The Treason Blade (Battle for Alsaar Book 1)

by Keech, Jenny Rebecca

  A motion caught her eye and Ishar watched as two Tourna approached her position. One carried a bow, the other a sword and shield. She kept her head low, her thoughts racing. Ishar brought the bow up and fired somewhat blind before ducking down. A second later an arrow slammed into the rock wall above her and splintered. She flicked a quick glance at her opponents. Her arrow was in the shield. It had done no damage. She fumed. The archer was ready with another arrow. Thwack! The archer dropped silently forward. His companion looked down and then behind but by then it was too late. Traevyn did not take time to grab another arrow or his sword. He leaped from the back of his horse and onto the man with only his dagger. His weight knocked the Tourna to the ground. The dagger stabbed downward and twisted. The Tourna jerked and went still, his eyes slack and open.

  Ishar moved away from the rock and readied the bow.

  Traevyn gave a heavy sigh and stood up. He went still when he saw she had her arrow trained on him and held up his bloody hand. “Ishar,” he began.

  “Do not move, Traevyn,” she muttered. “Do not even breathe heavy. I just want your horse but if you try to stop me, so help me I will kill you.” Please do not do this, her mind pleaded with him. Do not make me choose to take your life.

  Traevyn held up his other hand. “Ishar, I need you to listen to me. We are not your enemy.”

  She stepped farther around him. “I wish I could believe that. I do,” she said angrily, “but all I can remember is the day you said nothing in my defense.”

  His own eyes grew dark. “Forgive me. I had just seen Eira’s body soaked in blood and then found out it was your arrows pulled from her body.” Traevyn’s face was pleading. “I am sorry. At that time it seemed too much to comprehend. Yes. After a moment’s reflection I knew you could not have done it.” He stepped closer.

  She shook her head. “You are just trying to save your own life, you bastard.” Her bow arm shook ever so slightly.

  “No,” Traevyn said softly as he took another step. “If you want my life, so be it. Do it, Ishar,” he said as he closed the distance and dropped the dagger in the sand. “I have no weapon. I have no defense. Take the revenge you feel you deserve over your pain. I have no way to stop you.” He stopped less than a foot away. “But I wish you would yield the blow. I would not have you mourn your actions at a later, more reflective time.”

  Ishar felt her hand that gripped tightly to the arrow and string shake. She gritted her teeth, thought about the day at the holding when he just stood there. Her grip tightened and she aimed for his heart with renewed anger. Her narrowed green eyes stared into his black ones. She could not sense the deceit she so desperately needed to feel to loose the arrow. The anger within her was not enough. Her heart had doomed her, she realized. If his words were false, she was as good as dead. She released the tension on the bow and the brought the arrow down.

  Traevyn released a deep breath and relaxed. “Thank you for trusting me,” he spoke softly, “I know after what happened at the holding it took a great resolve for you to make that choice.” He glanced to where the battle raged. “But now I have to keep you safe.” Traevyn looked back at her. “That is why we are all here. To keep you safe. We discovered Audris’ betrayal and Eira and Varyk realized the true intention of this entire ruse: your death.” An arrow swished by and Traevyn grabbed her, dragging her to the ground.

  “Eira?” Ishar fought to remove herself from under his protecting body. “Audris told me Eira was dead, that the people of the holding planned to drag me out and kill me.”

  Traevyn’s face hardened. “I wondered what would make you leave so quickly,” he muttered, “but of course we had done little to reinforce our good will.” He glanced up, studied the situation. “Eira is very much alive but right now we have a bigger problem. We need cover. Tourna can be persistent.” He rose and pulled her with him toward the rocks.

  Thwack! Ishar watched as Traevyn took an arrow in the leg. He fell forward on his hands and rolled on his good leg while grabbing at the offending arrow. She notched an arrow and let it fly. It caught the raider in the outer flesh of his upper arm. He grunted but ignored the wound and grabbed his sword as he nudged his horse closer. Ishar tried to notch another arrow but there was no time. Tossing the bow aside she drew her sword and prepared to meet her attacker. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Traevyn grabbed tight and yanked the arrow out of his leg with a low groan. He crawled toward her discarded bow and dropped arrow.

