The voice said something else, but he couldn’t make it out. The dark river of unconsciousness on which he’d floated suddenly surged up, pulling him under, and he gave in gratefully.
CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR
He awoke later to the voice asking him to drink again. He did without hesitation, and realized that the all-encompassing pain he’d felt before was nowhere near as bad as it had been. He still felt impossibly weak, and his side throbbed where the assassin had plunged his knife into him, but he could think past it now. Co? Are you there?
Still no answer. Once he finished drinking, the glass was pulled away, and the owner of the voice made a satisfied sound. “How are you feeling?”
Like death warmed over, he thought, but didn’t answer.
“Well?”
He tried to speak but all that came out was a dry croak. He swallowed and tried again. “I-I’m okay.” He was shocked by how frail his voice sounded.
“You’re many things, I reckon, but okay’s not one of em,” the voice responded, “not yet anyway.”
“Who,” he paused to clear his throat, “who are you?”
“Why don’t you open up yer eyes and see for yerself.”
Slowly, reluctantly, Aaron did, and let out his breath in surprise. “It can’t be. You’re dead.”
“Well, now,” Balen said, grinning widely, “there’s dead, and then there’s dead. I’d think you more than anybody would know somethin’ about that.”
“I’m not dead,” he muttered, wincing at the rawness of his throat, “I’d be a lot more comfortable if I was.”
The first mate grinned, “As you say.”
“But how?” Aaron asked disbelievingly, “When we left Aster and his men were boarding the ship. How did you get away?”
“As to that,” the first mate said, rubbing a hand across his chin, “I’m not so sure as I understand it myself. One minute, the bastards were comin’ aboard, fixin’ to cut us down, then Leomin took that Aster fella aside and talked to him for a minute. Next thing I knew, I was laid up on a table getting’ sewed up by one of his men. Mind you, the man weren’t no doctor,” he grimaced at the memory, “if anything, I’d guess he’s a blind butcher, but he managed anyway.”
“But how did Leomin talk his way out? That Aster is crazy. I know. I’ve met him.”
Balen nodded, “You’re right there, the man’s a few fish short of a full string, but he let us go just the same. Even gave us some money to help us on our way.” He shook his head in disbelief, “As to what the captain said, I ain’t got a clue. I was in pretty bad shape there for a while and not much up for listenin’ to too much of anything. Besides,” he said, grinning, “ain’t you ever heard the Cap talk? The man could talk mermaids out of the water.”
Aaron frowned. It was true that Leomin had a way with conversation that made him hard to understand, and that he also had a way of getting people to do things they didn’t intend to do. He’d seen that readily enough when the captain had somehow managed to talk the princess into going and getting Gryle when all she really wanted to do was throttle Aaron, but he still couldn’t believe that the man had somehow talked his way out of Aster’s hands. There was something strange about that, but he couldn’t worry about it just now. His thoughts were on the last thing he’d seen before he’d lost consciousness, Adina being led away by soldiers.
Balen must have seen something in his face because he patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, “You’re worried about your woman. Don’t be. She’s safe as can be. Why, she spent so much time by your bed here I figured she was about to sprout roots, that man of hers too. Finally, the boss made her go on and get some rest, said it weren’t doin’ no one a bit o’ good for her to kill herself waitin’. She didn’t want to, but she finally did it anyway. Got a real stubborn streak in her that one does.”
Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as the shouts and cheers of what must have been hundreds of people sounded outside. “They’ve found us,” he hissed, clenching his teeth, as he stared across the room at the window. It was too far for him to see out of, but he had no problem imagining the mob gathering below them in the street, only too excited to welcome their new leader with a celebratory execution.
The first mate glanced at the small window in confusion. “What are you ta—Oh! No, no, you got it wrong, Aaron. That ain’t nobody come to get us. Why, it’s just the parade.”
Aaron frowned, rubbing at his temples, “Parade?”
