by Rae Brooks
“I’m afraid so,” Tareth pretended to be mournful. There was no debating whether or not he was faking his sadness. Lavus would see that, Calis thought bitterly, and he would never let someone so willing to usurp his own brother come too close to the crown.
Much to his relief, no one else spoke to Calis. They had probably deemed that he would do nothing but spit in their faces. Lee had said nothing, though that did seem rather like him. He was probably processing the events in his mind, and most likely in a cold, calculating manner that scarcely considered the pain losing Kilik would inflict upon Calis. Calis would not lose Kilik…or Taeru, rather. “This is quite the turn of events,” Lavus said, “and you knew nothing of his treachery, Keiichi?” Lavus requested formally.
“Nothing, sir. I will tell you all that I know, if you think that may be of service.” The rat! Calis’s body trembled in anger for the first time. Though, the gesture made him realize that he’d been subtly quivering in fear the entire time. To think that Lavus would be interrogating Taeru soon, for information that he likely didn’t have—and if he did, Taeru would never give it. Calis closed his eyes against the onslaught of pain.
When he did, though, he was greeted again by the eyes that he’d looked to. That knife, pressing just enough against the skin of Taeru’s throat, drawing blood. Calis could see the bravery that Taeru was trying to maintain as he lay there. He hadn’t wanted Calis to know he was as terrified as he was. “Obliged, Keiichi. I will speak with you on the matter shortly. For now, there is the matter of my traitorous son to deal with.”
Calis would have accepted a noose, if he hadn’t known that his death would be followed with Taeru’s. As it was, he didn’t want to die. He would spend every waking moment trying to find a way to free the young prince in the dungeon. “Do whatever you want with me, Father. I understand your dealing with me—but why him? You know he isn’t a Lassau. Not anymore.” Calis glared at his father. Why was he even bothering?
“Be silent,” Lavus said, with growing annoyance. Calis wanted to kill him—he wanted to do worse than kill him. “As much as it would be justified, I am not going to kill you. I feel like, given the time and proper punishment, you could still be the man that you were before that boy showed up and poisoned your thoughts. When did you meet him, and how?” Lavus asked the question with meticulous scrutiny.
Narrowing his eyes, Calis searched his father. Lavus wasn’t going to kill him, which meant that he thought he could bring about more pain than a noose would. There was only one way anyone could do that to Calis, and Lavus wasn’t a stupid man—not when it came to causing pain. “I won’t tell you anything.”
“Tell me,” Lavus said, “or I will ask him.” The final word rolled off Lavus’s tongue, ringing with menace. Calis’s heart constricted and twisted about a center point of unbridled agony.
Calis felt frantic. He had to give an answer, lest these monsters try to wring it from Taeru. “I… I… I met him one moon that I went to Dark District. I was tired of being in the castle. I met him on the street… he was going home.” That sounded believable, and it didn’t implicate anyone that Taeru knew. “It was shortly after I got back from Dokak.”
This seemed to satiate Lavus, who seemed very capable of forgetting that Calis was a phenomenal liar. Calis knew he probably shouldn’t get too excited about that fact just yet. His eyes skimmed to Tareth, who was no longer smiling—he looked uneasy. “The name he told you was Kilik, correct? A few of the men had seen him before.”
Calis’s jaw clenched. He didn’t like the idea that they already knew who Kilik was. Surely, Alyx and Juliet would be placed into harm’s way. When Calis didn’t speak for several moments, Lavus continued. “There is no need to withhold information. I already have guards out to find out everything they can about the deceitful little creature. Defending him with silence will only lead to a harder interrogation for him later.”
“Yes,” Calis answered immediately. He tried not to let his mind linger on the word interrogation. Taeru… I’m so sorry. I will find a way to get you out of this, I swear it. Even if I have to die to save you—I will find a way.
“And he said nothing of his past? You didn’t find this suspect in the least, you stupid child?” Lavus asked harshly. The silence in the rest of the room allowed Calis to focus only on his father, to see the answers he anticipated—to see what he intended to do later to Taeru Lassau. Calis’s body convulsed without warning. The restraints bit into his wrists when he fought against them. One of the guards tightened their hold on Calis.
