Then he splayed his fingers across her forehead. It felt as if he were jamming shards of broken glass into her skull. She refused to beg or give in to the pain, but she couldn’t control the tears that streamed down her face.
“You or her, Kane. Your choice.”
She could barely whisper, but she knew Kane would hear her. The question was whether he would listen. “Don’t do this. He has sworn to kill me anyway. You know he can’t let any of us live.”
But Kane was already laying down his weapons and backing toward the cloud. When his friends tried to block his way, he shook them off. “I promised to make this world safe for Theda. I can’t do that if he kills her. Trust me when I say that this is the only way.”
Then he stared into Theda’s worried eyes. “Have faith, Theda. I have lived all these centuries for this one moment.”
The cloud was already floating nearer, its maw open and ready to attack Kane. For the moment, he held out his hand as if to hold it off with a small amount of his own power.
“Release her now, Keirthan, and I’ll give you what you wanted from me in the first place: my magic for your pet.”
It didn’t take Ifre long to make up his mind. He shoved Theda aside. She stumbled slightly, but then quickly retreated to the relative safety of the far side of the room to circle around to reach Kane. She couldn’t risk getting caught between Ifre and the others, not again.
Before she could reach him, Kane smiled at his companions before looking up into the cloud that settled over him. His body shivered and then went stiff. All she could hear was the sound of her own sobs.
Chapter 28
The battle at the gates had been going well until Keirthan unleashed a barrage of magical attacks on their forces. One of the bolts had missed them altogether, but two had hit right in the midst of the fighting. Gideon had lost a fair number of men, but just as many of the duke’s own men had been among the fallen.
He and Murdoch had ordered their men to fall back and regroup. The Agathian forces had closed ranks and prepared to face the next charge. Before Gideon could give the order, a voice rang out from atop of the city gate.
“This is your commander speaking. Withdraw to the gate and stand your ground. Do not, I repeat, do not attack unless they attack you first.”
What was going on? Gideon signaled for his own men to do the same. An uneasy stillness settled over the battlefield, the silence broken only by the moans of the wounded and the dying. There was one order he would give.
“Bring the wounded to Lady Merewen. Take any of their men who are willing to accept our help as well.”
Then he slowly rode forward until he was within easy shouting distance of the gate.
“Know that I have offered your wounded the chance to be taken to our healer along with our own.”
“Do I have your promise that they will come to no further harm?”
Gideon didn’t hesitate. “My battle is with Ifre Keirthan for crimes against the people of Agathia. I have been sent here by the gods to end his evil.”
He paused to draw another breath. “May I know your name?”
To his surprise, the gate to the city swung open far enough for a single man to ride through. He urged his mount into a fast trot, leaving his forces behind to approach Gideon alone. In a show of good faith, Gideon mirrored his action, stopping less than ten feet from his opponent.
“I am Bojan, commander of the army. I would know who you are to claim to speak for the gods.”
Gideon urged Kestrel forward another few steps, close enough to enable Bojan to see the color of his eyes. “I am Gideon, captain of the Warriors of the Mist. We have served the Lord and Lady of the River, who have called us to end the evil that has taken root in your land.”
Bojan stared hard at Gideon. “Your eyes are the same as Kane’s, the mage-marked warrior who served as captain of the duke’s personal guard.”
“Lord Kane is one of us. He joined the guard to learn of the duke’s strengths and weaknesses.”
“And the troubadour with the dogs? I hear that he was similarly marked.”
The man had obviously been gathering information. “Again, one of my men.”
Commander Bojan moved on to another subject. “Lady Theda sent Lord Kai to ask us to stand down until she comes to speak to me herself. It would appear that Duke Keirthan had intended to kill not just Lady Theda herself, but several of the nobles in his court.”
Gideon offered Bojan a grim smile. “He is guilty of killing many others. All of the nobles who have allied themselves with our cause have suffered such losses at Keirthan’s hands.”
