The False Martyr (90 page)

“
Yes, sir. I . . . “ Rynn
looked like he wanted to say more, like one of his
stream-of-consciousness monologues was trembling on his lips, like
he was fighting to hold it back.

“
What is it, Rynn?” Ipid
glanced behind the boy to the man who had taken up a position just
to his side.

“
It is alright, Rynn,” the
man, Naidi, said, voice surprisingly kind.

“
I . . . I’ve learned so
much, sir.” And the old Rynn was back. His entire body seemed to
loosen as the constraints that had held it were stripped away. His
eyes darted, face became exuberant, hand gestured wildly, mouth
flew. “I can’t even believe the opportunity they’ve given me. I
never realized that this was possible. I feel like I’ve finally
found where I’m supposed to be, like I finally fit it. It was hard,
especially at the beginning, but Naidi was always there. There are
a lot of us now . . . “

Ipid looked past the boy
to his teacher as Rynn rambled. Could he see a smile through the
veil? Was he somehow enjoying this?

“
That is enough, Rynn . .
. . Remember your control.” Naidi placed a gloved hand on his
shoulder. Rynn trailed off with a slight shudder and widening of
his eyes. He took a deep breath and forced his body to find the
control his teacher requested.

“
You’ve done well with
him, Naidi,” Eia complemented. She walked around Rynn, placing a
hand on his cheek and staring into his eyes. The boy was frozen.
“My name is Eialia Oie Alliera of the house Eieniette. The
Chancellor has asked me to masquerade as his wife, so I do not wear
the robes, but I am Caliele Za’. Do you know what that means?” Rynn
nodded stiffly, held by Eia’s dark eyes. Ipid expected to see her
kiss him, but she simply stared into his eyes and held his cheek
before returning her attention to his master.

“
Chancellor Ronigan,” she
started in way of introduction, “this is Naidi li-an Thuhur,
Caliele Hilaal.” She stepped back and cleared her throat. Ipid
noted that Naidi was from Eia’s sect of the te-am ‘eiruh, the
Caliele. She had said there were few of them, and though less
overtly powerful than their counterparts, the Belan, they were
especially adept at reading emotions and using more subtle
applications of their powers. “In the time before the Darthur,
Naidi was so renowned for his patience, wisdom, and control that he
led those who went to meet the Darthur when they came to our holy
city. We were certain that he would be able to reach an
understanding with them, but his reason and patience were met with
brutality. The Darthur did not even slow their charge. Thorold’s
horse trampled him, followed by countless others. I think it was
his seeming death more than anything else that convinced the Belab
that we had to fight, that the Darthur could not be reasoned with,
that they could never understand our commitment to peace, that it
was the only way to save what we had built in the time since our
exile.” Eia looked fondly again at the wraith before them – perhaps
he really did die, Ipid considered. “When we found him still alive,
it was as if the Twins had given us a gift that we did not
deserve.”

“
Eialia is over-generous,”
Naidi said. Ipid could hear now that his voice was strained despite
its smooth resonance. He took a deep breath as if those few words
were as many as he could manage. “It is true that I survived.”
Another long breath. “But what remained was . . . hardly worth
saving. . . . My injuries have left me . . . a near cripple . . .
but I can teach . . . fine students . . . such as Rynn.”

“
I am pleased to meet
you,” Ipid responded, “and truly sorry to learn of your injuries.”
He stepped around Rynn clapping the boy on the shoulder with his
left as he extended the right to Naidi. The tall man met it
awkwardly with a gloved hand. That hand was clearly misshapen and
did not bend to grip Ipid’s, feeling most like a lifeless bag of
sticks and rocks.
How are you going to
clear the roads if you are crippled?
he
wanted to ask then realized that the answer was under his left
hand. And only then did the idea of Rynn using the power of the
te-am ‘eiruh become real . . . and terrifying.

“
Please, forgive me.”
Naidi pulled Ipid’s attention back to him. He released the
shattered hand and stepped back with a sideways glance at Rynn. “I
have grown used to . . . my injuries and . . . learned to live with
them . . . but they can be very . . . unsettling for
others.”

