“Talking to Layla.”
His smile faded. “And?”
“She’s not nearly as reluctant or caring of my feelings as you.”
“She doesn’t love you as I do.”
“She doesn’t love anyone but Tarik, but I believe she likes me. Not that her liking would stop her from sacrificing me on the altar. However, she’s honest, brutally honest. It’s a quality I’ve grown to value of late.” She stepped closer and took his hand. “And now I wish to lie with you. I don’t wish to talk of Layla, Tarik, Nasim, or Eshe. I want to hold you and be held. I want you to make love to me. I want to sleep in your arms, and when I wake, I want you to be gone. I don’t want to see you again until you return safely from Nasim’s camp. Is that understood?”
“Oh, yes.” He smiled and drew her into the tent. “By all means, come lie with me, my love.”
The tents hugged the side of the cliff that overlooked the western slopes just as Nasim’s messenger had told Kadar when he had met him earlier.
Kadar reined in a hundred yards distant.
It was not as formidable a sight as Nasim’s full force, but it was dangerous enough.
Kadar could see Nasim and Balkir standing in front of the largest tent, their eyes fixed on him. He could count at least twenty assassins milling about the camp.
Well, he had known it would be so. He would just have to rely on wits and opportunity.
He kicked his horse into a trot.
“Where’s the coffer?” Nasim demanded.
“It’s close by. Do you really think I’d bring it here?” Kadar’s gaze traveled around the circle of men surrounding Nasim. “What would stop you from slicing my throat and taking the coffer anyway?”
“My promise.”
Kadar chuckled. “That is amusing.”
“Where is it?”
“I’ll take you there. But only you and Balkir. We’ll stay within view of your men, but I’ll want a head start once you have the grail.” He glanced at Balkir. “Go fetch the bags of gold and tie them to your saddle.”
Nasim shook his head. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“What do you fear?” Kadar gestured toward the steep drop beside which Nasim’s camp was situated. “You’ve seen that no trap is possible. I defy anyone to climb up that cliff.” He took his dagger from its sheath and dropped it on the ground. “And I’m unarmed.”
Nasim was silent for a moment, then mounted his horse. “Let’s go. But we stay in sight of the camp.”
“Balkir?” Kadar asked.
“I don’t like this,” Balkir said.
“Fetch the gold, Balkir,” Nasim said.
Balkir hesitated and then went into the tent. He came out a moment later carrying four sacks and tied them to his saddle.
“Very good,” Kadar said.
Balkir glared at him as he got on his horse and followed them from the camp.
“Where did you hide the grail?” Nasim asked when they were several hundred yards from the camp.
Kadar nodded toward a clump of boulders in the distance. “Not far.”
“I’ll not go behind those rocks. I stay in the open, in full view of my men.”
“Of course.” Kadar nudged his horse to a faster pace. “I didn’t expect anything else.”
When they reached the boulders, he jumped down from his horse and disappeared behind the rocks. A moment later he returned, carrying the wooden chest. He set it down in front of Nasim. “Both of you get down and look at it.”
Balkir slowly dismounted, his gaze on the coffer. Nasim was already off his horse, his face flushed with eagerness. “That’s it?” he whispered. “It’s really the grail?”
“I’d be a fool to bring you anything else.” He opened the chest and pulled off the purple silk cover. The gold of the coffer shimmered in the sunlight.
Nasim reached for the coffer.
Kadar stepped in front of it and glanced at Balkir. “Haven’t you forgotten something?” he asked softly.
“Do it yourself,” Nasim said impatiently. “You don’t need a dagger for such a one.”
“Not with every assassin in your camp looking on.”
“Oh, very well.” Nasim drew his dagger, whirled, and plunged it into Balkir’s heart.
Balkir’s eyes glazed over, an expression of shock forever frozen on his face.
Nasim watched him fall to the ground before turning back to Kadar. “Satisfied?”
“Yes.” Kadar stepped away from the front of the coffer. “Quick. Graceful. But I could have done it better.”
“No one does it better.” Nasim stared hungrily down at the box. “Open it. Do you think I’ll turn my back on you?”
Too bad. He’d hoped Nasim’s eagerness would have overcome his caution. It would have taken only a few seconds to attack from behind and break his neck. “And do you think I’ll turn my back on you?”
“It doesn’t matter. The grail’s not there anyway,” Selene said.
Kadar went rigid. He whirled toward the boulders to see Selene walking toward them. “My God,” he whispered. “Get out of here, Selene.”
“Ah, the woman,” Nasim murmured. He drew his sword. “And where is the grail?”
“Here.” She pulled the cup from beneath her cloak. The chalice blazed in the sunlight. “Do you want it, Nasim?”
His eyes fixed on the grail. “Yes, I want it.”
“Then come and get it.” She moved in the direction of the cliff edge. “Or I’ll throw it over. It’s several hundred feet down, and there must be thousands of crevices. You might find it if you look for a few years.”
Nasim gazed warily at Kadar before stepping toward her. “You wouldn’t throw such a treasure away.”
“It’s no treasure to me. Sometimes I wish I’d never heard of it.” She met his gaze. “Look at me. Am I telling the truth?”
