The Price of Faith (21 page)

He took a deep breath and steadied himself, tearing his eyes away and looking towards the floor. “I apologise, empress. I did not mean… I simply find this accusation hard to believe. I assume you have proof.”

“Drake confessed.”

“He’s lying,” Thanquil all but shouted before forcing himself to calm once again. He refused to even accept the possibility that the accusation could be truth. “Allow me to help in the investigation, empress.”

“How?”

“I’ll interrogate Drake Morrass myself. He will not be able to lie to an Arbiter.”

“And what of Jezzet Vel’urn?”

Thanquil ground his teeth. He had never asked Jezzet anything, not once in all the time he had known her had he used his compulsion on her. The very idea of dominating her will in such a fashion was beyond detestable to him, it was a violation of everything they had shared and everything they were to each other. Taking another deep breath he steadied himself.

“I will interrogate Drake Morrass and, if need be, Jezzet also.”

For five days now Jezzet had been locked down in the dungeon with the permanently wet floor and the constant dripping of water. In those five days, and apart from the occasional servant bringing them some of the most meagre rations she had ever survived on, her only company had come from a small snake no longer than her forearm, that seemed as comfortable slipping its way through the dank water on the floor as a bird would flapping its way through the sky, and of course Drake Morrass.

Not that he’s bad company. Easy to talk to and even easier to look at.

The pirate captain did not act as though he were locked up in a watery dungeon awaiting the callous whim of a woman he had scorned, he seemed to enjoy the time, always laughing and happy to relate some of his more colourful stories to Jezzet in order to keep them both company.

I doubt the little empress has heard these stories, too brutally truthful for her fragile little ears.
Jezzet had already decided to place the blame for this little escapade solely on the shoulders of the Dragon Empress Rei Chiyo though she was well aware it would more deservedly rest with Drake.

He had yet to explain why he had admitted to a crime that had never taken place and why he had implicated Jez in that same crime.
Fucked a lot of men but fairly certain I’d remember Drake Morrass between my legs.

Drake both irritated and fascinated Jez. His self-assuredness frustrated her and attracted her in equal measure and his enthusiastic aloofness made her crave to know more. There were times when Jez caught herself staring at the imprisoned captain and imagining what he might look like without the armour, without the clothing.
He’s managed to seduce an empress, possibly the most powerful ruler in the known world. He must be good…
Jez mentally shook herself and tore her eyes away, lapsing into a brooding sulk.

“I gotta admit, I’m enjoying this time we’re spending together, Jezzet,” Drake announced into the gloomy, wet prison. “You’re a little cold at times but good company all the same. Shame we’re in different cells though.”

Jez rolled her eyes at him. His implication was worryingly close to her own thoughts but she had already noticed, much to her annoyance, that Drake had an unerring sense of what she was thinking.

“Even when you’re sulking, you’re right pleasant company,” the pirate continued. “Definitely more pleasant than that other one.”

Jezzet waited for him to elaborate. He didn’t. Eventually she stood, wincing from the bruising and the possibly broken rib that the Dragon Knights had afflicted upon her even after she had surrendered. She was soaked to the bone from the standing water on the cold, stone floor and miserable to boot and despite it all, or perhaps because of it, Drake provided the only distraction.
Not to mention you’re curious to know what he’s talking about, Jez.

“Other one?” she asked, approaching the bars.

Drake was leaning with his back against the bars of his own cell, watching her over his shoulder, his single golden tooth catching the dim light and broadcasting his smile.

“The other Blademaster.”

Now Jez’s attention was well and truly peaked. In all her life she had met just two other Blademasters and one of those was Yuri and she knew for a fact that he was well and truly dead. That left only one. “The Sword of the North?”

“That’s the one. Interesting fellow, very intense and not nearly so pretty as yourself.” Drake wasn’t even looking her way now, he was staring back into his cell.

The bastard thinks he’s got you, Jez. Just ignore him.

“When did you meet him?” she asked.

