A Hollow Mountain (The Brightest Shadow Book 2), page 78
He nodded and might have said more, but by then the entire band had entered the room. Krafan came to sit beside her, giving her a long and strange look. She forgave him quickly due to the changes in her body and the fact that she had far more important things on her mind. Splinters glared at her like normal, with no idea that she was aware of what he'd done.
"Several problems have struck at once." Celivia stood up as she began to speak, but she had no speeches prepared, only plans. "There are humans on their way who intend to attack the mine, and they'll kill everyone in their path."
"More? Can they really challenge our forces here?" Puga regarded her skeptically, but Big Ragh cut him off.
"They can. You don't want to see it. Shut up."
"I think the best strategy would be to evacuate," Celivia said with only a brief nod to Big Ragh, "but I don't know if the commander will agree. This is made much more complicated by another problem: the reason I have been absent is because there was an attempt to poison me. I believe that Commander Jeraeli may have been behind the attempt."
Her announcement brought the shock she expected and several men tried to speak at once, but her attention was on Splinters. His look of surprise struck her as absolutely authentic, which briefly made her reconsider. It was possible that he had utter mastery of his own responses, but that seemed as unlikely as that he wouldn't have poisoned her if he had the chance. She decided to simply move forward and raised a hand for quiet.
"I hope that I'm wrong, but I'll need to speak to her to find out. But first... Splinters, what do you know about this?"
"Me?" He stared for only a moment before his expression became pure hatred. "You think I did it?"
"Someone in the band delivered the poison. Look me in the eye and tell me it wasn't you."
"Fuck you." Splinters did stare directly back at her. "I had nothing to do with this."
He started to get up, but Big Ragh grabbed his arm and forced him back down. When Fijn came with manacles to bind his hands, Splinters didn't resist aside from his glare. Celivia was surprised that no members of her band objected, but she supposed that he'd made few friends among them as well, so she continued speaking.
"If you're innocent, we'll learn soon. How many soldiers does Jeraeli usually have with her?"
"Almost none," Ghasfik said, "and she's made few friends among the guards. I don't think any would support us, but they might look the other way. However, there's still one Catai keeping order in the lower pits who would stand with her."
"Then I want several of you to come with me to meet her. If I'm incorrect or we can negotiate an agreement, then we will only be guilty of acting too quickly. But there isn't time to wait for that, so I need some of you to begin an evacuation. Convince the guards first in any way you can. If they agree, the rest should follow."
She set Ghasfik in charge of the evacuation group and sent them away. Huthur joined them, but he nodded to her on his way out. That left her with Fijn, Big Ragh, Krafan, and Splinters, though Brifik surprised her by following them. Not the force she would have chosen to take on a Catai, but if it came to fighting, Celivia had always planned to do that herself. The others came with her to keep Splinters bound and hold off any guards.
As they walked around the side of the open pit, Celivia couldn't help but stare down over the many tiers of stone. Even if she failed in everything else, hundreds of women and enslaved workers would be rescued from the Hero's path. The fact that Melal had spared her did not incline her to gamble any other lives on his kindness, especially not if part of the Legend was truly present in the mine.
Splinters stared at the ground the whole way, though she didn't think she saw any guilt in his expression. Could she actually be entirely wrong? She desperately wanted to believe that Jeraeli wasn't responsible, even to the point of accepting an unlikely explanation for what she knew. At the least, she resolved to truly attempt to talk before making accusations.
Though she had anticipated a fight, there were only a few guards and workers on the lower floor of her office. They advanced to the second carefully and Big Ragh leaned close, striking a fist against his palm. "Say the word and we'll grab her."
"You need to be more careful than that with Jeraeli."
"Why? I know she's a Catai, but all she ever does is lie around and fuck that Feras. She's tiny, and she's not like you, Kaen. I could take her."
"Just be careful." It wasn't the time to tell him that even if Jeraeli wasn't the most devoted to her training, a well-chosen Catai form and a solid foundation made her much stronger than any partially trained soldier. Again, Celivia hoped that she was wrong.
