Braka: 1

It was the first meeting after the escape, and as such it had much of a war council over it. Harbend was there, as were both of the escort captains, but neither Escha nor Gring were present. They were in the care of the magehealers, apparently headed by a yellow-eyed woman who had joined the caravan in a way Arthur was still unclear about.

At the moment, though, she was not with her patients, and he wondered what made her important enough to take part of the meeting. He didn't mind. She was pleasant enough to look at as long as you didn't take into consideration eyes that seemed to have seen too much. Arthur would have guessed her age at the late thirties despite her youthful appearance, but something he was unable to put his finger on hinted she was older. If the notion hadn't been so ridiculous he would have said she was older than himself, maybe by several decades.

Captain Laiden spent most of the time before the real meeting started with giving Captain Weinak uncomfortable glances she paid no heed. She in her turn looked at Harbend with eyes so hungry Arthur couldn't help laughing.

Chaijrild, Arthur thought, should have been allowed to take part of whatever was going to be said, but her mother had refused to leave the side of her daughter for as much as a moment, and Arthur could hardly say that he didn't understand.

Thinking of the girl made him uncomfortable. He had no wish to meet her mother anytime soon. How could he answer questions from her? Chaijrild was sure to have told Lianin about what he had done.

Hell, even the mother is younger than I am.

Arthur tried to rise, but his right leg wouldn't carry him and he sat down on his pallet again. The magehealers from Ri Khi had done something to his leg so it didn't hurt any longer, but it was still too weak for him to stand on. At the moment he was happy he'd been unconscious when they pulled the arrow out. It would probably have hurt otherwise, even though he couldn't even remember being hit. There was a lot he didn't remember from his capture, and from the time after the rescue. They'd been badly starved he was told, and he did remember waking dreams of being fed.

Arthur gazed at those present waiting for someone to begin. Captain Laiden did, ah, Trindai, yes that was his name. Trust Trindai to be the first to act, even if only to speak.

"Both escorts are out searching for enemies. We need to know if we're going to be attacked again."

Harbend snorted. "Not likely I say. It has been three full days since we returned."

"That's less than the time I'd need to gather troops if I wanted to return in force, M'lord."

"Why should anyone want to?" Arthur asked.

"Because anyone stupid enough to take a taleweaver prisoner and not releasing him or her immediately must make certain the incident never becomes known," the yellow-eyed Magehealer answered.

"I don't understand."

"Arthur, what have you been told about Keen and magic?" she asked smiling at Trindai as if sharing a secret.

"Enough to know they don't agree very well, apart from Verd in itself that is."

"If I assume a full regiment from Keen would gladly ride out alongside battle mages from Rhuin or Khanati should it ever be known that someone had targeted a taleweaver, how wrong would I be?"

The captain gave her a crooked grin. "I don't know about gladly, but it would be a sad day if we could only muster a single regiment," he agreed.

Arthur looked at them in bewilderment. "That's insane! Why use that kind of resources for the sake of one single individual?"

The Magehealer smiled back. "Yes, why indeed?"

Arthur suddenly had a vision of frantic activity in the orbital docking station circling the planet. He didn't need an explanation for that activity. After all he'd made sure to pay enough bribes to prolong the pursuit knowing well enough that federation officials would come after him sooner or later anyway.

"But that's... different."

Harbend shot him a surprised look. "What is different?"

"She," Arthur pointed at the Magehealer, "did something so I saw my own people."

"Is that true, Neritan?" Harbend asked. So that was her name.

"Yes, but it's hardly the point. I wanted him to understand that more than one empire takes interest in the destinies of certain individuals."

"Ah, I see."

"Now, we need to know the identity of the one who ordered you captured," Neritan said.

"I still don't understand, and I was just a bonus I guess," Arthur answered sullenly.

"A what?" Trindai asked.

"Oh, he didn't want me. He was after Gring."

Several stares were exchanged before Neritan spoke again. "Who did, and why?"

"We were captured by horsemen from the plains led by a Khraga chieftain named Kharg. Gring fought bravely before we were captured. I think she'd want that to be made clear."

"Kharg?" Neritan looked at Captain Weinak.

"I'm not familiar with the name, but we don't meet enemy Khraga that often," she answered.

"So, this Kharg of the Khraga captured you, or rather Gring, is that correct?"

"Yes," Arthur muttered. "Chaijrild and I just happened to be there." Well, that wasn't entirely true. He'd been accompanied by Gring for most of the journey since they left the Roadhouse, and Chaijrild had made more than her fair share of attempts to follow them around.

Neritan smiled, and he could feel her smile inside his head.

Damn, she's a bloody Mindwalker, just like Gring.

