The other Kalorian pointed at the floor by the empty wall. Aerity gladly moved away from them and sat, pulling in her knees. Harrison leaned against the wall ten paces away. Her eyes darted to Paxton, who was watching her intently. His lips were set in a way that made him seem furious. The Torestan stood behind him, watching with nervous, darting eyes. Martone kept his hands fisted as he paced back and forth. Aerity shrank away from the volatile man.
Paxton knelt before Harrison. “Tell us your name and why you are in Kalor.”
Harrison cleared his throat. “I am Broden Spanner of southern Lochlanach. It has been said I hail from Kalor roots, that my grandmother was a Kalorian vagabond.”
Martone marched over to Aerity and gave her hip a hardnudge with his foot. He pointed to Harrison and said in Kalorian, “What does he say? Translate!”
Paxton’s eyes went round with horror when Aerity began to speak in Kalorian for Martone. Paxton pinched the skin between his eyes and told Harrison, “Go on.”
“My parents have both died and I’m without family, so I wanted to venture to Kalor to try to find my kin.” He paused for Aerity to translate. “I offered to pay my friend to join me because she’s the only person I know who speaks Kalorian.”
“How convenient,” Paxton muttered.
While Martone and the other tribesman concentrated on Aerity’s translation, she could have sworn she saw an interaction between Harrison and Paxton: a movement of lips. Yet both of their faces remained fiercely determined.
Paxton reached out and gripped the side of Harrison’s neck, pulling him back. “I need you to tell me the truth now, Broden Spanner. . . . Who sent you to Kalor?”
Harrison’s chest arched up, and he let out a growl that escalated into a howl that made Aerity’s skin prickle. Paxton held on tight to Harrison’s neck as his legs kicked out beneath him.
Aerity could not believe her eyes. She screamed, “Stop it!” and pushed up on her knees, ready to knock sense into Paxton herself, but he stopped just as Martone grabbed Aerity by the shoulder and wrenched her back. Her head hit the wall with a thud and she scrambled away. She and Harrison were both breathing hard. Paxton was glaring at her.How could he?Her entire world shifted in that moment into something ugly. Her heart had never ached so.
“I work for no one,” Harrison panted. “I swear. I am a wheat farmer who wants to find my family.”
Martone turned his head to Aerity in expectation and she weakly translated.
Paxton now put both his hands on Harrison’s neck, as if he might strangle him, and looked him in the eye. “This is your one and only chance to come clean. If you tell us the truth, everything you know about those hunting Rozaria, and express your loyalty, we will consider not killing you. We can perhaps find a use for you.”
Aerity murmured a translation, her stomach clenching. Then she said to Paxton, “Please . . . please don’t.”
His jaw clenched, but he did not look at her. His forearms flexed and a gurgle came from Harrison. Harrison’s entire body shook, and he fell over to the side. Paxton pulled his hands away and shouted, “Tell me what you know or each time will get worse!”
Harrison gasped. “I . . . know . . . nothing.”
The man, Chun, who practically hid from the display, spoke Kalorian in a shaky voice, “I think he’s telling the truth.”
“This man is weak,” Martone said in Kalorian to his partner, hitching a thumb at Chun. The other tribesman nodded, sending a sneer to Chun, who stepped away.
Aerity’s vision was spotty in the shadowed dimness. Shefelt numb. Dead. Until Martone’s hard smack hit the same spot on her face he’d hit before. A throb of pain filled her entire head and neck. “Tell us what you know,gluta,” he snarled.Gluta. . . a foul word for Lochlans that meant colorless pig.
She brought her arms up to shield herself from further abuse as Paxton yelled, “Oy! I’ll handle her.” He crouched before her now and ordered her to tell what she knew.
Aerity slowly lowered her arms. Paxton was so close. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her eyes burned. She knew now that his allegiance had turned, but her heart was so foolish. Even now, after seeing him hurt her friend, she wanted so badly to take his hands and tell him he didn’t have to be this way. That she missed him terribly. That it wasn’t too late to turn from Rozaria’s clutches and come home.
She swallowed a dry lump and repeated the story she’d told the men in the woods, first in Lochlanian, then Kalorian. Martone grunted and looked down at Harrison’s still body. He pushed him with his foot.
“Is he dead?” The man laughed. “Rozaria said not to kill him, you fool.”
Aerity’s heart gave a great bang. “No!” She tried to push away from Paxton to get to Harrison, but Paxton held her by the arms. “Is he dead?” She thrashed and screamed until Paxton pressed his palm hard over her mouth, speaking roughly.
“He is alive. He’s only passed out. Tell Martone.”
Oh, thank the seas.If anything happened to Harrison she’dnever be able to live with herself! Aerity drew a deep breath of relief.
He took his hand away and she obeyed, staring at Harrison and feeling better when she saw the light movement of his chest. Then she turned her face to Paxton and felt more anger than she’d ever felt in her life.
“Howcouldyou? How could you do that to him?” She struggled, trying to kick or hit or hurt him in any way she could. A scream tore from her throat as the helplessness of utter betrayal took over.
“I think they are innocent!” the Torestan man said, his voice filled with panic.