Bojan didn’t look surprised. “I will listen to what Lady Theda has to say. Know that I can and will defend my city, but I meant what I said to my men. We will not attack unless provoked. Agreed?”
For the first time all day, Gideon felt the stirrings of hope. His friends were still at risk, but perhaps the corner had been turned.
“Agreed, Commander. Other than to aid the wounded, my men will remain where they are. We will also allow your men to retrieve your own wounded as well as your dead. I regret their loss.”
Without waiting for a reply, he rode back to where Murdoch waited on the hillside. Together they would hold vigil until they learned the fate of their four brothers-in-arms.
* * *
The cloud and Kane both remained motionless, neither one making a sound. It was as if both of them had been frozen in time. Theda prayed that meant that it wasn’t too late to save Kane from grievous harm.
Meanwhile, Theda reached out to Terrick and helped him to his feet. An enormous wolf appeared at his other side. Any other time, she would have been afraid of such a large animal, but the only monsters in the room were Ifre and his creation. She and the wolf supported Terrick as they approached Averel and the others. The woman immediately threw up a ward to shield Kane from any more attacks from Keirthan, while the third warrior added a second line of protection around all of them.
“Sigil, come here.”
Terrick broke free of Theda’s grasp to approach the other woman, who persisted in calling him by that strange name. “Who are you?”
The woman shot Theda a hard look. “I am Lavinia, your late husband’s half sister. Like Armel, I inherited a full measure of our father’s ability as a mage but mixed with the magic from my mother’s bloodline. I will do my best to ensure Lord Kane comes to no lasting harm.”
“I thank you for that. Is there naught I can do to help?”
“Keep an eye on Ifre for us. I’m going to need Sigil’s help to counter Ifre’s magic.”
Again that strange name. “His name isn’t Sigil, Lady Lavinia. It’s Terrick.”
Now all of Kane’s friends looked confused, especially her stepson. He stared at her in shock. “You truly know who I am?”
What was going on? “Yes, of course. You are Captain Terrick, my late husband’s son by his first marriage. How could you not know that?”
Duncan interrupted the conversation. “Now is not the time for lengthy explanations. Lavinia, can you help Kane?”
“At best, I can only weaken the hold Ifre’s monster has on him. If I were to destroy it, the spell could very well kill Kane, too.”
Without waiting for anyone to react, she went to work. “Sigil, stand by me with your hand on my shoulder so I can draw on your power if I need it.”
When the younger man did as she requested, she turned to Duncan. “You maintain the wards. Whatever you do, don’t let them fail.”
Finally, she glanced one last time at Theda. “If Ifre looks as if he’s going to break through to us, let me know. Otherwise don’t interrupt. The spell I’m going to attempt is delicate. Understand?”
“I do.”
The woman immediately began chanting, blue light sparkling in the air around her. When at last she sent it streaming out to touch the cloud, it flinched, the first reaction it had shown since it had encompassed Kane.
As the blue light completed a circle
around the cloud, it was as if that had been the signal Kane had been waiting for. From inside the cloud, he shouted words of power that rang throughout the chamber. The cloud immediately shot upward, leaving Kane behind, alive and unchanged.
Theda started for him, but then he held out a hand. The gesture froze her where she stood. When he looked at her, she gasped. She’d been wrong about Kane being unaffected. His eyes glowed red and the mark on his cheek pulsed and writhed, now written in the same dark crimson.
“Stand back.” His voice had deepened, his words grating to the ear.
As they all looked on in horror, he reached up to the cloud, caressing it as if it were a favored pet. Hob howled in misery, joined by two enormous dogs and the wolf, their cries echoing eerily around them.
Only Theda was willing to approach him. She ignored his warning and stepped closer. “Kane, what’s happening to you?”
When he looked at her this time, she hardly recognized him. “At long last, you are seeing my true heritage. I had to do this to strip Ifre of his control over Damijan. To stop him from turning it on you. Listen when I say come closer at your own risk.”
