Taunting the Devil (The Bastard Cadre Book 5) Page 9

  “Lies,” Tobin spat. “We helped the humans and their Gods kill the Dragon Lords five centuries ago.”

  Cali activated the AI. On the screen, she could see Tralit’s back and Tobin facing him. A crosshair on the screen pointed past the giant’s left shoulder.

  “No,” Tralit said, he still didn’t look at Cali, but Cali felt his attention on her. “Your people crave the Abyss. They have lived in this world for countless millennia. They know the truth of existence, but they are too feeble to—”

  “You lie,” Tobin shouted and raised his hammer.

  “You know the truth too,” Tralit said. “Your people fight my people because they know they cannot win and they crave the Abyss. Lie down little giant and I will give you what you want. You can join your people in the Abyss.”

  Tobin screamed and advanced raising his hammer.

  Cali didn’t have time to think. On the AI’s screen, Tobin moved into the crosshairs and Cali jabbed a finger onto the fire button.

  Silver spear and metal rope shot from the second tube in the back of the jeep and struck Tobin, taking him down with the spear through his left arm.

  The giant screamed, and Cali dropped the AI in the sand, cringing away from what she’d done.

  Feeling giddy, she thought, No. I am not ashamed of this. I chose this. Maybe I should call myself Cali Giantslayer.

  Tobin’s eyes closed against the pain, and he screamed again.

  Cali studied Tralit d’Arathan as he pulled free the spear that had pierced his left calf. He hefted the bloody spear and advanced on Tobin.

  Cali watched him and wondered, How can he even walk?

  She gasped when she saw the wound in his leg getting smaller. Is that his talent, immortality, or something else?

  The giant must have sensed Tralit’s approach as he stopped screaming and opened his eyes.

  Tralit placed the bloody point of the spear against Tobin’s throat. “I should kill you, give you what you want, but I will not waste my rage on you. Be here when I am done with Lord Rarick in Ardel and Lord Obdurin in Rhyne, and I will give you what you desire and send you to the Abyss to be with your people.”

  Tralit cast the spear aside and met Cali’s wide eyes.

  Cali thought, My ancestors were not enslaved. They served willingly. Who could deny him or any of his kind?

  Tralit leaped into the air and shifted, his body elongating and swelling in an instant, wings unfolded from his back, and his neck stretched forward. He turned reptilian eyes on Cali, then beat his wings and resumed his flight along the coast toward Ardel.

  Cali followed him for several steps, then looked back at the giant who lay bleeding in the sand.

  “Descendant!” Tobin screamed. He twisted where he lay, but the spear pinned him to the ground through his left arm.

  Cali looked at him then went to her bike. Perhaps I’ll ride west to Balimar.

  15

  Holding the Knife

  Walden’s torch found the end of a new tunnel. “Again?” he demanded of Amir.

  “It’s weird,” Amir said. “I know these tunnels.”

  “You don’t know them well enough,” Walden snapped.

  Amir advanced on the dead-end and scratched the side of his head.

  Walden touched the laser-cutter he wore on his belt, reassuring himself it was still there. He winced against sudden pain in his temples. A headache had been building ever since he’d left Turintar and arrived in Damar.

  Amir walked to the end of the tunnel and leaned against the wall with one ear pressed to the rock. When he turned to face Walden, he said, “I must have got turned around somehow. We’ll have to go back. I’ll get my bearings. We’ll get there.” Amir looked at Walden and grinned like an imp in the torchlight.

  As Amir passed Walden, the councilor thought, Him as a Chosen? That could never happen.

  Amir’s pace was brisk. At first, Walden had been short of breath as he struggled to keep up with the younger man, but he’d found his stride and kept up easily now.

  At the opening into the tunnel, Amir went left.

  “That’s not the way we came,” Walden said.

  Amir stopped and looked back at him. “I know. We came that way.” He pointed in the opposite direction. “But I’ve figured it out. I know where we are. This way will get us where we need to be quicker.”

