Word of traitors

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

27 Sypheros

"Safe,” said Aruget and led Ashi and Vounn across a small square. Krakuul watched their rear. Ashi could have told Aruget the square was clear of assassins, assailants, thugs, thieves, or any other danger. Darkness was falling, but there was still enough light for her to see the streets of Rhukaan Draal. The houses that lined the streets here were built of stone with high, windowless outer walls that could have seen off a casual attack. It was as wealthy and peaceful an area as the city could boast-a pleasant place for a dinner party, a terrible place for an ambush. She scowled at Aruget’s back.

Vounn poked her in the ribs. Ashi forced her face to return to neutrality and wondered what Krakuul thought of Aruget’s new caution. She hoped he was as frustrated as she was. The lump at the back of her skull, two days old now but still tender, throbbed as if to torment her.

Down the street, guards stood before a door marked with the crest of House Cannith. A warforged, metal body swathed in a gown stiff with intricate embroidery, appeared from inside the doorway. “Lady Seneschal Vounn, Lady Ashi, welcome to Cannith enclave.”

In marked contrast to a mask-like face and green glass eyes, the warforged’s voice was lively, warm, and surprisingly delicate. Even more than the gown, the voice and a certain way of moving made Ashi think instinctively of the warforged as a woman in spite of her muscular frame and bald head. The effect was disconcerting, and she had to force herself to nod when the warforged offered a graceful curtsy.

Vounn didn’t even blink. “Thank you, Stitch,” she said. “We’re late. Has dinner begun?”

The warforged ushered them into a narrow, high-ceilinged entry hall. “Lady Dannel has waited for you, lady. I’ll show you to the library. If your guards care to go to the kitchen, they’ll find refreshment.” She indicated an unobtrusive door just inside the main entrance.

Aruget looked at Vounn, scowling, but when she gestured he and Krakuul vanished through the door.

The lines of the house were clean and fine, the walls and floors faced with polished stone, yet there was a strange echo about the place as if it was more than half empty. Ashi tried to sneak a look around as Stitch led them through the entry hall.

The warforged caught her curious glances. “The enclave in Rhukaan Draal was built at the same time that House Cannith was constructing Khaar Mbar’ost and other projects for Lhesh Haruuc Shaarat’kor,” Stitch said. “At the time, there were many more members of the house in Rhukaan Draal than there are now. But we cling to our pride, don’t we?”

“Uh… yes,” said Ashi, but Stitch had already turned away to open a fine wooden door ornamented with nothing more than its natural grain.

“Lady Seneschal Vounn d’Deneith and Lady Ashi d’Deneith,” she announced.

In a library with walls lined with velvet drapes and dark bookshelves, nearly a dozen people looked back at them. Ashi saw Pater d’Orien and Esmyssa Entar ir’Korran. She recognized most of the others: the ambassadors of Breland, Karrnath, and Aundair, the envoys of Houses Vadalis and Medani. Dannel d’Cannith, envoy of her house, strode up to Vounn, welcoming her with a smile.

Just the wealthy and powerful of Darguun’s visiting dignitaries gathered for dinner-as if there was absolutely nothing wrong.

Two days before, with the sounds of the city celebrating Tariic’s coronation drifting in the window, Ashi had sat with a cold cloth pressed to her head in the chambers she shared with Vounn and listened to the hobgoblin and the lady seneschal argue.

“You hit her?”

“She would have tried to attack Daavn and his guards, Lady Vounn.”

“So you hit her?”

“Lhesh Tariic sent Daavn after Geth. If Ashi had attacked him, she would have been interfering with the lhesh’s orders.” Aruget gave Vounn a level look. “Would Deneith have been able to protect her?”

That won the argument for him. Vounn gave him cold thanks for his discretion, sent him away to find out what had happened to Geth-and turned her attention to Ashi.

“You protected me with your dragonmark. You told me not to trust Tariic. Geth has clearly done something to anger him. You’re clearly involved.” The lady seneschal’s expression, normally as calm and controlled as still water, was like a storm. “No more evasions, Ashi. What’s going on?”

