Spirits of Light and Shadow (The Gods of Talmor) (23 page)

Korbin arranged through Navetta to send a message to the Twining Rose, saying he would meet “Dow” that morning. Although Octavia didn’t think it wise to give Eliam warning, Korbin planned to go early to see what, if anything, was waiting for him. That row housed several taverns and inns where Korbin could observe the Twining Rose for at least a couple of hours.

Every moment of his lifetime of experience with Eliam told Korbin his suspicions were unfounded, but a niggling doubt preyed on his mind. Now he had to worry not just about his own safety, but of Octavia’s as well. If she were captured, he had little hope of surviving a second attack from the dark conduit.

As shops were opening for the day, he prepared to leave. He wrapped up warmly, Octavia’s scarf doubled around his neck to hide the protective twining she’d made for him. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Her eyes betrayed her doubts. “Be careful,” she said for at least the third time since they settled on their plan. “Return by a winding route.”

The words cut him. She feared he would lead more soldiers to their hiding place, as, he supposed, she thought he did at Dramworthy. Or perhaps it was his own doubts speaking. If she really believed he had betrayed them, even accidentally, surely she would not stick with him. But then, she was obsessed with finding the dark conduit.

She’d talked of little else all night. Since neither of them could sleep, they lay on top of their hosts’ small, cozy bed and she told him about the dark side of the One. She had to find the person who had done this to Graiphen, to all of them. He, she insisted, was responsible for the chaos that followed, the deaths at Centennial Square, the arrests at Dramworthy, and perhaps much more they didn’t know about.

She planned to complete her preparations while he was gone, then she would look for Rhikar. He was reclusive, had no contact with the community directly, and took in no work in their craft. His main purpose as Vol’s senior conduit had been to train and direct those students under his care. She told Korbin that Rhikar spent much of his time learning and experimenting with the efficacy of various medicinal herbs, stones, and metals in conjunction with forgotten incantations. With a wistful smile, she talked about how he’d been so excited to discover that red iron flakes combined with moon blood would boost a bonding incantation, while common chalk facilitated breakings.

Before Korbin left, she checked his protective twining one last time and arranged his scarf to cover it. She met his eyes and patted him gently on the chest. She opened her mouth, then closed it. He assumed she was resisting the urge to tell him one last time to be careful.

He put his hand over hers. “Everything will be all right.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then exhaled a sigh. “I hope you’re right. I’m worried about my sisters. I wish there was some way we could learn their fate.”

“I’ll find out what I can from ‘Dow’ today.”

He gave her hand a squeeze and left through a side door. He walked into the early morning light and tried his best not to look furtive. It took him nearly an hour to reach the road where the Twining Rose stood. Strolling along, trying to look as though he belonged amongst the other travelers, he stepped into the first inn on the avenue.

It had a small dining room with a limited view of the Rose. He stayed only long enough to have a hot drink before moving on to the next. Two other places didn’t serve the public, only guests of the inn, but he could tell that vantage point wouldn’t allow him a much better view.

By the time he got to the fourth, it was only an hour before his appointed meeting with Eliam. He stepped onto the wide wooden porch that wrapped around the inn and greeted the woman sweeping outside. “Do you serve a morning meal?” he asked. “I’m due to meet a friend, but I’ve arrived in the city early. I could use a taste of something hot.”

“Are you looking for a room?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he said. “Depends if my friend offers his hospitality or not.” He shrugged. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time, and his wife has never liked me much.” Despite the tension twisting his gut, he tried to give a winsome smile.

Just then, a familiar voice sounded in the still-quiet street. Eliam. Korbin couldn’t resist looking, even though his instincts told him to hang back. He turned his head and saw his friend walking down the road, deep in conversation with Dul Tarsten. The pair had such an air about them that no one who looked on could doubt they were important men.

Eliam’s approach surprised Korbin. He’d expected his friend to be more discreet, but then, two legislators visiting an establishment like the Twining Rose wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

Korbin realized he’d missed something the innkeeper had said. “I beg your pardon?” He turned to her.

