The Cost of Betrayal (Half-Orcs Book 2) Read online

  “What’s going on?” he shouted.

  The bed was empty. The room was empty. The window was open.

  Two hours later, a guard patrol found the body. Pieces of it were missing. Others were in the wrong place. So appalling were the remains that within the hour a bounty was already posted, offering two hundred gold pieces for the capture of the Veldaren Reaper.

  Qurrah and Tessanna were the last to come down for breakfast. Aullienna ran about the room, playing with small wooden toys Brug had carved. As they took their seats, Qurrah held in his shock. The last time he had seen her she had been a tiny thing in a cradle, yet now she jumped, stumbled, and prattled nonsense that could almost be words. Qurrah ate with the feeling of being a trespasser.

  “How long will you be staying here?” Tarlak asked as the meal neared an end.

  “We will be gone by tomorrow’s eve,” Qurrah said. “We would hate to be a bother.”

  “Nonsense,” Harruq said. “You’re more than welcome here. Can you at least stay another week?”

  “You ask the wrong person,” Qurrah said with a chuckle. “It is Delysia’s room that we occupy.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” Delysia said, feeling multiple sets of eyes on her. “Stay as long as you wish. My brother is not as great a nuisance as he seems.”

  Brug let out a satisfied belch, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Qurrah.

  “So, your scorpion working right?” he asked. In response, the half-orc reached into his cloak and retrieved the token. It immediately sprang to life and crawled up Qurrah’s arm, snuggling into the cloth on his shoulder.

  “I believe it is quite fond of me, if such emotion is possible for it,” he said.

  “It might be. Tried to make the thing lifelike as possible. Glad to know it ain’t keeled off.”

  Harruq watched the scorpion, a slight grin on his face.

  “So that was your pendant?” he asked. Qurrah nodded. Harruq pulled out a similar looking scorpion on a chain.

  “You ever see mine?” he asked. He held it out for his brother, who briefly examined it. Like everything else of Brug’s workmanship, the piece was perfectly and intricately carved. Just by touching it, Qurrah could sense the magic flowing within.

  “What does it do?” he asked.

  “Makes his swords stronger,” Brug answered, obviously pleased. “He can cut through stone if he swings hard enough. Considering the magic inside those swords already, shoddy blades just shatter against his.”

  “Quite a gift,” Qurrah said.

  “Yeah, I thought you might…”

  “Someone is coming,” Tessanna interrupted, saying her first words of the day. She glanced about, her face ashen and her voice emotionless. “He won’t like me. I know it. He kills people like me.”

  “Who?” Tarlak asked, rising from his chair. The rest of the mercenaries stood as well, preparing their weapons.

  “He’s here,” she whispered. Two loud thumps came from the door, the sound of a fist smashing the wood.

  “Aullienna, come here,” Aurelia said. The girl sensed the urgency in her mother’s voice and frowned. She dropped her toy and rushed over, taking her mother’s hand into hers.

  “Haern?” Tarlak asked.

  “I will see,” the assassin said, pulling his hood low. He drew his sabers and approached the door. Again, the stranger knocked twice. As the second knock ended, Haern flung open the doors. The stranger staggered back as the curve of Haern’s blade pressed against his neck.

  “Your name,” Haern whispered.

  “Lathaar of the Citadel,” the man answered, bowing even though the sword remained against the soft skin of his throat. “May Ashhur grant you peace.”

  All the worry rapidly melted away from Tarlak’s face, replaced with joy.

  “Lathaar!” he exclaimed, rushing past Haern to embrace the man. Delysia was right behind him with a chaste kiss on each cheek. Tessanna slunk to the back of the room, even as the others warmly welcomed him. Brug pumped his arm, and Haern exchanged a bow.

  “Everyone, I want you to meet my best friend,” he said, letting the man into the tower. “May I present Lathaar, paladin of Ashhur.”

  The man bowed, deeply and gracefully. Long brown hair was carefully trimmed. His eyes twinkled, also a soft brown. His nose was a bit too large, and his cheeks, too thin, but his smile lit up his face as well as the room.

  Qurrah felt his whip seethe and curl, itching for his hand to take its hilt. He fought it down with effort.

