by B. T. Narro
The king’s brow was creased with worry as he examined me. “Why refuse to leave?”
How could I answer? A piece of the truth should suffice. “I have friends and family I care about in this land, and I can’t abandon this war after I’ve seen its effects on people’s lives. I’m no enemy of you or your army. But I am an enemy of your enemies.”
Quince’s eyebrows lifted.
Darri spoke for me. “He and that strange girl killed Priest Karvrek. It’s why Antilith wasn’t attacked.”
I knew now was the wrong time to tell them Eizle was part of that and not Shara. It made me realize that no one here knew Eizle and Swenn were brothers. It could even be that Swenn went by a different name, a new identity. I would scream out as much of the truth as I could if they attacked. If I couldn’t finish off Swenn, at least I could cause him insurmountable problems.
The king let out a sigh. “I think there’s only one option if you refuse to leave Sumar with Effie.”
“No, please!” Shara shouted. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone except to protect the innocent.”
I gritted my teeth and readied myself for battle.
“I agree,” the king said to my surprise, “which is why I’m asking him to fight for us.”
I stood, perhaps a bit too quickly, for the guards surrounding me all pointed their blades. My heart jumped as I readied myself for the attack, but they didn’t strike, just waited expectantly.
“Easy, young man.” The ruler’s tone was like I was a wild horse about to buck.
“Sire, I beg you to reconsider!” Swenn spoke with a dire tone. “Using pyforial energy is illegal for good reason.”
“I know the laws!” the king snapped. “But I also trust my instincts. I did so with you, making you the master of coin. Now I see something within this young man.” His eyes wouldn’t leave mine as he spoke. “You want to help. No—you need to help, is that right?”
This was my only out. I had to ignore the tug at my heart every time I looked at the cloth covering Eizle’s mutilated body. I wasn’t supposed to care about him—an assassin. He wasn’t my friend right now. He wasn’t someone I’d betrayed, and Swenn wasn’t my worst enemy. I fought against my need for justice as I came to realize I would have my chance later so long as I cooperated. Right now I needed to be the young man the king thought I was. There was no ridding myself of my emotions, even if I wanted to, but I needed to do something about them.
I took a few breaths, pretending to contemplate the king’s question while I really squelched the last of my feelings.
“I do need to help.”
“Then join us.”
“Gladly.”
The king and I shook hands. I should’ve felt proud, but I was too numb.
“He’s just agreeing because he knows the only alternative is death,” Swenn complained.
“One request?” I asked Quince, ignoring Swenn.
“Depends.”
“My friend Shara, we—”
“The redemption scrolls. Of course you’ll be paid.”
“I appreciate that, but there’s something else…something in addition to that, I’m embarrassed to say.”
“What?”
“I have an aunt in Cessri, the last of my family. I don’t know what happened to her during the attack, and I need to make sure she’s still alive and isn’t in need of help.”
“I’ll make sure you can visit. So is that it, then?”
I found Shara smiling at me, and I realized the most important thing. “One last request.” I pointed at her. “Shara is brilliant. I’m sure she could be just as helpful to your army as I can, if not more. There must be a place in your army for those who don’t fight: claim inspectors, healers. Whatever you need, I’m sure she can do it. She’s the only reason we got here in fourteen days from Lanhine. But I can’t have her fight.”
“If she’s as smart as you say, we’ll find a place for her.”
It was unlike me to trust anyone I’d just met, but the king’s warm smile allayed my concerns. He was younger than I’d expected, certainly not yet thirty, though he still had a fatherly demeanor, as if he cared about me like I was his kin.
There was a lot of truth to what Swenn said about me. I would claim anything to avoid death or expulsion from Sumar. I was dangerous, because now that I would be part of the army, I’d find some way to deliver justice.
I found Swenn still glaring at me. He wasn’t about to believe for an instant that I was no longer a threat. And I knew what he did to extinguish threats.
I glanced over at the bloody cloth covering Eizle’s body. I wanted badly to tell the king the truth, that Eizle had tried to help the world, that pure evil did exist, and it stood right in this room.
My emotions started bursting free. Fury, guilt, disgust. They stirred together and made my head spin. I needed to vomit. I muttered thanks and sought some privacy by leaving the room. I stumbled down the hall, each jarring step tilting the room more and more violently. I entered the first room available, vaguely aware of guards following me.
The image of Swenn stabbing Eizle was all I could see. I fell to my knees and spewed onto some rug.
My body kept trying to expel the contents of my stomach long after it was empty, desperately trying to get rid of the disgusted feeling that wouldn’t seem to diminish.
I knew Shara’s touch well enough by now to realize it was her rubbing my back. A quick look over my shoulder revealed a line of guards standing outside in the doorway. I could hear Effie’s voice coming in over them from the other room.
“Neeko’s perfect for Ovira! He’s not insane. He has little family. We’re not going to find a better pyforial mage.”
“You heard what he said,” the king replied. “He’s not going to go with you.”
“I’m sure Terren can convince him. Just let us speak to him. You owe us.”
“Your psychic has taught us nothing, from what I’ve heard. No one has made any progress.” He began to cough so hard he couldn’t speak. Murmurs followed, probably the healers telling him to rest.
