* * *
“I think they’ve done something with Janel,” Brother Qown said as soon as Thurvishar answered the door to his suite. He then rushed inside without giving the larger man a chance to answer.
“Hold on. What are you talking about?”
Brother Qown tried to recover his calm. For all he knew, Janel was already dead. But if Relos Var was right …
If Relos Var was right, Janel needed to be alive. They all needed her to be alive.
He shook his head. “I was writing my notes in the south library when one of the D’Mon royals interrupted me. Darzin and his companions. Including Sir Oreth, I’m sad to say…”
“The Wolf Cubs.”
Brother Qown paused. “What?”
“We call Exidhar’s friends the Wolf Cubs. The fact Darzin has landed among them doesn’t surprise me in the least. He’s never grown up either.” Thurvishar raised an eyebrow. “What did they do?”
“Exidhar and Sir Oreth both made nasty comments hinting Janel is in jeopardy somewhere very cold.”
“I understand she’s been left with the wives.” Thurvishar laughed. “I suppose that’s cold enough.”
“No, you don’t understand. I used Worldhearth to search every fire in the palace. She’s not here. I can’t find her.”
Thurvishar stopped smiling.
After a moment, he said, “Is it possible she’s escaped?”
Brother Qown blinked. That thought hadn’t occurred to him. Yes, it was possible. She might have escaped. Janel could leave at any time. She wasn’t gaeshed.
He shook his head. “No. She wouldn’t … she wouldn’t leave me.”
“Are you so sure?”
Brother Qown nodded. “I’m sure. And they wouldn’t have been so smug if that was it. Something bad has happened, and those men were part of it.”
“Let’s find the Hon.”
43: THE FIRE CAVES
Jorat Dominion, Quuros Empire. Three days since Kihrin D’Mon discovered that it’s possible to make talismans for other people … against their will
“Darzin was always so charming, wasn’t he?” Kihrin said, shaking his head.
“Thorra,” Janel said.
“Yes,” he agreed. “Definitely thorra.” He chuckled.
“He sounds like a real winner.” Ninavis yawned as she examined her cup. “I think I’ll boil up another pot of coffee.” She left for the kitchen.
Janel watched her leave, frowning. Kihrin couldn’t tell if she was upset with Ninavis or upset in general.
“Are you all right?” he asked, anyway, squeezing her hand.
“Thurvishar isn’t the wizard we’re waiting on,” Janel said suddenly. “Relos Var is.”
The whole table fell quiet for a stunned second.
Kihrin pulled back his hand.
“Janel!” Brother Qown stood. “We were explaining the context—”
Dorna added, “Now maybe I wouldn’t have—”
“Silence!” Janel snapped. She turned to Kihrin. “We don’t have Khoreval anymore. I possessed it briefly, but Relos Var reclaimed it. So we made a deal: if I convince you to help us kill Morios, he’ll hand over Khoreval. We need both weapons to finish the job.” She added quietly, “That’s what I needed to tell you.”
Kihrin didn’t know what to think, but the expression on Janel’s face left little doubt that she was serious. She had, in fact, been planning to betray him.
Or at least it would have felt like betrayal.
He stood from his chair, not sure what he’d do, only that he had to do something.
“Kihrin, please—”
He whirled back to her and pointed to the ceiling. “If you and Var are working together, why is my angry daughter from another lifetime hovering around outside? Or is that just to keep me from leaving?”
“Var must have realized I would tell Janel about Father Zajhera,” Brother Qown mused. “With the gaeshe broken, nothing prevented me from telling the truth.”
“Which would lead to me confessing the truth as well. But Relos Var doesn’t know Thurvishar is working with us,” Janel explained. “We left him in Atrine as insurance.1 And the moment Thurvishar sees any sign of Morios, he’ll open a portal back to us.”
“So … I could have left here at any time, with Thurvishar’s help?”
“Wait, we could’ve left at any time?” Dorna seemed just as surprised.
Kihrin ignored the old woman and continued glaring at Janel. “Tell me you didn’t know Relos Var was going to send over Aeyan’arric to keep us trapped.”
“I swear I didn’t,” Janel said. “I didn’t even realize Aeyan’arric had returned to life. Relos Var had claimed she would, but I had no idea how little time it would take.”
Kihrin ground his teeth, wrestling with his anger. “And I’m supposed to trust you? You’ve handed Relos Var my location. He’s not my friend, Janel. He doesn’t have a single good intention regarding me.”
Janel looked about to protest, but then inhaled instead. “It wouldn’t matter if he did. He’s a farmer raising livestock. A farmer may like a pig—name it, pet it, feed it treats—but it will still see the ax come autumn. Even if he loved you, even if he loved me, it wouldn’t stop him from killing us if he felt it was needed.”
“Sure, and what pig cares that he was loved, when it’s time for the slaughter.”
“But,” Qown said, “I’ve come to know him well enough to say with certainty that he doesn’t kill unnecessarily. The prophecies strongly imply Morios will be defeated—there’s no reason to think Relos Var wouldn’t want to help us accomplish that goal.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” Kihrin snapped. “Oh wait, no, it doesn’t.”
“Qown, send a message to Thurvishar. Tell him to open a gate here so Kihrin may leave.” Janel rubbed her temples and made a study of the bar counter.
“But—” Qown’s eyes widened. “The … dragon. There’s a quarter million people in Atrine right now…”
“Tricking Kihrin to help us under false pretenses was always a mistake. I don’t know why I ever thought otherwise.”
“Because of a quarter million people, foal,” Dorna said.
Star raised an eyebrow. “You’re running?”
“Oh, don’t you start,” Kihrin said. He sat back down and waved at Qown when the priest pulled Worldhearth from his agolé. “Put that away. I’m staying.”
Janel blinked. “You are?”
“I have four reasons,” he said as he drank the last of his cold coffee. “First, I came here to find you, and while I’m not happy about the way this is going, I’m not leaving without you. Second, because the hell if I’m running from Relos Var, when I’m the one carrying Godslayer. He should be running from me. Third, because I’ll feel like a real ass if Morios is real, and I just left all those people to die.”
“And fourth?” Janel asked.