Keeper (First Ordinance #2)(31)
"Scientifically? What word is that?" Tamblin spat back. Tory, Justis and the others halted, barely four steps from Tamblin.
"Something I doubt you'll ever understand," Tory replied, lifting one of his blades to rest the tip against Tamblin's throat. "Drop your weapons and you will not be harmed."
Tamblin's guards dropped their swords and pulled daggers from boots, letting them fall to the ground before stepping back with their hands raised.
Tamblin refused to give up his sword.
"Do you wish to do this, Commander Justis?" Tory turned to Justis, his dark eyes narrowing as he jerked his dark-scaled head in Tamblin's direction.
Justis knew his own expression was locked in a furious snarl. "I wish it," he hissed. Before Tamblin could protest, Justis wrenched the sword from his hand, tossed it away and shoved the self-proclaimed king against the center pole of his tent. The angry Black Wing Commander then held Tamblin's arms ruthlessly behind his back so Ardis could shackle him.
"This is what happens when your people see you as a tyrant," Justis hissed in Tamblin's ear before letting go.
"We must go," Tory snapped suddenly. "I've received a message from Reah. Things are not going well in Kondar."
*
Official Report
Kooper Griff, Director, Alliance Security Detail
The meal was in progress; the Founder was deep in conversation with the Kondari High President, describing how the Alliance was formed and how it worked. Quin, the young woman previously listed as a witness, sent mindspeech to the High President's security chief, alerting him to the presence of a spy posing as one of our waiters.
The security chief, Melis Norwal (also listed as a witness), stood to go after the suspect when Marid of Belancour arrived with Sector Two President Pragg (see attached list of Kondari rulers and politicians), a mute Sirenali and two others, all except the Sirenali heavily armed.
Marid, head of household and chief wizard of the Belancour clan, held a ranos pistol, which I recognized quickly. He'd come prepared and armed, in case his wizardry didn't work against any of us. Reah Desh Silver, of High Demon ancestry and formerly an agent for the ASD (see records), prevented Marid's wizardry from having any effect and protected the rest of us in the dining hall with the neutralizing ability a High Demon possesses.
Marid and his companions fired their weapons, then, never expecting that Daragar (a Larentii) would provide an impermeable shield to protect us. At that time, Marid discovered that he and the others with him were trapped—Reah kept him from using wizardry to escape and the Larentii placed a second shield to keep him from running away.
What Marid did then, none of us expected. His smile was touched by madness as he pointed the ranos pistol at himself and fired before anyone could stop him. Quin, the young woman, shrieked and fainted as Marid's head exploded and his blood bathed anything nearby—so violent was his death and Quin's reaction to it, that it took some time and effort to revive her afterward.
Sadly, the news she delivered when she awakened was not good. See attached witness report, labeled appropriately with her name and the date it was recorded.
*
Lironis
Omina studied Tamblin, who now shared the shielded cell with Yevil atop the castle in Lironis. She wished to spit upon him, but the shield kept anything from traveling through the clear, impermeable surface.
Torevik and the others who remained, including those from Avii Castle, had been in private meetings since their return, with only a few hours' sleep in between. Omina had no idea what they were discussing; she only cared that Tamblin was safely held away from her, Amlis and any other.
She wondered at that moment how many deaths Tamblin had ordered, and how many of those deaths were by Yevil's command or suggestion. "You always were a pig," Omina hissed at him.
Tamblin, sitting cross-legged on the stone floor of his invisible cage, refused to raise his head or acknowledge Omina's presence. He and Yevil had barely spoken to one another, too; they'd taken opposite ends of their cage and both sat on the floor of it.
Yevil's remaining leg kept him from standing for long periods, although he did stand upon occasion, to stretch.
"Filth," Omina flung at Yevil before gathering her skirts and whirling to stalk away. She cared not what happened to either, but death would be her first choice.
*
Kondar
Quin
Ildevar Wyyld, Founder of the Reth Alliance, was an honorable man. He was also many other things, but an honorable man was what I told Edden Charkisul when he asked me about him the following afternoon.
"You think the Reth Alliance is also honorable?" Edden asked.
"I can see that in him, too," I nodded. Ildevar had already offered teams of scientists who would travel to Fyris and study the poison. It was in his best interests to do so—Marid, just before his arrival at the High President's palace, had released hundreds of spheres containing the poison on hundreds of worlds—many of those worlds members of the Reth Alliance. Those worlds were now infected with the same poison that threatened Siriaa.
Marid had been a fool—a treacherous one—and, as he'd managed to ensure the murders of too many people to count with his final act of perfidy, I silently cursed his name.
Chapter 7
Le-Ath Veronis
Queen Lissa studied the ranos pistol taken from Marid's hand—it was relatively new and had likely been bought on the black market. The five others lying beside it in evidence trays were older. Far older.