Cromwell sat down beside the general. “If I was you, I would get drunk.”
“I wish I had the time, my friend. I miss the days where we were free to come and go as we wished. I have found I don’t care to serve another. It’s like an anchor around my neck, but I have given the queen my word and I won’t break it. Kian is most likely dead, Rhys too. If the Church caught them, they’re finished. All I can do is avenge them when this is over.”
Cromwell shook his head. “You always underestimate the Arradar, K’xarr. I do not think the Church can kill him. Kian belongs to the Old Gods, they own his destiny and one day his name will soar with the eagles. The Toran War Gods of old have whispered it to me in my dreams.”
K’xarr looked at the big bear of a man. He thought Cromwell might be joking, but he wasn’t. “You must already be drunk or half mad. The Old Gods are gone, if they ever existed at all. Kian can die like any other man, Cromwell, no one is immortal.”
Cromwell winked at the general. “We shall see.”
K’xarr rubbed his head. “Don’t you have something to do, Captain, besides aggravate me?”
Endra went into her children’s room. She was still mad at K’xarr. The man was infuriating sometimes, but he was right about one thing. Kian could escape the Church without anyone’s help, she had no doubt about that. Endra just couldn’t help worrying about him and Rhys, and she was angry that K’xarr acted like he didn’t care. Seeing her babies would improve her mood. They were all awake when she opened the door. The children ran to her as soon as she stepped through. Tressa smiled up at her as she clutched her mother’s leg. Endra held the small dark-haired girl from the tower in her arms. She wondered how the children would receive the addition to their family. Before she could find out, Nick came from the back room. “Thank God you're back,” he said, more relieved than he intended. Endra smiled, knowing her brood could be trying.
“Yes, I’m here, Nick, you’re free now.”
The young cook smiled and grabbed his cloak. “Goodbye, children,” he said as he scampered out the door.
“Mother, whose baby is that?” Payton asked, pointing at the girl.
“She is your new sister. I came across her on my trip.”
Tressa was grinning from ear to ear. “What’s her name, Mama?”
“I have named her Sabra.” Endra sat the two-year-old girl down before the other children. She was surprised to see that the little girl didn’t cower before them.
Tressa clapped her hands. “Another girl, Mama, now we have more girls than boys.”
Vinsant looked at his mother with confusion. “Was that baby in your belly like we were?”
Endra laughed. “Oh no, the queen found this little girl on our trip and she needed a home, so I told Her Majesty we would give her one, if that’s okay with all of you?”
Tressa nodded feverishly. Vinsant smiled and touched Sabra’s hand. Payton stood with his arms folded. “I guess we can keep her, Mother. I can train her to be one of my soldiers.”
The little girl giggled at the humorless boy. “I think she likes the idea. I’m sure she will make a fine soldier,” Endra told her son.
"I don’t think everyone wants to be a soldier,” Vinsant said.
“Well, all of you are my soldiers, you have no choice. My brother and sisters must be in my army,” Payton yelled. Vinsant slapped Payton in the face and the two boys started wrestling on the floor.
“Boys, stop, it’s late. Get to bed.” The boys instantly obeyed their mother, giving each other dirty looks before crawling into their beds.
Endra’s oldest daughter raised her hands and her mother picked her up. Tressa wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. Endra held her close. “Mommy, can I ask you a question?”
Endra looked at her beautiful little daughter. The child always had so much love in her eyes. Tressa was different than her boys. Her heart was much kinder. “Sure, my darling daughter, what is it?”
“Where’s Kian? I want him to tell me a story before I go to sleep.”
“He still away, little one. I will tell you a story tonight, if that’s alright?”
Tressa frowned. “It’s okay tonight, but you don’t tell them like he does.” Endra turned her head and held the little girl close, so Tressa could not see her face.
Lord Justice Milara looked at Kian hanging from the poles holding up the justice’s pavilion. The poles were large and strong due to the size of the pavilion. Lord Justice Milara’s quarters were the size of a small house. He had always liked to travel in comfort.
Milara shook his head in wonder. Why God would allow such an unnatural creature to exist was baffling. Yet who was he to question the Almighty? God must have his reasons for this abomination. Those reasons might be to aid the Church in its pursuit of the children of the Beast. The creature had the blood, after all. “Are you sure the chains are secure, Commander?” Milara asked the knight.
Commander Deverall nodded. “Yes, Lord Justice, he will not escape.”
Two young priests brought a small table into the pavilion and placed several instruments on it. A large brazier full of hot coals was also set beside the table. From where he stood, Deverall could feel its heat, and he almost felt pity for the half-breed.
The young priests shoved several iron pokers down into the glowing coals. They gave a slight bow to the lord justice and exited the pavilion.
“Strip him,” Milara ordered. Two knights stepped forward and roughly cut and ripped Kian’s leather clothing off.
“Scourge him, Commander.”
The knight commander looked the older man. “Aren’t you going to question him first, Lord Justice?”
Milara gave him a grim smile. “No, a good scourging will loosen the monster’s tongue. No sense asking him anything until he is broken. Please proceed, Commander.”
