by Nhys Glover
Calun looked up, his face taking on that faraway look it did when an airling communicated with him. He let me into his mind so I could see what he was seeing.
My brother was riding into Bordertun. His beastling was limping. Other images of the town and its surrounds convinced me that there was no army camped out there waiting for my brother's arrival. His contact might be in town, though. But even so, it would take some time for an army to arrive.
"Airshin has just ridden into Bordertun and there's no army waiting for him. We have time," I told the others.
"I think we need to analyse what we know and what we don't. What Airshin knows and what he doesn't," Darkin said slowly, thinking as he spoke.
"I agree," Rama said, sitting forward in his chair to rest his elbows on the table. "We know he's a cowardly bastard who rapes little girls. We know he doesn't deserve to live."
I expected to feel a twinge of pain at his vindictive words, but there was none. I realised with an odd sense of relief that finding out my brother had raped a defenceless child, for all she'd experienced her first blood, was the final cut that severed our connection. Airshin was no more my brother than the Godling was my father. They had both shown me over and over again that I was nothing to them. Now they were nothing to me. All I felt for them was a simmering hatred.
Calun picked up my feelings and smiled his approval. I shared my resolve with the others so they knew where I stood now. "I agree."
For a split second there was surprise, then approval. Everyone in the room relaxed a little. Really, had they thought I would still protect my brother after everything he'd done? Not even I was that blinkered.
"Second, we know that he infiltrated our centre for the Godling and brought tools to keep his secrets and sow discord and chaos. That magic had at least two parts. The first was a blocking spell, which dampened down any magic in its vicinity, though it didn't block it completely. That spell he probably kept on his person and a smaller variety on Bay. We'll need to go over her completely.
"The second piece of magic was some kind of love spell that was modified for use with airlings, as claiming is akin to falling in love. Any claiming that has taken place since Airshin arrived should be considered suspect."
"But how would he have known about how airlings choose riders? Most people think riders choose airlings. He said as much when he arrived," Jaron pointed out, rubbing at his hair so the curls on top stood up. I had to fight down the urge to flatten them out.
Calun answered the question and I passed it on. "They would have questioned the airling troopers you trained. Looking for a way to undermine us. You would have explained about the normal claiming process, so it could be used each time you sent new airlings to the army."
For a moment they digested that information before going on.
"We know he left, and took his dampening magic with him last night, after rousing airlings to kill each other. Likely he did that to keep us occupied so we didn't notice he'd left.
"We do not know, but can conclude that his next task will be to bring down the Godslund army on us while we're weakened by the mayhem he wrought. We don't know where that army might be or when they might attack. But we have to assume it'll be soon.
"Have I missed anything?" Darkin looked around the table, making eye contact with each of us. Everyone shook their heads.
"Fine. Now to what he knows or doesn't know."
"He didn't know where to find us for a long time. So we can assume the rebels are keeping our location well hidden. Did anyone actually push him for details about how he discovered us, beyond his excuse that he followed rumours and whispers to get here?" Jaron said.
Rama nodded, "I did on a couple of occasions, but he's a slippery little bastard. I got that it was someone in Westsealund. Which makes sense, as most of our recruits have filtered in from there."
Darkin went on. "He knows Airsha has power. That she has air magic. But unless he heard the rumours of what happened to his mother's detail, namely her impressive earth magic, then it's unlikely he knows of more. Did anyone mention her healing Calun or her Knowing, around him?" Darkin asked.
More shaking of heads, after we took a few moments to search our memories. I know that while mother was here we never actually discussed her rescue. We must have both been distrustful of him, even then. Were any of the lads aware of my different forms of magic?
"I might have mentioned something to Zem, but I don't know what," Flea confessed, cringing as she did so.
"That's fine. Zem is closed-mouthed and keeps to himself. He's also bright enough not to have let Airshin trick information out of him. I'm going to assume then that he knows only about Airsha's air magic, which means we have a major advantage over him, now he's gone."
"Why would he need dampening magic, or blocking magic, if he only thought she had air magic?" Jaron asked.
It was my turn to add my bit. "He would want to rattle me. If I felt I lost my magic I'd feel I had no right to be called the Chosen One. It was his way to undermine my confidence."
"He was doing enough of that from the moment he arrived," Rama agreed gruffly.
I sighed heavily and nodded. "Not any more. He can't touch me anymore." I went on. "So he likely thinks his spells on the airlings will last until he can find the army and bring them back with him. He likely expects we won't go looking for him until after we've dealt with the dead airlings and discover him missing. If his beastling was limping, as it seemed to be doing, he probably expected to be in under cover before any of us started looking."
More nods.
"So the question is this," Dark said. "Do we go after him now and kill him, hoping he hasn't had time to find a contact. Or do we just pack up and move, as fast and as far from here as we can, before an army descends on us. Or we could fight. It might be good experience for our new recruits."
"We've put a lot of work into turning this place into our base of training," Jaron said. "I'd hate to have to walk away. Or run."
"But if we fight any army that comes here, some will escape and bring more Godslunders down on us," Darkin pointed out.
