50. Clash of Stone and Steel
Clash of Stone and Steel
Samhail
Samhail went rigid, and Talyn gasped softly at Bressen’s words.
“Show yourself,” Bressen ordered.
The door of the cabinet opened, and a man in a blue uniform marched out, likely compelled by the power of the lord’s mind.
He was young-looking, perhaps in his late twenties or early thirties, with reddish brown hair and a beard that could probably have used a trim.
He looked terrified as he surveyed the six people surrounding him.
Talyn clutched at Samhail’s wrist, her fingernails digging into his skin, and something cold and heavy pooled in Samhail’s stomach as the man approached them.
It was disconcerting enough to think this man had been in the room watching him fuck Talyn, but it was more disturbing to think how vulnerable they’d been.
Samhail had been distracted long before he carried Talyn into the tent, and when she’d finally touched him, he’d completely lost any sense of what was going on around him.
He’d been so focused on the feel of finally being inside her that the man could easily have walked up behind him and slit his throat.
He’d left Talyn alone with the man when he’d gone to get his clothes, then they’d all left Cyra and Talyn in the tent with this soldier, who’d had ample opportunities to do them harm. That he hadn’t taken any of them was either due to dumb luck or the man’s own cowardice.
Realistically Samhail knew both Talyn and Cyra could take care of themselves, but that didn’t staunch the surge of dread at the idea of what might’ve happened if the man had decided to act instead of staying hidden.
From the expression of barely-contained fury on Bressen’s face, his friend was thinking the same thing.
Cyra looked pale, but Talyn’s jaw was clenched shut, and she was staring daggers at the man. Her ire was likely about what the man had seen them do and her desperate wish for him not to disclose it to anyone else.
The question of whether or not the man had seen anything was answered easily enough by the nervous looks he sent back and forth between Talyn and Samhail. The man hadn’t just seen something. He’d seen everything, and Samhail added his own death stare to Talyn’s.
“We can do this one of two ways,” Bressen said to the man as he stopped in front of the lord. “You can answer my questions honestly, or I can dig the answers out of your mind in the most painful way I can think of. What will it be?”
“I…I’ll answer your questions,” the man said tremulously.
“Good choice,” Bressen said. “Let’s start with your name.”
“Reginald of Dorhaven,” he said.
“And are you a soldier or an officer?” Bressen asked.
“I’m just a soldier,” Reginald said.
“Lie,” Cyra cut in.
Bressen’s face darkened. “Did I forget to mention my wife is a truth seer?” he said to the man. “You have one more chance before we do this the hard way. Care to try again?”
A look of panic crossed the man’s face.
“I…I’m the captain of this regiment,” Reginald said finally.
Cyra nodded to confirm he spoke true.
“And why was the captain of this regiment hiding in a cupboard while his men were out fighting and dying?” Aidan asked, his voice dripping with disgust and rage.
“I was surviving,” Reginald said desperately.
“When I looked out of the tent, there was a huge monster out there. I could see even from here we didn’t have a chance, so I hid.
Someone needed to be alive at the end to report back what happened.
I don’t even know where the beast went. For all I know, it could still be stalking around outside somewhere. ”
He looked pleadingly at everyone in the tent.
“I’m fairly certain the beast has gone back to sleep now,” Bressen said shooting Samhail a quick smile. “Who were you going to report back to? Whose army is this?”
“We fight for Rowe. For the king,” Reginald said, straightening.
Bressen cocked his head. “You were sent by King Alessi?” he asked.
Reginald swallowed and glanced at Cyra.
“Answer me or Samhail starts breaking bones,” Bressen told him. He gestured to Samhail, who took a step forward as Talyn let go of his wrist.
Samhail was inclined to break some bones anyway, just for what the man had witnessed. The captain had seen Talyn naked, so at the very least Samhail might need to gouge his eyes out.
Reginald’s face drained of color. “We fight for King Sandrian,” he said quickly. “The rightful King of Rowe.”
Bressen exhaled deeply. “And what exactly is the rightful King of Rowe up to? Why is he sending forces into Derridan?”
“We should take him back to Seatherny,” Aidan cut in. “This is hardly a place to interrogate someone.”
Samhail frowned at Aidan. The lord seemed almost…nervous.
“We’ll question him now,” Bressen said, his tone brooking no argument. It was a tone Samhail hadn’t heard him use in months – the tone of the Nemesis Incarnate – and even Aidan clamped his mouth shut.
