Definitely broken. The pain in his chest seared through him mercilessly. Well, at least he didn't have to look at the nephew he had almost saved lying this way. Daniel now hung by the rope Jador had rigged. So close. All that was needed was for someone to untie the rope from the nearby tree and carefully lower Daniel to the ground.
The tears came then. He had been a good man. This was the first time he had ever taken the life of other men. Sure, he'd made a few mistakes in his life, but never from greed or through cruelty, mainly through ignorance. What could he have possibly done to deserve this fate? He thought on it for a time but could think of nothing.
Jess walked over and nuzzled him.
'It's okay, girl,' Jador assured her. 'Go. Go. Find water. Find a new home. I'm not much use to you any longer.'
The pony wandered away and Jador let his cheek drop back to the sandy ground.
Day 2 – Mid-morning
At-hara Desert
The horses drank deeply from an elvan-made drinking well. Normally they would not bother to refill their water so soon, but this was the last spring before the At-hara. This was not one of the springs installed by the elvan government before the war but one especially installed by the rebels when they established the desert rest stop further in. This water pump was sculpted in the form of two winged horses, one was rearing, its wings spread wide, while the other glided below, its wings forming the bowl from which the horses drank.
Both horses were dreading the desert crossing. It would mean sand in their eyes and nostrils, and the heat was going to get unbearable. Neither horse would say their riders did not take good care of them though. In the Khira, Brynn and Sariah had cleaned the sand from their faces regularly and forewent water for themselves to ensure the horses had plenty. Still, they would not miss it if they never saw a desert again.
Brynn patted Sershja on the flank as he moved next to him to refill their water-skins. He paused mid-reach as his vision blurred and a strong feeling of compassion washed over him. He recognised the feeling of her; she was distressed.
It did not take long to investigate what it was: she had connected with a horse. Brynn homed in on the animal through her empathic ability. Normally, when this happened it was a rabbit stuck in a hunter's trap or a farm horse that had become lame. He could heal them as long as her talent was focused enough. Often the case was that she was not, and he would be frustrated, inundated by her emotion, but unable to do anything about it.
This time she was focused, mayhap it was because this horse was not injured, it was sending for help. Now, he knew that those with talent could communicate with animals by sending to them and through this teach the animal how to respond or learn the animal's method of communication and use it. This was quite a different thing altogether — this horse was sending on her own! Even though he knew animals could have talent, it was rare to encounter any animal aside from the may-en-ghi who could send to a different race without training. The most remarkable part was that this horse was not sending in the language of her kind, but in the language known as Common. 'Please help him, please help my rider.' It was a simple, but plaintive message.
Brynn retreated from her emotion-filled connection so he could concentrate on working out where the horse was. She panicked, thinking he was going to ignore her. He gasped with pain as her untrained talent forcefully crashed through his mind, sending him images; a man lying face down on the ground, another man tied to a tree, jagged wounds, red, blistered skin.
Brynn shifted barriers to cordon her off. His arm felt like it was broken, his ribs shattered, his skin burned, it hurt to breathe, and terrible, terrible pain filled him. He started to shake, experiencing everything she did, her empath ability tuning in to the suffering of those she was focused on. Brynn pushed more barriers up until he could not feel anything. Curse the paths that made his connection only clear when she was pouring these strong emotions into him. One thing was becoming plain with each interaction he experienced — she needed training. That, and she was growing stronger.
This gave him hope. One day soon, he might be able to find a path into her mind and put up barriers for her. Mayhap, he could actually speak with her. Not this 'feeling' of each other, but a real conversation.
Brynn could hear Sariah talking to him, that is, he heard a sound he recognised as her voice and he felt her hand on his shoulder, but he could not make himself respond. He looked up and sought Kaydyr's gaze, giving the hawk a look that was meant to reassure Sariah. He clutched at Sershja's leg, feeling the horse's muzzle next to his shoulder. Leaning on the horse, he pulled himself to his feet, letting the water skins fall to the ground.