Balen nodded with a frown of his own, “That’s right, for Belgarin. Since Claudius announced him ruler of Baresh and all of it’s outlyin’ lands there’s been one every day. Near as I can tell, the prince means to hold a week’s worth of the damned things, just in case there’s some poor blind, deaf bastard out there who missed it the first five times.”
“Five?” Aaron asked incredulous.
“That’s right. One a day since he was crowned.”
“But that means …” he hesitated in disbelief.
“You been out the better part of a week,” the first mate confirmed. “The tournament’s over and done, and Belgarin sits at the Seat of Baresh. Leastways, until he heads back to his own country.”
“So we failed,” Aaron said in an emotionless, dead voice. “I failed. Belgarin’s been crowned.”
“You’re livin’. There’s somethin’ to be said for that.”
Suddenly, Aaron wished desperately that Co would speak. Though he’d been loath to admit it (still was, in fact) talking to the Virtue had, in many ways, been a comfort. But she’s dead, a voice in his mind said, dead and gone like so many hopes and dreams.
He felt a black mood descending upon him and, suddenly, he felt more exhausted than he ever had in his life. “Talks Aster into letting you two live and manages to get Adina to do what he wants … your Parnen certainly has a way with words, Balen.”
“Huh? Oh, no, sir. It weren’t the Cap who convinced her to leave yer side. Why, he wields words like a blademaster wields swords, but I doubt even he could have managed that. No, it was the boss, you see.”
Aaron looked at the man blankly, blinking heavily, “What are you talking about? Who’s the boss?”
Balen grinned, “Well, might be I’ll leave that for you to find out on yer own. After you’ve had some rest, that is.”
Aaron nodded, letting his eyes fall shut. “I am tired.”
The first mate snorted, “Why, of course ye are. You been lyin’ around all day.”
CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE
The next time he came to, Aaron opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of Adina staring down at him. Her dark hair was a tangled mess, and her blue eyes were bloodshot and wet with unshed tears. He thought that he’d never seen anyone or anything so beautiful. She leaned in and kissed him warmly and for a moment he forgot all about the pain, all about the failure that hung over his head. “You’re awake,” she breathed, finally pulling back “Balen told me that you were, but I couldn’t believe it.”
“The gods must have a sense of humor,” he said, smiling.
Adina was starting to say something else when the door swung open and Captain Leomin strutted in. The Parnen captain was wearing a massive purple hat with feathers in it, a bright green silk shirt, and black leather trousers, “Our hero awakens,” he said, grinning widely and displaying his bright white teeth. “Balen tells me that soon you’ll be fit enough to trim a sail or swab a deck. It is good for a man to rest, but sometimes he must rest from his rest, must he not?”
Aaron grinned back at the Parnen despite himself, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but it’s good to see you breathing just the same.”
“Yes, well,” the captain said, adjusting his hat and appearing embarrassed, “it is a state which I find most agreeable.”
“Balen was a little foggy on the details,” Aaron sadi, “but I can’t understand it. How did you manage to get away from Aster?”
The captain hesitated, then smi
led knowingly at Aaron. “Oh, we all have our little secrets, don’t we? A man can’t go around telling everything there is to know about himself. Why, he would appear vain, and I make it a point to never appear vain.”
Aaron started to laugh, but paused as the door opened again. He watched in shock as confusion as a familiar figure walked inside the room. “May?”
The club owner wasn’t dressed up in the expensive clothes and jewelry that she was known for. Instead, she wore a simple woolen shift, and her long hair was tied into a pony tail. She smiled widely at Aaron, walked to the bed, and wrapped him in a tight embrace, “Silent. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Aaron was suddenly struck by the certainty that he must be dreaming, either that or he was dying and even now his mind was wrapped up in an elaborate death vision. What else could explain the presence of these people here, in Baresh, weeks of travel away from where he’d left them? “I don’t … I don’t understand.”
May smiled kindly, “Oh, Silent. It is so good to have you back. I—we,” she said, glancing at Adina, “were worried sick.”
