The huge man with his handcart, the beautiful young boy and the old woman left the Citadel unmolested.
CHAPTER 46
“What happened at the warehouse district?” Tarja asked as soon as R'shiel appeared in the doorway of the First Sister's office. He was alone with Garet Warner and a young woman that she did not recognise at first. The woman had long blonde hair and was dressed in homespun trousers and a rough linen shirt, with a Defender's cloak, of all things, thrown carelessly back over one shoulder. The fire burned brightly in the hearth and the room was almost uncomfortably warm. For a fleeting, gut-wrenching moment, R'shiel remembered this office, so hot and stuffy, when Joyhinia had ruled here. She shook off the feeling impatiently. Joyhinia was dead.
“There was a bit of an altercation,” she shrugged as she stepped into the office with Brak on her heels. The woman with Tarja turned as she spoke and studied R'shiel curiously.
“Hello, R'shiel. Hello, Brak.”
“Mandah!”
“You sound surprised to see me, demon child.”
“Don't call me that,” she snapped automatically. “What are you doing here?”
“What I've been doing since long before I met you, R'shiel. Helping my people.”
Her people, R'shiel knew, were the pagan rebels. “I didn't expect to see you here. You were supposed to be heading into Hythria with the Defenders.”
“I chose to stay and help Tarja,” Mandah told her with a smile in Tarja's direction. R'shiel recognised the look and felt an unexpected spear of jealousy pierce her chest.
“How convenient for you that the new Lord Defender is someone sympathetic to your cause.”
“There's nothing convenient about it, R'shiel,” Garet remarked, looking up from the map spread out over the desk. “It's one of the reasons Tarja got the job. What exactly do you mean by an altercation?”
“Someone tried to set fire to the warehouses. I... caused a bit of damage, but the fire is out.”
“Did you find Loclon?” Tarja asked.
“No. And I don't think we will. But that's not why I'm here. We have another problem.”
“What now?” Garet asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“The Harshini are in danger.”
“The Harshini have been in danger for the past two centuries.”
“This is more than just the threat of discovery, Garet. Sanctuary is no longer hidden. The Kariens can find them now.”
“I'm heartbroken,” the commandant told her unsympathetically, returning his attention to the map.
Tarja frowned at Garet. He appeared a little more sympathetic. “How long have they got?”
Brak shrugged. “Before the Karien priests locate Sanctuary? They've probably pinpointed it already. It will take them some time to get there, though. A few weeks, maybe.” He noticed Garet's sceptical look and continued his explanation looking straight at the commandant. “The reason the Sisterhood could never completely eradicate the Harshini was because Sanctuary was taken out of time. I won't try explaining how - you probably wouldn't believe me, anyway. Suffice to say that the strain of keeping it hidden has finally taken its toll on King Korandellan. Sanctuary is back in real time and the Kariens will be at its gates within weeks.”
“That would be convenient,” Garet remarked. “It might get them away from ours.”
“But can't the Harshini simply hide Sanctuary again?” Mandah asked, with a glare at Garet. She was a pagan and worshipped the Harshini along with their gods. R'shiel found herself with an unexpected ally.
Brak shook his head. “If Korandellan let it return, then he's exhausted. Keeping Sanctuary out of time takes a lot less effort than actually sending it there.”
“I can't spare the men to go trekking off into the wilderness, or wherever Sanctuary is to help them, R'shiel,” Tarja told her. “Even if we could get past the Kariens.”
“Then we have to bring the Harshini here. To the Citadel.”
They all turned and looked at her.
“What?” Garet demanded in horror.
“The Harshini can't be killed here. The Citadel won't permit it.”
“And you think we're going to let you bring the Harshini into the Citadel? Absolutely not!” Garet snapped before anyone could say a word.
“But you must!” Mandah cried. “The Harshini will be slaughtered if you deny them shelter.”
“Young woman, every Defender in Medalon has been trained to hunt the Harshini down and kill them on sight. And you expect us to let them back into the Citadel?”
“Tarja?” Mandah begged, her green eyes moist. R'shiel watched her with interest, and more importantly, Tarja's reaction. He seemed decidedly uncomfortable. Was Mandah the reason Tarja found it so easy to deny the geas? She forced the thought from her mind. She had other, more important things to deal with.
“Even if I agree, what makes you think the Harshini will want to come?” Tarja asked.
“It's that or die in Sanctuary. They can't willingly take their own lives and staying at Sanctuary would be tantamount to doing that, if there was a chance they could return here to safety.”
“What about Loclon?”
“He'll keep.”
“You were burning with vengeance a couple of hours ago.”
“A couple of hours ago I hadn't inadvertently put several hundred innocent lives in danger.”
“You bring the Harshini back in here and we'll be neck deep in pagan rituals within days,” Garet warned.
“We have a common enemy, Garet,” Tarja pointed out. “I'm inclined to let them come, simply to frustrate the Kariens.”
“If you don't let them come, you'll have the blood of the Harshini on your hands,” R'shiel added.
Garet laughed sourly. “Do you know how many Harshini the Defenders have killed in the last two hundred years, R'shiel? There's plenty of blood on our hands already. A bit more won't make that much difference.”
“Then it is time to undo some of the damage,” Mandah declared. “You must let them back, Tarja! If you want the pagans to follow you, you can do nothing else.”
“It didn't take you long to learn the art of political blackmail, did it?” Garet snapped at Mandah, and then turned to Tarja. “It's your decision. You're the Lord Defender now. Just so long as you understand the trouble you're bringing down on us if you agree.”
Tarja nodded, but did not answer. Instead, he turned to Brak. “Where is Sanctuary, exactly?”
“In the Sanctuary Mountains.”
Tarja glared at him.
“It's north-west of Testra,” Brak added. “That's about as specific as I'm willing to get.”
“Then how are you going to get them out of there? I wasn't kidding when I said I don't have the men to spare, and it's too early in the spring for the passes to be cleared of snow, in any case. Even if we didn't have half of Karien camped around our walls, I have a list as long as my arm of Sisters we need to arrest before they can get organised against us. I don't know that I can help you, even if I was inclined to.”
“They can fly,” R'shiel said. “On dragons.”