Chapter Twenty-Three: The Investigation

Rhylix

Instead, I marshal the remnants of my sanity to delay Corruption, one last fight to convey my wishes before I no longer can.

After Raimie had woken up, we gave him two more days to recover, and then, it was time to run again. The delay had made the people aware of Teron’s pursuit antsy, seeing as how it had almost negated the advantage that we’d gained by going through the Withriingalm.

I couldn’t tell anyone this, but we had no reason to worry. While we’d been in the marshlands, the group had created quite the distance between it and our pursuer. The point of repulsion that had once hastened me to Raimie’s side had been lagging, although I wasn’t sure why. Was something about the Withriingalm foiling Teron?

But since no one besides me knew about this, the remaining days spent in the swamp saw an air of fragile peace hovering over the group. It wasn’t a good environment to investigate the Zrelnach in, but I did what I could.

For a day and a half, I followed the people whose names Dath had given me, hoping they’d lead me to others, and they did, but it was never anyone I could pinpoint as the conspiracy’s leader. Still, learning of other accomplices was helpful, if only in forming a comprehensive list of conspirators. When Aramar and I eventually informed Eledis and Ferin of this, there was sure to be a cleansing of the Zrelnach’s ranks, and I wanted to leave as few conspirators among us as possible.

Aramar had been following his own leads, focusing on the acts of sabotage that Dath had brought to our attention. While he hadn’t gotten anywhere with it, his snooping had lessened the number of broken axles and the like that the group had struggled with.

Every night, the two of us conferred on our findings, and as the days passed, those meetings became much more tense and terse. If we wanted to get anywhere, we needed to change our strategy, but I didn’t know what else we could do, besides watch identified conspirators while seeking a means of infiltrating them.

Each night after finishing those check-ins, I turned to what had been my favorite part of the day: combat training with the younglings. Ever since Raimie’s close call in the Withriingalm, however, Dath had had to skip these lessons, not only because attending them might get him recognized but because of the exhaustion that he accrued from holding an illusion all day. He usually took this time to rest, in case he was needed later.

As for Raimie, he’d become withdrawn. Guarded.

And this change made me nervous. Did he regret asking about his primeancy? We hadn’t discussed his magic since that first conversation, so I couldn’t exactly ask what he was thinking, and while I found hope in how he was distancing himself from everyone, not just me, I also wasn’t sure what else this change could be about.

I couldn’t give it much consideration now, though.

Four days ago, the swamp had yielded to plains once more. We’d left the Withriingalm behind—good riddance—and the ground had begun to dip and rise into the rolling hills that surrounded Sev. With the sun nearing the horizon, I’d already run Raimie through his drills, and after an hour of this, it was time for controlled, real-world application, the best way to teach someone how to fight.

In other words, sparring.

Most days, Raimie was cautious during our fights, defending as best he could until he saw an opening where he could ‘disable’ me. This was, after all, what he’d said he wanted to learn: the ability to fight until he could retreat.

Tonight, however, he was aggressive. He didn’t give me time to go on the offensive, hammering down on me with blows that had far too much power behind them, and it was drawing a crowd. In the thirty seconds since our sparring session had begun, several Zrelnach had stopped to watch.

I let their presence fall to a lower state of awareness. With each moment that passed, matching Raimie’s skill level had become increasingly difficult. Something that he’d kept hidden or repressed was peeking above the surface.

I’d been prodding my friend—subtly, mind you—toward unleashing what sometimes gave him an unconscious affinity for fighting, and it seemed I’d found it now.

It, however, wasn’t a good time to reveal this, not when several highly trained warriors were watching him. Let the Zrelnach think their chosen leader was martially weak, at least until the loyal among them had been verified.

So, I considered removing the cap that I’d placed on myself for years. Revealing that side of myself would be annoying, but most in this group already knew that when it came to fighting, I outclassed them.

Before I could decide, however, I spotted a strand of night wriggling over Raimie’s skin, and my mouth went dry.