“We all were,” Leomin said, nodding his head to Aaron.
As if reminded of the captain’s presence, May turned to frown at him, “I thought we had agreed, Captain, that you wouldn’t bother him until he was well. Why, your idle chatter will convince him to take his own life before you’re through.”
The captain put a hand to his heart, “My dear lady, I assure y—“
“Why don’t you go check on Herb and Balen and the others?” May interrupted with a frown, “Poor Olo’s probably got his hands full trying to keep them from burning the whole place down.”
The captain scooped his hat off of his head and bowed deeply to May, winking at Aaron as he did. “I am happy to see you awake, Mr. Envelar, but I find that my presence is required elsewhere.” He began to saunter leisurely out the door. May growled, low in her throat, and the captain cringed visibly before rushing out of the door. Aaron laughed despite himself. It was good to see his friends again.
Once the Parnen was gone, May shook her head, smiling. “Leomin is a good man, and a damned bit smarter than he lets on, but his talk is enough to drive one of Nalek’s priests to murder. Not to mention, he’s more stubborn than any pack mule I’ve ever seen.” Adina laughed, and May glanced at her, arching an eyebrow, “I don’t know what you’re laughing at; you’re not any better.”
Adina stared at the ground as if properly chastised, but her lips spread in a smile and despite their failure, despite the fact that he’d very nearly died, Aaron felt himself smiling back. Sure, they may not have been able to keep Belgarin from taking the north, but he no longer felt as badly about that as he had. They’d lost a battle—that was all. There would be others to fight before it was done, and he decided then, basking in the innocent beauty of her smile, the laughter in her bright blue eyes, that he would be there for that. As his father had often said, there was more than one way to plow a field, but nothing ever got done without work. Here the work to be done called for a sword not a plow and that was fine. He didn’t know the first thing about farming.
A thought struck him and he turned to the club owner, “Wait a minute. Balen said that the “boss” convinced Adina to rest.”
May raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, “And?”
“I don’t understand.”
The club owner smiled widely, “Not yet, Silent, but you will. Let’s just say that you, Gryle, and the princess here aren’t the only ones who don’t want to see Belgarin seize power. In fact, you’re all kind of late about getting into this whole rebellion thing. Why, we’ve been at it for years.”
“We?” He asked. He glanced at the princess suspiciously, but saw that she looked just as confused as he felt.
The club owner let out a throaty chuckle, “Well, you didn’t really think that I could afford such beautiful dresses just from the money I make off the club, did you?”
He hesitated, “I … I guess I never thought about it.”
She sighed heavily and glanced at Adina, “Men. They never do.” She turned back to Aaron, “Why, Silent, I love the club, certainly, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but the truth is it started as little more than a front. For years now, I—we, have been working against Belgarin, undermining him as best we can with what little resources we have. It isn’t much but--”
“That’s not possible,” Adina cut in, “my men keep—“ she paused then, and a look of anger and loss passed across her face, ”kept track of all of the rebel groups in the major cities. I remember specifically sending a group to search in Avarest. It was thought that one of the realm’s only remaining neutral cities must surely contain a rebel faction. In the end, nothing was found.”
The bartender laughed until she saw the hurt look in the princess’s face. “I’m sorry, hon. It isn’t that you or your men were incompetent, but the people of the Downs spend most of their lives hiding or fleeing. It would take a lot more than a couple of soldiers dressed in rags to get the better of people who have stayed alive only by making an art of not being noticed.”
“But,” Adina frowned, “if that’s true, you could have helped.” Her stare grew hard, her eyes like twin chunks of glacial ice, cold and forbidding. When she spoke, her voice shook with barely restrained anger, “If you would have come to us, helped us, my brother might still be alive.”
May’s expression grew sad. “Prince Eladen, your brother, was a good man—a man of compassion. Rest assured, princess, that we did everything we could to save him. Everything, that is, except for giving ourselves away.”
