As she neared Jaden grasped her mare’s bridle, ignoring the other rider. Selia looked down on him for several heartbeats before she spoke in a voice loud enough to reach his men. “The king will discuss terms.”
Jaden abruptly turned from the horse to study her face. It wasn’t something in the words, and he couldn’t place what in the tone troubled him, but something did. “Where’s Nathan?” he asked for her ears only.
“He had duties to perform.”
He didn’t miss the acid in her voice. One could never call Selia mild or passive. Her passion was difficult to ignore and easy to admire even when manifested as anger directed at him.
He turned to the other man who sat frozen on his horse, his eyes fixed on the Svistra.
“He is to stay here as an assurance of your safe return,” she said.
The man dismounted. Approaching Jaden, he bowed his head. “I am King Leisle’s chamberlain. I will stay with your men for the duration of your stay at the castle.”
Jaden raised an eyebrow.
Selia and the chamberlain remained silent. Something was off.
“Very well.” He motioned to Ashani. “Please show the chamberlain the finest Svistra hospitality. See that he lacks for nothing.”
Ashani handed Arfaltel’s reins to Jaden. His dark eyes sparkled behind the green paint. “May the gods go with you.”
“Remember all I’ve said. You are in command in my absence.”
Ashani lowered his head in agreement.
Jaden faced Selia. “Then shall we go?” And without further word he swung up on his horse.
Selia whirled her mare and began toward the castle. “That’s a fine horse,” she said without turning.
“He is. Let’s hope he behaves himself around so many humans.”
“And you? Will you behave yourself inside the castle walls?”
“Need you ask?” He smiled. “But I won’t like it much either.”
“Your men, will you not bring an escort?”
“Do I need one?”
She shrugged.
He glanced at her profile, jaw stiff, shoulders squared and spine erect. She was in a fine temper. “What’s happened that the king wishes to see me?”
“He wants to know your terms.”
“And?”
“And, what? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
He could almost hear her say, there are many things I cannot tell you, but that was an echo of his own words.
She took a deep breath. “There’s an army approaching from the south. We do not know who it is or if it’s friendly. Most likely it’s not.”
Jaden’s laugh was harsh. “So am I to be a prisoner?”
Selia hesitated. “No. I would…Nathan would not allow it. He’s an honorable man.”
Jaden’s anger flared. “I could turn back now or signal my men, and they’d attack.”
“You could. You won’t.”
“Why?”
“Because, Commander, your people deserve a chance, and you are their only hope. I believe you want peace more than anything. You would not sacrifice that for the sake of your…pride.” Her eyes burned with intensity.
Jaden blinked. She was right. This was the one chance for peace without bloodshed and he would take it, but he’d felt every barb in between her words. That she should know him so well sent a fresh stab of pain through a wound he’d hoped had begun to heal but opened now as though new.
Chapter Thirty-nine
The horses approached the gate. Selia’s grim expression didn’t give away what had transpired beyond the walls, but since Jaden rode beside her, the mission hadn’t failed. Nathan took a moment to appreciate the Svistra’s horse. Tall, at least fifteen hands, with a chiseled head and intelligent eyes, the animal was magnificent.
Just inside the courtyard Jaden dismounted to face him. Selia jumped down and handed her mount off to a waiting page. Another boy reached for Jaden’s horse and barely escaped snapping teeth. Jaden spoke in low tones to his animal before handing the white-faced boy the reins. “He’ll be good.”
The boy’s hands shook but he led the animal away. It was probably the first time he’d ever seen a Svistra, and Jaden looked as fierce as the rumors foretold.
Nathan had forgotten how tall Jaden was. He wasn’t used to looking up into another man’s eyes. “I’m glad you came. The king waits.” He turned to Selia. “You don’t have to—”
She set her jaw and nostrils flared as her eyes hardened.
“Very well.” Nathan turned back to Jaden. “This way.”
Jaden fell in step beside Nathan, gazing at the activity along the walls. “All this for me? Do you have so little faith in the negotiations?”
Nathan cleared his throat but didn’t answer. Had Selia told him? The guards nodded, eyes wide and watching Jaden, as they opened the castle door.
“You didn’t need the face paint. It will make matters worse,” Nathan muttered.
“You didn’t need the deception. It’s not a good way to begin any negotiations,” Jaden replied.
Nathan glanced toward Selia as they walked through the hall, but she stared straight ahead. That she was right and he’d come anyway didn’t detract from the fact she’d done something he’d asked her not to do.
By the time the doors to the throne room opened the air was thick with tension and he hadn’t even presented Jaden to the king yet.
Leisle rose as Jaden entered and stepped down from the dais to meet him as an equal. Diplomacy had always been Leisle’s strong point. The king blinked once as they approached, but if the paint unnerved him he didn’t show it.
“Commander Jaden. We welcome you.” The king lightly kissed the air near both of Jaden’s cheeks.
“It is an odd welcome, King Leisle, to be greeted by a kiss yet deceived by those same lips,” Jaden’s voice didn’t rise much above a whisper but held an unmistakable authority.
The king blinked several times then smiled. “I was unaware I’d spoken a deception.”
