by Lisa Shearin
I gave it to him.
We had to be at least thirty yards from the gate when Mychael growled a spell and with a dead-on throw sent the grenade smashing into the gate’s massive latch. He jerked me and Markus behind the trunk of what had to be the biggest oak I’d ever seen. We were about to have chunks of a house blown at us from one direction and an iron gate from the other, and Mychael wanted us to hide behind a tree. I didn’t care how big it was; the house was bigger.
Time slowed to that speed that meant you were about to die and the powers that be were giving your mind one last chance to figure out how to survive. My body just told me to run faster. Mychael’s iron grip ordered me to stay put. He got an arm around me, and his shields formed around all three of us.
I heard odd popping sounds coming from the house and Mychael pulled us to the ground. There were four explosions, each bigger and louder than the one before. The house and everything in it exploded in what I could only compare to broadsides from an entire fleet of ships. A smoke- filled breath later, a fifth blast came from our other side as the gate blew.
Bricks and flaming debris slammed into the wall around the house. The wards on top of the wall did what they were made to do and vaporized anything that touched them, sending blue sparks drizzling down to pop and sizzle against Mychael’s shields.
His shields buckled with each blast, but they held. Call it a miracle or preternatural strength and skill. Whatever it was, we’d thumbed our noses at Death again. If the Reapers didn’t get blown up, at least they got blown back to where they came from.
Mychael released his shields and us. “Move!” he screamed. “Through the gate, now!”
I was hacking and coughing smoke and soot. It had cleared enough to let me see the gate, or rather where the gate used to be. That little grenade had more than done its job. The gate’s metal bars looked like a massive fist had just punched its way through. Best of all, no more elf-frying blue wards.
Markus pulled me to the right. “Down the street is an alley that empties on Hawkins Court. It should be deserted.”
“That’s away from the elven embassy,” I said.
“The embassy is the last place I want to go.”
Now I wasn’t just pissed at Markus; I was confused.
I had to consider the possibility that Markus wasn’t the power behind everything bad that had happened to me or any future plots against me, but I’d always felt a deep and abiding satisfaction with anything that went boom. Pretty flames were an added bonus.
Markus glanced back. “You blew up my house.”
“Consider us even.”
Markus flashed a quick smile. “Consider yourself thanked.”
I blinked. “What?”
“If all goes well, everyone will think I’m dead.”
Maybe a flying chunk of brick had hit him in the head.
The street was still empty, but it wouldn’t be for long. After those explosions, we were about to have a lot of company. Embassy guards, goblins, take your pick. I didn’t want to stay around to run into any of them.
“We go the way he wants?” I asked Mychael in mindspeak.
“It’s the best way out.”
I didn’t want to do anything that Markus suggested, but Mychael knew what he was doing.
We were a couple of houses away from the alley when I heard the hooves.
Crap it.
A squad of elven embassy guards on horseback came around the corner of Ambassador Row headed straight for us. The smoke was thick, hiding the three of us as we dived behind a thick hedge growing at the base of the wall surrounding another house. Fortunately this one wasn’t crackling with wards. The horses galloped by on the street just beyond where we were hiding. The lead horseman was Taltek Balmorlan. For a few seconds, I didn’t move or breathe. With all the smoke, if I took a decent breath, I’d probably start coughing. As the shouting and galloping passed us, I let out my breath and slowly took in another, muffling a cough.
“Did you see Balmorlan?” I asked Mychael in mindspeak.
“I saw.”
“Where do you propose we take Markus?”
“My safe house is too far, and the quicker we get him off the streets, the better.”
“And I’m an accused accomplice to murder in possession of Nukpana’s next victim.”
But this accused accomplice wanted to have a long talk with the almost victim. And the safest place would also be the last place anyone on the island would think to look for Duke Markus Sevelien.
“I know just the place.”
“Nebian grenades,” I told my cousin.
Phaelan whistled.
“Eight crates of them.”
“Damn. Full crates?”
