The Betrayed Read online

  Thimeon ignored the comment. He looked lost in his own recollection. “I set the book down and never finished it. In the urgency of our escape, I had forgotten those words until now, but something caught my attention even in that first page. Do any of you remember? Didn’t the book mention that the king had defeated several Daegmons? How many was it? Three or five? And it mentioned also a Daegmon Lord ruling over them all?”

  “I remember no such thing,” Cane said before any of the others could answer. His face turned red once more. “If there was more than one, we would surely have seen them together by now. Do you try to make us more afraid? Be silent about your ignorance. Let us act on what we do know. Our power has grown many times greater.” He stood a few steps away from Thimeon but didn’t face him. He looked around at the others, who encircled him. His voice grew louder as he spoke.

  “Suppose there was more than one Daegmon years ago. Suppose in the times of the ancient kings there was a whole army of them. But that was long ago. They were defeated, as the book told us. And even if there is more than one now, we will again defeat them. If we have the power to defeat one, we have the power to defeat many. Were they not defeated long ago? Were they not destroyed? Can they live forever? I will not be afraid. I will not run from the battle before us even if I have to fight it alone. Come. Let us go face this one Daegmon—the only one we know—and destroy it so our land can be free once more. And if there are more, we can face them later. Or tell me if you are afraid, and I will go alone.”

  So fierce was Cane’s speech that for a time all were silent. His tone defied somebody to contradict him. To speak at that moment was one of the most difficult things Elynna had ever had to do, but she knew she couldn’t keep silent.

  “Wait,” she said, pressing her hand to her head to control the mounting pressure. “Wait. There is something else you must know. Last night, before the appearance of the tigers—and then again today during the battle—I heard somebody call for help. Like a voice over some great distance.”

  “Who? From where?” several voices asked.

  “It was Cathwain,” Elynna said. The others stared at her now. She avoided their eyes as she continued. “The young woman from Gale Enebe. She said my name. She was calling to me for help.”

  The replies from her companions were immediate.

  “She what?”

  “How do you know?”

  However, Elynna was most aware of Cane’s voice—and not so much because it was the loudest—though it was—but because she cared about it most. He was the member of the company whose approval she craved. “More voices that only some of us hear?” he growled.

  Elynna fell silent. How could she reply? What could she say now that she had not said a hundred times already when they were chasing the Daegmon around the mountain of the Ceadani?

  She was relieved when Tienna finally spoke. “Perhaps the Ceadani girl has another of the gifts. From where did she call to you?”

  Glad for a question she could answer—a question that was not an accusation or an expression of doubt—Elynna replied, “She was still in Gale Enebe. She said her people were under attack by a Daegmon. But it seemed impossible, for all of this was happening while the Daegmon was here with us.”

  Tienna gave a low whistle. “So Thimeon was right. It is impossible. Impossible for one Daegmon. As great as its speed may be, it could not fly that distance in so short a time. There must be at least two.”

  Hearing Tienna voice the argument made the idea of more than one Daegmon seem more plausible to Elynna. Her companions also nodded. Even Cane appeared convinced—and a little shaken. But a moment later he just shrugged. “So if the people of Gale Enebe are in trouble, let us go to them. If that is where the Daegmon is, then we go there and find it and destroy it. After all,” he added, his voice taking on a hint of sarcasm, “if Cathwain can shout loud enough for us to hear her from all the way across Gondisle, her need must be great indeed.”

  “You miss the point,” Thimeon said softly. “What Elynna’s story suggests is that there are at least two Daegmons, and perhaps more. While one attacked us here, another was attacking Gale Enebe.”

  “No, you miss the point,” Cane retorted. He pointed at Thimeon’s nose. Elynna, standing next to Thimeon, could feel his anger. She took a step back as Cane continued. “We have just won a fight. We have proven we can meet a Daegmon in battle and win. I understood what Tienna said. If Elynna really heard Cathwain’s voice, then maybe Tienna is right. Maybe you are right. But why do we choose to flee when we are stronger than ever before? And why do you try to turn our celebration into mourning?”

