 'I have read the account and we covered the details last evening while you ate. I would rather ask questions.'

  Curtin studied Nathan for a moment and then nodded. 'Just as long you only ask them.'

  Nathan glared at Curtin. 'What do you mean by that?'

  Curtin leaned back. 'I apologise for any unintentional offence, Nathan. You know I hold you in the highest respect. You are a disciplined and intelligent leader. I merely keep in mind your intense need to induce the truth from those who might veer from its light. I was there when you questioned that Tiengara mage on the very floor of the Great Lord's main dining hall.'

  'What you may interpret as excessive questioning methods, are gauged sufficiently to obtain the knowledge our Great Lord seeks. I am duty-bound, as are you, to serve our lord's will,' Nathan asserted. 'And he wasn't a mage, he was just a mangy rebel.'

  Curtin shrugged in acquiescence and gestured towards Akileena. 'Ask as you will.'

  'This thief, what do you know of him, is he this prophecised saviour of which your people speak?' Nathan asked.

  Akileena shook his head. 'He is a higher ranked mage, yes, but the Saviour?' The mage shook his head again. 'I would never have been able to trap the Saviour like that.'

  Nathan snorted. 'You didn't trap him, did you? He escaped.'

  Akileena remained sullenly silent.

  'You did not recognise him? This rebel. Not after your turns as one.'

  Akileena saw the eagerness in Nathan's eyes, the Thane wanted badly to catch him in a lie. 'I worked only in one division, I do not personally know every mage aligned with the rebel cause.'

  'Why have you not investigated him through, say, the paths of the past?'

  'I cannot. As I reported, he changed my will,' Akileena replied.

  'Is there no way around it? You claim to want revenge on behalf of your brother but show no fervour for it. How is Andarin, by the way, has he recovered yet?'

  'Not as yet. Thane Curtin graciously allowed me to contact a mage in Venshui. He says he knows not the reason for Andarin's coma, or if he will recover.'

  'A shame we cannot spare you to go to his side,' Nathan lamented, mimicking a tone of regret. To the Thane's disappointment, Akileena's face did not even twitch. 'Perhaps,' Nathan said, feigning a distracted tone, 'if you cooperate, you may be given leave to see your brother.'

  Nathan watched Akileena from beneath hooded eyelids, still, no outward reaction, no flicker of hope, no keen offer to assist. He did not even look towards Curtin for confirmation the other thane would support this. In fact, the mage casually looked away, as if Nathan had offered nothing. Clever mage, Nathan thought.

  'Why didn't you detect this thief when he was in the city?'

  Akileena looked back to Nathan, he knew he would have to meet the cold, grey gaze as he answered, else Nathan would never believe he was telling the truth. 'We never felt him. I believe, to me, he disguised himself as Linura, and I am sure he used my essence as a shield, so Linura mistook him for me.'

  Nathan looked to Curtin with a puzzled frown.

  'Linura is the mage assigned to Sal-Cirus,' Curtin explained putting down his fork momentarily and signalling to the servant to pour him some tea. 'Akileena is only my charge, to do tasks as allowed by the Great Lord and to undertake my direction only when the Great Lord has no need of him. Linura is my mage, to direct as I will, when I will. We had a merchant and his entourage go missing recently and I wanted to send Linura with a patrol to investigate. Thus, when Lord Abbarane required Akileena, he agreed to send Dematica in exchange so Sal-Cirus would not be completely without elvan mages while Linura was away. As things turned out, I ended up assigning Linura to tracing the missing harem and had a patrol from Venshui follow up on the merchant. Thane Greyson was more willing to accommodate the request after his own failed pursuit of the thief, as I mentioned last evening.'

  Nathan huffed and pushed his chair back. 'I gather once Dematica was on the scene, this thief just hid himself behind her.'

  Akileena thought the answer was fairly obvious and remained silent.

  'It is surprising the Great Lord still finds you useful,' Nathan snapped out each word curtly. 'The convenience of this subversion of will is also quite questionable.'

  'Colnba has checked his story, it is true. The senior mage has yet to work out how to reverse the command,' Curtin informed Nathan before accepting the cup of tea the servant had poured.

