Reader and Raelynx (41 page)

Halchon was breathing heavily in her ear. “So! Not quite as docile as you have pretended all afternoon! To tell you the truth, I was beginning to be a little bored, but this display of temper reassures me. Such a tumultuous life we will have together, Senneth! But I see I will never be able to relax my guard for a minute.”

“I’ll kill you when I get the chance,” she panted.

He hauled himself to a sitting position, dragging her up with him. “But you’ll never get the chance, my dear.”

“Everyone is careless,” she said. “Even you.”

He patted her hair, as if she was a rebellious child of whom he was inordinately fond. “I think soon you will become so used to me that you’ll lose all desire to murder me in my sleep,” he said. “That, or you’ll become so worn down that you’ll be unable to summon the strength to fight. It will be interesting to see which.”

She didn’t answer him; indeed, she didn’t speak to him again as the whole camp began to bed down for the night. Once she was under Halchon’s control again, the soldiers returned, clearly unnerved by her display of power and sheepish about how quickly it had routed them. The marlord and one of his men discussed their route in the morning while the other soldiers divided the watches. Someone built the fire back up. The rest of them distributed themselves on the ground or took their stations to guard the perimeter.

Halchon pulled Senneth back to the blanket where they had sat for their meal. A second blanket had been unrolled on top of it, and Senneth silently allowed him to situate her beneath it and then lie down beside her. He slipped his arm over her waist and pressed his body to her back. Sweet gods, such a horrific mockery of the loving embrace she was used to sharing with Tayse every night.

Halchon kissed the back of her head. “Sleep well, Senneth, and recruit your strength. Today can’t have been easy for you, and I’m afraid we have a long ride ahead of us tomorrow.” His arm squeezed her closer and then relaxed a little. “I’m so glad you’re here with me tonight.”

She didn’t reply. She wasn’t sure if she should try to sleep, and thus be rested enough to make another try for freedom in the morning, or if she should stay awake so she could attempt to slip away from him while he slumbered. His touch was still poisonous, still nauseating, but a sense of fierce elation was helping her combat the helpless despair his very presence engendered.

As soon as she had escaped from him, she had been able to call fire. It bided in her blood, ready to be summoned at an instant’s notice. All she needed was a second. All she had to do was get free.

D
AWN
arrived, overcast, cold, and grudging. It was barely light enough to see, but Senneth heard a few of the Gisseltess soldiers grumbling as they rolled out of their beds, stoked the fire, and quietly assembled a meal. Most everyone else, Halchon included, was still sleeping. His arm was still leaden across her waist. He had not moved an inch away from her all night.

Senneth had slept fitfully, jerking awake over and over again, convinced that she was drowning. But that was just Halchon’s touch making it hard for her lungs to draw in air. Weariness had settled deep into her bones, right alongside fear—but determination was making a hard, cold shell around her heart.

Halchon would make a mistake. He would be careless. And she would make her move.

Not lifting her head from the blanket, Senneth sent her gaze around the camp, noting how many were stirring, how many were sleeping. It looked like five men were still on watch and three were preparing the breakfast. Two or three others were sitting up, checking weapons or digging through saddlebags. The rest appeared to still be lost to sleep. Her odds would never be better than this.

Just to be sure, she glanced around one more time, and she saw Tayse.

He put a finger to his lips and disappeared.

For a moment, astonishment left her rigid, and then her mind started to race.
Tayse was here!
Had crept into this camp entirely undetected and vanished apparently at will. So either fear and sleeplessness had combined to give her hallucinations, or he had been escorted to this place by Ellynor. And if Ellynor was here, Justin was here. And if Justin and Tayse were here, other Riders might be with them.

And if the Riders had come to rescue her, Senneth was as good as saved.

Now all she had to do was make it possible for them to save her.

She sat up hastily, pulling Halchon’s arm with her. Almost, it was enough to break his hold, but even as he fought back sleep he snatched her wrist and prevented her from scrambling away. “I see a night of calm reflection has done nothing to reconcile you to your changed situation,” he said through a yawn.

“There are not enough nights left in my life to accustom me to the thought of being your prisoner,” she answered coolly.

