The Last Whisper of the Gods (17 page)

When he was done, Kara nodded. “That’s more than I would have expected him to say at this juncture. But he knows the schedule better than anyone, so who am I to question his decision?”

“Who is my father?” How much of the truth about his past hinged on that question?

“Warburm described him as well as I could. Very dark. Very mysterious. Very alluring, at least at one time. Not so much in his later years. The nights we spent together - nights designated for your conception - weren’t romantic. We were there because of duty, acting out of necessity not desire. It was never intended that we would be together, and we neither knew nor liked each other enough to want that. I haven’t seen him since shortly after you were born. There was a… disagreement… about how we should move forward and when he was overruled, he took it personally and went back to a reclusive existence.”

“His name?”

“Warburm had a reason not to tell you, although I’m not sure what it is. I’ll honor that for now. It would mean nothing to you but there are places in this world where speaking it could make you a target.”

“Did my father know him?” asked Alicia.

Kara considered, sorting through memories. “I don’t think so. It’s hard to remember who became involved at what time. Carannan knew
of
Sorial’s father, but I don’t think the two met.”

“Was Sorial’s father high-born?”

“Not in the conventional sense. There wasn’t much about him that was conventional. But he had very old, respected bloodlines. Is it important?”

“Just a thought… a possibility. It may be nothing.”

Sorial glanced at her, wondering if the same idea had occurred to her as to him. Were the two of them acting out a story that had been plotted before they were born?

“You knew Alicia and I would meet, didn’t you?” asked Sorial.

“Knew? No. Nothing is certain now that the gods no longer rule in the heavens. In some ways, you two are horribly mismatched. The class difference isn’t easily overcome. And there’s the matter of the betrothal.”

“Do you know who Alicia’s intended is?”

“It’s a closely guarded secret.”

“That ain’t an answer.”

“It’s the only one I can give at this time.”

Sorial had danced these steps with his mother before and knew she wouldn’t relent. She would risk his offense rather than give up her secret. This time, he could live with that.

“Warburm’s secret society - what’s its purpose?”

“You make it sound so sinister, Sorial. It isn’t. We’re just a group of people joined by a common goal. We were given knowledge about what’s coming and chose to prepare rather than run and hide.”

“You mean you knew about the heat wave beforehand?”

“Not specifically. We knew there would be a crisis. So we acted then, as we act now, to guide this world through it. Can you understand why your desires and mine are of so little account? We’re talking about thousands upon thousands of people’s lives, not just one or two.”

Sorial took a moment to ponder. He was a tool, conceived and bred for a specific purpose. Yet that purpose remained hidden.

Kara continued, “Let me make a request of you both. Don’t act rashly. Whatever you decide, and however you elect to proceed, wait until after Alicia has reached her Maturity. Trust me when I say this is the best way.”

“And what of Lamanar?” asked Sorial. “What’s his role in this? I know he brung you and me to Vantok. But what makes him so loyal and bitter at the same time?”

Kara sighed. “Lamanar’s story is his to tell, and no one can speak for him. I daresay one day you’ll know it. For now, all I can advise is not to judge him too harshly.”

Sorial and Alicia remained a little longer with Kara, but the conversation moved to more general topics. Concerns about Alicia’s escort cut short the visit.

When it was time to depart, Alicia said farewell and stepped outside to give mother and son a chance to take their leave of one another.

“I’m glad you came, Sorial. Will you come back to see me from time-to-time?”

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be in Vantok. It may depend on Alicia. If we decide to run away together…”

“Don’t act rashly,” she repeated. “Remember what I said. I know patience is difficult, but you may find it rewarding in this case.”

“Take care, Mother. I’m sorry for any grief I caused you. And I’ll come back when I can.”

The return journey to the duke’s estate was brutal with the unrelenting sun beating down on the party. They exhausted the water they had brought with them and the last drops were so hot they almost burned their throats and offered little in the way of relief.

“I feel for your mother,” said Alicia as they made their way through the deserted city streets. She chose her words carefully, mindful that Vagrum and the two soldiers could hear her.

