Tempt the Devil (The Devil of Ponong series #3) (33 page)

Cuulon made a face then tersely nodded. “Then who murdered
Turyat?”

Kyam couldn’t resist interrupting QuiTai. She had to know
that he had, finally, figured it out. “PhaSun did it.”

QuiTai inclined her head to him. “Very good, Governor,”
she murmured.

“PhaSun? Who is PhaSun?” Major Rheagus asked.

“A worker at the Red Happiness. A stupid, useless,
meaningless sex worker.” Cuulon sagged against the table. “But why? He never
hurt her.”

Kyam paced. “She wanted to frame Inattra for selling black
lotus to Turyat, so that QuiTai would make her the Madam. But Inattra had
already warned everyone in the Red Happiness not to sell any to her.” It was all
coming together. His conviction grew as he talked through it. “So early in the
morning – early by Quarter of Delights standards – she crept
downstairs to meet Turyat. Having been promised a pipe, he was still lingering
on the veranda with that tenacity we’ve all seen in vapor ghouls. After QuiTai
left the brothel to go meet the
Golden
Barracuda
at the harbor, PhaSun told Turyat to wait while she went to buy a
vial. It was possible that word hadn’t gone beyond the brothel and she’d find a
seller. That’s when something went wrong. Maybe he got violent. She struck him
and posed a pipe beside his body, and left a lit spirit lamp on the bar for
good measure, knowing that QuiTai would return from the harbor shortly. Then
the blood began to flow, and she realized she’d hit him too hard. She ran
upstairs to hide in her room. She probably changed quickly out of her sarong
and blouse, which may have had blood spatter on them–”

His eyes narrowed. Blood spatter. Earlier this morning,
QuiTai had to change clothes because of blood spatter too. Where was Colonel
Hurust? Where had all the jellylanterns gone earlier? For that matter, where
had the dungeon guards disappeared to, for all those hours when QuiTai was
locked in the cell? She’d wanted to be brought to the fortress. She’d wanted to
be in the dungeon, where no one would watch her.

Their gazes locked.

He didn’t know exactly how she’d done it, but he knew she’d
made Hurust disappear. That was why she’d come to the fortress. And he knew
that she saw he’d figured it out.

“What? Is that it?” Major Rheagus asked. “Are you
finished?”

He turned to the major and Cuulon, expecting to see a sign
that they suspected something was terribly amiss in the fortress. They didn’t.
They were so many steps behind her that they might never catch up.

He had to get her out of here before they did.

After drawing in a deep breath, Kyam rushed through the
rest. “After PhaSun struck the lethal blow, she went upstairs to hide. Inattra
heard her door slam, woke, dressed, and went downstairs to find the body.
Thinking she could turn it to her advantage, PhaSun raced downstairs, pretended
to see his body for the first time, and then ran out in the street to summon
the militia.”

QuiTai
nodded.

“That’s
it?” Cuulon roared. “My friend died because of a fight between whores?”

“Yes.
Absolutely.” Kyam placed his hand at the small of QuiTai’s back and ushered her
toward the door. They had to leave.

“To show
there are no hard feelings, I’ll see to it that PhaSun is delivered to you,”
QuiTai said.

Kyam
moved her firmly to the door. “She has to live long enough for a trial, so don’t
let Cuulon at her.” He opened the door.

“He died
by accident?” Cuulon shouted even louder. “I’ll kill her. I’ll dig her bowels
out of her belly and burn her eyeballs!”

“For once, exit the stage without delivering your line,”
he growled at her. He’d felt her draw in a breath. He shoved her out of the
chamber before she could say anything.

“But what about… She’s the Devil’s whore! We should keep
her here,” Major Rheagus said.

“Find your Colonel and see what he says.” Before they
could object, Kyam bowed to them then rushed after her.

~ ~ ~

“Wouldn’t want to leave this behind.” QuiTai picked up a
small case and her jacket from the floor of her cell. “I’ve only worn it once,
after all.”

He could tell from her voice that she wasn’t as calm as
she was pretending. She might have defeated the odds again, but she was
terrified of the fortress and didn’t have the energy to hide it much longer.

Kyam strode to her and grabbed her elbow. He spun her
around, yanked her against him, and hugged her hard. “I thought you were dead.
I thought–” His pent-up sob of relief, the one he hadn’t dared release in
front of Cuulon and Major Rheagus when he saw she was alive, welled out of him
as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I went a little mad.”

