Lavinia took the parchment from Gideon and set it down beside her when Duncan made no move to take it. Kane knew his friend well enough to know that when the warrior calmed down he would memorize the drawing and then grill both Kane and Averel until he’d wrung them both dry. No detail would be too small or insignificant.
Merewen took over the discussion. “The scouts located a large clearing a short distance from the city. Lady Alina and I will move our wagon there in the morning and prepare to treat the wounded.”
Kane was impressed Gideon wasn’t demanding that she and Alina move their wagon farther away from the anticipated battle. He’d probably already lost that argument, too. They all knew that a greater distance would cost lives that might have been saved if the wounded had reached Merewen sooner.
Gideon picked up the remaining parchment. “I think that’s everything. After we eat, Murdoch and I will meet with our allies.”
There was nothing Kane could add to the conversation, and he needed some time alone. “I will return shortly. I want to check on the horses.”
He walked away before anyone questioned his excuse. As much as he cared about his friends, right now all he could think about was Theda. In their dream meeting, she’d been fine, but by her reckoning, Keirthan had barely had time to learn of Kane’s escape. There was no telling what had happened to her since then. Worry had burrowed deep inside his heart, leaving him restless and wishing the battle was minutes, and not hours, away.
Rogue stopped grazing to watch Kane approach. At the last second, he let the animal eat in peace; they would both need all their strength to face what was to come. Veering off his intended path, Kane headed toward the edge of the woods.
He stared up at the dark sky, a reminder that the hours were passing by all too quickly. Soon the gods would know if their warriors had succeeded in their calling.
Then the Damned would have little time left to set their affairs in order before making their way back up the mountain. When they climbed the path, they would set their avatars free to roam one last time before recalling them back to the shields. Then the five men, now six, would stand at the edge of the river.
While they waited for the Lord and Lady to appear, they would speak of things that men rarely felt comfortable discussing: loyalty, honor, and friendship. Soon the water would ripple and roil, signaling the presence of the gods, and the warriors would stand shoulder to shoulder as they waited to learn their fate.
Each time they hoped to move on to the afterlife and the promise of peace. Failing that, they prayed to once again be sent to sleep beneath the river, the bitter taste of disappointment their last memory before sleep overtook them. So far, they’d never once failed the gods. But if this continued, one day they would, and they’d all pay the price. Each of them would wander alone and soulless in the darkness of the netherworld. If that weren’t horrific enough, the petitioner they’d sworn to serve would suffer the same fate. Lady Merewen’s face filled his mind.
He prayed it wasn’t this time, not when each of them had people they cared about. Even loved.
Sunrise was an eternity away. It was hard not to mount Rogue right that moment and ride hard for the secret entrance to Keirthan’s chambers. He forced himself to stop and think, not just react. They had a plan, and he would follow it. For now he offered up a simple prayer to the gods who had guided his footsteps for so long.
“Please watch over Lady Theda until I can do so myself.”
Then he bowed and walked way. For tonight, he would sharpen his weapons and prepare for battle. He hoped Ifre Keirthan enjoyed his last few hours of life, because come tomorrow, anyone who stood between Kane and Lady Theda would die.
* * *
The pale light to the east hinted at dawn’s arrival. The battle for Agathia would soon begin, but for now everything was quiet. Kane kept his mind occupied with small things. Before saddling Rogue, he’d given the horse a thorough brushing, finding solace in the rhythm of the strokes. He was checking the stallion’s hooves when he sensed Sigil’s approach. He set down Rogue’s forefoot and moved on to the next while he waited for Sigil to state his business.
“Did you sleep at all?” As Sigil spoke, he adjusted the bridle on his mare.
Kane straightened up. “I didn’t even try. Did you fare any better?”
Sigil shrugged and patted his horse’s neck. “I’m always restless the night before a battle.”
Interesting. Kane walked around to Rogue’s other side and lifted the horse’s foot. “Something else you’ve remembered about your prior life?”
The warrior rolled his shoulders several times as if trying to shrug off some tightness. “No, just another fact I believe to be true without knowing the reason why.”
Sigil fell into silence as he checked his own weapons and then the cinch on his horse’s saddle. Finally, he met Kane’s gaze head-on. “Are you all right with me accompanying you, Kane? Especially not knowing what effect returning to the capital will have on my memory?”
A fair question, one Kane didn’t answer immediately. Sigil deserved his honesty. After all the centuries of being one of five, how odd to now be one of six. In the end, the answer was easy. Sigil may not have been one of the Damned for long, but that didn’t mean he was any less deserving of Kane’s trust and loyalty.
“You will not betray us, Sigil, with your memories or without. Now, mount up. I told Duncan we would scout ahead to make sure Lady Lavinia doesn’t ride into a trap.”
Murdoch’s forces were already on the march as Kane and his companion rode out. Gideon held out little hope that their presence would escape notice for long. He had scouts ranging back and forth in the area, watching for Agathian patrols and ready to sound the alarm.
Sigil kept glancing back toward the marching troops, his expression increasingly grim. “Too many good men will die today.”