“Warburm was right. I was too hard on her.”

“Yes, but how was a simple stableboy to know better?” Alicia’s light tone belied any cruelty in the words. “But now she’s afraid - afraid a wrong decision by you might undo everything she’s sacrificed for.”

“It ain’t so much what she said as what she didn’t. Maybe if she told us everything, we could …”

“She didn’t tell us because she believes that by telling us she’ll increase the chance of failure. That makes me nervous about what lies ahead.”

They spoke no more during the trip. As much as they trusted their escort with their lives, these men wouldn’t keep their confidences. And the plans Sorial and Alicia were devising weren’t things they wanted anyone, especially her father, privy to. 

Sorial was a light sleeper. He always had been. So he was wide awake and tensed for action when the figure came toward him through the darkness of the guards’ barracks. As a hand stretched for his shoulder, he reached out and grabbed it firmly, eliciting a sharp intake of breath and a barely audible cry of pain from Alicia.

“Damn,” muttered Sorial, keeping his voice low so as not to awaken the other men struggling to sleep in the stifling heat. The barracks weren't as full as they would have been during normal weather conditions. The majority of the duke’s men chose to sleep outside where it was less oppressive. Sorial preferred the minimal comfort afforded by a bed - he had experience sleeping through warmth that others found unbearable.

Alicia rubbed her bruised arm, said something decidedly unladylike under her breath, and led him out the back door under the stars. She kept walking until they were a fair distance away from the barracks and any of the men who might be on patrol.

“I didn’t know seeing you alone was going to be so painful. You’re a brute. It’s a good thing I didn’t try to slide into bed with you,” she said.

“Sorry. Didn’t know it was you. As a rule I don’t trust people who come up on me in the dark.”

“I guess it’s my fault. I did this on impulse and it wasn’t well thought out. I was so pleased about getting past Vagrum without being caught that I didn’t consider the ramifications of sneaking up on you.” She continued to rub the area of her arm where he had grabbed her.

“Why are you here?” asked Sorial.

She was irritated by his obtuseness. “Isn’t that what lovers do when there are always eyes watching? Sneak out to see one another?”

“We ain’t lovers.”

His statement of the obvious didn’t improve Alicia’s mood. “No, we’re not. And with your attitude, we’re never going to be. I don’t know why I bothered.”

Sorial couldn’t see her in the dark. It was a moonless light and the stars offered scant illumination. But he could tell from the tone of her voice that she was unhappy with him. He suspected if he could see her, those eyes would be flashing the way they often did. “Sorry,” he murmured.

“Stop apologizing,” she snapped. “I’m here because I wondered whether you wanted to go swimming with me. It’s too damn hot to sleep and I thought we could wander down to the river and have a little adventure.”

“Your father wouldn’t approve.”

“No he wouldn’t,” agreed Alicia. “Which is why I didn’t ask permission. I could have done this the proper way and brought Vagrum with me, but then you wouldn’t have been invited along.”

Sorial didn’t say anything. He knew what his responsibility as a member of Carannan’s militia required of him at the moment - to politely decline Alicia’s offer, escort her back to the mansion, and awaken Vagrum to accompany her. But that’s not what he wanted. Of course, he had little doubt that if they were discovered, the consequences would be dire, if not for her then at least for him.

He decided to turn his back on caution. Rexall, he mused, would be proud. “Okay, but we have to be careful. There ain’t no one patrolling near the river at this time of night, but there are four men stationed near the house.”

They made their way quietly across the grounds to the fields beyond. Although they didn’t see anyone in the blackness, the sounds of booted footfalls allowed them to pinpoint the location of nearby guards. Since the men on patrol weren’t trying to be quiet, they were easily avoided. Sorial thought he might want to mention this to Sergeant Rotgut, although he wasn’t sure how to phrase the concern without implicating himself.

Alicia took his hand in her much smaller one. While his was cool and a little clammy, hers was reassuringly warm.

