Elyon's Ghost, page 4
“Yer a skelli. Take yerself to th’ back gate of th’ Temple and ask fer help.”
“Oh, right, and be sent to th’ mines to be passed around to th’ miners fer no pay nor food?”
Several of the pidges nodded at the girl’s words. One, who had two scars running down both sides of her face, pointed to one of the scars. “Aye, were a miner what did this to me. That Priestess sells us to the mines to put food on her own table. That’s what she does.”
“Ailith.” Geller stuck her head around the corner. “Did I tell ya to gab or take ‘em water?”
Wondering why these people would believe such wild stories about the Temple, Ailith rose and slowly walked to the water barrel. She knew there was no way the Arch Priestess would ever sell a woman into slavery. The very idea went against everything Sábria’s Goddess demanded, and yet both the skelli and several pidges believed the lies. Absently tapping the ladle against the wooden edge of the barrel’s opening, she was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear the soft tap, tap, tap that drew Geller’s attention to her again.
She hadn’t realized she’d been staring into the water until Geller came to stand beside her. Startled, she plunged the ladle into the barrel and accidentally sloshed some onto the Prime. “Sorry. Sorry.” She began frantically brushing the front of Geller’s tunic.
That lasted all of one breath as the Prime grabbed Ailith’s wrist and held on. Not one for many words, Geller just glared into Ailith’s eyes, silently asking what in the name of the Goddess she thought she was doing.
Ailith had a problem with babbling when she became nervous and now was no exception. “I was thinkin’, and like Jenx and Sergeant Dingus, well, he’s no a Sergeant no more cuz th’ Duke made him a Subcommander, but anyway, they tell me that thinkin’s no always a good thing fer a warrior and—”
The grip on her wrist was getting progressively tighter the more she blathered on, to the point where she eventually had to stop speaking to keep from crying out.
Geller raised a brow. “Better.” She loosened her grip enough to allow Ailith to speak. “Now, I saw the’ pidge and skelli gabbin’ at ya, and then ya come over here and stare into th’ water. I’ve been trainin’ shivs long enough to know they said somethin’ ya don’t intend to mention to yer handler or to yer Senior Guardian fer whatever skut-brained reason ya got stuck in the noodles ya got fer a brain. Ye’ll tell me now. What’s botherin’ ya?”
What Ailith didn’t know was that the Commander had ordered both Geller and Terrowyn to keep a sharp eye on her. Normally, Geller wouldn’t take the time to ask what was on a shiv’s mind, wouldn’t actually care, but the Commander had been very specific in her orders. They weren’t to go easy on her, but they were to take notice of her moods and stop any problems before they morphed into something more serious. She’d said they were nearly certain Ailith was back to normal and wouldn’t slip back into the anger that had consumed her. Nearly certain. Whatever botched consequence within the ancient Dreyuthan breeding program had caused her rage to feed on itself was rare, and very little was known about the phenomenon. Until they knew more, Geller and Terrowyn would monitor and report on the shiv’s moods and emotions.
Ailith blinked. Did the cantankerous, bearish, prickly Prime just ask her what was bothering her? A shiv? “Um…” She couldn’t quite wrap her brain around that concept, at least not quick enough to satisfy Geller.
The woman’s fingers began to dig into the cords on Ailith’s wrist again and to stop them, Ailith began to talk. “Well, ya see…” she was relieved when the fingers relaxed a bit. “I told th’ skelli that she should go to th’ Temple and ask fer help because someone convinced her goin’ with th’ slavers was better than livin’ on th’ street. I told her what happens to th’ ones sold on th’ slave market, ya know, like how they’re nothin’ more than—”
Geller closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, a habit she’d developed when she needed to remind herself to breathe. She pulled in a breath and blew it out slowly. “Th’ short version, shiv.”
“Right. Anyway, both th’ skelli and the pidge believe th’ Arch Priestess sells ‘em to th’ mines to be used up. You know, as whores.”
The muscles on the right side of Geller’s jaw jumped. “And you were wonderin’ whether that might be true?”
“No!” Ailith’s eyes grew wide. “Fowk, no! I was wonderin’ who was spreadin’ those rumors, and I was wonderin’ if—” She stopped herself before she said something she probably shouldn’t.
