Bewitched & Betrayed (16 page)

I had enough trouble on my hands with Talon.

Naturally, he’d insisted on coming with us, and now Vegard was faced with the challenge of keeping both me and Talon out of jail. I didn’t want Talon to hear what I was saying and possibly do something even more impulsive and arrestworthy than what I knew he was already thinking. Vegard agreed with me, so he and Talon were in Sedge’s conference room next to his office. Vegard had the door cracked so he could see and hear everything going on in the watchers’ squad room.

My Guardian bodyguard was getting his eyes and ears full.

Sedge Rinker blew out his breath. “Raine, I’ve had multiple witnesses report that they saw Tam force General Aratus into a coach. An hour later the general’s body was tossed into the street. As chief watcher, I can’t ignore that.”

I glanced at Tam. He was leaning against the back wall of a cell crackling with wards; the same cell that had held three demons just weeks before. He was leaning back, arms crossed, one ankle crossed over the other, looking completely relaxed. Tam’s leisurely pose might have been an act—or it might have been confidence. I’d seen Tam tear through stronger wards before, with a lot nastier magical manpower waiting outside the cell. Tam went in because he was being a law-abiding citizen. For now. But if anyone came near his son, I knew all bets were off and it would be ugly.

And two of those so-called witnesses were standing in the squad room right now.

I couldn’t speak to Tam with my voice or mind-to-mind with our bond. The wards prevented both. Tam was doing the cool, confident, and cocky act because he had the men responsible for putting him behind those wards in sight, and a couple rips of those wards would put them within reach. Tam’s slight smile told me he was probably entertaining himself with the thoughts of what he was going to do to Carnades Silvanus and Taltek Balmorlan when he got his hands on them. And since Carnades and Balmorlan had waited until Tam was safely locked away before making their grand entrance, the elf bastards knew that fact only too well.

I was in Sedge Rinker’s office. It was in the corner of the squad room, and the two walls facing the room were glass. It let Sedge keep an eye on things, but tonight it was also letting people keep an eye on us. I didn’t give a damn. I hadn’t been arrested, but I’d been asked politely, yet firmly, to come to watcher headquarters to give a statement. Oh boy, was I giving Sedge a statement. The walls may have been glass, but the door was closed and I was taking full advantage.

“Raine, my instincts agree with you; unfortunately, the proof and witnesses say otherwise.”

“Proof,” I spat. “Some elves saying they saw a goblin shove the general into a coach? One of them even said, ‘All goblins look alike.’ The moron. Sarad Nukpana is a goblin, and he killed the general.”

“Raine, I need proof.”

“I saw him driving that coach last night, and I heard his voice through General Aratus’s corpse.” My voice turned bitter. “But my word is worthless, isn’t it? You can’t take the word of a Benares and Saghred bond servant, can you?”

“I believe you, Raine.”

“Then let Tam go!” I managed between clenched teeth.

“I can’t do that, and you know why.”

I knew why all right. A handful of elven witnesses under compulsion by a certain high-ranking elven mage. Carnades Silvanus was the golden boy of the Seat of Twelve, the mages governing the Conclave, and he was one step away from being the next archmagus. He’d had the job for a few days recently, acquired a taste for self- righteous retribution, and had been well on his way to becoming a one-man inquisition.

And he had an expert at inquisition and intimidation standing right next to him. Taltek Balmorlan hadn’t taken his eyes off of me since he and Carnades had slithered through the front doors.

You could see Taltek Balmorlan in a room and look right past him—which was exactly what the elven inquisitor wanted. The word that described him best was average. His hair and eyes were an unremarkable shade of dull brown. He was of average height with average looks. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about his appearance.

It was perfect camouflage for the predator he was.

One of Carnades’s “witnesses” was an elven shopkeeper who said he had seen Tam force the general into a coach. When questioned as to why he hadn’t come forward until now, the elf had claimed goblin intimidation. If Tam’s life hadn’t been at stake, that statement would have been laughable. Unless the elven ambassador had personally delivered an announcement to the goblin embassy—which would happen as soon as flavored ices were being served in the lower hells—there weren’t any goblins other than Sarad Nukpana and his accomplice who had even known that the general was dead.

