by Dan Decker
During the course of the fight, several of the lanterns had been smashed and the room had taken on a darker cast. One of the Redd Guard behind Adar held a torch that likely put much of Adar’s face in shadow, which wasn’t a bad thing. The Redd Guard weren't known for deliberating their decisions and Boulder might interpret Adar’s anger as a sign of guilt and act without further investigation.
The shock of seeing all his men dead was beginning to wear off. Adar clenched his hands tighter around the hilt of his sword. If the Redd Guard had been competent enough to stop Helam in the first place, none of this would have been necessary. Boulder could probably tell that Adar’s voice had been laden with venom, but he didn’t have a full comprehension of the fire running through Adar’s veins. His heart beat in his chest like a clan of Ou Qui playing their large festival drums in unison and he could feel his hilt making an indentation on the skin of his hand. His legs were bent and he felt coiled like a snake, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
How thickheaded are these Melyah cursed motherless guards? Adar wondered. It was obvious that he had taken Helam by surprise. Why else would the majority of Helam’s men have been dead?
Too add to it all, Helam’s wound didn’t look the least bit life threatening. Helam was putting up a good act, but Adar was sure that Boulder would see through it. Helam was on his knees gasping for breath. Blood seeped around the side of his hands but not nearly enough for him to bleed to death over the course of the next few minutes.
Despite everything that had happened, Helam was still focused on the Portal. He didn’t appear to care that his men were dead or that both he and Adar were facing execution at the hands of the Redd Guard.
Adar itched to look over his shoulder at the Portal as well to see if the metalman was still there working on the black box. If the sound of their fighting hadn’t distracted it, Adar doubted that anything else would. He resisted the urge.
Helam was a few steps away but Adar would have to get past Boulder. A voice in the back of his head told him that he was lucky that the Redd Guard had let him get away with his last blow. It might not help his contention to them that they’d read the situation wrong but he was glad that he got it in. If nothing else, perhaps Helam’s wound would become infected and he would die that way.
If it had been anybody other than the Redd Guard that had interrupted their fight, Adar would have continued, outnumbered or not. Now that it had ended, he knew he’d made a mistake by allowing the Redd Guard to get in between them. Boulder blocked the way to Helam and even with his heartbeat pounding in his ears, Adar recognized that attacking the Redd Guard would put obstacles before him that he would never be able to remove. At best, it would get him banished. At worst, he might end up beheaded.
A grim smile crossed his face at the thought, if that happened he wouldn’t be the first Rahid to meet the headsman's ax. His father would put on a show but be inwardly pleased.
Boulder gave Adar a look that seemed to convey that he knew what Adar was thinking. Adar had to suppress a derisive snort. Who was Boulder to be giving out condemning looks?
After a few more seconds passed with Boulder looking over the room and not responding, Adar forced himself to take several deep breaths. His line of thought wasn’t helping and would only fan the flames of his anger in a way that would get him killed. Attacking Helam wasn’t going to get him out of this situation with the Redd Guard. He released the grip on his sword so that the hilt was no longer cutting into his hands and straightened his shoulders. He rolled his neck to either side and took several more controlled breaths.
“Why did you kill my men?” Adar was pleased that the tone of his voice was even and while it had an edge, it lacked the torrent of fury he’d felt before. “We came here to stop him.”
Boulder answered the question this time. “For all I know, you did this. I saw the way you stared into the Portal and everybody knows that only a Rahid can open those doors.”
“It was Helam,” Adar said through clenched teeth. He took a breath and continued. “Shut them again and have him put his hands on them. You’ll see what I mean. Then you’ll know that you murdered innocent men.”
The large man held up his hands. “Just be glad you’re still breathing. Those that enter the Portal without permission suffer the penalty of death.”
“My men didn’t enter the portal.”
“Close enough.”
“I came down and stopped him from walking into the Portal when you didn’t even have a clue about what had happened.”
