The Dark Throne (50 page)

“That’s a very—practical—way of thinking.” I couldn’t think of a stronger word, so I left it at that.

“And if a shield maiden that a warrior wishes to please prefers a man to shave off his beard, it is one of the strongest declarations of love.”

“Also good to know.” I knew we were straying into potentially volatile territory, but I was enjoying this conversation entirely too much to cut it short for comfort’s sake.

Luca looked at me in mock seriousness, fair brows drawn down over his glacial eyes. “Must I shave my beard for you, fair shield maiden?”

I reached out and rubbed my fingers against the scruff on Luca’s chin. He maintained his serious face, though his eyes danced with laughter. “Perhaps later,” I said, tilting my head and pretending to examine the merits of his beard. “It does give you a very fierce aspect.”

Luca drew back his shoulders and expanded his chest. “Fierce aspect. That is a ringing endorsement.”

“What if I asked you to shave it into a mustache?” I asked mischievously.

Luca grimaced. “I do not think a mustache would lend to a fierce aspect.”

I laughed. “I think you’d look fierce no matter what. But don’t worry, I won’t ever ask you to wear a mustache.”

Luca grinned. “Good. Kianryk would have never let me forget it.”

“If your beard gets long enough, you should let me braid it,” I said.

“We’ve already established that if anyone shall braid my glorious mane, it shall be you,” said Luca with an exaggerated toss of his head.

I laughed and then looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You did a very good job of distracting me from my depressing thoughts.”

“What are friends for?” he replied, but there was a certain glint in his eyes that made my face heat, and the fingers I’d used to touch his face tingled as though an electric current ran through them. He smiled, and we rode on in companionable silence, drawing ever closer to the mountains in the misty distance.

Nehalim tossed his head and picked up his pace as the fresh wind spoke of tantalizingly close water. He slid into a fluid canter, and the rest of the vanguard followed suit. The sun balanced on the horizon behind our shoulders, but now there were more shadows than our own in the twilight. Long grasses swayed in the wind, and we had seen a handful of trees, mostly scrubby pines, stubborn and twisted. Just the sight of grass lifted my spirits, and another song wended its way through the company, some riders singing counter to the melody. Even the fading light of the sun seemed more alive, the shadows deeper and richer, the sky a deep blue darkening into bruised purple at the horizon. We had passed beyond the border of the Deadlands, and I felt that even though this wild land felt the poison of Malravenar, it refused to succumb. I wondered if we’d make the river by dark. The Valkyrie covered distance exponentially faster in the air than we did on the ground, even with our quick
faehal
. The land began to roll into low swells, and by the time velvety darkness draped its curtains around us, we were wending our way through rocky hills, studded with striated rocks and wild with long grasses.

I decided I didn’t care if we made the river that night. Just the cold wind and the sweet scent of grass and trees was enough for me. A few hours after sunset, one of my floating orbs startled a rabbit, throwing its shadowy resting place into sharp relief. The rabbit darted off into the tall grasses and Kianryk shot after it with a delighted yip. I almost felt sorry for the little creature—I felt such happiness when I glimpsed its furry body hidden among the rocks. We were truly in a living land again. When Kianryk reappeared, trotting alongside the
faehal
and licking his chops, his look of satisfaction prompted me to imagine the delicious taste of a roasted rabbit after our weeks of
kajuk
and hard bread. My mouth watered and I smiled at myself.

We could even see a sliver of moon in this northern land. Stars pierced the velvety dome overhead, and though I hadn’t seen the stars sing since that night in the garden in Darkhill, I still reveled in the cold silent beauty of the night sky. Just before it seemed we wouldn’t make the river that night, and I was wondering if the Valkyrie would return to us or if we’d have to stand all the watches ourselves, we glimpsed the flickering light of a fire in the distance. I grinned at Luca as he urged his mount onward, threading through the increasingly wild hills.

