152
Honor's Blade
Heralds, Companions and the World of Valdemar the property of Mercedes Lackey
Chapter SixValshay pounded on the walls of his mental prison. There did not seem to be any weakness in the barrier that kept him trapped in this place and he had looked several times. He could not feel his body at all nor hear or see anything, which was very frustrating. This barrier cut him off from everything except his own sense of self. He screamed in frustration yet again. This was a style of magic that he had never been trained to deal with. His family had not really faced any type of magic since they had come to Valdemar hundreds of years ago. The country seemed to be a magic free zone with Heralds being the only ones who had such skills. Only their families' rigid traditions had kept them learning the techniques for defense against magic, techniques that had allowed him to run to this space inside himself, this space he couldn't get out of right now. What good were all those traditions to him now?
After he screamed himself out, he dropped down to the floor of his internal prison, and he began to think through this problem. Would any of those techniques help him here? He was not sure but as he had no other recourse available to him, he would have to try them. Unless he managed to brake out of this prison in his own mind that the foreigner trapped him in, the King would die.
He ran through all the things his Grandfather had taught him years ago about combating magic, before his first hunt. Some of the techniques he discounted easily as they involved having control of your body. There would be no way to use that for this. As he went through things he was realizing that there might be several that could do something but maybe it might not be enough. He then remembered something his Grandfather had taught him about protecting the mind. If only he had remembered it prior to last night than maybe things would have turned out differently. As he had no idea that he would have needed it, Valshay doubted he would have even used it had he remembered. He could tell that the old man would chide him over this failure, if he lived, which given the plan he had overheard was doubtful.
He had a reflection of his body in his own minds eye, so he stood still and folded his imaged hands into the twisted finger positions that would help him focus. Taking a seat, he began to chant the phrase he had been taught in their old language over and over again, letting the sound soothe him. He was unsure how long he had been chanting when something within him shifted and he could feel the change even here, in his mental cell. He opened his eyes and jerked back some as his actual physical eyes took in the chains on his arms and the guards in the blue livery dragging his body down a hall. The men opened a stout wooden door and took him to about the center of the room. The two of them pitched him onto the floor unceremoniously and left.
Valshay used his liberated eyes to look around the cell from the vantage point of the floor. The walls were smooth and white washed, though the color had yellowed a bit. There was a wooden cot on one side of the room with a raw wool blanket folded on it. He tried to exert control of his body but nothing moved. He was still wrapped in silence and his body did not obey him. He had some hope now but how could he warn anyone with only his eyes? Was there any way for him to do that?
The door opened some period of time later and two guardsmen hauled him to his feet, as he had just laid there on the floor. They carried him to another room and dumped him into a chair at one end of a table. An officer of the Guard was sitting there across from him as well as Gerard. This looked like there was hope for him yet if he could only get through.
Valshay started to shout in his mind for Gerard to hear him, hoping that Gerard had Mindspeaking. He tried to knock the walls of his prison down with his rage and mounting desperation but they held firm against his violence. Surely, the Herald could hear him with his mind? Right?
Through his eyes he could tell that the Guard Captain seemed to be questioning him and writing down whatever his responses seemed to be. Gerard did seem to be looking at him curiously, as if something was strange, but nothing that Val could tell that would show that Gerard had heard him. His mental voice was growing hoarse and weaker the louder he tried to yell. Nothing seemed to be getting through the barrier that the foreigner had placed around his mind to keep him in there. He pounded on the wall hoping against hope that the Herald could hear him.
Valshay collapsed in frustration. There did not seem to be anything he could do right now, no matter how hard he tried. He looked out of his eyes worriedly, hoping that Gerard would think of something, would find some way to notice that it was not him that was being questioned, but rather a fake. When Gerard closed his eyes in thought and then opened them again, Val had some hope. Maybe the truth spell had been cast. Valshay prayed that was what the Herald had done. Surely that bit of Herald Magic could break through this barrier to free him, or at least to get the truth out of him.
