“There’s a ford a little to the north,” Mohan said, emerging from the foliage. “I scouted while you were, well...”
She blew a sigh of relief and walked toward him. “Where are they?”
He didn’t hesitate. “North. As far as you can go. A chasm spreads across from ocean to ocean. They are on the other side.
“They say it’s uncrossable, but I don’t know if anyone has ever tried. Sheer cliffs down both sides and at the bottom, a tiny ribbon of silver. They say it’s a mighty river but from that distance it’s hard to tell.”
“You’ve been there? Seen them?” In her eagerness, she grasped his arm.
“Once.” Mohan nodded. “I saw the great chasm, but my grandfather saw a Siobani, once, on the other side. He walked along the chasm and when the figure saw my grandfather, he disappeared into the thick forest. And...”
“And?” Hope flared to life.
“I don’t know for sure, but if I had to guess, I’d say you’ve received an invitation of sorts.”
“What are you talking about?
“Melior. It’s not every day you encounter a Siobani stallion.”
Her elation deflated. “Mohan. I’m sorry. I owe you so much. You did what you thought best.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Forgotten.” His eyes shone down on her with more tenderness than she felt she deserved. “Now let me show you the ford.”
* * *
Erhard shook his head as the forest blurred around him. He was tired. He regretted the decision to the led the party; it had been rash and spur-of-the-moment. Not for the first time, he wished Bredych was there.
One of his guards approached, kneeled then spoke. “We found their trail on the other side of the stream. Still two, still on foot.”
Erhard became instantly alert. “How old?”
The soldier shook his head. “Fresh. It was made not long ago.”
Erhard nodded. He had them.
Chapter Forty-Three
Bredych woke in a cold sweat, his breathing rapid. Instinctively he felt for Teann. Nothing had changed. Ilydearta was still in the valley. He sat up, weary. Keeping a tight rein on the wolves for this long had tired him, and he was no closer to capturing the keeper of Ilydearta.
It’s a chimera. It must be. No one should have been able to elude the wolves for this long. Anger burned hot in his breast. There was some part of the puzzle he didn’t have. If he could find out to whom Ilythra could have given the stone, then he’d have a better idea how to track and find the keeper. He would not be beaten by a slip of a girl half out of her mind.
“Only a fool chases after his shadow.” And he was no fool. “Damn it.” With a thought, he released the wolves to find their own prey and then stepped out into the predawn night. “Get up. We make for the castle.”
* * *
“We’re going to have to rest soon.” The moon sank behind the treetops. They walked along what might have been an old deer path, now overgrown with fern and laced with bracken but at least passable.
“What? Why? You slept all day.”
“What can I say? I’m a lazy almost-queen.”
“Sorry.” He sounded sheepish.
“No, don’t be. A poor attempt at humor. But I’m... shh.” She stretched out her arm.
Mohan stopped. “What?” Then his eyes widened. Hoofbeats.
Without a word, they drew their swords. The dark forest now seemed menacing. Ilythra glanced around; they were about as hidden as they could be, but if the guards had dogs, or they were spotted, she hoped the close quarters would work to her and Mohan’s advantage.
She pointed to the north and mouthed, “Coming fast.”
He nodded and moved a little ahead and to her left.
A drop of sweat trickled down her temple to linger for a moment on her cheek before falling to the forest floor.
Mohan tensed, glanced back at her and mouthed, “One?”
Listening carefully, Ilythra nodded but didn’t relax. A scout? One guard they could handle, as long as his death was silent and wouldn’t alert any other soldiers close by.
A soft whicker broke the night’s silence.
Could it be? Ilythra lowered her sword and stepped forward to lay a hand on Mohan’s shoulder. She tested the winds of Teann, and a smile broke out on her face, relief so intense her body felt weightless with it. “Melior.”
Mohan turned, his eyes wide, but soon a riderless horse broke through the foliage.
“Melior,” Ilythra repeated.
