The False Martyr

by H. Nathan Wilcox

  “You will do nothing of the kind,” a familiar voice said. Teth’s gasped. She looked toward the source, expecting to see the man who had spoken, but found only the space between the rectory and the temple’s shed. Straining, waiting for more words that might help her put a face with the voice, Teth eased herself in behind a barrel that had been set to catch the rain running from the rectory roof. “Your cousin gave us exactly what we need to take this city, and I will not allow you to throw it away.”

  There was a pause. Teth could hear footsteps. She ducked down, praying that the barrel hide her, but the steps turned before they reached her and padded back into the alley. “And if they find him?” This voice Teth knew clearly, and it brought everything into focus. Suddenly she was straining against the barrel, hanging on every word, heart racing, body shaking. “The governor’s asking questions. He’s going to get suspicious soon, and then we’ll have nothing but our heads on pikes,” Kian ranted without allowing his voice to rise above a whisper.

  “Then we allay his suspicions. We parade them out right before him,” Valati Lareno answered smoothly.

  “And that’s going to help us take the city?”

  “Trust me. Lady Esther is the perfect weapon for this fight. The governor will not see it until it is far too late. And when the city is ours, the boy will be worth far more.”

  “But what if he doesn’t help us? What if he can’t use the magic or won’t or if it’s not enough. I know what I saw him do, but I also remember what the invaders did. They leveled Thoren, and Dasen Ronigan didn’t do a damn thing to stop them. What’s to stop them from doing the same thing here?”

  “Your mind is stuck,” Lareno said. “You are still trying to fight a battle that has been lost. The invaders have won. Do not confuse what you tell the people with your real goals. The invaders are a way to rally the people, a common enemy to bring them to you, but opposing them will lead you nowhere.”

  “What are you talking about, Lareno? What are we doing if it’s not stopping the invaders?”

  “Kian,” Valati Lareno sighed. “I thought you were smart. That is why I chose you to lead us. Do you not see the opportunity before you? The invaders are leaving. They care nothing for the Unified Kingdoms. Their aspiration is the world. They will stay only as long as it takes to prepare an assault on Liandria. And when they are gone, who will rule here?” Lareno paused as if Kian might answer. He didn’t even try. “I saw Ipid Ronigan in Thoren. He is the invaders’ puppet. Everyone says that he is their leader’s favorite pet. Would you leave your favorite pet behind when you move? Certainly not, and after what he’s doing to the country, he couldn’t rule anyway. So who will fill his place when the invaders move on and take him with them?”

  There was another pause. Then Kian started to laugh. “You’re insane, Lareno. Even if we capture Gorin, that is a long, long way from being Chancellor.”

  “Not so far as you think. Listen. The invaders will be gone. Ipid will go with them, but they will have to leave someone in charge, and it is unlikely that they will care who that person is. And there you will be with the people behind you, standing as a symbol for the entire southern half of the Kingdoms. They can send their army to crush you – drawing them away from their real goal – or they can negotiate. And what better prize to bring to those negotiations than the only thing they have not been able to squeeze from this country, Dasen Ronigan.”

  “What are you saying Lareno? That I give them Dasen Ronigan and they make me Chancellor?”

  “Why not? They don’t care who the Chancellor is. They get something they want, and they unify the country without spending a man or a day away from their campaign in Liandria to do it.”

  “And what do I know about being Chancellor?”

  “You don’t need to know anything. You will have an excellent Di Valati to guide you. One day, you may even be able to turn the nation back on the invaders, but first, you need to give them what they want, and you have to do it from a position of power. That is why we take the city then we give them the boy.”

  “Okay. I see what you mean. If you can deliver the city?”

  “Trust me and do what I say, and the city will be yours before the moon changes. Just keep your cousin, his wife, and the Morg under control. They do not share our ambitions, and I fear that they are getting too close to Dasen and Teth, that they will not do what must be done when the time comes.”

  “Them?” Kian scoffed. “My cousin and his wife have way too much to lose. And the Morg? We can get rid of him any time. Even Morgs have to sleep.”

