Proof read by Danaye - A huge thanks to her!
Chapter 34
"Are you thinking of going against the gods?" Liam asked skeptically.
Numair maintained his calm posture. Being educated at the Carthaki University meant that he had studied the ancient scripts about the major gods, which revealed information regarding the common practice of using mortals as their instruments. He didn't doubt for a second that the gods were about to do something similar to what the scripts had mentioned. In fact, he believed the gods had been doing it for years, starting with the Lioness, but he wasn't about to draw any more attention to his suspicions.
"I'm not going against anyone, Master Rogue. The gods don't allow mortals to do anything other than what they want them to do. That way, they can do as they please without any concern towards the suffering we might experience," Numair went to say more, but a muffled cough broke into his line of thought. He turned towards Raoul, who only lifted his eyebrows.
"You're forgetting a very important person, or three, if my count is correct? You are going against him as we speak," Raoul told him calmly, trying to keep his voice as natural as possible.
Alanna turned, putting her hands on her hips and swaying her body to the side, just like any woman would do if they were about to give an ill-behaving child a firm piece of her mind. "We will tell him when the time is right and not a..." her words came to a stop as Liam began pacing. Suddenly, he came to a stop and rounded on his guest.
With shock clearly displayed in his eyes, Liam spoke, "You haven't told the King any of this?"
Raoul smiled roughly, his eyes glowing with dark look, "Both Jonathan and Thayet are ignorant of the current situation. They do not know that the assassin has been caught and is being kept close."
Alanna waved off his words with a dismissive gesture, "But they will find out once we have him stored away underneath the palace. A cold and moist dungeon can loosen any man's tongue, and we are in deep need of information..."
"And I will be the one who gets it," Numair finished for the Lioness, giving her a serious look. She looked back at him sharply, but Numair knew that in the end it had to be him who went against the assassin. Standing there, inside what was at night a place of pleasures, he could feel a sort of tension in the air. "We can't be sure if he has regained his powers after that blast of his this morning," he reminded Alanna, locking eyes with her.
"Regained his what?" Liam exclaimed, startled over the turn the conversation had taken.
"His powers," Alanna replied calmly, keeping her violet eyes firmly on Numair. "But, Numair, you can't face him alone. You don't know what other tricks he has up his sleeve."
"Nor do you," Numair replied grimly, pulling himself up to his full height. "All of this could have been prevented if Jonathan had only included me in his plans. However this is neither the time nor the place for that discussion. There are other things at stake."
"Such as an unknown woman who is keeping a deep secret — a secret that could possibly be the end of everything we know," Liam muttered, voicing the feeling that his Sight had given him. "And then there's you," Liam said, looking up at Numair and seeing the deep frown that had formed, "you bring a wife with an assassin attached..." He trailed off mid-sentence. It was wrong to accuse a man over something that he didn't have full control over. The gods were more to blame than anyone else.
"I apologize, Master Salmalin," Liam said, shaking his head in order to clear his mind. He rubbed his hands up and down his face, all the while wondering how his uncle could ever survive a life in which the gods pulled all the strings. And why had he, himself, ever thought that nothing would happen around him? Why had he thought that he could live a life of his choosing? Had he chosen this or had someone else made the decision for him? Was he just a mere puppet in all of this?
"Apology accepted," Numair told Liam, nodding at the Rogue who seated himself in the only chair the room held.
Liam buried his head in his hands and, without looking up, he muttered low curses while shaking his head from one side to the other. Abruptly, he looked up at his aunt, "Whose idea was it that I should be a Rogue?"
"George's," Alanna answered slowly, as if unsure where he was going with the conversation.
"So you had nothing to do with it?" Liam asked, keeping his eyes firmly placed on his relative.
The Lioness shook her head, "No, George came to me when you were five years old and told me that he thought you would be perfect to take over the throne when you came of age."
"What about Mira?" Liam questioned and pushed himself out of the chair, "how was she chosen?"
At this point, Raoul leaned towards Numair with concern evident in his tone. "Are they related?" he asked, looking back and forth between Alanna and Liam.