  Before Thimeon could respond, Aram interjected. He was another of the Anghare—the Northlanders, as many called them. Like all Anghare, it seemed, he was trained in warfare, for the frequent battles among various clans. When there were debates, he had always sided with Cane and Cathros. Elynna had grown tired of his belligerence at times. And yet, like all of the Anghare, he had also proven his skill, bravery, and loyalty more times than she could count.

  “If Elynna heard the voice? That’s a big if. I still don’t understand how on earth somebody standing here could know what is going on in Gale Enebe.”

  “You don’t understand?” Tienna ventured again. “It would seem clear to me that we have discovered another of the gifts.”

  “What do you mean?” Theo asked. “Does Elynna have another power—to hear people from far away?”

  “I was not thinking of Elynna,” Tienna replied. “I was thinking of the girl Cathwain. Could speaking over great distances be one of the gifts? Of putting thoughts in the mind of another?”

  “How is that possible?” Aram asked.

  Tienna looked at him, and to Elynna’s surprise she actually laughed. “Why would such a thing surprise us anymore? Why is it any more surprising than my ability to heal, or Noaem’s to speak with beasts? You ask how it is possible. But I ask whether it is any less possible than any of the gifts. Those of Cane and Cathros and Elynna, or myself or Noab. A year ago I would have disbelieved in all the gifts. Two years ago I would have disbelieved in the Daegmon itself. Now I do not. Elynna is sure of what she heard, and she has not before led us astray.”

  Cane was not placated. “We speak in fear. This is the work of the Daegmon.” He was no longer shouting . His voice was steady and full of conviction. He stared hard at those around him. “We have all seen that part of its power lies in terror, so that we flee and are destroyed rather than turn and fight as we should. The Daegmon works to make us afraid. That is how it divides and destroys us.” He let his words sink in, then continued. “Maybe that worked when we lacked power. But it should work no longer. We have the power to overcome fear.”

  “Was it power or knowledge we lacked?” Thimeon asked. As he spoke, he slipped the chain back over his head and let it rest about his neck. “Yes, our power has grown. We have discovered two more of the gifts in Noab and Noaem, and perhaps a third in Cathwain. We have also gained possession of this talisman. Yet from the beginning it has not been merely power we needed but knowledge also. What has plagued us? Questions without answers. What is it we fight? Why does it attack us? From where do our own gifts come? When we understand these things, perhaps we will be better equipped to use the powers we have.”

  “And in the meanwhile we delay?” Cane asked. “Allow the Daegmon to escape—to continue to attack our people unchallenged? Even if we accept what Elynna tells us, what does it mean? It means the need of our people is greater than ever. But who can argue against this—that our power has increased far beyond what it was?”

  “I do not argue against you,” Thimeon said. “If I were not committed to fighting this evil, then I would long ago have left the company. And if I was afraid—no, I am afraid. But if my fear was to hinder me, it would have hindered me long ago—”

  “Well, I am not afraid,” Cane interrupted.

 
“It would have long ago hindered me,” Thimeon repeated. Elynna noticed the muscles bunching in the back of his neck, but his voice stayed calm. She wondered how he maintained his restraint. “I do not propose we give up. I only argue for caution and wisdom. If we pursue the Daegmon, might we be falling into a trap? What if we go to battle prepared to fight one enemy and find ourselves facing two? Or three? Will we have the strength then? And even if there is only one, what then? We defeated it once before—or so it seemed—and yet it had reappeared within days. We lost many lives in that battle, thinking maybe those lives had at least been spent in victory, only to find victory short-lived. But I want a victory that lasts longer than a day. If more lives are to be lost, let us be sure they are not lost in vain.”

  “Then what do you suggest?” Cathros asked. His voice was much gentler than his brother’s. “I share your concerns, but I think my brother speaks wisdom as well. Every time we delay, more people die. And we know as well, as my brother also reminded us, that fear is the weapon of the enemy. We must not give in to fear. So what do you propose?”

