Adeenya. 'Tell me everything,' he said.
Adeenya met his eyes. 'I was here, discussing reports, when her body was found,' Adeenya said. 'I have no idea how she got here.'
'You deny killing her then?' Jhoqo said.
'Of course I deny it. I didn't do it!'
Jhoqo nodded and patted Adeenya on the knee. She held herself and did not flinch at his fatherly reassurance. Certainly that would not have helped the situation at all.
'Then what did? Are there any clues?' he asked.
Adeenya was puzzled by his question, his lack of accusation. 'I didn't have a chance to look for them,' she said, looking to Initqin.
Jhoqo nodded. 'Well, rest assured we will come to the bottom of this. When is the last time you saw Loraica?' he asked.
'Last evening atop the wall,' Adeenya said.
'To what end? What did you discuss?' he asked.
'The situation with the invaders,' Adeenya said, seeing no reason to tell the entire truth. 'And the possibility of the formians' involvement. She was concerned, the same as I am, that there could be a traitor among us.'
'I see,' Jhoqo said. 'Please find some different quarters for the time being. Take a few of your essentials and move them there. We'll need to thoroughly investigate this place.'
'I am to go, sir?' Adeenya asked.
Jhoqo shrugged as he stood. 'If I were to hold you over this incident, I would have riotous soldiers-namely yours-on my hands. Also, truth be told, Orir… I'm inclined to believe you.'
Adeenya stood and nodded, too stunned to speak.
'If I am wrong, we will soon find out.' Jhoqo smiled nastily. 'Besides, my dear, look where we are. If you were guilty and wanted to run, where would you go? The wilds of the Aerilpar? That's a death sentence, and I know you're well aware of it.'
Chapter Eleven
'Where is he?' Jhoqo asked, as he strode away from Adeenya's quarters through the courtyard.
The Durpari woman he spoke to said, 'The durir, sir? I saw him near the big tower, sir.'
Jhoqo quickened his pace, turned a corner around the central tower at a jog, and spotted Taennen walking toward him, a puzzled look on the younger man's face. Jhoqo stopped and waved the durir to him.
'Sir? What's wrong?' Taennen said, the confusion clear on his face. He had not heard yet. That was fortunate, Jhoqo thought.
'Son, come with me,' Jhoqo said and walked to the door of the largest tower. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. There were many windows in the tower, unlike most of the buildings in the citadel, so the interior was bright with morning light. Jhoqo pointed to the steps and asked Taennen to take a seat.
'Sir, please, what's the matter?' Taennen asked. 'You look disturbed. What's happened?'
'Taennen, we're losing this citadel,' the urir said. Taennen's body went rigid, and he shook his head. 'It's true, boy. The men are furious and helpless but have nowhere to direct their anger. That's a horrible combination, one that always begs for trouble.'
'Sir, we'll figure this out,' Taennen said. 'All isn't lost.'
Jhoqo shook his head. 'This is a critical time, son. We must be strong for our troops. We have to rally them and point them in the right direction.'
Taennen nodded and narrowed his eyes. 'Why do you say these things to me now? What's happened?'
Jhoqo stared hard at the man he considered his son. He looked into Taennen's dark eyes, watched as the younger man's cheek twitched in anticipation. He saw the boy he had raised as much as he saw his second in command.
'We have to remain strong, Durir. Remember that,' Jhoqo said. 'The men will look to us.'
Taennen nodded as he rose to his feet and said, 'Tell me.'
Jhoqo sighed and lowered his head before saying, 'Loraica was found dead this morning.'
All color fled Taennen's face. His muscles gave out all at once, and he toppled to the steps, his hands flailing out behind him for purchase.
Many moments passed as Taennen stared out the doorway and Jhoqo watched him. The urir never imagined feeling someone else's pain so strongly.
'How?' Taennen asked, his lips quivering.
'Murdered,' Jhoqo said.
Taennen fixed him with a hard stare. 'How was she murdered, sir?'
'It does not matter,' the urir replied.
Taennen stood, fierceness fueling his voice. 'How was she murdered?'
'Her throat was slit.' Jhoqo said.
'Who?' Taennen asked, his voice tremulous.
'We don't know,' Jhoqo said.
'Who found her?'
'The Durpari orir.'
'Adeenya?' the younger man said.
'I'm afraid so,' the urir replied.
'Where was she?' Taennen asked.
Jhoqo sighed. 'In the orir's quarters.'
Taennen shook his head and said, 'Surely she could not…'
'I hope she could not, too, son,' Jhoqo said. 'We'll need to question her further, but I decided it would be bad for morale if I threw her in a cell. It's not as though she can go anywhere.'
Taennen swayed as he stood. His forehead wrinkled as though he might cry.
'You understand what I said about the troops?' Jhoqo asked.
Taennen nodded, but his eyes were unfocused.
'Very well, then. You're dismissed-just remember what I said,' Jhoqo said.
Jhoqo stepped out of the way as Taennen strode past him without a word. Loraica and Taennen had worked together and been friends for as long as Taennen had been in the Maquar. Nothing Jhoqo could say would soothe the boy.
Jhoqo recalled the first time he had seen the two together and smiled. Loraica had been large even then, twice the bulk of Taennen at the same age. She had taught Taennen how to fight. Jhoqo had watched them many times as they figured out new maneuvers to try on one another. Even full days of training with the troops had not exhausted them enough to skip their own training sessions.
Jhoqo sighed and walked toward his quarters. It would be a long day, he knew. He went over what he would say to the troops in his mind and found nothing adequate. Nothing that seemed worthy of Loraica, nothing that would transform grief into enough motivation and morale to turn things around. But as commander of the fortress, it was his duty to make the best of the situation. Loraica had served the Maquar well in her life, and if he had anything to say about it, her death would prove just as useful.
Adeenya paced back and forth outside Taennen's quarters. The image of Loraica's pallid corpse was etched on her mind's eye, and she could see little else, no matter how hard she tried to think other thoughts. She had rushed to Taennen's quarters and waited for him to return instead of searching the entire citadel for him. She had wanted to be the one to tell the man about his friend, but he had already gone by the time she arrived.
'I saw you talking to her yesterday evening on the wall,' Taennen said from behind her.
Adeenya spun to face the man. His shoulders were slumped, his head cast down. His hands hung at his side, and his cheeks and nose were red. Adeenya could think of nothing to say, so she nodded. 'Yes.'
'Both of you were tense. I could see it,' he said. 'You were arguing? She was angry with you?'
