“Are you certain?” Brax’s dark, cold eyes bore into her.
Valoria nodded. “Leave him on the side of the road where we found him.”
Brax’s jaw tensed and a vein in his forehead pulsed. “And let a traitor, a raider, go free?”
Valoria refused to allow him to bark orders as if she were a servant. “We can’t drag him with us the entire journey.”
“We should leave him like Valoria says.” Nathaniel placed a hand on Brax’s shoulder. “If he went missing, the raiders would suspect the Royal Guard at work.”
Surprisingly, Brax calmed. “You are wise, brother.” He sheathed his sword and took the man’s feet. “Help me move him.”
Of course, when she suggested they leave Mar it was preposterous, but after his wise brother suggested it, Brax relented. Valoria breathed to calm her temper as Nathaniel and Brax carried the man to the side of the road. Ash wafted as they dropped him on the ground. His hands were calloused, like those of a farmer. They were not the hands of a petty thief. Had he been a farmer before the wyverns came?
Pity softened her anger. One day she’d right the wrongs afflicting these people, but first she had to staunch the flow of evil up north. Both men were speaking quietly, and Valoria jumped from the wagon bench and joined them on the side of the road. They quieted as she approached.
If they would not speak, she might as well take the lead. “And what of the ambush?”
Nathaniel pointed southwest. “The hills we think they are hiding behind lie just a few miles south before the dried lake. My father and I used to sit upon them in the spring when we delivered our goods from Shaletown to the north.”
Nathaniel turned east. “There is a path through the dead forest. It will take four days longer, but we can avoid the entire area.”
Four days? Valoria calculated the risk. “That would not give us much time to find creatures no one’s seen in over a century and convince them to trade their most valued good. We must return to Ebonvale before the next necromancer attack.”
Brax wiped sweat from his broad forehead and sized Valoria up with mild admiration. “I agree with the princess. I’m more inclined to stay and fight.”
Valoria stared in disbelief. Brax? Take her side?
“We do not know how many people they have in their party.” Nathaniel’s voice was calm and patient, like the voice of reason. “If they capture us or steal our wagon and horses, we may not return to Ebonvale for quite some time. And we have the princess with us.”
Brax ran his hand over his shaved head and frowned. “There’s that.”
Valoria narrowed her eyes. She expected as much from Brax, but from Nathaniel? “If I wasn’t here, you’d both be killed in an ambush.” Honestly, how many times did she have to save them to prove her worth?
Valoria shook her head, trying to think beyond all of the macho chauvinism. She turned to Nathaniel. “You say you know which hills?”
He nodded. “They are the only hills in the next several miles.”
“How close can we get before they know we’re here?” Valoria’s fingers itched for her harp.
Nathaniel glanced at Brax. “I’m not sure. The wagon is fairly loud.”
Brax shook his head. “Not very close.”
Valoria nodded definitively. “Then, someone needs to stay here with the wagon while I’ll go ahead on foot.”
Nathaniel’s jaw dropped. “My lady…”
Brax crossed his arms across his chest and grinned as if she were a little girl trying to lift a horse. “Do you plan to take on the entire raider party?”
“No.” Valoria jumped onto the wagon. She strapped her backpack and her harp on her back. It was fortunate she’d slept all day, because this would take all of her energy to prove successful.
She leapt down and took off. Let them argue, she would waste no more time. “I’ll send a sign when it’s safe.”
“My lady?” Nathaniel called after her.
“Princess,” Brax spoke in a commanding tone.
Brax would have to learn she was not a dog to be ordered to his side. Valoria ignored them even after they jogged after her.
She kept her pace as Nathaniel caught up with worry all over his face. Brax looked as though he’d pick her up and sling her across his back. He reached toward her, but he must have thought better of it because he snapped his hand away. Even in anger, he could not bring himself to touch her. His voice was stern. “Hold on. We cannot have you walking around alone.”
