War of the Fathers: War of the Fathers Universe: Volumes One - Three Box Set (War of the Fathers Series Box Set Book 1)

by Dan Decker

  “Is he—” Soret's voice caught in her throat and the feeling of concern for the idiot man that had been held back by all of her other emotions flooded into her. A lump formed in the back of her throat, and she felt her own eyes tear up. She edged past Xarda to get a look at Jorad and was relieved to see his chest moving, and that much of the normal color in his face had returned as well.

  Xarda took a piece of cloth and dipped it into the steaming water. She then used it to clean around the wound on Jorad's shoulder, even though Soret couldn't see anything that would be a cause for concern. The skin surrounding the cut was beginning to look a little raw, as if it had been cleaned multiple times before.

  Soret avoided looking at Xarda and tried to keep the skeptical look that was forming off her face. The Radim woman had admitted she wasn't much good with healing, perhaps she was continuing to clean Jorad to have something to take her mind off the fact she didn't know what to do next.

  Melyah! Soret’s heart raced, and she realized her fingernails were digging into her palms.

  “No,” Xarda said, “He’s fine. He woke up awhile back, and I was able to get some water into him.”

  “You think he'll be all right?” Soret slumped a bit where she knelt, annoyed to feel uncertainty about Jorad raise up its head again. He had killed her fellow townsfolk. How could things ever be the same between them? She couldn’t deny she felt safer with him around, though—

  Stop that, she thought. That’s just the kind of thing that will keep me from breaking free of him.

  “He didn’t suffer any broken bones,” Xarda said, “and it’s difficult to say how much blood he lost. One of the people you came in with said much of it came from somebody Jorad fought. If that’s true, he might be better off that I’d originally thought. When I first saw him covered in all that blood…” She trailed off. “Well, the only thing to do now is to give it time and find him better help than me. Not much else we can do without a surgeon or a healer.”

  The memory of how Thon had pummeled Jorad came back to Soret. She cringed when she thought of how Jorad had stabbed the large man. Why couldn’t Jorad have just knocked the man off of him? It might have been an easier situation to handle if Thon hadn’t been killed as well.

  Gorew had attacked Jorad. While she hadn’t forgiven Jorad for shooting Gorew with the blaster, she knew with time that could change. Jorad had been primed to shoot at anything that threatened him. He’d just finished shooting a Hunwei! Gorew couldn’t have chosen a worse time to test Jorad.

  But that didn’t make things with Thon any easier.

  “Is Adar back?”

  Soret looked around, hoping to spot Adar until she realized that the question had come from Jorad.

  Both Xarda and she turned to stare at Jorad. He used the hand of his uninjured arm and shoulder to push himself up and was shivering despite the heat of the room.

  “Lie back down this instant!” Xarda put a hand on his chest.

  “I look worse than I feel. Most of the blood wasn’t even mine. It came from a bleeding—” He stopped short when his eyes met Soret’s. Instead of finishing the thought, he tried to push Xarda’s hand away, but his wounded arm wasn’t doing the job. He fixed a glare on Xarda, but she refused to back down. “Look, just help me lean up against the wall.”

  Xarda didn’t budge. “How’s your shoulder feeling?” Soret couldn’t help but respect how Jorad had just given Xarda an order that would have made most men jump, but Xarda hadn’t let it phase her.

  Jorad’s eyes flickered over to Soret but didn’t stay on her. “It’s fine. I just need time to heal.”

  Soret felt her face flush at the lie. That had been for her benefit. Xarda had been more concerned about dealing with his wounds than learning how they happened. That wouldn’t last for long, though. Eventually, the truth would come out. If not from Jorad, one of the other townspeople would clear up the matter. Karn had seen Barc stab Jorad in the back, what would he think if he knew that the shoulder wound had come from her father as well?

  He’ll chastise Jorad for letting his feelings for me get in the way, she thought. He’ll push Jorad to be done with me. I couldn’t blame him if he did. The thought made her squirm. She wasn’t committed to Jorad. They hadn’t had any formal conversation or designation. It was just more of an understanding that had developed between the two of them.