At the entrance, she had the others stay back and keep Splinters bound, then she entered alone.
She found Jeraeli in her office, standing at her window and staring out over the rolling hills. When she heard them, she turned with an unwavering smile. For once she wore none of her jewelry, though her form-fitting combat robes and those pointed heels seemed nearly as impractical.
"Celi! My, that hair suits you almost as well. And you're certainly looking... healthy." She spoke casually, the look in her eyes suggesting that she noted every physical change. Then there was no point beginning anywhere else.
"Someone used reagents to force me into a natural rebirth. Was it you?"
"Someone prevented you from ruining your career by going against the Zeitai." Jeraeli didn't even try to deny it, still smiling as she always had. "You appear to have done quite well for yourself, and when you become a Catai, you can correct any minor inadequacies. In time, you'll thank me."
"What did you think any of this would accomplish aside from turning me against you?"
"Oh, Celi, all I needed was a delay. I believe we've found what the Zeitai was looking for, so all we need to do is hold it until he arrives. Once I've received credit for my work, then you can ruin your military career if you absolutely insist."
Though she had more questions, Celivia found herself momentarily speechless. She had anticipated some complex scheme, or some wedge she'd unknowingly driven between the two of them. All she heard in Jeraeli's voice was simple ambition and a willingness to throw away everything else in pursuit of it. Celivia silently apologized to Ghalia for doubting her: Jeraeli had been exploiting her from the very beginning.
"Don't glare like that, Celi." Jeraeli put her hands on her hips and stared back. "Are you really going to throw our friendship away over a few peasant women?"
"We obviously never had the friendship I thought we did." Celivia's sein pulsed through her wildly, urging her to attack, but she forced it down. Her sense of betrayal mattered less than the possibility of negotiating peacefully. "I had thought we wanted the same things."
"I admit, you've always been far more of an idealist and I may have said a trifle or two to make you like me. But really, Celi, I think we'd get along wonderfully if only you let go of a few of those ideals. Rescuing those women sounds noble enough, but have you ever actually spoken to any of them? They're wretched, thoughtless, inbred husks. This is the most they have to offer."
Celivia's nails bit into her own palms. She had wanted to tell Jeraeli about the Hero and negotiate a coordinated evacuation, but there was obviously no chance of that now. Wanting to give them more time to work, Celivia gestured to the soldiers outside. "Bring him in."
Big Ragh shoved Splinters to the floor as the others entered the room. Despite what she'd said, they loomed around Jeraeli in what she supposed was a show of their support for her. Except for Krafan, who appeared to be shrinking into a corner, eyes moving between the two of them.
"What's this?" Jeraeli stared at Splinters in pure surprise and Celivia felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. If she had been correct in so much, but wrong in this... Jeraeli abruptly let out a peal of laughter. "You think I was working with this miserable asshole? Oh no, the one you want is cringing behind you."
Though Splinters stared triumphant hatred at her, Celivia barely saw him. Instead her gaze fell on Krafan, who straightened and met her gaze like he rarely had before. "You? Why?"
"You've thought you were better than us from the very beginning. All I wanted was for you to look at me, give me a bit of respect, but you always scorned me." Once Krafan began speaking, the entitled rage tumbled out of him. "This is no better than you deserve, always flaunting yoursel-"
"Krafan here was surprisingly cooperative." Jeraeli pulled him to stand beside her, sharp nails walking up his shoulder as she smiled poisonously. "You look unhappy, Celi. Did you really think all your men accepted you so easily? Don't think I'm blind - I saw the scorn you paid me. I decided long ago that if I couldn't be accepted, I'd rather be worshiped."
Judging from the way Krafan trembled at her touch, he was obviously only a tool in her plan, yet Celivia found no forgiveness for him. Perhaps on another day she might have tried to understand him better, but the Hero was approaching and Jeraeli had utterly betrayed her. Negotiations had ended.
