by Dan Decker
“I’m sorry about before,” she said, wringing her considerable hands together like she was trying to strangle somebody. “You were taking too long, and we needed to get out of here.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t because Isak was out there?” Adar asked, his voice cold as ice. “Figured you’d buy some good will by turning me over to him? What about Kara, why’d you knock her out as well? She came to my aid, didn’t she?”
Adar could tell his guess wasn’t so far off by the way Helda paled. His eyes fell upon Lars, who was waddling towards Adar while crying. He didn’t make it far because other people stood in the way. A woman picked Lars up. Adar recognized her as one from before but didn’t know her name.
“It was a madhouse in here without you,” Hucky said, ripping free from where Melynda held him with her back to the wall. She looked at Adar with wide eyes, afraid of what he would do next. Was it because she feared he thought she was complicit with Helda or because he knew the truth about her allegiance to the Kopal and the Hunwei?
“It’s time to get out of here,” Adar said.
He looked at Helda as he made his way over to Lars and took him from the woman holding the boy. “I’m in a forgiving mood. Cross me again? See what happens.”
Chapter 28
The morning light blinded Soret as it reflected off the still pool outside of the arch, causing her to stumble as she stepped out onto the small grassy knoll.
She pushed a hand to the side and clawed at the air as she toppled over. Luckily, she was able to twist so she could avoid landing on a large boulder that would have at least bruised a rib, if not worse.
She landed with an oomph and to her satisfaction managed to avoid crying out. It was difficult to make less sound than that as her forearm had struck a small rock. It stung, but she was going to shrug it off if she could.
The ground had little in the way of vegetation or grass that broke her fall, but it was a great deal more forgiving than the boulder would have been. She felt a little foolish when she realized Jorad had just said something to her about needing to watch her step when coming out of the arch.
He was several steps ahead of her but hadn’t turned, he seemed to be focused on looking around. There was that to be grateful for she supposed.
It wasn’t going to be easy to increase his esteem of her, but at least he hadn’t witnessed yet another action that would further cement his need to protect and care for her. She was doubly glad now she hadn't cried out.
But that doesn’t mean I need to do everything the hard way, she thought as she ground her teeth. Even though I’m trying to be more independent, I still must heed well-meaning advice, regardless of the source. It’s my own stupid fault for not listening.
Perhaps it had been her subconscious that had caused her to tune out Jorad or maybe she had just become too distracted by her own thoughts again.
Either way, she had to pay better attention to what was going on around her. Xarda might be able to give her a few pointers on that.
Snickering came from behind as she righted herself into a sitting position. She avoided looking back to see who was laughing but it sounded like it was either Leron or Wes. It grated on her, but she would overcome.
With time.
She sighed. It wasn’t even that bad. Everybody lost control and fell at some point or another. She was just frustrated at the way everybody already treated her. To them, she was somebody that either needed protection or scolding. In some cases, derision.
She didn’t know how long it would take to make others see her differently, but she was now trying to change things. That was a start. It would be hard to be patient while she progressed, but she hoped to avoid the misstep of lashing out at people that treated her as though she was daft or soft. That would do nothing but confirm their already low opinion of her.
“Here.” Tere held out a hand. “We all take a spill at one time or another.” If the older man found Soret's stumble funny, he didn't let it touch his face or even his eyes.
Soret took the proffered hand and wasn't surprised to feel his skin was calloused and rough. If the offer had come from Jorad, Karn, or even Xarda, Soret might have insisted on getting to her feet under her own power. But she needed to make a connection with Tere and letting him help her would be a start.
“Thanks,” she said, once she was on her feet again. Up ahead, Jorad looked as though he was going to head back to her but had stopped. A look of concern crossed his face, but there was something else there as well. Was it hesitation?
Jorad had distanced himself from her as much as she had put space between them. It might not be obvious to any of the others, but it was clear as a bell to her. What wasn’t so clear was whether it was in response to how she felt about him. She hadn’t done a good job of covering her emotions yesterday.
Neither of them had spoken much as the night had passed. Initially, Soret had considered sitting away from him, but the way he’d been adamant about getting the arch open had made her reconsider. She’d joined Jorad at his spot on the floor.
The night was now a blur, but she remembered him trying multiple times to get the arch to open. He had barely slept, much to the consternation of Xarda. It seemed he'd stood at the arch for half the night, continually swiping at it with his thumb as if it would open by the sheer number of attempts.
When it was obvious that it was no longer working, nobody had ventured to discourage him, though Xarda looked several times as if she might be considering it. Each time she’d looked away muttering something that Soret hadn’t been able to make out.
Eventually, Jorad had given up and tried to get some rest in the early hours of the morning.
Jorad, Xarda, and Karn had discussed using the other arch that was less than a day's journey from Zecarani to make the trip back. Soret had perked up when she'd overheard them.
At first, it had sounded as though Jorad was going to do just that, but the longer they talked, the more convinced Jorad had become it would be best to push forward to Rarbon.
Xarda had been supportive of the decision, and even Karn had come around to it as well. When they had decided to press on to Rarbon, Soret had bit her lip and kept the tears from coming again.
