Treasure and Treason

by Lisa Shearin

  I’d heard similar words said—about the invaders who had wiped out civilization on the world of Timurus.

  Talon had come up from below. “Why would the Nebians have alien invader mages on board? Aside from the fact that they can probably kick ass better than Nebian mages.”

  “It’s the Nebians’ nature as traders to hold out until they get the best offer,” Jash said.

  “Or their natures as traitors,” I told them both. “It’s not only the pronunciation that’s similar. Nebian leaders have a favored tactic in times of war—wait for the winner to emerge. Their history of neutrality isn’t due to politics or distain for conflict, but a desire to emerge on the winning side.”

  Talon blinked. “They’d side with the Khrynsani, or someone not even from our world?”

  “Whoever wins. The Nebians prize self-preservation above all. Loyalty really doesn’t enter into their thinking.”

  “So the weasels would betray us.”

  “If they believed it was in their best interests, then yes, they would act without hesitation.”

  If the Nebians had allied themselves with the Khrynsani, it was but a small step to have the alien invaders involved as well. The Khrynsani wouldn’t be the only ones with a vested interest in keeping us from reaching Aquas.

  I didn’t tell Phaelan my theory. If I was right, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. This would be a battle fought by only a few of us; and even then, our opponents might be too much for us. We wouldn’t know until they attacked. And attack they would.

  After standing watch for nearly two hours, I’d decided that an attack wasn’t imminent. So I went back to our cabin and tried to unlock the book again, but it was unresponsive.

  From past experience, I knew that it could be hours or it could be days before it allowed me to read further.

  Kansbar Nathrach had obviously survived whatever had attacked the landing party. I was only a third of the way through the book when I’d had to break my connection to it. We had only been at sea for a few days. We had at least four weeks before we reached Nidaar. While I needed to know what we could be facing once we reached Aquas, we still had time.

  What I needed now was sleep. I wanted to take tonight’s watch, but it was a little over five hours until full dark. When our followers decided to act, I wanted to be well rested.

  I checked to ensure that Rudra’s book was securely bound in the interior pocket of my coat. I removed the coat, draped it over myself as a blanket, and within minutes was asleep.

  Chapter 28

  I looked out over a scorched and blighted landscape. Nothing grew as far as the eye could see. The sky was that clear, crisp blue found over land in which there was no water. Even though the sun shone brightly, the light didn’t hurt my eyes.

  It was a welcome change.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” said a familiar voice from behind me. “You see a wasteland, I see sunlight, fresh air, and wonders.”

  I drew blades and shielded.

  At least I tried to.

  I had no weapons and no magic.

  With Sarad Nukpana now standing next to me.

  He smiled and spread his hands. “I am without weapons as well.” Sarad gazed out over the barren landscape. “You realize that you take so many things for granted, when you no longer have access to them. That’s what several months languishing in Hell will do to you.”

  The last time I’d seen Sarad he’d been attired for his coronation and wedding in black and purple silk and velvet with a scarlet sash. Over that he wore black chest armor intricately embossed with a silver scorpion, the Nukpana family crest. And who could forget the crown? A silvery ring of scorpions with their tails intertwining.

  Now he was wearing tunic, trousers, and boots of a dark indeterminate color. While by no means an inferior fabric, it wasn’t what Sarad would’ve worn by choice.

  “You’re not the worse for wear,” I noted.

  Sarad shrugged elaborately. “I much preferred my royal raiment. How is the youngest Mal’Salin? Happily married and securely enthroned?”

  “Yes to both.”

  Sarad shook his finger. “You’re lying about the latter. No goblin king is ever securely enthroned, unless a plague has taken out every courtier and noble and left the king unscathed. Any who thinks so is a fool and a liar, or merely delusional. You’re not any of those, Tamnais.” His eyes narrowed shrewdly. “So who have you left to babysit the young upstart while you’re off playing the bold adventurer?”

