The man bowed. “Yes, my lord.”
Bredych stared at the richly colored tapestry hanging on the stone wall across from him. “Send word to the mountain. We’ll need reinforcements.” It would be a definitive battle. If she hadn’t gone to the Siobani, she was no better at using the stone than when she’d left. Defeating the army, taking possession of Ilydearta, would be child’s play. It was almost too soon. He hadn’t decided if Cassia was still a good candidate to hold the stone. But in the end it didn’t matter. He could keep it locked away until he decided who could hold it for him. He was wearied of this place.
“Yes, my lord.”
His attention flew back to the Rugian. He’d almost forgotten the man was there. “What are you waiting for? Go!”
The man scrambled to his feet, bowing as he exited the door.
He’d heard Ilydearta’s song approaching and had wondered for just a moment if she’d actually convinced Ewen to step outside his borders. But Ealois’s song was absent, and now no Siobani either. He tapped his fingers against the wooden side table. Why Isolden? Had the Siobani refused her? Was it possible? Did she fail to find them? The queen of Elston had helped her—maybe she had sent Ilythra to Isolden instead. He wished he’d thought to ask the bitch before he’d ended her life. Bredych strode to the window, his hand on Crioch. In the end, he would have his answers.
She thought she wanted to steal the stone from him, take it back to the Siobani lands, but she didn’t. Not in the depths of her soul. “You come back to me, Ilythra. You always will.”
* * *
Silence fell as the army neared Elston. Scouts confirmed the area free from occupation, save for some peasants working their plots. The horse’s harnesses echoed in the stillness. Ilythra glanced east. Was the Siobani army in place? Had they met any resistance?
Ilydearta lay cool against her skin. The song of Crioch grew stronger daily, its melody disrupted by disharmony. Now that she’d heard Ealois, the strain on the stone was even clearer. Ilythra gripped Melior with her knees as a ripple of dizziness passed over her. For a moment, the fields opened and she was alone under the sky. Exposed. Her fingers felt icy. An image of Tarak lying against the fence post, mutilated by his own hand, wavered in her mind. She swallowed.
Bredych had drugged Mohan’s brother the same way he’d drugged her. Was it possible too that he could direct her to do something she wouldn’t normally do? What if she was putting the entire army at risk? Fear crept closer. If she felt him so strongly, he’d be aware of her as well.
Ewen had assured her Bredych’s controlling her was unlikely. She held on to his assurances, using it to fight the panic. Ewen was knowledgeable about many things, especially the stones, but he wasn’t an alchemist. What if he was wrong?
“My lady, is there something troubling you?” Meryn rode beside her, his face now laced with concern.
She shook off the panic and forced a smile. “I’m alright.”
“Are you certain? You’ve paled.”
She stared into the valley and took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She was her own master. No one controlled her. “I have never seen such destruction.” That much was true.
Large sections of farmland lay desolate, still bearing the scars of fire. Broken siege engines littered the fields around the castle. The castle itself was a broken shell. Crumbled walls stood where towers had reached into the heavens. The walls that had lined the hill were piles of rubble and the hill itself was scored to make way for the siege engines. She was sure the village near the walls no longer held happy women and fat, laughing children.
As they approached, discarded pieces of armor and broken weapons lay in the trampled grass around the broken walls. A column of smoke rose into the blue sky. Birds already nested in the castle walls, feathering their nests with valuables the onetime inhabitants would never need.
Meryn dismounted before the city. Silent, he separated from his men. Sorrow weighed the solitary figure, tying him to the ground better than gravity could. Queen Marya’s image as she’d looked when she’d handed Ilythra the wrapped bundle stood in stark relief to her surroundings. Her hand found her sword, Naidel. Ilythra couldn’t begrudge the king his grief, but urgency filled her. Bredych would have heard they were coming. She didn’t want to give him too much time to prepare.
