A Balance Broken (Dragonsoul Saga) (9 page)

Dawne appeared through the back door. “I will take care of your dishes.” She pulled out a chair at a side table. “You sit here. What happened between you and Jennette is already getting around.” She placed a bottle of his bourbon on the table next to him. “I found this in my room. You start. I’ll drink with you when I’m done.”

Glynn shook his head at Tallen’s scowl. “I only told my wife!”

Linsay’s mouth gaped. “I only told your sister!”

Dawne pushed through the swinging doors to the back. “I only told the musicians.”

Tallen shrugged. “Then it will be all over town by morning.”

He had filled his stomach with three fingers of the bottle before the others joined him at the table.

Glynn turned a chair around to sit upon. “The inn is as clean as it needs to be tonight. Do you want to talk, or just drink?”

“Drink, then sleep.” Tallen gave them a wan smile. “I’m not that crushed,” he lied, trying to sound brave for his family. “I don’t know that I really loved her. I guess it was just convenient.”

His pain threatened to rise up in his chest, and burst forth in the form of tears. He pushed it back down by swallowing the rest of his bourbon. Knowing he might lose control if he remained, he wobbled to his feet and left the others toasting him with another drink before he sought his bed. It was some time before the alcohol overpowered his shredded emotions, and he drifted off to sleep.

H
is stomach woke him as it tried to hop out and greet the dawn. Vomiting into his chamber pot, Tallen cursed himself for mixing mead and bourbon. His head throbbed with a sharp pain. Nothing more came up, no matter how hard he wretched. He took a sip of water from the glass on his dresser. His belly accepted the liquid, for the moment.

He stumbled down to the kitchen. The fire took its time getting started, but eventually he had tea steeping. Toast with butter and his homemade strawberry preserves helped too.

Dawne trundled in, blinking bleary eyes. “Got some of that for me?”

“Last of the bread.” Tallen moved the final bite toward his mouth. At the last moment, he stopped and stuffed it between her lips.

Dawne wolfed it down with a smile. “I’ll head over to the bakery to get more for today. Make me a cup of that tea to go first.”

“I’ll get the bread.” Tallen downed his cup. “You make your own tea. And some bacon might be nice when I get back.” He walked out the door and took the path down the backside of the hill on which the Gryphon sat.

We’ll see if Jennette can look me in the eye today.
A happy gait crept into his step as he trotted into town, cutting along the edge of the warehouses where the drama had taken place last night. His head still thumped, and his stomach still rumbled, but neither seemed quite as bad now.
Strange, but I feel free…or at least, better than I did last night.

The bakery sat not far from the Mootlawn, which still held the refuse of last night’s debauchery scattered about it. Tallen skirted the grassy space and trotted toward the overwhelming smell of fresh bread. The doors stood open, the scent wafting out into the town.

“I’ll only need five loaves today,” Tallen stated to the braided girl behind the counter. When she turned, however, hazel eyes glared at him instead of brown.

“Tallen!” Jennette’s younger sister called. “I heard you discovered Ardric and Jennette last night. Dawne’s friend told me. I’m sorry it happened that way, and I know she must be too.” Her eyes darted back and forth in a nervous twitch. “But the thing is – she never came home. Neither did Ardric from what his parents say.”

“Oh, Karana,” Tallen scoffed, waving his hand through the yeasty air. “They probably just eloped. They were quite clear to me that they wanted to get married.”

Karana’s face pinched in anger. “Jennette would never leave without telling someone. You of all people know this is not like her.”

Folding his arms, Tallen lifted one eyebrow. “I’m not certain I know her that well at all.”

Karana huffed and folded arms back. “If that’s all you have for a heart, then no wonder she chose Ardric.” She counted five crusty, still-warm loaves, wrapped them in paper, and passed them to him. “I’ll put it on the Gryphon’s bill,” she added with an icy tone.

Her words still stung when Tallen walked out into the cobblestone street.
Jennette is the one who lied to me – who led me on. I have every right to be angry.