“You’re mad.” He glanced at the camp. “My men are stirring. I told them to attack at the first sign of anything unusual. They’ll be here in a moment.”
“If they get here before you come to me, the grail will be gone. I won’t die and let you have what you want.”
“Stupid woman. Do you know what you—stand back.” His sword was again pointed at Kadar.
“I haven’t moved,” Kadar said.
“You were readying.”
“Come and get it,” Selene repeated. She whirled and ran toward the edge of the cliff, her feet flying over the rough ground.
Nasim cursed and started after her.
Kadar couldn’t wait any longer. He pounced and ducked to the left at the same time.
The flat of Nasim’s sword crashed into the side of his head.
Darkness.
He was gaining on her.
Selene ran faster.
Her breath was coming hard, painfully, as her lungs labored.
She could hear the pound of hoofbeats.
Nasim’s men were tearing toward them from the camp.
Faster. She had to go faster.
Where was Kadar?
She risked a glance over her shoulder but saw only Nasim.
Kadar . . .
Only a little farther. She had to reach the edge—
Nasim’s hand fell on her shoulder.
She jerked away.
So close, and he had the sword.
Terror rained through her.
If her pace slowed, she would die.
“Stop,” Nasim muttered.
If she stumbled, she would die.
Wear him out. Make him unsteady.
“Why are you trying to catch me? You’re an old man. You’re weak. You’ll die soon. You’ll never have the grail.”
She heard an explosion of rage behind her.
All right. It was time.
Her pace slowed. The point of the sword touched her back as he lunged.
She fell to the ground and rolled toward him.
He grunted as he tripped and stumbled over her body.
She heard him scream as he
tottered over the edge of the cliff.
He tried to step back.
“No!” She launched herself forward at his knees.
He went over the cliff, his hands clawing, clutching. They closed on her hair. Agony tore through her as strands were ripped from her head.
He fell through space.
And she saw the twisted terror on his face.
“Quick.” Kadar was lifting her to her feet. “They’re coming!”
The assassins.
He dragged her toward the boulders.
Hooves pounding.
Close. Too close.
They darted across the plateau.
But the sound of hooves wasn’t behind them any longer.
It was ahead, then all around them.
Vaden.
Relief poured through her.
Kadar jerked her to one side as the stream of riders thundered past him toward the oncoming horde of assassins.
“Get behind the boulders,” Kadar said curtly. “You don’t want to see this.”
She was already seeing it. She shuddered as she saw Vaden’s sword decapitate one of the leaders in the charge. She hurriedly looked away and let Kadar lead her toward the boulders where she had hidden and waited.
Death there too.
Balkir.
Kadar dragged her behind the boulders.
She leaned back against the rock and closed her eyes.
“Are you satisfied?” Kadar asked roughly. “He almost killed you.”
No one knew that better than she. She had been terrified on that frantic run to the edge of the cliff. She whispered, “I started this. It was my responsibility. He was mine.”
“And you couldn’t leave it to me.”
“No.”
“How did you get here? Did you follow me?”
She shook her head. “If the assassins couldn’t follow you without you knowing, I knew I couldn’t. You told me where you thought Nasim would set up camp. I was here before you and saw you hide the chest.”
“But your horse was still staked out when I left.”
“Vaden gave me one of his horses.”
“Vaden.” He muttered a curse. “And what if one of Nasim’s guards had seen you?”
“I was careful. They didn’t.”
Kadar swore beneath his breath. “You don’t know how lucky you—”
Her eyes opened. “I was careful, not lucky,” she said fiercely. “Now stop yelling at me. Do you think I wanted to do it? Was I to leave it all to you? You didn’t even have a weapon.”
“There are many ways to kill without a sword. I would have been able to do it.”
“I couldn’t take the chance. I wasn’t going to lose you too. Though now I wonder why I cared. You’re a fool, and you have no more understanding than—” She was suddenly in his arms, her face buried in his chest. “Let me go.”
“No.” His voice was muffled. “Never again. You scared me out of my senses. Now be quiet and try to stop shaking.”
“I’m not—” She was shaking, she realized. “Why shouldn’t I be upset? I’ve never killed anyone before. His face . . .” She drew a deep breath. “But it was right. I’d do it a hundred times if it meant—”
“Not like that. I’ve no desire to have a bald wife. If you must kill someone, remind me to teach you a few better ways.”
“I don’t want to learn a better way. It was—”
“Shh, I know.” He took the grail she was still clutching in her hand and dropped it to the ground. His hand pressed her head deeper into his chest. “You’ll never have to do anything like that again.”
She could hear the shouts and other sounds of battle only dimly. More death. When would it be over?
She didn’t know how long they stayed locked together as the battle waged. It seemed a long time.
“Good God, can you not wait until you get back to camp to embrace?” Vaden asked. “There should be a certain dignity to war.”
She lifted her head and saw Vaden sitting on his horse a few yards away. He had taken off his helmet, and the contrast between that almost angelic beauty and the blood that spattered him was a strange and macabre sight.