  “Why don’t you ask your new lady friend? We weren’t properly introduced, and the lady didn’t tell me her name, but she would have been remiss if she did nothing except try to abduct Agata Azul while she was in Regor.”

  “Ah, Bricarda.”

  “Bricarda.”

  “It’s the name she’s using now. I imagine when you’ve lived as long as she has, you become bored keeping the same name.” Sarad smiled fondly. “Older, but ageless, women are a rare treat. So much knowledge and experience, so glad to teach. You should try it.”

  “I’ll pass. I prefer a lady who’s non-murderous, wears a scent other than brimstone, and doesn’t travel with a zombie demon entourage.”

  Sarad leaned forward and peered over the side of the outcropping where we stood. “My, that’s quite a fall.” His dark eyes glittered. “Do you think you would survive it? They say if you take such a fall in your dreams and don’t wake up before impact, you will die. Do you believe that?”

  “It’s possible,” I said. “What I can’t believe is that in all my choices of who to dream about, my subconscious chose you. When I wake up I shall have to have a long talk with it. Or perhaps you standing here is the result of something disagreeable that I ate.”

  “You weren’t my first choice, either,” Sarad told me. “But alas, the dreamscape of the fair Raine has been denied me.”

  That was a relief. She and Mychael—and probably Justinius Valerian as well—had successfully warded her against psychic attack. Mychael not only had taken my warning seriously, he’d taken action.

  I should have taken my own advice and done the same.

  If I had, I wouldn’t be standing on the edge of a cliff with Sarad Nukpana.

  “Her loss is your gain, Tamnais. Though in a way it is your loss as well, isn’t it? The gallant paladin won her hand—and the rest of her, leaving you alone and bereft. Or have you sought comfort and consolation in the arms of the lovely Imala? Or perhaps you’ve visited the cabin of your delectable gem mage, young though she is. However, I can tell you from personal experience that instructing and corrupting the nubile and innocent is intensely satisfying.” He sighed dramatically. “Satisfaction I have not had in far too long, thanks in large part to you. Did Agata tell you that I courted her myself?”

  “She mentioned that you had attempted to persuade her to help you find the Saghred.”

  “That’s all? How disappointing. I expended some of my best seduction techniques on that young lady, promising her riches and sensual delights beyond her imagination.”

  “It sounded to me like she didn’t want to imagine it—or you.”

  “The young have no appreciation for the finer things in life.” Sarad brightened. “And how is the young scion of the noble Nathrach family?”

  “He is well.”

  “Too bad. I understand Talon was responsible for killing several of my generals and destroying the entrance to the Khrynsani temple.”

  “It was a team effort. We all did our part that night.”

  “And all of you have yet to pay for what you’ve done.”

  “I take it you’re here to gloat that our time is up and our doom imminent.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “You don’t need me to tell you that,” Sarad said. “You already know. The terror’s in the details, details you will begin experiencing soon. I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. I understand you’ve been reading Rudra Muralin’s little travel guide.”

  �
��You mean the record of my ancestor’s torture.”

  “If he had cooperated, Rudra wouldn’t have resorted to such drastic and distasteful measures. He would have accepted the information, killed him cleanly, and been done with it. Your ancestor, Kansbar, was it? He brought his madness on himself. I do hope you’ve learned from his obvious mistakes.”

  “I have yet to find that Kansbar made any mistakes.”

  “Really? You must not have read very far.”

  “I had to temporarily stop reading about a third of the way through. I took my hands off of the book and the words vanished.”

  “Ah yes, Rudra’s tiresome games. When you unlock the book, take care not to overfeed it. You won’t like what will happen if you do. Though I don’t believe you will like it now. I read the book as well, and wrote my name in my blood on the same page as you. The book absorbs the blood—blending your name with those of us who had read before.” His lips spread in a slow smile. “You had to ask yourself what would be the consequences of your actions, consigning your name in your blood on the exact sheet of paper as so many others before you.” The smile stretched into a grin as Sarad Nukpana spread his arms. “Ta-da. And here we are sharing a dream. Cozy, is it not?”

