The captive fidgeted nervously in his chair. Ky’ara felt sorry for him as Calistra fixed him with a pointed look. “What’s your name?”
“Jace,” the man answered, looking confused.
“Well Jace, I know we already took a statement from you, but it has come to our attention that you may not have told us the whole truth. So I’m going to say this once and once only: She will be asking you some questions. If you attempt to mislead us in any way, you will be assigned double shifts for the next month and spend all time between shifts confined in the disciplinary area, do you understand?”
Jace nodded hesitantly, running his hand nervously over the back of his head once more. Calistra looked at Ky’ara and motioned toward the prisoner. “Well? Ask the man something.”
Ky’ara stood across from the man, considering how to approach this. He didn’t seem frightened of discovery, just confused as to why he was there. Maybe some cursory knowledge would give her some direction.
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“No kids?”
“No.”
“How did you come to join the King’s army?”
“I answered that last time.” Jace looked at Calistra, as though to ask for her verification.
“Give us more detail this time,” Calistra replied sternly.
“Any more detailed and it becomes a bit of a long story…”
Ky’ara exchanged a look with Calistra. “Tell us then.”
Jace sighed. “My brother disappeared on the day of the Council assassinations. I tried running the farm without him, but after a few months it became clear that I just couldn’t do it. So when the King called for new recruits, I saw a chance to earn some coin.”
“Weren’t there any safer jobs to take?” Ky’ara asked skeptically. “Washing streets might not pay much, but it’s plenty to support a single man on his own, and it doesn’t involve uprooting yourself and leaving everything familiar to come harass villagers and potentially risk your life in battle.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “I tried somethin’ like that when I first realized the farm wasn’t workin’ by meself. It might be enough for one man, but not enough for a man, woman, and infant—soldiering was the fastest way to earn some money.”
“I thought you said you weren’t married?” Calistra interjected.
“Not my wife—my brother’s. El had a baby ‘bout seven months after Luc disappeared.”
“You’re taking care of them.” Ky’ara realized, she cocked her head to one side, considering the man who sat before her. He clearly had a streak of decency in him, to risk his life for his brother’s widow and child. “How did your brother disappear?”
Jace shrugged. “Coulda been mugged in the city, or accidentally insulted some nobleman’s wife and got himself imprisoned. Most likely he’s in some crazyhouse somewhere for trying to insist magic was involved in the assassinations...I told the fool not ta go running to the inspectors about them shadows, but he never did listen to me. Wish we’d known about the baby then—maybe I coulda gotten him to stay home…”
Ky’ara sat down heavily, glad there was a chair nearby. Joran and Calistra looked at her in alarm. Calistra started to ask something, then stopped as the answer clicked into place. “The day of the assassinations...you must’ve spent considerable time with the inspectors. You haven’t seen Jace before. You recognize him because you met his brother.”
Ky’ara nodded. Jace looked confused, then hopeful.
“You...you met Luc? What happened to him? Is there a chance he might be alive?”
“I don’t know,” Ky’ara answered honestly, “I barely interacted with him...I just remember he waited for a long time while they took down my story, and then when I was leaving he tried to approach me about something he’d seen, but the guard said it was his turn to go in. If he didn’t come home, it’s likely he knew something they didn’t want getting out. I’m sorry.”
Jace slumped in his seat, sighing gently. The sound was like the rush of stale air escaping an empty room after being confined for too long.
Calistra leaned forward ever so slightly. “I’m sorry about your brother, but I think you being here isn’t just a coincidence. What did he see that he thought was connected to the assassinations?”
Jace shrugged. “Nothing really...he kept complaining about a shadow flickering at the edge of his vision. He was always seeing things though...I thought he was just a little jumpy.”
Ky’ara gave him a searching look. “Do you remember anything else he said? Where were you when he saw it? What time of day was it? Why did he think it was somehow connected to the deaths?”
Jace looked a little overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of questions. “‘Twas about noon I think. We were just out in a field west of the city. You really think he saw something? He said it was just shadows, he just had a feeling about them being important—But why would the King care about a peasant saying he saw shadows the day of the assassinations?”
“We can’t say for sure,” Calistra said carefully, “We don’t know much about why the Council was killed.”
“You mean it wasn’t you all?” Jace seemed startled.
“Of course not!” Calistra looked hurt by the assumption, though Ky’ara thought it was a logical one. The general public didn’t know Elrackon had been involved in the assassinations, and even if they did, they had no way of knowing the rebels weren’t using the creatures for their own purposes.
She noticed that Calistra left off mentioning A’kiina, or the fact that they didn’t know much of anything about what had gone on in the Capital since the bodyguard’s death. Of course, they still didn’t know if Jace could be trusted. Now that she’d placed it, Ky’ara could definitely see the resemblance between him and the man she’d encountered outside the interrogation office, even if her memory of the event was fuzzy at best. Still, he had been a soldier in the king’s army—if he discovered anything that seemed important to the rebels, he might be tempted to sell it to the King or use it to get revenge for his captivity. He didn’t seem to be that kind of person, but it was better to err on the side of caution.
