Shrouded Sky (The Veils of Lore Book 1)

by A. Akers, Tracy

  “That’s why we need to question him.”

  “No doubt whatever answers he might give have already been gotten out of him,” Dar said.

  “Perhaps, but the Sovereign has not yet examined him, so there may be more that can be learned.”

  “Jhon,” Edrea said, “what does Orryn say in all this?”

  “He wants me to perform subjugation,” he said quietly.

  Edrea was taken aback. “He cannot mean it.”

  “What do ye mean, subjugation?” Gage asked.

  “It means having your memory erased,” Dar said.

  “So yer familiar with the term then?”

  “My family and Edrea’s are tied by blood,” Dar explained. “Though my branch of the tree does not blossom with the gifts of Agneis, we are well aware of what Edrea, as a descendent of a Transcendor, can do.” He shifted his attention to Jhon. “What I didn’t know until moments ago, Master Seth, is that you too are a Mind Walker.”

  “That is to go no further than this carriage, Dar,” Edrea said firmly.

  “Well I don’t mean t’ be soundin’ like a dunce, but what’s a Mind Walker?” Gage asked.

  Dar remained silent, allowing Edrea to tell the man, or not.

  “A Mind Walker is someone who has the ability to visit someone else’s thoughts,” she said. “Both Jhon and I have the gift.”

  Gage straightened in his seat. “Ye mean ye know what we’re all thinkin’?”

  “No,” she said. “It is not as easy as that. Two Mind Walkers can easily communicate through that means, as Jhon and I often do, but to know the mind of another, Knowing, or melding, as we sometimes call it, we would first need their permission. To do so by force is unacceptable. But even with permission, our level of the ability requires us to place our hands strategically, and of course it takes a great deal of concentration.”

  “So why would someone let ye do it, if ye don’t mind me askin’? It seems a terrible intrusion on one’s privacy.”

  “Sometimes people are hurting or they have bad habits they wish to break,” Edrea said. “We can help them by closing doorways, deflecting memories and impulses.”

  “But what’s t’ keep ye from misusin’ it? I mean, if ye can reroute memories, maybe ye’d want them to forget somethin’ they’d just as soon remember.”

  “Deflecting through Knowing is only temporary. It is meant to lead them to a path of safety and healing, nothing more.”

  “And subjugation?”

  “In that, a person’s memories are stolen, erased permanently.”

  “No gettin’ ’em back?”

  “No getting them back.”

  “So why do ye want to do that t’ this Tygg fella?” Gage asked Jhon.

  “As I said, to protect him from the Sovereign. If she discovers what he knows, it would go bad for him as well as—” Jhon stopped. No need to explain further.

  “Is yer Lady a Mind Walker, too?” Gage asked.

  “No,” Jhon and Edrea said simultaneously.

  Gage waited for further explanation.

  “Our Sovereign Lady does not just Know minds,” Jhon said. “She enters the person’s body both physically and mentally. She takes what she wants without regard to their wellbeing, sometimes killing them, sometimes leaving them without memory, mind, or will. The Sovereign is not a Mind Walker. She is a subjugator in every sense of the word.”

  “So the rumor about her’s true then,” Gage said.

  “Which rumor?” Jhon asked.

  “Pardon me fer sayin’ it, but the one that says your Lady’s no lady. That she’s a demi of some sort.”

  “When you meet her, you will see no sign of it,” Edrea said, and Jhon did not argue. “Dar and I have met with her on three previous occasions, and we have never seen her behave in any way to suggest she is anything other than what she appears to be.”

  “Without proof—” Dar began.

  “The rumors will remain just that,” Jhon said.

  “And if the rumors prove true?” Gage asked.

  “Let’s just say the time for diplomacy will end,” Dar said.

  “War with the realms ye mean.”

  “Unless her current illness proves to be terminal,” Edrea suggested. “We can only hope.”

  “Or she dies at someone’s hand,” Jhon said to her.

  “Do you think that is the Taubastet’s plan?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Then he is my hero.”

  The carriage came to a halt and the driver leapt off and opened the door. “The catacombs, Master Seth.”