Luckily, she had already cried herself out, so it was an easy thing to do.
That was another moment she could take solace in. She was getting better, but it would take a lot more time before she approached Xarda’s sense of confidence or self-control.
I’ve taken a few steps, she thought, all I have to do is not stop.
In retrospect, now Soret had the full light of day to help push away some of her fears, she realized Xarda had subtly guided Jorad to that conclusion.
Xarda hadn't done much, but at key points in the conversation, she'd mentioned that Adar's primary concern was getting Jorad to Rarbon. She had brought up how Adar was more than capable of handling himself. The final piece had been a reminder that Adar had only planned to see Jorad get to Rarbon. He'd never expressed any intention of returning himself.
It had been Jorad’s own suggestion that they move on to Rarbon. He had also expressed his belief the Hunwei had somehow disabled the mechanism behind the arch.
Nobody ventured to say it, but Soret assumed he meant the Hunwei had found a way to destroy it. She thought of the old wall with the arch where she’d boiled the water and wondered what a blast would do to it. She’d seen a blast go straight through the brick walls of a home without stopping. If a bunch of Hunwei had lined up with their blasters, they might have destroyed the rock where the arch was located.
Jorad gave her a look of sympathy but didn’t come any closer.
She hadn’t yet forgiven him for what he had done, but part of her recognized if Jorad hadn’t defended himself against Gorew and Thon, it would have been Jorad who had died instead.
She wanted to hate Jorad, but she was afraid she didn’t have the luxury. Even though she was trying to change things about herself, if she was brutally honest, she had to r
ecognize she wasn’t in a good position to look after herself.
Soret suppressed a growl when she noticed Jorad was still looking at her, his jaw working as if he were trying to think of something to say.
Well, she thought, he can’t think me any weaker than he already does. She would change the way he saw her though the Hunwei might have left before that happened. Or destroyed us all. What a fine irony that would be. She finally established her independence only to die at the hands of the Hunwei.
Once she was on her feet, Tere nodded and continued on his way. His hand went to his pocket.
Soret looked away, hoping to not call attention to Tere’s behavior. If he kept that up it was a matter of time before the others noticed as well. If she were going to use the information to her advantage, she would need to act on it soon.
Yesterday, the others had been more concerned about taking care of Jorad, but that wasn’t the case today. They would notice Tere’s odd behavior.
What were the chances Tere had managed to get the tablet that Adar had been seeking? Considering the fact that Adar was conspicuously missing, she figured the odds were pretty high.
Should she try to spy on Tere when he thought nobody was watching? The way he kept feeling whatever he had in his pocket made her suspect Tere would be taking it out to look at it when there wasn’t anybody around to watch.
She didn’t know much about the tablet, but she had overheard that it had been kept in a vault at the Zecarani town hall. Maybe it was valuable, and Tere was fawning over it the way a woman might a necklace.
The thought of creeping up on him made her heart rate increase, moisture formed on the palm of her hands. If she did discover Tere had the tablet, what would she do then?
If she told Jorad, it might help him see her as something more than a helpless girl that needed protecting. It might be a shift to having him view her as a woman that brought something to the table. The idea had merit, and she was thinking she might just do it when she realized Jorad would assume that Tere had killed Adar when he learned Tere had possession of the tablet.
Tere’s coat had several minor cuts along the back. Had there been a fight between Adar and Tere? Jorad hadn’t broached the topic with Tere and neither had anybody else.
The first time she’d seen Tere, he had been fighting with Adar. Jorad had recklessly thrown himself into the fight. It was only in quiet discussions afterward that she had learned Tere had tried not to harm Jorad because he was Abel’s grandson and had specifically sent Tere in search of Jorad.
If Tere had killed Adar, would that still hold true?
She had been surprised at how well Jorad had managed himself during the fight with Tere. She suspected that even if Jorad were a little bit better with the sword, the advantage would go to Tere. Particularly if Tere had been able to kill Adar.
Jorad and Tere exchanged glances as Tere passed by to the side. Both men kept a wary eye on the other and a healthy distance in between. Jorad's hand twitched as if he was going to reach for the hilt of his sword that peeked up over his back, but it hadn't made it any further than that. His eyes also narrowed, but it might have just been her imagination. She didn’t have a good view of his face.
Soret looked over her shoulder and spotted Karn and Xarda walking close beside one another, locked in quiet conversation. When Soret had stumbled on to the fact that a relationship had formed between the two of them, she had thought Xarda would be the one making most of their decisions. After seeing an angry Karn yesterday, she wasn’t so sure.
Xarda could be emphatic about pushing to get her way, similar to the way that she'd handled Jorad.
Karn’s quiet manner might be the more effective of the two. Any idiot could shoot off her mouth—not that Xarda was anything close to that—but remaining patient and calm had a place as well. Particularly, when a woman chooses her moments of heady action well.
Soret guessed Xarda believed she won more of their arguments than not, but over time Soret had no doubt Karn would win his fair share as well. It was strange the things that brought people together, and it was even stranger how they sometimes ended up complimenting each other.
