Luc saw Iorwin first. He was down on the ground on one knee, sword in hand, blood on his tunic. Tasha stood directly across from him.
“Don’t even try, Luc,” she said before he could call for her. “It’ll be over soon enough.”
“The others are dead, Tasha,” Luc replied. He saw her expression flicker. “You didn’t help with that, did you?”
“Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because I don’t think you were meant to get out of this alive. Ylir yn Garr—”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, turning to him. “This assassination was sanctioned by Baeddan Siromer.” And with that, she attacked him.
Luc wasn’t ready. He didn’t think he’d ever be ready. But he managed to block her first strike before it cut into his leg and dodged the next. She came at him like a whirlwind, and only sheer luck kept him from losing his head, blow after blow. Luck, that damn luck. Was he born with the blessing of the gods?
He lost his sword, watching with horror as she managed to fling it from his grasp and into the bushes. He rolled as her sword cut into the ground beside his ear before jumping for his blade. It was too far away for the torch posts and for a moment, he found himself in grey darkness, interspersed with lines of shadow. He reached blindly into the grass and managed to find his sword handle on the first try.
Not a moment too soon. Tasha was on him now, grabbing him by the shirt. He managed to nick her in the arm. She repaid him with a cut along the chest.
“We don’t have to do this, Tasha,” Luc said, feeling the blood drip along his belly. A bit higher and the blood would’ve been gushing from his throat.
“We do,” she replied, evenly. “You know what’s at stake here.” She struck and somehow, even with him standing perfectly still, she missed again. And then he saw the look in her eyes.
Something reached in and told him that Lucky was just a name. Whatever else his father might’ve called him, it was a decision. But it was him who saved me, because before the boy came I had nothing. I drifted through one thing after another, yeah? And it’s not like it was bad, not like I felt it until I had him there and realized I was going downhill, would’ve kept going downhill until I smashed head-first into something. But the boy…you don’t miss a sign like that, you really shouldn’t. Sometimes the gods give you a break, a chance to pull yourself up from the muck and make something of yourself. Don’t look like much…these things never do. But when I used to have nothing, suddenly I had something worth dying for.
Tasha wanted him to kill her.
He was so stunned by this realization that he allowed her to come crashing into him at her next attack. They tumbled down the hill and past the ravine, landing on a dry streambed. Brush, newly sprouted, broke their fall. Without a word, Tasha pulled him to her, as if to help him up, only to smash a fist into his cheek.
“Pathetic little cunt,” Tasha whispered. “I always thought you were weak.”
“You have to tell me what’s going on.”
She shoved him hard, sending him toppling backwards, before turning around to pick up her sword.
“Baeddan,” Luc gasped. “That’s the Boarshind leader. You can’t possibly work for him. He thought there was a plot for his life, that’s why he killed your friends.”
“You talk so much, Luc,” she said in a low voice. “I thought you of all people would understand.”
She came for him again, relentlessly this time. He knew she was holding back, but he wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t trying to kill him. He was bleeding from half a dozen cuts as she drove him further down the streambed. It was so dark that the only thing he could really see was the moonlight on her shadowed face.
What did she want him to understand?
He knew she would never tell, so he had to find the answer in her silences. Her daughter. She had never even uttered her name in his presence, not once. And yet if Hana was telling the truth, it was her desire to save Cate from the Boarshind’s clutches that had driven her this far. Ylir yn Garr had promised her a prize that no other client would’ve been able to offer.
Her sword sank into his shoulder.
He recoiled in shock, kicking her away.
She struck him across the face and lifted her sword again. Nauseous from the pain and the warmth of his own blood, he reached out to block the attack. She set her blade aside to fall on his.
~~~
It was a clean strike, all things considering. Not enough to kill her yet. Luc felt her crawl away from him, dragging herself to the edge of the bank where she finally collapsed, her face to the sky. Luc dropped beside her.
“Hana’s alive?” she asked.
“Last time I checked,” Luc replied.
Tasha coughed. “Good.”
“She…she didn’t go after me of her own accord, did she?” Luc asked. “Or Treda. Did you send them to keep an eye on me?”
Tasha forced a smile on her face. “You’re catching on,” she murmured. “Probably not so hopeless after all. Probably.” She coughed again, blood coming up with the motion. “Fucking hurts, this dying thing.”
“You’re not going to die.”
“Don’t patronize me, pup. There’s a sword in my bowels. It’s only a matter of…don’t—!” she warned as he bent over to pull it out. “Fucking bleed out more. Let an old woman take her time, why don’t you?”
He slumped back on the dirt, his own wounds stinging. “He promised Cate’s safety if you make it look like Baeddan ordered you to kill Iorwin,” he whispered.
Tasha snorted. “Obviously.”
“And Iorwin wouldn’t have believed it if you all didn’t die trying. That Ylir. He’ll pay for this.”
Tasha laughed—or what was the closest to a laugh that she could make. “What for?” she whispered. “You fond of any of the others? Nothing about this took me by surprise. Killed Jona yourself, too, so there’s that. All the shit he’s done over the years, back when we ran together with Oswyn…bastard had it coming. Wish I’d seen it. One thing I’d been looking forward to.”