"What if I went into town and listened in on his thoughts?" Flea asked. "I could hide my hair. That's the only thing that he'd recognise. It amazed me how rarely he'd even noticed me. I suppose I expected him to recognise me from when he... from before. But he's never even looked at me closely."
"If he's still got his dampening magic on him you wouldn't pick anything up," Jaron said.
"We capture him, strip him bare, burn his clothes, and then have Flea read his mind," Rama suggested with relish. "And she can tell him who she is just before I kill him."
"Using Flea is a good idea. If you use her, you won't have to torture him for information," I said thoughtfully.
"I thought you held no fond feelings for him anymore," Rama snapped.
"I don't. But I do hold fond feelings for you. And torturing someone will hurt you. Kill him, definitely. But do it fast and try not to enjoy it too much. You do not need to become like the Clifflings."
Rama seemed about to disagree, but Dark backed me up. "She's right. Every kill you've made was done in the heat of battle while your blood was hot. Torture requires you to be cold. And I agree with Airsha, you don't need that on your soul. Not when it isn't necessary."
"Am I the only one who sees me for who I am?" he grumbled.
"No, we all see you for who you are. You're the one who doesn't," I answered. "Remember our shadows, darling man. They can't be believed. They spew poison at us both."
Darkin looked around at us again. "So we know he's in town. We go in after him. If we find out he's contacted someone, then we make plans to move. If he hasn't, we end him and stay where we are."
"I want to come," I announced.
On cue the babes began to cry, and I groaned. Traitorous little monsters. That's all my men needed to deny me. I didn't even bother trying to argue. "All right. I know. I have to stay home with the childlings. I'm not sure that's what the God
dess had in mind when she made me her Chosen One. 'Excuse me, Father, I have to step away from the battle for a few moments. My babes need their clouts changing.'"
My joke had the desired effect. The room erupted in chuckles. With a grateful smile, I stomped off to do my part to bring magic to the world. Gods' balls!
Chapter Twenty-Four
FLEA
We flew out no more than half a turn later. I felt more relieved than I'd ever expected. Not only had I confessed and been forgiven, but I'd been entrusted with this essential role. I may not have anything invested personally in this rebellion, but I was on any side that Airsha and the Airluds stood on, and the opposite to whatever side Airshin was on.
Having spent a few months in Bordertun, I knew all the seedier areas where we might take Airshin for his interrogation. Places where no one would comment if they heard screams. Because I knew there would be screams. I for one would be taking my revenge before he died. The pain and degradation I felt two suns ago still felt as if it happened yesterday. If ever I started to forget, nightmares brought it back to me in all its horrific detail. No, I wouldn't be satisfied with him dying fast and clean as Airsha wanted. And somehow I didn't think the Airluds would either.
We landed no more than a turn after Airshin. The airlings then flew off to a safe distance. Calun would call them back when we needed them again.
The stable where Airshin probably took his beastling was where we started our search. There we discovered my rapist had left his injured mount, anxiously ordered a replacement, been peeved to discover none was immediately available, and told the owner he'd be found at the nearest hostelry when a new beastling could be found for him. He'd also told the man he'd pay well for the replacement, expecting money to keep his presence in town a secret. Unfortunately for him, the livery master was a rebel and had willingly given away the information when he discovered the pretentious little weed was a Godslund spy.
The news was promising. Airshin hadn't been meeting anyone in town. That piece of information made us breathe a sigh of relief. But we still needed to stop him, and we still needed to know just who knew about the Airling Training Centre's location. If Airshin had found it, then so could more of the Godling's men.
It was still early morning, but the townspeople were up and about. The marketplace was teeming with early shoppers and we blended in well with them. The hostelry was easy enough to find and I knew from experience that the tap room would be empty at this 'turn. If Airshin was waiting there for news of his new mount, he'd likely be the only one present.
With my hair covered by a woollen cap, I opened the heavy door and let sunlight pour in to the dark interior of the musty room. It reeked of grog, piss and vomit. Clearly it wasn't one of the higher class establishments in town. But it was close to the livery, which was all Airshin had been after.
Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I looked around me. The floor was dirt and as yet unswept from the previous night's revelry. Rows of trestle tables and wooden benches ran the length of the room. Halfway along one wall was a door that likely led to the accommodation upstairs. At the far end was the entrance to the kitchens, where the barrels of grog would be located. Drinking holes of this kind were all the same, no matter where you went in the kinglunds. Or Badlunds, as was the case here.
At first I thought the place was deserted. Only the sounds of clanging pots in the kitchen indicated anyone was awake and moving around. Then I noticed a lone figure sitting in the farthest corner, hunched over a tankard. From the colour of his hair I knew exactly who I was looking at. Before he looked up, I retreated out the door again.
"He's there and alone. In the back corner to the right," I told the Airluds, whose presence was already attracting attention. Four men like these were a rarity in any town, but in this one, where rebels were plentiful, word would already be spreading of the legendary Airluds' sudden appearance. It wouldn't be a big step from there for the townspeople to assume the secret Airling Training Centre must be somewhere nearby. It was the reason they'd stayed out of town all these moons and sent the lads in for supplies.
"This alley looks promising," Rama growled out, indicating with his head the one that ran down beside the pub.
