by Dan Decker
It had probably happened to her before.
The woman barely fit the bed, the top of her head touching the headboard and her feet touching the board at the bottom that kept the straw mattress in place. If she were bothered by the sleeping situation, she didn’t mention it aloud.
“A whole new life awaits us in the morning,” Gaya said while staring up at the ceiling. “I wonder if it will be as bad as everyone says.”
Soret shook her head, hoping that it wouldn’t be, but also not speaking her thoughts aloud to Gaya. She had a feeling that if she did, the woman would be encouraged by the response and talk all night.
Despite Gaya’s claim she wouldn’t be able to sleep, Soret could hear Gaya snoring a few moments later. This is just great! Soret thought. I was the one yawning, but now I’m the one wide awake.
It took her several minutes to realize what was bothering her. It was the scare she’d had when Gaya had walked into the room. Soret took several breaths and was glad Gaya hadn’t turned out to be Hunwei as she drifted off to sleep.
Her eyes couldn’t have been closed more than a few minutes before she awoke, falling out of bed. She landed hard on the stone floor as those around her yelled out.
She jumped to her feet, thinking of Jorad’s dagger that she’d kept on her belt since coming to Rarbon, but before she could grab it, she was thrown against the wall and held there by two women.
From the corner of her eye she could see that the same thing had happened to Gaya, only she had three women holding her with a fourth standing behind, just in case.
“Maggots! You’re all a bunch of filthy blood-soaked maggots. Strip them to their small clothes.”
Knives came out, cutting away Soret’s blouse and pants, leaving only her shift that she’d kept tucked into her pants. She’d slept with her boots on, and they even cut those off as well.
“Clothes! Some of you wore clothes more expensive than all the money I made last year. You won’t have nice clothes again for a very long time. Consider it a small mercy we’re leaving your underwear. If any of you lag or fall today, that will be stripped away as well.” Soret wasn’t certain if the woman meant that one mistake would mean they all had the rest cut away or just the offender.
Melyah, I hope I don’t find out. At least they would train here on base, where it was mostly women.
“Maggots! Blood sucking worms and raw sewage. That’s all you are. Some of you thought you were women of importance. Others claim to have fought the Hunwei.” Soret felt her breath catch in her chest as she recognized the voice of the woman who had been at the recruiting station. Why had Xarda been so mean to her? Confounded Melyah above, why had Soret opened her mouth about the Hunwei?
“I’ll tell you all a secret. The Hunwei have been coming ever since they left. And the only line of defense between the city and the Hunwei are us. How many think you can count on a man to save you? Come on, show of hands?”
Soret couldn’t move either of her hands because she was still being held against the wall by the women who’d cut off her clothes, yet slowly one of her hands moved up. Soret had been too flustered to notice that she was being held by the woman who’d been on guard when she first arrived.
Marge. Her smile was evil.
“We’ve one over here,” Marge called out. “It’s the same filthy maggot who claimed she saw a Hunwei in real life.”
If it had been possible for Soret’s heart to sink any further, it would have done so. She’d hoped to hide her previous experience with the Hunwei from her peers. She couldn’t blame this one on Xarda, Soret had done this all herself.
“Let them go.”
Soret stumbled as Marge tried to pull her off balance, not so much that anybody else noticed. Or if they did, they didn’t care.
“Line up!”
Soret moved to do as instructed and Marge stuck out her foot, tripping Soret who caught herself on the smelly bed just in time. Gritting her teeth, she moved forward and lined up with the others. She was the last one, and all eyes were on her.
“The men aren’t going to save you. Nine burning fires, most don’t know their rear from their heads. And you won’t be any different unless you follow my instructions. I’m your god now, and you’ll do as I say or feel my wrath.”
The recruiter walked up until she was right in front of Soret. “Tell me, girl.” She held up her arms. “Tell us all. Tell your god about the Hunwei.”