The horse whinnied.
“Shh.” She reached for his bridle and turned to Mohan. The Benai shrugged.
Ilythra retrieved her medicine pouch and opened it. Ilydearta glinted in the darkness of the bag. Tears blurred the stone. “I let you down too. Never again.”
“Aren’t you going to put it on?”
Ilythra shook her head. “I’ve been thinking. The stone has a different signature, depending on the bearer. We’ve managed to confuse Bredych. He probably thinks I’m dead or so senseless I might as well be. If I put it on, he’ll know.” She smiled and patted Melior’s neck. “I could kiss you, boy. I don’t know how you managed to elude capture, but let’s hope your luck holds.”
The horse huffed hot air down her neck.
Ilythra checked Melior for any sign of injury. “We can’t follow this path with him.”
“There’s a road that way.” He pointed west.
Ilythra led the horse through the forest until a pale ribbon showed between the trees. She looked both ways, but the path was deserted. With a glance to the Benai, she jumped on Melior’s back.
“Just like old times,” Mohan muttered as he settled behind Ilythra.
“At daybreak we’ll have to find a place to rest.”
Mohan grunted his assent.
* * *
Bredych didn’t spare a glance to the guards opening the gates. He rode his horse to the castle, jumped off and threw the reins to the boy waiting. The doors opened as he marched up the stairs. A wave of dizziness hit him. Not now. He willed it away. He was drained and in need of a rest, but first he wanted to speak to Erhard.
“Milord.” Konrad approached, looking rumpled and tired.
“Where’s your king?” Bredych removed his gloves with impatience.
“He’s not back yet.” Konrad wrung his hands.
“Back?” Bredych fixed his gaze on the steward. “Where did he go?”
“Ilythra and the Benai were sighted—”
“Benai?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me all you know. Now.” A red haze formed in Bredych’s vision as the steward told his tale. He thought briefly of slicing Konrad’s throat simply for standing in front of him, watching the blood trickle down his tunic until the body fell lifeless. He took a deep breath. “So a Benai sash was found in Ilythra’s dress pocket, and Cassia reported that Ilythra left with a servant. How do you know this servant is Benai?”
“We assumed.”
“Assumption is for fools.” A Benai. It made sense. She was with a Benai in Jartas. Damn. “Which direction did Erhard go?”
“Northwest, milord.”
Bredych spun on his heel without another word and returned to the courtyard. He’d deal with Cassia later. He was looking forward to it.
The stable boys led the last of the horses back to their stalls; a few Rugians leaned against the castle. They stood to attention when he emerged.
“Saddle the horses. We’re heading back out.”
“But milord...” A Rugian stepped forward, bowed and continued, “The horses are weary. They need to rest. We need to rest.”
Bredych moved toward the man, placed his hands on either side of the man’s head and twisted in one fluid
motion. The outspoken Rugian lay in the dust, his neck broken.
“Anyone else need to rest?”
Silence.
“Then get fresh horses. I’m already weary of waiting.” Ilythra and a Benai, doubtless the same one she’d been traveling with earlier. Had he followed her? And did the Benai have the stone? Fighting weariness, he sensed the winds of Teann. There was no change in Ilydearta’s resonance. Ilythra still didn’t have the stone. Did the Benai? How did they escape the wolves? He felt his anger grow until it pulsed in his head with his heartbeat. It blurred his vision and left it hazed with red. Bredych accepted the reins of a horse and jumped astride, briefly glancing at each of the remaining Rugians.
Together, they rode back out of the castle gates. No matter, he’d find them and when he did, they’d live a short, painful life. He was at the end of his patience.
* * *
“I think we have company,” Mohan whispered.
A rush of adrenaline surged through Ilythra’s body. “Where?”
“I saw a flash of metal behind us.”
Ilythra slowed Melior. The moon had sunk beneath the horizon, but the sun had yet to make an appearance. The faint sound of horses could be heard behind them.
