The crowd slowly dispersed. Some gave Runa dubious looks. Most looked at Taelord with anger. But none dared touch him. Runa stood nearby, purposefully standing close to Taelord, hoping that others might see that she trusted him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen was the last to exit the hall, leaving Runa alone with Taelord and his guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to speak to Taelord alone,\u201d Runa said the moment everyone had left, turning to one of the guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked down at her and frowned. Unlike Vraen, he was not prepared to go against her will. \u201cHe stays in the hall, within sight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She nodded, turned, grabbed Taelord by the arm, and practically shoved him to the far end of the hall, where they would not be overheard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d he asked once she stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrying to save your life,\u201d she said shortly. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say anything to Vraen? I know you\u2019re not the spy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taelord frowned at her. \u201cHow?\u201d he said. \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI \u2013 What?\u201d Runa hadn\u2019t expected this reaction. \u201cBecause\u2026 Because of what you told me.\u201d Taelord continued to frown at her. \u201cI heard the way you spoke of Ter,\u201d Runa said. \u201cYou hated it there! You would never serve the Empire!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI grew up there, Runa,\u201d Taelord said. \u201cMaybe everything I said was an act.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked at him. He had blue eyes, an uncommon color in the Volcarren. She searched them, trying to understand why he was saying these things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an act. I know that much. You\u2019re innocent, Taelord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAm I?\u201d Taelord said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Runa replied, feeling a surge of frustration towards him, \u201cyou are. And you need to say it. Go to Vraen. Tell him you aren\u2019t the spy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a moment, Runa saw something in Taelord\u2019s eyes. For a moment, something behind them dropped, and she could tell that he was considering her words. But only for a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Runa knew what she had seen. \u201cBut you do want to?\u201d she ventured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course I want to!\u201d Taelord said, finally breaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen why can\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just\u2026 can\u2019t\u201d Taelord said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan I help?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taelord frowned at her. \u201cYou could tell me where the Wellspring is. That would get us all out of this mess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know where it is,\u201d Runa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Taelord said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t serious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he had been, Runa thought. At least somewhat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you knew where it was\u2026\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taelord glanced at her. \u201cIf I knew,\u201d he said, \u201cthen I\u2019d be\u2014\u201d He stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBe what?\u201d Runa prompted. \u201cSafe? Free?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be seen with me,\u201d Taelord said. \u201cGo now. Forget I said anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Runa didn\u2019t forget. As she returned to her room, she wondered. Taelord\u2019s reaction made little sense to her. Was he as guilty as everyone else believed? Was he a spy, serving Ahnvad and the Empire, after the Wellspring like everyone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Runa told herself. She remembered what he had said, and knew it wasn\u2019t an act. He was not the spy. He was different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar was due to be back sometime the next day. Runa wished he were here now. She knew he would believe her. He would know Taelord wasn\u2019t the spy, he would know the real spy was still out there somewhere, now no longer hunted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he wasn\u2019t here, and chances were he wouldn\u2019t return until well after Vraen had made up his mind. And Runa had no doubts about what Vraen would decide. Short of taking Taelord and flying away, there would be nothing she could do to save him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She considered that option for a moment. She was a Valkyrie, after all. No one would dare oppose her. What if she just took Taelord and\u2026 left?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, she couldn\u2019t do that. Without her, Vraen and his men would be destroyed by the Empire. And then, when her powers finally faded, she and Taelord would be hunted down. There had to be another way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runa spent another restless night in Vraen\u2019s hall, her conviction that Taelord was not the spy being chased by doubts that he was. There was evidence. There was his own refusal to deny his guilt. But she knew\u2026 she just knew<\/em> that he was being set up. He wasn\u2019t the spy. He wasn\u2019t. He wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runa woke the next morning, and kept her eyes tight shut, wishing she could just go back to sleep. If she had just never become a Valkyrie, none of this would have happened. The Empire would never have come for her, Vraen and his army would never have entered her life, and Taelord wouldn\u2019t be facing execution in a few short hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She rolled over and buried her face in the stuffed hide which served as a pillow. All she wanted was to return to her old life. In the stillness of the dawn, with her eyes closed, she could almost see her home. It had always been dark, but she remembered the small fires her father used to light. It had been small and cramped, but it had been comfortable and welcoming at the same time. Everything they needed had been there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runa let her memories of her old home fill her up. She could remember every sight, every sound, every smell. For a moment, she felt peace wash over her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then she sat bolt upright, her heart drumming in her chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVraen!