08 Blood War-Blood Destiny

by Suttle, Connie

  "How long until we reach the town?" he asked around a mouthful of food. Yeah, not only was he a shithead, he had bad manners, too.

  "Two days; we lost time with the wet ground and the wagons getting stuck and moving slowly," the General answered. "We should have been there, or close, already."

  "What will we find there?" The High Commander asked. I decided I was going to call him HC, for short.

  "It is a large, bustling village, surrounded by farmland and herds," the General replied.

  "No vineyards?"

  "No, the soil isn't good for that," the General dipped into his bowl of stew.

  "We need wine for a ceremony," the HC complained.

  "They'll have some there, but I warn you, it may have been made by the enemy."

  "I don’t care where it comes from, only that it's available," the HC grumbled. Well, he wasn't getting a star or a happy face on his homework today.

  I waited until just after lights out to make my sojourn away from the tent, heading toward the trenches, just as I'd been told. They smelled awful. I took a quick turn around them, making sure nobody else was there to notice I didn't use them, and on the way back I slipped between Blade and Grip's tents, turning to mist in the process. It only took a few seconds to get to The Red Hand camp. I buzzed into the HC's tent while he was talking with two of his Captains.

  "We'll find some excuse to hole up in that town until our messengers return with the Pelipu's directive on the matter," HC tapped a cylindrical case, which was nearly four inches in diameter and probably sixteen inches in length. "I know what my feelings are on the matter, but I won't act until I receive his orders."

  "What about the others?" One of the Captains asked.

  "The Pelipu will tell us what to do. Go to bed; we have an early ride in the morning."

  The General was still up and waiting for me when I returned. I told him what I heard and saw. He seemed surprised that I'd seen the cylindrical case. "That's their holy writ—at least part of it," he sighed. "They'll make an excuse to stay in Windle until their messengers arrive. I can't say I like the sound of this, but what else can we do? Right now they hold the money purse and it will do us no good to go on without them."

  I wanted to ask him what his true feelings were on all this, but I held off. There wasn't any reason why he should tell me anything of the sort.

  "What sort of ceremony requires wine?" I asked instead. "I know little about this religion."

  "They use wine in many, so there's no way to tell for sure," the General replied. "Go to bed, Liss. We have an early morning ahead of us."

  Since I couldn't sleep anyway, I left my body behind and went to energy, traveling far away under twinkling stars. I slept easier, once I returned.

  * * *

  "We're still a good three weeks away, and it looks like rain again," Solis rode up next to the General the following morning, with Warn right behind him.

  "You may not have to worry about the rain," the General said, and proceeded to tell Solis what I'd overheard the evening before.

  "We'll have to quarter the bulk of the army on the northeastern edge, I think," Solis said thoughtfully. "Windle is where the ground starts to rise at the foot of the mountains. It'll be a steady climb once we get past it."

  * * *

  "Where is the Raona?" Roff walked beside Flavio after the Council meeting. Aurelius and Garde had come to handle it in Lissa's absence. Flavio studied his youngest vampire child and wondered what to tell him.

  "Child, she had something important to do. She should be back in three weeks or so," Flavio sighed. "Her mates did not receive any notification of her absence."

  "Is that why Gavin seems so angry?"

  "More than likely," Flavio nodded at Roff's observation. "He is not angry with you." Gavin and Tony had begun to teach Roff how to fight. Flavio felt it necessary after Roff’s wounding.

  "Is he angry with Lissa?"

  "In a way. He worries about her. He wants to keep her safe always, and she sometimes prevents him from protecting her as he wants."

  "Is she in danger?" Roff was worried now and his wings tightened against his back.

  "No more than usual, I think," Flavio soothed Roff. "Lissa has talents that the rest of us lack."

  "We're having a security meeting tonight," Tony walked up beside them.

  "May I come?" Roff asked.

  "You may come, but you may not speak of what you hear," Flavio placed compulsion. Roff nodded in silent acceptance.