“If?”
“Well, no offense to ya, Prime Geller, but it’s somethin’ between th’ Commander and me and no somethin’ I should be spreadin’ about.”
Knowing Ailith had much, much more experience with Sábria and Shirin than the average shiv, Geller released her wrist. “Yer at least thinkin’ and no reactin’. Th’ next time ya see th’ Commander, ya tell her yer thoughts, aye?”
Relieved that her mouth hadn’t gotten her into trouble…again… Ailith nodded. “Aye, Prime.”
CHAPTER 5
It took a while, but eventually, Blades began appearing at the top of the stairs carrying torches and looking for Geller to find out what the Prime intended. Geller came out of one of the side offices and pointed downstairs. “All of ya, wait fer me on th’ second floor.”
The woman closest to the stairs yelled down at the Blades climbing up after her. “Everybody to the second floor.” The ten Blades who’d already made it to the fourth floor turned and filed back the way they’d come.
Geller looked around and then pointed at Ailith. “You, where’s Jenx?”
“Ya told her to wait on th’ street to tell th’ Blades where to go.”
“Oh, aye.” The Prime pointed to Terrowyn. “Terro, take th’ shiv and search th’ top floor.”
Terrowyn nodded, and Ailith, mouth gone dry from hearing she’d be working alone with the irascible Senior Guardian, followed her to yet another staircase leading up into the darkness. This one had a door that dropped into place from above and rested on four rails running the perimeter of the rectangular opening. It covered the opening, and someone had shoved a short metal rod through a hasp, locking it in place.
Motioning to the locked door, Terro simply said, “You lead.”
Ailith realized this was a test to see whether she’d been paying attention when Geller had cleared each successive floor. Retrieving her torch, she made sure to place it in her left hand and drew the knife with her right. Using its hilt, she banged the rod free, allowing the metal swing arm to fall open. That was as far as she got before realizing she didn’t know how to proceed. “Senior Guardian, um, I’m sorry, but Jenx and me, we ain’t exactly gone over how to safely open somethin’ like this.”
Terrowyn climbed up next to Ailith and, with a powerful heave, shoved the door up hard enough that it swung past the hinges and landed on the far floor with a bang. A shower of dust and dirt rained down into the space next to the stairs. She indicated the now-open floor with a wave. “Go on, then.
Smiling to herself because she’d thought the technique would have been more complicated than merely using brute strength, Ailith held the torch high enough that it illuminated the floor above the highest step. After checking to make sure all was clear, she squatted and turned, and when she knew no one waited in ambush, she pushed herself up the remaining steps.
As the floor to the back of the opening came into view, she stopped and stared past the point illuminated by her torch. Had that been movement she’d seen, or was her imagination playing games with her mind? Inching up a bit more, she felt Terro’s hand on her calf. She glanced down to see what the Senior Guardian wanted.
Terro edged up close enough to put her lips next to Ailith’s ear. “What’s th’ first rule of workin’ with a partner?”
Keeping her eyes on the opening, Ailith silently swore at her lapse and whispered back, “Communicate.”
“Why did ya hesitate and stare into th’ darkness? Ya may not realize it, but yer eyes locked onto somethin’, tellin’ me ya went on alert. Why?”
“I’m not sure, but I thought I saw somethin’ move.” She glanced at Terrowyn. “But I’m not sure, Guardian, and I didn’t see it again.”
Nodding, Terro indicated Ailith should move down so she could take her place. As Ailith slid past, Terro stopped her. “Do ya think it’s clear around th’ opening?”
Ailith glanced into the opening, which had returned to its pitch-black appearance. “It were when I slid up, but now….” She shrugged.
“We’re going up fast, then. I’ll face th’ back where ya saw th’ movement, and you guard th’ front.”
At Ailith’s nod, Terrowyn drew her belt knife. When Ailith got to her feet, Terro charged up the remaining steps with Ailith right on her heels. The Senior Guardian immediately faced the room behind the stairs while Ailith faced forward. They waved their torches back and forth, looking as far into the open space as possible.
This room was a fifth of the size of the first floor, and the flickering light from their torches nearly illuminated the entire space. Older boxes littered the room, and Ailith gasped when her light fell on a coat hanging from a hook in the rafters.