He laughed softly. “I hope you are wrong about that, or you have a melancholy existence ahead of you.”

What she had to do was separate Halchon from his men. “I need to relieve myself,” she said baldly. “Pull yourself to your feet and take me to someplace that approximates privacy.”

“Gladly, my dear,” he said, rising and helping her stand beside him. “Then we shall eat, and then we shall be on our way.”

He led her a short distance away from camp, though all his soldiers were still plainly in view. Keeping one hand on her wrist, he reached down with the other and began to fumble with his trousers.

Tayse materialized before them like a furious god, his sword upraised and gleaming. “Release her before I kill you,” he growled.

Too swiftly for Senneth to anticipate, Halchon jerked her against him and drew a knife across her neck. “Come a step closer, and she dies,” he hissed.

For a moment, the three of them were frozen, the Rider with his sword arm reared back to strike, the marlord with a dagger to his hostage’s throat, and Senneth motionless between them. Behind them, there was a sudden outcry and the furious clash of weapons. Whoever else had accompanied Tayse had apparently just engaged the Gisseltess soldiers. But Senneth couldn’t risk even a glance in that direction. She was focused on Tayse, watching his face, waiting for any signal that would let her know what to do next. Halchon was surely dead, but she might be, too, if she wasn’t very, very careful.

“I have waited a long time to kill you,” Tayse said in the iciest voice Senneth had ever heard.

Halchon almost laughed. “You will never do anything to jeopardize her life, and I swear to you I will take it this instant if you do not back away and let me ride to safety.”

“There is no safety for a man such as yourself. You have commissioned regicide, and you are scheduled for execution at my hands. Even if you do not fall to me today, you are reviled throughout the kingdom, and any man who sees you may feel justified in cutting you down.”

It was a masterfully delivered speech, but Senneth missed some of it when a small, cold, invisible hand took hold of hers where it dangled free just under the restraint of Halchon’s arm. It was all she could do not to flinch and scream, but, of course, she instantly understood the message. Ellynor was there. Senneth should make herself ready.

Therefore, she was not surprised when Halchon’s sneering reply was abruptly interrupted. “Any man who sees me may call me ‘king’ for I—
ufght!
” Halchon gasped as someone landed a body blow from behind. His hold loosened just enough for Senneth to spin away.

Only two revolutions to her pirouette, but when she planted her feet and gazed back at her erstwhile abductor, Halchon was already kneeling on the ground with a blade through his heart. Tayse stood above him, staring remorselessly down, his hands still on the hilt. “You deserve a crueler death than this,” he said, and tore the blade downward with such force that Halchon’s body practically split in two.

Senneth had to fight back a sob of horror and relief. Ellynor was suddenly standing beside her, concern on her face. “Are you hurt?” Ellynor asked.

Senneth shook her head wildly. “No—no—he didn’t harm me. He just—his touch—I couldn’t—”

Tayse wrenched his sword free and strode over to take Senneth in a hard embrace. Oh, how different the feel of
this
man’s arms around her! Strength flowed from his body into hers; her soul ignited. “His touch will never trouble you again,” Tayse said.

There was no time for a passionate reunion. Behind them, the sounds of conflict intensified. Senneth pulled free and forced herself to run toward the battle, calling, “How many did you bring? Halchon had about fifty men.”

Tayse and Ellynor were racing along beside her. “We number twenty,” Tayse called back. “But eight are Riders.”

Senneth nodded and raised her arms above her head.

Gods, it felt so good to summon fire again, to feel it kindle in her veins and pour from her fingertips. This was close fighting, so she must be careful, throw her bolts at precise targets. There—a man in red and black. She twisted her wrist, and his uniform went up in flames. He dropped to the ground, shrieking. Beside him, two Gisseltess men were boring in on the Rider Wen, whose blade flashed exquisitely as she lunged and parried. Senneth clenched her fingers, then snapped her hands open, and both of Wen’s attackers erupted into fire.

“To me! To me!” someone cried—another Gisseltess soldier shouting for reinforcements. Excellent; four of them bunched together, back-to-back, making a vigorous stand. Senneth turned them into a private conflagration. Their swords dropped and their screams of agony rent the air.

