Rise of the Red Harbinger (50 page)

Drahkunov stepped heavily toward her, she assumed so she wouldn’t be alarmed at him sitting next to her. Adria heard Maqdhuum shout “Drahkunov!” from the other ship. A few moments later, she understood why.

“Adria, Farrah’s threat was real. Anyone you loved at the House of Darian will be spared only to be tortured and killed in front of you later on, if you do not lead us in the right direction. Jahmash has sent scouting ships in the past and none could find the island. We know you access it from the mainland of Ashur, but have not found where it is you go. Farrah informed us that if you do not allow Jahmash into your mind, the suffering will increase for your friends.”

Adria lifted her head and let the tears drip from her chin. “Whether I do or don’t you will kill them all anyway. At least if I refuse, it buys them more time.”

Drahkunov nodded. “Think about it. You know time does not matter. Whether it is a month from now or a day from now, there is nothing that the House of Darian can do differently to prepare for us. Every ship has cannons. You Descendants cannot even fight with your abilities. Look at me.” Adria hesitated, knowing that her stubbornness would disappear if she had to look at his face, but eventually gave in. “I have seen more war in my life than you can imagine. If you refuse, you will never forgive yourself. I know I would not, put in your situation. Look at your reaction to one friend’s death. What will you do when it is ten of them? Twenty of them? One hundred? And all of their suffering will be because of you. I know Jahmash. He has over a thousand years’ worth of vengeance and he is excited to see it carried out. He will make sure that you live a long, long life. And that every moment of that life is spent watching another Descendant suffer. This is not the time to be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn.”

Adria stared at Drahkunov’s eyes. There was genuine concern in them. He might have been saying what Jahmash wanted to hear, but there was emotion in them. Adria looked back down at the ground, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
I will return to Markos. I will see my parents again.
“Very well. I will not resist.”

Drahkunov yelled “Farrah!” across to the other ship. Adria assumed he nodded or signaled to her. She is the one communicating with him. In a split second, a warm, gentle sensation wrapped her mind, as if covered by a blanket. It caught Adria off-guard, as she’d expected another painful invasion attempt. She supposed the difference was because she did not resist. Before she could finish forming her next thought, it evaporated and she had no control of the words and images that appeared in her mind. I
f you do not resist, it will be this comfortable every time.
Adria did not know why, but she looked up and smiled widely.

Chapter 20

Clandestine Intentions

From
The Book of Orijin,
Verse Four Hundred Seven

Always hold on dearly to loyalty, for it shall be the salvation of Mankind.

Vasher shifted in his chair.
He was sure that Marlowe had made him sit there to keep him from feeling at ease. It was only the third time he’d been in Zin Marlowe’s office. He glanced at Savaiyon and then looked at Marlowe once more.

“Do not look at Maven Savaiyon, he cannot help you. He informed me that you bear a piece of news that must be dealt with immediately. Maven Savaiyon would not lie to me. He would not waste my time.”

Vasher glared at Savaiyon. “If it was so important to you, why didn’t you just tell him yourself? I told you everything anyway.” He felt slightly betrayed for having confided in Savaiyon.

Savaiyon did not look offended by Vasher’s tone. “The Anonymi spoke to you. I was not in the room. It is your message to present, because the pact was made with you. The details would be corrupted if I were to relay them.”

More than anything, Vasher wished he had another pipe at the moment. He stared at Savaiyon for another second, then turned to Marlowe. “The Anonymi want a fair deal for helping us. They are all about balance, and they are reluctant to help us without something in return.”

“Yes, yes. I know all about their need for balance. But why would they be reluctant?”

Vasher no longer felt the need to mask his annoyance toward Marlowe. “They do not agree with your stance against violence. They believe that we should be able to help ourselves, considering we all have abilities that others do not. They basically said that if we are not willing to help ourselves, we have to help them bring balance to Ashur. Then they will agree to defend us.”

Marlowe sat down. “For people like them, violence is always the answer. Ashur breeds violence and The House of Darian is the only society that preaches nonviolence. And look at us—still we are judged for it. If I had another option, I would choose it in a heartbeat. We need the protection of the Anonymi. The King’s soldiers will not help us. What were their terms, Vasher?”

“They want us to kill King Edmund.”

Marlowe choked and coughed for several moments before he could finally speak. Even then, his face was still red. “Kill King Edmund? They would have The House of Darian murder the very man that stands against it, just to form an alliance? What sense does that make? How does that help anyone? How does that bring the balance they so often preach?”

“The Anonymi explained their reasoning to me. They said that King Edmund is the greatest enemy to balance in Ashur. With all of his power, he is guilty of preventing Ashur from becoming a peaceful nation.”