  * * *

  "Brenten, you've been moping around since the ball," Wylend glanced at his son. Griffin had a standing invitation to have breakfast with his father, and usually took advantage of it. Griffin studied his father's face. They looked very much alike, he and his father. "I'm sure Lissa will be fine—I understand she holds a great deal of power, although she seldom uses any of it," Wylend added.

  "It's what she is," Griffin sighed. "She doesn't Look, because she doesn't want to pry most of the time. She refuses to push anyone unless they are committing a great wrong. There are times when she should speak up and she doesn't. And times when she should remain silent, and she doesn't."

  "If you had raised her, perhaps you could have taught her those things."

  "I wasn't allowed. Considering what happened after, perhaps it's for the best."

  "Are you saying that the pain was less, this way? Erland has told me what happened. All of it." Wylend sipped his tea.

  "She hasn't been wrong about me. Most of the time," Griffin muttered. "She shouldn't be on Vionn, now."

  "I don't believe anyone could have stopped her," Wylend observed.

  "No, father. I mean what I say. She shouldn't be there now. I switched the bracelets. I knew Green Birth was coming, and that they wouldn't give up until they had my son. Every future I saw showed Wyatt living with the Green Fae until he was grown. The only way to stop it was to provide a substitute. I did what I had to do to make sure they didn't take Wyatt."

  * * *

  I was glad to come to Windle. The General took rooms in town on the northeast end, not far from where the army camped. I'm sure he did it to keep an eye on the HC, who took rooms at a nearby inn. Solis, his unspoken second-in-command, took the adjoining set of rooms. He and Warn helped watch over the General.

  "Where are you going?" Solis stood on the steps leading into the inn—I'd met up with him as I walked out the door, slinging on my leather jacket. Evenings were quite cool in the foothills so I took the jacket, although I didn't feel the cold as much as the others did. I could easily have gone without a coat, but everybody else with us was shivering and wearing warmer clothing. Solis wanted to know what I was doing; he was just returning from a short conference with the other Captains.

  "Out for a little air; those rooms can get stuffy," I said. "I'll be back." Solis gave me a curt nod and walked through the door, leaving me to my business. I'd waited for a week and a half to deliver this message, but it had to be delivered. In a way that left no doubt with the ones who'd snatched Toff. I'd gone Looking for him twice, now, but there was some sort of buzz around him and I couldn't get a clear picture. Most likely, whatever power they'd used to snatch him to begin with was now clouding any images of him.

  I had horrible visions of Toff being turned over to The Red Hand if Green Birth didn't get exactly what they wanted. Green Birth, Red Hand. What a joke. And if I didn't do something there at the end, Toff could be killed anyway, right along with Green Birth and their half-Fae children. I walked into a stand of trees, made sure there wasn't anyone to see and went to mist.

  Green Birth was scattered in a series of valleys beyond the mountain range we would cross as soon as the HC decided to move—if he decided to move. I had my own worries concerning the message he expected from the Pelipu. It couldn't be anything good, in my opinion.

  Spring was barely beginning in the valleys as I flew over them, with trees starting to bud and a hint of green grass on the valley floors. A river ran through the place
and there were orchards and fields already planted with early crops. A vineyard filled an entire valley. I selected an apple orchard, the early spring blossoms white and waving in the breeze, casting their sweet smell toward the river. I knew Tiearan Briar lived nearby; he was the one who'd left the note behind when they'd taken Toff.

  I was silent as I used claws to sever branches, carefully laying them out on the cleared ground north of the apple orchard. Those trees might not bear fruit this season. I didn't kill the trees, but I needed their limbs to send my message. Once everything was laid out as I wanted it, I misted back to Windle.

  * * *

  "Tiearan, you must come." Rain, dressed in her working woolens, stood in Tiearan's doorway as he prepared to go out on his errands for the day.

  "What is it, Rain?" Tiearan knew it wasn't the army; they were still more than two weeks away.