  Walden stayed where he was, examining the other man. In the years he’d work for Lord Obdurin he’d dealt with many deceitful people, and he’d developed a knack for uncovering their lies. The trick was discovering the specifics of the lie. In boardrooms and across negotiation tables, he started by establishing a simple truth that all parties could agree to, nothing big or complex, just some minor detail that related to the purpose of their meeting. With that point of reference in place, he used it to refute lies or half truths and build cooperation. He just needed that starting point.

  Amir was lying to him, but where to start? Amir was not like the political animals he’d dealt with for Lord Obdurin or the suited professionals he’d spent his corporate career dealing with.

  Walden’s temples pulsed with pain again.

  “Do you like it here?” Amir asked.

  “What?” Walden asked.

  “When you’re Lord of Damar, you can put your throne down here and spend as much time as you like here,” Amir said, nodding. “It’s a bit gloomy for my taste, and the angels won’t like it, but you’ll be Maiten’s Chosen, and they’ll just have to deal with it.”

  “Fine. Lead the way,” Walden said.

  Amir grinned and turned away.

  Smug bastard, Walden thought.

  Amir’s lie seemed obvious to Walden. A God could never take a man like this to be their Chosen. In the seven years he’d worked with Lord Obdurin, he’d come to respect Rhysin’s Chosen more than any other man he’d ever known. Walden had only met Lord Benshi once, but even he had resonated power and will, he was loved and despised by his people, and Walden could see why a God would take him as their Chosen.

  Following Amir, Walden thought, No God will choose this man. Maiten hasn’t spoken to him. He’s either lying or deluded.

  “What will you do when you are Maiten’s Chosen?” Walden asked.

  “Why ask when you don’t believe I will be?”

  “Curiosity,” Walden said.

  Amir laughed. “I’ll show you the way to Maiten’s Hall, but you’ll have to find somebody else to provide entertainment along the way.”

  “Earlier today I watched as Lord Obdurin tried to give Rhysin’s heart to Warwick d’Ardel. If Lord Obdurin could consider that, how could I not consider this? Perhaps you are better suited to serve Maiten than I am.”

  “I will do as Maiten wills,” Amir said.

  “You desire nothing for yourself?”

  “If a God commands, who am I to refuse?”

  Walden smiled through his headache. “So you’re a pious man?”

  “Ah, you think I’m a fool?” Amir asked.

  “Pious men join the priesthood, but ambitious men take power.”

  Amir laughed. “You’re insightful. My piety is new. A week ago, I’m not sure I even completely believed in the Gods. When I made my first attempt on Rarick, it was not because I’d heard Maiten’s call. I just,” Amir paused then laughed. “Like any other ambitious fool, I craved power.”

  “But now you will do as Maiten commands?”

  Amir stopped walking to face Walden. “You are a brave man, coming down here with me.”

  “Do you suppose Maiten would be interested in a coward for his next Chosen?” Walden asked.

  Amir smiled and started walking again. Walden followed him, and the only sound was their footfalls echoing around them.

  Even though he thought he knew, Walden repeated the question to himself. What is Amir’s lie? Is there just one lie, or is everything he’s said a lie?

  Vincent recognized his name and knew he’d already tried to kill Lord Rarick. He said Valan released him from
his cell. He said he’d killed Valan. He said Maiten spoke to him. He said he’d take me to Maiten’s Hall.

  Is it all lies?

  Is he even who Vincent thought he was?

  Amir turned left ahead and then right almost straight away. The rough rock floor gave way to grime covered tiles, and the walls became even and regular.

  “We’re on the right path, now,” Amir said over his shoulder.

  Walden thought, Did he even have the storeroom doors rigged or was that a bluff?

  Pete had watched Amir deactivate the device. Walden didn’t like Pete, but he couldn’t accuse him of incompetence. Walden’s mind wondered back to the palace at Turintar when a trick meant for Warwick had caught Walden as well. Fahlim had claimed dozens of Chosen had blessed their successors. Walden should have known that was untrue.

  Stress, he told himself and pictured his daughters. Just get through today.

  Lord Walden Chi’Maiten Chosen, the thought came to him unbidden, and it stopped him in his tracks. He wondered, How do other men feel before their ascension? How do I prepare for this?

