The rest of his words were drowned out as the Light Blades reacted. Every one of them, including Zaune, drew their swords. In a heartbeat the air around them radiated with a mix of fear and outrage.
Imhara’s swift intake of breath had him moving to cover her, hands raised high.
“She’s unarmed.” No way in Light was he letting them harm her. He sought out the Na’Chi’s gaze. “Zaune, you’re the best tracking scout among the Na’Chi. You can scent her . . . me. Do I lie?”
“Zaune?” Sahn never took his gaze off Imhara.
“It’s the truth, Commander.” The young scout moved among their group, scenting them, the flecks in his eyes a pale bronze. “There are other Na’Chi, human, and Na’Reish among the rest of them. None of them scent as hostile.”
Sahn’s light gaze pierced his. “Show me your arms, slowly.”
Arek pushed up his sleeves, knowing what the Commander was looking for and would find. The warrior at least hid his disgust behind an impassive mask, unlike some of his men. Arek heard Zaune’s breath catch.
“Blood-slave!” someone hissed.
“Light Blade or not, Barial, your word holds little worth with those marks on your arm,” Sahn stated, mouth stretching out in a flat line. “It’s a risk I can’t take.”
“Then I claim sanctuary for these people. That’s something you can’t ignore, Commander.” Arek kept his voice even, calm.
“You can’t give sanctuary to demons, Commander!”
The sandy-haired warrior shot a quelling glare at the man who’d voiced a protest, then his gaze took in each member of the Kaal Clan. “Sanctuary was never intended for demons, Barial, but there are humans and Na’Chi among these people. I can’t ignore that.”
Arek released a relieved breath. At least he was a Commander who thought before he acted.
“Perhaps it’s best then that the Blade Council deal with you.” Sahn gave a curt nod. “Sanctuary will be temporarily honored.”
“There’s a lot to explain, and whether you believe me or not, these people come in peace,” Arek repeated. Then because he couldn’t resist asking, “Zaune, is Kalan alive?”
“Yes.” The warrior’s dark brows lifted. “That’s right. You wouldn’t know. Varian got us all back to the city. It took Annika awhile, but she healed him.”
“Thank the Lady.” His whole body tingled with the news that his friend lived. “Commander Sahn, Na Kaal has information about Na’Rei Savyr that the Blade Council and the Chosen need to know.”
The older man’s mouth curled. “A demon turning on one of their own?”
Light, once he’d sounded so hostile. How strange it was to be seeing his countrymen through new eyes.
“My Clan have never considered themselves part of the Na’Reish nation, Commander Sahn.” Imhara’s soft-spoken comment caught the Light Blade Commander by surprise. “I may be of Na’Reish blood, but we honor the Old Ways and the Lady.” She held out her hands. “But if it would ease your fears, tie me. Bind us all. I just ask that you let the Blade Council deal with us.”
Arek waited as Commander Sahn considered his decision. When he nodded, a half-dozen warriors dismounted and advanced with rope. Another Light Blade gathered their weapons and checked their packs for others.
Warriors escorted each of them to their mounts but none were given the reins to them. Arek met Imhara’s gaze between the bodies separating them. Her lips curved in a small, nervous smile. He returned it.
Sahn swung up into his saddle. “We head for Sacred Lake, double-time!”
* * *
SACRED Lake was a large stone-walled city surrounding a lake. Mountains created a jagged line on the horizon behind it, but what struck Imhara was the open expanse of the plateau. She’d never seen anything like it before. Not only did it leave her feeling exposed and vulnerable as the group made its way toward the city, it was obvious there was no way anyone could approach the high walls from any direction without being seen.
The group passed through the gates with minimal delay, yet the scrutiny Arek had warned her about began once they were inside. The Light Blades in the towers and manning the gates were more controlled than those they passed in the streets.
When they saw her, they made no effort to conceal their unease and fear, and the stench of it assaulted her nostrils. Some even took to hurling abuse their way. No one objected.
