The Devil Incarnate (The Devil of Ponong series #2) (26 page)

QuiTai leveled her
spooky eyes on him. “I don’t like you, Voorus. I don’t want to trust you. But
your true nature has been revealed, and people of honor are too rare to
sacrifice to a mob.”

~ ~ ~

Voorus took the cup of tea Hadre handed to him.

Hadre settled on the low stool with some difficulty. Such
seats were meant for servants. Tall Thampurians looked ridiculous on them.

“I hope you’re behaving yourself.”

“Never,” QuiTai said. He could have sworn she was amused.

“I meant Voorus, but I assume you knew that,” Hadre said.

“He tried to arrest me.”

Voorus didn’t know why Hadre scowled at him.

“I’m sure he felt compelled to act dreadfully Thampurian in
the face of a confusing situation. Thankfully, I believe he’s worked that out
of his system,” QuiTai said.

She had no respect
for authority. How was he supposed to keep order if people simply ignored him?

“You’ll end up in
the fortress eventually, and then we’ll see how smug you are,” Voorus said.

QuiTai leaned
forward, her strange eyes full of mirth. “I absolutely shiver in fear,
Captain.”

There she went, mocking him again. He took a sip of the
drink Hadre had handed him. He winced. “This tea is horrible.”

“It is, isn’t it? But it will help you stay alert for a
little while. How does your head feel?” QuiTai asked.

He wasn’t sure how to react to this woman. Even if his head
hadn’t been hit, he was certain that his mind would still be reeling. She
wasn’t behaving the way he expected her to. One moment she was bitingly
sarcastic; the next, almost solicitous. After a moment of thought, he realized
that she answered civility with civility and aggression with sarcasm. He’d
never met a woman who could dismiss a man so completely. “The throbbing is a
bit better,” he admitted cautiously. This was a test. If she said something rude,
he’d be proven wrong about her.

“A good night’s
sleep will help. Unfortunately, we can’t wait. I don’t think anyone saw my
lieutenants carry you here, but these are dangerous times, and as you’re well
aware, there are spies everywhere in Levapur.”

So that was how to handle her. Be polite, even if it killed
you. Voorus blew on the surface of the tea and took another swallow. It was as
bitter as the first taste. His tongue felt dry. “Do you have any sugar?” he
asked Hadre.

Hadre shook his head. “I expected this meeting to b–”
He made an apologetic face. “I’m sorry, Lady QuiTai. I told you I’d make a
terrible spy.”

“You two meet here often?” Voorus asked. The gossips would
love this.

“No. Our last meeting was accidental, and we had planned to
meet tonight to finish some business, but after this we will not come back here
again,” QuiTai said.

“The Zul clan does business with the Devil?” Voorus asked
Hadre.

 
“It was an
entirely personal matter between Lady QuiTai and myself. Not business.” Hadre
seemed offended.

Voorus pointed to QuiTai. “She said business.” He set the
tea cup on the floor and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I delivered a personal message for Hadre, in exchange for
which he promised me some information. It is a perfectly legal transaction,” QuiTai
told him.

“What was the message?”

“Listen here, Voorus
–”

QuiTai held up her
hand to silence Hadre. “I told Kyam Zul to leave Ponong.”

She sounded so
convincing, but that couldn’t be the truth. “That’s it? I told him as much
myself a few days ago.”

“So did I,” Hadre
said. He nodded, his expression reflecting something like regret.

QuiTai turned to
Hadre. “I did my best, but it wasn’t enough. My apologies.”

Voorus snorted. “Of
course Kyam didn’t listen! He hates you.”

Voorus couldn’t read
the glance they exchanged. Apparently, they knew something he didn’t. He didn’t
like being the only one in a room that didn’t understand what was going on. It
was as if he’d peered into a window, but instead of seeing the room behind it,
an alternate world was revealed.

“I only asked that you try, Lady QuiTai. Success was never
part of our arrangement,” Hadre said.

“I told him that I could get him onto a smuggler’s ship
bound for a free port. He didn’t turn my offer down, but he hasn’t taken me up
on it either.”

Why was he here if they were going to talk over his head?
“But he has signed articles of transport! Both Chief Justice Cuulon and
Governor Turyat signed the papers. Why does he need to take a smugglers’ ship?”

