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

  She wished for her father, cursing Jorad and the circumstances that had led to Barc on the other side of the arch after it had closed.

  After her dad had attacked Jorad, she should never have left his side, if only to keep an eye on him. She could have prevented him from attacking Jorad again.

  She would go back for him one day. The Arches might not work for her the way they did for Jorad and Adar, but they weren’t the only people who could use them. It wouldn’t be hard to convince Leron to return with her. All she’d have to do was smile, bat her eyes, and push her hair behind her ear and he would do anything she asked.

  She’d seen the way the fool looked at her. While she liked his light and easy-going demeanor she couldn’t escape the suspicion that should anything ever happen between the two of them it would be as fleeting as a warm summer rain. Refreshing but soon over.

  The old Soret wouldn’t have ever thought to use somebody like that. But what choice do I have? I must make use of the tools I have.

  She’d feel bad if she did decide to use Leron, but she would do it if that were what she thought was best.

  When she realized Jorad was walking beside her, she nearly jumped out of her skin. When had he approached? She smoothed her face of any emotion, trying to bury her conflicted feelings for him as deep as she could. She wasn’t sure how successful she was because he looked at her from the side of his eyes with a grimace.

  A flash of empathy entered her heart but didn’t remain long when she thought of how Jorad had mercilessly kept plunging that knife into Thon.

  Neither had spoken of anything that had happened that day, and that was probably for the best, at least until she could figure out what she thought of everything.

  But I need him.

  She hated to admit it to herself and hated, even more, the swell of guilt she had to stamp down.

  “Tere has the tablet,” Jorad said while looking straight ahead. He spoke in a small, quiet voice. Soret had a difficult time keeping a straight face and was glad he wasn’t looking at her.

  She faked a cough to cover it up.

  “You okay?” Jorad unslung his water skin from his pack and proffered it to her. She accepted it gratefully while she worked through the problem.

  He can’t know for certain. He’s guessing. It’s the way Tere keeps fondling it while he walks. I should have said something to him. She took a long pull on the water skin before giving it back. By that point, she’d managed to dispel the surprise. Stupid, she thought, I should have anticipated this so I wouldn’t have had to come up with a ruse.

  “You sure?” she asked, not trusting herself to say more and trying to decide if he suspected she knew something about it.

  Jorad shook his head. “I haven’t seen it, if that’s what you’re asking, but you should have seen the way his eyes moved when I mentioned it.” He eased the pack straps on his shoulder. Soret felt a flutter of guilt when she saw that blood had soaked through the bandage on his shoulder and onto his shirt. The pack must have aggravated the wound. Jorad looked at his hand and wiped it on his pants. “Tere didn’t believe in the tablet before, he’d always been skeptical.”

  “That is terribly thin,” she said, pushing away the image of her father sinking his dagger into Jorad’s shoulder. She had mixed feelings about how she’d helped him bandage it up. On the one hand, it had been a good thing to do to buy some goodwill, but on the other, it made her sick thinking of what Jorad had done to Gorew and Thon.

  Papa wouldn’t have done anything to him if he hadn’t killed two men! But of course, nothing would have happened if Gorew hadn’t attacked him.

  It was all so confusing and irritating. Confounded men, this wouldn’t be nearly so difficult if just one of them had stopped to consider the consequences of his actions.

  “The man can’t take his hand out of his pocket. It’s like he found an expensive gem and is concerned it’s still there. I’m willing to bet my blaster it’s the tablet. Adar found it. And Tere stole it.” Jorad looked into her eyes, his face hard as if he’d decided to do something drastic. “I’m going to take it.”

  Soret gulped, wondering if she should try and curry favor with Jorad by telling him what she’d seen. It might be a wise move, but if word ever got back to Tere, she would have made a new enemy. That was the opposite of what she needed to accomplish. She needed more allies and Tere could be a powerful one.

  If she hadn’t been so nervous, she might have tried a lie, but she was afraid her voice would give her away and that she wouldn’t be able to sell it. Besides, if she’d suspected Tere had the tablet, it would look bad that she hadn’t volunteered that information to Jorad in the first place.

  There had to be another way.

  “Have you talked this over with Karn?” she asked, thinking it would be best to delay him. Perhaps Karn would talk him down. “And Xarda too. They know him better than you.”

  “I haven’t. You’re the first.” A surprised look crossed his face as if he were surprised he’d said as much as he had. He wanted to say more, it was evident by the way he hesitated. She waited, giving him the opportunity, but he didn’t go on.

  So, they walked in silence for several minutes.

  “You might be onto something,” she said at last. “He’s been different since Zecarani.” Haven’t we all? “Perhaps he had a mild altercation with Adar. If you go accusing him and it’s baseless, that will be damaging. Do you want him hating you as well?” She felt bile rising in the back of her throat as she thought of what she was going to say next. “We’re going to need every last resource we can get.”

  There is no we. She repeated the thought several times in her head as if trying to affirm it to herself.

  Jorad waved his hand. “I’m not looking to build a relationship with the man. I don’t need him.”