“Do you know this area?” he asked.
“No.” She tapped Melior with her foot, and he responded. The horse was beginning to tire.
“Damn.”
The pounding of horses sounded louder behind them. Ilythra urged Melior faster.
“It’s no good. We’re too heavy for him. We’ll never outrace them,” Mohan said.
“You don’t know Melior.”
The horse surged forward, finding a hidden reserve of speed.
Two men on horseback materialized on the path before them. Melior slid to a stop, his back haunches almost touching the ground. Hoofbeats sounded behind them as well. Without a word, she drew her sword. A quick glance to her left and right assured her that they were surrounded. Melior pranced in place.
“All this for us? I’d say it was a compliment,” Mohan murmured. “One that may well be our last.”
“King’s personal guard,” she whispered.
“You’ll come with us.” One of the soldiers stepped forward.
Ilythra looked at him. He wasn’t someone she recognized. “No.”
“We don’t want to hurt you.” Another joined the first.
Basku, Rothit’s prize pupil. She turned her gaze on him. “And I don’t want to hurt you. I’d say we’re even. Let us go.”
The soldiers exchanged glances.
“Please, Ilythra. You have dishonored our king. Do not fight us,” Basku said.
She shook her head. She really didn’t want to kill this man.
Immediately, the guards in front of them charged. She managed to disarm one and kick the other away, but Mohan behind her limited her mobility. The Benai must have known because he jumped down, spooking the nearest horse, unseating the guard and taking over his mount. The guards held off a new attack as if unsure. The narrow path allowed only two abreast; there was no fighting room.
Yelling a challenge, a guard urged his horse forward. Ilythra and Mohan used the tight quarters as an ally, fighting back-to-back, so each only had to deal with two horsemen at a time. Ilythra’s arm was growing tired. She hadn’t held her sword in too long and the effects of the scent still lingered, clouding her thinking and slowing her reactions.
Suddenly the warriors withdrew, and Ilythra saw Erhard’s standard approach with half a dozen of his spearmen.
“Great now it’s ten against two,” Mohan muttered.
Ilythra did a quick count—he was being optimistic.
Erhard led his horse out from between two soldiers, his sword bare and gleaming in the starlight. He dismounted. “I could have you executed as horse thieves on the spot. The least of your transgressions.”
“You gave me the pick of your stables, remember? Melior is mine.”
Erhard blinked. “And you promised to marry me, remember?”
“Erhard.” She softened her voice. It wasn’t his fault either. They were both victims.
“No. I will not hear your lies.” His face drew into hard lines.
“You know I do not lie, but the life we’ve been living, have been planning, would have been,” she pleaded.
He flinched as though struck. “So you leave me for him?”
Ilythra glanced at Mohan. “It’s not what it seems. He is my friend.”
“But not mine, it would appear.” His tone hardened. “Get off the horse.”
“It’s some kind of scent, Erhard. It...it confuses your thinking. I think he’s used it on you too.”
“If anyone has confused your thinking, it’s that man there.” Erhard pointed to Mohan. “I would never have believed you’d leave me for a Benai unless I saw it with my own eyes. He is a Benai, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is, but it’s not what you think.” Melior pranced beneath her.
“It never is.” Erhard slid off his horse and strode forward.
“Please listen to me. It’s Bredych. He’s done this.” A faint whiff of Erhard’s fragrance wafted in the slight breeze. Her eyes fluttered.
“Enough of your lies. Get off the horse.” The king’s voice had faded.
“Do as he says,” Ilythra whispered to Mohan. She slid off Melior.
The soldiers didn’t relax their stances.
Erhard marched closer. “Come here.”
* * *
“No!” Mohan warned.
If Ilythra heard him, she gave no indication. She neared the king.
“Surrender, and I may show you pity.” Erhard stared at Ilythra.
She shook her head. “I can’t. Don’t do this.” Her voice had lost its strength.