  'So much for the reputation of the Debanikay name,' Nathan sneered without acknowledging the other thane's words. Leaning forward, Nathan asked intently, 'Tell me, Akileena, how come you did not try to trace the female that accompanied him?'

  Curtin kept a close eye on Nathan, he was starting to sound rather forceful.

  Akileena held Nathan's gaze. 'He protected her. I know as much about her as the Thane of Venshui. Thane Greyson stood closer to her than I, and he cannot describe her beyond that he thinks she was elvan.'

  Suddenly, Nathan rose, and in two strides the butter knife was under Akileena's chin. 'You can describe her, I can see it.'

  The lack of fear in Akileena's face disconcerted Nathan. He had tortured a lot of elvan, many were controlled, disciplined, but he could always see the emotion beneath the façade. Not Akileena. Such impassiveness was rare in an elvan — the mage presented a challenge the Thane was keen to test.

  Angling the knife into the soft part under Akileena's jaw, Nathan applied pressure. He could feel the pale skin give, a thin line of blood appeared. It was not impossible to cut with a knife like this, if pressure was applied at the right point and the skin kept taut, the knife would breach it. Nathan's jaw tightened, the mage was not even flinching. He pulled on the knife, digging in to the initial cut, dragging it through the skin, feeling it part.

  'Should I have Colnba extract the memory?' Curtin offered, pushing his chair back and throwing his napkin on the table. Nathan's temper was a burden at times.

  Akileena prevented the need for further action, replying as if in response to Curtin's threat, 'Ko-renti, black-red hair, red-gold eyes, fenjo armour. She was young, not through her first century. She was not a mage.'

  Curtin rose. 'Come Akileena, let us see to the scrutiny of the crests, mayhap Nathan is correct, and it was not the smith's purse our thief was after. And if that proves true, you might also apply yourself to tracing what our thief has stolen if not the thief himself.' Curtin left without looking back — a man used to being followed.

  Akileena looked up at Nathan, knowing the Thane could not prevent him from obeying Curtin. After the Great Lord, the Thane of Sal-Cirus had highest authority over him. Nathan maliciously whipped the knife away, creating a shallow, jagged cut down Akileena's throat, and stepped back. Akile
ena bowed slightly after he stood, allowing Nathan to leave before him. If he had made the mistake of leaving before the Thane, Nathan would have a perceived offence to hold against him and Curtin would be forced, in the name of diplomacy, to either allow Nathan to punish Akileena or be forced to mete out the punishment himself. But Akileena was well aware of Nathan's reputation and having discovered that the Thane was in the city earlier this morning gave him the chance to mentally prepare for dealing with him. Maintaining control over his emotions had been challenging, Akileena wanted nothing more than to use his talent to kill the vicious, sadistic thane. But he knew that if he lost control his daughter would be punished and that thought had enabled him to retain his composure.

  Day 2 – Mid-morning

  At-hara Desert

  The scorching desert sun beat down relentlessly. The shade provided by the tree was pitiful, but was better than nothing, Jador conceded. Sweat soaked his clothing and his mouth and throat were so dry he could barely get enough saliva to swallow. He had successfully cut through the rope about one wrist and was now working on the second binding. His arms ached and his neck was stiff, but after what seemed like an age, the thick rope finally gave with an abrupt snap.

  Jador overbalanced as he jerked forward.

  Instinctively, he tried to shift back and then it felt like his stomach hollowed out as he realised what was happening.

  He felt himself swing backwards.

  He felt Jess shifting, trying to compensate for the change in weight.

  He flailed for something to grab.

  His hand brushed a rope and he curled his fingers about it.

  Too late!

  There was no recovering.

  Jador hit the ground with a bone-cracking thud.

  He lay stunned for some time, his eyes closed, breathing laboriously. He groaned, he had broken ribs, he knew it. A flaring pain in his arm told him it was highly likely he had broken that too.

  Gingerly, he tried to roll over, and winced as pain lanced up his arm. His vision blurred, faded for a moment, 'Oh...'