Chapter 412 The Citadel (1/2)
Arran's injury healed slower than he had expected, with the Desolation's suppression affecting his blood just as strongly as it did his strength and ic
Where he would norravest wounds in a th he could rob — it now took him two full days to recover And even then, the wound had yet to heal completely
Kaleesh had little sympathy for his condition, however
”A wound like that would have killed a co ”And even I would've taken weeks to recover For you, it ht serve as a lesson — that you're not invincible”
There was sorown accustorievous wounds, and if he didn't believe he'd grown careless, exactly, perhaps he hadn't been quite as careful as he should, either
Because strong as he— he was not invincible
But if the ti provided a valuable lesson, it was ill-spent otherwise Two days of discussing the attack brought thehts about as responsible, and finally, they were forced to conclude that it could be almost anyone
Even if they hadn't been involved in Lord Kadun's death and Arran hadn't slain a Knight — two of the outsiders who dared coh to earn them numerous enemies That the army was composed of prisoners only added to the scandal
There could be little doubt that ht who'd attacked theerous, those ene for the perfect er threat
That knowledge did little to soothe their frustration at not knoho'd attacked therub the innkeeper passed off as breakfast on their third day at the inn, Kaleesh let out a discontented sigh
”I bet Lady Mere a distrustful look at the bowl of lue on the table before hireed ”But if we expose whoever ordered the attack, we'll involve the Lord backing theed by so No one else could have ordered a Knight to attempt a murder in the heart of Sacrifice
Which meant they could not expose this hidden enehter, then the Lord would certainly not ignore it
Better to give their ene face Hopefully, losing a Knight would be enough of a setback to dissuade theain
”I suppose,” Kaleesh said, so in his voice ”But I still dislike the idea of having an ene in the shadows”
”As do I” Arran sed down a bite of porridge, cringing at the slimy texture ”But we should visit Lady Mere already”
”That we have,” Kaleesh agreed, a trace of worry in his eyes ”Hopefully, we can finish our business in the city today I trust Sassun with the army, but…”
Of course, Arran knew exactly what caused the captain concern New as the ar And the longer he and Kaleesh were gone, the higher the chances that trouble would arise
He cast a glance at the ri the way”
Kaleesh did not object to wasting coin for once, and a half-hour later they were rilled meat wrapped in flatbread as they walked
”The city looks a lot more peaceful now,” Arran observed, his eyes on the pleasant bustle that filled the streets They hadn't left the inn while he recovered from his wound, and now, he almost found himself shocked by how different the city see
There weren'tthose he did see, none appeared drunk or rowdy — though more than a few bore the pained expressions of ht Other than that, however, there wereabout the shops and food stalls that lined the streets
”Most soldiers should still be sleeping off last night's ale,” Kaleesh said ”But don't grow too coh the southwestern quarter of the city, and that's where most members of the Martial Alliance are”
A frown crossed Arran's face ”Think there will be trouble?”
”Probably not,” Kaleesh said, though he sounded far from certain ”But we should keep our eyes open all the same”
As they moved into the southwestern quarter of the city, it soon becaers on the streets still weren't roups they saw cast suspicious looks in their direction, whispering ast themselves as the talked past
”It seems word of our arrival has spread already” Kaleesh looked at the Rangers curiously, unruffled by their hostile stares ”And further than I had expected”
Arran could only agree He'd known they would draw attention, but he hadn't expected that they'd be recognized by aler they saw And while he wasn't too worried about another assassination atteht, at least — even a siet out of hand
Yet for all the dark looks the Rangers cast in their direction, none said anything Instead, they slunk back whenever Arran and Kaleesh passed — not quite so fast that it could be considered fleeing, but fast enough that their intention was clear
If nothing else, it seeht on the road to Sacrifice had served as a warning to any would-be harassers
And as the Rangers took pains to avoid crossing their path, the soldiers and co out of the herever Arran and Kaleesh went While they ers steered clear of was clearly worth avoiding
A small s ”I could grow to like this,” he said ”It certainly makes for a peaceful journey”
”For now,” Arran replied in a flat tone,no atteers they encountered so far did not dare to make a move, but with the sheer number of hostile stares they received, it was only a e to confront theht rediscover their bravery, as well
Arran's s were confirer appeared on the street before thehts at his side and half a dozen other Rangers following behind him, all of them dressed in immaculate uniforroups they'd encountered so far, this one showed no sign of stepping aside
Kaleesh let out a deep sigh, then said wistfully, ”I suppose it was too good to last” He gave Arran a sideways glance ”Best you let et the chance to ask any questions They reached the group just a few hts showed no sign ofout of the way
For several ers looked at Arran and Kaleesh ary eyes, their posture tense and their hands hovering near the hilts of their swords And although the Knights appeared more at ease, even their eyes were tense with anticipation
Finally, it was Kaleesh who broke the silence ”Matas” He gave the young Ranger an unenthusiastic smile ”I hadn't expected to nized the naht's Watch, and whose underling he'd taught a small lesson The son of Lord Ravir, as Arjun had said
The young Ranger did not reply immediately Instead, he cast a dark look at the two, a contemptuous sneer on his otherwise handsome face When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with disdain
”Kaleesh You have no business in this part of the city”
”There's an Iine she'd be happy to hear you blocked us fro the Citadel”
Surprise flashed across the Ranger's face, but he regained his composure almost instantly ”I cannot bar you from the Citadel, but do not believe you can provoke the Martial Alliance without consequence Not after the part you played in the betrayal of Lord Kadun”
”Lord Rannoc was the one who killed hih Kadun's fate ell-deserved”
Matas's expression turned to one of barely suppressed fury ”Lord Kadun was an honorable—”
”He was an idiot,” Kaleesh cut him off ”An idiot who turned a blind eye as his stewards exploited newco allies as if they were slaves Had he acted honorably, he led for words, his expression a er and doubt ”Do not think I will believe such vile allegations,” he finally spat ”I will not allow you to besave the Ranger an amused look ”Kadun's treatment of newcomers was hardly a secret And from what I've heard about you, you are far too honorable a er had no answer to this For several seconds he stood in silence, appearing at a loss for words Then, with a sharp ”
Arran watched with furrowed brow as the Ranger's party departed Once the group was out of earshot, he turned to Kaleesh ”Well done, I think?”
