Return of the Warrior (21 page)

Adara and Christian settled into an easy camaraderie as they traveled over the next few months. With every day that ended, Adara found herself ever more hopeful that Christian might be content being king and husband, and that he was learning to need her, at least as much as a man so strong could need another person.

He seemed excited about the baby, and even Ioan had finally started to slow the army’s movement in regard to Christian’s constant nagging over her tender condition.

They were only about a week from the border of Taagaria. The heat of summer was upon them now, making her snappish from the discomfort of it. According to the midwife and her own calculations, the baby still had two more months before he or she joined them.

But honestly, Adara was more than ready either to have the baby born or to be home where she could rest comfortably. The endless traveling was grueling and hard on her. To help ease some of her discomfort, Christian and Lutian had made a cozy wagon filled with pillows and a feather tick for her to ride on during the day. However, she wasn’t sure if it was any better than riding a horse. The cart jostled constantly and left her having to hold on for dear life at times. Still, it was so sweet of them that she didn’t have the heart to complain.

She lay in her wagon, watching the men around her. Over the last few days, as they drew nearer to the Elgederion and Taagarian borders, they had become more sober. Watchful. It was as if they expected an attack at any moment.

The men had long come to the conclusion that Selwyn would not suffer the army to enter either country without battle. He would have too much to lose. They fully expected him to attack them before they had a chance to cross the borders.

Christian rode just to her left so that he could watch over her. Phantom and Lutian were with him, but no one spoke.

Sighing, Adara wiped at her damp brow.

“Do you need to rest?” Christian asked immediately.

Adara smiled at him. “If you stop this army one more time, I fear, husband dearest, that Ioan will sacrifice you to the buzzards.”

“Aye, he would,” Phantom said. He cast a teasing look to Christian. “So should we stop?”

Christian gave him a droll stare. “I don’t want you to stress yourself unduly, my lady. You have enough of a burden upon you.”

“Aye,” she teased lovingly. “Putting up with you is truly the most insufferable of fates.”

Christian’s face lightened instantly. How she adored it when he looked like that.

Phantom made a choking noise. “Come, Lutian, they’re about to get sickeningly sweet again. I feel a bellyache coming on should we stay to witness it.”

“True,” Lutian agreed. “My teeth ache with it already.”

Adara rolled her eyes as the two of them drifted back out of hearing range. “They’re only jealous, my lord.”

“Indeed.” He reached his hand down to her.

Adara took it and smiled at him as they rode hand in hand for a bit. But with every step that brought them closer to her borders, fear and uncertainty shredded her. Part of her wished she had never insisted they return. She had found in Christian so much more than she had ever hoped for. In truth, she’d been happy without the burdens of her people. For these past months, it had only been the two of them.

And she liked it.

You are being ridiculous. You are queen.

Aye, and she was Christian’s wife.

Ioan called out for Christian’s attention as one of their scouts came riding into the group from the south. Excusing himself, Christian released her hand and kicked his horse forward.

Adara sat up in the wagon to watch the two of them talking while they rode. She couldn’t hear anything, but by their faces she could see the news was dire.

“Lutian?” she called, waving for her fool to join her.

“Aye, my queen?”

“Please go and tell me what it is they discuss.”

He nodded, then moved to obey.

Adara fretted incessantly until his return. He, too, looked less than pleased, while Christian and Ioan continued to speak to each other at the front of their troops.

“Well?” she asked.

“Ioan’s scout has found an area about a day’s ride south where he believes Selwyn might attack us. ’Tis the narrowing in the road between the Yador Mountains…Killer’s Ridge.”

Adara’s heart stilled at his words. She knew the pass well. It was oft an area where thieves chose to raid traveling caravans and merchants. The hills provided cover and the pass was so narrow that no more than two men or a single wagon could traverse it at a time. An army could lie in wait above the pass and easily pick them off with archers as they came through it.

Aye, that was exactly what Selwyn would do.

Ioan called for the army to halt.

Christian rode back to her side. “We are breaking camp for the night so that we can plan a strategy,” he told her.

Adara nodded in understanding as she, too, tried to think of an alternate route. “We can travel southwest and skirt around the mountains.”

“That would take us into Irovar,” Lutian reminded her. He then directed his attention to Christian to explain the problem with that. “They are allies to Elgedera and most loyal to Selwyn.”

A tic started in Christian’s jaw. “Not to mention I am sure they wouldn’t think highly of having an army march through their borders.”

Adara sighed in frustration. “You’re correct about that. We haven’t had the best of relations with them since I refused to allow their king to court me.”

Fire sparked in Christian’s eyes. “Did he press his suit?”

“Nay, my love. He only made a few arguments as to why I should consider him over you. They were paltry and weak reasons indeed.”

Christian grew quiet at the reminder of his wife’s loyalty to him even when he hadn’t deserved it. He dismounted and helped her from her wagon. “I am glad you waited for me, Adara.”

“Not nearly as much as I am, I assure you. The Irovian king is fat, bald, and highly rude. He’s little better than a tyrant who is renowned for overtaxing his people.”

Christian pulled her into his arms with her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her there with his chin resting atop her head. He loved holding her like this. She was a perfect fit to his body. The scent of her hair filled his head while she lightly stroked his hand with hers.

Closing his eyes, he drew strength from her even though he knew she would soon be angry with him. One of the possible plans he’d discussed with Ioan had been to leave her here while the majority of the army rode forward to meet the trap they were sure Selwyn was planning.

By now Selwyn had to have received word of their army coming toward his country. It wouldn’t take much for him to learn who they were and why they were coming.

Christian’s first priority was to protect the woman in his arms.

One life should never take precedence over the many.

It shouldn’t. But in the case of Adara, he would sacrifice them all to keep her from harm. Sighing at the realization, he kissed the top of her head and released her.

