Chapter Twenty-Two
Donan gave Lorath a brief account of his explorations on Philios and Celestia, and he described what he had succeeded in deciphering of the journal before it was confiscated by the Askarra Guard. Despite present circumstances, he felt a bit of pride in reporting his success.
Lorath listened, leaning against the door of his cage, gripping the bars. “I guess your insatiable curiosity paid off,” he said.
“Aided by the charm Sho-Ren placed on the book.”
“So, the Horadrim tried to flee Skovos.”
“And they almost made it,” Donan added. “I think we narrowly avoided the same titan that sank their ship.”
Lorath let go of the bars and paced within the narrow confines of his cell. “It’s possible that same beast tore down the watchfire that has protected Skovos from the Drowned.”
Thinking about their crossing from Kingsport reminded Donan of the Arabel. “Where is Keldon?” he asked. “Was he not arrested with you?”
Lorath stopped pacing. “Keldon is gone. He died fighting the Drowned.”
“What?” Donan’s chest went cold. “Keldon is dead?”
“I am very sorry to say he is.”
Donan slumped against the wall of his cell. He had liked the old sailor. He was the reason they had found Keldon and brought him along, and Donan could not help feeling responsible for his death.
“Hey,” Lorath said. “None of that. Before he died, Keldon gave me a message for you.”
“What message?” Donan asked, barely above a whisper.
“He said to tell you he was glad you sat down at his table.”
Donan rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to lie for my sake—”
“I swear it’s true,” Lorath said. “And he meant it. He was grateful to you for restoring his ship to him. There’s more, but…I’ll save it for a better time and place.”
Donan nodded, accepting the message with reluctant gratitude.
He saw Alenia’s hand reaching as far through the bars of her cell as she could, and he reached out his own hand to take hers.
She had never met Keldon, but he appreciated her compassion.
He would miss the old sailor, but Lorath was right: any remorse or grief he might feel needed to be set aside.
“What now?” he asked.
“We wait,” Lorath said. “We’re still alive, which means someone wants something from us.”
“We’ve been here for days.” Alenia gave Donan’s hand a final squeeze before letting it go. “The only people we’ve seen are the guards who bring us our meals.”
“But now I’m here,” Lorath said.
Donan wasn’t sure why that should make a difference, but apparently it did, because a few hours later, the door to their cell block opened, and Captain Myrina marched in, wielding a spear.
He was not surprised to see her, given that he had been arrested by her Askarra Guards, but he was somewhat discomfited when she dismissed her escort and closed the door behind them so that she was alone with her prisoners.
“I don’t suppose you know where Faysal is,” she said.
Donan had no idea. If Lorath knew, he said nothing. At least her question suggested that she had not yet uncovered his true nature and that Tyrael had somehow eluded her.
“Fine.” Myrina rubbed her hands together.
“Here is what we will do. I will tell you what I know so we don’t waste any precious time on denials.
” She did not wait for their agreement before continuing.
“I know you are Horadrim. I have known that from the moment I had your ship searched and found your hidden emblems. I encouraged the queen to permit your presence in Skovos only because I wanted to have you followed. You see, I guessed that you came here searching for an Askari relic hoard, just like that Xian mage before you.”
“I guess you don’t know as much as you think you do,” said Lorath. “We have no interest in Askari relics—”
Myrina whipped her spear around and lunged, thrusting its blade between the bars of Lorath’s cell so fast, she seemed to blur.
In the next moment, she had returned her weapon to its previous stance at her side, and Lorath had a trickle of blood across his cheek where she had sliced him. He had not even had time to flinch.
“That was a warning,” she said. “I will tolerate no lies. If you attempt any further deception, my spear will find your throat.”
“What makes you think the Horadrim are interested in Askari relics?” Donan asked.
She swung the head of the spear around and pointed it at him.
“Because a group of Horadrim stole our relics and hid them in their vault long ago. Now you come here thinking our heritage belongs to you, but the passage of time does not erase their theft. I want only what belongs to us.” She stepped closer to Donan. “Tell me, where is the vault?”
“Do you mean the workshop where you had me arrested?”
