A Sellsword's Hope

by Jacob Peppers

  I think you misunderstood me, Aaron, Co said, her own voice tense. I meant for you to give them hope. Not make them all feel as if they’ve already lost.

  Aaron ignored the Virtue, pressing on. “But I’ll promise you all one thing—whatever we have lost, we will take from our enemies tenfold, and they will pay for every drop of blood they’ve spilled, every tear shed for the loved ones we have lost.” He paused then, his thoughts going to Beth, and to Hale, and he had to clear his throat before going on. “I have lost people I cared about, just as you all have. Good people…and some of them maybe not so good.” There was some laughter from the crowd at that but most, at least, still watched him with those solemn expressions, waiting to hear what he would say. He shrugged. “But either way, they were my people. And I don’t intend to let such a crime go unanswered. I will fight—will make as many of the creatures we face know my anger as I can before I’m through—but what of you, Perennia? What of you, Telrear?” he asked, his eyes scanning the crowd. “I’ll march on Baresh alone, if I have to,” he paused to grin. “But I’d just as soon not.”

  There was more laughter in the crowd then, and he went on. “Kevlane and his armies have asked us a question, Telrear. With their swords and their knives, they have asked it. I go now to give answer. We,” he said, gesturing once more to the others and beyond them to the armies camped outside the city, “go to give answer. Will you go with us?”

  “Yes!” The answer came in a roar so powerful that Aaron fancied he could feel his ribs shake, and he smiled. “Alright then.” He turned his horse, meaning to go back to the others, when a voice called out of the crowd.

  “But will we win?”

  Aaron winced. Almost made it away, didn’t you? he thought. He turned back, searching the crowd for the owner of the voice, and saw that an old man, his gray hair thin atop his head, had stepped out from the crowd.

  “Will we win, General?” the man asked again, and in that question Aaron could hear fear and hope both, could hear how desperately the man wanted him to say yes.

  Aaron considered that for a moment, looking around at the people lining the streets, seeing the question in their gazes too, now. “I could lie to you,” he said. “I could tell you that we’ll hunt Kevlane and his monstrosities down like animals and be back here before dinner. The gods know I’ve lied before and for much less.” Some more scattered laughter from the crowd.

  “But I won’t do that. It seems to me this city has had its fill of lies lately.” There were grim nods as people remembered Grinner, all of them convinced since his defeat that they’d known the truth all along, that it was only others who had been foolish enough to listen to the crime boss, and his rumors. “But I’ll make you a promise,” Aaron said. “I promise that so long as you stand against the darkness, I’ll be there beside you. I promise you that those deaths—those losses we have all suffered—will not go unanswered. Kevlane, a mage out of storybooks, out of legends, sits in Baresh even now, believing himself invincible, thinking he has crafted an army great enough to send all of us scurrying into corners and huddling under our beds like frightened children. He believes he has won already.”

  He saw anger now in the faces of those watching him, anger matching his own. “I intend to prove him wrong,” Aaron said, his voice hard and cold. “And before the month’s out, I intend to show that bastard that even legends can bleed.”

  They erupted into cheers at that, taking up the chant once more, and Aaron rode back to Adina and the others, accompanied by the sound of En-ve-lar! En-ve-lar!

  Adina grinned when he drew close, and the mounted leaders of Avarest turned and began to lead their horses toward the city gate and the fields beyond, where the army waited. “Pretty good, for a sellsword,” Adina said to him as they rode.

  “Gods, but give me an army of monsters to face any day.”

  She laughed, looking out at the crowd, but the amusement didn’t touch her eyes. There was a worried, almost haunted look there. “You’re their hero, Aaron. Speeches, I think, come with the territory.”

  He grunted. “A hero. And I wonder if someone might have had something to do with that, with all the stories and rumors that have been circulating throughout the city.”

  Adina put on an expression of mock-innocence. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”

  Aaron sighed. “We’ve really got some talking to do after all this is done. Now,” he said, leaning close, “will you tell me what’s bothering you?”

  She started as if surprised. “What…what do you mean?”

  “Adina,” he said, “for the last few months, I’ve been dealing with a Virtue which sometimes sends me into an uncontrollable rage, one in which I have killed more people than I care to count. Safe to say, I know what guilt looks like. Shame, too. And it seems to me that you’re feeling both right now. So, what’s bothering you?”

  She smiled, but it was a weak, fragile thing, one that looked like it might change into tears at any moment. “Nothing, Aaron. I’m fine.”

  He studied her for several seconds before sighing. “Okay. But just know, Adina, I’m here, if you need me. I always will be.”

  “Thank you, Aaron. It’s just a lot, that’s all. Everything…the city, the army, what we’re going to do. I guess maybe I just got overwhelmed for a minute.”

  “Only for a minute?” he said, smiling. “I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t.”

  She started to answer, but just then Captain Gant rode up beside them. “Excuse me, Majesty. General.” He gave Aaron a grin. “Nice speech, by the way.”

  Aaron scowled, and the captain barked a laugh. “Anyway, I thought you might want to go over some final things about the army and marching order before we set out, if, that is,”—he paused, his grin widening—“you don’t have anything heroic planned in the next few minutes.”

