She realized that the rest of the senior staff, plus Eve and Amber, were in the room. Bethany pulled the covers off her—she didn’t remember having bed linens earlier—and tried to sit up. Hot pain seared through her body and, for a moment, the world turned hazy and bright.
“Here, child. Let me help you,” Torius said as he stumbled to his feet. He nearly tripped over his robe to help ease her up. Amongst friends, she dropped her guard and grasped on his forearm, wincing as she lowered herself. Still holding Bethany to steady her, he looked at Eve, “Thank you for healing her.”
The high priest’s low bow to Eve not only caused her to blush, but brought an uncomfortable silence in the room. Bethany respected him for the show of support in front of Allric.
“I had Arrago helping me. He’s been in to check on her several times throughout the night.” Eve offered an apologetic smile. “The gash on her face will scar, but at least it isn’t infected.”
“Adversity keeps me strong,” Bethany said, reciting one of the lines of the Silver Knight’s vows.
“Indeed, it keeps us all strong,” Eve replied with a sad smile.
“It’s a pleasure to see that your wit was not damaged in the attack,” Allric said without a smile. He leaned against Aneese’s writing desk, his burly hands toying with her quill. “Lord Jovan filled me in on the basics of the situation.”
Bethany wondered if he used the titles for Amber’s benefit or Eve’s. She didn’t answer, just inclined her head enough to show acknowledgement.
Allric’s shoulders relaxed and he said, “I am relieved that you weren’t seriously injured. Eve, your skills are to be commended.”
If their situations were reversed, Bethany would be shouting at Allric, demanding reinstatement. She admired Eve’s composure.
“Now that our esteemed Lady Champion has awoken, we may start. We would like to hear your story, Miss Amber. I know that you are weak, so please take your time. Do not leave out any detail,” Allric said.
Amber looked at Eve, who was seated next to her. Eve clasped a supportive hand on the girl’s forearm. In a small, low voice, Amber said, “I was home washing laundry in the ocean. Some men took me to the Crystal Mountains in Taftlin. There was a village there of Magi. The Elorian in charge was named Sarissa.”
A small relief washed over Bethany. At least Sarissa hadn’t been living in Little Bheakom all this time.
“How many people are with her?” Aneese snatched her quill from Allric and shook her finger at him.
Amber shrugged. “I didn’t see much of the village.”
“Guess. Five? A hundred? A thousand?” Aneese asked. “Assuming you can count, of course.”
“I can count, Honored Sister.” Amber hung her head as she spoke, though Bethany admired the hint of fire in the girl’s voice. “Maybe a hundred?”
Amber didn’t sound certain but at least it was a starting point. A hundred the knights could defeat. A thousand would be a challenge. But after Sarissa’s display in front of Eve’s burning inn, Bethany lacked certainty in any of their skills. How can you kill someone who is invisible?
“How advanced is her Magic?” Bethany felt almost stupid for asking. Obviously, Sarissa’s Magic progression was far enough along to make entire groups of people vanish into thin air.
“She used animal sacrifices daily.”
“That’s no surprise,” Jovan said, shrugging.
It came as no surprise to Bethany, either. All Magic required the death of a living creature. It started with insects, rodents, birds, and eventually would lead to people if the Magi lived that long.
Amber lowered her head and whispered, “She does human sacrifices, too. My people…she used my people.”
Eve pulled the girl closer and stroked her arm. “Their spirits are on the wind, my dear. They feel no pain.”
Jovan cleared his throat. He always did that when he was trying to be the cold-hearted soldier. “How did you escape?”
“Sarissa moved me to her cottage because I was healing her. The guard outside my door fell asleep. I walked out.”
“I’ve seen seasoned soldiers freeze to death going across those mountains. How were you able to survive?” Allric asked dryly.
Bethany stared at the clock on the wall. Nearly a minute had passed in silence. Everyone fidgeted around her; she would have, too, if not for fear of passing out from pain.
Amber broke the silence with a flat voice. “You don’t believe me.”
Allric leaned back against the desk and shrugged.
“I’m not lying!”
“Amber, calm down. Lord Allric would never accuse you of lying,” Eve said, glaring.
