Elyon's Hunters, page 28
Xyda treated her story like a report, detailing everything she knew about what had been happening over the last turn. Cladine followed, and by the time Sábria heard Harda recount the nightmare she’d been living through, she wanted to bury her head in her pillow and pretend she was having some kind of nightmare she’d wake up from sometime soon.
She’d always been sensitive to emotional undercurrents, but the anger and distrust running through her Blades was stifling. She was beginning to understand how frustrated and lost Xyda must have felt as their leader, and here she was, discouraged and disheartened after only dealing with five of the fifteen hunters.
After the first four had given their reports, Sábria hesitated before turning to Falla, unsure whether she wanted to hear more from her. Ultimately, she decided getting everything out in the open was more important than keeping the divisive Hunter quiet. “Falla, do I understand you’ve been fortunate enough to avoid any beatings during this past turn?”
Falla looked from Xyda to Harda to Cladine. Unfortunately, she could feel the anger and hatred from the other Hunters, and none of them offered her any support. Her gaze skidded across Maida, who was glaring at her again.
Sábria tried one more time. “I’d like to know why you’ve stopped Hunting. Why haven’t you gone on a single Hunt for an entire turn?”
Falla swallowed nervously and tried for an ingratiating smile that fell far short of the mark. “It’s not that I haven’t tried to answer a summons. Every time I hear about someone running, by the time I arrive at the Temple, a Hunter has already been there and gone.”
Sábria, who’d been sitting cross-legged, raised one knee and wrapped an arm around it.
That allowed her to face Falla directly. “Look me in the eyes and say that again.”
Falla tried to laugh as she glanced at the other Hunters. “We’ve all had times where we’ve ridden hard to get to a Temple after a summons, and the assignment has already been given out.” She looked at everyone in the circle with her brows raised, expecting them to agree. When none of them did, she laughed and tried again. “Oh, come on, Xyda, you know it happens all the time.”
Xyda remained silent, and Sábria repeated, “Falla. Look me in the eyes and tell me why you haven’t been on a single hunt for an entire turn.”
Anger flashed in Falla’s eyes. “Don’t you believe me, My Lady? I went to the Temples, but I was always too late. I’d never lie to you.”
“Did you purposefully delay going so another Hunter would arrive before you?”
“Of course not. I’ve never—” When Falla saw fire flash in Sábria’s eyes, her words ground to a halt. “Well, I suppose that might’ve happened once or maybe twice, but really, there haven’t been that many Blades or shivs run in the past turn.”
Maida growled, “Then how do you explain me having four assignments to your zero?”
Since that was a legitimate question, Sábria let it stand. If she hadn’t been watching for it, Sábria would’ve missed the hatred she saw in Falla’s eyes when the woman looked at Maida.
Falla’s tone, meant to sound playful and joking, had a mocking edge. “So says the overachieving pampered pet who’s been sucking up to Xyda from the first day you came into the Hunters. Watch me do this, Xyda. I saved so-and-so from killing herself, Xyda. And it’s not only her you suck up to. You do the same to Harda and Cladine as well. Doesn’t she?” Her gaze flitted between the three, expecting them to support her claims.
Harda was the one who spoke up this time. “What happened to you, Falla? You used to be one of the top Hunters. When you first joined us, you were eager to learn. I can remember times when you asked if you could follow along just to see if you could learn new techniques from one of us. But then it all stopped. In fact,” she glanced quizzically at Maida and then back at Falla. “In fact, and Xyda and Cladine tell me if I’m wrong here, but that stopped shortly after Maida became a Hunter, didn’t it?” She answered her own question. “It did. And I didn’t understand why you’d begun targeting Maida. Bullying her even. How many times did Xyda or Harda tell you to back off? You hated Maida from the start. And now that I’m thinking about it, Maida has always said that you were telling people when she’d be returning to the Temples. Were you? Were you setting her up to be beaten?”
Falla reared back in shock, but it was painfully obvious she was putting on an act. “Of course not! How can you even say that? I’d never—” Once again, her gaze darted to Sábria, and in that instant, the Arch Priestess knew beyond any doubt that that was indeed what Falla had done.