Voorus felt like shrinking back as QuiTai’s strange eyes
turned to him again. It was as if she peered into his brain, and the way his
head felt, that was a little frightening.

“That’s a good question, Captain Voorus. A very good
question. I think Hadre has the answer, and it’s part of the picture I need to see
if we’re to unravel the mysteries of the past few weeks. So, Hadre, why
is
Kyam still in Levapur?”

Hadre sucked in a long breath. He rubbed his thighs.
“Grandfather isn’t going to like this.”

“I have a feeling Grandfather Zul isn’t going to like anything
we say tonight.”

Hadre gazed at QuiTai with admiration Voorus couldn’t
understand. He’d heard every word she said, but didn’t understand why Hadre
acted as if it were a revelation.

“You’ve figured it out,” Hadre said.

QuiTai’s thin shoulders rose in a jaded shrug. “As your
cousin is fond of pointing out, I’m quick to form a theory before I have proof.
This time, I must be certain of my facts. Matters have come to a rather
delicate juncture, and one false move could be disastrous.”

Voorus glanced from Hadre to QuiTai and back again. “What
has she figured out?”

“Information first,” QuiTai said. “Then I’m going to tell
you gentlemen a story.”

“Who goes first?”
Hadre asked. “I’m not sure of the protocol.”

He wasn’t sure he
could tell them everything. It was one thing to rebel against Grandfather;
quite another to allow strangers a glimpse inside the family’s hold, so to
speak. He felt he could confide in QuiTai. Despite her protestations, he was
sure she had some feelings for Kyam. Besides, he’d promised her the
information. But then she’d shown up for their meeting with those thugs of hers
and the limp body of Captain Voorus. They could have talked after her people
put Voorus on the bed in the servants’ quarters, but she’d stalled him.

He was a bit ashamed that he’d thought she was responsible
for Voorus’ state. The fear dispelled as he’d watched her bustle around Voorus,
checking his vital signs and looking quite grim. Finally, she’d stepped back
and announced that Voorus would probably sleep for an hour and that he’d be in
pain when he woke, but she didn’t think he was in immediate danger.

“I’m most interested in hearing about the soldiers your
grandfather brought here on the
Winged
Dragon
,” QuiTai said. “I –” She smiled as if gently berating herself.
“It would be unwise of me to state my perceptions now. Please, Hadre. Tell us
about them.”

Voorus leaned forward. “There isn’t much to tell. After we
took everyone to Cay Rhi, we were told to sail back to the harbor and await
instructions.”

“Who did the orders come from?” QuiTai asked.

Family was all the mattered. A man who betrayed his family
was nothing, not even dirt.

“Hadre, lives are at stake.”

He reluctantly admitted, “Grandfather.”

She nodded. “Go on.”

“The next day, the
Winged
Dragon
sailed into port. To my surprise, Grandfather was on board. He
rarely sails anymore. And even more surprising...”

Hadre turned pleading eyes to QuiTai. Did she really need to
know this? She gestured for him to continue.

“He stayed on board. He wouldn’t let me tell anyone he’d
come, even Kyam.”

“Why not?”

Voorus also seemed
interested in an answer.

Hadre shook his
head. “I have no idea why he refuses to talk to Kyam. He always has these
convoluted reasons for everything he does, and in the long run, I always wonder
why he bothers, but that’s Grandfather for you.”

“But he came here for a reason. I can only assume he wanted
to talk to someone and didn’t trust that a farwriter message would be private
enough. It must have been a very important message for him to deliver it
personally.”

She had a way of cutting to the heart of the matter. It was
as if she’d been there. If she knew so much, though, why did she need to hear
it from him?

Despair was an unaccustomed emotion for Hadre, and he didn’t
like it one bit. He glanced at QuiTai. She didn’t smile or try to make it any
easier for him. He’d seen that expression on her face before when she’d been
aboard the
Golden Barracuda
. At the
time, he’d been glad he hadn’t been the one squirming under her gaze.

“The soldiers, Hadre.”

Maybe she was going to let him keep one secret. Relief
poured over him.

“They came with Grandfather. They aren’t military, despite
their uniforms. They’re Grandfather’s private army.”