Calis spat to the side, and his words were barely audible. He snarled them more than said them. “He said he didn’t remember.”
Lavus actually laughed at this assertion. Calis didn’t bother looking at him, as there was no point. Magisters forbid that Calis actually trust Taeru—and why shouldn’t he? Taeru had proven himself—more than proven himself. “You are very gullible.”
“He never wanted to hurt Telandus or anyone in it. He just came here to get away from the life of being a prince. He lived here, he did nothing.” Calis’s words were frigid, and Lavus seemed to be getting angrier by the second.
Finally, Calis’s father flung his fist to the side, thrusting it through the air in a grandiose gesture. “Telandus does not accept cowards from Cathalar, who couldn’t handle the responsibilities that were handed to them. Apparently, this child rubbed off on you.”
“He’s stronger and braver than anyone in Telandus will ever be,” Calis snapped back. He would defend Taeru, now that he had nothing to lose from it. But he wished he could defend him physically. The thought of Taeru, restrained and helpless in the dungeon, made Calis shiver with anguish.
Lavus struck him at the accusation, and for some reason, a grim satisfaction accompanied the bite of the pain in his already throbbing cheek. Calis laughed, a hard, angry sound. “You get angry because you know it is true. You could never have left your life of luxury to go live somewhere you weren’t welcome.” Once again, his father’s fist slammed against his face. Calis just laughed another time. Lavus growled with frustration, and then the man stepped forward and seized Calis by the collar.
“Keep talking, boy, and I will force you to watch as I break every bone in your precious little Cathalari’s body.” Calis flinched away from the threat, and he said no more. His jaw felt so clenched that it may just fold up into the rest of his face. After a few moments of silence, Lavus continued. “As I said, I will worry about you later. I will not kill you. I will punish you appropriately, so you can properly understand the mistakes you have made. Until that time, you will be confined to your room and treated as a prisoner.”
The words were like a punch, every single one of them, to Calis’s chest. Agony coursed through him, renewed at the thought. He would be confined to his room—unable to even provide verbal support to Taeru, while they did whatever they wanted to his defenseless lover. He fought relentlessly against the guards, until something hit him hard and fast in the back of the head. His head swam instantly and he sagged, feeling the arms that gripped him again. “Father,” Tareth said, “he killed thirteen men! He killed them in the name of Cathalar! Surely, he ought to be hanged!”
Lavus glanced across at his other son. Calis didn’t even give his brother the satisfaction of a glare. A hanging would be no better than his promised punishment—after all, if Calis were dead, then he would have no chance of helping Taeru. “Thirteen men,” Lavus said, “that is quite a feat.”
“He deserves death, Father,” Tareth persisted. You imbecile. You haven’t the foggiest idea how to manipulate people. How you managed to trick Lee and I is beyond me. Though, perhaps Lee knew the entire time.
As Lavus seemed to consider this, the subject of Calis’s thoughts spoke up. “After what Tareth managed to accomplish, so subtly and cunningly, you ought to take his advice to heart, your majesty. He will make a fine king soon enough.”
There—the very pinnacle of how to manipulate a man into doing precisely what he
wanted. Lavus’s eyes widened indistinctly as he glanced at his youngest son. His jaw set into a hard line. “He will probably never get there, Keiichi—this is a fluke. I am the king now, and I say Calis is confined to his quarters for the duration of our interrogation and detainment of Taeru Lassau.” The agony of hearing the words came with a realization.
Finally, Calis allowed his eyes to slide across to his advisor. He was acting impassive and disinterested. In fact, he was acting precisely as any of the other advisors would if their masters got into trouble. Because no one but Lee and Calis understood their relationship, and despite that it appeared strange—all of that could be contributed to Calis’s foolishness. Perhaps Lee had not entirely abandoned Calis. Though, the advisor’s gaze was directed away from Calis, his jaw was clenched.
“As you say,” Lee said courteously.
