Her Knight's Quest: A Warriors of the Mist Novel (27 page)

The deep voice carried well on the night air, making it even more disturbing than usual. “Thank you. I will warn Duncan and Lady Lavinia.”

He pitched his voice to carry only a short distance. “Tell me what, Sarra?”

Both she and the gelding turned in Duncan’s direction.

“They’re coming.”

He edged closer and then knelt down on one knee, to better converse at her level. “Who is coming?”

Sarra patted the horse on the neck. “Some of his old herd is moving in this direction.” Then her voice deepened as the gods spoke through her again. “They aren’t far, so you must ride now. Don’t stop to gather anything but your weapons. With the gods’ grace, your friends will reach you before the duke’s men do.”

Duncan believed her. He lurched back to his feet. “Lavinia! We ride!”

He immediately tightened the cinch on Sarra’s mount and tossed the girl up in the saddle. By the time Lavinia joined them, he’d also secured her saddle on the big gray. He gave her a boost up.

“Go! Lady Merewen’s keep lies to the southwest. Kiva can guide you if necessary, but I’ll be right behind you.”

He could already hear the faint creak and jingle of mounted riders on the far side of the stream, still far enough away that their normal human senses wouldn’t pick up on the sound of Lavinia and Sarra riding away. On the other hand, if the troop was following their tracks from yesterday, there was little chance the duke’s men would pass by without seeing the scattered remains of the camp.

Duncan handed the packhorse’s reins to Lavinia. “Turn him loose as soon as you’re out of sight. Don’t slow yourself down by holding on to him. Most likely he’ll follow you anyway.”

Lavinia nodded and started after Sarra. Before Duncan mounted up, he paused to study their camp. There was no time to gather their things. Even if there was, he couldn’t hide the charred remains of last night’s fire.

Or maybe he could. He flexed his fingers and remembered the tingle of the magic Lavinia had taught him.

Her warding spell in the abbey library kept the secret collection hidden right in plain view. It was worth the risk of a few seconds to attempt the spell himself, especially if it bought Lavinia and Sarra more time to get away.

He stepped closer to the camp and planted his feet in a wide stance. At first the words refused to come, his mind spinning too hard with all the possibilities, none of them good. He slumped his shoulders, forcing himself to relax and find that inner circle of calm deep within. Without it, he might as well be spouting gibberish.

Finally, he pictured Lavinia’s beautiful face, her smile, the scent of her skin, the way she fit in his arms. For her, he would do this or die trying.

Once again he chanted the spell, this time feeling the spark of magic rippling over his skin. At first, he put up a simple ward around the bedrolls and the cold ashes of the campfire. It wasn’t enough. Hiding the camp wouldn’t mean a thing if the duke’s men could immediately pick up Lavinia’s fresh tracks.

May the Lady of the River forgive him, but he had to do more. He stared at the trees on the far side of the clearing and then slowly turned, mentally stretching the faint shimmer of energy from point to point until it encompassed more than the camp itself. He infused the spell with more power, ripping it from the ground beneath his feet and the very air that surrounded him.

The rich spice of endless power tasted sweet in his mouth and heated his blood. If the enemy were to ride into sight right at that moment, he would throw enough power into the wards to burn them to ash.

“Yes!” he crowed, reveling in his newfound strength. Once the enemy was dead, he would ride straight for the capital city, find Ifre Keirthan, and rip the bastard’s heart out of his chest. He deserved no less for threatening a gentlewoman like Lavinia. If Duncan could go back in time, he would teach his father the same lesson for his abuse of his wife and son.

No one would stand against him then. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself riding forth with his friends at his side. Together they would rid the land of all evil, starting with Keirthan’s blood magic. When it came time to face judgment, he would tell the goddess how they should—

No, what was he thinking? It was not his place to tell the Lady of the River anything.

“Duncan, what are you about?”

He knew that voice. It belonged to the Lady of the River, the one who owned his allegiance. Her image filled his mind and his soul with the soothing, cool ripple of her strength. He dropped to his knees as the burn of pure magic drained from his body. The woods were quiet except for the murmur of the nearby stream. If the duke’s men were nearby, he couldn’t sense them. His fear for Lavinia and Sarra coiled in his chest, stealing his breath.

