Diana nodded but did not look convinced.
Dannae set the resistance at six. Caitlin gripped the handrails again, took a deep breath, and pushed on the pedal. It did not budge. She took another deep breath and tried again. This time she managed to move the pedal slowly. Caitlin’s whole body was taut, and every muscle was defined as she threw her whole body into the effort. She felt a dull pain that grew as she pushed. But she persisted, even as Dannae intoned, “If you feel pain, you must back off, ma’am.”
By the third rep, she was gasping, and beads of sweat broke out on her brow. Greghar’s own muscles tensed as he willed her on. The pedal moved, a millimeter at a time. Give up, Princess, he cried inwardly. This will prove nothing. But he knew she would not. His fists knotted as he swore to himself again and again that he would make Nestar pay for what he had done to her. Harnessing the last dregs of willpower, she fully depressed the pedal and allowed it to retract. She fell back on the seat panting, her muscles quivering.
“I will…I will…try a seven…this afternoon,” she stuttered.
“You do not have the strength, ma’am,” said Dannae gently. “I saw the pain on your face with the six. We will try a seven next week.”
“How long…before I can try a ten?” she asked.
“Princess Caitlin, I will be honest with you,” said Dannae. “I am not sure you will ever be able to do that.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“I have already told you that you were close to death,” said Dannae in the propitious tone medicae were trained to use when imparting bad news. “You will still be among the fittest and strongest in the Sisterhood. It is just that the standards to be a huntress are so stringent that less than two percent of the Sisterhood—”
“But I was a Guardian!” Caitlin interrupted. “I could do a fifteen!”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” said Dannae sympathetically.
“So Nestar has had his way after all,” Caitlin said bitterly. “He has lamed me.”
“No, no,” said Dannae. “You can walk, run, ride, climb, spar, do whatever you like, completely normally. No one will be able to tell. The only things you will have to give up are extreme activities.”
“I was the best rider in the Legions,” Caitlin said wretchedly. She turned to Diana. “I was even better than you, wasn’t I, Cornelle? But no longer.”
Greghar felt his throat constrict. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that none of this mattered. If Dannae and Diana had not been there, he might have revealed himself. As it was, he was frozen in place, merely patting Nitya’s hand to relieve his feelings.
“Don’t give up, Caitlin,” said Diana. “The body is a strange, wonderful, and unpredictable thing.”
“Thank you, Cornelle,” she replied formally. “But we both know that it is a long way from a six to a ten, much less a twelve.” She saluted, hand on heart.
“Carry on,” said Diana, turning to go.
As the portal sealed behind her, Dannae said, “I must do my rounds. I have a few other minor cases. I will leave you with your friends.”
After Dannae left, Caitlin tiredly unstrapped herself from the leg press machine. She stood shakily, her left leg still aching from the effort. Greghar quickly came up and put his arm around her to steady her. The three of them left the physical therapy area together and returned to Caitlin’s room in the sick bay.
“Medica Dannae will discharge me tomorrow,” said Caitlin. “I will be moved to a regular cabin, shared with another officer. They will move the two of you back to stay with your uncle.”
“The barbarian part of the ship,” said Greghar.
“Only for a short while,” Nitya piped up. “We will be in Karsk soon, and we will all be debarked.”
“Nitya, my dear,” said Caitlin. “Will you be a sweetie and go to the waiting room for a few minutes? I would like to speak with Greghar privately.”
“Of course, ma’am,” said Nitya, rising and leaving.
Greghar sat in one of the bedside chairs and Caitlin sat in the other. Neither spoke. They both looked at the ground rather than at each other. Then they both looked up and opened their mouths at the same time. Each saw the other and stopped. Finally, Caitlin gathered courage and plunged ahead.
“Nestar shattered my body,” she said in a low voice. “But he did more than that. He broke me. We had a barbarian wedding ceremony. When he asked me to be his wife, I said ‘yes.’”
“Not willingly,” said Greghar.
“What does it matter? Does it matter that the horse does not want to be tamed? Once it is broken, it obeys; eventually it enjoys obeying. He broke me to his will. I would have been his wife. I would have borne his children.”
