Neversfall

Chapter Twenty-four

The torchlight shimmered off the curved tunnel walls like sunlight on water. The drumming of running feet announced the arrival of the intruders. Taennen rushed toward the cavern where he had found the crates of weapons. He hoped his squad would not get trapped in the confining tunnels before engaging the enemy. As he rounded the final bend in the corridor, his hope was dashed. Twenty paces from the entrance to the cavern, the tunnel walls still hemming them in, two dwarves were running toward him.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, their bulk occupying the width of the corridor with little room to spare. The taller one readied his halberd while the other drew up his shield and axe. Behind them, half a dozen more dwarf and human mercenaries gathered.

The eyes of the dwarf pair went wide when Taennen did not slow his charge, even though the men behind him had stopped. Five steps away, Taennen shouted for his troops to fight hard and punch through the defensive pair quickly. Three steps away, the muscles in his legs, hips, and back tensed before releasing and sending him into a dive through midair. He sailed over the dwarves' weapons and tucked himself into a roll as he landed. He found his feet quickly, groaning from the impact, but he did not look back.

Taennen swiped at another of the dwarves in the cavern even as the clash of metal on metal began ringing behind him as his troops engaged the duo in the tunnel. His target ducked the blow, tripping in surprise. Taennen disregarded him and rushed at one of the Chondathans. The foreigner was ready for Taennen's charge and sent a racing thrust toward him. Taennen turned the blade aside with a snap of his shield and sent his own weapon toward the man's shoulder. The Chondathan parried the blow but too late saw it for the feint it was. Taennen planted a foot in his chest and kicked out. The darkblade stumbled backward, his arms flailing. He had no chance of defending himself as Taennen sprang into him with two cuts that severed his throat.

By the time his troops had felled the taller dwarf behind him, Taennen had killed two men, harried a dwarf to distraction, and started a fight with another. The dwarf, wearing a gleaming suit of armor ornamented with a holy symbol, slammed his hammer into the ground where Taennen had stood a moment before and cried out in rage at the miss. Trying to end the fight quickly, Taennen risked exposing his side, leaning in for a quick slice across the dwarf s throat. The warrior's gorget saved him as the khopesh glanced off the steel.

Taennen paid for his boldness as he felt at least two ribs give way under the impact of the hammer's head. The Maquar leaped back to catch the breath that had been stolen. The dwarf gave him no respite and charged with a battle cry. Taennen sidestepped the dwarf's trajectory only to stumble into another human darkblade who had been trying to work his way into the fray. The Chondathan tripped in the collision, but Taennen kept his feet and delivered a hard kick to the man's jaw before readying himself for another charge from the dwarf paladin.

The dwarf stepped around the prone darkblade and into Taennen's reach. As the warrior drew his hammer back, Taennen fell forward, aiming his shoulder at the ground. The heavy bludgeon sailed over him as Taennen lashed out, his khopesh digging into the dwarf s face. Taennen hit the ground and rolled to his feet in time to dodge another blow. The gash in the dwarf s face bled, a river of red on his ruddy face, but if it slowed or pained him much, he did not show it.

Taennen feinted again, and the dwarf obliged with a thrust of his hammer. Taennen easily avoided the blow and sent his blade across the forearm of the dwarfs weapon hand. His enemy roared in pain, clasping the wounded wrist with his other hand. Taennen did not hesitate, and in two strokes the dwarf fell to the ground, his face unrecognizable through the blood and exposed bone.

Two of Taennen's soldiers were down-one dead, the other screaming in pain as blood pumped from his stomach. All of the former captives were alive and faring well against their opponents. They worked together, covering one another with dedication. The shorter dwarf with the axe had been dispatched, and Taennen's troops now engaged other opponents in the cavern.

"Finish them and join our brothers above when you can!" Taennen shouted.

