The Rabbit and the Raven: Book Two in the Solas Beir Trilogy (34 page)

“No.” Hedeon shook his head and then thought about it. He smiled at Marisol. “Well, that is not entirely true. The Eastern Oracle
did
command that I follow you, so I
must
accompany you until you are out of the city. As you may have guessed, there are areas of the city he does not wish for you to see.”

“Yeah, why is that exactly?” Jon asked.

“Jon.” Marisol shot him a warning look.

Hedeon placed his hand on Marisol’s arm briefly, and then removed it when Jon narrowed his eyes threateningly. “It is all right
, Marisol—your friend asks a valid question. The Eastern Oracle censors your view because he is invested in keeping the status quo,” he whispered. “I am sorry, Solas Beir. I lied to you before about there being peace in this city. Kruorumbrae
have
preyed on the people who live here. The courtesan system has decreased the number of incidents, but it has not eliminated the problem. And since we received word of Tierney’s escape, the number of attacks has increased.”

“Why are you telling us this
now
?” the Solas Beir asked. “And why should we believe you?”

“I understand why you may doubt me, but I knew your father. He was a good man and a just king. Before he was crowned Solas Beir, we served together in the wars against the Blood Shadows at the stronghold on the northern edge of the Barren. You showed great courage in standing against the Eastern Oracle. You proved your worth as a leader, Sire, and that was when I knew I could trust you,” Hedeon said. He looked down at his feet, and then up at the Solas Beir again. He smiled. “Seeing you speak in court today…it was as if I were seeing your father once again.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” the Solas Beir said. He still looked guarded, but smiled slightly.

“You are most welcome. You value equal treatment of all your people, just as your father did,” Hedeon continued. He hesitated, unsure of how the Solas Beir would react to what he needed to say next. “Your Majesty…when you go to war, as I know you must, know that not everyone in this city agrees with the Eastern Oracle’s archaic policies. There are good people here who would join your fight if they were not afraid that open resistance would endanger their families. Please do not judge them based on what you saw today.”

“I will try not to,” the Solas Beir replied. He reached out and placed his hand on Hedeon’s arm. “And I do understand that you are taking a risk in telling me the truth. I appreciate your courage.”

Hedeon smiled warmly, relieved. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” He took the Solas Beir’s hand and reverently pressed it to his forehead to show his gratitude and respect.
Then he let go of his king’s hand and looked around at the Solas Beir’s friends. “Now, let us retrieve your belongings and get you out of the city. We will stop in the market to replenish your supplies, and the ladies can browse the fabric shops. We do not want to arouse suspicion about how much you know, so I would advise that you keep up your ruse and not be too quick to leave.”

“You
knew
that was an act?” Abby asked. Her eyes were wide with surprise.

Hedeon chuckled. “Yes. The behavior I observed when you emerged from this carriage was quite out of character from the two young women I met on the road at the Eye of the Needle. You were much more guarded then. But
fear not—most of the guards are new, and have been conditioned to turn a blind eye to the antics of the upper class.”

“What happened to the old guards?” Cael asked. “Were they executed?”

“No, just dismissed. In implementing the courtesan system, the Eastern Oracle brought in new guards. He knew the old ones would object,” Hedeon explained. “In fact, we were recently ordered to recruit a fresh batch of guards, although I do not know why. Perhaps some of the guards installed at the time the courtesan law was established had doubts as to its effectiveness. I know I have.”

“How is it you have remained?” Cael asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. “The oracle must have known about your loyalty to David’s father.”

“I was able to keep the Eastern Oracle’s trust when he needed someone to train the new recruits,” Hedeon replied, unable to meet Cael’s gaze. “When you deal with devils, you must sometimes act as one. I am not proud of what I have done, but I hope to make amends now that we once again have a Solas Beir. For now I will do my best to keep the guards from following you when you leave.”