As the Captain began to write again, seeming to go over the previous notes to check things, Val's hopes fell. The conspirators had not lied. This foreigner had actually found some sort of way around the Truth spell. There was no hope now for the King. When he would be killed publicly, the crossbow men would murder the King, the King's Own and the Heir. He had failed in his Hunt and he was going to die an ignoble death. He bowed his head and began to weep. Valshay had tried so hard to do the correct thing but he was totally unsuccessful, in fact he had even made it easier for the conspirators to set their plan in motion. He realized at this point that he should have left some sort of written record of his suspicions so that if his hunt had failed someone could have done something with what he had discovered. He had not even told Yasmin of his worries or the specifics of his hunt. Certainly, Gerard would have gone over his chain of logic and probably would have come to the same conclusions he had. If only he had left the information for anybody else.
Joelle, if she had heard of this and the lies that were attached to him, she would no doubt hate him by now. She would feel used and lied to. His thoughts filled with recriminations and hopelessness. He wallowed in it for a while, letting his despair and pain and self-pity fill him. He had found someone he could love and had failed her just as unquestionably he had failed in his Hunt.
Grandfather's voice filled him when he had gotten to the point where he wished himself dead. "Never give up! So long as the body lives, there is a chance for you to complete your Hunt. Moreover, never forget, the Night Lady has shared with us that death is not final. Even if you pass on into her welcoming night, you just might find a way to complete your hunt. Never give up!"
Valshay relaxed himself with that. That was a greater truth and he knew that. He was still alive so he had yet to truly fail. There had to be a chance, no matter how slim that he could succeed. He couldn't give up. He had to prove to Joelle, to the family, and to Shadowstalker that his family kept their word. All he could do now was pray to the Lady and for him to follow his training until he completed his Hunt or he died. He looked around at the walls of his cell, both physical and mental. There was really no other option for him so he took the plunge.
*****
Gerard was positive something was wrong with all of this, but he had no clue as to what it could be, which irritated him to no end? The Truth spell had worked fine, only he was fairly sure that it hadn't. The second stage had made Valshay tell the truth but there had been no recognition in the boy's eyes for him. It was as if the boy did not know who he was when he stood before him. What did that mean? The boy wasn't stupid or moronic so there should be no reason for him to not recognize the Herald. Valshay was not even acting right, just sitting there listlessly, his body just barely remaining upright. ::Faris, does this whole thing seem…wrong to you some how? Valshay did not seem to be the same person we had talked to earlier. I cannot help feeling that this Valshay is not the one we talked to. I know something is wrong about this but I am not sure what?::
::What about the evidence?:: Faris asked gently, sensing the upset that was running through Gerard. She was going to try and help him work through another puzzle, as she had done many times before. This was their way for going through things.
::The evidence and his confession under truth spell are more than enough to hang him. Even just the evidence, though it is fairly circumstantial would be enough for that. With the clothes he had been found wearing and those weapons…those seem too much like a part of him for them not to be his. They fit him too well to be planted. That he has killed someone before is not really an issue now. I mean in those clothes he looks like an assassin. But is this story the TRUTH! Something about it does not sit right.:: Gerard stormed unhappily through the halls of the guard building at the palace, where they were keeping Valshay. Pages and younger guardsmen scampered out of his way as he glowered about him, not really seeing anything, as he ran all the information through his mind, trying to come up with an answer that made any sense. No one wanted to bother an upset Herald so they cleared a path out of the building. His long stride carried him swiftly away from the cells.
::All right, let us work this through. Meet me in the field and we'll work on it. Just let Darius know you are thinking things over and that you have several concerns with things as they stand. The Captain will bring him the statements he wrote from the questioning. You work on this.:: Faris was being a calming and rational voice in his mind. Gerard nodded and sent his thanks. She really did take good care of him at times like these. Love flowed back towards him along their link. His pace slowed and his anger faded.
::Darius! Darius!:: he sent out the call as he walked briskly from the palace and into the gardens, making as short a route as he could towards Companions Field. This was important to him and he did not want to waste any of the time that he had. If the King worked as quickly as he usually did, there was no time for him to dilly-dally. The odds were that the decision would be handed down later today.
::Gerard? What is it? Are you done questioning the boy?:: Darius sounded concerned and busy. Not a surprise, as any Noble's death caused a furor.
::Yes, but I need to think some things from his testimony over. Please do not decide on anything until I get back to you on this. The Captain will have the transcripts of what we were told. He should be bringing them to you right now. Something about the interrogation did not sit right with me so I am going to try and figure it out. I'll be in the Field with Faris if you need me. Please see if you can give me that time.:: Gerard was polite and tried to sound calmer than he actually felt. His feeling of something trying to make it through his Foresight was getting stronger. That alone added to his worry. His skills might not be the strongest but they were accurate.