  “Even so, there is a difference between not being friends and having a sworn enemy. You accuse him wrongfully, and that’s what you’ll have. It will prove nothing but a distraction for you at a time when you must focus on making a claim and passing the trials.”

  That gave Jorad pause. She could see it in the way he bit his lip. Her message was getting through, and she opened her mouth to say more but stopped, figuring what she’d said was already enough.

  “Maybe, you’re right.” Jorad shook his head. “But if he does have the tablet I might be able to use it to access these mythical weapons Rarbon is supposed to have. That would save me having to get into the Portal in the first place.”

  Fool! She took a breath. Leave Tere alone. She shrugged, trying to appear as if it didn’t matter to her. “You need to talk with Xarda and Karn. They’ll know the right way to go about this.”

  “You’re probably right.” He gave her a tight-lipped smile and moved on ahead.

  She watched until he’d disappeared in front of some refugees before letting out a sigh. Had she made the right choice? She’d come so close to telling Jorad that he was right but then she’d taken it a different direction instead.

  She was glad she’d been able to keep from talking about it and now that she had a chance to think about it, she was committed to her course of action. There would be no going back. If Jorad did determine Tere had the tablet, she would take her prior knowledge of it to the grave.

  What a mess, she thought, if I just keep my mouth shut I’ll be able to steer clear.

  The next several miles took forever. The greenery of the forest wasn’t as pronounced because they’d come out of the valley. There were still groves of trees and vegetation, if not as thick as it had been before. The road which had been packed and a little wet in the valley had turned to dust.

  The sun was setting when Soret saw metal glinting off a dirt covered structure ahead of them. She squinted, thinking at first that it was another tower similar to Vigorock or the one outside the town hall in Zecarani, but then she recognized that it was squat and wide.

  She could scarcely take her eyes from it and tired as she was, it took her until th
ey were almost to it before she realized what it was.

  A Hunwei ship.

  Only, it was ancient and in disrepair. It was massive, larger than any other she’d seen, and covered with rust and corrosion, much of it buried under the earth, but there was no doubt.

  “How many times did I pass but never know?”

  She turned to see Tere beside her. The fool man still had his hand in his pocket, grasping the tablet.

  How can he expect to hold onto it if he’s so obvious?

  “What do you mean?” Soret asked.

  Tere looked surprised as if he hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud. At first, it appeared he wasn’t going to answer her question, but then he shook his head and muttered something she didn’t catch.

  “I must have seen this ship a hundred times.” He shrugged. “I always imagined it was one of ours. Never once did it cross my mind it was theirs.”

  Soret frowned, it seemed strange to her that Tere had seen a Hunwei ship well before the Hunwei attack had begun, even growing up in its proximity. She supposed it wasn’t so different from living in Vigorock’s shadow her whole life.

  “How old is it?” she asked.

  “Hard to say. Semal, one of the more prominent scholars in Rarbon believes it to be over a thousand years, but that’s hard to accept. I would have guessed after a thousand years it would be more corroded, possibly even turned to dust.

  “Has nobody been inside?”

  He smiled. “You think we should have known it was Hunwei?” He shook his head. “The thing is sealed tight. Whatever it’s made from isn’t anything we can get around.”

  Soret stared in wonder while they walked in silence. At one point, they passed an old tree that had a wooden placard affixed to it. It was badly weathered, and she was unable to read the words. When she asked Tere, he just grunted, his eyes glowering. The old Soret might have persisted with her questions, but she recognized that wasn’t the right move. She was hoping to convince the man to be her ally. Whatever had happened here, the man didn’t need the reminder.

  They walked together in silence for some time, all the while Soret becoming more anxious Jorad would spot the two of them together.

  If he confronts me about it, I’ll just tell him the truth. There wasn’t anything else to say. Of course, I could claim I was trying to get information about the tablet.

  Soret wasn’t convinced she could sell that lie. Jorad would want to know what she’d learned. And what would she say to that?

  When Tere moved as if to go ahead, she grabbed his arm, surprising herself at the action. His eyebrows raised as he looked at her, leaving the question unspoken but making it plain she better explain what she was about.

  Soret panicked, not wanting to upset the man but also not wanting to lose the opportunity.

  “Be careful of Jorad.” Her voice was so quiet she wondered if Tere had been able to hear her words.

  Tere snorted, its meaning clear. He didn’t need her to tell him that. He shook off her hand.

  “He knows you have the tablet,” she tried again, her voice a little louder this time. She looked around and was glad to see there wasn’t anybody nearby.

  Tere turned on her, his face pale, his hand moving to his pocket. He seemed unaware he’d done so. “I don’t have the tablet.”

  Soret stamped down her fear. She’d already started, might as well finish. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” She motioned to his pocket. “You hardly take your hand off it.”

  He moved his hand away as if discovering he had a viper in there. “That’s not…” He trailed off when Soret rolled her eyes.

  “I’ve seen it.”

  For a long moment, it seemed as though Tere were considering whether he could get away with killing her. He looked around. The closest people on either side were far enough away there wasn’t much risk of them being overheard. She held her head high, arching her back. Let the man try and see how long it took for the others respond to her cries.