Three soldiers fell in behind him as he ran to where the Chondathan captured by the formians had said he would find an entrance to the citadel. Taennen spied a ladder carved into the stone wall. He raced up the rungs and shoved himself through a trap door to find himself standing in one of the outlying buildings in the courtyard of Neversfall. Without waiting for the men accompanying him, Taennen ran out the door and into the open space of the citadel beyond.

Adeenya shoved the corpse of her first opponent off her sword and twisted her body just in time to deflect the attack of another. The Chondathan held her block and tried to slip his second sword into her abdomen. She skirted out of his reach and stabbed toward him. He parried the blow with one weapon while slicing low at her legs with the other.

The sounds of battle erupted all around as her troops engaged the Chondathans. Her burnt flesh ached for relief, and pain cried out against the constant motion flexing and stretching the skin painfully. Suddenly her opponent dropped, a shortsword in his back. Corbrinn nodded at her and leaped to his next quarry after plucking his sword from the man.

Her next opponent landed a painful thrust on her hip. She stifled a cry and twisted to remove the blade from her body. As she spun, she saw that only seven of her troops had breached the gate, the rest likely dead or severely injured by the magic of the tower. Much of her force was gone, and those who remained were utterly surrounded by the enemy, outnumbered at least four to one. Adeenya growled as her opponent sliced her upper arm with another strike. She returned the attack blow for blow, giving better than she got, but her troops were not faring as well.

Adeenya fought on, convinced the battle was lost, hoping only to soften the enemy for Taennen's invasion from below. She hoped he was having better luck, but she pushed the thought away as she finished off her opponent with a vicious stroke across his chest.

She faced off against two more before the previous one had even settled on the ground. Adeenya's arms were made of stone, her muscles fatigued from exertion and blood loss. She felt faint and questioned her eyes when both of her opponents were suddenly yanked backward away from her.

The big formian, Guk, appeared out of nowhere, sending four of the larger formians into the fighting. Two of them ripped and clawed at the Chondathans she had been fighting, the humans already bleeding from fresh wounds. Guk disappeared, leaving his soldiers behind to fight. Where he had gone, Adeenya did not know, nor did she care. The possibility of surviving until Taennen's forces arrived to meet them in the middle of the battle suddenly seemed real.

Adeenya stumbled forward, strength returning to her limbs as though her newly regained hope was healing her. She stayed on the fringe of the formians, stabbing their opponents where she found openings. The Chondathan body count quickly rose, and the foreign mercenaries came together, tightening their formation to protect themselves.

Guk appeared again, the last two formians beside him. They leapt into the battle alongside their leader. Guk picked up a long axe from the nearby corpse of a fallen Chondathan and drove the weapon into an enemy. The big formian edged around the fighting, picking his attacks carefully.

Adeenya swore aloud when half a dozen more Chondathans came sprinting across the courtyard to join their pressed comrades. Her curse was followed quickly by a shout of elation as Taennen came into view, ahead of the new Chondathan force. Behind him were some of his soldiers. Instead of following him, they turned to face the threat of the oncoming Chondathans, thus segmenting the courtyard into two battles. Adeenya thrilled to see Taennen again, but she kept her focus on the fight before her. She became concerned when Taennen stopped, still some distance away.

Adeenya's forces had been badly reduced, but she was alive. Guk's warriors were handling the Chondathans well, rendering the darkblades unconscious when possible instead of killing them. Dead slaves made poor slaves, after all.

Taennen's legs burned with fatigue, but the battle raged and nothing would stop him. Nothing-except the voice he heard from behind him. Taennen turned at the sound, two words uttered in a booming voice that carried over the din of clashing steel between them.

"My son," Jhoqo said, standing on the far side of the skirmish.

Taennen glanced over his shoulder at Adeenya before facing the man who had raised him. He sprinted in that direction, a snarl on his face. Jhoqo walked toward Taennen, his steps even and steady. The Maquar urir parted the combatants before him like herd animals, pushing through them with no regard for their quibbling or their blades. His gaze never left Taennen just as Taennen's never left him. Jhoqo stopped, standing his ground on the near side of the engagement.