Tareth jerked his gaze to Calis, and his eyes were burning with unending fury. “This is a mistake, Father!” Tareth really did not understand Lavus at all. After all the years that Tareth had been torn apart by their father, Calis had expected him to know more of how to deal with him.
Lavus glared at him, silencing him with one, steely gaze. Calis had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. These people—these fools—were going to be the very ones causing bodily harm to Taeru soon. He had to do something. Then, another force at the back of his head had him drowning in half-consciousness. “Go attend to your prisoner, Tareth, I will be on shortly. First, I need to talk to your mother about your brother’s… activities. Guards, keep men outside his room at all times, and let no one enter but me. And get a messenger, I think Veyron will be interested to know of his son’s whereabouts.”
“Taeru,” Calis growled softly before he was hit another time.
“Aleia was angry, and the skies ran red with her intent.”
-A Hero’s Peace v.i
Chapter xl
Taeru Lassau
The biting sensation pulsed through his brain as he stared up at the obelisk, and it laughed at him—mocked him for allowing this to befall him. The biting worsened, though, and the tendrils couldn’t even keep Taeru where he was. His body was startled awake as pain exploded across his consciousness. He cried out, glancing towards his hand, where the pain seemed to be originating. A larger man held his hand, bending back his fourth finger without mercy until it snapped. Taeru cried out again. “Lovely, you’re awake.” The man slapped his cheek hard, and Taeru winced. “So, Taeru Lassau, we’ve got a few hundred questions for you. If you answer them well, then… we’ll see what we can do about keeping your pain to a minimum.”
Taeru’s lips pressed into a hard line. He closed his eyes. He would answer nothing, and he would hope that by some miracle Alyx, Juliet, and the others were left out of this. He wondered where Calis was, but surely the prince had come to his senses—surely, realizing that there was nothing to do, he would leave the matter be. The man before him laughed. “I’ll be right back,” the man said cheerfully. Then, without warning, his fist collided with Taeru’s already aching cheek.
As the man left, Taeru took the moment to assess his situation. His arms were bound behind him, behind a chair that he was sitting in. His legs were each tied to a leg of the wooden chair. The room around him was entirely dark, and he was completely alone. He assumed he was in the dungeon, or some part of it. He closed his eyes.
Taeru had avoided the Cathalar dungeons when he had lived in the castle. They had always been so dark, dank, and filled with people that he wished didn’t have to be there. His father did not wrongly imprison people, but he had never liked the idea of people being locked and chained. Well, now he was getting the experience for himself. He worked with his resolve, realizing that he could say nothing, and hoped that Cathalar did not get itself involved. If they did, then Taeru would have single-handedly caused the war. What a tremendous failure.
The room’s atmosphere pressed down on him. His shirt had been conveniently removed, but he was happy to see that his pants were still firmly in place. Despite trying to keep calm, his mind kept returning to Alyx, Juliet, Aela, and Leif. They would be involved in this, and he knew it. He only hoped they had sense enough to defend themselves. No matter what they had to do, be it comply or escape.
Taeru made a mental assessment of his current injuries, and he was sure that the list would increase soon. His face throbbed incessantly, bruised, and there was a gash near the right side of his temple. His shoulder and calf still burned from the pierce of the arrow, his ribs and back both hurt equally, and now four of his fingers, it appeared, had been snapped. Not the best condition Taeru had been in, but he could definitely take a little interrogation before his mind was entirely lost.
His bindings were tight, though, and his wrists were already sore from them. The rope bit into his skin without forgiveness. He tilted his head back, taking deep, heavy breaths, and he was reminded of the injury he’d forgotten. The slit across his throat remained, and he decided that he would not tilt his head back again.
After another few moments of trying to regain his breath, a door behind him opened, and he could hear footsteps. “Deceiving my brother,” the disembodied voice chided, “no easy feat. But you managed it with incredible prowess, your highness.” A blow struck the back of Taeru’s head, and he suppressed his cry.