“Implied then. You’ve decided to negotiate. Does it have anything to do with the army approaching your gates?”
Leisle’s eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze to Selia.
“Do you think me a fool? I too have scouts, Majesty. I say we start over,” Jaden continued.
Nathan remembered distinctly the first time he interrogated Jaden expecting to find a brutish savage and instead had discovered an intelligent and cultured mind.
Leisle nodded. “Very well. An army approaches.”
“Then let me say that I do not have issue with this new army. My concern is only with you and with our negotiations.”
“And if this army should be my enemy and attack?”
“I will neither aid nor defend. My warriors can melt back into the forest to return when the victor has been named.” Jaden paused. “Unless our status changes, and we are allies instead of enemies.”
“Are we then enemies?” Leisle asked.
“We are not allies.”
“I’ll listen to your demands.” Leisle swept his arm to indicate a table with two chairs on either side. “Shall we sit?”
Selia listened to Jaden and the king argue over land and rivers, the names of many she didn’t recognize. She didn’t follow the conversation but paid attention to the tone of their voices and willed an agreement to be reached. When the king sat, a scribe placed sheets of parchment, ink and two quills on the long end of the table between Jaden and Leisle. Nathan drifted over to stand behind his king. She hesitated and then moved across from him, several paces behind and to one side of Jaden.
Occasionally she’d see a gesture or a tone that reminded her of the Jaden who’d guided her through the forest to Eagle Rock. Funny how she’d separated him. One Jaden was the man before her now, confident, arrogant, in command. He was the Svistra commander, and he had nothing to do with her. The other, kind, giving, and funny: the one she remembered. Her Jaden.
Nathan stood stolid and gloomy, within an arm’s reach of Leisle. When Jaden had mentioned his scouts, Nathan visibly relaxed as though he was relieved. Had Jaden known about the army all along, or was he covering for her when he saw Leisle’s reaction? He must have known. As he said, he was no fool. Maybe Jaden wanted to see if she would tell him. She wondered if that made her weak in his eyes, disloyal to her king. She refused to care.
Jaden tapped his fingers against the table while looking at a map then scooted his chair back from the table. “We could leave it for another day.”
“Damn it, you know I can’t,” the king sputtered.
Selia hid a smile. Jaden seemed calm, as if they wagered over the price of an export. He almost seemed to be enjoying the debate. But then he looked up. There was no answering mirth in his eye.
“My people have waited generations for your people to honor the promises made, the debts owed, and now you want me to hurry and take a fraction of what we need because your kingdom and your people may be in danger?” Jaden’s tone was dry. “King Leisle, I play no games. The Svistra can wait another day if you like.”
Leisle’s mouth opened, shut and opened again. “What about my people living in those lands now?”
“They can stay, or they can leave. It will be up to them.”
“Will you hunt them?”
“They will be free to go or stay. I can not guarantee the safety of every human in those lands, just as you can’t tell me that no human will ever raise his or her hand against a Svistra.”
Leisle shook his head. “It would put my castle too close to Svistra land.”
Jaden shrugged. “Move your castle.”
She wondered if anyone else saw his worried glance toward to door. The guards stood without expression. Was Jaden waiting for something?
“Fine. From the river S’ian.” The king’s lips had lost all color.
“And the western border?”
“There are mines there I refuse to give up, as you well know.”
Jaden nodded. “Very well, you compromised. I will do the same. Up until the Sulat Mountains. You can have your mines.”
“But we need those roads to transport the goods.”
Jaden rubbed his lips with a knuckle. “I would give leave to use the roads, and I will also offer you some advice. The Svistra know those mountains well, and they have all but been emptied of their gems. Farther south there is silver.”
“Why would you tell me this?” Leisle’s eyes narrowed.
“Why would I not?”
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”
Jaden’s eyes shone and his jaw worked, but when he spoke his voice was even. “You don’t know if I am. Nor, King, do I trust wholly in your word. It’s why we are negotiating among witnesses.” He waved a hand toward Nathan then to where Selia stood. “If you find there is no silver in those mountains then I suppose you have a good excuse to render this treaty void and declare war on my people.”
Leisle’s eyes gleamed, but so different from the way Jaden’s had that Selia looked away. “Very well, I will give you from the base of the Sulat Mountains to north of the S’ian River, but the southern range is large. I want a map of where the silver can be found.”
“Done.”
“What about your leaders? Do you speak for them? Will they honor all that you say?”
“I do, and they will.”
“How is that possible? It would take days to get word to them.”
Jaden smiled.
“The birds.” Selia hadn’t realized she spoke aloud until everyone in the room turned in her direction. “They use birds for communications.”
Leisle turned back to Jaden. “Is this true?”
“The lady does not lie.” Jaden turned and captured Selia’s gaze. She couldn’t turn away. The mask had slipped. Jaden, not the commander, looked at her now.
Then the moment passed. He stood and turned to Leisle. “Do we have a treaty?”
“Yes.”
Jaden stretched across the table, offering his hand. The king hesitated. Then he stood and took it.
