Amber sat underneath the world and listened to it explode above her, helpless to offer assistance. She was not a true healer, so she had no place on the battlefield. Reading the uncontrolled thoughts in a bloodbath would probably destroy her psyche. So, she hid in a dank cellar as the ground shook and men died above her.
Cries pierced the air. Babies, cold and hungry, sobbed for comfort. Amber and Celeste, along with any unfettered arm there, held the unhappy little creatures, bouncing them and soothing them to calm them down enough to fall asleep and not give away their position if someone should happen to find the tunnels.
She touched her own belly. Five months and she could now hear the coo of her Allric’s child inside her. The little creature fussed and would not settle because Amber could not settle. After the battle, she would finally tell Bethany. She’d been putting it off, hiding her growing belly under layers of warm clothing, but the time had arrived.
The dirt ceiling shook and dust fell on their heads. Babies cried harder. She just hoped the elves lived, so that she and her baby could, too.
Around her sat children, women with big bellies ready to burst with life, and old men, too frail to carry axes and knives. Anyone capable of wielding a sword or a bow was outside, protecting their home. Even little Lendra was out there, protecting her sister.
Not Amber, though. She had to protect her child. Allric’s child. She wanted so badly to help, but there was nothing she could do.
“I’m frightened,” Her Grace said in a meek voice. “There, I said it aloud.”
Amber turned to smile at the sugary confection sitting next to her. Her Grace wore furs and yellow, her favorite combination of clothing. Her hair was not tied up like usual and hung down her back, pulled together with only a simple ribbon. Her hands shook as they rested on her thighs.
“Is this your first battle?”
Her Grace shook her head. Then amended, “This is my first real battle where it’s likely we’ll all be captured and executed. However, this isn’t my first siege or my first brush with assassins.”
Amber gave her an inquiring look.
“When I was six. The war with Cul was happening and there was a raid on our caravan. Mother tossed me out of the carriage and I rolled down an embankment.”
Tense hatred filled the air around the princess, and Amber asked, in a gentle voice, “What happened?”
“I watched them rape my mother, my sisters, and then kill them, before they killed my father and brothers.” She gulped. “I hid for three days next to the carriages, unable to run. I was so scared. That’s when Sir Eli found me.”
Amber drew in a sharp breath. “Sir Eli?”
“King Richard rewarded him for rescuing me and bringing me back safe. That’s why Edmund’s family was elevated to the nobility, in fact. At the time, Sir Eli didn’t even know who any of us were. He was just a merchant. But he wrapped the bodies and bundled me up, and brought us all to the nearest town. I don’t remember much about my family, but he was like a father to me. He was a good man and I literally owed him my life.”
Amber blew out a breath and looked up at the shaking earth ceiling. “It must have been hard seeing Arrago kill him.”
Tears dropped from Her Grace’s eyes. “It was like seeing them kill my father all over again.” She sniffed. “And if Arrago wins this, I will be the most likely candidate for him to marry.”
Amber snapped her gaze up at the young noble. “Arrago?”
“Arrago will need to solidify his political power if he wins. He’ll need to hand out lands and title, and will have to take a royal wife. That will most likely be me.”
“Arrago is in love with Bethany.” Amber put her arm around the weeping woman and pulled her close, and wished that she could see Allric’s face one more time.
Celeste looked away and ran a hand across her own belly. “And I am not in love with Arrago.”
Amber looked at the young woman’s belly and back at her ashen face. “Who?”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Her heart was forged in war, her blood with battle.
-Aleu’s “The Agony of the Diamond”
“Archers!” Bethany called out. Around her, she could hear the order being relayed through the junior Knights placed in charge of executing orders and passing the word. Bethany’s heart thudded as the orders shouted out around her. She turned to Arrago and nodded.
“Light!” Arrago shouted, and Bethany noted his voice shook only a little. He gave her a pensive smile, as sweat beaded on his face in the dim morning light.
