Betrayer's Bane

by Michael G. Manning

  Her confusion was immediately felt, I don’t know what is required.

  You must calm his heart. Tyrion must be anchored. He must understand our commitment to him, to his people, said one of the elders.

  He does not trust the Grove, said Lyralliantha in dismay.

  The first elder spoke once more, Give him a child. He will understand the meaning of it now.

  Lyralliantha was shocked, But it would have our gift. I understood that that was to be avoided at all cost.

  Until now, explained the elder. It was always part of the plan.

  I wasn’t told… she began to protest.

  We share only what instructions are required, and only when they are required. More would jeopardize the future, the elder informed her.

  Lyralliantha felt the beginnings of anger, which surprised her, A child will not win his trust, he has many children, nor would I use such a thing against him. He is my kianthi, I love…

  The first elder interrupted again, Love is all that is needed, all that will save us.

  ***

  Night had already fallen when Tyrion and Brigid returned. Ryan had completed the wall around the tiny community of Albamarl, but there was still no gate yet, nor anyone to man it, so they simply walked in.

  A few of the recently liberated wardens from Ellentrea spotted them as they walked toward the main house, but none approached them. It was not their place. Even so, most of Tyrion’s children and Kate had already gathered by the door to the house when they entered. One of them had obviously noticed his return and alerted the others.

  “Father,” said Abby, speaking first. “We have been worried.”

  Kate stood near her, but her aura was awash in much stronger emotions. Tyrion guessed that she didn’t trust herself to speak yet, at least not in front of the others. Lyralliantha was there as well, calm as always, but he sensed a hint of expectation from her, as though she anticipated something from his arrival.

  Ryan spoke next, “You don’t look well. Did you have a hard journey?”

  Tyrion fought to contain himself, “Everyone out, now. I will speak to you in the morning.”

  His children knew better than to argue, and they began filing out quickly, but Kate, Lyralliantha, and Layla waited. Layla had little Eldin against her breast, and as usual she failed to read his mood accurately.

  “Your son has grown fat. Look at him, Tyrion!” Layla announced with pride.

  Tyrion stared at her, and his eyes were drawn to the babe. Poor thing, born to suffer, and for nothing. Averting his eyes he warned her, “I said ‘everyone’. That includes you, Layla.”

  The warden flinched slightly at his words but she gathered herself and went to her room.

  Kate was already glaring, “That was incredibly rude…”

  “We need to talk,” he interrupted without meeting her gaze. He kept his eyes lowered, but there was an animalistic urgency in his expression. “Wait in our room.”

  Lyralliantha gave a sly smile, “Perhaps I should come too?”

  “Get out,” he told her, but his voice wavered. Staring at Lyralliantha, he felt a surge of lust, but his anger was stronger. “I don’t want to see…,” he couldn’t finish the sentence. I don’t want to see you again. “We will talk tomorrow.”

  The She’Har frowned, but she didn’t argue. As she left he realized Brigid was still standing beside him.

  Tyrion growled softly. I’ve made it this far, only a little farther. “Brigid, go. I need to be alone.” Sweat was standing out on his brow. Without waiting for her response he headed for the bedroom.

  Kate was already waiting, “What is wrong with you?!”

  He closed the door behind him. His face felt hot, much like the rest of his body. Moving forward he began pushing her back, toward the bed.

  “You said we needed to talk,” she reminded him with a barely subdued undercurrent of anger in her tone.

  He nodded, “After, this can’t wait.”

  She frowned at his touch, “Your skin is hot. Are you feverish?” Then she felt him pressing against her. “What? You can’t think I’m in the mood. We need to have a serious talk before you can even consider that!”

  “It burns.”

  “Too fucking bad. At the moment I don’t have the faintest interest in your whims. You should find Lyra, she seemed to be happy to see you,” she responded sarcastically.

  For a moment he drew back, as though he would turn for the door, but then he stopped, “No, it can’t be her.” He shoved Kate onto the bed.