Around her, the Riders and their fellows were making short work of the rest of Halchon’s forces—those who did not cut and run, galloping off in five directions to escape the slaughter. Senneth saw Justin swing his head around at the sound of hoofbeats, then he turned to Tayse and called, “Should we go after them?”

“No,” Tayse replied. “Let them carry the tale to the rebel armies. Halchon Gisseltess is dead.”

Justin was surveying the carnage around him, his bloodied sword still at the ready, but at that he looked over with a grin on his streaked and dirty face. “He
is
? Then this has been a damn successful day.”

Tayse’s eyes had sought out Senneth; he nodded at her gravely. “Indeed,” he said, “it is a day to celebrate.”

T
HEY
took another half hour to comb the small camp for survivors, finding none. Senneth was a little surprised to find, among her rescuers, a handful of Lirren fighters.

“I know you,” she said, approaching two compact, dark-haired men who stood with Ellynor. “You’re Ellynor’s brothers. Torrin and Hayden.”

“We are kin,” Torrin said immediately, for when they had met last fall, they had established their tenuous familial connection.

“Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

Now Torrin showed the brash grin that reminded her so much of Justin. “We’re kin,” he repeated. “We can’t let you languish in the hands of enemies. Though we do think it was careless of you to get caught.”

“Torrin!” Ellynor exclaimed.

“It
was
careless,” Senneth agreed. “And, although the entire experience was dreadful, I’d go through it again just to see Halchon Gisseltess slaughtered before my eyes.”

Justin charged up and swept her into a hug that took her off her feet. “Someday I’ll describe to you the look on Tayse’s face when Cammon came running up to tell us that you’d been taken,” he said before setting her back down. “It was clear at that point that Halchon would die at the end of Tayse’s sword. But, Bright Mother burn me, I never want to be that afraid again. And all Cammon knew was that the marlord had grabbed you. He completely lost touch with you after that—and apparently he couldn’t read Halchon Gisseltess at all.”

“Then how did you find me?”

Justin nodded toward the Lirren men. “They tracked you. Never saw anyone able to move through the landscape like that, just reading every print and broken bit of bark. They helped sneak us into camp this morning, too. I thought Ellynor was good, but—”

Hayden looked scornful. “Women have their skills, but they are insignificant in battle.”

Justin laughed outright. “I might not be saying that in front of Senneth. Or even your sister.”

Torrin gave Senneth a sideways look. “But Senneth was captured,” he said, clearly intending to provoke her. “How good can her skills be?”

“How did it happen?” Ellynor asked.

“A man wearing Brassenthwaite colors came riding up to tell me Kirra had been injured,” she said and shrugged. “He described the arrow through the lionness’s body. I believed it, and I followed him. But when I got to the place where she was supposed to have fallen, Gisseltess men were there instead.”

“I might have been tricked, too,” Justin admitted.

Tayse joined them at that moment, putting his arms around Senneth from behind. “Nothing here left to do,” he said. “Are we ready to move on?”

She leaned against him, knowing it was a weakness to need his strength, but nonetheless reveling in his presence, his touch, his mere existence. She had not even dared to hope he would be able to find her. All because of Cammon—and Ellynor—and the Riders—and the Lirren men. So many had come together to save her. She felt a moment’s regret. “All these swords were subtracted from the fight because you came after me,” she said. “I hope that loss does not weigh heavily against Amalie’s forces.”

“We brought down as many enemies here as we would have in a day’s pitched battle,” Torrin said with a shrug.

“And Halchon Gisseltess is dead,” Justin added. “I’d count it a good day’s work.”

“But more work ahead of us to do,” Tayse said. “Let’s ride out.”

C
AMMON
knew the exact instant Senneth broke free of Halchon for the second time. He had felt her first brief, thwarted bid for escape, and so at least he knew she was still alive—until suddenly magic shut her down again, and he could not sense her at all. Therefore, he was so elated he was almost giddy when Tayse’s surge of profound relief woke him early that morning. Tayse had seen Senneth, and she was whole.

