Taennen had not considered that the intruders might be slaves of the formians. He knew the ant creatures had the ability to control the actions of other creatures. Guk stood passively as the two men discussed the situation. The formians ease and lack of expressive or readable features disturbed Taennen more than he could admit. But his gut still told him that the creatures were not involved in the attack on the citadel.
"It won't matter," Taennen said. "Adeenya will find the bastards, and we'll hunt them to the ground this time."
"Let us hope so, Durir," Jhoqo said. "We're not getting anywhere with these beasts."
"Sir, a moment, please," Taennen said.
"Yes?" Jhoqo said.
"Sir, why didn't I know about the tower? You told Khatib but not me," Taennen said. He felt young and small again, but he needed to hear the answer.
"You didn't need to know," Jhoqo said as though he had been waiting for Taennen to ask the question. "The phrase was shared with me in the mission briefing. I knew that as our only arcanist Khatib would be using the tower, so he needed to know it. No one else had the information, not even the orir," Jhoqo said.
"What about the lost company, sir? Who among them knew the phrase?"
"Their commander, certainly, and their arcanists," Jhoqo said. "I don't know who else. I knew that regiment's commander. He was a good man and wouldn't have revealed the phrase even under duress."
"And their mage?" Taennen asked.
"I don't know," Jhoqo said. "Perhaps that's the answer- the citadel's former wizard was captured and revealed the phrase under torture. Or perhaps he had been on the intruders' side all along."
"That's possible, sir," Taennen said. The answer seemed too easy to Taennen but, as his own father had said, often the easy answer was the right answer.
"It's more than possible. Much as I hate to doubt the fellow, it's the only logical answer," Jhoqo said, turning toward the door. "Come to my office at first light, Durir. We have plans to discuss."
Taennen looked to Guk a few moments after the door closed. "We'll see that removed," he said, pointing to the fecal matter.
"It does not matter," Guk said.
"It does to me. It isn't healthy," Taennen said.
When no response came, Taennen turned for the door. As he grasped the iron handle, his gooseflesh leaped again at the sound of the formians voice behind him.
From her watch position on the southern wall Loraica studied the empty plains that unfolded before her eyes, seeming to roll on endlessly. Even with their patrol time before the mission, Loraica was accustomed to life in the cities of Estagund, and she missed the smells of civilization, even the unpleasant ones. At Neversfall, she could smell only the nearby woods, and the Aerilpar held an odor of rot and decay mixed with the usual clean smells of foliage that she found unsettling, unlike any forest she'd ever experienced.
She scanned the ground below her in the darkness. Twice she believed she might have spotted something before picking out the movement as some sort of prairie rodent scuttling along the ground. When she spotted the creature again, she was tempted to fetch a bow to make a meal of it for the morning, but she decided to let it go about its foraging. It was nocturnal, much like herself, after all, and she honored that kinship.
"Report."
Loraica spun, sword in hand in a flash, to face Jhoqo, who had approached her from behind. She did her best to settle her racing heart and school her face against the shock.
"No report, sir," she said.
Jhoqo nodded and leaned against the outer wall, looking out into the vast night.
"You heard that Orir Jamaluddat returned?" he asked.
Loraica affirmed, sheathing her sword. "I haven't heard the details."
"They say a trap was set for them," he said, jerking his chin toward the forest, "a ring of fire that erupted around them. But they escaped."
"Are they all right? What happened?" Loraica said.
"They're fine. Two of the wall guards earlier did report seeing some smoke from the forest interior," he said.
"So they did not find the invaders?" Loraica asked.
"No," he said.
"If they attacked the citadel simply to set a trap for us in the woods, they are foolish. They lost several men in the fight," she said.
"Whose bodies we can't even examine because they took the damned things," Jhoqo said.
Loraica nodded. "Sir, I beg your pardon if I'm too bold, but what's on your mind?"
He looked up from the floor and smiled. "Very well. I can always count on you to get to the heart of the matter, Terir. I need your help," he said, looking her in the eyes.
"Anything, sir," she said.
He blew out a long breath, leaning against the walls once again, and looked out into the dark plains. "Watch her. Tell me what she does, who she talks to, where she goes."
"Sir…" she started but didn't know how to finish. He was asking her to spy on Adeenya. She couldn't think of anything less becoming a Maquar, let alone an officer.
"I know. I don't like it, either, but I've put a lot of thought into this."
"Tell me," she said.
Jhoqo smiled a little at her boldness and stood straight again. "Wait a moment, Terir. Maybe this is premature. Did you see her during the battle with the intruders?"
Loraica thought back to the fight and shook her head.
"Now a mission that she led to find the invaders failed," he said. "And she was very eager to speak with the formian prisoners. And she took that halfling prisoner with her on her mission." He stepped away from the wall, looking stern. "And she seems too friendly with our durir, doesn't she?"
Loraica could see the thought process on his face and knew his mind was working furiously through a puzzle. "Sir… collusion with the enemies? Leading her troops into a trap? Trying to divide our command?"
Jhoqo patted his hands in the air. "I just don't know what to make of any of it, and I want to be sure of her and her soldiers. Maybe I am being too cautious, but I'd rather be too careful than not careful enough."
Loraica fell silent for a while in the darkness. "Didn't Khatib examine her troops when we first met up? I thought he found them to be acceptable. Did he study her as well?"
Jhoqo shook his head. "It would have been an insult to examine her. Khatib may have secretly checked her out, but he's no longer around to ask," the commander said ruefully.
Loraica considered for a few moments. She didn't know Adeenya and had no reason to trust her, but spying still felt wrong. She looked into Jhoqo's face and thought about how many times his clever thinking had saved her life. Her decision was made.
"Aye, sir. I'll watch her."
Jhoqo smiled, clapping Loraica on the shoulders before turning to leave the wall. She resumed her patrol and spotted the rodent on the plains again. Whom did it trust? Whom did it doubt? Probably no one, she thought and envied the furry creature.
"You will free us," the formian said.
Taennen turned back and faced Guk. His strange, alien face, somewhat obscured in the dimness, was devoid of curiosity or hope. Taennen thought about what to say and decided on the truth. "I don't know."
"You will free us," Guk said, again with no question in his voice.
Of course Taennen would free them. They didn't need to be held any longer. Taennen nodded and began to speak. His mouth opened but no words came out. He could feel his mouth moving, trying to form the word "yes," but something was stopping him. He reached for the cell door to release Guk, his mouth still moving without sound.
His hand stopped shy of the door, his fingers trembling. He couldn't remember why he was going to release the formian. He was sure he was going to do so, but why? He turned and faced Guk, who cocked his head to one side with a twitch of his neck.