Keeper (First Ordinance #2)(22)

"I have word that some will come who are immune to all poisons," Daragar interjected. He sat with us, making himself smaller to fit the chairs about the long table in the King's chambers.

Except there was no King, and never had been. Tamblin named himself such, but he'd been deposed by his wife and son. Amlis would never call himself King, but I was concerned that Omina would consider herself Queen no matter what. I worried that things were moving too swiftly toward a less than ideal conclusion, but I had no authority and less desire to share that particular concern.

Who is coming? I ventured to send mindspeech to Daragar.

You will see, he replied.

He was right—I would see. All I had to do was look at them, after all. I'd seen what Daragar and Kaldill were, and they were very powerful. So far, none had defied what I could read in them.

Justis had been silent throughout the meal, choosing to listen to the others talk. I learned that Kaldill and Daragar had imprisoned Yevil—not in the dungeons beneath the castle but on the highest level, where the Avii once landed when they visited Tandelis.

I hadn't been to see the prisoner there, but many from the castle had already made their way up repaired steps to look upon a one-legged aberration. Yevil had no friends among the residents—he'd killed too many of their friends and family to have allies.

Varnell and his loyal guards, on the other hand, were in the dungeon—at Amlis' command. I hoped they weren't being mistreated, but had no desire to walk down stone steps to find out. I'd had enough of dark places for a while.

Instead, I considered helping Ordin clear out the old physician's quarters on the ground level in the older section of the castle. He'd ordered my nubs cut away every spring, and while that was always painful, Tamblin would have killed me if he'd known what they really were.

It made me wonder that Tamblin never knew about Yevil's nubs. Shaking that vision away, I turned back to the conversation.

*

Dena and I stood inside the physician's quarters later, staring at the piles of papers, shelves of glass bottles with who knew what inside them, furniture—broken and whole—scattered about and the windows tightly covered with wooden shutters.

"Worse than I imagined," Ordin sneezed at the dust covering everything. "Nevertheless, shall we?" He nodded at the task that lay before us. "Save all writings and anything you think may be of interest or have a bearing on the poison," Ordin added.

Lifting a wooden crate, I began to clear bottles off a shelf. These things would be left outside and carted away by castle servants—Amlis had decreed it.

*

Cloudsong

"Father, the ASD is here," Morid hissed. "Give yourself up and beg for leniency. Surrendering to them is preferable to capture, torture and death at Cayetes' hand."

"Surrender yourself. I don't intend to hand myself over to the ASD or those criminals," Marid snapped. "I have another place to go and plans to carry out. I care not what you and the rest of my family do."

"They are weary of running from the ASD, and even more weary of looking for Cayetes' thugs at every turn," Morid said. "They have no guilt in this matter."

"But you do," Marid's eyes narrowed. "Do you wish to die at the Vampire Queen's hands? She hates us still, you know."

"If you'd been honest at the beginning," Morid pointed out.

"Faugh, what would that have gotten us? We'd be dead."

"Cloudsong might have lived."

"How was I to know the bastard warlock would tap the core?"

"Give up, Father. Ask for mercy from the Founder, then. It will keep Cayetes away."

"He believes everything that witch tells him. She was a witch, you know, before she was vampire. That's why her son sits the throne of Karathia."

"We don't have time to discuss lineage," Morid complained. "They are getting close. They've already tripped my two outer sensing spells."

"Then stay and face their justice. I'm leaving. Come, Geng," Marid motioned for the Sirenali to follow him while pulling a leather bag into his arms. "Good luck, Son. I hope you live past sundown."

Marid and Geng disappeared, leaving Morid to shout after them.

*

Sector Two

Dorthil's Quarters

"Where is this Yokarun wizard you claim to know?" Sector Two's President Pragg demanded. "If he is powerful as you claim, we need his help now. Did he merely intend to trap you? If that's the case, I want no part of this."

The tap at Dorthil's door interrupted the standoff. "Master Crasz," Dorthil's guard appeared after Dorthil called out. "There's someone here to see you. He says his name is Marid of Yokaru, but he bears no resemblance to any Yokarun I've ever seen. He also has a strange one with him."

*

Le-Ath Veronis

"Morid, your crime is not reporting this sooner. Surely you realize this is madness," Lissa shook her head at Marid's eldest son. "Do you know where the spheres are buried?"

"No. Father sent them out and only told me he could find them later."

"You say he has a mute Sirenali with him?"

"Yes. Geng's tongue was removed long ago by one who wished not to have a Sirenali's obsession placed upon him."