I nodded. “That’s my guess. Took out the entire house, most of the wall, and punched a hole the size of a mountain troll through an iron gate.”
“Eight crates would do that. I hate that I missed it.” Phaelan flashed a grin. “Got to hear it, though. Hell, the whole damned island did. Beautiful work, cousin.”
Not unless it took out Sarad Nukpana and Janos Ghalfari. Though I wasn’t holding my breath.
Phaelan had come with me to Mid to protect me; Uncle Ryn followed the two of us to Mid to eliminate the need for protection. My uncle, who was Phaelan’s father, had dropped anchor in the harbor to motivate the Conclave’s mages to find a way to separate me from the Saghred. He said his anchors were going to stay right where they were and grow barnacles until that happened.
We were on the Red Hawk, Uncle Ryn’s flagship. Mychael and Markus were with Uncle Ryn in his cabin. I’d join them in a few minutes, but there was something I needed to do first.
Calm down.
The trip from the hole in the ground that used to be Markus’s house to the Red Hawk had been quiet, not only because we didn’t want anyone out and about at four bells to see or hear us, but because I didn’t trust myself within choking distance of Markus Sevelien quite yet. After a slight detour to collect the goblin gold, we headed straight for the harbor. Mychael was a wise man; he’d kept himself between me and Markus the entire way here. I was exhausted, I was scared, and I was pissed at more people than I had names for. But most of all, I was confused. Too much had happened and I hadn’t had enough time to sort through any of it. That was bad enough, but I knew it was going to get worse before it got any better. That was if I lived long enough to see it get better. Anything Markus Sevelien was involved in was guaranteed to be intricate, not like a seaman’s knot, but brilliantly intricate, like a finely woven web—and just as dangerous. I’d played chess with Markus on occasion. I’d always lost. Though I’d never stood a chance of beating a man who could think at least ten moves in advance.
If I was in the middle of whatever game Markus was playing now, losing would cost me more than my life. It could cost the lives of my family and friends, and probably anyone who just had the piss-poor luck of knowing me.
I gave Phaelan the condensed version of my evening.
“So let me get this straight,” he said once I’d finished. “Carnades and Balmorlan framed Tam for that elf general’s murder and got him locked up. Two weeks ago he had Piaras kidnapped, and he’s been trying to get his hands on you since the day you got here. And you and Mychael just saved this bastard’s boss? I’m not sure which is worse, saving him or bringing him here.”
“I want answers from him, Phaelan. What better place to bring him?”
Phaelan pursed his lips as he considered the implications. “Some of Dad’s crew are rather gifted when it comes to convincing people they want to talk. And if Markus’s people think he’s dead anyway . . .”
“That’s not what I want.”
“But that’s what might be necessary. If he’s the one that’s been pulling Balmorlan’s strings, the only way he’s leaving this ship is over the side hugging a rock.”
“It would hardly be the first time an underling didn’t tell his boss what he was up to,” I heard myself say. I couldn’t believe I w
as defending him. I guess doubt would do that to you.
“You said Markus knows what all of his people are up to.”
“Yes.”
“Considering how high the stakes are here, I hardly think Markus picked now to stick his head in the sand.”
I blew out my breath. “And even if he was acting under orders from his superiors, he still acted.”
Phaelan nodded. “He takes orders and obeys them, just the same as every man who has to answer to another man. And if they’re using him, maybe it’s because he’s letting them. How well do you really know him?”
“I thought well enough.”
Phaelan was silent as he looked out through the porthole. The water in the harbor was that glassy calm that came only with the predawn. Phaelan keeping his mouth shut meant he was about to open it and say something he knew I didn’t want to hear.
“Raine, you might have thought wrong,” my cousin said quietly.
He knew I didn’t like being wrong, but I despised being used, taken advantage of, or duped. All of the above made me feel stupid, and right now being stupid would get me and the people I loved a couple of steps closer to being dead. And one of those people was standing next to me. Any mess I’d found myself in, Phaelan had been right there with me in the muck. He claimed he didn’t want me having all the fun; truth was he was determined to protect me every step of the way even though one of those steps might be his last.
