Page 51 of Lhora
Behind her she felt relief flooding Lon and his men.
24
Confession
Kai was sitting on the side of her bed when Lhora emerged from her bath. Lhora noticed how her mother scoured her nude body, and noticed the bruises and cuts she’d sustained during her ordeal.
“Your father told me—”
“I know what Father told you,” Lhora countered. “Or I can make a reasonable guess.” Grabbing a comb, she ran it through her thick locks. “He told you I’d been compromised.”
“Yes.”
“It’s true, but not in a way…not in the way you think.”
“Do I need to know?” Kai gently asked.
Going over to her, she sat beside the woman and laid her head on the woman’s shoulder. “The Sarpi kidnapped me. I don’t know how he managed to get me out of the manse and onto his ship, but when I awoke, I was in their brig. While I was on the Sarpi’s ship, they were surrounded by the Tra’Mell. By three Tra’Mellian ships. I heard the Sarpi ready his cannons, but he didn’t fire.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Not at the time, I didn’t, but I have a theory.”
Her mother gazed at her in confusion but didn’t interrupt.
“The Tra’Mell fired on them. During the attack, the power went out. I was able to escape my cell. That’s when I ran into the Sarpen. He’d come below deck to check on me.”
“And?”
“He allowed me my weapons, then led me through a secret passageway to where the lifeboats were located.” Sitting up, she gave her mother a stern look. “Are there such passageways on our ships?”
Kai pursed her lips but didn’t reply, which answered Lhora’s question. “So he led you to the escape pod bay…”
“He launched me away from the ship, but another Coltrosstian warship intercepted me. They thought I was Coltrosstian.”
“Did they imprison you, as well?”
“No. They were about to, when I told them about the Sarpi not firing his cannons even though they were primed and armed. I convinced him that the Tra’Mell were our enemy, as well as theirs.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. The touch of her fingers reminded her of Duren’s fascination with them, and longing surged through her.
“Is this the Vadris you’re speaking of now?”
“Yes. His ship was the only one in the vicinity, and he was under his shields, which was why the Tra’Mell weren’t aware of him. He went in, dropped his shields, and took out two of the enemy ships. That gave the Sarpi the chance to fire on the main ship and take them out. But when Sov discovered me on board, and that I had convinced the Vadris to attack the Tra’Mell, he accused Lon of treason.”
Kai gasped. “What?”
“He accused Lon of conspiring with the enemy, meaning me. Yes, he did, but…”
“But if it weren’t for your information, the Sarpi could be dead right now!” the Esstika exclaimed.
Lhora took a deep breath. “For some reason, the Sarpi declared the Vadris and his men be taken into custody. When we arrived back at Avergild, we were all transferred to his dungeon.”
She sat up to face the Esstika. Kai reached out, taking her daughter’s hand. “Go on.”
“We were taken to the High Council. Lon was sentenced to be executed the next evening. I was to be used in exchange to get you to free some Coltrosstian prisoners. And the Vadris’s men were to spend time in their cells until the Sarpi determined they’d been punished enough, and set them free, since they were only following the Vadris’s orders.”
Kai’s expression hardened. “In other words, they would sit in the Sarpi’s dungeon until they rotted.”
“Yes.” Lhora nodded.