Bethany stared at Allric but he kept his narrowed gaze on Amber. She wondered if he acted this way because Eve was in the room, trying to exert his own form of Power over her. She felt something should be said to him, but she held back chiding him in front of others. That would have been disrespectful even though he clearly deserved it. She planned to speak with him later, privately, when the opportunity arose.
“Amber, tell them about Sarissa’s plans,” Eve said, flashing a glance at Bethany.
“Sarissa talked about a prophecy with a man named Robert.” Amber ran her hand along the small swelling on her belly. “And a lot about fire. They were coming to the temple for something.”
“Thank you, Amber,” Bethany said. “Lady Eve, would you let us speak alone please?”
Bethany heard Allric snort but did not look to acknowledge him. She had been taught that knighthood was for life. So, it was Lady Eve for the rest of eternity in Bethany’s opinion. Eve smiled and nodded, wrapping her arm around Amber. Bethany’s gut clenched when Amber burst into sobs before the door had shut.
When the door snapped shut behind the women, Allric said, “I don’t believe her. Her escape was too easy.”
Jovan nodded. “It is suspicious.”
Aneese raised her hand to silence them. “If I understand, Eve healed the girl. Yes?” Aneese asked, waiting for a nod from Jovan. “Did none of you notice Amber’s markings? She is a mind-reader. Those two Rygents together in a healing process would share minds. There is no way that girl could lie without Eve knowing.”
Torius nodded. “I have heard that before. If that is true, then why let her go?”
“Maybe they did on purpose,” Bethany said slowly, logic brewing in her mind. “Let’s think about this. Magic is obtained through sacrifice to steal life energy. Rygents shared remnants of a god’s Power.”
“So, Rygents might have more powerful life energies than the rest of us?” Jovan asked.
Bethany shrugged. “Maybe they expected Amber to show them where her home was and instead she dragged them here.”
“I find it hard to believe that she was able to avoid recapture from Taftlin to here. That’s nearly a three month trip.” Allric tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment.
“One of Sarissa’s games,” Aneese said, shifting her weight in her chair.
Bethany offered her a weak smile of support. Perhaps pain could bring them together as allies, even for just a few moments. “She wants us to know the Rygents will suffer.”
Silence blanketed the room as their gazes fell on her. Seeing Sarissa made one thing clear, Bethany still loved her sister. Hiding within her soul, Bethany had harbored the hope that Sarissa could be rescued. With hope gone, all that was left was death. The thought tugged at Bethany’s heart and she slumped under the pressure.
Allric shook his head. “Why would Sarissa let Amber arrive here and tell us that she is torturing the Rygents?”
“She isn’t afraid of us anymore,” Torius said, his voice rising with surprise.
Bethany’s stomach churned.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Glowing swords will try to protect her. They will fail.
—Aleu’s “The Agony of the Diamond”
“Are you certain about this?” Eve asked, pulling a heavy cloak over her shoulders. “Allric will not understand.”
Bethany looked at the tiny creature huddled close to Eve. Amber never asked for any of this heartache to come to her. Now, the poor girl said she lacked the link all mind readers have with their unborn child. She worried the creature had become tainted.
“It isn’t safe for you to be out, with Sarissa looking for both of you.” Bethany took a deep breath. She didn’t care what justification or reasoning Amber used. “I am Lady Champion. If I refuse to protect a woman in distress, I have no business wearing my baldric anymore.”
Tears welled up in Amber’s eyes and Bethany’s heart stirred. She turned away and looked at Eve. If Allric discovered what they planned, he was likely to kick her out of the service. He’d done the same to Eve. It didn’t matter. Amber needed help. She would not delegate. “Eve, we need to get going. I have to be back before dawn.”
Eve nodded and picked up a coil of rope from the tiny bed in the corner. She handed the rope to Bethany, who took it.
“Are you certain no one will see us?”
Bethany nodded. “I reorganized the guard patrols. I told them we were trying a different method of coverage and for them to report back on their thoughts tomorrow. We’re fine.”
Eve smiled at Bethany. “Isn’t that an abuse of power?”
