Asunder: A Gathering of Chaos by Cameron Hopkin (children's ebooks free online .txt) 📕

cleared her throat. “Forgive me if I am mistaken, but I was under the impression that we were continuing our negotiations this morning. As fascinating as it is to listen to a couple of crones that pray to trees…” she let the insult and the implication dangle. The others were not slow to respond.

“Of course, of course,” the merchant woman said. “This is nonsense. Get rid of them and let’s move on to more important matters.”

“Regrettable,” murmured the General, “but I agree.”

“I would be more than pleased to dispose of them,” husked the Naga, her eyes glinting green. “It would only take a moment. My venom is entirely painless.” The bustle of the chamber stilled. She wants to eat us. Nira couldn’t suppress a shudder. The Governor noticed.

“That is not a precedent I am comfortable allowing,” he said gravely, leaning forward in his chair. “Humans will take care of human business.”

“As you wish, of course, my lord,” murmured the monster. “I merely thought to help.”

“Of course,” replied the master of Far East, only the barest hint of sarcasm in his tone. “General, if you please. Up the tunnel with them and return quickly. We have need of your counsel.”

What a useless reason to die, Nira thought bitterly. I don’t care about your secrets. I never wanted to be here in the first place. She hated them, every last one, with their thoughtless disposal of others’ lives as they chased their grand goals. Especially Renna. Nira cast a hateful glare at her, wishing the poison of her thoughts could inflict some harm on the woman, only to find her staring back. The General was untying her from her chair, and she looked intently from Nira to the soldier without moving her head, flicking her eyes back and forth.

She was trying to say something. It made Nira tired. They’ll kill her, and even then her corpse will keep scheming. The skinny woman kept boring into her with her eyes, occasionally jerking her eyes over to the General and back to her. Nira shrugged at her, not understanding, not caring. The insufferable woman closed her eyes for a moment as if overcome with irritation, and then the General was pulling her to her feet, holding both hands behind her with one of his own. He drew his cruelly-edged bat from his belt and walked her over to Nira.

“You walk in front,” he said curtly. “No nonsense. It will only make this harder, and it won’t help you at all. I promise to make it quick.” She was shocked by his forthrightness, but she turned and walked in front of the pair. Why am I obeying so easily? He means to kill me. Am I such a sheep? “Turn right,” he said as she reached the doorway. That was the direction of the Governor’s mansion. She fantasized that he would be suddenly overcome by conscience and release them once they were out of earshot of the others. Don’t be an idiot. How would that serve him? Could she bribe him? She had money, but likely so did he. Seduce him? A laughable thought, apparently. Outrun him? Renna was between them, and getting past her might slow him down long enough for her to reach the mansion’s entrance and barricade it from the other side. She thought about how she’d struggled to open the door the last time and knew it was hopeless.

Still, she resolved that she would not die easily. Once they were far enough away from the Naga, she would… she would… something. I’ll do something. She felt the tension in her body ratchet higher as she imagined leaping for the General’s weapon, the flint blades biting into her. They walked in silence in the darkness, fear and anger mounting. They passed from the stone tunnel on to soft earth, and the man’s gravelly voice broke the silence. “That’s far enough.”

“Now!” cried Renna. There was a scuffle and a curse in the dark, then the clink of sharpened stone biting into dirt. “Now!”

Terrified and confused, Nira backed up from the sounds of the commotion. “Now what?” she cried.

“Touch him, stupid!” the Hand growled, and the General roared, swearing. Renna cried out in pain. “Now, now!”

Without stopping to think about it, Nira dropped to her hands and knees and scrambled into the fray, hoping to stay under the swipes of the man’s club. She fumbled for a handhold in the dark, feeling body parts she couldn’t identify. A leg? An arm? A boot caught her in the hip, and she grunted. She flailed after it, finding a leather-covered knee. “That’s me!” shrieked the Weaver.

Then a heavy hand tangled in her hair and lifted her upright. She screamed desperately and clutched at the knotted hand.

– WAR AND JUNGLE AND FLASHING BLADES, THE GREEN OF CHOKING EARTH AND ALL THE CREVICES FULL OF MUD AND DEATH DEATH DEATH ALL OF HIS MEN ALL OF HIS BEAUTIFUL BOYS GROUND TO NOTHING AND CARRIED AWAY BY SLITHERING THINGS WITH EYES OF HAPPY MALICE AND WHERE WERE THE REINFORCEMENTS FROM THE CITY? BOUND AND HELD OVER THE FLAMES NAGA EVERYWHERE AND THERE WAS THAT HATEFUL AMBASSADOR THE SLY ONE WITH ALL HER PROMISES MADAM SYCARA SAYING YOUR DEAR GOVERNOR DIDN’T EVEN BARGAIN WHEN I SAID YOU WERE MY PRICE FOR PEACE AND THEN THE PAIN OF FIRE AND HIS OWN MEAT HANGING FROM HER LIPS AS STILL HE BREATHED –

She slumped to the ground, half senseless, the hand at her hair gone. She heard hoarse sobbing nearby. Light bloomed as Renna extracted the glowpod from her pouch, but Nira’s eyes were full of tears and she couldn’t see anything more than blurred shapes. A tall, narrow shape bent and picked up a long, edged shape, which fell forward and connected with a low, huddled shape on the ground. There was a wet thump at the contact and the sobbing cut off suddenly in a pained gurgle. Nira flinched at the sound, and then the shape came for her.

“Up,” Renna