  “Not yet!” Lareno snapped. “We still need him.”

  “Alright, but maybe I should keep him away from the girl.”

  “No. Let him keep training her. That will keep them both away from Dasen. And it will give you another weapons when you take the city. You’ve seen what she can do, and when (not if) she is tragically killed in the fighting, Dasen will be so despondent, he won’t even realize what’s happening until we deliver him to the invaders.”

  “Damn, you’re a devious bastard,” Kian chuckled. “I sure am glad we’re on the same side.”

  “I do what I must to serve the Order.”

  “So what do we do next?”

  “Go ahead and join the guards. Take Sam, Geoff, and Rog with you. I need Jaren and the twins for my part,” Lareno instructed. “You’re more valuable now on the inside. We’ll bring Lady Esther out on Teaching Day. Tomorrow night, we meet and discuss the plan. I will take it from there. Just make sure that you are ready when the time comes.”

  There was a long pause. “Very well,” Kian broke it. “We’ll do it your way. I think it’s risky as sailing to Slyia, but by rights, I should already be dead, so what have I got to lose.”

  “Until tomorrow, then.” Hands clapped together in a shake. Boots scraped against stones as the men turned and departed in opposite directions out of the space between the buildings. Too stunned to move, Teth did not realize what was happening until it was too late to run. She ducked down behind the rain barrel as Kian strode past. To her relief, he continued on down the hill, did not look back, did not see her crouched in plain view behind him. He had a spring in his step, and he whistled as he went. Pleased as a crow in a cornfield, her aunt would have said. But another of her Aunt’s phrases had captured Teth’s thoughts, the time to be wary is when there’s nothing to fear.

  #

  The last rays of sun were fading beneath the horizon as Teth dashed around the corner toward the River Maiden. The patrols were setting up with their caged wagons to sweep the streets, but there was no one to sweep. The flow of refugees had stopped and everyone else knew not to violate the curfew. Only those unable to pay their rent found themselves on the streets now, and faced with the camp, those gave everything, anything within their power to avoid eviction. Stories were rampant of abuse, of previously unimaginable demands, but when the alternative was an almost certain death of disease and starvation, the price was almost always met.

  “Better hurry, boy,” a guard yelled after Teth as she bolted past. “Suns almost down. And I don’t think even the camp can make you any skinnier.” The soldiers surrounding the wagon laughed.

  Teth did not bother to answer. She rounded another corner, saw the temple above where this had all started then the carved, painted picture of a beautiful maiden with long hair flowing down into a river that arched around her slim shoulder: The River Maiden. Slowing to a walk, she looked back over her shoulder. The soldiers were far enough back that, even should they start their sweep now, she would reach the inn before they caught her. She struggled to catch her breath and gather herself. She had spent the last few hours wandering the streets of Gorin West considering what she had heard on the hill. She ran some, walked some, drank for unguarded rain barrels and thought. She always thought best when she was moving, and this problem had certainly required movement. Even so, it remained unsolved.

  Going round and round searching for answers, she had found herself
at the edge of the city with the sun sliding below the horizon. Only when she saw the people watching her nervously as they closed their doors and shutters did she remember what it meant to be on the streets of Gorin West after the sun had set. Somehow, her exhausted legs had found the strength to get her to The River Maiden ahead of the sun’s demise. If only finding their way out of the trap that Lareno and Kian had laid were as easy as running.

  The sergeant was just calling his men to start their sweep when Teth pushed open the door of the inn and entered the packed common room. She barely fit through the door and found herself squeezing between two fat, middle-aged men who were speaking loudly over pewter tankards. They looked at her with distaste and crumpled their noses. Teth had not thought about how she must look and smell after a day of strenuous exercise capped by a mile-long sprint. It was not a hot day for the middle of summer, but she was still dripping, clothes soaked, scent strong enough to offend even her own nose.

