The Daylight War

‘You didn’t really poison the Sharum, did you?’ Rojer asked.

Leesha looked at him a moment, then took a deep breath and stood, heading down the hall beside the bar towards her room, Wonda at her heel.

Rojer sighed, taking the full mug of ale before him and throwing it back in three gulps, the cool liquid leaking from the corners of his mouth and down his chin. ‘Best I go face the music.’

Erny looked over at him, using the reproachful look he sometimes used to check his daughter. ‘You’re a fine fiddler, Rojer, but you have a lot to learn about being a husband.’

Gared walked Rojer up to his room, expecting to see Enkido guarding the door, but the eunuch was not in sight, which meant he was inside. Not comforting.

‘Want I should go in with ya?’ Gared asked.

Rojer shook his head. ‘No, that’s all right. You just stand by in case some other fool takes Sim’s suggestion and tries to kidnap Amanvah. I have this.’

Gared nodded. ‘I’ll be out here in the hall. But I hear a commotion, I’ll be through that door in a second.’

An image flashed in Rojer’s mind, the splintering of wood as the rock demon had smashed through the door of his father’s inn, fifteen years past. Rojer had no doubt Gared could break through the heavy wood with similar ease.

He left unvoiced what they both knew. Kaval had taken Gared down like he was a child, and Enkido had done the same to Kaval. Infuriating as the burly Cutter was at times, Rojer had no desire to see him killed in a fight he had no hope of winning. If he couldn’t get out of this without fighting, he wasn’t getting out.

Rojer pretended to adjust his tunic, needing to touch his medallion. Immediately he felt calmer. ‘We all need something for the pains of life,’ Arrick said when Rojer asked why he drank so much wine, ‘and I’m too old for Jongleur’s tales.’ He reached for the door handle.

Inside, Rojer immediately noticed Enkido standing off to one side of the door, arms crossed. As always, the eunuch seemed to take no notice of Rojer.

Amanvah and Sikvah had changed into their coloured silks, which Rojer took as a good sign, but they glowered at him as he entered.

‘You and Leesha are working against us,’ Amanvah said.

‘How?’ Rojer asked. ‘Your father knows we do not bow to him. He offered us a pact, and we are considering it. I made no oath to serve his every interest.’

‘There is a difference between not supporting his interests and opposing them, husband,’ Amanvah said. ‘My father does not know you are telling tales of false Deliverers, or that Mistress Leesha has poisoned his warriors.’

‘Your father knows all about the Painted Man and his connection to the Hollow. We told him as much when he first visited.’ Rojer lowered his eyebrows. ‘And you’re in no position to lecture anyone about poison.’

Amanvah did not let her mask slip, but the pause before her retort was enough to let him know he had struck a nerve.

‘But you tell your people to flee us,’ Amanvah said, ‘though we have no plans to march. You tell them to pack and go to the great oasis city, or come to your Hollow to strengthen your own tribe to stand against us.’

Rojer felt his temper flare again. ‘And how do you know that? Are you spying on me?’

‘The alagai hora tell me much, son of Jessum,’ Amanvah said.

‘Creator, I am so sick of your cryptic answers and your ripping dice!’ Rojer snapped. ‘You put more stock in the bones of demons than you do in people’s lives.’

Amanvah paused again, holding her calm. ‘Perhaps we can’t stop your blasphemy when you return to the Hollow, husband, but there will be no more village stops on the road. And even when we reach the Hollow, Sikvah and I will never sing your infidel song, or suffer it in our presence.’

Rojer shrugged. ‘Never asked you to. But I was in the Battle of Cutter’s Hollow, wife. I lived it and know it for true. I’m not going to pretend those things never happened just because it hurts your father’s case. If he’s really the Deliverer, it doesn’t matter. And if he’s not …’

‘He is,’ Amanvah hissed.

Rojer shrugged and smiled. ‘Then you’ve got nothing to fret over, do you?’

‘My father is the chosen of Everam,’ Amanvah said, ‘but Nie is strong. He can still fail, if his people are not true.’

Again Rojer shrugged. ‘These are not his people, at least not yet. If he wishes them to be, he must earn it. I will fight against the demons when Sharak Ka comes. Who I fight for is yet to be determined.’

Amanvah snorted. ‘You are many things, son of Jessum, but a fighter is not one of them.’

It was an unexpected slap in the face, and Rojer felt his Jongleur’s mask slip. His face showed his true anger as he got to his feet, such that even Amanvah flinched.

‘As your husband, I order you to come with me,’ he said, taking his bow and fiddle and turning to leave the room.

Enkido stepped smoothly to block his way.

Rojer walked right up to him, tilting his head back to look into the eunuch’s dead eyes. ‘Wife, remove your gelding from my path.’

Rojer caught the flash of understanding, though it was gone in an instant. ‘Don’t speak our tongue, my red shorthairs. You big ball-less bastard. You’re getting every word. So either kill me or move aside.’

For the first time, the eunuch began to show emotion – a simmering anger that rivalled the look Kaval had shown when he came for Rojer. But Rojer was past caring, matching the stare with one of his own.

‘Enkido, step aside,’ Amanvah said. The eunuch looked surprised, but he did as commanded immediately. Rojer opened the door and stormed into the hall, making Gared jump.

Amanvah and Sikvah followed after as he strode towards the steps. ‘Just where do you think you are going?’ Amanvah demanded, but he did not bother to reply.

The taproom was mostly empty as they descended the steps, just a small cluster of townies left at the bar. They looked at Rojer in surprise, their eyes widening as they saw the Krasian women in their coloured silks.

‘Husband!’ Sikvah cried. ‘We are not dressed!’

Rojer ignored her, crossing the room and unbarring the front door.

‘Ay, what in the Core are you doing?’ Sim cried, but Rojer ignored him as well, stepping outside.

As in most Thesan towns, the inn was right at the edge of the cobbled town square. There were interconnected warded porchways between many of the buildings on the perimeter to allow folk to gather at the inn after dark, but the main square was too large to ward effectively. The cobbles prevented demons from rising there, but wind demons knew to watch the spot, and would swoop on anything they saw moving. Other demons would occasionally wander into the area from the road.

Outside on the inn porch stood Kaval and two other Sharum, all fully armed and armoured.

‘Out of my way.’ Rojer pushed past them as if their obedience was expected and his due, and the Sharum backed away as he stepped out into the square. Rojer spotted two small wood demons prowling the far end, testing the wards of the buildings, searching for an opening. They froze in place at the commotion, looking like nothing more than a pair of twisted trees.

Rojer heard the warriors gasp as his wives followed him onto the porch, and smiled as they all turned to avert their eyes. His wives were blood of the Deliverer and married. Looking lustfully upon them was asking to have one’s eyes put out.