“Good afternoon.”
His eyes flicked towards her, squinting in a vain effort to discern her features. After a moment he snorted and shook his head. “You should never start an interrogation by letting the victim know the time of day.”
“This isn’t an interrogation,” Elade told him. “I just want to ask you a few questions.”
He grunted. “I’m sure you do. I should have known that a paladin would be too cowardly to kill me outright.”
“Actually, I would have been more than happy to let you die. But you’re more useful to me alive…for now.”
“That’s not a very paladin-like thing to say,” he sneered.
“I’m not like most paladins.”
His expression twisted and he glanced up to her again. “No. If you were, you’d be dead right now.”
“Perhaps,” she replied neutrally. “What is your name?”
He scoffed. “Do you actually believe I will tell you anything?”
“Not at first, but you will once you realize it’s in your best interests to cooperate. And frankly, it would be useful to know what to call you.”
“You can call me whatever you like, elf cunt. Your words mean nothing to me.”
Elade wasn’t an expert on the Crell language, but she recognized a derogatory slur for a female body part just fine. “As you wish,” she replied evenly. “Then I suppose I’ll just call you Garin Kroll.”
She had the satisfaction of seeing his lip twitch. His name was one of the only useful details they had gleaned from the other Crell survivors, but her hope was that he would assume she was a potent telepath. It might facilitate a bit more cooperation.
“Like I said,” Kroll murmured, “you can call me anything you like.”
“Good, then we can move on to my first question: how are you able to sever an Ascendant bond?”
He looked up at her and smiled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You can make this easier on yourself, Garin,” Elade told him. “Tell me what I want to know, and you’ll be transferred into Solarian custody as a prisoner of war.”
“And if I don’t, you’ll do what, exactly? Hurt me? Kill me? I think not.”
“You might be surprised at what I’m willing to do to get what I want.”
Kroll laughed. It was a bitter and disgusting sound befitting his scarred face. She doubted he was even thirty, and already his green eyes were haunted by death and despair. She couldn’t imagine the horrors he had already seen in his short life, and she didn’t want to imagine those he had inflicted himself. He wore a tormented expression she knew all too well. There was a time when it had looked back at her in the mirror.
“You’re not going to intimidate me, cunt,” he muttered, smiling thinly. “You might not be human, but you’re still a paladin. That means you have rules.”
“I told you,” Elade said, stepping forward just enough to allow him to see her silhouette. “I’m not like most paladins.”
His sardonic smile widened. “No, you’re not. You could become more powerful than any of them if you wanted, but instead you hold yourself back. You are weak.”
“I was strong enough to defeat you. Rather easily, I might add.”
Kroll grunted, but his smile faded. “I didn’t think there were any Unbound paladins. I thought your Code preached about the ‘wickedness’ of untamed power.”
“Power is neither good nor evil.”
“But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? They can control how you choose to wield your power, and it terrifies them. The Solarians think the same way.”
“So do your Sovereigns,” Elade pointed out. “They wipe the memories of their agents and transform them into thoughtless weapons of destruction.”
“Only those who are otherwise deemed unworthy,” Kroll said. “The Mistress does not fear power—she embraces it.”
“So instead of thoughtless weapons, they condition sadists. I would hardly call that an improvement.”
He shook his head and turned away. Something about him was unsettling, even beyond the basic cruelty she read in his eyes. He was a “True Believer,” not merely a victim telepathically manipulated into subservience. In many ways, that made him far more dangerous.
“You really don’t understand,” Kroll murmured. “The Mistress has a plan, and it will change everything for people like us. You don’t have to be a part of this rabble—you don’t have to limit yourself for fear it will expose you and turn you into a slave or a prisoner.”
Elade folded her arms across her chest. “I nearly killed you, and now you want to convert me?”
“It doesn’t matter what you are or whom you serve now. The Mistress doesn’t care about race or nationality, or any petty minutiae. All that matters is that you are one of us.”
“In other words, Unbound.”
“Yes,” he breathed. “This world is run by frauds—by fools who don’t deserve the powers they wield.”
“As opposed to those arbitrarily born with it?” she countered.
“Whether by accident or design, we are the children of the gods,” Kroll insisted. “We are the rightful heirs to their legacy and their power.”
Elade frowned, though she made sure to lean back just enough that he wouldn’t be able to see it. “So your Sovereign is waging a personal war against Bound, is that it? She wants to strip them all of their powers?”
“They do not deserve such a glorious blessing. Consider that elf witch of yours, a being of ‘great power’ and experience. I broke her in mere seconds.” He snorted. “They are weak and dependent. They are parasites living off the charity of others.”
“Other Unbound have tried this before, you know,” she told him. “They’ve waged wars against the Bound, both here and in Calhara. That is one reason we are so feared.”
“We should be,” Kroll said. “Now more than ever.”
Elade paced out of the light for a moment. “Your Sovereign sent her own Bound servants against us during the attack. She relies upon them just like any other Ascendant.”