He bowed his head and rested his hands on his thighs as he struggled to make his lungs work.

“I am sorry for my weakness, my lady. If you can’t find it in your heart to forgive me, I pray you will not hold my foolishness against Gideon and the others. They are not at fault.”

“Rise, Warrior. Time to defend those you have claimed as your own is running short.”

The Lady’s voice flowed gently through his mind.
“You are forgiven this time, but only because your intentions were not selfish ones. Now draw your sword and prepare to fight. They come.”

Chapter 28

T
he low branches smacked against Lavinia as she tore through the woods, chasing after Sarra. Normally, she would have led the way, but right now it was more important that she stay between the girl and their enemy. The pounding of her heart mixed with the heavy thud of the horses’ hooves on the hard ground made it impossible for her to hear much else.

With visibility so poor, she couldn’t even risk a look back to see if Duncan had caught up with them yet. The trees gradually thinned, giving way to open grasslands. Riding became easier but offered little in the way of cover. When Lavinia caught up with her, Sarra had slowed her horse to a fast trot. She then stood up in her stirrups and seemed to be searching in the distance for something.

Before Lavinia could call out to ask, Sarra pointed ahead. Sure enough, two men were riding straight for them with swords drawn.

The little girl smiled back in Lavinia’s direction. “Duncan’s friends!”

Sarra spoke in her own voice this time, yet she sounded sure of herself. Even so, Lavinia wished Duncan were there to vouch for them. Sarra’s guides had never proven false as far as Lavinia knew, but with their lives at stake, a little caution was in order.

It was impossible to tell if the men had spotted them yet. But then Kiva swept past her, his huge wings carrying him directly toward the two warriors. When the bigger of the two men waved at Duncan’s avatar, the owl banked around in a slow curve and came flying right toward Lavinia and Sarra. The men changed directions to ride straight at them.

Thank the gods, they had to be Duncan’s friends. “Sarra, we’ll wait here.”

As she pulled back on the reins, she turned the gray in a wide circle, hoping to find Duncan riding behind them. Her heart plummeted when she realized he was nowhere in sight. That was bad enough, but it was the sound of battle cries in the distance that had her screaming his name.

“Stop!”

*  *  *

Murdoch rode up beside the woman and made a fast grab for her reins when she ignored his order and kept riding straight back to the woods.

Lady protect him from stubborn women!

He tried one more time to cut her off. “We can’t fight and protect you at the same time! Stay with the girl!”

She was already shaking her head. “They’ve cornered Duncan in the woods! I can help!”

Before he could stop her, she spurred the gray forward, leaving him behind. He sent a mental shout to Shadow, asking her to guard the child.

Stay with her! If we don’t return, you and Kiva lead her to the keep.

The growl inside his head made it clear that the cat would prefer to fight at his side, but she was already turning back toward the little girl.

Sigil hung back until Shadow reached the child before he came riding hard to catch up with Murdoch. They’d reached the edge of the woods, but it was difficult to see very far under the canopy of thick foliage. At least the pale color of the woman’s horse made it easy to track her.

The trees forced them to slow down. Sigil glanced over toward Murdoch. “I’m guessing that’s Lady Lavinia, the woman Duncan told Gideon about.”

“Yes, no doubt,” Murdoch grumbled. “Let’s hope she can lead us to Duncan in time to keep the idiot from getting skewered. I didn’t ride all this distance on no sleep just to bury him.”

Sigil started to smile, but then he pointed into the trees off to the left. “Murdoch! There!”

A line of three riders was circling through the trees, probably trying to cut off any avenue of escape for Duncan and the woman. The leader abruptly pulled back on the reins and pointed his horse in their direction. He drew his sword as did his two companions.

“Attack!”

As the three men charged forward, Sigil accepted their challenge. “Go, Murdoch. I can handle these three.”