“We have much to do tonight.”

She looked at him suspiciously. “Why do I have the feeling that something isn’t right with you, Christian?”

He forced himself to betray nothing about what was to come. “How so?”

Her dark eyes were probing. “I know not. But I
sense that there is something you are hiding from me.”

She was a woman of high intuition. Nay, he corrected. She was a woman who knew him far too well.

He cupped her tender face in his hand. “Fret not. I am only concerned about the men I am sure are waiting in the mountains to ambush us.”

“Ah, is that all? For a moment I thought you might actually have something of great importance troubling you. But what’s a few hundred maniacal zealots out to kill us for their treacherous usurper? Nothing, truly. I now wonder what could have possibly had me concerned.”

He laughed at her humor. She was spectacular and brave in a way very few women were. How he had been fortunate enough to have her for wife, he didn’t know, but he was eternally grateful for it.

Lutian was headed for them. Christian turned her loose with her fool while he went to speak more to Ioan and Corryn about their plan.

If Adara ever learned what he intended to do, he had no doubt she would be calling for his head on a pike. It was why he must plan carefully and quietly.

Come the morrow, she most likely would never forgive him.

Adara couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Christian spent most of the night plotting with Phantom and Ioan.

It was long after dark while she lay in bed, wait
ing for Christian. She could hear the reserved sounds of the men outside as they made ready for their beds. All any of them could speak about was the battle they expected on the morrow.

It left her terrified. What would happen? All these months, the idea of war had been a vague one. Now it was all too real to her. In her mind, she saw the faces of the men she had grown attached to. Tomorrow any one of them could be dead.

And it would be all her fault.

That thought was sobering and frightening. She was asking all of them for a sacrifice none of them should have to make.

“Damn you, Selwyn,” she said under her breath, hating the man who had forced them to this.

“You’re still awake?”

She turned her head to find Christian drawing near. “Aye. I was wondering if you would retire this night.”

“We had much to discuss.”

Adara didn’t say anything more while he disrobed, then joined her in the bed. As was his custom, he lay beside her and kept his hand on her stomach so that he could feel their baby moving.

“He’s active tonight.”

“Aye,” she said with a smile. “He’s much like his father and ever on the move. He has been tossing about for hours now.”

Christian stroked her distended stomach with the tenderest of touches. “I can feel his foot against my hand.”

“I can feel his foot against my bladder.”

He laughed. “Does he hurt you much?”

“Nay, not at all.”

Christian leaned forward at that and placed a light kiss to her stomach before he settled down to sleep.

Adara took his hand into hers and held it close while she listened to his breathing become steady and deep. Many times she would lie awake and listen to him while she wondered what he dreamed of. Tonight more than ever before, she was curious. Did he dream of a future with her or of a time when he would leave to help his brothers-in-arms?

He continually told her that he intended to stay, but part of her refused to believe it. His family was his Brotherhood. How could she hope to compete against their loyalty?

Letting out a deep breath, she closed her eyes and forced herself to join him in the arms of Morpheus. Tomorrow would be a long day and both of them would need their strength.

Adara came awake slowly. As she’d done many times over the last few months, she scooted across the mattress, seeking the warmth of Christian’s body.

He wasn’t there.

Opening her eyes, she realized her bed was empty. His armor gone. But more than that was the quiet from outside. There was no armorer
hammering. No people chatting. It was ominously silent.

Her heart pounding, she got up without dressing and rushed to the flap of her tent wearing nothing but her chemise. She threw the thick canvas back to see a small group of men outside with Lutian.

There was no one else around.

“Lutian?” she called as a sense of dread consumed her. “Where is Christian?”

He passed a sheepish look to the other soldiers before he headed toward her. He didn’t speak until he stood directly before her. “He’s gone, my queen.”

“Gone where?” But in her heart she already knew.

“They rode ahead to fight. We are to take you on to Taagaria so that you will be safe.”

Her head spun. Nay! How could they have left her like this without any word? “He didn’t say good-bye to me.”

She saw the guilt on Lutian’s face. “He thought it best.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Best for whom? I had a right to know what he had planned.”

“My queen—”

”Nay!” she snapped. “Do not try and placate me when you are ever as guilty of this as he is. How dare the lot of you decide something like this for me? I had a right to know and I had a right to see him off to battle.”

“I know, my queen, but—”

”There are no buts in this, Lutian. None. Should he die this day, I shall never forgive either of you!” Angry at the lot of them for treating her as a child, Adara took a step back intending to return to her tent and to refuse to leave it until Christian returned. But no sooner had she moved than she heard the sound of hooves approaching.

Could it be Christian and the army?

The thought had barely completed itself before she heard a strange sound. It was an odd whirring noise.

“Arrows!” one of the knights shouted an instant before one embedded itself into his heart.

Hissing, Lutian grabbed her and pushed her into the tent, then onto the floor.

“What is happening?” she asked him.

“I know not, my queen. I know not.”

She heard the sound of the men calling orders to each other outside as more arrows rained down upon their camp. Three fell into her tent, landing far too close to them.

Still the hooves came closer until she knew their attackers were in the camp. The arrows stopped and were replaced by the sound of men fighting with swords. Her stomach knotted in fear.

“We have to escape,” she told Lutian. It was their only hope.

She grabbed the dagger from his waist and cut a slit in the back of the tent to see that they were surrounded.

Biting her lip, she realized she had no choice. They needed to get to a horse and ride away from here. With Lutian right behind her, she rushed from the tent as quickly as she could, given her condition. Men battled and fell all around.

As she approached the makeshift corral, she realized that all the horses had been freed. Angry and scared, she turned, only to come face to face with a man on a large black stallion.