The Cleansing (Book One: The Folara Chronicles)

065: Granite Fears

Jayce tossed his black hair back and caught it in one hand as he placed his bet against the red pheroon, with the other hand waving the beaded currency on a leather thong for the collector to see. His beads were easily counted and he tossed them to the collector's crony and grinned. Over the back of the crony, he could see Rion at the bar now talking disinterestedly with one of the idiot twins, Kib, or Logrun. 

Crevan had ordered them to find Rion, but when they'd found Rion, he'd fought them. His world was reeling with the knowledge that Rion wasn't upholding the Quarso loyalties as far as he could tell. His thoughts tumbled haphazardly against his will inside a mind foggy with his first couple of drinks. 

Jayce felt nervous. He felt eyes on him. The talk of war, the obvious brilliance over the Fortress and main village were disconcerting. He shoved back when his pheroon was pecked to death and then stomped for good measure. He waved a hand to indicate he was done and then walked over to the bar and sat beside Rion and Logrun. Kib chose that moment to quit wiping the counter top and move away to help someone else. Jayce slammed his palm flat on the hard top and then woodenly and rhythmically tapped his beads on the surface.

Kib came back, slowly and distinctly he poured Jayce a draft and then slid it perfectly down the smooth surface. He caught it and lifted it in salute to Rion who gave him an acknowledging nod.

"Brother." Jayce thought he'd begin by being cordial, when what he really wanted was to confront. He let his feelings enter his frontal lobes and projected so that Rion would push him away or allow him in. Rion gave him a warning expression.

He lifted a brow and shrugged his shoulder.

Rion screwed up his face, allowing the pain of cut lips, slashed eyebrow and mangled hand to speak for him. These things were not an issue and he knew it. He refused to be put off. He pushed further into Rion's mind, "What is the girl to you?"

The image Jayce projected was Kara defending Rion in the village. Rion gave a start and then shut the image out forcefully giving his brother another warning glare.

"You owe me that, Rion." Jayce used his name with familiarity, drawing on their close personal relationship over years of training and fighting together.

He did owe him that. But it would be revealing. Rion opened his mind once again. "Between you and me alone."

Jayce acknowledged that by setting the slightly sipped mug down and staring straight ahead.

"She is...in my blood." Rion said and infused the statement in his mind with the deep personal feelings of possession and involvement he felt with Kara, the respect, the healing, the incredible warrior loyalties she had, the brilliant mind, and smooth, tangy wine flavor she elicited in his blood.

Jayce's heart beat accelerated. His immediate comprehension fulfilled him. It wasn't just the onset of female companionship; it was the sudden revelation that Rion was no longer loyal to Quildor, to Quarso, or to anything of his former life. The transformation was complete, and Rion's personal sensing was a different kind of freedom than Jayce had ever encountered. "She is the catalyst."

Rion thought about it a moment and then nodded in agreement. He turned and looked Jayce straight in the eye. "War is imminent. I am free. I will find her, and I will find a way to be free of the past. I have seen and tasted the reality of life on the outside, outside of the merciless rule of our liege."

"You speak treason." Jayce said it out loud and stared his brother down with penetrating eyes.

"I do."