Sworn To Secrecy: Courtlight #4 (16 page)

“It was fairly easily before,” he shot back.

“And if he was playing us?” she said, “To get into our good graces and close enough to lure the under-dragon into our home?”

“I agree that we don’t know what threat he poses. But for once let’s think our actions through. Then move in on the target,” said Sebastian.

She folded her arms crossly. Impatient to be on the move. But she could see that it was the practical move to plan this through.

Reluctantly she said, “If he hasn’t attacked us personally yet, then he might be waiting on something.

“Or someone,” Thanar said.

“Either way, against all of us he doesn’t stand a chance,” said Sebastian.

She nodded. Then shouting interrupted their conversation.

Looking up they saw it came from the shipyard offices. It was a rickety wooden building set up high on stilts over the sea. Built to withstand ten-foot waves, the building look like a multi-legged stork from down on the pier.

Shading their eyes with their hands, they saw a man standing on the veranda outside the building. He appeared to be rapidly backing away from a woman in a skin-tight leather suit with dark brunette hair pulled into a knot at the base of her head. A thin man next to him was scrambling to get away, as well. He managed to rush past the fat gentleman as he sprinted ahead, but at the last second the fat gentleman wrapped a hand tightly around the fleeing man’s suspenders.

“What in the world?” said Ciardis.

“Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with us,” said Thanar.

And yet she couldn’t take her eyes off the brunette woman high above.

As she stalked forward the two men kept moving back. Finally they hit a corner and the fat man wedged himself against the bannister with both hands held up in front of him as if to push her back. The other man began to look around frantically for a way out or perhaps a weapon. The brunette’s face was obstructed from view because her body stood at an angle. When she turned to face the fat man wedged into a corner, her features became clear. It was Vana.

“I’d say it just became our problem,” said Ciardis.

She heard Sebastian cursing beside her, “What does she think she’s doing?”

The fat man was still waving his hands about energetically. Whatever he was saying must not have satisfied Vana, because she heaved him up by the front of his jacket and tossed him over the shipyard ledge. They all watched, astonished, as he flailed and dropped screaming into the ocean below. And then Vana turned to face the thin man. He dispelled all pretenses of mounting a defense and dropped to his knees as he frantically pointed down at the pier. Straight at the three of them waiting below.

Vana turned a cautious head to where he was telling to her look and she smiled when she saw their little group down below. Stepping away from the kneeling men, she turned and ran down the long ramp to the shipyard pier as they watched the thin man sit back on his heels and sob, presumably in relief.

When Vana arrived, she said tersely to Ciardis, “Something arrived for you today.”

The three looked at each other as they said, “What?”

“Something important.”

“You came all the way down to the docks to look for us because a package arrived for me?” said Ciardis.

Vana leveled a glare at her and Ciardis nervously remembered that the woman was a walking knife collection.

“A package from an imperial messenger with the seal of the late princess heir on it,” said Vana slowly. As if they were the idiots for not being able to read her mind.

“Oh,” said Ciardis. “Yes, well, that could be important.”

“But something else has taken precedence,” said Sebastian.

Vana raised a questioning eyebrow.

Ciardis startled when Thanar raised his hand and snapped his fingers sharply at the loitering stable boy. With a hand gesture he motioned for the boy to bring their saddled stallion.

“Nervous?” said Vana with a sharp eye to Ciardis’s reactions.

Ciardis twitched but didn’t say anything.

“This time she has a right to be,” Thanar said, “We spoke with a mercenary handler. Found out that the boy, Thomas, is more than he seems—much more. He might have been behind the attacks.”

“Of course he was,” said Vana mildly. “But I take it from your tone he was involved in more than just the Inga incident?”

“Yes,” said Ciardis with a sigh. “We think he was responsible for the under-dragon, as well.”

Darkness flashed through Vana’s eyes. “And you’re still here because?”

Ciardis placed impatient hands on her waist. “Because these two idiots wanted to discuss how we would go about restraining and capturing him.”

Vana looked at Sebastian and Thanar in disgust, “Restraining? We kill him—simple as that.”

“Well,” Ciardis said, “I, too, was hoping we could at least
try
to capture him.”

