In Legend Born (74 page)

She said, "Not unless you can get his
shir
back from Kiloran and bring it to me close to the anniversary of his death."

"Of course. I'll just ask Kiloran for it when we meet in Idalar," he said dryly.

Her smile was wry. "
He
hasn't forgiven you, of course."

"He hasn't forgiven the Sister who spanked him when he was born."

She laughed at that. He wasn't sure, but he thought it was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh.

Realizing that she must be very tired and eager to retire, he thought he'd better find out why she had come here. So he asked.

She sobered instantly. "There's finally news from Shaljir. It's very bad."

Elelar is dead.

He couldn't even breathe. "Go on." His voice was tight and hard.

"The
torena
is in prison. The house has been ransacked. It's not certain how much the Outlookers know, but they've obviously learned enough to arrest the wife of a Valdan."

"Half-Valdan," he said absently, hearing the relieved pounding of his own heart. Would Elelar freeze with horror if news of
his
death were brought to
her?
Hah! He'd be a fool to hope so. "How did you learn this?"

"Derlen. He, his young son, and the servants who worked with Elelar were in the house when the Outlookers began searching it. They escaped." She fixed him with an interested stare. "They fled into underground tunnels that you apparently know all about."

"Did Derlen tell you what they found down there?" he asked carefully.

"Beyah-Olvari." Seeing the confirmation in his expression, she breathed, "So it's true."

"You doubted him?"

She shrugged. "Well, no one could be less given to flights of imagination than Derlen... But it sounded so incredible."

"Josarian knows, too, but no one else. We must protect them for now."

She nodded, understanding. "Derlen and the others stayed in the tunnels for many days. The
torena
was arrested and imprisoned upon entering Shaljir, before anyone could warn her. Then the Alliance in Shaljir ceased all activity while they tried to determine who else was being watched. The Outlookers searched the city high and low for Derlen and the others, and no one could leave by the city gates or the port without a thorough search and interrogation." She smiled as she added, "They finally disguised Derlen and his boy as sea-born, so he could escape Shaljir on a fishing boat."

"They've tattooed him?" It was a custom the sea-born folk had adopted from the Moorlanders many centuries ago.

"No, just painted him. He found it humiliating, nonetheless. Derlen's dignity is
very
important to him." She clearly enjoyed the image of Derlen covered in fake tattoos. "Anyhow, he sought me as soon as he was free and back on land."

"Elelar was definitely still alive when Derlen left Shaljir?" Mirabar would have told him if Derlen had said otherwise, but he had to be sure.

"Yes."

"Why?" he asked. "If the Valdani know—"

"Her husband's family have requested a trial. Apparently this means exchanging dispatches with the Imperial Council and, if the request is granted, sending Elelar to Valda."

"Her
husband's
family?"

"Perhaps she convinced her husband she was innocent," Mirabar said. "I have observed that men's brains often go numb in the
torena
's presence."

"True enough." He decided not to wonder—let alone ask—if she included him in that observation. "But surely that would only increase Borell's interest in killing her. He can't afford a trial. It would expose him, too."

"The husband's family knows it. They're evidently prepared to charge Borell with Elelar's murder should anything happen to her before her trial—if she's granted one."

"And if she is denied a trial?"

Mirabar hesitated before saying in a subdued voice, "It's assumed she'll be interrogated and executed."

Tansen had expected this answer, but even so, his blood ran cold at the thought of what Elelar's captors would do to her. "Where is she being held?"

"The old Kintish prison in Shaljir, across from Outlooker headquarters." Mirabar paused, then said, "The rebels can't attack Shaljir, Tansen. We're not ready."

"I know."

An expression of dread spread slowly across her face. "You can't free her. You must know that. No man could—"

"I'm a
shatai
," he said tersely. "I can do what other men can't."

"
Your
brain is useless, too, where she's concerned," Mirabar said angrily. As Tansen rose to his feet, she added, "Come back here!" She jumped up and followed him as he walked away. "This isn't settled!"

"Yes, it is."

"What are you going to do?" she demanded.

"Leave."

"Right
now?
"

He met her gaze. "You didn't really think I'd just go to sleep and hope for the best, did you?"

"You're going to Shaljir?"

"By way of Idalar. Josarian will be there, meeting with Kiloran. He expects me to be there, too."

"Tansen..." She obviously tried to control her temper and reason with him. "You know better than to risk everything for a personal—"

"It isn't personal," he lied. "Elelar is too valuable to leave rotting in a Valdani prison. Josarian wouldn't leave his friends to die in prison at Britar, and I won't leave one of the most important assets of the rebellion in prison in Shaljir until Borell and Koroll think it's safe to slaughter her."

"You have responsibilities that—"

"
I
decide my responsibilities,
sirana
." He suddenly recalled Josarian once saying something similar to Elelar.

He left Mirabar cursing under the stars as he stalked into a cave to gather his things. When Lann awoke, he told him he was restless and would leave tonight for Idalar. His tone prohibited argument.

Back outside, Mirabar stood waiting for him, her satchel slung over her shoulder.

"Where do you think
you're
going?" he demanded.

"With you."