There was no way around it. Ashi had given too much away already and even when she tried to hold back, it all came rushing out. She confessed everything, from the pact that she and the others had made to keep the rod’s power a secret to Haruuc’s discovery of the curse, to Geth’s decision to seize the rod after the assassination and Midian’s idea to present the new lhesh with a false rod, to the fear that had pierced her at Tariic’s reaction during the coronation. The only thing she managed to keep secret was Tenquis’s name.

Red spots of color appeared high on Vounn’s cheeks. She sat down stiffly and didn’t move or speak for a long, long time. When she did finally speak, it was to say, “You’re leaving Darguun.”

Ashi’s head snapped up. “I won’t! Geth needs me now more than ever!”

“You would rather be arrested for conspiracy?”

“It’s not a conspira-”

“It is,” Vounn said harshly. “You may have had the best of intentions, but what you have done is conspire against the throne-and in every nation of Khorvaire, that’s a crime. If you were a Darguul, it would be treason. Is there evidence? You’re Geth’s friend, so suspicion will fall on you, but is there hard evidence?”

Her gut felt numb. “Geth’s word, but Geth would never betray me or any of us.”

“If Tariic is serious about rooting you out, he may not give Geth a choice.” Vounn closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and put her hands on Ashi’s shoulders. Her voice was tense but not so angry. “If you had attacked Daavn, Tariic would have had a reason to arrest you-you should thank the Host that Aruget stopped you. He had the right of it. Unless he has evidence that you’ve done something wrong, Tariic would be putting himself against Deneith if he tried to take you captive.”

“And if he has a reason to arrest me?” Ashi asked.

“Then I’ll have to give you to him.” Vounn looked into her eyes as she said it. “He won’t want to anger us, but we don’t want to anger him. Deneith values our contracts too highly. You’ve dug yourself a grave, Ashi. We need to get you out of Darguun before you’re forced into it.”

“Abandon my friends or you’ll abandon me?” Ashi gave her a bitter smile. “What if I don’t give Tariic any reason to arrest me? What if Geth doesn’t betray me?” The smile twisted a bit. “What if he escaped Daavn? I’ll have left my friends in danger for nothing.”

“You want to take a chance on that?”

“It’s what you’re doing.” She lifted her chin stubbornly. “My friends took a chance on me once, Vounn. They gave me the strength to leave the Bonetree Clan.”

“Some people would say you repaid that debt by giving yourself up to House Deneith when you had to.”

“Are you one of them?”

Vounn’s lips pressed into a thin white line and she looked away-but anything she might have said was interrupted by a knock on the door and Aruget’s entrance. The hobgoblin must have sensed the tension in the room. His ears flicked. “Should I come back?”

“No,” said Vounn. “Report. What have you found out?”

“I’ve seen Geth,” Aruget said. Ashi’s heart gave a lurch. “He walks with Tariic in the hall of honor in advance of the coronation feast.”

“How did he look? Was he a captive?” Ashi asked.

Aruget shook his head. “He didn’t walk like a captive. He looked uninjured, though he had changed his clothes since the coronation. There was a crowd around Tariic-I didn’t want to get too close.”

“Was Makka-the bugbear from the coronation-there?”

“No.” Aruget hesitated, then added, “I went past Geth’s chamber but there were guards outside his door and I didn’t try to go in.”

“It would have been suspicious if you had,” Vounn said, nodding. “What about Daavn? Did you see him at all?”

“No.”

Ashi stood up. Between her argument with Vounn and Aruget’s news, her blood seemed to boil. Her head felt light. Geth hadn’t been captured-or had he? If it had been anyone else, she might have been afraid that Tariic had used the Rod of Kings to command that they stay by his side, but thanks to his bond with the Sword of Heroes, Geth was immune to the rod’s influence. There had to be some reason he’d stayed with Tariic, though. “I need to talk to Geth. We need to know what happened.”

“Sit down, Ashi.” Vounn’s eyebrows drew together as she thought. “Is it possible that there’s another explanation for what happened at the ceremony? Geth doesn’t like spectacles-and he did seem friendly with Tariic as they left the throne room.”

