Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy) (46 page)

Surprised by the toilet and bath, she re-valued the room.
OK, so this
is
a really nice room.
“Big fire? Was the city burned then?”

Illari carefully moved her pack to the floor, grabbed the bed covers, held up his hand for attention and then rapidly whipped the covers off, revealing the cotton sheets. “See, no bugs. I pay good money to mages to keep this entire inn free of little biting things. I really do not like getting bit in the night.” Looking at her with an intensity only a true Gracian could get away with, he added, “Unless, of course, it was a beautiful lady such as yourself, doing the nibbling, aye?”

Ticca smiled and blushed, in spite of herself. She nodded and pulled out five bells. Handing them to the innkeeper, she said, “You won’t have that worry with me tonight. You said there was a fire?”

Illari’s smile never faded, but he shrugged with some disappointment and looked at the money. “I’ll give you your two rings’ change in the morning, Lady Ticca.” He flipped the covers back onto the bed. “Oh yes, we had a very big fire. It burned down six lovely homes before the guards and citizens got it out.”

“That sounds bad. Does it happen often here?”

Illari headed for the door. “Oh no, Lady Ticca, this is a nice, clean city. Sure, we have a fire from time to time, like everyone else, but this happened on a very windy night, which caused the fire to jump. If Magus Vestul had only been here, it probably wouldn’t have happened at all. But alas, he is traveling someplace romantic, I am sure, and he will be sad on his return.” He opened the door, handing her the key.

Alarm bells started ringing in her head. Keeping a casual tone, she asked, guessing at the coming answer, “Does Magus Vestul protect the city from fires?”

“No, Lady Ticca. You see, the fire started at his house, so if he had been here, he would have stopped it quickly, yes? Ring if you desire hot water or something from the kitchens… And of course, if you need me,” he said, giving her an obvious, intense look, “I’ll be downstairs.”

Ticca was too surprised to respond, which he must have taken for a gentle ‘no,’ because he gave her a friendly, crooked smile, shrugged again, and closed the door. She heard him humming the jaunty song the bard had been playing earlier, as he walked back down the hall.

Magus Vestul’s house burned down a week ago? That cannot be a coincidence.
She carefully closed and locked all the windows. Next, she closed all the shutters, but left just enough space to look out onto the street. She noticed a bell-pull by the door. She pulled it, and started taking some of her stuff out of the packs. A few minutes later, a soft knock came at the door. She opened it, and there was a kitchen girl there.
Well that tells me who the bell summons. I was worried it might be Illari.

The girl looked at her expectantly. “Yes lady, you need something?”

Ticca nodded. “May I have some hot water for a bath, and do you do laundry here?”

The girl nodded. “I’ll fire up your hot water, milady. It will take about twenty minutes to warm. I can do your laundry tonight, if you wish.”

Pulling out another bell, she handed it to the girl. “Yes to all of that, thank you. Is this enough?”

“Yes, lady, it is more than enough.”

“Ah, good. You may keep the rest.”

The girl did a little curtsy and smiled, running off down the hall. In thirty minutes, she came back with some towels, and showed Ticca how to open the hot water sluice from the boiler mounted on the roof. “I put a bucket of coal out for your boiler, lady, so it will stay warm all night. A boy keeps all the boilers full and stoked until late, and then checks early in the morning, so you’ll have really hot water in the morning. This here,” she pointed at another valve at the bottom of the tub, “will send the water into the sewer when you’re done.”

With that, Ticca stripped down, wrapped herself in one of the towels, and gave her clothes to the girl, who promised to have them clean in the morning. Once the girl was gone, Ticca locked the door and took her knives into the bathroom, putting them on the cabinet, close at hand. She then grabbed one of the Llino tobac shop cigars, putting it on the bath table, too. Testing the water, she found it was surprisingly hot, and she added a little cold water to make it just right. Letting the towel drop to the floor, she climbed slowly into the hot tub, and let herself enjoy it for a few minutes.

