"Waste?" I turned to her. "What are you talking about?"
"There is a by-product of past methods of energy creation," Adahi explained. "It will remain poisonous for many thousands of years. The answer back then was to bury it. Of course, unless the containers lasted as long as the poison, or if someone managed to breach the underground storage facility where it was kept, it was only a matter of time before it began leaking into the ground around it."
"Which of those things happened?" Sherra asked.
"Both, although the attack leveled upon it at the last sealed the land's fate and any who lived around it—until nothing was left except poisoned land."
"Disturbing," Barth shook his head.
"Extremely," I nodded at Barth. Frightening, too, but I kept that to myself. I'd carried prisoners twice to the poisoned lands myself. How much danger had I put myself in?
"Those with power have a better immunity to it than those who do not." Adahi must have read my expression. "Brief exposures aren't harmful, normally."
"I should have removed Merrin's power myself." As long as I lived, I would castigate myself over that.
"We all have a list of should-haves," Doret sniffed. "Don't drown in them, Thorn. You'll see that the longer we live, the larger the list grows. The best we can do is to do better next time."
"Well said," Adahi dipped his head to Doret.
"On another note," I began, "Have we heard anything from anyone regarding Narvin and the two he has with him?"
"Nothing as yet," Hunter replied. "But they have to eat, and their supply of food and shelter has disappeared. They'll be forced to find something else. They currently have no mindspeaker for Kaakos to command."
"So he'll be looking for someone else here," I growled. Every time I considered that Kaakos could move so easily among Az-ca's population, picking and choosing his spies, it burned my heart.
"He'll be dependent on Merrin's knowledge of Az-ca," Adahi said. "This means that we'll have to watch those Merrin knew, in case Kaakos decides to take them."
"Did either of those girls have mindspeak?" I turned to Doret.
"No, thank the stars," she said. "Deaf as posts in that way—Sherra checked all of them."
"Will a strong shield keep Kaakos out?" Sherra asked.
"In some cases, perhaps. It depends upon how much energy he is willing to expend to take someone."
"Did Jubal still have the ability to step?" Sherra turned to me.
"I don't know. Hunt?" I asked him.
"All his abilities were affected by his injuries," Hunter responded. He'd gone through the records to check, I'm sure. "Stepping was out of the question for him, because it was unreliable and likely to go awry more times than not. Same with his fireblasts—the physician's report is with his discharge records. Only his mindspeaking was left unharmed."
"No wonder they wouldn't let him stay, then. Those things, combined with his frame of mind, warranted his removal," I said. "Under battle conditions, he'd become a liability rather than an asset, if he couldn't move freely or protect himself."
"Well, that's moot now—he's under Kaakos' thumb, and I figure he's regretting his treason already," Doret said. "Kaakos isn't kind to anyone, and holds in contempt those he sees as not whole in any way."
"That's disturbing," Sherra observed. "You mean he has no compassion at all?"
"Only for himself," Doret snapped.
"He has no capacity for such," Adahi confirmed. "No empathy, either. Born without, as you may imagine. His view of the world is narrowed to himself and how things affect him."
"He's angry all the time, and he takes that anger out on every hapless person standing in his way. He has the ultimate hate for Az-ca, however, and it burns his soul that it remains and thrives." Doret turned her head away to hide her disgust.
What I couldn't determine, was what caused that hatred to begin with. Did we have something he desired, or was it another reason that made us a target? I considered asking Doret and Adahi if they knew the underlying reason, only to think better of it. How would they know such things? Their experience must lie in what they'd seen from him through the centuries.
"Something just happened," Sherra stood, a look of alarm and hope in her eyes.
"What?" I stood with her.
"I think Narvin just walked into my trap," she whispered.
Chapter 13
Sherra
"How did you figure out how to do this?" Adahi stood next to Kerok; the others were nearby after landing in North Camp's remains.
There, floating several feet above the ground in a bubble shield, was Narvin. He'd attempted to blast himself out—once.
His clothes were charred as a result, and there were burns on parts of his body, from the strength of his blast.
He hadn't leveled most of his power against the bubble shield, or he'd have fried himself. Perhaps he wished that had happened anyway, as Kerok glared at him from below.
"It was a desperate idea," I answered Adahi's question. "I had no idea whether it would work."
"It worked—quite well," Kerok growled. "I want this taught to anyone talented enough to learn it."
"I was hoping to catch the other two as well," I said. "I suppose they're hiding elsewhere so they wouldn't be caught together."
"I imagine they were hoping to find something to eat left here in the ruins," Adahi said. "That means those girls may go looking for the same thing elsewhere. How many villages have this protection, daughter?"
"All of them that I know," I shrugged.
"Can we take him to the lockup?" Kerok turned to me. "I'd like to ask questions after his power is burned away and the physician tends his wounds."
"Of course," I agreed. "I'll bring him inside the shield and release it, once he's at the lockup. Who's going to burn his power away?"
"I'll have Kage waiting," Kerok said. "He took care of Willa, too."
That's when Narvin began to shout at us, his voice muted by the heavy shield around him. "She better be alive, you heathen," he yelled.