Boulder paused before responding. “The Portal is not yours to protect.”
“I’ll leave.” Adar pointed to Helam. “But I’m taking him with me.”
“It isn’t that simple. You’ve seen into the Portal.”
“You’re going to kill me?” Adar nodded towards Helam. “Execute him, but I’ve done nothing wrong.” Neither did my men, he almost added but thought better of it. There was nothing he could do about their deaths. The Rarbon Council would not question the actions of the Redd Guard. As hard as it was, he had to put it out of his mind.
Boulder stood still. One of the Redd Guard shifted and cast Boulder’s face in shadow, making him look like he was made of stone. The corners of Boulder’s mouth had a slight curve, giving him the hint of a satisfied look. Adar couldn’t tell if that was an actual emotion or just the natural form of his face.
“I didn’t say I was going to kill you. Or him. As I said, it isn’t simple. One cannot just see into the Portal and expect to walk away with their life. If you were just another soldier, you’d be lying in your own blood beside your men. I’ve never had to deal with generals before.”
Adar didn’t notice the implication as quick as he might have normally because he was still fighting against his emotions, but then he realized what Boulder had said.
How many other people had tried to get into the Portal and been killed during the attempt? Had the Redd Guard covered them all up? He pushed the questions away, knowing that he’d likely never know the answer.
“What do you want to do?” Adar asked. “I don’t have time for games. This isn’t the only mess I need to clean up tonight. It’s just the first. Helam has ordered the execution of others that I need to stop.”
“Put away your swords. I believe we can resolve this without more blood.”
“Will your men put away theirs?”
After several seconds of silence, Boulder nodded his head. While the Redd Guard were sheathing their blades, Adar bent down to the body of the man he’d killed just before fighting Helam and cleaned his blade on the shirt of the corpse.
Boulder shifted. “You dishonor the dead?”
“You respect traitors?”
Boulder lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything more as Adar put away his sword and folded his arms. It was frustrating that Boulder was slowing him down. Adar’s name for him was proving to fit more than just his physical description. Was Boulder dim witted or just thorough? Adar was having a hard time figuring it out.
Boulder looked at where Helam knelt on the floor. “Would you like to be bandaged?” Helam hadn’t changed position and his hands had become covered with more blood while he continued to stare into the Portal.
Adar refrained from following Helam’s gaze, despite his overwhelming curiosity. If he were to have any chance of convincing the Redd Guard that he hadn’t been the one to open the Portal doors, he’d have to keep his questions at bay and look the part of a person that hadn’t done this. He realized he was grinding his teeth and stopped.
When Helam didn’t respond, the large man cleared his throat, but Helam continued to stare into the Portal. It was difficult for Adar to not look, but he kept his eyes away.
Boulder moved until he broke into Helam’s line of sight and squatted down to look Helam in the eye. “We can take care of that wound. Will you put away your sword?”
Helam hesitated and a brief look of defiance crossed his face until he made eye contact with Adar. Then he scowle
d.
“Sure. It’s bad enough that only he can access the Portal,” Helam nodded his head toward Adar, “did he have to kill so many good men as well?” He looked around the room. “Too many have died here today.”
“Generals are difficult men.” Boulder spoke as if speaking to the other men of the Redd Guard. He sighed as he straightened. “Even the best of them are liars. If it were up to me, they’d be whipped regularly to keep their heads on straight and to remember the punishments they dole out so easily to others. Maybe then they would have more sense.” The large man motioned to several of the Redd Guard. “Move them so we can shut the doors.” He pointed at Helam. “Bind his wound.”
Adar gave the men that approached him a cold stare. “I can walk on my own.” He stepped out of the path of the doors without glancing towards the Portal. The closest Redd Guard looked to Boulder who shrugged.
It grated on Adar to have learned something about what was behind the doors but to have no ability to follow up on the questions that the metalman and the black boxes raised. He struggled to keep his frustration from showing but he didn’t stop because he could feel the eyes of Boulder on him. If Adar were to turn back hoping for a final view, the large man would see it and condemn him.
