She jabbed a claw into the map.“These are spawning groundsfor the wyrms.Largest nursery this side of the continent.And, right now,you’re telling me you strolled right through their fuck nest because youthought it was the safest bloody option.”
He blinked, reexamining his path from home to present.“Thatcan’t be right—”
“Isaac, I don’t think you fully grasp things here.You arethe first person who has ever entered those dunes and not come out the otherside as a pile of shite.You did soon foot, no less.If word ofthis feat ever hits the masses, your name will be remembered for centuries.Imean, they’ll write songs about you.”
Isaac stared at his map, feeling suddenly numb.
“Did you not suspect nothing?”Zaria asked.“Did none ofthem fearsome creatures give you pause?”
“I—” Helooked at his mapmarkers again, as if seeing them for the first time.“I was prepared foradversity.The sorceress in the tomb could’ve been controlling the beasts, allthrough some arcane talents.I wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t sending themafter me.”He let his head fall back into the sand.“It wasn’t heroic.I wasterrified.Nearly swallowed a dozen times over.I had to use most of my scrollsjust to keep them at bay.”
Zaria hummed.“Guess that explains why you were so eager tospurt your load at any ship passin’ over yonder.I’d be twitchin’ mad, too.”
“I’m sure you’re very grateful for my intervention.”
“Oh, dearly indebted, love.But here’s the rub—your uncletold you to walk through that nest, didn’t he?Showed you exactly where to go?”
“I mean ...yes, but—”
“He also the one that packed your bag?”
Isaac almost reached for his pack.“Yes, he was.”
“So he’s the reason you were wandering around the desert withbarely any water, then?Told you to supp from a spring that had dried up yearsprior, didn’t he?”
Isaac gazed up at the wine-dark sky, his mind racing.
“Here’s the thing, love,” Zaria said.“This may come as ashock, but many pirates are freeloaders.Idle sinners.”
“Don’t break my heart like that.”
“Oh, yes—with great pain, I speak true.You got your ladswhose only interest in life is their next drink, their next fight, and theirnext fuck, and usually in that order.Their patrols are sloppy, they’ll breakthe face of the first bloke that looks at them funny, and they’re even morelike to kill innocent folk that don’t need killing.Dangerousto be around, as I’m sure you’d agree.But as ithappens, the code of conduct prevents a simple throat-slittin’ from solving thedilemma.You know what the solution is?”
“Enlighten me.”
“You send them on an errand they won’t come back from.Ascouting mission when the town guard’s all riled, or a rearguard they got nohope of holdin’.It’s something—what’s the word—deniable.You know my meaning.If you ever get questioned by their mates, youcan say you did your best.Makes it look tragic rather than planned.”
A tense feeling crept into his chest.
“From all I’ve heard,” Zaria said, “I’m thinking your uncledid that to you.Problem is, you managed to survive it.”
“No,” Isaac replied.
“Course, I ain’t ever met the man, but I would think,surely, that a wizard such as him would know how to plan a proper march,especially if this mission of yours was so important.And yet—”
“No,” Isaac said, more firmly.“My uncle did no such thing.”
“I understand these accusations might—”
“You understand nothing!”Isaac shot back up to sitting,dragging a cloud of sand.“My uncle is a high-ranking member of the Diet ofNine.He is a tenured instructor at the college of Khador.He is petitioningfor entrance into the Council of Heavens and well expected to receive it.He isnot some—some—somecutthroatstabbing a lazy thug in the back!I am his kin!”
Zaria flicked an ear.“It’s like you said.He never wantedyou, resented the time and coin you stole, and his only obligation to yourlivelihood was the debt of his brother.”
“He raised me!He took me off my mother’s corpse!He wasthere for me when no one else in the world would bother!”
“To me, it sounds like he beat you hand and foot.”
“The trials and lessons he put me through were for apurpose!I wasn’t just some hostage for him to vent his anger!”Isaac attemptedto breathe.“Why would he spend decades raising me as a mage if he just wantedto kill me without question?”