She went pale. Her broom clattered to the ground. Her small, calloused hand clapped over her mouth and she gasped in surprise.

The entire world seemed to grind to a halt, and Korbin’s every motion felt like it took ten times longer than it should. He had the peculiar sensation of moving through the air as though it was quicksand.

By the time he’d turned back to where she pointed, the narrow street was filled with men in red robes, at least ten of them, the one at the head carrying a lit torch. They surrounded Eliam and Tarsten.

“What is the meaning of this?” Tarsten demanded.

Onlookers backed away, and the innkeeper dashed inside and shut the door behind her, leaving Korbin alone and exposed on the inn’s broad porch. He was frozen, fear and dread rooting him in place.

The men grabbed the legislators and one of them shouted, “You have been found guilty of heresy. None shall stand against the Spirits of Light and Shadow.”

Korbin backed toward the inn’s door, looking for an escape route. He scrambled to a narrow alley on the right. His mind wouldn’t accept what he was seeing. Eliam was being arrested by the Red Manus.

Heresy.
The same crime he and Octavia had been accused of.

Eliam and Tarsten struggled against their captors, and the struggle turned quickly violent.

Don’t fight them.
They’ll only hurt you. Just go along.

Shouts and the sound of hard strikes told him how wrong he was. The two legislators didn’t stand a chance. Within a few moments, both men were bound with ropes and pushed to their knees.

One of the red-robed men wielded a huge hammer. Korbin watched in horror as it swung in a large arc over the man’s head. He thought for sure it would shatter bone when it landed, but instead, the instrument clanged against metal. He was driving some kind of long, ringed spike into the cobble street.

Tarsten continued to protest loudly, his expression and words betraying more anger than fear. Eliam was quiet but equally disbelieving.

Within moments, ropes were fastened tightly to the iron stake. One by one, the priests took out a flask and splashed something in their prisoners’ faces. Both men spluttered and shouted.

Then, in a quick, horrifying display, the man with the torch lowered it to Tarsten and all the priests backed away from the pair. His scream echoed in the street. Eliam struggled in panic, but the fire leapt the short distance from Tarsten to him, blazing bright orange.

“Hail Braetin, Mistress of Shadows,” one of the priests shouted. The others picked up the call, and they began to chant.

Korbin’s stomach turned and tears sprang to his eyes. “Eliam,” he whispered. There was nothing he could do to save the man who’d been like a brother to him. He clenched his fists as the men’s screams wracked through his mind. After only a second’s pause, he stumbled into the alleyway and started to run.

He fled from the scene, giving no thought to which direction he was heading. Only when he reached the city’s western gate did he realize where he was. He stopped to breathe, but his mind wouldn’t focus. All he could think was that he needed to be somewhere far away.

Eliam’s screams echoed in his ears. He didn’t know how far he’d have to run to silence them, but he’d go as far as needs be.

∞

Octavia sat in uncomfortable silence with Rhikar. She’d never seen her mentor so beaten and depressed. “There’s been no word at all?”

He shook his head slowly. “Not even a whiff of a rumor.”

The city watch had denied they were holding the conduits. Rhikar asked around as much as he dared. His position as a Talmoran citizen gave him some leeway, but in the end, he was Kilovian, and everyone he encountered regarded him with suspicion. They were being blamed for the deaths in the square, for angering the Talmoran gods. There was no rational argument that could combat such unreasonable thought.

Octavia sighed. “What is fated to happen cannot be avoided.”

“You think this madness is fated?” He shot her a dark look.

“I am searching in all the teachings I’ve received over the years for something that will help me accept and understand, but I’m finding nothing.”

His shoulders slumped. “I have been learning for much longer than you, child, and I’m running into the same obstacle. Dark times lie ahead for all of us.”

“And yet you’re still here,” she said. “I wasn’t certain I’d find you again.”

“After today, you won’t.”

“You’re leaving the city?” she asked. “But what about Lettoria, Sonna, Minny, and Pendra? What if one or more of them were not arrested? They may be hiding and need our assistance.”

“You were there,” he said. “Did you see any of them escape?”