Bethany pulled the screen from the window casing, bits of wood and plaster crashing to the floor. “Completely.”
* * * * *
With the new moon hiding in the night sky, midnight appeared darker than ever. As Bethany’s horse trotted along the paved path from the temple to Orchard Park, she wondered what possessed her to agree to this scheme. The last four days blurred together, a concoction of pain, meetings, and haunting memories of her sister.
Going without sleep to sneak into town was one thing. Going without sleep to sneak into town to rid Amber of her unborn child was quite another. But when Bethany looked over at the sleeping child who shared Eve’s saddle, she didn’t need much convincing.
Bethany shrugged her shoulders closer to her ears. The early summer rain brought a cold, northern wind. At least the miserable downpour and the unholy hour made it easy for the three women to slip through from the temple without much notice. The gate guards required a little lie, but at least they did their duty. She knew revealing herself to them and her lie about escorting Amber to a safe house would return to haunt her. That worry could wait. For now, she had to keep Amber safe.
Once outside the temple, it was clear riding to Orchard Park and to Ruth’s shop in a quiet neighborhood far from the marketplace. After Allric’s eruption over Eve’s abortion, the midwife had thought it best to provide a less public place for her services, especially the female soldiers who might need her help. So Ruth had bought the little home she lived in now, and stayed out of Allric’s attention as much as possible.
A gust of wind slipped down the collar of Bethany’s cloak and she shivered. The woman was smart. If Allric discovered their plan, Bethany too, risked his wrath, and being kicked out of the knights just like Eve.
“There it is,” Eve said, pointing.
Bethany strained her eyes, trying to focus through the darkness and rain.
She dismounted the horse and, after looping the reins around a small post, eased Amber down. Eve jumped down and wrapped a protective arm around Amber, and then they walked up to the crooked door. Bethany knocked. She had sent word that they would be arriving in the middle of the night, but the window was black.
“Hurry and come in!” a hoarse female voice shouted from the other side of the door.
Bethany opened it and stumbled down two steps into the sunken room. She swore, clenching her jaw to grind away the pain in her thigh. Her eyes watered from the aromatic fire. A woman hunched over the table, stirring something in a large bowl. Bethany blinked away the moisture from her eyes.
“Come in, come in. Get out of that nasty weather! Here we are just starting summer and it’s colder than Rygous’s ass in winter,” the middle-aged human said, chuckling to herself. Ruth looked at Amber with an empathic smile. “Give me your cloak, little one, and I’ll wrap you in a dry blanket next to the fire. I’m making you my cranberry bannock. You need it to keep your strength up.”
As the woman draped a woollen blanket over Amber, Bethany’s mind slipped back to the last time she had eaten the dense, but flaky cakes. It must’ve been forty years ago, when a small group of knights travelled to Taftlin to find Bethany’s missing youngest sister, Drea.
Bethany eyed Ruth, who had lived in Orchard Park for most of her life. Eve had said Ruth was once saved by a knight and came to dedicate her services to the Silver Knights. She passed as a midwife and, indeed, was a better surgeon for female troubles than most educated physicians and surgeons. It was her knowledge on bringing about a birthing too early that made her a pariah amongst the elves. Humans had a lax view on the matter, with Rygents believing it fell in the realm of personal choice.
Elven culture, on the other hand, was strict about the preservation of pregnancy in all circumstances. By even being here, Bethany risked the full brunt of Allric’s fury, not to mention the Order of Apexia and even the entire elven Council back in Wyllow.
“Is that Lady Eve I see hiding in my doorway?”
Eve stepped closer to the lantern and smiled at the older woman. It was then that Bethany realized a heavy blanket covered the window. “Hello, Ruth. It’s good to see you again.”
As Ruth mumbled to Amber and fed her a little of the bannock bread she had made, Bethany watched the girl’s feeble movements. Sarissa had crushed the girl.
No, Amber wasn’t a little girl. She was a woman. Sarissa had broken her back down, the crushing of spirit quite complete. Several deep breaths of smoky air and a coughing fit were necessary before Bethany was distracted enough to not punch something.