A few minutes later, Senneth herself burst back into Cammon’s consciousness, blazing with fury. The swift, brutal fight twenty miles away was clearer to him than the one that had unfolded on the nearer battlefield yesterday afternoon, since he experienced it from Senneth’s point of view, as well as Tayse’s and Justin’s.

He turned to Amalie, who was just sitting up in bed, willing herself to face another day of bloodshed. “Halchon Gisseltess is dead,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “And Senneth?”

“Alive and safe, if a little bruised.”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth. “I have to go tell my uncle Romar!”

Indeed, the news flew around the camp within the hour, and more than one individual sought Cammon out for confirmation.

“Halchon Gisseltess is dead?” Kiernan Brassenthwaite demanded. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“What of my sister?”

Cammon thought it was interesting that Kiernan had asked first after the marlord. “Weary but unharmed.”

“This changes the very essence of the war,” he said, and disappeared.

Indeed, it was a day when their fortunes seemed to shift altogether. By noon, the forces from Nocklyn and Rappengrass had arrived and flung their fresh bodies into the mix. The rebel armies were actually pushed backward for the first time since battle had been joined. Cammon could feel Romar Brendyn’s fierce triumph—indeed, every soldier in the camp exuded a sense of rising optimism. They were all awash with hope.

It was harder to hold on to that hope when the day was spent among the wounded and dying soldiers. With Ellynor gone, healers were in short supply, and Amalie had gone straight to the hospital tents after she had told her uncle the good news. Despite the fact that she had only the most rudimentary powers of healing, her presence had a powerful effect on the hurt soldiers. Cammon could feel them struggling to mend themselves even faster just so they could risk their lives for her again.

“If no more soldiers would fall, I do believe we might be able to save those who have been hurt so far,” Kirra said around noon that day, as she and Amalie and Cammon took a break to eat. “But, gods! This is hard work.”

They were sitting outside a tent on three rather uncomfortable stools. Cammon glanced up to watch the progress of a hawk circling overhead and angling downward. “Donnal has news,” he said.

Kirra gave him a glance of irritation. “It’s annoying that you can tell it’s Donnal even before I can.”

More practically, Amalie said, “Good news or bad?”

Donnal landed a few feet away and shifted into his human shape so quickly they could not follow the changes. “Good, I think.”

“Then this day continues to be the best one we’ve had so far,” Amalie replied.

Donnal came closer, bowed to Amalie, and grinned at them all. “The regent asked me to go to Tilt and check on the progress of the Arberharst reinforcements,” he said. “He wanted to know how close they were and if I could get a more accurate count.”

“And?” Kirra demanded.

Donnal shook his head. “And they’re gone.”

“Gone!”
the three of them cried in unison. Kirra added, “What do you mean, gone? Back on their ships? Eaten by wild animals? What?”

“Intercepted by Danalustrous forces and harried back toward the sea.”

They all exclaimed at that, Kirra most vociferously demanding the rest of the story. Donnal dropped to the ground beside her and told his tale.

“I heard the sounds of battle before I was close enough to see anything. Eventually it was visible from the air—the soldiers of Danalustrous fighting the soldiers of Arberharst. I couldn’t count precise numbers, but it was clear there were far more Danalustrous men. The fight was almost over by the time I got there. Looked like maybe six hundred foreigners broke and ran, heading north to where I’d guess their ships are anchored. Half of the Danalustrous army pursued them.”

“This is wonderful news!” Amalie exclaimed. “But—so unexpected! Didn’t your father say he wouldn’t risk Danalustrous in this war?”

Kirra nodded. “Did you ask anyone for an explanation?” she said to Donnal.

“Not in so many words,” he replied, grinning again. “I did take human shape and introduce myself to the captain as an emissary for the princess. I didn’t recognize him, but he seemed to know my name, for he was very civil.”

“Every Danalustrous man is civil,” Kirra said automatically. “What did he say?”

“That Malcolm Danalustrous considered this invasion by Arberharst troops to be an assault on Danalustrous,” Donnal replied. “I can’t tell property boundaries from the air, but he swore that the Arberharst army had not moved through Tilt land, but instead had marched through unaligned territory between Tilt and Danalustrous. Too close for the marlord’s comfort. So he was justified in—I can’t remember how the captain put it—‘patrolling his borders and discouraging any outsiders from crossing.’ Something like that.”

