by Ed Gentry
The Durpari guard next to him was named Muria. She had joined Adeenya's command more than a year before and Adeenya enjoyed the woman's company whenever she found time. Muria was shorter, bulkier, and less meticulous in appearance than the Maquar.
"Good morning, sir," Muria said.
"Good morning, Muria. Initqin," she said with a nod. "Both of you, please have a seat."
Initqin saluted and relaxed his stance. "I'll stand if that's all right, sir."
"Whatever you like," Adeenya said. Her dreams of joining the Maquar when she was a young girl came back to her in that moment-the proper demeanor, the strict order.
Adeenya enjoyed her Durpari comrades, but sometimes she longed for more formality from them.
Muria sat facing Adeenya and rolled her eyes toward her Maquar companion. Adeenya smiled at the woman and shuffled through her papers for a moment.
"We'll try to keep this quick. Do either of you feel that any guard changes are needed? Anyone having trouble with the duties? Does it seem like the prisoners are getting to anyone?" Adeenya said. "I know none of this is easy, even under ideal conditions."
"Sir, for my part I think everyone's doing pretty well," Muria said. "We're tired and shaken, but you know that."
"Sir, I believe Bhariq could use a break from the jail duties," Initqin said.
"He's okay, really. He's just a little tired," Muria said. Adeenya was pleased by Muria's defense of Bhariq but felt the need to dig further. Solidarity between soldiers was wonderful, but not at the cost of overlooking someone's well-being.
"Muria, can you fetch his papers for me? They're on the shelf back there," Adeenya said. Duria nodded and headed toward the back of the room. To Initqin, she said, "Can you give me some specifics?"
"Well, sir, he just seems overly irritable. Yesterday he shouted at one of the human prisoners who was being persistent about being released. We all want to release them, and we all have to listen to them whine-" The man stopped, drawing the sword from his belt as Muria screamed.
Adeenya leaped from her seat, tipping over her chair and letting it clatter to the ground. She ran toward Muria who stood leaning against the bookshelf at the back of the room. Muria showed no wounds or signs of injury-only shock.
Adeenya scanned the room. She saw a thin line of dark, dried blood on the floor and followed the trail to the corpse of Loraica tucked behind a chest and partially covered by Adeenya's spare bedroll.
Adeenya's ears rang with a low tone as her knees began to wobble.
Initqin appeared at her side and looked past her to the body of the Maquar terir. "What in the name of all the One?" he said.
"Muria, get help. Initqin, search the rest of the room," Adeenya said as she began searching the area around the corpse. Whoever had killed the terir was long gone, no doubt, but there might be clues. Finding them quickly would be crucial before the room filled with more people coming to the call for assistance. Muria nodded and ran out the door.
Adeenya pulled the blankets back from Loraica's body. Her flesh was cold and dry. She had been dead for some time-hours, at least. Adeenya froze. When had the body been hidden there? Had she slept in her room all night with the woman's corpse nearby, or had it been concealed during the her visit to Marlke's quarters? Loraica's throat had been cut, much like Khatib's. The line was smooth, made by a sharp weapon. Loraica's hands and arms showed no immediate signs that she had struggled.
Adeenya pushed the corpse on its side to look under it. As she had suspected, there was also a deep wound in the woman's back. Loraica had been attacked from behind, and then had her throat slit.
"Do you see anything, Initqin?" Adeenya asked as she moved a chest away from a wall. "There must be a clue somewhere."
"Sir, drop your weapon," the man replied.
Adeenya turned to face the Maquar who held his sword a few handspans from her side. "What are you doing, soldier?"
"Placing you under arrest, sir. Now please, drop your weapon."
Adeenya felt a rush of adrenaline and fought off the urge to attack the man or flee for her life. Her military training kicked in and she saw the earnest look in the man's eyes. He would try to kill her if she did not comply.
"Stay calm, Initqin," she said, letting her sword fall to the floor. She held her arms out low to her sides.