We heard the river before we saw it, and the sound of water rushing over rocks had never before seemed so musical to me. Kianryk bounded ahead of us and then returned with a wet muzzle, cavorting about our
faehal
like a pup, leaping into the air and snapping playfully. Nehalim set the example, projecting a sort of equine disdain for the wolf’s antics, merely snorting and shaking his head. We found ourselves following a sort of rocky path between the hills, whose sides now rose at a steep angle on either side of us. I watched the hillsides carefully, setting aside my excitement at the nearness of the river as I thought that this would be a perfect place to set an ambush. Luca thought the same, for he was watchful as well, and Kianryk switched from leaping about to prowling silently ahead of us.

We followed a curve in the natural path between the mountains—the hills on either side of us reared so high that they were no longer hills—and the bright cheer of a campfire greeted us, throwing shadows behind the rocks and painting the mountainside with shades of gold. We emerged into a glen between three mountains, and between the two mountains opposite flowed the river. Trees dotted the shoreline, too sparse to be called a forest but too numerous to be counted; the Valkyrie had made camp a small distance from the river’s edge on a flat rocky expanse. A heavenly scent drifted on the air along with the smoke of the campfire, and I saw with sudden hunger that the Valkyrie were roasting meat over the fire on several improvised spits. The winged
faehal
grazed in the long grass beyond the camp, moving in and out of the trees like shadows, flicking their tails in contentment. Nehalim blew out a breath and I patted his neck as I slid from his back.

“Took you long enough,” said Niamh with an impish smile, giving Luca and me a nod of greeting.

“It’s farther on foot than by air, though you already know that,” I said as the rest of the vanguard filtered into the clearing and dismounted, the low hum of activity filling the air as we unsaddled our faithful
faehal
and commented on the beauty of the wild mountains.

“We’ve already had our fill, so the meat is for you,” said Niamh. “And we’ll take the watch tonight, since we’ve just been lazing about in the sun for the evening.”

“We hunted,” pointed out another Valkyrie in mock protest.

“Yes, and shooting things from the wing is also far too enjoyable to count as any sort of real work,” retorted Niamh.

“
They
don’t know that,” muttered the young Valkyrie with a rebellious little grin.

We were all in far too joyous spirits to allow anything to offend us. I found it surprisingly relaxing not to worry about weaving lights for the camp; we started a second campfire and gathered fallen wood from around the trees. And even though my stomach growled at the scent of roasting meat, I walked to the river’s edge after sending off Nehalim to graze and rest with his fellows. This river didn’t sound as violent as the roaring Darinwel, but I still gazed out into the darkness and wondered how deep and fast the water ran.

“Niamh told me there’s a little pool down this way, if you’d like to come,” said Moira, walking briskly along the rocky shore. She held up a little bundle in her hand. “And I have soap!”

“Well, that seals the deal.” I picked my way through the rocks and followed her a short distance down the shore. We could still see the flickering campfires and the dark silhouettes moving about the flames, but we were far enough away that the sounds of the mountains surrounded us: the wind rustling through the trees, the river rushing over rocks, even the sound of small animals darting through the long grasses every now and again.

A little brook ran off from the river, pooling among several large slabs of rock before burbling off through the trees. With no hesitation, Moira stripped off her shirt and trousers, clad only in her boots as she climbed over the side of the rock slab and slid into the cold water with a squeal. I only saw her naked long enough to form an impression of tawny smooth skin and rippling muscle, feminine curves juxtaposed against a warrior’s physique.

“Come on, don’t be a prude!” Moira called, grinning as she created a froth of suds from a sliver of soap.

I sighed, glancing back toward camp. “It’s not
you
seeing me naked that I’m worried about,” I muttered as I shed my shirt and trousers. I set the Caedbranr carefully within sight on one of the large rocks. I wondered at the wisdom of soaking my boots, but I didn’t want to cut my feet on any unseen rocks, so I followed Moira’s lead and left them on, feeling a bit silly as I clambered over the lip of the pool in nothing but my calf-high leather boots.

The water of the pool was bitingly cold. I gasped and hugged myself as I slid into the water, goosebumps springing up every bit of my bare skin; but it also felt absolutely amazing to immerse myself in water, feeling the dirt float away from my skin. The pool was just below chest-high, so we bent our knees a bit until the water covered our shoulders; Moira passed me a sliver of soap and I lathered my face and neck; then I focused on cleaning the essential bits with the rest. Moira disappeared underwater and came up grinning, holding up a handful of pale wet sand like a prize. It was more silt than traditional sand, but we found that it rinsed off well, and we used it to scrub our legs and arms until I felt truly clean for the first time since we’d left the Hall of the Outer Guard. My stomach growled audibly and I laughed.