  He winced against the pain in his temples. It was getting worse, but he pushed it aside. The pain was nothing when compared to the good he and Obdurin would do in the world after today. He closed his eyes and thought of his daughters again. Coming here was a risk, but somebody has to do something. If I want the world to be a better place for Carla and Sarin, I must take the risk.

  Ready to face what must be done he opened his eyes and took a step forward.

  Seeing the corridor empty before him, Walden called, “Amir?” There was an edge to his tone that he didn’t like, so he put some steel in his voice and called again, “Amir!”

  I’m going to die down here. He moved his torch through a wide arc, looking for something in the darkness. Damn you, Obdurin. This is why I needed you to promise Carla and Sarin would be looked after.

  Walden’s shoulders sag, but he realized, This is why Obdurin didn’t promise. I have to succeed.

  Amir emerged from a tunnel to the left and said, “Keep up.”

  Walden followed him, but he looked back, certain he’d last seen his guide take the path on the right.

  “How did you kill Valan?” Walden asked.

  “With a knife in the guts,” Amir said, his tone conversational.

  No God will take this man, Walden thought.

  “When?” Walden asked.

  Amir stopped and faced Walden. “Just before I wired up that storeroom.”

  Walden examined him, looking for the tells he could usually spot. “How long did you know him?”

  “Not long,” Amir said. “We weren’t drinking buddies or anything.”

  “How did it feel?” Walden asked, his voice dropping on the final word.

  “Good. It felt good,” Amir said.

  He’s lying. This is his lie, Walden thought. Killing doesn’t feel good, not even to men like this. It can’t.

  “Should we keep going?” Amir asked.

  Walden nodded.

  He didn’t kill Valan. Why lie about that?

  Ahead, Amir stopped. “Abyss!”

  “Another dead-end?” Walden asked.

  Amir nodded and tapped his hands on his legs with nervous energy. “Another one,” he admitted. Amir’s tone sounded strained, but now that Walden had figured out his lie, he knew he was acting.

  Walden drew the laser-cutter he carried with one hand and his sword with the other.

  “That’s enough,” Walden said.

  “Is it?” Amir asked.

  “Yes. You didn’t kill Valan, did you?” Walden’s headache was getting worse and he realized it was driving him to be more aggressive than normal with Amir, but with his question asked he knew there was no choice but to press on.

  “Didn’t I?”

  “No, you didn’t. I don’t know what he’s playing at or why Obdurin trusts him, but it ends here,” Walden said.

  “It does?” Amir asked.

  “Yes. Why did he send you?” Walden winced against the pain.

  Amir folded his arms across his chest. “To guide you. Nobody knows these tunnels like I do. Half the people in Ardel don’t even know these tunnels are here.”

  “He didn’t send you to guide us, did he?”

  “He didn’t?”

  “Of course not,” Walden snapped. The pain in his temples increased, making it difficult to focus. “You’re a distraction. He sent you to keep me from Rarick and Maiten’s heart, didn’t he?”

  Amir kept his arms folded and watched Walden.

  “Didn’t he?” Walden shouted and strode forward, the sword out before him.

  Amir backed away until the dead-end stopped him.

  Walden brushed sweat from his brow with the back of the hand that held the laser-cutter. He pressed the point of the sword to Amir’s chest.

  “Admit it,” Walden said.

  Amir looked deliberately down at the sword and then up at Walden. After a brief silence, he asked, “Or what?”

  Walden blinked to clear his vision. “Or I’ll leave you here to bleed out on the floor.”

  Amir was silent again. Eventually, he said, “No you won’t.”

  Walden shook his head in disbelief. “I have a sword.”

  “Yeah, but you’re not going to use it, are you?” Amir asked.

  Walden pressed the sword forward, but he felt the reluctance in himself. He’d never killed anybody. He’d rarely even held a sword. “We don’t have time for this,” he snapped.

  “Time?” Amir asked. “The Gods ain’t in a rush.”

  “We must get to Maiten’s Hall before Tralit arrives and—“

  “Tralit?” Amir seemed to lean forward against the sword.

