[Lanen Kaelar 03] - Redeeming the Lost (14 page)

Hygel sighed and swore quiedy. “If Rella ever
hears I’ve let this out without extracting a price, I swear, she’ll spit down
my neck after she’s taken my head off.”

“If what, man?” I hissed.

“If her captor hasn’t cast a silence on her.
It’s a demon spell. He’s known to be fond of it. The victim can’t be heard no
matter how they shout. And those windows are too high up to reach from inside.”

I knew as if I’d been there that she was held
in that spell, else she’d have shouted the place down. My Lanen had never been
one to suffer in silence.

“I’d been told of those cells. My informer
said they’d not been used in years.”

“Maybe. And maybe they have been but your
informer knew nothing of it. I tell you, anything could have happened this last
week.”

“The central courtyard, you say?” I frowned at
the table. “And All Comers is closed? Damn, I’d been counting on that as a way
in.”

“Shut tight and likely locked,” said Hygel
thoughtfully, stroking bis chin. “But now I think on it, there is a way in.” A
slow smile crossed his face. “Magister Rikard owes me quite a favour.” Hygel
sat back, as if he had come to a decision. “I do believe I’ll collect on it. He
can get you in as a new servant—seemingly there have been quite a few leaving
the place of late.” Hygel looked me over. “But not this very moment. You’re
dead to the world, man.” He fished out a key from a pocket and handed it to me.
‘Top of the stairs, second on the left. Two coppers for the room and I’ll throw
in supper. Get some sleep.” I started to protest but he cut me off. “Don’t be
an idiot. You’ll need all your wits about you, and Rikard comes here for his
evening meal every day of the world. I’ll introduce you tonight.”

I took the key and stood up. Goddess aid me, I
was swaying on my feet from weariness. Still—“If you have betrayed me, the
Seventh Hell itself won’t be deep enough to hide you,” I growled.

“Strictly business,” he replied, undaunted. “Your
news is worth a fair bit to me, I’d not cheat you. No profit in it.” He grinned.
“And truth be told, Master, I wouldn’t object to losing that particular
neighbour myself. He’s bad for business.”

I nodded and staggered up the stairs, found
the room, and fell across the bed. I had thought my anger would sustain me, but
I was asleep before I landed.

Mother? Mother, where are you?

I woke, groggy, from my half dream, my wits
scattered to the four winds, deeply unsure of time or place. Who was that
calling for her mother? What did she mean, I wasn’t there … no, she wasn’t…
it wasn’t me …

I was slumped into a corner in a stone room.
Why wasn’t I in my bed? This was Hadronsstead, wasn’t it? A flicker of thought
told me Hadron was dead, I must be in the tent on the Dragon Isle—but that wasn’t
stone—the tiny Silent Service hut we—no, we all slept on the floor but it wasn’t
stone either—some strange inn?

Memory rushed back as I blinked and stood up.
It wasn’t easy, I was cold and stiff all over, and my wounds burned. Probably
infected by the Rikti. I couldn’t imagine how I had fallen asleep at all, but I
suppose there is a price to be paid for the land of mad strength I’d had. I
hoped Marik’s every breath burned his throat.

Unfortunately, I now remembered only too well
where I was, and what lay before me. Berys’s dungeon. Hell blast and bugger it.

As best I could tell that first moment of
waking, it was mid-afternoon, but I didn’t have time to pay much attention as
there were two of Beryss bloody huge guards looming over me. The larger of the
two pulled me to my feet and closed my wrists in manacles, heavy iron bracelets
with a short chain between the two. I noted, still groggy, that it was very
peculiar to see this all happening but to hear nothing. It was desperately
unreal, as if it were happening to someone else.

The larger of the bears attached a second
length of chain to the first, then bolted my leash to a ring set in the stones
of the wall. It allowed me very little movement, which presumably was the
intention. What worried me was why they were taking this precaution now—and
there he was, Berys, waiting in the open doorway with a smug grin on his face.