Kadar loosed his hold on her and whirled on Vaden. “You bastard, you were supposed to watch her.”
“She had other ideas.” Vaden smiled. “She came to my tent last night and persuaded me we should not leave it all to you. It didn’t take much persuasion when she told me that I was to attack when I saw Nasim die. It was better than having to wait for some vague signal from you. I had no liking for the idea of having no control.”
“She almost died, damn you.”
“But she didn’t, and neither did you. Though judging by that wound on your head, you came closer than she did.”
Selene’s gaze flew to Kadar. She hadn’t even noticed the thin line of blood in the dark hair above his temple.
“It’s nothing.” Kadar shrugged. “Nasim hit me with the flat of his sword. It only stunned me for a moment.”
“You see, you took too much on yourself. What if he’d killed you? I’d be out my fee,” Vaden said. “Incidentally, your claim that the assassins were better warriors than my men has proved as false as I knew it to be.” Vaden turned his horse. “But I can no longer chat with you. I have to finish my task.”
Kadar glanced at the scene of battle. “I’d say you have finished. You left no one standing. No prisoners?”
Vaden shook his head. “Survival. I intend to live a long life, and the only way to do that is to make sure no word is carried back to Maysef of what happened. I’m done here, but I go to attack the main camp.” He kicked his horse into a gallop. “And, after that, the Dark Star.”
Selene shivered as she watched him ride away. “He’s rather terrible, isn’t he? I had no idea he would start a bloodbath.”
“It’s a bloodbath that will probably save us all. He’s right: The only way to keep any of us safe from the assassins is to make sure no word gets back to Maysef.”
Vaden’s men had set fire to the tents and smoke curled upward, blackening the clear blue sky.
“It’s time to get back to camp,” Kadar said. “Where’s your horse?”
She nodded at the boulder behind which she had waited those many hours for Kadar.
“I’ll get it. Stay here.”
She didn’t argue with him. Her gaze was fixed in fascination on the burning tents. Death and destruction—and justice.
“It’s done, Haroun,” she whispered.
Layla and Tarik met them as they rode into the camp.
“The grail is safe.” Selene jerked her head at the chest tied to Kadar’s saddle. “You can see for yourself.”
Neither made a motion toward the chest.
“And how are you?” Layla asked.
How was she? She didn’t know. Sad. At peace. “Tired, I suppose.” She slipped from the saddle. “I just want to go to sleep.”
“Nasim?”
“Dead.” She grimaced. “According to Vaden, they’ll all be dead before he’s through.”
“It’s safer,” Tarik said.
“I know.” But she didn’t want to think about it. She was exhausted. Her legs felt unsteady as she moved toward her tent.
Kadar was there, his hand beneath her elbow.
“I don’t need—”
“Hush. Yes, you do. It’s all right to need someone. God knows, I need you.”
He was right, she did need him. It was time she accepted that need. She let herself lean against him as he helped her to the tent.
It was dark when she woke, and Kadar was sitting cross-legged on the ground beside her pallet. It was like the night after she had come to Tarik’s villa, she thought drowsily. No, not really. Kadar had been strange and forbidding then, and there was nothing threatening about him tonight.
He smiled down at her. “You slept deeply. It’s almost dawn. Do you feel better?”
“I think so. I had dreams.”
“Nightmares?”
“He shouldn’t. The dreams will go away.”
She shivered. “I hope so.” She sat up and brushed her hair back from her face. “Has Vaden returned?”
“Over an hour ago.”
“And?”
“There will be no one returning to Maysef.”
“What about the Dark Star?”
“It’s docked near Rome. It seems we have a ship to take us home to Montdhu. Of course, we’ll have to get a new crew.”
“Home.”
“You do want to go home?”
“Yes.” Montdhu. She longed to see it again with aching intensity. She wanted to leave these foreign shores and go back to all that was familiar and beloved. “Don’t you?”
He nodded. “But I have a decision to make.”
“The grail? Why should you have to care for it? Let Tarik and Layla do it.”
“Perhaps.” He smiled. “But I’m feeling a small tugging of responsibility.”
And he might still choose to do it. “Why should you? You had no choice about taking Eshe.”
He became still. “What did Layla tell you?”
“Everything you should have told me.” She tossed aside the cover. “Now, go get me some food. I need to wash and eat before I talk of such matters.”
He stood up and pulled her to her feet. “We don’t have to talk at all. There’s time.”
“More time for you than for me.” She turned away. “That’s why we must talk. Later we will go for a walk and discuss this.”
The sky was a glory of pink-scarlet as the dawn broke over the ruins of Pompeii. It seemed impossible that it had only been a day since they had stood on this same spot, Selene thought.
“I was going to tell you,” Kadar said.
“When it suited you.”
“It seemed better to wait.”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure I believe any of this, you know.”
“I know.”
“But you do?”
“As much as I can with no proof.”
She looked away from him. “Then I want you to give me the potion.”
He stiffened. “Why?”
“What difference does it make? Just give it to me.”
“It makes a considerable difference. I’ve been struggling to keep myself from persuading you since I was told about Eshe.”
The Treasure Page 30