I resisted the urge to hit something. “Pay someone enough and they’ll say they saw their mother do it.” Another “witness” was a clearly frightened elderly elven mage in shabby robes who stood as far away from Carnades and Balmorlan and as close to the front doors, and escape, as he could. “Or threaten them.”

And I had no doubt that the black-silk-and-velvet-robed mage essentially holding court in the center of the squad room would have done that and more to get Tam behind bars and wards. Carnades Silvanus looked like his birthday had come early this year.

No doubt Carnades believed himself to be the pinnacle of elven fine breeding. The elf’s shoulder- length hair was the color of winter frost, and his eyes the pale blue of arctic ice. His face was like flawless alabaster, a cold, sharp beauty. He was a pure-blooded high elf and he wasn’t about to let anyone forget it.

Carnades had served as Conclave emissary to the goblin court at the same time that Tam had been the queen’s magical right-hand man. Something that happened during that time—and knowing Tam, probably more than one something—had made Carnades despise Tam even more than he hated every other goblin who breathed his air. Tam didn’t exactly harbor warm feelings toward Carnades, so the animosity was more than mutual.

And from the sound of the charges, Carnades was getting his revenge for any slight or insult, either real or imagined, in one fell swoop.

The elven mage wasn’t satisfied by seeing Tam charged with the kidnapping and grisly murder of the fourth-highest-ranking general in the elf queen’s army. He was accusing Tam of having fed General Aratus’s soul to the Saghred. When asked to explain, Carnades just smiled wider and Balmorlan coolly said that an expert would arrive soon to substantiate the claim. No one other than the rock itself could tell whether it had been fed or not. Carnades and Balmorlan were lying, and soon someone was going to walk through those doors and lie some more. The elf bastards couldn’t prove a damned thing; but their smug smiles told me that they’d found a way around that impediment to vigilante justice called the truth, and what I had been dreading was about to happen. Carnades knew that Tam could have only fed the Saghred through me.

Through our umi’atsu bond.

Carnades knew all about it.

He hadn’t ratted us out. Yet. The self-righteous elf was saving it for just the right moment—much like Sarad Nukpana’s gift of a dried corpse.

From the smug expression on his face, that moment had come.

I knew that General Aratus’s soul was inside Sarad Nukpana, not the Saghred. But just as Carnades couldn’t prove that the Saghred had been fed, I couldn’t prove that it hadn’t. And Mychael and I had been the only ones to hear Sarad Nukpana’s threats spoken through the general’s dried corpse. I couldn’t tell Sedge Rinker that. The only way Mychael had heard those threats was through the part of the umi’atsu bond that I shared with him.

After Tam had been arrested, Vegard had ordered one of the Guardians on sentry dragon patrol to return immediately to the citadel and tell Mychael what had happened.

I pinched the bridge of my nose against the headache that was well on its way. Mychael would probably be here any minute, and when he got here, that would put him in the same room with me and Tam. Our proximity to one another would leave no doubt about the bond the three of us shared. Any and every mage in the room would know.

Which was precisely what Carnades wanted.

I wasn’t about to leave Tam alone in the same room with Carnades.

The elf mage knew that, too. He also wanted everyone to know what he already did—the paladin of the Conclave Guardians was in an umi’atsu bond with a goblin dark mage and accused murderer, and the bond servant of the Saghred. If it were proven, Mychael would be arrested, tried, and executed; and Tam and I wouldn’t be far behind him.

Carnades had seen the proof of our joint powers two weeks ago when Mychael, Tam, and I had worked together to close a Hellgate that had been opened on the island. Phaelan had clubbed him over the head with a rock to keep him from exposing the three of us right then and there. Markus Sevelien had visited Carnades the moment his ship had docked. Mychael had sources in Carnades’s household, and those sources reported that Markus told Carnades to stay home and see no one. Either Markus had rescinded that order, or Carnades was feeling rebellious this evening.

And for the icing on the cake, Taltek Balmorlan reported to Markus and now seemed to be Carnades’s new best friend. Best friends didn’t keep secrets. Balmorlan knew about our umi’atsu bond; I was certain of it. What he was going to do about it remained to be seen, but from his self-satisfied smirk, he couldn’t be happier with how things were playing out.