“Time for some food, I think,” said Moira, rinsing the last of the sand from her arms. The slight current in the pool carried our dirt and grime away downstream. We climbed out of the water and pulled on our clothes; I shivered at the cool night air and wrinkled my nose at the smell of my clothes, resolving to awaken early and wash them properly before we set out in the morning. With the Sword settled again on my back, we walked back to camp. I found myself appreciating Moira’s easy companionship; she wasn’t overly talkative and had a practical air that balanced her impish Seelie humor. While I didn’t think we’d ever have a relationship like that I shared with Calliea or even Merrick, I liked the fact that she wasn’t intimidated and treated me like any other member of the vanguard.

The heat of the fire provided a perfect counterpoint to the cold of the water. I helped myself to a large portion of roasted meat—there was more than enough to go around, and there would be leftovers for a morning meal. The industrious Valkyrie had also found a sort of tuber among the long grasses, and they’d roasted the pale green cylinders in the hot coals of the fire. The plant tasted like something between a potato and a carrot. Any meal after a long sensory deprivation seemed especially magnificent.

So it was with a full belly and a clean body—if not clean clothes—that I wrapped myself in my cloak for the night. I listened to the quiet conversations of those still awake and gathered about the fire, and I felt the light cold breeze on my face. If Liam and his teammates were among these mountains, I thought sleepily, they would find a way to survive in the wild land, just as they’d done in the mortal world. With my body pleasurably sated and my mind less worried than since we’d started our journey, I drifted into sleep.

Chapter 26

I
n the morning, I felt better than I had in weeks. All the water I cared to drink and the generous meal had done wonders to refresh my body; I was surprised but grateful at the sudden change. Shadows still draped over the camp despite the lightening of the sky overhead. I’d slept soundly but I judged that I didn’t have the time to wash my clothes. Such was the price of a good night’s rest, I thought, shrugging to myself as I found the leftover meat, still shiny with grease. I found Robin, Luca and Niamh taking their breakfast while studying the map.

“What are you thinking?” I asked Luca quietly, squinting at the map in the half-dark as I chewed thoughtfully. Even the last of our hard bread was palatable when eaten with a bit of rabbit.

“We’re still at least a few days’ south of where we think they came into our world,” said Luca.

“Could be as much travel time as another week,” said Robin, glancing at the increasingly rough terrain of the mountains in the distance. “And that’s assuming we stay in the valleys, or follow the river…but that might not be the best position if we encounter any creatures.”

“And if Malravenar is tracking the Seer, we will no doubt encounter his forces,” agreed Niamh. “We can double our search radius and I can send out scouts twice as often, now that we aren’t short on food or water. But it would still be a perilous position to be trapped in a valley, fighting uphill.”

“Can your steeds carry double?” asked Luca, looking at Niamh.

“If need be, but not for more than a few hours,” replied the Valkyrie captain. “And it depends on the size of the riders.”

“If you see the Seer and his companions on your search, and it’s safe to do so, bring them back to us in the air,” said Luca. He held up his hand at Niamh’s protest at the word ‘safe.’ “I know you are warriors. But this was the point of both a ground force and one in the air. I do not want you to dive headlong into danger.”

“He is one of the purposes of our mission,” said Niamh. “We are willing to place ourselves in peril. Isn’t that why the
vyldretning
sent us, so that the Dark One does not have a Seer to twist to his uses?”

“And if you throw your Valkyrie into battle and they all fall, who will watch over us as we travel?” Luca asked.

“We have not always had Valkyrie to watch over us from the sky,” said Niamh. Robin raised his eyebrows at her valid point.

“But now we do,” replied Luca in a firm voice, “and you change the possibilities of battle in this war. Understand that the Seer is most definitely a priority, but if you cannot land, protect him from the air until we arrive.”