  She wanted to be rid of him but also recognized that breaking things off right now wasn’t the best course of action for her or for her father.

  “You got lucky with the cut on your back,” Xarda said. “A few inches down and it would have gone right into your burn.” She shook her head. “It could have been far worse.”

  Soret wondered if she was beet red. It was getting more difficult for her to breathe.

  “Why were you fighting men when there were Hunwei about?” Xarda asked as she helped him sit up, all the while monitoring his face for any sign of pain. Jorad must have noticed what she was about because he kept his lips together in a tight thin line while he moved. When he had his back against the wall, he let out a small sigh that became a quiet groan at the end. Xarda frowned. “Couldn’t it have waited?”

  Jorad closed his eyes and didn’t look as though he was going to answer her question.

  “Well?” Xarda prompted as Soret felt somebody approach from behind and turned to see Karn peer over her shoulder. He glanced at her. If he was still holding on to any hostility, it wasn’t apparent.

  “I ran into some old friends,” Jorad said at last, still not opening his eyes. “I didn’t see Adar come back with the others. Where is he?”

  “Tere became separated from your father,” Karn said. Jorad looked up when Karn spoke, his eyes narrowing at the mention of Tere. “When I met up with Tere, we were both too busy running for our lives to wait for him. We haven’t had a chance to talk since we got back.”

  “Did they fight?”

  Karn looked around to make sure that nobody could overhear. When he noticed several people looking their way, he glared at them until they turned their attention elsewhere. Karn moved closer until he was less than a foot away and lowered his voice.

  “Probably. I found Tere right after he’d come through a window of the town hall. When I asked if he was pushed out, he didn’t reply.”

  Jorad frowned. “Did he say anything about Derren’s tablet?”

  “They couldn’t find it. That much I did get out of him while we ran. The window that he came through belonged to the city archives. I saw that for myself.”

  Soret thought of how Tere had been walking with his hand clutched in his pocket earlier. She almost brought it up but stopped. She wasn’t in any position to go throwing around accusations.

  Another thought crossed her mind as well. Given what she now knew about Jorad, she couldn’t as easily disregard the stories she’d heard about him and Adar. If Tere had tried to kill Adar, there had to be a reason why. Since there was the possibility she might at some point find herself at odds with Jorad—particularly if she ended things between them—it wouldn’t be smart to wreck an opportunity to forge a new alliance. Who knew but that one day she might need Tere’s help? She couldn’t let it get out that she was spreading rumors about him.

  At least not until she had more compelling evidence and could see that passing it on to Jorad was beneficial to her as well.

  She was surprised by her thought but realized there was something to it. Until she knew more about Jorad; or had the appropriate amount of time necessary to sort out her feelings towards him, it would be wise to keep some of her cards hidden.

  Jorad’s face was getting more of its color back by the moment. He could have stood if Xarda hadn't been watching over him like a hawk about to pounce.

  “Has anybody tried to open the arch yet?” Jorad asked.

  Karn and Xarda looked at one another. Karn shrugged, looking at the arch as if it might open at any moment. Soret thought of Hunwei filing into the hallway and shuddered as she remembered
how much she’d wanted to open it earlier.

  It wouldn’t have done much good anyway, she thought. Leron did the exact same thing as me and the Arches worked for him. Perhaps it only works for people from Rarbon. Her face was turning red again, she could feel the heat on her cheeks. She looked around and was glad to see that nobody had noticed. Since she was trying to be better about taking care of herself, she needed to take better control of her emotions as well.

  She had been waiting to learn to fight until they arrived at Rarbon, where she intended to enlist in the Radim armies, but that had been foolish on her part.

