Using her set of master keys, Tammy opened the locks to the remote cell block and out of habit locked the door behind her. There was only one prisoner on the corridor but she didn’t trust him. That was why she had two armed members of the Watch guarding him at all hours despite his willingness to cooperate. Even though he was locked in an isolated cell, under Unity Hall populated by several dozen Guardians at all times, Torran Habreel was still a dangerous man.
Inside his head were the answers to a hundred questions she’d yet to ask and, if she wasn’t careful, someone might break open his skull to stop them spilling out.
There was also the possibility that Brook was not the only Guardian loyal to Akosh. She’d asked Faulk to make subtle enquiries into the religious background of all Guardians, but it was delicate work that couldn’t be rushed. Most of her people claimed to follow the Maker, the Blessed Mother, or the Lady of Light. But it wouldn’t be difficult to lie about it in order to blend in. Yerskania was famed for being open and inclusive and that included the Guardians. No one was banned from joining the Guardians because they followed a particular faith. It was all down to skill and merit. But Tammy needed to be able to trust her own people with the difficult tasks ahead. Suspicion was a natural part of the job, but as the new Khevassar she needed a solid foundation or else it would all topple over like a house of cards. She really hoped Faulk didn’t find anything in his search.
As the silence of the isolated cell block enveloped her, a vicious part of Tammy considered putting Habreel in with other prisoners. During his time as a Guardian he must have arrested dozens, if not hundreds, of criminals and they rarely missed an opportunity to get some payback. But she needed him alive and able to speak. So for now he would have to stay in isolation for his own protection. He would eventually be punished for his crimes according to the law and justice would be served. Vengeance was something she had to leave behind but sometimes it was a struggle. The memory of what she had done to Don Lowell was still fresh.
By the time she’d unlocked his cell door Habreel was standing at the head of his bed, waiting for her. It felt as if this was a cell inspection with her playing the role of a prison guard.
Despite having few personal belongings, the rigid organisation of Habreel’s cell spoke of a military background and logical mind. The bed was perfectly made with the sheets pulled tight. The small folding table they’d allowed him had a neat pile of papers and two pens. Four books, the largest at the bottom and the smallest on top, formed a pyramid in the middle of the table. Even the comb they’d given him sat precisely in the centre of his shelf.
Habreel had fallen back into old ways after turning up injured and lost on her doorstep a few weeks earlier. Led astray by a manipulating being of indeterminate power and betrayed by his closest friend, he’d been left with nothing. No pride. No home. No faith. The only thing he claimed was a stack of crimes and a growing list of murders with his name attached to each corpse.
They’d healed his physical wounds and given him the barest minimum of space and belongings. In return he was doing his best to be helpful in her investigation of Akosh, but eventually the time would come when he’d outlive his usefulness. Tammy would relish the day when it happened as he would be put on trial for his crimes. Soon after he’d have an appointment with the headsman and then an unmarked grave.
Others might have found the isolation, silence and incarceration difficult to tolerate, but Habreel seemed to have flourished, or at least partially recuperated. The Old Man had told her as a Guardian he’d been outspoken, verbose and possessing a dry wit. He wasn’t exactly chatty, but was a long way from the trembling shell of a man she’d first locked in a cell. With so little that was in his control, and so few choices available, he seemed to be enjoying the relinquishment of power.
“Ah, Khevassar, nice to see you,” he said, watching as she moved the chair from the corridor into the doorway of his cell. Habreel waited until she was seated before sitting down again on his bed. It was little more than a stone shelf with a thin straw pallet, but he’d not complained. “I’ve made some more notes on what I can remember about Akosh and her movements. Hopefully there’s something in there that’s of use to you.”
“I’ll take a look at them later, but I have a few more questions in the meantime.”
“Go ahead,” he said, eager to please. If they had met in other circumstances she would have found his sycophantic nature very creepy. Knowing all that she did Tammy struggled to hide her revulsion at being so close to him.
“Did Akosh ever mention anything about orphanages in Zecorria to you? Either in the capital or anywhere else.”