Murdoch didn’t hesitate; right now he needed to find Duncan and the woman, whom he could no longer see. But despite the darkness, he had no trouble tracking them. The sounds of fighting carried all too clearly through the night air.

When he reached the edge of a clearing, the situation was as bad as he feared. Duncan was surrounded by a dozen of the duke’s men. Two others were on the ground, dead or dying. The woman had dismounted and now stood at Duncan’s side.

Murdoch watched as Duncan shoved her behind him as he faced off against the enemy. Lavinia moved to the side as she raised her hands toward the enemy and started chanting. A small blue whirlwind appeared above her palms, spinning and spinning as it grew in size and strength. How was she doing that?

And like Murdoch, the guards froze as they stared at the whirling wind in stunned horror.

*  *  *

Duncan stood next to Lavinia, brandishing his sword at the guards. He didn’t dare take his eyes off them or even reach out to touch her. She was chanting, the first tendrils of power sparkling in the air around them.

“Please don’t do this, Lavinia. Our goddess forbids the abuse of magic. Let me handle this!”

Duncan tried desperately to distract her, to make her stop, but she shook her head.

“There are too many of them, and you’re already hurt! They want to kill you and drag me and Sarra back to the capital city for Ifre to play with. I love you too much to let that happen!”

“And I love you too much to allow you to get killed in my place!” He wasn’t hurt badly enough to slow him down. “Lavinia, stop! I can and will carry out my duty to protect you.”

Clearly she wasn’t going to release the spell until the guards were rendered harmless, unless she burned herself out first. Already the blue shimmer of energy was spreading, encompassing her hands and arms. Soon it would cover her completely. He had no idea what effect it would have if that were to happen.

Meanwhile, the guards were already backing away, looks of horrified terror replacing the aggression that had been there only seconds before. He didn’t blame them. Lavinia would never hurt him, but the duke’s men had no such protection from her magic.

They knew it, too. Any second now they would bolt and run, but the poor bastards didn’t act quickly enough. The whirling mass of power lashed across the clearing to pick up the struggling guards and heave them against trees and boulders.

As soon as the last one slid to the ground, Lavinia shouted one last word and then dropped her hands. Duncan barely caught her as she collapsed, his heart in his throat as her eyes rolled up in her head. If he hadn’t felt the pounding of her pulse, he would’ve been terrified.

He sank to the ground, holding her close and praying that she’d not done herself irreparable harm. At least the Lady of the River hadn’t returned to smite them both. The thought no sooner crossed his mind than he heard the Lady’s voice echoing inside his head.

“Unlike you, Warrior, your lady was born to bear the burden of her magic. She’ll need support, not condemnation if she is to aid your cause.”

“Thank you, my lady,” he whispered.

As he spoke, the ache in his chest eased, and even the pain from the gash on his arm abated. Even better, Lavinia stirred in his arms, her eyes fluttering open to stare up at him in confusion.

“Did it work?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Her face paled as she twisted her head to stare at the bodies scattered across the clearing. “Did I kill them all?”

Murdoch, whose arrival had gone unnoticed, was the one to answer. “No, she knocked them out. They’ll have a few bumps, bruises, and maybe a broken bone or two, but they’ll all survive.”

The huge warrior approached the two of them warily, his gaze firmly on Duncan as he avoided even glancing at Lavinia. His attitude infuriated Duncan, even though he wasn’t all that comfortable about what had just occurred, either. The unconscious guards would wake up happier about the outcome of the battle than if they’d crossed swords with Duncan and Murdoch.

If his friend wouldn’t acknowledge Lavinia on his own, Duncan would force the issue. “Sir Murdoch, may I present Lady Lavinia?”

The warrior barely glanced her way, not even a hint of softening in his stern expression. “Lady Lavinia.”

The chill in his words caused her to flinch. Before Duncan could call him on it, Lavinia frowned. “Duncan, I’m sensing something. It has the same feel as the coins and the medallions we took off the guards who attacked the abbey.”

He helped her up from the ground and trailed after her as she wandered closer to the guards. After a few seconds, her steps became more purposeful as she moved from body to body, never lingering until she reached the last one.