  “By the Order, there you are,” a voice rose over the roar of the crowded room. Mrs. Tappers advanced like a frigate through a storm – battered, buffeted, nearly toppled, but undeterred. “The Order be merciful, we’ve been so worried. I think your sister is about to have a breakdown. Do you realize what you’ve done to her, disappearing like that? And your man has been in a state. No one dares go into the courtyard for the looks he gives them. Oh my, it’s almost sundown. Another few minutes, and you’d have found yourself in the camp. Did you think of that? I suspect not. . . .” Mrs. Tappers went on chastising Teth, but her face showed relief, her eyes fondness, and Teth could not help but feel somehow comforted by the concern. She did her best to keep from smiling as she nodded at each transgression and agreed to each requirement. “Mark,” she finally yelled, “tell Lady Esther that her brother has returned. I’m sure she’ll be relieved.”

  “As you say, my dear,” the innkeeper called back from the bar then whispered a message into the ear of a boy at his side. “That, I would say, was cutting it a bit too close, young sir,” he hollered at Teth. Several of the inn’s other patrons had stopped their conversations now and were staring. Teth felt real shame for the first time. Mrs. Tappers was right, Dasen was probably in a state of panic – she was not sure if she loved him or hated him for that. But the Tappers had been honestly worried too. She remembered what Valati Lareno had said about them and wondered if that concern could mean something more.

  “You are in quite a state,” Mrs. Tappers was saying. “Go to your room and get cleaned up. I’m sure you’re starved. I’ll have a plate sent up. That is if your sister lets you live that long.”

  Teth looked at her, lower lip creeping under her teeth. Was there any way to keep from seeing Dasen? She could only imagine him clucking over her like a mother hen. From Mrs. Tappers, it was endearing, from Dasen insufferable. She could already picture his looks of disappointment, relief, confusion.

  “Go on then,” Mrs. Tappers nearly pushed her from the room. “Your sister is worried sick. I know you don’t want to face her, but you can’t leave her like that. Go on now.”

  Mrs. Tappers led her into the hall, around the open space that led from the inn’s common room to the residences. “Come see me tomorrow morning,” she whispered in Teth’s ear, the scent of her perfume encompassing her. “I think we should talk. And remember what I told you, Dasen loves you no matter what you’ve done or who you are. You are allowed to love him back.” She pulled away. “Now, go see your sister. We’ll have some food up to you in a bit.”

  Teth felt her insides shaking at the thought of Mrs. Tappers’ words. I’m not allowed to love him, was all she could think. And now these bastards plan to betray us. They’ll give me my escape, exactly what I want, then turn right around and trade Dasen like a cord of wood. And that was the heart of her dilemma. She could not think of a way to save him that did not require her to go with him. Before, she had thought she could die and leave Dasen to fend for himself with Kian and Lareno, but now that she knew their true intent, she was trapped. The whole thing smacked of that old man in his tower pulling her strings, trapping her the same way he had throughout her entire life.

  “Where have you been?” a rumbling voice broke her thoughts. Garth stepped from the hall that led to the courtyard, arrested Teth, and pulled her into an embrace. She was so shocked that she barely noticed the big man crushing the life from her. “I am sorry I have been hard on you,” he spoke into the top of her head. He was trying to be quiet, but Teth guessed that the entire inn could hear. “You were progressing so fast that I just kept pushing. I am sorry if it was too much.” He let Teth go, held her shoulders in his massive hands. Teth had no idea what to say.

  Kian saved her the need. He grabbed her from Garth grip, his own hand clamping on her arm hard enough to bruise as he pulled her down the hall. He pushed her against a wall and thought only then to check for watching eyes. Seeing none, he turned on her, face inches from hers. “You will never do that again, understood?” He moved his hand from her shoulder to her neck, clasping the back with his strong fingers, thumb under her chin to force her face toward his. He was strong, his hands were big. With only the slightest shift, he could be choking her. Teth gasped then glanced down to check the position of his legs and her own, judging her ability to reach his groin with a knee.

  “Don’t even think about it. You ever kick me, you’ll regret it for a week.” He lifted her with one hand and slammed her into the wall behind. “You may think you’re a boy,” he whispered in her ear, rough stubble scratching her cheek as she struggled to breathe. “But I know the truth, and I’ll make sure you know it too. And I’ll make sure your husband sees. I’ll make sure he hears you crying my name. It won’t be from the pleasure that you’re screaming, but I doubt he’ll know the difference.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Teth hissed with the little air she had left.

