The Tower of Bashan (40 page)

Rondel led Mira past the horses toward the carriage door. Even in the dark, she could see the pain contorting the princess’s face from the beating she had taken.

“Your Majesty,” said Lela. “I’m glad you’re alive. I—”

“Shut up,” Mira snapped.

Lela closed her mouth, not arguing. She deserved the woman’s wrath and so much more for betraying her.

Rondel swung the door open. “Hurry and get inside, Your Majesty.”

Mira gasped. “Brahma. You didn’t do anything for him?”

“What? We didn’t even know he was inside. We assumed the carriage was empty because it was unguarded.”

Mira found new strength as she clamored inside to check over the man. He let out a low groan in response to something the princess whispered.

Rondel threw his bag in with the princess and closed the door. “Lela! Quit staring and get us out of here.”

Lela clicked the reins repeatedly, urging the horses forward as Rondel took a spot beside her in the driver’s seat. He steadied himself while drawing his crossbows. He aimed one and let the quarrel fly. It struck a man pursuing Andrasta.

“Hurry up!” he shouted to his partner.

He let another quarrel loose. Lela clicked the reins once more.

* * *

A quarrel zipped past Andrasta’s head. A scream sounded behind her, rising above the other shouts from her pursuers.

“Hurry up!” Rondel shouted.

Yes, because I’m taking my time.

Lela turned the carriage toward the road. Andrasta swore and willed herself faster. The girl was supposed have delayed making the turn so Andrasta wouldn’t have to cover so much distance.

A dagger sailed past her ear.

She caught up to the wagon, jumped, and grabbed the window sill while bringing her feet up to the carriage’s step. A yelp sounded inside. Andrasta peeked in. Mira scowled at her before returning her attention to the old man on the floor.

He looks near death.

Andrasta nearly fell off as the carriage shook violently, teetering on two wheels before righting itself. Wood snapped as it rolled over debris. Thick canvas flew by overhead.

“Sorry!” Lela called.

Andrasta glanced behind her at the remains of a demolished vendor stand. Beladeva’s men slowly gave up their pursuit.

She moved toward the driver’s seat, finding a spot near Rondel.

“Just as planned,” he said with a grin.

“Who’s the old man?”

“Brahma. A powerful leader from one of Bashan’s houses.”

“He looks awful.”

Rondel ducked his head in the front window just as the carriage passed through the gate sectioning off the city from the area around the tower. “Princess. Look in my pack. There’s a small bottle of yellow liquid that will help his pain. Yours as well, I imagine. The salve next to it will start to heal any bruising you both might have. Use them.”

“He needs a physician,” said Mira.

Maybe even a mortician,
Andrasta though, catching a glimpse of his battered face.

“You can call him one when we get to the palace,” Rondel said.

“The palace? You can’t take me there.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know who’s working for Beladeva.”

“About half the staff,” said Lela.

Mira scowled at the girl’s back. “See?”

Andrasta shook her head at the woman’s venom while continually checking for pursuers. “Be mad all you want, but you’re just as much at fault for failing to notice them.”

“Beladeva is dead,” said Rondel.

“Not everyone knows that,” argued Mira. “And I’m sure he has others who would easily step up to succeed him.”

Rondel glanced to Lela. “Is there anyone who could take over for Beladeva?”

“Chand was the only one who could have done so immediately and still kept the respect of the others within the organization. But, Andrasta killed him.”

Too quickly,
Andrasta thought.
I would have preferred to slow things down for him. And Beladeva. But dead is dead and often life does not allow us to do as we would like.

“There you go,” said Rondel, meeting Mira’s stare again. “Once news spreads of Beladeva’s death, the rest within his old organization will be fighting each other for snippets of power. In the process, they’ll end up killing each other. Problem solved.”

“What about Gulzar?”

“Who?”

“He heads another of Bashan’s noble houses,” said Lela. “I didn’t see him in the confusion. He might have gotten away.”

“If he’s still out there, then we can’t go to the palace,” said Mira. “He has money and enough of his own guards that he could probably win Beladeva’s men to his side.”

“What about the watch?” asked Andrasta, surprised she had seen only a few people, mostly homeless, moving about the streets.

“Most of the watch are out of the city thanks to my brother and Gulzar. The rest I’m not sure I can trust.”

“Then where do we go to regroup?” asked Rondel. “We have to act soon before Gulzar does rally Beladeva’s men.”

“My place,” came a weak croak.

Mira turned back inside.

Maybe the old man isn’t gone yet.

“Brahma, don’t concern yourself with this. Rest, please.”

“Go to my place. I have more men there. Many will know who among the watch we can
trust.”

* * *

The ride through Bashan was eerily quiet, broken only by the clopping of hooves and the banging of carriage wheels. That sense of isolation caused Mira to shiver.

Fighting in the streets. Dozens are dead, including the prince. The tower was broken into. I was beaten. And yet Bashan sleeps. Or rather it pretends to sleep. Someone had to have seen, if not heard the commotion tonight. And yet, no one did anything.

That may be Bashan’s biggest problem after all. Few of the people care about it the way they should. The way Father did.

When Brahma and his guards had not returned, his remaining men expected the worst. The gate to his home was shut, barred, and heavily guarded.

Mira had to explain the situation to them personally as none would listen to Rondel or Andrasta. Their loyalty to Brahma was never more evident than when several wept upon learning of his condition. They carried him inside with care, easing Brahma into his bed as a mother would a babe.