Numair nodded, "Liam is Alanna's nephew and Mira is his wife."
The Commander of the King's Own nodded slowly, "All this makes more sense now, but — how many secrets does she have?"
"A few," Numair replied before he turned his attention back to the conversation.
Alanna sighed low, "George found her wandering around Pirate's Swoop at the age of three. He took her in just as I began your training. When the time was right, we introduced the two of you..."
Liam stood suddenly. "So this has all been a lie?" he questioned angrily. He was about to continue but closed his mouth as Alanna came forward. She placed a hand on his cheek and looked up at him with violet eyes.
"I can't, Liam…" she began, but Liam flinched away from her touch with hurt in his eyes.
"So you can't tell me if George has a wager going on with Kyprioth or not?" Liam spat angrily. At this point, he was acting more like his father, Coram, who had been the one to raise and accompany his aunt during her training for knighthood.
Alanna walked in front of him, pushing herself up on her toes. She spoke in a firm tone, "I can tell you this, nephew. You owe Kyprioth your life." Her voice dropped to a fierce whisper, "Without him, you would not be alive today and this is how you are paying off the debt."
Liam's blood pumped through his veins as this particular information entered his mind and he wobbled back, using the wall to regain his balance. If Kyprioth was involved then there had to be a wager, a trick to complete everything, but what was it? What could be so important that the Trickster himself was playing a part in this — in his life?
"Now," Alanna spoke, cutting off Liam's thoughts, "we need to get a move on before the assassin wakes without us there to stop him."
Liam took a sharp intake of breath. He had completely forgotten about the assassin and the sleep he was being kept in. He had also forgotten that his wife, however secret she was, had gone to the house along with the group of thieves that would replace those who now stood guard.
The Rogue was knocked off balance when a sudden burst of energy ripped though his body and those of his guests. Liam looked at each of his visitors as a feeling of multiple colors erupted inside him, taking his breath away. With dread, he wobbled forth as the ground shook underneath them, trying to get a hold of something or someone. The Commander of the King's Own was the nearest person.
"Are you okay?" Raoul asked as he looked down at the young man.
Liam shook the feeling of dread away and replied in a low voice, looking over at his aunt, "I sent Mira to the house along with the replacements…" He didn't need to continue his words, for the blood was already draining from Alanna's face.
"Oh no," she whispered. She turned abruptly to Numair and then looked out the window, "I must have miscalculated the amount of time he would be sleeping."
"Or he's stronger then we anticipated," Numair mumbled to himself as he walked over to the window and pushed it open. Turning back, he gazed down at a pale Liam. "How far is the house from here?"
"Only a few streets," Liam answered, half in a panic, "I need to get to her." Another loud explosion sounded and he began to run to the door, but Alanna grabbed his shirt.
"Are you mad?" she shouted angrily. "Do you really think that you can fight him, Liam? He's obviously stronger than both Jonathan and I. Let Numair go first, and he'll see to it that Mira is safe."
"But —" Liam protested loudly, but was silenced when he glanced over at the Black Robed Mage. Sighing loudly, he nodded at the man. "Please, keep her from harm."
Numair smiled reassuringly at the Rogue, "You have my word. Now, if you will excuse me, I need some privacy."
Raoul was the first one to move and grabbed Liam, dragging him along. "Come along, lad," Raoul said and opened the door, "you do not wish to see what he is about to do. It will give you nightmares for the rest of your life. Let's go down to the stable and then we'll meet Numair when it's all over."
He followed hesitantly after the huge commander, managing to glance back at his aunt. "Aren't you coming?" Liam questioned, pausing at the door.
Alanna shook her head, "I'll be down in a second. I need to tell Numair something." She turned and looked back at the tanned man, "Something important."
Liam looked at the two people inside the room with concern, lingering at the door. "Fine," he nodded, "I'll see you downstairs."
Kahlan looked around the room as Lenore closed the door behind her. Once inside, she turned to find that the smiling expression on Lenore's face had been replaced with one of concern and seriousness.