What was he doing? Using primeancy, especially of that type, here?! Was he trying to get himself killed?

Distracted, I fumbled a parry, which threw my sword arm wide, and a fist, swarming in black splotches, came for my face.

Without thought, I dropped my sword, and my arm blurred in front of me to catch Raimie’s wrist. Twisting it behind the boy, I ignored his yelp of pain, dragging him closer so I could slap a hand on his back.

Only in the breath before I’d unleash Ele, flinging my enemy away, did I remember that I was manhandling a friend. So, instead of repelling a Daevetch user as far from me as possible, I shoved him, and by the time Raimie had regained his balance, I had my sword tip at his throat.

With him stopped short, focus returned to the kid’s eyes, and he laughed.

“Oh, you should see your face,” he said. “I’ve never seen you so livid before.”

“I have good reason to be pissed,” I hissed. “What the hell are you doing, Raimie? You can’t- you can’t…”

Folding his arms, Raimie lifted his chin.

“Says who?” he asked.

Oh, Alouin above, he was letting Daevetch influence him. How did one calm down a teenage boy, drunk on newly realized power?

“Maybe not here, my friend?” I said. “We can discuss it in private.”

“Why?” Raimie said. “If I wanted to, I could tear everyone around us apart. They’re not a threat. So, tell me. Why should I hide a part of myself?”

“Just-”

Oo, I wanted to strangle the kid right now. Look at the cocked heads and concerned faces around us. This disagreement needed to end. Now.

“Just listen to me. Ok?” I said. “You have to trust that I know what I’m talking about.”

“Do I? Really?” Raimie snapped. “You’re asking me to trust you when you’re hiding something from me. If you don’t want me knowing one of your secrets, that’s fine. I don’t care. But you can’t deny that you’re hiding one. It’s rude.”

With my throat closing, I held perfectly still. When Raimie had told me what he’d seen after the accident, it had been the first time in forever that I’d outright panicked. I’d had the presence of mind to finish my conversation with Raimie first, but once I was free of that tent, I’d darted through camp, frantically seeking a place of solitude.

Because Raimie had almost seen the one thing that I most hated about myself. And speaking with Alouin… that he’d done that had sent me into a shivering fit, and its aftershocks were still appearing, days later.

Suppressing one now, I said, “I find it interesting that you don’t want me hiding things from you when you’re doing the same thing with me.”

Expression dropped from Raimie’s face.

“Excuse me?”

I should heed the warning in that monotone voice, but damnit, this situation had made me angry. This boy, this human, had already intruded enough on my life, and I shouldn’t have allowed it.

Raimie was supposed to be my ally, for fucks sake! What would I do when that status got him hurt or killed? Having come to like him, could I survive his downfall, especially after I’d lost so many loved ones already?

“You heard me,” I growled. “How is it that at times, you’re fighting like an experienced soldier? Why have people across Ada’ir recognized you? How do you sometimes know the words needed to defuse a situation? How are you flying through Ferin’s lessons so quickly?

“Individually, I’d think you were capable of doing these things but together? Whether you know it or not, you have a secret too, Raimie.”

Trembling in place, the kid clenched his already tight fists at his sides.

“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t say that.”

I flung my hands above my head.

“Say what?” I hissed, fighting to keep my voice down. “That our situations are so similar, it hurts my heart to consider? That you’re not normal? That there’s something different about-?”

In a muted flash of light, a fist cracked into my jaw, followed by something solid connecting with my stomach, and I was propelled backward. Sky and grass and wagons spun as I tumbled to a stop, and once motion ceased, I lay there for a moment, blinking.

Raimie had hit me? Gods, if I didn’t have to maintain the illusion of injury, I might have howled with laughter. For the novelty of getting surprised alone, I’d have forgiven the kid but damn. What it came to his emotional state, Raimie could defend himself.

Good.

Besides, I’d pushed him too hard.

“Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods.”

When had he started using that phrase?

“Rhy! Are you ok?”

