“You’re wrong! You’re just twisting things to suit what you want to see.” Micca’s wings flared out behind him.
Torren still said nothing, waiting to see what Valerian would do next.
The councilor signaled for the guards. “You are disrupting these proceedings. You will be removed.”
“You must listen to me,” Micca turned to appeal to the council. “You must listen to Torren! The truth is being hidden from you.”
A guard reached for Micca’s arm, but the Flyer ducked past him stretching his tether as far as it would go. “We are innocent!”
Torren tripped a second guard as he reached for Micca from behind.
More guards hurried to the floor.
“Gag them.”
“Stop this! Please, stop this.” Zelene rose from her seat, looking ready to throw herself between the guards and her son.
“Valerian!” Mallean hurried across the floor as enough guards arrived to be able to force Micca and Torren to sit then place the gags as ordered. “We must listen. If our hearts are pure, even if they are tainted, they cannot touch us. As a council, we cannot make a decision until all sides are heard. Such is the wisdom El handed down to us.”
Though shorter than the council’s leader, her conviction made her seem taller. Valerian’s left eye suddenly twitched.
“I stand with Mallean,” Mides called out from his place in the third row. “Lar’s son should be allowed to speak.”
More and more of the councilors rose with the same demand, though there were those with dissenting voices. Icos’s staff struck blow after blow on the floor, beating in time with the demand to allow Torren to speak.
“You were allowed this post by the consent of the rest of us, Tel Valerian.” Torren could barely hear Mallean’s words over the noise of the crowd. “And you will not be allowed to abuse it. We will hear the truth.”
Valerian’s wings drooped, his eye twitching once more. His gaze dark, he turned to the council, his hands raised for silence. “They will be allowed to speak.”
Zelene rushed to her son and removed the gag from his mouth, batting one of the guards aside with her wings. Torren flexed his mouth, licking dry lips, then looked at his mother.
“I’m sorry about all this.”
She shook her head, tears rising to her eyes. “It’s not your fault. This is cruel, after all you’ve already suffered.”
He stood, grateful for her support; and Zelene stayed at his side holding his arm. Mallean moved to stand with him as well, after making sure the gag was removed from Micca’s mouth.
Staring once about the room at the sea of hateful, hopeful, disillusioned faces, Torren spoke.
“Micca and I are both innocent. I didn’t kill Elon and neither did he. But the one guilty for this crime does stand amongst you.”
“See? It already begins.” Valerian pointed an accusing finger in his direction. “He proclaims his innocence without proof and then with clever words attempts to throw us off by implicating the impossible.”
“If it was such an impossibility, then it will avail him nothing,” Mallean retorted. “Let him continue.”
Not as many voices seconded her as before.
“It wasn’t my intention to come here,” Torren continued. “Once I delivered Aen to Dom Rux, I thought my duty done.” He felt his mother stiffen at his side, but he didn’t dare look at her. “However, when Aen was stricken, Micca found me and persuaded me. He did this because some of you had come to suspect the Vassal’s illness might have been induced.”
“Induced? What do you mean?” There was a half-pinched look on Symeas’s face.
“What I mean is someone purposely poisoned the Vassal.”
The room erupted with raised voices, some angry, others totally perplexed. He waited for the torrent to die down as he felt Valerian’s gaze burning into him.
“What you are implying is total lunacy,” Valerian said. “Just more vain attempts to confuse us so we will forget your guilt.”
“That’s not true,” Micca interjected. “And there are those of us who do believe this.” His young gaze strafed the room. “A number of us have suspected for years Aen’s kidnapping and the death of the previous Vassal were related. Once Aen was returned and she fell ill, we were sure of it. And through Torren’s help and others, we’ve been able to identify some of those involved and what is needed to cure Aen and wake her from her sleep.”
The room exploded with questions.
“Yet more proof of why they shouldn’t have been allowed to speak.” Valerian’s deep voice boomed across the room, his hands raised for silence. “Such blatant fabrications.”
“Are they fabrications, Valerian? Can you be so sure? And will you have me silenced as well because I believe in them?”
Stunned silence trickled across the room at Mallean’s calm words.
“I do believe our last Vassal was murdered. No one disputes the fact Aen was kidnapped. And her sleep is anything but natural.”
“But…but how could Landers do all those things?” Confused looks flooded the audience.
“How? Look before you.” A half-hysterical voice rang out from the back. “One is standing right there. And what he’s done wasn’t enough. Now he’s killed another.”
Rather than get angry at the accusation, Mallean laughed. There was an edge of sorrow in the sound. “We would like it to be so simple, would we not? Better to blame the Landers, or even one of us who looks similar to them, than to see the uglier truth—that a Chosen killed the Vassal, that a Chosen stole Aen from the rest of us. That a Chosen has poisoned her now that she’s returned.”
A roar rolled through the room, filled with protests, denials, threats and more. The guards gathered close around Micca and Torren, but this time it was to protect them.
“Silence. Silence!” Valerian tried to quiet down the crowd.
Shock, distrust and fear were in most of the faces as the councilors slowly restrained themselves.