She kept her head high and did her best to ignore the slurs, reminding herself there were justifiable reasons for them hating the Na’Reish. This might be bad, but instinct told her it could be much worse.
Instead Imhara tried to concentrate on her surroundings. The buildings and houses held a vague familiarity but were different enough in design and variation that she felt their alienness.
That combined with the crowd’s hostility left her feeling out of place. A demon among humans. A first for her, considering her upbringing.
By the time the patrol reached a small compound, a large crowd followed them, and she was glad the Light Blade patrol accompanied them.
A warm leg brushed hers and she tore her gaze away from the crowd to find Arek riding beside her.
“I told you you’d see the inside of Sacred Lake.” A smile accompanied his lighthearted tone.
“This isn’t quite like I expected,” she admitted.
“The Light Blades won’t let them harm you. Any of you.” His knee bumped hers again, a reassuring touch she welcomed. “Nor will I.”
His fierce words warmed her from the inside out. They strengthened her and held back the uncertainty and doubt beginning to gnaw at her innards.
Their beasts were led through a double-gated archway into an open, hard-dirt-packed courtyard.
Arek pointed with his chin, his smile growing wider. “This is the Light Blade compound.”
The pleasure and pride in his tone reminded her that this was his home, the place he’d been born and raised by his grandfather, then trained as a Light Blade. But other than that, she knew very little about him or his past.
As Arek briefly explained each building and its purpose, the noise of the main crowd was left behind outside the walls. The one gathering inside the compound was smaller and consisted mainly of Light Blades and people all dressed in monotone clothes, mostly green. Surprise and satisfaction rushed through her to see a few Na’Chi among the faces peering up at them.
“Arek! By the Lady, it’s Arek!” The deep, booming voice came from a barrel-chested Light Blade warrior, a human easily in his sixth decade with a face as brown as a nut, a stark contrast to his silver gray hair. He wore practice leathers and a Light Blade amulet.
Arek twisted in his saddle, a broad grin wreathing his features. “Yevni!”
“Lady’s Breath, everyone thinks you’re dead!” People moved aside as the huge man ploughed his way through the crowd toward them.
“So I’ve been told.”
The older man reached the barrier of patrol riders. He raised a beefy hand. “No doubt I’ll hear your story soon.” He gestured forward with a grin. “I believe word might have just reached the Chosen of your arrival. Merciful Mother, it’s good to have you home again!”
“It’s good to be home, Yevni!” The hoarse note in Arek’s tone backed up his words.
Imhara peered ahead to see a wide pathway bordered with a garden on one side and formal arrangements of monoliths at even intervals on the other. Behind it and to the left stood a three-story building, and coming down the stairs at a rapid pace were a handful of people.
“Kalan!” Arek’s cry was filled with a wealth of emotion.
He dismounted, boots thudding on the ground as he landed, and tried to push his way through the ring of riders. A sharp order from a tall, dark-haired man dressed in fine clothes opened a gap.
Arek shouldered through and the two men stood eye to eye, one grinning widely, the other sporting a conflicting expression of shock and emerging joy. The dark-haired man freed Arek’s hands of the rope with a disgusted curse, then embrace
d him in a back-pounding hug.
“Arek! I didn’t believe it when the messenger arrived from the city gate.”
So, this was Kalan Tayn, leader of the humans and Arek’s best friend.
“You look well.” Green eyes travelled over every inch of Arek and he shook his head. “Lady’s Breath, we all thought . . .”
“I was dead.” Laughter rumbled up from Arek’s chest. “I know. It’s a long story, my friend, one I’ll share with you all shortly.”
A woman with long, blond hair and Na’Chi markings stood quietly beside Kalan, the folds of her pale blue dress clutched in one hand.
Annika Gannec.
Imhara shared a look with Rassan. His intent expression told her he also recognized Savyr’s daughter. Imhara wondered if the young woman would remember them. They’d met only a handful of times, usually at one of Savyr’s dinners, and those occasions hadn’t been pleasant for the Na’Chi woman.
