A shudder rippled up her spine and Leth’s face floated into her memory. Was he the dark sorcerer she had dreamt of? There were similarities. If they were one and the same, Vard must be careful. Her dreams carried the threat of treachery. She could remember nothing specific, but instinctively knew the man in her dreams couldn’t be trusted.
She spied her breeches and tunic on the floor near the fire and donned them. If Leth planned treachery, in what form would it come? Alecia drifted around the room, mulling over the dark dreams and the feelings she had concerning Leth. She must discover more about the enigmatic lord. What better time than right now, when he was occupied with Vard? She grabbed her cloak and slipped from the room.
Chapter 8
Vard turned from the door to find Leth studying him. “I hope you can confide in me, Anton,” the sorcerer said, his deep voice reverberating around the stone walls. “We cannot have a healthy relationship as teacher and student if you harbor secrets.”
Vard crossed the room and sat in one of two overstuffed armchairs near the hearth, leaving Leth standing beside the mantle. He fixed the lord with a challenging stare, which was returned in full measure. How dare he lecture Vard about secrets! He had not been at all forthcoming about his intentions regarding the training of the Sis Lenweri.
Leth frowned. “I admire your courage. Not many men could stare me down and live. It is fortunate you are somewhat more of an equal than most. I will grant you a measure of leniency when it comes to your behavior around me, but know that I expect you to show proper deference when we are in public. I’ll not have the men witness your insubordination.”
“Is that a condition of your tutoring?”
“You may see it as such,” the lord said. “Now let us begin. We will practice bringing ourselves to the brink of transformation and holding it steady. Do not transform.”
Vard walked back around the upper balcony to Alecia’s room. His emotions jumped from fury to despair and back again, mixed with a healthy measure of frustration. The lesson had been a waste. His muscles ached with fatigue. Bruises covered his shoulders and torso from the restraint Leth had used when the transformations took hold. The sorcerer could wrap Vard up with magical bonds, like a babe in swaddling, whenever he wished, and he had done so frequently over the past two hours.
No matter how hard he tried, Vard couldn’t hold himself on the brink of transformation without using the stone. Leth didn’t use any such focus and had forbidden Vard to use his amber talisman during the lessons. Leth’s changes from man to hawk to wolf to snake occurred smoothly. Vard despaired of ever achieving such control of his gift, and if he couldn’t control it he’d lose Alecia, one way or another.
The bitter thought consumed him as he entered her room and crossed to the fireplace. He removed a burning stick and lit the candle on the bedside table. His gut went cold. Alecia wasn’t in bed.
He lit another candle and checked in the wardrobe and under the bed. Alecia wasn’t in her room. Where would she go? Had she left of her own free will? He pushed worry aside and took a deep breath. Her gown lay discarded on the floor. He picked it up but saw no signs of violence. There were no blood stains on the floor, but her tunic and breeches were missing along with her soft boots.
She must have changed and left her rooms for a purpose unknown. Why would she wander about in a strange place? Vard rubbed the short stubble on his chin as he pondered the question. Why did Alecia ever wander about? She had found a mission and thought herself capable of the task. But what?
Vard checked his room but it was empty. How he wished he had his sword! He backed out of the room and crept along the hall to the stairs, descending to the ground floor and taking the passage to the garden. Perhaps she felt the need for peace. It was dark under the trees, but he had no need of extra light with his Defender-enhanced vision. He entered the garden and prowled around its margins, flicking quick glances toward the palace and the surrounding buildings. All was quiet. A half-moon provided weak light.
Acting on a hunch, he decided to check the outside walls of the building. He crossed back through the passage under the palace and emerged at the front, hiding in the shadows of a pillar as a pair of elves stalked past. Only his superior eyesight enabled him to see the soldiers before they spied him. He waited until they had moved on, then slipped across the front of the building below the windows and down a narrow alley that ran between Leth’s residence and the next house. The crumbling masonry had been cleared from this side street, probably to aid in Leth’s security. Vard flattened himself against the wall and scanned the passageway. There was no one in sight, nowhere to hide. He allowed his eyes to drift up the side wall of the palace and his stomach tightened, heart skipping a beat before thundering away.