Deverall motioned for one of the knights. A large man with hard, thick arms stepped forward. He picked up the scourge that lay on the table: nine straps of leather with small shards of metal and bone woven into the straps. Deverall winced just looking at it.
Kian looked up at the men from the Church. They could see his muscles tighten as he prepared himself for the torture he was about to receive.
“Whip that arrogant look off his face,” Milara commanded. The scourge whistled through the air and black blood splattered the walls of the pavilion.
The vanguard of Donovan and Griffyn’s armies arrived at Havalon’s camp early in the morning. K’xarr watched from the battlements. He knew the king would send for reinforcements after he had sent Rufio to provoke the old man. He just wasn’t prepared for what had happened.
If the size of the vanguard was any inclination, the old king had sent for the bulk of his army from northern Bandara. He must have beaten King Cain in the north or abandoned his positions there.
He would have to make plans talk to the witches. Havalon would come at them hard when the rest of his reinforcements arrived. He knew even with the witches’ magic, he would have to be prepared.
K’xarr found all of the witches in the council chamber. None of them looked very happy. He felt as if he had walked in on something. The young general could sense the tension in the room.
“Raven, a vanguard from the north just came into Havalon’s camp three thousand men strong and more on the way. We should talk about how we want to handle the reinforcements that are coming in. I’m sure Havalon will have something big planned.”
Raven turned and faced the young general, a smirk on her face. “It’s not just reinforcements, my dear boy. King Havalon has called for his two sons and all of the Abberdonian armies in Bandara. Havalon left but a token force to trouble the Bandarans at Northham. The princes and their men will be here in a matter of days. Havalon’s army here in Turill will number over twenty thousand men when they arrive. They mean to have this city, K’xarr, and your head.”
K’xarr blew out a big breath. Maybe sending Rufio had been a bad idea. It seemed the Dragitan had angered the ki
ng more that he thought. “That’s a sizable army, Raven. Can you handle that many?”
“It matters not what we can or cannot handle, General. We are leaving Turill today.”
K’xarr was dumbfounded. Without the witches’ magic, he knew Turill would already be lost. He had four thousand men, and that was after he had conscripted more inexperienced young men from the city. Even with the wall, that was not enough to hold Havalon back. “You can’t leave,” he shouted. “You said you would help me, you gave me your word.”
Raven smiled sadly at him. “My poor, poor boy, I have kept my word. We did help. I never said I would win the war for you.”
“Not all of us agreed to this, General,” Scarlett interjected. She looked at K’xarr, her thick hair hanging down just above her green eyes. He could tell she wanted to say more.
Raven looked at the redheaded witch with contempt. “My sister speaks out of turn, General. Please forgive her, she is young. It is true that we might not all have agreed, but we are all leaving. Farewell, General Strom."
“Wait, what about…” K’xarr could not bring himself to say it in front of the other witches.
“What, our lovemaking? Did you think I was going to be your woman, K’xarr? It was just a way to pass the time.” Raven looked amused at his embarrassment.
K’xarr saw a few of the witches were smiling and he lost his temper. “To Hell with you all. I’ll put Raygan on the throne without you. I don’t need your magic or your help.”
Raven shook her head. “You sound like a child and your anger is very unbecoming.”
K’xarr reached for his sword, but the witch was faster. She raised her hand and crossed two fingers. A wave of force sent him flying through the air to land in a heap several feet away.
“I will kill you, bitch.” Saliva flew from his mouth as he cursed the powerful witch.
“Farewell, General,” Raven said, and the witches disappeared one by one.
Scarlett stayed behind a moment, a pained look on her face. “I’m truly sorry, General.”
K’xarr went toward her and she folded her hands and vanished, leaving him alone in the room.
He got to his feet and hurled his sword across the chamber. The blade crashed into an old suit of armor, scattering it across the floor. He calmed himself as best he could. He was acting like a fool. He was mad at himself for letting his temper get the better of him.
A wine pitcher sat on the huge council table. He didn’t even bother to pour himself a cup, taking a great swallow straight from the pitcher itself. “Damn those witches to Hell,” he shouted. His voice echoed in the large room. It would not be the last time he cursed the sorceresses.
K’xarr called out into the hall for a servant. He told the young man the people he wanted brought to the council chamber. He also told him to tell the queen that her general humbly requested her presence.
He sat and brooded until they all came in: the queen, with Prince Corwin in her arms, and the girl, Isabella. K’xarr noticed that the servant girl was armed with a beautiful longsword. It was delicate, just right for a small woman.
Bishop Lyfair’s arrival took his attention away from the girl’s sword. Lyfair nodded to K’xarr and smiled. K’xarr didn’t like the holy man at all. The young general hadn’t forgotten who Lyfair supported before the queen returned. If it wasn’t for the city's religious concerns and the queen’s delicate sensibilities, K’xarr would have killed Lyfair the day they took the palace.
Rufio, Endra, and Cromwell all came in together. When they walked into the council room, the trio could tell K’xarr was angry. They had seen that look often enough.
“What is it, K’xarr, I mean, General?” Cromwell asked.
K’xarr looked at him but didn’t answer. He waited for everyone to be seated.