Sábria stared at her, trying to understand why a tenured Hunter would betray a fellow Blade. “How many, Falla?”
“How many? I don’t understand.”
“How many did you betray?”
Falla opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She gave a shaky laugh and shook her head. “Betray? I don’t know what you mean.”
Sábria tilted her head, trying to see this from Falla’s point of view. “What do you call it?”
“Things haven’t been right in the Hunters for a while now, My Lady. Blades and other people outside of the Blades have seen it. I’m not the only one. They’ve seen it too.”
There was that elusive “they” again. “What do you mean by they? Who are they?”
“Well, people like Demaria and Oumar, you know, people who served in Sarlogne with you. Even though they chose to leave the Blades, they were still loyal to you and what you wanted. They said you sent them around to all of the Temples because you needed them to be part of your eyes and ears to watch the Hunters because you didn’t trust them—” She stuttered to a halt and then amended, “Us. You didn’t trust us.”
Sábria narrowed her eyes. “It sounds like you threw your lot in with them instead of with your fellow Hunters. Is that correct?”
“I threw my lot in with you, My Lady. I knew there was trouble with the Hunters. I’ve known it for quite a while now. I’d even become like them, arrogant and brutal whenever we went out to capture a Blade.”
“Brutal? I haven’t had any reports from any of the High Priestesses telling me that my Hunters have become brutal. Xyda? What’s she talking about?”
Xyda looked as perplexed as Sábria felt. “I have absolutely no idea, My Lady.”
Sábria stared at Falla. “What do you mean by brutal? What did you do that was brutal since you said you’d become like them?”
Falla nervously glanced around at the rest of the Hunters, who were staring at her now as though her role in this fiasco was only now becoming clear. “I didn’t mean that I’d become brutal. Just that I’d heard rumors that the other Hunters were that way. I know for a fact that Maida joined the Hunters with a reputation for being a bully.”
She glared at Maida, who didn’t flinch away from those accusing eyes. “Do you deny that you beat Demaria for no good reason when both of you were still Blades in Sarlogne?” She got a knowing look in her eyes. “And don’t you dare lie. You know as well as I do that one of the Goddess's gifts to the Arch Priestess is the ability to spot a lie.”
Maida bared her teeth. “Then maybe the Arch Priestess should’ve been there when Demaria told you that I’d beaten her for no reason. I had a reason, Falla.” Her tone was full of derision when she spat out the name. “She, Khaldo, Oumar, and all their followers were bullies who tried to bully me. I let them know that wasn’t going to happen.”
“There.” Falla looked triumphantly at Sábria. “See? She lies even when she’s right in front of you.” Falla sat forward, and for the first time, Sábria thought she detected a slight trace of madness in her eyes. She tried to recall if there had been any on her mother’s side of the family. She’d have to look into her records when they returned to Sarlogne. Or, instead, could that look be the same self-righteous hatred she’d seen in Khaldo’s eyes the last time they’d met when the woman had been hiding in the shadows of the courtyard? The subtleties of evil and hatred were so much more difficult to discern than, say, those of happiness and love.
Oblivious to Sábria’s thoughts, Falla continued with her explanation. “That’s why I began telling certain people when a Hunter had gone out on a Hunt and when they were returning. I was doing your bidding, My Lady. I tracked them, and none of them knew. I’m better than all of them because none of them knew they were being followed, and none knew when I circled around in front to get to the Temples to let people know they were coming. It’s what you wanted us to do. Make sure the Hunters knew they couldn’t abuse the Blades.”
To Sábria, it felt as though Falla was still trying to drive a wedge between her and her Hunters by repeating over and over that it was what she’d ordered, as though it were a fact that Sábria had needed help bringing the Hunters to heel. As everyone stared at Falla, the only sound was the snapping of the sap in the wood Ailith had used to feed the flames.