  Thimeon took a deep breath. “I believe that what we seek may be found in Citadel.”

  Several others gasped. At once voices rose in grumbling murmurs. Thimeon ignored them and continued. “Scourge me for the fool I am, for having held such a book in my hand and then letting it go. It may be ten times harder to find it again now that we have left the castle. But if I could retrieve that book, I could see what wisdom it holds. Or maybe there are more like it hidden in those archives—a whole treasure of wisdom, just as it held a treasure of wealth and weapons. Yes, weapons too,” he added, holding up the stone. “Perhaps even other weapons like this.”

  At the mention of weapons, Cane’s eyes brightened for a moment. The other companions were silent. Elynna looked at them. She did not relish the thought of returning to Citadel. But the others had also learned to trust Thimeon. They would go if he led them there. With the exception of the Anghare, Elynna’s companions had demonstrated a much fiercer loyalty to him than to her. Even the Westwashers looked to Thimeon for leadership.

  She turned back toward him, studying the side of his face. If he had not chosen to follow her and brought half of the company with him, the others who came with him never would have followed her on their own. Perhaps it would have been better that way. They followed her only because they followed him. And Thimeon? He followed her because she had the power to sense where their enemy was. Or because he had somehow come to love her. Or maybe both. Her companions followed her because she could bring them where they wanted to go. But she had never really been their leader. She had never wanted to be their leader. She did not want that responsibility.

  She was glad when Cane raised his voice and saved her the burden of making a decision she did not know how to make. “Then go. Return to Citadel. Seek what you want—whatever you think you may find there. If you find something of worth, all the better. But I am not returning to prison. I will continue to fight the Daegmon, wherever it goes. And yes, however many of them there are—whether one or twenty. It destroyed my home. It killed my family. I watched my little sister die in Cathros’s arms while I stood by helplessly. And I will not rest until I am avenged. So if you go, go. But leave the stone with me.”

  Elynna had kept her eyes on Thimeon until those final words, but now she spun toward Cane, shocked at his audacity. Would Thimeon give up the stone? Would the others let him? Did Cane really want it for himself?

  “Yes,” Cane continued, as though aware of Elynna’s thoughts. “I am not ashamed to make my demand. Leave the stone with those who are gifted—with those who are not afraid to use it—and we will fight for Gondisle while you read your books or end up in a deeper dungeon than before.”

  Thimeon and Cane stared at each other. Nobody ventured to speak for several moments. But then Elynna, though Cane’s words surprised her, saw a chance to raise her esteem in his eyes. “Perhaps Cane is right,” she said. Thimeon spun toward her as one betrayed, but she looked away and continued, addressing her words to the others rather than to him. “Certainly the gifted cannot return to Citadel. Koranth senses our power. He would recognize us and find us at once. Then too there were the words of the Daegmon to Thimeon. It said he was weak—less powerful than it remembered him. That he was nothing.”

  “So you heard also?” Thimeon asked, with a piercing glare at Elynna. “I was not alone in understanding its thoughts?”

  Elynna felt a sudden pang of guilt, and with it a stronger instinct to defend herself. “Yes,” she said after a moment. “I heard its voice. I heard it more clearly than ever. I can’t not hear it. Did I even need to tell you? That’s my power. The gift I never asked for. It’s why you all followed me. With each passing day the Daegmon’s thoughts become clearer to me. Perhaps the stone about your neck also increased my understanding. That’s the point, isn’t it? Cane’s power increased many times even with you wearing the stone. What if he were to wear it himself? Wouldn’t that increase his strength even more? Then even two Daegmons might fear to stand against him.”

  Cane remained silent, but he could not hide his grin. Thimeon, too, was quiet. He glanced once at Elynna, then turned away.

