“I’ve done all I can. Its rest he needs now.”
“Then you are of no further use,” he said and dismissed her with a wave of his hand. She rose to leave the room, steering her son out before her, but as she made to close the door the Shadojak spoke once more.
“Tell me Grendel. How did those three manage to better my Shaigun? Is it possible you aided them? What did you have to gain from those takwich?”
Grendel halted at the door, her shoulders slumped in resignation. “I did what I could for your Shaigun, but they arrived much earlier. They held my son hostage and forced me to admit Bray and the girl. I was to let them in here then leave the room. Nothing more.”
“An act of treason.”
“No, my Lord,” she begged, kneeling before the Shadojak, tears running down her face. “They had my son.”
Diagus appeared indignant. “The reasons don’t matter. You committed treason.”
“I did my Lord.”
“Order your son to leave the room,” the Shadojak said as he pulled his sword free from the invisible pocket. Grendel stared at her son, eyes red and swollen from crying and offered him a sad smile.
“Go to your room, Darrion.” The boy looked at her, fear in his eyes but did as he was told. When the door was closed she lowered her head, barring her neck to the Shadojak. Elora struggled to understand what was going on, surely, he wouldn’t kill her.
“Grendel Tracathion. You’ve been judged on account of treason. The Shadojak has found you guilty.” He lifted the sword above his head. “May the Mother have mercy on your soul.”
“No!” cried Elora. “You can’t just kill her,” her legs felt like jelly as she stepped in front of the Shadojak.
“Silence girl,” Grendel hissed. “Or you will share the same fate as me. I made a choice and must suffer the consequences.”
Elora glanced up at the dull green blade that loomed above her, ready to fall “No,” she enforced. “I won’t move. If you’re going to kill her, then you’ll need to strike through me.”
The Shadojak stared at her for a moment. “So be it.”
“No,” came Bray’s voice from behind him. “The girl must live.”
“Why? You know our mission. I will be judging her next anyway.”
“Master please. There is something happening. Something big unfolding and somehow she is at its centre.”
“Then tell her to stand aside.”
Elora folded her arms. “I won’t move. I won’t let you kill her.”
“Master. Grendel does not deserve to die. She aided me. She helped as much as she could.”
“Did she tell you that you were being led into a trap. Did she conceal the takwich?”
“Yes. But she also gave me this,” he said as he sat up. He opened his palm. Elora saw the rut worm seed and didn’t understand Bray’s meaning. Surely, showing the Shadojak the rut worm seed would seal Grendel’s fate.
“Tryella stone?” asked the Shadojak.
“Yes, my Lord,” Grendel replied. “The girl told me he had been poisoned with knoll sap. I had the ingredients in here to make the antidote, but it would require me boiling the grimrot root and grinding down the spalding claw. I didn’t have time to do these things immediately and so I hid them in my apron, so I could make the draught once I satisfied my captors. I knew he wouldn’t last much longer without help – that’s I gave him the tryella stone.”
“I thought if taken whole it would boil your blood,” the Shadojak said.
“Only if swallowed. But if placed beneath the tongue it will give enough energy to the blood to revive somebody close to death.”
That would explain why Bray managed to recover enough to fight Reuben, thought Elora.
“Once I was out of the way, I made up the antidote.”
The Shadojak lowered his sword although his face was still set in a less than satisfied grimace. “You’re free to go, Grendel. But you have been marked as a traitor. See to it those bodies outside are eaten by carrion spore,” he said, sliding the sword away where it vanished. Elora didn’t think she would ever get used to seeing things like that.
Grendel stood up and surprised Elora by wrapping her long arms around her and squeezing her tight.
“If there is anything I have and could do for you, anything, just name it. It will be yours, sweet girl.”
Tears ran freely from her eyes as she let her go. She smiled and gave Elora’s hand a final squeeze before her son came back into the room. He gave them all a puzzled look before racing to his mother where she embraced him.
Elora smiled at the pair, it was a lovely sight. But the smile dropped from her mouth when she saw the Shadojak’s thunderous expression as he stared at her.
“There is some explaining needs doing,” he said.
It was midnight before Bray felt well enough to stand by himself, albeit with the frowns and curses, from Grendel.
Elora had spent the time telling the Shadojak who she was and of all that had happened over the last few days. He listened intently, frown set throughout, a frown that grew deeper the more she spoke. She even showed him Nat’s journal but like Bray, he couldn’t read it. Neither could Grendel.
After she had finished, the Shadojak only spoke to ask her to leave the room so he could speak freely with his Shaigun.
Grendel took her by the hand, like an old friend, saying that she could help her make tea. But instead of leading her into the kitchen she led her up a flight of stairs to a dark room full of strange objects, even more obscure than those in the shop. Maybe this was where she hid the things she didn’t want the Shadojak to see.
A circular table adorned with a purple velvet cloth sat in the centre of the room. An oak chest inlaid with fine gold straps and hinges lay open at its centre; dark shadows swam from within, reminding Elora of the swirling darkness that surrounding the house where Norgie lived.