“Lady Bethany, are you sure it’s wise for you to be here?” Ruth asked, massaging Amber’s shoulder. “You’re injured and your position is in jeopardy the longer you stay.”
Bethany raised her chin. “Miss Amber is in my protection. Being here is my duty as Lady Champion.”
Ruth nodded, slowly. “As long as Allric doesn’t come here again, raising a bloody fury.” She pointed her finger at Eve. “I’ve had enough of that in my lifetime.”
Bethany frowned. Jovan had been Eve’s instructor and, yes, their relationship was wrong. And, yes, she agreed with Allric that Eve and Jovan should have been more cautious to stop Eve from falling with child. But it was the decision to end the unborn child that ignited Allric’s rage. He called Eve a baby killer. He never kicked out Jovan, of course. Just Eve.
Even Aneese had come to Eve’s defense, but Allric would not listen. He took Eve’s Blessed Bow and banned her from entering the temple. Not that it stuck for long. Torius overturned the decision as he had every right to do; it was his temple, after all. The rift between Torius and Allric still hadn’t healed.
Ruth stirred the fire, igniting the wood. She stuffed it full of more wood and said, “we can’t have you catching your death tonight. A couple hours in front of a roaring fire, eating my bannock, and cleaning you up will do a world of good for your spirits. Just you wait.”
For her part, Bethany stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. She watched Ruth’s expert hands move over Amber’s body and tried to remember how long it took human women to become big bellied. Elven pregnancies lasted just over a year. She stifled a laugh at the image of herself, big-bellied and carrying a sword.
Then, a little fear struck her. Marriage to Garran would have eventually created that scene. Running with her feeling would, too.
Ruth’s voice pulled Bethany from her surprised thoughts. “You’ve had a hard time of it, haven’t you, Amber?”
Amber didn’t answer, she just nodded. Except for the night in Aneese’s bedroom, the girl had barely spoken to anyone, choosing instead to sit in the main courtyard garden, watching the soldiers train. Bethany sister, Drea, had been the same and never truly recovered. Her mind became bitte
r and distrustful. More anger burned in Bethany’s soul. Another person destroyed for no good reason.
“Was it your choice?” Ruth motioned her head at Amber’s thighs.
Ruth already knew the answer, of course. Bethany outlined the details in her letter to the midwife. She didn’t see the point in making the girl tell the story. Bethany swallowed. Woman.
Amber broke into sobs, hiccupping the words out. “He forced…forced me…raped me.”
Ruth wrapped her thick arms around Amber and rocked her, hushing and whispering sweet words. Bethany’s heart dropped as her memories forced her to relive her trek into Taftlin. Instinctively, she wrapped her fingers around the dagger sitting on her belt, gritting her teeth. No word brought out her battle rage more than rape. Every time she heard that vile, disgusting word, her mind flooded with the memories of her younger sister.
Memories resurfaced, threatening to drown her. So often had she pushed that memory to the furthest reaches of her mind only to have that word, that hateful word, drag it back up into the light. Thankfully, Jovan wasn’t here. Bethany could now control her anger in the face of that word. He still could not, and never would.
“Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?” Ruth asked. “It will be painful and there is a lot of risk.”
Amber nodded weakly and then collapsed her head into Ruth’s ample chest. “Yes.”
Ruth lingered in the embrace for a moment longer before releasing her. Turning to Bethany and Eve, she said in a quiet, soothing voice, “Amber’s further along than I’d like, but that isn’t something I can change. I’ll have to give her several treatments and hopefully it fixes her problem. Eve, I need you to stay. She might die without a healer helping.”
“Of course. I may even be of some comfort to her.”
Ruth walked over to the shelves on her wall and pulled down several bottles and vials, adding them to her basket. She sang a melody that Bethany remembered the woman singing to small children in Taftlin. The song that haunted dreams.
Bethany stared at Amber and struggled to see the dark-skinned woman, instead of the pale frame of Drea crumpled on a dungeon floor. As Ruth rocked the broken Amber, Bethany remembered finding Jovan in a cell, rocking Drea the same way. The Taftlin kings paid for the mistake of kidnapping the betrothed of Jovan and daughter of Apexia. The entire line was butchered in their sleep.
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