Soldier Song (The Teralin Sword Book 6)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “And why does this trouble you?”

  “I’m committed to the Denraen.”

  “With the knowledge that you would be asked to do more.”

  Endric set the book aside, pushing all of them to the edge of the desk and looking over at Senda. “That was the agreement, but my father has begun to question whether I did so out of devotion to the Conclave more so than out of devotion to the Denraen.”

  “He wasn’t supposed to share my concerns with you.”

  “What?”

  Senda shrugged. “I can see it. I’ve been observing you for the last few years, Endric, and—”

  Endric twisted in his chair so that he could look at Senda more closely. “You’ve been observing me?”

  “I’m a spymaster. I observe everything and everyone,” she said. She waved her hand dismissively at him and leaned forward, grabbing the book off the edge of his desk before leaning back and flipping through the pages. “So you do intend to take this mission.”

  “My father seems to think that I should.”

  “I think your father wants the stream of information that the guild offers.”

  “I think he’s worried that it means the Deshmahne have become more involved.”

  “Nothing that I’ve heard tells me that the Deshmahne are any more active than they always have been.”

  “Is that supposed to reassure me?”

  Senda paused, holding the book open. “It’s not supposed to do anything. It’s a commentary on the Deshmahne. They aren’t active, Endric. They aren’t a threat to us.”

  “I know. I’ve heard the reports.”

  “Don’t you believe them?”

  “I have no reason not to believe them.”

  “That’s not much of an answer,” she said.

  “Sure it is. I trust your reports, and I know now isn’t the time to go after the Deshmahne.” There would come a time when he would need to go after them, and there would be a time when the Denraen would be forced to confront them, but so far, Endric didn’t feel as if the timing was now. And while the Deshmahne didn’t pose any threat to the Denraen, there was no reason for the Denraen to move on them. Why throw men into danger without any reason to do so?

  He had let go of the anger he’d held, knowing that while he could blame the Deshmahne for what had happened to his brother, the real culprit had been Urik, using the Denraen and the Deshmahne to serve his purposes.

  “I don’t know what to make of the guild. The books you have there won’t be of much use, if that’s what you’re trying to understand. The guild keeps secrets about themselves and their organization, and only those within know anything about their structure. I’ve tried to find out, but there isn’t anything to learn.”

  “How does one even join the guild?”

  “That is nearly as difficult as finding any information about the guild in the first place. Joining the guild requires one of the existing guild members to take on an apprentice, and only then are you brought into the fringes of the guild secrets.”

  “See? You already know more than I did.”

  She arched her brow at him. “Is that so surprising?”

  “Why does she want us to go south?”

  “I don’t know. If the guild has gone silent there, maybe she thinks to find out more.”

  “Maybe there is a guild stronghold somewhere in the south.”

  “Not that I know of, but then again, there isn’t much about the guild I can tell you with absolute certainty. It’s interesting; they’re the ones who observe kings and rulers and even the Denraen, but it’s almost as if they don’t offer any observation about themselves.”

  “Or maybe they do and have chosen to restrict access to it,” Endric said.

  She smiled. “That’s more likely.”

  “My father doesn’t think Novan would share anything with us.”

  “Do you? You’ve spent considerable amount of time with that historian to know.”

  “That’s the thing. I’m not sure what to make of Novan. He is unique, and there’s something about him that I haven’t managed to fully determine, but it’s a secret I think he intends to keep.”

  “Because he’s part of the Conclave?”

  Endric shot her a hard look. “You know that I can’t talk about that.”

  “Even after all these years, you still intend to keep your connections to the Conclave to yourself?”

  “I don’t have any choice but to do so. Unless you were invited to be a part of the Conclave, there isn’t anything that I can share with you.”

  “It’s not so much that you can’t share, it’s more that you won’t share.”

  “Senda—”

  She laughed and threw herself back in the chair. “It really is fun to torment you about this. I know you won’t share anything about the Conclave, just as I know someone has told you that you can’t. I’m not sure whether that someone is Novan, or this mysterious swordsman who goes by the name of Brohmin, or perhaps even your father, but…”

  Endric smiled to himself. Senda named off the people she knew to be in the Conclave and searched for additional names, but Endric didn’t know any. Other than Tresten, he wasn’t certain who else was a part of the Conclave. He could return to Salvat and meet with the few remaining people within the Conclave headquarters, but that probably wouldn’t change anything.

  “Maybe if you go after the guild,” Senda said, “you can find out more about your historian friend. Then he won’t have the same secrets.”

  “It’s not as if I want to go after his secrets and keep him from having them,” Endric said.

  “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just suggesting that you could learn what he’s trying to hide from you, and you could leverage that to learn more about the guild.”

  “Oh. That’s all it is. I thought you were trying to tell me to blackmail a member of the historian guild—”

  “And a member of the Conclave,” Senda said, raising a finger.

  Endric breathed out in amusement. “Fine. And a member of the Conclave, to discover information about the guild.”