::Fine. I'll be here. Got to go, the King has just walked in.:: With that his connection to the King's Own was cut.
Faris was waiting for him as he neared the fence of the Field. She stood patiently as he walked up and clambered over the fence. He pulled himself up onto her back and they headed towards the boundaries of the grove at a slow walk. Gerard let his thoughts try to wander, so he could work out why things did not seem to sit right. It seemed to him to be a number of things that were all in all rather small but added up to something big. The details were what was important here and he worked to find their pattern and figure out what was actually going on. Faris gave him time to let his thoughts ferment, which he greatly appreciated.
After about a half a candlemark of thought he nodded to himself. ::His not recognizing me was a big part why this is not sitting right with me. After the amount of time we spent together both at the inn and on the road, he would have had some sort of reaction to my presence. Correct?::
::I would have to agree with you on that. If you had only met once for under a few moments than he may not have recognized you. However, after spending a day and a night in each other's company? That is not very likely. So that is not normal.:: Faris simply reflected his own thoughts back to him, helping clarify his own thought process. Occasionally she gave a different spin on events and that helped as well. They had this down to an easy pattern at this point, refined after case after case. She had helped him think through a number of problems over the years and this was another situation that could be covered by their usual patter.
::Right. I figure that the clothes he was wearing are indeed his. The cuts in the clothes matched the cuts on his body perfectly. In addition, based on the dried blood on his clothes and the weapons, those are his as well. So…Valshay is an assassin, based off of the evidence of the clothes and weapons he was found with.:: Gerard was thinking the reasoning through slowly, to make sure that he made no mistakes. If he were wrong, Valshay would be hung for a crime he did not commit. As it was, he may save him from one hanging and sending him to another. Would that really be justice?
::Fine. That makes sense so far, Gerard. But if Valshay is an assassin, what about his admission of guilt sits so wrong?:: Her voice stayed calm, as that helped him keep his thoughts under reign.
::I…I think it is the fact that his admission of guilt and the story he told under the Truth spell seemed almost identical. The stories rarely are, but his was amazingly similar, almost to the same words in many places. Moreover, there was no emotion at all in them, as if he were not connected to the events he was talking about. Usually the emotion comes out under the second stage fairly strongly, as they tell you the why, not just the how. But he was completely unemotional.:: Now that he said it to Faris it made sense. It felt like a good track to follow up on. ::Could I be reading into this and worried about this because I like the boy?::
Faris paused before answering, mulling it over for a while. ::Are you? I don't think so. Is it that you don't think he is guilty or that he is not guilty in this? I think that is more to the point.::
Now it was Gerard's turn to pause and think it through some more. ::I do not think he is guilty of this particular thing. Yet why would this not sit right? He told the truth under the Truth spell. The second stage compels you to talk. The spell cannot be beaten. I have tried to lie under it, to no avail. Every Herald has in learning it. I would think that Valshay had been drugged if it weren't for the fact that the Healer who had treated him for his injuries said he was fine, except for the cuts and bruises on his body.::
::Was it the way he talked then? That is what it sounds like you are saying.:: Faris stated that slowly, working it out herself.
::That's it! He did not sound like he had before. The way he talked and the words he used were wrong. I need to get Darius, and Talion's opinions. Maybe even Kelwyn and Elspeth.:: With some sort of resolution he sat up straighter on Faris's back. That had to be it. The pattern of the boy's speech was certainly at the core of his disquiet in this. The way people talked was fairly set and difficult to change unless one was skilled. Based off of his catching Valshay off guard several times, he had an idea that the way he had heard the boy talk was his actual speech pattern. What he had heard had been closer to how a foreigner talked.
::What about Joelle? She has talked to him more than anyone else. If anyone would be able to tell it would be her.:: Faris headed back towards the palace as he seemed to have reached a conclusion.
Gerard shook his head as he patted her neck fondly. "No dear heart. If he is not guilty I would not want to upset her needlessly. She is upset enough as it is with this whole situation. Besides, he may die anyway. Just not because of this. So I do not think it would be fair to her. Do you?"