“You didn’t do anything,” Adina said, her voice angry, “You were so scared of showing yourselves that you let those bastards kill my brother when you could have helped him!”
It was the club owner’s time to be angry, “Yes, we could have shown ourselves, but that would have done nothing but get a lot of good people—people who have supported Eladen and worked against Belgarin for years—killed for no good reason. People with families, with lives of their own. If we’d shown ourselves, how long before Belgarin’s squads showed up in the Downs? Avarest may be neutral and so removed from the majority of the chaos the war brings, but even we know what your brother does to people who get in his way. If we had, how long before those people and their families were jerked from their homes and put to the sword? The Downs doesn’t make warriors, princess—it makes survivors. We have our strengths, to be sure, but the greatest of these is our anonymity. Without that, we are no more to your brother than an itch on his royal ass and as easily remedied. We are not soldiers.” She regarded Aaron, “Well, most of us anyway.”
“But surely you could have done something,” Adina said, and it was not anger that choked her voice now, but grief.
May walked to her and embraced her and the princess dissolved into quiet but wrenching sobs. Aaron started to speak but decided against it. The club owner was comforting the princess, patting her back quietly and whispering soothing words of assurance better than any he could offer. Adina’s grief made his own heart lurch in sympathy, but he didn’t know what to say. He’d spent his entire life learning to kill, to steal, and to make it away clean. He knew dozens of ways to murder a man ranging from poisons to brute force. He’d devoted years to mastering the tools of pain and death. He’d never given much thought to cures.
After a few minutes, Adina pulled away from the club owner and nodded slowly, wiping at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lash out at you … I just miss him.”
May shook her head sadly, “You have nothing to apologize for, dear. The truth is, it was safer for everyone for us to keep our secret hidden so we did. That doesn’t mean any of us liked it. Still, we did try to help you.”
“How? I don’t remember anything.”
The club owner smiled, “Tell me, princess, why did you choose to hire Aaron and not some other sellsword? As I’ve said, the Downs doesn’t have many, but the richer parts of Avarest contain dozens of
warriors that would have eagerly accepted your coin.”
Adina paused, and shrugged with a puzzled expression, “Everybody said he was the best.”
May nodded sharply, “They better have. They were paid well enough.”
“Wait a minute,” Aaron said, “just wait a damned minute. You’re saying that you … what? Paid people to recommend me?”
May rolled her eyes at Adina, “Men and their egos.” She turned back to the sellsword, her expression serious, “Silent, you’re good. Gods, you’re possibly the best fighter I’ve ever seen—and I’ve seen some real masters in my day—but you’re not exactly a people person, and witnesses to your skill have a sometimes inconvenient way of ending up dead. I wanted to make sure that the princess hired you not only because I think you’re the best, but also because I knew that—despite all of your bluster and bitching—you’d dedicate yourself to the cause completely.”
Aaron was too amazed and curious to offer any sharp remark. “But why now?” He asked, “If you’ve been a rebel leader all the years I’ve known you, why haven’t you tried to involve me before?”
The club owner’s face turned red, and for the first time since he’d known her, he was amazed to see that she actually looked embarrassed. He watched her for a moment, wondering what was wrong, then the truth hit him like a club in the face. “It isn’t the first time you’ve had me work for the rebellion,” he said, and as the words left his mouth he found that he was certain they were true, “those jobs you hired me for, they were all to further your rebellion.”
May had the good grace to look ashamed, and she would not meet Aaron’s angry gaze, “Not all of them, but most, yes,” she said, her voice nervous and clipped, “Still, don’t forget Aaron, it isn’t my rebellion anymore, but ours. You’ve chosen it yourself of your own free will.”
“Leomin, Balen. They both work for you.”
The club owner swallowed hard and nodded, “As do Celes and Herb, the innkeeper you met in Krase. Though he didn’t know who you were when you arrived. Thanks to the gods that you didn’t kill him.”
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