“We could learn vital information from him, not the least of which is what he was doing with the princess heir and an under-dragon in the Ameles Forest,” said Sebastian.

“Not if he’s been fooling us this whole time,” Vana said flatly. “I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt before—an innocent boy who just stumbled into his talents as a mind mage. Now I know what he is: a cold-blooded assassin.”

She smiled a cold smile. “And the only assassin I like is me.”

Vana turned, whistled, and her roan mare galloped up to where she stood.

“Get back to the manor as soon as you can,” she said as she swung up to the saddle.

As she raced off, leaving them in the dust, they had no choice. Thanar took to the skies while Ciardis and Sebastian mounted up on the stallion.

It took them less than fifteen minutes to get back across town. When they arrived at the mansion they were met with the pleasant gazes of servants who offered to take their cloaks and prepare a light supper in the atrium, since the library had been completely demolished the night before. They all brusquely declined as they hurried inside and up the stairs to the residential suites. If Thomas was anywhere in the mansion it would be near the remaining members of the group.

Ciardis ran ahead and practically threw open the doors of the sitting room adjacent to her mother’s suite. Lillian whirled with a bow and arrow in her hand, she took in her out of breath daughter, the dark prince beside her, and the determined prince heir with sword drawn.

Looking around frantically, Ciardis didn’t see anyone else. Just all of their weapons lined up on a table.

“Mother, what’s going on? Where is he?”

Lillian frowned and lowered the weapon, “I was cleaning the weapons. And where is
who
?”

“Thomas,” said Sebastian as he came forward. Thanar proceeded to prowl about the room. “We believe he’s the threat. The one who was controlling the under-dragon’s actions.”

“That boy controlling the under-dragon?” said Lillian. “Preposterous. No human can control a dragon.”

“This one was his handler, giving him orders and gold in exchange for obedience,” said Thanar in irritation.

Lillian stood. “But why? Do you think he’s a member of the Shadow Council?”

“We have to find out,” Sebastian grimly.

“Now where is he, Mother?” Ciardis said as she quickly grabbed her glaive from the table.

At last Lillian replied, worry lines lacing her forehead, “He went to the eternity pool in the gardens with your brother. Caemon thought he could do with some fresh air.” Unfortunately Lillian couldn’t venture out to the grounds, as she was bound to the house by the shackle on her ankle.

Cursing Ciardis turned to rush down the stairs. She noted as she raced down the steps, the two males flying past her, that Vana wasn’t even in the manor. Which meant she had gone straight to the gardens.

“How did Vana know where to go?” she said.

“I don’t know,” said Sebastian grimly.

They exited out of the courtyard and Ciardis growled in frustration at the pretty topiary in front of her. It was deliberately constructed as a beautiful and intricate maze. Too intricate to get through as quickly as she needed. But Thanar didn’t hesitate; he was taking the more direct route. Grabbing her up in a hurry, he ran straight toward the iron metalwork that marked the garden entrance. Sebastian, too, was in no mood for a maze. He called upon his land powers and desolated the topiary that stood in his way for a straight run to the eternity pool. Jumping into the sky with Ciardis in his arms, Thanar crossed the distance in seconds.

As they landed she heard the voices of Caemon and Thomas from up ahead. Their speech was unintelligible from this distance though. Without pause Thanar threw Ciardis off to the side, where she landed with a startled yelp and bruised hip, leapt up, and raced through the covered entrance to the eternity pool, where he couldn’t fly.

As she ran in behind him, cloak flapping behind her, the voices stopped.

She had a moment to fear that Thomas knew they were coming but then she was inside.

Taking in the scene she saw with relief that Thomas and Caemon stood a few feet apart with Thanar closing in on them from near the doorway.  Unfortunately, Vana was nowhere to be found. Ciardis eased around the irate daemoni and toward Thomas.

“Thomas, we need to speak with you. No need to get angry. Let’s discuss this,” she said.

“Discuss what?”

Thanar snapped open a wing so sharply that he nearly knocked her off her feet. “Your betrayal for instance.”

“Somebody want to tell me what’s going on?” Caemon said nervously.