  The sellsword glanced to Adina, and she smiled as if everything was fine, but he didn’t need the power of his bond with Co to see the lie in it. “Go ahead,” she said, “I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  Aaron waited a moment longer then nodded. “Okay,” he said, turning back to the captain. “Lead on.”

  ***

  Adina watched the two men go, the smile fading as soon as their backs were turned. She hated lying to Aaron, but reasoned with herself that he had enough to worry about already. There was no need to bother him with the issue of Councilman Arkrest’s visit. It would just add another worry on top of a pile of them, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway. Either Urek had managed to get rid of the councilman or he had not. Either she was a murderer, or they would be marching on Baresh with several thousand fewer troops than they had planned, turning an already difficult battle into an impossible one.

  As if her thoughts had summoned him, the crime boss rode up beside her, clearly uneasy in the saddle and doing his best to keep his horse under control. “Queen Adina,” he said, not turning to look at her but staring ahead as the procession made its way through the crowded city streets. Thankfully, there was no chance of being overheard, for the people that lined either side were shouting and cheering as the group passed.

  “Urek,” she said, her mouth suddenly dry. “A wild day, isn’t it?”

  “Wild enough, Majesty,” the crime boss agreed. “But, then, I’m a criminal. We’re used to wild days. Nights too, so far as that goes.”

  Adina studied him then, feeling as if he were trying to tell her something, but she forced herself to calm down, to control her expression. “I imagine you’re correct,” she said. “Of course, we have all had wild nights lately.”

  The big man grunted, nodding. “Sure, sure. But I doubt there’s been too many to top last night, for me at least.”

  “Oh?” Adina asked, suddenly breathless. “I hope everything is alright, of course.”

  “Sure,” the crime boss said. “Had a problem or two come up, but they’ve been dealt with now, and I’d
say it’s safe to say they won’t be an issue anymore.”

  Murderer then, she thought, feeling at once relieved and ashamed. “That is good,” she said, fighting back the tears that threatened to come to her eyes. “I am glad to hear that you have…resolved our problem.”

  He turned to her then for the first time, studying her with an intelligence that belied his thick, blunted features. “Are you?”

  For a moment, Adina was at a loss of what to say. Are you? she thought. Are you glad? “I am…relieved,” she said, blinking away the tears that were beginning to gather despite her best efforts.

  The crime boss watched her for several seconds, then his features softened. “Not always easy, dealing with the sort of problems that come up, Majesty,” he said, “but, if you ask me, it’s better to deal with them just the same. After all, the solution might not always be a good one, but it’s usually a damn sight better than leavin’ the problem alone to fester. Just ask me about Beautiful’s fire powder sometime.” With that, he gave his reins a pull, and rode forward, bouncing awkwardly in his saddle.

  Adina watched him go and was still trying to compose herself, to get her ragged breathing under control, when a voice spoke from beside her. “Good morning, Majesty.”

  She turned to see General Yalleck, commander of Avarest’s army. The last person she would have chosen to talk to just then. Did he hear? she thought, and she took a slow, deep breath, forcing her panic down before answering. “General.”

  He must have seen something of her thoughts on her expression, for he leaned forward in his saddle, studying her. “Forgive me for asking, Majesty,” he said, glancing once at the departing crime boss before turning back to her, “but is everything alright?”

  “Of course,” Adina said, “it has just been an emotional day, General, that’s all. Forgive me.”

  “There is nothing to forgive, Majesty,” Yalleck said, watching her with a penetrating stare. He knows, she thought. Gods, he knows. The general glanced around them, frowning. “Tell me, Queen Adina, have you seen Councilman Arkrest this morning?”

  Adina forced a calm into her expression, into her voice, that she did not feel. “I’m afraid I haven’t,” she said, meeting the general’s gaze.

  The man nodded. “Curious, that. I had expected to hear from the councilman early this morning with some word of what he wished regarding the disposition of Avarest’s forces. When I did not, I sent a messenger to his house. Do you know, Majesty, what they found there?”

  Adina shook her head slowly. “I cannot imagine, General but, then, I have been busy attending to other matters.”

  “Of course,” the general said, “of course. Well, I will tell you. The messenger, upon arriving at the councilman’s residence, found that Arkrest and his staff—including the six men he had hired to protect him on his journey—were gone.”

  “Gone?” Adina asked.

  “That’s right,” Yalleck said. “Gone. And, what’s more, without a single word about where he was going or when he would return. Strange, don’t you think, considering we are marching to war today, and he had expressed, in no uncertain terms, his intention of returning to Avarest with its troops?”

  “Yes,” she said, keeping her features composed. “That is quite strange. But, then, General, we are marching to battle with the armies of several kingdoms who—until recently—have been at war. We march against a foe who—also until recently—was thought to be nothing more than a legend, a myth. A foe who, even now, is creating monsters out of nightmares that we will face in the coming battle. These, it seems, Commander Yalleck, are strange times.”

  The man nodded. “That is true enough. And without any further word from the Councilman to verify his wishes, I will continue, of course, on the path I had originally intended, marching Avarest’s armies with the rest to defeat this threat.”