Arek turned to Annika, and for the longest moment, he stared at her. Imhara could see only his side profile but it was enough to monitor his expression. The creases furrowing his brow hinted at his regret, and the white lines around his mouth betrayed his pained uncertainty.
“It’s good to see you, Annika.” His voice was hoarse.
The startled expression on Annika’s face made Imhara smile. Clearly it wasn’t the greeting she’d expected.
Arek took a small step closer to her. “I’m sorry . . . for what Davyn did to you, and for my behavior as well. It’s a little late, but I’m just glad for the chance to apologize to you.” His throat worked. “To my sister.”
He leaned forward to whisper something more to her. Whatever he said widened her eyes, then brought tears to them. Her lips pressed shut and she blinked hard to repress them. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, the tears began to tumble down her cheeks.
Arek hesitated a moment, then gathered her into an awkward hug, one hand smoothing over her back. Imhara’s throat closed over, for the moment was a poignant one. He’d made the first, very important step in connecting with Annika. Imhara released a soft sigh, her heart warming at the strength he showed even in such a vulnerable moment.
A woman with long, black hair clutching a staff in one hand and the arm of another Na’Chi male arrived at the back of the small group. After a minute of watching her navigate the crowd of people, Imhara realized she was blind.
Her arrival gave both Arek and Annika a distraction.
“Kymora!” Arek caught the woman up in a tight hug and swung her around, laughing as hard as she was crying.
“Merciful Mother!” As he set her down, the woman swiped at her tears with a sleeve, then ran her hands over Arek’s face, her fingertips tracing his brow, his nose, his cheeks, then his jaw. “It is you!”
Imhara stiffened at the familiarity of her actions. Who was she and what did she mean to Arek?
“Varian?” The woman reached behind her, her fingers brushing the sleeve of a tall, broad-shouldered Na’Chi with an ugly scar on one cheek. Dressed in practice leathers, the warrior caught her hand and tucked her in against him in a move that clearly indicated the two were close, perhaps mates. It eased Imhara’s concern. “Varian, thank the Lady, Arek’s home.”
Imhara scrutinized the warrior more closely. This was Arek’s Na’Chi friend, the one they owed for helping start the change, for helping him adjust and accept demon-blooded friends. For several heartbeats the two men eyed each other off as if neither could believe they stood facing one another again.
“Zaune tells me you saved Kalan’s life. Thank you.” Arek’s smile grew and he thrust out his arm. “You have no idea how many nights I spent wondering if you’d all made it home safe. Thank the Lady you did.”
More back-slapping hugs and questions bombarded Arek from all directions. The babbling of voices rose and fell as Imhara took her time dismounting, unwilling to interrupt Arek in what was a highly emotional reunion for them all.
The scents pouring off the people in front of and around him were a mixture of elation, shock, excitement, and stunned disbelief. Yet it was clear these people were his family in every sense of the word. She could see it in their faces, their gestures, their words, all reinforced by their scents.
Arek’s blond head lifted and his gaze scanned the pathway. When he found her, he gripped the Chosen’s shoulder.
“Kalan, there’s some people I’d like you to meet.”
His friend glanced in their direction, his features smoothing out into something more serious, even a little guarded, when he saw them. The warmth surrounding Arek seemed unlikely to include them. Not that Imhara resented the lack, but it did reinforce the fact their trust would be hard earned.
Arek’s hand tightened on Kalan’s shoulder and he murmured something too quiet for Imhara to hear above the noise around her.
Rassan moved closer to her, his scent heavy with wariness, as Kalan and Arek crossed the wide pathway. Kalan’s green eyes noted his movement, and one eyebrow quirked. A flash of gold at his neck drew Imhara’s gaze down to an amulet etched with a sun in the center.
The Lady’s symbol.
A Light Blade amulet.
Kalan Tayn was a Light Blade warrior as well as the Chosen.
“Na Kaal.” The strong odor of cloves accompanied his greeting. Curiosity generated his scent when she’d expected the sourness of hatred and fear. Perhaps he was just better able to control his emotions than his warriors. “The Lady welcomes those who come in peace to our city.”