Taeru needed to make sure that Calis remained out of this. He didn’t need to bring the prince any further into it than he had already involved himself. “Yes, well, Tsrali kind don’t have a reputation for being intellig—” Tareth moved around to the front of him and caught his face with a strong hook. Taeru’s mouth twitched in pain.
“Well, you aren’t going to fool this Tsrali. And I am going to take great pleasure in extracting all the information you withheld from my brother.” Tareth was easing on a pair of knuckles over his fingers, and they glinted beneath the light of the torch Tareth had brought into the room. “Before we start, let me introduce you to what kind of pain not answering properly will lead to.” Tareth flung his arm back, and before Taeru had time to flinch, the knuckles crashed into his face. They were hard, strong, grinding against his flesh—and puncturing it. He could feel blood beading along the tiny wounds. The knuckles scratched along Taeru’s face before Tareth pulled his fist back. “And that, my friend, is just the traditional style torture. There will be more.”
Taeru said nothing, and he maneuvered his jaw to retain the feeling as pain echoed through it. It hurt, more than he expected. “Have you had any contact with your family in the time that you have been here?” Tareth asked sharply.
“No,” Taeru answered. The knuckles slammed into his face again, and this time, he couldn’t contain the weakened cry that escaped his lips. “I’m not lying. I didn’t intend to cause any harm to Telandus.” Another blow and Taeru blinked hard. This was unfortunate—he was cooperating and getting hit. “I’m telling you the truth! I left Cathalar to get away.”
“You lying, pathetic miscreant. I am not as stupid as my brother. Tell me why you’re here! Tell me who you’ve spoken with!” This time, Tareth hit Taeru before he got the chance to open his mouth. The blood caused from the tiny marks in his skin accumulated, causing streaks to run down his bruising face.
Taeru let out a gasping breath. “I’m not! This was never about Telandus! I just…” Once again, the knuckles slammed into him. This time, they clawed against his mouth, breaking open his lower lip with ease. After a few more blows, Taeru shook his head, and Tareth drew back with an unsatisfied snarl.
“How long have you been here? Have you told anyone who you are—you really are?” Tareth resumed his questions as if he hadn’t nearly knocked Taeru out over the first one.
Taeru took a deep breath. “No. I knew that if I told anyone, they would tell.”
Another blow to his face, and Taeru’s head swam with agony. His consciousness was already slipping, and he was sure he hadn’t been hit that many times. “I asked you how long you’d been here!”
Not telling Tareth t
he truth seemed easier here. After all, Alyx and Juliet would have a better chance if any answer they gave was considered correct. He couldn’t risk them saying something wrong. “A while,” Taeru answered. This time—he expected the strike.
“You must enjoy pain, prince,” Tareth said, and there was mockery in his voice. Taeru thought he might be trying to use it to mask his frustration. Tareth was very different from Calis, Taeru thought. Calis would be trying to find a way to get the information subtly, calmly, but Tareth was coming undone easily. “Answer me.”
“No,” Taeru answered bluntly this time. Another crushing blow slammed into his temple, then another to his cheek, his jaw, his chin. Over and over. The beating seemed ceaseless, and Taeru found his consciousness fading in and out. Tareth decided to move past Taeru’s face, to his neck and shoulders, chest and abdomen.
When Tareth finally stopped, Taeru was choking on his own blood. How had Tareth lost control so quickly? Taeru pressed his lips into a firm line. He found himself even more concerned about the people that he’d gotten involved in this. Tareth had no control, and if Taeru was right—neither did Lavus. Tareth grabbed the back of Taeru’s hair, yanking his head back and worsening the gash there. Tareth’s fingers tapped against the injury thoughtfully. “Oh, if you weren’t a priority of my father’s—the things that I would do to you.”
The words were strangely frightening. Coupled with the fact that Taeru was the Phantom Blade—the very person Tareth had always wanted to hurt worse than anyone. Taeru swallowed, and he narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t going to show this man fear. His vision blurred as pain circled in his head. “You’re bleeding,” Tareth remarked idly. “Quite a bit.” Once again, Tareth drew his hand back and it collided with Taeru’s face. “My father will be here soon… I’m going to get a few toys to make this more fun.”