The Forsaken Crown (The Desolate Empire Book 0)

by Christina Ochs

  He put the stopper back in and returned to the desk, just as voices murmured outside the door. His hands shaking, he slid the drawer shut quickly, and put down the lid of the desk. The door handle turned as he ran into the bedchamber, flinging himself back into his chair.

  The door opened.

  “Your servant will bring the book,” the baroness said, out of breath. “He was all the way down in the kitchen, pawing at the scullery maid.”

  “The rascal.” Kendryk sighed. “I’ll have to have him beaten again.”

  Marjatya

  The endless tall grass held no landmarks. “How will we know when we’ve crossed the border?” Sonya asked, after they’d ridden for a time.

  “We won’t,” Andrei said, “at least not for a while. But Count Faris told me of a safe place, and once we arrive there, we will be in Briansk.”

  “Any idea how far to this safe place?” Even though it was still dark, Sonya kept looking over her shoulder.

  “At the pace we’re going, I reckon we can be there an hour after dawn. And yes, we’ll be safe there.”

  “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me where and what this place is?” The rush of energy Sonya had enjoyed since Andrei first appeared began sliding into fatigue. She hoped Zeki was fresher than she felt. The three of them had settled into a steady canter, but even that pace would be hard on the horses if they had hours to go.

  “I don’t see why not. It’s a castle of sorts, and belongs to an old friend of Count Faris’s. They served together in the last Zastwar wars.”

  “A castle of sorts?”

  “It’s a big stone house in the middle of a village, all of it surrounded by a tall wooden fence. Should be good enough to hold off the likes of Tomescu.”

  Sonya would have liked more than wood in between them, but hoped it would do. “Count Faris was sure this friend would take us in?”

  “I’m sure he will.” Andrei was unfailingly cheerful, it seemed. Sonya wondered if she could tolerate that for more than a few hours at a time.

  “Let’s hope so,” she grumbled, another wave of fatigue washing over her. She didn’t mind being too tired to worry about her fate right now. She was grateful to be alive, and might even survive the morning. Improved prospects from just a few hours ago.

  As to Faris’s mission, it all seemed very far away, and hard to grasp. Once they found safety, and she’d had some rest, Sonya resolved to dig through the pouch and read everything inside. Hopefully it would make more sense later.

  She tried to remember the name of the young Prince of Terragand. Faris had said Kendryk, but that didn’t seem right. Sonya recalled only a Lukan, and he’d be over fifteen by now. But perhaps she didn’t remember correctly. She’d been away from Terragand nearly eight years.

  “Stop,” Andrei said. “I hear something.”

  Sonya drew Zeki to a halt, and the three of them listened for a moment. At first, she heard only the heavy breathing of the horses, and the rustle of the wind in the grass.

  But the wind brought another sound, a constant thud, and an occasional jangle.

  “Can you see anything, Irena?” Sonya asked, deciding they’d all be on a first-name basis now, at least for as long as they lived.

  Irena squinted toward the west for a moment, then shook her head. “Nothing. At least, they’re not carrying torches. But listen, they’re closer now.”

  “We need to go,” Andrei said. “They might still be far behind, and the wind is bearing the sounds closer.” He spurred his horse to a gallop.

  “Sorry, Zeki,” Sonya whispered, but she didn’t need to apply the spurs, as Zeki leapt after Andrei’s horse. At least he seemed in the mood for adventure.

  They rode hard again for a time, but as the horizon turned gray, Andrei slowed them down. “We can’t be far. We have to have crossed the border by now.”

  Sonya looked around at the still-featureless landscape. “Anyone chasing us won’t care. I wonder how they found out which way we’re going? I hoped they wouldn’t know I’d escaped until morning.”

  Andrei shrugged. “It makes sense you’d make for Briansk. Likely other guards came by, or the ones I knocked over the head woke up.”

  “So you didn’t kill them.” Sonya preferred not to have anyone committing crimes on her behalf.

  “I doubt it, though I wasn’t gentle, just fast.”

  “You were.” Sonya had to smile. “One moment they were talking, and less than a minute later you were untying me.”

