Belan motioned to the door. “Of course, of course.” He looked at the three women behind Kellinar and inclined his head with a smile. “Serena, it is good to see you again. Still in the company of the less reputable I see.”
Serena laughed softly and walked forward to kiss him on the cheek. “You know me; I can’t seem to stay away from the scoundrel.”
He turned to Taela and his eyebrows rose as he clasped his hands behind his back. “And who do we have here?”
Taela raised her chin. “I am Taela Shamirrin, daughter of Bahar, King of Haraban and a senior member of the Tower of Spirit.”
Belan’s white eyebrows nearly climbed into his hairline as he looked at Kellinar. “You bring a princess to the Thieves’ Caves?”
Kellinar sighed, sensing the prickly indignation flowing through the bond. Bahar had lectured him on dealing with royals in a more diplomatic way; apparently he neglected to lecture Taela on the opposite. “I assure you, she is much more than a princess. In fact, she isn’t even a princess anymore; she gave up that claim in order to accept a greater one. Beyond that, she is my bondmate.” Seeing the confused look on Belan’s face he explained, “Like a wife, only more.”
The other man threw his head back and laughed. “A wife? You? I never thought I would see the day you would settle down.” He glanced at Serena. “I’m surprised it wasn’t you.”
Serena shook her head. “Kellinar and I are very good friends, nothing more.”
Belan turned to Anevay. “And we have another stunning woman of an unusual but beautiful skin color. Who might you be?”
Kellinar laughed inside; if Belan was surprised he had a wife, he was about to be even more so. “That is Anevay, also my bondmate, my wife.”
“Your…” Belan looked at him like he’d grown and extra head. “Two wives? You truly are crazy my old friend. One wife to nag is enough for any man foolish enough to settle down and yet you have taken two. I’m not sure if I should envy you or feel sorry for you.”
Two sets of eyes, one dark blue and one rich brown, narrowed at Belan. Kellinar cleared his throat. “We are happy enough.”
He glanced at Taela again and shook his head before looking at Kellinar. “Two wives and one a royal no less; you have changed, my friend.” He waved them toward the passageway beyond the door. “Come, come, join us. You will have to tell what has happened all this time to change you so much.” He held his arm out to Taela. “My lady, allow me to escort you in so that you may see how the other side lives.”
Kellinar stepped smoothly between them. Belan was a good man despite his status as a thief; his touch shouldn’t bother her through the shield, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
At the same time, Anevay flowed forward and gave Belan a dazzling smile as she laid her hand on his arm. “I would be delighted if you would escort me. Taela will prefer to walk with Kellinar.”
Belan seemed briefly stunned by Anevay’s beauty for a moment before he recovered. “It shall be my pleasure, my lady.”
They followed the dim tunnel through rock. Behind them the watcher closed the door. Just above their heads the long cord that ran from the door to the upper chambers and connected with a bell, draped along the hooks set in the ceiling.
Kellinar looked at his old mentor and noticed the new lines the last couple of years had carved into his face. “So, you are the leader of the thieves again?”
Belan nodded and ducked under a low spot in the ceiling. “That I am. I thought when you took over I was set for a nice retirement here in the Thieves’ Caves. But when you left, there really wasn’t anybody else that could do it. A few of them are good, real good, but they lack other knowledge, like the ability to read or count properly. There are a couple of men that stepped forward to learn. They are doing quite well now and have begun to take over a lot of the duties, but no one seems anxious for me to step down.”
He glanced back at Kellinar. “Honestly, I think they have been holding out in the hopes you would return.”
“Even with the charges that were laid against me when I left?”
Belan waved his words away. “We all know you didn’t really do it. They caught and put to death the man that did. Caught him right outside the gates of the Mallay the next morning they did. You didn’t have to leave.”
Oh Fates, they had killed the man they dragged away that day. It seemed so long ago now. Guilt tightened his chest. The man had fallen right in front of him, the memory of his terrified screams as he pled his innocence echoed through his memory. The man had died for no reason.