Taennen charged at him, recalling the tactics Jhoqo had taught him to guess his opponent's defense and determine how to penetrate it for a quick kill. If he did not kill the man quickly, he would lose the battle. The image of Jhoqo's blood spilling onto the brown, dry earth in the early morning haze of rising heat and cresting sun came into his mind. He felt no thrill at the notion, but neither did it disgust him as it once would have. It was necessary to ensure what Taennen believed in-a duty to himself and the others.

The first strike of his khopesh rang off Jhoqo's armor with a metallic screech, but for the first time Taennen heard only his own voice in his mind with no interference from his father, Jhoqo, Loraica or even Adeenya.

Jhoqo spread his arms out wide and stepped back from Taennen. "Please, don't do this. You have to know that I love you. You are my son," the urir said. "I do what's best for you."

"Like you loved the men and women who have fallen here? Like you did what was best for Loraica? You killed her, didn't you?" Taennen asked.

Jhoqo frowned. "No, of course not. She was my daughter."

Taennen stepped back, wary of the man's blade. "Your love cost Loraica her life." Jhoqo said nothing. "Who killed her? Whose blade?" "Marlke. Marlke did it."

"Then at least Loraica is avenged," Taennen said. "And your Bascou is dead."

"I wish I could have seen you fight him. I've no doubt I would have been heartbright of your prowess," Jhoqo said.

Taennen roared and charged the man, lashing out with his weapon, again to no avail. Jhoqo stepped to the side but did not return the attack.

"I love you. You are my son."

Taennen kept his weapon ready but nodded and said, "I do not doubt that you do, and I am grateful for the man you helped me become. The man who misses his murdered friend. The man who knows that what you've done is wrong."

Jhoqo cocked his head to the side and asked, "Then you intend to kill me yourself? Would Loraica want that?"

"I do not wish your death, but I understand its necessity now," Taennen said.

A Chondathan man harried by two Maquar stumbled between Taennen and Jhoqo as they spoke. In a flash of brilliant green light, one of the Maquar turned to ash, his sword dropping to the ground with a rattle. The tower glowed and pulsed with the power that it poured down upon its enemies.

Jhoqo's eyes narrowed, ignorant of the interruption. "Tell me why it must be that way."

"Tell me why your former friends and soldiers are dying right now! Tell me why that cursed tower is slaughtering them!" Taennen said.

"It shouldn't be happening this way. They shouldn't be dying. But you have given me no choice, so I ask you the same question," Jhoqo said.

Taennen scowled and said, "We've been dying since we came here!"

Jhoqo nodded. "A few deaths, to bring the rest together. Unity has always been my goal," he said

"More than a few died!" Taennen said.

"It became clear to me that I could not sway as many of you as I had hoped. When Bascou's men came, I saw in the faces of our own soldiers that they would never see the light and truth. I knew then that more had to be done," Jhoqo said. "Fear inspires where loyalty cannot. Things needed to escalate."

"Escalate? Listen to yourselfl You sound so… practical about it all," Taennen said.

"It is for the glory and benefit of Estagund that I do what I do now! I had hoped you would understand too."

"So you shut me out of your plans? You kept me in the dark to your true motivations? You killed my best friend? A soldier whom you loved?" Taennen asked. "That does not sound hopeful to me. But now that I see your plan, I owe you thanks. Before we came here, I probably would have followed you blindly down whatever path you chose. But now I can see your depravity and save myself from your fate."

Jhoqo stiffened his posture and said, "You must choose your way as everyone must. The South does not seek unseeing dolts and, as its defender, neither do I. We abound in mindless followers as it is. I wanted you to choose. I wanted to tell you everything. I wanted your help in righting the wrongs. But you are making the wrong choice."

"Then you've not presented me with one at all," Taennen said as he began to circle his opponent.