He’d expected some
reaction from QuiTai, but she only nodded as if she already knew that. Voorus,
however, worked himself into a state of outrage.

“Private army!
That’s illegal.”

“In Thampur, maybe
– but as you’re well aware, Voorus, there’s a second set of books when it
comes to the law here,” QuiTai said.

Voorus’ head snapped
in her direction. “How do you know about that?”

“That you’re
studying the law? If you were trying to keep that secret, you failed.”

It looked as if
Voorus might lunge off the cot at any moment. Hadre motioned for him to calm
down.

“Since Grandfather Zul set down most of the colonial law,
I’m going to assume that he’s well aware that he can get away with many things
on Ponong that would cost him his life in Thampur.” QuiTai raised a finger.
“Private army.” She raised another. “Attacks on innocent civilians.” A third
finger rose beside the other two. “Slavery.”

“Slavery!” The stool flipped over as Hadre jumped to his
feet. How dare she suggest a Zul kept slaves!

Voorus had also risen. “Shut up! Not another word! That’s a
military secret!” He advanced on QuiTai. “Oh, I have you now. You’re going to
hang.”

“What are you talking about?” Hadre looked from Voorus to
QuiTai. Voorus shook, but he couldn’t tell if it was from rage or fear.

QuiTai calmly brushed her braid over her shoulder. “Shall I tell
him, Captain Voorus, or do you want to? Tread carefully here, because if you
try to make it sound pretty and reasonable, if you dare breathe a word of
justification, I will correct your version.”

It dawned on Hadre that this wasn’t a baseless attack. QuiTai
and Voorus knew something. They were simply fighting over how to explain it. He
had to give QuiTai grudging respect. She’d delivered a devastating blow, and
there was no way to ignore it now. His stomach lurched as he leaned over to
right the stool. He took his time settling into it as he tried to calm the
horrible sense of doom hanging over his head.

Voorus turned to him. The shame in his eyes wasn’t faked.
“When we went to Cay Rhi, we discovered that the Ravidians had enslaved the
Ponongese natives. We killed the Ravidians and secured the compound.”

“As well you should
have,” Hadre said. He didn’t understand why Voorus had such a hard time telling
his tale.

Voorus’ throat
bobbed as he swallowed something that obviously left a bad taste in his mouth.

Relentless, QuiTai
growled, “Tell Hadre what ‘secured’ means”

“We were under orders. I personally didn’t agree with it.
None of my men do.”

“How terribly uncomfortable for you, Voorus. How do you
sleep at night?” QuiTai snapped.

Voorus seemed to be pleading with her, but from the look on
her face, she wasn’t in a merciful mood.

“We let you go. I’ll bet you didn’t know that. My men called
off the search.” Voorus sounded like a plaintive child.

QuiTai made it clear she wouldn’t let him get away with
that. “And yet, if I were to step out on the streets, would I be arrested?”

Voorus’ lips quivered as he seemed to struggle with himself.
“Yes.”

“For what?” she asked.

He sank onto the
cot. His voice was a rough whisper Hadre barely heard over the rain. “For
knowing.”

“And I’d be
executed. For knowing the truth.”

Voorus nodded. He
seemed to shrink and age before Hadre’s eyes.

“What are you two
talking about?”

QuiTai turned to
Hadre. “The colonial militia was under orders from the Thampurian military to
capture a secret Ravidian bioweapon project hidden on Cay Rhi. That much you
gathered from our conversations on the
Golden
Barracuda
, or probably guessed once Captain Voorus and his men ordered your
men to take us to the island. What you didn’t know about was the plan to keep
any Ponongese slaves in captivity. I liberated around twenty, but had to leave
the rest behind. They are still in chains, Hadre.”

“That’s against the
law!”

Her eyes narrowed. “Thampurian law. It’s probably legal
here, where it won’t offend the delicate sensibilities of Thampurians who like
to pretend they’re the most civilized people on the planet.”

Hadre had never been so offended. “That’s going too far,
Lady QuiTai. It goes against everything we believe in. It’s one of our earliest
laws, over a thousand years old. We freed our slaves hundreds of years before
anyone else on the continent, and yes, we’re very proud of that. The Thampurian
people would be outraged if they heard about this.”