  She should have started before they’d left Neberan when Jorad had warned her about the coming of the Hunwei. Or she should have taken responsibility for herself after they’d fled Neberan. Or the time when the Hunwei had almost killed them, and she’d witnessed Xarda’s strength and resolve. She’d been ashamed that day of how she had reacted while Xarda had watched Karn face down a Hunwei.

  That had been when she’d decided that she’d enlist in the Radim armies but she hadn’t realized she’d subconsciously decided that meant she’d wait to learn to protect herself.

  That had been a mistake.

  She should have started learning immediately. Xarda had been happy to answer questions and talk about her time with the Radim, Soret should have taken greater advantage of the opportunity that presented. Well, she would start now.

  “We should give it some time still,” Xarda said. “The Hunwei were right on your tail as you guys made it in. The fact Adar hasn’t shown up yet means the way isn’t clear. Once it is, I’m sure he’ll come. In the meantime, you need to get some rest.”

  “We need to open the door,” Jorad said. “Barc is still out there. If the Hunwei haven’t got to him yet, he’ll need our help.”

  Soret was taken aback.

  Wasn’t this the man who had just killed two men without giving it a second thought? Barc had tried to kill Jorad. Twice. What did Jorad have to gain by insisting they look for her father?

  Jorad looked at Soret, she flushed.

  It was somewhat obvious, wasn’t it? She should have got there faster. Attributing the misstep to her fatigue, she was glad for the effect she had on him. It meant her father had been spared and Jorad was willing to risk exposure to the Hunwei to rescue him.

  I can use that, she thought. Perhaps I’m not so helpless after all. The thought stopped her cold, but she stamped it down. If it meant she got her father back, she would use Jorad and his feelings for her.

  All of the sudden she felt sweat dripping down the arch of her back. Her hands were clammy. Xarda stared at Jorad, her eyes slits and her mouth firm.

  “Jorad,” Xarda said, “we should wait it out. Barc had his chance to come with us and he chose to go the other way.”

  “I owe it to Soret.” The sincerity in his voice cut like a knife to Soret’s heart, but she refused to let it bleed. She had to be strong, she needed to think of Jorad as an asset.

  This was for her father, but it was also for herself. She would do what was necessary to survive. She nodded her head towards Jorad and gave him what she hoped was an appreciative smile.

  He moved as if to stand and Xarda put a gentle but firm hand on his good shoulder.

  “Melyah,” he said, “the man never liked me, and he watched me kill people he’s known from when they were boys. If it weren't for me, he would be here right now.”

  Xarda growled. “If it weren't for you, none of us would be here right now. You need to help more people than just this one man.” She looked at Soret. “It’s true.”

  Soret bristled but looked away under Xarda’s stare. She’ll take me for a weak-kneed woman for sure!

  She stared back defiantly at Xarda but her gesture was lost, as Xarda had already turned her attention back to Jorad.

  “Get out of my way.” Jorad's voice was low, but there was no mistaking the hostility.

  “Karn,” Xarda said. “This fool isn’t going to back down. Could you clear everybody away from the arch? The Melyah cursed idiot isn't going to relax until he's put everybody at risk to prove to Soret how much he likes her.” She spoke to Jorad. “Don't move.”

  Soret froze and opened her mouth to speak, embarrassed. She was glad there wasn't a mirror nearby, she doubted the hue her skin had taken on would be flattering. And she thought she’d been red before.

  She wasn't certain when Wes and Leron had returned from exploring, but it couldn't have been at a worse time.

  Wes had his head turned away from her, but Leron looked on with a glimmer in his eye, clearly feeling a little entertained by the situation. She imagined him telling a story about this to his friends in Rarbon and felt her stomach turn a little.

  It was kind of Jorad to be concerned about her father. She didn't want him making a big scene about it, but she wasn't about to make him stop. It’s worth it all, she thought, if it brings dad back to safety.

  Once Karn had cajoled or dragged away anybody that was nearby the arch, Xarda approached and looked back at Jorad who had brought up his blaster. Leron had been sent for Tere and Tarner while Karn got everything ready. They stood to either side of the arch, prepared with their blasters as well. All told, there were now five blasters pointed at the arch, prepared to take down any Hunwei they might find on the other side. Even Jorad held a blaster from where he sat on the floor.