Jhoqo answered the maneuver by moving as well, his head hanging low. "No. You still have a choice and have had all along."

"Did you give Loraica a choice?" Taennen asked.

"You see the injustices every day, but you choose to do nothing! I am a freedom fighter. I see the inequities and work to right them," Jhoqo said, ignoring the question.

"Freedom fighter? Fighting for the wealthy merchants who pay you to make them more coin illegally?" Taennen said. "For the chakas who can't see past their own purses?"

"For everyone!" Jhoqo shouted. "For everyone, son. Philosophies are murky, messy things, impossible to interpret, but the Adama is very clear on one thing: All is one. Everything is connected. You believe that, I know you do."

Taennen did not respond but lowered his khopesh, even as the screams of dying soldiers rolled in waves through the courtyard. More scorching rays from the tower rained down.

"That's all I'm fighting for. If our people are allowed to trade with Mulhorand, then they make more coin. They spend that coin at home where more of our people benefit from that spending. It comes full circle, elevating the wealth of the lesser merchants as they sell to the wealthier, thereby spreading the wealth. All around it, our people will be better for it," Jhoqo said.

"Until they are crushed by the Mulhorandi's endless war," Taennen replied. He lifted his khopesh and advanced. "When you became a Maquar you swore to uphold the rajah's laws. What about those? You're breaking a law."

Jhoqo retreated a little way."An unjust law. A law that limits the freedoms of our people, a law that benefits no one other than those countries who are selling Mulhorand their goods without competition from us!" Jhoqo said.

"Sell to them. Sell them the shirt off your back, but not weapons with which they will spill more innocent blood," Taennen said.

"For a man leading a rebellion against his commanding officer, you are clinging strongly to laws," Jhoqo said.

Taennen paused a moment before responding, "I don't care about the law anymore. I care about what's right. Profiting from blood and war is wrong. Stopping you from making that happen is right."

"War is business, and it will happen with or without us. We should benefit from it!" Jhoqo said.

"You see benefit for our people measured by the coin in their pockets. I see the benefit of a clear conscience, a clean spirit, and bloodless hands, the benefit of other countries expanding their trade with us because of our morals and beliefs, the benefit of trusting our leaders."

Jhoqo's face twisted, and he lunged forward. Taennen avoided his blade and stumbled back. He gained his feet in time to block another attack with his shield. His slash at Jhoqo's lower arm was likewise thwarted.

Taennen moved faster than he had ever moved before, but it was not enough. Jhoqo's blade sank into a gap in his armor near the bottom of his stomach. Taennen hopped back from the man's reach but ignored the wound.

"This place, this citadel, represents everything the South should be. It is strong, promotes community, and offers opportunity for both trade and security," Jhoqo said.

"It was built on laws and trust and charged with maintaining them both. It does all those things you said, but it does them openly, not in the dark, behind closed doors, and not by the murder of innocents," Taennen said.

The noise of battle around them was dwindling. The Maquar, Durpari, and formians outnumbered the Chondathans, and the two separate clashes had become one as the Chondathans converged near the front gate. They formed a tight defensive circle and held their enemies at bay. The dazzling lights from the tower stopped, and a cry of the mage manning the post was heard below as the man fell to his death in the courtyard.

"The tower is ours," Taennen said.

Jhoqo growled and ran for Neversfall. Taennen's eyes locked with Adeenya's as she was finishing off an opponent. His eyes lingered a moment before he turned and gave chase to Jhoqo. He followed the man through the door and up the stairs, both of them leaping several steps at a time. His body ached and his muscles quivered with fatigue.

Taennen closed the gap between them to only a few steps as they were halfway up the staircase. He reached out with his curved khopesh, entangling Jhoqo's ankle. The older man fell forward, his face slamming into the edge of a step. Jhoqo rolled over quickly, his sword held aloft in defense. Taennen winced to see his mentor's face covered in blood, his nose askew. His stomach did not ache with remorse, but his heart filled with pity.