A shadowy figure scaled the outside wall. The person inched along the stone, toward a darkened window, searching out toe and finger holds by feel. It was Alecia. Vard’s heart pounded in his chest with fear for his princess. She was just a toehold from falling. If that aging masonry should crumble beneath her fingers or feet, it would be a crushing fall onto the hard stone of the alley. He held his breath and watched as she inched closer to her objective, her position so precarious he wasn’t game to distract her. All he could hope for now was that she would gain the window without falling.
Her fingers gripped the stone frame. Vard forced himself to move silently down the alley to a position opposite, close enough to cushion Alecia’s fall if needed, but further out of sight of the soldiers. His eyes never left her and his heart pounded loud in his ears. Time seemed to crawl as he watched her reach for the stone sill with her leading foot. Her body lurched and Vard heard a grunt as she slid toward the ground.
He threw himself forward in a desperate lunge and Alecia’s body hit him, knocking the air from his chest. He lay unable to breathe for a long moment, Alecia unmoving on top of him. Two Sis Lenweri soldiers slid to a halt before him, one carrying a bow in his hand. The men hauled Alecia off him and Vard rolled over to cradle her head in his lap.
Though it was dark, he saw the arrow and blood pouring from a deep wound to Alecia’s shoulder. The skin of her face was ashen as she looked up at him. Her lips moved.
“Don’t try to talk, beloved.”
Vard looked at the Lenweri who stood beside him. The man with the bow looked familiar, and scared. Vard had seen that shock before on the faces of soldiers after their first kill. “Get help, lad,” he said. “She needs a healer.”
The young Lenweri bolted but the older elf stood gazing down, arms folded across his chest. Vard seized the bottom of his robe and tore a strip from the hem. He packed it around the arrow in Alecia’s back, but the blood continued to ooze freely from the wound, dripping onto his robe, the metallic smell stirring his Defender instincts. His heart had never beat this quickly in battle, his fear had never been this great. He could lose her. He licked dry lips and looked up at the Lenweri.
“That is a killing shot, kingdom man,” the elf said, “a fine shot in the dark. What was the wench doing scaling the palace wall?”
Vard growled. “What does it matter? Do something, I can’t lose her.”
“Do something yourself. You kingdom men are soft to hang your life on a woman.”
Alecia moaned and Vard murmured soothing words against her ear. Her face was white, her eyes closed. If help didn’t come soon. . .
He tried to make her more comfortable, but she moaned again as the arrow brushed his thigh. He couldn’t snap the shaft off. The shock might kill her. Instead he focused all his will on her recovery, noted the way her breathing turned fast and shallow, heard the rapid, panicked beat of her heart.
“Stand back man,” a voice said from the darkness. Leth appeared, his robes sweeping the stone of the alley. He immediately dropped to the ground beside Alecia, one hand resting on her forehead, the other above her left breast. “She must not be moved until I can pull her back from the brink.”
Vard felt a prickle up the nape of his neck as Leth m
uttered in the guttural language of the Lenweri. The sorcerer closed his eyes and Alecia screamed. It was the tortured scream of an animal.
Vard gripped Leth’s shoulder and the man’s eyes snapped open. “Whatever you’re doing, stop!” he commanded. “You’re killing her.”
Leth sneered. “You ignorant pup! Get your hand off me if you wish her to live. Your interference is a distraction I don’t need.” Leth bent his head back to his task and closed his eyes. Alecia’s screams resumed, her arms and legs thrashing against the hard stone.
Vard cushioned her limbs as much as he could without letting her head drop to the pavement but she would be sore if she survived. Leth didn’t appear to think it important to protect Alecia’s flailing extremities. He remained bent over her, his hands fixed to her chest and forehead.
After what seemed hours but must have been only seconds, Leth removed his hands from Alecia’s body. Her screams died in one last, long shriek. Her breath came in ragged gasps, eyes closed, face paler than parchment. When Vard grasped her hands, they felt like ice.