The cloud twirled happily over his head, its eyes now the same exact shade as Kane’s. Across the room, Keirthan wailed in protest. “Give it back! I created it. It belongs to me.”
Kane’s laughter was dark and ugly. “Then you shall have it, Keirthan. I hope you enjoy the reunion.”
The dark warrior pointed toward the duke. “Feed well, my pet.”
When Ifre realized what Kane meant, he scrambled backward, but he ran into the altar before he’d gone more than a few steps. The cloud soared straight through the wards created by Lavinia and Duncan as if they weren’t even there. Theda looked on in horror as the cloud flashed black just before it engulfed Ifre.
His screams soon turned to whimpers. Theda hated him and everything he stood for, but no one deserved to die like that. She ran to Kane, evading Duncan’s and Averel’s attempts to stop her.
Throwing her arms around his waist, she squeezed hard. “Kane, stop it. Kill Ifre because he deserves it, but don’t let him destroy you at the same time.”
* * *
Kane heard Theda’s words as if she were speaking from the depths of a well, but her touch was immediate and warm. He remembered how her hands felt upon his skin and the way their bodies had come together in joy. There was the taste of her kisses and the way her love soothed him. He fought against the darkness and the cold that had taken hold of his soul, pushing them back, pushing them out.
Hob bumped against the back of his legs, adding his own strength to Kane’s. Then a pair of familiar hands came down on his shoulders as Duncan and Averel joined in. Lavinia was there, and Sigil, too.
If the others spoke, he didn’t hear them. Only Theda’s soft voice filled his head. “Come back to me, my love. I need you.”
At that, the last of the darkness shattered, leaving nothing but the light of Theda’s love and that of his friends in Kane’s heart. He breathed deeply, bolstering his resolve with the support of those around him.
“I have to finish this.”
One by one, they each stepped back, until at last it was just him and Theda.
He smiled down at her. “I came here to rescue you, yet once again it is you who has saved me.”
Drawing his sword, he marched toward the dais. He barked a command in that same harsh language. The cloud lifted off Ifre with obvious reluctance.
Its eyes flashed brightly as it spoke. “Dark warrior, you have proven yourself to be weak. I will finish him and then I will feast upon you.”
Kane smiled at it. “Damijan, it has been centuries since your kind last walked freely upon the earth. You have forgotten that it was my bloodline that bound you to the netherworld where you belong. We did it then, and I do so now.”
He called out the words of binding, calling on the Lord and Lady to add the weight of their power to his spell. The cloud shrieked in defiance even as it began shrinking in on itself, fading to gray, then white, until all that was left were the two eyes. Even they paled, becoming smaller and smaller.
Kane called out the spell once again and then a third time. As the last word died away, there was a small pop and the last vestige of the cloud disappeared. Exhausted by his efforts, Kane staggered back. Theda and Averel caught him, supporting him when his own legs wouldn’t.
Duncan looked down at Keirthan in disgust. “What should we do about him?”
Theda pointed at Sigil. “You should have inherited your father’s title upon his death. It is your decision.”
Sigil still looked doubtful. “Then as the rightful Duke of Agathia, this man’s fate is my responsibility. He murdered my father and nearly killed me as well. He fed off my magic, stole my heritage, and even my name from me.”
Kane stared hard at Sigil. “You’ve remembered?”
The warrior nodded. “Bits and pieces. Not everything, but I am Terrick, son of Armel, the late Duke of Agathia. In his name, as his sole son and heir, I claim the throne of this realm.”
He moved past the three warriors to stare down at his uncle. “Ifre Keirthan, you are guilty of high crimes against our family and our people. For that, your life is forfeit.”
Kane covered Theda’s eyes, and Duncan did the same for Lavinia, as the man they’d known as Sigil personally carried out his first act as the new ruler of Agathia.