There was a cell waiting next to Tam’s that had Mychael’s name written all over it.

Or mine.

Dammit. Mychael knew I was here with Tam, yet he was coming down here anyway. He knew it was a trap and he was walking right into it. Mychael was coolheaded and a tactician; I told myself that he would never walk into a trap without a plan to spring it on its maker. I was sure he had a plan, a good one. I’d just feel a hell of a lot better if I knew what that plan was.

If it came down to it, I would do anything I had to do to keep Tam and Mychael from the executioner’s block. The Benares in me had a few ideas; the Saghred in me had a few more.

I would do whatever it took, and whatever it did to me didn’t matter.

Mychael had told me once that if anyone wanted his head on an executioner’s block, they’d have to fight him for the privilege. Sounded good to me.

“Magus Silvanus has requested that I take you into custody as an accessory before and after the fact.” Sedge sounded almost apologetic.

“Are you?”

“No. He has no proof or witnesses to substantiate his charge.”

I barked a short laugh. “Give him another hour; I’m sure he’ll come up with something and someone.”

I looked out at Carnades. He must have sensed me and turned toward Sedge’s office. Our eyes met. I’d given Carnades the benefit of a doubt ever since I’d met him; hell, I’d even saved his life twice. He was through playing games. Well, so was I. He had lied and manipulated his way into having Tam caged like an animal, and he wouldn’t stop until he’d done the same to me and Mychael. Though the one thing he wouldn’t be lying about was that Mychael shared an umi’atsu bond with me and Tam. That Mychael had done it to save both of us wouldn’t matter to Carnades and his ilk. Once Mychael was proven to be a criminal, Justinius Valerian’s political power base would be weakened. He’d handpicked Mychael as paladin; his judgment would be suspect.

Carnades Silvanus had taken the first steps to getting himself elected archmagus. If that happened, he would have the power of life or death over every magic user in the seven kingdoms, and the Guardians would be reduced to his personal enforcers.

It had to stop. Tonight. Now. This was war; my gloves were off.

I gave Carnades a slow, cold smile that told him that and much more. If Tam could act cool and confident, so could I. In reality I was scared shitless and mad as hell, but considering how close I was to a whole row of empty cells, I thought I’d keep that to myself for now. I could always let my rage out to play later. I didn’t want to, but if Carnades pushed me too far, I would push back. He’d seen the Saghred’s full power in me when I’d crushed a demon the size of a small house, right here in this very room. He knew what I could do, but he thought I wouldn’t do it. If he laid a hand on Tam or Mychael, I’d show him just how wrong he was.

I opened the door and walked out into the squad room. I vaguely heard Vegard order Talon to stay put. Like that was going to happen, though I hoped the kid showed some sense for once and did as told.

Normally Vegard would be trying to keep me from saying or doing anything to Carnades or Balmorlan that I’d regret later. Not this time. He knew that whatever I did, I’d have no regrets. Vegard was as pissed off and fed up as I was. His solid and reassuring presence at my left shoulder told me, without saying a word, that whatever I wanted to start, he’d help me finish. I got a lump in my throat and forced it down. Hugging Vegard would definitely ruin my badass Saghred-wielder act.

I still had my blades, every last one of them. Since I hadn’t been officially arrested, Sedge hadn’t ordered my weapons be taken. I stopped when I got about ten feet from Carnades Silvanus and Taltek Balmorlan. I didn’t trust myself to get any closer. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t want to be any closer to them. I’d rather touch a dried-up corpse.

When I spoke, my voice was cool and conversational. “So you boys don’t believe Sarad Nukpana has gone on a high-elf killing spree?”

“I believe that he’s a convenient scapegoat for the crimes perpetrated by you and your goblin lover,” Carnades said smoothly. “You even carry goblin weapons.”

“Because they kill better than elf blades.” I gave him a tight smile. “I only use the best.”

“You’ve always preferred the company of goblins, haven’t you, Mistress Benares?” Balmorlan said smoothly. Hell, even his voice was bland.

“I certainly prefer them to elves like the two of you. In fact, I don’t know of any elf who wouldn’t.”