Splintered Loyalties
Page 29
"Beletok's fury," Keevan sighed, watching Madol's dagger sparkle in the candlelight with each spin. "Just thinking about all of that makes my head hurt. I'm glad I decided to be a Persuader, I can ignore political manipulations altogether."
Madol laughed so hard he dropped the knife, shaking his head. "My boy, far from it. The nature of your duty and your elemental sight is to pry where the Etrendi don't want you to. When you take the mantle of a full Persuader, you must see the city as a whole and consider the effects of your actions on each member, Rhetan and Etrendi alike."
"I'll settle for the challenge of beating Merkim," Keevan grunted, rubbing his temples. "Another problem that makes my head hurt."
"Literally," Madol chuckled, "I saw the blow he slipped in last week. An inch lower and he would have smashed your temple," The Persuader held his finger up to the side of his head, at the same height as his eye. "This is the softest part of the skull. Even through your helmet, that attack would have sent you to the Suadans for sure."
"One opponent at a time, then," Keevan agreed, picking up one of the bags of Danica powder. This one was tied shut with a blue string, marking the rare mineral's power over water.
"You seem hesitant to practice with the powders," Madol noted, retrieving the fallen dagger. He set the blade amongst the read of the weapons with a clatter of metal on steel. "We've successfully tested regular powder on the mask. The fabric around your neck will be enough to protect you."
"Ugh," Keevan replied. He toyed with the bandana tied around his neck. He only needed to pull the fabric over his nose and mouth, to shield his mouth and nose from the dangerous powder. He shuddered, remembering his last experience with Danica powder. "You didn't spend half a day burning up from the inside. I don't think it's the kind of experience a Tri-Being can truly understand."
"Perhaps not," Madol said.
Footsteps scurried around the entrance to the cavern, sending a trickled of dust down the ladder. Bahjal stuck her head into view, calling out, "Keevan, I hope Madol didn't work you over too badly. The High Malik wants you to meet him at the Suadan tower in half an hour. You'd best get cleaned up."
"Hi Bahjal," Keevan called, smiling up at her warmly. "I missed you today. I thought you were going to help me keep Madol in line?" The look on Bahjal's face silenced Keevan's mirth and good humor.
"What's happened, Bahjal?" Madol asked, getting to his feet. "Is someone hurt?"
"The High Priestess, Lanasha," Bahjal reported, gulping weakly as if nauseous. "She's... She's been assassinated."
The words enveloped Keevan like a heavy blanket of sorrow and duty. The Suadan High Priestess was one of his strongest supporters against the Harbor Guild. No matter the threat, her calm calculations and powerful command of water brought every Suadan a measure of comfort and support. Shaking his head, he glanced at Madol. "I thought you said the Etrendi had to work quieter now."
"With Zerik in the mix," Persuader Madol shrugged, donning his real sword. "Nothing is as it should be. Why kill a High Priestess if she's probably going to be removed from office anyway? I'd imagine your elemental vision is the reason the Great Malik has summoned you. They haven't identified the killer, or Bahjal would have mentioned that first."
"They have one suspect," Bahjal said, licking her lips nervously. She climbed down the ladder and crossed the cavern until she stood next to Keevan, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No one was seen entering or leaving her quarters. When Lanasha missed her appointment with the Tribunal, one of her attendants checked in on her and found the body."
"What are you getting at?" Keevan asked nervously. He stood up and backed away to the edge of the table. "Who do they think did it?"
"Someone snapped her neck," Bahjal replied, rubbing her own throat and wincing. "There was no struggle. Even her guards, posted just outside, didn't hear anything. Her quarters are on the top floor of the Suadan Tower, Keevan. The stairs are the only way to get up or down."
"An unseen killer, incredibly stealthy and very strong," Madol surmised, gritting his teeth. "Sound like anyone you know, Keevan?"
"No, no, no," Keevan insisted, waving his hands as if he could somehow dismiss her claims with a simple gesture. "He promised me he wouldn't kill. He promised."
"People break their word all the time, boy," Madol sighed, cinching his sword belt a notch tighter around his trim waist. "As a Persuader, you'll see broken promises are a common crime indeed."
"No. We're the only two Outlanders on this continent. We've looked out for each other. He's my friend," Keevan growled, clenching his fists. "Breaking a promise like this, to kill another one of my friends no less, this is a betrayal I'd call anything but common."
"Well then," Madol replied, sheathing one of the throwing daggers in his boot. "Shall we track him down and question him ourselves? I was serious when I said we need to make sure the High City's nobles have a good impression of Outlanders. Corvan slaughtering their elite hardly qualifies."
"Yes," Keevan agreed, stopping by the table as he picked up two bags of fire Danica powder, tying them to his belt. "Let's go find Corvan."
###
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An ancient evil stirs in the hills beyond Shaylis, seductive and relentless. Kaltor Stratagar’s unwitting involvement in the creature’s release drives him onward as the names of friends and innocents alike join an ever growing list of the dead.
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About the Author
S. B. Sebrick was raised in Vancouver, Washington. He has published short stories in 2005 and 2006 of Clark College’s annual ‘Phoenix’ Anthology. He recently finished ‘Dire’, the last of the ‘Assassin’s Rising’ novels. He often posts updates and teasers about the rest of his works from his website at http://www.sbsebrick.com
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Assassin’s Rising Series
Decoy
Dismay
Defiant
Desolate
Dire
Deliverance
Shattered Realms
Unseen Secrets
Splintered Loyalties
Persuader's Might (coming soon)
Related Short Stories
Fate of the Child
Betrayal
Other Short Stories
&n
bsp; Revenge to Redemption
Binding Trial
Battle for Dominance
Lucian’s Trial
Outcast of the Flame
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