"Then I made an error." Celivia bent down and cut through Splinters's manacles, though he didn't thank her for it. "But you've made a worse one, sending away so many of your warriors. We're placing you under house arrest until I can safely evacuate the mine."
"Celi, Celi... do you really think so little of me?" Jeraeli put a finger to her lips coyly, ignoring the men who closed around her. Celivia gestured for them to back away.
"I'll handle h-"
Jeraeli's leg snapped out, her knife-like shoe breaking free and spinning through the air directly toward Celivia's face. It moved shockingly quickly and even her new speed only just redirected the spinning heel away from her face. In the time it took her to deflect it, Jeraeli had already moved.
Her bare foot connected with Fijn's stomach, sending him crashing through the window. Even as she did so, her other leg kicked her remaining heel directly up, where she easily caught it and then stabbed the knife point into Big Ragh's eye. He had barely begun to cry out and grasp it when Jeraeli stabbed Brifik and Splinters in the chest, her claws sinking deep.
As Celivia's band collapsed around her, Jeraeli gave a vicious smile. Celivia realized that it had all been an act, a distraction she had fallen for as thoroughly as so many others. Jeraeli might have enjoyed the fine clothing and the worship, but underneath it all lay a ruthless animal.
"I really thought we could have been good friends, Celi." The shortened name was clearly mocking now as Jeraeli walked over the bodies of her band. "But I cannot allow you to interfere. If you surrender, I'll give you a comfortable cell and try to talk some sense into you later. If you resist... that might not be so bad either."
Celivia drew her whip and started to swing, but Jeraeli was faster. The woman's hand flashed out and Celivia only just deflected the stab at her stomach. Her opponent pulled back and stabbed again with surprising speed, her claws jabbing out over and over until they passed her defenses and reached Celivia's shoulder.
It hurt, and Celivia could feel her blood around the claws, but they failed to penetrate deeply. Jeraeli's eyes widened as she realized that she had underestimated Celivia's durability, and that was time enough.
When Celivia attempted to stab her blade into Jeraeli's neck, the Catai thrust directly at her hand, disarming her with a flicking movement. Instead of retrieving her knife, Celivia simply reached in, grabbing the other woman's neck. Her opponent jabbed at at her arm, but Celivia slammed her into one of the walls and they both crashed through to the ground outside.
The impact hurt surprisingly little and Celivia leapt back to her feet, drawing her second knife. Yet Jeraeli hadn't risen, instead crooning, "Oh Myuneras... would you come here, dearest?"
Celivia caught a glimpse of golden fur before something lunged at her, impossibly fast. If not for her recent rebirth, the claws might have torn through her throat, and she only barely managed to deflect the stirke. The force of the blow sent her staggering backward, desperately lashing out with her whip on instinct, but the weapon was immediately knocked to the ground.
Myuneras stalked in front of her and she recognized the golden-furred Feras who had warmed Jeraeli's bed. He was strong, so strong that Celivia cast aside all thoughts but survival, but at that moment Jeraeli hopped to her feet and waved a hand in between them.
"I didn't mean kill her, Myuneras, just pin her down. I'm feeling generous, but even if not, we need to know why she attempted this desperate plan in the first place."
"Sorry." The Feras man stepped just behind her obediently, though he remained on the balls of his feet, ready to strike at any moment.
"If you haven't already figured it out, aside from being a beautiful man, Myuneras here is stronger than both of us." Jeraeli smiled and ran a hand through the shimmering fur atop his head. "The only reason he's working under me is that he's not bright enough to get ahead in the Zeitai's service. But with him here, you and your little band are hopelessly outclassed."
Celivia had mostly recovered, which wasn't enough to contradict the other woman's words. She looked past Jeraeli to the Feras man. "She insults you to your face like that?"
"Instead of behind my back." Myuneras stretched in the way she had seen before, though it now felt less sexual and more predatory. "I know I'm too slow for politics. But she's good at that. With her I can get closer to the Zeitai."
"You aren't as dim as all that," Jeraeli said, "just no politician. Did you do what I asked?"
"Yes. They're all tied up below."