Leisle turned to the scribe. “Write it up so we can sign the document.” He sighed. “Normally we’d have a feast to celebrate, but I think any moment we should have word on who next is going to be knocking on our door.”
Jaden stared at his signature on the document. The king’s scrawl was larger and more ornate than his, but it was there, black against ivory, an elaborate mark that meant his people would survive. He felt numb, yet he knew much was now expected of him.
He looked up to see Nathan approach, his hand extended. Jaden took it.
“I’d much rather fight beside you than fight you.”
“And I you,” Jaden said. “I need to tell my men they have a home to go back to.”
Nathan nodded. “Before they get the wrong idea?”
Jaden smiled. “Something like that.”
“I’ll have your horse brought out to you.”
“Congratulations.” Her voice was rich with emotion.
Jaden turned to Selia. Her eyes glistened and a small, sad smile touched her lips. A sudden urge to pull her into his arms and take her with him surged until he could picture it with clarity. She alone knew what this meant to him. When the moment passed his victory suddenly felt bittersweet, and he realize how alone he was. “Thank you.”
Jaden’s figure receded in the distance. The Svistra had promised he’d send the chamberlain back to the castle immediately. They’d managed to avoid a war that would have cost many lives on both sides. So why am I not happy?
Nathan turned his horse and slowly made his way through the streets back up to the castle. It wasn’t just the looming threat of the army approaching from the south, though that was enough in itself. The south. It could only be Josiam, couldn’t it? If it was the southern king, would he still attack without the support of the Svistra? If he did, with Jaden’s help they could turn him away.
That situation would open up an entirely new problem. Politics didn’t sway a person’s feelings or change his or her experience, and many of his men had lost family members and loved ones to Svistra attacks. His men were loyal and would fight alongside the Svistra if he ordered it, but it would not be an easy alliance. He sighed. The treaty may have been signed, but there would be a long time before there was real peace.
A horse ran full tilt in through the gate. The man spotted Nathan and continued up the hill toward him. The horse’s hindquarters almost touched the ground when the soldier reined him in.
“What is it?”
The messenger tried to catch his breath, two red blotches that vaguely reminded him of Svistra paint darkening the man’s cheeks. “The army, Commander. The army approaching flies Guirre’s banner.”
Nathan allowed himself a moment of relief. “Thank you. Take care of that horse and report to the garrison.”
The soldier nodded, dismounted and led the spent horse away.
When he reached the castle he handed his reins to one of the waiting boys. Guirre. His message had gotten through. So what happened to Josiam? He nodded to the guards at the door then moved through the marble halls toward the throne room. Selia spoke with the king, but the conversation lulled when Nathan walked in.
The king turned to him. “Well, you have your allies.”
Nathan lowered his head. “You have your allies, Majesty.”
“And expensive ones at that.”
Nathan shrugged, his body heavy with weariness “Word just came. It is King Guirre’s army approaching.”
The king slumped back in his chair, his eyes closing then opening. “And what of Josiam? Any sign?”
“No. I don’t know where King Josiam is. But if Guirre is approaching from the south he must have encountered him.”
“When will he be here?”
“I’d guess by tomorrow morning.”
Leisle tapped his multi-ringed fingers together. “Interesting.”
Nathan watched his king
, a void opening in his gut. Leisle’s expression said nothing of peace.
Chapter Forty
It was the night of Jaden’s greatest victory. From the battlements of the castle Selia watched the bonfires across the meadow. The Svistra would have their land and peace. A small smile flirted with her mouth. She was glad. Her dreams had been full of golden eyes, so she’d wrapped her heavy cloak around her shoulders and climbed the stairs. A few of the soldiers on watch nodded to her, but none spoke and for that she was thankful.
The stone chilled her hands as she watched the flickering fires. She imagined the shapes of bodies drifting in front of the flames. Did the Svistra dance?
Jaden had been magnificent. He was born to be a commander. There had been a moment during the negotiations when he’d looked at her with unguarded eyes so she could read his emotion. It had been a gift and her undoing. She’d tried to separate them, but Jaden and the commander were only two aspects of the same man. The man she loved. The man she could never have.
A longing for Oren, the tavern and her lost innocence blurred the distant fires. Could she go back? But then, what was there to go back to? Oren was gone. Everything she’d built had been destroyed. No, that wasn’t true. The tavern was more than Oren. She knew that now. It was the townspeople, Martha, the brook behind the barn, even the damn soldiers; it was her life, and the only home she’d known.
The wind blew against her face, bringing with it the scent of damp forest and night-blooming jasmine from the nearby gardens. At first she’d loved the gardens. More varieties of flowers bloomed along the paths than she ever imagined existed. But they were contained, subdued. The borders too neat, its edges too clean. Nature castrated. If she lingered she’d share their fate. She didn’t belong in this world. A world of lies and deceit that looked beautiful on the outside but was a shallow pool only deep enough in which to drown.
Jaden sat at the edge of a bonfire and accepted another cup of ale from a passing warrior. He smiled as men and women danced around the fire. Although they were having a good time and a few had already paired off to celebrate in private, it was a pale imitation of the celebration that would take place back home. In the shadow of the human castle his warriors knew they needed to be ready at a moment’s notice.
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