'Give me a moment, I am unharmed,' he sent to both of them, feeling too breathless to speak.
Finally, he steadied his breathing and straightened. 'My empath talent... Sometimes it takes me unexpectedly. I get overwhelmed.'
Sariah gave him a reproachful look. 'Riqu would severely lecture any of his mages who reacted like that, Brynn. I could have taken a killing shot you were so... lost.'
Brynn's expression told her not to continue. 'Let us say this was not because of my lack of discipline,' he explained tightly.
'Whatever it was, you need to learn how to control it. Soon,' she added gruffly, crouching to get the water skins and filling them.
Brynn felt defensive and embarrassed at the same time, yet he knew to respond with either emotion would be unfair to the warrior. Instead he knelt by her side and helped to fill the water skins.
'There are travellers in the desert, not far off,' he murmured. 'They are in distress.'
Sariah simply nodded. 'We take a detour then.'
They finished with the water and Brynn took the lead, letting Sershja move into a steady trot. Brynn felt an unnatural shiver ripple through him as the image of the man tied to the tree came to his mind again, seemingly unbidden. The perspective of the vision narrowed in on the face. It had not done that before when she had sent it. The feeling of dread deepened as Brynn recognised the face of the man in the vision. Daniel!
Brynn's heart started to race as he turned back to Sariah. 'The situation is more urgent than I thought, we cannot afford to walk,' he told her as he urged Sershja into a gallop.
Day 2 – Mid-morning
At-hara Desert
Jador was dozing, dropping in and out of consciousness, when he heard a dragging sound. He looked up to see a flask and Jess' hooves. Awkwardly, he took it and managed a small sip. Pouring some into a cupped hand, he offered it to Jess. Rather than drink, the pony nudged his hand towards him as if saying; You need it more than I do. Tears trailed down the old, wrinkled face as the water trickled through his fingers...
Day 2 – Mid-morning
Sal-Cirus
Thane Curtin looked up at the crests while he waited for Akileena and Thane Kennelm to catch up. A table had been brought into the throne room and the crest in question now lay between the folds of a soft blanket. Quite a predicament, this would be, if the human mage who had examined it after Nathan's tantrum proved to be wrong. At least Lord Abbarane was not planning to return to Sal-Cirus just yet, so it would give him time to sort it out.
There was also Tiegna's problem to deal with. Technically, the far eastern town was not under his jurisdiction, but because of the markets here during festival time, the Great Lord had 'requested' that Thane Curtin organise a group of fifty slaves and twenty servants to be sent to the minor city.
During the festival, thousands of slaves would pass through the gates here. Still, taking slaves from merchants was not an easy thing to do without causing an uproar. Lord Abbarane had, after all, given him no extra funds to acquire the slaves, leaving the Thane to just 'deal with it'.
Nathan stopped beside him. 'What makes you so sure he did not take the amulet?'
Curtin partially turned towards the Thane and saw Akileena come to a stop just behind them. The cut on his throat looked nasty, but it had stopped bleeding.
'Only three people know the lo
cation of the real amulet, the Great Lord, Colnba and myself. Aside from you, Nathan, and two other thanes, no one even knew the amulet existed until you requested we investigate its authenticity. So now, soldiers, messengers and mages are now aware.'
Curtin gestured to the crest on the table. 'It has been examined by a highly-ranked human mage and a smith. The mage says it bears the same properties as described by myself, which I was given by Colnba. The smith determined that the setting is untouched. You will note that as opposed to being placed in what is called a 'claw' setting, which allows the gem to be viewed properly, these have all been set into the gold. The smith has described in great detail what he would need to do to get the gemstone out, part of the process includes melting a segment of the crest. There is no evidence such has been done. In short, our thief would have to remove the crest entirely from this room, get it to a smithy, and wait at least a sennat, more likely two, while the smith made the exchange and carried out the repair. It would be easier to substitute the crest entirely, however,' Curtin paused for breath, 'each crest has a unique code engraved in minute lettering in a spot undisclosed in any reports. I directed the smith to this place and he compared the engraving to the other crests and judged it authentic.'