Falla wrongly interpreted the silence as tacit approval to continue. “Since Hunters get assignments from all of your Temples, I had the opportunity to talk to everyone who left Elyon’s service after Khaldo was killed. They’d all served here in Sarlogne, and every one of them told the same story. Maida was a bully, and you were constantly beating her because she wouldn’t stop harassing and bullying other Blades and shivs. They said she was always picking on the shivs. I mean, they all said the same thing. They couldn’t have all been wrong, could they?”
It took a moment to tamp down her shock at what Falla was saying, but Sábria finally got her voice back. She wasn’t ready to shut her down just yet, though, because she was getting information that she wouldn’t get anywhere else. “But I understand that this business with the Blades undermining and attacking the Hunters started nearly a full turn before Khaldo’s followers were sent out to the other Temples. Had you heard anything prior to them joining the Temples in their new civilian capacities?”
“Well, yes, and what Khaldo’s friends told me backed up what I’ve been hearing.”
“Hearing from whom?”
Oblivious to the steadily growing animosity from her fellow Hunters, Falla sat up straight and nodded approvingly at the question as though complimenting Sábria on her perceptive thinking. It seemed as though she was proud to finally be able to report to her Arch Priestess all that she’d done to help bring the Hunters to heel. “Well, I don’t know if you know that my father is good friends with Lord Renly, and I understand that Lord Renly is good friends with you, My Lady.”
While that was so patently false as to be comical, when Sábria didn’t disagree, Falla continued. “I visit my father’s estates quite often, and it’s been close to a full turn that I first became aware of yours and Lord Renly’s concerns. I believe it was at my grandmother’s nameday celebration, and since it’s coming up again soon, then yes, I suppose it has been almost a full turn. Anyway, Lord Renly was there, and he told me of the many meetings he had with you, Commander Shirin, and others within the nobility where you’d stayed up late many nights discussing the problems of the Hunters.”
Sábria could feel everyone’s eyes on her, but she chose not to acknowledge them. Her incredulity at what she hoped was Falla’s naïveté was building with each new revelation. How could a seasoned Blade believe such nonsense? “Did he mention the other nobles who shared his concerns?”
“Lord and Lady Bathton. Lord Compton was there, too, and he told me about the meetings he’d attended with you, as well.
“Anyone else?”
Falla scrunched up her pretty little nose while she thought, and Sábria almost did the same, but for entirely different reasons. With a shake of her head, Falla looked regretful when she admitted, “I’m sure there were, but I can’t recall who. I’m sorry, My Lady.”
“You’re very close to your father, if I remember correctly?”
“Very close, My Lady. My mother died when I was still a child, and my father became my only parent. He taught me everything I know, and his loyalty to the Empire and to Emperor Aloric…” A telling stutter followed by a slight blush gave the lie to her next words, “…and to you...is well known. He instilled that loyalty in me.” She perked up, and a smile brightened her features. “He was the one who encouraged me to join the Blades.”
There was no way this conspiracy could go back that far, was there? “How old were you when he suggested you petition to join the Blades?”
“Well, as you know, I became a Blade a little later than most. I was twenty-two, and I’m thirty-three now. So it was right before then. And after I’d been a Blade for a while, he said he’d be the proudest man alive if I could take the next step and join the Hunters. So, as you know, as soon as I turned twenty-nine, I petitioned to join, and I made it. And I’m a good hunter. An excellent one, if I might say so myself.” She practically preened as she said the words.
Xyda sat forward, drew one knee up, and wrapped her arms around it.
Sábria privately thought it was more a way to hold herself back than to move into a more relaxed position. Good woman. At least Xyda understood why Sábria wasn’t reacting, and she hoped the rest had figured it out as well.
Xyda’s tone was mild when she asked. “Excellent Hunters don’t go an entire turn without going on a hunt, Falla. How do you explain that?”
For the first time, Falla had the grace to blush. Sábria wondered what had brought color into the woman’s cheeks. What could be worse than what she’d already told them?