Faris shook her head and trotted towards the fence hoping to get Gerard where he needed to be.
*****
Valshay's hopes for success and survival soared when he saw Darius, Talion and Gerard walk into his cell. He had been left on the cot where he had been laid by the guards, as his body still did not respond to his thoughts. Their lips where moving and he could tell they were addressing him. Again, he could hear nothing. He threw himself against the barrier, pounding on the walls of his mental prison viciously, screaming their names until his inner voice was raw again and it hurt. Surely, one of the three would hear him? Right?
The three of them looked at him curiously, as his body just sat there and did nothing while they spoke to him. Talion moved closer to him and looked down at him curiously. Her bright eyes peered deeply into his pale, ice blue. He tried to get through to her with his eyes, blinking as best as he could but there seemed to be no effect. Then suddenly her hand lashed out like a whip and slapped him fiercely. His head barely moved under the shock of the hit, rolling back to where it had been before the strike. Valshay sat there open mouthed, stunned by the action and gaped at her from within the windows of his prison. What was that all about, he thought as they left his cell right afterwards? What were they looking for? Did they find something? The visit seemed to generate more questions than answers. If only he had been able to hear them.
Knowing that he really had no other option available, he turned his thoughts back to ritual and prayer in the hopes that he could find another weak spot in the shell about him. He had gotten his eyesight back. If he could manage to get his body or his voice back he could fix this problem once and for all. He could not stop trying even unto his last breath. This mission was far too important and he needed to make this work.
*****
The three Heralds sat around a table in Gerard's room with the transcripts of the first interview and all the information they had gathered spread over the tabletop. Talion was busy reading the transcripts as she was the only one to whom the information was completely new. The two others waited for her to scan over the papers and catch up with them. She flipped through them fairly quickly, going over a few sections a second time to check something she must have noted. When she set them back on the table, Gerard broke the silence. "Is it just me or is something not right?"
The question hung there in the air between the three of them for a moment before Darius spoke up. "It's not just you Gerard. I can't put my finger on it but that is not the same person who gave us the bridle."
Gerard turned to look at Talion. She nodded grimly. "That is not Valshay. The body seems to be him, but he does not carry himself like before. The muscles just seem to be there. It looks as if he has no training now."
Gerard sighed in relief. "Thank the Gods that you agree with me. I thought it might be just me, that I was imagining it."
"That is okay Gerard. You are usually the one who manages to notice the little things that lead to the truth of so many issues, so we are fairly sure you aren't imagining it. We agree something about this is wrong but we do not know what, correct?" Darius leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table. At their nods, he continued on, "So what do we do now? He is guilty of murder, twice over, verified by Truth spell. That is beyond question, as of right now. He is to be hanged in two days in the Square, as an example of the King's justice. His majesty stated that before you came back with this. It was confirmed in council."
Gerard's breath caught. Surely this was a mistake? "But Darius, I asked you for some more time so I could figure this out?"
Darius stared at Gerard kindly, a weak smile on his lips. "True, but his majesty over rules all of us. They are already building the scaffold. I do not think that this will change because we think something is off with the boy. Come now Gerard, what evidence do we have? You of all people should know that. What evidence do we have, besides our feelings that something is not right?"
"None. The boy's clothes and weapons are almost as much an admission of guilt as his words. There was even more gear of the same nature in his room after they broke down the door the same night. There was even notes on the house he went to in his own hand. There is no proof of anything but his guilt, by the evidence. Just the fact that this does not sit right, which is reason enough for me to question things and to doubt the truth of what we have seen and heard so far." Gerard slumped in his seat despondently. He did not want to leave this situation like this, his questions unresolved. He hated not being able to solve puzzles like this, which was what drove him in his investigations.
Talion shifted in her seat. She seemed upset by this revelation as well. "He said about the same thing, in the same words both times he was questioned. Both times! That fact in and of itself is out of the ordinary and worth us looking at it further. There has to be something we can do to fix this Darius? This whole situation is wrong and you know it as well as we do."
