Broken World Book Four - The Staff of Law (3 page)

“
Trap them.” Chanter shuddered. “Like Mujar in the
Pits.”

“
If you don’t, they’re going to catch us and kill
us.”

The Mujar
turned to stare across the sun-gilded land, his eyes narrowed,
frowning.

Kieran went
on, “You won’t be killing them, just locking them away, preventing
them from killing others. Once the Staff of Law is restored,
they’ll die anyway.”

“
The wall will fall if I fly, and there’s much danger on the
land for me now.”

“
Make it permanent.”

“
Then they’ll never be free again.”

“
What does it matter? Once the staff -”

Chanter swung
to face him. “The staff cannot be restored. This quest is only at
Talsy’s Wish. They’ll remain within the wall until the land
crumbles. If the staff was restored, they would revert to Hashon
Jahar.”

“
Then they’ll part the rock.”

“
No. If I make it permanent, nothing can part it but
Mujar.”

Kieran
gestured. “What does it matter? Return and free them then, if you
wish. At least it’ll give us a chance to escape.”

“
Perhaps. But if I lock them away they’ll lose power and feed
off each other to survive. They need sustenance, diabolical though
they are. Without it they’ll grow weak.”

“
How can you pity those things? They shouldn’t even exist! They
would drain you without a moment’s remorse if they caught
you.”

“
Does that mean I should be like them?” Chanter glared at
Kieran, his eyes intense. “Compassion is the greatest of all
emotions, next to love. Though they tread the path of damnation,
I’ll not harm them. Only Marrana can give compassion in death. Only
she could free their souls from the stone in which they’re trapped.
The Hashon Jahar were her creations, and carried the souls as
punishment for their wrongdoings, but ultimately they were destined
to be freed. That will not happen now. They’ll suffer until the
world ends, then be consigned to oblivion.”

“
They’re evil!”

“
No. There is no evil in this world. They are the misled, the
unenlightened, the ones who chose the wrong path, that’s
all.”

Kieran growled
in frustration. “Okay, then return and free them as soon as we’ve
crossed the mountains, just give us the time to escape them, that’s
all.”

“
Perhaps,” Chanter conceded. “I’ll think on it.”

As he wandered
off, Kieran called after him, “Don’t think too long, or it may be
too late for the rest of us. You don’t want to harm the damned
Torrak Jahar, but you’d let us die!”

“
Kieran!” Talsy frowned at him. “You have no right to speak to
him that way. Without him we’d all be dead long ago. You see things
differently, but you don’t have the right to question
him.”

“
Damn it, he could spare us a lot of suffering if he wished,
but he won’t. That’s why Truemen hate Mujar, but I thought that had
changed.”

“
Careful,” she warned, “you sound like an unchosen. You don’t
know that he won’t do it. I think he will, but while you see the
Riders as beastly fiends out to kill us, he sees them as lost
children, already suffering for their crimes. Haven’t you learnt
anything about Mujar while you’ve been with him?

“
When he broke your wrist to stop you killing the sea creature,
he was filled with remorse. Mujar hate to harm others, and by
locking up the Torrak Jahar, even for a while, he’ll make them
suffer even more. When he releases them, he’ll owe them a debt, and
he’ll pay it just like he did with you. He healed the harm he did
you and granted you a Wish. Can you imagine what sort of Wish
they’ll want?”

Kieran swung
away, torn by conflicting emotions. “By the gods, why must he be
like that?”

“
Because he’s Mujar. Don’t you understand him yet?”

“
I do, I just wish he’d change.”

“
He won’t. He can’t. What you’ve asked him to do is no simple
thing. If he grants it, he’ll have to make reparations to the
Riders for the harm he does them.”

Kieran kicked
a rock in frustration, cursing when he bruised his toes, then
lifted his head and stiffened in alarm. A faint thunder of hoof
beats drifted on the wind.

Talsy’s eyes
widened, and she jumped up. “Is it them?”

“
Can’t be,” Kieran muttered, “they’re more than a day’s ride
behind us.”

