Thawed Fortunes (The Guadel Chronicles Book 2)

by Murray, Dean

  A'vril, in her capacity as the Goddess' Heart, or leader of the Council, opened up the session, and took care of a couple of routine matters before allowing Cindi leave to speak.

  She's changed more than I would have believed possible, and not just physically. The woman who made my life miserable as a Daughter never would have admitted to being wrong. Will the changes stay though, or are they just the result of the shocks she's received? Will she continue to serve as Va'del's ally over the coming months and years, or will she go back to being the fat, miserable old woman she must have been since the day she arrived here?

  Whatever the future would bring, On'li had to admit that Cindi was doing her absolute best for the boy now, presenting her case clearly and calmly with only a few unconscious hints of how tightly strung she must be after losing her husband just days previously.

  "So you can see, esteemed Council members, my initial report regarding the incident was, if anything, too harsh. I would recommend a dismissal of all charges."

  Ja'dir stood up to be recognized with a practiced smile on his classically handsome features, and after an almost imperceptible pause A'vril signaled for him to proceed.

  "Our thanks, Guadel Cindi, for your testimony. I must admit it's unusual for the person who recommended someone be arrested in the first place to later change their views so drastically."

  As always, Ja'dir started out sounding reasonable, but On'li was too familiar with his methods to think that he was going to end with anything other than an insulting attempt to destroy Cindi's credibility. She stole a glance at Va'del to see how he was holding up, and then returned her full attention to the exchange.

  Everything went very much as On'li had expected. Cindi had penned her original letter with an eye towards presenting an excellent case for the charges she'd wanted brought against Va'del, and Ja'dir pulled out each of her points in turn and verbally polished it to a high sheen before presenting it back to her to try and refute.

  It was a sound strategy, and one which Cindi couldn't come out against too strongly, not if she wanted to keep the credibility she was going to need to avoid being crucified when the Council finally got around to deciding on her having linked with Va'del.

  After Ja'dir had made his case, and Cindi had done her increasingly-frazzled best to defend both herself and Va'del, both of them sat down and A'vril turned towards On'li. "I imagine Guadel On'li will wish to speak now."

  Taking a deep breath, On'li nodded and then stood. "I think it obvious from the testimony we've just heard, that the accused did absolutely nothing to seek out the confrontation that ensued. In fact, he tried to defuse the situation, and only became violent after first he and then Daughter Jain were assaulted."

  Ja'dir shook his head, dark hair momentarily hiding the contempt in his eyes. "Come on, even a Stephens woman can't possibly believe that a mere shove justifies murder."

  Javin shifted in his seat beside her, and On'li knew her husband was closer than he'd ever been to challenging the other man to an honor duel, the traditional immunity of Councilors be damned. Before anyone else could open their mouths, A'vril slammed her hand down on the table.

  "The Goddess herself picked out the Stephens bloodline, and if you can't avoid lowering yourself to insulting a bloodline as old and honorable as any here, Councilor Ja'dir, I'll have you ejected from the room and we'll continue these proceedings without you! Assault is rarely an acceptable justification for murder, but attempted rape would be, and use of deadly force in defense of one's life is a time-honored right of the People, both as a whole and as individuals."

  Rarely in the recorded history of the People had any Goddess' Heart ever come out so openly against a Councilor, and A'vril had never displayed such frustration. It was the first sign that A'vril might be wearying of the petty power struggles that currently occupied so much of the Council's time.

  With A'vril having made her opinion of the proceedings blatantly obvious, the rest of the discussion took less than half a color cycle, and after On'li had pointed out that each and every action taken by Va'del had been a reasonable and legal response to events he'd been faced with, a vote was called.

  And that's that. We didn't even have to call on the poor thing to give testimony.

  Not even Ja'dir was stupid enough to vote against exonerating Va'del when the time came, choosing instead to abstain.

  Both Cindi and Va'del stood to leave, but A'vril held up her hand. "Before the two of you go, I want each of you to understand how grateful I personally am for your actions in ending the threat we've been laboring under these last months. Obviously there still may be consequences for the manner in which you did so, but you knew that before you chose to do so. The fact you were willing to face those possible punishments in order to save us all is a remarkable sacrifice."

  ##

  On'li leaned back in her chair as she accepted the cup of tea that Mar'li had just finished preparing. Getting Va'del back to his room and curled up in bed had proven easier than she'd expected after A'vril's damning praise, but it had been apparent that unlike Cindi, the teenager hadn't realized the full implications of how the Goddess' Heart had delivered her thanks.

  His lack of understanding was a small miracle, but one to be thankful for regardless. At least he'd be able to sleep between now and whenever A'vril decided to try and destroy him for doing what any rational person would have done in his place.

  As On'li finished relating what had happened during the Council session, Mar'li looked up in confusion.

  "I don't understand, how could she protect him from charges of wrongdoing and then turn around and say that he'll probably be punished for an unauthorized link, all the while praising him for the results of that link?"

  Javin's snort indicated that while he probably understood what had happened fairly well, he wasn't willing to try and explain the thought process behind it. Once again it was up to On'li to try and make sense of the politics she was growing to hate, even while becoming ever more adept at understanding them.

