Martin Scott - Thraxas and the Elvish Isles

For a second or two the only noise to be head is Makri whooping in triumph from the sidelines. Then chaos erupts in the crowd. Isuas has set new standards in foul play. She’s destroyed her opponent by the use of practically every illegal tactic in the book, and she’s roundly condemned for her tactics. On the other hand, no one can deny that she showed a lot of spirit.

Firees’s father is outraged. He rushes on to the field and in his haste to reach his son he bats Isuas out of the way. Makri cries in protest and races after him. I’m already on my way, fearing the worst, but the next thing anyone knows Makri and Yulis are facing up to each other, wooden swords in hands, and trading blows. Fortunately the Elves in attendance bring it to a swift halt, rushing on to the field to drag them apart.

I keep close to Makri, who throws off the Elves who try to hold her, and pushes her way through to Isuas. When she reaches the young Elf she picks her up and hugs her.

“Well done,” she says.

Isuas looks happier than I’ve ever seen her. Neither she nor Makri seems at all concerned that she will be disqualified, and Firees proclaimed the winner.

“Who cares?” says Makri. “He’s unconscious and Isuas is still on her feet.”

Makri turns to me.

“You remember the Elf who attacked us in the clearing? It was him, the father, Yulis-ar-Key.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. As soon as we traded blows again I recognised his style.”

Lady Yestar appears, smiling broadly. She sweeps Isuas up in her arms and congratulates her.

“I’ll see you both at the reception at the Palace,” she says to us, before taking Isuas off to have her cuts and bruises treated by a healer.

The whole day has been so exciting that it only now strikes me that Isuas’s disqualification has cost me a great deal of money.

“A shame,” agrees Makri. “But it had to be done. Did we win anything?”

“Sure. I bet on her for the previous five fights. We won plenty. I’m back on top form. When we get to the Tree Palace, I’m going to unmask a murderer.”

[Contents]

Chapter Twenty

Lord Kalith hosts a post-tournament reception at the Tree Palace. As the attendants open the doors for us, Makri receives plenty of congratulations for her success with Isuas. I’m not really surprised. Isuas might have been disqualified, but the Elves can tell a good fighter when they see one. When the next Orc War happens along, no one will care about fighting fairly.

The Palace is full of dignitaries. I see Lord Lisith-ar-Moh, who previously encountered Makri in Turai, congratulating Kalith.

“It was clever of you to hire her to train your daughter.”

“Indeed,” replies Kalith weakly.

Lady Yestar seeks us out.

“How is he taking it?” I ask, indicating her husband.

“Still getting used to it. The incident with the chair was a terrible shock. And no Elvish father likes to hear his daughter using Orcish oaths. But he is pleased, really. He used to worry terribly about Isuas’s weakness.”

“He won’t have to do that any more.”

Lady Yestar knows I’m not here to make polite conversation. I ask her if she can arrange for me to speak privately with Lord Kalith. A few minutes later Makri and I find ourselves ushered through a door on to a secluded balcony that overlooks the pools by the Hesuni Tree.

“What is it that is so important?”

“Elith-ir-Methet is innocent.”

Kalith’s eyes gleam with annoyance. “I have told you already—”

I interrupt him, rudely. “You can hear it first or you can hear it after I tell everyone else. Either way is fine with me.”

“Very well, Investigator.”

“Elith became addicted to dwa. It made her crazy, as you know. But she didn’t damage the Tree and she didn’t kill Gulas. Both crimes were committed by Lasas, Gulas’s brother. He damaged the tree to discredit Gulas because he was insanely jealous of his brother’s relationship with Elith. He loved her too, unfortunately. When you threw Elith in prison, Lasas spread it around that it was Gulas who accused her, which wasn’t true. Lasas had done the accusing after he found Elith conveniently unconscious at the scene of the crime. I don’t know if that was just lucky for Lasas, or if he saw to it that she had plenty of dwa at just the right moment. Either way, he harmed the Tree and made sure she took the blame. But that wasn’t the worst. He encouraged Elith to leave her confinement and confront Gulas, but Gulas was dead by the time she got there. Lasas drugged him and stabbed him. If you want proof, I’ve two Sorcerers who will testify that the priest was so full of dwa before he died he couldn’t have stood up, let alone talked.”

“This is insane,” protests Kalith.

“Not at all. I’m giving you a precise account of what happened, which I would have been able to do much earlier had you not obstructed me at every turn. When Elith arrived at the Hesuni Tree, Gulas was already dead in the bushes. Lasas then did something very cunning. He put on a hooded cloak and pretended to be Gulas, which wasn’t too difficult, given that Elith was again full of dwa, and only barely in touch with reality. He tormented her till she couldn’t take it any more. She picked up the knife that Lasas had left for her and lashed out at him. I don’t know if her stroke would have been lethal or not, but it didn’t matter. Lasas had taken the precaution of stealing one of your excellent cloaks of protection from the Tree Palace. A cloak that will turn any blade. And, as proof of that, I’ve already checked with your wardrobe attendant. He confirms that one of the protection cloaks that Sofius-ar-Eth made for you is missing. Lasas then crawled off into the bushes, hid the cloak, and pretended to arrive at the scene of the crime along with everyone else. Including Elves who had seen Elith stab Gulas, or so they thought.

“Which makes Elith innocent of all crimes. I admit she might be held to have attempted to murder someone, but that someone was dead long before she got there. Lasas, however, is about as guilty as an Elf can get. He damaged the Tree to discredit his brother and then he killed his brother through rage and jealousy and tried to pin the crime on the woman who had spurned him. I suggest you lock him up as soon as possible.”

Lord Kalith is doubtful.

“I believe it to be true,” says Gorith-ar-Del, stepping forward. “At the very least, we should subject Lasas-ar-Thetos to some stringent interrogation and have our Sorcerers investigate him in the greatest detail.”

“Are you telling me that my new Tree Priest is the one behind all my recent troubles? Did he initiate the importing of dwa on to Avula?”

“Interestingly enough, he didn’t,” I reply. “While he was busy trying to discredit his brother, the rival branch of the Tree Priest’s family was trying to discredit them both. They brought it in to start a scandal around the Hesuni Tree. I imagine they hoped that once it was known that Gulas couldn’t prevent the sacred Tree from being besmirched and abused, their claim to the Priesthood would be taken more seriously.”

“Do you have any proof of this allegation?”

“Not exactly. But ever since I started digging into the affair I’ve been under attack from various persons. Some of them were Human, probably sailors who’ve called here on the pretext of trade, but one of them was a very fine Elvish swordsman. Best swordsman on Avula in fact. Yulis-ar-Key. He was masked, but Makri recognises his style.”

Makri, quiet up till this moment, confirms this. Kalith considers my words.

“Yulis is head of the branch of the family who contest the Tree Priesthood,” I point out. “I think you’ll find it all adds up.”