Steel and Sorrow (4 page)

Hag looked down and cackled. “I’m fine. Some idiot tried to kill me and Wiqua. It’s his blood. I was trying to get some information out of him, but I guess I got carried away.” She scowled. “I had to keep him focused since all he wanted to do was babble about his poor childhood. Whined like a baby. Why can’t people just take it like a man?”

Kaz felt a brief moment of relief. “Where’s Wiqua?”

“Asleep. I haven’t told him yet. You know how he is. He’d try to heal the idiot. Wait a minute. What are you doing here? Just before he died, he said there were others.”

“I came to check on you first.”

Hag scowled. “That’s a stupid thing to do.”

“You were on my way—”

Hag waved a hand. “One Above, you’re an awful liar.” She shook her head as she turned back to the body. “Get out of here before you make me blush. I’ve got to clean this mess up.”

Kaz allowed himself a grin as he left the room.

* * *

He stood over the dead body and stared into its lifeless eyes. The young soldier had not even seen his twentieth year. The Hell Patrol had lost eighteen men from the attacks and though they killed over a hundred of the assassins, Kaz found little solace in those numbers.

It had been over a year since he had taken command of Elyse’s army and in that time he’d lost thousands of men. Those who had died tonight shouldn’t have affected him any more than the countless others, but they did. Each new death seemed to eat at him in a different way.

It’s all this responsibility. It was much simpler taking command from someone else, having the death on someone else’s hands. But now, every decision I make, everything I do, others must pay for.

He thought about the brief flashes of his old life that would sometimes visit him. He was no closer to learning who he was or where he had come from, but he knew that he had held some sort of command before. Kaz wondered if the loss of his men’s lives had always affected him, and if so, how he handled it.

Is this what you went through Jonrell? All this worrying? Would you have made the same mistakes as I’ve made? Would you have lost fewer men?

Those questions, along with the brief glimpses of his past, kept him up at night when he felt the pressure of command. Cathyrium had earned him much of the army’s respect and the battles that followed brought many others to his side. He knew some still didn’t particularly like him, but they trusted him with their lives.

“What do you want me to do with them?” Crusher walked up and dumped three bodies at Kaz’s feet—their features barely recognizable and limbs disjointed. “These were the ones that came after me.”

“Cut off their heads and mount them on spikes outside the city’s walls. Do it to every one of them. Let people think twice before trying something like this again.”

“What about the one you dropped from the window? He ain’t got much of a head left.”

“Stick his whole body up there.”

Crusher grunted. “I like it.” A meaty hand slapped his shoulder. “You’re taking this too hard. Stuff happens.” The hand pulled away and the giant scooped up the three dead assassins before shuffling off.

It shouldn’t.

“Commander,” said a soft voice.

Kaz turned as Yanasi cleared her throat, eyes down. Rygar stood a step behind her, blond hair falling over his forehead. “Yes?”

“Rygar and I just made another round of the barracks and everyone else is fine.”

“The armory?”

“All clear. Cisod was up working late and threw one in his forge. And despite being drunk, Raker still managed to kill one too.”

Drunk again? Figures.
“Good.” He turned to Rygar. “Go tell Hag to wake Wiqua. I want him to double-check the injured.”

“Aye, Commander.”

Rygar pivoted and ran off. Kaz turned back to Yanasi. “Anything else?”

“No, sir. I think that’s it.”

“Then get some sleep. Training will be at the same time tomorrow. This is no time to become complacent.”

* * *

The morning sun reflected off the melting snow, shining bright in Elyse’s tired eyes. She struggled to walk on the wet ground, but drudged on nonetheless. She needed to be outside, away from the nightmare, only hours old. The dead bodies and frightful terror of the previous night reminded her of the atrocities inflicted by High Mage Nareash when he had slaughtered so many before her eyes. She still dreamed of that terrible day and the events surrounding it, doubting she would ever shake those helpless feelings or the dread that accompanied them. Her life had improved little since that day with court intrigue, spies, victories, defeats, and countless nightmares along the way.