Habreel took his time and went through his memories with his eyes closed. “No, she never mentioned it,” he said, coming back to the present. “Has something happened?”
Like most of the questions he asked, Tammy ignored it. He couldn’t help asking. It was natural that he was curious about the outside world, and he’d also been a Guardian for a long time. But she was here to question him, not pander to his needs.
Habreel sat up suddenly. “Actually, she did say something unusual, towards the end.”
“Tell me.”
“She sent one of her people, a mage, to Gorheaton. He was going to pose as a Seeker and I heard he killed everyone, then blew himself up. Of course, the blame fell on the Red Tower. When I asked her about it she claimed to have taken him in as an orphan and raised him.” Habreel shook his head. “She was clearly confused as they were almost the same age.”
Tammy said nothing, thinking back to her meeting the previous night with Balfruss. It had been slightly less tense than his last visit and he’d been happy to share information. A reliable source had told Balfruss that Akosh sponsored six orphanages in the capital city of Zecorria and she had several others abroad. He’d also told her that his suspicions about her being more than human had been confirmed, although Balfruss had been unwilling to clarify what that meant. All Tammy knew at this point was that Akosh was extremely dangerous and that her people were not to try and apprehend her directly.
So if everything Balfruss had told her was true then it was possible that Akosh had raised the mage who went to Gorheaton. At the very least she had been the patron of an orphanage where the boy was fostered and taught to worship her above all others.
“Didn’t you say something about Dannel being an orphan?” said Tammy.
For the first time in days Habreel’s façade cracked and sorrow rushed in to fill the void. “Akosh claimed he was one of hers as well. What does it mean? What’s really going on?”
His old instincts were kicking in. Habreel was probably starting to wonder if there was more to Akosh than a confused mind.
“She’s far more dangerous than you realise,” said Tammy, telling him little more than he already knew.
“You need to be careful,” warned Habreel. Tammy was ready to laugh at his warning until she saw the look on his face. “I saw Dannel’s utter devotion to Akosh. Whatever she really is, a mage or something else, to them she’s their entire world. He called her Mother and would do anything for her, without hesitation. Even if that meant killing other people, or even himself, like that poor fool in Gorheaton. Make sure you can trust the people you’re working with, otherwise the walls might have ears.”
Tammy took the notes he’d made and left the cell without another word. If Akosh’s people were as devoted as he claimed, then Guardian Faulk’s investigation was even more critical than she realised. Guardian Brook had shown how far they were willing to go. She couldn’t afford to lose any more of her people. Only the best were selected to join the Guardians and it took several years before novices were trusted to investigate crimes by themselves. Not for the first time Tammy wondered how the Old Man had managed to do the job for all these years. It had only been a few weeks and she was already exhausted.
As she made her way back to the office, Tammy considered her next move. She had people watching the orphanages but it wasn’t enough. All her information about Akosh came from other people. Tammy needed to speak to one of Akosh’s followers. Finding one would be a challenge and getting them to talk would be even more difficult.
As soon as she walked into the outer office Rummpoe came out from behind her desk, which made Tammy pause. It was like seeing a turtle crawl out of its shell and go for a stroll.
“I couldn’t stop him,” apologised Rummpoe. “He went straight in and said he’d wait in your office.”
“It’s all right,” said Tammy, soothing the flustered young woman. “I’ll take care of it.”
There were few people who would be bold enough to enter her office without her invitation. As she’d expected, Guardian Yedda was waiting for her inside. He was lounging in one of the chairs in front of her desk, one of the Old Man’s private journals open in his lap, although he wasn’t even reading it. He just wanted to show her how little regard he had for her office and authority over him as Khevassar.
Ignoring the slight Tammy closed the door and sat down behind her desk. She stared at him and waited. He tried not to be unnerved by her stillness and silence, but as the moment stretched on he began to squirm. Tammy glanced at the shelves and then expectantly at the book in his lap. Only when he’d returned the journal to its rightful place and sat down did she relent.
“Report,” she said, her voice calm and without inflection.