Valoria stared straight ahead in rebellion. She’d take no more orders from that brute. “Come with me if you like. But, someone has to stay with the wagon.”
Nathaniel touched her arm gently. “What are you planning to do? You can’t take them all on by yourself.”
“I will not have to.” Valoria’s lips curled as she thought of it. “I’m planning to put them all to sleep.”
Chapter 17
Lullaby
“Release yourself from this damaged world
To a place of quite solitude
Pleasant memories unfurl
To placate your hungers and fears…
“Starshine fades to darkness
As the world dips away
Momentarily your mind wanders astray.”
“Let yourself drift.
To the cherished places in your heart.”
Valoria sang the refrain again, then let the note taper away to silence. Normally, the crickets’ chirps and frog peeps would take up the empty space. But in this dead land, nothing sang back to her.
She placed her harp on her lap and kicked Nathaniel.
He blinked, shaking his head. “For a moment there, you had me, too.”
“Like I said before, try not to harken to it. It was not meant for you, so its power is somewhat lost, but you will still feel some of the effects.”
He rubbed his head. “I’m in such a fog.”
Valoria stood. “That’s the point. Now shall I go see if they’re asleep?”
“No. Helena’s sword. Give me a moment.” Nathaniel waved her back. “Stay here. I’ll go.”
He climbed the hill. When he approached the top, he crouched down until he lay on his stomach and peered over the ridge. He turned to her and raised his hand. Too bad she couldn’t see his face. She wagered he was smiling.
Valoria turned to the north and mimicked a bird call by whistling three tones. She waited a few heartbeats. Then, an answering call came from the darkness. At least Brax responded to that. If only she could get him to talk to her.
“He’s coming.” Nathaniel whispered over her shoulder.
Valoria whirled around, startled. “My, you move quickly.”
Nathaniel smiled. This close, she could see every edge of his face. “Warriors in Ebonvale are trained to be quick as the wind and silent as stone.”
“Brax is silent, all right.” She didn’t know about quick as the wind.
Nathaniel face sobered into a professional mask. “Brax has never had to learn manners. Not like I.” He laughed. “As a boy, I had very ill manners. But after the king and queen took me in as their ward, I lived in a place where everyone constantly questioned my existence. I learned very quickly how to please and play the game.”
“Seems it worked to your advantage.”
“In a few ways.” He sounded melancholy.
“Not all?”
“There are some things I can never change, not even with good manners.”
“Good manners go very far in my book.”
Creaks sounded from up the road. Valoria pulled away before she said too much. “Brax is on his way.”
“Wait.” Nathaniel held her back.
Valoria’s heart skidded as she turned back and met his gaze. What did he mean to say?
“Can you not cast a spell on Brax? Make him appreciate the…opportunities provided to him?”
Shock slapped her face. “Do you mean make him love me?”
Nathaniel nodded, his face turning sad and somewhat guilty. “I know ’tis not what you’d want…”
“It’s not that.” She stopped him before the conversation spun out of control. “Minstrels have a code of honor. There are songs we can sing and songs we should not, or only in certain circumstances.” She gestured toward the sleeping raiders beyond the hill.
“Unifying both kingdoms is not a sacred cause, worthy of such a song?”
She shook her head. “Even if I could by our code, it would not work. You see, we uncover what is already in people’s hearts. We draw it out, lure it to the surface. If it’s not there to begin with, then there’s no way to manufacture it from smoke.” Her eyes burned on the verge of tears.
“I understand.” Nathaniel placed a hand on her shoulder.
The creaks of the wagon grew louder, and anxiety crept up Valoria’s spine. She should not be having this conversation with him and they should not be dallying when so much lay at stake.
“We must go.” She propelled herself forward, eager to escape a conversation that would lead nowhere.
Valoria reached the wagon, threw her backpack in, and climbed aboard with her harp still strapped to her back. If she had her choice, she would never part with it, not even during fancy dinners.