Shara helped me up. “We’re in the master of coin’s room,” she whispered with a laugh. “Perfect place to ruin a rug.”
I’d only just regained the strength to stand when Swenn stomped into his quarters. “Get this cleaned up!” he yelled at the guards. “And get him out of here!”
They brought us downstairs and put us in a bedroom. Darri came in with us and closed the door behind him.
“Are we being detained?” Shara asked.
“We’re just watching over you until things have settled and we get our next orders.”
“So we are being detained.”
“For the moment.”
I sat on the bed and refrained from lying down only because I knew I’d fall asleep immediately. Shara sat beside me and took my hand.
“I’m so sorry.” I knew she was talking about Eizle. Darri was too close for us to speak without him overhearing.
I nodded.
“Thank you for thinking of me.” She watched her fingers as she moved them around the top of my hand. “But even if they don’t find work for me, you must tolerate whatever they want you to do. I worry they’ll send you away if you don’t.”
Shara needed to know about Swenn. I would tell her as soon as we had a moment alone. Or should I? What would she do after she realized I wanted to kill him?
“I’ll do what they ask.” I opened my hand and laced my fingers with hers.
Darri asked, “Are you really as smart as he says you are, strange girl?”
“My name is Shara.”
“Are you, Shara?”
“About some things.”
“Then I’m sure the king will find a task for you. We’re in the process of recruiting. This war isn’t ending anytime soon.”
“He’s not considering starting the sacrifices again?” I asked.
“No.” Darri’s tone was thick with disappointment. I’m sure he would never openly disagree with hi
s own king, but he’d just made his opinion pretty clear to us.
Someone grabbed the door handle from the other side and pulled hard. Swenn’s voice came through when it didn’t open. “Unlock this door immediately. I want to speak to the criminal mage.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Swenn ordered Darri out and Shara next. She looked at me, silently asking if I wanted her to argue. She knew this master of coin wanted me dead, but she hadn’t pieced together that this was Swenn. I shook my head.
With the door closed and locked, Swenn rubbed his neck as he ushered me toward the back of the room with gestures from his dagger. “In case you’re stupid enough to think about attacking me in here, let me explain something. If one of us dies in this room, the other is dead as soon as he leaves.”
This was true about me killing him, but I figured he easily could spin together some story of self-defense if the guards came in later to find my body. I wasn’t the same boy as before—he would have a tougher time convincing me of the truth than getting away with a lie.
“Sit.” He pointed his dagger at one of two chairs around a table. It was the farthest spot from the door, away from the listening ears of the guards outside.
I remained standing. “You sit first.”
He lifted his eyebrows in mock amusement. “Fine.”
He sat, then I followed. The table between us was round and small enough for him to lean forward and stab me if he wanted.
“King Quince is just now finding out from Effie that it was Eizle who attacked them, the same pyforial mage her party was going to take to Ovira. But the king doesn’t know anything else about Eizle, nor will he, understand?”
Was this a threat or an offer of coexistence? I suppose it didn’t matter, as my response to both would be the same. Silence.
“There are worse things in this world than death, Neeko. You don’t want me as your enemy.”
Too late for that.
“I know what’s going through that stupid mind of yours. You think by staying here, you’ll get everything you want. Money and revenge.”
Just revenge.
“But let me tell you what will actually happen,” Swenn said. “By the first week, you’re going to wish you’d gone to Ovira. By the second week, you’ll beg me for forgiveness. You’ll be so miserable you’ll convince yourself that life couldn’t be worse than any version of hell, and you’ll wish for death by the third week. This is your last chance to change all of that. Go upstairs and tell the king you’ll leave with Effie and her party. They’ll house you, feed you, keep you busy. Many kings have led worse lives than what you’ll experience in Ovira, all while doing what you love—teaching and training with pyforial energy. I remember all the hours you and Eizle spent by the river. This is the life you’re meant for.”
I didn’t care to disagree with Swenn, especially when he was right. If there was such a thing as destiny, this was it. I probably could convince them to take Shara with us. But even destiny wasn’t going to stop me from staying.
“Speak,” Swenn demanded.
He wanted to twist my words. I said nothing.
“Have you gone mute?” He licked his lips and leaned forward. “Can’t take what you saw?”
“Do they know your name?” I asked.
Snapping his head back, he seemed shocked by my calm question. Now he was the one silent.
“Do. They. Know. Your. Name?” I asked again.
“Yes.”
I scoffed to show what I thought of his lie.
He shrugged. “You’ll find out soon enough that I’m telling the truth. I’m untouchable here. And by the time you realize it, it’ll be too late for you.”
To show him how wrong he was, I aimed my hand toward his throat. He jumped up from his chair with a yelp and grabbed at his neck with one hand. The other—the one with the dagger—was ready to cut away the pyforial energy.
When he realized nothing was there and I was just proving a point, his face became red with anger. What had I done? I forgot that Swenn couldn’t stand being made a fool. He lost control, rushing at me with his dagger. I got tangled on my chair and fell backward. He was nearly on top of me before I had py ready. I kicked him away as he tried to plunge the knife into my chest.