Jonrell’s death had become her most bitter memory, one that she thought of often.

One Above, I wish he was still here.

She let out a long puff of air that fogged before her face.

The stresses of running a kingdom weighed heavily. Less than a year ago, she had even wanted to hand the crown over to her brother.

But not anymore. I know I can do this.

Elyse walked through the army barracks and into the training grounds. She pulled her cloak tighter as a breeze sent a chill up her back. Spring approached, but winter had given the land one last memory of its wrath with a late snowstorm, the remnants of which still clung to the ground. In patches where the sun hit the frost more directly, Elyse saw the first shoots of grass peeking through.

It won’t be long before fighting begins anew.

Elyse halted as she spotted Kaz on his knee talking to a young boy. A woman that looked to be the boy’s mother stood at his side with an arm draped over the child’s shoulder. Kaz leaned in while speaking to him. A moment later, he handed him a sword. The commander rose and took the woman’s hand. He placed a pouch into it. Elyse saw the woman’s eyes widen as she shook her head and tried to pull away. Kaz held her firm and said something that caused her to weep. After a few more words, the woman kissed Kaz innocently on the cheek and walked off with the boy.

Elyse came upon Kaz while he watched them leave through the gate of the training yard.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

Kaz turned and bowed. Straightening, he nodded. “Yes. Fine. I was just about to make my rounds,” he said, quickly changing the subject and walking ahead of her.

Before Elyse could press him, Kaz began talking about Yanasi’s archers as they passed the castle’s range. The young mercenary woman drilled her soldiers with admirable proficiency.

Elyse decided to drop her questions about the mysterious encounter for now. “It still amazes me how far they’ve come,” she said as another flight of arrows hit their targets.

“Yanasi pushes them hard.”

“And none resent being commanded by a woman?”

“Many did at first. But in time she earned their respect and trust. Now it’s as if being commanded by her is a badge of honor. The last man from another division to say something cross about Yanasi had an arrow in his backside before he finished his sentence.”

Perhaps I should learn the bow then,
she mused.

As they continued on, Elyse heard heavy footsteps and turned. The Ghal strode behind them, in front of her personal guard. His gaze darted about them.

“Why is Crusher following us?” she whispered.

Kaz shrugged. “After last night, he appointed himself my personal bodyguard. He won’t take no for an answer and I’m in no mood to argue.”

Elyse shook her head, not understanding the connection the two men shared. “Gauge said there were over a hundred bodies found in the black cloth. The assassin guild was crippled, practically wiped out.”

“Not enough of them died as far as I’m concerned. The Hell Patrol lost eighteen men,” said Kaz solemnly. Elyse noted how well his accent had improved over the last year.

“It could have been worse. Gauge believes the man you threw from your window was the master of the guild, the Shadow of Cadonia. Without leadership in their ranks, it will be years before they’re a serious threat again.”

“So your enemies must find another way to kill us then.”

She shuddered and changed the subject. “When do you plan to move out?”

“Another few weeks. It will all depend on Krytien’s success on Estul Island. As much as I hate to admit it, our lack of mages has hurt us in battle. We’ve lost too many good men simply because we can’t counter the sorcery Tomalt brings to the field.” He scowled. “But even so, we nearly had him.”

He still resents my decision.
“I needed you to release Jeldor when Bronn entered his borders. In order to keep Jeldor’s alliance we can’t discount his concerns.”

“I didn’t need him to defeat Tomalt. I could have won without him,” he said.

“At what cost?” she asked. “I saw the reports. I know you’re a good strategist, but Tomalt had you greatly outnumbered. Even a victory would have decimated the army. Then what? Conroy would be free to finally make his move and we’d lack the men to face him.”

He grinned at her.

“What?”

“You’re growing into your role more each day. Jonrell would be proud.”

Elyse blushed. Her hand wiped the tear streaking down her cheek.

“I didn’t mean. . . .”

Elyse forced a smile. “It was only the wind in my eyes. Only the wind,” she whispered.

* * *

“Oh my! I can’t believe I almost forgot.”