“Will she live?”
“I was almost too late,” Leth said. “I cannot say if she will live or die, but we must get her inside and warmed. I will have Failora prepare some broth.” He turned to the Lenweri behind him. “Lift her.”
Vard scooped Alecia into his arms and she moaned against his chest. At least the bleeding seemed to have stopped. “I’ll take her to her room.”
Now it was time for Leth to growl. “She is to be taken to my quarters. I will see to her care.”
Vard frowned at his princess and swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn’t want help from Leth but it was too late for that now. “I’ll take her to your quarters but will remain.” He spun and stalked back down the alley, Leth’s footsteps and those of the soldier echoing on the stone behind him. The animal in him snarled at having the sorcerer at his defenseless back, but he had no choice but to trust he was safe for the moment. Leth had saved Alecia. Vard could tell she was improved, but what had those screams been about? It shouldn’t take torture to heal and he was certain the agonized screams of his beloved had indicated true torment. Would he have been able to heal her if he had already come into his gift? He just didn’t know the answer to that, and to so many questions.
They arrived at Leth’s suite. The door swung open at a gesture from the sorcerer. “Failora! Pull back the blankets and stoke the fire. Then you must prepare healing broth. She is close to death.”
“I thought you healed her,” Vard snarled, laying Alecia on the huge bed and pulling the blankets over her.
Failora brought hot stones wrapped in blankets to lay at Alecia’s feet. The woman seemed unsurprised at the turn of events, as though she attended bloodied patients every evening.
“I have done what I can for now,” Leth said. “Her body can take no more of my ministrations. Perhaps if she survives the night I can try again tomorrow.”
“I don’t think I can let you perform your sorcery on her again,” Vard said. “Her screams... it was torture.”
“It is so every time I heal, especially when the flesh is penetrated by a weapon. See for yourself. The arrow is gone.”
Leth crossed to the bed, gripped Alecia’s tunic and shirt at the hole where the arrow had entered, and tore a larger rent in the fabric. A gaping hole marred the soft white flesh of her shoulder, but the shaft was indeed gone. Leth ran gentle fingers across Alecia’s skin and she shivered. Vard closed his eyes and swallowed down the pang of jealousy the gesture evoked. He’d have to endure this for Alecia’s sake but he wouldn’t leave her side. At least then she might be safe. Safe! When had she ever been safe with him present?
Leth laid Alecia back against the pillows and covered her to the chin. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and where her skin had been pale before, now it was flushed. Leth frowned as he brushed his fingers across her cheek. “This is no good. She has lost much blood and yet her cheeks are aflame. I fear it signifies contamination of the wound.”
Vard could not take his eyes from her. “She’ll recover. She’s strong.” He looked at Leth and forced out the words he must say for the good of his lady. “I’m sorry for doubting you before. I see you’ve done what you can. Please continue to help her.”
Leth frowned but Vard held his gaze. What convoluted plots did the wizard hatch inside his mind?
Finally Leth spoke. “Keep your apologies. I do not help Allandra as a favor to you, but for my own reasons. Stay with her or go, it doesn’t matter to me either way. This night will be a long one.” With those words, he swept across the room and out of the chamber.
Failora busied herself at a nearby table covered by a linen cloth. She poured measures of several colorful concoctions into a plain ceramic urn and stirred them with a gnarled stick. Smoke arose from the mixture as Failora stirred, and Vard’s nose wrinkled as acrid fumes filled the room.
“Have a care, woman,” he said. “You’ll poison all of us instead of curing Allandra.”
Failora spun to face him, her shawl falling to her elbows. “Who are you to come into my abode and treat me as a village woman?” she hissed. “I see the way you move, Anton. You think you own the world.” She left her work and stepped closer to stare up into Vard’s eyes. “You are nothing beside my master. He will grind you beneath his heel if you do not learn proper respect. I have seen him destroy better men than you.”
