Altered Destiny

by Shawna Thomas

  Outside the tent flap, the setting sun haloed the spiky green firs. He was little more than a prisoner here, but perhaps, once he found out if Selia was safe, he could attempt an escape. Without blood, his conditions would only worsen. He could ask for blood, but it would be folly to let his weakness be known. He’d have to leave soon, while he still had the strength to. But to where? North, to his mother’s family? If he read the determination in his brother’s eyes correctly, soon nowhere would be safe.

  Selia looked around. They were in a large cavern. She still couldn’t tell if the structure was manmade or natural. A hollow mountain? The men turned right and entered a darker tunnel. She stumbled and caught herself against the cold stone. It wasn’t quite smooth, but more than natural rock ought to be.

  Torches sputtered against the walls as they walked on a slight slant, up into the mountain. To my death? She was so tired, she didn’t care anymore. The floor was smooth, almost slippery in places, and she concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other.

  When they stopped before a wooden door, Matias knocked.

  “Enter.”

  The voice sounded familiar. She tried to match it with a soldier frequenting her tavern and failed.

  “Stay here.” Matias shot her a warning look then entered through the doorway, leaving her with the second man. She glanced in his direction, but he avoided her gaze.

  The door opened. Well, here we go. Selia stepped into the room.

  A large man stood from behind a cluttered desk. Relief surged through her limbs. He wasn’t the man who’d attacked her, but he did seem familiar. He ran a hand through blond hair, looking like he’d just received very bad news. Then he blinked. “I should have known. What the hell are you doing here?”

  Commander Nathan! He’d stopped in the tavern before…

  Her knees buckled.

  Nathan gestured and something firm pressed into the back of Selia’s legs. She collapsed, grateful for the chair. Nathan sighed and sat back down. He looked almost as tired as she felt.

  Oren. “Commander Nathan—” she began.

  “Matias says you escaped from the Svistra camp.”

  She nodded.

  “In the forest to the south?” Nathan glared.

  “Yes.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  Weariness crushed her to the chair. “Why would I lie?”

  Nathan glanced to Matias, then back to Selia. “How many?”

  “Just one.”

  “Not camps. Svistra.”

  “I don’t know. I was tied to a tree outside camp.” Her tongue felt thick.

  “A guess?”

  “I saw about thirty tents.”

  “By the gods!” Nathan stood. He then shook his head and stared at Matias. “If what she says is true, we are either fools or blind.”

  She couldn’t see Matias’s face. “She could be lying.”

  Nathan’s gaze bored into Selia. “Are you lying?”

  “Yes.” Selia’s hand throbbed; she swallowed bile. If they were going to throw her in a dungeon somewhere, she wished they’d just get it over with so she could lie down. “I rubbed my wrists raw with a rope and ran through the forest until I was exhausted, just so I could lie to you about it.”

  Nathan looked back up at Matias. She was too tired to glance at the other half of the silent communication. It was clear Nathan still doubted her, but not enough for inaction. “Go and double the guard. Find Ari and send him in here.” The door opened then shut.

  Nathan turned back to her. “What were you doing there?”

  “I’m a fucking spy!” Anger sent a surge of adrenaline through her body.

  “Don’t fuck with me.” Nathan’s voice turned deadly. “How did you end up a prisoner in a Svistra camp?”

  “I came north to find Oren.”

  A knock sounded on the door. “Come.” Nathan called without lifting his gaze. The door opened and closed again. The other captor, who she supposed was Ari, stood to one side of her chair.

  Nathan had the air of someone who could wait a very long time for you to finish a story. In that moment, he reminded her of Jaden. Jaden. She couldn’t say anything about him, even if she wanted to—which she didn’t. She could imagine the questions that would follow, none of them pleasant.

  “Oren, my brother, was taken against his will. A band of soldiers came into town taking men they thought were old enough to fight. Oren was…” The image of Oren lying on the horse, a trickle of blood running down his face, flashed across her mind’s eye, followed by a thought so sudden and strong that if she hadn’t been sitting it would have sent her to her knees. He’s dead.

