“
Ruby,” I said, staring down
at her, “I need this one.”
She nodded, pushing roughly off Myst’s back
to stand.
I leaned over the scroll to sign my name, not
as Veil and the fey called me, but as Elfreda, Lord of the North.
Myst sat up, wiping the blood that ran from her busted nose, and
handed me a ribbon and seal.
I rolled the parchment slowly, considering my
words. Part bluff, part bravado, part deceit. I could only hope it
worked. Veil was no fool, but I had to believe he didn’t want war.
There was no other reason to warn me. Well, there was one other
reason, but I refused to think of that now that I knew I was tied
to Chevelle. It would have to work. I wrapped the ribbon once
around the document, attached the seal, and pressed the clasp of my
cloak into the clay putty, the molded form of a hawk imprinted as
my seal.
Myst leaned forward, blew gently onto the
putty, and smiled as it hardened to ceramic. She rolled to her
knees, eagerly awaiting her instructions.
“
Deliver this to
Veil.”
She nodded. “And you’ll get me out of here
alive?”
I knew what she meant. Could I get her safely
out of Camber? Would these men heed my orders? I didn’t have the
slightest idea, but at least she had enough respect not to say
it.
I rubbed my face. “You’ll leave with us. It’s
the best I can do.”
She pursed her lips, another unspoken
question. Where were we going?
“
We will keep the balance,
that is all that matters. Tell him we planned to return to the
castle.”
For the first time, a truly sincere smile
crossed her lips. That was when I knew we were in more trouble than
we could handle.
I stood to address the guard. “We leave at
daybreak. Please let Steed and Anvil know. We won’t have much time
to wrap things up.” I indicated Chevelle. “We are going to pay our
respects to Camren. When we return,” I glanced at Myst, “we will
discuss strategy.”
As we made our way to the door, I realized I
hadn’t known Burne. I wondered briefly where we’d find his wife,
what condition she’d be in. But as soon as Chevelle drew the door
open, it became quite apparent where she was, if not her
condition.
Marching toward Ruby’s small home was a band
of angry townspeople. They were dressed in battle gear, armor and
swords, knives and shields. Their faces were smeared with the blood
of the fey, their hands clenched upon hammers and axes. And leading
the pack was a stout woman in her fourth century, dark eyes rimmed
in red, mouth taut with determination and pain.
“
Camren?” I
whispered.
“
Yes,” Chevelle answered
behind me.
I took a deep breath, watching as the woman’s
raven hair whipped in a current that seemed to coil solely around
her.
The group came to a staggered stop as they
reached the street in front of the house. There were about thirty,
a few kneeling to show respect, a few rocking impatiently from foot
to foot, but most standing in wait as Camren approached further. I
stepped onto the porch and Chevelle followed, coming to stand
beside me. Rhys and Grey came to my right, and I heard the door
shut behind them, quietly locking the fairy away from view.
“
You go to take your
vengeance?” Camren asked in a raw voice.
Her question left no room for the indecision
I was feeling. “The fey attacked this town because of our plan to
confront council.”
Camren’s jaw went tight. “Do you go to take
your vengeance?”
“
Retaliation could mean
war,” I said.
Three of the large elves behind her spat at
my answer, several others muttered. They had no fear of the fey,
and council had taken one more of their own today. One too many, it
appeared.
I sighed. “Many of you will die.”
No one in the line so much as flinched at my
words. From the corner of my eye, I saw Steed and Anvil approaching
to join us. Not an hour ago, I’d been questioning my actions,
convinced I’d made a poor choice, that I would have started a war
not only the north, but the whole of elvinkind would lose. Now, I
could see no other way.
I glanced at Chevelle, and knew he felt the
same. It was right. We would have to do it, regardless of the
cost.
When I gave the order, I stared solely into
Camren’s eyes. A promise. “Then we go. Recompense for the fallen.”
