“With mages nothing is certain,” he replied, yet sounded slightly mollified. “We’re still within bow shot, though a long one.”
I waved that objection away. “They must know by now who I am. They wouldn’t risk hitting me.”
“You’re very certain of that.”
I shrugged. “It takes many turns on the Wheel to atone for killing a mage. And remember, they offered ten talents of gold for me.”
Rhys snorted. “True, though it’s a mystery to me why.”
I put my head to one side. “You wouldn’t?”
“You know I would!” he exclaimed, as if pushed beyond his endurance. “A hundred times that!” Again his hand wandered up to my cheek, though I got the impression it was against his will. “My heart nearly stopped when I saw you out here on the river.” He brushed back a strand of my hair. “Lord of Light,” he whispered, “but it’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I whispered back. An unspoken plea hung in the air between us.
Rhys came to one of his lightning decisions. “Very well, you may explain your idea, but make it quick. And afterwards you’re coming right back with me.”
I ignored that last statement and beamed up at him. “Thank you!”
“I only promised to listen,” he warned me. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
That moment Owena sat up and groaned. Rhys stared at her as if only just noticing her. “Lady Owena, is that you?” He turned to me. “Whatever possessed you to bring her along? Does Pellyn know?”
“Eh, not exactly,” I stuttered. “It’s rather a complicated story. But I didn’t take her along by choice!” In fact I still hadn’t forgiven the girl for ruining my brilliant plan with her impulsive action.
Just then the clatter of hooves heralded more arrivals. Taren rode up, Cerwen sitting behind him with her arm around his waist.
Rhys stood thunderstruck. “You brought my cousin as well!” The next moment he nearly got bowled over by Duach throwing himself at his master in a frenzy of joy.
“Is there anybody left at the Eyrie?” Rhys asked sarcastically as he calmed down his canine admirer. “Or did you bring the whole village along?”
“I did leave Grandmother behind,” I protested, “and Collen.” Rhys just rolled his eyes at that last remark.
Kestrel had been amongst the group of riders too, and now he jumped off to see to Owena. The girl burst into tears at the sight of him, but he didn’t seem to mind her clinging to him. The others meanwhile surrounded us, asking questions.
Rhys held up his hand and cast another suspicious look at the Sikhandi fort, but nothing moved there. A few quick commands sent a dozen sentries to the other side of the island to keep watch. “Quiet!” He took off helmet and arming coif, impatiently shaking back his hair, and involuntarily I remembered twining my hands through that blond mane…
“So, Arisha,” he said, “you wanted to explain this idea of yours?”
With a mental kick for letting myself get distracted, I dragged my attention back to the matter at hand. “Yes. But I need to put it to both of you, Prince Bahram as well.”
There was an immediate outcry from his men. Rhys crossed his arms on his chest, his mouth a thin line of disapproval. “Out of the question.”
“Give me a chance!” I looked at the uncompromising faces surrounding us. “I have a proposal to end this conflict to the satisfaction of both sides. No more bloodshed, and lasting peace between our countries!”
There were murmurs of surprise. “Do you offer yourself as peaceweaver, lady?” somebody called from the back.
I shook my head. “No, not that.” Rhys frowned at my answer, but said nothing. “My idea will get the Sikhandi out of this country,” I continued, “and your honour will be undiminished, I promise.”
To my surprise Cerwen chimed in. “Listen to her and don’t let this opportunity go by!” She appealed directly to her cousin. “Think of the women and children waiting for you at home, we have a stake in this fight too!”
Rhys looked thoughtful, but then one of his men pushed forward, a young lad with a shock of red hair. “But what of our glory, Eagle?” he asked. “You promised!”
I opened my mouth for a reply, but Rhys took my arm. “There is no glory in war, Twedur,” he sighed.
“But you said–”
“There is glory in defending those you love, yes. But also pain, loss, blood and tears.”
The young lad stared at Rhys uncertainly, and more mutters arose around us.
“She’s Sikhandi,” somebody called from the safe anonymity of the back. “How can we believe her? They’re all liars.”