“At which point he bolted for his room like a rabbit.” Ashi shook her head, teeth clenched. “It’s not my imagination. Something is wrong, Vounn. If I can talk to Geth-”

“You can’t,” Vounn said with a note of finality. “You are going to stay in these chambers while we figure out the status of things.” Ashi started to protest, but her mentor silenced her with a raised finger. “I will grant you that the situation doesn’t seem as dire as I thought. Maybe Geth is on good terms with Tariic and there’s nothing to worry about.”

Ashi saw Aruget’s ears twitch and rise at the hint of trouble.

Vounn ignored him. Lips drawn down at the corners, she said, “You can stay in Darguun for now-at least until we know whether you’re in danger or not. But there are two conditions.” She held up a finger again, then added a second one. “First, don’t give Tariic any reason to take an interest in you. Stay in our chambers and keep your head down-I’ll pass word that you’re not feeling well-while Aruget and I make a few discreet inquiries. Second, we make arrangements to get you out of Darguun, and when I tell you to leave, you leave.”

She lowered her hand. “Your friends took a chance on you. You’re taking a chance on your friends, and now so am I. Does that satisfy you?”

It would have been impossible to be completely happy at that moment. Ashi still had too much anger and fear inside her and Vounn’s face was set in spite of her offer of compromise. It was also, Ashi knew, the best aid she could hope for.

She nodded.

The long table in the Cannith dining room had been set with delicate porcelain plates ringed with silver and remarkable goblets of cut glass. The big candelabras that marched down the center of the table were likewise cut glass. The flickering candlelight-no cold, steady magical light here-danced through them. Esmyssa Entar ir’Korran, seated in a special tall chair, leaned between two of the dazzling pillars. “We haven’t seen you in Tariic’s court since the coronation,” the Zil ambassador said.

“I’ve been ill,” said Ashi.

Esmyssa gave an understanding nod. “I’m so glad that you were able to come tonight, though,” she said. “You weren’t in Rhukaan Draal long enough to join one of our dinners before Haruuc sent you off. Then of course, the business with the Gan’duur and mourning afterward. I’m sure you’ll find the evening interesting.”

“I hope so,” Ashi said with a politeness that she didn’t really feel. “Vounn insisted that I make the effort to attend.” She shifted aside slightly as a servant’s arm reached past to place a shallow bowl of soup in front of her. It was creamy, fragrant, and golden. Seated on Ashi’s left, between her and Vounn, Pater d’Orien breathed deep.

“Ah,” he sighed. “Aundairian. Beautiful. Proper food from the Five Nations-not that I have anything against dar cuisine, but sometimes you want to sit down with friends over a meal that reminds you of home. I’m sure you understand what I mean, Senen Dhakaan.”

On the other side of the table, Senen’s ears bent slightly. “More than you know, Lord Pater,” she said. She picked up a spoon and stirred the soup dubiously. “It seems rich.”

“Yes, well, give it a try. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like it.”

Senen started to scoop up a little of the soup, then glanced at Dannel d’Cannith, chatting casually with Vounn while the rest of the table was served. The ambassador of the Kech Volaar set her spoon down again and sat back stiffly. Ashi understood her discomfort in the situation-it reminded her strongly of her own first experience with the etiquette of formal dining in the style of the Five Nations. To tell the truth, she preferred dar feasts and the fashion of eating as food was presented. But seeing Senen here at all was a surprise. It had taken quite some time for the strongly traditionalist hobgoblin to find common ground to even talk with Vounn. To find her eating with non-Darguuls was a sign that she was opening up a little bit more.

If having Senen there was a surprise, though, it was nothing compared to the other gnome who had stood at Esmyssa’s back when they’d entered the library. Midian now sat at the far end of the table, chattering about Dhakaani history to the half-elf viceroy of House Medani. As they’d passed from the library into the dining room, Ashi had managed to exchange a few words with Midian-a very few words.

“What are you doing here?”

“I suspected you’d be coming, so I talked Esmyssa into bringing me as a guest.”

“Have you seen Geth since-?”

