The Destroyer Book 3 (32 page)

She did her best to hide her emotions, but her generals were not as seasoned. Especially Yillomar, whose face contorted into a wolf like snarl when Telaxthe finished. I could tell she was waiting for me to respond to her statement. She probably expected me to defend my people, or to make an excuse. I doubt they really believed that I was the Destroyer, even though I admitted as much while under whatever magic she had used to manipulate my sense of smell. What I really wanted to tell them was that I didn't give a shit about their problems and I couldn't understand why the clan leaders had not exterminated them as I planned when I led my army.

"Why the violence when you arrived on this world? The leadership here in Nia claims that you have conquered most of the Northern lands. You came to the king's banquet and made aggressive statements in front of his people. Your ambassadors murdered their guards." I remembered the four Elvens who interrupted the banquet when Jessmei's father had attempted to knight me. "I find it hard to believe you are the victims here." I tried to shift focus back to her motives instead of answering her question directly. Before she answered I raised my wine glass to one of the servants who promptly filled it with dark purple liquid. Of all the oddities of the current situation, this simple act of being served by the race that had enslaved humans seemed impossible for me to reconcile with all of my memories.

"We are both warlike races. But we wanted to accomplish our goals peacefully. When my predecessors tried to colonize the first three worlds, they came with arms outstretched. I believe that this ended up causing more strife and bloodshed between us." Her generals had all gained their composure a bit and nodded with Telaxthe's words. "The lore of this world conforms closely to the other outlier worlds we have wanted to colonize. They know little of the history of the Ancient masters, our rise to power, the time of the Destroyer, or the current O'Baarni clan divisions." I had a dozen questions, but I tried not to look confused.

"Your people have poor memories, but they aren't entirely to blame. Time tends to twist stories and the leadership of the clans tried very hard to eliminate all knowledge of our shared history; especially any mention of their Betrayer. This world is so far removed from even the outliers that we were not surprised to encounter confusion about the O'Baarni and Ancients. We decided that we could use the mistaken legends to our advantage. Yes, we have killed here, and pushed our way in to this seat of power." She gestured into the air and I took the motion to mean the country of Nia. "But in the end, using their fear to our advantage will have caused fewer deaths." She smiled at me and then picked up her glass of untouched wine. Her amber eyes never left mine as she took a small sip.

"You fear I will report back to the clans?" My question brought a smug smile to her lips once she had put the glass of wine down next to her tray.

"No longer." Jayita and Yillomar laughed softly from their seats. I nodded and smiled along with them. I wasn't going to be doing much of anything with twelve thousand troops surrounding me.

"Yet here we are. I'm alive, having breakfast with you and your generals. You've obtained Nia, and eventually the rest of this world will be yours, provided the clans don't stop you. I am enjoying the food, but not your presence. I keep asking when you are going to get to your reason for keeping me alive when you had earlier sent assassins after me."

"How did you survive those assassins?" Fehalda leaned forward slightly when she spoke. My mind tried to remember why she was familiar, but the memory didn't come.

"I've been asked that before." I looked at Alatorict even though it was Isslata who had asked the question back when I was their prisoner. I assumed she passed information on to her general.

"Perhaps I don't believe the tale I was told." The white-haired woman snorted at my answer.

"Because they were your assassins?" I shrugged.

"Yes." She smiled wickedly.

"I was probably just lucky then." I let the sarcasm soak my words. Her brow furrowed in annoyance.

"Tell us about the explosion in the East Wing of the castle," the empress interrupted our exchange.

"It ruined my room and all of my clothes. I didn't get a good look at the outside of the castle, but I imagine it didn't fare much better." They weren't keeping me alive to understand how I destroyed the wing. Alatorict had captured me well before that.

"Did you cause it?"

"If I did, then I do not know how. I awoke and everything was in ruins." The empress maintained eye contact with me while I spoke but I noticed her other generals turned to look at Dissonti. The green-haired Elven made no motion after I had spoken.

Telaxthe continued to study me and I felt that she was probably waiting for me to say more. I could play her fucking game all day. The food and wine here were much more enjoyable than what I was getting in my tent, or the toxic porridge I had to stomach in Nadea's camp. I motioned for the Elven to bring me another plate of food by pointing at my empty dishes and holding up a finger. He looked quickly to the empress for confirmation before clearing my discards and moving to the rear flap of the pavilion.

Dissonti and the empress continued to stare at me intently. After a few minutes the server returned with more food. This time it was a plate of steamed vegetables and a slab of peppered venison that lay atop a bed of scrambled eggs. I was tempted to use my nose again to enjoy the food, but decided against it. If the empress was still using her magic I might not be able to control myself.

"Tell us about the Radicle you came through to reach this world," the empress's voice was like silk sliding across the skin of my neck. I noticed a slight change in the tension in the room and felt as if we were getting closer to the root of why I was still alive.

"It had a stone platform in it with matching walls. What else do you wish to know?" I took the last bite of eggs and began on the vegetables.

"Do you remember its location?" Her question was simple, but with it, everything fell into place. I understood why she had kidnapped Jessmei, imprisoned Nadea and attempted to kill me before switching tactics. The clues had been there, but I had not pressed Alatorict for the right information. It was a shortsighted mistake that might cost me my life and change the fate of this world.