She scrubbed herself down, drained the dirty water, and then opened the hot water again and filled the tub a second time. Taking the cigar, she bit the end off and lit it from the table lamp, and again, climbed into the hot tub. Leaning back, she relaxed, enjoying the cigar and the bath’s heat soaking in. When the cigar was long finished and the water started getting cool, she got out and drained the tub. She dried herself with the other towel and took her knives out to the main room.

She dressed in her only clean clothes and slipped the boots back on. Taking all her gear, she arranged it around the room, with her knives out and ready. She climbed into the comfortable bed and fell asleep, feeling very relaxed and comfortable.

- - -

She was sitting by the silver lake at the edge of Rea-Na-Rey. The sky was clear, and the moons were reflected in the calm waters. Next to her, sat Kliasa, who was staring out over the waters.

“Hello Kliasa.”

“Ticca, I am worried for you.”

“Yes, I know. I have walked into a trap, and only appear free at the moment; it can close at any time.”

Kliasa nodded, turning to her. “I saw through you, the bard. She is Nhia-Samri, as you guess. You are in extreme danger. They have been waiting for you, and have already destroyed Magus Vestul’s home.”

Ticca sighed. “Yes, I expected this, which is why I asked Lebuin and Ditani to stay in the forest. We need to know what is happening.” Turning to sit facing Kliasa, she continued, “I have lived most of your life with you, but you have withheld some things. Your love is Shar-Lumen, the Grand Warlord of the Nhia-Samri, isn’t he?”

Kliasa nodded. “You figured it out, but you have shared a large part of my life, and you know me better than anyone except the Gods, themselves. You have seen Shar-Lumen before he became evil. You have seen the wonders he has done and the good man that he was.”

Ticca didn’t answer; she waited. Kliasa looked up at the stars. “This is painful to share.”

“They are going to try to kill us. Why?”

“It was only after your fight at the gate that I knew the Nhia-Samri were involved. I cannot answer your question, because I do not know. In fact, no one knew until your actions exposed them. Before you go further, you need to see three things. Then I shall hide nothing more of my past from you. You may then ask, knowing I will answer, if I can. This will be painful to you, too. Once you see, you cannot forget it. You must be strong.”

Ticca thought about it, deciding that, painful or not, it was necessary. “Kliasa, I love you as a sister. I am sorry, but I must know.”

Kliasa nodded, and her face grew tense as she steeled herself.
Lady, what have I asked, that she is so afraid of, even now that she is beyond?
Ticca felt her own palms sweating as her heart raced in anticipation. The world shifted.

They were sitting at the high table in the middle of a solstice feast. Elves brought dishes of fine foods, and dancers were entertaining the crowd. Kliasa was next to her.

“This is the beginning of the Nhia-Samri.” Kliasa pointed at a group of men. The men had shaved heads and wore white, loose clothing and saffron sashes over one shoulder. They sat, enjoying the dancers, and were eating very little of the fare. What they did eat were only vegetables and fruits. Shar-Lumen was speaking with the leader. Shar-Lumen stood as the dancers stopped, and stripped to his waist, pulling two knives. The men did the same. They stepped to the center of the circle of tables and began a knife fight demonstration.

Kliasa sighed happily as Shar-Lumen held off two, then three, then four of the men. Then the fighting stopped, and the master of the men stepped up, bowed to Shar-Lumen, and produced two knives. They fought to the cheers of the crowd, except that Shar-Lumen was forced to back up a step. The elves gasped, and then the man started fighting differently, and Shar-Lumen was put on the defensive until finally, he was disarmed. The elves applauded, and Shar-Lumen bowed to the master, smiling and laughing. He joined them as they sat and began eating fruits again. Shar-Lumen was talking intensely with the master of the group, who considered what was said.