  "For A'vril, they are two separate things, maybe even three. It was plain to everyone that Va'del hadn't done anything wrong in defending Jain from those guardsmen. Ja'dir knew that and his attempt to make the charges stick was nothing more than a petty attempt at trying to eke a little more political advantage out of our supporting the poor boy."

  Mar'li nodded, but it was obvious that, while she understood that piece of the situation, she didn't really understand how it fit into the larger picture.

  "Politics is a game of capital, and our supporting Va'del because we know it's the right thing to do, is eating up political currency that then can't be used on other issues. Unlike some of the Councilors who are really disturbed by the idea of letting the boy be sponsored outside of the normal channels, Ja'dir just wants us to have to fight as much as possible because it reduces the likelihood of our being able to successfully oppose him on other items."

  "Because you'll look like whiners who are just out to make life hard for him even if it means wasting everyone else's time."

  On'li smiled at the succinct summary. "Exactly. It costs less for Ja'dir to oppose us than it does for us to push the sponsorship through because he looks like the voice of reason that's upholding the status quo, while we are the reckless firebrands who want to create an exception to a time-honored way of doing things. All for a boy who they believe may be dangerously unsuited for candidacy in the first place."

  Javin shifted in satisfaction and contributed to the conversation for the first time. "Only it looks like he misjudged A'vril this time. She's aware he's the one wasting everyone's time just to make our lives more difficult."

  Mar'li shrugged. "That much makes sense, but why the rest?"

  "While everyone is truly grateful that the bandits have been eliminated, A'vril is the kind who believes there are never any exceptions to the letter of the law. I think she expects that where the law is too rigid, saintly people will knowingly sacrifice themselves to accomplish wha
tever needs to be done, knowing they will be punished to uphold the law."

  The younger woman shuddered as she realized the full implications of what her sister-wife was saying. "That is horrid. How can she really believe that?"

  On'li shrugged. "We're all a bit more pragmatic in our view on such things. We hold to the idea that the spirit of the law must be observed, which for all intents and purposes usually means the same thing as observing the letter of the law, but sometimes justice isn't really served by punishing those who've acted for the greater good."

  Mar'li took On'li's now empty cup and poured her more tea. "So she would really punish Va'del, Jain and Cindi for accomplishing more than anyone could have reasonably expected of them?"

  "Yep, not only would she do it, but she'll do it with a clear conscience, knowing all the while she wouldn't necessarily have been willing to make the same kind of sacrifice if their positions were reversed."

  ##

  Garth felt cold anger flowing out before him almost like a living thing. As he entered the room every individual, from Alir, who was bound and shackled, to the officers who'd practically begged to be present at the hearing, jumped.

  "I won't ask you what you were thinking. I don't particularly care. There are enough witnesses and physical evidence to prove that you purposefully left Va'del in that cell without food, water, light or heat."

  Alir opened his mouth to protest and Garth found himself standing before the prisoner, dagger in his hand, the tip of it pricking the young man's throat.

  "You haven't been given leave to speak. We're still in a state of emergency and I'm empowered to execute known traitors and cowards on my own authority, answerable only to the Council. I can promise you that Council members Javin and On'li would see to it that I'm fully vetted if I choose to kill you right now."

  One or two of Garth's officers were shifting uneasily, unsure of the legitimacy of his threat, or possibly appalled at the thought that he might really carry it out, but he'd researched the matter carefully, and his rage was a tool that he used, not one that used him.

  "What you've done is a blot upon the honor of the Guard and a betrayal of everything we've tried to create since the Exodus. By rights you should die for this, but I want you to live. Everywhere you go, you'll be an example, a warning to the rest of my men and everyone else."

  Garth looked at his second in command, Levith. "Melt his weapons down and have the steel used for something menial. Once that's done, he's to be assigned a constant guard and worked eighteen cycles per day on the worst, most dangerous jobs you can find. Next month he is to be moved to one of the villages and forced to do the same kind of work. If he survives a tour of every single settlement, we'll review his punishment."

  Chapter 3

  There weren't very many Daughters her age currently in the Capital, so Jain found herself following the younger girls down the corridors towards the Lore-master's chambers. The matter of her discipline hadn't been broached yet, so there was a chance she'd escape punishment altogether. It was a slim chance, but she'd still generally decided it would be best if she kept her head down and looked suitably repentant at all times.

  The question of whether or not she should be going to listen to the ancient stories from the Exodus had been one that Jain had debated for nearly a cycle. Going to what was generally the highlight of any Daughter's week could easily be construed as not being repentant enough, but not going would probably be taken as a sign of defiance since that was where she was technically supposed to be. In the end, she'd decided to go, mostly because that was her best chance to see Va'del.

  As always, the massive chamber started filling up long before any of the youth were actually required to arrive. The smooth walls arched around to form a half-moon, with entrances on each end, one by which the girls arrived, with the other being reserved for the Guard trainees and the candidates.