“You would have died first,” Greghar persisted. “You heard Medica Dannae. You would have been dead the day after your ‘wedding.’”
“Don’t you see, Greghar?” she cried. “That is just a detail. Nestar misjudged his hammer stroke and hit me a whit too hard. I did not know I was going to die when I said yes. I said it because I was afraid he would keep hurting me. I said it because I am a pathetic, disgraceful coward. I have failed my beautiful and courageous mother, who loved me in spite of all my faults. I have failed the Guardians; I have failed the Sisterhood.”
She sat stock-still and did not sob but hot tears ran down her face.
“Don’t talk like that, Caitlin,” said Greghar.
“I have no future in the Sisterhood,” she said. “I suppose I knew that as soon as I disobeyed Lady Selene at the Brigon Residency. My mother was right—I had no plan; I was just pigheaded, childish, and silly. Now I will not be able to clear my name in battle, for I no longer qualify as a huntress.”
She looked so miserable that Greghar was once again sorely tempted to do something to comfort her. She looked up at him, and he saw the vulnerability in her big green eyes.
“I remember thinking to myself, back when we were riding together from Simrania, that if I were a barbarian woman, I would find you very attractive. Well, I am as low as a barbarian woman now—I have fallen to your level. I have no experience in these things, Greghar, but I think you still like me, even though I am lamed and have lost my looks. Take me then, as a mate and breeding partner. I will be true to you and bear your children.”
You have not lost your beauty, he thought. And you are far from lame. The tiny creases of suffering around your eyes, the blonde streaks in your red mane, and the black bruises on your thigh—these imperfections show that you are human, not a doll. You are more beautiful than ever. His throat was so tight that he felt strangled. He blew out his cheeks and let out a deep sigh to loosen his vocal chords. What he had not dared to hope for was now offered to him, but in such a condescending manner!
“You are depressed, ma’am,” he said, coldly. “You will get over it, I am certain, with help from your medicae and your sisters. Then you will see how impossible this idea is, and you will laugh.”
She did laugh then, but it was a bitter laugh.
“I am worthless indeed,” she said, “when I am refused by a barbarian.”
THE BATTLE FOR Karsk was bloody but very short. Artor had indeed stripped his capital bare, and the defenders numbered just a few hundred. The Zon airboats punched breaches in the city walls, and the two thousand Utreans debarked by the Thetis stormed through, led by Pinnar, Greghar, and Lothar’s barons. The few surviving defenders were rounded up, brought before Pinnar in Hilgonne Square, the central hub of the city, and summarily beheaded.
The Zon airboats monitored the situation and reported back to the Thetis. Hildegard, Andromache, Diana, and Hebe received the news in the command stateroom. Alex was there as well, waiting on the queen in her capacity as First Handmaiden. Diana personally broke out a bottle of clove wine, poured out stems, and passed them around.
“Your Majesty, I salute you,” she said, raising her stem. “Transporting thousands of barbarians on a Zon airship! Unorthodox and daring, br
eaking with a thousand years of tradition, you have won a great victory. This may well be the turning of the tide.”
They all raised their stems to her. Hildegard smiled wearily.
“I will confess to being very anxious,” she said, raising her stem in response. “And I am vastly relieved. Are all the Utrean leaders okay? What are their losses?”
“Extremely light, ma’am,” said Diana. “A few dozen killed, no more. Baron Pinnar led the assault, ably supported by Greghar. They are both waiting on King Lothar in Hilgonne Square in the city center. We must debark a century to take possession of the city and hand it over to the Utreans as our vassals. I will be happy to lead them in your name.”
“I will lead them, as Queen Empress,” said Hildegard. She turned to Alex. “Please lay out my military uniform and prepare to accompany me, Centuria Lady Alexandra.”
“I head and obey,” said Alex, saluting.
“Ma’am, they have not finished mopping up the city,” said Diana, concerned. “There may still be some defenders in hiding, and you would be exposing yourself to danger. I beg you to reconsider.”