  The look on his face frightened her. “Daniel, what’s going on?”

  He was desperately pulling at his trousers already, “I’ll tell you everything, but I can’t wait any longer.”

  “Talk first,” she said adamantly, “otherwise you can go satisfy yourself with Layla, she’s always been a good servant.”

  “Won’t work,” he muttered. “She’s a dead end, just like her son. It has to be you, or—or—Lyra.” His voice had grown huskier.

  “Then go to her,” said Kate with growing irritation. “Seriously, Daniel, I am not in the mood, and your behavior isn’t helping that one whit.”

  “No! That’s what they want. No. Help me, Kate. It has to be you.”

  “Talk to me,” she said, studying his features. There was a strangeness about him, a desperation she found completely unfamiliar.

  “I stole the loshti,” he said rapidly, his hands already tugging at her dress. Lacking her cooperation, the garment was proving to be a frustrating impediment. One of the seams tore as he tugged at it. Rather than stop, he ripped it the rest of the way.

  Kate’s eyes were wide, “The loshti? That thing that Lyra was supposed to have last year?”

  “Yes,” he said hoarsely. “I ate it…” The dress was ruined but Kate stubbornly resisted him still, as the fabric came away she twisted, rolling away from him across the bed.

  “And what? It gave you a raging erection?!”

  He scrambled toward her, “In a word, yes.” His hand missed her wrist as she jumped up from the bed, but a hastily created shield prevented her from retreating farther. “It wants out.”

  “It? You really aren’t instilling confidence with this, I hope you realize that,” she told him.

  “It doesn’t like the risk of being lost. The first drive it instills is the urge to procreate. It wants to pass itself on to my next child,” he explained. “Hold still!” Lunging at her he caught her at last.

  Changing tactics, she pushed forward unexpectedly, causing him to lose his balance as his feet caught on the edge of the bed behind him. Falling backward he landed on the mattress and Kate sat on his chest. “Alright, fine, but give me a minute, otherwise this will hurt.”

  He nodded, “Whatever, just hurry.”

  Kate sighed, “You are such a romantic. What woman could resist you?” She began crawling over him. “Kiss me.”

  “I can’t reach your face,” he replied, her knees had him pinned to the bed.

  “Not here, stupid—there.”

  “Oh!”

  An unusually short time later, it was over. Tyrion collapsed and Kate propped herself up on one elbow, watching him. “That was it?”

  He nodded.

  “Huh. Well that was underwhelming,” she declared. “The way you were acting when you came in here had me seriously worried.”

  “Blame the She’Har,” he told her. “Trees make terrible lovers.”

  “I wouldn’t say ‘tree’,” retorted Kate. “More like a ‘twig’.”

  Tyrion was embarrassed, but he still managed to glower at her, “I haven’t changed physically.”

  “I was referring to the duration of the event,” said Kate dryly.

  He frowned, but he couldn’t argue the point, his ardor had been exceptionally brief for once. Leaning back, he decided to rest his eyes. Now that the loshti was no longer driving him his fatigue from the journey was catching up to him.

  Kate shook his arm, “Hey! Talking, remember?” />
  “I shouldn’t have told you. Now you’re at risk too. No one must know what I’ve done,” he cautioned without opening his eyes.

  “Who else knows then?” she asked.

  He made a short list, “Emma, Ryan, Brigid, and now you.” He stopped for a second, his mind drifting, but another thought bubbled, up, “Oh and probably Lyra and almost certainly the entire Illeniel Grove.”

  She shook him again, “That’s hardly a short list.”

  “It was a trap—I think. They knew I would do it, but I’m not sure what they think I will do, they cut that part out of it.”

  “But at the very least, if they know, then they can’t blame you, right?”

  Tyrion pulled on her arm, drawing her in and holding her tightly against his chest. “Maybe,” he mumbled, “but the other groves don’t know. If any of them find out, there’s a chance they’ll try to do something about it. They don’t fully trust the Illeniels.” He buried his head in her hair, letting it block the light from the lantern across the room.

