Page 70 of Dark Elves of Ardani

“What were you doing the night that traveler was killed, Paladin?” she spat. Theron’s eyes snapped to hers. “I saw you stealing from Tahir’s workshop that night. There were scratches on you, like you had been in a fight, and you were looking for healing draughts. How did you come to be injured on the same night that woman was stabbed to death?”

“What are you talking about? Are you implying that I had something to do with that woman’s death?”

“I am not implying it, I am accusing you,” Zara said, not caring if there was not a single other person in the village who would side with her. She was too angry. “There were no Varai that night. You killed that woman and blamed it on the Varai because you wanted people to be afraid. Because you wanted control. Because you wanted everyone to hate the Varai as much as you do.”

The accusation was met with shocked silence. Naika raised her eyebrows, looking over at Theron.

Even Zara could hardly believe what she was saying. He had always been a zealot and a killer, but she had never expected that he would kill a fellow human in cold blood. But she couldn’t ignore the evidence.

Theron’s jaw was tight as he slowly shook his head. He looked genuinely disturbed and disappointed. That part wasn’t a lie. “There is something really wrong with you,” he said. “You’ve turned against your own people. You’ve betrayed us to the elves, and now you tell lies about me.” He turned to the others, gesturing at her. “Look at the hatred in her face. This is not the same innocent girl we rescued from the elves.”

Several of the Paladins were moving around the table now, surrounding her. Her hands were trembling, and she put them in fists to keep them still.

“If you touch me, you will regret it,” she said.

Theron lunged over the table and grabbed her collar. Zara drew her dagger and sliced it forward. Theron reeled back, stunned. Blood welled in the fresh cut she’d made along his cheek bone.

Instantly, the Paladins behind her caught her arms. Someone disarmed her, and someone else bent her over the table and thrust her hands in front of her. Someone began quickly winding rough rope around her wrists. She felt someone take the other dagger from its sheath at her waist.

She craned her neck to glare up at Theron, and the look on his face chilled her. He was enraged. It occurred to her that he might just kill her, the way he’d killed Jishna.

“What in the world—?” The voice was Basira’s. Zara felt a pang of fear for her, and silently willed her to stay back.

Blood oozed down Theron’s face. The cut was deep, the flesh sagging open. It would need stitches to heal correctly, even if he accepted magical healing from Naika. Someone tried to hand him a rag, and he ignored it. When Zara’s hands had been tied, he reached forward again and simply dragged her across the tabletop to him, as if she weighed nothing. Zara flinched.

“Theron!” Basira shouted. Zara was able to look back long enough to see one of the Paladins grabbing her to hold her back.

Theron took Zara by the arm and went to the door, and she could only helplessly stumble along beside him. They went out into the gray daylight, onto the path through the village. Other people were out and about, since it was almost midday. People stopped and stared.

Theron threw her to the ground beside the well in the middle of the village. She looked up at him defiantly. If he killed her, he would at least know it wasn’t because she’d surrendered.

“Where is the elf now?” Theron asked as the other Paladins arrived behind him.

“Far away, I assume,” Zara said.

“Where? Where are they?”

“I have no idea.”

She saw his hand shoot out, and then pain exploded against her cheek. She fell face down in the dirt, a stinging imprint of his gauntlet burning into one side of her face.

“You’ve been talking to them long enough that they knew to go to you for help,” Theron said. “How long have you been on their side?”

She swallowed the blood welling up in her mouth. “I am not on anyone’s side,” she said, slowly and clearly.

He hit her again, and she went down again. Dizzy, she stayed down for a few seconds before sitting up to glare at him again. Her vision swam. The other Paladins looked on, unsympathetic—all except Naika, whose face was dark and tense.

“Now you’re ashamed to admit what you’ve done?” Theron said, amused. “Just a few moments ago, you were boasting about your cleverness in double-crossing us. Where is that pride now? Perhaps you’re ready to admit your wrongdoing and beg for forgiveness?”

“I am not ashamed of anything.”

“Then tell us.” He gestured to the large crowd that had already gathered to watch from a distance. “Tell everyone what you’ve done. Tell them why you’re here.”

Zara looked around at the crowd. She saw expressions ranging from confusion to dread. No one spoke. No one moved to stop Theron, but how could they? What could they do to help, even if they wanted to?

“Who killed that traveler?” Theron asked.

Zara’s eyes shot back to his.

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