“Me?” The king’s voice rose. “You tell me not to do this?” He stepped back, his hands raised as though he could block her words. “Kill them.”
The guards surged forward, but Ilythra hesitated.
By the One, he has the scent on him. Mohan rushed forward, knocking Ilythra to the ground and blocking a sword thrust that would have ended her life.
He could feel Ilythra rise to her feet behind him as he fended off two of the king’s guards, but he wasn’t sure if she’d be in any condition to fight. A clash of metal, then the unmistakable sound of rending flesh answered his question as another opponent surged forward to take the place of the one Ilythra killed.
“Glad to have you back, partner,” he called.
She didn’t answer except with an increased parry of swords. “We’re too close for them to use their spears or to attack in unison. That’s about the only thing saving us.”
“Gee, thanks, I thought it was my superior sword-fighting skills.”
A distance down the path, Melior whinnied as he kicked and trampled a guard, viciously biting another.
“You teach him that?” Mohan asked.
“Nope.”
“Thank the One someone did.”
The ranks thinned, and Mohan couldn’t move without tripping on a body. It made swordplay difficult at best. He saw a flash of gold and knew Erhard himself had entered the fray. If he let the king get close to Ilythra again, they were lost.
Where he found the strength, he didn’t know, but he finished the guard in front of him, threw his body into the guard waiting for his turn and then used him as a stepping stone to launch himself toward the king. A guard must have seen his intent because he quickly threw himself at Mohan, knocking them both to the ground.
“No, let me have him,” Erhard commanded.
The guard hesitated but moved aside.
Erhard’s eyes gleamed with something close to madness as he waited for Mohan to rise.
They ci
rcled each other, exchanging a few blows, when Mohan saw his opening. He feinted right and knocked the king’s sword from his hand. He kicked and sent Erhard sprawling into a nearby tree. The king slid to the ground.
Mohan moved foreword, his sword raised.
“No!” Ilythra called.
He hesitated.
She raised her voice. “Your king is down. Do you want to see him dead?”
The soldiers hesitated.
* * *
Ilythra caught Basku’s eye. “Mohan will kill him. But we don’t want to.”
Basku stared at her, his gaze penetrating. Finally he yelled, “Stand down!”
Swords fell lax. She moved past the guards. One grabbed her shoulders.
“Let me through.”
“Let her go,” Basku said.
The guard looked into her eyes, hesitated then released her.
Mohan stood over the unconscious king, his sword poised and ready to strike. “Impasse?”
Erhard’s eyes opened. He followed the sword up to Mohan and then glanced to Ilythra. “What are you waiting for? Kill me and leave.”
“We’re not going to kill you. What I told you was the truth. Bredych is not your friend.”
His voice was soft. “You speak, and I wonder. Did you bewitch me or am I bewitched already and you offer sanity?” A small smile touched his mouth. “It doesn’t matter.” His face bore the evidence of a struggle. “But it wasn’t all a lie, Ilythra.” He reached out and touched her face. “It’s too late for me, but perhaps not for you. Go.”
Ilythra felt a moment of doubt. A home, family, children, a life of my choosing. She reached for Erhard’s hand.
The king jerked away. “No. Go, now!” His voice raised in command. “I am banishing you from my kingdom. Leave me.” He gestured weakly, and the path cleared before them. Erhard’s eyes met Mohan’s. “Get her far from here, fast.”
Basku placed a hand on her shoulder as she walked by. “Gods be with you.”
Chapter Forty-Four
“He’s got stamina, that’s for sure.”
“Don’t even think of trying to steal him.” Ilythra rubbed Melior’s damp coat with a dry towel, while Mohan scrounged for something edible in the forest. They had ridden from the site of the battle as fast as Melior would go. But now the sun was high in the sky, and they needed sleep. Ilythra found a copse near a stream. It was just big enough for all of them, with access to the stream for Mel. She finished wiping the horse down then collapsed against a large trunk, her eyes closing of their own accord.
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