Not only had they killed the man, they had done it in cold blood. They knew exactly who they were looking for. Keepers had shown up at that inn looking for him and Serena a full five days after they escaped. They must have covered up their failure to find the true magic user by making one up.
He looked at Belan, feeling the weight of the senseless death on his shoulders. “What was his name?”
Belan stopped and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. “Felnar? Yes, that was it, Felnar.” He shrugged and started walking again. “Not that it really matters. He is dead. His magic can’t ruin the rest of us and we have far greater problems now.
It did matter though. Felnar had died in Kellinar’s stead. Died because Kellinar had been a coward and ran. He vaguely remembered Felnar. He had worked in the fishery gutting fish. He didn’t remember if he had a family.
“You were not a coward. You had to run. How else would you have come to me?” came Shryden’s sending. “If you had turned yourself in, I would have died with you. Taela would have no shield, Anevay would have no bondmate.”
Kellinar’s heart clenched at the thought of Shryden dying, still trapped inside his shell and a new guilt weighed him down. Even if he had known then that Felnar would die, he wouldn’t have stepped forward to save Felnar’s life, not since the trade would have been the death of Shryden.
“It isn’t your fault they falsely accused this Felnar, nor is it your fault they executed him.”
“I know, Shryden. I still feel bad about it; partly because even if I could go back and save his life by turning myself in, I wouldn’t. I didn’t even think of him after we left. I never wondered about his fate. I guess I just assumed the Keepers would realize they had the wrong man and let him go. I would gladly give my life to saves yours, but I would never condemn you to a certain death to save another. Even Taela and Anevay, if the choice had to be made between them or you, as much as it would hurt me to lose them, I can’t lose you. Perhaps that makes me a bad person.”
He heard Shryden’s mental snort in his mind. “Nonsense. Taela and Anevay love you dearly, but if they had to choose between your life or that of their dragons, they would choose their dragons. They would be devastated by your loss, but Paki and Latia are their first priority. We are one with our riders and our riders are one with us.”
A rush of love for the blue dragon filled him and he sent it through the bond to Shryden. It was returned full force, washing away the guilt he felt over Felnar’s death.
They wove their way through the tunnels and chambers that made a massive honeycomb under the plateau of the Dellar District. As they came closer to the upper chambers, more people began to fill the halls. Men in worn clothing, women in dresses that barely clung to them, baring large expanses of breasts. Younger boys and a few girls dashed through halls.
Kellinar raised his eyebrows. “Since when are girls allowed in the caves?”
Belan glanced down a connecting tunnel where two girls who were both probably between eight and ten spoke quietly to each other. “Girls become orphans too. I decided it seemed an awful shame that they had so few options other than becoming a whore. They have proven to be just as skilled as the boys at the trade of thievery. It took a bit of getting used to for everyone, but they have gained the respect of their peers and mentors alike.” He smiled at Kellinar. “Besides, they can often get where the boys can’t. People aren’t used to female thieves. They still thi
nk only the boys take up the trade. They don’t watch the girls as closely.”
Several people looked at the group and did a double take, calling out Kellinar’s name. As they moved through the halls, a small crowd trailed after them, many of them asking Kellinar if he was back, to which he just shook his head. He was; just not in the way they hoped.
When they finally reached the upper chambers, natural light flooded in from the multiple openings that all led to the broad, natural balcony. The upper openings would have stairs down to the veranda, but the only way in was up the steps at the front of the balcony. Only thieves and whores could climb those steps, unless they needed something, then they would be seen on the balcony.
It wasn’t good for too many to know the layout of the caves. The whores knew better than to say a word, none of them could afford to lose the business the caves offered. Not all of the men lived there. Every now and then one would take a wife and live a short distance away. Though not too many wives were willing to put up with the kind of life a thief led or the secrets he had to keep from her.