  In a tradition that probably went back to shortly after the arrival of the People to the series of natural caves that would later become the Capital, the younger children were relegated to the parts of the cavern closest to their entrances. The older boys and girls all jockeyed for positions as close to the center of the room as they could get.

  Almost since the Exodus, it had been a sign of prestige to sit right next to the dividing line between the boys and the girls. Generally only the strongest boys and prettiest girls managed to secure one of the prize spots that guaranteed them a chance to make gurra eyes at whomever it was that had captured their fancy.

  It wasn't so much of an issue for the guardsmen trainees, who married from the rest of the Capital's population, but for the candidates and the Daughters, it was a fairly ruthless competition. Each of them knew they were almost guaranteed to marry one of the people listening to the Lore-master, and there were simply not very many chances to mingle. Everyone tried to make the absolute most of the few opportunities they got.

  Jain knew that pushing for one of the most prized spots would probably be unwise since it would be a sign she wasn't really as cowed as she was pretending. Va'del hadn't arrived yet so she picked an open spot on the floor close enough to be able to see the boys, but far enough away to preclude any possibility of talking to one of them.

  Where is he? Usually he's here before now.

  As Jain was scanning the other side of the room hoping to see Va'del, Se'ath and Be'ter caught her eye. It wasn't a surprise to see Se'ath sitting next to one of the younger girls, who'd seized the opportunity provided by most of the older girls having left, to stake out one of the most desired spots. Be'ter on the other hand had been leading Mali on for months and didn't have any place behaving so familiarly with one of the younger girls.

  Se'ath tossed his blond hair out of his eyes and then shot Jain an inviting look that no doubt made her another enemy among the younger girls, smiling when she refused to acknowledge his presence.

  Suddenly, just as Jain was nearly ready to give up hope, Va'del stepped into the room. He scanned the room, but didn't seem to see her, taking a seat near the younger boys, rather than the prized spot he'd earned by besting Be'ter before they'd left the Capital to deal with the bandits.

  Jain tried to catch his eye, considered standing and trying for a better spot now that he was here, but the Lore-master rose from her chair and once her clear soprano rang through the chamber, it was too late for anyone to move.

  "I speak of times now long distant, but of tales that influence us still. I speak of an event that takes place after the Exodus began, after Tor'h stood off the hundred, fighting for a full six color cycles to ensure the Goddess would be able to lead the People away from the lowlands. The same lowlands which had become overrun with terrible plagues. The same lands beset by the many wars among the nobility, bursting the land asunder like a full water skin left out in the cold."

  There was a ripple of suppressed groans from the boys' side of the room as the introduction told them that tonight's story wouldn't be their favorite, the one about Tor'h. On the other side of the room, more than one of the girls was smiling now at the increased likelihood that the story would be about one of the sisterhood, or possibly even the Goddess herself.

  Despite her worry about Va'del, who still hadn't looked her direction and who was displaying the hard, remote face he used when the outside world got to be too much for him, Jain found her own pulse quickening. The Lore-master's ritual opening was designed to tantalize the listeners as much as it was intended to help them place the story inside the framework of histories that they already knew.

  "We begin in a time after the Goddess had successfully brought the People ever higher up the White Spike Mountains until they found the crude series of caves which would later be fashioned into our home. It was a time of difficulties, when the Goddess' half-brother Tol'var also walked in flesh among the People, spreading plague and doubts on the behalf of the dark powers."

  A wave of gasps ran through the cavern, jumping between all of the younger children, and even some of the older
girls as they winced away from the sound of Tol'var's name.

  "The unbelief among the People was a source of great distress to the Goddess, and She attempted many times to win them away from the Corrupted One, but many were so blinded by his lies as to believe Her nothing more than a common woman."

  Jain was fairly sure she knew which story was about to be told. It was one she'd heard before, but not often, and it pulled at her attention, trying to distract her from worry over Va'del.

  "One of the most blinded of the People was the warrior Ed'wer who'd sworn blood oath to the Corrupted One. Although power was not given to the Evil One's allies to harm the Goddess, the limitations She'd accepted to come help Her people in the flesh allowed them to vex Her sorely on several occasions."

  The Lore-master's voice seemed to vibrate through the room until it filled Jain, pulling at her and making the story seem something she was remembering from her own experiences rather than something handed down for more years than anyone could count.

  "The worst of these offenses against the Goddess was committed by Her brother when he ordered Ed'wer and his companions to break into Her chamber at night and spirit Her away to a secret prison hewn out of the living rock. It was a dark time for the People. The Goddess' followers searched for Her, but the network of caves was large, and many of them became lost in the darkness never to be seen again."

  Despite the lure of the story, Jain tore her eyes away from the Lore-master, looking instead over at Va'del, hoping she'd be able to catch his eye. He'd always loved the Lore-master's stories, but he'd never before let himself be pulled so far into them as to completely ignore her like this.

  "It is said that during this dark time even the Goddess Herself feared Her mission here would be thwarted. As it always will though, the Corrupted One's true nature showed through, and he continued to inflict plagues upon the People, even those who had fallen under his influence. In this way, Ed'wer's daughter, his only remaining link to her mother, and the only person he loved more than his evil liege, fell ill from the creeping plague."