They reached the river with little difficulty despite the absence of moonlight - the ground was even and relatively free of holes, limiting the likelihood of a stumble or turned ankle. By starlight, the water was a deep, impenetrable black - an inky scar cutting through the gray of the land surrounding it. Sorial could hear it gurgling as it wended its way toward the areas of public bathing to the south. It was the only sound. The normal Summer nighttime activity of crickets and locusts had been suppressed by the heat. There was no insect life to serenade them. It was eerie.

Alicia disengaged her hand from his so she could doff her clothing and footwear. Moments later, he heard the telltale sounds of water splashing as she entered the river. Sorial felt a brief surge of panic. What if something happened to her while they were out here alone? Even now, he could barely see her and she was close.

“Are you coming in?” asked Alicia. In the relative stillness of the night, her voice sounded unnaturally loud and Sorial wondered if it might carry all the way to the patrolling guards. He quickly stripped and joined her in the water.

There was a brief shock as cool water met warm skin. Although Vantok was trapped in a heat bubble, the areas to the north, where the flow originated, weren’t. The water temperature was one reason why the public baths were overcrowded. For those without cellars, the river, regardless of how dirty it might be, was their only relief.

Standing nearby, Alicia turned to face him and reached out one hand to trace a line across his muscled chest, which remained above the waterline.

“You know, when I first saw you, that day in the stable, I thought you had a wonderful chest. I guess it’s all that work, giving you those muscles. Hard, strong muscles.”

Sorial swallowed. At the moment, his pectorals weren’t the only things that were hard.

Alicia knew the effect she was having on him. She didn’t have much experience with men, but long discussions with her parents’ serving girls had provided her with a treasure trove of useful information.

“This is nice.” She bent her knees so she was under water up to her neck. “I don’t like the water when it’s too cold. Makes my skin come all over in little pimples. But this is perfect, and it’s so much more pleasant at night. Peaceful. Quiet.”

“It’s better because we ain’t supposed to be here.” It was a lesson he’d learned from Rexall.

“There’s that,” acknowledged Alicia. “I don’t get enough chances to do things I’m not supposed to. I find little ways to rebel, but never anything more serious than what would earn me a scolding.”

Sorial wondered what Alicia would considered rebelling.

“Did you and Annie ever fuck in the water?” she asked suddenly.

Sorial blushed, although the darkness hid the reddening of his features as he remembered one afternoon they had spent together mostly submerged in the middle of the river. “Not quite. I didn’t last long enough for that.”

He could tell more by sound than sight that Alicia was moving behind him. She pressed her naked flesh against his back. He could feel the softness of her breasts and the hard nubs of her nipples. She leaned into him and whispered. “Hmmm. I wonder if your stamina has improved.” Her breath was warm against his skin.

At that moment, distant but distinct, came the sound of a musket shot, followed by additional reports. In response, Sorial’s erection wilted. Grabbing Alicia by the arm, he vaulted out of the water, dragging her with him. She let out a yelp of indignation.

“That was too close to be anywhere but your father’s mansion!” he exclaimed, pulling on his trousers and handing her her shift. “We’ve got to get back. Fast.” More shots rang out. There were shouts of alarm and the clamor of conflict.

After dressing, they ran, with Sorial gripping her hand tightly so he didn’t lose her in the darkness. He cursed himself for having left his daggers behind, but he hadn’t been expecting to go on this little adventure when Alicia had lured him outside. He had become sufficiently proficient with them to give a good accounting of himself in a battle if it came to that, but they were under his bunk in the barracks.

The area surrounding the mansion was ablaze with light from torches and lanterns and the whole of the guard corps was mustered alongside the duke and Vagrum. By the time Sorial and Alicia arrived, the disturbance was over. Two guards had suffered minor injuries - one to the arm and one to the calf, apparently from musket balls - and four interlopers were dead. Their bodies lay near the entrance to the barracks, not en route to the mansion. They were dressed identically to the attackers at the stable.

In the chaos, Sorial and Alicia were able to separate. She slipped through the capering shadows toward the house while Sorial made his way closer to the corpses to get a better look. The guards fanned out to search the property. As soon as Vagrum saw Sorial, he headed straight for him. The big man’s visage was dark, a mixture of anger and anxiety.