  Jhon stepped out. “Thank you. We won’t be long.”

  He assisted Edrea out of the carriage, then stepped aside as Dar and Gage climbed out.

  A guard met them at the door leading to the prison. “State your name and business,” he said formally.

  “Councilman Seth, here with ambassadors Edrea of Tearia . . .” She smiled her most charming smile, but her razor sharp gaze told the guard she was all business. “Dar of Oonayei.” Dar nodded politely. “And Gage of the Basyl clan lands.”

  “Your purpose?” the guard asked.

  “A casual visit,” Jhon said, “nothing official, of course.”

  “I’ve been instructed to let no one enter,” the guard said.

  “My good man,” Jhon said, keeping his temper in check. “As head Councilman, I need no permission from you or anyone else to enter that door. As for the emissaries, the Accords of the New Realm allow them right of access. If you require the paperwork, clearly you have something to hide.”

  “I’m only following orders,” the guard said somewhat defensively.

  “Whose orders?”

  “Commander Pey’s of course.”

  “And where is Commander Pey?”

  “Inside, questioning a prisoner. He said he’s not to be disturbed.”

  Jhon leaned toward him threateningly. “You can either follow Pey’s orders, or you can follow mine. One may get you demoted, but the other will land you in front of the Sovereign, that I’ll guarantee.”

  “I—I can’t say I want either one, sir.”

  “Then unlock the door,” Jhon said, “and I’ll see that neither happens.”

  The guard fumbled for the key, then turned it in the lock and allowed them to pass.

  The door clanked shut behind them.

  “By the gods, what is that stench?” Edrea said.

  Jhon grabbed a torch flickering near the door. “I haven’t been here in quite some time, but as I recall, it only gets worse. If you have a handkerchief, m’lady, I suggest you use it.”

  “If the prisoners are not afforded the luxury of one, then neither am I,” she said. “Though feel free, gentlemen.”

  They headed down a central passageway. Bodies could be seen tucked within the walls, shrouded corpses and crumbling skeletons, and some no longer recognizable. Thick wooden doors came into view. Some were ajar and covered in dust, while others were bolted and still in use.

  “So they’ve got the livin’ with the dead,” Gage noted, eyeing a crypt.

  “Not much difference in a hole like this, I imagine,” Dar said.

  A scream sounded from the far end of the passageway. They stopped in their tracks.

  “Stay,” Jhon said. “I’ll send Pey to you. Tell him—”

  “They did not make us emissaries based on our weak stomachs,” Edrea said.

  “Very well,” Jhon said, “but I warrant you won’t like what you see.” He glanced down the corridor. “If it’s the cat, I’ll need time with him. Perhaps a diversion could be arranged?”

  “Leave that to us,” Edrea said, and they all headed in that direction.

  The door to the room was ajar, the fiery glow beyond it casting elongated shadows into the corridor. Jhon, the emissaries at his back, stepped into the doorway and felt his belly tighten. The chamber was filled with chains and cressets and assorted torture devices, and at its center was a prisoner hanging by his wrists. The smell of blood and
singed flesh permeated the air.

  Pey, a glowing hot metal rod in his gloved hand, wheeled toward the doorway, shock registering on his face. Clearly he had not expected anyone to walk in on him, especially not a Councilman and three emissaries.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Jhon said, stepping into the room. He ran his eyes over the prisoner. The young man was in worse shape than he had expected: unconscious and battered, blood running down his naked torso and darkening his leathers.

  “Is this form of barbarism condoned by your Sovereign?” Edrea demanded. But Dar and Gage gave the Commander no time to respond. They marched toward him and shoved him aside, then cranked down the chain, lowering Tygg to the floor.

  Pey’s face reddened with anger. “This is an interrogation and I gave specific orders that I was not to be disturbed!”

  “Clearly,” Jhon said. “But I would say you are outranked and outnumbered.”

  “By the gods,” Edrea said, staring down at Tygg. “What could possibly justify this level of abuse!”

  “Maybe your kind are soft on spies,” Pey said, “but here—”

  “How do you know he is a spy?” she asked, turning on him.

