She puffed up proud as could be when I said that and kind of smoothed her hand along the front of the dirty tunic she wore, like she was primping a little bit.
Women!
She scans the little pile and picks out the plumpest one of the lot. I thought I was gonna go crazy waiting for her to pop the thing into her mouth, but then she does. She didn’t even chew it at first, but kind of let it rest there on her tongue. Been a long time, she said, but I don’t remember them tasting so…funny. Where’d you say you got these?
So, that bothered me a little bit. I mean, here I split half of my treasure with her and she was criticizing them? So I told her that if she didn’t want them, she could just hand them over. I was mostly teasing, but I snatched one off her pile anyway and went to put it in my mouth.
She grabbed my wrist, hard, and asked me again where I got them from.
I found them stashed in the nursery, I said, kind of irritated with her.
She spit that nut out faster than you could say, Maj, scooped all of them back into the sack they came from, and asked me where exactly in the nursery, all the while spitting like crazy.
I told her, and she went bolting out the door. I just sat there stunned, not knowing what to think. Finally, she came slinking back in the room and plopped down on the floor next to me, all covered in sweat.
What was that all about? I asked her. What was wrong with the pistachios? Were they rotten or something?
It took her a couple of minutes to slow her breathing down enough to answer me. You remember me telling you about that baby dying from earlier today, she asked me.
I said, sure I do, but what has that got to do with my bag of nuts, and she says, that those weren’t pistachios in that bag.
And I said, oh yeah? Well then, what were they? And she said…natural causes.
Chapter 31
Darius paced back and forth in the small patch of shade offered by the stone formation where they had stopped. As far as shelter went, it was fairly pitiful, but it was better than being left completely exposed. They would still be easily seen if any Breken patrols came their way, and since they were so close to Darak, that was entirely possible, but it couldn’t be helped. Darius wanted to be as close as possible to Dearra should anything happen. There were, unfortunately, two problems he was dealing with. One, as soon as they entered House Falco, Brin went silent. Darius could not know if it was because he had gone beyond Darius’s range of hearing, if House Falco had some type of protection spell in place, or if Brin had simply stopped speaking as a precaution against any others who may be able to hear him.
His second, larger problem was this: even if Dearra were in trouble, and Brin could call for help, even if, by some miracle, Darius were able to battle his way past several hundred Breken warriors and into House Falco, all he would have succeeded in doing was to be sure they would die together.
It went against every instinct Darius had to have let her enter that place at all. Though he understood why Carly had to go, he could not understand what sense it made for Dearra to accompany her as her guard. Darius knew the Breken had allowed it as no more than a token gesture. What could one woman do against hundreds of Breken, after all?
Carly would have probably been safer going it alone, in order to avoid the Breken’s attempt to use the women against each other, as if, with Phillip already being held, the Breken needed any more leverage against them. The whole thing was so frustrating. Point and counter point to every mental argument he made swirled maddeningly in his head until, at last, he sat down on one of the small rocks nearby and held his head in his hands.
***
Daniel leaned against one of the taller stones. Remarkably, it felt almost cool against his back. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the sun that had been beating down on his back and shoulders as they rode and the stone had been sitting in shadow, so it was only cool by comparison. Whatever the reason, he was grateful for the respite it offered from the relentless heat. His eyes drifted closed as he listened to the sound of Darius’s boots as he paced on stone and sand. It was exhausting just listening to the boy. Why couldn’t he just sit down and wait as Daniel did? After all, conserving his energy was really the smart thing to do, seeing as there was no telling how long they would have to wait there. Whether it be minutes or days, no amount of pacing or fretting was going to change that.
At least once the girls returned they should know how Pip fared. Certainly the Breken would allow them to see the boy, if only to ensure prompt payment of the ransom money. But then, what if the Breken had rethought the rules of the game? Undoubtedly three hostages were better than one.