  The paladin took Aurelia’s free hand, extended his right leg, and then bowed deeply, kissing her hand at his lowest point. Aurelia blushed, immediately smitten. Harruq, seeing her swooning, had to resist his temptation to punch the man in the face.

  “May I have your name, precious gem of the elves?” he asked.

  “Aurelia Tun,” she said.

  “And the child?” he asked. Aullienna hid behind her mother’s leg. She had a round face, and rounder cheeks. Her sharp nose was reminiscent of her father, while her tiny ears were clearly Aurelia’s. Lathaar knelt down and reached into his pocket. With a disarming smile, he pulled out a small object wrapped in paper and offered it to the girl. When she did not take it, he removed the paper, revealing a hard piece of candy.

  “Her name is Aullienna,” Aurelia answered, gently urging her daughter forward. The shy girl reached out, took the gift, and then retreated, sucking noisily.

  “Adorable child,” Lathaar said, rising to his feet. “And the father?”

  “That would be me,” Harruq said, crossing his arms. The paladin did not miss a beat. Instead, he grinned, gesturing once more to Aullienna.

  “Her shyness certainly did not come from you. Greetings, half-orc.” He outstretched his hand. Harruq stared at it, then yielded after a fierce jab from Aurelia’s elbow.

  “I’m Harruq Tun,” he said, using all his strength when they shook hands. To his surprise, the man’s grip was just as strong, and his smile never wavered. He glanced about the entry room with a look of nostalgia. When his eyes swept across Qurrah and Tessanna, however, his smile faltered for the first time.

  “By Ashhur,” he whispered.

  “Lathaar, meet the two newest additions to our little family,” Tarlak said, sensing the atmosphere tighten. “The half-orc is Qurrah Tun, and the lovely lady, Tessanna Delone.”

  Lathaar did his best to recover. He extended his hand, but neither accepted it. He brought it back down with no sign of insult.

  “You say you are of the Citadel,” Qurrah said. “Yet I hear the Citadel has fallen.”

  “I am still of the Citadel,” Lathaar said, his grin faltering. “Whether it has fallen or not.”

  “Anyway,” Tarlak said, trying to change the subject. “Come on upstairs. We’ll find a room for you, with Haern, perhaps. I haven’t seen you in…well, how long has it been?”

  “Three years,” the paladin replied. The two approached the stairs, followed by a rather large procession. Only Qurrah, Tessanna, and Harruq stayed on the bottom floor.

  “He won’t hurt you, Tess” Harruq said to the girl, who remained at the corner of the room.

  “His kind is the bane of what we are,” Qurrah said. “You are quick to side with your friends, Harruq.”

  The warrior snorted. “You’re just paranoid.”

  He joined his wife upstairs, feeling the cold stare of his brother as he went. When they were alone, Tessanna pulled her robe tight and peered at her lover with childlike eyes.

  “I’ll try to be good,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “While we’re here. While he’s here. I’ll try to be good. Is that good, Qurrah? Is that what I should do?”

  The necromancer sighed, feeling the whip slacken on his arm.

  “Yes, Tessanna. For now, that is what must be done.”

  That night, Lathaar sat with Tarlak by the fire, a glass of wine in Tarlak’s hand, flavored water in Lathaar’s. He looked much more relaxed without all his armor. With his hair brushed a
nd his face cleaned, he looked all the more handsome. The rest of the Eschaton were in bed, at least, as far as they knew.

  “So where have you been the past few years?” asked the wizard. “I was worried sick, especially with all those dark paladins crawling around. Vultures, they are.”

  “I never meant to be gone so long,” Lathaar said, rolling the water across his tongue to guess the flavor. He had tasted grapes once, and intermixed with them in the water, he swore he detected a hint of peach. “I crossed the river into Mordan, seeking refuge in the Sanctuary. The priests there were kind, and I learned much from them, but their way is not mine. They focus on healing and prayer. The edge of my sword needs neither.”

  “Never been much for the softer side of your profession,” Tarlak said with a grin.

  “Blame Mornida. Lolathan was the strongest of our casters but he…” The Paladin sighed. “Tarlak, I have long meant to ask you. I have seen things in dreams, and they trouble me. I think it a memory I lost long ago. It is about your teacher.”