Jezzet had met the Sword of the North just once and she had never been quite so terrified. The man was like death given form. Jez was good with a sword, with any blade, she was beyond good and she knew it. The Sword of the North was better. He had challenged her to a fight to determine which one of them was the best. Instead of accepting the duel Jez had declined and fucked him. As soon as it was over she had fled, jumping on the first ship away from the Five Kingdoms and praying to all the nameless Gods she never had cause to meet the man again.

“Very scary man, that one. He has,” Drake paused as if searching for the right word, “a feeling about him. Makes you think he could kill ya anytime he wants and it’s only his own restraint that’s stopping him. Little bit like yours, truth be told.”

Jez was damned certain she wasn’t anything like the Sword of the North and she opened her mouth to say so.

“This is starting to become something of a habit, Jez.” Her heart sped up at the sound of Thanquil’s voice and a flood of emotion swelled through her, far too many different feelings to make sense of but she was fairly certain both joy and embarrassment were in there somewhere.

Jez rushed up to the bars of her cell, ignoring the pain in her side. Thanquil walked into view, the Dragon Herald beside him looking as stern as ever.

“Every time I leave you alone you go and get yourself arrested,” Thanquil continued, a smile playing on his lips as he squinted at her through the darkness.

She reached through the bars and grabbed hold of his coat, pulling him close and she kissed him. The bars made the reunion awkward but Jez’s fervour was obvious and Thanquil returned with equal passion. When their lips parted Jez found herself breathing hard and she found Thanquil staring at her with moist eyes.

“I missed you,” she whispered so quietly only he could hear.

He nodded, grinning at her. “I can tell.”

“I didn’t do it. I swear I didn’t…”

“I know.” Thanquil was gripping the bars with both hands so tight his knuckles were white. Jez put her own hands on top of his. “I know,” he said again.

“Now this right here is a touching reunion. Wouldn’t you say so, Travine?” Drake said. Jezzet didn’t bother looking at him but she could tell he was smiling by the mirth in his voice. Everyone ignored him.

“Seems I’m forever breaking you out of gaol,” Thanquil said.

“I’m high maintenance,” she agreed.

He kissed her again quickly before stepping back from the bars and taking a deep breath, letting it out as a laboured sigh. “The Dragon Empress has granted me access to the prisoners in order to determine the legitimacy of the crime.”

“The compulsion,” Jez said. “You can force the truth out. Nobody can lie to an Arbiter.”

Thanquil nodded.

“So ask me!”

Jez saw him wince and she knew why. In all their time together he had never once asked her anything, never once used his compulsion on her and it wasn’t just because it was as addictive as a drug. She knew he hated the idea of dominating her will and she had felt an Arbiter inside her head before, it was not something she ever wanted to experience again, not even if it was Thanquil inside of her but she was willing to allow it to prove her innocence to him.

Thanquil turned away from her. “I’ll start by interrogating Drake Morrass.”

The pirate chuckled. “This should be fun. Never been interrogated by the Inquisition before. So, Arbiter Darkheart, where do we start? You want to break a finger? Or do you prefer just to beat on your prisoners ‘til they talk.”

Jez watched as Thanquil approached the cell holding Drake Morrass. She saw the Dragon Herald tense and she could feel the change in the atmosphere almost as though Thanquil’s anger was actually poisoning the air around him.

“Nothing so crass, Drake,” Thanquil said with real menace and Jez saw the grin slip from the pirate’s face. “All I need is a single question.”

“Aye?”

“Did you have sex with Jezzet Vel’urn?”

Jez watched as Drake’s face contorted into a mask of confusion. Sweat sprung instantly from his forehead and he winced as Thanquil’s will dominated his own and forced the truth from his lips, forced him to admit to his lie.

“Yes.”

The world around them seemed to freeze. The Dragon Herald remained impassive. Thanquil took a staggering step backwards and Drake collapsed against the bars of his cell no doubt exhausted from the internal struggle. Jez let out a shuddering breath she hadn’t even been aware of holding. She sucked in another deep breath and let it out as a shout.

“He’s lying!”

“No,” Thanquil said quietly. He glanced Jez’s way once and then looked away but in that moment she saw the confusion written plainly on his face. “He isn’t lying.”