  “And we thank you for that, General. The people of Telrear, I am certain, are grateful.”

  “Yes, Majesty,” the general said. “As am I, for I, too, wish to see this enemy defeated.” He met her eyes then, his own expression hard. “After all, when we are victorious, there will always be time to launch an investigation into the whereabouts of Councilman Arkrest and his retinue. I do not doubt that such an investigation will discover the truth of what happened and—should any party be behind the councilman’s abrupt disappearance—I’m sure that, in time, they will be found out, and will be held accountable for their crimes. For though his absence is fortuitous, still any crime against a representative of Avarest is tantamount to a crime against the city itself. A city I have sworn to protect.”

  Adina’s heart quickened in her chest, but she nodded. “Of course. It is your duty, after all. Still, perhaps there are simpler, less menacing reasons for the councilman’s absence, General. Not everything, after all, is a conspiracy.”

  “True, Majesty. Either way, once this battle is won, we will discover the truth of it. I will be sure to let you know the results of the investigation.”

  “If the battle is won, General,” Adina said, meeting the man’s eyes, “then I look forward to hearing the results of such an investigation. Until then, I think we both have greater concerns than if Councilman Arkrest has decided—perhaps not all that surprisingly—to leave a city marching to war.”

  “Quite,” Yalleck said. “As you say, we have more pressing concerns, Majesty. We will talk again—once this is finished.”

  “I look forward to it.” Adina watched the general ride toward the front of the column, and looked down at her hands where they held her reins in a white-knuckled grip. When she wiped at the sweat beading on her forehead despite the cool air, she did so with a trembling hand.

  CHAPTER

  TWELVE

  Caleb woke to someone grabbing his shoulder. He jerked upright and, for a moment, had no idea where he was until he realized that he had fallen asleep sitting at the small desk in his room. He looked up to see an Akalian regarding him silently, his expression hidden by the black cloth he wore. “What is it?” Caleb asked, swallowing and rubbing at his weary eyes. “What’s happened?”

  The Akalian didn’t answer, but then, he didn’t need to, for a moment later Caleb noted the bared steel in one hand, the blade slick with blood. He noticed, too, that the Akalian’s free arm hung loosely, a bloody slash across it, his sleeve stained crimson. “Oh gods, they’re here, aren’t they?” he said. “I had thought…but…we need more time. Tianya isn’t ready to travel yet it…we need more time.”

  The Akalian only watched him, but his eyes held a cold truth, the answer to Caleb’s desperate pleas. Perhaps they did need more time, but they did not have it, and whatever shape she was in, it would be better for Tianya to risk death traveling with her wounds than to stay and let the matter be certain. “O-okay,” he said, glancing at the papers on his desk, “but I need to get my papers, my—”

  The Akalian grabbed his arm, shaking his head. Only a single, simple gesture, but it was enough to tell Caleb just how much trouble they were in. So instead of trying to sort through the pages and notes, he only grabbed as much as he could, hugging them against his chest. “At least we can see to your arm,” he said, “surely, there is time enough for stitches or—” He cut off as the Akalian shook his head once more. “O-okay,” he said.

  The Akalian moved toward the door, and if his wound pained him, he gave no sign. He eased the door open slowly, looking down one end of the hall, then the other, and Caleb heard the sounds of fighting from inside the barracks, the unmistakable sound of steel striking steel. The Akalian beckoned him, and then they were in the hallway and running, Caleb’s heart hammering in his chest as he followed after the swiftly darting figure.

  As they traveled the hallways, Caleb quickly realized the Akalian was leading him to Tianya’s room. There was no sign of Kevlane’s creatures here, no blood or battle being fought, but as they ran the sounds of fighting grew louder, seeming to come from all around them, and his bond with the Virtue of Intelligence separa
ted those sounds, analyzed them, until he was sure that there were at least six separate skirmishes going on in the barracks.

  He felt exposed, vulnerable, in the open, and when they finally came to Tianya’s room, he breathed a sigh of relief as he followed the Akalian inside. He had thought they would find the woman sleeping, for she had done little else since Aaron had rescued her from her madness. But she was awake and clutching a blade in her hand, staring at the doorway with a grim expression on her face.

  “I-it’s me,” Caleb stammered. “B-but the creatures, they’re here.”

  Tianya sank down onto the bed, as if it had taken all of what little reserves of strength she had left to stand and be ready to fight. “I know. I heard them nearly fifteen minutes ago.” She sighed. “It took me that long to get up out of bed. You had best go, boy. Run as fast as you can—I’m sure this one here will do what he can to keep you safe.”

  “W-what about you?” Caleb asked.

  She smiled a slow, sad smile. “I owe the world a death, I think. It is only by luck and chance I have survived this long. Now, do not worry about me—go and live. If you can.”

  He studied her for several seconds, his thoughts racing. Then, finally, he shook his head. “No. I won’t leave without you.”

  “Please,” she said, her voice desperate and wretched, “don’t do this. I cannot be responsible for any more deaths. I can’t…” She shook her head. “Just…please. Go.”