Rocks and flint struck each other, the scraping sound sending a chill through her body. She sidestepped to Arrago and whispered, “The waiting was the hardest part. They’re going to rush us any minute now and you’ll forget all about your nerves.”
“I feel like I’m going to wet myself,” Arrago said, then barked out a laugh. He looked at her and gave her a wide grin. “This is almost as bad as the walk to your room that first night.”
Bethany slapped his arm, and metal clanged against metal. Around them, fire pits ignited, cutting the dark with the flicker of red and orange flames.
“Whatever happens, Bethany, thank you.”
She looked at him sharply. “For what?”
He continued to stare ahead at the approaching army. “For coming to Taftlin. For siding with me.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “For forgiving me.”
Bethany snorted. “I’ve not forgiven you.”
“Of course not,” he said, and mirth filled his voice.
“Shut up, Arrago,” Bethany ordered and he obeyed.
In the distance, arrows whizzed at their position, but hit along the outer barrier.
“Eve!” Bethany called out.
“On it!” Eve bellowed back. “Snipers! Hit anyone dressed well.”
Eve’s sharp shooters aimed and fired a small volley into the air. The arrows cut into the first few ranks. Men fell.
Bethany snorted. They didn’t even raise their shields in time. “He has untrained fodder in the front. Most of them will die or turn within the first moments of battle.” She could not resist giving him a final glance and saying, “You turned out all right once I toughened you up.”
The front ranks of Daniel’s army moved closer, still spread out more than Bethany would have chosen to do. Then again, Daniel took her as the type to just rely on mass numbers of people pressed into service, as opposed to those who knew what they were doing.
Arrago’s mouth curled upwards. “You turned out all right once I softened you up.”
Bethany scoffed.
“Archers positioning,” Eve shouted out from her rooftop perch.
“Can they hit us?” Arrago asked.
Eve shook her head. “It’s another marker. They might hit the front, though.”
“Front shield wall!” Bethany ordered and the shield bearers around the archers pulled their shields up and over, while the archers crouched inside the box of metal. Arrows whizzed through the air like a cloud of locusts blotting out the rising sun. They scattered against the ground just beyond the picket line, as well as slamming against the first ranks of Arrago’s men.
An agonizing scream broke the air, but the shields held.
“Eve, punch ‘em.” Bethany turned to Arrago and said, “No turning back now.”
“Yes, Lady Bethany!” Eve replied, excitement in her voice. “Knight archers! Ready!”
“You still with me?” Bethany asked.
“I’d vomit, but I don’t want it inside the helmet.”
“That’s why I made you wear it,” Bethany laughed, the battle excitement building inside her. Five arrows, their bundled tips burning hot, flashed through the dawn sky in different directions, as Eve’s markers let everyone know what was happening.
Men rustled around Bethany, as they lifted their bows into position. Arrago’s men, with the lower quality bow and less skill, mostly stayed under the shield wall.
“Get them up, Arrago.”
&nbs
p; Arrago nodded at her. “Front archers! Steady! Prepare arrows! Steady!”
Edmund, below in the thick, alongside Jovan, shouted their orders and the shield wall itself steadied, as did the archers.
Bethany motioned in the air with her hand and Eve shouted, “Release!”
Eve’s specialized archers lobbed their assault and the arrows landed on target. Just within the extreme range of their arrows, the front ranks of Daniel’s men were rained on. He didn’t use well-trained men in front to bolster the line and the ranks fell, as men died.
Daniel would have to march closer.
“Archers, ready!” Bethany shouted.
“Front archers ready!” Arrago shouted.
“Top archers ready!” Eve shouted.
Then, as Daniel’s men marched forward, Bethany screamed, “Release!”
And the depths of despair were unleashed on both sides.
****
When Daniel’s men finally reached the picket line, Arrago’s men had already run out of arrows. Most of the arrows had been given to Eve’s crack shots, who could pick off generals and commanders for the entire battle, bringing havoc and destruction in a calculated measure.