She buried her face against his chest. “I am sorry,
tamtuk.”

He almost kissed her, but paused. “Did you call me ‘little
fried dumpling’?”

She made a face. “I guess I did. Can we pretend I didn’t?”

“Are you kidding? I’m going to bring it up every chance I
get.”

Kyam felt her smile when he kissed her. She dropped her
jacket and slid her hands up his back. He cupped her head in his hand. How
could he have let so much time slip away? Why had he denied himself this?

He chased her lips as she leaned back. Her hungry kisses
grew more intense until they were forced to part and pant for air.

With a flirtatious smile, she stepped out of his arms. “It
sounds as if the guards are awake. I thought I heard them talking. And we should
save any…” – she pointed from him to herself – “for when we’re…”

“Alone?”

She nodded. “Meet LiHoun at the Jupoli Gorge Bridge in
three hours. He’ll bring you to me.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms again. “Not
sure if I can wait.” He kissed her neck below her ear.

“Eight months, Kyam. What’s a few more hours?” Her fingers
trailed down his lips. “You’re right. Meet LiHoun in two hours.” Her hand
stopped at the top button of his jacket.

“I’ve been an idiot,” he confessed.

“Yes, you have, but I forgive you.”

Kyam grabbed her hand. “I think your line was, ‘No, my
love. You’re brilliant.’”

“You accused Cuulon of murdering Turyat.”

He knew she was teasing him, but he was a little upset. “Hey,
I figured it out. And if I hadn’t come when I had, Cuulon might have changed
his mind and decided to torture you anyway.”

“I had him where I wanted him.”

“You were shackled to that board.”

“A mere technicality–”

Footsteps clattered on the staircase, and they sprang
apart. QuiTai checked her sarong as Kyam fussed with his cuffs.

Nashruu clambered down the steps, followed by Voorus. She
held a strange contraption in her hand, with a fat glass cylinder similar to a
jellylantern set in a metal framework.

“Oh!” Nashruu said. Voorus bumped into her when she stopped
suddenly. “So, we’re not too late?”

“You’re a little too early,” Kyam grumbled.

Nashruu pouted. “And I’d so hoped I’d get to use this.”

QuiTai’s breath caught. “Is that…?” Mesmerized, she crept
closer to Nashruu.

Nashruu proudly held it up. “A sea wasp gun? Yes, it is.
Like it?”

Kyam hadn’t suspected the Thampurians were developing
something like that. They’d taken the bulky tanks from the Ravidian weapons
they’d found on Cay Rhi and made them small enough to fit into a handheld
device. He had no idea how many shots one could get from that small tank, or
how accurate it was, but the potential for such a weapon was horrifying.

“May I hold it?” QuiTai extended both hands.

“Absolutely not.” Nashruu yanked it out of reach. “Unless…”

Kyam saw how tempting it was for QuiTai. After seeing the
fantasies strewn around her office, he knew she itched to tear the sea wasp gun
apart to see how it worked.

“I will not sell my freedom to your Grandfather for that.”
QuiTai dismissed the gun as if it already bored her. “I don’t wish to be an
alarmist, but there’s a major in the torture chamber who would gladly use any
excuse to keep me imprisoned here. Before he thinks one up, I intend to leave.
Excuse me, Captain Voorus.” She went around him to climb the steps.

Nashruu followed her up the stairs. “The sea wasp gun is
part of a bigger offer, Lady QuiTai.”

Kyam didn’t have anything like that to offer her. They had
a deal, though. He had to get her out right now, before Nashruu offered her
something she couldn’t resist.

“I’ll take you back to the Red Happiness,” he said. He
rushed to her side and firmly ushered her up a step.

“Wait, Kyam! Don’t you dare interfere.” Nashruu leveled
the sea wasp gun on him. “This is between Lady QuiTai and me. And she doesn’t
leave this fortress until we have an understanding.” She grinned at QuiTai. “What
do you want? Coins? Land? Power? This gun? I can give you many things.”

“But not what I want,” QuiTai said.

Nashruu gestured toward Kyam. “You can have him.”

Kyam had always known he was disposable, but it stung to
hear his wife say it. She was the new generation of family agents. His time was
over.