"I will, sir. Thank you for disarming. Please remain still until reinforcements arrive," Initqin said. Adeenya noted and appreciated his calm tone and demeanor. His commanding officer was dead several paces behind him, but he was collected and professional. Another soldier might have killed her where she stood.
"I'm going to sit down if that's all right. We'll sort all this out when Jhoqo gets here," she said. She needed to sit. She needed to think. Loraica was dead in her room. If Adeenya had seen such a sight in someone else's quarters, then she would have acted as Initqin had.
Adeenya glanced back to the rear of her quarters as though Loraica might rise and be well if she only longed enough for it to be true. But it wasn't. It never would be. Adeenya ran a hand through her hair and returned her gaze back to Initqin who returned her stare and readjusted his grip on his sword.
"I'm not going to run, Initqin. I've done nothing wrong," she said. "You really believe I killed that woman?"
"It hardly matters what I believe," the man replied.
In her time with the Maquar, Adeenya's childhood admiration for them had dwindled but never so much as in that moment. Duty, a fine thing, a tradition the Maquar held most sacred, was blinding the man before her.
She could see in his face that he did not believe she was a murderer. But his sense of duty made it impossible for him to choose to lower his weapon and help her reason out what must have occurred. He could come to her defense when Jhoqo arrived on the scene. He could but he would not. Initqin would stand there, weapon readied, and watch Jhoqo accuse Adeenya. That was duty.
"You can lower your arms, soldier," came Jhoqo's voice as he entered the building.
Initqin complied and stood at attention.
Jhoqo strode to the back of the structure and knelt next to the corpse of his terir. "By the gods, Lori," he said.
Several moments passed, Initqin still staring Adeenya down, before Jhoqo rose and took a seat across from Adeenya. "Tell me everything," he said.
Adeenya met his eyes. "I was here, discussing reports, when her body was found," Adeenya said. "I have no idea how she got here."
"You deny killing her then?" Jhoqo said.
"Of course I deny it. I didn't do it!"
Jhoqo nodded and patted Adeenya on the knee. She held herself and did not flinch at his fatherly reassurance. Certainly that would not have helped the situation at all.
"Then what did? Are there any clues?" he asked.
Adeenya was puzzled by his question, his lack of accusation. "I didn't have a chance to look for them," she said, looking to Initqin.
Jhoqo nodded. "Well, rest assured we will come to the bottom of this. When is the last time you saw Loraica?" he asked.
"Last evening atop the wall," Adeenya said.
"To what end? What did you discuss?" he asked.
"The situation with the invaders," Adeenya said, seeing no reason to tell the entire truth. "And the possibility of the formians' involvement. She was concerned, the same as I am, that there could be a traitor among us."
"I see," Jhoqo said. "Please find some different quarters for the time being. Take a few of your essentials and move them there. We'll need to thoroughly investigate this place."
"I am to go, sir?" Adeenya asked.
Jhoqo shrugged as he stood. "If I were to hold you over this incident, I would have riotous soldiers-namely yours-on my hands. Also, truth be told, Orir… I'm inclined to believe you."
Adeenya stood and nodded, too stunned to speak.
"If I am wrong, we will soon find out." Jhoqo smiled nastily. "Besides, my dear, look where we are. If you were guilty and wanted to run, where would you go? The wilds of the Aerilpar? T
hat's a death sentence, and I know you're well aware of it."
Chapter Eleven
"Where is he?" Jhoqo asked, as he strode away from Adeenya's quarters through the courtyard.
The Durpari woman he spoke to said, "The durir, sir? I saw him near the big tower, sir."
Jhoqo quickened his pace, turned a corner around the central tower at a jog, and spotted Taennen walking toward him, a puzzled look on the younger man's face. Jhoqo stopped and waved the durir to him.
"Sir? What's wrong?" Taennen said, the confusion clear on his face. He had not heard yet. That was fortunate, Jhoqo thought.
"Son, come with me," Jhoqo said and walked to the door of the largest tower. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. There were many windows in the tower, unlike most of the buildings in the citadel, so the interior was bright with morning light. Jhoqo pointed to the steps and asked Taennen to take a seat.
