Don Bassingthwaite - The tyranny of ghosts

Then another slap hit her, and she saw who was striking her. Tariic stood over her, still in his tigerskin cloak, still wearing the spiked crown of Darguun, still carrying the Rod of Kings. He smelled of wine and meat as if he’d come straight from his feast.

The events of the night rushed over her. Tariic raised his hand for a third time.

“Do it,” Ashi said, “and I’ll bite you.”

He stomped down on her belly instead. Ashi convulsed and retched. Tariic stepped away from her. “You’re almost more trouble than you’re worth,” he growled. “Oraan is missing. I assume that changeling was him?”

Ashi twisted her neck to follow him. She wasn’t in his chambers anymore, that was certain. The room was small and cold. She could hear the night noises of the Rhukaan Draal, but they seemed distant. A room in one of Khaar Mbar’ost’s towers, she guessed. She lifted her head a little and looked down toward her feet.

Pradoor stood there. And Dagii.

Anger darkened the face of the young warlord of Mur Talaan, but he stood still and silent as Tariic paced the room. Ashi tipped her head back to see who held her. The last of Tariic’s three deaf bugbears bared his teeth at her.

Tariic’s foot thumped into her side, forcing a gasp out of her. “I asked you a question.”

She glared at him. “Yes,” she said.

“Was he Aruget?”

“Yes.”

“And you found out what I plan for Breland.”

She didn’t answer that. Tariic’s words had an effect on Dagii though. His face darkened even further, and his ears lay flat. “You have no honor,” he snarled at Tariic.

Ashi felt a moment of surprise. Dagii wasn’t under the control of the rod? What was he doing here, then?

He was there, she realized suddenly, because of her. Tariic didn’t need the rod to command Dagii right then. All he needed was her as his captive.

Tariic flipped Dagii a piece of paper. Ashi recognized the paper-no longer folded-that had been in her jacket. “The copy is terrible,” Tariic said, “but you should be able to make it out.”

Dagii bared his teeth as he scanned her roughly drawn map. He looked up at Tariic. “This is a violation of the Treaty of Thronehold-”

Tariic turned on him. “First,” he said, “don’t pretend you don’t already know.” He pointed at Ashi. “If Oraan was Aruget, then she hasn’t been as isolated as I thought she was. And if she wasn’t isolated, she was going to friends for help. Senen Dhakaan. You.” Dagii stiffened. Tariic sneered at him. “You should never lie, Dagii. You don’t have the talent for it.”

“Second,” he added, “you need to get used to the idea, because you’re leading the attack on New Cyre.”

Dagii’s ears flicked. “I won’t.”

“Your lhesh commands it.” Dagii said nothing. Tariic’s sneer returned. “At the feast tonight, you accepted my request to lead the Iron Fox out of Skullreave. If you already suspected that the defense against Valenar raiders was only an excuse, then why did you accept? You were willing to do your duty then. You swore an oath to do it.”

Dagii met his gaze. “I deny my oath.”

Tariic laughed. “You? Dagii, son of Fenic of Mur Talaan? You’re not capable of it.” He looked at Ashi. “Any more than Ashi here seems capable of placing any value in her own life.”

Some of Ashi’s own anger came back. “All your bracelets have done is keep me in Rhukaan Draal and my hands from your throat, Tariic,” she said.

Tariic flicked his finger, and the bugbear holding her arms gave them a sharp tug. The pain made her gasp. Tariic smiled again. “True,” he said. “That’s why I think I need new leverage against you. Against both of you.” He pointed the Rod of Kings at Ashi. “You are going to remain my prisoner, though not in the comfortable surroundings you have been enjoying.”

He pointed his other hand at Dagii. “You will command the assault on New Cyre, the hero of the Battle of Zarrthec at the head of my armies. If either of you disobeys me, the other dies.” His ears twitched and rose. “Is that simple enough?”

Dagii thrust out his chest. “Command me with the rod. You’ll have my obedience then!”

“You don’t understand, Dagii.” Tariic’s words rasped between his teeth. “I can command anyone. I command the Ghaal’dar clans. I command the Kech Shaarat who dared to come before me. I command the envoys of the dragonmarked houses and the ambassadors of the Five Nations. But that isn’t true power. That’s not how the emperors of Dhakaan truly ruled.” He held up the rod. “This is a crutch. Unless I put care into my orders, my power doesn’t extend beyond those who see and hear me. To rule an empire requires servants who serve because they want to”-he lowered the rod-“or because they have to.”

He waited.

Dagii looked down at Ashi, then his ears drooped, and he lowered his head. His fist rose to rap his chest. “I will command the assault, lhesh.”

“Dagii-” Ashi said, but the instant her lips moved, the bugbear jerked on her arms again. Her words vanished in another gasp.

Tariic ignored her. “Serve me well, and you’ll be rewarded,” he said. He gestured toward the door. “Now go, and remember what you have to lose.”

Dagii walked out the door like a broken man. Tariic closed it behind him, then turned his gaze back to Ashi, gesturing for the bugbear to ease his grip on her arms.

“I know you don’t care about risking your own life,” he said. “How do you feel about risking Dagii’s?”

Ashi glared at him. “I saw the letter that you had forged. It doesn’t matter what Dagii does. You always intended to destroy me.”

He drew his foot back to kick her again. Ashi braced herself, but the kick never came. Tariic lowered his foot. “Not always,” he said. “But I knew that in the aftermath of my attack on Breland there was a chance Breven might relent and ask you to return to Karrlakton. I couldn’t let that happen. You do know my secret-and my ‘crutch’ is very convenient.” He turned the rod in his hands. “I didn’t so much intend to destroy you as to make certain that no one outside of Darguun would want anything to do with you.”

“Why not just kill me, then?”

He smiled at her. “Because I don’t need to.” He stepped back. “I saw that you tore up my letter. There really wasn’t much point to that. I can have another one made. In fact, you’ve given me the chance to send Breven an even more impressive gesture of your disdain for Deneith.”

He gestured, and Pradoor dragged out something she’d been hiding behind her back. Ashi’s bright honor blade. “In the new letter,” said Tariic, “you’ll be sending it back.” He took the sword from Pradoor.

Ashi started to struggle, but her bugbear captor renewed the pressure on her arms. She forced herself to relax. She glared at Tariic.

“I’ll stop you, Tariic. I swear I will.”

“I don’t see how,” said Tariic. “Dagii is gone. Aruget is gone. Senen is gone. You’re out of allies. I’d suggest focusing on behaving yourself and keeping Dagii alive. His life is in your hands now.”

He turned to the door. “Pradoor,” he said. “Hold her.”

The goblin priestess murmured a prayer, and once again pain burned through Ashi’s body. While she writhed, the bugbear released her and lumbered to his feet, taking the lantern with him. By the time she could breathe again, Tariic, the bugbear, and Pradoor were all at the door. Tariic clapped the bugbear on the shoulder. “You already know your new jailer,” he said. “Don’t bother screaming. Nobody is going to be coming for you.”

She managed to raise her voice. “The dragonmarked envoys will miss me.”

“No,” said Tariic. He lifted the Rod of Kings. “They won’t.”