Once Adar had moved far enough away, he kept his back to the Portal to remove the temptation. The Redd Guard moved Helam out of the way and helped him put away his sword. Adar clenched and unclenched his fist as he watched. He was certain that Helam was feeling better than he let on. Should the Redd Guard suddenly disappear, Helam would be able to move around.
Adar didn’t watch when the Redd Guard approached the Portal. He could hear them pushing the doors shut. They seemed to know what they were doing but he assumed that there was a way to make the doors shut on their own. The fact that they didn’t use it could have indicated either that they didn’t know of it or didn’t want to reveal more than Helam and Adar had already learned. Ten of the Redd Guard took up their position once the Rarbon Portal doors were closed. Once the blood and bodies were cleaned up, it would be as if it had never happened.
Adar repressed a sigh. Even if Helam’s threats had become reality and the Portal had remained opened and freely accessible to anybody, Adar would have been happy with that outcome. At least then, the questions could be answered and if there were weapons that could be used against the Hunwei, they would be available.
Adar looked at Helam as he sat with his back to the wall. The Redd Guard had stripped away his shirt and had gone to work on him. When they were done, they wrapped the middle of his chest with a bandage. Adar reminded himself that he was walking on the edge of a dagger and if he wasn’t careful, he would slip. The smallest thing could mean the difference between life and death.
He took several deep breaths and tried again to push away thoughts of his dead men. He would mourn for them when the time was right and while he didn’t currently see a way to make the Redd Guard face the consequences of their actions, he would have plenty of time to think about it if he survived this whole ordeal.
“It has been many years since a foolish man tried to take the Portal by force,” Boulder said once the doors were shut. “Ten dead of the Redd Guard.” There was a small hint of sadness in his voice. “Double that for the Paroke soldiers and roughly the same number of Napael. When we came, most of the living was Napael, making me think that they took the Paroke by surprise.” The large man paused deep in thought. “Some say the Portal can only be opened by a Rahid. Though Adar claims Helam can open it.”
Have Helam place his hands on the Portal doors and you’ll answer that question, Adar thought but didn’t say, instead he inhaled and slowly let it out. The slow talking Red Guard was grating on his nerves. Every moment they waited gave Helam additional time to think of the details necessary to make his lies more believable. While Adar didn’t see a way out of this for Helam, particularly if they had him open the Portal, the man was devious and the more time he had to scheme, the less likely it would work out well for Adar.
“Perhaps I should just kill you both as our rules dictate.” Boulder rubbed his stubbled chin, as he looked at each of them in turn. Adar’s jaw muscles were beginning to hurt from the effort it took to keep from talking. Boulder needed to work this out himself. “All that know of this are dead except for the two of you. Correct?” After a pause when neither Helam nor Adar spoke, he nodded at Helam. “You first.”
“I believe that’s right,” Helam said after he looked around the room. “All my men are accounted for.”
Adar frowned, he suspected that Boulder was testing them to see if they would mention the women. He doubted that Helam had seen Nelion but he was surprised that Helam hadn’t mentioned Elaire. She had betrayed Helam and he had taken her captive. Why wouldn’t he have revealed her presence? Was he still trying to protect her even now?
Boulder looked at Adar. “Do you confirm this?”
Adar’s mouth went dry and he avoided swallowing. He was at a loss for the words he should say. Nelion and Elaire had disappeared before Adar had confronted Helam. It was possible that they’d left before the Redd Guard had appeared and escaped their notice. As he considered Boulder with his tiny smug smile, Adar decided he had better tell the truth. If he answered that there had been a woman and revealed that Elaire had been here as well, Helam might suddenly remember that there had been two. In that instance, both Helam and Adar would die. If Adar said two, there would be nothing left for Helam to say.