In his distraction, Tallen crossed the open Mootlawn, his thoughts dwelling so much on Jennette that he did not realize it until he passed the still smoldering remains of the bonfire. A few kids hired by the festival council worked at cleaning up the remaining mess. With a shrug, Tallen took the short cut through the warehouses, following the same path he had in pursuit of Jennette.

The streets stood empty, as did most of the buildings. He passed the alley where he had found them. It sat desolate as well. Tallen felt a pull toward the old building across the way. The colors of the rainbow flashed in his head again.

What am I doing here? I need to get back to the inn with this bread.

He ignored the warning of his logical mind. Instead, he followed the invisible call drawing him toward the warehouse. The door leaned open slightly. He stepped inside, almost in a trance.

Shafts of light broke through the upper windows, sparkling off the motes of dust in the air. Two pairs of boot prints shuffled through the old sawdust on the floor. When Tallen dropped the bread loaves, they tumbled across the planks making a scuffed pattern of their own.

The blood ran and pooled where it dripped between the cracks of the boards. Tallen’s eyes followed the crimson trail to its source. The bodies of Jennette Morton and Ardric Haesby lay in a gruesome pile. She sprawled face down, a pool of blood gathered at her neck. The long braid that had bounced along in front of him last night was cut and missing. What he saw of her face looked pale and ghastly, drained of any colors save blue and gray. Ardric lay scattered about, chopped to pieces. One of his legs leaned against a wooden pillar, as if waiting for him to come claim it. His head had been smashed with a very heavy blow. The metallic smell of blood mixed in the air with the more acrid scent of spilled bowels. Tallen collapsed to his knees – the bread and tea pouring from his stomach.

“By the Waters!” His senses shattered in a dozen directions. Part of him wanted to pull the bodies back together, while his conscious mind only desired to scream for help.

The conscious part won. “Help!” Leaping to his feet, Tallen dashed out the door. “Help! I need the watch. Someone help!” He ran out of the maze of warehouses, his calls at last catching the attention of a guardsman.

“What’s going on here?” A man in maroon livery with a heavy cudgel and short sword trotted in his direction. “It’s early in the day to be shouting so.”

“They are dead!” Tallen blurted. “I found their bodies. Hurry!”

The guardsman’s face grew more serious, and he motioned for Tallen to lead on.

Drawing a deep breath, he jogged back toward the warehouse. The guardsman followed close behind. Once inside, the man lifted a gauntleted hand over his mouth as he leaned over, retching against the smell and sight. Tallen could not look. He walked back to the door, gasping for fresh air. Dropping to his bottom in the street, tears welled within his eyes.

“Stay right here.” The guardsman exited the building, his face pale. “I will bring the watch sergeant.”

Tallen sat there in a daze, sobbing. His thoughts tumbled down a dozen avenues. “How could this have happened?”

He did not wait long before the guardsman returned with his sergeant and two other members of the watch. The sergeant walked into the warehouse, gone for only a moment. When he returned, a grim expression filled his face.

“Easy there lad.” The man spoke in soft tones, his hand patting Tallen’s shoulder. “Did you know them?”

“Yes sir.” Tallen cleared his throat and wiped his cheeks with a sleeve. “It is Ardric Haesby and …” Tallen could barely bring himself to say her name. “…Jennette Morton. I’m Tallen Westar. I know them from the inn.”

The guardsmen almost choked in shock at Ardric’s name.

“Ardric? Are you certain?” The sergeant’s voice quivered. At Tallen’s nod, he pointed to one of the guardsmen. “Get the captain.” The man ran off at top speed. “Lad, you’ll have to stay here for the time being.”

Eternity passed in those moments while Tallen remained in his seat. His head rested in his hands. He stared at the gravel, tracing every edge of the stone in his mind. He could not accept reality.

“Bring more guards!” Tallen heard a voice shout. “I want this entire district closed off. Where is Westar?” Captain Artur Haesby swung his arms about frantically, sending a half dozen guardsmen in every direction. “I want to see them.” He stormed into the warehouse.