  “Are you falling asleep?” Kate tried to move, but he held her fast. A moment later she heard the beginning of a snore. He had pinned her so she couldn’t shake him awake again, at least not easily.

  With a sigh she snuggled closer to him for a while, but eventually the heat of his body made her sweat, so she carefully extricated herself. Rolling over, she stared at his sleeping face. Daniel was beautiful, even more so when he was unconscious.

  When he was awake it was a different matter, the anger that festered in his soul often darkened his features. But over the past year she had seen glimmers of hope, especially when he was with Inara and Eldin. Daniel had never been a father before, not really, and she thought the experience was changing him for the better.

  And then he does something like this. She had no idea what the consequences would be, but she doubted they would be good. Reaching over, she brushed the hair away from his face so she could see it more clearly, “Damn you. You finally tell me what you’re hiding and then you pass out and leave me alone to worry. How am I supposed to sleep now?”

  ***

  Morning arrived early, as was its wont, but Tyrion slept late, which was unusual. His dreams were strange and jumbled, as they had been every night since he had awakened from taking the loshti. Kate still slumbered beside him. That was unusual too, but he guessed that she had been missing a lot of rest while he was gone.

  Inara had a regular schedule, and normally that meant that Kate had a very fragmented schedule since the two never really coincided. She probably hadn’t been allowed to oversleep in a long time, but when he had turned everyone away and taken Kate to bed, that had put Inara in Layla’s care.

  Since Layla was also nursing that meant she was ideally suited for the task. In fact, the two women had frequently spelled one another when one needed a break, even before he had left on his journey. He started to check, but the enchantment guarding the privacy of his bedroom blocked his magesight.

  He gave up with a sigh and returned his attention to Kate’s sleeping face. If I continue on the path I’m on now she will pay the price, he thought somberly. Inara and Eldin also came to the fore of his mind, and so will they. He had never had so much to lose before.

  And they know it.

  He was surrounded by an entire village of hostages, his children, Kate, and even Layla, though he was reluctant to admit it. And the reason for it was understandable—the She’Har were doomed unless he could somehow save them, although he had not the faintest clue how he was supposed to do that. For all he knew it wasn’t even something he would do, it might be his children that they needed. Lyra was certainly glad to see me.

  His jaw clenched tightly at that thought. Had she been using him all along? Did she truly love him, or was she just another part of their plan? Did it matter? The She’Har had destroyed humanity. They had shown no compunction in doing whatever was necessary to assure their own survival. Even the morally superior Illeniels had been complicit in his own torture and slavery—all to further their mysterious plan.

  They will pay for it, for all of it, no matter the cost.

  Kate snorted, beginning a soft snore, and for some reason that brought Inara’s soft face and chubby cheeks to his thoughts once more. Am I willing to sacrifice my own flesh and blood for vengeance?

  Once again he remembered humanity’s last days; men, women, and children, all dying as the krytek parasites devoured them from the inside out. It felt as though his head was going to explode. Taking a deep breath Tyrion tried to relax, the slow beat of the earth beneath him helped to soothe his own tortured heart—and then he understood.

  Sitting up, he stared at Kate, “I can protect you. I can protect Inara, and all the others.” He smiled, feeling a rush of energy, “And I can kill every last fucking one of them!”

  His sudden excitement made him fully aware of the urgent state of his bladder, so he found the chamber pot and used it, still grinning like a mad fool. His newfound enthusiasm made it difficult to focus on his aim, and he began to chuckle as he missed the pot for a second.

  Kate’s eyes were on him, “If anyone saw you giggling and pissing on the floor they’d never take you seriously again.”

  Tyrion was startled, but he hid his surprise and after he had finished relieving himself he waved his happy instrument at her, “Luckily, they won’t.”

  She took an exasperated breath, closing her eyes and hiding a smirk, when she opened them again she noted, “You seem to be in high spirits this morning.”

  He nodded, “Yes, I am. I was doing some thinking when I woke up and ‘Twig’ and I had a wonderful idea.”