Marlowe stood and pointed at Vasher. “I do not believe that for an instant. No one man, even if he is the king, can hold so much influence that he would affect the balance of an entire continent. So what, if we kill King Edmund, the Anonymi vow that they would protect us?”

“It is a test to ensure that we are serious. They want to make us uncomfortable by requiring this, so that they know we are deserving of their help.”

“You did not answer my question. For the sake of entertaining this request. If The House of Darian assassinated King Edmund, the Anonymi would fulfill their end of the bargain immediately?”

“Well.” Vasher paused. “No.” He looked back at Savaiyon and again at Marlowe.

“Again, Maven Savaiyon cannot answer for you. What else did they say? What more could they possibly ask, you fool, if killing King Edmund is not enough?”

Vasher reddened and his eyes narrowed. He’d been uncomfortable enough, but being spoken down to made him angry. Vasher stood from his seat. “They want us to kill the two men in Ashur who hold it back from being a great continent. A fair one. A balanced one. King Edmund is the greatest perpetrator against Ashur, despite having the ability to help it the most. And according to the Anonymi, you are the second biggest threat to the balance of Ashur.” Marlowe gasped and sat down. “The Anonymi want us to kill you and King Edmund. And then they will help us.”

Marlowe stared at the top of his desk and spoke softly. “This is…impossible. I have done nothing to hurt Ashur. Since I’ve been the Headmaster of the House of Darian, I have preached only peace and tolerance.” He looked up at Vasher. “And what? The very alliance that I requested hinges upon my death? How does that make sense?”

Vasher felt a rush of anger and as he raised his arm to point right back at Marlowe, Savaiyon clasped his shoulder from behind. “Vasher is loyal to you and the House. He related this news to me exactly the same way. I have heard much of the Anonymi in my travels, my lord. This is how they work. I know that you sent Vasher because of his manifestation, but the Anonymi would have killed him if he had tried. They gave me the same threat.” Savaiyon took a deep breath. “What would you have us do now? I would not recommend returning to the Anonymi with a counter offer. I have heard stories of pacts falling through because others have tried such things.”

Marlowe suddenly looked very tired, as if he were straining to focus on Vasher and Savaiyon. “No one from The House of Darian is to go back there. I need answers first. You and Vasher must go to the Augurs. Surely the Tower of the Blind will have at least one prophecy related to this.”

Savaiyon stepped forward, next to Vasher, and nodded. “If you want to be safe, that will not be enough. There are Blind Men and Women in many cities throughout Ashur. The answers you seek could be found right away, or they could be with the last Augur we meet. There is a chance that Vasher and I could take a while to bring you answers.”

“You are suggesting that others join you?”

“It seems to be the most sensible solution.”

“I need answers as soon as possible. I cannot wait weeks or months. But I also do not want news of the terms of this deal to leave this room. The more people who know of this, the more likely it is that I will be killed.”

Vasher cut in. “There are ways of phrasing things. If the questions are asked a certain way, then no one need know how this connects to you or King Edmund.”

“And what if you are wrong?”

“I have been getting my way with people for most of my life, Master Marlowe. I do not always need my manifestation for that. Much of it is how you say things and the semantics of speech.”

Savaiyon patted Vasher on the shoulder again. “I can vouch for him, my lord. Vasher is true to his word. He will not betray you. Let us assemble a team to spread through Ashur and find the prophecies you desire.”

Marlowe rubbed his temples. “I apologize, Vasher. I have been unfairly harsh with you. My anger is toward the Anonymi, not with you. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to relate this information to me. Maven Savaiyon, I will entrust you with selecting trustworthy Descendants to send on this mission. Time is of the essence, but this cannot be done sloppily. Use extreme caution in how you share information and ask questions. Assemble a mission team and leave immediately. Do not return without answers for me.”

Vasher took the cue to leave the room and Savaiyon followed him out. A doorway appeared in the middle of the next room as Blastevahn walked back into Marlowe’s office. Vasher looked through into the evening sky to see one of the shores of the island outside the House. Obviously, Savaiyon wanted to speak privately. Vasher stepped through and turned to Savaiyon once the doorway closed. “What is it?”

“I am letting you choose. But this discussion must be for our ears only.”

“Letting me choose? You mean who we bring?” Vasher blinked and stared at Savaiyon. “Why?”

“You have the potential to be a leader here. A strong one. Many men would have crumbled before the Anonymi. You made split second decisions in my absence. And for what it is worth, I would have agreed to their offer just as you did. You did well, so why not start now?”

“But Marlowe said for you to choose.”

“Let’s see what selections you make. If you choose unwisely, I will counsel you. First choice?”

Vasher made no hesitation. “If we are going to be separating to cities all over Ashur, we will need to be able to communicate. Badalao. Which means you will have to bond with him as well.”