Soret didn’t dare speak, her tongue was thick as if she’d had a mouthful of sugar wafers and was trying to chew.
“What, no words of wisdom? Didn’t you come in with Jorad Rahid? Have you nothing to impart to us?” This earned a sideways glance from Gaya, and Soret could tell she should have been a bit more forthcoming with the woman. If she’d been hoping to turn Gaya into a friend, her effort had just been pushed back several steps. It might no longer be an option.
“Speak! Now.”
Soret opened her mouth. “I’m sorry, ma’—”
“Wrong. I’m your god.”
“Sorry, god.” Soret hoped to keep it at that, but the infernal woman refused to let up.
“The Hunwei. Jorad Rahid. Tell us all about them. Is it true?”
Soret didn’t respond so the woman got in her face and shouted. “Is it true? Speak up, or I’ll strip all of you of every shred. Your day won’t end until I’ve marched you through every street in this city and paraded you through every male army base twice.
“It’s true,” Soret said in a squeaky voice, the very thought of what the woman threatened made her want to shake, “every word.”
“Hear that? I want you all to let that sink into your bones. She is the reason I’m going to work you hard. She is who you should blame for everything that’s going to come next. Why? Because Jorad’s claim is why most of you are here. His cockamamy story is why you’ll suffer. The Hunwei are always coming. It’s ever been so and will ever be so. We stand prepared, ready to defend our city to our dying breaths. But the urgency you’ll feel? The harder I’ll push you? That will all be because of this woman’s claim that they are near because I can’t afford to assume she’s wrong. Remember that. Remember it is because of her that I’ll work you like the dogs you are.”
Chapter 31
Jorad opened an eye when the morning sun came through the arrow slits in his quarters. He closed it again and tried to turn over in bed, but was filled with a world of pain and rolled back onto his stomach. It was the most comfortable position he’d been able to find, but that wasn’t saying much. His quarters on the Inner Wall looked out into the city. He’d been surprised by the placement because he’d figured that the general’s quarters would be in a position to oversee the army grounds.
He let out a small groan, supposing he was glad that the light had come. If he’d slept at all, it couldn’t have been for long. Lying on his stomach offered him the least amount of pain, but that was the difference between a hot frying pan and the stove. The dog bite seemed small in comparison to all the rest, but it was perhaps the worst wound he’d received since coming to Rarbon.
I haven’t even been here a full two days and I’ve been whipped, bitten, and beaten. He didn’t want to think about what he’d face today.
Even though he closed his eyes, he was nowhere closer to sleep than he had been an hour ago. At least he wasn’t going to be late for the morning meeting with his lieutenant generals. He meant to arrive first to forestall any further conversations about assassinating him.
Once he’d dressed and eaten, he still had plenty of time, so he took a stroll around the Napael grounds. The morning was brisk, and there was frost on the ground that would be gone soon.
He took in a deep breath as he walked towards the southern gate, intent on getting a feel for the quality of the guards. He wanted his men to be alert, ready for when the Hunwei came. It was the same gate they’d used upon entering the city. He needed to review the men.
Anything to distract from his pain.
“Sir?”
Jorad turned to see a messenger approaching at a run. He stopped to allow the man a moment to catch up. He was only slightly relieved when he noticed the insignia on the man’s arm. At least the Rarbon Council wasn’t summoning him for further humiliation.
The man thrust out a wax sealed envelope. The man’s sides heaved as Jorad read the letter. It was from Abel, summoning him to a meeting at eight.
Jorad paused, wondering if he could put it off or excuse his absence because of his meeting with the lieutenant generals, but he decided it would be better to go. The Rahar wasn’t used to people telling him no. And if word got back to Abel that Jorad hadn’t come because of a meeting he could reschedule, it wasn’t going to help the already strained relationship with his grandfather.
The messenger waited for a response.
“Tell him I’ll be there.”
“Very good,” the liveried man said before taking off at a run.
