Promises to the damned, p.9
Promises to the Damned, page 9
“Did anything else happen while I was out?” She looked between him and the door. He opened his mouth but closed it again. Nasna tensed. If needed, she could reach him and rupture his heart before he cried out.
“I told the Warden about the tatzons that caused the cave-in,” he said. “He’ll see to them. So, we won’t need to worry about anyone troubling us anymore.”
She narrowed her eyes. He saw the Warden and told him about the cave-in. What else had they talked about?
“That’s good,” she said.
He nodded and looked to the side. She listened outside the door, but there wasn’t any movement out there. If guards were standing outside ready to bring her in, they were impressively quiet. But if he had found out about her being an ordîn, they would have come for her while she was still unconscious. No reason for them to wait. Nasna released some tension in her body but focused on Con-None.
“You should eat,” he said. “You’ll need your strength for what’s next.”
She glanced at the bowl of food at her side. "And what is going on?”
He cleared his throat. "I’ve decided”—she tensed again—“I’ll help you do whatever it is you came here to do. And then you’ll help me escape this prison.”
“What are you talking about?” She slid her feet behind her, subtle enough he wouldn’t notice. He looked to the ceiling and took in a breath.
“I know you’re an ordîn.”
She pounced.
She grabbed his throat and forced him onto the ground, taking hold of his energy, paralyzing all of his body except for his head. His eyes widened and his heart beat faster under her palm. She leaned in close to him.
“Time to speak, Con-None. Who did you tell about me?”
He didn’t look at her, but instead tried to glance at his body. "I... I can’t move. What’d you do to me?”
“I’m asking the questions. Who did you tell? The Warden? Tell me how many guards are coming or I’ll end your—”
“Oh, get off of me, will you? No one besides me knows your little secret, alright? I went to the Warden, and I planned to turn you in. But guess what? I didn’t. I made a little gamble. So, either kill me or get off me. This… I don’t enjoy this.”
Nasna glared at him. She had a firm grip on his energy and there had been no sign of lying. But all that meant was he had told no one else. It didn’t mean he needed to live. Then again, he said something about helping her, so maybe that could be a reason for him to live. Her Path had not demanded his death yet, so she released his energy and moved off him. Though, in the recesses of her mind, she felt something begin to strain.
He rubbed his neck and sat up. “Thanks.”
“You have one minute to convince me not to kill you. You know my secret so why should I keep you alive?”
Her eyes narrowed. Both she and her Path waited for this answer. Nothing could keep her from Valerija, so nothing less than a compelling reason would save his life.
Deep inside her, beyond where her Path could hear, the weakness inside her whispered,
Please, please give a compelling reason.
Con-None crossed his arms, one hand sliding underneath his shirt, to that secret pocket he thought she hadn’t noticed. “And I thought you were prickly as Whitestone. I think my goods looks are enough to not kill me.” He grinned and, despite the situation he put her in, she rolled her eyes. “Nothing? Not even a groan?”
“The only one who will groan is you if you don’t give me a proper reason.”
“Oh, so ominous.”
Nasna’s eye twitched, and she was honest enough to know that this annoyance came from her and not her Path. Was he this nonchalant about dying?
His grin faded, though did not disappear, and he leaned forward. “Let’s start with the basics. No matter what jokes I made before, the guards don’t want prisoners ending each others’ suffering too soon.”
“Except, people hate you,” Nasna said. “They’d award me instead of punish me.”
“True, but killing me will draw attention to you, something I get the sense you want to avoid.”
“I don’t need to announce it.”
“If you hadn’t noticed, I stand out around here. People will notice when I disappear. And besides, that still leaves you pretending to be an Unhallowed inside a prison of tatzons. You want to do that alone?”
“I can handle myself.”
“You did almost die today.”
“Without you I don’t have to be that careless.”
“So what? You plan on just killing every tatzon that tries to get you? The Warden will ignore one or maybe two killings. Once you impede his business, he will search for you.”
Knowing he couldn’t see, she let herself a small smile. Yes. That was a good point. She couldn’t kill him without being caught. That had to be good enough to let him live.
But her Path remained as it was. It still waited. It still wanted more death.
Her heart faltered. If that wasn’t reason enough to keep him alive… a sickness grew in her stomach. But if her Path told her to kill, then she had to. The straining inside her worsened as she dared push back against her Path.
But, she thought, he’s right. Killing him is a bigger risk than letting him live.
You speak from weakness, her Path said. Yours is the Path of Death. Walk it.
She swallowed, but pressed. He didn’t turn us in, so maybe he could be helpful.
A long moment passed before her Path answered. What does he want?
“Let’s say I don’t kill you,” she said. “What’s your aim?”
“Already told you. I help you, you help me escape this place.”
“Nothing else?”
“Well, I have some belongings the guards took I want back.”
“What belongings?”
“The kind you don’t need to worry about.”
She frowned.“If you’re wanting to earn my trust, you’re not doing a great job.”
He shrugged and grinned. "Well, you still haven’t told me if you plan on killing me, so we might be even.”