Two days ago, Soret would have said that she couldn't envision a future without Jorad in it, but the events of the last day had made that less certain. The madness of the night before had given her precious little clarity.
Given the circumstances, she wasn't certain how she would have wanted Jorad to handle things differently. The more she thought about it, she wished she had been more aware of what was going on around them during the Hunwei invasion of Zecarani.
She could have prepared Jorad for the possibility of an attack coming from her father’s companions if she had thought to ask Barc if anybody else was with him from Neberan.
They could have been on the lookout for Gorew, Thon, Erro, and the others. She wanted to believe if that had been the situation, Jorad wouldn't have been so quick to turn his blaster on another human being.
But it’s not my responsibility to keep him from being a fool, now is it?
The thoughts continued to swirl around her mind as they crossed the grassy knoll and discovered they were high up in the mountains.
At one point, Jorad waited for her to catch up and they walked in silence for a few minutes. She hated to admit it, but it did feel good to have him close by. If it hadn't been for everything that had happened, she would have no doubt drawn closer to him.
He may have ended a couple of lives yesterday, but he had also managed to save hundreds.
It wasn’t fair to him that didn’t balance out what he’d done.
“Your father may have survived,” Jorad said while touching his shoulder. A panicked look crossed his face, and he yanked his hand down as if trying to avoid giving her the reminder about what her father had done. He looked away, twitching his neck back and forth.
It really is a shame that things worked out how they did, Soret thought. His concern for my dad appears sincere.
“Yeah. Maybe.” Whenever she had thought about Barc last night it had been a struggle to avoid the tears, they’d often come before she had a chance to stop them. She’d done her best to suffer in silence, but she was afraid Jorad had noticed.
“Adar’s still there,” Jorad said softly. “Tere said that he was alive when they separated. The Hunwei aren’t going to kill him. Maybe he’ll meet up with Barc. If they do, Adar will keep him safe.”
Soret wasn’t so sure, she hoped her father had enough time to settle down first. He wouldn’t be brash enough to try to attack Adar as well, would he? The thought made her uncomfortable and sad.
Tere walked ahead of them, still touching whatever he had hidden in his pocket. She hadn’t witnessed a conversation between Tere and Jorad, but she’d dozed off several times. She was all of the sudden concerned. She had assumed Jorad didn’t know or have his own suspicions, but she might be wrong. It would be frustrating if her plan didn’t work.
She forced a smile. “Let’s hope so. Did Tere say anything about the tablet?”
“They couldn’t find it.”
Soret relaxed, nothing in his demeanor made him look as though he was suspicious of Tere. “So our only option is the Rarbon Portal. Are you sure about making a claim?”
To Soret’s surprise, Jorad didn’t respond right away. She’d assumed that after everything he’d been through, there wasn’t much of an option.
“Do you see it?” Xarda asked. She was ahead of them and had walked up a small incline. Soret went ahead while Jorad trailed behind. When she got to where Xarda stood, she noticed a gap in the trees. It wasn’t apparent to Soret what it was that Xarda was pointing out. Through the gap, she could see a large expanse of ground that went on for miles and miles. While there were some patches of forest, most of it appeared to be brush and long grass. A small mountain was miles away, but other than that, there was nothing else to see.
“The mountain?” Soret asked, wondering if she was missing something.
Laughter escaped from Xarda’s mouth, but she cut it off as she took in the refugees. It sounded foreign to Soret, and she found herself bristling. How could Xarda be jovial at a time like this? If Xarda hadn’t stopped it short, Soret might have said something about it, as it was Soret let it go and tried to not let it get to her.
I’ll need her help, Soret thought, I won’t get that if I offend her.
“We’re less than two days from Rarbon,” Xarda said. “Wes may be right; those Arches might just be magical.”
That mountain was Rarbon?
Not only was it the largest city she’d ever seen, but there was also still a part of her that hadn’t accepted what it was that the Arches could do. It should have taken them a couple of months to travel to Rarbon. They had covered the distance with nothing more than a few steps. She wasn’t certain why she was so surprised, she’d been in and out of the Arches several times yesterday. She supposed it hadn’t sunk in until now.
Xarda pushed ahead while Jorad stopped to stare at the city, looking as though he saw a ghost. She wondered what it would be like for him to return to the place where he’d grown up. If she remembered correctly, he and Adar had fled Rarbon when Jorad had been five or six. After staring for a few more minutes, they continued on.
“You never answered my question,” Soret said once she’d given it enough time that she figured Jorad had forgotten about it.
“I’ll see this through to the end.” Something in the way he said it made Soret believe he meant his death, not the destruction of the Hunwei. She realized this was the most practical—though depressing—view of the situation that he could take. They were far more likely to be killed by the Hunwei.
“Do you think we’ll live through this?” Soret asked as she stepped closer. Right as she moved, she wished that she hadn’t. She didn’t move away, though, it felt good to be close beside him. For a moment, she forgot about everything else and remembered what it had been like to dance with him.