That would never do. Surely they wouldn’t push their luck too far and risk all-out war. Hugh would have no choice but to back down and return home before all of them were taken. He would be forced to regroup and return, in force, with the king, who would feel duty bound to act. If the king refused, with the Breken holding both of Hugh’s children and given little or no chance of their return, Hugh would be willing to risk treason to save them.
The smart thing to do would be for the Breken to keep only one of the women as hostage and send the other back to pass along their new demands. That meant they would most likely keep Carly. After all, she was smaller and weaker and would be by far easier to control and dominate.
But if they kept her, what would they do to her? Carly was a beautiful woman, beautiful enough to tempt any man, as far as Daniel was concerned. If one of those giants dared touch her, they would surely kill her in the process. Thinking of his delicate Carly being harmed in any way was maddening enough, but to think of those brutes forcing her to …to…It was unthinkable.
No sooner had Darius taken a seat upon the rock and placed his head in his hands than Daniel leapt to his feet and began to pace like a caged animal. Idiot! Daniel thought to himself. How the boy could sit and relax when Carly, and of course, Dearra, were walking into what was probably a trap? What should he do? Take a nap while Carly—and Dearra, of course—were taken hostage and tortured?
Plans had to be made! Carly was in danger. And Dearra, of course.
***
Darius held his head in his hands and felt a throbbing ache across his temples. Sitting down was only mildly better than the standing had been, but at least he no longer felt as though he were going to fall down under the weight of his worry. No sooner had he taken a seat, than he heard Daniel take to his feet take up the pacing Darius had just abandoned.
How could he do it? Darius wondered. How could he remain standing under this crushing stress? How could he stroll about when just beyond a couple of dunes, Darius’s reason for living had stepped inside the most deadly pit of vipers that existed anywhere in the world? How could Daniel be so cavalier, so casual about the extreme distress she was in? After all, we were talking about Dearra’s safety! Her very life! And Carly’s, too, of course.
Chapter 32
Even with the torches warming the corridors, Dearra felt a cool, fresh breeze coming from some of the side tunnels they passed. Of course, it wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility that some of the chill Dearra felt was the side effect of Carly’s anxieties, though Dearra detected nothing short of confidence from Carly as they followed their escort even deeper into the house. Dearra, on the other hand, felt and looked as if she were a bundle of raw nerves, and she knew it. Knowing of the feelings, however, was not the same as controlling them. Her hand clutched the hilt of her sword, but she knew she could do nothing more than take a couple of them with her if push ever came to shove. She was glad to have Carly at her side and would have never been able to send her friend into this place alone, even though it went against everything Daniel had ever taught her to allow herself to be at such a tactical disadvantage.
The route they took seem to meander from side passage to main passage and back again, through random rooms and alcoves, and possibly a circle back around, or so it seemed to Dearra at one point. The Breken were such a suspicious lot, i
t made complete sense they would try to confuse the girls as to the course they were taking.
Finally they stopped in front of a door that looked vaguely familiar. Dearra thought it was strikingly similar to one they’d already passed by twice before. Their escort pushed open the double doors of the chamber. He stepped aside to allow the women to enter into a long, narrow room with surprisingly high, arched ceilings, blackened by soot and smoke from years of exposure to the oily torches there. An aisle led towards the other end of the room where two tall objects sat on either side of a dais. A Breken of obvious authority and power sat on the platform on a chair carved from black wood.
Dearra assumed the man was Lord Falco, seeing as he was the master of the house. Falco was dressed richly, but had gems of varying shades and sizes woven into his braids instead of the usual teeth and bones worn by most Breken she had seen.
Four guards stood behind the master, two to his left, and two to his right. A woman of remarkable beauty sat at his feet on pillows of gaudy silk. Her hair was a mass of braids that flowed over her shoulders, looking like serpents caressing the flesh of their mistress. Like her master, her hair was also ornamented with gems, but hers were worn in a different fashion than most, and seemed to be used to decorate herself for no other reason than a desire to make herself appear more stunning. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes, though Breken black, seemed to almost sparkle. Her shoulders were bare, and she was wrapped in a gauzy material that just barely protected her modesty.