“No, Cornelle,” said Hildegard. “I will not hide out in the Thetis while Lothar rides through the Hilsons’ capital in triumph. It is important to show that this is our victory, just as much as his.”
Diana bowed her head and saluted, saying, “I hear and obey, ma’am.”
A scant hour later, Hildegard led a century of huntresses over the bridge that spanned the Thal River and through the Utrean Gate into Karsk. She wore the uniform of the Supreme Commander of the Zon military and was flanked by Diana with Alex just behind her. A squad of tall Guardians surrounded her. Diana had personally instructed the squad to ride with unslung ’grators, safeties off, and scan their surroundings for the least sign of trouble.
“Anything suspicious, shoot first and ask questions later,” she had told them. Both Diana and Alex rode with reins in one hand and drawn laser pistols in the other.
The met Lothar’s party in Hilgonne Square, and they formed up behind the Zon, impressed as usual with the magnificence of the Zon mounts and equipage. The combined triumphal company rode down Ducal Avenue to Karsk Castle, which stood on a slight rise, surrounded by a moat drawn from the Thal. The castle was in the hands of the Utreans, and one of Pinnar’s captains awaited them with a troop of cavalry at the castle drawbridge. He escorted them to the keep, where still more Utrean troops stood guard.
Lothar rode up the ranks to Hildegard and bowed in the saddle.
“Your Majesty, one of my captains has the Duchess Arsene and her ladies in custody,” he said.
“Then let us meet them, sir,” said Hildegard. “Cornelle Diana, please accompany me.”
Hildegard was led up a broad stairway to a large reception hall where Duchess Arsene stood by a fireplace, surrounded by her ladies. They were all dressed formally, as for a ball, but they were clearly frightened and dispirited.
Led by Alex, Hildegard approached with Diana by her side, followed by Lothar, Pinnar, and Greghar.
“You are in the presence of your liege mistress, Queen Empress Hildegard,” announced Alex to the duchess and her ladies. “You will kneel.”
Duchess Arsene looked at Alex defiantly, her eyes blazing.
“My husband has thrown off your yoke, sorceress! I will not kneel to you whores of the Evil One!”
The duchess was a slim woman of medium height and looked good for her age. But even with her finery, the tall and striking First Handmaiden overshadowed her. Alex glanced back at Hildegard and Diana. The queen was uncharacteristically hard-eyed, and Diana nodded imperceptibly. Alex walked up quickly, got the duchess by the scruff of the neck, and forced her to her knees. She wailed piteously and beat ineffectually at her powerful captor. Diana walked toward the duchess’s ladies, and they immediately dropped to their knees, bending their foreheads to the ground for good measure.
“I had hoped to meet you in peace, Duchess Arsene,” said Hildegard. “However, your hostility and defiance has dried up my compassion. You are my hostage. My huntresses will convey you and your ladies to a prison hold aboard my airship. That is all.”
Whoa! thought Diana. There is steel in our queen! She is not all sugar and spice.
Hildegard turned on her heel and left the Marcher ladies. However, as she passed Greghar she asked, “I trust you came through the battle unscathed? Where is your ward, the barbarian girl Nitya?”
“I am well,” he replied. “And Nitya is safe in the care of my uncle’s men-at-arms. I thank Your Majesty for her concern.”
Alex opened a comm channel and summoned a squad of huntresses to take the Hilson women into custody. The Zon and Utrean parties returned together to Hilgonne Square, where they were to part formally. Hildegard confirmed Lothar as temporary overlord of the Northern Marches till a new duke was named. He accepted the position with due ceremony.
Before they parted, she asked him to ride with her on a short circuit of the square. They rode side by side in silence till they were out of earshot of everyone else.
“Lothar, I hope we have made our peace now,” she said. “Jondolar will ever be in our hearts. He would have wanted us to be friends.”
“I cannot pretend to approve of you or what you did to my brother,” returned Lothar. “Or to forgive you. But I can leave it in the past.”
“While I had hoped for more, I must be satisfied with that,” said Hildegard. “But to practical matters—I must have your word that when I appoint a new duke of the Northern Marches, you will withdraw your men to Utrea peacefully.”