Cracking an eye open, I waved away Raimie’s offered hand up, laboriously doing it myself. Woozily swaying in place—completely unnecessary by my body’s standards but required for the disguise—I spat out the mouthful of blood that I’d held since stopping, smiling at Raimie’s whimper of worry.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just so angry.”

He continued speaking, but I was too caught on an idea to listen. Could this be the opportunity that Aramar and I had been looking for? Enough Zrelnach were nearby, watching with amusement, to start a rumor.

“Stop, Raimie. I’m not upset. Pretty sure the punching and kicking me thing was Daevetch talking,” I said under my breath, “but we don’t have much time, so listen carefully. I’m about to act like you’ve insulted me. You haven’t. I am not angry with you, but I have to pretend like I am so that I can gain some traction on this investigation. All right? Don’t nod. Just say yes or no.”

Raimie looked mighty confused, but he said.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Yes.”

Gods, the trust that boy showed me. I didn’t deserve it.

Roaring, I tackled Raimie, straddling him. Swinging my fist back, I barely stopped myself from punching my friend, and with my shoulders heaving, I refused to interpret what the look in his eyes meant.

“You’re Alouin damned lucky that you’re royalty. Otherwise, I’d beat you black and blue,” I shouted. “Fuck you, Raimie. You can find yourself another weapons instructor.”

Ducking to his ear, I forewent the personal insult that the audience was probably imagining I was giving.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Remember. We’re good. I am your friend for as long as you want it. Good luck over the next few days.”

Hopping to my feet, I spun, leaving Raimie in the dirt. Hopefully, he’d realize what I was doing, but if he didn’t, I wouldn’t keep him in suspense for long. The story of what had happened here would spread across the group, eventually reaching someone in the conspiracy, and with a little luck, they’d see me as a valuable asset to recruit.

And once I was in their ranks, I could wreak havoc.

----------------------------------------

I was beginning to think that I’d made a mistake. A week had passed since my ‘argument’ with Raimie, and no one in the conspiracy had approached me. Not only that but tonight, the group had made camp perhaps a day’s march from Sev, our destination.

Which meant that the conspirators would have accelerated their plans. If they wanted to stay in Ada’ir, they’d have to make their move soon.

I had one more day before that happened. This afternoon, Raimie and Eledis had entered Sev, presumably to charter a boat, and in all likelihood, the dissidents in our midst wouldn’t act until the object of their machinations was among us again.

So, having done everything I could in my investigation, I was sitting on a hill’s knoll, training my eyes on the northernmost of the Robzul city states. Occupying the sole harbor in Blackwell Bay—one of the only refuges from the Accession Tear’s storms—Sev had been a prime target for pirates over the last few generations. Maintaining the city’s defenses had drained its coffers dry, leading to a host of economic problems.

It had also produced a solid wall around the city, one whose gates were only open during the day. After dark, nothing got through them, no matter how high the bribe.

I was intimately familiar with all of this. When I’d arrived on this continent’s shores, Sev had been where I’d spent my first few miserable years. What bad luck that Eledis had chosen it as our port of departure, even if that decision had been entirely logical.

I didn’t like to think about the time I’d spent here or of the depravity that I’d sunk to, but it was best to confront this part of my past now, when I was far from Sev, rather than when I was walking down its streets.

Hence, my position so far from camp.

Even still, a Zrelnach found me. When she came to a stop at my side, she didn’t speak, and I was content to let this continue. She, however, wasn’t.

“You’re no longer enamored with the young king,” she said, like it was a question.

Tightening my embrace of my legs, I slowly looked up at her, flinching when I recognized Ona. The Zrelnach’s top fixer peered at the city in front of us while strands of hair drifted around her face.

“How did you-?” I said.

“You can’t get in such a tremendous argument and expect that people won’t notice,” Ona said with a small smile. “Well? Your thoughts on the boy?”

She rested her hands on her hips while I considered how to reply. This seemed like the opening I’d been waiting for, especially with an identified conspirator asking the question, but it paid to be careful.