Talsy looked
around for Chanter, but he had vanished. The Aggapae stood around
the fire they had kindled, staring in the direction of the sound,
their expressions tinged with alarm. A mounted party burst from the
distant line of trees and thundered towards them, led by a tall man
clad in blue and silver. He appeared to be having trouble
controlling his big chestnut stallion, which plunged as it fought
the bit. The riders who followed were armoured in silver and
caparisoned in blue, carrying banners of deep blue edged with
yellow. Halfway across the field, the stallion quieted, and the man
brought it under control, slowing to a canter. The riders behind
him caught up, and the group approached the chosen.

The leader
stopped his horse a few yards away and regarded Kieran with
narrowed eyes. Kieran’s hand rested on the hilt of the Starsword.
The stranger’s size was obvious, even mounted, and his rich garb of
silk and velvet told them that he was a noble. Some of his
companions were similarly dressed, while the rest were soldiers,
though well armoured and mounted. The leader leant on his pommel
and pinned Kieran with cold brown eyes.

“
Well met, Prince,” he said in a deep voice that matched his
size. “I had not expected to see you again. And so poorly dressed
and guarded, too. How odd.”

Kieran glanced
at Talsy in confusion, but she shrugged, at a loss too. She did,
however, take note of the loaded crossbows the nobles carried. The
big man gestured to the soldiers, who dismounted and approached
Kieran in a threatening manner. Kieran stepped back, gripping the
hilt of his sword.

The big man
smiled. “I’d advise you to surrender, or you’ll die. You can’t win
against all my men.”

“
What do you want of us?” Kieran asked. “How do you know who I
am? I’ve never met you before.”

“
Nice try, but you don’t fool me. You may be in disguise, but I
recognise you.”

“
Really?” Kieran scowled. “Just who do you think I
am?”

“
I don’t think, I know. I would never forget the face of the
man who caused my daughter so much suffering. You haven’t forgotten
Merina, have you, Tyrander?”

Talsy gasped
and swayed, raising a hand to her mouth as bile stung her throat.
She fought off the dizzy spell while Kieran gaped at the stranger,
dumbstruck.

“
He’s not Tyrander,” she said. “He’s Kieran.”

The man turned
to her, his expression softening. “Dear lady, allow me to free you
from this monster. From the look of you he’s treated you badly. But
you don’t have to defend him now, he can’t hurt you anymore.” He
dismounted, standing as tall as Kieran and broader across the
shoulders. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m King Ronos of
Malatar, and a friend to all who suffer at the hands of men such as
him.”

“
But he’s not -”

Ronos raised a
hand. “Please, My Lady, don’t try my patience. I know this man;
I’ve met him more than once. Long have I prayed that he might fall
into my hands, and the gods have seen fit to answer my prayers at
last.”

Talsy looked
around for Chanter, a suspicion forming in her mind. Perhaps the
gods had not answered the King’s prayers, but a demigod had, and
she wondered at the wisdom of his decision.

The soldiers
divested Kieran of his sword, and he evidently knew better than to
try to fight them while the nobles had loaded crossbows at
hand.

Instead, he
glared at the King. “I’m not Tyrander; I’m his twin brother,
Kieran.”

“
A likely story,” Ronos scoffed. “You’ve dyed that white lock
of hair, where the stallion I gave you tried to kill you, and
shaved off your beard, but I would know your face anywhere,
Prince.”

“
That’s because I’m his identical twin.”

Ronos frowned.
“Why do you persist with this ridiculous story? You have no twin,
Tyrander, you never did.”

“
Tyrander’s dead.”

Ronos gave a
harsh bark of laughter. “Not yet. Merina will decide your fate. The
vengeance is hers to take. I hope she chooses a painful demise for
you. It’s what you deserve after what you did to her.”

The King’s
cold, hateful expression left no doubt about the seriousness of his
threat, and a wave of cold despair washed over Talsy. She closed
her eyes as the world spun again, then her knees buckled and
everything went black.

Ronos stepped
towards Talsy with a startled exclamation, but Kieran imposed
himself. “Leave her alone.”