“If there is nothing more you can think of, you are dismissed.” Calistra motioned one of the guards outside the tent to accompany the man back to his work. When he was gone, she turned to Ky’ara, eyes wide.
“What do you think it means?”
“I’m not sure...the shadows sound familiar, of course. I’m not entirely surprised that Ekzhad may have been involved in my uncle’s death...I just don’t know why it would matter now…”
Calistra drummed her fingers thoughtfully on the spindly table that had been set up as a makeshift desk. “We’ll have to ask around. I know Hal and Jenie had some more immediate contact with him before we took Kaltor, but I’ll need to see who else may be able to corroborate some of his story. This may be the opportunity we’ve been looking for.”
Ky’ara gave her a questioning look.
“If he’s as generally honest and kind-hearted as he seems, he may be the perfect inside agent. After all, with him captured the King isn’t going to keep sending his paycheck to that widowed sister-in-law of his. If he really wants to continue supporting his brother’s family, his only real option is to take my offer…”
“You’d really ask him to risk his life—and theirs—that way?” Ky’ara asked softly, “Manipulating someone into being your spy is just—” she searched for the word to describe the level of disgust she felt for the idea.
“Hang-it-all Ky’ara, I need information!” Calistra burst out, “I’ve been working blind since the King cracked down on all my agents in Coledria! I need someone who can get back into the capital without excessive suspicion, and who can get back out again with a valid excuse—he is exactly what we need!”
“How is he supposed to do that any better than anyone else?”
“He just has to pretend he avoided getting captured when we took Kaltor and had to lay-low for a while to get past us
. He’ll return to the capital, report what happened, and then redeploy and wind up right back here. It’s perfect.”
Ky’ara started to protest, wanting to point out all the possible ways this deception might be seen through, but then she thought better of it. Once Calistra got an idea in her head there was no talking her out of it. Hopefully Jace would have the sense to refuse to help, or demonstrate a flaw that would make Calistra reconsider. For now, Ky’ara just let the matter drop.
The awkward pause that followed was interrupted by a distant scream.
Chapter 6: Growing Tension
Calistra and Ky'ara ran out into the street and wound their way through the camp towards the sound. As they approached the communal dining area, they were met by a curious sight. One of the camp cooks stood with a tray held above her head as a shield, shrieking and yelling as a few dragons hovered nearby, chirping and trilling questioningly. Meat scraps littered the ground by her feet, obviously having been tossed off the tray when she lifted it overhead. A few Shaari stood nearby, arms crossed and looking none too pleased with the state of affairs.
Calistra turned to one of her guards. "Go get Hallahna, quickly!"
He hurried off and Calistra turned back to the hysterical woman. "Calm yourself! What is going on here?"
"Those beasts are a menace! They—Eeeargh! Keep it away!" The sturdily built woman screamed again as one of the dragons darted towards the ground and snagged a chicken bone from in front of her. She waved the metal tray around violently, clipping it on the wing as it ascended again and causing it to backwing furiously and drop the food. It shrieked in pain, eliciting a round of scolding noises from the other two dragons.
One of the Shaari started forward, his face set grimly. Calistra stepped towards them, ready to intervene, when Hallahna rounded the corner, accompanied by Amischel and Jenie.
"Dalyr, step back. I will handle it." Hallahna whistled sharply and the dragons all looked towards her before turning back to their contemplation of the food on the ground. She whistled again, this time more insistently, and raised her arm when they looked at her. One of them wheeled down and landed lightly on her leather-bound forearm. She passed it to one of the other Shaari and then snagged a piece of meat with her glaive and fed it to the chittering beast while she made soothing sounds. The other two dragons, when they saw this, descended quickly and settled on the arms of the other two warriors, allowing themselves to be fed little bits of the meat and led away from the scene.
The red-faced cook lowered the tray hesitantly and stood scowling after them.
"Now," Calistra said sternly, "What happened?”
"I was just taking the scraps out to toss in the rubbish bin when those...monsters attacked me!"
Hallahna rolled her eyes. "Are you injured? Because if their intent was to hurt you, they would have."
"I fended them off before they could!" the woman yelled.
"Brinna," Jenie stepped in, "Is it possible the creatures merely flew by and startled you? If you tossed the meat scraps they may have thought you intended to feed them..."
"One of them snapped at me! I could've lost a hand! Those creatures shouldn't be allowed in camp."
"Those creatures help keep this camp safe," Calistra said sternly. She turned to Hallahna and sighed. "I'm sorry. Talk to those dragons' owners please, find out their side of the story, if they have one. And tell them it might be best to keep them away from the food area when they're hungry, please."
Hallahna nodded, throwing an annoyed look at the cook before leaving to follow the others.
"That's it? I could've been seriously injured and you're just going to ask nicely?" Brinna glared at Calistra with fists clenched at her sides.
Joran's sister narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Think about who you're speaking to," she said in clipped tones.
"I know you're flustered," Amischel said softly, stepping closer to Brinna and putting an arm around her comfortingly. "The dragons can take a while to get used to, but they really are a big help...they’re here to stay, maybe it’s better to just accept that and try to adapt." All the bluster seemed to pour out of the woman and she let Amischel and Jenie steer her back towards the commissary.
