The Howling Delve - Jaleigh Johnson [91]
Meisha pulled on a loose end of rope left dangling by the tunnel mouth. A third net unrolled from the shelf of rock above the opening; poison slathered these ropes too. "No," she said. "The power would burn my organs from within if I tried."
"How can you be certain, if you've never experimented?"
"Because my master knew his craft. He trained all of his apprentices the same," she said, "before they were murdered- before my master was driven mad and sealed in a lightless prison to make toys for a man I would trade my soul to slay in the most terrible of ways."
She turned, and Dantane took a step back, disturbed- perhaps for the first time in his life-by the kindling power in the Harper's eyes. They shone red-raw, blistering wounds in a face ravaged by grief.
"Yes, Dantane. I am a fire elementalist," she said. "The best Varan Ivshar ever trained. And I intend to burn down the Shadow Thieves, even if it means suffering the fate I just described."
Behind her, bats flooded the portal room.
"How many are left?" asked Balram, when Aazen enteted the house.
"Four that I know of," said Aazen. "There may be more. My contact said that when Kail departed for the Delve, he left behind the lady of the house and a handful of servants. She should not be mistaken for a helpless chatelaine," he added. "She is a powerful servant of Silvanus."
But Balram didn't appear to be listening. "So Kail Morel has come full circle, back to the kingdom where he almost lost his life." He looked at Aazen. "Now you see what comes from leaving tasks unfinished," he said, as if Aazen were a boy sitting for a lesson. "The thorn has grown into a dagger, pressing at our throats."
"Fotgive me, Fathet," Aazen offered, but there was no passion in the words.
"The past is done," said Balram. "We will deal with what remains of Morel's house and then we will never have to think of him again. Take men down to the Delve," he instructed. "Kill them all." He gripped Aazen's arm when he would have walked away. "I mean all, Aazen. The Delve is due for a thorough scouring."
"What about Vatan?" Aazen asked. "Without his caretakers, he will eventually starve himself, or die of sickness, if his magic fails."
"After you've killed Kali, bring the wizard to the sutface," said Balram. "The portal is no longer secure. We will continue the operation above."
"You can't be serious," Aazen said. "Varan will not allow us to take him from the Delve. His magic is there. Whatever his diseased mind is planning, is there. He needs to stay in the Delve."
"Use the Harper," said Balram. "You said she knew him. Use her to get him to cooperate."
"He is mad," Aazen said deafly, trying to make his fathet see reason, "and the Harper is dead."
Balram's lip curled in a mocking sneer. "You don't believe that any more than I do. They must have switched bodies on us. Why else would Morel be seeking the portal, unless he had been somehow warned of our connection to the Delve? The Harper bitch is alive. The tunnel rats are hiding her, and now they'll pay the price for their betrayal. After you've secured the wizard, kill her and seal the portal. We have no more use for the Delve."
Aazen didn't know what to say. "Is this my death sentence, then?" he asked bluntly. "For betraying you as a boy and allowing Kail to come back to torment us? For that you're sending me into the Hells, hoping I won't return?"
Balram seemed genuinely taken aback, which gave Aazen a strange bit of comfort. "Never, my son," he replied. "I send you because you are the only one I can trust to see this done." He put both hands on Aazen's shoulders, as he'd so often done when Aazen was a child. The gesture had always come across as equal parts comfort and threat. "With the Shadow Thieves at our backs, we need never worry about failure, about weakness, evet again. They are our family now."
Family, Aazen thought, remembering Jubair's words. What exactly did his father mean by likening the Shadow Thieves to blood? Oh yes, Balram had power now, such as he never had before, but they weren't free to act by any stretch of the