My foot sent his dagger hand back long enough for me to gather py and hurl the rest of him backward. He only stumbled for a breath, then he was on top of me again. With his teeth gritted, he looked insane. Nothing short of death was going to stop him. Good thing I was ready to kill him.
I found another moment of reprieve with a good kick to his right arm. I forced him back with py once more. I was about to form a ring around his neck, prepared to squeeze with all my strength until long after he stopped moving, but guards ran into the room, tackling Swenn and jumping on top of me.
“Kill him! Kill him!” Swenn yelled. “He tried to attack me.”
“He lies!” I screamed. “He’s the one who came in here with a dagger to kill me.”
“For protection,” Swenn claimed, thrashing against the guards to get to me. “We’re all going to need protection from now on if he’s left alive!”
“If I wanted you or anyone else dead, then I would’ve done it already. I could’ve choked you the moment you came into this room with a weapon.” I would have, but I figured I could find a way to do it and stay alive if I waited. It startled me when Swenn yelled my exact thoughts.
“And the only reason you didn’t is because you think you can get away with it later!” Damn, why couldn’t everyone malignant also be foolish?
The king was in the doorway. “Why do you think this?” His voice was collected. Shara peered around from behind him with big worried eyes.
Swenn let out a great sigh. “There’s something I’ve been keeping from you, sire.” He surveyed the room, probably while he crafted his lie. “I know Neeko from my past. I’ve known he was a pyforial mage for many years.”
What—the truth? Where could he be going with this? I scrambled for something to say, but I came up with nothing, forced to listen to whatever lie was about to follow.
“And that’s not all,” Swenn added. “The pyforial mage who attacked you upstairs…I knew him as well.”
Now I truly was stunned. We had amassed an audience, and a few people were gasping. Shara had squeezed by the king and was standing against the wall, Effie as well.
“You knew two pyforial mages without reporting them?” Quince asked, incredulous.
“I did report them, sire.”
Was this true? Could it be that at any moment I could’ve encountered the wrong guard or given my name to the wrong person and been imprisoned for the rest of my life? The thought enraged me. What had I done for Swenn to do this? Then I remembered—my mother. It wasn’t what I’d done but what he’d done. Living and free, I was a threat to him simply because I knew.
I’m sure my mother’s murder was only a sample of the terrible acts he’d committed throughout his life. There must’ve been many more people besides me who’d become a threat to Swenn—like Eizle, I realized.
He was the one who’d reported Eizle. He had to be. But what had Eizle done to threaten him?
“I reported Neeko long ago, yet he was never caught,” Swenn continued. “But it was only a year ago when I reported Eizle. There was an incident in which he used pyforial energy. He was put in prison right after.”
“How did you know him a year ago?”
Swenn rubbed his forehead as he shut his eyes. He looked to be in dismay, and it was so convincing that I had to remind myself it was an act. “Because Eizle was my brother.”
I gasped along with many others. He’d actually admitted the truth! Why? Whispers of shock spread around the room.
“You’re Swenn?” Effie yelled.
He nodded. She threw her hands over her face and shook her head as she screamed, “Bastial hell, we should’ve asked the name of everyone in the castle before we left for Cessri!”
The king ignored her. “How d
o you know Neeko?”
“He was friends with Eizle when they were younger. Close friends. They spent every moment together.”
I didn’t know why, but I was barely able to hold back tears.
“I got to know Neeko well, but he moved…ten years ago was it?”
Now he was asking me? What was he doing?
“Eight,” I corrected him.
“He moved from Cessri back to Lanhine eight years ago. I didn’t know that he and my brother were practicing py before then.” Now the lies were flowing. Swenn had known before anyone else. He was the one who’d told us about it, claiming he could manipulate the energy. “But Eizle later told me that Neeko was a pyforial mage. At the time, I didn’t know my brother also was one. He made me promise not to report Neeko, but I knew it was the right thing to do because Neeko was dangerous.” He looked ready to cry, the liar. “I felt as if I’d betrayed my brother because he and Neeko were friends.”
My anger removed the emotional knife wrenching my heart and stirring up tears. I was ready to fight again.
“Yet that didn’t compare to the terrible feeling I got when Eizle attacked me years later with pyforial energy,” Swenn continued. “It was done in front of so many people that I knew he would go to prison. When the guards took him, I reminded them about Neeko as well, but obviously they never caught him. He has a vendetta against me, you, this whole kingdom, just like my brother did.”
Finally it was clear to me what he was doing. “I knew none of this until now,” I claimed, some of which was true. I didn’t know Eizle had attacked Swenn, but I bet he had a good reason, possibly something to do with Kayren. I could see Swenn harassing her and Eizle coming to her defense. He always had for me when we were younger. “I have no vendetta,” I asserted. “I just want to help us win the war. I stopped Eizle, didn’t I?” Guilt twisted in my stomach. Sorry Eizle. It was almost too much to dirty his name, but I couldn’t go back now. This was the role I was taking, the good soldier just wanting to fight. “Why would I do that if I wanted you or the king dead? There’s no reason!” I added before Swenn could spin my words.