I looked past her then, into the eyes of the men and women behind
her. “Not just for today, but for all days. These men will answer
for their actions.”
A clatter of sword against shield met my
words, the applause of battle, and I looked to my guard. We were
ready.
Chapter Twenty-one
Reckoning
The fey attack and the trackers had thrown
our plans into chaos. But the gathering outside Ruby’s door added
urgency. We would have no time to revise our strategy or we would
risk giving council notice, not to mention a return of the fey. So
I had decided to tell the mob of townspeople of my messenger, and
trust them to allow her departure.
But when I opened the door to the living area
and her gaze skipped over the crowd to land directly on the horses
with a giddy, “Oooh, do I get one?” I actually considered letting
them rip her apart. Unfortunately, I couldn’t chance sending anyone
else into fey territory under the current conditions.
“
Go now or not at all,
fairy,” I hissed below earshot, and then bit my cheek as she
curtseyed for the spectators.
Myst beamed at me before
suddenly dipping and shoving off the porch to disappear about as
quickly as I’ve ever seen a fey disappear.
Excepting Veil
, I amended.
I straightened my shoulders and took one more
look around before calling the order to mount up. We had split the
group into five. I would ride with the guard as we had intended, as
if we were alone. Two sets of Camber’s best horsemen would ride
slightly eastern and western routes, and the last two, the
strongest and fastest, would come in on foot. It wasn’t the most
honest formation, but they’d played dirty first, and I didn’t aim
to lose any more men than necessary.
We rode swiftly and silently. I spent most of
the ride falling into the minds of various birds in an effort to
keep us safe. There had been a fair share of attempts on me, the
guard, and the north of late so I couldn’t be sure of what exactly
I was looking for, but nothing seemed amiss. It was maybe too calm.
It reminded me of the ice attack. Nothing to be seen, nothing out
of place.
The train of thought distracted me as I
scanned the grounds below. I didn’t need to be distracted, so I
forced myself to stop worrying about Veil. Stop worrying about how
I could control these powers. I needed to focus on our current
task. To overcome this one obstacle first.
Back to myself, I glanced left and right to
find Steed and Chevelle. Chevelle’s eyes were scanning the trees,
Steed’s moving from the landscape, over the horses, and back again
with proficiency. Rhys and Rider rode ahead, Ruby, Grey, and Anvil
behind. I checked on the horses, wondering how much farther they
could run, but it seemed we might not have to continue on foot.
Chevelle had been right, they were fine stock.
We didn’t slow through the darkness of night.
The cool air seemed to recharge the horses, and their excitement
recalled old memories to me.
I could hear the purr of breath, see the
black coat glisten over straining muscle through the blur of ash
and tears. The stench of burning flesh still remained in my nose
and throat, the screams of so many still echoed through my mind. My
ears roared with some unknown resonance. All I could do was hold on
to Chevelle’s back, though I wanted nothing more than to tear
everything apart. My mother’s words sang softly to me, a warning,
just before I was attacked. A deep green vine rose to strike,
curling like a viper, and shot out, thorns piercing my arms like
fangs as its rapidly growing body wrapped around my wrist in a
choking hold.
“
Frey.”
I jerked awake, so suddenly pulled from the
dream that I struggled against Chevelle’s grip on my arm.
“
Freya,” he
repeated.
I sputtered, yanked my arm once more, and
then finally breathed. He watched me, only releasing his hold when
it was clear I had my bearings.
“
Thank you,” I whispered in
a hoarse voice, at last realizing I’d fallen asleep as we
rode.
His head tilted forward, and I followed it to
find the familiar rocks marking the way to the temple. It was
time.
We dismounted and as Steed turned the horses
to graze, I took one last trip to the sky to be certain everyone
was in place.
I opened my eyes to find seven soldiers
watching me. I gave them one nod that I hoped conveyed everything
and took my first step toward River Temple.