Belan paused when they reached his chamber. “I have something for you, Kellinar. It came almost two months ago. I kept it in the hopes you would one day return. Give me a moment I will get it for you.”
He ducked into the room and reappeared only seconds later with a piece of thick, expensive paper, folded and sealed with wax. Kellinar turned it over in his hands when Belan handed it to him. He knew the seal and who it was from. Tucking it into a pocket inside his lightweight cloak he looked at Belan. “I will read it later. First, we have a lot to discuss.”
A furrow appeared between Belan’s brows and he nodded. “Yes, we do. Things are not well here in Trilene I’m afraid. You would likely be better off taking these three lovely ladies and leaving the city, leaving the nation even, though I’m not sure where you can go and be safe.”
Serena frowned. “What’s happened that is so bad?”
Belan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Come into my chamber.You can sit and have a drink and we’ll talk.”
Kellinar shook his head. “Let’s talk on the balcony.”
Belan put his hand down, a puzzled look on his face. “We can, although this conversation may be better had in private.”
“The balcony will have to do. I have a promise to keep. I know it makes no sense right now; however, I assure you it will soon.”
Belan nodded and led the way out onto the broad, natural stone balcony. Multiple groups of chairs sat clustered against the low wall around the edge. The Thief Lord walked to an empty grouping and sat. Kellinar sensed Shryden’s immediate relief the minute he stepped out into the open. He sent waves of comfort to the blue as he crossed the veranda.
Kellinar took in the familiar sight of the Mallay, sprawling out toward the city wall in a twisted tangle of narrow streets. The smell, forgotten in his absence, permeated the air. Kellinar rubbed his nose and glanced at Taela and Anevay. He sensed their revulsion. Nothing like the reek of old food, the canal sludge, occasional animal carcasses, and feces rotting in hot humidity to welcome one to the Mallay.
Except it wasn’t the same Mallay. The buildings were the same, the conditions were the same, but the people were different. Anxiety and hopelessness hung over the district like a cloud. It wasn’t like the people of the Mallay to look beaten and broken. Their lot in life was a hard one, but they stubbornly refused to give in or stop living because of it. The people he saw now looked ready to drown themselves in the canal.
“Tell me,” Kellinar said as Anevay, Taela, and Serena settled into chairs, “what has you so troubled about Trilene?”
His old mentor hesitated a moment before rubbing his forehead like it hurt. Finally, Belan sighed and looked at them. “Felnar may have been put to death, but it didn’t end there. One of the High Houses is no more. The two oldest daughters—Oksana and Paylana—the identical twins, do you remember them?”
Kellinar sucked in a deep breath. He remembered them, although until this moment he hadn’t made the connection. About his age, both with golden blonde hair. At one time he had only known of them from his escapades in the Trilene District. But at the mention of their names, his mind connected a distant and obscure memory of the two girls with a much more recent memory.
How had he failed to make the connection? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d known they looked familiar. Kellinar had last seen them in battle outside the Kormai where he had killed one of them. He thought it had been Paylana, though he wasn’t sure.
A squeeze on his hand drew him back to the present. He glanced at Taela, let his breath out and leaned back. “I remember them.”
Belan nodded as if he expected the answer. “They used magic. They used it to kill their entire house in front of a few dozen witnesses. Then they left with some sort of dark cloaked man. Left in a way that wasn’t natural.”
Yes, they would have had to leave with a Benduiren to end up in the Kormai. “So that is what bothers you so much?’
Belan leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees and slowly rubbed his hands together. “I wish it was, Kellinar. Oksana came back a couple of weeks ago riding a big black dragon. At first, because she is a woman, the heads of the High Houses didn’t take her seriously.” He looked at the ground in front of him. “She killed a few children to convince them otherwise. Once she had their attention, Oksana let them know she wasn’t the only Dragon Rider and if they wanted to keep their life as they knew it, then they had best be ready to do as she and the others like her said.”