He’d interrupted her, dropping his voice. “We’ll talk later.”

The last guest was served. Dannel d’Cannith picked up her spoon, and everyone at the table began eating. The soup was indeed rich. Pater slurped it up with a look of pleasure on his round, rough face. Ashi watched Senen work through her bowl with the dogged determination of someone set to a chore.

Conversation flowed around Ashi, light and casual. Esmyssa attempted to engage Senen with questions about the ancient history preserved by the Kech Volaar and the other Dhakaani clans. On Ashi’s right, the envoy of House Vadalis, a lean man named Kavrin, struck up a question about the wildlife of the Shadow Marches. Ashi described the beasts and monsters she had seen as a hunter of the wild swamps, a pleasant distraction as the soup bowls were removed and replaced with fish poached in Brelish stock. Fish gave way to pork roasted and sauced in the Karrnathi style. Ashi kept her eyes and ears alert. Around the meat course, Vounn had said-that was when it would happen.

And, just as she picked up her fork, it did. Seated beside Dannel and across from Vounn, Laren Roole, the ambassador of Breland, leaned a little forward and asked Pater, “How goes the process of supplying Darguun’s army?”

Pater sipped a little wine-Ashi saw abruptly that the servants who had stood behind the table, ready to refill empty glasses, had departed and that only the warforged Stitch remained-and said, “It goes well. Orien has lent an aide to Dagii’s quartermaster and he sends me reports. There was some expectation that the Valenar might attack the supply wagons, but there haven’t been any attacks yet.” He raised his glass. “Pray Kol Korran keeps it so!”

Like the first punch thrown in a brawl, the question changed the tone of conversation around the table. Abruptly Ashi found herself in a bubble. All around her, everyone was talking about the war and Tariic, but perhaps believing that a junior envoy would have nothing to add, no one talked to her. She didn’t dissuade them. Not being talked to gave her a better chance to listen. Esmyssa turned to the Aundairian ambassador on her other side to ask his opinion of the impact of the war on Khorvaire at large; the Aundairian was tight-lipped and grim. Kavrin d’Vadalis discussed the Valenar cavalry capabilities with the Karrnathi ambassador on his right. Senen and Midian both became sought-after partners in the discussion as they related stories and histories of past conflicts between dar and elves, sometimes glaring at each other and arguing when what they told clashed. Dannel, Laren, Vounn, and Pater quietly spoke of Tariic’s new power and what he might do with it. In the two days since his coronation, he had divided his time between public appearances and the assembly of warlords, stirring pride in the Darguuls and whipping up sentiments against the Valenar-and all elves by extension.

A game was in play around the table, with each ambassador and envoy offering up a little bit of what they knew in return for new knowledge form the others. Here and there, hints revealed plans. Vadalis hoped to convince Tariic to purchase their strong and tough magebred mounts for his army. Breland would increase patrols along their side of the Seawall Mountains in case Darguul warlords were stirred up too much, while Karrnath, having more direct experience with the Valenar, wondered if the distracted elves might pull away from their northern territories. Zilargo had hopes that the war would be brief and Tariic would settle into the role of peaceful, predictable ruler. Everyone talked about House Lyrandar and Sindra d’Lyrandar’s conspicuous absence from Rhukaan Draal.

“We gather with our own,” Vounn had told Ashi as they’d prepared for the dinner. “We know what we’re doing, we know what we trade. We each bring a thread and from them weave a tapestry none of us could have woven alone. Everyone leaves on even footing.”

And Vounn, Ashi saw quickly, was one of the most able players of the game. She spoke only a little, but listened with intensity, and Ashi felt sure that if a tapestry was being woven tonight, Vounn sat at the loom and threw the shuttle.

Senen, surprisingly, was another able player. She might not have been familiar with the table manners of the Five Nations, but she was surely a veteran of intrigues among the Dhakaani clans. Her ears flicked rapidly back and forth, as if she was listening to several conversations at once. Ashi realized that with a lhesh now on the throne, the Kech Volaar and Darguun might draw closer to an alliance again. Ekhaas had confided in her that Senen suspected that she was involved in something. Ashi wondered if the ambassador could have suspicions of Tariic as well.