Chapter 29
Kane held Theda close, breathing in her warmth and savoring these last few moments of peace. It was late afternoon, yet he would not leave their bed until the very last minute. The summer solstice was upon them. Just past midnight, it would be time to stand at the river’s edge and face the gods.
Theda had insisted on accompanying him and her stepson back to Lady Merewen’s keep. It had come as no surprise that Sigil had ultimately refused to formally accept the title of Duke Keirthan until the Damned stood judgment at the river. He’d left Lord Kai and Commander Bojan in charge of the city and the realm.
Theda blinked up sleepily at him. “Is it time?”
“Not yet. You can go back to sleep.”
She rose to stare down at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You were going to sneak away without saying good-bye.”
He brushed her hair back from her face and knew he couldn’t lie to her. “On the contrary, I said good-bye to you every way I could think of last night.”
His body stirred at the memory. They’d retired early and made love until they’d both collapsed, too exhausted to continue. He’d taken her again during the night, and she’d awoken him in the early hours of the morning. Hunger had finally driven them down to the hall for the midday meal, but then they’d immediately returned to the privacy of this room.
He stared up at the ceiling, not wanting to see the pain that his next words would cause her. “I love you, Theda, but the journey to the mountain is one that the Warriors of the Mist make alone.”
Theda pointed out the one flaw in that statement. “Lady Merewen is going.”
“True, but that is because she is the one who called us.”
And so Merewen would face the judgment of the gods as well, a truth that was killing Gideon. Returning to the river was never easy for the warriors, but this time was worse than any they’d ever faced. Four of the six would be leaving behind their hearts even as the gods claimed their souls.
Sigil was also torn between the vow he’d made to the gods and the duty he now knew he owed the people of Agathia. Most of his memories remained locked away, but he was a man of honor, one who took his family’s obligations seriously.
Only Averel would return to the river, his heart intact, his duty clear.
“Well?”
May the gods forgive him, but Kane could deny her nothing. “You may come as far as the horses can go. After that, you and Lady Lavinia must return to the keep with Lady Alina.”
Then, to forestall any further discussion, he showed her one last time how much he would miss h
er.
* * *
Theda and Alina followed Lady Lavinia up the mountain. Her mage light allowed them to make faster time up the steep trail, but they all despaired of reaching the river before it was too late. They’d only pretended to ride back to the keep, returning to follow their warriors and their hearts.
Lavinia’s voice whispered on the cool night air. “I can hear the river. We’re almost there.”
Her words vanquished the last bit of Theda’s weariness. All three women hurried their footsteps, determined to reach the top in time. It was not yet midnight and the beginning of the solstice, but time was passing.
She realized the trees had grown thin and there was a glint of silver in the distance. “There. I see it.”
For the first time, the three of them hesitated. Kane and his two friends had given them stern orders to return to the keep. Kane had held her close and kissed her so sweetly. Then he’d tossed her back up in the saddle and slapped her mare on the flank to send it trotting away.
Her tears had choked her as she’d watched back over her shoulder as Hob and Kane had disappeared into the darkness. Watching him walk away when she knew she was going to follow him had been hard enough. Saying good-bye for good might just kill her.
Lavinia’s mage lights faded away, and the three women clasped hands to give one another courage as they strode out of the woods to where the six warriors and Merewen stood watching the river.
Hob spotted her first, letting out his eerie howl. Shadow’s answering scream echoed off the rocks, as did the wolf’s mournful cry. The dogs and the two avian avatars added their own voices to the chorus.
As much as Theda appreciated their welcome, she wished Hob’s master would say something. Kane stood off to one side, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes pinned directly on her. She wouldn’t back down, not when she could touch him one last time, hold him in her arms, and remind him how much he was loved.
She took a hesitant step forward and then another. As soon as she did, he held out his arms, offering her a safe harbor high on the mountain. As they came together, she was dimly aware of Duncan and Murdoch charging past her to claim their own ladies.
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