“
I am sorry,” Ipid
repeated and meant it. He could only imagine what was under Naidi’s
robes, what being trampled by a column of horses would do to a
body, what would be left if it could somehow heal. “But I must ask
how you will be able to clear the city’s center without your . . .
gift.” He thought better and added. “I assume that is why Belab has
sent you?”

Next to him, Eia gasped
and squeezed his arm hard, her eyes were harder– after what
happened last night, the simple touch was enough to make him
retracted. Ipid knew his manners were lacking, but his people could
not be wasted merely for the sake of his manners.

“
It is,” Naidi answered
and made a calming gesture toward Eia. “I understand your . . .
concern. Many have . . . given up on me . . . but I am not . . .
entirely useless.” Ipid could swear that he saw the man smiling
beneath the veil. “My abilities are . . . limited but not . . .
lost . . . and I will have . . . Rynn to assist me. . . . He is . .
. very powerful. . . . Together we . . . will do what . . . must be
done.”

“
You do not understand
what a great honor this is,” Eia added sharply. “The Belab has
given us the one man who cannot be rattled by the emotions boiling
in this city. He is our greatest teacher. If he says that Rynn can
do what must be done, then it will be as he says.”

Ipid wanted to say
something about the irony of being given a wise cripple for a job
that was primarily about stupid brute force, but it was clear that
this was a battle that would result in only casualties. “I trust
that you and Rynn will be able to do what must be done, but I also
trust that you will inform me if you are having
difficulty.”

“
Of course . . . Lord
Chancellor.” Naidi bowed slightly. Ipid could not tell if he was
being mocked. “I understand your reservations . . . and thank you
for . . . your trust. . . . The Belab feels . . . that Rynn will
make . . . your men more comfortable . . . and I will be able . . .
to manage the emotions . . . involved better than a . . . Belan
alone.” He stopped and staggered slightly as if losing his balance
or breath.

“
I am sorry,” Ipid nearly
caught the man’s elbow. “Would you like to sit?”

“
No, thank you, I . . .
find it easier to stand.” Naidi steadied himself. “We came simply
to . . . introduce ourselves . . . but clearly you know . . .
Rynn.”

“
That is most kind,” Ipid
returned. “I am sorry that I have doubted your abilities, but there
are many lives resting on this.” He waved off both Eia and Naidi as
they seemed to want to get into it further. “We need speak of it no
more. I appreciate your coming and even more your willingness to
bring Rynn back to us. He is my son’s best friend, and I feared
that I would never see him again.”

“
How is Dasen?” Rynn
leapt, again losing the control he was struggling to maintain. “He
has been much the talk among the Odat Hilaal. They say he is a
belab. I cannot imagine what that would be like. I have worked so
hard to learn to use my gift. I can’t imagine what it would be like
to just do it without the training I’ve received. I . . . I . . .
Everyone is worried for him. They have asked me . . . .” Rynn cut
off as Naidi placed a hand on his shoulder.

“
Rynn is still learning
control,” Naidi explained, obviously sensing Ipid’s concern. “Our
individual personalities . . . come from Hilaal . . . . We would
never . . . want to change him, but . . . control is key . . . to
using our gift. . . . He must maintain . . . a balance between . .
. his natural exuberance . . . and the control required . . . to
use his gift . . . safely.”

“
I am sorry,” Rynn started
again, displaying that control in exaggerated form, pacing each
word, almost physically constraining himself. “Naidi is teaching me
stillness, how to slow down and understand the choices before me.
It is hard for me, so I must constantly remind myself. But I see
now why I must think about how my words and actions impacts those
around me.” He paused, took a calming breath, and clamped his hands
together. “I am worried for Dasen. I hope that we can find him and
show him the need to be trained. If there is anything I can do to
help . . . to help with that, I would be extremely
grateful.”

“
Thank you, Rynn.” Ipid
looked past the boy to his master. He could almost imagine the man
nodding along with each of Rynn’s words as if marking them from a
script. “We are doing everything we can, but there has been no sign
of Dasen. I am beginning to think that he escaped into
Liandria.”