  Tarlak frowned, placing the wine down on a small table next to him. “You have your stories, and I have mine. Madral is dead now, Lathaar. He died by my hand.”

  Lathaar nodded, glad to know such a powerful servant of Karak had been eliminated. “He killed Lolathan,” he said. “Right before my eyes, and then bid me forget it with his magic. Sorollos brought down the Citadel, but Madral helped him rise to power.”

  “Such things will be made right again.” Tarlak sipped his wine. “Ashhur does not slumber. I am sure your path was set for a reason.”

  “A reason I have already seen,” Lathaar said, chuckling. “By any chance have you heard of the mountain of gold?”

  Tarlak nearly choked on his wine. “You found it?”

  “Found it?” Lathaar laughed. “Aye, I did, and I walked through its tunnels, which glittered like the gates to the Golden Eternity. It was all a ruse, Tarlak, a ruse my friend Malik fell susceptible to. Do you know what is buried beneath?”

  “The demon Darakken is supposedly sealed inside,” Tarlak mused. “Please, tell me, where is this mountain?”

  “It was Elfspire,” Lathaar said. “Right there, deep in the Stonewood Forest.”

  “You jest!”

  “There is too much to tell, but two protected the mountain. One was a mimic of a servant of Karak, a rather frightening creature. Mira told me the name of their kind… Doru’al?”

  Tarlak nodded. “Creatures of purest dark. They cannot survive in the daylight. Claws like longswords, teeth sharp as knives. You fought one?”

  “I did, and it is a battle I would prefer to never fight again.” Lathaar leaned forward, and his voice dropped in volume. “But there was another with the creature, a girl named Mira. The one beside Qurrah, with the black eyes and hair. Does she have a sister?”

  “A sister?” Tarlak shook his head. “I hope not. One is enough for Dezrel.”

  “But there is more than one,” said the paladin. “Of that I am certain. Mira could be her twin. Even their voices are similar. This girl…”

  “Tessanna.”

  “Tessanna… does she possess powerful magic?”

  The wizard frowned, obviously troubled. “Yes, she does. Very powerful, from what I sense.”

  “Mira is the same,” Lathaar said. “Almost like a goddess. I thank Ashhur that I now count her as a friend, for the darkness I sense from Tessanna worries me.”

  “Anyway, back to Darakken,” Tarlak said, urging him on with his hand.

  “Against my wishes, Malik obtained a small army from the King of Mordan, and they marched upon Elfspire. To fight them, Mira created more of the Doru’al, sacrificing elves to do so. The conflict was brutal. Many men died, most to Mira’s magic. The mountain was spared.”

  “I take it Malik did not know what was in the mountain?” the wizard asked.

  “None of us did. I learned only after, when Mira showed me. The Council of Mages received word of the battle, and they came, seeking Darakken’s spellbook.”

  “It’s a powerful item,” Tarlak said, gulping down the rest of his wine. “Rumored to be the oldest of magical tomes of all Dezrel.”

  “The Council released the demon,” Lathaar continued. “A giant thing with charred flesh and ebony claws. It had these enormous wings stretching twenty feet to either side, I swear. The sword it wielded was longer than I am tall. The spells it cast…”

  Lathaar stopped, drank some of his water, and pondered for a time.

  “We banded together with the surviving Council members. I still am in awe of the spells, ice boulders, streams of fire bigger than houses, magical missiles by the hundreds. You should have seen it, Tarlak. The eldest of magics, it shrugged off.”

  “Too bad I wasn’t there,” the wizard chuckled. “A few of my spells and he’d go down like a baby.”

  “Sorry, Tar, but a few of your spells might have tickled it. Only Mira could match its power.” His eyes twinkled with wonder. “She looked like a goddess then, Tarlak. When I saw her, that’s what I thought. I was staring at the power of a goddess. Even still, she faltered, and Darakken nearly killed her.”

  “What happened then?”

  “Ashhur granted me strength to fight it. My blade became an Elholad, and I battled it as best I could.”

  “Elholad?” Tarlak asked. “Come now, don’t jest with a wizard. We dish out well, but are terrible on the receiving end.”