"No," he said firmly. "I don't need a nagging woman on my back from here to Idalar."

She gritted her teeth. "I am a Guardian of the Otherworld, gifted by Dar Herself, blessed with visions of prophecy, and
you
should be a little more respectful."

"You won't be able to talk me out of this," he said. "You and Josarian
together
won't be able to talk me out of this."

"Then I'm apparently doomed to help you."

"I don't want your—"

"I don't care what you want. I risked my life searching half of Sileria for you. I'm not about to hand you over to the Otherworld until you've finished your work in this one!"

"Najdan won't like this," he warned her. The assassin who guarded Mirabar's safety took his role very seriously.

"Najdan will catch up with me later."

Tansen made one last effort to get rid of her. "Descending Niran in the dark is dangerous. And I won't help you or hold your hand."

She glared at him. "Haven't you heard? Demons can see in the dark."

Chapter Thirty

"
You knew?
" Tansen snarled at Josarian. "You
knew
, and you didn't send a runner to Mount Niran?"

Josarian made a helpless gesture, his expression softened by a pity that infuriated Tansen. "Faradar says Elelar was seized just before the twin-moon. The Valdani surely killed her long before Faradar finally found us at Dalish—"

"Derlen has recently escaped from Shaljir with news that Elelar is still alive."

Josarian's face revealed his astonishment. "Why?"

Tansen briefly explained what Mirabar had related to him. They were staying in Kiloran's camp near Idalar. The country around here was swarming with Outlookers, but the camp was well protected by
shallaheen
, assassins, and water magic. Since it behooved the rebel leaders to keep their meetings secret, the information they'd leaked to the Outlookers suggested that Tansen was somewhere in the west, Josarian was still at Dalishar, and Kiloran was near Alizar. 

"Alive," Josarian said at last. "Tan... we cannot attack Shaljir. Not yet."

"Have I asked you to?"

"You're going anyhow, aren't you?"

"Yes." And he'd knock Josarian unconscious if he tried to stop him.

He should have known better.

"I'll come with you," Josarian said.

Damn. "
No.
"

"You came with me to Britar."

"This is different."

"Not that different."

"Times have changed," said Tansen.

"You mustn't go al—"

Someone said, "I'll go with him."

They both whirled to confront the man who had intruded on their conversation. Josarian relaxed when he saw it was his cousin. Tansen eyed Zimran without trust or favor.

"No, I'll go," Josarian said. "It is a brother's du—"

"You've got to work on the lowlanders," Tansen reminded him. "We need them, and they're stalling."

"When we get back," Josarian assured him.

"You're not coming with me," Tansen insisted. "You're too important to risk in a jailbreak in Shaljir."

"So are you, but you're going," said his brother.

He knew that Josarian knew it wasn't a decision based on loyalty to an ally. Unlike Mirabar, though, Josarian didn't criticize him for letting his head be ruled by... something else. Darfire, that girl had a tongue like a
shir!
And she had cut him with it all the way from Niran to Idalar. She thought she was coming to Shaljir with him, too, but he'd slit his own throat before he'd put up with her
and
Elelar at the same time. Besides, this was going to be tricky enough without trying to sneak the most easily-identified rebel in Sileria through the city gates. The Valdani had a description of Mirabar, and there was no denying how much she stood out in a crowd.

Cooling his temper, Tansen said to Josarian, "You and I can't both go, and you know it."

Josarian started to argue, but Zimran interrupted him.

"Tansen is right," he said. "So I will go in your place, Josarian, as is my duty, since we are blood, too. By birth."

Tansen ignored the less-than-subtle posturing. He was Josarian's closest living male relative now, and Zimran knew it. He wasn't going to lower himself by jousting about it.

Moved by Zimran's gesture and wholly unsuspicious of its motives, Josarian swallowed hard, agreed to the plan, and embraced his cousin. Tansen tried not to roll his eyes. However, he realized he was hardly in a position to question or ridicule Zimran's motives for going to Shaljir. He didn't want Zim's company, but he supposed that he might need some help for this reckless scheme. At least this way, he wouldn't have to waste any more precious time arguing with Josarian.

"I'll need a woman with me, too," he said. "But not Mirabar."

"Faradar will want to go," Josarian said.

"Then she'll need to get ready right now. I'm not staying."

"Zim," Josarian said. "Will you go tell her?"

After Zimran had left them alone, Tansen realized there was something else he needed to tell Josarian. Something that he was ashamed he had scarcely thought about since learning of Elelar's capture: Amitan.

Josarian had grown up with Amitan, had been fond of him, and had used the full powers of his persuasion to bring his boyhood friend into the bloodfeud. He would take this news hard. 

Tansen said to him, "Before I go, there's something I must tell you..."

Mirabar fumed for more than a day about Tansen leaving her behind at Idalar. Josarian had delivered the stern and unyielding orders that she was to remain with him until given new instructions, but she knew that the
shatai
had made him do it. And it infuriated her. She had risked everything, left her circle of companions, and braved Kiloran's wrath alone to find Tansen and unravel the mystery of his—and Sileria's—destiny. She knew he wasn't supposed to die yet, but now he was risking everything for that woman.