  I choked on my next breath.

  “Yes, it was quite the surprise to me, too.” Sarad said. Though unlike me, he probably wasn’t experiencing the sudden urge to be sick.

  I had unwittingly bonded with Sarad Nukpana—and every mage who had read Rudra Muralin’s book.

  Including Rudra Muralin.

  These weren’t men and women I wanted to be anywhere near, let alone able to share my headspace.

  “By the way,” Sarad said brightly, “Rudra says hello. He’s not in any condition to make a more personal greeting, but he’s hopeful that will change soon. He’s cute when he’s optimistic. Rudra keyed the book to shut down when it caused the most discomfort for its reader. You’re certainly experiencing discomfort now, aren’t you? I managed to read it nearly all the way through the first time. The torture didn’t bother me. It was getting to a part that I really wanted to know. The book sensed it and the words vanished. It refused to cooperate for another two weeks. Rudra was a sadistic bastard, and those are strong words coming from me.” Sarad smiled slowly. “Though I fixed it so he won’t toy with anyone ever again.”

  I had to know. I tilted my head toward him. “So Rudra is in there.”

  “Oh yes. And just for fun, I’ve kept his soul intact. Rudra wants out again very badly, especially now that the game is about to become so enjoyable and entertaining. I may let him out again, though I would never release him into just any body. If I’m going to go to all the trouble of releasing him, it would be into a vessel that would provide me with maximum amusement. I’ve always wanted a pet weasel.”

  “I take it your mother has read Rudra’s book?”

  “She was the one who gave it to me. It was one of the few things she wanted me to know. You didn’t have to expend all that effort conjuring your bull demon to carry me away. My mother was plotting my assassination. She wouldn’t have succeeded, of course. I, in turn, would have been left with no recourse but to have her executed. If you’d only had a little patience, you wouldn’t be dealing with her antics now.”

  “I would probably be dead, along with all of my family and friends, with the entire goblin kingdom at your mercy. No, wait, I take that back. The kingdom wouldn’t be at your mercy because you don’t have any.”

  Sarad smiled and tapped the tip of his nose. “Right on the mark. We could have been friends, you know.”

  “No, we couldn’t. I summoned that demon because I judged you not only the greater of two evils, but of all evil.”

  “Why Tamnais, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in months.”

  I shrugged. “It cost me nothing to say.”

  His smile turned calculating. “What do you want in return?”

  “The location of the Heart of Nidaar.”

  “It’s in Rudra’s book. Hidden, but there. I’ve committed many despicable acts in my life—and if I enjoyed them enough, I would do them again—but I would never dream of spoiling the ending to a book.”

  Chapter 29

  The Nebian ships continued to follow us, not closely, but they kept us within sight.

  We didn’t feel the alien magic again, but the sense of it was there, oppressive and dark.

  We remained alert and ready.

  I also watched my back for Sarad Nukpana—and any other readers of Rudra Muralin’s book who might attempt to contact me.

  Including Sandrina Ghalfari.

  Good sense would dictate that I ward my sleep as Raine had done. However, good sense and I had parted ways the moment I decided to go to Aquas after the Heart of Nidaar. Many went. Few returned.

  That was what kept me from protecting my sleep.

  I needed information, some kind of advantage over Sandrina Ghalfari. If Sandrina herself wanted to come to me in my sleep, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

  Sarad had to know what his mother’s plans were; he had read Rudra’s book, and his body now held Rudra’s soul prisoner. So if there was a motherlode of knowledge, Sarad Nukpana was it. And since he had now gained access to my dreaming subconscious, I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist another visit, or two, or three.

  I needed an advantage over Sandrina, but I already had one over Sarad.

  He was lonely.