Suddenly I was very awake indeed. I threw my
weight against the chain and succeeded only in battering my wrists. I soon gave
it up, but my heart was thumping horribly in my chest. Goddess, this is it, he’s
going to sacrifice me right now, I thought desperately. Mother Shia, help me
and my babes! I cried out in true-speech with all the strength I could muster.
Nothing. It was like shouting into a pillow.

I tried to speak to Berys, but his spell was
still in force and I made no sound. He seemed amused by my attempt, so much so
that he raised one corner of his mouth in a disturbing smile and waved his
right hand. ‘Tou still haven’t learned, have you? Feel free to exhaust yourself
fighting iron chain. It amuses me.”

“The only thing that would amuse me would be
your violent death, sooner rather than later,” I snarled, and was surprised to
hear myself speak. Instantly I turned to the bear on my right. “He will break
faith with you, you know. It’s only a matter of time until he needs another
sacrifice and you’re the only one around,” I said. The guard didn’t even look
at me.

“Just because I can hear you, don’t assume
anyone else can,” said Berys smugly. “I’m really quite good at selective
deafness. As you may have noticed.”

But I had my voice back now, for a blessed
moment. And at that instant, even Berys’s voice was better than nothing. Though
I expected nothing soon enough.

“Hello again,” said a cheerful voice from the
door, and there was Marik bearing a torch and smiling broadly. His hair was wet
and he smelled as though he had just had a bath, the bastard. I felt like I
hadn’t bathed in a year. “Oh, dear, looks like the Rikti had fun playing with
you,” he said, grinning. It was quite repellent and I wished he’d stop, but he
didn’t.

“Why are you so damned cheerful?’ I growled.

His smile broadened. “Why do you think, girl?
This day I am free of the pain that has afflicted me since before you were
born. Do you have any idea what I have been going through?”

“Hideous torment, I hope,” I replied.

“Knives,” he hissed, all his lightness gone in
the instant. He leaned towards me and I swear I could feel his hatred beating
against my skin. “I have lived with knives stabbing into my leg, sleeping and
waking, for more than twenty years. Pain at rest, pain in movement, pain in
every step I have taken every day of the world, since I paid for the Farseer I
never got to use, thanks to your dear mother. Yes,” he said, straightening up,
the manic edge coming back into his voice and manner, “you will do nicely.”

“Stop wittering and help me,” commanded Berys.
Marik went to help him set up what looked like an altar on the hard bed,
putting candles in holders, lighting the coals in a small brazier. My heart
dropped like a stone and I struggled desperately against the manacles. I might
as well have saved my strength.

Berys started so chant, quietly, and Marik
wandered back to me. He came right up to me, fascinated by something. Far too
close for comfort in any case.

His eyes never left mine as he said, “Do you
know, Berys, I have been learning things again. I do believe you will find my
latest information interesting.”

“I don’t give a damn what you’ve learned,”
snapped Berys. “Not now! Draw back her sleeve, I need a sample.”

Marik, stung by Berys’s scorn, sneered and
muttered, “Then I shall save my news until it pleases me to tell you.”

Dear Goddess, he hasn’t told Berys yet that I’m
pregnant. I sent a wordless prayer of thanks winging to Mother Shia for that
strange mercy. It could not last long, surely, but every moment of my tormentor’s
ignorance was precious.

Turning to the guards, Marik snapped, “Hold
her fast.” He pulled back the sleeve of my grubby tunic and the dingy linen
shirt underneath—and suddenly a knife appeared in Marik’s hand and he sliced my
arm open. I cried out, in pain and shock, while he told the guards to hold me
still as he collected in a brass cup the blood that flowed freely from the deep
wound.