Jorad looked at the gate in the Outer Wall, wishing he still had time to carry out his early morning plan, but if he were to make it to the palace on time, he needed to leave. Especially, since he didn’t want to ride the horse as hard as he’d done the previous day.
He trotted to the gate at the Inner Wall, shaking his head as he went and while wondering about Rarbon’s history. Those who’d first built Rarbon had to have done so before the Hunwei first invaded because these massive walls wouldn’t have done any good against them.
The Hunwei would just skip over with their armies and fly right into the middle of the city.
I need to find Semal, Jorad thought, wishing he’d already had time to look up the man. He had many questions, most regarding what he knew about the Hunwei. He also wanted to know why Rarbon had survived the Hunwei War. He knew that after the Severing the technology they’d used to build the city had been lost. There was a mystery here, and he was anxious to learn more about it, hoping it might throw some light onto what the Rarbon Portal contained.
If it did have a weapon that protected the city, keeping it whole during a time when all else had been turned to dust, it would mean he wasn’t wasting his time.
At the gate, he recognized the guard who he’d spared from having to clean up the contents of the spilled chamber pot. Bullford Hugh. Wasn’t that the man’s name? Bullford’s salute was sharper than that of his companion.
“I need you to send some messages. Go yourself or send another, I don’t care.” Jorad stopped and considered. “Tell Lieutenant General Pakel Passery to ready twenty-five men to accompany me on patrol. Make sure we have adequate provisions for three weeks. Have them ready supplies for me as well. Also, tell all the lieutenant generals that our meeting has been postponed until noon.” He considered giving a reason but decided against it, best they come to know they served at his pleasure. “Finally, send a messenger to Semal. Ask if he has time to see me around eleven this morning. Have the messenger than locate me at the Palace. I shouldn’t be hard to find if he asks where I’m meeting…” Jorad trailed off when he saw the look on the Bullford’s face.
“Semal is dead. I only just heard this morning. He was killed night before last.”
“Dead.” Jorad’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion but that was because he kept it that way. How could the man be dead so soon after Jorad entered the city? He couldn’t believe it was just a coincidence. Many in the city had stopped thinking the Hunwei were about to return, perhaps one of them was behind it.
“Find out everything you can and meet me in the conference chamber an hour before noon. I must know everything.”
Semal had been murdered. He should have counted on something like this happening.
Was Abel behind it?
Jorad couldn’t dismiss the thought. It was awfully suspicious that the person Jorad had been counting on the most was killed right after Jorad arrived in Rarbon. Was Abel trying to remove any support Jorad might have had from the others so that Jorad was forced to work with him?
Bullford nodded before dashing ahead of Jorad into the Inner Wall, disappearing down the intersecting hallway. Jorad had only just learned the night before it ran the length of the whole Inner Wall, allowing ten men to move with enough space that they could run if they needed.
When Jorad arrived at the hallway, he could hear people running in unison, so he stopped to let them pass. He lifted an eyebrow when he saw that it was a group of female Radim soldiers, wearing only their shifts with a practice sword slung over their backs.
Fresh recruits. He chuckled at the sight, figuring this was part of the initiation rituals for new soldiers. As the women passed, he noticed the largest woman he’d ever seen, towering over all the others.
Melyah! Even Barlon and Karn would look small next to her. Thon too. Thinking of Thon filled Jorad with sadness, but he ignored it. The woman looked young, perhaps as old as twenty, but she was well muscled. As her shift when to just above her knees, he could see that her calves were thicker than his arms.
Adar had said there wasn’t such a thing as giants—and he would know, considering all his travels, both while in the Radim and living life on the run—but perhaps he’d just never been to the place where this woman was from.
A woman next to the giantess turned her face, the movement caught Jorad’s eye.
Is that Soret?
He stared, certain he was imagining things. He didn’t see her face again, and the group moved quick enough that they were gone before he could tell for certain. The more he thought about it though, the more convinced he became it had been her.