  3

  NEWS AND SUPPLIES

  A short time later the company departed. After her revelation that she too had heard the voice of the Daegmon, and that maybe there were more than one of the creatures, Elynna had expected further dispute from her companions—an argument from the Andani most loyal to Thimeon that they should return to Citadel to seek more weapons or more knowledge, or perhaps from the Ceadani urging the group to travel back east toward Gale Enebe to come to the aid of Cathwain and her people. But Thimeon had not responded to Cane or Elynna. And the others had apparently understood the lack of response as acquiescence.

  So they had agreed, at least tacitly. For a day they would continue on the course they had already set before the battle with the Daegmon. This would bring them westward into the heart of the Plains, away from Citadel. For they had no doubt that Captain Golach would continue to pursue them.

  It had become clear during their captivity that King Eughbran was in league with the Daegmons. And thus the captains of Citadel were now their enemies, with Golach chief among them. He was relentless, merciless, and cruel. He had once before spent weeks tracking the company into the wilds of the Ceadani highlands and bringing them captive back to the dungeons of Citadel. They had only barely escaped days earlier with their mad dash under cover of night from Ravenwood and across the open horse lands to the base of the bluffs. And what had it bought them? Two days? Three? Maye four if they were lucky?

  Thus their new goal was twofold: to escape pursuit from Citadel but also to pursue the Daegmon again. The Daegmon they knew about. The one that had recently attacked them. That assumed Elynna could sense where it was. When the battle ended, she had felt its presence—or perhaps its intention—winging away northwestward, toward the high peaks of the Ceadani Mountains. At present she could not. It was too far away. But she did not doubt they would find it. Maybe they wouldn’t even have to pursue it—maybe it would follow them. If not, they would pursue it where she had last sensed it, the same way they had once pursued it across the Ceadani highlands before they had known—or at least guessed—that there was more than one.

  So they were headed now to meet the Plainsman Nahoon, whom Tienna said would await them a short distance to the west with fresh supplies from his people. From there they would veer slightly southwest toward the village of Tanengog on the southern shore of Umgog, the great lake of the Plains. Beth assured them that the folk of Tanengog would be generous in supplying whatever they needed: more food, replacements for their lost gear, and anything else they asked for. Most importantly, her folk would provide passage across the lake. For the new plan, unless some different rumor of the Daegmon’s presence came to them before that, was to head north by boat and then continue by foot th
rough a low notch into Undeani land. If they could not find the creature there, they would turn east and pursue whatever rumor of the Daegmon they could find, perhaps returning all the way to Gale Enebe by a route that did not bring them near the king’s outposts.

  Nonetheless, though the decision had been quick—and though she herself had held her tongue throughout the discussion except to say where she had last sensed their enemy—it still left Elynna with pangs of guilt. What about Cathwain and her people? The village of Gale Enebe that had once offered them healing and hospitality after a brutal battle and the losses of several companions?

  Elynna understood Cane’s reasoning, as callous as it seemed. It would take them days to travel north all the way around Mount Androllin to reach Gale Enebe. By then it might be too late. And while they traveled halfway across Gondisle, the Daegmon—or one of the many Daegmons, if indeed there was more than one—could well be ravaging the peoples of the Plains. The peoples of Tienna and Beth and Marti and Nahoon.

  Perhaps of most importance, heading east through the pass toward Gale Enebe would likely lead them straight into their pursuers like birds flying into a snare. As for Citadel, even Thimeon acknowledged that the gifted could not return there. The king’s counselor Koranth possessed the same sort of power as the Daegmons. He could sense the presence of the gifts. Still, Elynna was glad the decision was not her own. She was glad Cane’s strong voice had carried them.

  Elynna was last to rise and follow Tienna. Her heart felt heavy; so did her legs. She told herself they were doing the right thing. She had spoken the truth, after all. So why did she feel so bad? She stumbled on in the wake of her companions as they disappeared into the tall grasses.

  Tienna led them on a line due west. Despite hauling the wounded Noab on a litter, they made good time throughout the morning and into the noon hour. They had crossed many miles of Plains without any real break, and Elynna was close to swallowing her pride and demanding a rest, when she heard several exclamations from around her. She had to shield her eyes with her hands to see what they were looking at.