"If there is anything that can be done in this situation, I can't think of it. We have a day and a half to try to figure it out, to get some sort of evidence that will convince the King of what we believe to be true. If we cannot do this, Valshay dies. I can let his majesty know about our concerns and see if that changes anything but I doubt it. He and Duke Lendyl were friends and he really frowns on the murder of peers. Add to that the guards deaths and the fact that he seems like a professional assassin and I think you can understand the reasoning for his majesties decision. Good luck on this Gerard. I think you will need it." Darius stood and headed for the door. Before he walked out, he turned and faced the two of them. "If he is really not guilty of this crime and this is some sort of proof that something can subvert a truth spell, we need to know that as well. And that makes you the boy's only hope."
With Darius gone Gerard turned to look at Talion. His face was desperate, and she could almost hear his mind whirling in his thoughts. She smiled supportively at him and was still doing that when he asked, "Why did you slap him? I haven't been able to figure that one out."
"That? I figured that if he was surprised his training would take over and he would block my hand. Yet he didn't. The slap did not even seem to surprise him. Are you certain the Healer is positive that the boy does not have any drugs in his system? Something that might have him suppressed in some way?"
"The healer said that he was fine. We could have one of them give him another look I suppose. There really is no harm in having them look deeper than the basics in this case. That is the only thing I can think of. Maybe I can go through all of his stuff again as well and see if I can come up with something else. I had it all gathered up and brought here after they searched his room. Maybe there is something in all of his things there that might help?" Gerard sounded like he was out of ideas. That note of desperation sounded out of place in Gerard's normally jovial voice to Talion and it bothered her. She needed to do something to help her beloved before he worried himself sick again.
"Let it rest for now, Gerard. We can return to this tomorrow rested and with clear heads. I will come help you with this after I am done with classes. I figure that you are going to just work on this tomorrow?" She came around the table and pulled him to his feet. She kissed him on the forehead as she did so.
"Yes. When something like this bothers me, I just need to chase after it. Yet another example of the famous Ashkeveron stubbornness, I suppose." He followed her out of the room and down the halls towards the dining room. "You're right, food and rest will help. I just do not like feeling like the pieces to this puzzle are just out of my reach. I hate unanswered questions and this case is full of them."
"Rest beloved. Take a bath as well, you are all tense and you need to be relaxed and clear headed in order to solve this particular puzzle. I'll just take my frustrations out on the students tomorrow. Sword work with the trainees will help with that for me. You, however, need to rest." Talion kept them moving into the room and found a place for them to sit and eat. "Things will keep till tomorrow."
*****
Valshay repeated the ritual over and over, hoping for something to change as it had before. He had not managed to sleep well, as he was too pent up over this and it felt really odd for him to be sleeping trapped in his own mind. He had woken to the walls of his prison gazing down at him mockingly. He felt the beginnings of the pangs of hunger and thirst but there was nothing he could do about that. The food that had been put into to his room only sat there untouched. His body was still where it had been left.
He only stopped the ritual repetition to pray to the Night Lady for some sort of help. He worked to the point of exhaustion and beyond. There did not seem to be any other option available to him so he did what he could and he pushed himself as hard as he could manage. As far as he knew, he was the only hope for the King, his son and Darius. If he could not find some way out of this prison that the Mind Mage from Rethwellan had wrapped about him, then the three of them would die when he did. This was not something he relished. There had to be something he could do and repeating the ritual until he was horse was the only plan he had.
When his ears started working, he was shocked. The difference with having the sound to go along with what he saw was incredible and he was surprised at how many sounds there were when it was supposedly quiet. Now, if he could only get some sort of control of his body, either his hands or his voice or something and things would be good, everything would work out. He returned to his rituals with renewed vigor, the taste of success driving him on. He could do this, he just had to keep trying.
The sound of nearing footsteps pulled him back from his ritual and got him to pay attention to the world outside again. He looked out from his eyes as Gerard and some woman in Greens walked into the room. Gerard moved closer to him and looked him in the eyes again. Val tried screaming, even though it hurt a great deal, as his throat was getting more raw as this went on. Nothing. It was very clear that Gerard still could not hear him. He tried to get through by blinking. Nothing.
"He has been like this since he was brought in Dalan. He acts almost as if he is drugged or something. All he does is just sit there and he never never moves. Could you see if there is anything at all wrong with him?" Valshay was surprised at how happy he was to hear the concern in Gerard's voice. It sounded like Gerard was on the right track, now he hoped that the Healer would be able to figure this out.
The Healer moved up to him and looked him over carefully. Her brown eyes were deep and calm. Her voice was strong as well. "Has he eaten anything? Has he had anything to drink? Anything at all since he came in?"