Ky'ara gave Calistra a sideways look. "It hasn't been easy, has it?"
The rebel leader shook her head wearily. "You have no idea. Most of our own people are used to the dragons by now, but we have had some recruits from the villages, and they're having trouble adjusting, as you can see." She motioned to the mess that still lay before them.
Ky'ara nodded, struggling not to smile a little bit.
"What are you...It's not funny!" Calistra snapped, as Ky'ara shook with suppressed laughter.
"I'm sorry...it's just, did you see her face? What's she going to do if you face trolls, or Djakyls? Fend them off with a tray?"
Calistra rolled her eyes, feeling the tension inside her ease. "Clearly I need to better prepare the kitchen staff for what's coming. Now stop laughing and let's find someone to clean this up. We need to finish your tour of the camp before it's time for dinner."
* * * * *
Hallahna whipped her staff around, catching her opponent’s glaive on the blade and thrusting it away.
“Is Dalyr’s dragon alright?” Asara asked, twisting sideways and moving her glaive along with the thrust so she could bring it spinning around from the other side. Hallahna jumped backwards to avoid the twelve inches of razor sharp steel and countered with a swipe of her own before answering.
“I believe Enaik will be fine. She is favoring her wing a little bit, but I do not think she will even notice the injury anymore in a day or two.”
Asara grunted in response as she caught another blow with her staff and used its momentum to spin her sideways as her foot lashed out towards Hallahna. The Shaari princess moved too slow by a breath and the kick clipped her side. She winced. Asara might be old enough to be her mother, but she was as fast and strong as ever—and had experience to boot.
"You are too hesitant," Asara chided her. "Move like you mean it. The same goes for our status here...you let the rebels treat us like outsiders, when we should be on the same side."
"We ARE on the same side. That doesn’t mean we cannot give in now and then," Hallahna replied, narrowing her eyes and rotating her glaive slowly in one hand as she read her opponent's body language. When Asara struck again, she caught the blow with a swiftly spinning blade and forced the woman's weapon around in such a way that Asara had to drop it or have her shoulder dislocated. Hallahna grinned at the look of surprise on her opponent's face. Her smile faded as the Shaari clan-leader caught the falling glaive with her foot and sent it back into her waiting hands just as she spun around to come at her from the side.
The next flurry of blows ended with Hallahna backed into a corner, her glaive locked with Asara's. The older woman forced her weapon down just far enough to prove she had the upper hand, then grabbed Hallahna's staff so she could gently ease up on the pressure with her own. "You are becoming more proficient with your glaive, but you still have much to learn, Ishaarina.”
“Thank you for helping me practice," Hallahna replied stiffly, trying to ignore her stinging pride. Asara's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, not quite a smile, but enough to let her know that she remembered how it felt to be bested by one's elder. “It is no dishonor to ask for help.”
"I know that. I asked you for help with my training, did I not?...That is not what you mean, is it?” Hallahna pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. "What do you think we need to do about the dragons?"
Asara's smile widened. "You are learning!"
Hallahna gave her a flat stare, then sighed. "So...?"
"I do not know. But dividing us from the rest of the army will help no one. Perhaps, if we want them to welcome us, we need to be more welcoming of them."
Hallahna furrowed her brow. She had not expected that kind of response. Asara was known for her fierce and unyielding personality. It was part of what made her su
ch a formidable opponent of the battlefield. She was also staunchly traditional. Hallahna had been shocked when she'd agreed to come, particularly since the Chief had expressed his disapproval of the venture. She was half-convinced that Asara had come along only to keep an eye on her for her father. "You think we should open up our secrets to them? Some would see that as blasphemy..."
"Perhaps not that welcoming," Asara gave a small smile, "It seems that since they already know the dragons exist, it cannot hurt to let them interact with them in a more...controlled, environment. To prevent occurrences like what happened today."
Hallahna considered this. "Perhaps, if we let them assist us in feeding and grooming the dragons, they will come to see that there is nothing to fear."
Asara nodded once, then wiped the sweat from her brow and walked from the makeshift practice ring. Hallahna followed, slipping the leather covers back onto her glaive and slinging it through the carrier on her back. Tensions between the rebels and her people seemed to constantly be in flux, yet she herself had experienced little trouble getting along with Calistra and the others. She’d assumed that she was just more easy-going than most of her people...but if she was being honest with herself, that really wasn’t true. Perhaps Asara was right—if they allowed the rebels to know them better, they would no longer be ‘outsiders’ merely fighting alongside them. They would be a part of the rebellion itself.
She smiled ironically to herself. If only it were that simple. Still, she had to try. If the rebellion won, her people’s continued existence would depend on the tolerance of the new government the rebels set up. If the rebellion did not...well, her people had been dying under the current regime anyways. Their only chance was to win, and they couldn’t do that if they were constantly divided.
* * * * *
Calistra sat across from Jace, scrutinizing him with a piercing look.
"So...yeh want me to be a spy?" He said, sounding confused.
"Don't think of it that way, think of it as merely getting the news from Coledria for me.”
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