  Her face must have paled because Nathan turned to Ari. “Bring her some wine, a little bread.”

  Ari nodded then disappeared through the door.

  “Are you feeling hospitable now?” Selia stared at the commander.

  “I don’t want you to pass out before I get the information I need.”

  “All I need is Oren, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

  Nathan remained silent until Ari returned with a platter. “Eat.”

  Ari put a cup in her hands with more gentleness than she would have thought the big man capable of.

  She sipped at the wine, starving, thirsty and unsure if her stomach would hold anything at all. Selia tore off a piece of bread, ignoring her filthy fingers, and let the morsel melt in her mouth before she swallowed. Her jaw was still sore, and she imagined she looked like she’d been on the losing end of a fight with a bear. It wasn’t far from the truth.

  Despite the warnings from her stomach, by the time half the wine had disappeared, she felt a little more alive.

  “Now, answer my questions.”

  “I’ve told you everything.” A wave of exhaustion crashed over her mind.

  “You’ve been traveling since Oren was taken?”

  “Yes. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving.” That at least was the truth.

  Nathan shook his head. “How are you alive?”

  She shrugged. “A combination of luck and daring I suppose.” That wasn’t a lie either. Trusting Jaden had been the most daring thing she’d ever done and there had been more than a little luck involved in finding the only Svistra who’d want her alive to help him rescue Oren.

  “When did the Svistra capture you?”

  Selia briefly closed her eyes. “Two days ago, I think. I was in the camp only a little while.”

  “Where?”

  The question held many undercurrents she couldn’t decipher in her present state of mind. “I told you where the camp was.”

  “Where did they capture you?”

  The image of the body-strewn field filled her vision for a moment, and she thought she might lose her meal. “About a day’s walk south of their camp. There’s a field.”

  Nathan nodded. “I know it.”

  She glanced up. “There are dead men there.”

  Nathan’s face lost color. “How many?”

  “I didn’t count them! A lot.”

  “Two or three or a dozen?”

  “A field full.” Her head swam.

  “Fuck. How did you escape?”

  “Luck, mostly.”

  “There is something you’re not telling me, but there are pressing matters I need to attend to. If I find out you’ve lied—”

  “Look, I just want Oren.”

  “Ari will take you to quarters, where you can wash and sleep.”

  “I’m a prisoner?”

  “You’re safe.” There was finality in the voice. She’d get no further information.

  Frustration surged, warming her aching muscles, but she kept her mouth shut.

  Nathan turned to Ari. “Well, away from the men’s quarters.”

  She followed Ari back down the winding hall, through the large cavern and into another dark passage leading down into the heart of the mountain. Perhaps she was on her way to the dungeon after all. They passed by several doors before he threw
one open. “It’s not much but…” He faltered.

  Selia glanced at a narrow cot. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

  As she lay down on the lumpy cot, she heard the door close then nothing else.

  Who was this woman? Keldar reviewed his warriors’ reports with growing anger. She’d been wounded—not badly, just traces of blood here and there as though a binding hadn’t held. She’d found a small stream and attempted to lose her scent, so she knew what she was doing. A female warrior? No, there weren’t any. Human females were soft and easy prey.

  His warriors had been close. She’d been taken by the humans at Eagle Rock. Bile rose in his throat. His warriors hadn’t killed them, obeying his warning to give the humans no hint that Svistra occupied the forest on their southern doorstep. The humans had taken her to their puny excuse for a fortress. They’d snatched her, and the answers she held, out of his grasp.

  Would the humans attack his camp? Surely the woman would reveal their location. A brief smile touched his face as he thought of the commander realizing his enemy was close. It had been like a game, an insult to camp so close the stronghold. A taunt that had now backfired.

