Images of Papa, Mama, Dominique, Viviane, Dorian, Liam—her family—all dead. If she had known healing magic then, could she have saved them?
Leigh, Olivia—if they ever needed her help—
And this man, barely two decades old, who had come here selflessly to save lives. Lives deemed worthless by some.
The guilt, the helplessness, the fear, she pushed it all against her inner gates, everyone and all that she loved intertwined with her heartstrings’ deepest notes.
One last time. “Sundered flesh and shattered bone, by Your Divine Might, let it be sewn.”
Anima battered against her limits and—at last—burst through, leaving her body and threading into his to stitch his wound. Her life flashed before her eyes—twirling on the coastal lands of Laurentine, walking the beach with Mama as the tide came in from the Shining Sea, Papa bringing her a doll from Brennan, Viviane playing the flute. Flames devouring Laurentine. Brennan leaving the Tower kitchen, crying tears of anguish. Her first kiss with Leigh in his office.
The paladin’s eyes flew open, brightened from within—a deep cerulean, the color of the Shining Sea in a storm—and his mouth split in a silent scream. She had never learned to heal painlessly, as innate healers did.
But his wound became no more than a scar.
And then he passed out.
Her muscles tense to the point of shaking, she checked him; he lived. The healing spell had worked.
Darkness cast over them both. A figure.
She spun onto her back next to him, her palm out and ready to cast.
But it was the paladin commander who had fought Gilles, flanked by a young man the size of a bear. The deep crimson of blood streaked his armor. He glanced at the man she had healed.
“He’s alive.” She didn’t pull her ready hand back. “Just unconscious.”
The commander scrutinized her charge a while longer. “I am in your debt. My former squire lives because of your efforts. I am Paladin Commander Torrance Auvray Marcel, and if I can ever repay you with a favor, you have but to ask.”
Torrance Auvray Marcel… her arranged fiancé’s uncle… Brennan’s uncle.
No matter. He didn’t know her.
She’d saved Commander Marcel’s former squire, but not Bastien, who’d sacrificed for the sake of the hostages, and for her. Her eyes wandered to his lifeless body.
Dead… for her sake. She crawled to him and brushed a fluttering lock of golden hair from his eternally slumbering face.
You saved my life, Sodalis. I wish I could have saved yours, too.
“The Great Mother will welcome him in the Lone.” Commander Marcel bowed his head, his eyelids drawn. “Here, he will live on—in his brothers’ thoughts and memories, in mine”—he glanced at her—“and in yours.”
She lived because of Bastien’s sacrifice. And she would never forget it.
“Our priests will give him proper last rites at Monas Ver. He will go to the heart of the Lone with dignity.” Commander Marcel extended an arm to her.
She took it, and he pulled her to her feet.
“Thank you,” she said, surveying the battlefield. The Crag had either died or retreated—only paladins remained standing. They helped their wounded and took the remaining injured mercenaries as prisoners. “Gilles?”
“Fled.”
She glanced at the castle. The Order’s banner waved in the glow of the burning town; they had taken the castle and, if the viscount lived, secured him. She could only imagine Leigh’s crested irritation now. “I do have a request. Would you convince Commander Noren not to argue when my master tries to leave with the viscount?”
Commander Marcel eyed the castle. “I will try, but I cannot promise that Noren will agree.”
She hoped he would. The favor she had asked was not for herself but for the paladins in the castle. If Noren didn’t agree, Leigh would probably respond with magic. Lots of magic.
She shook her head. “Then I’m sorry.”
Commander Marcel furrowed his brow. “I saw you out there. You have nothing to apologize for. You saved many lives.”
She looked away to her unconscious-but-healed charge. His neck bore a scar, but color was returning to his face. He would live.
On missions, she had to follow Leigh’s orders. His way. But this—this was her way. And it would be how she’d someday conduct her own missions, no matter how difficult or how inconvenient for the Divinity. Kings, ambassadors, and viscounts weren’t the only ones who mattered.
“Thank you.” With a bow, she excused herself from the commander’s company.
She squinted at the castle on the hill in the center. Welcoming the strength rising in her body, she began the ascent. Regardless of Leigh’s threat of demerits tonight, she was ready to start her Journeyman years and earn her mastery. All had ended well. Even he couldn’t complain too much.
But if he did, his approval could certainly be bought. She smiled inwardly.
Paladins secured prisoners in the streets, and priests tended injured townspeople. When she finally arrived at the castle gate, the paladins stopped her.
“My master is already inside, and—”
“Naturally, the big hero arrives after the work is finished.” Leigh’s voice carried from above, where he peered at her from the battlements.
“I could say the same to you, except you never showed up at the town square.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Prickly, prickly, ma chère.” To the paladins, he said, “Do let my apprentice in, kind sirs. She is poorly behaved, but she seems to have taken a liking to you paladins.”
The two guards exchanged a look and then let her pass.
Leigh came down to meet her in the bailey. “So, did you enjoy your little rebellion while I completed the actual mission?”
Bastien had died. Many other paladins and townspeople had died. She nearly had, too, along with the man she’d healed.
She straightened. “You said I was here to show you my understanding of ‘Save one, save many.’ I believe you mentioned something about giving me a commendation to test for Journeyman?”
“You’ve failed spectacularly, ma chère.” He ushered her into the castle. “There’s always next time.”
Paladins strode through, their arcanir armor clinking.
“Today, a paladin saved my life and the lives of a group of townspeople. And today is just one day. How many lives do you suppose he’s saved since taking his vows?” Although Leigh opened his mouth, she continued. “I helped save a lot of paladins today. Do you know what kind of difference they will make? How many lives they will save? We came here because King Marcus paid the Divinity for our services. But the paladins came here because it was the right thing to do. They saved the townspeople. And will again. And again. And again. Are their lives worth less than a viscount’s?”
“Rielle—”
Unwavering, she glared at him. “Save one, save many. Today I saved a paladin who will go on to save many others. Those I saved several in the square will, too. Their lives mean as much as any viscount’s, if not more.” She stood to attention while Leigh gaped. Speechless was a rare but pleasing look on him. “I have shown you my understanding of ‘Save one, save many’ as I see it. Have I earned that commendation?”
With a heavy sigh, Leigh nodded and clapped her on the back. “How about that cup of tea?”
* * *
THE END
Ready for the next installment in the Blade and Rose series?
The first book in the series is called Blade & Rose, available now!
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading “Winter Wren.” If you enjoyed this short story, you might also like Blade & Rose, the first volume in a romantic epic fantasy series continuing Rielle’s adventures as she tries to save her best friend and her country, and maybe fall in love on the way.
As for me, I’m a born-and-raised Chicagoan living in Indianapolis. I grew up on fantasy and science-fiction novels, spending nearly as much time in Val
demar, Pern, Tortall, Narnia, and Middle Earth as in reality. I write speculative fiction starring fierce heroines and daring heroes who make difficult choices along their great adventures and dark intrigues, all with generous doses of romance, action, and drama.
When I’m not snarking, writing, or reading my Kindle, I edit professionally, hang out and watch Netflix with my English-teacher husband, and play board games with my friends.
I’m always happy to chat with my readers—you can find me on:
www.mirandahonfleur.com
[email protected]
Also by Miranda Honfleur
Blade and Rose Series
“Winter Wren” (available on www.mirandahonfleur.com)
Blade & Rose (Book 1)
By Dark Deeds (Book 2)
Court of Shadows (Book 3)* Available February 2018
* * *
Enclave Boxed Sets
Of Beasts and Beauties* Available April 2018
Winter Wren: A Blade and Rose Short Story Page 3