She sighed internally. It had been so long since she had last seen the other woman and she had clearly forgotten that Lenore had two different sides to her. She could be the nicest and gentlest person one could ever imagine, but underneath the mask of cheerfulness was a woman who could scold a person from now until the end of time.
As Lenore took up the posture of a concerned mother, Kahlan sighed loudly, letting out the air she had been unknowingly holding within her lungs. "Don't," Kahlan managed to say, but her words were cut short by her friend.
"Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?" Lenore questioned, clearly angrier than Kahlan had thought or expected her to be.
Lifting her chin and locking eyes with Lenore, she smiled back coldly, "Yes, but I was under the impression that Ademia hadn't employed anyone else to this task besides me."
Lenore shook her head, clearly in denial, as she moved forth and began to unbutton the back of Kahlan's dress. "I'm not working under Ademia anymore and as such, I no longer answer to her," she stated calmly, but the way her fingers worked at the buttons told Kahlan that Lenore was still angry about something.
Pulling her loose blonde hair over her left shoulder and tugging her fingers into the tangled mess, Kahlan sighed low. "I know," she whispered and was turned around sharply by Lenore's hands.
The woman looked directly into Kahlan's blue eyes. "Pray tell, why are you present here and not any of the others?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes. Her stare was cold, but overlaid with concern.
Kahlan looked down, "I'm here to deliver a message to the king and to keep an eye on the woman who has been touched by the Goddess." She continued speaking as the dress slowly slid from her shoulders. She kept it in place with her hands, as she was yet without a replacement. "The man who is with them," she said, referring to the companions she had arrived with at the tavern, "is her husband — the Black Robed Mage. Ademia has this crazy idea that the woman he married is the woman who will free us from our prison."
Lenore snorted low as she moved to the cabinet and retrieved a woolen, azure-colored dress. "And you really think that the lass is capable of doing what every cursed woman has wanted to do for centuries?"
Taking the offered dress, Kahlan nodded slowly, "She's the daughter of a god and her brother is the very same assassin your Rogue is keeping under his roof." She looked at Lenore, "Don't you think that there might be the slightest possibility that she could end this damned curse that has been bestowed upon us?"
Lenore shrugged, "Better to live this life, than live in a marriage that is like a prison."
Kahlan snorted, "I'll be better off in a marriage where the father of my unborn child isn't a filthy killer, a rapist and a murderer."
The other woman stopped her movements, frozen by Kahlan's words. "You are pregnant?"
"Don't look so surprised," Kahlan replied, ignoring the startled expression on Lenore's face and lowering the dress down over her head, "there has been other Untouchables that have gotten pregnant before."
She was hoisting up the front of the dress when Lenore shook her head. "No," Lenore said, her voice without any trace of anger.
Kahlan lifted her head and looked into worried blue eyes. Narrowing her own, she spoke, "What do you mean with 'no'?"
Lenore breathed in, sinking down into a chair and locking her hands together. "The Curse doesn't only give us immortality, Kahlan," she said, looking up, "it also prevents us from getting pregnant unless there is affection involved."
Kahlan stuck out her hands in frustration. "I didn't love that man," she almost shouted, but managed to hold it within her. Her fingers grabbed the dress again as it was beginning to slip down off of her shoulder. "I was tricked by someone and accidentally got captured by that tyrant, Sun Tzu. Aura rescued me," she whispered, lowering her face. She missed her sister and it hurt her dearly not having anyone to confide in.
Angrily, she wiped a tear away from her cheek. "I never wanted a child," Kahlan hissed and pointed to where her stomach was discreetly swollen, "and I don't want to be a mother."
"Hush!" Lenore stood from the chair and came over to her, placing her soft hand against the younger woman's cheek. "Don't worry," she said softly, "I'm sure that the Great Mother has her reasons."
Kahlan shook her head, "Well there's the thing - I don't think that she knows about me," she placed her hands against her stomach. Distracted by the slight swell she thought back to the man she had run into when her twin sister and her had begun their journey back to the sanctuary. It had been his fault she had ended up in the hands of her unborn baby's father.