Plates were cleared and glasses emptied. A lull fell into the conversation, as if the diplomats had sated their need for information along with their hunger. Ashi saw Dannel give a glance and a nod to Stitch. The warforged stepped out of the room. Dannel smiled at those seated around the table. “Let us adjourn to the library. We have sweet wine and cheese to finish.”

She rose and her guests rose with her, Vounn, however, caught Pater’s hand and held him back as the others left the room. Ashi, waiting for the signal, stayed as well. “Pater,” said Vounn, “I need a favor.”

The eyebrows on Pater’s round face rose slightly. “There are worse things than having House Deneith in your debt.” His voice was pleasant but his gaze was suspicious. “What do you need?”

“I think Baron Breven will recall Ashi to Sentinel Tower in Karrlakton soon. I’ve put him off before, but I don’t think I can delay again. Ashi will have to leave Darguun.”

The lie was simple and completely believable because it was mostly true. When Pater glanced at her, Ashi didn’t need to feign her frustration.

Vounn continued her appeal smoothly. “Unfortunately, with conditions as they are in the country, the route could be dangerous. We’ve had no word from Dagii’s army or from Zarrthec. It’s possible raiders could be scouting the trade road.”

“I haven’t heard anything from our caravans,” Pater grunted.

“Yet you don’t rule out an attack on your supply wagon,” Vounn reminded him. “If I move a force of mercenaries guarding one person up the trade road, I expect the Valenar might find that too tempting a target to resist.” She gestured to Ashi. “Can you take her? I mean, are you capable of taking her should the need arise?”

Pater screwed up his face and cast an eye over Ashi. She felt as if she was being sized up as cargo-which, strictly speaking, she was. House Orien bore the Mark of Passage. Pater’s dragonmark, though not the most powerful of Orien’s marks, allowed him to step instantly across vast distances. Vounn had told her it was an ability that the viceroy seldom used and then only to carry urgent letters and parcels, but that it was theoretically possible for him to transport a passenger on his long-distance jaunts.

She found herself holding her stomach in, as if that would make her look like a lighter load.

Pater just grunted again. “Aye. I won’t do it for free, though. Standard Orien fee.”

“Of course,” said Vounn. “I regard it as a favor that you’re willing to do it at all.” She clasped his hands and smiled. “Thank you.”

Pater’s face didn’t relax. “One step follows another, Vounn. You wouldn’t ask me like this if it was a simple transport.”

“And you wouldn’t agree if it was just a simple transport. I know you, Pater.” Her smile took on an edge. “Not all dangers wait along the road. No one will suspect your involvement. I intend to organize a mercenary escort and send Ashi out of Rhukaan Draal with them-you meet her outside the city, on the other side of the bridge over the Ghaal River, and take her from there. Attention will remain on the escort, which will disband a reasonable distance from the city with no sign of Ashi-or you. Will you do it?”

Pater glanced from her to Ashi. “Aye,” he said. “I will. Give me a day’s notice when you need me.”

“Thank you, Viceroy Pater,” Ashi said. She stepped forward and bowed slightly. “I appreciate this.”

They were the only words she’d been allowed to say-Vounn had told her specifically to keep her mouth shut while she spoke. Pater’s assistance had been far from guaranteed and even Ashi had seen it. The words of thanks were the polish on the sword, though. Pater puffed up like a rooster strutting before hens. “You’re welcome, Lady Ashi,” he said.

Vounn shifted her grasp from his hand to his arm and gave him another open smile. “Wonderful. Now, let’s catch up to Dannel and the others before the wine and cheese are gone.”

They strolled out of the dining room. Ashi followed in their wake along the short passage that connected library and dining room.

She didn’t even see Midian until he grabbed her wrist and tugged her back into the shadow of a large decorative urn.

“You’re leaving?” he demanded.

“You heard that?”

“I hear a lot more than people think I do.” His eyes glittered. “I know about Tenquis.”

He’d learned the name. “How-?”

He scowled. “Finding an artificer was my idea. You don’t think I could ask the same questions as Ekhaas? Now it’s your turn. You’re leaving?”

