Heretic by Robert J. Crane

Author:Robert J. Crane [Crane, Robert J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BluA
Publisher: Revelen Press
Published: 2016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

48.

Cyrus was sitting on the couch in the Tower of the Guildmaster when Vara returned. He had scrubbed his skin raw and cleansed his sword of its bloody stain, and was waiting, his hair dripping onto the soft cotton shirt he was wearing, his armor already placed back upon its dummy. The torches burned around him as he stared at the stone floor, the last look on Danay’s face still flashing before his eyes, that shocked betrayal at a casual conversation so quickly turned to his own death. It was a look Cyrus had seen many a time in battle, where men knew that death was a possibility, yet still it came as a shock.

Cyrus stared at his red arms, exposed, the hair rippling up and down them. He had turned the water in his shower as hot as it could go, and it had felt as though it had been heated by the breath of a dragon or a particularly strong fire spell—like the sort that he had used to incinerate Danay’s body after decapitating the king and leaving his head on the edge of the fountain to be found. He had done it to guarantee that there would be no chance of resurrection. He could still feel a phantom sense of blood on his hands, even though they had been covered by his gauntlets the entire time.

“I have been assured of Lady Voryn’s support,” Vara said, striding up the steps into the Tower. “So that is done.” She flashed a smile at him, triumphant but weary. “How did your meeting with Yemer go?”

“He informed me that Danay had surely heard we were instigating rebellion against him,” Cyrus said, watching Vara’s muted enthusiasm fade, the corners of her mouth pulled down by the revelation. “I also learned that Danay was planning to bring in Goliath and Amarath’s Raiders as well as, presumably, the humans in a bid to crush Emerald Fields, to remove them utterly from our side of the board.”

“Goddess,” Vara breathed, letting the gauntlet she’d been pulling off clatter to the ground with a hard rattle. “We must warn them.”

“I’ve sent warning to Emerald Fields,” Cyrus said, nodding. “It was the first thing I did when I got back, but … I doubt Danay’s attack against them will go off as planned.”

“I see no reason why it wouldn’t,” Vara said, sounding suddenly urgent. “If he’s aware that we’re plotting against him, his reaction will be swift, and our plan is almost assuredly at an end.” She ran a hand over her smooth, pulled-back hair. “What now?” she breathed, almost to herself.

“In a day or two, when the convocation is called,” Cyrus said, in a low, unworried, nearly dead voice, “you’ll go and do what we’ve been planning to do all along.”

Vara almost seemed to miss his statement. “My dear, there will be no convocation. If Danay is forewarned, then we will not be able to kill the king.” She let out a low breath. “All our planning, all this deal-making … all for naught.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.