Brax pulled his hood away from his face. “You are certain they do not stir?”
“They might as well be dead.” Valoria sat next to him.
“You are certain?” Doubt crept into Brax’s voice.
“They sleep like babies in the womb.” Nathaniel caught up and climbed in.
Valoria had to scoot closer to Brax to make room. With Brax to her right and Nathaniel to her left, she kept her arms close. As much as she wished to avoid the awkwardness, she’d be a fool to go back inside. If someone had not heard her song, they’d need her.
Brax gave her a wary glance, shifting an inch away from her.
Anger burned in her face. Lyric’s lyre! She wasn’t about to kiss him or take his hand at a time like this. What kind of nonsensical hussy did he think her to be? She pulled the harp over her head and began to pluck soft notes in the remnants of the melody. Even though the song was strong enough to put the raiders out for an entire day, if not more, she didn’t like taking risks.
They entered the ravine between the hills. Nathaniel drew his sword. Each creak of the wagon wheels sounded like the wail of a banshee. Valoria strummed harder, and began to hum the refrain. She nodded for Brax to spur the horses.
Every heartbeat took an eternity as they crept forward. Black clumps of ash and dried leaves blew across their path like ghosts. Nathaniel scanned the hills.
Would he be able to detect a raider if they cocked an arrow? Valoria’s heart sped. She breathed deeply to calm herself. She must have faith in her powers. Half the reason why the song had worked was because she believed in it. She’d practiced every day of her life, took lesson upon lesson. Echo himself had said she’d surpassed his teachings. Yet, that sliver of doubt blossomed and grew in her heart if she let it.
Valoria strummed again, plucking the strings until they threatened to break. Her belief could not waver now.
They passed the shadow of the hills and rode into the moon’s silver light. Valoria breathed with relief as Nathaniel sheathed his sword.
“You’ve done it!” His whisper was on the loud side, and Valoria shushed him. Pride rose inside her. Let Brax demean her abilities now.
Something whizzed by her face and hit the backboard of the bench. Valoria turned and her skin chilled. The end of an arrow flapped back and forth, purple feathers falling on her lap.
“Duck!” Brax’s large hand came over her head, pushing it down.
“One shooter. To the right.” Nathaniel jumped from the carriage. “Look for others, I’m going after him.”
“No!” Valoria moved to run after him, but Brax held her still.
“If he gets away, he’ll wake the others.”
She turned to Brax with defiance rising inside her like a wyvern’s fiery breath. “I’m going to help.”
“You are better use here.” Brax scanned the area around the carriage and drew his claymore.
Valoria launched forward again, but Brax moved swifter than she’d expected. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to him.
Indignation burned in her face. She shot him an accusatory glare as if he meant to force himself on her, and he released her right away. His face softened, desperation leaking in. He knew he couldn’t keep her beside him. “Trust in his skill. He trusted in yours.”
Valoria stilled. The brute was right.
Another arrow flew over their heads.
Brax pulled them both down. “Helena’s sword, there’s two of them.”
“At least.” Valoria was keenly aware of his arm around her. He’d sheltered her and brought her to cover, yet he did not release her.
“Is there a way you can lure them into the light?” Brax whispered.
Valoria struggled to think over the shock of Brax asking her for help. “There’s a song of identity, but that’s more for a face-to-face confrontation.”
The horses reared up, and Brax gripped the reins to hold them back. “Anything you can think of to give me at least a direction to go on.”
“All I can do is make him miss.”
Brax nodded and removed his arm from her shoulders. “Very well.”
Valoria took a deep breath and sang the song of misfire. Arrows whizzed over the wagon. She had no idea what Brax had in mind, but at least the arrows would not find their mark.
Brax stood as if he wore a suit of armor. Valoria’s voice rose as disbelief and shock riled her heart. He believed in her. So much so, he was willing to stand against arrow fire without a shield.
