Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) (27 page)

There was a knock at her door and then it just opened. It was Cain. “Good morning, Princess Blackthorn,” he said with an evil little smile on his face. “I hear Talorn made quite an impression on you last night.”

Raygan was afraid to say anything about the King’s friend, but she could not help rolling her eyes.

“I see, well I am sure when he returns things will be much better.” Raygan wrapped her arms around herself. “Where did he go?”

“Oh, she can speak,” the King said. “He has gone to defend our Kingdom from the Abberdonian invaders. I see you’re paying as much attention to the business of the Kingdom as you always have.” He picked up a piece of toast from her half-eaten breakfast then dropped it back onto the plate. “I intend to go myself in a few weeks once the realm is a little more stable.”

Raygan brightened a bit, Cain gone to the north would be a blessing for her. Her brother stepped closer to her and reached out to touch her. She recoiled as if he was a serpent. The King dropped his arm to his side and looked at his sister.

“I know you hate me, Raygan, and I don’t care, but I am your King now, so if you hate your brother I understand but I will not tolerate hatred towards your King, it borders on treason. Raygan, I know you love Bandara as much as I do. Now you are married to the commander of her armies and my right hand. So if you can’t love your brother or your husband, at least love your King and country and be a true Princess of Bandara like only you can. I assure you that things will be much better for you if you show your support for the realm.”

Raygan bowed her head. “I will always love Bandara and do what’s best for the people and the Kingdom.”

Cain put his fingers under her chin and raised her head. “Good Princess Blackthorn. I knew I could count on your loyalty to the throne.” He turned to leave.

“Your Majesty, may I ask a favor?” The King turned and put his hands behind his back. “Of course you may ask, lady.”

“I would like to have my handmaiden Isabella back, if you please. She is the only one that knows my routine. She is important to me as well. I have come to care for her a great deal.”

Cain shook his head. “I would happily return her to you, but she fled the palace after she helped the healer escape. I sent the guard to find her because I knew she was important to you, but they have had no luck in locating her.”

“Could you please keep looking? She is very dear to me, Cain.”

“I will have the guard continue to look for her, of course.” The King nodded his head and left her standing in the huge room alone.

Raygan didn’t believe for a second he had looked for Isabella at all. If he had, it was to punish her for helping Rhys escape his men. Isabella was most likely hiding in the city afraid to come back. She would just have to find the girl herself after Cain went north. She hoped Isabella would be okay until she could find her and bring her back home.

***

Arn had carried the blonde girl down to the last cell where the old dungeon connected to the new one after the duke had finished with her. This part of the palace’s underground hadn’t been used in years. It was putrid and damp and full of all sorts of tiny creatures.

The little girl had screamed a lot, but she never said the words the duke wanted her to. Arn didn’t think the duke really cared about the words anyway. He liked to hurt people just for fun. Arn did too, they had hurt lots of people together.

Now he sat and waited. He had smeared the girl’s body with honey like the duke had told him to. Then he had rolled her in the oats. Arn dumped what remained of the oats into the girl’s cell. He had to get a second sack to make a trail of the grain down to the old water way under the dungeon just like the duke had told him to. He liked to do the things for the duke. They were always fun things.

The girl had not woken up for a while now, he thought she must be tired. It had been a long day for her after all.

Arn had almost drifted off to sleep when he heard the skinny girl screaming. The rats had finally come to her cell, just like the duke had said they would. Arn could not stop giggling.

Chapter 12

E
ndra had been riding for over a week. Her legs were sore and her backside ached. All the traveling she had done in her life had been on foot. She had never owned a horse in her life. Riding had come easy for her. Though she was agile and had fine balance. the problem was controlling the horse.

“Are you still having a hard time, Endra?” Rufio asked concerned.

“Just a little when I want him to turn, I forgot what you told me.”

Rufio frowned, “I most likely didn’t make it clear enough I have never given riding lessons to a woman from a frozen wasteland before.”

She noticed Rufio always took responsibility for anything he was involved in. “You have been a wonderful teacher, it might just take me awhile to get the hang of it.” She assured him. “One things for sure, my body hasn’t gotten use to this saddle yet.”

“Give it time. I promise it will get better,” the Dragitan said.

She was surprised that K’xarr and the others had taken the time to even get her a mount. Endra had thought better than to ask where they got it. She had woken up one morning and it was just there. More than likely some farmer was missing a horse. She didn’t mind if the animal was stolen. It was still a nice gesture.

The plan was still to leave her and the children some where they would be safe from the Church. She wondered where they would ever find such a place. Most of the people of the middle continent believed in the One God with all their hearts and complied with Church law. Sanctuary from the Church would be hard to find. She had grown tired of this way of life. Running from the Hands of God was taking its toll on her. This wasn’t the life she wanted for her children or herself.