“This man is carrying something Ifre made.”

Murdoch had joined them. “Who is Ifre?”

Duncan glanced at Lavinia before answering. This wasn’t going to make Murdoch any more comfortable about having her with them. “Ifre is Duke Keirthan’s first name.”

His friend looked surprised. “You know him well enough for such informality?”

Her cheeks flushed pink. “He’s my half brother, although I have not seen him in years. I was raised at court but was sent away after my mother died. She was his father’s mistress.”

Murdoch clearly wasn’t happy with that bit of information. “So that explains the magic.”

He spit out the last word as if it tasted foul. That was enough. Duncan might have felt the same way when he first encountered Lavinia’s gift, but she was nothing like her sibling. He put his arm around her shoulders, making it clear to both her and his friend that he would stand with her in this matter.

Before he could defend her, Lavinia answered for herself. “My gift also comes from my mother’s side of the family and draws its power from the world around us. The dark magic Ifre uses requires the sacrifice of blood and life to replenish his power. I am an earth mage and control the magic I wield without any such sacrifice. Ifre’s magic will eventually control him, if it doesn’t already.”

Murdoch looked no happier. “I will check on Sigil and the girl.”

Lavinia stiffened. “Her name is Sarra. Is she safe?”

“She is fine. I left her with Shadow. I’ll fetch her as soon as I see if Sigil needs any help.”

Lavinia blinked up at Murdoch in confusion, so Duncan explained. “Shadow is a mountain cat. She serves Murdoch much as Kiva serves me. No one will get past that cat to harm the girl. Sigil is a warrior who has recently joined our cause.”

Or at least it appeared that way. Else, why would Gideon have allowed him out of the keep?

“I’ll return as soon as possible.”

Lavinia stared down at the unconscious guardsman. “While you’re gone, I will do what I can to destroy the link to Duke Keirthan.”

Duncan shook his head. “The minute we do that, Keirthan will know that his men have failed again. We should wait until right before we leave.”

“All right.”

Lavinia walked away to start gathering up their scattered belongings. Both men studied the guards, who had yet to move or even make a sound.

“Do you trust her?”

Duncan didn’t hesitate. “With my life.”

“I hate magic. Give me a good sword any day, but the decision is not mine or even yours. Gideon has no fondness for magic, especially after the attacks on Scim and Lady Merewen’s horses.”

Murdoch wasn’t saying anything Duncan hadn’t thought a hundred times himself. “We’ll be ready to ride when you return, but it’s imperative that we destroy whatever it is that Lavinia is sensing.”

“Fine.” Murdoch swung up in the saddle. “I know we’re all tired, but Gideon wants us back at the keep as soon as possible.”

Then he spurred his mare and disappeared into the trees. Lavinia waited until he was gone to speak again. She wrapped her arms around her waist, her shoulders slumped in exhaustion and worry.

“I frighten your friend.”

She’d frightened Duncan, too, but he schooled his features to make sure she did not discover the truth. “None of us has any experience with such power except that practiced by our gods. I think he was surprised more than frightened. He’ll adjust.”

They all would. They’d have to if they were going to defeat the enemy. With that in mind, they needed to keep moving. The guards wouldn’t stay down for long. Even without their weapons they presented a danger. Once they located their horses, the guardsmen would be back on Lavinia’s trail. They served an unforgiving master, one who wouldn’t accept another defeat lightly.

“Why don’t you have a seat? I’ll pack up our gear.”

Lavinia was already shaking her head. “First let me see to your wound.”

She obviously needed something to focus on other than what had just happened. As he let her fuss over him, he wondered just how badly she’d frightened herself with her magic. After all, this was only a small skirmish. The battles that likely lay ahead carried the potential for far greater violence and bloodshed.

This time she’d only damaged her opponents. When it came time to kill, he could only hope that she found the strength to live with the consequences.

*  *  *

Riding into battle had felt right to him. Natural. The only thing Sigil had known about himself since awakening in Lady Merewen’s keep was that he was a soldier. His function in life was all he knew.