As he spoke, the Thane moved over to the crest and patted the thick, gold base. He turned back to Nathan. 'I have witness reports stating that Gareth, the smith who was attacked, was seen the day before. His workshop was open and several members of the public visited. His workshop could not have been used to remove the gemstone. Gareth, himself, took an order on a batch of swords for a merchant, and promised to have them done within the sennat. He would not have had time to remove the gemstone if he wanted the bonus for which he so doggedly bartered. Upon investigation, there was evidence of significant work on a number of swords. The smith I brought in said none of the kinds of tools Gareth would have needed to remove the gemstone showed signs of recent use.'
Nathan closed his eyes in relief. He just might get out of this mess with his life, after all.
'The fact that the safe at the forge was empty,' Curtin continued, supports my theory that this was just a robbery.'
Nathan turned to ask Akileena to confirm Curtin's findings about the crest, but paused when he saw Akileena's perplexed expression. 'What is it?' he demanded irritably.
Akileena cast his gaze to the floor. 'Thane Curtin's investigation was thorough, my lord thane.'
Nathan's eyes narrowed. 'Exactly what do you mean by that?'
At Akileena's hesitation Nathan approached him. Running a finger down the cut along Akileena's throat, he said, 'That looks frightfully awful, Akileena, I fear it may even scar if it isn't allowed to heal.'
Akileena knew better than to move away from the Thane, but Nathan could feel him recoiling inwardly, the mage's muscles tensing.
Curtin frowned briefly, the sages knew, he did not want Nathan to start torturing the mage. 'Akileena, I do not wish to contact Colnba again, the Great Lord will be most displeased, but if I have to make you submit to another memory screen, I will,' Curtin warned.
Nathan almost turned on the other thane in rage for interfering, but before he could say anything Akileena broke his silence, again in the face of Curtin's threat, not his.
'Your thief did not take the amulet, at least, I believe your report to be accurate. Yet there is no amulet in any of these crests. Talent does not imbue any of them. Your human mages have fallen for a ruse, but not a recent one. As you said, the crest is untouched. If I am correct, Colnba will find that not one of these crests bears the amulet.'
'What! Stolen between the time it was found and when the crests were made?'
'Yes, Thane Curtin, that is my belief — which would make it some thirty-five or so turns ago.'
Both thanes swore.
Curtin stared at the crests while Nathan paced off his frustration. This was the worst possible news, Curtin thought. How could this have happened? Colnba himself had proclaimed the gemstone an amulet. He was the one to verify it had been touched by the elvan they called the Saviour.
Akileena bowed slightly to Curtin. 'If I may offer clarity, my lord?'
Curtin nodded, feeling rather numb.
'I have been alive a little longer than those here. As I remember, shortly after the amulet was discovered, Lord Keldon took Colnba with him to rebuff a rebel attack. Thus, Colnba would not have been here to observe the internment of the gemstone. Lord Keldon also left a military man in charge of the task. I would hazard the gemstone was stolen once Colnba had left with our Great Lord's father.'
For a fleeting moment Curtin allowed himself to dream that he might be absolved of blame for this.... But, no, Lord Abbarane would demand to know why he had never had it checked. Nathan would have. Nathan would have had a mage on this the entire time, an elvan one at that! Despite his hatred for the race, Nathan was practical when it came to exploiting their talents.
Nathan kept looking at him, and Curtin could easily guess he was thinking the same thing. The greater pressure was on him, the Thane of Sal-Cirus, for not only had he failed where the amulet was concerned, but he had also lost a harem. Nathan had only lost a couple of hundred mercenaries. Curtin's further failure to get all the slaves Lord Abbarane had ordered him to send to Tiegna on top of all this would be end of his thaneship. Actually, it would be the end of everything. Upon discovering all this, Curtin knew Lord Abbarane would quickly make him a permanent hobby for his interrogators.
Curtin looked up, meeting Akileena's gaze. 'Can you tell who stole the gemstone?'