“I think… he’s young. And woefully unprepared,” I said. “He can’t learn everything he needs to know before reaching Auden. I think… I think it might be best if I stayed in Ada’ir. If Raimie’s in charge, I don’t like our chances of bringing Doldimar down, and I don’t care to die for no reason.”

While Ona weighed my words, I shifted in place, hoping it appeared the right amount of nervous.

“I’m part of a group with similar views,” she eventually said. “If you’re interested, our leader would like to meet you.”

Their leader? This was going better than I’d expected.

“I’m interested,” I said. “When would this meeting happen?”

“Now,” Ona said, tilting her head with a sardonic smile in place. “Unless you have something better to do?”

“No. Now works fine.”

Scrambling to my feet, I turned my back on the city.

Ona didn’t lead us into camp, getting us lost in the land around Sev instead, but after about a half-hour, a Zrelnach squad came into view from around a hill, and my guide stopped, pointing at the ground.

“Sword, dagger, and your six hidden knives here,” she said.

Hell, she was good. After relinquishing the weapons that she’d specified, I’d be unarmed, physically at least. Still, I did as I was told, only pausing when removing my dagger. Having raised her hand, Ona bobbed it, and I cautiously placed the blade on her palm, letting her inspect it.

It was an odd weapon, after all, with its blade a tad longer than a typical dagger’s length, but that wasn’t what had caught her eye. Hefting the dagger, she balanced a finger on one end of its cross guard.

“What’s the point of having this piece if it’s too short to catch a blade on?” she asked.

With a ghost of a smile, I said, “Oh, you can catch a blade on even that small of a cross guard. Learning how to do it just takes more practice than most think it’s worth.”

“Hmm.”

Ona narrowed her eyes.

“I could have sworn I’ve heard of a dagger like this before, something from a history book,” she said before shrugging. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, though.”

The dagger went on top of my weapons collection, and Ona beckoned me onward.

“Our leader isn’t here yet. Unsurprising, given how busy everyone’s been,” she said. “You’ll have to wait until she arrives.”

“Not a problem. Waiting for people has become a specialty of mine,” I said.

She. So, the ringleader of this conspiracy was a woman. Interesting.

Once Ona had handed me off to her companions, she angled her body back the way we’d come.

“I’ll find our leader,” she said. “You wait with these fine individuals. I shouldn’t be long.”

“I look forward to it,” I said.

Mentally, I was already preparing an escape route for if this turned to shit. With eight Zrelnach around me and an unknown number still coming, I’d have to make a bolt for it instead of fighting, but that shouldn’t be too difficult. It was amazing the amount of Ele that one could use around sunset. Its glare was wonderful for concealing bursts of light.

Hopefully, though, I wouldn’t have to run. Hopefully, I could learn who this conspiracy’s leader was and leave with her thinking I’d joined their cause. I’d love to bring Aramar good news tonight.

With Ona gone, I waited in silence with… what role did these Zrelnach play in the conspiracy? Guards for their leader? Eight seemed excessive to protect her against one man.

Regardless, I waited, occasionally squinting at the pile of my belongings. Would I have time to collect them if I needed to flee?

When a cluster of people rounded the hill ahead, I blew out a slow breath. With the sun sinking below the horizon, Ele usage would soon go from hidden to blatantly apparent, and I did not want these people learning that I was a primeancer. So, thank goodness this meeting would soon be starting.

Part of the cluster peeled off from the rest, running toward me and my ‘companions’ at double time, and I prodded my mouth into a welcoming smile.

It was a smile that withered as the cluster approached. Numb, I watched two women pull to a stop in front of me, hardly out of breath. Ona joined the other Zrelnach around me, all of whom had shifted into threatening stances, but the other woman sadly smiled, tucking her purple-blonde hair behind her ears.

“Hiya, Rhy,” Ferin said.

Oh, at that greeting, something throbbed behind the ice coating me. I didn’t look forward to learning what it was.