  "We have a message."

  "Then why didn't you bring it with you?"

  "That would be difficult," Rain looked frightened, and that was beginning to concern Tiearan.

  "Lead the way," Tiearan gestured with his hands, and Rain led him toward the apple orchard.

  "How do they know our sun-runes?" Tiearan stared at the apple tree branches, sliced expertly and placed carefully to spell out the words. They never taught the sun-runes to anyone—they used those to enhance their power.

  "I would have expected a different message—perhaps a threat," Rain muttered. Spelled out in apple tree branches across a clear space of ground were the words, a child is not a bargaining token.

  "This frightens me," Tiearan sighed.

  * * *

  Erland stared at Wylend. "He knew? He switched the bracelets? Wylend, this is bad. Very, very bad. If Lissa learns of this, things could definitely turn against us. Do you know how long it took, and how difficult it was, to convince her to be my mate? I will be tossed off Le-Ath Veronis in a blink if she discovers I knew before she did and didn't tell her. What am I supposed to do about that, Wylend? I don't want to tell her, because of what will happen. And if she finds out I know, things will be worse."

  "For both of us," Wylend nodded. He sat in his private study, Erland sitting in a chair before his desk. Absently Wylend brought power to him, changing the whorls in the wood pattern on the surface of his desk.

  "And that, on top of Solar Red forming on three worlds outside Alliance territory. They've spread their command base, thinking they can't be destroyed simultaneously on three separate worlds. And they may be right. They are gaining popularity with Black Mist and The Red Hand. You know how widespread both of them are. If those two decide to throw in their lot with Solar Red, then we'll have an epidemic on our hands."

  Wylend blew out a frustrated breath. "The Red Hand enjoys torturing their victims to obtain confessions and admissions of adherence to their own faith—before they kill them. Their excuse is that at least the victims go to the Red Hand god when they die."

  "Black Mist just kills. Or tortures and dismembers, before killing. They have no god, other than the pleasure of inflicting pain. I still can't believe they're hired as assassins on non-Alliance worlds." Erland shook his head. "They'd kill the ones who hired them as easily as the ones they're hired to kill—and have done it, many times."

  "Well, Solar Red has their eye on Lissa, now, and she's off by herself, haring after a kidnapped comesula." Wylend stood and stretched.

  "She was planning to adopt him, that's why he was brought here, remember?" Erland felt a bit of anger.

  "Erland, I realize that. I know she loves the child—enough to make him her own. Brenten was the one who told me she was considering adoption, and that's why I asked her to bring him to the Ball. Even then, Brenten knew and was manipulating things. I'm not sure how I would have felt, or how I might have reacted, if I knew what was coming. My Council is meeting shortly. Do you wish to attend?" Wylend headed for the door. Erland stood and followed him out.

  * * *

  "They're as tight-lipped as anything I've ever seen," the General grumbled. He, Solis, Warn and I were having our evening meal. I listened carefully as the General complained about our current situation with Red Hand. "My spies have nothing to report, except the usual altercations. Two of ours were beaten and left for dead this morning. Windle's healer is tending them now. The High Commander will be here for breakfast in the morning, trying to explain all this away."

  "So they haven't caught the perpetrators?" Solis asked.

  "No." The General wasn't happy about that, I could tell. We'd sat in a deserted corner of the inn, eating roasted chicken and talking when four Red Hand troops walked in and sat at a nearby table. We had to stop talking, then. The innkeeper's daughter, a girl of sixteen, came out to serve them. They all ordered a meal with wine. Their wine came first, followed by platters of roasted chicken with potatoes; just what we'd had. One of the men reached out for the girl when she dropped off their food, causing her father to appear immediately. He told them, quite loudly, that his inn was respectable and he didn't allow anyone to touch his daughter. I was right with him on that one. The Red Hand troops proceeded to grumble loudly the whole time they ate and left after hurling more insults at the innkeeper and his daughter.