The captain offered a satisfied smirk ”Extrehteous hero — the kind of ht have little love for outsiders, but he has even less respect for rulers who act like Kadun”
”So he isn't a threat?”
”I wouldn't go that far,” Kaleesh replied ”Right now, he's torn between loyalty to his father's allies and distaste for Kadun's actions But if he ever figures out where he stands, he could becoed, and added, ”Fortunately, he's not exactly known for his quick wit”
Arran nodded in understanding ”Then let's hope he doesn't figure it out We have enough enemies as it is”
They set off toward the Citadel oncethe way After another half-hour of walking through the city's busy streets, they finally saw the fortress appear in the distance
If the Sanctum had been a place of beauty, with even its outer walls carved from white marble, the Citadel holly different Built to be functional rather than inviting, its walls were erected froh and undecorated And the sas that rose above the walls, as well Simple and practical, they were clearly built for function rather than for as the fortress appeared, it was obvious that its walls weren't built to withstand the Blight Rather, they were ainst a serious assault, they would barely be a delay
But then, there was no need for real defenses The true fortress was Sacrifice itself, and a force that could breach such a bulould have no trouble disposing of any walls ate, they found it guarded by two dozen soldiers, headed by a single Knight As they approached, the Knight stepped forward
”Your business?”
”We've coave a small nod, then motioned to one of the soldiers ”Take these two to Lady Merem”
For a ht let theht, he realized there was no need to verify whether they were speaking the truth
If they had lied, Lady Mere the situation herself And from what he knew of her, any unwanted visitors would certainly regret their ates, Arran saw that the Citadel was exactly as he'd i fields upon which hundreds of recruits were practicing, their clothes already drenched with sweat despite the early hour
Most would hardly consider the sight an inviting one, but Arran felt so close to envy as he looked at it This was a place for practice, sleep, and little else, and it was obvious that those who resided here were fully dedicated to increasing their strength
”I wouldn't envy the as on Arran's mind ”I'll bet you a pure shadow and politics as any other” He grinned as he shot a glance at the soldier escorting theave a non-coh his eyes betrayed a hint of weariness ”The road to strength holds rumbled From the soldier's reaction, it was obvious that Kaleesh had been right
It made sense that the Citadel would have its share of scheue, of course Lady Merem's power left Arran in awe, and for a chance at power like that, many would not hesitate to betray even their best friends
But even so, Arran had hoped the Citadel ue, where strength rather than influence hed as his eyes wandered across the practicing recruits before turning his attention back to the soldier ”How much farther is it?”
”Not too far,” the man replied ”We should find Lady Merem in her practice yard It's where she spends most of her time”
His words proved true, and a few arden within the Citadel Secluded from the rest of the area, it was clearly created for solitude as h the wooden gate they were iht of Lady Mererass with sword in hand, their arrival see interrupted her practice Yet as she turned to face the unexpected visitors, her expression showed no sign of surprise
”You may leave,” she instructed the soldier The man bowed and left, after which she turned her attention to Arran and Kaleesh ”I had expected you to visit, but not quite as soon as this I assu happened?”
Arran briefly considered his words, then decided there was no point in dancing around the issue He'd chosen to trust Lady Merem over the church, and now, all that remained was a leap of faith
He calmed his nerves as best he could Then, his voice more confident than he felt, he said, ”I have the Ruiner's bloodline And the church wants it”
This tih it lasted only a second before she spoke, ”Draw your weapons, both of you”
Arran hesitantly did as she said, wondering whether he'd just reatest — and perhaps last — mistake of his life Yet as both he and Kaleesh drew their swords and faced Lade Merehtful nod
”We will spar while you talk,” she said ”Now tell me what happened”