But this explained why so many guards were here. Ferin was perhaps the only person in Ada’ir who knew how good I was with the blade.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

As her already fragile mask of ease cracked further, Ferin clasped her hands in front of her.

“My job. What else?” she said. “I’m removing the biggest threat to Allanovian from the board.”

“So… you are these people’s leader?” I said. “You tried to have Raimie killed?”

How those questions crushed a portion of the hope that for weeks, I’d been growing. It was a small fraction, but their quashing hurt nonetheless.

“I am, and to my great shame, yes, I did,” Ferin said. “I’m the one that you and Aramar have been looking for since the Withriingalm. I’ve enjoyed watching your investigation from afar.”

“But… why?” I shouted, taking a step forward.

One of the Zrelnach moved in front of me with a weapon bared, and I rocked to a stop.

“Why choose now to hurt Raimie rather than in Allanovian, when he was at your mercy?” I continued. “Why act as if you were sympathetic to his cause for so many weeks? You saved his damn life, for Alouin’s sake! Hell! Why are you opposing him at all?”

Behind the Zrelnach protecting her, a wistful smile swept across Ferin’s face.

“Actually, I am not opposing Raimie. I believe in him, want him to succeed in everything he does. He’s a good kid,” she said, “but I can’t listen only to myself. I’m a Councilwoman of Allanovian, which means that the city’s needs take priority over what I want, and the Audish royal family is a threat to it, perhaps the greatest one we’ve faced.

“When you brought him to us, my fellow Councilors advocated for finishing off what Teron had started, like you suggested, but in this case, what almost killed the kid saved his life. Some among us realized that Doldimar’s minions would track that boy to the ends of the earth, and we had a good idea of what would happen if one of them visited Allanovian.

“Since our tear repels intruders from the village, we had a little time. So, we put together the army that you’ve traveled with over these last few weeks, although many of them don’t know the full extent of their orders yet. Our job was to draw as many of Doldimar’s minions away from Allanovian as possible, duping the royal family into believing us loyal all the while, before permanently ending the threat to us. Hence, the assassination attempt in the Withriingalm.”

She paused, fixing her eyes on thin air, and I bit my tongue. The longer Ferin talked, the more I learned, information that I could share with Raimie and his family.

“But I like that boy, far more than I should,” Ferin whispered. “Alouin, if I weren’t bound by my duty, I’d follow him to Auden, taking on the Dark Lord with him. It’s why I’ve been so fervent during our lessons. It’s why for so long, I delayed in giving the kill order. It’s why when I found him in sinking mud, I went berserk to free him, starting chest compressions even with my mind screaming that he had to die. That night, I realized I could never see Raimie murdered, not by my hand or my order, so I did the only thing I could. I gave the task to someone else.”

I stopped breathing while my stomach tied into knots.

“You didn’t,” I breathed.

Because there was only one person Ferin could safely give her problem to, only one who could deal with the Audish royal family, only one human Allanovian had maintained friendly relations with.

“I did,” Ferin said. “The next morning, I sent a message to the queen, and Kaedesa was quick to respond. If we’ve gotten our timing right, she and her royal guard should be waiting in Sev for the ringleaders of Ada’ir’s most recent ‘rebellion’, leaving me free to bring my people home. As soon as she gives us permission to go, of course.”

Kaedesa, the queen who’d left the bodies of rebels on display for weeks on end, was waiting for Raimie in Sev. The city closed its gate at nightfall, only opened again at the break of dawn. And the sun was half-hidden by the horizon.

Shit.

“Before you try anything heroic, you might want to wait a moment,” Ferin said. “I’ve brought someone who’s desperate for you to stay.”

Stepping aside, Ferin revealed the other half of her cluster. Two Zrelnach led a teenager toward us by his bound hands. The black cloth under his leathers was ripped in a few places while scrapes coated his exposed skin, and his lip was bleeding.

When he saw me, Dath gasped.

“Don’t let-” he started.