  The horseman arched the sword with a grunt of power. Ishar was nearly knocked to her knees. She continued to block and parry the overhead blows with her right hand, her left side pulsing with pain. She could see two more riders were closing the distance. Suddenly the Tourna stiffened and fell forward, an arrow piercing his temple. She looked past the horse. Traevyn stood in the sand beyond her propped against a boulder with her bow.

  She threw him the quiver. “You might need these.”

  “I fear our time is too short for that,” he said, drawing his sword. “What is wrong with your side?”

  The two Tourna had dismounted and now advanced warily. Ishar held her sword gripped tight in her right hand. “What is wrong with your leg?” she replied.

  Traevyn tightened his lips and limped lightly to meet his opponent. The Tourna sneered and quickly slashed across his front. Traevyn had to leap backward to avoid the blow. He landed on the injured leg and nearly stumbled in the sand.

  Focus, Ishar thought, turning away. You cannot worry about him. You will only end up getting yourself killed. She looked at raider before her. He stabbed inward, brought his sword up and slashed down at an angle. She knocked the weapon to the side, then brought the blade up to block the downward movement. The impact drove her back and she grappled to find her footing even as the raider lashed out with a foot and caught her in the right side. Her left side was slammed into the rock behind her. Ishar screamed in pain and the Tourna closed the distance, pinned her with his left arm as he dropped his sword and went for his dagger in such close quarters. With bared teeth, he brought it up and down toward her heart.

  Ishar caught the coming blow with her left hand. She ignored the agony of the movement and kept him at bay as her right hand slipped toward her boot. The moment her fingers felt the handle, she slipped it out and upward. With a jerk of adrenaline, she plunged it into his side toward his heart once, twice, three times. The third time she felt the power leave his arm holding her and she threw him backward in the sand to die. She turned toward Traevyn to watch as he blocked an inward stab, knocking the blade aside. He then spun quickly around and slashed downward, giving the Tourna a death blow to the neck and chest. The soldier fell silently to the ground. A moment later, Traevyn stumbled and joined him.

  Ishar ran over. “Traevyn.”

  He motioned away. “Get on my horse. If we cannot hold them,” he stated hoarsely, “I want you as far away as possible.”

  Ishar drew up short with fire in her eyes. “I am not about to run anywhere and leave you here.”

  Traevyn shook his head. “You do not understand. You are the reason they are here. If you fall in this battle, the wound I suffer or any the others may suffer would have been for nothing. There may not be a way to explain your death sufficiently enough to satisfy your father,” Traevyn replied anxiously. “You must go.”

  She reached and grabbed the reins to Traevyn’s horse. She brought it to him. “Mount.”

  He gave her a puzzled look. “Why? I will not leave my friends.”

  “Well, neither will I,” Ishar retorted. “But we are both injured and will fight better riding than on the ground. Now, mount,” she ground out.

  Traevyn looked past her. “Too late,” he muttered in defeat.

  Ishar glanced back. The Tourna, faced with defeat, had apparently decided to take her with them into death. Every rider had turned from the Raanan warrior they were fighting and now bore down on her and Traevyn. Even as she watched Ishar saw several reach for arrows. The Raanans roared
and raced to catch up.

  Traevyn grabbed her shoulder and shoved her toward the rocks. “Seek cover.”

  Ishar moved but turned back toward Traevyn in concern. He glanced back at her and muttered a curse, shoving her again. She turned toward the rocks at the same time she heard a solid thwack and felt Traevyn’s hand slid from her arm. Ishar stopped and glanced back in time to see his close his eyes in pain as he fell forward into the sand. She screamed and grabbed the bow. Standing tall, she released an arrow. It threw a Tourna off his horse. Ishar readied another. A pain cut across her shoulder and knocked her off balance. She stumbled backward into the sand. A roar came to her ears as she fell and then everything went black.