  “I can be efficient when I want.” The rising light caught the flash of Andrei’s grin.

  Something surged in Sonya’s chest, a feeling she hadn’t had in a long time. She’d never had a man who’d risk everything for her. Andrei had to have other reasons, but that didn’t change the fact he’d thrown away his career and possibly his life to help her.

  Sonya shook her head. She refused to go soft now. They were still far from safety, and sounds of pursuit drew closer.

  “I see them now,” Irena said, looking back. “Only a dozen, but too many for us.”

  Sonya didn’t need to be told that they needed to move faster again. “Just a little farther,” she murmured into Zeki’s ear, hoping it was true.

  He sped up again, but she felt how hard his breath came now, his sides lathered with sweat. She wouldn’t sacrifice him to save her own life, but she didn’t have that luxury with Andrei and Irena. She couldn’t let them down.

  “How did they catch up to us so fast?” she asked.

  “They might have known a shorter path,” Andrei said, looking back again. “They don’t care about their horses. If they blow one, they’ll have another tomorrow.”

  “Beastly,” Sonya murmured, hoping she wasn’t just as bad, but nudging Zeki on all the same. Rippling grass stretched to the horizon in all directions. No trees or bushes; nothing that might offer cover.

  Sonya stared hard, hoping to spot a stockade on the horizon. The sun had almost risen now, and soon would shine directly into her eyes.

  The pounding of hoofbeats came ever closer as Zeki and the other horses lost ground. They were too tired.

  Andrei came to a stop, Sonya and Irena right behind.

  “We must fight them,” he said. “It can’t be over five leagues to the count’s friend, but we won’t make it. Best to do it here, with the sun in their eyes.”

  Sonya said nothing, but pulled an arquebus from a loop in the saddle. If their pursuers carried pistols, they were still out of range, but the arquebus could shoot farther.

  She prepared to fire, keeping her eyes turned west, watching the figures draw ever closer. She would take the first opportunity. Most likely she wouldn’t get another.

  Zeki started a little as Irena fired right beside them. She had excellent aim, and one rider toppled from his saddle. They were outnumbered at least three to one, but Sonya hoped they might even the odds.

  Irena reloaded while Sonya took her shot, and Andrei fired right after. Two more riders fell, then another when Irena fired again.

  That slowed them down, but only for a moment.

  “Eight,” Irena said. “I count eight more.”

  Andrei muttered something rude under his breath and got off one more shot.

  “Seven,” Sonya said with a grin. “That’s more like it. We deal with these kinds of odds all the time.”

  She shoved the arquebus back into her saddle and pulled out a pair of pistols. She’d spotted another pair behind the saddlebags. Count Faris had made sure they were well-equipped.

  But now their pursuers shot back, and Sonya winced as a ball whizzed over her head. She wore no hat, and thought it had grazed her hair.

  Somewhere to her left, Andrei said, “Vica’s tits!” and she feared he’d been hit.

  Sonya forced herself not to look. Now was not the time to cower or back down. The three of them spread out, their horses constantly moving, making them poor targets.

  The raiders were close enough now that Sonya could tell them apart, though
her eyes were peeled for Daciana Tomescu. All wore the same shaggy hats, pulled low over their eyes against the rising sun, but Sonya knew she’d recognize that woman anywhere.

  This group was so small, Sonya wondered if Tomescu had split her force. Sonya would make it smaller. She fired both pistols, and another raider fell from his horse, his pony bolting back the way they’d come.

  The raiders had fired all their pistols at the same time, and both Andrei and Irena still stood on either side of her. Sonya hoped neither one had been hit, but had no time to look more carefully. She was close enough now to go straight in.

  So she holstered the pistols and pulled out her sword, shouting “Go!” at Zeki, who dashed straight into the small cluster of ponies.

  One man fumbled with a pistol, dropped it, then reached for his blade.

  Sonya got to him first.

  He’d barely grabbed the hilt before her sword sliced across his face, and he fell forward across his saddle.