"No, nothing. The guards say that he just sits there wherever they leave him. He hasn't moved at all since yesterday as far as anyone can tell. That is the same position he was in when I saw him yesterday." Gerard sounded worried. Valshay's hopes leapt at that. Perhaps Gerard was figuring things out. Maybe there was hope for him in completing his mission after all. He hung on every word and action hoping for more hope.
She nodded grimly and looked at Valshay's face. She closed her eyes in concentration. Valshay began to yell and pound on the walls the foreigner placed on him. If she was in a healing trance, she might be able to hear him. After about a quarter of a candlemark, she opened her eyes again. Her eyes were narrowed critically and her lips pursed as she gazed deeply into his eyes as if she could still see something that wasn't visible. "He has gone catatonic basically. His body is operating at its most basic level only. I think he has fled and is hiding some where in his own mind, at least that is the best I can figure. Shock could have had something to do with it as well. I don't think he will be fully coherent any time soon if that's what you were hoping for. A mind healer might be able to make a better guess, but this boy has locked himself in his own mind but good."
"How could he answer questions then?" Gerard seemed confused with her pronouncement. No one had ever been able to get any information out of some one who had gone catatonic before. This had to be a first and that was never a comforting thing in a case as mysterious as this.
"I don't know. That part does not make any sense to me, but then again the mind is tricky. He could answer your questions and not be able to think clearly. I just know he has no drugs in his system, or any injuries other than those cuts and bruises. He would be fine, if he only came out of his head. That is all I can say Herald. For anything more you need a mind healer. They might be able to figure this out more than I can." She shrugged as she finished. "I'll try to get his body to at least have some water; otherwise I am afraid he will die before they hang him."
"Thank you. Thank you very much. That helps some." There was a look of relief on Gerard's face as he thanked the Healer.
The healer nodded and used her power to convince Valshay's body to drink some of the water. Once that was done, she stood and walked from the room, leaving the tall Herald to stare down at Valshay in some bewilderment. He stood there looking at him for quite a while until a guard came and checked on him. "Are you alright milord Herald?"
Gerard waved his hand dismissively, not taking his eyes off Valshay as if something would happen when he would look away. "I am fine corporal. I'll leave now."
With that Gerard turned and headed out, stooping to make it through the doorway. Gerard turned to look at him again as the door to the cell closed and Valshay heard the lock to his cell click heavily into place.
*****
After lunch, Talion found Gerard sitting on the floor of his room going through a box of what must have been Valshay's things. She had never seen him look so frantic in an investigation before. He rifled through the contents searching for anything that could help and she was fairly sure that this wasn't the first time he had gone through these things. She took hold of his shoulder and gave him a short shake. "Gerard. Gerard!"
His head snapped up at the sound of his name and he looked at her. Gerard's eyes looked weary and sad, which troubled her even more. He smiled up at her feebly. "Sorry Tali. I have been through his things three times already and you know what I have found that could help? Nothing. The most he had among his things were notes on the mansion where the murder occurred and where he was caught. You were right about his skill as well. Besides the count, he killed four guards and wounded another as he was trying to run. One of the guards managed to trip him, which is how they caught him. They said it was pure luck. I would have to believe that."
"So I take it you can't solve this puzzle?" Her voice was gentle, filled with understanding and concern. Gerard took puzzles very personally, as if they were physically challenging him. This had to be painful for him, especially since he was trying to prove someone's innocence. That had to be the hardest thing for him to deal with, failing in a task like this. "Sometimes that happens, love. Sometimes despite your best efforts things do not turn out well."
"He's going to die Talion. Valshay is going to die because I can't solve this. I think I have all the pieces together and yet, I just cannot solve this. I can't seem to get them to prove anything except his guilt." His voice was barely over a whisper.
"And every time that damn bell rings, I loose another student or another friend I taught. It happens. You did your best Gerard, but the evidence convicted him. Not you. The evidence." She wrapped her arms about him, hugging him tightly to her. It was the best she could do to ease his tension over this.
She held him snugly for a long while, before he got up and packed away all of Valshay's things. Once that was done, he stood there looking at the various scattered boxes. "You are right. I tried."
She helped him get the things together and stacked neatly in one corner, out of the way. "We'll send these back to his family."