“No. That cellar is empty. I want the real vault. I want the relics.”
She brought her spear up to her shoulder and adjusted her stance, poised to run him through. Donan looked into her eyes and saw no hesitancy, only confident, murderous determination, and his heartbeat quickened. He held up his hands and kept his voice calm.
“I am afraid the ship carrying the Horadrim went down off Kingsport. A titan pursued and sank them.”
Myrina showed no surprise at the mention of the titan, nor at the revelation that the Horadrim’s ship had been wrecked. “A tragedy for your order,” she said.
Donan went on, “No, what I mean is, they carried powerful relics on that ship, which are now at the bottom of the sea.”
Myrina’s eyes narrowed, and her voice went cold. “I do not believe you.”
“Some of the artifacts do wash up on occasion,” Lorath said. “But the Harbormaster of Kingsport claims them. Perhaps you ought to speak with her and come to another arrangement.”
Myrina spun to glare at him for a moment. Then she turned her gaze on Alenia and strode toward her cell. “What about you? A shame to see an Askari woman fall in with men such as these. But it’s not too late for you. Do you have anything useful to tell me?”
“You have made a mistake,” said Alenia.
“I have? Do tell me, what mistake have I made?”
“You have arrested the older sister of the Oracle Queen.”
Myrina froze, and for the first time since entering the cell block, she appeared uncertain and troubled.
But the moment passed quickly, after which she recovered her composure.
“Listen to me, Horadrim. If you wish to leave Skovos alive, you will give me what I want. You have until tomorrow. If you have not revealed the true location of your vault by then, we have methods to extract the truth from you. I do not want it to come to that, but these are desperate times.”
With that, she marched from the cell block and left them alone.
Lorath leaned his shoulder against the bars, arms folded, and looked at Alenia. “I think you rattled her.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “But only temporarily. Whatever she accuses you of doing, she can easily accuse me of conspiring with you and brand me a traitor. My sister wouldn’t be able to stop her, even if she wanted to. The seers wield a different kind of power than the Amazons.”
“All the same,” Lorath said, “it was a pleasure to watch her squirm, if only for a moment.”
Alenia regarded him slightly askance. “You don’t seem worried about her threat of torture.”
Lorath shrugged. “I doubt it will come to that.” Then he pushed off from the bars and began to pace his cell again. “I’m much more troubled by what we’re missing here. The titan, Myrina, and the vault…these are all related. But how?”
“Demonic influence?” Donan asked.
Lorath shook his head. “We would have sensed it.”
They persisted in fruitless speculation for a while, but that conversation eventually dwindled.
Hours passed, though without a window to the world outside the prison, their meals offered the only means of marking the passage of time.
Eventually, Donan’s fatigue and the silence of the prison told him it had grown late.
His mind and his thoughts drifted, but he found no true sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, distant shouts and the clash of weapons roused him to alertness.
He went to the door of his cell, where he saw the commotion had stirred Lorath as well.
They looked at each other across the corridor, and he saw Lorath was smiling.
Moments later, the door to their cell block burst open, and Tyrael strode in wielding El’druin, ready for a fight.
Several warriors accompanied him, obviously Amazons, though they had their faces hidden beneath hoods and cowls.
Upon realizing there were no more foes in the cell block, one of the warriors produced a ring of keys, which she used to unlock Lorath’s cell.
“Are you all right?” she asked, and Donan recognized Adreona’s voice.
“We are unharmed,” Lorath answered.
Adreona then used the key to free Donan, but she paused at Alenia’s cell.
“She’s with us,” Lorath said, at which Adreona opened her door.
“We have much to discuss,” said Tyrael. “But not here. Let’s move.”
He then led them back the way they had come through the dungeon, and along their route they passed numerous Askarra Guards lying unconscious and bound. None of them looked too gravely injured, but it appeared that Adreona’s Amazons had nevertheless dealt roughly with their silken rivals.
At last, they came to the main gates and exited the prison. Night lay on Temis, casting a blue haze over the white stone buildings, blooms of yellow candlelight still glowing in some of the windows.
“Follow me,” Adreona whispered.