David Dalglish - A Dance of Cloaks

Arcane words of power passed through Cregon’s lips, sounding clunky and odd. Aaron had little experience with spellcasters, but he thought their casting should sound more fluent and natural than what he heard.

Cregon abruptly stopped and wiped his sweating brow. Aaron felt a slight tingle shoot up his back, as if someone were rubbing him with flower petals.

“There. The spell is in place,” said Cregon.

“Excellent,” Thren said. “Leave us to our business.”

The mage looked happy to oblige. Once he left, it was just the five of them. Thren paced before them all, his face gradually growing with icy fury.

“Kayla, Robert, I have brought you both here because of certain actions by my son. I know the rest of my men well, but you two are new to my home. Too long I have turned a blind eye. No longer. Senke, draw your sword.”

Senke did as he was told.

“There is a spell over all of you,” Thren continued. “When you talk, the spell will silence any lies. I will hear only truth on these matters.”

“Even me?” asked Senke, a wry grin on his face.

“Test for yourself,” said Thren. Senke shrugged. He said something. Aaron read a few of the words on his lips, virgin being one of them, but heard not a sound.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Senke said.

Thren paced before his two prisoners as everyone watched him.

“Who gave Aaron the amulet?” he asked. For a moment, no one spoke. Then Robert glanced upward.

“I did,” he said.

“I thought as much. You are a teacher, and as with many teachers, you took your desire to impart knowledge too far.” Thren tossed the amulet he held aside. “If it had been just this, I would have only given you a warning. But instead, there is this matter of Delius and his daughter.”

At this, Aaron’s heart sank. So the truth would come out. None of them could tell a lie. He’d risked everything, and for nothing. His own life might be forfeit for killing a fellow guild member.

“You should have killed Delysia when Kayla killed her father, but instead, she somehow escaped. I now see hesitance where I once saw inexperience. I see mercy where I once saw misjudgment. One of you planted such horrible ideas in my son’s head. I want to know who.”

Neither Kayla nor Robert said a word.

“Keep silent, then,” Thren said as he paced. “It is better than lies. I sent Dustin after Delysia, yet he and the girl vanish like ghosts in the barrows. Few knew where Dustin was going. You were one of them, Kayla. So what happened? Did my son come sniveling, crying to you for help?”

All three of the accused remained silent.

“Answer me!” shouted Thren. “Whoever killed Dustin dies tonight. Now I will hear a name from one of your lips!”

Aaron’s eyes flicked between the two of them. He could spare them. If he admitted to requesting information about Ashhur, almost demanding it, perhaps he’d spare Robert Haern’s life. Kayla had done no wrong, not to him. Maybe his death would at least spare her. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kayla spoke first.

“I know who must have killed him,” she said. The fact that Aaron heard her meant she spoke the truth. He felt his heart leap into his throat. Kayla glanced over to Robert, and Aaron swore he saw a tiny nod of approval.

“Who?” asked Thren.

“It was Haern.”

Silence filled the room. Aaron looked to his teacher, a cry of denial on his lips, but Robert’s stern glare kept him quiet. He realized then what was going on. The old man would die to protect the young. Hot rage pulsed through his veins.

Thren turned to Robert, his eyes cold steel.

“Did you somehow arrange for Dustin’s death?” he asked.

Robert remained silent.

“Did you teach my son about Ashhur?” he asked.

Robert remained silent.

“Did you make his heart weak with words of compassion and mercy?” he asked.

Silence.

“Aaron,” Thren said, pushing Senke aside and taking his shortsword. He held the hilt toward his son. With a shaking hand, Aaron accepted. He felt strong hands take his shoulders and guide him before his teacher. Robert knelt, his arms tied behind his back. Tears were in his eyes.

“I don’t want to,” Aaron said. All there heard.

“I will suffer none to betray me,” Thren said. “Kill him. Let his blood cover your hands so you know the price of weakness. Dabble in lies, dabble in death. Now do as you’re told.”

He looked once more to his teacher. Impossible as it seemed, the old man was smiling.

“I forgive you,” Robert said. “Now do it.”

No lie. Aaron couldn’t believe it. Forgiven before the sin was even committed, unasked, undeserved. As he held the shortsword, he felt Aaron dying. To kill his teacher for a truthful lie spoken by Kayla, all to save his own life…

He swung the blade. Warm blood splashed across his arms. Robert gagged twice, his windpipe cut, then slumped over and died.

“Well done, Aaron,” Thren said.

“Haern,” the boy whispered back. Thren did not understand the importance of hearing that single word spoken aloud, but Kayla did.

“I’ll clean up the body,” Senke offered.

“No,” said Thren as he took the sword from Aaron’s hand. “He made the mess. Let him clean it up.”

Senke untied Kayla’s hands and helped her to her feet. She rubbed her raw wrists while watching the guildmaster from the corner of her eye. Thren reached out and touched her face with his fingers.

“Forgive me for the blow,” he said to her. “I struck in anger and false assumption. Robert’s time alone with him was clearly ill-spent.”

Kayla was not foolish enough to say she understood, or that she forgave him. The words would die silent in her throat. Absently she wondered how long the spell would last. She glanced at Robert’s body. Too long, and she might end up like him.

“Come,” Thren said, walking beside Kayla as if nothing were the matter. “I want to make sure Laurie’s entrance to Veldaren is memorable as possible.”

They left Senke alone with Aaron, who still stood before the body. He appeared dumbstruck and on the verge of tears.

“I have nothing to clean up the blood with,” he said, his voice oddly distant. Senke tried to laugh, but it came out more as a choked cough.

“There’s a closet in the corner with a bunch of spare sheets. You can use one of them.”

Aaron obeyed, moving in a stiff, methodical manner. Senke watched him, all the while rubbing his fingers across the front of his chest.

“I’ve had sex with a horse,” he said as Aaron walked back. The boy paused, but Senke laughed again, his face flushing a pale shade of red.

“Just testing the spell,” Senke said. “Clearly it’s worn off.”

“Clearly.”

Senke sighed. Aaron bent down on his knees and began mopping up the blood. He kept his eyes straight down, as if afraid of seeing the body. The sight of it seemed so…wrong.

“Listen,” Senke said as he knelt down. “That was a special man, and an old one, too. He was ready to go, and I don’t think he was too upset with you about it, alright? I know how much pressure Thren’s putting on you. He wants you to replace him one day, and to be a name the whole world fears.”

“I don’t want the world to fear me,” Aaron whispered. “I want them to fear Haern.”

“Haern?” asked Senke. “I’m not sure I…”

Aaron glanced up at him, his stare hard and full of killing. Senke’s mouth dropped open. Kayla knew Dustin had been sent after Delius’s daughter. Senke had seen Aaron come speak with Kayla in the mess hall. It made no sense for an old man to try and kill Dustin. But a young one, one who had vanished and was left behind instead of being at his father’s side when infiltrating the castle…