  “Run away like that again and see.” Kian strengthened his grip on her throat until she thought she might black out.

  “Enough,” Garth rumbled. And Kian was gone.

  Teth crumpled to the floor, hands on her throat. She choked and gasped for air as spots raced before her eyes. When she recovered enough to see what was happening, Kian was pinned against the opposite wall just as she had been with Garth’s huge hand around his thick neck. “. . . . will never treat a woman that way,” the Morg was saying, his face nearly touching Kian’s. “If you touch her again, I will break your neck. Do you understand?”

  Teth watched Kian nod. His teeth were clenched, his face was turning red, eyes bulging, but he did not take them from Teth, did not hide his seething anger. Garth cast him aside. He fell into a clump near the door to the Tappers’ private residence from which he’d emerged. Just then, Teth heard a gasp from down the hall. A man and woman were standing there, jaws agape, trying to shield their children’s eyes with their hands.

  “A misunderstanding,” Teth tried to cover. “This man thought I had given offense. My man stepped in.” She rose to her feet and tried to straighten her clothes though they were sweat soaked and crumpled beyond repair. “I am truly sorry if I caused offense,” she told Kian, who was likewise trying to find his feet. “Perhaps it is best if we simply avoid one another going forward. As you can see, my man is quite protective of me, and I would not want any harm to befall you.” Teth tried to sound aloof as she spoke while keeping the point in her tongue. If Kian ever touched her again, Garth wouldn’t be needed. She’d kill him, herself.

  “As you wish,” Kian nodded, lowered his head, and marched past without another word.

  “Thank you, Garth,” Teth said. “He caught me off guard. I am sorry that you had to be involved in that.”

  “It is my duty, my . . . . I mean, sir.” He bowed slightly then stared at the family until they recovered enough to get the hint and keep moving. “I meant what I said,” he whispered when they were alone again, hand on her arm and back, gentle, reassuring, beard rubbing against her cheek as he leaned toward her. “I . . . I a
m honor bound to protect you. I will not let anyone hurt you. Will not allow anyone to mistreat you.”

  “Thank you, Garth,” Teth said and meant it. “I am sorry I disappeared. I just needed some fresh air and time to think. It won’t happen again.”

  “You’re right in that. You will not be outside of my sight again.”

  “Alright,” Teth nodded but could not help the small smile that took her.

  “You will meet me in the courtyard tomorrow after you have eaten. Now, go see your hu . . . sister,” Garth said quickly and loudly as another couple walked past the hall. “She is anxious to see you.”

  Teth sighed then turned back down the hall. The Morg followed her.

  #

  Dasen had given up writing. He still held the pen, still stared at the page, still hunched over the desk, but his thoughts were a blur, the sentence he had been scribbling a memory, the argument lost to dreadful anticipation. The boy had been gone for several minutes now, an eternity. The tray he had brought filled the room with the smell of roasted beef, barely, and greens. The message he had delivered clouded Dasen’s mind with thoughts of Teth’s return.

  He dreaded seeing her, he realized. He could not believe it even as he thought it, but it was true. It was almost like that first day in Randor’s Pass so long ago, except then there had been the anticipation of what might be, of the possibility that she would be everything he wanted. Now, he knew what she was, or at least what she had become, leaving no hope to blunt the dread.

  He looked down at the papers spread across the writing table. In the infinite boredom of his seclusion, he had taken to an occupation that seemed a lifetime gone. He was not even sure what he was writing or to what end, but he felt a need to put his thoughts on paper even if they wandered from speculation about the existence of the Exiles, to the most efficient way to manage a massive shortage of food, to the nature of the powers he had used outside Thoren. (His fingers still stung from the flames that had encompassed those pages as soon as he considered what would happen if anyone read them.) His most recent writing, a letter to his father, was likely to face the same fate as the treaties on his personal experience with the powers of chaos.