And, besides, Arrago’s men still had fire.
Daniel’s pikers scrambled over the tangled wood and debris barrier that were built up around the village. And when they did, Jovan looked back over his shoulder at Bethany, who shouted, “Now!”
Jovan and Edmund both shouted, “Ignite!” and Arrago’s men ignited oil-soaked rags and torches and tossed them into the barrier.
The debris barrier, slick with oil and stuffed with coal, went up in a blazing heat that Bethany could feel all the way back on her balcony. The flash of light burned her eyes and she had to look away from the orange and blue blaze before her eyes adjusted.
Flaming men plunged through the blaze screaming and Arrago’s men hacked them down. The fire would only last for a time, but an hour of fire could give the men inside time to kill each short wave of soldiers who hacked their way through.
Provided the archers further back didn’t kill them all.
Bethany watched Arrago’s men fight and die around them. Arrago kept twitching, as if he was about to run into the fray. She put a hand on his arm and said very firmly, “Don’t go down there.”
“They are mine,” he snarled at her.
“Yes, and they are going to die so that you can be a king, not a fool. This will be a long day. There will be plenty of time for heroics later on.”
Ahead, there was a lot of cursing and orders and the picket wall was ripped apart, all the while still blazing. Men screamed as they were burned, but Daniel’s commanders stabbed anyone who didn’t cut their way through.
And then a headache pounded behind Bethany’s eyes. Magic twisted in the air and from the fires came a dozen Magi, wearing cloaks and gowns like they weren’t affected by the cold and the battle, and began to cast their spells.
Beyond, orders shouted and Daniel’s men began to rush the fire barrier.
“Apexia’s grace,” Arrago gasped.
“Swords!” Bethany shouted. Steel scraped and glinted in the increasing light. Bethany gripped her swords and nodded to Arrago. “Try to stay back for as long as possible. You need to get to Daniel.”
Arrago nodded and Bethany climbed down off her balcony. She stuck her head out of the window and said, “Arrago?”
“Yes?”
Bethany smiled at him. “I’m proud of you.” She ducked back into the house and rushed down the stairs to protect the north wall.
****
Daniel’s soldiers rushed through the fire barrier and into Arrago’s men like hail hitting the ground. Screams echoed the air, as did smoke and the sizzle of fat. Arrago’s stomach churned as humans burned to death, or lay broken and bloody on the ground below.
His heart raced and he tried with all his might to stand still, to listen to the orders, to give orders as he saw fit, and to be the leader Apexia wanted him to be. He needed to wait until he could see Daniel. And yet, he felt like a coward as his men, even Edmund, were down below fighting. He just stood there, on the balcony, like a coward.
Even the daughters of Apexia fought in the bloodfest below.
No. He would not be the kind of King that watched a battle. If he could order men to their death, he could order himself there, too. He looked up and said, “Eve! Take my place. You’re in charge.”
She blinked, but nodded her head once, and jumped down from her perch. “You sure?”
He nodded. “If something happens to me, Edmund is my successor.”
Eve drew in a deep breath. “Good luck.”
Then Arrago threw down the rope ladder and climbed down into the madness below.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The blaze will consume us all.
-Aleu’s “The Agony of the Diamond”
The veil opened and Sarissa stopped screaming. She leaned forward, peering into it. A battle raged inside the veil. Men and women died. Blood sprayed the air and smoke caused Magi to choke and fall. Fire raged in every direction, and it spread to the buildings. Shields shattered under the crush of maces. Brains splattered under the crush of shields. Intestinal ropes decorated the ground.
And in the midst of the bloodlust, a warrior with two Blessed Blades took on a group of Magi.
Warm oil poured down Sarissa’s forearm and dripped from her fingers. It washed away some of the light and the maggots that were crawling back into her flesh. The voices echoed and screamed, their words unintelligible, but still whispering in their fanatic tones.
Make it stop.
Make it end.
It’s time to release us.