Terrowyn swung around, knife ready.
Blushing furiously, Ailith glanced back at her and thought she detected a glint of humor in the surly Blade’s eyes.
Terro motioned toward the front of the room. “Let’s start over here and work our way around.”
They moved through the boxes in a methodical pattern, clearing every possible hiding place before moving on to the next. Terro pointed to a gap, and Ailith obediently raised her torch and swung into the opening.
Two feral eyes glared out at her, and she immediately crouched in a defensive position. “I’m no sure, but I think we might of found yer Ghost, Guardian.”
“Step back and give her room.”
Ailith slowly retreated, and Terrowyn quietly whistled her three-whistle call. When nothing happened, she said, “Ghost? It’s me. Yer safe, Lass.” Turning to Ailith, she motioned to the stairs. “Go get a ladle of water.”
Glancing around the rest of the darkened space, Ailith started for the stairs and then decided to chance a question. “Would ya like me to check th’ rest of th’ room to make sure yer safe up here on yer own?”
Apparently, Terrowyn had been so distracted by the discovery of her skelli she’d completely forgotten what they’d been doing.
The angry look in her eyes made Ailith wonder if she was in trouble for not obeying an order without question. Instead, the Guardian surprised her by nodding. “Aye. Stupid of me to forget what we were doin’ just cuz I finally found th’ skelli.” She called out in a louder voice. “Geller!”
Soirin, one of the Blades on Deadnight, stuck her head up past the highest step. In her mid-thirties, she was a lithe woman with coal-black hair, high cheekbones, and lively, black pearl eyes that seemed to see right down into a person’s soul. The unusual eyes were a unique adaptation seen only in the Astrian Desert nomads, one that spooked most people the first time they met. “Th’ Prime’s down briefing everyone, Senior Guardian. Can I help?”
“Aye. Bring up a ladle of water and then go with Ailith and finish searchin’ up here. Geller had ya guardin’ th’ fourth floor?” At Soirin’s nod, she asked, “Just you?”
“No, Killian and Emlyn are here, too.” She named another handler and her shiv.
“Good. Leave them down there, get th’ ladle, and come up.”
“Yes, Terrowyn.” She left to get a ladle, and when she returned, she checked around and then stepped to where Ailith and the Guardian waited. Handing Terrowyn the water, she asked Ailith, “Where have you already searched?” Even though she didn’t currently have a shiv in training, Soirin was an experienced handler who was well-respected among her peers.
Unfortunately, she’d also been the first on the scene when Blade Jenx had been injured and Maeira killed, and she’d believed the second shiv’s story that Ailith had run. The Arch Priestess and the Commander had brought the two of them together to air any grievances either might have toward the other, but Ailith had been too ashamed of her bout of madness to say much to any of the Blades at that point.
Ailith glanced at the ground and swung her hand in an arc, indicating where they’d searched. Then she pointed to the gap Ghost was holed up in. “We stopped here.”
Soirin indicated Ailith should precede her. When Ailith passed Ghost’s hiding spot, she glanced in and was rewarded with bared teeth and a knife pointing her way. Averting her eyes, she led Soirin further into the darkness.
Terrowyn watched them begin their search and then slowly moved so she could see Ghost huddled between the boxes. “Hey. It’s me.” She held out the ladle. “I’ll bet yer thirsty.” She heard a feral growl, one that sounded exactly like one of the Codpiece’s wild dogs whenever they were cornered or frightened. “Yer safe, Ghost. I’ve been lookin’ fer ya these last three days. Scared th’ shite outta me not findin’ ya.”
Towering over the skelli wouldn’t help gain her trust, so Terro edged far enough into the gap that she could sit with her back against one box with her feet resting against another. When Ghost didn’t growl, she held the ladle out again. “Here.”
The skelli didn’t take it.
“I’ll let ya go as soon as I check ya over, make sure they didn’t hurt ya. Can I do that?” She held the torch higher so the light extended a bit further into the gap. Ghost seemed to be relaxing somewhat, although if Terrowyn hadn’t known her as well as she did, there’d be no way to tell.
“I’m wonderin’ how ya got up here?”
Ghost bared her teeth and snapped them together hard enough to make a clacking sound.