"Yes, I'm a Mindwalker as well as a Magehealer," she confirmed aloud. "Now, why would this Kharg want to capture Gring?"

Arthur remembered all too well. "He accused her of being a renegade, a traitor of sorts."

"Oh," Neritan said. "Oh."

"What?" Harbend asked. "What's so important about that?"

"I know more of the Khraga than I think any of you do. In their eyes there could be no greater offense to their own than a traitorous Khraga. Well, hunting a taleweaver would be worse, I guess, but not by much."

"Are you saying we'll have an army of vengeful Khraga on our backs?" Trindai growled.

"I'm afraid so, unless we can convince them that capturing Arthur was a greater crime," Neritan answered.

"They wouldn't believe that," Arthur said silently.

This time he was the sole target of surprised stares.

"And why is that?" Neritan asked, her voice cutting the silence like a sharpened razor.

"This Kharg, he didn't believe I was a taleweaver. I tried to convince him in the fortified village we were brought to. I'm not sure I can describe where it is."

"No need, we know," said Captain Weinak and shuddered.

Neritan gave her an irritated glance and turned to Arthur again. "How did you try?"

Those eyes! Those horrible, ancient eyes.

Their yellow light cut through him like a beacon through glass. There was nothing he could keep hidden from her.

"I Wove," he whispered, terrified she would slay him on the spot if he didn't give her the answer she wanted.

Neritan was still like a statue, but Harbend drew his breath.

"And the bastard didn't believe you?" Trindai hissed.

"No. He must have thought I was a Mindwalker or something, because he said I was only playing tricks with their minds."

"Arthur, are you certain? Inside the village? There must have been witnesses." Neritan this time.

"Yes, I'm sure, but most of them looked unhappy."

"They are going to look a lot worse than unhappy when the expedition arrives," Captain Weinak shot in. "We should be able to get help from Braka if we get there."

"Please! I'm not from here. Someone explain to me." What was going on? More strange secrets of this world?

"If this village agreed to this then we truly have renegades on our hands."

"But they didn't," Arthur protested. "Kharg forced a decision and had us jumped to a place Gring called Gaz."

"Gaz! I should have known! Why did you not tell us, Harbend?" Captain Weinak cried.

Arthur looked at her. He ought to know her name, especially if she had become the love interest of Harbend.

Captain Weinak, Captain Nakora Weinak.

"Would you have come? Sorry, I take that back. Escha did not think it was important. There has been very little problem with Gaz for centuries, and besides not even they would violate that law," Harbend answered in a barely audible voice.

"But they..."

"Quiet!" Neritan shouted. "Quiet all of you! Harbend is right. Gaz, of all empires, would never do such a thing. Believe me! So, you were brought to Gaz. What happened there?" Neritan nodded at Arthur.

"Kharg wanted us to be interrogated by a questioner or something like that," he answered.

"Well, that should definitely remove all doubts whether you were a taleweaver or not," Neritan said with something sounding like relief filling her voice.

"Well, it didn't turn out that way. We were sentenced to death by the questioner."

"What!"

"Yes, but he seemed bloody angry as well."

"Did this questioner have a name?"

Arthur tried to remember. "Yes, Vailin, or something like that."

"No family name?"

"Uh, yes, yes, now I remember. He said his name was Vailinin ad Rhigrat."

The silence that followed was absolute.

"What is it?" Arthur asked when he could bear it no longer.

"The son," Harbend whispered.

"Yes, but he's reputed to be nothing like his father," Neritan answered weakly.

"Who could possibly be?" Nakora asked and looked as if she was going to be sick.

"Again, I don't know what you're talking about," Arthur said.

"His father, Kakad ad Rhigrat was a monster. If his son has turned rotten then there's nothing we can do. If he decides to wipe us out before we reach Braka then we will die. He's a truth seer, an interrogator of a kind who are supposed to be fully dedicated to truth and nothing else. With the reputation and power he has he could order a large portion of the military force Gaz has available just to hunt us down."

"The last I saw of him was him having a shouting match with Kharg. Ask Gring, she can tell you more, but I'm certain he wasn't too pleased with ordering us dead."

"Are you telling me he didn't want you dead? Please, be very careful with what you say."

Arthur looked Neritan straight into her eyes. "He did not. I'm as certain as I'll ever be. As I said, ask Gring. Don't even remember actually being sentenced to death myself."

Neritan nodded and left the meeting.

"What do we do now?" Arthur asked to no one special.

"Nothing," Harbend answered. "We go on to Braka. This is beyond me. Neritan is of the golden, and so is Vailinin. This will be solved elsewhere, unless we get killed first." With that he also left, Nakora trailing his steps.

"Great, just great!" Arthur muttered.