Gerard nodded his head in agreement. "Leave them here. Give me time to get a quick bath and I will join you for dinner. At least he returned the bridle to us, that was a good thing."
"Yes it was. And that is how I want to remember him as well." She hugged him and then let him go as he walked towards the bathing room with defeat pouring off him in waves.
*****
Valshay was more worn-out than he had ever been in his entire life. He had prayed and done the ritual over and over until he could barely think straight. His mind's voice was raw with screaming and he wanted more than anything to simply roll over and give up. However, determination burned through him, giving him a strength he was not aware that he had. Since the time was drawing near for his execution he had to make this work before then and he really didn't have any time to spare.
The door to his cell opened and two guards entered. A third was by the door with a loaded crossbow trained on him and it was clear that the man sort of hoped that Valshay would do something. They placed chains on his hands and feet swiftly and then they yanked him to his feet. A cold awareness filled Val at that point. They were going to hang him, and soon. He prayed again to the Night Lady as they hauled him out and to the cart they would be taking him to the great square in. This was it. He was going to die before he got out of this cage.
The creak of the wheels on the cobblestone filled his ears, along with the sounds of the boots and the creak of leather. No other sounds reached his ears until they neared the square. The murmurings of the crowd got through to his ears before he could see them. The people sounded angry to him and that wasn't very reassuring. They rounded a corner and the cart entered the square. The plaza hushed as he was rolled towards the gallows. There were no jeers or curses thrown at him, which was normal behavior, just an ominous silence.
The guards pulled him down from the cart and helped his body stumble up the stairs to where the noose hung. They stood him up on the drop square and slipped the noose around his neck. He couldn't tell if they pulled the rope tight or not, as his body still was not his own. It stood there outside of his control just like it had been told by the damn Mind Mage.
The square was crowded heavily with people. There were people filling every available nook and cranny to watch the King's Justice being handed down. The faces turned to him were cold and unreadable but he didn't care. Their murmuring started up again. It went on and grew for a bit until the King, standing on a separate platform, waved the people into silence. On his right stood Darius, the Kings Own, and on his left stood his oldest son, the heir. Valshay noted that the three of them made perfect targets standing like that in their immaculate Dress Whites. That platform also had several other people on it to witness this event, including Joelle. Her face was a stony mask that did not really look at him. His heart ached at that and he wished he could talk to her, to let her know the truth. However, first things first. He had to get out of this prison and save the King and the Heir, as well as Darius. He had to.
Gerard was nowhere in sight. That almost stole what little hope he had managed to hold on to. Gerard would be the only one to believe anything he said and would take action. Now he had to ensure he could get his body freed so that he could do something to break free and get close to the King.
Anger at the conspirators burned fiercely along with the determination to complete his Hunt. That rage filled him and gave him new energy. He threw himself against the walls of his prison with all his might, bellowing out his frustration, but they still held against his onslaught. Only part of his mind was focused on the words of the King. The rest of him continued to fight against the barrier that surrounded him.
The King's voice was strong, yet without emotion as he spoke. His voice was loud and reached to the farthest points of the square quite easily. "We are here today to pass King's Judgment on one of Valdemar's nobility. Valshay Danathies, you have been charged with the assassination of Duke Lendyl, Count Delosian and the murder of four of his guardsmen. Herald Darius, has the accused been questioned under truth spell?"
As Herald Darius stepped forward, Val spotted the three crossbow men of the rooftops surrounding the square. They seemed to be measuring the distance and the wind in preparation of their shots from their different vantage points. If they were waiting for him to drop before firing, they would have plenty of time to work that out. They would have clear well measured shots that would be difficult to miss. He redoubled his efforts.
"Yes we have your majesty. Under Truth spell he has confessed to both of these murders, he was also captured at the site of Count Delosian's death. He had assassins gear and there was other evidence in his rooms which proved his guilt."
"Is there any doubt as to the guilt of Valshay Danathies?" The King's voice was grim and his tone resolute. The crowd began to take on the attitude of the king, their anger at the Valshay's actions building, their tone getting sharper.
Valshay began to feel the walls of the mental prison give just a little. He focused himself on the spot of greatest weakness and pounded the wall with everything he had, pulling what strength he had left to accomplish this. He could feel it shuddering under the force of his blows and he knew that he could get through. Time, all he needed was more time.
