Tahn (32 page)

He walked back gloomily to give Samis the report and found him standing in the sparring room.

“There’s no one here, is there?” the older man asked.

“No, sir.”

“Why would the guards leave?” he raged.

“Some of the other men have been here. They have taken all the stores, and they’ve been in your treasury room.”

“Curse them! Why would they do this to me?”

Lucas sighed. How could he not understand the thoughts he inspired?

“What about you?” Samis demanded. He leaned back against the wall. “What are you waiting for? To put a knife in me? You think you’ll gain their fear? Is that what you’re about? Or do you want the horse, or this place, for yourself? Tell me, Lucas, and we’ll fight it out now!”

He shook his head. “I’ll not fight you.”

“You’re a coward! You’re waiting till my back is turned.”

“No, sir. I’ll give you my back. Call for me if you need something. We have plenty of water but supplies for maybe two days.” He turned around and walked slowly back out to the courtyard.

Samis sunk to the floor. All of this he’d seen coming when Tahn had betrayed him. Everything but that strange spell in the forest and this accursed blurred vision. Somehow he’d managed to keep from the men how poorly he was seeing. But one turncoat leads to another, and they were just waiting for an excuse. The Triletts’ God might be against him. But never mind any of it!

“I’ll not be stopped!” he shouted at the ceiling.

I’ll find the men who stole from me,
he thought.
I’ll kill every one of them! But first I’ll kill Tahn Dorn. All of this is his fault.

He pulled himself up and limped to his bed in the adjacent chamber. Then he dropped to the cushions with a grunt and lay staring at the wall.

To think that all these men could walk out on him, after what he’d given them. He had made them soldiers and taught them the skills they needed to survive and prosper with the sword. Many he’d taken from the desperation of the streets, and he’d always made sure they had food. That alone should have mattered to them. Without him they would be nothing but street rats, beggars, and thieves! Yet not one of them thanked him.

And Tahn! Of all of them, he should have been most grateful. He’d brought the boy here when no one else would help him with his burns. Samis churned it about in his mind. He’d even paid for a healer’s help when he should have put the cursed child out of his misery.

He rolled onto his back and sighed.
I made of Tahn such a good killer,
he thought on.
But he is flawed. I tried to groom the bitterness in him, to use the hate I knew must be there, but he would not hold on to it for very long. Toward anyone but me.

“Die, ungrateful traitor!” Samis shouted and then moaned.
I will make him fight me. And I will use his weaknesses to kill him!

But not yet. He would rest first. It was good to give them a few days to let their guard down.

It was evening. Vari was on horseback now, just ahead of the wagon driven by Tobas and Stuva. Jarel rode at the wagon’s side, and the other two men followed along closely. They were only a few miles from Merinth.

Jarel cleared his throat and turned to Stuva. “Was your master hard on you boys?”

Stuva answered, sounding reluctant. “You mean Samis, sir? I never owned him my master, though he would have had it so.”

Vari knew that wasn’t what Jarel had meant, and he glanced back at them. Jarel was looking at Stuva in surprise. “No. I meant Mr. Dorn.”

“The Dorn is our teacher,” Stuva answered him. “We don’t call him our master. He don’t favor the term.”

“But he made you fear him?”

“We did at first. I don’t guess he made us to, though. Sometimes you just do, without thinking much on it, you know?”

“I understand,” Jarel told him.

“I’m proud to have him,” Stuva continued. “He could have left us at Valhal easy, but he came back to get us out.”

“I’ve heard the story. But I wonder—if he helped you, why did you fear him, even at first? How did he treat you? Did he hit you?”

Vari almost wheeled his horse around when he heard such an accusation against Tahn. But he constrained himself. The question had been for Stuva.

The boy took his time answering. “In lessons, yes,” he finally said. “Everybody’s got to learn to block. But he never beat us, sir, and he could have done whatever he wanted.”

“Please don’t take offense, young man,” Jarel said. “The longer we have him around us, the more we need to know. If you ever have a problem, you can tell us and expect to get help.”

“Thank you, sir,” Stuva said rather coolly. “I’ll remember that.”

“Netta feared him too, didn’t she?”

“For a while. But a couple of times she stood up to him better than I would have dared.”

“What did he do?” Jarel pressed. “How did he treat her?”

“Seems to me you should be asking her that, sir,” Stuva replied.

“Her father and I have discussed it all with her already. I thought it might be helpful to hear other views.”

“He never hurt her, sir. And I wouldn’t lie about it. I like the lady. More’n I like you.”

Tobas the craftsman laughed. “I believe you invited that, Jarel,” the big man told him. “How would you feel if I came asking the same questions about your uncle Benn?”

“It’s a different situation.”

“Not to these young ones it’s not. He’s the one they’ve relied on. If you act like you’re digging dirt against him, they’re liable to shove your face in it.”

Vari laughed. He liked Tobas.

“Stuva,” Jarel asked somberly, “please accept my apology.”

“I do. But if you’ve got something against the Dorn, you ought to face him with it when we go back. He won’t kill you.”