Kane couldn’t disagree. “That is the way of war, and I regret that your people fight on both sides today. Most of the guards I met in my brief service to Keirthan were good men and deserve better than to die defending a villain like him.”
He urged Rogue into a fast trot. The sooner they ensured the path ahead was safe, the sooner the battle to take down Keirthan could begin.
* * *
Theda was bone cold and scared beyond reason. Ifre had yet to visit her since he’d ordered Captain Markus to drag her down to his private chambers. She’d been too drugged to remember much of what happened between drinking the wine and waking up sprawled on the stone floor. With her hands and feet bound, it had taken her several attempts to sit upright, which had helped with the nausea left over from the drug.
She didn’t have to guess what lay in store for her, not after seeing the pain Ifre had inflicted on Kane. Even though Theda lacked her late husband’s gift for magic, she sensed the nearby presence of pure evil. The terrifying chill was coming from the hall that led back to the keep above.
Right now, Markus was helping an older man set up a new altar on the dais at the far end of the chambers. Before bringing the artisan in, Markus had dragged Theda over to the darkest shadows at the far end of the room behind the low wall surrounding the fire pit. He’d gagged her, warning Theda that if she made a single noise, the stonemason would die.
What had happened to the original altar? It had been intact when she and Averel had left the chambers behind. Had Kane found a way to destroy it, or had Ifre done it himself when he’d found his prisoner had escaped?
In the long run, it didn’t matter. Old altar or new, she would die.
Before leaving, Markus had paused to glance back in her direction. Looking disgusted, he said something to the stonemason and walked back toward her.
He’d untied her gag and tossed it aside. Then he surprised her by cutting the rope that had bound her ankles. As tempting as it was to plead with Markus, to beg him to take her out of this place, she didn’t even bother to try. There was no way he would cross Ifre. This time he walked away without looking back.
She leaned against the wall and rested her eyes, ignoring the tingling pain as life returned to her feet and ankles. Her hands were tightly bound, but she tried to untie the knots with her teeth. There was little chance she’d break free, but she refused to give up. Ifre was a coward at heart; maybe if she went on the attack, he’d back off.
“Ah, Theda, there you are. I wondered where Markus had left you.”
Her eyes popped open. She stared up at her grinning brother-in-law in horror. How had she missed hearing Ifre enter the chambers? And right behind him was that same cloud that had been hovering over Kane when he’d been tied to the altar. She shivered, recognizing it as the source of the dread chill she’d been sensing.
Its red eyes stared down at her from over Ifre’s shoulder. She couldn’t hide either her revulsion or her fear, which had her brother-in-law laughing in obvious amusement.
Then his expression hardened. “I regret that you’ve taken sick and will not survive to wed the husband I had picked out for you. A surprising number of my courtiers expressed sincere regret to hear of your sudden illness. I’m sure they will mourn your passing as well.”
His words gave her the courage to share a little truth with him. “Eventually, your people will rise up against you, Ifre. When they do, you will die. That will be a day to celebrate! My only regret is that I won’t be here to dance in the streets.”
Ifre snarled and slapped her, banging her head against the wall. Fisting her hair, he hauled Theda to her feet. “You speak treason, a crime that carries a death sentence.”
She stumbled along behind him. “As if you’ve ever needed an excuse to kill. How many have died down here to feed your hunger for power?”
He yanked her hair hard as he sneered, “Not nearly enough, Theda, but rest assured you will be just one in another long line of sacrifices. And don’t think it has escaped my notice that you’ve somehow managed to smuggle your ladies out of the city.”
A small victory, but one she savored. “I wasn’t about to let you harm them.”
They’d reached the steps up to the dais. He tossed her to the ground while he studied his new altar. “I had warned you that if you did anything to thwart me, I would execute your stepson, but that would be an empty threat now.”
Her stomach clenched as she guessed what he was about to say.
“Terrick has been dead for some time now. He was with the forces I sent to retake Lord Fagan’s keep, and they failed.”
Acid-hot tears burned down her cheeks. “You murdering bastard. I’m glad Armel didn’t live to see what a monster you’ve become.”
She expected Ifre to respond with another attack, but he laughed again. “And it’s one of my few regrets that my noble brother didn’t survive long enough to see what all I’ve accomplished. You’ll be joining him soon, so perhaps you can tell him.”
He returned to pull her up onto the dais. “Don’t look at me like that, Theda. You chose to interfere with my plans for Captain Kane. If you hadn’t, I would’ve stripped you of your fortune, but I might have let you live.”
Then he paused as if to think about it. “No, you would’ve died regardless. You hate me too much for me to risk letting you live.”
After shoving her into an elaborate chair, he pressed his fingertips against her temples and spoke some unintelligible words. A strange lethargy spread from her head down through her body.
“There. You’ll do whatever I ask now.”
It was if she were watching from a long distance as he untied the ropes on her hands and then used them to lash her arms to the chair. Her mind screamed that she should fight, that she should run. Something, anything other than to meekly sit there waiting for the pain to begin.
“You will remain right there until it is your turn to offer up your blood.” He patted her cheek. “While you wait, you’ll have a perfect view of those who will die before you.”