Kirra practically bounced on her stool. “Well! My father comes through, and most gloriously, I might add! And does us some real good without compromising his principles. Oh, this makes me fonder of him than I have been in a long time!”

Cammon felt Valri approaching and turned to beckon her closer. “Good news,” he called.

She hurried over. “Are they back? Senneth and the others?”

“Even better news,” Amalie said.

Valri’s smile looked strained. “What could be more welcome than the sight of all our friends returned to us unscathed?”

She was worried about someone in the rescue party, Cammon realized. “They’re safe,” he assured her. “Everyone unharmed.”

She was trying not to ask outright. “All of them?” she said. “Even Ellynor? For I know you generally can’t read the emotions of Lirrenfolk.”

“He’d certainly read Justin if something had happened to Ellynor,” Donnal commented.

But, of course, Valri’s concern was for someone else, and Cammon had finally realized who. “Did Lirren men ride with Tayse?” he said. Valri nodded dumbly, and he added, “No one in the rescue party was injured. I would know from the reactions of the others. They are riding back with all speed—in fact, they should be here within the hour.”

“Thank the Great Mother,” Valri whispered and seemed to slump a little.

Amalie jumped to her feet and put her arms around Valri’s waist, murmuring comforting phrases. Cammon could see Kirra’s face alight with interest, though she managed to keep from blurting out any questions. At least right at that moment. As soon as Donnal had disappeared to share his information with Romar, and Amalie and Valri had ducked back into one of the tents, Kirra turned on Cammon.

“Tell me, tell me, tell me,” she demanded. “How is the queen’s romance progressing with the Lirren man? Arrol, is that his name? Handsome enough, but a little too reserved for my taste.”

He couldn’t help but grin. “I would imagine
you
would be the last sort of woman a Lirren man would be able to tolerate,” he said. “They like their girls meeker, I think.”

“Valri’s hardly meek,” she retorted. “Though I would admit she’s not quite as
animated
as I can be. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“You know I don’t gossip about things like that.”

She grabbed his throat and pretended she would choke the life out of him. “I will turn you into some kind of repulsive night-crawling creature if you don’t answer me,” she threatened.

“And I’ll send images of Romar Brendyn into your mind every night,” he countered. “I think I can do it, even if I’m a vole.”

She released him. “Oh, now that was cruel! What an awful boy you turned out to be.” She gave him one of her most radiant smiles, clearly designed to dazzle. “Come now, Cammon,” she coaxed. “Just a little information. Nothing too revealing. Does she love him? Does he love her? Is she happy?”

“She’s happy,” he confirmed. “Or she will be when the whole party is back safely.”

“And Halchon Gisseltess is dead,” she said. “So Sabina Gisseltess can be happy, too.”

“I don’t think that’s why Tayse killed him,” Cammon replied. “I don’t even think he did it to help win the war. He did it to protect Senneth.”

“Yes,” she said, “and that’s the best reason yet.”

C
AMMON
knew the others had returned when he felt them cross into camp. Everyone else knew they were back when fire exploded in the middle of the enemy army. Except for Ellynor, all of them charged straight back into battle—the Riders, the Lirrenfolk, and Senneth. Bent on making up for lost time. Bent on retaliating for the sting of Senneth’s capture.

When the day was over and darkness abruptly descended, they had forced the rebels back another half mile.

The mood that night was one of tempered elation. So much accomplished, so much still to do. They all gathered in Amalie’s tent and discussed how to capitalize on their many bits of good fortune.

“Halchon dead, Rappengrass and Nocklyn soldiers on hand, and Arberharst reinforcements turned back at the border,” Romar enumerated. “The advantage is definitely ours.”

“Our numbers are still no more than even,” Kiernan warned. “And they still possess Arberharst fighters who are immune to our magic.”

Cammon caught the droll look Senneth turned on Kirra.
Our magic
. As if he would claim it for his own.