  "Stupid filth," the wife, who cooked for the inn, muttered under her breath as she came out to help her daughter clear the table. The others didn't hear her words, but I did.

  After we finished eating, we walked to the healer's home to check on the two wounded men—they'd been beaten badly and were still unconscious. I had my doubts that one would wake at all and the other probably had brain damage from a severe head wound. The General was angry, I could tell—these men had been on late watch and had likely been accosted by their attackers while everyone else was asleep. The early morning watch had found the wounded night guards on the edge of camp when they arrived for their shift. Neither of the unconscious men had awakened since then.

  "We'll check on the Regulars," the General said after we left the healer's home. We walked—the army was less than half a mile away and I figured the walk would serve to clear away some of the General's anger. We met up with Desmun, Nord and Cordus; Blade and Grip were out patrolling the perimeter with their bodyguards.

  "Have you found anything?" We sat inside Desmun's tent, drinking tea and going over information the Captains managed to gather from the troops. The General wanted to know everything, no matter how insignificant it might seem.

  "Three Red Hand troops went to meet with the High Commander, at least that's what they said they were going to do when they left right after moonrise, last night," Cordus grumped. Red Hand had camped ahead of the Farus army, just a little way up the mountain. They had to pass the outskirts of the Farus army to get back to Windle.

  "Horsed or not?" The General asked.

  "Horsed," Cordus answered. "But the night watch on the north side said they came back through after three marks, long before the late watch guards came on duty."

  "How many does the High Commander have in Windle to guard him?" I asked.

  "Seven, I believe," Solis replied. "What does that have to do with anything?"

  "How hard would it be for two or three of them to ride double coming back with the others, drop off in that stand of trees between here and Windle and then attack several marks later when the watch changed, just to divert suspicion from the three that came through earlier?" Yeah, I hadn't liked what I'd smelled when the four had come to eat at our inn. There was a taint about them and that had raised my hackles.

  Solis drew in a ragged breath. He was seeing this, too.

  "Then we need to be questioning those in town instead of those here, perhaps," the General said.

  "And we need to be quiet about it," Desmun grumped. "I don't want the High Commander to find out we suspect his guards unless we have solid proof." Solis, Nord and Cordus all agreed.

  "We'll start with the stable hands," the General said. "Tomorrow, after breakfast, when the High Commander is inspecting his troops." He went eve
ry day—we knew that much—but was back in plenty of time for a better meal in town later. I wanted to be in on that questioning, to make sure no tales were carried back to the HC or any of his troops. I didn't get any information after that, the bodyguards were sent away so the Captains could have a private chat with the General.

  If I'd been alone, I'd have turned to mist and gone right back in. That wasn't an option with Warn, Maks and Ander with me. We ended up walking down to the stand of trees to see if we could find anything. The other three missed the hoof prints because of darkness, but I didn't. I also sniffed out the trees where they'd stopped to relieve themselves while they waited three or four marks to do their murderous misdeeds. Three Red Hand troops had come—their scents were clear to me. They were likely well trained in hand-to-hand combat, too. No wonder they'd beaten the two guards so badly. We walked back to the camp afterward, waiting at a table in the officers' mess tent while the Captains and General finished their meeting.

  "Ready to go?" The General seemed to be in better spirits when he came out with Solis and the others. I stood with the others and we all walked toward Windle. Halfway there, the breeze carried a scent to me, which worried me greatly.

  "Something's burning," I said, starting to trot and then to run. Solis was beside me in seconds, with Warn and the General coming behind at a slower pace. I was cursing when we raced into town—our inn was aflame.

  "Someone's cut the well rope!" A man shouted. Things were chaotic as precious minutes slipped by.

  "Get another rope," Solis yelled. "Find buckets now!" Some brave souls had gone inside the inn and pulled the bodies of the innkeeper, his wife and daughter out. All dead. My group was the only one staying at the inn, and we'd been away when the fire started.