  “We're putting our single largest advantage against the Hunwei at risk,” Xarda said. “You know that, right?”

  Soret didn't look away from the arch as Jorad nodded. Sighing, Xarda reached up and touched the top of the arch.

  Soret braced herself for a barrage of Hunwei and was surprised when nothing happened.

  Frowning, Xarda tried it again to the same effect. From the corner of her eye, Soret saw Jorad stand. It was clear he was still in pain, but he moved quickly enough that by the time Xarda realized what he had done he was already halfway to the arch.

  Xarda gave him a dangerous look that would have stopped another man in his tracks. Soret wasn't certain Jorad saw it, or perhaps he intentionally didn't look because Soret had seen Jorad wither under such a look from Xarda before.

  The rustle and noise that had been coming from the townspeople subsided. Even Leron, who normally didn't seem too affected by what was happening around him, stared as Jorad reached up with his thumb and swiped the top of the arch.

  “Melyah's nine bleeding burning fires,” Jorad said when nothing happened. Soret's hope for seeing her father fizzled. What could have taken out the arch?

  Chapter 14

  Adar scooped up his blaster from where he had dropped it on the ground as he splashed through a mud puddle. The mud hit with a shock of cold, causing him to shiver. It was funny how some things seemed less important in the face of death and destruction. He would have taken care to avoid the mud on a normal day. His pants were already soaked through anyway and caked with dirt and grime. A black streak came down the front of his wet shirt, and it had torn in several places.

  At least the rain had let up some during the last few minutes.

  The wreckage and everything in its path were a terrible sight. A building that had been there one moment had been demolished the next. The ship had left a path of destruction all along the rest of the way. The alley where he'd been before the crash was blocked with rubble from the building. If he and Kura had been a few seconds slower, they would have been in the middle of that.

  Kura was several houses down from all the damage, squatting at the side of the road beside a tree while clutching Lars to her chest. Adar frowned when he thought of all the children that couldn't be shielded from the brutal reality that was enveloping them all.

  Lars won’t remember what life had been like before all this. Melyah, if we can't find Donni he won't even remember his own mother. He studied Kura, wondering if she would pick up the role if Donni couldn’t be found. She didn't seem the mothering type, but he'd learned over the years never to underestimate a woman's mat
ernal instincts.

  Adar was almost to Kura when a rushing sound from overhead broke into his thoughts. He came to a halt and located another ship that came from the opposite direction of the first. It too looked as if it were falling out of the sky. A streak of fire and smoke came from behind it. It would hit on the far side of the city. They weren’t in any danger.

  He hadn't had the right angle on the first ship to see the smoke trailing behind it but he looked back and could now see a line that rose into the clouds from the direction the first ship had come. None of the other Hunwei ships had left behind the smoke. He hoped it meant these had been damaged.

  “You’re covered in mud,” Kura said. He had heard her approach but hadn’t turned. “And you smell.” Lars peeked his head out from under her coat using his hand to push it away while the rain pelted his face. He gave Adar a smile that split his face in two.

  Adar returned it and patted Lars on the head. “How’s the boy?”

  “He’ll take sick if he’s out in this much longer. Didn’t you say we were getting close?”

  Adar barely heard her response as he examined the rest of the sky looking for other ships. So far, there was nothing else. He wouldn't mind if they all crashed, he just didn't want to be dodging the things while trying to assess whether or not he could reach the Arches.

  “You should take shelter while I go on alone.” Adar motioned towards the crash and the trail of wreckage the ship had left behind. “That’s where we were headed. I'll scout ahead and see if the way is blocked.”

  “Bleeding Melyah, can this day get any worse?” Kura rubbed the side of her head with a free hand. “The way’s blocked and you want to leave me. Why don’t you just find Isak and turn me over to him?”