“And?” Kellinar pressed.
“And of course, being the greedy cowards that they are, they capitulated.” Belan wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead. “I guess I can’t blame them completely. How were they supposed to stand up to a dragon? Or a woman willing to kill children with magic? How does one fight against magic? I guess the stories were all true. Magic does drive people insane. I don’t know where the dragons came from; maybe their insane magic created them like it did hundreds of years ago. I tell you, seeing that big black thing perched on the wall, staring at all of us with empty eyes, terrified me. I have never felt such hopeless despair.”
Serena rubbed Belan’s shoulder. “They carry hopelessness and despair beneath their wings like a cloud. It takes training to block it out.”
He turned startled eyes on her. “You have had encounters with them?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Serena’s eyes hardened.
Kellinar took a deep breath. “I killed Paylana.”
Belan’s eyes widened even more as he looked at him. “How did you fight magic?”
Kellinar sensed Shryden tense, ready to dive in and defend his rider should this not go well. He looked his old mentor in the eye. “With magic.”
Belan stared at him for a long moment as comprehension slowly dawned on his face. “You…you can use magic?” Fear filled the older man’s eyes as he leaned away from Kellinar. “The charges were true?”
“They were true.” Kellinar kept his eyes steady on Belan’s. “The man they executed couldn’t use magic and they knew it. They showed up at an inn Serena and I were staying at five days after we left Trilene. They murdered Felnar in cold blood to cover up the fact they weren’t able find me.”
Belan stared at him as if he was afraid to move, afraid what Kellinar might do to him. Might as well get it over with. “Oksana was right, there are more Dragon Riders. More than you know. Oksana as you saw rides a black dragon. She and her dragon are evil. Her fellow Shadow Riders are evil.”
“Just like every coin has two sides, so do dragons. There is a whole other group of dragons. There are six colors of them and they are not evil. Their riders aren’t evil either. They call themselves Guardians and with good reason. They are your defense against Shadow magic and dragons.”
Belan slowly looked at the women. Serena nodded. “He speaks the truth. Have you ever known Kellinar to be evil?”
“The Kellinar I knew wasn’t, but magic dri
ves people insane, everyone knows that. Oksana is proof.”
Kellinar shook his head. “Belan, my old friend, do I seem insane? Have I killed anyone? I could have come in here slaughtering people and demanding that you listen to me. Did I?”
Sweat beaded on Belan’s forehead as he turned back to Kellinar. “No, not yet.”
“Have I brought my dragon down on you and forced compliance under threat of death?”
Taela rubbed her temple and laced her fingers through his. Even with his shield, Belan’s strong emotions were affecting her.
After another long moment of silence, Belan cleared his throat, though his voice still sounded hoarse when he said, “Your dragon?” Belan’s voice came out hoarse.
Kellinar pointed at the dots circling high in the sky. “It is the reason we are out here on the balcony. He worried for my safety and wanted me somewhere he could see me.”
“You talk to him?”
“Of course; we are a part of each other. Our hearts, minds, and souls are one. We share thoughts and conversations in our minds frequently.”
Belan sat in silence for a long time, leaned back in the chair and stared at the dots slowly circling high above them. When his eyes finally dropped to Kellinar’s they were troubled, though they lacked some of the fear that had shadowed them before. “Oksana didn’t speak to her dragon in that way. Perhaps it was just for show, but every order she gave was spoken aloud.”
“It wasn’t for show. Shadow Riders are not a blending of two souls. The rider must give up half their soul in order to hatch a black egg. The dragon is an extension of them much the way your arm is an extension of you.” Kellinar propped his ankle on the opposite knee. “You consciously reach for a drink in the same way she gives orders, but you don’t hold conversations with your arm.”
Serena smiled. “And we don’t order our dragons about. In fact, it would impossible. They are linked to us, but they are still their own beings with their own thoughts and minds. We may request something of them, but we don’t order them.”
Tears of War Page 31