Page 24 of Stars May Burn

His throat bobbed.

I steepled my fingers. “Where are you keeping him?”

He licked his lips, but his words still came out hoarse. “He’s in the stables. Under guard.”

I leaned forward and patted the covers over his knee. “There’s a good man. I will relieve you of the trouble of dealing with him.”

I stood slowly and motioned toward him with my dagger. “And if you say a word about me to anyone, I will know. I always know.”

I melted back into the shadows and out of the window. I chuckled darkly wondering how long it would be before the man could get a good night’s sleep again. I suspected that he would be employing a lot more guards in the morning. It might be worth planting one of my men.

I froze on the veranda for the count of sixty, waiting to see if Lord Charles would raise the alarm. I hadn’t intended to kill anyone tonight, but I would if I had to. I could kill without thinking now. That was how much of a monster I'd become. It always amused me how the king and his nobles had made me this way, yet it was what they feared and hated about me the most. Well, it was too late now.

The night stayed quiet.

I dropped down to the garden in a crouch, then crept between borders of tall flowers toward the stable. Overhead, bats flittered in the growing dawn light as they returned to roost.

I suspected my threats would keep Lord Charles quiet at court, but I was less confident that he would keep this secret from Lord Lyrason. The man had to be involved. He was always involved in these murky, backhanded affairs, keeping hidden behind others. He would want to know why the prisoner was released and would push Lord Charles if he lied. He played by his own rules too. Rules I didn’t yet know and couldn’t predict. I hated that I couldn’t face him directly yet, and was reduced to playing this stupid game by proxy. It left me with nothing but suspicions within suspicions.

Two men guarded the stable door, and I was out of time for distraction and sneaking. I needed efficiency. I crept behind the nearest guard and drove the blunt hilt of my dagger into the side of his neck, right over his carotid sinus. The man dropped instantly. His partner turned to me in shock, and I knocked his sword arm aside before giving him a matching blow. The angle wasn’t as good, but he still crumpled to the ground.

I sat the men up so they appeared to be sitting against the stable wall, then snuck inside. I passed several stalls occupied by horses until I came to one without straw, its bars all the way to the ceiling.

A young man, little more than a boy, sat hunched there, his slender shoulders hugging his knees. I recognized him; he was one of the Red Men who often lingered at the back of their gatherings. Jack Nettle, often called The Nettle. He looked up as I approached.

“Tar’ratha. General Batton.” His whole countenance changed as he leapt to the bars. “Have you come to help us? Will you show the device to the king?” His pleading, excited look made him seem even younger. Far too young to be caught up in this mess.

I shifted, fixing him with a glare. “I told you all before, I am not one of you.”

Jack frowned. “But you’ve helped us on…”

I scowled. “Just because I’m not one of you, doesn’t mean I like watching you idiots get yourselves killed. But I’m not your accomplice.”

The boy sat back, looked down, and swallowed. “My lord, we have many shared goals. Jacob said he was hopeful you would change our mind. If we…”

I held up my hand, my irritation growing. “You know nothing about my goals, boy. And we are not working together.”

He paled slightly. “Even if you won’t take Lord Lyrason’s device to the king, if we could have access to just a few of your devices, it would change everything…”

I pushed myself up against the bars. “How do you know about those devices?” Robert. What had he said or done now? Jack stepped back but I loomed over him. “They are the only thing keeping my men alive. Thousands of men. I will not have their lives put in danger by the little games you people play. You will never mention those devices again to anyone. Do you understand?”

He nodded, a tremble running down his spine. “I’m sorry. Forgive me.”

I sighed and turned to leave, not waiting for him to recover, but the man spoke again. “My lord, if you ever change your mind, or if you need us, we’ll be waiting for you.”

I scowled over my shoulder. “Get out of this mess while you still can. Leave the Red Men. This path in life won’t serve you.”

I left him kneeling in the darkness and checked the next cell. Empty. I turned the corner to the next. Robert sat in the gloomy corner. His cheeks were drawn and there was dried blood on his temple. Despite clearly having been through hell, he scrambled to his feet, bowing as soon as he saw me, and started spewing dramatic apologies. Unlike the Red Man, his hands and feet were manacled.

I held up my hand and gestured for him to stay quiet. He immediately fell silent, watching with bright eyes as I drew my fansifold knife. I switched it on and waited for it to heat up, the red glow illuminating the cell. It made quick work of the door, slicing through the lock. Robert hurried forward, and I sliced through his manacles, only moderately careful not to burn his skin. The idiot could do with a permanent reminder of his carelessness.

“Thank you, General.” He breathed. “I didn’t expect… You should have left me. This will cause you trouble.”

I glared at him. “Don’t remind me or I may still be tempted to leave you.”

He nodded and shut up.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him back the way we came. I stopped at Jack’s cell and sliced open his padlock. “Count to one hundred, then leave as quietly as you can. But you’re on your own. Remember what I said.”

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