"He's calling us heathen?" Adahi's eyebrows rose.
"Looks that way," Kerok said dryly. "Come, my love, we have plans for this treasonous bastard."
"I'll be right behind you," I said, indicating Doret and the others. Adahi could get himself back if he wanted to go.
Narvin shouted again when they disappeared. "Stop yelling," I told him. "Willa's alive and in the lockup. You'll likely be punished together, now." I stepped to the lockup, the bubble shield in tow as Narvin unhappily considered his fate.
Ny-nes
Kaakos
The fool had gotten himself caught, and I couldn't get a good image of what happened the moment he was trapped. Therefore, I had no idea whether he lived, still. The two young ones were still alive, but they possessed a child's logic and I found that less than satisfactory.
The only reason they survived was they'd heard Narvin's yelp before he disappeared from their sight. They'd stepped away, then, too terrified to stay and find out what happened.
North Camp was now a trap; I filed that information away after correcting what I'd learned from Merrin. He'd burned it to the ground in the past—it sounded like a logical place to look for food and shelter among the ruins.
Someone had gotten there ahead of us, and that angered me. The entire neighborhood is deserted, Jubal's shaky mindspeak informed me. Zis says they have taken their belongings and crossed the river.
Then I shall send troops across the river to drive them back. You and the raver will go with them; I'll send someone to guide you when they are ready.
Yes, Supreme Leader. He hated calling me that. At my earliest convenience, I'd teach him better manners. Servants such as this one never appreciated what they had until it was taken away. I looked forward to seeing his reaction when neither of his legs worked.
Until then, I'd send others into the city to take stock of the missing. A true headcount was impossible, because nobody kept records. Until now, it hadn't been a
problem.
"Send for a messenger," I shouted at the door. A guard's hurried footsteps echoed across marble floors to answer my call.
"They must be using whatever they can find to float across," General Tern informed me when he arrived in my study. "None of the military transports have been used for such."
"You're sure of this?" I toyed with a piece of fruit left over from the midday meal. Citizens outside my palace would give much to have a scrap of it. I crushed it in my fist while considering that.
"Yes, Supreme Leader. I have kept watch, as have my officers. You know those transports are kept at the eastern docks. Word has come that many escapees are floating across on bits of their own homes—they've torn them down to gain access to the opposite shore."
"How many are gone, do you think?"
"Perhaps a third? Maybe more; I'd have to visit the districts to make a better determination."
"Towel," I held out my hand to a cringing servant. He came quickly to wipe the squashed fruit from my fingers before stepping away and bowing to me at the same time.
I considered that all should bow to me in exactly the same manner.
Especially those in Az-ca.
"Good enough," I waved my now-clean hand. "Gather troops and cross the river, General. I wish to know where my citizens think to escape."
"It will be as you say, Supreme Leader." The General bowed and stepped backward, much like the servant had.
Good.
Kerok
Willa cast nervous glances at Narvin, as we questioned him inside an adjoining cell. Sherra kept her shield about him while we did so; I had no idea why she was nervous about dropping the shield, but didn't want to question her judgment.
"Who have you contacted?" I demanded, staring Narvin down. "I want names." He turned his head, ashamed to be dressed down like this by his former commander. He'd followed Merrin, away from his vows and duty, and was now reduced to this cringing shadow of his former self.
Had he believed Merrin would raise him up? I'd ask that question later, but for now, I wanted to know what treasonous acts he'd committed for Kaakos. With his head still turned away from me, Narvin refused to answer.
"I can kill you now," I said. "And still have the same information I had before we found you."
"No," Willa leapt from her bunk to plead with me, her splinted leg causing her to fall back onto the blankets.
Add your shield to Sherra's, Adahi arrived and nodded to me. As will I, he went on.
Why? I kept my eyes on Narvin, rather than turning to face Adahi with my question. Without further argument, I allowed Adahi access to my shield. "Names," I snapped at Narvin, while Adahi pulled my shield inside his before slipping both behind the one Sherra held about Narvin.
Adahi held my shield steady; if he hadn't, I'd have drawn back in alarm when Narvin turned to face me. His eyes were red, and the voice that came through him was terrifying. "Shut up," he snarled. "You die, now."
If we hadn't had so many shields around Narvin, he could have killed us when he exploded with Kaakos' wrath.
Sherra
Willa wept. I felt ill as we stood outside Narvin's cell, the bloodied shield containing his remains floating inside. We'd have to dispose of it somewhere; we couldn't leave it hanging inside a cell for anyone to see.
I worked to contain my nausea while Adahi gazed grimly upon Narvin's sacrifice; Kerok was angry and repulsed at the same time. His anger, no doubt, was pointed at Kaakos for his ability to do this to anyone he'd taken as his own.
"Did you mean to ally yourself with such evil?" I turned to Willa.
"I followed Narvin," she sobbed. "He made the decisions."
"Well, you see now what those decisions got him," Kerok snapped at her. "Adahi, can you get rid of that?" He waved at the bloody shield.
"It will be as you say," Adahi nodded before disappearing with the carnage. Drop your shields now, he mindspoke Kerok and me several moments later.
I released mine with a sigh.