Nasna jumped to her feet, fists clenched. “By the Abyss, you’re going to make more jokes about this? Do you understand your position? I hold your life in my hands and you haven’t given me much to trust you.”
Her frustration was all she had to keep her tears back. Did she have to kill again, just because this idiot wouldn’t take the situation seriously?
Con-None looked at her for a moment and then rose to his feet and stood tall. “I am Tsuran Con-None, the Red Sword of Rajalend.” His voice lost every bit of his earlier levity. There wasn’t threat in his voice, but there was danger. “So let me be clear of one thing: you hold nothing. I hold my life and I am the decider of my fate. I don’t need you to trust me. I just need you to realize how stupid you would be to throw away a resource like me.”
It seemed her words had struck something in him. Though, his struck even deeper in her, but she would not, could not, admit it.
“And you’re willing to do whatever is necessary to help me?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Even at the expense of others’ lives?”
“If it’s the rabble you find around here, I have no qualms.”
She stood staring up at him, knowing he couldn’t fathom the storm raging inside her. Her Path demanded death. It needed death. But her weakness, that insignificant part of her heart that dared rebel, wanted him to live. Back and forth, the two voices vied for dominance inside of her. The voice of her Path was stronger, but her weakness was sweeter. They argued around and around in her head. Demand after demand. It was enough to force her into madness. And the straining inside worsened, a strain that only came from fighting her Path, a strain that could break her. Very few times did these forces fight with such vehemence. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream.
Instead, she pulled out her string and formed the familiar figures with it. With her eyes closed, Nasna moved through her sequence, her fingers weaving in and out, pulling and releasing. Figure after figure formed in her hands, and if Con-None spoke, she didn’t know it. The figures quieted every voice in her mind, quieted her very heart.
In the quietness, Nasna found her voice.
Valerija’s death is most important. Only hers is necessary. I could use him. And if he becomes a liability or a problem, I can kill him then. But… let’s wait and see.
Her Path rumbled to the surface of her mind. You still speak from weakness, despite your reasoning. You are to walk the Path of Death, and it demands pain, suffering. It desires only to kill, to destroy. Your heart betrays you. Her Path stirred through, growing stronger inside her, and she knew if it wanted to, it could take over and force her to kill. But it stopped, and this Path, this spiritual guide, smiled. If this man is to live, then another must die. Your weakness, must die.
Nasna’s finger froze, string falling limp between them. Her weakness… the last part of her not given over… the only part still resembling Clear Sky’s sister.
How… how could it die? She thought.
Just complete your contract. I will do the rest.
She nearly killed Con-None right then. But her weakness, that which couldn’t help but want to protect, begged for Con-None and not itself.
Holding back tears of what would come, Nasna agreed to the deal.
She put her strings away, took in a breath, and faced Con-None. “I’m an assassin with the Shadow Strikers. I’m here to kill a Lightless.”
His face looked blank and expressionless. Then he relaxed against the stone, interlacing his hands on his belly. "Makes sense.”
“Makes sense?” she said, narrowing her eyes again. “That’s all you have to say?”
He smiled. "Not sure how you’d want me to react. All I’m saying is I couldn’t figure out what you’d be doing here, but an assassination makes sense. Lots of bad people here, you know.”
The levity with which he took this information should have upset or unnerved her, but she formed a slight smile before wiping it away.
“You still want to help me with this? Killing one of your own kind?”
Con-None sighed. "I’m a criminal you know. How do you think I got here?”
“Then… I’ll help you escape.”
Silence in the cell. Con-None smiled widely.
“But,” Nasna said, raising a finger, "only if you help me kill my target. That’s our primary task. Escaping is second.”
“That’s fine by me. But in return, I also expect you to not leave me alone anymore. I am still a tatzon who needs a cell-mate.”
“Deal.”
He clapped his hands together and closed his eyes for a moment. For that brief second, he looked... peaceful.
“You still haven’t told me your name,” he said, snapping his eyes open.
“Why do you care to know my name? Whitestone works just fine.”
“Except it’s not your real name. And if we’re going after a Lightless, I figure we might as well have a small amount of trust.”
“Thought you didn’t need my trust.”
He shrugged but kept his smile. "Maybe a little.”
She took a deep breath. "Call me Nasna.”
Con-None, or rather, Tsuran, dropped his smile and blinked. “Nasna. You’re Death’s Touch. Thought you were just a story.”
“Still want to work with me?”
“Well, can’t say I’ve worked with too many myths before, but”— he leaned forward with that stupid grin of his —“I guess we have someone to assassinate.” He held out his crescent marked hand. She went for his hand, but stopped, making a second dangerous decision.
She reached for the wrappings around her head and removed them, letting the air caress her skin. It was strange to unwrap in front of him, but this was important. With her head uncovered she looked him in the eyes and clasped his arm. It had been a long time since she last trusted anyone, and the last time she had was the reason she was in this prison now. Now she would trust, even if only to a small degree, a criminal she’d recently met. One whose words still rung in her ears,
... I am the decider of my fate....
“Here’s to not killing each other,” Tsuran said with a smile.
Despite herself, she snorted and smirked.