  *

  Ishar took a deep breath. It was filled with pain. She took another. The pain returned with a stabbing motion to her side. She must be alive, she realized, as she groaned and opened her eyes. It was dark and a fire crackled nearby. A face appeared over hers. It was Rayne’s. He studied her, then looked over his shoulder. “She is awake,” he muttered with a frown.

  The fuzziness in her mind cleared and Ishar took in her surroundings. She was in a cave near its lip, settled next to a brightly burning fire that hindered her sight. All she knew for certain was it was not the beach. Her eyes flickered to Davaris as he knelt beside her.

  “How do you feel?” he asked quietly.

  How did she feel? It hurt to breathe. Ishar took inventory and tried to move her muscles. A general feeling of exhaustion wrapped her limbs but it was her left shoulder that truly protested the movement, as did her head. She glanced back at Davaris. “What happened?”

  He shrugged. “You were lucky. An arrow caught you just above your shoulder bone. It sliced through the top layer of skin. It must have thrown you off balance and you stepped back. As far as we can figure you tripped, went down and smacked your head on a rock.”

  Ishar ran his words through her head. “That is considered lucky?” She asked, confused.

  Davaris nodded. “The Tourna released several arrows before we could reach them. If you had still been standing, I fail to see how they could have missed. It was the last volley they managed,” he said stiffly. “Our horses rammed theirs and we cut the rest down.”

  The last moments of the battle came back with a rush and Ishar tried to rise. “Traevyn,” she murmured painfully when her side disputed the move and her surroundings suddenly blurred. Ishar felt the pressure of Davaris’ hand hold her gently down. She closed her eyes in desperation.

  “Easy,” he murmured, “Traevyn lives. He lies unconscious,” he said with a motion of his head toward the other side of the fire.

  She stopped her struggles at his words and her breathing eased. The dizziness cleared and Ishar opened her eyes. “How badly is he injured?” she whispered.

  Davaris sighed. “He will live. He is too strong willed to do otherwise.”

  Ishar sighed at the relief she felt flow through her. “The others?”

  Rayne joined the conversation. “All the Tourna are dead,” he spat out. “Our numbers remain the same.”

  Davaris nodded. “True. We left none alive who might send word of this. Let the Tourna ponder on what happened to their spies. Perhaps it will give them pause.”

  “Gavin took an arrow to his lower shoulder but they missed his heart,” Rayne stated solemnly. “The bleeding is but shallow now, for which we are grateful. Glyndwr has a stab wound in one leg and Ber, a stab wound in his back. It still bleeds but slower and the color is red not black as would indicate a death blow.”

  Ishar closed her eyes as she thought of the last words Traevyn had spoken to her. She whispered in despair, “My father comes. I must make it back.”

  “We know that,” Lysandr spoke, coming from the shadows and crouching. “Your presence at the holding will go a long way to relieving tensions that may rise at your absence, but Varyk will have to deal with that in the best manner he sees fit without our presence.” He glanced over the room. “Gavin and Glyndwr can stay in the saddle but Ber, Traevyn, and you will not be able to ride soon, I fear.”

  “Send Kagon or Rayne,” she murmured.

  “And if those were not all of the Tourna waiting for you? There could be some farther up in the mountains.” Lysandr shook his head. “It would leave the rest of us even more defenseless and besides, what makes you think your father would believe either of their word if I did send them?”

  He had a point, she realized. Without her standing before him to prove their words true her father would assume the worst. Ishar eyed Lysandr with worry. “Fenric. He was not with the Tourna on the beach,” she began.

  Lysandr nodded. “We saw him go down the path before the Tourna. He must have continued onward.”

  “To go to my father,” she added in frustration. “Fenric will poison his ears and turn him against Varyk. When he arrives at the holding, he will hear nothing Varyk has to offer if I am not there to dissuade Fenric’s persuasive tongue.”

  Lysandr and Rayne frowned. Davaris’ look grew even more solemn. Lysandr shook his head. “I understand your words but for now we will rest and see what the morning brings.” He nodded. “Get some sleep. We will need all the respite we can get before this ordeal is through.” He stood and made his way outside. Rayne followed.