  Lathaar stood and drew his longsword. Bright light enveloped it, its strength mirroring the faith of its wielder. The paladin closed his eyes, whispered, and then held the blade high, calmly saying the word ‘Elholad’. All traces of metal from the sword vanished in a great flare. The weapon became a perfect creation of light, shimmering with blue and gold. He cut the air twice, displaying its incredible lack of weight. The light vanished when Lathaar sheathed it and returned to his seat.

  Tarlak whistled.

  “That is a rare gift of Ashhur,” the wizard said. “Few paladins in all history wielded such a blade.”

  “Ashhur knew I needed it,” Lathaar said, his grin fading as he sat back and looked to the floor. “Even then, my strength was not enough. I faltered, in both heart and mind. By the grace of Ashhur, we were saved, for he answered my prayers with an angel. I’ve seen so much these past few years, but none surpasses its beauty. I can only remember it vaguely, as if in a dream, but there is no white on this land that matches the hue of its robes, and no armor made like that which adorned its chest and shoulders. It did not kill Darakken. I believe it waited for me. When I stabbed Darakken’s leg, the creature reared back in pain, and then the angel beheaded it. The energy of its death knocked me unconscious for several hours.”

  “You killed Darakken?” Tarlak said, thoroughly amazed. “An army of elves could not strike it dead. You don’t look stronger than an elven army.”

  “No disagreement here.”

  “The spellbook,” Tarlak said, “I must hear of the spellbook. Did it remain upon the demon’s death?”

  Lathaar’s face grew dark. “Aye. There is no way to destroy it. We debated what to do. I even considered bringing it to you.”

  The wizard visibly sickened. “The words in that tome would cry against my very being, Lathaar. Ashhur keep me from ever looking upon its pages. So what became of it?”

  “I took it to the Sanctuary. You’re one of few I have told of its existence. If we are lucky, the book will pass to myth and legend.”

  Tarlak poured himself another glass of wine and drained half of it in one gulp. “So why is it you come here? Did you miss me?”

  “Actually, I did.” Lathaar let out a hearty laugh. “Here is as much of a home as I have anywhere. I decided it had been too long, I would come here to visit. And propose an idea.”

  Tarlak grinned. “Knew there was a reason. Out with it, my friend.”

  “I want to rebuild the Citadel,” Lathaar said. “I need money, I need men, and I need a designer up to the task.”

  The
wizard sighed. “Far beyond me. Money I have, and I do know influential people, but not enough for such a grand undertaking. Can’t the Priests of Ashhur help?”

  “I am here to speak with them as well. I cannot let Karak claim victory. I refuse to be the last paladin of Ashhur.”

  “We’ll discuss this more tomorrow,” Tarlak said, finishing his glass. “Let me sleep on it, alright?”

  “Many thanks,” Lathaar said. The two stood and embraced. As they headed for bed, Qurrah dashed upstairs having heard every word.

  21

  Morning came. Tessanna refused to join everyone as they broke their fast. Qurrah said nothing of it, and no one asked. A few jokes were exchanged, mouths were stuffed, and Lathaar told a tale from his travels. Halfway through the meal, Aullienna’s crying cascaded down the stairs.

  “You gonna get that, hun?” Harruq asked, his mouth full of food. Her look was icy.

  “She’s just throwing a fit because she wants downstairs,” Aurelia said. “And why is it I should go?”

  Tarlak and Haern exchanged knowing glances.

  “How it works. You’re better at shutting her up.”

  Again the icy glare. Brug let out a choked chuckle.

  “I’m not finished eating,” she said, gesturing to her plate. Harruq shrugged, and gestured to his plate as well.

  “Perhaps it is wrong for me to intrude,” Haern said, jabbing Harruq in his side. “But you should go and get your blades, anyway. We shall be sparring soon.”

  The half-orc glanced to his friend, his face full of betrayal. “I can go get them later.”

  “You can go get them now,” the assassin whispered, wondering how the half-orc could be so dense. When Harruq continued eating, Aurelia rolled her eyes and gave up.

  “I’ll get the swords while I’m up there,” she said, rising from her seat. “But that will be the only thing gotten in there for the next few nights.”

  Brug roared with laughter, and Tarlak joined in. Harruq glanced about, looking like a surprised deer.

  “What?” he blurted. “What…hey, shut up, all of you!”