His stride firm, Meryn returned to his horse. His blue eyes shone with determination. He rubbed a gloved hand over his shaved head. “We ride at once to Greton.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
As Arien moved from group to group, he could feel Cavin’s gaze on him. Once he was assured each company knew its assigned task, he settled by his own campfire. It was no little thing, entering human lands for the first time. His men were both excited and leery.
Cavin sat down opposite him. “All’s ready?”
“Yes.” The fire crackled in the near silence. “You should tell me what’s on your mind, my friend.”
“I’m curious.” Cavin poured hot liquid into two cups and handed one to Arien. “Why were you so eager to send Ilythra with the humans?”
“I explained.” Arien took the cup with a nod of thanks.
“Yes, you did, and your explanation made sense. However, I know you too well. That’s not the whole reason.”
Arien looked up. “She’s human.” Guilty irritation caused his words to be more clipped than he intended them to be. “She’ll be more comfortable with humans. That’s all.”
Cavin sipped his drink. “I know that look. It’s the same one you used to have when your father caught you riding horses when you should have been practicing your numbers. Ilythra is more at home with Elder ways than most Elder Born, and you know it. I think you thought you’d be more comfortable if she was gone. But it hasn’t worked. I’ve never seen you so uneasy before a battle.”
Arien’s limbs grew heavy. It was true. His reasoning was faultless, but he hadn’t been able to stop thinking he may have made a mistake. “She’s my responsibility. I promised Father I’d keep her and Ilydearta safe. I don’t know what danger she could be in, what situations the humans will face. It was the wisest decision, but I’ll feel more at ease when I see the pendant out of harm’s way.”
Cavin smiled and rose. “If it eases your mind any, Ilythra is one of the best warriors I’ve ever seen. I’ve no doubt you’ll see her safe.” He stepped away then turned. His eyes flickered with the flames. “Oh, and the pendant too.”
* * *
Horse’s hooves pounded against the earth as the army approached Greton’s castle. They’d already passed a few villages but met no resistance, or welcome either. But then, she didn’t expect any. Meryn and Ilythra rode at the head of the column, followed by armored men on horseback and row after row of foot soldiers. The supply wagons lumbered along behind. Scouts confirmed the castle was on alert, its gate drawn, walls manned.
Ilythra glanced back to the newly constructed siege engines creeping across the land like giant insects in the distance. Narrow roads and forested land made travel difficult as the army thinned and lengthened. Meryn cursed the mud as one catapult faltered. Men fell back to help free the machine. Even from the distance, she could hear creaking ropes and shouts.
Ilythra stared at the castle. She could almost feel Bredych’s presence. This approach to Greton castle was so different yet similar to the first time she entered the valley that it felt as if time had folded. Back then she had come for revenge, drawn to the castle by what had seemed an undeniable force. Now she came not merely for revenge, but once again with the desire to destroy Bredych. But still she felt the draw. The desire to see him, even in defeat.
She shuddered, her stomach souring. Shame coated her thoughts as she remembered his touch. Acid coated her throat. It was the stones. She’d felt a kinship with Ewen too. But her relationship with the Riege was clean and pure and fi
lled her with light. Even from a distance, it was as though Bredych stained her. Maybe that too was an effect of the twisting of Teann. The stone was in corrupt hands. Determination to free Crioch filled her and chased away all other thought.
Raising his hand, Meryn called a halt. The trail narrowed further, leading down into the valley. He motioned several men forward and directed them on either side of the path.
“There is a village below,” Ilythra said. “The castle sits on a hill near a mountain. There is a lake on one side and it’s surrounded by forests. A large field sits in front of the castle.”
“Enough room for an army?” Meryn peered down toward the castle as if trying to see through the trees. Once the siege engines caught up, they’d continue forward, and on the next rise, they’d be in clear sight of the castle and its army.
Ilythra nodded.
“Will there be an ambush of any kind from the forest?”