“This session was not convened for such matters,” Valerian declared. “We are here to determine whether these men are responsible for the death of Elon. We must strive to remain on course. These fantastical allegations can be looked at another time.” He paced before them. “And to move this meeting toward its inevitable conclusion, I wish to now show you the one piece of evidence that, more than any other, proves the guilt of those before us.”
From inside his cloak, Valerian removed a dagger and held it high for all to see.
“This is the weapon responsible for the death of Elon. This is the instrument used to destroy a life sacred to El. As you can see, it is a Lander’s weapon.”
Torren frowned. He’d been outmaneuvered yet again. The dagger was his. It was the one he had left in his pack.
“Will you deny this is yours?” Valerian’s eyes shone with glee.
He stood up straight, not letting any of his trepidation show on his face. “It is. But I did not murder Elon. The dagger was stored in Aen’s house.”
“Lies, all lies!” screamed someone from the benches.
“He does not lie!” Micca looked worriedly from the knife to those viewing it. “Torren hasn’t been here. He’s been helping to find a cure for Aen.”
“Yes, he hasn’t been here. Escaped after his deed, helped by his accomplice” was Valerian’s cold reply. “As I have seen the body myself, I can well testify it’d been rotting for at least two days. I will never forget the smell of it.”
Suddenly, a boom reverberated through the council room from the chamber’s doors.
“What? Who would dare…?”
The guards’ commander and two others rushed up the aisle to the doors at Valerian’s signal. The heavy booming reverberated once again before the bar could be lowered and the door cracked open.
“Move aside and let us pass!”
Torren glanced toward the doors, startled as he recognized Rux’s voice. He’d forgotten all about the ambassador and the twins.
“Uncle.�
�� Micca’s face filled with unexpected hope.
The doors were swung wide as a gasp echoed down to them. Everyone rose to their feet to try and see what had caused it, cutting off any chance of a view for those on the central floor. More sounds of surprise wove through the crowd as those close to the doors parted to form an avenue to the center of the room.
Rux came into view, his wings spread wide to open the way. His eyes gleamed with triumph, but his expression was somber. He nodded toward Mallean, a half-smile flashing momentarily on his face. He then made his way straight to where Micca and Torren were tethered.
Torren was able to glimpse the twins, both carrying a bundled figure on their linked arms. His breath caught as he realized who it must to be. “Larana…”
“Aen!” Micca’s face broke into a grand smile.
At the sound of his voice, the figure moved, a small, callused hand sneaking out pull back the cloth surrounding her head. Larana’s face was very pale, but her eyes shone brightly.
Torren’s gaze met hers, her hair clip hot against his skin. She smiled warmly, tears rising in her eyes. He shocked himself by doing much the same.
“It’s the Vassal! Aen’s been returned to us.”
Now that her face could be seen, the councilors crowded forward, some with amazement on their faces, others openly weeping.
“How?” Valerian stared, an incredulous look on his face.
“El has finally answered our prayers.” This pronouncement was repeated throughout the room.
A bench was cleared, and the twins set Larana on it. They stood beside her protectively. Tyleen brought up the rear and settled behind her.
“Yes, El answered our prayers by sending Torren to us.” Rux stated this loudly for all to hear. “He is the one who figured out what was wrong with her. He is the one who sent the medicine that cured her.”
Questions erupted in a deluge. Torren didn’t hear them; all he could do was stare at Larana. She was awake. She wouldn’t sleep forever because of him.
Zelene, tears running down her face in happiness, undid Torren’s and Micca’s bonds.
“This is a trick!” Valerian’s voice boomed above all the cries of joy and disbelief. “This man is the one who poisoned Aen, the one who killed Elon and who has now miraculously come up with an antidote to further attempt to place us in his debt. He must not be allowed to further contaminate our way of life.”
For the first time, most of the comments were in opposition to his sentiments. Valerian didn’t seem to notice this, turning from them to glare at Torren.
“You will not destroy us.”
“Destroy you? I’m not the one trying to do that,” he said quietly. “You’re the one leading the Chosen on a path of self destruction.”
Valerian’s face flushed. “You’re a fool. You of them all should be the one to understand, but you’ve been blinded even more than the rest.”
Torren shook his head. “No, I’m the one who sees. For now I know it was you. You are the one behind all of this.”
The voices around them dropped to silence at this declaration.
Valerian laughed without humor. “More Lander tricks, I see.”
“No. Just facts.” Torren made sure to place himself between the councilor and Larana. “I was but a child when the previous Vassal died, but you were already grown. Records show you have spent time on the surface—a lot of time over the years—making contracts with Landers, learning their ways. This gave you plenty of opportunity to hire those who would take Aen. And once you stole her, to have them give her into the care of a Lander couple. That is, until you were ready to have these same men, years later, bring her back to you, probably with proof the original crime was committed by Landers.
“For only then would your plot come to true fruition—to turn the Chosen totally against them.
“So, when things went wrong and Aen came back on her own, you took steps to get rid of her without killing her so a new Vassal wouldn’t be born. In this way, you could return to your original plan without interference.”