Easier said than done,
Abby thought. Things had gone smoothly in retrieving their packs and securing horses. Hedeon had accompanied them to the bazaar, but was suddenly called away. There were reports of a prisoner escaping the palace dungeon, and as head guard, Hedeon was needed to coordinate the search.

“Tell Garvan that as my second in command, he should begin the search, and I will join him shortly,” Hedeon had said, addressing the page sent to retrieve him. “The Eastern Oracle asked me to personally accompany the Solas Beir until his departure from the city. That is my first priority.”

“With all due respect, sir, given the circumstances, priorities have changed,” the young man replied. “His Honor the Eastern Oracle commanded me to fetch you. He said your presence was required in the dungeon immediately.”

“Yes, yes, all right,” Hedeon sighed, waving the page away dismissively. “My apologies, dear ladies, but I serve at my master’s prerogative. I must take my leave.”

“Is it a dangerous prisoner?” Marisol asked. She looked frightened. Abby wondered if Marisol knew something she wasn’t saying. There hadn’t been time to ask her if she and Jon had gleaned anything useful from the parlor attendant.

Hedeon also seemed to pick up on Marisol’s fear. Smiling, he patted her hand to comfort her. “
Fear not, my lady. I will leave two guards with you.” To the guards he added, “The ladies of the Solas Beir’s court are not to be disturbed as they visit the market. They are buying fabric for the wedding of the queen. Protect them, but do not interfere in their business.”

“Yes, my lord,” one of the guards replied.

Abby and Marisol exchanged a look. They could see that David, Jon, and Cael were waiting patiently by the gates with their saddled horses, trying to play the role of bored aristocrats indulging their ladies’ fancies. “Look at that fabric over there,” Abby said, pointing to a shop across the bazaar’s courtyard. “Let’s visit that tent.” She took Marisol’s arm and did her best to look excited about the reams of colorful silk. Following dutifully, the guards stood at attention on either side of the tent’s entrance.

“Look—that has to be the finest embroidery in the kingdom,” Abby said loudly, leading Marisol away from the guards, toward the back of the tent.

“So,” Marisol whispered. “How long do you think we need to do this before we can leave?”

“I don’t know,” Abby whispered back. “I suppose we should buy something, though, so we don’t tip them off. We have to look legit, but the sooner we
’re out of this city, the better I’ll feel.”

Marisol nodded. She still looked scared.

“What is it, Sol?” Abby asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I think I did,” Marisol whispered. The color drained from her face. “Back in the palace, I could have sworn I saw the Shadow that chased me the night we left Newcastle Beach.”

Abby’s mouth gaped open. “Malden? He’s here in the city?”

“I don’t know for sure that I saw him,” Marisol said, “but I did see the look on Hedeon’s face. Whoever escaped
must
be dangerous. Why else would he be called away like that?” She clutched Abby’s arm. “What if they captured Malden, but then he escaped, and now he’s coming for me?”

Abby could feel Marisol trembling. She slipped her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Sol. None of us will let him lay a finger on you. If I get my hands on him, I will personally kick his teeth in.”

Marisol smiled and gave Abby a hug. “Thanks.” Then she raised a finger to her lips. “Shhh—incoming,” she said. She nodded toward the shopkeeper, a small man who looked absolutely radiant about having customers.

The man bowed with open arms, apparently a sign of respect in this city. “Greetings, dear ladies. How may I be of assistance?”

Abby favored him with her brightest smile. “Greetings to you, sir. I was interested in the lace you have over there. I wonder how it would go with this.” She held up a bolt of scarlet fabric.

“I shall fetch it for you,” the shopkeeper smiled. “The lady has very good taste.”

“That she does,” Marisol said, mirroring Abby’s warm smile. The man scurried away to retrieve several bolts of lace.

“Sorry I got us into this,” Abby whispered. “I feel ridiculous. Worst idea
ever
.”