“I will have my hands full with flushing out Shobar’s supporters,” said Lothar. “I will not be able to hold the Northern Marches for long, even if you wanted me to do so.”
“You will need to hold the Marches for a few months at most. Leave a trusted commander here and march immediately for Nordberg. Arch Baron Karstein Tenus holds the capital for you. Resident Rita Cristina has alerted him to your coronation and imminent arrival.”
“Arch Baron?” asked Lothar incredulously.
“I elevated him when he renounced his defection to Shobar and returned to my vassalage,” said Hildegard.
“I heard that it was a trumped-up affair managed by Lady Death,” said Lothar. “Will your huntresses continue to run your Utrean policy?”
“Arch Baron Tenus has paid heavily for his error and heartily regrets it,” said Hildegard, refusing to be baited. “You are his liege lord. You will now find him a faithful ally and supporter. He will serve you as loyally as he serves me.”
“Farewell, Hildegard,” said Lothar, terminating their private conversation. “I will not lie and say that it has been pleasant spending time with you. But our common interests are extensive, so the alliance we have forged is likely to endure. Your son will be safe in my care.”
Hildegard did not respond straightaway. But when she spoke, her tone was fervent.
“Lothar, you will never know how much I love Greghar. I swear to you, if any harm came to him, I could not bear it; it would be the death of me. If you loved your brother, you too must love Greghar, for he is so like him.”
Lothar did not reply, and they rejoined their entourages. The Thetis was under way within the hour, with the Hilson women in her prison holds and Horus ensconced in the suite in the rear of the airship that Lothar had occupied.
VIVIA’S PERSONAL AIRBOAT dropped sky anchors above Castle Goset. Darbeni had commanded her pilot to detour there on their return flight from the Brigon Residency to Atlantic City. The castle lookouts had relayed the exciting news to their liege, and Sous Cheval Hughen va Goset and his castellan were on the battlements, craning their necks upward. They did not have long to wait. The pod detached itself and landed in their courtyard after a short descent.
Va Goset was more than pleased when the pod’s hatch hissed open, and he saw that his visitor was Chief Counsel Darbeni. She did not have Vivia’s beautician to help her this time, but she had still taken great pai
ns to make herself look attractive. She approached va Goset and after exchanging pleasantries, she suggested that they retire to speak privately. He assented immediately, and they were ushered into the same private chamber where she had had her frightening interview with Kantus. She looked around at the weapons on the walls and shuddered inwardly when she thought of it.
She felt much more confident now. Is it because va Goset is so much less fearsome, or because I have become hardened? she wondered.
“We are delighted to welcome you to Castle Goset, Chief Counsel,” said va Goset. “Anything we can do to help Pragarina Enterprises, you have only to ask.”
“You are too kind, sir,” said Darbeni with a smile. “I can see that there will be many opportunities for us to work together in the future. Your port of Goset could be developed to be quite useful to us. At the moment all of our trade across the Peril Sea comes in through Aurora, but the recent problems there have highlighted the risks of relying on a single port.
“However, that is talk for the future,” she continued, taking a sip of the Gosetter wine she had accepted on arrival. “Right now I have come to give you some important information. The siege of Aurora has been broken. Cheval Kantus Hilson has been killed, and his army has been defeated. Very soon you will have beaten troops streaming through your territories as they head back to their homes in the Northern Marches. They will likely loot and pillage as they pass through, so you had best have your people move their stocks of food and valuables into secure places and barricade themselves in strongpoints.”
Va Goset looked very concerned and turned to his castellan.
“Please send out riders with this warning,” he said. “The sooner, the better. And let us prepare the castle for battle.”
The castellan stood and bowed.
“As you order, Sous Cheval,” he said and withdrew.
“I thank you, Chief Counsel,” he said after the door closed behind his castellan.
“I suggest that you send a rider to Briga as well,” she responded. “It may be well now to reaffirm your loyalty to King Harald and to renounce the Hilsons.”
The Empire of the Zon Page 62