His odor changed slightly, deepened, the subtlest of warnings underlying his words. Curious he may be, but there was little doubt he’d take action if he thought she deceived him.
“Her blessings upon your House and family, Chosen.” Imhara inclined her head. “I do come in peace. You have my Lady-sworn oath on that.”
Whispers began around them centered on her use of their religious deity. Blasphemy. Scandalous. Shocking. All words she heard but ignored. Kalan’s gaze took in the crowd. His lips thinned.
“This isn’t a discussion to hold here, Na Kaal. Commander Sahn, if you would escort them all to Arek’s apartment and the adjoining quarters, then stay with them.” His gaze locked with hers. “Arek has requested sanctuary on your behalf, Na Kaal. Until we hear his full story and yours, this is a temporary privilege, one I’ll honor, unless you or any of your people endanger mine. As you’re the first Na’Reish in five hundred years to walk within the walls of Sacred Lake, I’m sure you appreciate the latitude you’re being given.”
Well aware of the significance of his gesture, Imhara nodded. “I certainly didn’t expect this, Chosen. On behalf of my Clan, you have our thanks.”
She’d been fully prepared to spend her time as their prisoner, not given the rights of a guest. Light Blade warriors might guard them, but there was respect and generosity in his gesture, something she truly appreciated.
“I’d ask that you and your people remain inside the rooms, for your own safety, until the Blade Council can be informed of your arrival. As soon as we’ve convened, I’ll ask Commander Sahn to accompany you to the Council chamber where you can present your case.” The man turned to his friend. “As much as I’d like to spend some time catching up with you, the news of Savyr’s growing army holds greater importance, and I need to speak to my Commanders.”
Arek clasped Kalan’s arm tightly. “Try and join us later.”
“Perhaps Kymora, Varian, or even Annika might visit you all while I contact the Councilors?”
Another unexpected action. Imhara couldn’t hide her surprise. Was this a show of trust? A test? Or both? Whatever the case, it wasn’t an opportunity to be missed.
Arek was watching her, a relaxed smile on his face. “I think Imhara and the others would like that very much, Kalan.”
“Indeed.” Imhara felt the cautious stirrings of hope. “We’d welcome the chance to get to know Arek’s friends and kin.”
Chapter 42
“I always wondered why, of all th
e Clan Nas invited to my father’s feasts, you never took part in his games.” Annika appeared at Imhara’s side carrying two cups, and held out one to her. “I don’t think I ever heard you make a cruel comment, and I know you didn’t torment me physically.”
The quiet comment drew Imhara’s attention away from observing those gathered in Arek’s apartment. There were two separate groups, one seated at the large wooden table, the others in chairs by the great fireplace at the far end of the room.
“Now you know why.” Imhara took the cup with a nod and met the Na’Chi woman’s violet gaze. “My only regret was in not being able to help you.”
“I don’t know that I’d have trusted you even if you had offered it.” A wry smile curved her lips. “Your reputation was . . . intimidating.”
“A necessity.”
“Yes. Survival is a great motivator.” A sad smile curved her lips. “The Old Ways. There’s so much we have to learn, isn’t there? At least now we know it’s possible.”
Imhara shot her a sideways glance. “What you’ve heard and seen tonight is only a sample. We have much more to share.” She was heartened they’d shown such interest, especially when she’d expected much worse. “I won’t withhold this knowledge based upon a favorable Blade Council decision.”
“Such an un-Na’Reish-like attitude.” A self-depreciating laugh accompanied a shake of her head. “I shouldn’t be one to judge, should I?”
“There are centuries of history and fears to overcome.” Imhara tilted her head. “I didn’t expect this level of acceptance in anything we had to share.”
“You have an ally in Arek,” Annika countered. “Do you realize how unique that is?”
During the last couple of hours, she’d learned more about Arek’s past just listening to him interact with his friends than in all the time he’d spent with her Clan, but the core of who Arek was remained the same.
Allegiance Sworn (A NOVEL OF THE LIGHT BLADE) Page 34