Kliasa explained, “They call themselves monks. They value life and honor above all else. They know many fighting forms, and that was a demonstration of a very old style that was thought lost from this world. They are peaceful, loving people whom the elves respect. Shar-Lumen left with them to learn their ways. He wasn’t exactly pleased at being beat this night. He is a very proud man, but at this time, he was also willing to admit when he was wrong, and to learn from it. It was in their home, he found the old tombs that spoke of men called Samri that held honor above all else. These men ruled for millennia, calling themselves Warlords. Shar-Lumen decided he liked it so much, he adopted all of it and began building a vast empire of Samri. Nhia is an ancient name of this world, so he called them Nhia-Samri or Samri of Nhia.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t explain the evil. Losing at a fight, and getting taught the new techniques, does not make someone evil.”

Kliasa sighed. “No, but you need to know that the Nhia-Samri hold honor above all else. They are still trained and conditioned to follow the original pattern of the old Samri. It is the Grand Warlord who sets the tone for all. So long as he acts honorably within their code, they will follow him to their deaths.”

Kliasa looked down, her lips going white, and her face tense. “Now, I will show you the seed of evil and the evil itself. Are you sure?”

Do I really need to see this? She is very worried it will ruin me. ‘Knowledge is your greatest weapon,’ said her trainer’s voice.
Looking at Kliasa, she nodded yes. Kliasa closed her eyes, and tears appeared. Before the tears slid down her cheeks, the scene had changed.

It was the winter solstice celebration, with all the elves laughing and drinking sharre. Kliasa was again seated at the high table. Ticca, however, was off to the side on a small hill, overlooking the scene. She was a little confused, and then she saw it:

Silently, a guard was knifed from behind. Ticca looked around, and the entire area was surrounded by ugly brutish warriors. They were slightly shorter than the elves with misshapen mouths, twisted yellowish teeth, and flattened foreheads; they all had irregular fangs and were heavily muscled beast like men covered with lumpy boils and scares. The brutes were running into the crowd, stabbing everyone in range. A whole group of them swept the high table, grabbing everyone there and dragging them off, screaming. The elves regrouped and retaliated quickly. All had blades out, and the sound of intense fighting replaced the happy music of the celebration. The elves and brutish warriors fought hard, and apparently, evenly. The elves fought with grace and skill. The brutish warriors fought with force and superior speed.

Kliasa was being dragged off, along with the elven lords and ladies. A detachment of elven warriors intercepted them as Ticca ran to see what was happening. The fighting was horribly bloody, and all but three of the high table occupants were freed. Kliasa was not one of them. She had been carried off by a small group, in a different direction; Ticca followed them, her heart racing.

They carried Kliasa into the forest, kicking and screaming, as she tried to use her magic. Finally, when they were a long way from the city, one of them laughed and pointed at Kliasa. Ticca didn’t understand what he said, but she screamed when the brutes began to beat and play with Kliasa, like a toy. Ticca tried to attack them, but her attacks simply passed through the warriors; she was only an observer.

Waves of horror tore through Ticca’s wretched heart. Sweat oozed from every pore in her body as the adrenaline poured into her bloodstream. She sobbed as she watched Kliasa brutally raped and tortured. Her heart felt such agony, she wasn’t sure she could survive the stress.

The more Kliasa fought, the happier the brutish warriors became. It didn’t stop with that first attack. When they stopped to rest, as they traveled, over and over again, the brutes played with her. Ticca followed them for three days, suffering Kliasa’s pain with every breath she took. Eventually, they came to a mountain village filled with ugly creatures like the brutish warriors. They carried Kliasa, beaten, bleeding, and broken-spirited, to a large, central building with a cavernous entrance and a bonfire burning in the center. Kliasa was tossed to the ground in front of the leader.

The leader laughed and grabbed her by the hair. Kliasa made a gesture, and a magical blast burned the front of the leader’s body. He laughed and began his own torture, raping her again on the spot, to the cheers of all the creatures present. It was then that a cry came from outside, and fighting was heard.

The leader grabbed a sword and stabbed Kliasa through the stomach. He threw her, screaming, into the fire. Ticca fell to her knees, her soul screaming out for mercy. She heaved, but her empty stomach had nothing to send forth. The pounding of her heart was only intensified by the crushing sensation in her chest. The sound of her heartbeat was deafening in her ears. Ticca’s body convulsed with sobs, as she watched what her mind didn’t want to comprehend.