  “See? Even you seem to think that makes sense.”

  “It does not make sense,” Endric said.

  “Sure it does. The hardest part will be in finding Novan.”

  Novan often wouldn’t be found unless he chose to be discovered. He wandered, though that was no different than any of the other historians. In that, Novan was not unique, and his wandering was how he observed the world.

  “Elizabeth intends for us to head south.”

  “That is if you choose to go where she would have you go, but like I said, if you use your assets, you might not have to go without any information.”

  “I’m not sure how Novan would feel about being referred to as an asset.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. Endric knew Novan wouldn’t appreciate it. And calling anyone an asset in such a way felt impersonal. Was that what he was to Senda? Was that what everyone was to her?

  That could be how his father had accumulated information. Maybe he treated everyone as if they were an asset. That wasn’t the way Endric wanted to treat people. Even when he was a general, he didn’t think that he would be willing to regard people with the same impersonality.

  “You can call him whatever you want, but use the resources that you have. Your connection to the Conclave and to Novan and to others like him are what will allow you to succeed where Elizabeth wouldn’t.”

  “Elizabeth knows Novan.”

  “She knows him the same way I know him. She knows his reputation, and I’m sure she’s had some interactions with him, but I don’t think she knows him the way you do.”

  “The way you say it makes it seem a little strange.”

  Senda leaned forward long enough to jab him in the shoulder. “You know, when you do become general, you are going to need to take advantage of the various resources that you have on hand.”

  “I don’t want to use people.”

 
“And I’m not suggesting that. All I’m suggesting is you recognize you will have access to resources others will not. Those resources are valuable. And people are resources. Think about the things you’ve been through, Endric,” she said, sliding to the end of her seat so that she balanced on the edge. “I don’t know what you experienced when you went north, but I do know you had an experience with the Antrilii, and whatever that was is another resource you have that others do not. Eventually, those resources will make you an incredibly powerful ally for whoever you choose to fight for. Now, I happen to share your father’s view and hope that you choose to fight on behalf of the Denraen, but even if you don’t, even if you decide that you would rather serve the Conclave directly”—she arched a brow at him, seemingly inviting him to dispute that—“you still have access to resources that others don’t.”

  “And what if I’m the resource Elizabeth is using?”

  Senda chuckled and leaned back in the chair so that she was practically lying. “You absolutely are.”

  “Why does that not surprise me?”

  “It should not surprise you,” Senda said. “I warned you what Elizabeth is like. She makes no qualms about the fact that she is who she is and that she serves the university in acquiring information so she can put the university in a position to be successful.”

  Endric glanced over at the stack of books on his desk. If he was Elizabeth’s asset, what did that mean? What did she intend to use him for? Somehow, it had to do with understanding the guild, but maybe there was more to it. Perhaps she was using him because of his connection to Novan.

  If that were the case, he needed to be aware of it.

  “Then what do you think she’s planning?”

  “If I were able to answer that, you wouldn’t need to go with her.”

  Endric stood and stretched. “Now that you’re back, do you want to go for a walk?”

  “Where would you have us walk?”

  “I thought that we could make our way through the city. You could tell me what you see in Vasha.”

  “Endric, I doubt that you’re going to find anything in the city that will help you understand what Elizabeth might be after with you.”

  “I might not, but you might.”

  Senda slowly sat up. “I’d rather just stay here and relax. I’ve been gone for long enough that—”

  Endric grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet. “I know how long you’ve been gone. I’ve missed you. And we can take time together, but let’s do this first.”

  She met his eyes. “You know I’ve missed you too.”

  “Come with me.”

  They made their way out of the barracks and down to the first terrace. When they reached the base of the ramp leading between the terraces, he paused a moment to look up. From here, the barracks were not well lit. There were flickers of lantern light in many of the buildings, but not much more than that. High above the second terrace, the mage palace was much better illuminated, with dozens of windows glowing with a faint white and yellow light. None of the windows had any blue light, not the way he’d seen when Tresten still had lived within the palace. Then again, most within the palace believed Tresten to be dead, and while the Magi were known to be gifted, surviving death and coming back wasn’t something they were particularly known for.

  He missed having Tresten in the city. Knowing he was here had always given him a sense of comfort and had left him thinking that if he had questions, there would be someone who he could go to for answers. Without Tresten, who would that be? The Mage Council wasn’t filled with people he felt particularly comfortable with. The Eldest was a difficult Mage to read, and Endric had the sense that he didn’t necessarily care for the Denraen. Others on the Council were equally difficult.

  “Endric?”

  He shook his head. “I’m just lost in thought.”

  Senda grabbed his hand and pulled him into the city. “You’re the one who wanted to come down here.”

  He forced a smile. He was, and now that he was here, he was looking up at the palace and was the one thinking of assets. When he was dealing with the Magi, he couldn’t believe how he viewed them, but wasn’t that what he was doing?