“Not the worst,” Marisol grinned. “It’s better than hanging out in Vegas with those soul-eater things.”

“No kidding,” Abby laughed. “But I guess we’ll be seeing them again soon enough.
If
we ever get out of here. We…” She trailed off when a sudden movement derailed her train of thought. “Hey—did you see that?”

“What?” Marisol froze, her eyes wide with alarm. “Is it
him
?”

“No, it’s okay, it’s not Malden,” Abby quickly clarified. “I thought I saw someone hiding over there, someone who looked human, I mean. See that
tapestry? The one with the loom sitting in front of it?”

Marisol peered at
the hanging tapestries lining the back of the tent. “I don’t see anything.”

“Keep that guy busy for me, would you?” Abby asked, patting Marisol’s shoulder.

“Sure thing,” Marisol said. She looked anything but sure. The shopkeeper was coming back, his arms full of fabric. “Hey, let me help you with that,” she said with a forced-looking smile. Abby tried to avoid catching his eye as she slipped toward the back.

“But my lady,” the man said, “I could not impose on you.”

“I don’t mind,” Marisol said loudly. “Now that I think about it, that the blue silk over there might be better than the scarlet. Red is not really the queen’s color.” Abby saw that Marisol was steering the shopkeeper toward the front of the tent. She looked over her shoulder and nodded at Abby.

Ah, the fickle whims of administrators,
Hedeon thought as he followed the page and made his way down the stone steps of the dungeon.
Fickle as the weather.

This was not the first time the Eastern Oracle had sent him on one errand, only to interrupt him mid
-task with another demand. Nor was it the first time Hedeon had questioned the oracle’s abilities to lead. The Eastern Oracle put on a good show of authority, as the Solas Beir had witnessed. But in truth, the man seemed rather unstable. He had a nervous facial twitch that he kept under tight control, something only Hedeon and others in the oracle’s inner circle were privy to—and then, only during times of great distress.

Hedeon remembered
first seeing the oracle’s twitch after he delivered a report of a vicious attack on a citizen. The official report stated that the fight between the man and the Kruorumbrae had begun in a pub notorious for drinking and gambling. The truth was the attack was unprovoked and occurred nowhere near said pub, according to witnesses—who were, of course, bribed for their silence.

Lately that little twitch had surfaced more frequently, and not just within the inner sanctuary of the Eastern Oracle’s chambers where he met with his advisors. And lately it was all Hedeon could do to keep some semblance of order in managing the guards. They were scattered all over the city, sent on strange and unrelated missions. Hedeon had begun hearing about the missions thirdhand from his soldiers, rather than receiving the commands himself and passing them down through the ranks. He found himself out of the official communications loop. The Eastern Oracle was no longer delegating tasks via his council members.

The court of the Eastern Oracle was in chaos, and silly, paranoid rumors were rampant. And then there was that odd little twitch. Hedeon wondered if his master was on the verge of losing his mind.

As he reached the bottom of the stone staircase and stepped toward the vestibule in front of the dungeon’s narrow corridor of dark cells, Hedeon saw that his men had already gathered and were waiting for him. In the flickering torch light, he
observed that they were outfitted as if going to war, armed to the hilt.
A little extreme
, he thought, considering the prisoner they were supposed to retrieve.

Then, as his soldiers turned toward him and drew their swords, he saw that someone else had already taken the role of commander. Hedeon’s stomach dropped, and he thought perhaps the paranoid rumors he had easily dismissed were not
so silly after all.

The gaunt figure standing before him wore a dark cloak with a hood that gaped wide at the sides. In the low light, the dark silhouette of the cloak resembled the hood of a cobra. And certainly the man wearing the cloak was just as dangerous as any venomous serpent.

Perhaps the reason for the Eastern Oracle’s own increasingly paranoid behavior was because
he
had been making deals with devils. If so, the oracle had indeed gone mad. No one in his right mind would make a pact with the devil standing before Hedeon now.