The Endless Solvent

The Academy students were brought to where he was and all four were forced to kneel. The manus students were stripped of their weapons and Laell had her bag of books confiscated, her hands also tightly bound such that her fingers couldn’t move. The men with Moulu were dressed in nondescript clothing, revealing nothing about nationality, cultural background or even social status. They were all in simple brown and black clothing and sported plain weapons.

“So you were the one following us,” Camaz said. “If you wanted to join us, you only had to ask.”

“You never would have let on that you found anything.”

“Oh, and threatening to kill me would make me more cooperative?” Camaz said sarcastically.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Moulu pressed the edge harder to his skin, the sharp edge threatening to slice through. “I know you found something. Now take us to her.”

“What do you want from a belligerent ex-pupil of the Academy?” Camaz asked.

“The same thing that you want from her,” Moulu retorted. “Let’s stop pretending, shall we? Only someone truly special could get the great Professor Camaz to come crawling out of his light house to ride all the way to the butt-fuck middle of nowhere.”

“Why of course.” Camaz kept his voice purposely light. “Every student at the Academy is important, every bright young mind a blessing - ”

“Shut up,” Moulu snapped. “You’ll take us to the Lunaris or we’ll raze every village around to find her.”

Camaz controlled his expression very carefully, although the faces of the students were obviously painted with outrage and surprise. So Moulu knew. “The Caelisian royalty are long dead with the kingdom,” Camaz said. “I have no idea how to summon spirits for you.”

“Both the twins are alive, I know this. Aris is the sister,” Moulu said. “You can stop pretending. Or is that impossible for you? What do they call that at the Heart - an occupational sickness?”

“Are they alive?” Camaz glanced over at the village. “Everything that once took breath in Gendis now rots. Perhaps you can join me in identifying her body.” He silently counted the number of men Moulu brought with him, one behind every student and two more hovering nearby in case anyone tried to flee. “Twelve people is certainly better than five when it comes to picking through corpses.”

“Your girl can turn into a ghost, you think she would die here?” Moulu said. Camaz felt… comforted by a man holding a sword to his neck. It was a strange turn of events. “Now take us to her.”

“What will you do if we find her?”

Camaz felt the other man shift behind him. “Kill her.”

“Why?”

“They are reasons beyond your understanding.” What an infuriating answer. Camaz had always kept an ear on the ground regarding who was looking for the Caelisian nobles. It deeply disturbs him that he has no inkling why Moulu is seeking Aris’s life.

“A higher power calls for her death then,” Camaz mused. He glanced over at the four students still kneeling and no doubt listening to every word. “Is it the emperor?”

Moulu made a sound and for a heartbeat Camaz thought he was choking, but it burst out into unhinged laughter. “Oh, this is the best. Camaz knows less than me. Camaz being fucking clueless. How does it feel to have the unknown dangled in front of you like that? I must admit, this is a fantastic distraction, but your time is up, old friend.” Moulu lifted the sword so it brushed Camaz’s bearded jawline. “Bring. Us. To. Aris.”

“I don’t know where she is,” Camaz said. “I don’t know how to find her, alive or dead.”

“I’m meant to believe you didn’t leash your favorite student?” Moulu sneered. “You, who needs to know everything all the time, would let a girl who’s the heir to Caelis roam free?”

Camaz rolled his eyes. “She’s not a dog. And she hates me enough, if I put some sort of ‘leash’ on her, it wouldn’t have taken a scandal for her to leave the island.”

While he spoke, he purposely reached through the Solvent to find Moulu. He was going to wrangle the bastard, figuratively and physically. Even if the words would come out jumbled and confusing, he was going to make Moulu talk. Except Camaz found he couldn’t do it. While he could normally grasp a solute like a hand closing around a stone, he came up with nothing.

“Your tricks aren’t going to work,” Moulu said, scraping the sword to his jaw again.

Camaz narrowed his eyes at the students kneeling on the dry soil. Was that why the four of them were captured so easily? It was like they couldn’t even put up a fight. Some sort of dampening effect?

Before he could consider it further, he saw out of the far corner of his eye Moulu make some sort of movement with his free hand and the man holding Raka prisoner shoved the young man to the ground.

“Last chance,” Moulu said.

“I still don’t know where she is,” Camaz fought to keep his tone even. Raka had his head turned such that their eyes locked. His eyes were wide and glassy with fear. There was another sharp gesture and the man standing over Raka unsheathed a sword and plunged it into the back of a knee with one quick, expert movement, then twisted it. Raka screamed as the bones gave a sickening crunch and blood gushed out.

“Maybe that will refresh your memory?” Moulu asked. “He has another leg to go through.”

Camaz felt as if time slowed as Raka cried for mercy, his blood soaking the soil under him. The other three students considerably paled and made not a single sound as they watched their peer become a cripple. “Are you still in that room, Moulu?” Camaz asked softly. “The one we worked in back in Sekrelli. Have you never left? Moulu, torturer in the dark.”

The sword left his neck. Camaz felt no relief. Moulu gestured to the strange men working for him and they hauled the students towards the decrepit village again. Raka, was dragged unceremoniously by his uninjured leg.

“You have no idea, old friend,” Moulu said. Camaz thought he heard bitterness in his voice.