The Dragon Revenant - Katharine Kerr [144]
And he’ll be safer there, too, Nevyn thought somewhat grimly—from Jill, that is. When he’d brought Perryn along, he’d forgotten that Jill would be less than pleased to see the man she saw as a deliberate tormentor. While he understood her feelings, he also had no desire to see Perryn beaten to death right in front of him.
Once Salamander returned, he, Jill, Rhodry, and Gwin all crowded into the tiny reception chamber of Nevyn’s suite and sat on the floor while Nevyn paced restlessly back and forth. Although he knew that they were all waiting for him to speak, he found it hard to begin, because they were expecting him to solve every problem while he knew exactly how tangled the situation had become. Finally he decided to begin with the easiest strand of this web to unwind and pointed at Gwin.
“Who are you anyway, lad?”
Licking nervous lips Gwin only looked at Rhodry.
“He was a Hawk, my lord,” Rhodry said. “But he’s my man now, and I’ll vouch for him.”
Nevyn turned to Gwin, caught his glance when the man tried to look away, and switched to the dweomer sight that could bore deep into a soul. For a moment other eyes flickered before his—blue and hard and cold, but at root somehow bewildered—and with the snatch of vision came the sound of a man crying, one who hadn’t mourned in years. Then it faded, leaving him puzzled and Gwin terrified, shrinking back into his corner of the tiny room, trying to speak but only mouthing soundless words.
“I won’t hurt you, lad. If Rhodry says you’ve changed allegiance, then I’ll believe him.”
Gwin swallowed heavily, sighed once, and found his voice.
“I’ll tell you everything I know about the Hawks. I was only a journeyman, not a master, but everything I know, I’ll tell you gladly.”
“Good. Later we’ll have a small private chat, you and I. Oh come now, don’t look so frightened. It’ll be a good bit easier than your initiation was, I’m sure.” Suddenly weary, Nevyn sat down on the edge of the miniature dais. “I can see that I need more information before I can make the hard decisions I have to make. Rhodry lad, let’s start with you. After that stupid Cerrgonney feud wound down, what happened? Why did you head for Cerrmor?”
“I can’t tell you, my lord. I don’t remember. Oh, of course,-you don’t know yet. They took my memory away. I only remember bits and pieces of my life before they brought me to Bardek. A Hawk called Baruma—”
“He’s no Hawk!” Gwin snapped. “A member of the cursed foul Dark Brotherhood, but no Hawk.”
“Well and good, then,” Rhodry went on. “This slime-gut demon’s spawn called Baruma took me prisoner and broke my mind to pieces—as far as I can tell, anyway.”
He said it so calmly that it took some moments for Nevyn to realize the significance of what he’d said. Then he swore, and all the rage he’d felt at the sight of the murdered priests boiled up again, as fresh and hot as the spew of a volcano.
“Oh, have they now?” His voice came out as a burning whisper that made everyone in front of him shrink back. He took a deep breath and made himself speak in a more normal tone of voice. “Oh, did they? Then that tears it. That’s enough. I’ve taken all I’m going to take from these people. I’ll need all of your information before I can plan the attack, but I’ve made my decision. Once you’re all safely on your way to Eldidd, then I’m taking up the archon’s little commission and coming back here to wipe these scum off the face of the earth.”
“Begging your pardon and all, my lord,” Rhodry said, and there was the steel of command in his voice. “But I’m not leaving until I’ve helped you do it. I swore a vow to kill Baruma, and kill him I will, even if I die for it and Aberwyn goes up in flames for the lack of me.”
Nevyn opened his mouth to argue, then hesitated. With a ripple of dweomer-cold he realized that he was going to need help on this self-appointed mission. He also could recognize a waste of time when he saw one coming his way.
“Very well, and I suppose none