“Do you think they have learned yet that Halchon is dead?” Romar asked.

Cammon spoke up. “I believe so. I caught a great sense of dismay emanating from their camp shortly after Senneth and the others arrived.”

“That might break their spirit a great deal,” Tayse commented. “He’s the one who wanted the crown. Why keep fighting if the chief rebel is gone?”

“You’re forgetting Rayson Fortunalt,” Kirra said. She rarely attended these conferences or spoke up when she did, but tonight was a special occasion. Tonight, they all wanted to participate. “He supported Halchon in the bid for the throne, but he’s ambitious, too. Surely he’s saying to himself right now, ‘I would make as good a king as any man from Gisseltess.’”

Romar glanced at Kiernan. “Do you agree?”

Kiernan nodded. “I don’t see Rayson being turned aside by this setback. And some of the Gisseltess men might be energized by Halchon’s death, willing to fight even harder to avenge him.”

“The Arberharst men might lose some of their motivation, however,” Senneth noted. “If he was paying them to fight and he’s gone—” She shrugged.

“My guess is Rayson now controls their joint purse,” Romar replied. “So it won’t matter to them that Halchon Gisseltess is dead.”

“What if Rayson Fortunalt were also to die?” Tayse asked.

There was a moment of silence in the tent. “Could that be accomplished?” Kiernan asked finally. “For I’m not above singling out a man and bringing him down if it means the end to war.”

“He stays well to the back—hard to reach even for a skilled archer,” Romar said. “Our attempts to infiltrate the camp in stealth have been so far unsuccessful.”

“Maybe we could try magic,” Justin said. His eyes were fixed on Kirra. “Send in a lone fighter shaped like a night creature. Change him to a man when he’s past all the sentries.”

“If it’s as easy as all that, why didn’t we kill off Halchon Gisseltess before battle was even joined?” Kiernan demanded.

“Because Halchon is—was—immune to magic,” Senneth replied. “I don’t believe I’m the only mystic who found her power useless around him. He could not have been assassinated in any way that depended on sorcery.”

“And I’m not sure Rayson can be, either!” Kirra exclaimed. “It is true I could change Justin’s shape and follow him to Rasyon’s tent, and then change him to a man with a sword in his hand, but there is still some danger. Each transformation takes time. We might be interrupted by Fortunalt soldiers before I could safely change us both back to creatures that could fly away.”

Donnal spoke up from the rear of the tent. Even more rarely than Kirra had he joined these councils, and Cammon could not remember a time he had ever offered an observation. “I have a simpler plan,” he said.

“Then by all means, tell us,” Romar invited.

“I go. I kill the marlord. I escape.” He shrugged. “I can take any form, including that of a swordsman. And I can change so rapidly that even if soldiers burst into the tent while I battle with the marlord, I will be able to elude them. I am the best choice to send on such a mission.”

There was a silence while they all considered his proposal, each of them in their own way testing it for flaws. Kirra didn’t like it, Cammon could tell, and yet part of her was suffused with pride that he had the skills to accomplish such a bold mission.

“The idea has great merit,” Kiernan said at last. “I can think of no objections.”

“Nor I,” said Romar.

Tayse and Senneth exchanged glances, and she shook her head. “Nor can we,” Tayse said.

Amalie turned to hold her hand out to Donnal. He uncoiled from the floor and came forward to take it. “If you are willing, and if you believe you will survive it, I would ask you to do this thing for us—for me,” she said steadily. “But I would not want you to lose your life in such a chancy venture. There are other things we can try.”

He smiled down at her. “But I think this is a service I can perform,” he said softly. “And I am happy to do so for my country and my queen.”

“When can you go?” Romar asked. “Tomorrow night?”

Donnal dropped Amalie’s hand and spun gracefully to address the regent. He said, “Why not now?”

I
N
the end, Kirra went with him. They waited till most of the rebel camp was likely to be bedded down for the night, and then met with Tayse to receive last-minute instructions. Cammon left Amalie sleeping in the pavilion and went to see them off. He found Senneth and Justin also awake and seated on the ground before a small fire, listening to Tayse and trying to mask their uneasiness.