Thornton
“Absolutely not,” Thornton said. His frown was deeper than the brown of his shirt, one dirtied by years spent in front of a forge, the soot and sweat making their marks. “I have nothing to say to him, and I don’t want to hear anything he has to say to me.”
Yasha was standing beside him and showed no emotion on her face. As far as Thornton could tell, she had no stake in whether Dailus went or stayed. Which is why, when she spoke up, it surprised him.
“I think you should at least go down there,” Yasha said.
Thornton was shocked. “You of all people.”
Yasha flinched at the words, but her expression did not change. “He’s locked up”—she blinked—“and awaiting execution.” She stood with her arms crossed, looking every bit the defiant Khyth apprentice Thornton knew her to be. “What if he has something important to say? This could be our last chance to hear it.”
Thornton considered her words carefully. He thought about Miera and his father in the Otherworld. If there was the smallest chance that Dailus knew something about either of them, he supposed it would be worth listening to him. He turned to Kethras. “What do you think?”
The dark-eyed Kienari stood in silence, flicking his tail and touching a wiry finger to his lips in thought. “I suppose, if he is locked up,” he said, “it would not hurt to listen.”
Taking the Hammer off his back and placing it at the feet of the High Keeper, Thornton said, “I’m leaving this here, then.” Looking at Alysana, he said, “Take me to him. My friends are coming too. Let’s go.”
The G’henni nodded, and said, “This way.”
***
Alysana led the three of them toward the back of the throne room, where a small doorway led down a dimly lit hall with sprawling, purple-curtained walls. About halfway down the hall was an unremarkable brick archway that opened into a stone staircase that tapered from sight.
“He’s down there,” Alysana said.
Thornton stared at her for a moment. “You’re not coming?”
“No. Anything that Dailus has to say is between you and him, and I have no business listening to it.” She held out her hand for Thornton to proceed. With a smile she added, “Just don’t let him out.”
Thornton shook his head, bewildered, and looked into the darkness. After taking a moment, he said, “Kethras, . . . why don’t you lead.”
The Kienari did not hesitate, and Thornton watched him slip by him and into the blackness that cloaked him so well. Yasha followed, and Thornton brought up the rear.
He did not relish having to speak to the traitorous half-eye. But what could I say that could make things any worse? he reasoned. He followed the sounds of footsteps into the dark hallway leading to Dailus’s prison.