“I’ll do it,” he said.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The date for the ritual that would wake Wrath was set for three nights later when, Senen said, the moons would be at their brightest. At first Geth had felt a strange kind of elation. After his decision, everyone who had been in the room with Haruuc was slapping his shoulders and congratulating him. He had felt like… to be honest, he’d felt like a hero.
That elation had worn off like a night at the tavern. He’d awakened the next morning and just lain in bed, staring up at the ceiling of the chamber he’d been escorted to and wondering exactly what he’d gotten himself into. The feeling reminded him of a time during the war when he’d agreed to go with other members of his mercenary company to have a piercing done. Specifically, it reminded him of a moment in the piercing artist’s shop when he’d looked up and seen the artist, needles and rings on a tray, working his way through the line of mercenaries. Too late to back out, too much time for second guessing.
He passed most of the next three days flipping back and forth between elation and second guessing. Plans were being made for the journey in the hope that the Kech Volaar’s ritual would work and that Geth would, through Wrath, be able to sense the way to the rod, but he had little involvement in them. Chetiin, Ekhaas, and Dagii were handling the details. Geth wasn’t sure about Dagii. He was willing to accept Haruuc’s claim that he was the best fighter in his service and Chetiin’s assurances that he was a good man, but the hobgoblin seemed strangely stiff and formal around him.
Midian, on the other hand, seemed to have adopted Geth as his best friend, and the gnome was always close, especially when Senen was around. He was no more obtrusive than Chetiin-though perhaps a little more talkative-and Geth caught him more than once observing everything that was going on around Khaar Mbar’ost with a great deal of interest. He would, of course, be going on the quest for the rod as well. Geth hoped that he and Ekhaas would get along. It seemed that Midian was going out of his way not to antagonize the duur’kala, but that might have been because he was still under Senen’s watchful eye.
The majority of the shifter’s time over the three days, however, was spent keeping up the illusion of his cover as Ashi’s bodyguard. Ashi’s time, meanwhile, was spent trailing Vounn as the lady seneschal settled into her duties as House Deneith’s envoy to the court of Lhesh Haruuc. It seemed to Geth that she attended endless rounds of meetings with warlords-both Daavn of the Marhaan and Tugun of the Pin Galaac among them-and various independent mercenary captains, talking about very little. He might actually have enjoyed it if she’d been talking military operations with the warlords and captains, but if they discussed anything beyond the weather, the lay of the land, and the state of affairs in Khorvaire, it was usually issues of supply and personnel. Geth pitied Aruget, Thuun, and Krakuul. The three hobgoblins who had accompanied them from Sterngate had been assigned by Haruuc to act as Vounn’s personal guards after hearing Tariic and Chetiin’s reports on the attack by the rebellious Gan’duur clan. The three guards were around Vounn constantly. At least Geth had the chance to accompany Ashi on those rare occasions she left Vounn to do something on her own.
Which were unfortunately rare. Vounn kept her close-neither she nor Ashi had forgotten the pledge Ashi had made back in Sigil-star to accompany Geth on whatever task Haruuc set for him. Only Vounn’s stern discipline had kept the two of them from breaking into an argument about it in front of Haruuc that first night. They’d argued about it many times in private, though. Geth’s chamber was close to Vounn’s, and he could hear their shouting. Now that Haruuc had met her, Vounn was ready to send Ashi back to Sentinel Tower as soon as Geth had departed on his quest and there was no need to provide a reason for his presence. Ashi had argued that if she were part of the party setting out on the quest, her presence would continue to disguise Geth’s as he would be the bodyguard to a lady of Deneith riding out explore Darguun. Vounn had pointed out that no one simply “rode out to explore Darguun.” Ashi had said she was going whether Vounn wanted her to or not because there was nothing Vounn could do to stop her.
Geth had put a pillow over his head and tried to sleep.
On the afternoon of the third day, though, he and Ashi did find some time to themselves. Vounn, under the watchful eyes of her three guards, had gone out into Rhukaan Draal to inspect an independent mercenary company and assess whether it was fit to accept into House Deneith’s service-technically something she should have left to Redek at the Gathering Stone, but which Geth suspected she would be doing on a regular basis anyway-and Ashi had been left behind as a kind of punishment. Geth, through Chetiin, had found an empty training yard and brought Ashi out for some sparring. He’d been told not to draw Wrath within Haruuc’s fortress for fear of revealing the weapon to anyone, so he had to make do with a mundane sword. After wielding Wrath, it was like swinging a steel bar, but the challenge felt good.
Ashi, of course, used her grandfather’s honor blade, and the flashing of the bright blade in the sun added punctuation to her complaints about Vounn.
“-to the dressmaker’s!” she said as she lunged at Geth. “Do you know I have fifteen dresses coming in the baggage from Sterngate? She made me bring them all!”
Each word was a slash. Geth blocked them all with his gauntlet. “That does sound like a bit much, but you are supposed to be representing Deneith in a foreign court. You’re supposed to look like a lady.” He whirled to bring his sword around in a backhand circle.
Ashi ducked under the swing. “I don’t want to look like a lady!” She popped up again and planted her foot against his backside, shoving him into a stumble, then following up with chopping blow. Geth got his arm up, and her sword went skidding along the black steel. She sprang away before he could counterattack. “She made me learn about fashion, Geth! I know the difference between Fairhaven sleeves and Sharn shoulders. I can recognize the three main styles of lace from Zilargo. I know that green is popular in Korth this year and that I should never wear yellow.”
Geth got back to his feet and stood crouched, waiting for her next attack. “Why’s that?” he asked.
“It makes me look sallow!” Ashi charged, feinted left, and struck right. He was ready for her and caught her sword between the serrated teeth on the back of his weapon. For a moment the two swords were locked together. Ashi clenched her jaw as she pulled, trying to free her blade. At just the right moment, Geth twisted his sword, releasing hers. She took an involuntary step backward, he hooked her leg with his foot, and a moment later she was glowering at him from the dirt.
“Again!” she spat, standing up.
“Vounn’s going to be back soon,” he said.
“I don’t care. All that matters to her is the honor of Deneith.”
She charged again, and once again Geth locked her sword with his. This time she resisted the urge to pull away and instead pushed toward him. Geth twisted away from her and let her sprawl forward. As she picked herself up for a second time, he stepped back, lowered his sword to take a rest, and asked, “Have you tried not fighting her all the time?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If what Vounn cares about is the honor of Deneith, try finding an argument that agrees with that point of view instead of challenging it.”
Ashi stared at him. “Are you on her side?”
“Boar’s snout, no!” Geth bared his teeth. “I’m trying to find a way to make sure you can come with me.”
The words were spoiled by a loud grumbling from his stomach. Ashi raised an eyebrow. “Hungry?”
“Instead of breakfast this morning, I got a visit from Senen telling me not to eat today. I’m supposed to fast before the ritual tonight.” He gave Ashi a long look. “Think about trying a different argument with Vounn?” he asked.