The young general stood and faced the queen, who sat at the far end of the table. “The witches have betrayed us. They have left the city. Prince Donovan and Prince Griffyn are leading their armies here as we speak, and they will be here in a matter of days. Your Majesty, I can’t hold the city.”
The room was silent. Everyone looked shocked but Bishop Lyfair.
“I believe I said those evil women could not be trusted when they first arrived. Now they have left us to our fate when things look the grimmest. In the end, evil always shows its cowardice,” Lyfair stated smugly.
“I don’t think they left because they were afraid, I think they never planned on staying in the first place. What they truly wanted is anyone’s guess.” K’xarr paused and walked behind his chair, unconsciously using it as a shield between him and the rest of the room. “What we must do now is act, we have little time.”
The queen looked down at her child, then at K’xarr. “What must we do, General?”
K’xarr found her calm demeanor refreshing. He was expecting a tantrum. K’xarr thought that given time, Raygan might grow into a true queen. There was just no way he could give her that time. He only had one choice now.
“First, Your Majesty, we must get you, your court, and staff out of the city while we still can. Where is the safest place in southern Bandara that you could go?”
“That’s easy, Braxton Bluff; my father-in-law’s castle is a fortress. It is where Braxton Blackthorn and the Phoenix Queen made their famous stand. The city is quaint and the people friendly. Since William Blackthorn is not there, I would be willing go.”
K’xarr nodded. “Rufio, you will take a thousand of our best men and see the queen and the others safely to Braxton Bluff.”
Rufio slowly stood. “General, I would be of more use at your side, not being shepherd to the royal court. No offense, Majesty.”
“None taken, Captain Rufio,” the queen said.
K’xarr walked over to the Dragitan and put his hand on Rufio’s shoulder. “There are few I would rather have with me than you, Rufio, but I need you with the queen. Havalon will come for her sooner or later. If you can hold out until Ansellus comes back, you may still have a chance.”
Rufio said nothing, but he sat back down without further argument. K’xarr could tell he had hurt the Dragitan’s pride, but he trusted Rufio and knew the man would do as he was ordered.
“Cromwell and I will hold the city as long as we can.”
Endra stood. “I will stay as well, General.”
K’xarr raised his hand. “You have children to tend to.”
“I ask the queen now if she will watch after them for me.”
The queen looked at her, surprised by the request. “I would be pleased to watch your children, but what about the one you carry in your belly now?”
Endra gave the queen a hard look. “That was a private matter, Majesty.”
“My general should have all the information he can get to make the right decision.” The queen gave K’xarr a knowing glance.
Endra whipped around to look at K’xarr, her dark hair flipping down across her face, giving her beauty a wild look.
K’xarr knew she would never take no for an answer.
K’xarr looked the warrior woman up and down. “If you wish to stay, I will not order you away.”
The queen shook her head in disgust. K’xarr knew Raygan had wanted Endra sent to the Bluff because she was pregnant. If she was any other woman, K’xarr would order her away. The queen didn’t understand, Endra usually didn’t follow his or anyone else’s orders anyway. If he ordered her to leave, she would most likely not listen and then he would have to bind her and throw her over a horse to get her out of the city. He just didn’t have the time to be bothered with these women and their problems. He would think of some other way to get Endra to leave before the city fell.
“Everyone knows what to do. Rufio, I want the queen out tomorrow before enough Abberdonians arrive to surround the city. I will talk with everyone individually later.”
The group all filed out of the room in silence, only Cromwell stayed behind.
K’xarr stopped Endra before she got out the door. “I would like a wor
d.” They waited a moment until everyone had left the room. Cromwell walked over across the room and poured himself a cup of wine.
K’xarr looked at Endra’s belly. He couldn’t tell anything from the chainmail shirt she wore, but he knew the queen was not lying. “I didn’t know about the baby. I wish it could be a better situation for you.”
Endra tried to smile. “I do too, but the world is what it is. I just wish Kian was here.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk with you about,” K’xarr said.
Endra eyed K’xarr curiously. “I thought you didn’t want anyone going after him? I know it’s because you think he is dead.”
K’xarr put his hands behind his back. “He might be. Cromwell thinks he lives, of course, he thinks Kian is Tor Ironclaw reborn.”
Cromwell held his cup up in a mock toast.
“So, what do you want me to do?” Endra asked, smiling at Cromwell’s light-heartedness, in spite of herself.
“There is no reason to stay here now. Find him and bring him back. If he still lives, you seem to have a knack for locating him.”
K’xarr knew the answer the woman would give before he had asked the question.
“I will leave tonight. Will you send my children to Braxton Bluff with the queen?”
K’xarr clapped her on the shoulder. “Of course, the cook can see to them, and if it’s not too much trouble, Endra, see if you can find my wayward healer too.”
Endra reached up and squeezed his hand. K’xarr could tell by the look in her eyes she didn’t think she would ever see him again. “I will, General, and thank you for everything.” She waved to Cromwell and smiled. Endra stopped at the door and took one more look at the two men before walking out.
The Toran walked slowly over to where K’xarr stood looking at the door. “Why send her? You told me yourself, if the Church has Kian, he is dead.”
DAWN OF THE PHOENIX Page 47