“So you can smile,” he said. “I will say, it’s a little weird seeing your face.”
“Don’t get used to it. It’s just for the moment.”
But she wasn’t sure if that was true. Even as she spoke those words and clasped his arm, she had to fight down how pleasant it was to not hide her face. To not kill.
10
Crystal Caverns
I have completed our contracts with the Oligarchs of Rajalend. You were right, they were all too eager to hire our ordîns as mercenaries and police. They even offered to pay more when they learned Veirzen employs our mercenaries as well. So, we shall fight both sides of this war and reap the benefits. I will be on my way back to Tifre shortly, though our next problem is to deal with Farhata of the Rising Coast. He has opposed our rule from the start and has a way of influencing the people. He is a dangerous enemy.
- Naresh the Soilshifter, in the 2950th Lunar Cycle
The guards unlocked the cell door and Tsuran opened it, glancing back at his cell-mate. "Alright, let’s get going, fast.”
The ordîn, Nasna, looked at him through her wrappings. "You seem eager today.”
“As eager as beast mold. Come on.”
He left the cell and hurried down the tunnel to pick up their tools and meal for the day. The other prisoners were taking their time, which was fine by him. With the attempted murder yesterday, they’d all think Nasna was dead, so seeing her would cause a commotion. A deadly commotion. Best he and Nasna get down into the mines before anyone else.
Plus, best no one else learned where they were heading.
He grabbed a sack of tools and tossed it to Nasna. She stumbled back under the weight and her head snapped up to him. Her face probably had an intense glare right then. Next time, he’d just hand it to her. He straightened, glancing over her. A few tatzons were looking in their direction. They looked surprised. And not happily.
“Let’s go.”
He led Nasna down the levels, deeper than he’d brought her before. At each gallery, he hurried her to the next shaft and headed down. At the bottom of the fifth gallery, she headed off down a tunnel, but he rushed past her.
“Not yet, still going deeper.”
“Deeper? Where are we going?”
Tsuran placed a finger on his lips and made a slight head nudge toward a group of prisoners entering the gallery.
“I’ll say when they can’t hear us.”
She huffed but headed into the next shaft. Tsuran eyed the other tatzons a moment. They didn’t seem to notice him so he followed her.
They descended another two levels. The air grew warmer and staler with each step. The galleries also shrank, though most remained substantial. At the bottom of one shaft, Nasna grabbed his arm and turned him toward her.
“We’re seven levels deep now,” she said. “Isn’t this dangerous? I thought the mines become more unstable down here?”
Tsuran nodded. "I know, but the reward is worth any risk. You’ll see. Just one more level to go.”
Nasna stepped in close to him, her voice lowered. "I’m not taking another step unless you tell me where we’re going.”
Tsuran sighed and glanced around. No other prisoner had come to this level yet, though some would soon. He’d learned not to trust the darkness.
“We’re going to the key to our problem,” he said, leaning down. “All I’m saying until we’re there. Just… trust me.”
Nasna crossed her arms and looked at him. With her face covered in her wrappings, he couldn’t tell what the ordîn was thinking, but she didn’t object anymore. Tsuran took this as meaning she’d attempt some trust.
Not that he didn’t understand her trepidation. Cave-ins were more likely to occur the deeper they journeyed, and they just had their own harrowing experience with one yesterday. Wariness was fresh in his mind too. But if they were to succeed in what they needed to do, and if he was to succeed in his plan, there was only one place they could go. Besides, with her Tsuran stood closer to his goal than ever before. If he had to face a few more cave-ins to achieve his aim, he’d pay such a small price.
They descended the next shaft, entering the eighth gallery whereupon Tsuran led Nasna to the furthest end and into a narrow tunnel. The tunnels this deep were only wide enough for them to walk side by side. But the ceiling remained a few feet above Tsuran’s head, meaning they meandered down the winding path without difficulty. It’d been years since he’d last been in this tunnel, but it was unmistakably the correct one. The air stirred with a chillness and vitality he didn’t experience elsewhere in the mines. He took in a deep, fresh breath.
“We’re almost there.”
They turned a corner, and the tunnel straightened. Nasna stopped. “What… what is that?”
The tunnel narrowed to a point where only one could proceed at a time, to an end with light shining in.
Tsuran smiled. "Our key to freedom.”
He pressed himself through the narrowed passage, the chill building in the air, and the fresh delight building in his lungs. The tunnel ended, and he stepped out into the massive cavern filled with crystal. Various kinds of crystal deposits covered the walls and ceiling. lightstone dominated, though there was also blue, green, and even some red-crystal throughout. They stood on a path branching in two directions. One path followed a wall deeper into the cavern, going far beyond their sight. The other led to a wide-open space with a high concentration of crystal forming on the walls and floor. In the middle of the cavern, separating the two paths, sat a clear lake that reflected the light of the crystals.
“What is this place?” Nasna asked.
“I’ve always called it the Crystal Cavern. Not imaginative, but it works. A group of prisoners discovered it a hundred years ago, though only two lived long enough to tell anyone else. My old cell-mate had been one of the lucky few told and by the time I came here, he was the last one aware of the place.”