  And he had been right about one thing—we could have been friends. That is, if Sarad hadn’t been a manipulative, utterly insane, megalomaniacal sadist.

  In addition to being lonely, and perhaps more important to him, Sarad Nukpana was bored.

  Visiting me in my dreams assuaged both feelings.

  He was using me; I would use him.

  Sarad would know perfectly well what I was doing. We had crossed actual swords often enough in training and more than a few times with deadly intent. We knew each other’s moves. However, we’d never limited our dueling to steel, or even magic. This would be a duel of minds, attempting to outmaneuver each other, trick the other into revealing information. At this point I couldn’t think of anything Sarad wanted to know from me. Though that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything. I would be on my guard as I always had been with Sarad Nukpana.

  It was night, and I was on watch, as was my team on the other two ships.

  Bane Ahiga was taking the night watch on the Raven, and Elsu Lenmana the day. Dasant Kele was on night duty on the Sea Wolf, with Malik Chiali braving the daytime sun.

  If the Nebians, the alien mages on board, or an enemy who had yet to show themselves made a move against us, I wanted one of my dark mage team alert and able to take decisive action.

  “Do you think it was real?” Kesyn asked.

  My teacher was on deck with me. I was watching the Nebians.

  Kesyn was watching me.

  I didn’t blame him. If I had a student who was getting dream visitations from someone like Sarad Nukpana—with the possibility of those even more evil, if that was possible—I’d be standing watch over him, too.

  I nodded. “He was real.”

  “And no dreams with Sarad before now?”

  “No.”

  “Not even after the possession?”

  “No. Nothing.”

  “So it was the book.”

  “I don’t see Sarad lying about something like that. I knew there would be consequences to signing the book, and now I know what they are.”

  “Okay, say this was Sarad paying you a visit from Hell,” Kesyn said. “Since Sandrina also signed and read the book, it also means Sarad could be visiting her as well.”

  “Lovely. Just lovely.”

  “Though Sarad barely tolerated Sandrina. But if you were going to kill her, he might want to be around to watch. That I could see.”

  I smiled slowly. “And apparently, Sandrina barely tolerated Sarad. In fact, she had been close to doing our work for us. Sarad discov
ered that she had been plotting his assassination. If he had managed to remain king for a few more days, she would have killed him—at least she would have tried. Then he would have had her executed. Though since he’s not the wasteful type, he probably would have sacrificed her to the Saghred. Of course, that wouldn’t have done us any good. After that night in the temple, let alone a few days, neither one of us would have been alive to be having this conversation. Our families and friends would be dead as well—or wishing they were dead.”

  “And I would’ve been the first one in line,” Kesyn said.

  Kesyn knew what I had done in an attempt to ensure that Sarad didn’t live through that night. I’d used black magic to call a demon to take Sarad Nukpana to the deepest pit in the Lower Hells. I’d used black magic, and to rid the world or a monster like Sarad Nukpana, I’d do it again.

  Kesyn was aware of this, too.

  Soon we would likely be crossing paths with Sandrina, and possibly Sarad himself.

  I wouldn’t hesitate to use anything in my arsenal to destroy either one of them.

  I could tell he was worried.

  He knew I was determined.

  We stared at each other.

  It was a familiar standoff for both of us.

  “Speaking of killing Sandrina, my mother wants her head.”

  Kesyn blinked. “Really?”

  “She wants me to bring it home to her as a souvenir. Preserved, of course. Mother says she’s not entirely a barbarian.”

  “Come to think of it, I could see that, too. She did take it personally that she didn’t catch Sandrina, didn’t she?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “Remind me not to piss off your mother.”

  “I don’t think either one of us needs to be reminded of that.”

  We stood in silence for a few moments. The wind was coming from the north, and had a cold bite to it. The closer we got to the Lastani Islands, the colder the wind and the water would get.

  “You told me that Sarad’s soul possessed you for nearly five hours,” Kesyn said. “That’s more than enough time to establish a soul bonding.”