“No, but I was running for my life. It’s possible. We can at least ask around. We must think. Where would they go if they escaped Dramworthy?”

“My best guess is that they would come here,” Rhikar said.

“Perhaps, but perhaps not. We talked about keeping moving, staying separate, like we did during the war. They may be doing as I am, and staying with a faithful Kilovian in their district.”

“Don’t tell me where,” he said quickly. “If I am taken, I don’t want to be able to give those madmen any information.”

She hadn’t planned to tell him, but the stark fear on his face made her feel more uneasy than before. She’d hoped he would be calm and reasonable as always, have words of comfort to offer, but she found no comfort here.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “By tomorrow, we will be in a new place.”

“We? You still stay with the Talmoran boy after what happened at Dramworthy?”

“He was attacked by the dark conduit directly. I was there. I believe a second attempt will follow, and I intend to be ready. I will find this person and put an end to his abuse of our sacred teachings.”

“Don’t,” Rhikar said.

“What?” Octavia couldn’t believe her ears. “You of all people should understand why I must do this.”

“You did what you were hired to do, and it’s brought you nothing but grief. Tell the boy to leave the city. I feel certain if he does, he won’t be troubled again. Clearly he was targeted because of his father, but things have changed since Centennial Square. Whoever wanted Graiphen out of the way now has bigger concerns than his son.

“Meanwhile, you should hide. Go underground if you must stay in the city. But don’t risk yourself to search for Lettoria and the others.” He blinked, fighting back tears. “They’re lost to us, and we should not die trying to save what cannot be saved.”

She’d never before heard such talk from him, seen him so defeated and morose. “We must fight this, Rhikar. We cannot abandon our people. I’m not ready to give up on the idea that at least one of the others might have escaped as I did. If we find the dark conduit, he may have materials left that we can use to further unbind Graiphen’s mind. If we can heal him, the temple may lose their hold on him.”

“Oh, child. The Spirit he serves will never let him go, no matter what we do.”

“Why are you so stubbornly willing to believe the worst?” she shot at him.

“Why are you so eager to die?” He asked the question softly and without malice. “Save yourself, Octavia. I could not bear it if…” His voice trailed off. After a long pause, he added, “This is my fault.”

“How?” she asked. “How could any of this be your fault?”

“I should have seen it coming. I should have told you not to take the commission from Dul Graiphen. It was foolish to accept the job not knowing who the target was.”

“Had I known, do you think anything would have turned out differently?”

“You wouldn’t have accepted the job,” he said.

Octavia wasn’t certain. If she had met with the man and seen his condition, could she have turned her back on him? She doubted she could have. Her only hope had been if the name scared her so much she refused to meet with him, but would she have refused? Uncertainty plagued her thoughts. Part of her said yes, but the doubts refused to go away.

“We cannot change what has already passed. You know this. You were the one who taught me the virtue of remembering that fact. We must deal with what is, not what we wish could be.”

“Of course.” He sighed loudly.

She’d never before wanted to slap him, but she did now. He needed to be awakened from this stupor. “So help me. Together we can use Korbin to entrap the dark conduit. I still have the talisman. With it, we can draw him out.”

“You kept it?”

“I’d planned to cleanse it, but it occurred to me that such a thing might prove useful. It’s protected, of course.”

Rhikar’s eyes grew sharp. “There is no protection against this man. You cannot best him, Octavia. Leave it. Please. Don’t you see how dangerous it would be to try to draw him out, as you say?”

“With your help—”

“This is insanity,” Rhikar interrupted. “I will have nothing to do with this. Is the Sennestelle not wounded enough with four captured conduits? Shall we sacrifice ourselves, too?”

“We can protect ourselves. We will be careful.”

“No,” he said, his voice rising as he stood. “No. I will not hear of it. You will not attempt this. You will go into hiding with our own people and send this boy away. We will leave Graiphen for the Talmorans to deal with. Many are not any happier with his new rise in power than we are. This is not ours to fix.”

Octavia stared, stunned. He was
forbidding
her? “I’m no longer your student,” she said.