“What lies,” Valerian thundered. “Vain attempts to turn the guilt from yourself and escape the penalty for Elon’s death.”
Torren slowly shook his head. “But you forget, councilor, I didn’t kill Elon. You did.”
“And why, by all that is El, would I do such a thing?” Valerian’s composed smile was feral.
“Probably because he knew too much. I would wager from your comments he was your liaison to the Black Lords. He might have very well been the one to bring you the poison, not knowing what it was. You lied to him about me, as you did about many other things.
“But you never expected him to take matters into his own hands. You didn’t anticipate he would confront me about my true origins. He was actually shocked when he discovered your allegations about me weren’t true. He questioned you about it later. He wanted to know your motives. He wondered what else you’d seen fit to lie to him about.
“So, since he would no longer conform to your will and could expose you, you killed him.”
“Preposterous.” Valerian could barely spit the word out, his face livid.
“There’s one way to find out what is true.” Larana’s voice brought them up short. “If I touch each of you, I can tell beyond a doubt if one of you did the deed or not.”
“That’s right,” Icos proclaimed. “Touched as she is by El, she would sense the truth. It is how it has always been done.”
“Yes,” Mallean concurred, “since Aen is back among us, we should take care of this as we did before she was taken.”
Torren frowned at the idea, though he held no doubts as to his innocence. He knew Larana possessed strange abilities, but he didn’t believe they stemmed from a god. Had he ever heard of the Vassal holding such powers? He couldn’t remember.
“Yes, yes, let Aen decide.” More and more of the councilors voted their assent with relief. Others seemed more eager for it as proof El was truly back amongst them.
Larana motioned for Torren to come near. He noticed her eyes were as blue and innocent as ever, yet at the same time appeared filled with something more. Not daring to hesitate, he knelt down before her.
A brief smile touched her lips as she gazed at him, and then she placed her hand over his.
He felt the strange sensations that had accompanied the other instances of her touch. He could feel her weakened condition but also the strength inside her, the joy she felt at seeing him again and something else he couldn’t quite place.
Staring into his eyes, Aen spoke. “Torren, son of Lar, did you kill Elon?”
“No.”
“Have you been responsible for any of the calamities which have befallen the Chosen?”
“No.”
Larana’s smile was bright. “He speaks the truth.”
“Yes!” Zelene wept in rapturous joy, her son vindicated.
Larana released his hand, and he stepped to the side. Micca squeezed his arm, grinning. Rux looked pleased.
Larana turned to Valerian, his wings wrapped tightly about him. “Now it is your turn to be judged.”
He didn’t move. He stared at her, complex emotions sweeping across his face. The guards who’d so callously brought Torren and Micca before the council stepped forward, trying to encircle him where he stood.
“Come,” she said. “Let El see into your heart.”
A choking sound issued from the councilor’s throat. A moment later, his wings swept back as he lunged forward, the dagger he’d used to incriminate Torren in Elon’s murder in his hand.
“This is all your fault!”
Torren stepped into the councilor’s path and was able to catch his arm before it reached her. His angle was bad, and he couldn’t immediately get the upper hand. Struggling, the two went down. Screams filled the air.
His wings flapping madly, Valerian pressed against Torren’s strength, trying to bring the dagger down on his throat. Grimacing, the hard stone floor against his back, he struggled
to hold Valerian’s arm back as the blade came within less than a hand-span from his flesh.
Finally seeing an opening, he brought his knee up, driving it into Valerian’s side and throwing the councilor off-balance. This was all he needed. Shifting his grip, he twisted Valerian’s hand until with a yelp he was forced to release the knife. Torren then threw him to the ground.
Valerian was yanked off the floor by the guards before he could recover.
“My son, are you all right?” Zelene helped Torren sit up, looking frightened. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine.” He got to his feet, keeping his eyes locked on Valerian, just in case. “Are you?”
She nodded and leaned against him, wrapping her arms about him. “You saved her. You saved her.”
He held his mother, glancing at Larana then once more at the councilor. Valerian’s hate-filled eyes met his.
“Bring him to me.” The command in Larana’s voice was unmistakable. Torren stared at her in astonishment, wondering where it’d come from.
Held by four others, Valerian was brought forward despite his vain struggle to get away. Pulling on his arms while pushing on his shoulders, they forced the councilor to kneel before her. Defiance and fear flared in Valerian’s eyes as Larana gazed at him.
Gently, reverently, she took his face in her hands, locking her gaze to his.
“No!” Valerian jerked, trying to rise, to escape; but the four Flyers held him still. Torren moved closer.
Valerian quieted as everyone waited breathlessly for what Aen would say or do. Torren felt the first stirrings of concern as Larana sat incredibly still, staring into Valerian’s eyes for what seemed an interminable amount of time.
They were all surprised when tears formed in her eyes and rushed down her cheeks as Valerian suddenly howled in tormented misery. Larana dropped her hands from his face, her eyes not leaving his own.
“You should have told.” She sat back, seeming to sink into her wrappings. “You should have told.”
Vassal of El Page 29