toward one another in the crowd, massing together as if sensing what was about to be said. Surely they had noticed that neither of their leaders was present.
Jhoqo moved toward the Durpari, asking Maquar and Chondathan alike to part from his path. When he reached the first Durpari, he raised his arms and said, 'Brothers and sisters, please understand it is with great regret that I lay before you the names of the traitors. Please know they will receive every benefit our legal code has to offer.'
A few of the Durpari nodded, while the others stood silently, hands away from their weapons. They had no doubt seen the caution on the faces of everyone else present.
Jhoqo nodded and motioned the Maquar and Chonda-thans to back away. 'My Durpari comrades, I am afraid you have been deceived. Your leader and her second have betrayed us all, and the dwarf lost his life by Adeenya's own hand.'
Taennen's eyes moved at lightning speed across the scene before him. When Jhoqo finished his sentence, one of the Durpari drew his sword, the steel singing against the scabbard. Taennen's khopesh was in his hand and arcing up as he moved to intercept the Durpari.
'Halt, for your own good!' Taennen shouted. 'We will resolve this without steel. She will be treated fairly.'
The Durpari who had drawn his sword froze, surprise etched on his face. He held out his hand, palm facing front, and bent to place the sword on the ground. Rising, he nodded to Taennen, who lowered his own blade.
The Durpari looked to Jhoqo and said, 'Consider my blade on the ground a gesture of our cooperation. While we do not believe our honorable leader to be guilty of the crime you accuse her of, we wish for no further bloodshed or treasonous behavior. We will continue to serve with the righteous Maquar and help you secure this citadel. We will await her trial back home in Durpar.'
Jhoqo smiled as the Durpari motioned to his comrades to keep their weapons sheathed. 'Thank you, brothers. You honor us with your trust. The orir's trial will be adjudicated fairly, I promise you this.'
The speaker for the Durpari nodded and herded his men out of the crowd, leading them back to their barracks, no doubt to discuss what to do next. The Maquar in attendance muttered amongst themselves until Jhoqo dismissed them. The Chondathans present returned to their duties, all except Bascou.
The bearded man approached Taennen and Jhoqo, his head shaking. 'I cannot believe this,' he said with a smile. 'She seemed such a good soldier.'
Taennen wanted to slit the man's throat even though his words complimented the woman. The young Maquar's blood boiled at the thought of the Chondathan speaking of Adeenya at all. She was a soldier, and he was a darkblade unworthy of even her company. Taennen stayed his hand, however, staring straight ahead. He knew without a doubt that Jhoqo's eyes were on him, and he needed to measure his actions. Jhoqo answered the Chondathans comment with something Taennen did not bother to hear.
Taennen's mind struggled with the idea that Adeenya was the traitor and wouldn't accept it. He was more certain about her than he was about anyone else in the Citadel. If she had not betrayed them, then Jhoqo had been misled in what he had seen.
Bascou said something else and offered a parting salute to the Maquar commander. Taennen fell in beside Jhoqo as the shorter man headed toward his command center. The courtyard, bustling with activity only a few days earlier, now felt deserted. The bulk of the troops had been assigned to the wall, watching the forest and plains around them in shifts, wary of the savages coming once again. They were hens trapped in a coop, but at least they were armed with swords to defend against the foxes. Neither spoke on their short trek to the command post, both knowing they would speak privately there.
Jhoqo waited for Taennen to clear the doorway before closing the door. He sat in his chair near the map- covered table in the center of the room. He waved to a chair for Taennen, who refused, preferring to stand, arms dangling at his sides.
'Speak,' Jhoqo said, undoing the upper chest strap on his armor.
'Sir, are you-'
'She is responsible for the dwarPs death, son. Of that I am certain,' Jhoqo said.
'She couldn't have,' Taennen said.
'I've had time to think this out,' Jhoqo said. 'During the first fight here at the citadel, as we fought for our very lives, did you see her during the battle? Did you see her killing our enemies as our Maquar and Durpari brothers and sisters died?'
'No sir, but I could not see the entire battlefield,' Taennen objected. 'And neither could anyone else.'
'I'm no fool, Taennen. I've spoken with others, and no one else saw her during that fight,' Jhoqo said with a sigh.
'No one, sir? You've asked everyone?'
'Don't patronize me, son,' Jhoqo said. 'And the night our own Loraica died? Where was she then?'
Taennen shrugged, wishing he could answer the question.
'And where did we find Loraica's body?' Jhoqo asked.
'Sir, Lori could not have been killed in Adeenya's quarters. There wasn't nearly enough blood there. Besides, only a half-wit would store her victim in her own quarters.'
'I hoped, that she had simply been mired in a dispute with the dwarf and that his death was an isolated incident,' Jhoqo said. 'But the more I looked, the more I thought, and the more I realized the earlier tragedies of our betrayal seemed to fall into her lap.'
Taennen did not move or speak.
'You still don't believe me?' Jhoqo asked, standing up and walking to meet Taennen face to face. 'Sir, it's just-'
'You trusted her,' Jhoqo finished for him. 'She didn't seem capable of it.' Taennen nodded.
'I know,' Jhoqo said. 'The best thing we can do with this is take it as a lesson, son. People can always fool you. I know you liked the woman. Whether I showed it or not, I did too. I still think there's hope for her, if you hear me out.'
Taennen looked at the slight smile the man's face held and asked, 'Hope? What hope could she have?'
'The Durpari might never allow her to serve again after her trial, but I would gladly find a place for her in our ranks, maybe even as our terir,' Jhoqo said.
Expecting to feel pleased and relieved by the man's words, Taennen was taken aback by his simmering anxiety and uncertainty. A former Durpari soldier, let alone soldier turned criminal, would never be allowed to serve in the Maquar, even if Jhoqo made the request to the highest echelons of command. Even considering such a thing was beyond the scope of reason.
'Why would you do that?' Taennen asked.
'We all have the capacity to change and grow and learn from everything we do. She can learn too,' Jhoqo said, taking a seat at the table.
Jhoqo stared at the table before him, the look on his face caught somewhere between concentration and contentment, as though he were about to solve some great puzzle. It was a look Taennen had seen on his father's face countless times as the man teased out new spells or formulae. In his right senses, Jhoqo would never make such an offer. Something was very wrong. If Adeenya was a traitor in league with Marlke, why would she go to such lengths to set a trap for him?
'Is she with the other prisoners?' Taennen asked. hoqo shook his head. 'That didn't seem prudent.'
They stood in silence several moments longer before Taennen took his leave. In the courtyard, the evening meal was being dished out, but he had no appetite. Clouds with bellies full with the promise of rain floated through the dark blue sky. The small gatherings of soldiers scattered about were quiet, conversation an art best left to those who were not awaiting more bad news.
Taennen noticed a Chondathan soldier idling near the eastern tower that had been designed to serve as guest and dignitary quarters. Since arriving at Neversfall, the troops had not used it. Jhoqo would not have locked Adeenya away in one of the accessible buildings to prevent her own men from attempting to free her. Their goodwill would only last so long, Taennen knew, and if he knew, then Jhoqo knew. Eventually the Durpari would try to free her.
There could be no other reason for the Chondathan's presence near that tower. The man was trying to be inconspicuous but failing miserably at the pretense.