Her hand toyed with a silver chain that fell from her lap and trailed just out of sight behind a curtain. Dearra assumed the chain was attached to an animal and she remained alert, for whatever this woman would think to keep as a pet could not be anything but dangerous, and she did not wish to be surprised by anything that would attack at its mistress’s command. There was a second, equally suspicious curtain on the opposite side, and Dearra did not discount it simply because there were no tell-tale chains leading to its depths.
As Dearra passed by the two standing objects on either side of the aisle, she saw they were two very large and expensive mirrors. It seemed an odd sort of placement for such valuable objects.
The young women came to a stop. Carly swept into a graceful curtsy before Lord Falco, while Dearra simply nodded once in his direction, unwilling to do more than acknowledge she was simply aware of his existence.
Lord Falco ignored Dearra’s nod, but offered what appeared to be a very genuine smile to Carly. “Welcome to my home, maiden of Maj. I hope you did not find the trip too difficult,” he said.
“Not at all, Lord Falco. It was a welcome respite from the noise of Bandar. Khan saw us safely to your gates. Your own excellent guards brought us the rest of the way.”
“Khan. That must be the name of your horse. He is a magnificent animal. I would consider it an honor to purchase him from you. I can assure you I could provide something more suitable for you in exchange. I’m sure we could come to some sort of an agreement. Of course he is a valuable animal, but the trade could be beneficial to us both. Any loss you might suffer in the bargain could go a long way to compensate us for the care and feeding of the Maj boy we have been looking after.”
Dearra tensed at the mention of her brother, and Lord Falco was quick to notice her reaction. A grin lit his face and Dearra cursed her inability to better hide her thoughts.
Carly flicked a bit of dust from her sleeve and, in an almost bored tone, responded, “Oh, I couldn’t do that. Khan was a gift from my dear friend, Aesri. Very generous, Etrafarians are, but I wouldn’t want to make one angry by treating a gift of theirs so casually. Besides, as you said, Khan is an extraordinary animal. Surely he’s worth more than the life of a skinny, half-grown child.
“No, I really couldn’t make a bargain like that, but perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement. You shouldn’t have to be out for the boy’s keep, we owe you at least that much.”
“Oh, dear,” Falco said with mock concern. “I had thought the child valuable to you. In truth, I was hoping we could do a bit of bargaining. Well, it is of no matter.” Falco turned to the woman sitting at his feet. “Mili,” he said, “you leave too much slack in the chain. It appears your pet may indeed be staying with us longer than I had anticipated. You had best start teaching it to behave.”
Mili’s smile was cold and forbidding as she responded. “Yes, Father,” she purred. She gave a yank on the chain, and Dearra tensed in readiness, but instead of the snarling beast she had imagined, her own brother was dragged from behind the curtain and made to sit at the mistress’s feet. He was dirty from head to toe, and he looked thinner than he should. The restraint had cut into his neck, but Dearra could tell the wound was new, which meant he had not worn the tether for long. This realization brought Dearra little comfort though, and she felt flames of anger begin to flicker to life in her eyes.
Dearra drew her sword and stepped briskly towards the seated girl. Rather than offer any defense, Mili twined her cruel fingers into Phillip’s hair and yanked him backwards until his cheek was pressed close to hers. She held a vicious-looking dagger, which seemed to appear from out of nowhere, beneath his chin. Mili hissed sharply, her eyes never leaving Dearra’s.
Lord Falco chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “So,” he said, “it appears there may be some bargaining to be done, after all.”
Carly gave a frustrated sigh, grabbed Dearra by the elbow, and pulled her back so she once again stood before Lord Falco. “So it seems,” Carly conceded.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, little one,” Lord Falco mused. “My spies have already informed me of your Lord Hugh’s eagerness to have his son returned to him.”