“You fool,” said Berys crossly. “We only
needed a small sample.” He gestured again with his right hand, as if he were
throwing something at me—a bolt of dark blue Healers power, shot through with
black, struck my arm. For the first second it felt like Healer’s power, but the
instant it began to work I started screaming in earnest. The pain of the wound
was nothing to the pain of this “healing”—it was as if he had applied a poultice
of concentrated stinging nettle to my open wound. My blood flowed even more
freely, as if to wash off Berys’s attempt at healing, and somehow that helped.
Berys frowned and gestured to Marik, who against his inclination wrapped my arm
tightly. The bright blood bloomed through several thicknesses of bandage, but
eventually it slowed enough to content Berys.

“What in the name of the Goddess do you need
that for, anyway?” I asked through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the pain in
my arm.

“I do nothing in the name of the Goddess, but
if you must know, girl, I am preparing a great work,” replied Berys. He seemed
to have picked up something of Marik’s mood and added cheerfully, “I simply
need to know that all will go smoothly. You are going to be part of history.
You should be honoured.”

“You should rot in the deepest Hell, but that
isn’t happening either,” I snarled. Berys laughed and turned away, starting to
chant again.

And now Marik stood directly before me, still
staring. He seemed to be looking for something in my eyes. I was determined that
he would find only disdain and anger. Never fear. Never despair.

“Proud of yourself, are you, Marik?” I
sneered. “So, I’m finally to be given to the demons. So impressive. It’s only
taken you, what, twenty-four years to find me? And now you have me, chained and
helpless, one woman against you and your pet demon-master, and your—trained
bears.” The guard still didn’t move a muscle, damn it. “Very brave. Well done.
What will you do for your next astounding feat? And do you honestly think Berys
is going to let you live long enough to manage it?”

Berys started moving his hand and his stump to
make figures in the air above the altar. Marik leaned closer to me and spoke
quietly. “Oh, you have no idea, girl. In a few hours the Healers in every
outpost of the House of Gundar, throughout the Four Kingdoms, will turn the
world on its head. Every city, every town with enough folk to make it worth my
while, will soon be full of people in constant fear of what evil a nasty Healer
might do. Even those we didn’t manage to influence will be shunned, as there is
no way of knowing the difference.” He grinned, a wild, unbalanced grin, no more
than one step from insanity. “When brave King Marik comes to rid them of this
terrible demonic oppression they will hail him as their new master. With
delight. I shall come to the throne of the Four Kingdoms on a wave of
acclamation.”

He was very near now, relishing his power over
me, and floating into my mind came Jamie’s voice, clear as if he stood beside
me, from those midnight sessions where he taught me to defend myself without a
weapon. If there’s a man you need to drop fast, Lanen…

“You’ll come to the throne bloody well
limping,” I growled. My arms were bound and held, but my legs were free. I lifted
my knee as hard and fast as I could. He doubled over and fell to the ground,
turning his back to me. Amazing. Just what Jamie said would happen. I aimed my
kick just to one side of his backbone, between the hips and the ribs, and by
luck managed to hit the place Jamie had told me about. It was wonderful. He
appeared to be in agony, which suited me just fine.

The guards, bless them, were slow to react,
but they finally thought to drag Marik away. Berys, turning, didn’t seem in the
least concerned. “Put him in the far corner, she can’t reach him there,” he
said, disgusted. ‘Then leave us.”

They laid Marik gently on the stone floor and
covered him with the blanket. He was gasping with pain, but his great friend
Berys turned to look at him, said, “You’ll live,” and turned back to his altar.

Whatever he was doing, it appeared to be
working. He threw a few lansip leaves on the little fire, and for an instant
there was a most incredible scent in that horrible place, the very smell of the
Dragon Isle itself. I closed my eyes and inhaled. Just in time, as it happens,
for the next moment a terrible reek and a great cloud of smoke arose from his
little brazier, and the figure of a demon appeared. This one had huge eyes to
go with its outsized mouth. It also appeared to be wrapped in a chain.

‘Tremble, mortal, for I am—” began the demon,
but Berys tugged at the chain and the thing screamed.

“You are in my power. Don’t be stupid. You
have the simplest of tasks. Taste this blood and let me know if it will be
acceptable to—” Here he said something that I thought might be a name, but I
couldn’t understand it.