  Sonya wheeled Zeki around. The next raider was already upon her, but her sword was ready. The big curved blade came down on her, the steel shrieking as they collided.

  Sonya urged Zeki forward, swinging her sword again before the raider could recover.

  He pulled his pony out of the way before her blade connected with him.

  Irena engaged him on the right, so Sonya kept moving.

  One more raider stood further back, waiting for her.

  “There you are,” Sonya gritted out. “It’s about time.”

  She hated looking straight at Daciana Tomescu, but forced herself to. She was only a woman, perhaps not even as skilled as Sonya. Anyone could file her teeth down and frighten peasants. Those horrid black eyes were just good luck.

  Daciana Tomescu smiled, baring her fangs.

  “Not impressed,” Sonya muttered, giving Zeki a sharp kick in the sides. He didn’t want to move forward.

  “Come on,” she snapped, as he balked.

  It didn’t matter too much, as Tomescu came toward her, the long curved blade already raised, her eyes flashing a strange yellow.

  Maybe Sonya would lose her head this morning after all. But she thanked the gods she at least would go down fighting, rather than as a traitor with her neck on the block.

  Somewhere in this fight, all of her energy had returned, her movements smooth and automatic, the result of long habit and training. Tomescu was just another opponent, and Sonya would kill her like all the others.

  They clashed, their horses side-by-side. Sonya forced Tomescu’s blade back, using all of her strength to shove at her.

  Tomescu backed up a step, enough to disentangle their blades, enough to dart around Sonya’s side.

  But she was ready for that too, her sword catching Tomescu’s on the downstroke, and swatting it away.

  Zeki backed up and Sonya realized he wanted to go the other way. “No, no, no,” she murmured, and somehow he understood, though she still sensed his reluctance. It was unlike him to want to run.

  Tomescu gave her pony the spurs and charged at Sonya, but she was ready, and this time she had help.

  Irena came up beside her, a pistol in one hand and fired, almost at point-blank range.

  Tomescu halted, dropping her sword, then put a hand to her right shoulder. It came away bloody.

  Now Sonya moved in for the kill.

  With her good hand, Tomescu yanked on her pony’s reins, turning it around. It didn’t hesitate.

  Sonya’s blade met air as she brought it down. By the time she raised it again, Tomescu was galloping away.

  Realizing she was still in pistol range, Sonya fumbled for hers, but her hand shook and the shot went wide.

  Briansk

  Now that the fight had ended, Sonya’s teeth chattered. She clenched her jaw to make them stop, then looked over at Irena.

  She sat her horse quietly, her mouth open, still holding the pistol with smoke curling from its muzzle. “Did you see that?” Irena asked. “Her eyes?”

  Sonya bent over Zeki’s neck, breathing hard. “I thought they turned yellow, but it might have been a trick of the light.”

  “It was no trick,” Irena said. “They were black and then they turned yellow.”

  “Might be.” Sonya straightened up with an effort. “But she bled like any human when you shot her.”

  “I was aiming for her head,” Irena said. “It’s a shame I missed.”

  “What matters is that she’s gone. But we need to move again. All of that racket will bring anyone else who might be looking for us.”

  She pulled Zeki around, looking for Andrei.

  He sat his horse at a small distance, his face pale.

  “Are you all right?” Sonya asked, her eyes running over him and his horse, looking for injuries.

  “I think so. It’s just a flesh wound, I’m sure.” He grimaced, and raised the hand resting on his thigh.

  “Pistol shot?” Sonya came closer. No question, the ball had left a ragged, bloody hole in his breeches. “We need to get you help, and soon. How do we find Faris’s friend?”

  “With any luck, he’ll find us, we made enough of a racket.”

  “I hope so too, though we can’t rely on that. Can you ride?”

  “A short distance, I’m sure.” Andrei clenched his teeth. “I must.”

  Sonya wished she could help him, but even her rudimentary medical knowledge wasn’t enough for a wound like that. She reached for her canteen. It held little water and that little tasted awful, but she gave it to him anyway. “First have some water.”