“They serve their purpose, and they understand their place. Eventually, however, we will have no more use for leeches in our glorious empire.”
“I have a feeling the other Sovereigns may not agree.”
Kroll smiled up at her but remained silent. He was clearly insane, but he believed every word he said. There was obviously something far more sinister going on here than a small demonic infestation in Galvia. The Zarul had long been considered something of a shadow government, but ostensibly all the true power within the Imperium rested in the hands of High Sovereign Thelonius. Was he aware of what was going on? If not, it could explain why the Alliance had never been confronted by this new channeling technique. Perhaps only the Zarul knew of its existence.
Elade wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
“Tell me more about this new technique of yours,” she whispered. “Can you cut off any Bound from the Aether?”
“I can break them,” Kroll said. “They all the same.”
“Isn’t your Sovereign concerned that her troops might turn upon one another? What if they started ‘breaking’ other?”
“Bound cannot break other Bound,” he scoffed. An instant later his smile vanished and his lip curled in irritation. “But I think I’ve told you enough.”
Elade resisted the urge to smile. That was a vital piece of information—if all Crell Imperators suddenly learned this new technique, it would have easily been the largest shift in military power in centuries…perhaps ever. If the technique was limited to Unbound, however, it was a much more surgical weapon. Even the Crell couldn’t possibly be harboring that many Unbound.
The larger question, of course, was whether there was any defense against it. But even if Kroll knew the answer, she didn’t expect him to tell her.
“You’ve been very helpful, thank you,” Elade said.
“The Mistress would embrace you,” he whispered. “She could show
you powers you’ve never dreamt of.”
“I doubt that.”
Kroll’s eyes glimmered dangerously. “You have no idea what you’re missing. You’re denying yourself glory beyond imagining. “You could be a queen amongst servants. You could be a goddess amongst mortals. But instead you’re just a weak, pathetic cunt. You sicken me.”
“Good,” Elade said. “I’d hate to think you were comfortable.”
She turned and flicked off the glowlamp, then strode over towards the steps. Kroll shuffled in his chains behind her.
“I will break you, paladin,” he told her. “Not just your mind, but your body. I will fuck you until you scream and whimper for a quick death.
Elade glanced back over her shoulder. “I have spent a lifetime surrounded by far more powerful and disgusting creatures than you can even imagine, human. I have looked into the face of demons that would freeze your blood—I have stared down channelers with enough power to burn you to cinders with a glance. If you seriously believe that a man like you could intimidate a shadow knight, then you’re even more delusional than your Sovereigns.”
Kroll screamed something in Crell as she ascended the staircase, but the words faded into hollow echoes behind her.
***
“Everything still seems quiet,” Ria reported. “We’ve checked in on every contact across the city, and none of our people have been harassed. It looks like the city watch had no intention of pulling cleanup duty, either. They’re pretending the battle never happened.”
“How kind of them,” Adar said, slumping into his chair a bit.
Ria cocked an eyebrow and perched herself in the windowsill as she liked to do. “So what’s bothering you? Aside from the obvious.”
“Too many things,” he whispered. He rubbed at his temples, but it didn’t seem to relieve any of the pressure swelling inside his skull.
“This building is a lot more defensible than the last. If the ‘Coats can manage to sniff us out before the reinforcements get here—which I doubt—we’ll still be in a good position to hold them off.”
“I’m not worried about the Zarul. They lost their chance and they know it; the next move is ours.”
Ria folded her arms and shook her head. “The General had that same face yesterday.”
Adar frowned. “What face?”
“The one that says ‘nothing can make me happy’ right now,” she said. “His I understand—he’s terrified that his son isn’t going to wake up. Or that if he does, he’ll try and run away from us again.”
“He won’t,” Adar replied dismissively. “I’m not worried about Jason.”
“So then what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Everything else,” he told her flatly. “For one, the paladins know there’s something else going on here, and we won’t be able to hide it forever.”
Ria grunted. “We’ve spent a lifetime learning to live with our secrets, Kyle. I can’t believe this one is weighing on you so heavily.”
Adar bit his lip and pivoted his chair to the side. He had gone over everything himself thousands of times by now, and there was no way to communicate it all to her. What actually annoyed him the most was how all of this should have been bothering her too, but it wasn’t. Years ago a superior officer had warned him about people who acted with certainty—they were the most likely to be wrong. The hallmark of a smart man was recognizing what he didn’t know and learning to live with that insecurity. Very few people could ever pull that off. Adar himself certainly couldn’t.
“Ethan is about to stage a coup that will cost thousands of lives,” he muttered. “We didn’t stop him. I didn’t stop him.”
“Of course you didn’t, why would you?” she asked, her face wrinkled with some combination of confusion and annoyance. “It’s going to win us the war.”
“Or it might damn the Solarians to suffer with us,” he pointed out sharply. “Could you live with that?”
Ria snorted gruffly. “Fuck the Solarians. If you ask me, they deserve whatever they get.” Her eyes hardened and she frowned. “This never used to bother you.”