  If—and when—he ever became general, he would need to have some inroads to the Magi. Without Tresten, there might not be any way to have that necessary connection. He would have to develop it.

  As they wandered through the city, he glanced at the buildings around them. At this time of night, there was a certain liveliness to the city that wasn’t there on the other levels. It came from the taverns and the people coming to the city to visit, people who didn’t necessarily call Vasha their home. These people were responsible for giving it the feel it had. At night, it reminded him more of some of the other great cities, places like Thealon or Gomald. Music drifted from some of the doors that they passed, in a dozen different styles and with a dozen different instruments. Voices followed the musical notes.

  They stopped in front of one such building, with boisterous voices coming from inside. “A tavern?” he asked, smiling.

  “I’m not here to drink,” she said, pulling the door open.

  A cacophony of sound tumbled out of the tavern as the door opened, and with it came aromas from food and ale and sweat. Endric hadn’t visited this tavern before, but it wasn’t one of the nicer ones. Then again, it was possible he had been here long ago and had just forgotten it. When he had been visiting taverns with regularity, he often lost track of which he visited.

  Senda navigated inside comfortably and moved through the tavern until she found an open table, where she took a seat. Endric followed her, looking around. His days since he had frequented taverns had taught him a different sort of caution, and as he made his way into the tavern, he found himself checking out the men situated at the tables. At one table near the far back of the room, three larger men all sat hunched over the table. Two held their mugs of ale cupped in their hands while the third was leaning toward the other two, speaking passionately. At another table, several nondescript men were sitting, their food and drink ignored while they were deep in conversation. At still another table were two men who he suspected were Denraen, but he didn’t recognize them. And then at another table was a slender man who ate alone. Every so often, he would lift his gaze and look around the rest of the tavern before settling back down.

  When Endric slid into the chair next to Senda, he glanced over at her. “Why here?”

  “You wanted to have a feel for the city.”

  “Is that what I said?”

  “You didn’t need to say it. I could see it on your face.”

  “Why this tavern?”

  “Look around you. What do you see?”

  Endric shared with her his observations without needing to look around.

  She smiled at him. “Think about the way you already appraised everyone here, determining whether they were a threat or not, and are already beginning to start to work through why they are here and what they’re after.”

  He wouldn’t have described what he had done in quite that way, but wasn’t that really what he had done? “What’s your point?”

  “Perhaps no point. I wanted you to see what Vasha has been like.”

  “And this tavern is what Vasha has been like?”

  “The tavern is an example of what Vasha has been like. Look at how many different people are here.”

  “Vasha has never been closed to outsiders,” he said.

  “It hasn’t, but it’s not necessarily easy to reach, either. There’s something about Vasha that makes it very difficult for most to find, and even when they find it, there’s a question of whether or not they want to. Those who come to the city must either be willing to confront the Magi or the Denraen or those in the university. Each of them is intimidating in their own way.”

  Endric glanced at her. “I’ve lived in the city long enough to know that. I’m not sure what your point is.”

  “My point is—”

  She di
dn’t get the chance to finish. A table near the middle of the room was suddenly tossed, flipped into the air before it crashed down. Two men shoved each other, and one of them went stumbling into the table behind him.

  Endric watched for a moment, taking stock of the situation. He had come unarmed, and he wasn’t even wearing his Denraen uniform. If he had been, it might make it easier to calm down a fight like this, but unarmed as he was and without the authority of the Denraen behind him, it would be a more difficult brawl.

  Three more men started shoving, and he could see that it was going to bubble out of control.

  Endric got to his feet and headed toward the commotion. He shoved his way into the center of it, pushing men out of the way with a little more force than necessary. He had to duck underneath one attempt to strike him, and he blocked another. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Senda watching him, almost amusement in her eyes.

  Somehow, he had the suspicion she planned for this.

  “Take a seat,” Endric said when he reached the two men who had first started it.

  One of them turned to him. He was missing three of his top teeth and saliva beaded on his chin. “Who are you to make me?”

  “A concerned citizen.”

  The other man laughed. “Did you hear him? He called himself a citizen.”

  They lunged together, and Endric saw their reaction, almost as if moving slowly or through water.

  He had been through enough fights in his days that facing men like this wasn’t terrifying. Normally he was armed with his sword, and with it, he would have been even less worried about facing them, but he went after the shorter of the two men, driving his fist into his chest until the man was forced back, clutching at it. The larger man, the one without his teeth, swung at Endric, who dropped, swinging his foot and hooking it, pulling so that the man was yanked off his feet.

  When he fell, Endric lunged and landed on top of him. He pinned him to the ground but resisted striking him.

  “This is done.”

  “I’ll find you. When you’re not watching, I will find you.”

  “You and this man?” Endric asked, nodding at the other man who was still struggling for air. “I doubt that you would even be able to reach me, even if you could find me.” Endric got up and stared down at him. “Stay on the ground.”