Would Bredych rely on an ambush? She didn’t think so. “I don’t know.”
Cool blue eyes appraised her. He motioned for two more men and spoke to them in low tones. They rushed off. “We will soon know.”
Hooves echoed against the stillness as Meryn led the army down the trail. Ilythra rode by his side. Scouts returned, reporting no sign of an army.
Meryn paused on the top of the hill. On a rise in the distance stood a formidable castle surrounded by a narrow field and then edged by forests. From their vantage point, they could see the castle’s concentric walls. The first enclosed patches of green and a few buildings. The second wall seemed to hug the castle. Only broken timber remained of the bridge that had spanned a ribbon of water surrounding the castle. The curtain wall sported several guard towers, but from this distance, she couldn’t see if they were manned. Crimson pennants flew from turrets, flapping in the breeze, and the lake shimmered between the deep green of the forest and the castle. Mountains rose like a craggy backdrop against the deep blue sky. It was deceptively peaceful.
“Will the village oppose us?”
“No.” Ilythra pictured the villagers. They might even help, but she didn’t want to give the king false hope.
One of the men rushed up and bowed.
“What have you found?” Meryn asked.
“Women and children are hiding in a few homes. Not even the dogs barked. I saw no men.”
He exchanged a glance with Ilythra. She shrugged. Emotions clogged her throat. What if she found Nenya and the baby dead? Had Res returned? Were they all hiding?
The army continued the slow progression toward the castle. As they approached the village, the trees thinned, and a few houses became visible. With their missing shingles, bird’s nests and leaning walls, it was clear the structures had been abandoned long before.
Ilythra followed the king’s gaze. “They didn’t look much better when people were living in them.”
He muttered something under his breath. “This king does not deserve the title.”
She stared at the ramshackle dwellings. She wouldn’t argue. Her stomach churned. She was afraid what she’d find when they entered the village. When the road changed from dirt to stone, she tensed, but the square was empty. Puddles collected in missing cobblestones and the horses’ hooves churned the dirt to mud. Scouts fanned the outer streets.
The village was deserted.
“Have they gone to the castle?” Meryn’s voice sounded loud in the ghost town.
Ilythra didn’t turn. “The men were probably taken or in hiding.”
Meryn called with a loud voice, “We mean you no harm. Stay in your homes or come fight with us. We mean to free you, not change your master. If you like, we will leave you in peace.”
No one answered his call.
“This place gives me chills,” Meryn said. He led the army through the village and toward the field. Meryn stilled the army across from the castle, on a rise. “If I were defending this castle, I would lure an army onto that field and surround them. We will camp here.”
Ilythra nodded. It was a defensible position, should the castle attack. His men began setting up camp.
Tents soon dotted the terrain. Siege engines and supplies lumbered into camp with weary men. In full view of the castle walls, Meryn appointed sentries to watch for any activity from within. There was none.
Loud reports of metal biting into wood echoed from the forest. Crashing timber followed. Men brought trees onto the field and stripped them of their branches. Still the castle slept.
Ilythra stared toward the mountain, then back at the castle. She knew Crioch, and Bredych, were in the castle. The tortured sound of the stone was clear on the winds of Teann. She closed her eyes briefly. She had to bring it back. Free the stone as well as the people of Greton. She opened her eyes, surprised by a flash of anger. It would be Arien who would take the stone back to his father. Why did that bother her so much? “When will you attack?”
Meryn hesitated. “First light. By then, all should be in position.” Meryn’s gaze fixed on the castle. It was quiet, but a shudder ran down Ilythra’s spine. He turned to her. “Why do I feel like the fly planning to take the spider’s web?”
* * *
Aclan rushed through the corridors, trying to appear as if he weren’t doing so. He needed to find Konrad—a task that had been harder and harder to do lately. There always seemed to be a Rugian over his shoulder, and Bredych had not left the castle and wouldn’t, now that it was surrounded. The castle was up in arms because of the approaching army, but Aclan had hope for the first time since he’d spoken to Cassia.