"Kill me, then," Jhoqo said, blood dribbling from his mouth when he spoke.

"Not unless I must,"Taennen shook his head.

Jhoqo smirked. "You speak of what is right, yet you're simply a coward, too afraid to do the right thing. Too afraid to see our homeland attain the glory that is its right. Like everyone else, you're not troubled by your conscience, you're scared. That's why the others had to die, that's why I sacrificed them on those patrols. They would not allow the future of the South to emerge from destiny. I thought better of you, but I was wrong. The right thing isn't always easy, son. I tried to teach you that. I can see I failed." He swung the falchion at Taennen's ankles, only to be blocked once more. Taennen shoved the blade away, breaking Jhoqo's grip. The falchion clattered down the steps.

Taennen stared at the man for a long moment before driving forward, his blade sinking into Jhoqo's gut. He twisted the weapon, eliciting a groan from the man. "You did not fail. I learned the lesson well." chapter Tuueotv-fiue

Adeenya limped toward Taennen as he emerged from the tower. Strips of cloth applied by one of her men stemmed the blood flowing from several wounds. The sword in her hand was dull, covered in gore that hid its sheen. She motioned toward the tower but did not ask the question.

Taennen nodded and scanned the courtyard. The fight was over. Weapons, shields, and armor littered the ground. Many Chondathans were dead, their bodies scattered across the stained courtyard. Those who had surrendered or been knocked out were being corralled by the formians at the front gate. The monstrous prisoners, goblins and others, were also dragged from the prison building and lined up at the gate in chains. Many of them screeched in protest but were quickly quieted by the formians.

"How many of ours did we lose?" Taennen asked.

Adeenya grimaced and said, "More than half. There are barely a dozen of us left now."

Taennen nodded and stared at the rain-laden clouds, wishing they would drop their burden on his face to cool and soothe him.

"Why did he do it?" Adeenya asked, staring at the sky.

"For the good of the South," Taennen said. "He felt he had to."

Adeenya dropped her eyes to face him but said nothing.

"What now?" she asked. When Taennen did not answer, she continued, nodding toward Guk. "They can take us easily now."

"They could," Taennen said.

"So we win the citadel just to become worker slaves?" she asked.

"No," Taennen said.

"So they'll leave, having helped us out of kindness?" she said, incredulity obvious in her tone.

"No. They received their compensation," he said, pointing to the shackled monsters and unconscious Chondathans the formians were dragging away.

Adeenya's face wrinkled before her eyes went wide. "No! You didn't…"

Taennen said nothing, only stared at Guk, who returned the gaze. Adeenya looked away.

"We needed them," Taennen said, not looking at her.

"You're a slaver. You realize that, don't you?" she said.

"We needed their help. Without the formians, we'd be dead by now and Jhoqo-" Taennen swallowed. "The Mulhorandi would have their goods."

"Giving those men to him makes you no better than a slave trader."

Taennen nodded. "Maybe that's true… I don't think I know what a crime is anymore. Is it worse to cheat, or to kill? And who decides that?"

"The laws decide," Adeenya said.

"They follow laws too," he said, pointing to the formians. "Their laws are just different from ours…"

"They're wrong," she said. "Not to them," he replied.

"Laws can't be subjective like that," Adeenya said. "Their meaning, their purpose, must be agreed upon for them to work."

Taennen shrugged. "And when does that happen?"

Adeenya did not respond but furrowed her brow.

"So everybody should just break the laws they don't agree with, like Jhoqo did?" she said after a few moments.

"No," he said. "But they should have the courage to stand against the ones they feel are wrong."

"I don't see the difference," she said.

Several breaths passed in silence. Then Guk approached them, stopping a few steps away. He seemed no worse for the battle, showing no injuries at all.

"You'll leave now?" Taennen asked.