"Sir, please, what's the matter?" Taennen asked. "You look disturbed. What's happened?"
"Taennen, we're losing this citadel," the urir said. Taennen's body went rigid, and he shook his head. "It's true, boy. The men are furious and helpless but have nowhere to direct their anger. That's a horrible combination, one that always begs for trouble."
"Sir, we'll figure this out," Taennen said. "All isn't lost."
Jhoqo shook his head. "This is a critical time, son. We must be strong for our troops. We have to rally them and point them in the right direction."
Taennen nodded and narrowed his eyes. "Why do you say these things to me now? What's happened?"
Jhoqo stared hard at the man he considered his son. He looked into Taennen's dark eyes, watched as the younger man's cheek twitched in anticipation. He saw the boy he had raised as much as he saw his second in command.
"We have to remain strong, Durir. Remember that," Jhoqo said. "The men will look to us."
Taennen nodded as he rose to his feet and said, "Tell me."
Jhoqo sighed and lowered his head before saying, "Loraica was found dead this morning."
All color fled Taennen's face. His muscles gave out all at once, and he toppled to the steps, his hands flailing out behind him for purchase.
Many moments passed as Taennen stared out the doorway and Jhoqo watched him. The urir never imagined feeling someone else's pain so strongly.
"How?" Taennen asked, his lips quivering.
"Murdered," Jhoqo said.
Taennen fixed him with a hard stare. "How was she murdered, sir?"
"It does not matter," the urir replied.
Taennen stood, fierceness fueling his voice. "How was she murdered?"
"Her throat was slit." Jhoqo said.
"Who?" Taennen asked, his voice tremulous.
"We don't know," Jhoqo said.
"Who found her?"
"The Durpari orir."
"Adeenya?" the younger man said.
"I'm afraid so," the urir replied.
"Where was she?" Taennen asked.
Jhoqo sighed. "In the orir's quarters."
Taennen shook his head and said, "Surely she could not…"
"I hope she could not, too, son," Jhoqo said. "We'll need to question her further, but I decided it would be bad for morale if I threw her in a cell. It's not as though she can go anywhere."
Taennen swayed as he stood. His forehead wrinkled as though he might cry.
"You understand what I said about the troops?" Jhoqo asked.
Taennen nodded, but his eyes were unfocused.
"Very well, then. You're dismissed-just remember what I said," Jhoqo said.
Jhoqo stepped out of the way as Taennen strode past him without a word. Loraica and Taennen had worked together and been friends for as long as Taennen had been in the Maquar. Nothing Jhoqo could say would soothe the boy.
Jhoqo recalled the first time he had seen the two together and smiled. Loraica had been large even then, twice the bulk of Taennen at the same age. She had taught Taennen how to fight. Jhoqo had watched them many times as they figured out new maneuvers to try on one another. Even full days of training with the troops had not exhausted them enough to skip their own training sessions.
Jhoqo sighed and walked toward his quarters. It would be a long day, he knew. He went over what he would say to the troops in his mind and found nothing adequate. Nothing that seemed worthy of Loraica, nothing that would transform grief into enough motivation and morale to turn things around. But as commander of the fortress, it was his duty to make the best of the situation. Loraica had served the Maquar well in her life, and if he had anything to say about it, her death would prove just as useful.
Adeenya paced back and forth outside Taennen's quarters. The image of Loraica's pallid corpse was etched on her mind's eye, and she could see little else, no matter how hard she tried to think other thoughts. She had rushed to Taennen's quarters and waited for him to return instead of searching the entire citadel for him. She had wanted to be the one to tell the man about his friend, but he had already gone by the time she arrived.
"I saw you talking to her yesterday evening on the wall," Taennen said from behind her.
Adeenya spun to face the man. His shoulders were slumped, his head cast down. His hands hung at his side, and his cheeks and nose were red. Adeenya could think of nothing to say, so she nodded. "Yes."
"Both of you were tense. I could see it," he said. "You were arguing? She was angry with you?"