  “I tried to talk him out of it, but I doubt I succeeded. He’s going to come at you. If he finds that in your pocket, he’s liable to strangle you.”

  “That would be fitting,” Tere mumbled, “considering where we are.”

  Soret didn’t know what he meant by it but let the comment slide, tightening her hand into a fist. She was surprised by her audacity.

  Well, I’ve come this far...

  “Let me hold it for you.”

  “Melyah has made you crazy, girl. Even if I did have it, I wouldn’t just turn it over.”

  “You’re going to lose it if you don’t, but that’s not all you’ll lose.”

  Tere gave her a searching look. “If he catches you, he’ll hang us both.”

  Soret wanted to disagree with him. Jorad wouldn’t harm her, would he? The thought of Thon bleeding while Jorad stabbed him came to mind, hitting her like a brick wall.

  Jorad was a violent man.

  Tere was right. Jorad might hesitate, but he was capable of doing such a thing. He would do it. She all the sudden felt cold and wanted to draw her hood around her face, but she refrained.

  It is because he is capable of such things that I’m doing this. The thought was cold comfort.

  Tere stared at her until she looked away, feeling like she wanted to dig a hole into the ground to hide.

  “And who’s to say you wouldn’t just take it to him.”

  “He killed two men I grew up with. Men who never did anything wrong. They were good men. They didn’t deserve the end they came to.” Tere regarded her with a frown. If he’d heard about what Jorad had done, he hadn’t been aware of how Soret had felt about it. The fact that she’d bared so much already forced her on. “My father had reason to act the way he did.”

  “But Jorad stayed his hand with Barc.” Tere moved a step closer and spoke softly. “That was because of you. He thinks he loves you.” A considering look crossed his face. “Tell me you don’t.”

  Soret looked around before speaking, her voice low. “He should pay for the blood he spilled. My father isn’t here because of him.” Tears trickled down her face. “Isn’t that enough for you?”

  “Perhaps.” He took her arm and urged her to walk. “Keep your voice down, others will hear.”

  She wiped her tears on the back of her sleeve and avoided looking behind to see if others were near. She hated the raw emotion she’d displayed, but it had apparently worked. Tere no longer doubted how she felt about Jorad.

  “Tell me again about your conversation with Jorad.”

  As she spoke, Soret took firm control of her voice. The outburst had accomplished what she’d wanted, but she would have preferred to not need it. Regardless, she would make use of what she’d done.

  “You sent him to Karn and Xarda?” Tere asked, his voice cold.

  “It was that or let him jump you.”

  They walked in silence as the last light of day disappeared behind the mountains at their back. She started when Tere pushed something into her hands.

  “Hide it,” was all he said before moving forward.

  Soret took one look before pulling off her pack and stuffing it inside, looking behind her as she did. It was dark enough that she doubted anybody had seen it. Once she was moving again, her hands shook so badly she was forced to grab hold of them.

  Lucky thing it’s getting cold again. She was also glad nobody she knew was nearby. Most of her former traveling party tended to prefer the front, so she stayed near the back. Although she hadn’t intended for it to work out that way, it had put her near Tere, giving her the opportunity to procure the tablet.

  She’d only caught a quick glimpse, seeing about as much as she’d seen before. Enough to know it was shiny and little else. Realizing how alone she was, she sped up until she was closer to the refugees just ahead of her.

  A mile or so down the road, she wasn’t surprised when she came out from a copse of trees and found Jorad, Karn, and Xarda all surrounding Tere.

  So, he was able to con
vince them? They must have had their own doubts already to go along with it so quickly.

  Soret moved closer to the refugees, studiously refusing to stare the way they did. Jorad and the others were focused on Tere, probably not even realizing Soret was passing by so close to them.

  “Turn out your pockets,” Jorad said. “Give us your pack.”

  Try as she might, Soret couldn’t keep her eyes away when she heard that. Tere’s face was lit by moonlight, but he didn’t look at her once.

  “You fool!” he said. “How can you think I’d hide something useful to us all.”

  Xarda placed a hand on her uncle’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off. “Come now uncle, even you cannot deny there are holes in your story.”

  Tere spat, handing over his bag and taking off his coat. “You want me to strip naked too? Shall I do a jig?”

  Soret didn’t hear Jorad’s answer as she disappeared into the next thicket of trees. Some of the others in the group had slowed, curious to watch so Soret found herself at the front.

  It was difficult to not break into a run as she thought of the tablet pushed into the top of her pack. She wished she had taken the time to stuff it further inside. As she slowed her pace to keep with the group, she grabbed hold of her hands to keep them from shaking.

  Melyah, what have I done?

  Chapter 6

  At last, they came to the walls of the city. It looked as though at one time the land between the break in the forest and the wall had been cleared of vegetation, but it must have been many years since it had last been done because saplings dotted the area like weeds in an untended garden.

  The pounding in Soret’s chest that had subsided, returned full force now that they were so close to their destination. As they had come out of the forest, her breath had been taken away by the impossibly high walls, towering like a mountain before them. At the top, she could see guards moving, at least she thought that was what they were doing, it was hard to be certain.