  Keldar hoped the commander did attack, but he didn’t think he would. Never assume humans will act with honor. Tinlor’s voice. His father was right. Had their positions been exchanged, he would have his warriors readying for battle, no matter the odds. The human commander would wait, probably for the reinforcements he thought were coming.

  Well, he’d double his scouts anyway. If there were any signs the humans prepared for battle, he’d know before they left the walls. And the woman? That Jaden had captured her, and he as of yet had not, stuck in his stomach like a knife. But had Jaden captured her? Was it possible the woman went with him willingly? Keldar snorted. He wouldn’t put anything past Jaden, but even human women had more sense than that. Unless she knew about the blood…

  Impossible. Even if Jaden had told her, she’d have been a fool to believe him.

  He glanced at his untouched bed. What secrets did the woman hold? Could she be used against Jaden? There was only one way to find out. He would not act rashly. He too could be patient. Cunning. He wouldn’t let Jaden’s presence in camp rattle him. There was still time before he marched to Newhaven. He’d use Eagle Rock for practice, then he’d capture the woman and destroy the humans who took her in.

  As soon as the girl left, Nathan let loose a string of invectives peppered with words that would have turned a trader’s cheeks red.

  “A little irritated, boss?” Matias leaned against the doorframe. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. If you hadn’t sent me on a wild goose chase in the southern forest, we never would have found her or learned about the possibility of a Svistra camp.”

  “Do you really think that lessens my culpability?”

  Matias shrugged. “What are you going to do now?”

  “My first instinct was to send scouts to determine if the camp is there.”

  “You believe her.”

  “She has no reason to lie,” Nathan said. “She didn’t tie herself. You saw the bruises and the marks on her wrists. She was a prisoner.”

  “But a Svistra prisoner?”

  “Call it gut instinct if you like. Believe me. I wish she was lying.”

  “What now?”

  “I’d love to gather our forces and destroy that damn camp. But if they know she’s escaped, my guess is they also know where she escaped to, and now they know that we know where they are.”

  “That’s a mighty lot of assumption there.”

  Nathan speared Matias with his best irate glare, but his old friend stared back unmoved.

  “So what are you going to do?” Matias repeated.

  “For now, nothing. I need to think.”

  Matias didn’t comment.

  “We don’t know how long they’ve been there.”

  “We do know there hasn’t been game in the southern forests for weeks.”

  “Fuck!” Nathan raked one hand through his hair. “I’m an idiot. Of course there wouldn’t be. The animals scent the bastards out.” He shook his head. “I’m a fool.”

  “May be, but you’re also the boss. So what—”

  “I don’t fucking know. Okay?”

  A slow smile spread across Matias’s mouth. “Well, then, let’s sit down and think this out, shall we?” He sat in a chair. “You know this girl?”

  “She owns the tavern on the crossroads.”

  Matias raised an eyebrow.

  Nathan shook his head. “Not a whore. She’s honest.”

  “I see. And she came here looking for her brother.”

  “Oren. The cook. How she got through, I don’t know.” Nathan rubbed the ache between his eyes.

  “She didn’t. She got caught.”

  Nathan breathed deeply. “She said about thirty tents in their camp.”

  “That would mean at least twice that many Svistra.”

  “She also said they expected their commander.”

  “Yeah, she was some kind of gift.” Matias ran a hand over his stubble.

  “That’s not the worst of it. She saw dead men in a field.”

  “The southern battalion.” Matias’s eyes narrowed. “The Svistra camp would be well east of the road. They might—”

  Nathan shook his head. “No. You know better. This whole thing stinks to the heavens. How did they know?”

  Matias shrugged. “They read.”

  “Shit.”

  “Deep I’d say.”

  “Ready the men, but we wait. We’re safe here. Double the guard and triple the patrols. I’d love to send scouts out to see exactly where the Svistra camp is, but I won’t send them into an ambush. They could have let her go to prompt us to attack.”

  “You’ve got a point.” Matias rubbed his chin. “They have to be well outside the area we patrol. My guess is past that little ravine.”