“I haven’t Hunted for the last turn because, at that party, Lord Renly warned me that Sábria sent out word that people were to start disciplining the Hunters whenever they mistreated a Blade or a shiv. I knew I needed to help them however I could, and if that meant using my tracking skills to follow all of you around, then that’s what I did. That was my way of doing what the Arch Priestess ordered us to do.”
Sábria and not Lady Sábria. Interesting. “And you believed him? You basically took orders from a nobleman without checking with me, Xyda or any of the High Priestesses?” Sábria was good, but even she couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice.
If Falla picked up on Sábria’s growing dislike, it didn’t show. “Yes. I had no reason to doubt them. My father would never lie to me, and neither would his friends.”
“And you didn’t know that Khaldo’s followers were actually disgraced Blades whom I had removed from my service?”
“That’s not true, My Lady. They left your service when Khaldo was killed.”
Sábria had heard enough. “You’re lying, Falla. Not in the salient points of your story but about your ignorance of what your father and his friends are up to. What I’m wondering is whether your father put you up to undermining the Hunters and driving a wedge between them and the Blades or whether you volunteered to join the Blades to undermine us to please him. Not only have I never met with any noblemen to discuss Temple business, but I’d never discuss Temple business with outsiders, nor would I ever enlist them, or you, or any disgraced Blades to help with a perceived problem among my Hunters. You’re a bright, articulate woman, and I find it difficult to believe that you’re as innocent as you’re pretending to be.”
Sábria glanced around at the other Hunters. Their growing hostility was clear by their stiff shoulders, clenched fists, and scowling tight-lipped expressions. Realizing she needed to diffuse the situation instead of adding fuel to the fire, she decided to bring them back into the conversation. “How many of you knew about the disgraced Blades? About the reasons I stripped them of their Blade status and dispersed them among the Temples as civilians?”
Harda raised her hand. “If you mean Khaldo’s followers, then I did. It wasn’t a secret, My Lady. But now, I’m wondering if Falla showed up here today because she wanted to help Xyda or because she’d heard Cladine, Maida, and I were coming, and she was worried that all the shitty stuff she’s been up to would come out.” She turned an icy glare on Falla. “Are you here doing damage control, you slimy piece of—”
Sábria held up her hand. “Enough.” Obviously, Harda hadn’t bought into Falla’s claim that she was simply following her Arch Priestess’s orders, but Sábria didn’t want this meeting to devolve into name-calling or worse. “As I said before, this is a group meeting where you stay civil, or you keep your mouth shut, Harda.”
Thankfully, Cladine chose that moment to speak up. “Even I heard why they’d been sent to the Temples, and I don’t spend any time in any of them. I find the Blades or shivs I’m supposed to find, deliver them to a High Priestess, and leave. I don’t remember how I found out you’d kicked them out of the Blades, but I never liked Khaldo or her ilk when we were all here in Sarlogne. She was a nasty piece of work, and when I heard a horse had stomped her head into the cobblestones, I remember thinking it was a fitting end. I didn’t like her followers either.”
Falla jumped to her feet. “That’s not true! Khaldo was set up. She never should have died. Her father told me—” the look on her face and the way her mouth remained open even after she stopped speaking was telling. She’d said too much, and she knew it.
Both Sábria and Xyda rose. Xyda stepped around from the other side of the fire and stood next to Sábria, who had the feeling the Hunter thought it her duty to protect her from harm.
Things were finally beginning to take shape in Sábria’s mind. “That’s right. Your lands and Lord Sandringham’s butt up against one another, don’t they? Khaldo’s father is Lord Sandringham’s nephew, which made Khaldo his grandniece. Now that I remember, the two of you petitioned to become shivs at the same time, didn’t you?”
Falla nervously glanced from Xyda to Sábria and then looked over her shoulder at Maida, who’d risen to her feet and stepped behind her.
Seeing the violent, crazed storm brewing in Maida’s eyes made Sábria’s instincts go on high alert. “Shirin!” Although she hadn’t told Shirin to remain outside, Sábria knew that was exactly where she’d be.
Instantly, the flap flew back and Shirin raced in with Geller close on her heels.