Markus had never told anyone in the agency that I worked for him. I was always paid under the table. But he could have been ordered to reveal his connection—or he could have volunteered it himself. Hell, Taltek Balmorlan knew; who else was running around with that information?
“A better question is how much do you trust him?” Phaelan asked in that same subdued tone.
I didn’t answer, because I didn’t know the answer.
“The number of people you can trust, believe in, and stake your life on, you can count on these.” Phaelan held up his hand with five spread fingers. “And if Lady Luck is really smiling down on you, maybe one or two more. But beyond that, everyone has a price for selling you out. And it doesn’t have to be money. It’s not always what you’re paid, but what you’re not willing to pay. You have to consider the possibility that the bastards in the agency’s big offices found Markus Sevelien’s price.”
That was what I was afraid of.
Chapter 15
I smelled the food before Phaelan and I got to Uncle Ryn’s cabin, and my stomach rumbled in appreciative anticipation. Uncle Ryn knew me well. I was pissed and he knew I needed to be levelheaded and reasonable. Get me fed and I could be reasoned with. I guess Uncle Ryn didn’t want to risk having to clean Markus Sevelien’s blood out of his carpets.
I knocked.
“Come,” Uncle Ryn boomed.
I opened the door and the scent of a heavenly dinner was nearly overwhelming.
The captain’s quarters on the Red Hawk were spacious, but contained only the things Uncle Ryn needed: bed, table with six chairs, fold-down sideboard, desk, and a cabinet where he kept his liquor. He didn’t want anything fancy or needless cluttering up his cabin. He liked his space. And Uncle Ryn didn’t take kindly to invasions of his personal space. He had a favorite response to someone stepping in on him. He’d reach out, grab you by the throat, lift you off your feet, and replace those feet at a respectful distance. This response was a warning; if you tried it again, it would be your last time stepping in on anybody. Uncle Ryn didn’t tolerate rudeness.
Most elves were tall and leanly muscled. Uncle Ryn was just big. He wore his dark hair short, his beard trimmed, and had a booming voice that’d carry clear up to a crow’s nest. He had a booming laugh to go with it and a sense of humor to match. He was somewhere around fifty, but he didn’t look it or act it. I was a firm believer in being happy doing your chosen work. If you were going to make a living at something, you should enjoy doing it. Ryn Benares was still in his prime and basking in the benefits of his chosen calling—the most feared pirate in any body of water larger than a bathtub.
Judging from the three used dishes on the sideboard, Uncle Ryn, Mychael, and Markus had already eaten.
“I hear you’ve had yourself a rough evening, Spitfire,” Uncle Ryn rumbled softly. “Come get yourself something to eat.”
Mychael arched a brow in amusement. “Spitfire?”
“His pet name for me,” I told him.
“Also an ill-tempered breed of small dragon.”
“She knows I’ve always meant it as a compliment,” Uncle Ryn said. “But like Raine, those little buggers get even more ill-tempered when they’re hungry.” He nodded toward the sideboard. “Fix yourself a plate before it gets cold.”
For once I did as told, no objections.
Uncle Ryn got out of his chair with his empty glass and went over to the liquor cabinet. “You want a drink?” he asked me.
I snorted past a mouthful of food. “You have to ask?”
Uncle Ryn poured me a glass of something the color of fine rubies. A Caesolian red, a good one. Aside from the one look I’d given Markus when I came through the door, I was ignoring him until I’d gotten some food in my stomach. I occasionally felt his eyes on me as he, Mychael, and Uncle Ryn made polite small talk waiting for me to finish. I didn’t rush my meal, but I didn’t take my time, either. I’d waited long enough.
When I’d finished, I pushed my plate back and gave Markus my full and undivided attention.
“No doubt you want to know why I’m here,” he said.
“What I want is your honesty.” I put down my wineglass. I didn’t trust myself with anything that could be thrown or broken over someone’s head. Besides, it was an expensive glass.