Elyse had just sat at her desk for a night of work when Lobella called out. The woman spun away from the door and glided toward her.

“What is it?” Elyse asked.

Though they were alone in Elyse’s room, Lobella leaned in and whispered. “I learned the story of the woman and the boy you mentioned earlier today.”

Elyse blinked. “You did? I didn’t expect anything so soon.”

“It was pure coincidence. My mother heard about it from one of her friends.” She shook her head. “It’s such a sad story.”

“Tell me.”

“The woman’s husband, Sarex, had recently placed membership with the Hell Patrol a few days ago as an aide to Kaz.”

“Yes, I know him. He didn’t really look like much of a soldier to me.”

“That’s just it. He was never a soldier, but a scholar. With the war going on, people in Cadonia had cast aside such things and Sarex struggled to care for his family. He went to Kaz and offered to help him with research, cartography, histories, translations—that sort of thing. Kaz had thought it was a good idea to bring him on in that capacity.”

“And?”

“He was one of the eighteen men killed by the Assassin’s Guild. He was also the only one with a family. I don’t know all the details of the exchange, but apparently the sword had been specially made by Cisod and Kaz had yet to present it to Sarex. He gave it to the boy in memory of his father. The pouch came from Kaz’s own personal funds. The amount was enough to feed the woman and child for over a year. Kaz told them there would be more when that ran out.” A tear streaked down Lobella’s face. “Elyse, that is both one of the sweetest and saddest things I’ve ever heard. I never realized Kaz had that side to him.”

Elyse’s heart tightened. She had seen that side of Kaz many times.

Chapter 2

Nareash admired the handiwork of the ship gently rocking beneath his feet. The captain steered it effortlessly through the calm waters and the crew went through their duties with little fanfare. Though he hadn’t lifted a finger in its construction, the design had been his and he couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride at its success.

Well, mostly my design.

His fellow students at Estul Island often mocked him for the time he spent studying in the musty library. However, the knowledge he had obtained had been worth every moment of their ridicule. His recollection of Mytarcian shipbuilding techniques had been the catalyst for the designs he created with the Blue Island Clan’s shipwrights. Nareash had followed a similar process with Juanoq’s blacksmiths when introducing more sophisticated armor and weapons to the Blue Island Clan’s military.

And look what my ideas have done for the Blue Island Clan
.

His mind wandered back to his last couple of years in Cadonia, especially those last few months after discovering Sacrynon’s Scepter. He opened and closed his hands in frustration.

All my efforts there ruined in one moment before they ever had a chance to come to fruition.

“Does something trouble you, Nachun?”

Nareash blinked and turned to Mizak. The old scholar’s nose crinkled as he squinted against the sun, emphasizing the crow’s feet at his eyes. “No. I was only thinking about how close we are to reaching the lagoon. It will be nice to see something alive above the water again.”

When Nareash had spoken with Tobin about his desire to search out the ancient city of Quarnoq, he made it known he would not cross the Great Divide using the route through the wastelands as Hesh’s ancestors had centuries before.

Yet even by ship, the High Mage could not escape the sight of the barren land as they sailed east along Hesh’s coast, past both Nubinya and the Burnt Sands Desert. The rolling black sand and rock of the wastelands spanned a greater distance than Nareash had imagined. From the safe confines of the ship, he wondered how any of Hesh’s ancestors managed to survive that journey.

Mizak pointed toward a cliff that jutted from the dry land. “I double-checked our best map. After we pass that point, it says the land completely changes. We should reach our destination before midday.”

Nareash already knew, but allowed the old man to speak his mind in order to keep him enthused. He had obtained the scholar’s services before leaving Juanoq, knowing that despite his studies on Hesh, Mizak held a fountain of knowledge the High Mage did not.

Mizak also offered Nareash intellectual conversation he couldn’t find elsewhere onboard. Several warriors or members of the ship’s crew would show flashes of intelligence, but none offered the insight Tobin had surprised him with from time to time.

I wonder how he’s doing.

He shook his head, surprised at the thought. He never thought he would have developed a friendship with Tobin when they had first met in Munai.