“Roena did it, actually.”
“What, again? Fuck. I take it back. Hopeless.” She reached out to pat his face, her blood mixing with his. “You’ve grown up. You’ll do. Treda and Hana, they’ll follow you.”
“Not Demon.”
“Bastard make it out alive? Pah! I was hoping not. Well, you’re stuck with him now too, I guess. Just have to know how to string him along.” She squeezed his jaw. “You get him to keep his promises.”
“Demon?”
“Ylir yn Garr, you idiot.” She took a deep breath. “Hana promised to take care of Cate, but that woman…attention span of a gnat…you’ll keep an eye on them. You will. From the moment I saw you, I knew…” She gave a small shiver. “I’m sorry about your father. That wasn’t…part of it.”
“Hana said—”
“I would’ve never agreed to it.” Her face tightened. “If Ylir yn Garr struck a deal with Jona, I didn’t know it. Shit happens. I know…” she quickly added, before he could get angry. “Fuck. Got no way with words. Don’t hold it against him. Not until Cate’s safe with you. Plot your revenge then.”
He felt her grip on him loosen as she lay back. “Tasha…” he began.
“Go now,” she murmured.
“But—”
“Let me die,” she gasped. “Gods be damned. Wonder if Oswyn’s waiting. Fucking bastard.” She closed her eyes.
Luc stayed beside her until he could no longer see her chest rise. Only then did he reach down to take his sword back. “I’ll come back for you,” he murmured. He sheathed the sword and awkwardly stumbled along the streambed. It narrowed back down to the steps that had led them up the hill in the first place.
Someone with a lantern was coming up the path towards him. He blinked back against the light, finding the flash momentarily blinding after the darkness. “Luc?” a voice called out. It was the soft, honeyed tone of Ylir yn Garr.
Luc felt himsel
f lift his sword as he approached the bend. Ylir caught sight of him. “We were wondering what happened to you,” he said.
“You,” Luc said in a low voice. “You son of a bitch, this was all you.”
Ylir appraised his wounds with a quick glance. “Are you alone?”
“Don’t pretend to be friends with me.”
“I’m not,” he said, his eyes hard. “Are you alone?”
“You know full well that I am.”
“Good.” He fixed Luc with a steady stare. “Don’t waste Tasha’s sacrifice.”
Luc could feel himself begin to shake. If he hadn’t been on his feet fighting the whole night, he might’ve made a swing for him. But the sword felt leaden in his arms, and Ylir yn Garr was—after a night spent killing his companions—untouched. There was not a single speck of blood or dust on him. For all he knew, he had just left his bedchambers and walked straight there in the dark.
Cursing his cowardice, Luc fell in a step behind him. “She didn’t have to die,” he murmured, wondering if he was speaking for his own ears alone. What was the point in trying to convince a man like this?
But Ylir heard. “She did. She even made the suggestion herself, back when I first told her the plan.”
“Did she know all of this from the very beginning?”
“She knew enough,” Ylir said. “Enough to know she was going to sacrifice herself to get this done. Her idea. Not mine.”
“Gods. She was your contact from the very beginning, wasn’t she? Not Oswyn.”
Ylir nodded.
“Did she kill him herself? Michell—Michell was always angry but I don’t think he would’ve knifed a man down for nothing.”
“I don’t know. I suppose anything is possible at this point. But yes, I was dealing with her from the beginning. She must’ve fed her men the wrong information.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“You and I both,” he snorted. “She liked the idea of bringing Jona down with her, I suppose.”
“That’s why she was so angry that I drove him away.”
“In part. I tried to warn you back at Crossfingers.”
“You didn’t warn me for her sake. You wanted me to step away. You lied.”
“It wasn’t far from the truth. I’m convinced that when she met you, she saw an opportunity to create a safe environment for her daughter once she’s gone from this world. And while she looked like she wasn’t the sort of person who planned two steps ahead, I do believe she seized the opportunity, in your case. Still, it left me more than a little concerned.”
“So your little show back in that village…that was all to see how I would react? If I was going to jeopardize this little…show?”
“It’s an important show,” Ylir said.
Luc frowned.
“You might find me callous—”
“Oh, the words I have for you are much, much worse than that.”
“Fair enough.”
Luc swallowed. “About Cate. Are you still going to help her?”
“I keep my promises,” Ylir said. “Baeddan just needs…the appropriate amount of pressure.”
“How is Iorwin supposed to provide that pressure?”
Ylir didn’t reply. They had stepped past the wall, well within sight of the tower. Luc caught sight of Roena in the distance, sitting next to her father. Her face was wet. She wiped them hastily before he could get any closer.
“I found him,” Ylir said, walking up to them. “He killed the rat.”
Luc cringed at the words.
“And he’s the real leader of the group, is he?” Iorwin asked. There was blood splattered all over his white beard. “I knew something was wrong when the woman came up to me instead of the Gorenten they were all talking about. Can never be too careful these days.” He nodded towards Ylir. “She kept screaming about Baeddan Siromer. Baeddan. I’ve met him what, three times at least? We never liked each other, but what does the bastard gain by killing me?”