“Raine, you don’t know what you’re asking for—or how much danger you’re in.”
I laughed. I had to. That had to be one of the most ridiculously obvious statements I’d ever heard. “Markus, I know exactly how much danger I’m in. I’m up to my eyeballs in it, and if it gets deeper, I’ll have to start swimming.” I leaned forward; it was more civilized than diving across the cabin for the elf duke’s throat. “What I want to know is how much of it is your doing. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve looked forward to getting you in the same room with me. I know exactly what I’m asking for. Entertain me.”
Markus Sevelien told me.
I wasn’t entertained in the least.
Officially, Taltek Balmorlan was an inquisitor working for elven intelligence. In reality, Taltek Balmorlan was an arms dealer working for Taltek Balmorlan. And in a world of magic where mages qualified as weapons, he was dealing in living, breathing people, collecting supernaturally powerful elven mages. I knew that much. Piaras hadn’t been the first. I’d suspected that. The bastard preferred them young and vulnerable, easily influenced or intimidated. And being an agent of the elven government, Balmorlan could concoct a legal claim to them, like drafting them into the army. And that was precisely how he planned to use them—as weapons in a war against the goblins.
Markus steepled his fingers in front of his face. “When you came here, Taltek followed you—and put his plan into motion. You being able to wield the Saghred without any adverse effect was his dream come true. His greatest fear was that you would go over to the goblins first.”
“Is that your greatest fear, Markus? That I’ll go to the goblins? Or that I’ll sell my services to the highest bidder because I’m a Benares?” I was getting mad and I let myself. This boilover had been a long time coming. “Because any elf worth their pureblood knows that we’re filthy criminals. We can’t be trusted and only care about filling our pockets with as much gold as we can carry. Is that your fear?”
“You know that’s not what I think.”
“No, Markus, I don’t know that. It’s your job to root out traitors. Balmorlan’s here, and now so are you. You’re Balmorlan’s boss. I think you’re here on business, and that business is me.”
“Yes, it is part of my job t
o find traitors.” His voice was carefully modulated. “You are not a traitor, Raine. You never have been—and you never will be.”
“Because you’re not going to allow it? I won’t work for the elves, the goblins, or anyone else,” I snapped. “I want to be rid of the damned rock and I want my life back. If you call that a traitor, then that’s what I am. No amount of gold can hire me, and I won’t allow myself or anyone I love to be used or threatened. And thanks to the rock, I can enforce my wishes.” My voice dropped to one step above a growl. “Don’t think for one moment that I won’t use it.”
I expected anger; what I got was calm acceptance, maybe even a trace of amusement.
“I know that, Raine. And I told the queen that’s what you would say.” He smiled. “She asked that I give you a message.”
That took me by surprise. I didn’t know the queen and I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know of me.
“She’s never met you but she already likes you, and she would like very much to tell you that in person one day.”
“Huh?” Way to use the rapier wit, Raine.
Markus leaned forward. “I no longer work for elven intelligence.”
“But you just got promoted to the head of the whole agency.”
“In a manner of speaking. I work for the queen. I report to her and only to her. There are some good people in elven intelligence. Unfortunately, their influence isn’t what it once was. People like Taltek Balmorlan have bribed or blackmailed their way into positions of power. When the Saghred surfaced, Her Majesty and I knew we had to act quickly. Yes, she appointed me head of the agency, and that appointment upset more than a few people, Taltek among them.” He took a sip of his wine. “The queen wants him and his allies exposed and stopped. When Taltek kidnapped Piaras Rivalin and attempted to remove him from this island, that act exposed Taltek’s network of mage procurers. The queen finds the practice abhorrent and she wants it stopped, as do I. Lisara Ambrosiel is a good and honorable woman. As are you, Raine.” He smiled. “And as to you being a Benares and my being a duke, you may be gratified to know that I am the chief of elven intelligence in name only; what I’m actually doing is more along the lines of a janitorial service. Her Majesty wants to clean house, and I’ve volunteered to be the broom.”