  Ishar felt the warmth of the fire seep into the blanket covering her body. She glanced at Davaris. “How badly is Traevyn hurt?” she asked in a hushed tone.

  Davaris stuck a stick into the fire and stirred the ashes. “He took an arrow high in his back near his right shoulder. I removed it, but already he burns with fever. Hopefully it will not worsen. The same for Ber.” His cast a slight smile her way. “If their fevers do not worsen during the night, Lysandr will be hard pressed to stop them from riding on the morrow.” His smile faded. “If their fevers do not worsen,” he repeated softly to himself. Davaris brushed his hand across her forehead. “Get some rest. Like Lysandr said, let us see what the morning brings.”

  Ishar watched as Davaris stood and moved away. She heard his and the others movement around the cavern. Even with her worries, sleep came swiftly.

  13

  The scent of meat roasting roused her and Ishar opened her eyes. She took a deep breath and, pushing the blanket aside, rose gingerly with a wince and leniency toward her left side. Her shoulder injury pulsed in tune to the pounding in her head but she ignored the painful throbbing and eventually made her way to her feet. A wave of dizziness hit her and she focused on the fire and took a deep breath. Her vision cleared. Ishar glanced around, her movements slow.

  Traevyn rested on the ground across from the fire. His eyes were closed. “I wondered when you would wake,” he mumbled softly, “We will ride soon.”

  Ishar made her way over and gently eased herself down. She brushed her hand across his face. “You feel far too warm to ride,” she argued.

  He opened his eyes and threw her a look of irritation. “And what of you?” he muttered.

  She looked around instead of answering. There was a touch of truth to his words. Ber sat up his back against the cave wall. There was pain in his eyes as he looked at her and gave an abrupt nod. Glyndwr sat next to Gavin. He was tending to the other man’s wounded shoulder. Ishar could see where his own leg was bandaged with torn strips of cloth. She heard movement and turned toward the mouth of the cave. Davaris and Kagon entered, followed by Lysandr. Kagon knelt by the fire and tested the meat. He looked up at her and gave a small grunt. It appeared to be the only form of acknowledgment she would gain. Davaris helped Kagon set the meat off and divide it.

  Seeing her awake, Lysandr made his way over. “We will eat, then ride.”

  Ishar glanced at Traevyn and looked pointedly at Lysandr. “I thought you were not certain whether you would travel this morning?”

  “The men have made the decision for me it appears,” he grumbled.

  Lysandr did not appear to be happy with the answer he gave. Neither was she, but Ishar held her tongue. A part of her want
ed to desperately be on the trail, headed for the holding to prevent whatever disaster Fenric had planned. So she only nodded and waited beside Traevyn. Davaris set food before them. He looked anxious but managed a slight smile in her direction. He is worried about the others, she thought. Ishar wolfed down her portion of meat. It was the first food she had eaten in a day and her body craved the nourishment. Traevyn barely touched his. She packed up what was left. Maybe she could encourage him to take of it during the day’s ride. The group ate quickly, packed their gear, then mounted and moved slowly down from the rocky terrain back toward gradual grassy slopes of green.

  *

  Varyk studied the encampment settled before his walls. Their brightly lit fires were spotted throughout the camp. Additional fires ranged around the village of Wërn. The clanging sound of steel ringing in the night signaled to him that Ryen of the Haaldyn was growing thin on patience and readying for war. Would he wait for the morning light? Would he really seek vengeance with the villagers’ lives? Varyk sighed and pushed away from the wall. He motioned toward Jusa. The Britai came forward. “Bring word to me if there is a change of any kind,” Varyk ordered. Jusa nodded solemnly. Varyk turned and made his way down the stone steps and across the outer courtyard, through the inner gate and into the fortress. Several minutes later, he cautiously opened the door to the room he shared with Eira and quietly slipped within.

  “I do not sleep,” she grumbled, propped up in bed as she stared at him with narrowed eyes. “You do not have to sneak around like a field rat.”

  Varyk stopped and raised a brow at her annoyance. “You are supposed to be at rest. Perhaps if you were, you would be more agreeable when I chance to stop by and see to your welfare.”