“Don’t worry, my lord,” said the captain. “I’ll send my best men out to fetch your sons. I’m sure they’ll want to be here right away.”

Mira gasped with a short intake of breath.
They don’t know.

“What is it, Your Majesty?” asked the captain.

She read the blank look on his face, then glanced to Brahma. Through the swelling and bruises, he looked just as confused as the others.
Gods, he doesn’t know either.

“Something’s happened to them?” croaked Brahma.

She swallowed hard and gave a nod.

“Tell me.”

“Beladeva killed them,” she said, fighting back tears.

Brahma wrapped his hands around the sheets beneath him and twisted. “How?”

“I . . . I don’t know exactly.”

“Then how do you know for certain?” asked the captain.

“He showed them to me.”
Or what was left of them.

Brahma’s leathery skin paled. He closed his eyes and bit his lip. “Captain.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I want you to make Gulzar and every man that has been in Beladeva’s organization pay.”

“It will be done.”

“Wait,” said Mira, gathering herself. “I know you want revenge. I want it too. But we cannot have another bloodbath in the streets. The city will go mad.”

Brahma closed his eyes tighter. “I understand your point, Princess. I simply don’t care. My sons are dead. Bashan can be flooded with blood for all I care.”

“No. We need to do this properly.” She knew that without an army or even a reliable watch at her disposal, she had no means to stop Brahma. She had to reason with him. “Your men can help with the arrests. Then there will be trials—”

“Trials take too long. Too much can happen. No. It must be now.”

“But—”

“No one said you had to kill everyone in the streets,” said Andrasta. The large woman and Rondel had slid into the room unnoticed.

“She’s right,” added Rondel. “In fact, it would be wiser not to face them out in the open. I know everyone here is looking for revenge, but they have the numbers. You would do better to select a location of your choosing to take away their advantage. We could use the carriage as a decoy to lure them in. We can easily set it up so they’d assume we’re transporting the princess back to the palace.”

Brahma opened his eyes. “Captain, obey that man and his partner as you would me.”

“What!” Mira shouted.

“But they are just common thieves,” said the captain.

“If even half of the stories about them are true, there is nothing common about them. Especially in light of where they’ve been tonight.” Brahma paused. “Were you successful?” he asked Rondel with a glance.

“Yes and no.”

“But you made it inside and then escaped?”

“Yes.”

“Something no one else has done. I’ll want to hear that story later. Captain, obey them.”

The captain frowned. “As you say, my lord.”

“Good. Everyone leave me.”

“Brahma, I—” began Mira.

“Everyone, Your Majesty. I would prefer to begin mourning my sons in private. We can discuss how best to punish me for taking the law into my own hands another time.”

Mira started to open her mouth again, but a hand touched her arm.

“Please, Your Majesty,” said the captain.

A part of her wanted to fight harder to be heard, but it was a small part. Deep down she wanted Gulzar and Beladeva’s men to pay just as much as Brahma did. They had wrecked too many lives.

And my city. Perhaps Bashan needs to bleed the poison out before she’ll be ready to heal.

Outside of Brahma’s room, men of his household hustled about the spacious hallways.

Armor clinked, boots clacked, and men shouted. None shouted louder than Andrasta who barked orders like a general on the battlefield. Half of what she said seemed to be repeating the words of her raspy voiced partner.

Mira went to them.

Rondel was in conversation with a messenger. “Do it quickly. Everyone you can. Tell only those on the watch that you trust. Stress that whoever does not stand with us, stands against us and the princess will remember them. Go.”

The messenger took off.

“I never said that,” said Mira.

“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. Sometimes liberties are needed in order to speed things along. It’s the spirit of things that matters most.” He fumbled with his belt, adjusting the sheath of his sword.

“Why are you doing this?”

He looked up. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you helping Brahma? And why did you help me?”

“Because I promised Lela I would help you.”

Mira blinked. “She wanted you to help me?”

“She wanted us to save you actually.”

“I still don’t understand. Why would Lela care what happened to me? She betrayed me to Beladeva. This is partly her fault.”

“She knows that and feels awful.”

“I’m glad she feels something.”

Rondel sighed. “You have every right to be angry about what happened. If it makes you feel better she betrayed us to Beladeva as well.”

“Good. You had a hand in this mess as well with your deception to me and my brother. Did you actually get the jewel? We could use it to—”

“There is no jewel. At least not in the tower. Just an illusion.”

She frowned.
No jewel? So some of this could have been avoided . . .
“But why—”

“A long story, Your Majesty. Look, Lela deserves another chance. Beladeva manipulated her. He used family as leverage to make her do things she would not have done otherwise. That family is dead now. She’s completely on her own and what she wants most to do is try to right some of the wrongs she committed. We forgave her. Perhaps you can too.”

Who does he think he is, giving me a lecture about forgiveness?

Mira wanted to fire back at Rondel, but couldn’t muster enough fight. The truth behind his words stung and sympathy for what Lela had been through softened her heart.

Andrasta interrupted them. “Brahma’s men are ready. One of the messengers has already returned with a half dozen men from the watch.”

“Good,” Rondel said. “That will add some legitimacy to what we’re doing.” He bowed to Mira. “Your Majesty. We need to be on our way. Dawn will be here soon and once the city wakes, what we plan to do will be harder to accomplish.”