  “He’s cat. That’s all I need to know.”

  Gage, who had been kneeling next to Tygg, rose to a formidable height. “As emissary of the Three realms,” he said in an authoritative voice, “I’m hereby invokin’ my right t’ inspect these here catacombs, and I mean every stinkin’ cell, until I’m convinced there are no prisoners halin’ from the realms.” He narrowed his eyes. “But I’ll be tellin’ ye this, Commander, whether there are or whether there aren’t, you’ll be answerin’ for this. I suggest ye start prayin’.”

  The emissaries stepped toward Pey, daring him to argue. They had invoked their right, and there was nothing he could do about it. The Accords of the New Realm were iron clad. Even the Sovereign Lady knew that to dispute them could bring another war with the realms.

  “Master Seth,” Edrea said, though her eyes were on Pey. “If you would please see to the prisoner.”

  “Of course,” Jhon said. “Pey will be happy to show you around. Won’t you, Commander?”

  Pey glowered, then tossed the torture tool he’d been holding onto the floor. “Of course,” he said through his teeth. He turned and strode toward the door, the three emissaries following him out.

  Jhon rushed to Tygg’s side and knelt on one knee beside him. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Tygg,” he said.

  CHAPTER 26

  Tygg did not know if the person kneeling next to him was friend or foe. All he could make out was the shadowy shape of a man and a distant voice echoing in his head. He groaned and attempted to move, but pain and exhaustion doused any hope he had for retreat.

  “Be still now,” the man said gently. “I’ve come to help you.”

  The man’s voice sounded clearer now. And oddly familiar. “Or’n?”

  “No, I’m Jhon. Orryn’s father.”

  Tygg blinked, trying to bring the man’s features into focus.

  Jhon rose and stepped to a nearby water bucket and dipped a ladle. He knelt back down and lifted Tygg’s head, holding the water to his lips.

  Tygg drank greedily.

  “We don’t have much time,” Jhon said, setting the ladle aside.

  “Where—where is the Imela?” Tygg asked, attempting to sit.

  “She is well.”

  Tygg winced as Jhon eased him back to the floor. “But I heard her cry . . . in the cell. Or’n—”

  “No harm came to her. It was only a ruse to keep her from Pey.”

  “Ruse? How?”

  “There’s no time to explain.”

  Jhon moved his hand toward him, but Tygg shrank from his touch.

  “I’ll not harm you,” Jhon said. He lowered his hand. “I have the gift of Knowing. Do you understand what that is?”

  Tygg swallowed thickly. “The Nahanna.”

  “Yes. Like the Nahanna.”

  “Why do you risk yourself . . . for me?” Tygg asked.

  “You aided my son. I’ll not have you suffer on account of it.”

  Tygg shook his head. “My Qwa t’sei names it.”

  “And this Qwa t’sei of yours, does it name you dying in this cell?”

  Jhon reached out, but Tygg grabbed him by the wrist. “No.”

  “I do not wish to force you.”

  “No!” Tygg’s hand dropped. “Go. Please,” he said, and curled onto his side.

  “I’m sorry,” Jhon said. “But you’ve left me no choice.

  Suddenly Tygg felt Jhon’s hands grip him by the head. Visions flashed through his mind in a burst of changing colors: a blood-red battlefield, Nauney, Panya, images splashed upon the walls, history, prophecy, loyalty, life. A writhing sensation took hold, as if his memories were being explored, rerouted, erased, but then an image took shape he dared not share, a moving mental event as real as anything he had experienced, yet had not. Tygg’s mind struggled to escape the spell, but it was as if he were caught in a web, his thoughts re-spun as a sticky substance wove through and around them.

  Voices sounded from the corridor, and Tygg recognized Pey’s amongst the others. “End this,” he begged.

