The Long War 03 - The Red Prince by A. J. Smith Page B

suffered much, sweet Yacob,’ said Saara, feeling the man’s depthless self-loathing and anger. ‘But I can help.’
    She softened her grip on his mind and allowed him to sense euphoria. After a moment, his eyes rolled back in his head and his mouth contorted into a vacant smile.
    Pressing into his memory, Saara identified the knowledge he wished to share. Somewhere to the east, in the town of Kabrin, Yacob had seen an albino man of Ro boarding a Karesian ship. The captain was a smuggler called Makad and he was bound for Kessia.
    Saara gasped with pleasure and saw the pale face of Utha the Ghost. He was accompanied by his squire and a dark woman who was not as she appeared. Yacob had recognized him, and the last old-blood was certainly heading towards the capital city of Karesia.
    Saara released his mind and fell back against the table. Neither Elihas nor Pevain moved to help her and the Mistress of Pain breathed heavily with a contented smile on her face.
    ‘Thank you, Yacob,’ she said between panted breaths.
    The Black Guard was unconscious now, slumped in a heap on the floor, but completely under the sway of the enchantress. He was a skilled assassin and could prove useful beyond the information he had just supplied.
    ‘Is he dead?’ asked Pevain.
    She laughed. ‘He will recover, my dear Hallam.’ She pointed to one of her guards. ‘You, take him to a bedchamber.’
    The wind claw opened the wooden door and dragged out the torpid Black Guard. It was not unusual for men to be carried out of her office – though, for a change, the man was still alive.
    ‘He has interesting news,’ said Saara, licking her lips.
    ‘He told me,’ replied Pevain.
    The mercenary growled. Utha had evaded him before and this would wrangle badly. Pevain saw himself as an unbeatable fighter who had been defeated and left for dead by the albino. He would relish the opportunity to resume his pursuit. Parag nodded excitedly and emitted a throaty chuckle. Neither of them cared about Yacob, and Saara figured they’d already been paid for introducing him to her.
    ‘My sister will meet you in Kessia,’ she said. ‘Sasha will make sure you do not fail again.’ Her smile was disarming enough for Pevain not to recognize straightaway the threat implicit in her words.
    ‘I’ll find him,’ snarled the mercenary, rubbing his scar. ‘And I don’t need your sister looking over my shoulder.’
    ‘I don’t need you to find him. Sasha can find him. I need you to kill him. Kill him, kill his squire, cut out his eyes, cut off his cock... just kill him! Do you understand?’ The venom flooded out in her words, and immediately she pulled herself back.
    Pevain scowled, fighting his involuntary fear. ‘I understand.’
    Elihas stepped in front of the knight. ‘Shall I remove something from him to ensure loyalty? Perhaps a hand?’
    Pevain was scared enough of Saara not to react to the cleric’s threat, though his eyes narrowed. For an instant, she saw a man who regretted his life. He had served her for money, power and influence, but occasionally he saw the dark heart behind her honeyed words. He would always fear her.
    ‘I don’t think so,’ whispered Saara, licking her lips at Pevain.
    The two men were now nose to nose.
    ‘Do as you’re told. And have the sense to know how small you are,’ growled Elihas, making Saara’s chest heave with desire. The man of Ro was not attractive but his stern manner and upright posture made him desirable in that moment.
    Pevain did not turn back to meet the cleric’s gaze. He patted Parag on the shoulder and pointed to the door. ‘Let’s go, there’s a ghost that needs killing.’
    As the mercenaries left, Saara panted and bit her lower lip, looking hungrily at Elihas. For a moment she considered grabbing the cleric and making him satisfy her, but she didn’t want to hurt him. The last few men she’d taken to bed had died in extreme pain. She needed to consume the energy of others in order to