They were on the main road to Merinth, surrounded by trees. It had been a quiet journey. But from the wooded hill to their left came a sudden shout. “Vari!”

They all stopped. Vari’s heart pounded as he turned in the direction of the familiar voice. But he saw no one. “Get out of the clear,” he told the others hastily. “In the trees, hurry!” With his own mount, he retreated with them.

“Vari!” The shout was repeated.

But he wouldn’t answer.

“You know the man?” Tobas asked him.

“One of Samis’s. But he’s not much older than me.” He looked out and saw the thin figure now standing in plain sight on the slope.

“Vari!” the youth shouted again. “I’m alone! Please let me talk to you!” He raised both his arms above him. He was not holding weapons.

Vari looked at Jarel Trilett and the men beside him. This could be a trap. Or a genuine plea.

“I’m coming down to you!” the youthful warrior yelled.

Vari knew it was Marcus. And he was a stronger fighter, though Vari was bigger.

“Vari! Don’t run off! Tell your men I don’t want trouble!” There was a strange desperation in the voice, and Vari made a quick decision.

“Leave your sword on the hill if you want to see me!” he shouted. Then he turned to Tobas. “I have to know what he wants. Unhitch the team so you and Stuva can leave the wagon and get out of here fast if he’s not alone.”

Still on his horse, Vari left the shelter of the trees and returned to the road.

Marcus came down the hill quickly and stopped at the edge of the trees. “I don’t mean you trouble, Vari. I hope you believe me.” He lifted his hands again and anxiously looked at the trees behind Vari.

“What are you doing out here? What do you want?”

Marcus took a step closer and lowered his hands. They were shaking. “Does the Dorn give you your measure?” he asked. “I was hoping you’d share.”

“I don’t use the stuff no more, Marcus. What happened? Why are you alone?” He studied him carefully. It was no ploy. The young man was hurting badly for his opium.

“I was such an idiot. I thought I’d be okay. I didn’t think about this when I went off alone.”

“You ran from Samis?” Vari was more than surprised. Marcus had obeyed Samis’s every word. One whipping had been enough to keep him deathly afraid of the slightest infraction.

“He’s sick. A lot of us took the chance, Vari. He hasn’t many men left.”

Vari dismounted and walked toward the young warrior slowly. “What kind of sick? How many’s he got left?”

Marcus was shaking and suddenly sunk to the ground. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he looks bad. He fell off his horse. And he’s lost a lot of the men. I’m not sure how many. When I left, some were still there, but they weren’t thinking too good of him.” He looked up with fear in his eyes. “I wish you could help me, Vari. I need it bad.”

Vari squatted beside him. “God helped me be done with it forever. Will you ask him to help you?”

“I can’t just quit! Don’t you know somebody? Please!”

Vari glanced behind him where he knew the others were watching.

“How long’s it been since you ate?”

“I’m not that kind of hungry, Vari.”

“You’re a sight, brother.” He shook his head. “You’re bad, all right. Where’s your horse?”

“Tied on the slope.”

“Just happened to see us?”

“I followed you. But I can’t take it anymore.”

“You’ll have to, Marcus. Closest tincture’s in Merinth, and I’m not sure I can get it in my present company.”

“Please, Vari. I’m not your enemy! I took a pledge, even, that we don’t fight each other.”

“That one’s new to me.”

“Kent’s idea, before he left. Lucas and me, we’re bound by it. I’m not sure about the rest. Who’s with you?” He was trembling all over now.

Vari sighed. “The Dorn’s friends. Wait here.” He stood and walked back into the trees toward Tobas.

“He needs help getting to Merinth,” he told the craftsman.

“What’s the problem?” Tobas asked.

“Who is he?” Jarel questioned. “You said one of Samis’s men. He’s one of those killers?”

Vari glanced up at him, knowing he wouldn’t understand. How could he, considering what he’d lost? But Vari could relate to Marcus so well, he had to try to help. And it seemed best to tell things as they were. “He’s in a bad way for a tincture of opium, sirs. He’s already hurting and pretty scared it’ll get worse. And I don’t want to leave him out here alone.”

Jarel protested. “How can you trust him?”

“He left Samis. He’s on his own, and he’s not a threat by himself. I want to take him to town and get him some help.”

Tobas nodded. “We’ve got room in the wagon, Jarel.”

“And then what?”

“I’ll be honest with you, sir,” Vari told him. “I know you’re carrying money. I’d be grateful if you’d part with a bit of it for me.”

“For opium? For one of the cutthroat mercenaries? Was he one that raided our home?”

“I can’t say, sir. I wasn’t in a position to know who did what when that happened. But it wasn’t his idea, nor to his liking, I’d wager.”

“I’ll not be a part of giving him any drug. What would he do once he got it?”

“That’s not up to me. I’ll be telling him more about God, though.”

“What would happen to him without it?” Tobas asked.

“If he doesn’t have Jesus’s help with it like I did, he’ll likely be past himself hurting for a while, sir. He won’t care a thing for eating or drinking nor have much mind for his own safety or anything else. If you can’t see clear to help him, go ahead on. Stuva knows the way. I’ll catch up.”