“Watch your tongue!” Rhys snapped at once. “Lady Arisha has my complete trust.”
“That’s easy to say. But what if she’s got you in her pocket, Eagle?”
Rhys’s eyes sparked. “What if I’ve got her in mine?”
That caused a few spatters of laughter. His arm had slipped round my waist while he defended me. The thought flitted through my mind that the hecklers were doing me a favour, pushing him to take my side. I looked up at him and held my breath as I saw him struggling with some kind of decision.
That moment, neighing announced another large group of riders cantering over from the Aneiry side. The men around us parted at their approach, and to my surprise I spotted Pellyn at the front, wavering in the saddle, but holding on grimly. He had awoken!
Their horses were reluctant to come so close to an elephant, but one of Pellyn’s guards forced his mare forward with a brutal kick to the ribs and pointed at me.
“That woman poisoned our lord!”
TWENTY-EIGHT
The uproar was deafening. Exclamations of surprise, questions and a host of accusations flew through the air.
“Quiet!” Rhys thundered. “You!” He pointed at Pellyn’s man. “How dare you accuse Lady Arisha of such a monstrous act!”
The man shrank back from his wrath. “Eagle, it’s true!” His horse was still bucking, so he jumped off and went to one knee in front of Rhys. “When the tumult started here, we went to alert Lord Pellyn and found him sleeping in his tent. But we couldn’t rouse him! Only when we poured water over his head did he wake.”
“And on such flimsy grounds you accuse Lady Arisha?” Rhys snapped. “Just because she’s Sikhandi and happens to be here?”
Though warmed by his instant defence, I touched him on the arm. “Rhys, the man is only being loyal to his lord. Let me explain–”
Pellyn dismounted and staggered forward. Wet hair bore witness to copious amounts of water poured over him. “It was her!” he exclaimed, still looking slightly dazed.
“I did nothing of the sort,” I protested. “You know perfectly well I never went near that wine.”
By my side Rhys stilled. “Arisha, are you saying you were in Pellyn’s tent?”
“Why, yes, of course. I had to get through the lines somehow after all.”
Rhys whirled round on Pellyn. “You idiot! How could you let a woman on her own walk through your camp? Why didn’t you send for me at once?” His eyes narrowed. “Or were you trying to get Arisha killed? I’m warning you…”
“I didn’t!” Pellyn stuttered. “That’s why she poisoned me.”
“I never touched that wine,” I assured Rhys.
“She must have,” Pellyn insisted. “One sip and I collapsed.”
Rhys looked at me frowning. “So somebody drugged Pellyn’s wine…but if not you, then who?”
Trust him to cut to the heart of the matter. I hesitated, for I didn’t want to get Owena into trouble.
“The truth, Arisha,” he warned me, interpreting my hesitation correctly.
That moment Kestrel stepped forward with his arm round Owena’s shoulders. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you,” he told her.
The girl wrung her hands. “Lord Rhys, it was me.” She shrank against Kestrel’s side when everybody stared at her.
“Nonsense!” Pellyn barked. “Why sho
uld my sister do such a thing?”
“Because you beat her up?” I suggested, fresh anger rising inside me.
“I only wanted to get away,” Owena sniffed.
Pellyn’s eyes popped as the truth finally dawned on him. “What? You did this to me? Poisoned your own brother?”
“Only a sleeping potion,” I reminded him when Owena looked ready to burst into tears again. “And you deserved it for beating her.”
Rhys frowned. “Pellyn, is that true? You hit her?”
“A light pat does no harm. Women need a firm hand on the reins or they will run wild.” He nodded at me. “Like that one. I’ve never met a woman more in need of a proper beating.”
My vision went red for a moment from sheer outrage. Picking up my mood, Hami trumpeted loudly. “You dare…”
“Pellyn,” Rhys interrupted me, his voice gone low. “You will have a care how you speak to Lady Arisha. Is that understood?” Quiet spread around us as his men recognised the danger signs.
“Yes, of course,” Pellyn stammered.
“Good,” Rhys answered, still in that dangerously controlled tone. “All of you remember: she wears my feather.”