“He,” said Thanar, pointing at Thomas, “was implicated in the under-dragon’s attack. He was his handler and under direct instructions from his buyer.”

Thomas looked at them all. “You must be joking.”

Thanar looked at him with evil in his eyes.

“Surely you don’t all believe this,” Thomas said a little frantically. “Haven’t I proven myself to you? I don’t know anything about any attacks. From
anybody
.”

“So you say,” said Sebastian as he eased up next to her.

Thomas shook his head. “I only did what I was told...just the once in the ballroom. And I certainly had nothing to do with the under-dragon! How could I?”

He was shaking, “I’m just a young mage. I’m still learning. Please, you have to believe me. Why would a dragon want to work with
me
?”

“Not with you,” murmured Sebastian. “
For
you.”

Vana stepped forward through the doorway into the silence following Sebastian’s remark. “My, you’re certainly convincing.”

Thomas backed up against the wall of thick green ivy and began to edge over to the side.

He was shaking his head frantically back and forth.

Vana strode forward until she stood in the center of the green space in front of the eternity pool. Her stance put her squarely in the middle of the abode, twenty yards away from Ciardis and halfway to Thomas.

Thomas closed his eyes briefly and opened them again as he began to hyperventilate under the pressure. Vana paced in front of him like a cat waiting to devour her prey. Ciardis walked up, no closer than Vana’s invisible line in the grass, and stopped.

Her voice was cold. She’d given him one chance. The benefit of the doubt when no one else would. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

“Tell us who you are. Who you really are.”

Thomas gave a shaky laugh as he pushed his hands through his scattered hair. “I-I h-h-have told y-you.”

Anger built up inside of Ciardis. She was tired of the lies. She was tired of him hiding behind the veneer of a scared little boy when they all knew he was a man who’d ordered that vile under-dragon to attack them the previous night before. She’d stake her life on it. Not that Shiv was the most reliable of sources, but he had no reason to lie to them, either.

Then she calmed down. If she couldn’t force Thomas to tell the truth, then maybe tricking him into it was possible.

“There’s a way to clear this all up right now,” she said.

“There is?” said Thomas.

“Something I was introduced to in the north, truth serum. It’s a potion that can make anyone tell the truth. Because if they lie, their blood burns like fire,” she said. “Do you have any Vana?”

“Not on me,” said Vana.

“Well, perhaps there’s something in the house.” said Thomas.

Ciardis rested the blunt end of her glaive in the grass, “No, we should get this over with here. Now.”

Ciardis turned aside to Thanar and said conversationally, “The daemoni clans are infamous for their ability to produce almost the same qualities of the truth serum, but with just their touch, aren’t they?”

Ciardis was lying through her teeth. But hopefully Thomas wouldn’t know that.

Thanar’s eyes gleamed as he understood what she was asking. Thomas already feared Thanar after what the daemoni mage had done to him in the ballroom; this sort of dark magic would be far more painful and intrusive.

“Yes,” Thanar said carefully. “But it’s a bit more than just a touch.”

“What else does it involve?” Ciardis said.

“Well,” purred Thanar, “I would need a full blood connection to my disciple. Since we’ve known each other for such a short time, it will unfortunately require a lot of blood. I’d start by cutting five lines on each of his arms. Deep enough to have the grass run red but careful not to bisect any of his arteries. Then I would feast on the blood while pouring my own magic into his veins. The darkness will then take over the ether in his veins, forcing him to tell the truth unless he wants to feel as if his blood is calcifying. Then he will answer my queries.”

Ciardis blinked. That was quite the description. A shiver went down her back, reminding her that although she relied on this daemoni, he could be darkness incarnate when called upon.

Thomas looked like he’d seen a ghost. And Ciardis smelled the distinct odor of piss in the air.

“How appropriate,” Ciardis murmured loud enough for Thomas to hear while she gathered her wits. “Do you need anything else for this?”

“No,” said Thanar as he walked forward and pulled out a knife.

Thomas had stopped shaking now. Instead he stood petrified in place, gripping the green ivy behind him until the crushed vegetation in his hand stained his fingers green. Thomas was a weasel who’d finally been backed into a corner.