Two hundred steps later, the trees took on a
new appearance. Great oaks and maples grew vigorously, limbs
overlapping as their massive trunks stood too close together. The
excess of leaves created a low canopy of dappled green, out of
season with the cool air. We continued through the maze wordlessly,
treading lightly and on watch. We had no guarantee they weren’t
lying in wait.
When the forest border began to clear, my
guard took up lines. Rhys and Rider led as Chevelle and Anvil
flanked me. Ruby, Steed, and Grey walked behind, rotating to watch
our backs and the sky. After their attack on the castle, we were
sure they would try again. But they weren’t waiting for us in the
surrounding forest. They were waiting for us in the temple.
Seventy white robes lined the temple floor.
Twenty more were staggered between the columns. More than thirty
stood along the balcony railing. Bright eyes and golden hair were
all that set them apart at that instant. Gone was their jovial
mood, no one smiled now. My eyes scanned the room, searching. The
floor was nothing but fodder. Single tassels adorned most robes,
none there wore more than three. These were fresh recruits, brought
in to wear us down. A few among the columns might be able to
contest the townspeople, but held no threat to my guard.
The balcony. That was where our target
waited. They watched us, no hint of wariness, only pure hatred.
They thought us evil. They thought to take our lands, destroy our
people. They had bound me. They had burned my mother.
The ground shook. It was only when Chevelle’s
hand touched the small of my back that I realized the tremor came
from me. I had to control Asher’s magic. It was too much to release
in overwhelming anger. It would consume us.
“
Elfreda of Camber,” the
council speaker called from the balcony.
I stopped him before he
could finish his speech. “It is
Lord
Freya.”
He set his jaw, determined to complete the
show. “We of the Council of the Order of the Light Elves...”
I glanced at Chevelle. They would proclaim
their innocence, their rightfulness, play out this display in front
of the new members. In front of those who didn’t know the
truth.
They intended to win.
They didn’t expect those on the floor to
live, but they were covering their tracks in case a few survived
before wearing us down. The seven of my guard. And me.
I stepped forward. “Your words waste your
final breath. We come to avenge the lives of the lady Eliza,” I let
my gaze trail the balcony, “of Rosalee of Camber,” Steed stiffened
beside me at the mention of his mother but I carried on, “of all
the mothers of the North.”
I lost their attention for a moment, and knew
the warriors of Camber had arrived to our right. Camren would be
among them. “We come to avenge the lives of Burne, and all the
husbands of the North.”
The thrum of beating hooves followed and all
eyes fell to the approaching horses behind us. “We come to avenge
the honor of our lands, of our people. We come to avenge our
lives.”
At this, three council members on the upper
level stepped back, but I only smiled. The fourth band of Camber
warriors waited behind the temple.
“
What say you,
speaker?”
I had anticipated some hesitation at the
sight of the additional fighters, but there was none. What was left
of this council had decided to end the North, and they apparently
had no notion that they might lose.
Their first strike was swift and severe. Some
unseen signal unleashed a hail of fire, exploding light, and
countless bursts of energy. There would be no weapons here, the
council members on the floor would be instructed to kill or die.
They would have no second chance.
There was a thundering response from our line
and nearly a third of the seventy went down. In a matter of
minutes, the few who remained pushed back behind the columns where
the twenty of the second line of attack waited. They worked
together to bring the water. The resounding roar was accompanied by
a vibration, which quickly grew to shake dust from the columns of
the temple.
When the wave crashed onto the floor beneath
the balcony, the Camber lines stepped back. They had called the
river on us, and it was coming with no sign of restraint. A wall of
water rolled toward us with the force of two dozen’s magic. I
raised my hands, wondering if I could release enough power to stop
it without harm to myself or my guard.
Chevelle called out an order to the lines
beside me, but the sound was lost as a violent wind struck the wave
with a growling boom that reverberated through the room. The water
had not froze, was not still, but had stopped its advance mid-crash
and hung before us. It had happened so fast, it took my mind a
moment to catch up.