gradually faded away.
She poked at the fire with an already charred stick. “Who?”
“Ionascu. He is a bad Man.”
Maleela paused and glanced over to where the older Man rocked gently, knees drawn up and head down. “There are many bad Men, Skuld. He’s the worst sort, a traitor. My father used dozens of Men like him while he consolidated power. Ionascu was once Harnin’s most trusted spy. I’m not sure what went wrong.”
“They would come to the streets and hire boys to spy for them, do odds jobs after the sun went down. I never thought they were touchable.”
She offered a half smile. “Everything has changed in Delranan. Men like Ionascu aren’t necessary past their singular uses. Harnin has always been a rat. He showed his true colors the moment my father departed for the war.”
“Why do we keep him with us?”
She had no answer. Whatever Bahr’s motivations were he failed to inform her, a fact Maleela found increasingly frustrating. She hated being left out, forced away from plans and thoughts. Objectively she knew it made sense. She was the daughter of the king and a liability, regardless of her strained relationship. That didn’t prevent her from gnawing on growing anger. She’d been stolen twice, once against her will. She’d endured harsh treatments from her captors and witnessed more fighting in the last few months than in her entire life. Men were dying in her name and it sickened her. She wanted to ball her fists and scream to the heavens. More, she wanted to be left alone. And if that wasn’t going to happen she wanted, needed, to be involved in the planning process, if for no other reason than peace of mind.
When she spoke at last it was with heavy tones. “Because he is just as much of a misfit as the rest of us. He can’t go home any more than we can.”
“I wish he wasn’t here. I don’t trust him.” Skuld went back to finishing the chunk of slightly stale dark bread. Whatever solace he searched for in the fire remained private but that didn’t prevent him from brooding while he ate.
Maleela empathized. Her trust diminished the longer the quest took. She gave Ionascu a last look before going back to the fire.
“We should go north and circle around the mountains,” Boen’s voice dominated the camp suddenly.
Bahr, face red, vehemently shook his head. “That adds too much time. Time we don’t have. We need to get south by the quickest route possible. Going around the entire mountain range will add weeks of extra travel.”
“The Spine is not as forgiving as the Murdes,” Boen said and frowned. “We barely made it down from them. The rock is different too. Sharp and wicked. The bones of many travelers decorate the passes. I would not try it with such a large group in the dead of winter.”
“We’re running out of options, Boen.”
Boen folded his arms across his massive chest and gestured with his chin towards the wizard. “Have you come up with an answer yet?”
“This isn’t exactly easy reading,” Anienam snapped, tired of being interrupted. “It was written in a dead language that I could hardly recall properly if I had all of the resources of Ipn Shal at my use. This takes time, Gaimosian.”
He snorted. “Time which, according to you has already come to pass.”
Anienam slammed the book shut and rose to confront Boen. “I would expect nothing less from a professional murderer. Do you wish to hear I made a mistake? Is that it? You have this overpowering urge to know I was wrong about something? Fine. I was mistaken. I misread some of the key passages.”
“Enough of this. We don’t have time to see who’s got the bigger ego,” Bahr said and stepped between them. “Anienam, have you been able to decipher anything?”
“Yes. No, some of it, surely, but my initial calculations were too far off the mark to provide any use here.”
“You got some of it correct. We found Venheim when no one else could. I need you to keep trying. We have to know
She poked at the fire with an already charred stick. “Who?”
“Ionascu. He is a bad Man.”
Maleela paused and glanced over to where the older Man rocked gently, knees drawn up and head down. “There are many bad Men, Skuld. He’s the worst sort, a traitor. My father used dozens of Men like him while he consolidated power. Ionascu was once Harnin’s most trusted spy. I’m not sure what went wrong.”
“They would come to the streets and hire boys to spy for them, do odds jobs after the sun went down. I never thought they were touchable.”
She offered a half smile. “Everything has changed in Delranan. Men like Ionascu aren’t necessary past their singular uses. Harnin has always been a rat. He showed his true colors the moment my father departed for the war.”
“Why do we keep him with us?”
She had no answer. Whatever Bahr’s motivations were he failed to inform her, a fact Maleela found increasingly frustrating. She hated being left out, forced away from plans and thoughts. Objectively she knew it made sense. She was the daughter of the king and a liability, regardless of her strained relationship. That didn’t prevent her from gnawing on growing anger. She’d been stolen twice, once against her will. She’d endured harsh treatments from her captors and witnessed more fighting in the last few months than in her entire life. Men were dying in her name and it sickened her. She wanted to ball her fists and scream to the heavens. More, she wanted to be left alone. And if that wasn’t going to happen she wanted, needed, to be involved in the planning process, if for no other reason than peace of mind.
When she spoke at last it was with heavy tones. “Because he is just as much of a misfit as the rest of us. He can’t go home any more than we can.”
“I wish he wasn’t here. I don’t trust him.” Skuld went back to finishing the chunk of slightly stale dark bread. Whatever solace he searched for in the fire remained private but that didn’t prevent him from brooding while he ate.
Maleela empathized. Her trust diminished the longer the quest took. She gave Ionascu a last look before going back to the fire.
“We should go north and circle around the mountains,” Boen’s voice dominated the camp suddenly.
Bahr, face red, vehemently shook his head. “That adds too much time. Time we don’t have. We need to get south by the quickest route possible. Going around the entire mountain range will add weeks of extra travel.”
“The Spine is not as forgiving as the Murdes,” Boen said and frowned. “We barely made it down from them. The rock is different too. Sharp and wicked. The bones of many travelers decorate the passes. I would not try it with such a large group in the dead of winter.”
“We’re running out of options, Boen.”
Boen folded his arms across his massive chest and gestured with his chin towards the wizard. “Have you come up with an answer yet?”
“This isn’t exactly easy reading,” Anienam snapped, tired of being interrupted. “It was written in a dead language that I could hardly recall properly if I had all of the resources of Ipn Shal at my use. This takes time, Gaimosian.”
He snorted. “Time which, according to you has already come to pass.”
Anienam slammed the book shut and rose to confront Boen. “I would expect nothing less from a professional murderer. Do you wish to hear I made a mistake? Is that it? You have this overpowering urge to know I was wrong about something? Fine. I was mistaken. I misread some of the key passages.”
“Enough of this. We don’t have time to see who’s got the bigger ego,” Bahr said and stepped between them. “Anienam, have you been able to decipher anything?”
“Yes. No, some of it, surely, but my initial calculations were too far off the mark to provide any use here.”
“You got some of it correct. We found Venheim when no one else could. I need you to keep trying. We have to know
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