  The pain in Walden’s head was almost unbearable now, and he was having trouble focusing. He looked at the man he had pinned to the wall and decided to take a chance.

  He withdrew the sword. “There is more going on than you know.”

  “How so?” Amir asked.

  Walden tried to think through the pain. He thought, Establish a shared truth. Get him to admit one of his lies. He said, “First, I need to know if you killed Valan, or if that was a lie so that I would follow you around down here.”

  “It was a lie,” Amir said without hesitation.

  “Has Maiten spoken to you or was that also a lie?”

  “It was a lie,” Amir said.

  “Okay. Okay.” Walden sheathed the sword and holstered the laser-cutter. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and tried to squeeze out the pain in his head.

  “What’s going on?” Amir asked.

  Walden said. “Valan says he’s working with Lord Obdurin, but he can’t be trusted. They are planning to overthrow Rarick so that I can take Rarick’s place.”

  “You’ll be Lord of Damar,” Amir said.

  “Yes,” Walden agreed. “I’ll be the Lord of Damar, and together Obdurin and I will usher in a new era of peace in Newterra.”

  “It’ll be beautiful,” Amir agreed his tone even.

  “The plan was to have Tralit d’Arathan kill Lord Rarick.”

  “How’d you manage that?” Amir asked.

  “I don’t know. I only know that it will happen. Tralit will come here and murder Lord Rarick.”

  “So Tralit will be Lord of Damar then?” Amir asked.

  “Exactly,” Walden said. “I have to beat him. I thought we could do it. I thought we could wait for Tralit to murder Rarick, but it doesn’t work that way. If I am to be Lord of Damar, I must hold the knife that kills Rarick.”

  “You must hold the knife,” Amir said.

  “So you see, we must get to Maiten’s Hall before Tralit,” Walden said, pleased to be making sense through the pain.

  “I do see.” Amir grinned at Walden. “Let’s go then.”

  Walden trailed after Amir for an instant, then asked, “You will take me straight there? No more detours or stalling?”

  “Straight there,”
Amir promised

  “I won’t forget this,” Walden said. “You might be nothing to Valan, but I will honor you for this.”

  Walden reached out a hand to steady himself against the wall.

  “Ready?” Amir asked.

  Walden opened eyes he didn’t remember closing and nodded. “It is no small thing to claim a God’s heart,” Walden said.

  “It ain’t nothing,” Amir agreed.

  Walden watched Amir as he led the way. He blinked again as his vision became blurred and he cursed the headache.

  “Valan’s a bastard,” Amir said. “I admit, I don’t know what he would have done with me after he became Lord of Damar.”

  “So it’s true?” Walden asked.

  “It is. He wants Maiten’s heart for himself, and he’ll do anything to get it,” Amir said. “He threatened to kill me unless I did as he said.”

  Walden stopped in the tunnel. “That’s outrageous.”

  “Ain’t it?” Amir placed a hand on Walden’s elbow and said, “Follow me.”

  Walden blinked again. Amir was leading him, but Walden’s vision had doubled, and it looked like Amir and the tunnel wall occupied the same space. Walden instinctively resisted, but Amir cajoled him, and Walden squeezed his eyes shut as he followed. When he opened them, he felt an instant of panic. He couldn’t see anything, but then his vision cleared and they were in a different tunnel.

  Walden looked behind them. A wall blocked their path.

  “We all have our talents,” Amir said.

  Walden struggled to comprehend. He looked behind himself again then asked, “You’re a rock-slider?”

  “Aye, come on. We’d best be quick, right?” Amir asked.

  Walden nodded and allowed himself to be led into another wall. It felt like swimming at night. He couldn’t breathe or see anything. As they moved through the darkness, colorful dots swam on the periphery of Walden’s vision.

  What if he leaves me in here? Walden wondered, but then they emerged into another corridor, and he could breathe and see again.

  “Maiten speaks to you,” Amir said.

  “What do you mean?” Walden asked.

  “I can see it, don’t deny it. It’s on your face. It’s difficult to hear a God’s voice.” Amir touched the side of his head and winced. “It hurts, and I reckon you’re tough, but I can still see it.”