"My other people will come soon to help us move the new workers," Guk said.

"And then?" Taennen asked.

"We will gather our strength," Guk said. "Some workers will stay. Others will join the main hive. More from there will come here."

"And then you'll come back for more workers," Taennen said.

"Yes," Guk said.

"Until then," the Maquar said. The formians honesty, while brutal in impact and intent, was refreshing to Taennen. He'd had his fill of deception.

"Yes," Guk said, before turning back to his followers.

"They'll come back and take anyone in the citadel, won't they?" she asked.

"They'll come back for everyone in the South, eventually," Taennen said.

Adeenya failed to breathe for a moment before nodding, her eyes finding Taennen's.

"We could try to kill them now, stop them," she said.

Taennen's mouth formed a tiny, tight grin. "With what army? They would slaughter us with little effort," he said.

Adeenya nodded. "So we just let them go?"

"Yes. They were out there before. Nothing's really changed," he said. "Besides, they kept their word, and now I'll keep mine."

Adeenya frowned but said nothing.

"Both the men I've called father in my life taught me the importance of keeping my word. They couldn't have both been wrong," he said.

"They were both criminals, Taennen," Adeenya said.

Taennen agreed and said, "One broke laws he thought unjust for what he believed was the good of everyone. He, at least, died trying to do what he believed in. The other broke laws he did believe in to feed himself and his child. He lost his freedom, betrayed by someone he loved."

Adeenya raised an eyebrow. "The Taennen I met when all of this started wouldn't have condoned either crime," she said.

"He's in that tower if you want to go ask him," Taennen said, turning to face Neversfall. He craned his neck to take in the full height of the structure and thought about why it had been built. Some said to protect the South. Others said to fill the pockets of Southerners. Looking at the smooth stones that climbed toward the heavens, Taennen knew both were right. He also knew that it did not matter. Intention meant nothing, motives were pointless. Declarations and dedications never made anything happen. The tower had been built because someone saw the need to take action. The tower stood because accomplishments meant more than plans.

"I'm not sure, even after all of this, if I would condone either," Adeenya said.

When Taennen did not respond, she continued. "Maybe the reason for breaking the law is more important than the law itself."

"Sometimes, I think, you have to do the wrong thing for the right reasons."

"Sounds like justification to me. A criminal might say the same thing about stealing," Adeenya said.

"A criminal does the wrong things for the wrong reasons," Taennen countered. "It's a fine distinction."

"What do we do about the people behind the operation that Jhoqo worked for?" Adeenya asked. She paused a moment and added, "My father is one of them."

"I'm sorry he is involved, Adeenya."

Adeenya nodded. "I probably shouldn't feel so surprised. When Jhoqo talked of patriotism, he reminded me of my father. It was almost as though the two were of the same mind. My father has always taken the path of profit for profit's sake. But there have to be others. What do we do about them?"

"We find them."

"Taennen, how do we do that? Anyone could have been involved. The rajah himself might be behind it, for all the One!"

"They'll come to us," he said.

"Why would anyone reveal themselves by coming here?"

Taennen kicked a sword from the hand of a nearby Chondathan corpse.

"The weapons," he said. "They need weapons. There's a fortune down there. They'll have to come for them. How we stop them is the better question."

Adeenya patted him on the shoulder and said, "We collapse the tunnels."

Taennen looked at her, beautiful even through the pain, sweat, blood, and fatigue on her face. "We stay, then?"

"The citadel needs to be defended," she said.

"Reinforcements?"

"With any luck, we'll find among these bodies a pendant that was stolen from me. With it, we can contact someone back home for help," she said.

"Whom do we trust?" he asked.

"We contact those we've always trusted and hope we're right to do so."

"What if the leaders of Durpar and Estagund are behind it all?" he asked.

Adeenya looked back to the sky and said, "Then we stop them. All of them."

"Of course," Taennen said, casting his eyes up to the tower again. "Of course we do."