  “Do you think she could tell us exactly where?” Nathan asked.

  “She was pretty messed up when we found her, almost delirious. I don’t think she knew where she was. You could ask her.”

  “Oh, I will.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Selia opened her eyes to a dusky twilight. Her body ached, and her eyelids felt heavy. She could sleep for hours. Days.

  Svistra. Jaden. Eagle Rock. The memories coalesced. Oren.

  She blinked, but without a window to give her a clue, she had no idea what time it was. Was Oren still here, if he ever had been? Selia cursed for not demanding the commander tell her about him the night—had it been night?—before. It was a mistake easily enough mended.

  Tentatively she sat up. A fireplace, its embers smoldering in the gloom, took up one entire wall. A fireplace in a mountain? One look at her mud- and blood-caked hands and she decided a bath would be heaven, a bucket of water enough.

  The bed fitted against the wall opposite the fireplace and a wash table nestled between them. Small but efficient. She rose to her feet and checked a bowl on top of the table. Empty. Great. She glanced back to the muddy blankets on the bed. She was so tired of being dirty, beaten. She’d escaped from one prison only to end up in another. She tore the blankets off the bed and threw them against the wall. The burst of rage robbed her of energy and she leaned against the cold wall. Moving to the door, she tested the handle, surprised to find it unlocked. She peered out into an empty curved corridor. Selia stood undecided. She couldn’t just wander around looking for Oren. Or could she?

  Ari appeared around the curve and interrupted her thoughts.

  “The commander said you might be needing a bath.” He stammered.

  He looked just as gruff, but not quite as large, as he had the night before. “Doesn’t want me to stink up his office as he interrogates me?”

  Ari cleared his throat. “This way.” He led her down to a door and into a small room, where a round wooden lid with a handle sat on a stone ledge. An indoor outhouse? She’d never seen such a thing. The stench was notable bu
t she stepped inside, resisting the temptation to look into the deep hole.

  Once she was done, they continued to another wooden door, which revealed a barrel full of steaming water. A small wooden table stood next to the tub, and a fire roared in the fireplace. As she watched, Ari moved toward the fire, unhooked a large kettle, and poured its contents into the water, then filled it again from the water in the barrel and hung it back over the flames.

  “Reckon it should be hot enough. If not…” He motioned between the barrel and the fire. “We, uh, figured you’d be wakin’ soon.”

  “Thank you. I can take it from here.”

  As soon as the door shut, Selia peeled off her tunic and let it drop to the floor, then unlaced her boots and tugged the left one off, tossing it to the side. Before she removed the second one, she palmed the knife and stared at it in the firelight. Was Jaden well? The Svistra would know she’d escaped by now, but could they blame him for it? He seemed to have status, if the respect and fear they’d shown had meant anything. He is the commander’s son.

  Selia shuddered, suddenly chilled. She had believed he’d betrayed her. Shame flushed through her chest as she carefully set the knife on the small table near a cake of soap. She vividly remembered his face right before he kicked her—Jaden had played his part well.

  She removed the rest of her clothing and sank into the water. It wasn’t quite hot and she had to fold her knees up under her chin, but it was water.

  She scrubbed her hair. The soap bit at her abraded skin and rinsing took some interesting contortions, but she managed. She then washed her body several times, reopening the cut on her hand and noting the new bruises. When she finished, the water was a filthy brown. Selia realized she didn’t have any clean clothes. Her dirty garments lay on the floor where she dropped them. She didn’t relish the thought of waiting naked by the fire for them to dry, but the thought of putting on the filthy things filled her with disgust.

  She reached for the clothes and submerged them into the dirty water, scrubbing at the stains before wringing them out and laying them over the tub. It was warm in the room. She’d stay until the clothes dried. Her stomach growled. She needed food, and soon. Damn it, she was so busy taking care of her needs, she hadn’t even asked about Oren. He’s why I’m here, remember? This was no way to find Oren.