Ashi looked around. The urn concealed Midian completely, but what hid a gnome didn’t hide her. “Not here,” she said. “Somewhere private.”

Servants had entered the dining room to clear away the dinner plates. Midian, still holding tight to Ashi’s hand, led her the other way along the passage, away from the library and up a flight of stairs. A door opened onto an airy gallery with ornate filigree screen panels forming a long wall open to the night. They were up high, well above the street. The gallery was unlit and dim to her eyes, though Midian moved with confidence.

“Don’t touch the screens,” he warned her. “They’re Cannith gearwork, trapped to keep out thieves.”

“How did you know this was here?”

“I had a look around before dinner.” He let go of her hand and turned to face her. “Let’s try this again. You’re leaving?”

“Not if I can help it,” Ashi told him stubbornly. She described her attempt to reach Geth after Tariic’s coronation-and her subsequent conversation with Vounn. When she had finished, Midian let out a hiss of frustration.

“I wondered why you hadn’t left your chambers for the last two days. Your guard Aruget told me you were ill whenever I came around.”

“What did you make of what happened at the coronation?”

“I couldn’t see anything. A fat lump of a bugbear pushed in front of me. Not that I was all that eager to be seen once Makka strolled onto the dais.” Ashi could make out Midian’s face-he was chewing nervously on a thumbnail. “Sage’s quill. Tariic may know about the false rod.” He glanced at her, his blue eyes flashing in the moonlight. “So if you leave, what happens to me, Ekhaas, and Dagii?”

Ashi shook her head. “I’m not leaving yet. Vounn just wanted to make arrangements. She spoke with Tariic yesterday on business for Deneith, and she says that he doesn’t act like he suspects anything. Or at least he doesn’t suspect us. She hasn’t spoken with Geth yet, though. Aruget hasn’t gotten close to him either.”

“Neither have I. I wanted to talk to him, but I couldn’t find him. I have seen him with Tariic a lot though.” He hesitated for a moment, then added. “What if Tariic has the true rod? What if he’s found some way to dominate Geth?”

“He can’t. Wrath protects Geth.”

“Here’s the thing, though-whenever I’ve seen Geth, he’s not wearing Wrath.”

“I don’t think that matters,” Ashi said. “When we recovered the rod, he was disarmed, but the rod still couldn’t affect him.”

“Then why won’t he talk to us, and why isn’t he wearing Wrath? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” Uncertainty and fear stirred in Ashi’s gut-along with grim determination. “But we’re going to find out. We need to talk to Geth. Come see me tomorrow. We’ll decide what to do.”

Midian nodded, then said, “We should get into to the library. Vounn has probably missed you by now, and she’ll know something is up when we come in together.”

“That doesn’t bother me,” Ashi said. “She’s had me out tonight. She can’t confine me to our chambers now. Maybe we are in danger, but we need to get answers while we can.” She clenched her jaw. “And Geth is the only one who has them.”

“And Geth is the only one who has them.”

Stretched out on top of the thick outer wall, Makka hugged a clenched fist to his chest and bared his teeth. When I fight, I fight. When I stalk, I stalk. The first time he had confronted Ashi and Ekhaas, he’d made the mistake of fighting without properly stalking his prey. He’d been too hasty. He’d forgotten the lessons of the hunt. The Fury seemed to appreciate revenge well-savored, though. Patience and stalking-even with the pathetic caution of Deneith’s hobgoblin guards-had paid off.

His decision to scale the walls of the building Ashi visited had paid off, too. As had his accidental touch of the great screen an armslength above his head. Whirring metal springing to life had gouged the skin of his fingers and palms, but the instinct of freezing in the shadows rather than running had both saved him from discovery by guards and put him in exactly the place he needed to be.

Not just Ashi of Deneith but the gnome Midian too.

The door in the screened chamber closed. Makka offered a silent prayer of thanks to the Fury, rose to his feet, and moved with silent steps back to the deep shadows where he had climbed up.

Careful stalking was one of the lessons of the hunt. Choosing proper bait for the trap was another.