'Possibly.' The mage was hesitant.
Curtin waited, he knew Akileena was nothing more than a hostage, and his cooperation was gained through threats to those he cared for, like his brother in Venshui. Curtin was as kind to the elvan mage as he could be without attracting criticism from the other thanes. He already had a name for being soft-hearted when it came to the slaves, so he needed to be careful. He made it seem like business, but he saw to it they received medical care and food — a small thing, but the difference between life and death for them. He would let Akileena go to Venshui, as soon as Nathan was out of this. He would have let him make the trip under any circumstance, he had no hatred for elvan. And it was family, he could hardly let the mage suffer while not knowing how his own brother was doing. He hoped Akileena would tell him what it was he knew, especially if the information would save his life.
Akileena spoke, 'I took my brother's memories, the moment before he became unconscious, he, in turn, was aware of Dematica's memories. Upon examining these crests and discovering your amulet missing, I found myself also examining Dematica's memories — it was an instinct,' Akileena said pointedly to Nathan, 'nothing more. Foremost in Dematica's mind is the hunt for the thief at Thane Greyson's direction. As she healed him, she examined Gareth's memories, searching for a way to find and link to the thief...'
Thane Curtin was on the verge of shouting at the mage, not through frustration or anger, but sheer anxiety. He knew Akileena meant well, explaining to them how he had come across whatever information it was he thought would be important to Curtin, pre-empting the inevitable questions asking him how he knew whatever he was about to reveal. At the same time, Curtin did not care about the 'how', right now, just the 'what'. Curtin paced a little stopping once he was between Nathan and Akileena in what he hoped was a subtle move. If he was on the edge of his seat, Nathan would be nearing complete loss of control. A state that could be murderously dangerous to the mage.
'Dematica found two memories of note,' Akileena was saying, 'one a knife with may-en-ghi climbing the hilt. A rare item and the one she chose to set her link upon. The other, the flash of an amber jewel, one remarkably like those in these crests. I cannot see it clearly, the memory is just a flash, it is... the right size and looks to be held about the neck of the thief who attacked the smith.'
If Nathan had not been there, Curtin would have fallen to his knees in gratitude. Only one as skilled as Akileena would have be
en quick enough to get those memories. He should not express any surprise, Akileena had performed feats more amazing than this. The Thane rallied himself. Here was an opportunity to win his life back and he should not waste it. His first inclination was to have Akileena trace the knife or the amulet. Curtin frowned, it was likely that if the thief went to the trouble of preventing Akileena from tracing him, he would also prevent Akileena from tracing anything on him. 'If he has the amulet, it is likely he is a rebel,' Curtin muttered, more to himself than anyone in the room.
Nathan's face twisted in annoyance and he snapped, 'We know it's a rebel!'
Curtin ignored him. 'If he is a rebel, it is likely, at least in part, that he was involved with helping the harem escape. Such a big undertaking would involve a lot of rebels. More than likely ones like this thief — a high-ranking mage, unknown to this area. That was quite a risk. Much like the one required to liberate twenty slaves. Another large group recently whisked away. My missing slaves...'
'What in the realm are you rambling about?'
Curtin finally looked up at Nathan. 'Tiegna has been complaining about their lack of staff. The Great Lord assigned me the task of acquiring slaves and servants during the festival to send to Tiegna.'
Nathan was staring at Curtin like he thought he had lost his mind, but Curtin could see Akileena knew where he was going with his line of thinking. He wanted to smile at the mage, encouraged by the understanding in the blue-green eyes, but to do so in front of Nathan would be a severe mistake. Curtin turned his gaze to the floor, it would be easier to continue if he was not distracted by Nathan's scathing looks.
'One of the merchants I was counting on for slaves did not arrive,' Curtin explained. 'He owes me several favours and enough money to cover ten slaves and five servants. When he did not arrive, I had Venshui send out patrols, fearing he had been ambushed. He had. Twenty slaves and all the merchandise gone.'
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