The soldiers
gripped Kieran’s arms and dragged him aside, twisting them behind
his back. One produced a leather thong and bound Kieran’s hands.
The Aggapae approached, looking concerned but uncertain, and
glanced at Kieran for guidance.

“
I’m all right,” he said. “See to Talsy.”

Mita knelt
beside the girl and lifted her head, patting her cheek.

The King
scowled at Kieran. “What have you done to her, you bastard, and who
is she?”

“
I’ve done nothing to harm her. She’s with child, and she’s my
wife. It’s your threats against me that cause her such
distress.”

The Aggapae
shot Kieran a collective startled look, then returned their
attention to Talsy.

Ronos glared
at him. “So, you add the crime of bigamy to your list of heinous
deeds. You might have divorced Merina before taking another wife.
At least this poor child won’t have to go through what Merina
did.”

“
Tyrander was married?” Kieran raised his brows in surprise,
then laughed. “Who would have wed that vicious toad? If you gave
your daughter to him, you’re a fool. I saw the blackness of his
heart the moment I clapped eyes on him, and he did his best to kill
me, his brother. I thank the gods he’s dead, but he didn’t perish
without causing more trouble than anyone before him ever
did.”

Ronos’ lips
twisted in a half smile that bordered on a snarl. “Very clever. You
should have been a troubadour. You won’t fool me again, like you
did when you courted Merina. Butter wouldn’t have melted in your
mouth; you were so sweet and polite. Only after the wedding did you
let your true nature show.”

“
What did my brother do to your daughter? Lock her up, like he
did my mother?”

The King swung
away to mount his horse. “You know what you did to her, and you’re
going to pay for it now, Prince!”

An insistent
patting on her cheek woke Talsy, who sat up groggily and gazed
around, taking in the scene. She climbed to her feet with Mita’s
help and approached Ronos.

“
Where are you taking him?” she demanded.

“
To my camp for tonight, Princess. Tomorrow we return to my
city, where he will pay for his crimes. You and your escort will be
seen to. You have nothing more to fear from him.”

Talsy frowned
in confusion. “I’m not -”

“
Shut up,” Kieran said. “You’ll do as he says, or be parted
from me.”

Talsy opened
her mouth to deliver a blistering retort, but Mita leant closer and
whispered, “Kieran has claimed you as his wife, so we won’t be
separated.”

Talsy nodded
and glared at the King, who gazed down at her from his horse. The
Aggapae called their mounts, and the soldiers boosted Kieran onto
the piebald’s back, placing a halter on the animal so they could
lead it. Brin soothed the horse with soft whispers to Task, who
whickered to the piebald, preventing him from fighting the
unfamiliar restraint. The King and his companions looked amazed
when the Aggapae mounted without saddles or bridles. The big bay
was the only one wearing a saddle, to carry the pieces of staff.
The chosen fell in behind Kieran’s captors as they set off back the
way they had come.

Chapter Two

King Ronos led
his mounted entourage through a thick belt of elm trees at a
canter, entering a sweeping green valley surrounded by tracts of
coniferous woodland on one side and oak forest on the other. A
massive army populated a veritable city of pale brown tents that
dotted the grass on the far side. Cavalrymen performed complicated
manoeuvres and dashing displays of precision riding. They wheeled
and charged as single body, clashing blunted lances on ranks of
shield-bearing foot soldiers. All activity ceased at the King’s
appearance, and the men saluted their sovereign with raised weapons
and a great shout. Ronos waved, sending them back to their practice
as he headed for a regal pavilion set up on one side of the vale.
The King dismounted amid a plethora of servants, one of whom led
his stallion away, and the nobles joined him in the bright tent.
The soldiers hustled Kieran in and left him to stand in the middle
of it. Talsy slid off her mare and went in after them, while the
Aggapae stayed outside with the horses.

Ronos turned
at her entry. “Ah, my dear Princess. I regret we have no women here
to tend you. This is an army exercise camp, you see.”

“
That’s okay,” she said. “I’m used to looking after
myself.”

“
I bet you are.”