\u201d Runa burst into Vraen\u2019s room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRuna! What on Valhalla are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the verge of speaking, Runa stopped. Vraen was fully dressed, and he was not alone. A Volcarren was with him, tall and heavily muscled. He held in his hands a bare sword with a wide blade. It glimmered in the light from Vraen\u2019s fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs that\u2026 You\u2019re not\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Runa,\u201d Vraen said. \u201cI\u2019ve made my decision. The spy dies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut\u2026 But he didn\u2019t do it,\u201d Runa said. \u201cPlease, Vraen, believe me. I know him. He didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vraen stepped towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. \u201cI do believe you, Runa,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe that you<\/em> believe he didn\u2019t do it. But listen to me: he is a spy. Whatever you think you know about him, whatever he\u2019s told you, it\u2019s a lie. That\u2019s what spies do, Runa: They lie. And they are exceptionally good at it.\u201d He looked at her, and for the first time, Runa saw real concern in his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPut it from your mind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looked at him hopelessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said again. \u201cThere\u2019s too much evidence. I will not tolerate a spy to live, Runa. He must die.\u201d He looked into her face. \u201cMy decision has been made. Worry no more on this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He glanced behind him to the Volcarren with the sword, and together, the two of them left the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runa sank to the floor. Taelord was going to be executed. She couldn\u2019t save him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But she was wrong. The sight of the sword had completely driven it from her mind, but now she remembered. She could save him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She found Taelord just outside the hall, flanked by his two guards. His hands were bound. Mustering all the command she possessed, Runa marched up to the two guards. \u201cI want to speak with Taelord alone,\u201d she said. \u201cI won\u2019t free him, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re worried about,\u201d she added, when they hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The guards backed away, reluctantly keeping an eye on her from a distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRuna,\u201d Taelord said, \u201cwhat\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runa took a breath. \u201cThe Wellspring,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s under my home. There\u2019s a natural spring there; that\u2019s how we could live that far into the desert. I always assumed I must have found the Wellspring somewhere else\u2026 but I\u2019ve been living over it the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taelord stared at her, his mouth slightly open. He glanced around, as if making sure they had not been overheard, then bent low. \u201cHow,\u201d he whispered, \u201chow can you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s the only explanation,\u201d Runa said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t remember finding the Wellspring anywhere because I didn\u2019t <\/em>find it anywhere. I\u2019ve been drinking it\u2019s waters my whole life. I was thinking about my home this morning, and it just\u2026 came to me. It\u2019s the only thing that makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy,\u201d Taelord whispered after a moment of shocked silence, \u201cwhy are you telling me this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can tell Vraen,\u201d Runa said. \u201cHe\u2019ll have to release you if you give him the location of the Wellspring. That will prove you aren\u2019t the spy. I know<\/em> you aren\u2019t the spy,\u201d she added. \u201cEven if you won\u2019t defend yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taelord looked at Runa blankly. She waited in silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou realize,\u201d he said after a moment, \u201cwhat you\u2019re risking? You might have convinced yourself I\u2019m innocent, but you can\u2019t be sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Runa agreed, \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen why\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was going to tell Vraen,\u201d Runa said. \u201cBut then I saw that he\u2019s ready to execute you, and\u2014\u201d the words sounded flimsy as she said them. \u201cI could do something to save you,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven though I might be a spy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d Runa breathed. \u201cBut I know you\u2019re not. You can\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They looked at each other for a moment. Runa had acted on instinct, without thinking, and now she began to realize what it would mean if she was wrong about Taelord. But she wasn\u2019t wrong. She knew she wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if she was?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you trust me?\u201d Taelord finally asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runa looked at him uncertainly. That wasn\u2019t the reaction she had expected\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d she said slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen say nothing,\u201d Taelord said, speaking quickly now. \u201cWhatever happens, don\u2019t worry. Go now. Go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTaelord?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo. Everything will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She backed away, confused. \u201cTaelord?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrust me, Runa,\u201d he said. He turned, and returned to his guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runa stood there, doubt crashing over her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The crowd slowly dispersed. Some gave Runa dubious looks. Most looked at Taelord with anger. But none dared touch him. Runa stood nearby, purposefully standing close to Taelord, hoping that others might see that she trusted him. Vraen was the last to exit the hall, leaving Runa alone with Taelord and his guards. \u201cI\u2019d like … Continue reading Chapter Fourteen<\/span>
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