“He’s a paranoid old man,” Ylir replied. “Convinced everyone’s out to get him. You have heard of what he did to his own men, didn’t you? He slaughtered nearly an entire group after one of his captains got killed on a personal dispute.”
“I’ve heard he’s been one step away from madness after what happened to his wife and son,” Iorwin said grimly. “But that must’ve been years ago, before he ever took charge of the Boarshind. I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
“Gorrhen yn Garr has wanted him displaced for years.”
Iorwin frowned. “They’re friends.”
“One can be blind about one’s friends, Duke Iorwin,” Ylir said. “As we were tonight. Are all the mercenaries taken care of?”
“The ones who didn’t make for the hills the moment the rest of my guards caught up,” Iorwin said. He turned to Luc. “How do you know this one wasn’t working with them?”
“I don’t,” Ylir said with a smile.
Luc stiffened.
“Take him.”
“Father!”
Iorwin’s soldiers advanced. Outnumbered, Luc dropped his sword and allowed them to arrest him.
~~~
Morning arrived, banishing away the longest night Roena had ever known in her life. She heard two knocks on her door, a long pause between each. She frowned and turned away from it.
“My lady,” Ylir yn Garr said, walking in without invitation. He looked almost sheepish as he pressed the door shut behind him.
She resisted the urge to throw things at him. “What do you want, you irksome beast?”
Ylir walked up to where she was sitting by the window. “How do you feel?”
“Like shit,” she said. She still felt like her guts would come flying through her bandages every time she breathed. “I suppose there’s no sense berating you for this whole thing. You know it’s your fault. You’re fucking pleased it all worked out the way you wanted it.”
“I don’t deny that,” he said. “Although I can’t help but observe that you kept silent about my involvement to your father.”
“Don’t play coy with me. You knew I would.”
He bent close to her, one hand on her shoulder. “And why is that?”
“Fuck off.”
“You’ve spent way too much time with those mercenaries. Are you really this upset that I had used them? Months ago, you would have lauded me for how well I played this game.”
“It’s not a game,” she breathed. “They were my…”
“Friends?” He made a small sound of disbelief as he tucked a stray strand of her hair over her ear. “Come now, Roena. Let’s pretend there was a lick of truth in that statement. We both know you don’t make friends. You and I are alike in that.”
“No, we’re not,” she murmured. She turned around to face him. “We’re really not.” If Luc had been afraid to turn into Jona, then Ylir yn Garr was precisely the sort of person she didn’t want to become. There was nothing in his eyes that betrayed his emotions. What lay beyond the smirk? She wondered if there was anything in his life that he cared for. Even Roena had been stirred into action by the thought of her father dying at his hands. Ylir yn Garr…no. He would probably kill his own grandmother if it meant furthering his interests.
“You’re angry about Luc, I suppose,” he said with a soft sigh.
“You suppose? You could’ve told my father he had nothing to do with it!”
“And raise his suspicions over me? I’ve gone this far, Roena, I wasn’t about to risk it over a mere farmboy. Why are you concerned, anyway?” he asked. “Do you love him?”
“I do not!”
“Hmm.” He grazed his thumb over her cheek and then, after a moment’s hesitation, bent down to kiss her.
She felt…nothing. Even if she wasn’t already so irritated with him, the desire had long fled. He could see that, too, though that didn’t seem to be enough to drive the amused look from his face. “You care for him now, at least,” he said, pulling away. “I can’t imagine why.”
“Ever wonder if it’s your inadequency in bed?”
“I seem to recall you having a different opinion. You want to test it again?”
“No, thank you,” she grumbled, looking away again. She took a deep breath. “What now?”
“Your father has agreed to assist Yn Garr Industries in helping displace Baeddan Siromer as head of the Boarshind,” Ylir said. “Easier said than done. The Boarshind is registered as a Hafed company, but their location in Kago—where the king’s laws don’t apply—makes the whole thing problematic. Duke Iorwin could help us have Baeddan officially ousted as the owner, but you have the matter of the actual mercenaries. You and I both know you can’t just stick someone in there and have them respect their new leader.”
Roena shrugged. “Worked for Luc.”
“This is ah…a little more different than that. In any case, the first nail in Baeddan’s coffin has been hammered in, and it’s just a matter of time. Your little er, trick yesterday bore fruit too, by the way. The inspector sent out his report, just in time for Duke Rohn’s arrival.”
“He’s already here?”
“About an hour ago. You did me a good turn there—I wasn’t sure how I was going to fulfill my end of the bargain to Lady Isobel with Duke Iorwin still alive.” He grew serious. “Believe me when I say that your father’s death was never an option.”
“With you, Ylir? I don’t know what to believe.”
“My lady,” he said, taking her hand and pressing it against his breast.
“Please,” she sniffed, pulling away. “You called it a game. Those mercenaries’ lives…all a game. Tasha…” She shook her head. “She was half-mad with worry over her child. For someone to use that against her? You must think I’m a fool not to see how heartless you’d have to be to do that.”
“To hear Roena Blackwood accuse me of being heartless is…” He paused.
“An honour or an insult?”
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