“
Hmmm,” Eia said from his
side, but her eyes were on the window across the room.

“
Thank you, sir. I am just
worried about him . . . and Tethina. I remember her. She was so
beautiful and strong. I assume they’re still together?”

“
I don’t know, Rynn. I
hope so. I hope that they still have each other.”

“
Me too, but I worry what
might happen to her if Dasen loses control of his gift. When we are
learning, we stay isolated so that we do not accidentally hurt
someone. It is so easy to lose control, to do more than you
intended, to . . . .” He trailed off with another touch from his
master.

“
Thank you, Rynn. Trust
me, not a day has gone by since Randor’s Pass that I have not
thought of Dasen and Tethina . . . and you. I am doing everything I
can to bring them safely back to us.” Ipid watched Rynn and Naidi,
wondering how much of this was manufactured.
Paranoia
, he chastised
himself.
It is paranoia brought on by the
fact that we’re discussing Dasen
. But he
could not help but shade every question with the words that Eia had
used at his manor a lifetime gone.

“
I’m sorry, sir. I know
you’re doing everything you can. It’s just . . . . Dasen is my best
friend, and I know more than any other what he’s going through
right now. I thought that maybe if he had a friend who has been
trained, someone who could help him understand what it is and why
it’s important, that he would come more willingly.”

“
I appreciate your
concern, Rynn. If and when we find him, I will not hesitate to ask
for your help. Until then, however, please trust that I am doing
everything within my power and concentrate on the task before you.
There are thousands of lives resting on your ability to clear the
roads to those bridges, not least the men working with
you.”

“
Yes, sir. Naidi has told
me what we are to do. I just . . . .”

“
That seems a sign . . .
that it is time . . . to leave you,” Naidi cut in. “I would like to
. . . have time to see . . . what awaits us before tomorrow. . . .
Rynn will need practice. . . . We need to plan . . . and prepare. .
. . May we see the . . . worksite now?”

Ipid looked to Eia then to
Naidi. “The worksite should be empty. I’ve given the workers the
day. They will start again at first light tomorrow.”

“
Have provisions . . .
been made to ensure . . . that they will not . . . attack
us?”

“
They have,” Ipid said
with a sigh. It had taken nearly an hour of planning with Commander
Tyne to put all the elements together. It required redeploying his
soldiers as well as adding workers from the camps that were now
serving the invaders. The latter had been Jon’s suggestion – to
show the workers that there were others who were more than willing
to take their places if they did not want to be part of the effort.
Commander Tyne was supposed to be at the camps now recruiting those
men.

“
Then we shall leave you.”
Naidi’s hood bobbed then turned to Eia and seemed to linger there.
His twisted hand guided Rynn away by the shoulder.

“
Just a moment,” Ipid
caught them. “Rynn, have you written to your family? I am sure they
are worried. The Liandrins have closed the border, but I’m sure we
could get a letter through. I can see to it if you’d
like.”

Rynn twitched. His face
contorted ever so slightly as if he were fighting his own
expressions. “That is very kind,” he managed. “I will write
something this evening.”

“
Bring it to me yourself,”
Ipid suggested. “I’d like to speak with you more. I’d . . . a lot
has happened, and it is good to see a familiar face. I’d like it if
we could spend some more time together.”

Rynn took a deep breath.
“I’d like that, sir, but I don’t know if I will have time with my
studies and duties here in the city. It is a great honor that Naidi
has chosen me to accompany him, and I want to make sure I repay his
trust.”

Ipid nodded but eyed the
boy. “Alright,” he conceded. “If you have the time, but do not let
it distract from your work or studies.”

“
Thank you, sir.” Rynn
looked relieved. “Good day.”

As he turned to go, Ipid
caught his arm, hoping to formalize the departure with another
embrace or at least shaking of hands. Rynn’s face shot around
filled with anger and fear. Ipid retracted, releasing the arm. “I’m
sorry,” he stammered. “I just wanted to say that it was good to see
you again. I am glad you are well.”