  He took a long drink and handed it back with a weak smile. “Tastes the same as it did yesterday morning, more’s the pity. The company’s still as good, though.”

  Sonya couldn’t believe only a day had gone by since she’d woken up in Andrei’s bed. “Let’s go,” she said, her voice gentle, even as she forced herself to push down the fear she might lose him before getting a chance to know him better. “Just hold on, and I’ll lead you. All you have to do is concentrate on staying in the saddle a little longer. Can you do that?”

  Andrei nodded, sweat breaking out across his forehead. By some miracle, he still wore his hat.

  Sonya took his horse’s reins and set off down the path, following Irena, who had gone ahead, a loaded pistol in each hand. Sonya looked over her shoulder one more time, but saw nothing all the way back to the horizon. Perhaps Tomescu was wounded badly enough she’d called the search off altogether.

  They were all tired now, and moved slowly as the sun rose in the sky. It gave little warmth, but that little was welcome.

  Sonya let Irena worry about what lay ahead; she concentrated on keeping Andrei in the saddle, and he hung on gamely enough, though he hissed with pain at every bump.

  Sonya had just finished praying to all the gods for the hundredth time that help would be near, when Irena gave a shout, then put both pistols away.

  “Brianski,” she said, turning back to Sonya. “I’ll go talk to them.”

  “Gods, I hope she’s right,” Sonya muttered. She was too tired to worry about much, except keeping Zeki on the path, putting one foot in front of the other.

  Irena returned shortly, a triumphant smile on her face, riding beside a tall man wearing a fur hat.

  “This here’s Count Yvan Mikula,” she said, “and he knows General Faris.”

  “Thank Vica,” Sonya and Andrei said at the same time.

  Mikula came over, looking concerned. “Ruso Faris sent you? Is something wrong?”

  “We need help,” Sonya said.

  “I can see that,” Mikula looked Andrei over. The count had a broad face, slanted dark eyes, and black hair drawn into a waist-length braid. “Can you ride a half-league, or should I send for a wagon?”

  “I can ride,” Andrei gasped, “but then I’ll need rest. You might want to close your gates ...” He trailed off gasping.

  Sonya said, “We’re being pursued. We ran them off for now, but I’m sure they’ll come back.”

 
; “Who is pursuing you?” Count Mikula took over holding Andrei’s reins as they continued along the path.

  “Irregular troops working for the Olvisyan emperor,” Sonya said, “though I wouldn’t be too surprised if regulars show up.”

  “They shouldn’t cross the border,” Mikula said, frowning under his drooping black mustache. “I thought Ruso Faris worked for the Sanovan queen. How is he so far south, in trouble with Olvisyans?”

  “It’s a long story, but we fought some off not far from here.” Sonya took a deep breath, every exhausted muscle protesting at what she was about to say. “I don’t want to cause you any trouble. It’s me they’re looking for, so once I’ve seen Captain Danko safe, my friend and I will be on our way.”

  Mikula shook his head.

  Andrei gasped, “Not a chance. You’re staying here until I can go with you.”

  “We will discuss it once you’re safe and have had some rest,” Mikula said, looking at Sonya carefully. “But you’re going nowhere today.”

  Something about the way he said it made Sonya’s protest die in her throat. She followed him without a word until they reached a town, entered its tall wooden gate, and made their way to a squat stone building at its center.

  Though Yvan Mikula seemed friendly enough, Sonya never lost sight of the fact he was Brianski, and therefore untrustworthy. So she showed him only one of Count Faris’s letters, the one to his banker, by way of verifying they were acting on his orders.

  She didn’t want Mikula to know the details of their mission, so she said as little as possible, except that she was returning home to Terragand after her run-in with the Archduchess Teodora.

  Fortunately, Mikula’s wife was a doctor, and from what Sonya saw, an excellent one. Within an hour of their arrival, she’d ordered Andrei taken into the family quarters, given him a sedating drink, and had removed the pistol ball from his thigh.

  Countess Mikula shooed Sonya out before the surgery. “You’re not needed here, and you must get food and rest. He’ll sleep for a long time, and you can be there when he awakens.”