Angel of Storms (Millennium's Rule, #2)(69)

“You couldn’t have done anything, Tyen,” Brev told him. “It happened a while ago, I reckon. Maybe not long after you all left. The bodies were cold.”

Tyen stared at him. He felt sick. “Are they all… dead?” he made himself ask.

“No.” Brev’s smile was grim but triumphant. “I reckon everyone scattered, like we’d planned. But he got Ayan and five others. I don’t know if he managed to chase anyone down afterwards, though.” He shuddered. “I came back from testing a few new recruits and found them. Got out of there as quick as I could. I took the tunnel in case they came back and tracked me. Longest sled ride of my life.”

Tyen shivered at the memories he was catching in Brev’s mind. The Raen had killed six rebels; then, directly afterwards, sought Tyen out. He said nothing. But why would he?

He shook his head. “Was there a place we were supposed to meet if this happened?”

Brev nodded. “A couple of regrouping locations, so we didn’t all end up together.”

A sensible decision at last, Tyen mused. “Tell me where one of them is. I’ll warn Yira and the others and meet you there. And…” He paused as his insides roiled with nausea and dread. “Tell me the names of the others he killed, so I can inform their families.”





CHAPTER 8





“They will trust you, after today,” the Raen had said.

The sixty-one rebels who had helped transport the families had returned with Yira to one of the regrouping places–an abandoned mine in a world next to the one containing the Worweau Market–where they found ten of the thirty or so leaders. Scanning the minds of the people huddled in the room, Tyen was relieved and surprised to see little suspicion of him in their minds. They considered the timing of the families’ removal lucky or, at worst, believed that the Raen had noticed the large group of people being moved and traced its path back to the base.

They were grateful to him and Yira for moving their loved ones out of harm’s way and now hoped they’d find somewhere safe for everyone else. Those who still want to be rebels, that is, Tyen thought as he continued his examination of their thoughts.

All were shaken by the attack. Several were planning to slip away and find somewhere to hide, only waiting until everyone left in the hope that the Raen, if he noticed, would chase down someone else. But just as many were angry, craving revenge or the restoration of damaged pride.

In their memories he learned something unexpected.

“Wait,” he said, interrupting a rebel who was describing the attack to Yira. “You said ‘they’ appeared in the meeting room. Other sorcerers were with the Raen?”

The man nodded. “Yes. Several people. And none of them the Raen, from what I saw.” The other leaders nodded.

Yira looked thoughtful. “How many?”

“I don’t know. Twenty? They were all over the room.”

One of the other rebels shook his head. “You disagree?” Tyen asked.

“Not that many,” the young man replied. “I was at the side. I got a good look at them. I’d say about nine.”

Tyen hoped his relief did now show. It was a bitter comfort knowing the Raen had not killed the rebels personally.

“Who were they?” someone asked.

“His allies,” another replied.

“His shadow hands.” The speaker was Coben. The young man seemed unperturbed by having joined the rebels the same day they were attacked.

“Shadow hands?” Yira repeated.

“The hands that do work in the shadows,” Coben explained. “Murder. Torture.”

“Stealing people or luring them elsewhere with promises of work when they mean to sell them as slaves,” a woman added.

“Poisoning land of their enemies so no crops will grow.”

“Bringing disease to a world to reduce the population.”

“Depleting most of the magic of a world.”

As others added to the list, Tyen’s saw their thoughts growing angrier. Several of the rebels began to change their minds about leaving. His stomach twisted with guilt again. What am I doing, serving a man who approves of these horrors? Is giving Vella a body worth this? Yet a suspicion was uncurling inside him. He thought of what the Raen had said: “… others might act on my behalf, believing the rebels a threat.” How much of what these allies had done had been at his orders?

The Raen was most likely blamed for many terrible things that happened in the worlds. He was the ruler of worlds, so he may be held responsible for everything his subjects did, especially his allies.

Yet it was likely the Raen had sent his allies out to do terrible deeds for him. He is a ruler. A leader has to deal with threats to those who rely on his protection. As ruler of all worlds, all worlds rely on him to ensure peace, if not prosperity. He remembered the Raen’s words on their first meeting: “… my laws keep the strife of the worlds from growing into greater conflicts.” He did not seem like a man who acted out of pure malice, mischief or greed. Tarren had said as much. So why allow his allies to do these things?

He had no answer for that. If the Raen’s allies were prone to act on his behalf, thinking they were helping their leader, it was possible the Raen had not known about the attack. But the man’s warning that Tyen should not delay his return hinted that he had.