Vard gazed down into the striking dark eyes of the elven woman. In another life he would have been drawn to her dark beauty, her lithe figure and passion. Now he had other concerns and other responsibilities. “Enough of your threats, woman, see to your patient.” He retreated to a corner and settled himself on the floor, his eyes glued to the rise and fall of Alecia’s chest. Failora spared him another glare and returned to her potion.
He couldn’t predict what Leth’s reaction to Alecia’s adventure would ultimately be. For now the sorcerer seemed content to play healer, but what when she recovered? Leth couldn’t ignore her behavior. Why could his beloved not simply act as most women would? Why must she fashion her own plans and act on them without his knowledge? He prayed to the Goddess this latest folly of Alecia’s wouldn’t take her life.
Awareness returned to Alecia, the crushing pain in her left shoulder forcing a moan through her dry lips. The mattress beneath her was lumpy and she was cold. The sharp scent of blood assailed her nostrils and fear sent cold tendrils through her stomach. She couldn’t remember what had happened or where she was. The heavy gold brocade of the bed canopy greeted her hazy view as she cracked her eyes open. Even the muted light sent a searing stab through her temples. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply to overcome the nausea that threatened to swamp her.
“You’re awake!” Vard’s worried green eyes hovered above her. His hand reached for hers, his fingers gripping until they hurt. “I thought that. . . Never mind.” He frowned, seeming lost for words. “What the devil were you doing scaling Leth’s palace wall? Do you even know what occurred?”
Alecia’s heart ached at the pain in Vard’s voice. “I can’t remember anything beyond dinner.”
“I found you missing and went looking only to discover you about to climb into a window in this very chamber. One of his soldiers shot you and Leth has fought to save you.” Vard’s voice turned bitter. “It seems he’s a healer as well. It was quite something to see.”
“I feel so weak, Vard.”
“As I suspected,” Leth said, striding into the room, “you use a different name to that you’ve given me. “I am glad to see you somewhat recovered. . . Allandra.” He reached to place a hand on her forehead and Alecia flinched as energy radiated through her. It left her languid. “You will sleep now and when you wake you will need to eat.” Fear and pain faded away and Alecia knew no more.
Vard swore as he returned to his room. The mood in Leth’s chamber betrayed a tense waiting, an expectant menace, as though the axe would soon fall. The trouble was that Vard didn’t know where the me
nace lay. So far he hadn’t been called to account for Alecia’s actions but that couldn’t last. He stepped through the door and closed it, his eyes taking time to adjust to the darkness. Had he not left a roaring fire? That was several hours ago, but there should still be coals, surely? A prickle up the back of his neck gave a belated warning as an arm closed around his neck from behind.
“You will rue the day you ever entered Elvandang.” The harsh whisper sounded in his ear and the arm tightened until Vard could barely speak. “I should kill you now and leave you to die wondering who bested you.”
“Caele Aloe.” Vard thought the voice belonged to the Sis Lenweri sergeant.
The man behind him hissed. “Perhaps what they say of you is true. You are kin with Leth. You must be to know my voice.”
“What do you want with me,” Vard growled, testing the strength of the arm about his neck. It tightened again sending Vard into a coughing fit.
“It would not be pleasant to die deprived of air, your throat crushed, would it kingdom man?”
“What’s your problem, elf? I’ve done you no harm.”
The arm tightened further and Vard’s mind dimmed, the world slipping away. He gripped the stone at his neck, lurching toward the transformation. The bear would tear Caele Aloe limb from limb and Leth could pick up the pieces. A small voice wormed its way through his fuzzy brain. It latched a tendril of reason around the core of Vard that dwelt inside. He couldn’t trust Leth to deal with this. The sorcerer would take advantage. He had already threatened to trap Vard in animal form and then Alecia would be at Leth’s mercy.
He drew in a deep breath and with the last vestige of bear strength, rammed his elbow into Caele Aloe’s upper stomach. There came a popping sound as of cartilage snapping and the elf flew backward into the door and slid to the floor. Vard continued to breathe deeply, feeling his muscles and mind come back to human form. The broken elf looked up at him, gasping for air.
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