Terrowyn thought back to the red mark on the trib runner’s arm and grinned. “Ya bit him?” She was relieved to see a small portion of the mischief return to Ghost’s eyes.
“Good on ya, my little skelli.” She inched closer. “Here. I don’t know how long ya been up here, but ya must be thirsty.” She shrugged. “And hungry, too. I don’t have a biscuit, but if ye’ll let me check ya over, we can go buy one fer ya in th’ night market.
Ghost’s eyes flicked to the ladle and then back to Terrowyn’s eyes.
“I can’t set it down fer ya to grab. It’ll spill. Here, have I ever hurt ya? Take it, Lass. I’ll not grab ya. Yer safe with me. Always safe with me.” She moved closer and raised her brows. “Aye?”
Edging her blade forward first, Ghost reached for the ladle with her free hand.
Terrowyn had to force herself not to react when she saw the welts whipped into the skelli’s arm. She’d hunt down those two trib runners if it was the last thing she did. Seeing Ghost’s hand shake as she took the ladle made Terro’s blood run hot, and she again had to push down the anger building inside her. “That’s it. Drink it slow.”
Geller climbed the stairs and saw Soirin and Ailith returning from their search. “Terrowyn?”
Soirin motioned to the faint glow emanating from the gap where Terrowyn sat with Ghost. She only needed to say one word. “Ghost.”
Geller’s heart leapt into her throat. If something had happened to the skelli, she knew Terrowyn’s reaction would be a deadly one for whoever had done for her. She asked quietly, “Dead?”
It was Ailith who immediately shook her head. “No, Prime. Scared is all. Maybe hurt, I couldn’t tell, but alive.” She nodded once on the last words.
The thought that her friend might do something crazy if she found out that slavers had killed Ghost had frightened Geller so much that she let out a shaky breath, something that was so rare even Soirin, who’d been on deadnight shift for several turns now, had never heard nor seen.
Ailith and Soirin exchanged quick, surprised looks, which, of course, Geller noticed and barked, “Is th’ floor secure?” At Soirin’s nod, she pointed at the stairs, “Get yer asses downstairs then and help with processin’ everyone.”
Soirin nodded, and Ailith, already habitually nervous around the Prime, automatically grabbed her bangs, something lower-ranking soldiers in the Dreyuthan army would do to acknowledge an order from someone of Geller’s rank. In Cibía, it was how a civilian acknowledged a military person of rank or someone they wanted to honor.
As Ailith walked by, Geller pursed her lips, but instead of cuffing her, she grabbed her arm and pulled her around. “Are ye a civi, now? Or maybe still a Dreyuthan?”
Scrunching up her eyes, Ailith glanced up at the ceiling and growled at herself, “No, Prime Geller. Just an ordinary everyday idiot.” She hurried down the stairs before Geller decided she’d really deserved to be cuffed.
Geller hadn’t heard Terro before, but as she quietly moved forward, the light from her torch reached the spot where Terrowyn’s was leaking light into the aisle. Terrowyn’s voice came from within the gap. “Whoever ya are, stop right there. Yer scarin’ me Ghost.”
“It’s Geller, Ghost. I’m sorry to scare ya. I found some biscuits in a box where th’ whores were stored. Are ya hungry?”
Terrowyn chuckled, “That got a bit of a smile and nod from her.”
“Is she hurt? Th’ Commander’s here, and she brought healers Kara and Minda with her.”
“Yes, she’s hurt, but I don’t think Kara will be able to get anywhere near her.”
Geller thought about that a moment. “I’ll get th’ biscuits then, and…would ya like me to bring up some herbal water?”
Terrowyn hesitated before answering. She’d known Geller long enough to understand she was asking whether Terro wanted to drug Ghost so they could check her out. Afraid that might do more harm than good as far as Ghost’s trust was concerned, she declined the offer. “Water and a biscuit fer now, Prime. Thanks.”
Hearing Geller’s footsteps receding, Terro edged even closer to the skelli. She turned slightly, so her shoulder was against the box, and she was more or less facing the child. She rested her temple on the wood and looked into Ghost’s eyes. “I wish ya could tell me how they caught ya. Where they caught ya. It were those two trib runners, aye?”