Mili had lowered the knife and was gently running her hand, absent-mindedly, through Pip’s hair, as if she were petting a beloved dog. “Why should he be so eager to have the return of this son, I wonder, when he already has such a manly daughter?” Mili taunted. “Perhaps he wishes to make this one over into a girl? Someone to take the chill from a father’s bones late at night?” She smiled callously at Dearra when she realized she’d so obviously wounded the girl-warrior. “Yes, that must be it. To have a female act so unwomanly as this one must be quite humiliating for him, indeed. Perhaps the men of Maj are so weak they encourage their females to play at being men. Maybe that is what they find…alluring.”
Dearra’s shoulders slumped a bit, and her face held a hint of pain at the well-aimed insults.
Carly laughed aloud, actually bending over and holding her sides in mirth.
“What is it?” Mili demanded. “What makes you laugh so?”
Carly straightened slowly and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “I was just thinking that we Breken and Maj must be a lot more alike than you think, because the way Darius pants after Dearra brings a blush to my face. It’s a shame he had to go so far from home to find someone to interest him.”
Mili rose quickly, jerking the chain at Phillip’s neck as she did. “Fairy bitch!” she spat viciously. “You had best watch your tongue if you wish to keep it in your mouth for much longer.”
Carly was still as stone as she glared at Mili. The room grew icy cold, and Dearra’s hand gripped the hilt of her sword in anticipation.
“Enough!” Lord Falco boomed. “This accomplishes nothing! Mili! Remember your place!”
Mili slowly lowered herself back to her seat of stone, bowing her head in contrition to her father’s order, but her icy stare never wavered.
“What, then, do you demand?” Dearra said, her voice severe and proud, even to her own ears, though she was beginning to lose what little remained of her patience at the sight of her brother being so cruelly treated. “We people of Maj are not without means. Name your price, Falco, and be done with it.”
Carly remained unruffled by her companion’s outburst, and she never broke eye contact with Lord Falco while she waited for his answer.
Lord Falco met Carly’s steely gaze as he made his reply. “Ten thousand pieces
of silver,” he flatly stated.
Carly couldn’t help the quick flit of a smile that dashed across her features. Ten thousand! They had expected at least twice that much, not to mention a lot of bargaining back and forth. Truth be told, they couldn’t have asked for a better outcome!
“And…” Lord Falco added slyly. His eyes slid from Carly’s and locked with Dearra’s before he continued. “I will of course have to insist on the return of my daughter’s beloved husband.”
Dearra was about to scream forth her protest, but Brin’s voice sliced through her thoughts to say, Peace, Dearra, he said, his voice almost pleading. He spoke only two words, but it was enough for Lord Falco’s brow to crease with confusion. After a moment his expression cleared again, and he seemed to be taking great pleasure in awaiting their response.
Carly had no idea what was keeping Dearra silent, but she thanked Brin, or Rah, or whoever it was that was preventing the situation from deteriorating further. “I will be most happy to relay your request to my Lord Hugh,” she said. “I’m sure you can understand that I do not have the authority to make such a bargain without his permission.”
“That seems most reasonable, but I would still feel much better if I could send a man of my own to represent me in the bargaining. Surely, you would grant me the same privilege I afforded you, allowing me to choose who will speak on my behalf?”
“Of course!” Carly quickly said, not wanting to be perceived as insulting the lord in any way.
“Can I be assured of his safety with you?” Falco asked. “The last time I sent my men, there was…well, I am told there was some sort of…accident, and I would not wish to lose another. If that were to happen I might be forced to do something unpleasant.”
Mili’s fingers curled tightly in Phillip’s hair; Phillip was unable to contain his small whimper.
“You have my word,” Dearra quietly stated. “I personally will vouch for the safety of your emissary.”
The Destiny Series Boxed Set: Books 1-3 Page 48