Bressen shook his head. “This is taking too long. I’ll read his mind.”
“Wait,” Cyra said, frowning. “You and I both sensed his presence. He’s not one of the symbionts. Why isn’t he one of them?”
All eyes turned to Reginald.
“I…,” the man said looking around wildly as if for an escape.
Enough was enough. Samhail stepped forward and grabbed Reginald by the front of his uniform. He lifted him into the air with one arm and slammed him down on the table. That table.
He grabbed the man’s arm and started to bend it back the wrong way. Reginald screamed, and Samhail eased the pressure a little.
“Start talking, or we’ll see how far back your arm bends before your elbow breaks,” Samhail snarled.
Anger swelled inside him. He didn’t want to deal with this craven. He wanted to get Talyn alone again so he could spend the next several hours doing everything he’d thought about doing with her the last few days.
“I’m immune!” Reginald yelled as Samhail reapplied pressure again. “They tried to turn me, but the creature wouldn’t take to me. It’s rare, but sometimes the interaction just doesn’t work.”
Bressen held up a hand, and Samhail eased up again.
“And is that why you’re here?” Bressen said. “Sandrian is trying to build an army of those things by turning our own people?”
Reginald nodded. “Yes.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Talyn said stepping forward. “They only turned some of the villagers. They took the rest with them. Why not turn them all at once?”
Samhail bent Reginald’s arm, urging him to answer, and he cried out.
“We can only turn so many at a time,” the man said, explaining quickly before Samhail could twist his arm again.
“Once one of the creatures turns someone, it needs a day or two to recover before it can split again. Likewise, once someone is turned, the creature needs about three days to fully bond its host and build its strength before it can split. We turn a few people when we attack, then we take any men and women who look strong enough to act as hosts and turn them later.”
There was silence in the room as they all looked at each other aghast.
“I’m not sure whether to be relieved or horrified by that,” Cyra said finally. “It could be worse, but…sweet gods.”
“We need to get to Sandrian immediately,” Bressen said. “It’s time to find out everything this man knows.”
Reginald’s body seized, and he began to scream as Bressen attacked his mind.
Samhail let go of the man and looked at Talyn.
She’d gone a bit pale, and she’d drawn her daggers, although she didn’t seem to realize she’d done so.
He put a bracing hand at the small of her back. She jumped but didn’t move away.
“Bressen, stop!” Aidan shouted as he stepped forward and pushed on Bressen’s shoulder. On the table, Reginald stopped screaming as Bressen turned to the other lord.
“What are you doing?” Bressen asked Aidan sharply.
“What are you doing?” Aidan countered. “I’m the lord of this territory. You don’t have any authority to question this man, let alone torture him.”
Both of Bressen’s brows shot up. “I don’t have the authority?” he said incredulously. “This man is an invader. He brought a unit of soldiers into your territory to attack your people, and you want to get into a pissing contest with me over who gets to interrogate him?”
“Is everything alright in here?”
Everyone turned to see Surgeon and Serise in the threshold of the tent, their swords drawn.
“Everything is fine,” Aidan snapped at them. “I was just reminding Lord Bressen that he’s out of his jurisdiction, and that – Nemesis Incarnate or no – he’s not the only lord here.”
Samhail glanced at Maziren, and she met his eyes. She seemed just as concerned as him that Aidan would fight Bressen on this. It was true Bressen was out of his jurisdiction, but given the circumstances, an exception seemed in order.
Then several things happened very quickly.
“Stop the assassin!” Aidan yelled as he surged toward Talyn.
Samhail’s head snapped to Talyn. She still had her daggers out, but she didn’t look about to attack. Indeed, she looked shocked to have Aidan suddenly lunge at her. Talyn braced herself for Aidan’s attack as Maziren drew her sword.
Dread gripped Samhail as Aidan caught Talyn’s wrists in his hands.
If Maziren thought Talyn was a threat to Aidan, she’d attack.
On instinct, Samhail grabbed the back of Aidan’s jacket and yanked him backward.
Talyn jerked forward as well with Aidan’s hold on her, but she ported out of his grip a second later and reappeared ten feet back from their group, only one of her daggers still in her hand.
Aidan himself somehow careened into Reginald, who’d gotten up off the table in the chaos, and the two of them toppled to the ground.
“Samhail!” Bressen shouted, and Samhail reached down to pluck Aidan up off Reginald.
“Lord Aidan!” Maziren shouted as she lifted her blade, her eyes wide with fear. “Are you hurt?”