“Smart. I agree. Who else?”

Vasher had thought it would be more difficult to convince Savaiyon about Lao. The truth was, he really only trusted his friends on this mission. They would do things exactly as he asked, especially once they understood the importance. “Lincan.”

Vasher could not determine the nature of Savaiyon’s countenance. “Why? His manifestation is arbitrary for something like this. If anyone is hurt I can transport them back here immediately.”

“First of all, anything can happen on this mission. Who knows how people will respond all over Ashur at seeing us. Second, have you ever spoken to Lincan? The kid knows how to talk to people. He has the charisma and charm to work over just about anyone if he puts his mind to it.”

Savaiyon simply nodded in approval. “Go on.”

“We should start in Vandenar. Desmond is one of the few Descendants who has a friendly relationship with an Augur. We can start there, let the rest of the group see how Desmond interacts with the Augur, and then everyone can disperse while we go to the Tower.” Vasher knew that Savaiyon would be impressed by that strategy.

“Not bad. Your thinking is quite sound. I am glad that you are proving me right. Continue.”

Vasher knew he would have to include a wild card, someone that would keep Savaiyon from thinking this was an adventure for his friends. “It might sound far-fetched, but can we take Kadoog’han from his post for the sake of the mission?”

“Intriguing. Do explain!”

“Well-traveled. Great patience. Gets along with anyone. Can get anyone to do a favor for him. Besides, when was the last time he was even allowed to leave the House?”

“You assume he wants to leave his post.”

“The man hides at the base of the mountain that hides the touch portal to this island. That is a lot of hiding. And how often do we get visitors there? I agree, Kadoog’han enjoys his post, but that does not mean he wouldn’t enjoy a mission that involves travel.”

“Very well. If he agrees to it, then he comes. Anyone else?”

“Galiceans don’t trust most people in Ashur. I figure if we send the Taurani, they would leave him alone. Marshall is tough enough to handle himself in most Galicean cities. He doesn’t camouflage like Kadoog’han, but Taurani are trained to know their surroundings.”

“I am starting to sense a pattern here. Aside from Kadoog’han, is this not your circle of friends?”

“And there is very good reason for that. I trust them. We have a very sensitive mission ahead of us. We all know each other, know how to work with each other and communicate with each other. Marshall is stubborn, but not stupid. You should know better than anyone how difficult it is to meet with a Galicean Augur. If I am unable to go there myself and use my manifestation to persuade them, then what? I would send Lincan there in a heartbeat, but he cannot defend himself the way Marshall can. No one in the House can.”

Savaiyon nodded again, “I see your point. It makes sense. That makes seven of us. I do not think that will be enough to cover everything.”

“Two more. Horatio.” Savaiyon’s eyes met Vasher’s quickly. “Before you protest, think. Horatio is from the Wolf’s Paw, just like Kadoog’han. Horatio has also traveled, just like Kadoog’han. I know he talks too much. I know. But we can use Descendants who have seen Ashur’s customs. Horatio traveled most of Ashur before coming here. I don’t know how he did not get killed or beaten in those travels, because I’m sure there were many who wanted to, but that is another testament as to why he should come. There is obviously a certain charm to him that people see. We are about to send Descendants out into the world, and half of that world does not like us. We cannot fight back with our fists. Some of us can fight back with lightning. That is why we need Horatio.”

“Fine. He can come. You said two more. Who is the last one?”

Vasher felt nervous. He knew Baltaszar would be a difficult sell. “Well, if lightning can defend us, then so can fire.”

“No.”

“What?”

“No Baltaszar. As it is, Marshall does not understand Ashur. We cannot afford to have two people who have no concept of this land. At least Marshall has fighting skill. Baltaszar controls fire. The last thing we need is for him to burn down a city because he panics at an angry mob.”

“Have you sat down and ever spoken to him? Baltaszar isn’t built that way. Besides, we have all studied and learned from you about the cultures of Ashur. If you are that good of a teacher, then Baltaszar should be fine.”

“I still disagree. Look, Vasher, I like the boy. Baltaszar is polite and very low key, but he is new to Ashur, untested with his manifestation, and therefore, dangerous. We do not have the time for unexpected complications on this mission.”

Vasher pushed his frustration back and focused. He focused so hard on Savaiyon’s response that a few moments passed before he realized the melody flowing through him. “I can vouch for him. Baltaszar has already been to Vandenar, Khiry, and the City of the Fallen. That’s more than many other Descendants who have been exposed to Ashur for their whole lives. Trust me, Savaiyon. Baltaszar works well with all of us. He is on the same page as the rest of our circle. He is the one you want defending you when things get out of hand.”