“Thanquil please,” Jez pleaded pushing herself up against the bars. “He’s lying. I didn’t fuck him. Ask me. Ask me!”

He didn’t. Thanquil didn’t even look at her again. He stuck his shaking hands in his pocket and stormed towards the exit of the dungeon with the Dragon Herald following close behind leaving Jez once again locked up in her prison.

“I didn’t fuck Drake Morrass,” she screamed after them but if Thanquil heard he made no reply.

Jez dropped onto the floor of her cell with a wet splash and felt despair take hold.
How could he not believe me?

From the cell across from her she heard Drake Morrass start to chuckle.

Both prisoners were quiet for a long time. Drake disappeared into the back of his cell, occasionally splashing about but otherwise noiseless. Jezzet knelt in the cold water staring into space. A few silent tears crawled down her face and were lost amidst the lake around her.

She was angry and sad and a bit more angry but she couldn’t tell who the anger was directed at; the empress for arresting her, Drake for accusing her or Thanquil for not believing her.

The darkness seemed to creep in around her and soon she started to shiver but Jez paid the cold no mind, she was far too lost to care about such inconsequential matters.
You’ve been in some pretty shitty situations before, Jez. Worse than this by far… strange this one feels like the end of the world then.

“Reckon we’ve spent enough time moping,” Drake said his voice sounding as though it had regained some of its usual cheer. “That and we need to have a bit of a chat. Time is short.”

Jezzet didn’t reply.

“You want to get out of here?” Drake asked.

“How did you lie to him?” Jez asked sullenly.

“I didn’t.”

She looked up at the pirate and gave him her very best level stare. She didn’t know if he could see her face in the cosy gloom but then she didn’t really care either.

Drake laughed. “All right. I lied, but then you know it’s possible, you’ve lied to an Arbiter yourself before.”

She had. Back in Sarth she had lied to an Arbiter in order to discover the identity of the heretical Inquisitor. Thanquil had made her a ring and ever since Thanquil had given the ring to Jez she had never once taken it off. She looked down at her left hand now to find the ring missing, the skin a slightly lighter shade underneath where it usually sat. She looked up at Drake.

“Interesting bit of jewellery this,” he said smiling at her as he held the ring between his thumb and fore finger.

“When did you…”

Drake flicked the ring through the bars towards her. Jez snatched it from the air and shoved it back onto her finger.

“So, Jezzet Vel’urn,” Drake said. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“I don’t need to. All I have to do is wait for Thanquil to come back. I’ll explain everything to him. He’ll ask you again, then he’ll ask me and your stupid bitch of an empress will have no choice but to free me.”

Drake laughed again. “Always the same Jezzet. Gets herself into trouble then waits for whoever she’s currently fucking to get her out of it.”

“Fuck you!”

“Poor choice of words given my current proposition,” Drake said. “’Sides, I see two problems with your plan of
wait to be rescued
. I ain’t going to be here when your Arbiter comes back so they’ll be no more questioning of Captain Drake Morrass and given that it’ll be your word against mine I reckon my bitch of an empress will choose to see you dead. Ya know, just in case it’s true.”

“How are you going to escape?” she asked.

“First things first. You coming with me? Or staying here to face Rei Chiyo’s wrath? I expect she’ll feed you to her dragon.”

Better alive and hunted than dead and… dead.

“I’m sure your Arbiter will come after you. Give you a chance to explain when he catches up but by then we’ll be far enough away from Rei’s influence that not even her bloody dragons will be able to reach us.” Drake paced in his cell, his feet creating small waves in the standing water. “You can take a little time to think on it but don’t take too long, Jezzet. We’re running out of time… well, you are.”

She looked at the pirate splashing about in his cell, smiling to himself. She knew it was a bad idea; running would only serve to fuel the fire, add to the suspicion of her guilt but if Drake was right, and he had an unnerving way of being just that, then staying here would likely end in her untimely demise anyway.

One of Yuri’s old sayings rang out in her head.
When people expect you to do the unexpected, surprise them and do what they expect.

The splashing had stopped and Drake was pressed up against the bars of his cell, studying her with a fierce intensity that would have made most women blush. Jezzet was certainly not most women.