Wet dog and sweat filled her nostrils. Cold air curled itself around her. “Do you see this?”
“No, Sarissa,” Quentin replied. “What do you see?”
“I see,” she said, her own voice sounding very far away to her ears, “battle. I see the red warrior. I see the white that will soon run with blood.”
“I see you trying to kill yourself, you crazy bitch,” Robert said, shaking her. “Lie down. You’re still bleeding.”
“No, Robert. I will not lie down.”
Sarissa reached her hand out, the sunlight fading from it now. Robert had cut off the sunlight. Words whispered from her tongue, words she did not understand. Words that held no meaning to her, but called to her. Sang, really. Singing. Yes. It was singing.
“Do you hear them sing?”
“Quentin, what is wrong with her?” Robert demanded.
“I have no answers.”
Sarissa turned her eyes to Quentin, preparing herself for the soul sight to show her the hideous images. Only, she did not see the leeches and the flies. She saw his soul.
Quentin looked at her, his ruddy skin pulled tight over his emaciated form that was from his natural stature and not starvation. His black hair, braided into two thick strands hung down his chest, was tucked into his trousers. The rot and decay was gone. She saw underneath the agony and saw the stains of life echoing in his eyes.
His anguish, betrayals, and love flashed in her mind. She saw, felt, and experienced it all. He’d stood by her, as much as Robert ever had. Because he loved her. Not as a lover or a whore, but as the one who brought him the one thing denied to him in life: family. She had accepted him into her trust and into her family of Magi. He would stand by her until the bitter end to repay her kindness.
“Oh, Quentin,” she said. “I had no idea.”
“What Sarissa?” Quentin put his hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”
“I see,” she whispered. “I see it all.”
“What is she talking about it?” Robert demanded.
“I am talking about,” Sarissa answered, “the beginning. The end. What was and what I can be.”
“All right,” Robert said, “Can you use words that don’t make you sound batshit crazy?”
“Crazy,” she said, a smile forming over her mouth. “Yes, I
am crazy.”
Sarissa focused on the form of her sister and felt the Power rush into her veins. Sarissa collapsed on the floor, screaming in agony, as Power and Magic collided within her. It warred for her soul, both ripping and shrieking as both tried to rip her sanity asunder.
Then, quiet. Peace. The soul sight was gone. Darkness enveloped her once more. Sweet, sweet calm filled her thoughts. The veil closed with the last of the sunlight from her forearm. The blood had stopped. The curtain was shut.
“Sarissa,” Robert was repeating, shaking her. “Speak to me.”
She turned her eyes to him, unable to see once more. Complete darkness now. She reached a hand up until she found his beard and whispered, “I know the source of Power.”
“Yes, we all know that. It’s from the dead,” Quentin said.
“No,” she whispered. “It is not only from the dead. It is from Magic. And I have stolen some of it back!”
****
Bethany ducked in time to avoid an airborne pike. The air crackled with the energy of Magic, its twisted snakes of blue and yellow alight around their bodies. No matter. Battle rage seared inside her and Bethany let it bubble and boil, trying to rip down the walls around her Power, to find it, to use it, to unleash it. She looked at the battle around her, the men dying.
Nothing.
Her heart raced and she dodged a sword, only to be hit with a bolt of energy that toppled her. She scrambled to her feet in time to avoid being swamped by boots and very pointy edges. She pulled again, into the part of her that she tried so hard to bury, ripping out the layers of fears and regrets and memories.
Nothing.
Where is it?
Panic rose within her. Their entire battle plan hinged on her ability to take out the Magi, just as she had done at the temple. The Knights could eventually cut through the wards and bindings on Magi, but that would turn Jon Black Crow’s—not to mention Arrago’s—men into fodder while the Knights hacked and slashed their way through.
Panic and fear rushed over the excitement and she continued to slash her way through the attackers around her. Men, women, Magi, soldiers, all eyes on her. Her heart started to pound.
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