  “Twig?”

  He glanced down, “Isn’t that the name you gave him last night?”

  She put her hand over her face, “Really? I wouldn’t think you’d want to keep that as a nickname.” Standing up, she crossed the room, “If you’re done, I need the pot.” Glancing at the damp spots on the floor she added, “And you’re cleaning that up, by the way.”

  When she had finished he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He patted it while giving her a meaningful glance.

  “What?” she asked suspiciously.

  Since she wasn’t coming closer he went to her, and then to her surprise he dropped onto his knees, putting his arms around her hips and resting his head against her stomach, “I’m sorry.” When he looked up she was staring at him with an expression of great concern.

  “Daniel, I don’t…”

  He held up a hand, “Let me finish.” Standing, he drew her to the bed and sat beside her. “I know you’ve been worried, and you have every right to be. I’ve kept things from you. When you came to live here, I told you that you were joining my tragedy, that I had no hope for the future, that I had merely sunk to the level that I was willing to risk your life along with my own. But things have changed since then…”

  Her green eyes had begun to water, “Inara…”

  Tyrion nodded, “Exactly, and Eldin, and so many other things too, but mainly you. You and our little girl have shown me a new life, a new life that I mean to preserve.”

  Kate was rubbing at her cheeks, “Are you saying what I think you are? Don’t tease me, Daniel. I couldn’t bear it if you weren’t serious.”

  Leaning over, he kissed her forehead, “I’m saying that I am going to make sure that nothing happens to you, or Inara, or any of the others. I’m going to make you safe.”

  She caught his chin in her hands, “You’re giving up on revenge, right?”

  He smiled, “They need us, and I think they want peace, but I’m going to make sure that no matter what happens, you and the others will be safe.”

  “And you’re giving up on punishing them?” she insisted.

  “It was never about punishment, Cat,” he assured her, It was about a reckoning. “I’m not going to assume they will hold to their end of the treaty, but I will work to reassure them. I will also make certain that if they renege on it, that you and the children wi
ll be safe.”

  Kate frowned, “You still don’t trust them.”

  “I only trust you,” he told her, “but I will work to make them trust me, and I’ll build a better world for you and our children.”

  She could feel a half-truth behind his words, “You aren’t being completely honest, Daniel. What are you hiding this time?”

  He kissed her, “The details. I need you to trust me.”

  Kate growled.

  “I’m going to build a secret stronghold, several actually. Places that I know can keep you and the others safe, even if they break the treaty,” he explained, hoping it would be enough.

  “But that isn’t everything,” she stressed.

  Tyrion sighed, “No, and I won’t tell you everything.”

  She tensed, “Why?”

  Stay relaxed, keep your eyes on hers. “You’ll be safer not knowing everything. Some things you might not agree with completely, but I won’t be swayed. My primary goal is to keep you and the others safe, but I’ve learned a lot from the loshti, and some of my plans will be deterrents rather than true defenses,” he said, as calmly as possible. A lie wrapped in truth.

  Kate watched him carefully, and she felt her chest growing tighter as he spoke. How did he get so far away? With every soft word Daniel spoke she could feel an empty hollowness. He had gotten much better at lying, even to her. She could no longer tell where the line was, between what was true, what was untrue, and what he had merely convinced himself of. Inside it all, he’s lost. He loves, he hates, and even he does not know what he will really do.

  Daniel’s arms were around her. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” he asked.

  “I miss you, Daniel,” she said softly, “and I don’t know if I’ll ever find you again.”

  “Huh?”

  She looked up into icy blue eyes. Once she had believed in him. Once she had known him, better than he had known himself. She had watched him grow up, she had seen his kindness as a child, as a boy, and even as a man. She had always known what he really meant, no matter what he said. Truth or lies he had been an open book. Now he was a stranger, a stranger wearing her lover’s face. “You’re mad,” she said at last.

  Tyrion grinned, “Is that a problem? I thought you were a lunatic for a while.”