A Zrelnach buried his fist in the kid’s stomach, and he folded over it, coughing.

Dragging my eyes to Ferin, I said, “You wouldn’t.”

She looked down her nose at me.

“Rhy, I just handed a boy, one I’ve come to view as a little brother, over to a woman who will execute him in the most brutal manner possible,” she said, speaking as if to a child. “What makes you think that I would spare a trainee who’s betrayed his home?”

She turned to Ona.

“If Healer Rhylix leaves your presence, you are to use all of your talents on this failed Zrelnach,” she said, pointing at Dath. “Are my orders understood?”

Ona nodded, and taking a deep breath, Ferin turned away from me, drooping a little.

“I have far too many tasks left to stay here.”

Before she could leave, I called after her with my voice strangled.

“Don’t do this. Please.”

For a few breaths, Ferin held still before shaking herself.

“See you on the other side, Rhy,” she said. “Forgive me.”

She strode away with her head down, and with my heart racing, squeezing, in my chest, I ran through my options, but even as I dragged this process out, I knew that only one choice would be left at the end.

Save Raimie or Dath.

I forced myself to look at the boy. He was staring at a distracted Ona with wide eyes, probably remembering every story he’d heard of her bringing human villages to heel, and I wanted to help him. Gods, how I did.

But my ally was Raimie, and if I was to succeed with my end goal, I needed my ally alive.

How had the creation of collateral damage already begun?

Licking his lips, Dath met my eyes, trying and failing to speak.

On a second attempt, he hoarsely said, “Why are you still here? Go!”

Knowing that for the provocation it had been, the Zrelnach around us tensed, reaching for weapons, and with blurring vision, I leapt into the air, pushing Ele from my feet. The primal force’s added energy had me soaring over my captor’s heads, helping me roll to my feet on landing, and turning my back on the Zrelnach and… Dath, I hightailed it for Sev’s wall.

I had so many things I wished I could tell Dath: that his sacrifice wouldn’t be wasted, that he was a better person than I’d expected him to be, that I was proud of him. But none of this was spoken. It was shoved, along with an upsurge of frenzied panic—

It’s happening again! Gods, why can’t I escape tragedy? Why do suffering and travesties trail in my wake?

—into a small corner of my mind, one resting beside my repressed memories.

Maybe Ferin would decide to spare the kid?

Flying beneath a purple-and-orange-smeared sky, I laughed. Sure, that was a possibility, like it was possible I’d reach Raimie in time.

By the time I’d reached the wall, night had fallen over the world, and despite knowing that it would be the case, its closed gate had me screaming into a fist, pressed to my mouth.

What was I going to do? It was too dark to use Ele now. If I did, I was likely to get caught, and I’d be no good to Raimie dead or in prison.

If I shapeshifted into a bird, I’d definitely get stuck in that state, given how distracted I was, and if there was a smuggler’s route into the city, I didn’t know about it. When I’d lived here, nothing like that had existed.

I couldn’t get to Raimie. Which meant Dath-

“No.”

Logically, my ally should be able to keep himself out of trouble for one night—

Crazed giggling flew around what was blocking my mouth.

—considering that he was at least passable with a blade. He also had his primeancy as a last resort.

If he could stay out of Queen Kaedesa’s hands until morning, I could join him and Eledis before getting them out of the city.

So. What else could I do? I’d give what pathetic dregs of help I could to Dath, obviously, but when I inevitably found his corpse, how could I distract myself from another innocent kid’s blood on my hands?

From what Ferin had said, she’d be stabilizing her power tonight. Given that our group was mostly made up of Zrelnach, she wouldn’t find much opposition in it...

“Aramar!”

That man was surrounded by hundreds of hostiles, and he didn’t know it. If I couldn’t help Raimie tonight, I could save his father. He’d be devastated if Aramar died.

So, for the second time today, I turned away from someone who needed my help, speeding back the way I’d came. All the while, I was begging Alouin and anyone else who’d listen that Aramar would be alive when I reached camp.