"Come," Kerok took my elbow to lead me out of the lockup. "We have other things to do."
Kage, he included me in his mindspeak. Willa's execution should happen now. Make sure she's unaware it's coming.
It will be so, Kage responded.
"And thus end two lives that could have been better spent," Hunter set glasses on Kerok's desk minutes later, before pouring whiskey into them. He included himself and Barth in the serving of spirits; we needed a stiff drink to deal with recent events.
"We'll discuss this later," Kerok growled as he lifted his glass and drank the contents in one swallow, then held his glass out to Hunter for a refill.
My mind was crowded with questions, however. Sipping the potent whiskey, I considered that those questions were disjointed and chaotic. I needed Cole or Caral—perhaps both—to help me put them in order.
All my questions ended with the largest of them all.
How?
How had Kaakos done this? How had he taken Narvin over, to attempt to kill us while we questioned his minion?
Perhaps Adahi would know. I added him to my list of people to consult about this. How much power did it require? Was it more than we had? What would we face when we attacked him?
I wanted those answers before we laid our plan of attack. I had no intention of committing suicide, merely by transporting myself and my colleagues to Ny-nes.
"Contact Armon," Kerok downed his second glass of whiskey. "I need to consult with him, Doret, Adahi and everyone else pertinent to the situation."
"I'll see to it," Hunter agreed and wrote himself a note.
"Those two girls are still out there," I told Cole. I'd joined him for tea in his small kitchen, while I informed him about the method of Narvin's demise.
"You worry that Kaakos will take them the same way, don't you?"
"Yes."
"You also worry your shield-trap won't hold them, if that's the case."
"Yes."
"It held Narvin—until he was questioned by the King."
"You mean he was waiting for the right moment, to cause damage?"
"Either that, or he didn't want Narvin to release information. I can't help but believe that what he did took a great deal of power."
"Then Narvin must have possessed vital information."
"I think so, too."
"What could it be? Should we have kept Willa alive longer, in case she knew?"
"I doubt she knew much, if I know Kaakos at all. My guess is that Narvin had names of spies. Kaakos didn't kill Narvin until Thorn demanded names of collaborators. Now that Narvin's dead, Kaakos may intend to use those two girls the same way he used Narvin. Therefore, we need to find them quickly."
"They'll have to show up somewhere, or they'll starve," I said.
"I concur."
"Perhaps it's time to pay Jubal's neighbors a visit—to see if they noticed anything."
"I'll come with you, if you like."
"Let's go."
"Taken by the enemy?" Stave, Jubal's closest neighbor, asked. "I thought he'd finally had enough and blew his own house down around him."
"You thought he killed himself?" Cole asked.
"That's what I thought." Stave spat on the ground—it was something to do while he considered the new set of facts surrounding Jubal, and whether he'd be held accountable by the Crown for having anything to do with him.
"You're not a suspect," Cole read Stave as easily as I did. "We only want as much information as you can give us—for the official record."
"Is he—alive?" I'd have asked the same question, if I were Stave.
"The last information we had said so, but that could change—the enemy is unreliable and capricious."
I wasn't sure Stave had ever heard the term capricious, but he didn't say anything. "Never woulda thought," Stave shook his head and spat again. "I carried Jubal's census papers back to the village myself—never saw any sign that somebody else was here."
Cole and I exchanged troubled glanc
es.
"Did you get anything?" Kerok asked as I sat wearily at the small dining table inside our suite.
"The neighbor only told us what we already knew—that Jubal was bitter over his injuries and forced retirement, and didn't like women at all. Stave thought Jubal killed himself after he saw the state of Jubal's cabin after the explosion."
"He never saw anyone else there—staying with Jubal?"
"He says he didn't, and it wouldn't be difficult to hide somebody—Jubal always talked to Stave on the front porch when he visited."
"Then my question is where did he get enough food for them? It had to come from somewhere."
"Any reports of raided gardens in outlying homesteads?" I asked. "Have the quadrant leaders said anything?"
"Nothing so far, but I can ask Hunter to relay the question."
"I think we should—somebody was feeding them, that's for sure. Jubal was probably paying for it, too. The question is, who could it be, and how were they producing enough food to feed them? I really want to talk to whoever did that."
"I can see that," Kerok dipped his head in a nod. "I want to question them, too, as long as they were born without power. What else?" His brows drew together. He knew there was something else, just by watching my face. "Out with it," he sighed.
"Jubal filled out census papers," I blew out a breath. "I already talked to Barth. Neither he nor the other diviners got a single thing off Jubal's papers. Not even a twinge. Kaakos did that—I know he did. The census was long overdue, and it may lead us to other things, but Kaakos' spies aren't included in that list."
"Fuck me." Kerok raked fingers through his hair in frustration. "Well, there's nothing to be done about it, now. Let's eat and get the taste of this day out of our mouths."
"I'm ready," I said and lifted my fork.
Ny-nes
Kaakos
Someone had built a shield powerful enough to hold me back, but only at a great distance and certainly not at my full power. I wasn't foolish enough to expend that much energy to save a worm such as Narvin.
Black Rose Queen: Black Rose Sorceress, Book 3 Page 18