“I investigated the Minister’s death, as you requested.” Yedda pulled out a notepad and flicked through a few pages.
The Minister of Trade had been in his late fifties and severely overweight. He’d been widowed five years ago after being married for thirty-one years. Six months ago he met a woman in her early thirties and they were married after just two months. Last week the Minister died and his wife inherited his wealth, much to the displeasure of his three children who were of a similar age to their new stepmother.
Normally the Guardians wouldn’t get involved in such a case, but because he was one of the Queen’s Ministers it was standard practice. The Old Man had insisted on it to make sure no one was trying to rig the system.
“And?” asked Tammy.
“It seems fairly mundane.”
Tammy folded her arms and leaned forward across the desk. “What was the official cause of death? Have you spoken to the coroner? Or the wife? Or the children? How about his assistants in the Ministry?” With each question Yedda flinched as if he’d been stung. He probably thought this sort of case was beneath him, or perhaps he’d believed that the Old Man would choose him as Khevassar. “If you’re unable to investigate this case, I can give you something more suitable to your skills. I believe we’ve been asked to find a missing dog. It has three legs and one eye.”
Yedda ground his teeth and she raised one eyebrow, daring him to say something. Just one word. She could demote him to the Watch or give him all of the worst cases for the rest of his life if he continued to disrespect her position. Yedda knew this too and was slowly beginning to realise that he worked for her.
“I’ve spoken to several people in his office,” he said eventually in a strained voice. “And someone called Tovin seems the favourite to take over as Minister. I’ve asked for background on him, to make sure he wasn’t responsible.”
“The Queen will personally see your report on this case,” said Tammy, which caught Yedda’s attention. She decided to switch tactics and appeal to his vast ego instead. Yedda had deep familial roots in the city’s aristocracy and as such he was the epitome of entitlement. He probably spent as much time as she did at the palace attending the Queen’s functions alongside other wealthy families. As such he was constantly scrambling to impress the Queen for the benefit of his family.
The truth was that Morganse probably wouldn’t ask and would be happy with a verbal report about the Minister, but it had made him sit up straight. “I chose you because the Queen cares about her Ministers and I want it done right. But if you’d rather—”
“No, no. I’ll see to it immediately.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” he said, suddenly a lot more interested in the case than when he’d entered the room. “I should go. Thank you, Khevassar,” he said, rushing from her office. He was in such a hurry he left her door open and Rummpoe stuck her head around the frame.
“If he does that again, you’ve my permission to have him dragged to a cell,” said Tammy.
Rummpoe gave her a wry smile that turned vicious when she realised Tammy wasn’t joking. A short time later there was a knock on the door and another Guardian came into her office. She’d sent for him and judging by his expression he was puzzled about her request.
“You wanted to see me?” said Guardian Fray.
“Come in, Fray. Close the door.” Even though he’d been in the job a few years she still thought of him as new to the uniform. It came from spending so much time away from Perizzi. But Fray had been tested by the fire several times, in Voechenka before she went there, and since then here in the capital city. The scars of his trials showed in the furrows on his forehead. At some point he’d grown a beard and there were a few patches of white. “I need your help with something. It’s a little unusual.”
“Whatever you need, Khevassar,” he said. It still felt a little peculiar hearing people call her that. At the moment it still made her think of the Old Man.
“We’re investigating someone very dangerous. She’s a cult leader who holds enormous sway over her people. As a result they’re all closemouthed and getting any of them to talk is proving difficult.” She was skirting around some of the details, as he really didn’t need to know and it would only make things more complicated. She wondered how often the Old Man had done this before her. Parcelling out information on a need-to-know basis. Almost daily she had a new level of appreciation for what he’d achieved.
“Everything I know about this cult leader is second-hand. I need to find some answers for myself.”
“I can question the suspect if you want,” he offered.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” she said, taking a deep breath. “We can’t find any of her people, but I know where one of them is currently, and she’s not going anywhere.”
“Then why did you ask for me?” asked Fray.
“Because she’s dead. I need you to summon the spirit of Guardian Brook so I can interrogate her.”