"Three streets down and you come to the shambles. Plenty of places there to take a man," I acknowledged, pleased to be useful.
With a quick nod of agreement, we entered the drinking house as one and strode toward the back corner. Well, maybe not quite as one, as I brought up the rear − because I had much shorter legs, I reassured myself − but I still managed to keep up by jogging.
I didn't want to admit I was being kept behind them for my own protection. That didn't fit the role I had envisaged for myself since offering up my services. But to these men I was still a defenceless woman. No, a girl. One who had proven herself a victim by admitting her rape. They would do everything in their power to keep me safe, even if that meant sidelining me during the action. For the first time, I understood Airsha's frustration with her husbands.
We couldn't wait for our eyes to adjust. The longer it took us to reach him, the more chance Airshin had of escaping out one of the two doors. But we needn't have worried.
He looked up at the sound of our approach, but made no move to run. The expression of stunned surprise, quickly followed by terror, was enough to placate even me.
"What... What are you..." he whimpered.
Rama reached him first and dragged him to his feet by the collar of his richly embroidered coat. "Well, if it isn't the little groundling himself. What're you doing here?"
The reply was hastily concocted. "I... I came into town for some company. You know, of the female variety. I don't have a whore available on site like some."
I couldn't believe the stupidity of the man. Surely he knew how much Airsha's husbands thought of her. How they would react to having her called a whore.
"Are you sure I have to keep my soul untainted?" Rama growled, looking at his elder brother as he shook the little weed until his head wobbled. Airshin even squeaked like a groundling.
"Let... Let me go! Airsha will hear of this! You won't get away with manhandling me like this," Airshin bleated with laughable affront.
"One minute he's calling his sister a whore and the next he's hiding behind her skirts like a scared little boy. Isn't there one redeeming feature to him?" Jaron asked, more curious than annoyed. He was like me, amazed by the man's idiocy. "There must have been something Airsha saw in him. She chose us after all, so she has good taste in men in most situations."
"You can choose your lovers but you can't choose your brothers," Darkin informed him. "Don't I know that for a fact."
Jaron huffed at the insult, but I knew he didn't take it seriously. The teasing was a thin veneer to cover fury.
"Let's get him somewhere quieter so we can have a little chat," Darkin continued. For the level-headed one, Darkin was looking very scary right now. And I loved it. I also loved that I was one of the hunters, rather than the hunted, for a change. I hadn't realised how alone I'd felt, and how defenceless, until I'd met these men. And now they knew all there was to know about me, and they still accepted me... It felt good. Even if I resented being treated like a girl.
Airshin began to whimper louder, whether from being shaken or from Darkin's words. Without further comment, Darkin drew back his fist and sent it flying into the side of the little bastard's head. Instantly, there was blessed silence.
"That's better. His whining really grates on the nerves," Rama said evenly, throwing the now-unconscious man over his shoulder.
We headed for the front door and were outside before anyone from the kitchen came to investigate. If those on the street noticed us carrying Airshin, they didn't comment. Maybe they thought we were picking up a drunken friend. Maybe they thought it was rebel activity better ignored. Maybe they just didn't care.
This time I got to lead the way. In a very short time, where I jogged and my companions strode quickly, we were in the worst part o
f town. Here the lanes were so narrow only men walking single file could pass down them. The two-storey hovels were so old and rundown they leaned out precariously toward the laneway or against their neighbour, or both. If I hadn't lived in places like these for suns I would have been afraid they'd fall down around our ears at any moment.
The squat I'd stayed in was not far away. It was in a derelict building only street urchins used. But it had a cellar, probably a root cellar or cool room back in the day. Now it was left empty because the walls seeped water and sewage, making it only suitable for mould and groundlings to inhabit.
As we entered the dark building I heard the sound of movement. Street urchins slept during the day and worked at night, for the most part. Although the cutpurses operated during the day, when well-off citizens proved easy pickings at the markets.
The rustling stopped as fast as it started. Not a cry or whimper of surprise had marked the noises as coming from humans. I knew what it was to be silent − to stay still and silent, barely drawing breath in case it attracted a predator's attention.
Ignoring the sudden ache in my chest, I pushed on into the depth of the building and down the rickety flight of stairs to the cellar. I'd swept up a darkened lamp as I passed, and lit it as we walked. It proved our only light as we ventured into the bowels of the hovel.
"Nice place you've got here," Jaron said lightly, as if admiring a host's new home.
I shrugged. "This part's empty for obvious reasons." I tried not to draw air in through my nose, to keep the stench from overpowering me. But my eyes had begun to water. "I thought it was suitable for his ludship."
"Right you are," Rama growled, dropping his burden as if it burned him.
Jaron must have scooped up a stool upstairs at the same time I'd claimed the lamp, because he offered it to Rama now so his scarred brother could sit our prisoner on it. Not for Airshin's comfort, but to make interrogating him easier.
Rama slapped the unconscious man across the face a few times until his eyes opened. After taking in his situation, Airshin jerked upright and began to pant with terror. It was music to my ears. I had panted just like that when he'd thrown me to the cobblestones, just before he'd opened his breeches and dropped on top of me.