Should he?
As Brax walked forward, Valoria sang with all her heart. His life hung on her shoulders. One mispronunciation or sour note would give the archer the time he needed to aim true. Even though she did not favor him above all others, a strong urge to keep him safe rose up inside her. With the king dead and the queen grieving, Ebonvale needed him. She needed him. Not for comfort or love, but as a strong ally against the greatest threat the land had faced since Helena and Horred’s time. Her fate and the fates of all she cared about were tied to his.
Arrows flew by Brax in all directions. He walked in steady, long strides without flinching. It seemed as if he repelled the arrows with bravery alone. Head held high, Brax climbed the nearby hill and disappeared into the darkness.
Valoria barely stopped for breath as she sang the refrain. She’d never felt so alone, sitting under the wagon bench with both men gone and the sound of her voice to keep her company. Again and again she sucked in air and looped the end with the beginning, singing an unending song until her throat dried and her fingers ached.
“It is done.” Brax’s voice woke her from her stupor.
Valoria crept out. Brax stood in the silvery moonlight, sheathing his sword. A thin ribbon of blood dribbled down his arm. One of the arrows had grazed his skin.
Horror ripped through her. Valoria jumped down and scrambled toward him. Brax stepped back as she approached, but she paid his reticence no heed. She rose on her tiptoes and pressed her hand against the wound. “You’ve been hit. ’Tis all my fault.”
“My princess.” His words were solemn.
Valoria stilled. He’d never called her his princess before.
“’Tis your fault we are still alive.” He took her hand from his wound and held it to his chest. His fingers were hard and course, his skin fiery hot. “For too long, I’ve discounted your abilities. First, at the battle at the north gate, and second back there in the valley. I can no longer deny the truth.”
The truth? Valoria blinked in astonishment. Which truth was that?
He bowed his head down to hers and his voice grew soft, almost vulnerable. “I was wrong to think we did not need each other.”
Nee
d each other? In which way? Valoria had so many questions, but they all stuck on her numb tongue. This vulnerable side of Brax hit her heart with full force. She’d tamed a lion and found a soft underbelly.
“Ahem.” Nathaniel stepped from the other side of the wagon dragging a thin, scraggly young man by the arms. He’d tied the boy’s hands together with his handkerchief. “I’ve caught the archer.”
Valoria stepped back from Brax in revulsion. While Nathaniel had spared life, Brax had taken it away. No matter the softness he’d just shown her, he would never be rid of his hard-edged sense of justice.
“And what do you expect us to do with him?” Brax’s hand hovered over his hilt.
“We’re going to question him and take him to Shaletown.” Nathaniel hoisted the boy toward the wagon.
Brax stood in the way. “He’s a liability. You forget too easily how he and his friend tried to kill us.”
The boy narrowed his eyes and spat on the ground.
Nathaniel sighed. “The boy and I have an understanding. Besides that, we have a hostage, someone to barter with if it comes down to it.” Nathaniel eyed Brax. “I do not suppose you thought of that before you hacked the other man down with your claymore.”
Brax’s gaze turned cold. “He would have shot us in cold blood, and this one will slice our throats if he gets the chance.” His fingers tightened on the hilt.
Valoria could not bear to see more bloodshed. She touched Brax’s arm. “He will not. I’ll watch him. Leave the interrogation to me.”
Brax studied her as if sizing up her determination. His gaze dropped to the place where her hand rested on his arm. He made no move to remove it, which gave her some relief. “Very well. Blue and I will sit up front, and you may do your work in the back.”
Valoria’s mind went blank until she remembered Nathaniel’s alias. “Blue. That’s right.”
Brax ignored her slip and turned to Nathaniel. “Take him to the back and tie him to the bench.”
Nathaniel nodded and pulled the boy inside.
Valoria moved to join them. Brax reached out and stilled her gently with a hand on her shoulder. “Not so fast.”
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