Tallen heard the cry of anguish that shrieked from the empty building. One like it echoed in his own heart. The steps sounded swift when they came back out.

The captain’s voice strained, a snarl of anger upon his lips. “Take Westar into custody. He had a history with the girl.” His velvet gloved finger pointed at Tallen. “He has motive.”

Tallen hung his head in his hands, barely noticing the bustle around him.
This is almost fitting. Just when I begin to think being jilted was a good thing…

He did not struggle at all when the guards took him in hand. His heart grew numb, the walk to the jail a blur to his memory. Only when the cell door slammed behind him did he come to his senses. He collapsed to the dirty straw mattress in the corner.

Evening crept through the window before they allowed Glynn to visit him.

“Burn them in the Flames!” He grabbed Tallen’s hand through the bars. “I’ve been here for hours.” A haggard expression hung on his face. “Linsay and Dawne are here too, but they only let me come back here. The family barrister is drawing up a petition for the Baron, but his lordship is in Gavanor.” Glynn took a deep breath and clamped Tallen’s hand tighter. “We will get you out of here.”

“I hope so,” Tallen said, tears threatening. “I did not do this, Glynn. You saw me last night at the inn.” He squeezed his brother’s hand with desperation. “You gave them my alibi, right?”

Glynn reached through with his other hand to grab Tallen’s shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me. Of course you didn’t do this. I told the sergeant at the desk that you were right next to me from before sundown until the wee hours.” Glynn looked over his shoulder, brows drawn down in a scowl. “That sergeant even had the guts to admit that he might agree with me, but he has to follow his captain’s orders. That bastard should have no jurisdiction. His son is one of the victims!”

Tallen did not sleep throughout the long and lonely night. He remained on the edge of tears.
At least they put me in a solitary cell. Who knows what kind of characters they have in the common lock up?

When morning slipped through the watch house windows, Tallen’s stomach grumbled with ferocity. The stale bread and cup of water that came to his cell were welcome. The sergeant who first arrived on the scene delivered it. The man slipped a piece of jerky onto the tray.

“For all the extras you’ve slipped in my meals before,” he said with a sad smile.

I knew I had seen him before. Sergeant…Dougliss??
“Thanks,” Tallen whispered.

Even the extra jerky did not help for long. By noon, his stomach called for more.
I wonder if bread is all they ever serve here?

A sudden commotion erupted from the outer room. He heard raised voices – voices that sounded used to being raised. Several had a ring of familiarity about them. A few dog barks were followed by a low growl. Tallen stood up from his pallet when the door opened with a bang.

“I told you there is no way this young man did the crime!” Tallen recognized the gruff voice from their encounter a few weeks ago. He would never forget the stare that had accompanied it. “The timeline is impossible. The people at the inn would have seen blood on him without a doubt. I have observed what little of the scene your men left untrampled. To be frank, it looks more like orc work than anything.”

“Joz!” shouted a second familiar voice. “There is no certainty regarding that!”

The gruff voice paused before it replied. “Fair enough Boris, but it is obvious the Westar lad did not commit the murder.”

“We have no disagreement on that issue.”

When they entered the room, the Bluecloaks brought a wave of sudden hope to Tallen’s heart.
I never thought I’d be glad to see that mage again.
The soldiers brightened the room, pristine compared to the filth in which he had spent the night. The two faces above the cloaks were even more welcome.

“Open the door, Captain Haesby,” the mustachioed Bluecloak ordered. “The young man did not kill your son. Since different weapons were used, there had to be multiple assailants.”

“And the killers were trained warriors.” The gray-eyed mage returned his stare to Tallen. “Which he obviously is not.”

“But he had to be one of them! He had accomplices!” Ardric’s father cried without much heart in his words. His crestfallen look reminded Tallen of the pain in his own chest. He handed the key to the mage, who stepped toward the door.