“Or, if you prefer, you can have Cuulon. You can torture
him any way you please, with impunity. You can make him suffer, QuiTai. Make
him hurt for everything he’s ever taken from you. Think of it. Revenge without
limits. Our torture specialists in the secret police will advise you on methods
to keep him alive while making him experience more pain.” Eyes gleaming,
Nashruu stepped closer to her. “Think of him suffering like your daughter did
while Petrof ripped apart her flesh. Imagine making him feel that every day and
begging for death that never comes.”

QuiTai
blinked. Kyam wanted to plead with her, but how could he appeal to her better
nature when he planned to use her the same way Nashruu would?

“Your
father, mother, and aunts, avenged. Scream for scream, horror for horror.”
Nashruu’s voice seemed to creep into the back of his mind. It wove a repellent
dream of ugly desires. It made old wounds bleed again.

The tip
of QuiTai’s tongue darted across her bottom lip.

Could she
betray him again? He wouldn’t blame her if she did. From her point of view,
working for his Grandfather and for Thampurian Intelligence was practically the
same thing. He’d only offered her a way out of the fortress, but it was clear
Nashruu could give her the same thing… and more. Oh, so much more. QuiTai
probably wanted this as much as he wanted to leave Levapur.

“I want you to know that my decision isn’t personal. It’s
business,” QuiTai said.

Kyam wasn’t sure whom that was meant for. He had a
terrible feeling he was about to pay for ignoring her all those months. QuiTai
was patient when it came to revenge. She waited until it had the biggest
impact.

Sensing she’d swayed QuiTai, Nashruu went in for the kill.
“Your Jezereet would still be alive if Cuulon hadn’t sent Petrof after her.
Because of Cuulon, Petrof turned her into a vapor ghoul. Don’t you want to make
him pay for all the pain he put you through?”

Kyam’s
heart sank. He was trapped here, and he’d never get to leave. It was over.

QuiTai
drew in a breath. Her lips parted.

Nashruu
was radiant in her triumph.

QuiTai’s
expression hardened. “No one gives me revenge. I take it.”

Nashruu pushed onto the stair beside Kyam. She gripped
QuiTai’s arm. “Grandfather is prepared to be generous. You only need ask. Do
you want books for your school? Immunity from prosecution for your crimes?”

That was a better offer. She’d be a fool not to take it.
If only he had more to bargain with… but it was too late now.

QuiTai looked over Nashruu’s head to meet his gaze. He
pleaded with his eyes. If only he could beg on his knees.

“I’m tired. Let’s speak at another time, Ma’am Zul.”

Kyam sagged against the stone wall. He closed his eyes,
gulped in a breath, and opened them again. Was that yes or no?

“You won’t like Grandfather when he’s angry, Lady QuiTai.
His private soldiers could return to Levapur. The assembly law is only the
beginning. Your people could be pushed to the brink. Children might get hurt,”
Nashruu said.

QuiTai smoothed her sarong. Her palms pressed together at
her waist.

Kyam took a step back. So did Voorus.

Her face was a mask, but Kyam saw rage in QuiTai’s eyes.
Her voice had never been this quiet before. “You know as well as I that the
problem with a threat like that is that you’d better be willing to see it
through. One of the guards upstairs told me that you’ve sent the secret police
in Thampur after his family, and that of Colonel Hurust’s secretary, for
failing to obey you. While I commend you for taking the necessary steps, are
you prepared to live with the slaughter?”

Nashruu lifted her chin.

“I see. So go ahead. Pass your vile laws and make my
people miserable just to show you can. Incite them to rebel. Let the blood run
in the streets.” QuiTai’s upper lip curled as she drew inches from Nashruu’s
face. “I dare you.”

The scented
smoke
of grilled evening meals faded as Kyam climbed the twisting road
through Levapur. The onshore breeze brought welcome coolness to the sunset
hour. It was a peaceful end to the day, a time best spent on a veranda
gossiping with neighbors; but he was on his way to meet LiHoun at the Jupoli
Gorge Bridge. He couldn’t remember ever coming this far upslope. The road
narrowed at the edge of a cliff beyond the last dilapidated apartment building
and then dissolved into jungle. This, then, was where Levapur ended.

With his hands on his hips, he gulped deep breaths. Up
here, it was clear how hilly the town was. Even the flat land sloped from the
mountainsides down to the sea cliffs.