"No your majesty. There is no doubt as to the guilt of this man." Herald Darius stepped back then, his face also mask like and unreadable.
"Lord Valshay Danathies, you have been found guilty of the murder of two nobles of Valdemar and of the murder of four guards in the employ of Count Delosian. You have been convicted by the evidence and by your admission of guilt under the Truth Spell. You are hereby stripped of your title and condemned to hang by the neck until you are dead."
Something in the tone of the crowd changed, the sound they made now was different. It had gone from angry to confused and disbelieving. There was something going on out there and it was apparently pretty major. He had to ignore it as he struggled harder. He had to break through the wall before they hung him. He had to get out his warning to the King somehow, to save the man who had just ordered his death. He noted quickly that the hired crossbow men were taking aim carefully as the final moment approached. His time was short but he didn't have anything left to give.
"Does the accused have any last words?" King Terion ended his statement coldly glaring at him, almost daring him to speak.
Valshay tried to get his mouth to work, but things were still not obeying his commands. He could finally feel the pain of his body and smell the stink of his unwashed self. The sweat of fear hung in his nostrils and it disturbed him. The wall was finally beginning to yield, cracking heavily, beginning to gap open in spots, yet still firm enough to keep him trapped. He still needed more time to survive and save the King and he only had a few moments left to live. The incredulous tone of the crowd pulled him back from the wall to looking out his eyes.
There, standing directly opposite him, looking up at him on the gallows from the ground was a Companion in full formal tack. She was beautiful, with her mane and tail braided with small silver bells. The clamor of the throng had swallowed up the sound of the bells as she had approached and there had been no way he could have heard them. He looked down at her amazed, stunned by what was in front of his own eyes. Surely, this was some sort of cruel final joke on him. There was no way that something of this nature would be occurring at that moment. His eyes, from within the mental prison that entrapped him, gazed down into her endless blue eyes and he lost himself.
He found himself falling into the depths of their cool blue happily. He didn't know for how long he fell, but the pain that had filled his spirit for the last three days was soothed in the wonder of her eyes. He felt something wrap itself about him like comforting arms and he felt a surge of love flow into him so deep that it almost overwhelmed him. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. There was a care and concern for him that was more magical than anything else he had felt in his life and it left him in awe. It soothed the raw parts of him in a way that nothing ever had before and he felt somehow more complete for that presence.
He could also sense that he was being weighed, judged by some sort of standard he could not fully comprehend. He hoped he would not fail in that, for if he did he knew that love and compassion he felt now would leave him and he would discover what it meant to be truly alone. As he was judged, the love continued to hold him safe. After what felt like an eternity, something changed and the embrace seemed to hold him even tighter.
The voice that he heard in his mind was calm and eased his apprehension. It seemed to ring through out his whole spirit like a welcome balm. These words were a wonder beyond any he could imagine, especially because they were completely unexpected. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever considered this. ::Valshay, I Choose you. My name is Leena and I will never leave you. I Choose you.::
With a terrible roar, the noise of the crowd rushed back into his ears as the walls that held him trapped in his mind shattered outward like glass. He shook his head quickly as his body slumped under its regained sensation of weight and he hurriedly glanced at the crossbow men in their positions about the square. They were getting ready to fire, having chosen to act in the confusion rather than to wait for his hanging. He only had a moment to act in order to fulfill his Hunt. His voice burst out of him as he tried to get himself free of the chains and the noose. He struggled hard, aware that he had to get over there and get them under cover. "NO!!!! Watch out your Majesty."
With a terrific wrench of something inside him that made his mind burn as if seared, Valshay managed somehow to fling himself in front of the King and the heir. He felt the bolts slam into his back and drive him heavily into the two men. He heard the breath get knocked from them both with a whoosh.
Val collapsed onto them, feeling his life slowly bleed out of him from the wounds. Pain coursed along his back as he felt the bolts shift inside of him with his breath. Screams from the crowds filled the air of the great square and chaos reigned, as he tried to get his mouth to work. As blackness rose up in a mighty wave to engulf him, words finally made it out. "I did it, Leena. I saved them. Blessed Night Lady, I saved them."
Merciful darkness enveloped him, shutting out the terrible pain that wracked his body.