Adar hated giving up the information—particularly since he didn’t want to endanger Nelion—but if he didn’t make it through this, who would there be to pass the tests? The whole fate of Rarbon hung in the balance. What hope would they have if the Hunwei returned and the Portal doors were still shut because the bureaucratic idiocy of the council kept non-Rahids from taking the tests?
Helam did have a point there. Something as important as the information that was kept within the Rarbon Portal shouldn’t have been tied to a single bloodline.
“There were two women here as well,” Adar said, “though, I don’t know what they’ve seen.”
Boulder’s smile grew and he nodded his head. “You have answered truthfully, General Rahid. These other two women must be silenced.” He looked at Helam. “Bring him to the Portal and place his hands on the door.”
Adar hid a frown. They could silence Elaire only after he had a chance to interrogate her, but they’d have to step over his body before he’d let them do something to Nelion. There weren’t many people that would still have been fighting after what she’d been through tonight.
Helam had been looking pale before but now his face looked as though every drop of blood had drained out. “This is ridiculous. I came down here to stop Adar from taking a shortcut through the tests and found his men guarding the way.” The Redd Guard did their best to help him up without aggravating his wound but he struggled and after an impatient snort from Boulder, they gave up on being nice and grabbed him, pulling him to his feet.
“You’re afraid.” Boulder folded his arms while he waited. Helam continued to struggle and the bandage they’d wrapped around his chest slipped. By the time Helam was in front of the Portal, the bandage had fallen and Adar could see the wound. He had done little more than break the skin and it was no longer bleeding.
“One hand will be sufficient,” Boulder said.
Adar tried to keep his expression calm but could tell that he was failing. Helam stopped struggling and seemed to embrace what lay before him as they forced his hand to the door. It was almost over. Boulder would know the truth once Helam opened the Portal.
Helam’s face was impassive as the Portal doors began to move and he lowered his hand. As the doors swung open, there was a slight clicking sound that Adar had been too focused to take note of earlier. Helam put his hand into his pocket and pulled out something that Adar couldn’t see. When Helam raised his hand, the move reminded Adar of what that Kopal man—he was certain now it had been Molach—in the alley ha
d done. Adar called out but it was too late. All he could do was close his eyes.
***
As Helam was dragged to the Portal doors, he felt like his heart was trying to bludgeon a pathway out of his chest. How had things gone so wrong? It shouldn’t have happened this way. If he hadn’t been forced to move his timetable up, he would have had plenty of time to recruit enough men that success would have been all but ensured.
In retrospect, it had been foolish for him to send Tymy after Adar. Given the way that things had played out, Tymy hadn’t had enough time to locate Adar. Maybe Tymy was in the Palace now, headed their way. The thought filled Helam with a feeling of hope that he stamped down.
If Adar’s men held the gates now there wouldn’t be a way for Tymy to get into the Palace. Helam should have filled Tymy in on the hidden entrance. The man would be handy right about now.
Helam had been trying to get too many things done at once; his divided attention had come with a cost. Everything had combined and he’d become caught up in the moment, forgetting to keep his focus on what was most important.
He should have concentrated on the Portal and not touched the palace gates. If he had done that, he would have had enough men to handle the Redd Guard.
He’d also underestimated Briggs ability to get to the Palace in a timely manner, another foolish mistake.
It had been hours since Helam had sent Hael to fetch Briggs. As Helam struggled against the Redd Guard, Helam looked at the entryway to the room hoping to see Briggs peeking around the corner with the mercenaries behind him, but it was empty. Unlike Tymy, Briggs had had plenty of time to get into the Palace before Adar’s men had reclaimed the gates.
Helam glared at Adar as he stood off to the side with a smug look on his face. The man had messed things up for him once again. Helam had counted on the fact that Adar would respond but he’d miscalculated, he’d thought that Adar would have focused on recapturing all the gates himself. How had he known that Helam’s ultimate goal was the Portal?