Kahlan didn't take notice of Lenore when the other woman gently removed Kahlan's hands that had turned themselves into fits, "Not everything is planned, Kahlan," she said gently, before she continued softly, "that's why there is something called 'destiny'."
Kahlan snorted, knowing full well what Lenore was referring to. "Then I curse this damned curse or the man who brought this on me."
"The past can't be changed Kahlan. You can only try to affect the future," Lenore responded, turning Kahlan around so she could button up the dress as her fingers moved on their own accord and soon the last button had been buttoned.
Lenore turned Kahlan around, giving her a reassuring smile, "Don't fear the future, Kahlan. Look at me!" Lenore's smile reached her eyes. "I still bear the side affects of being an immortal for forty years, but I have a lovely husband and I'm sure that the Goddess knows what she is doing."
Kahlan nodded and smiled a little, "I hope so." She didn't want to reveal that she had no intention of being around to watch her child grow up. That news would only make Lenore angry and begin to ask questions, and Kahlan would have no possible why to answer them. She only knew somewhere inside her that the best idea would be to find some foster-parents to the child, and she had done so. Smiling more Kahlan felt relaxed, more relaxed then ever before.
Suddenly the silence was interrupted by a commotion outside the door. Loud hasty footsteps ran down the stairs, only to disappear.
"What's going on?" Lenore questioned and went to the door, opening it up and glancing outside. She shook her head as the door was closed again. Turing to back to meet Kahlan's curious gaze, she shook her head. "I can only hope that it's not one of my girls going missing," she explained to Kahlan, who only looked at her with complete shock. Lenore sighed low, "Maybe it's time to tell you why I really left the sanctuary."
"Whatever it is Alanna, couldn't you have chosen another time to tell me?" Numair retorted as he took off his cloak and handed it to his friend.
Alanna shook her head, "No, I couldn't Numair. This may have something to do with the assassin, though I'm not quite sure." She took his cloak and folded it together as Numair seated himself down on the floor.
"Well then," he looked up at her, his head almost reaching the level of her breast, "please hurry it along. It takes time to do this and that's one thing we don't have." Numair maneuvered himself so he sat cross-legged on the floor. It was a tiring task he had to perform, but he had to do it nevertheless. He would never reach his destination in time otherwise — not during midday when the streets were filled with people going back and forth from the market.
Alanna squatted down in front of him, "She has signs, Numair – signs I haven't seen before. Signs I never knew existed. I went through the library and found nothing." She held out a single paper with black ink on it and Numair took it cautiously.
Turning it around, he glanced down with a frown forming on his face. "When you say 'she', I take it that you are referring to my wife?" Numair asked hesitantly.
Alanna nodded, "She has them on her back, underneath her scars. They were visible after the fight in the clearing, when I was trying to heal her…" She shrugged before she continued, "I thought that it was important for you to know this."
Numair grimaced as he hid the paper. He hated secrets and this was yet another one that would someway affect his life. He looked sternly at his friend. "You should have told me earlier," he scolded lightly.
"I should have," Alanna agreed and pushed herself to her feet once more, avoiding his dark eyes. "I'm sorry, Numair. Can you forgive me? I know that our friendship..."
That startled him and he cut off her words. "What is there to forgive, Alanna?" he spoke in a low voice. "You are family to me and family doesn't ever need to seek forgiveness."
Numair reached for her hand and pulled her down to face him, "There's no need to forgive something that is of no significance, Alanna, but you should have known better."
His friend nodded. "I should have," Alanna confessed once more. She paused before she looked down at where her pale hand still lay inside Numair's. "What will you do when you reach him?"
Numair slowly pulled his hand away as he formed a black ball inside the palm instead. Looking down at his own magic, he smiled roughly, "I'll do whatever is necessary."
"Good, but remember, Numair – don't kill him and don't let him kill you either."
"I shall try," Numair replied and looked up, "but if anything happens, Alanna, please see to it that she is taken care of. With or without signs."
Alanna nodded, "Of course, Numair, she's family now."
On that note, Numair allowed his gift to extend over his body and cell by cell he shrank.