“Of course it fucking bothered me!” he snapped, tilting back towards her. “I hope to Galivar it bothers you too, even if you don’t admit it.”
She uncrossed her arms and locked eyes with him for what seemed like forever, then finally shook her head and waved a hand. “You’re tired. You’re not thinking clearly.”
He sighed. “I am tired, but that doesn’t change anything.”
“Then maybe you need to be reminded of what’s important here. This is about liberating our people, Kyle. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it is right.”
Adar shook his head. “No, it isn’t. That’s the problem. We’re petty, vengeful monsters. At times we’re even worse than the Crell.”
For a brief moment he thought Ria might strangle him, or perhaps just pull out her crossbow and put him out of his misery. But her glare actually softened. “War is a dirty business. Tevek and his cronies like to think there are rules, but both of us know that isn’t true. When push comes to shove, you do what you have to do to survive. Everyone does.”
I just wish we weren’t so good at it, he thought to himself. Ethan had jammed those exact same words down everyone’s throats countless times by now. Each time he did, of course, they became less and less convincing. There was a line here somewhere, one they couldn’t afford to cross without becoming every bit as wicked as those they were fighting against. Adar wasn’t sure where it was, exactly, but he knew they were precariously close. He had convinced himself over and over that the demons were only a temporary evil, a pact of convenience they could get rid of once they were able. But would Ethan actually give them up if his powers as a channeler were restored? Even if he did, he was still going to participate in the murder of thousands of people.
And that, Adar knew, wasn’t just stepping across the line—it was more like vomiting all over it.
“You’re just tired, Kyle,” she repeated, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “We all are. I’m sure your wound isn’t helping matters.”
“It’s fine, actually. Whatever Elade did the last time removed what was left of the pain.”
She nodded idly. “Speaking of, where is our precious little savior?”
“Interrogating the prisoner, as far as I know.”
A sardonic smile crept across her face. “I’m sure he’s quaking in his boots at the sight of a paladin.”
Adar shrugged. “I would be, in his position.”
“He knows she won’t hurt him. I’m surprised you let her talk to him alone.”
“She’s earned that much at the very least. We’ll have our chance once she’s done, I’m just…”
“Worried that one of us might kill him?” Ria finished. “He deserves a lot worse.”
“Maybe, but he’s still valuable. We can’t afford to waste an opportunity like this.”
She shook her head, still smirking. “And you really think she’s the one to get that information out of him?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, turning to face the door as soft footfalls approached. A moment later, as if on cue, Elade stepped into view. She was back in her armor now, the silver-blue cape of the Last Dawn flowing elegantly behind her. As far as Adar knew, she hadn’t slept at all since the attack, which had to be a strain even for a vaeyn. But she looked far sharper and more in control than she had all of yesterday while she’d been playing nursemaid for the sick and wounded.
“So, how was your interrogation?” Ria asked, switching back to the Ikaran tongue for the other woman’s benefit.
“Interesting,” Elade replied neutrally. “There’s something important going on inside the Zarul. It also might explain why they were operating independently.”
“You mean why they haven’t been coordinating with the watch?” Adar asked. “I think everyone just assumed they wanted the spark for themselves. No one’s ever accused the ‘Coats of being generous.”
“T
hey do, I’m sure, but there’s something else. Kroll—the name he gave me—is obsessed with Bound channelers. I think whatever the Zarul is planning centers on destroying as many of them as possible.”
“That makes no sense,” Ria said. “The Crell have hundreds of Bound just in Lyebel alone.”
“I’m aware, but I get the impression that the Zarul might be making an overt power-play for control over the Imperium government—or will be soon. If that’s true, it probably means they have no interest in you outside of the spark, which would at least partially explain why you’ve managed to survive this long.”
“That is interesting,” Adar said. He was so tempted to tell her everything, to explain that she was just jumping to conclusions. The demons were the reason the watch was back on their heels; it had nothing to do with the Green Coats. Or if it did, well, then they had just been getting lucky this whole time on top of everything else. Either way, he kept silent.
“I’m going to let him simmer for a while then see if I can learn more about this ability he has to sever Bound. I did get him to reveal that only Unbound can do it, though, which is significant.”
“That’s more than I thought you’d get out of him,” Ria said. “No offense, but I don’t think you’re the one who should be asking him questions. He won’t be threatened by a paladin, and the Crell as a whole find you and your cousins very…soft.”
Elade shrugged. “He isn’t the type of man who will respond to pain.”
“A lot of people believe that, but in the end they all spill their guts.”
“Whatever training the Crell have put him through is as bad as anything you could come up with,” Elade said. “He’s the type who will shut down or perhaps even feed off it.”
Ria cocked a surprised eyebrow. “You seem to know a lot about torture for a paladin.”
The vaeyn’s glowing eyes almost seemed to flicker. “I will talk to him again later. Let me know if you need anything. Otherwise I’m going to return to the infirmary.”
The Godswar Saga (Omnibus) Page 50