Chapter 26 Toran #2
Nes snorted. “Trust me, you’re far more innocent than I am.”
Toran tried not to think on Nes’s lack of innocence. Still, her bloodied hand, the corpse’s shriveled heart clutched in it, flitted to the front of his mind.
“But I’ve used magic. Multiple times. When I know it’s illegal,” Genna said. “When I know what the punishment is.”
“It’s not your fault if the punishment doesn’t match the crime,” he said, and was surprised to find he meant it.
Magic was uncontrollable, that was part of the reason it was illegal to consume.
And he still believed it was evil. But consuming it didn’t make someone evil, and Genna hadn’t hurt anyone.
“The Witch is one thing, but people like you? Who don’t have magic coursing through their veins and only use it when truly desperate?
Those people don’t deserve to die for one mistake.
Especially if the system forced their hand.
I’m sorry, Genna. This never should have happened.
I’ll fix it. When this is over—after we find the Witch—I’ll fix it. ”
And then it was Nes’s hand under the table. Her hand sliding onto his lap. Her hand resting on his thigh.
“There is one more thing,” he said, his tone soft. “We need you to tell us everything you know about what happened up north.”
“I thought you might say that.” Genna sucked in a breath. “I was the legion’s pack mule. Instructed to carry all supplies. Captain Fell chose a spot at the base of a mountain to camp. He instructed me to remain behind and set everything up while he and the legion explored the area.”
“Explored the area?”
“With their weapons,” Genna added. “I knew something was up, but I couldn’t do anything. I was alone. The legion left, and I set up camp. When two hours passed and they hadn’t returned, I went searching for them. I found…” Genna closed her eyes. “I shouldn’t have gone after them.”
“What happened?” Suri asked gently.
“Captain Fell and the other men came across a group of nomads settled nearby.”
Nes turned her hand in his so they were palm to palm, heartbeat to heartbeat.
Genna opened her eyes. “No one knew the Witch was there. The nomads were nice, welcoming. They offered Captain Fell food.”
He felt his hand go stiff in hers. Nes caressed it with her thumb, as if trying to brush away his anxiety. “Fell told us the Witch attacked everyone.”
Genna gritted her teeth. “She didn’t attack us. We didn’t even know she was with the group.”
“How did you find out?”
“Fell attacked them. They offered food, and Fell…He pulled out a sword and started slashing.”
“It was an unprovoked attack?”
Toran thought back to what the King had told him—how Fell changed after he killed the Witch.
“He’ll claim otherwise, but I know what I saw.
Fifty people, and he cut right into them.
Then the nomads fought back, and guards starting falling, too.
Far more nomads ended up on the ground. But then some of the wounded started rising up and fighting again, their injuries healed.
I think that’s when Captain Fell realized the Witch was there.
He—he lost it. He started swinging for everyone’s heads.
Nomads, guards. It didn’t matter. He killed them all.
That was when I ran. I knew if he found me, he’d kill me, too. ”
“Fell killed his own legion?” His voice was hoarse, as if he’d spent the last few days parched. He couldn’t understand what would make a captain attack his own guards.
“Yes,” Genna said. “His legion, the nomads, the Witch. Well, I thought he killed the Witch until—”
“Until someone started murdering guards.”
Genna nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
“I should have. But I thought if I told anyone, there would be nothing stopping Fell from killing me.”
Fell had always been a problem for him. But this was a whole new side to his fellow captain. A side that needed to be put in check.
“Sounds like there’s never been anything stopping him,” Nes murmured.
“You’re right,” Genna said. “Captain Fell is dangerous, and I was too naive—or too proud—to think his danger would ever come knocking on my door.”
Nes rose higher in her seat. “So what do we do? How do we get him to pay for his crimes?”
Toran sank lower. “We don’t.”
“Toran. This isn’t something to debate. He’s killed a lot of innocent people.” Nes waved a hand at Genna. “She was almost one of them!”
“Exactly. Genna is the only person who can accuse Fell of anything.”
“Then she comes forward. Tells everyone what she just told us. You can protect her.”
“If it gets him locked up for life,” Genna said, “I’ll do it.”
Nes’s eyes were shards of ice hovering over him as she said, “See?”
He curled a hand tight atop the table. “Genna can’t come forward,” he said quietly. “As far as anyone knows, Sergeant Genna Rizzo died in that well yesterday. What do you think will happen if she were to miraculously come back from the dead?”
Nes deflated in her seat, her understanding a thing he could inhale. “They wouldn’t listen to a word she said. They’d only see her survival as proof she’s the Witch.”
He lifted his fist and knocked it against his chin. “There’s only one way to get people to believe Genna’s story over Fell’s. We need to find the real Witch first.”
Nes grinned at him, the conviction in her smile like a sprouting weed. He struggled to hold his own against it.
“Then it’s a good thing we have a plan.”