"Angry? No. What are you saying?" Adeenya asked.
"What did you tell her?"
"Did Jhoqo send you?" she asked.
"What did you tell her?"
"My plan to lure out the traitor," Adeenya said. His closest friend was gone, but Adeenya hoped he could not think her responsible.
Taennen's face wrinkled. "What plan?" he said.
Several of the soldiers had gathered nearby, likely attracted by the tension that leaked from Taennen. Adeenya waved them off as did Taennen when he noticed them. The warriors moved away.
"Let's talk inside, shall we, Durir?" she said.
Taennen nodded and followed her into his quarters. The room was like most of the others in the citadel, plain and unadorned with small, high windows that let very little light into the room. Taennen closed the door and stood before it, his arms across his chest, and he said, "Tell me, now."
"Durir, I would remind you of your place," she said.
Taennen stiffened and stood at attention. He trembled, looking like nothing so much as a scarecrow being tousled by the wind. Adeenya sighed and motioned toward a chair as she raised an eyebrow. When Taennen nodded, she sat. All the muscles in her body seemed to coil and tighten at once before releasing, leaving her feeling like a puddle of mud.
"I tried to tell you about my plan," she said. "When you were not responsive, I approached Loraica instead because I knew I would need help to find the traitor."
"How, sir?" he asked, punctuating the honorific.
She told him of her plan and every detail of her conversation with Loraica. Adeenya watched his eyes harden and his face sour from his tight lips to his wrinkled brow. His response was not unexpected.
"It violates every principle that the Maquar hold dear," he said, looking as though his personal honor had been insulted. "Loraica turned you away when she heard it."
"I see no alternative," she said. "And she disliked it for the same reason you do, but she agreed to it in the end when I told her about my pendant.
"I had a magical device to contact my superiors. It was my only way to reach the outside world, to get us help here, to do anything. It was stolen, deliberately, in the attack. They came straight for me and took it," Adeenya said.
"So?" Taennen said.
"Khatib and a few of my soldiers are the only ones who knew about it," she said.
"Khatib?" Taennen said. He stared at her a moment longer before nodding. "That's a lot of evidence."
Taennen crumpled to his bed where he sat, head in his hands. He loosened the straps of his leather armor with a s
igh. He ran his fingers through his short hair for several moments. Neither of them spoke.
"She agreed willingly after hearing all of that, Taennen."
"I would have, too," he said after a long moment. "You found her in your quarters?"
"Yes." She studied his face, but found it unreadable. "You came looking for me believing that I killed her?" Adeenya asked. "Taennen, forgive me for being blunt, but there was almost no blood in my quarters. She couldn't have been killed there."
"So she was moved," he said softly. "You could have moved her, the same as anyone."
"No," Adeenya said. "Loraica could have moved me with no trouble, but I couldn't have moved her without help. And after all that trouble, why would any killer put the corpse in her own quarters? I'd have to be a fool to do that."
Lifting his head with what appeared to be great effort, Taennen locked eyes with her and said, "You're not a fool."
"So you believe me?"
Taennen shrugged and offered a small nod. "What now?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said, lowering his head into his hands again.
"The plan Loraica and I discussed is already in motion. There's nothing to stop it now," she said.
Adeenya stood, facing the door. "You may not like it, but could you just keep your eyes open? Watch the cell building where the formians are kept as much as you can without looking too obvious," she said. "It's not a great plan, but it's what we have."
"Loraica died for that plan," Taennen said, looking up at her. His eyes were red-ringed moons of sorrow in the dim light of the room. "Her pyre will burn this night," Taennen said.
"Rest until then. I'll watch for the traitor," Adeenya said, moving to the door to leave.
"Does Jhoqo know about this plan?" Taennen asked.
Adeenya shook her head. She wanted to ask him not to share it but knew Taennen would do what he would, regardless of her requests. Her only choice was to hope that he didn't choose to share it.
Out in the courtyard, several soldiers of both armies watched her, curiosity plain on their faces. She strode past them, each step a declaration of her innocence.