"Good. Why don't you take a look, Celi?"
Even while suspecting a trick, Celivia walked to the edge of the mine with a sickening feeling in her stomach. When she peered down, she saw that the evacuation had been interrupted, a group of slaves huddling on the opposite wall. No doubt intimidated by Myuneras, but she sought her band...
A group of bodies lay tied up on one of the ridges near the bottom of the mine. She couldn't see clearly enough to be certain if they were alive, but she recognized Huthur's clothing. Their conversation had been Jeraeli buying time to allow her ally to stop Celivia's.
"I might let them live if you cooperate." Jeraeli walked to the edge with a smile on her face. "First, tell me why you began... all this madness I see below. You didn't think you could just steal the women away, did you? Through all of Portant?"
Part of Celivia wanted to keep her mouth shut. Let the Hero arrive and give Jeraeli a real shock, which she might use to escape. Yet she could see the terror below and it was easy to imagine Melal cutting his way through them. No, a petty blow against Jeraeli now would only be betraying her principles.
"Well, Celi? Threats and torture are such crude weapons, but if necessary..."
"The Hero is coming." Celivia turned to face both of them, trying to impart the weight of her experiences into her words. "He wants the same thing as the Zeitai, and he will kill every mansthein who stands in his path."
Jeraeli drew back, her smile vanishing. For just a moment Celivia felt relief that she had made the right choice, until the other woman turned to her companion and spoke tersely.
"Release the poison."
Chapter 58
-
"Meaningless steps took me to a dark library of ages, a place where even... [illegible] ...it is a small comfort to know that there are those whose lives served even less purpose than mine."
- excerpt from First of the Sages
-
All of them hid beneath the wagons except Veron, but as Tani's senses rolled over the landscape, she wondered if it mattered. She felt a mansthein perimeter, but no one stopped them. Their wagons simply trundled on and she felt nothing of consequence except the yawning pit ahead of them.
When they drew close, Melal departed again, claiming that he would gather his raider allies in time to conquer the mine. That gave them a precious hour in which they might be able to make a difference. Yet as they drew closer and the wagons slowed, Tani knew that something was wrong. She finally sensed more life ahead of them, but it was all very weak, no warriors at all.
"Well, shit." Veron's voice was muffled from outside the hidden compartment. "Maybe... you'd better come out. Something isn't right."
Tani wriggled back out of the hidden compartment, kicked open the panel, and crawled back into the sunlight. She should have been blinded by the noontime sun, yet she was surprised that her vision recovered almost immediately. Laeri was awkwardly crawling back with her staff and Slaten struggled in the small compartments, so she took the moment to leap up to the front of the wagon beside Veron.
The vast pit ahead of them was clearly the mine, but Tani immediately understood why Veron had stopped them. A large crowd of mansthein shifted over the ledges on one side, some crawling toward the surface as if escaping, but more staring back toward the bottom that Tani couldn't yet see. A closer look revealed that they were all thin and poorly dressed, with as many women as men. Certainly not soldiers, and there weren't any guards to be seen.
No, she then noticed several guards stationed on the carved tiers on the far side. But they ignored the sprawling mass of mansthein fleeing, instead staring below. Though she should have waited for the others, Tani crept forward to see what had everyone's attention.
Her immediate impression was a cauldron so vast that her sense of scale reeled. The bottom of the mine seethed with what she thought was green water at first, then realized was smoke-like fumes. They coiled all through the bottom of the mine, but the bottom surface was uneven, so several ridges of rock rose above the vapor like islands.
"Tani, don't just..." Veron trailed off as Tani sprinted forward, unable to resist as her attention was seized just like all the mansthein who watched.
Several people stood on the tallest of the islands, including Celivia kneeling with manacles around her wrists. She seemed to be alone, with another mansthein woman apparently her captor, backed by a Catai, a mansthein with golden fur, and a small group of soldiers. Careful observation as Tani descended the rocky tiers revealed that there were several other mansthein on one of the lower islands, coughing as the fumes whispered around their feet.
