Empire of Ashes

Chapter XXXVIII - Hired Knives

"Oh," I said. "Oh, well, I suppose that makes sense."

Melia didn't seem to agree. She scuttled behind Colloe like a spooked animal, all nerves and fear. Ark's eyes followed her as keenly as a hawk tracking prey, but Saqui cast his eyes away - could he be ashamed? Glyn's face didn't budge from its usual surliness, and the Iyrak wrenched at my grip, not trying to break it, just asking to be released. I did no such thing.

"What did they tell you?" Tem asked, showing nothing but mild interest.

"Nothing but lies," I spat. "They said they were envoys from their... I don't know, it was some foreign word."

"Envoys?" he repeated and laughed. Ark used his distraction as an opportunity to lift his blade an inch higher. He frowned when the warlord was too busy laughing to react.

In a voice like liquid thunder, Saqui said, "You would do well to control yourself, Ragnyrsbane."

Now that he had dropped the envoy act, his Anglian was as fluid and smooth as my own. I suspected Ark would be the same. There wasn't any hint of an accent, either. They must have been utterly dedicated to covering their tracks.

"And you would do well to see the irony of this," Tem mocked him, his smile dying on his face. "That we would bump into you here, of all places... It almost defies belief. Really, I am beginning to doubt that this is coincidence."

Saqui and Ark exchanged a bemused glance. Clearly, they thought it was coincidence.

I did not.

"No," he agreed. "If you had been seeking us out, we would not have seen you coming. But perhaps we are walking the same path in reverse? This village ... it's nowhere. A person would not find themselves here unless they intended to travel through the Pass. And why would a person want to do that, in these troubled times? Rats run away from flames, not towards them, and human beings are not so very different from rats."

"I don't like word games," Saqui snapped.

Ark's eyes widened in surprise and twitched towards his friend. He didn't quite look away from Tem, but his body had betrayed itself. Did that tightening of his mouth council restraint and caution, or something else entirely? Saqui must have understood, but I had known the man barely half an hour.

"I will ask it plainly, then. Were you sent to kill me?" Tem asked. He did not sound offended or even bothered, but I saw a glint of interest in his eyes. He let the tip of his blade fall into the dirt. "Yes, I assume? Good. I'll make it easy for you."

Ark frowned, but he didn't move a muscle.

"Temris," Colloe blurted furiously, and once again wrenched at my hold. This time, I let him break it, although he only took a single step closer before Saqui blocked his way, the knives in his fingers dancing a warning tune.

I tried to process Tem's assumption. Of course, Herox didn't expect him to obey the summons. Herox needed assurance that he would answer for his crimes, one way or another. It made such horrible sense. I realised my hands were shaking and tucked them beneath my cloak.

"Ragnyr," the Iyrak began, quiet as a shadow, "what would you have of me?"

I heard the unspoken words. Please don't ask me to watch you die.

Tem didn't even bother to glance at him. "Fetch Anlai for me. There's no rush. If he's drunk off his arse, bring Fendur along. Oh, and you can arm Lyra."

"Ragnyr," Colloe dared to breathe.

"I will not ask twice," the warlord snapped. Heartless. He had always been heartless about these things. One day, I thought, that determination to do the necessary thing might come back to bite him. He didn't wait to see if Colloe would obey before asking Ark, "So? Are you going to kill me, or can we put all this unpleasantness behind us?"