  Jhon released his hold, and Tygg plunged into darkness.

  ~~~

  Jhon rose to his feet as Edrea entered the room. The emissaries and Pey were at her back.

  “I trust you have done all you can for the prisoner?” she said, her eyes aimed at Jhon.

  “Yes, m’lady,” he said. “Not enough time.”

  She turned to address Pey. “We are satisfied that there are no prisoners within these wall that hale from the realms.”

  Pey nodded, but there was condescension in his eyes.

  “As for the Taubastet in your custody,” Edrea continued, “we expect humane treatment of him until such time it can be discussed with the Sovereign.”

  Pey did not reply.

  “I trust you will make the arrangements, Councilman?” she said to Jhon. “There is nothing more to see here.”

  “But I need more—”

  “While additional prisoners would be a benefit to your purpose,” she said, cutting him short, “there appear to be none to delay over. If we do not leave, we may be accused of overstepping our boundaries.”

  “Of course, m’lady,” Jhon said.

  They swept out the door, leaving Pey and the prisoner behind.

  “We’d be grateful if you could arrange an audience with her as soon as possible,” Dar said to Jhon as they headed down the corridor toward the exit.

  “I would prefer her funeral,” Edrea added. “But you know me.”

  They hustled to the waiting carriage and took their seats inside, closing the door behind them. The driver cracked his whip, and the horses bolted forward.

  “So how do we handle this?” Gage asked as the carriage bounced over the cobbled streets.

  “The only way we can. We address our concerns with the Sovereign,” Edrea replied.

  “And say what?” Dar said. “That we don’t like the way she treats her prisoners? Hmmph! Like she cares.”

  “Don’t matter whether she cares,” Gage said. “Accordin’ to the Accords—”

  “It would not be wise to threaten her over anything just yet,” Jhon warned. “Especially the Taubastet.”

  “Let us hope Pey at least follows our orders and ceases the abuse of him,” Edrea said. “Poor boy.”

  “You don’t really expect him to, do you?” Dar said. “The instant we walked out the door he probably marched right back and finished him off.”

  “He knows our Sovereign Lady would not appreciate him causing too much damage to the prisoner,” Jhon said. “She generally likes to question the cats herself.”

  “When you say question, you don’t really mean question, do you?” Dar said.

  Jhon set his jaw.

  “So did ye do the subjugation on the fella as ye planned?” Gage asked.

>   “I removed certain memories, yes, and blocked some of his pain. There was time for little else.”

  “Perhaps you can stay her hand in his regard,” Edrea said hopefully.

  “Orryn suggested we try to convince her to send Tygg to Adjo with the proclamation that the Pax has been terminated,” Jhon said. “That is most likely the only hope for him.”

  “Do you think she will agree to it?” Edrea asked.

  “Doubtful. But it’s worth a try.”

  “But what would she gain from it? Nothing that I see,” Dar said.

  “She might do it as a favor to us,” Edrea suggested. “Perhaps as a way to persuade us to go light on our report of the findings.”

  Gage frowned. “Can’t say I want t’ go light on her, no matter what she agrees to.”

  “Regardless, we must exercise caution as to how we approach her about the nullification of the Pax,” Edrea said. “She knows what we go home with will determine the position of the Three realms.”

  “Surely she wouldn’t risk war with us over it,” Dar said. “That would be suicide.”

  “Do not presume to understand the Sovereign,” Jhon warned. “She is nothing if not unpredictable.”

  “Then what do you suggest we do?” Dar asked.

  “I suggest you wait, allow her to summon you in her own time.”

  “And when she does?”

  “It would be best if you hold Pey alone responsible for the treatment of the prisoner you saw.”

  “And the nullification of the Pax? Who do we hold responsible for that?”

  “You know as well as I who is responsible,” Jhon replied. “But, for now, you must try to bring some compromise to the situation.”

  “I’m still not understanding what this Tygg fellow has to do with anything,” Dar said. “Though I certainly sympathize with him, I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to his story than you’re telling.”

  “Of course there is,” Edrea said. “But we cannot expect Master Seth to tell us all of his secrets, now can we?”

  “The way I see it,” Dar said. “The more we know, the better our chances are of walking out of this alive.”

  “What are ye sayin’?” Gage said.

  “I’m saying we should take care not to give the Lady reason to keep us here.”