“She was with you?” he demanded, his meaty hand on the pommel of his sheathed sword.

Sorial nodded. “Down by the river. She weren’t here when it happened.”

“And now?”

“She’s inside. Safe.”

The duke, seeing them talking, came over. “Did you find her?”

“The lad says she’s safe inside.”

“All right,” said Carannan, relief crossing his features. “Go inside and watch over her. I don’t blame you for this, Vagrum. You need sleep like the rest of us. She’s strong-willed; short of locking her in her room, there’s nothing you could have done to prevent this.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“I’d be careful about making assurances like that where Alicia’s involved. It probably will happen again.”

“What about him?” asked Vagrum, cocking a thumb at Sorial, who was studying a patch of ground as if it was the most interesting thing imaginable.

“Let me handle that,” said Carannan. “You go to Alicia. Tell her that she and I are going to have a little discussion about her unwillingness to obey certain rules.”

I find little ways to rebel, but never anything more serious than what would earn me a scolding.

Vagrum nodded briskly then moved toward the mansion at a jog, leaving Sorial and Carannan alone except for the small ring of guards standing at a discrete distance.

“Sir, I…” began Sorial, wondering if offering his resignation might be the best way to start.

“Recognize them?” asked Carannan, pointing at one of the corpses with a booted toe. The man’s head had nearly been severed from its body at the neck, but there was no mistaking the clothing.

“The ones from the inn.”

Carannan nodded. “They weren’t here to attack the mansion. They weren’t after me. They were headed for the barracks and, if most of the guards hadn’t been sleeping outside, they would have gotten there uncontested. Now, I ask myself, why would a group of four men carrying muskets and pistols make a stealth run at my barracks? Even if they had gotten inside, they couldn’t have killed many men before being overwhelmed. So what was the purpose? Any ideas?”

“They were after me.”

“That’s what I think and, when I present the situation to Warburm, he’ll agree with me. You were the target. But then… you weren’t there, were you?”

“No, sir.”

“I gather from your bedraggled appearance you were at the river, and I have no doubt who plotted this escapade. My daughter spends her days trying to come up with ways to flout the rules I set for her. But tonight… Had she been in the house with Vagrum, she would have been safe. Being with you, especially away from your fellow guards, put her in grave danger. What if they had arrived earlier and saw the two of you departing? You would have made their job that much easier. Sorial, I know Alicia can be persuasive, but I expect more of you. You’ve disappointed me.”

Sorial felt the sting of shame. The measured tone in which Carannan addressed him made it worse. “Sir, I’ll resign in the morning, or now if you prefer.”

“I don’t want your resignation.” The duke appeared taken aback by the suggestion. “In fact, now more than ever, you need what we can provide for you here. They’ve come after you twice, so it’s reasonable to expect them to try again. You need to continue your training and, more than that, you need comrades who’ll fight by your side. That’s what this is all about. You made a mistake and you’ll be disciplined for it, but I wouldn’t put you in jeopardy by turning you out.”

“But I put Alicia’s life in danger.”

“Yes you did. But not intentionally. And I have to trust you’ve learned from this experience and won’t do anything like that again. I’m not going to forbid you to see each other. That would be counterproductive and encourage my daughter to come up with convoluted schemes to get around the prohibition. You two are friends; I understand that. And the gods know Alicia needs a friend of her own age, if not class. I won’t oppose your friendship as long as I have no reason to. But there must be no more incidents like this one. Am I understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. Now consider yourself under house arrest. I don’t have anyone to spare watching you, so take yourself to your bunk. I’ll inform you of your punishment in the morning.”

Wracked with guilt at what might have happened, Sorial didn’t sleep the entire night. Carannan had painted a startling picture. What if he and Alicia had been followed to the riverbank? They’d both be dead. The assassins had been after him, but it seemed unlikely they would have spared her. Visnisk had paid the price of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Eventually, the commotion died down. The injured guards were taken into the city to see a healer and the bodies were carted away by the Watch for further investigation. Patrols continued by all able-bodied man until after dawn to ensure no assassins were lurking in the area.