As he looked over his new altar and checked the strength of the new chains, Ifre asked, “So, tell me, my dear, did Captain Kane charm his way into your bed, or was it the other way around?”
When she didn’t answer, he returned to her side. “Answer me when spoken to.”
His monster floated down to settle on her right arm. Its hideous eyes stared into hers as a hole opened up like a misshapen mouth. She screamed as soon as it bit down on her skin. The attack lasted but a few seconds before Ifre called off his monster.
“That’s enough. We don’t want to weaken her too soon.”
The cloud released her arm and floated back up above Ifre’s head, its color darker now. Her arm ached, but there was no mark on her skin. How was that possible?
“Are you going to answer my question, Theda, or shall my friend steal more of your life from you?”
What would the truth hurt? “Kane and I found each other.”
“Interesting. Had I known you had a taste for dark-magic mages, I might have had you myself.” His eyes glittered with a sickening heat. “Tell me, what did he promise you to get you to help him escape?”
“Nothing.” She’d helped him because she’d wanted to, not because she expected anything in return.
“Who else helped you? That troubadour friend of his?”
All right, so he also knew about Averel. “It was just the two of us.”
He stared at her for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “I think that much is true. You’ll tell me far more eventually, but that’s enough for now. I have business in the hall upstairs, but I will return soon. Then things will get most entertaining.”
When he walked away, the cloud drifted to hover over the altar. Its hideous eyes yet stared at her, but it made no move to attack again. She slumped in relief, even knowing the respite would be short-lived. Rather than dwell on what was to come, she concentrated on the one person who had reminded her what it had felt like to be happy. In her mind’s eye, she pictured Kane’s face, all harsh lines and so fiercely intense. His body was lean and powerful, built for combat, yet he’d been so gentle with her. A complex man, one she would love unto the grave and beyond.
Thanks to him, she still held on to a small glimmer of hope. Kane had promised to return, and she believed he would. Even if he didn’t get back in time to save Theda herself, he would save her people. Cold comfort, perhaps, but right now it was all she had.
Chapter 27
Gideon rode at the head of a column of foot soldiers marching four abreast, the last company to be moved into position. Merewen had called as many horses as she could muster to help transport their foot soldiers into position. Given the short distance left to ride, they’d put two men on each animal to speed up the movement of Murdoch’s forces to the other side of the small valley. Once there, they would form up to march on the city.
The remaining horses ferried Gideon’s men closer to the city, returning over and over again to carry his forces to the front. They’d made good progress, but he’d feel better when everyone was in position. With dawn nearly upon them, it was only a matter of time before Keirthan’s forces realized the city was about to come under attack.
Two of the scouts broke free of the trees just ahead of where he rode. As soon as they spotted him, they rode hard straight for him. “They’ve sounded the alarm in the city, Captain!”
He’d hoped to get closer before encountering Keirthan’s troops, but at least Murdoch’s men were formed up and ready to fight. Gideon shouted to the closest sergeant at arms. “Blow the horns. Get everyone moving.”
He’d no sooner spoken the words than a large band of horses came crashing through the woods with one man riding at the front of the herd. “Sir Murdoch thought you might need the horses.”
Having delivered his message, the rider wheeled his mount around to return to Murdoch. Without being told, the men who were afoot began clambering up on the horses in pairs. When they were mounted, Gideon led the charge to where the rest of his forces waited.
As he rode, he thought of his friends, praying for victory for them all. D
amn, he wished they were all together rather than scattered this way. His gut told him their strategy was the right one, the only way for them to stand a chance of success. But he missed the comfort of having Kane and the others riding beside him.
When he reached the rise that overlooked the city, he paused long enough to offer up a prayer to the Lady of the River. “My lady, your warriors will do their best to see this battle won. Please watch over those who cannot defend themselves and the ladies who have so bravely joined us in this fight.”
As he spoke the words, the duke’s soldiers began pouring out of the city to join forces with the patrol that had sounded the alarm. Murdoch’s men flanked them, blocking their retreat. If they made it back inside the city walls, this would turn into a siege, something the Damned could not afford. They didn’t have enough time left before the solstice to starve a city the size of Agathia into surrendering.
Gideon drew his sword and bellowed the war cry of his people, gone now for all these centuries. From across the valley, he heard Murdoch echo his own challenge to the enemy. As one, the two forces surged down the hillside toward the enemy’s gates, coming together with a clash of swords and a bath of blood.
* * *
Growing more tense by the minute, Kane restlessly patrolled the route to Keirthan’s chambers while Sigil returned to fetch the others. He’d been about to turn back to meet them when he spotted a rider moving through the woods in the distance. All of the scouts had already returned, making it unlikely the intruder belonged to the rebel forces.
Kane recognized the rider as soon as he reached a small break in the trees. What was Sergeant Markus doing out here on this day of all days?
Only one way to find out.
Kane connected with Hob long enough to ask the gargoyle to startle Markus’s mount. Hob dashed in and then out again, nipping at the horse’s ankles. Within seconds it was rearing and plunging, finally unseating his rider. Markus hit the ground hard, but regained his feet as Kane rode into the clearing. He slid off Rogue’s broad back with his sword drawn and stalked toward the guard.
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