"Retribution?" Leona asked breathlessly, gesturing for Neko to hold Unni's head as she moved towards the cell door. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I can't let you out of the cell right now," Jashad began, standing before it. "What? Why not?" she asked with a furrowed brow.
"If another guard decides to do his rounds and sees you moving freely about the dungeon, it will spell trouble for all of us," he replied. She clicked her tongue, knowing he was right. "He's right. We can't afford to get caught, especially not now," Gwili added, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know, but I would like to see the wretch for myself," Leona replied.
She wants to face one of the sources of her trauma head-on? Awfully brave of her, Bernar thought, observing the exchange.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but even that is risky. We're not sure if they're going to double the guard rotation after Gwili's little stunt from earlier today," Jashad said with a small amount of dejection. "Very well, then. I'll heed your warning," she relented, moving toward the corner of the cell that was closest to Mourtis' cell.
"What are you even doing here, you old bastard?" she asked, getting another heartless chuckle out of the priest. "After the Masked One's takeover, he deemed me worthless and eventually cast me out like a leper to wander the world," he began, his voice hoarse and dry like the sands outside the palace.
"So you thought coming here was your best option?" Leona scoffed. "My, my. How the mighty Mideia has failed to hear your prayers," she said derisively. "I would not take his name so lightly, Leona," Mourtis said, lacing her name with venom. "In addition to visiting an ally, I have tried to teach these imbeciles that Yarathea has long since abandoned this land, but they would not listen to reason nor the word of Mideia's teachings," he continued, getting a restrained breath from Jashad in response.
He had allies here? Doesn't seem like it, given the fact that he's here. Who the hell is he talking about? Bernar thought as he listened to the conversation.
"Watch your tongue, wretch. You have no allies here, and we don't need you spreading the words of a lesser god. Yarathea has always watched over our people ever since the Great Partition. I would like to think that a religious man like yourself would have known that, but it appears I was wrong," Jashad seethed, peering between the bars at the decrepit old man.
His cheekbones were showing, and his already wrinkled skin held ample dirt between the folds. His clothes had been tattered and torn, and his crooked nose and gap-toothed mouth were caked in dried blood from his earlier encounter with the guards.
"There is nothing you can do to me that hasn't already been done, guardsman, but know that during my time here, it is evident she has abandoned you," Mourtis said glibly.
We'll see about that if he keeps this up, Bernar thought, already losing his patience with the old man.
"It doesn't matter what you think, only that the people continue to believe in her," Leona chimed in, hoping to shift the focus back to her.
I need to find out what he knows before Jashad ends up killing him, she thought in the small pause that followed.
"You didn't believe in the power of Mideia nor that of his followers, so what would you know? Your people suffered because of your debauchery and lack of self-respect, though I cannot blame you entirely for it," Mourtis said with a shrug, almost feeling Leona take a step away from the dividing wall. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Gwili asked, gently pushing Jashad aside.
"You see, elf, there is much more to that story than most people realize," Mourtis began, grunting with exertion as he got to his feet. "I can tell you the rest of what I know, but the price of it will be my freedom from this place," he said with a toothless grin, cracking the dried blood around the corner of his mouth.
"Even if you got out of here, you wouldn't make it very far," Gwili said, giving the crone a once-over glance. "True, but anything would be better than dying in this place," Mourtis shrugged. Gwili looked at Leona, who gave him a silent nod of approval. "Fine, tell us what you know, and we'll free you from this place when we make our move," he sighed.
"You're smarter than you look," Mourtis said with a dry chuckle. "I heard you mention a booklet earlier. Where is it?" he asked bluntly. "It's right here," Bernar said, passing it through the bars to his elven counterpart, who then handed it to Mourtis, who immediately began to sift through its pages. "Bring that torch a little closer," he said, getting a raised eyebrow from Jashad before he followed the order.
"Ah, here we are," Mourtis said after a few moments of searching, putting a filthy index finger on a small paragraph. "I would suggest Leona read it for herself since she's not inclined to believe me," he said, handing the book back to Gwili, who then held it out for Leona to take.
Her eyes quickly glazed over the words and widened when she neared the end of the paragraph. "By the Graces," she said under her breath. "What does it say, Your Majesty?" Jashad asked since he stood to learn much more about his own country than the others present.
"I-it says here that Zari was the one who prompted Bashaa to take their son along to the council meeting," she began to summarize. "That's not uncommon, as the crowned prince must always know what is going on with foreign relations to ensure a smoother eventual transition of power," Jashad said with a confused look.
"Do Harutian foreign relations often involve the undermining of another country by using their own prince as a form of bait to destabilize the powers that rule said country?" Leona asked bluntly. "W-what?" Jashad asked in disbelief. "It says here that Zari and the late King Bashaa planned to use their own son as a wedge to be driven between Truls and I, destabilizing the balance of power in Coltend as a result," she began.