Confound it! I’d never would have come if I’d thought she was going to enlist.
Was this because he’d killed Thon and Gorew? He’d thought she was starting to warm up to him, now he wasn’t so sure. Things were never going to be the same between them again, he’d come to accept it, figuring that the interest she’d shown before was a thing of the past.
As he crossed the intersecting hallway and went out the gate on the other side, passing by the stairs he used to access the upper levels that went to the meeting chambers, he was just as glad to have put that off until later in the day, his back could use the rest. Of course, hopping on a horse was going to be worse.
How can my wounds ever heal if they keep getting reopened?
He asked one of the guards at the gate to fetch him a horse. Even at this early hour the city was already teeming with activity, and he would move faster if he weren’t on foot, despite the pain.
Soret joined the Radim armies. He shook his head. I should have expected this. Was it too late? Could he get her out? He muttered an oath under his breath. She wouldn’t appreciate the interference. She had to have been planning this for some time. He very much doubted it was something she’d decided to do since arriving in Rarbon.
When a guard brought a horse, Jorad gave the man a nod and hurried off as fast as his back would allow, wishing he’d thought to ask the guard for his name.
Adar had always insisted that an important part of leadership was knowing your men, no matter how insignificant their position. The first step was calling them by their names. He’d been far too busy to start down that path, but it was time he tried. If not with men he saw occasionally, he could start with those he saw on a regular basis.
He’d seen the same cook at the commissary three times in a row and hadn’t once thought to ask for a name. He would rectify that as soon as he could.
***
Like the city itself, the palace continued to grow the closer he got. He was impressed at the sheer enormity of it, always thinking when he came around a corner that he was about to arrive, only to find that the street in front of him went on and he still didn’t see it approaching the palace.
And that is where my father grew up, he thought. Running through its halls, climbing high into its spires. When Adar had claimed there were rooms in the Palace in which people hadn’t set foot for centuries, Jorad hadn’t believed him, even though Adar wasn’t prone to embellishment.
Every
step of his horse brought Jorad closer and put into perspective the kind of life his father had lived before going on the run. It was now obvious why Adar had never been impressed with the shining towers of Parout or any of the other places in which they’d visited.
He’d grown up in a far grander a city.
When he finally did turn a corner and saw the way to the south Palace tower in front of him, he almost didn’t believe it, wondering if perhaps this wasn’t part of the Palace. The main spire still stood a great way off, towering high above the southern tower.
A ring of guards stood outside the closed gate as Jorad disembarked from his horse. While he wondered which of them to address, a man came out of a small door to the side and shouted an order for them to let him through.
Instead of opening the larger gate as Jorad had expected, the man beckoned for Jorad to enter in through the same door he’d just come from while a guard offered to take Jorad’s horse.
The inside of the tower was as austere as the outer, with unlit lanterns lining the walls. As the guard took Jorad past the main gate, he wasn’t surprised to see murder holes above, like what he’d found at the other gates in the Inner and Outer Walls. Defense and protection had been top of mind for the people who had built Rarbon.
If it had all been built before the coming of the Hunwei, Jorad would have given much to know why. When compared to a human foe, Rarbon was an impregnable fortress. Its high walls were impossible to climb, and he doubted anybody could make a ladder as tall as the Outer Wall.
Had wars among the humans been so bad that they needed this type of protection? As he followed the guard into the middle of the southern tower and looked up, he was surprised to see how high the ceiling went. The windows didn’t start until the third or fourth story, but it had been designed in such a way that the tower was very well lit from above.
The guard didn’t give Jorad time to pause and admire the architecture, so he took several glances as he passed and then had to take a few quick steps to catch up with his escort. The man was yet to say a word to Jorad. It was strange to think the man had recognized Jorad. Perhaps it was the insignia on his uniform, but he thought it far more likely the man knew him because he’d been at the Rarbon Council meetings.