Endra had protected her little ones from the Pope’s agents so far, but she knew that one way or the other in the end the Church would win. She hated life as a fugitive. She always felt vulnerable, there seemed no refuge from the relentless Hands.

Strangely, she felt safe among this band of misfits. It was odd that such violent men gave her a sense of peace. She just wished she knew how long it would last.

Endra thought her travels with the young mercenaries were over a few days ago. K’xarr had suggested a small village they came across in the Kingdom of Alarusia would be a good place for them to stay.

It was small, but seemed very nice and the people friendly. Kian simply would not hear of it. The two had argued for over an hour, she could almost remember it word for word.

“It’s a nice village. Kian, what’s the problem?”

“Well, there is no wall and the village has no fighting men—farmers and sheep herders are all I see, who would help her if they were attacked again?”

K’xarr had pointed his finger in the Half Elf’s face. “You don’t want them to go. Just admit it, you’re never going to think anywhere is safe for that wench and her litter, she has gotten to your little Elven heart. I wish you would just own up to it.”

“Not true, she is as good with a blade as any of us. I think you should ask her to join if she wants too. Aren’t you trying to build a mercenary company?”

“I might consider it, if not for the brats. What should we do with them when we get a contract, buy ponies and let them ride into battle with us?”

It had gone on and on until K’xarr threw up his hands cursing Kian’s stubbornness. They had ridden on leaving the village behind. Any fool could see the Half Elf was infatuated with her, it was so obvious even her children could tell.

He had confessed nothing openly and she didn’t think he would. His actions and the way he looked at her with those green eyes of his revealed all she needed to know about his feelings.

It was not that she found him unattractive, just the opposite. His Elven features were very alluring, especially his long black hair and no one but her parents had ever been as kind to her as he was.

Kian was the first person of Elven blood she had ever met. She had been taught like everyone else that Elves were an inferior race and Half Elves were nefarious creatures, dimwitted and depraved. The whole world thought that way. She felt guilty because she had thought the same way too. It was what she had been taught as a child. Her father had told stories of half-breeds sneaking into villages and stealing babies to eat in their caves. Meeting Kian had changed all that.

The troubling thing was she found herself very attracted to the Half Elf. There was just something about him that spoke to her heart. It was foolish to ever think there could be anything between them, she was wanted and loaded down with children and he was … not human.

Endra had been troubled by a lot of things of late, mainly the fact that she felt very at home with this strange band of men, even that brute Cromwell. The Torans had been less than kind to her when she had travelled down the Harsh Coast and she didn’t much care for the warlike race. Cromwell seemed very different; he could be almost charming in a crude and savage way.

She had struggled on alone for years, never feeling the need for companionship before. Now she found herself enjoying the company of these coarse men. Her mother would have been aghast at the very thought of her youngest daughter going anywhere with these ruffians. Endra had never been much like her mother.

They had finally come across the Gold Road. In all her travels she had never seen it before. The road was twenty-feet wide and made from a sand-colored stone that was worn smooth with age. It was easy to travel on and a person could make good time in a wagon or on horseback.

The only trouble for her was the fact that it was heavily traveled. Endra didn’t know how many merchants they had passed with their creaking carts, some empty some, so full of wares they were almost overflowing. She hoped traveling with a larger group would lessen the chance of anyone from the Church noticing them.

When the group crossed into the Kingdom of Mirmoc, K’xarr said he wanted to head into the city of Largos and see if there was any work in the area and gather some news. Largos was a massive city and a wealthy one as well. Situated at the Gold Roads apex, Largos drew trade from all directions. Vandarus had told them that the city was so large that small communities had sprung up outside of the city walls.

The city was still several days’ ride ahead. The countryside of Mirmoc was mild and the pasture land broken only by small wooded areas, hillocks, and the occasional lake or stream.

The road was dangerous for all of them and they knew it. Endra was very worried they may come across more of the Hands of God looking for her and the children. K’xarr told her to trust him, he would keep them out of trouble. She hoped he could do just that. Trouble was the last thing she wanted.

The Camiran reminded her of a wolf, cagey and ruthless. It was no secret that K’xarr didn’t really want them riding with him, but Endra had no doubt that he would do his best to see no harm came to them.

The woman from Sorrack looked up. The sky was clouding up and the warm breeze had turned cool. It looked like it might rain.

***

It had poured down for two days and everything was soaking wet. Endra was just happy the weather was warm, it would be much worse if the rain was cold. K’xarr had the group start traveling by night as they got closer to the city. There were less people on the road after dark, and K’xarr thought it was less likely for them to run into any problems. They camped by day far enough off the road that they would not easily be seen and kept their cook fires small.