Pellyn must have decided to beat a hasty retreat. “You’re coming with me,” he snapped at Owena. “We’ll finish this discussion at our camp.”
But when he reached out to grab his sister, Kestrel interposed himself. “No. You will never hurt her again.”
“Get out of my way!” Pellyn shouted at him. “I can do whatever I want with my sister.”
“No!” Owena seemed to gather courage from Kestrel’s defence. “I’m not coming back with you, I’m staying with Kestrel.”
“You would betray your family for this whelp?”
“You’re the traitor!” she shouted suddenly, surprising everybody with the vehemence of her words. “You wanted to take the ten talents of gold the Sikhandi offer for Lady Arisha.”
A stunned hush descended at that. Rhys had held himself back, though I had sensed he’d been ready to intervene if needed. Now his hand tightened on my waist. “Arisha, is that true?”
I nodded, almost feeling sorry for Pellyn. But he did not deserve any pity.
“What say you to this accusation, Lord Pellyn?” Rhys asked, his very formality a warning in itself.
“I…I…” Pellyn stuttered. But he recovered. “You wouldn’t take a woman’s word against mine?” He pointed at me. “She’s the traitor, not me! She only wanted to get through my camp to join her Sikhandi lover.”
“Oh, don’t be such a fool,” I snapped, rolling my eyes. “I only fed you that story to make you let me pass. What woman would be so stupid as to choose that boor Sattar over Rhys?” Despite the seriousness of the situation that caused a few chuckles.
“All lies!” Pellyn shouted. “Don’t believe a word she says!” He was starting to sweat.
Owena stepped forward. “No. If Lady Arisha had wanted to return to the Sikhandi camp, she could have done so. They opened the gate for her.” We all stared at her in surprise, and she blushed. “I thought that was your intention there for a moment,” she told me. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too,” I replied, dazed. I had done her wrong; perhaps the girl had the finest mind of her family after all.
Relentlessly Rhys pursued the original point. “So do you deny wanting to treat with the Sikhandi behind my back?” he asked. Already the men around Pellyn were drawing back from him, as if they knew the answer.
“It’s all that woman’s fault!” he wailed. “She tempted me.”
“And you were all too ready to give in to temptation,” Rhys said. “Less than a sennight after swearing loyalty to me! What else were you ready to sell to the Sikhandi?” Angry mutters greeted his words.
“I wouldn’t!” Pellyn protested. He looked around for support, but found none.
“Enough excuses,” Rhys snapped. “You are confined to your tent until I decide on your punishment.” He searched the crowd around us. “Owl?”
The Khotai woman appeared as if summoned out of nowhere. “Eagle?”
“You have command of the right wing. See to it that we don’t get any more surprises from that way.”
I don’t know how she kept a straight face, but she did. “Of course, Eagle.” She led a defeated looking Pellyn away.
* * *
Watching them go, I touched Rhys lightly on the arm. “So will you step into the circle of truce and listen to my proposal?”
He regarded me for a long moment. “I suppose you still want to put it to Bahram as well?”
“Yes.”
His men watched him silently while he considered the question. Finally he sighed. “For the sake of the women and children of Aneirion I will do as you ask.” His gaze pierced me. “Get him into your flour circle, and I’ll talk to him.” I had expected another outcry from his men, but they only nodded, apparently willing to trust their leader.
Well, the challenge was clear. Now I just had to get the thrice renowned Prince Bahram, brother to glorious Emperor Firooz – may he reign ten thousand years – to leave his safe haven…
I turned to look at the Sikhandi fort, but it was too far away to make out individual figures behind the parapet. They were probably wondering what the ruckus was all about!
“I need to go and talk to them,” I told Rhys.
But as expected, he did not like that idea. “Out of the question,” he said at once.
“Be reasonable, how else can I persuade them to come out?”
He shook his head. “I don’t care, but you’re not going any nearer and that’s final.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You’re not exactly helpful!”
Rhys crossed his arms on his chest. “Bahram won’t come out anyway.” He snorted. “Your gallant prince has been cowering inside his thick stone walls ever since we arrived.”