The enemy of my enemy is my ally. Who said he didn’t study his histories?
Konrad’s voice carried down the hall. He waited around the corner. Excitement vibrated through his body. He breathed a sigh of relief as one of the servants marched past him.
Aclan sauntered toward the steward. “Konrad, I thought I told you to replace my serving maid? She’s sloppy.”
Konrad briefly closed his eyes and looked up and down the hallway. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I will do so at once.” He stepped into a nearby room.
Aclan followed and shut the door.
“I thought I warned you how dangerous it was for you to seek me out. We are both being watched,” Konrad whispered. “Where is Hendrik?”
Aclan fought the blush and then the angry retort. Konrad was only worried about him. He hadn’t wanted to wait for his tutor and had slipped out while the man was dressing. He shook his head. Didn’t anyone understand what was happening outside the castle? He pointed toward the outer wall. “There’s our help.” He lowered his voice, but it didn’t curb the excitement. “Outside the castle. The help we needed to overthrow Bredych.”
Konrad shook his head. “And how to you suppose we get to them without getting ourselves killed? They will not know we come in peace.”
Even the steward’s sour tone didn’t diffuse Aclan’s enthusiasm. “What if Ilythra’s out there with them?”
“Why would she come back here?” Konrad shook his head. “I’ve made plans to get you to safety.”
“Safety?” Now he let the anger show. “My castle, my home, my father’s kingdom is being threatened and you want me to go to safety?”
“That army outside these walls may help us.” Konrad put one hand on Aclan’s shoulder. His blue eyes misted. “But you, and you alone, are our hope.”
* * *
Dawn arrived with little warmth. Bonfires littered the hill, set in the night to alert the attacking army of movements from the castle and to provide enough light to pull siege engines into place. Ilythra turned toward Meryn. Unease lined the king’s eyes. “Are we ready?” she asked.
“Are you ever ready for war?” The king’s expression was set in grim lines. He held his helmet and turned toward his men.
Ilythra stared at the castle
. It stood solid, gray against dawn’s pale light. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “A way,” she whispered, infusing her will into the word.
The castle seemed to waver, become transient. The walls dissolved into a matrix of weak and strong areas. She suddenly knew where the mortar was weak, where the stone was cracked or loose from its foundation. She could direct the siege engines.
The castle can’t withstand me. The right to command surged through her veins. Her skin shivered in pleasure. Power.
Her stomach soured. Power was what Bredych lived for. What he’d offered her. She shook off the feeling. She could help the king, but she would not command. It was too dangerous. She’d lain awake all night thinking about Bredych. Wondering what his plan would be. He knew she was there. Why hadn’t he shown himself? And her worse fear: did she want him to?
* * *
“I saw her.” Aclan approached Cassia’s bed. Konrad had warned him about coming back, but he owed Cassia. At least he could tell his half sister that her daughter was safe.
The form under the blankets didn’t move. His skin still vibrated with tension. He hadn’t been able to shake the feeling he was being watched. He’d told Hendrik to wait down the hall. A tutor wouldn’t follow his pupil around every moment of the day. At least here there were no Rugians. So Hendrik waited down a set of stairs.
“Liana?” Cassia’s voice was hoarse.
“She’s beautiful. I will do everything in my power to get her to safety.”
“Take Sanda too. She’s the only mother Liana has ever known. If I can’t—” Cassia coughed. “If not me, then at least her.” Dark purple smudges lined her pale eyes, and although her skin was pale, her cheeks bloomed with color.
Emotion weighed down Aclan’s chest. If only he could help Cassia. He stretched out a hand but quickly let it drop. It was too late for many things. “I will.”
Her gaze softened. “Go quickly. It isn’t safe here anymore for you.”
Aclan turned to leave.
“Aclan.”
Journey of Wisdom Page 27