“I may remember,” I answered ambiguously, trying not to grit my teeth too hard. If I told them now that I was not sure of the Radicle’s location, I would be dead within minutes. “But I’m sure you could find it yourself. You have a large army here.” I gestured around the space and assessed the guards again. I might be able to make it out of the tent before one of them got a crossbow shot off, but that was without taking into account the generals, Vernine, and the other two sentries guarding the door. Or the empress who had won the O’Baarni Games on five consecutive occasions.

Even if I did make it out of the tent, there would be an army waiting.

"We will be able to find it, of course, but you could help expedite the process." She smiled at me reassuringly and broke her gaze to glance at Dissonti. The green-haired woman nodded ever so slightly.

"Once I help you, my usefulness will end." I smirked and tried not to laugh. The smile on my face helped relax my body. It was something I could remember Entas telling me.

"We can honor an agreement, Kaiyer. Can you?" She smiled like a wolf and I noticed Alatorict's grin vanish.

"I'm listening to you now."

"You bring us to the Radicle and we will send you home unharmed. You could also stay here indefinitely if you wish. I would enjoy speaking with you more about the history of the Destroyer. You do seem very well versed in the subject." She raised her wine glass and the room relaxed a bit.

"If I go back and speak to the clan leaders about this world, won’t that upset your plans again?" I already knew the answer but fished for it anyway.

"No. I explained before that we desire peace. You may be an agent of the clans, but I am sure you will speak favorably of us to your leaders when you return." I nodded and forced a smile.

"If I decide to stay, what would you imagine that would be like? A prisoner in your camp until I decide to leave?"

"Will you lead us to the Radicle?" she pressed again. I sensed a bit of urgency in her voice.

"I can guess what will happen if I say no." I smirked and didn't have to wait long for a response.

"You are intelligent, Kaiyer. You will make a wise decision. I will give you a few days to consider my request. Perhaps we will meet for dinner next time?" I nodded quickly in agreement and wondered if some of her magic had gotten past my makeshift defense.

"Then we will bid farewell for now. I enjoyed meeting you and hope that you will have good news for me when we see each other again." Her voice came across sincerely but I doubted she meant it.

Vernine and four of the guards moved from their posts on the edges of the pavilion toward me. I finished the last of my wine and stood. The two soldiers nearest the empress held their hand crossbows casually by their waists, but the weapons pointed at me. I nodded to the empress and her generals before turning around to leave the tent.

"Wait!" a voice called from behind me. I turned back to look at the Elven with the jade hair and eyes.

"We were told you spoke the names of our Dead Gods," she said skeptically.

"I don't remember that." I shrugged

"Your memory is foggy sometimes?" The empress smiled with her question.

"Thank you for breakfast." I turned again without answering her and walked out of the tent.

I made it ten steps out of the pavilion before Vernine and her guards formed ranks around me. She did not speak until we returned to my tent.

"What are you thinking?" she asked. Her red eyes would have given human children nightmares.

"I thought the food was excellent."

"Don't fuck around, O'Baarni. You know what I am asking." She frowned slightly and her guards gave me icy stares. I had no doubt that with a quick word from Vernine they would relish killing me.

"I will need some time to think." I lazily flipped over into a handstand and did pushups while I smiled at her from my upside down position.

"Very well," she huffed and motioned for her warriors to leave.

"Wait," I said just before she left. She pivoted gracefully back to face me. "Perhaps you'll care to join me in my exercises." I winked at her between repetitions.

"Another time," she said after considering for a few moments. Her guards couldn't hide their disgust and their facial expressions made me smile.

"Too bad." I felt warmed up enough to switch to single-arm handstand pushups, so I let my left hand off the floor and held it out parallel to the ground while I continued my exercise. She observed me for a few seconds before leaving the tent with her attachment.

I spent the next ten minutes doing my physical work and pounding over the events of the morning in my head like my father had worked the iron in his forge. I knew the empress had power; her magic did not come from the Elements and attacked me in a way that I had not anticipated. I was lucky to have found a defense, but that was just one trick she used. I doubted that an Elven who had beaten the O'Baarni Games and become the leader of her people only had one talent.

I sighed to myself and began my single-leg squat exercises. At least the time alone in the tent afforded me plenty of opportunity to exercise and plan. I did have a few advantages over Telaxthe. She didn't believe I was Kaiyer, she didn't know about Nadea, and she needed me to take her to the Radicle. All of these points of leverage I could possibly use to wiggle out of this situation and into a favorable one.

The last and most important advantage I had over Telaxthe was that I guessed her ultimate objective. I knew why she needed me to take her to the Radicle and I knew why she had an urgent need for me to do it.

She was going to destroy the Radicles on this world and prevent the O'Baarni from influencing her people again.

I had to stop her.

The winds picked up speed and whipped my loose hair into my face; although it did not appear to make the dark clouds that hung in the over me move away any quicker. They seemed to gather from the four corners of the sky, like rivers of ink pooling into the middle of a worn blue table.

"It will rain soon," I voiced my prediction to the woman who sat behind me on the horse. She didn't comment, but the steed snorted in agreement and wagged his head in annoyance.