Clearly he had no intention of making it easy for me. But I had an idea. My improvised baton of truce still lay on the ground where I had dropped it in my hurry to draw the circle of flour. I picked it up, walked over to the side facing the fort and cleared my throat. “Navid!” I shouted.
However, the morning breeze blew my words away. I tried again, waving the baton in the air. “Navid! I want to talk to you!” I could see some of the Sikhandi pointing at me, but I doubted they understood my words. I chewed my lip. Clearly this wasn’t working too well. “Navid!” I tried again, my voice cracking.
Next to me Rhys sighed. “Oh stop that, you’ll only make yourself hoarse.” He took a deep breath. “Navid!” he bellowed in a voice meant to carry effortlessly across the din of a battlefield. “Lady Arisha wants you. Now!”
“Thank you,” I said grudgingly. He could be quite useful at times. There seemed to be some kind of discussion going on now at the Sikhandi fort, and I spotted one man wearing an extravagant feather plume on his helmet. Prince Bahram?
A little while later the gates of the fort opened a crack and a rider emerged, also holding a white baton. Poor Navid, he was probably cursing me! “Can you tell your men to move back?” I asked Rhys.
He shrugged, but ordered most them to retreat to the other side of the river, all except some chosen captains, including Taren. Kestrel had taken Owena away, but Cerwen remained, having refused to go with them. Slowly Navid rode closer and dismounted. A brave man, he kept his back straight and his face calm.
Ignoring Rhys’s order to stay back, I went forward and embraced him. “Navid! It’s good to see you. Don’t worry, you’re safe here.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” He gave me a brief hug back and nodded cautiously at Rhys. “Lord Eagle.”
“Lord Navid,” Rhys acknowledged him. “For Lady Arisha’s sake you have my word that no harm will come to you.”
I felt Navid relax slightly. “Thank you.”
Drawing him into the circle, I searched his face. He looked tired and drawn, with shadows around his eyes. “How are you?” I asked. “Is Yasaman safe?”
“Oh yes, the women left the day after I got back,” he answered. “We even received news that they passed the mountains safely, for which I’m grateful.”
“I gave my word,” Rhys said, his voice cool.
Really, he might show a bit a more enthusiasm, after all I was also trying to save his skin. Men and their damned pride! I frowned at him, but he just stared back at me, a challenge in his eyes.
“Arisha,” Navid said, “why are you here?”
“A good question,” Rhys agreed.
If he wasn’t careful, I would kick him in another moment! “Navid, I need to talk to Prince Bahram,” I answered.
Navid hesitated, but must have decided to be blunt. “Why?” he asked. “For you to turn up so suddenly, now of all times…you must understand, there has been talk, some even say that you’ve gone over to the enemy.”
I could guess who would say such a thing. Curse that liar Sattar! “Well, they’re wrong,” I snapped, finding that I was fast losing my patience with all the men involved. “I’m on neither side! All I want is to avoid further bloodshed, and for that I need to see Prince Bahram.”
“You want me to escort you back to the fort?”
“No,” Rhys said.
“I swear to you, no harm would come to Arisha,” Navid assured him. “She’s a mage!”
“No.”
Though briefly tempted to get on Hami and ride up to the Sikhandi fort, simply to make a point, I decided to intervene. “Navid, I want the prince to come out here.”
“What?” Navid’s eyes popped. “That would be throwing his life away!”
“No. This is a circle of truce. I guarantee his safety.” I cast a hard look at Rhys.
Grudgingly he nodded. “I will respect the truce as long as the prince uses no magic. If he does, he’s a dead man.”
“I can ask him,” Navid said, sounding dubious, “but I don’t know if he’ll be willing to risk it.”
Really, Prince Bahram was as good as dead anyway! He just had the choice whether to take a lot of other men with him to face judgement on the Wheel. “Listen to me,” I said. “Tell the prince that I have a proposition to put to him that will save both his life and his honour. You must persuade him to come out and listen to me!” That earned a snort from Rhys, who clearly did not think much of Bahram’s courage.
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