Steel and Sorrow (38 page)

“Alright, but we do this my way.”

“The captain ain’t gonna like that. He already isn’t too pleased with you bossing the queen around.”

“If he’s got a problem with me, he can tell me himself. I ain’t perfect, but we’ve done alright so far. We’ll stop just up the road and let everyone out of the wagons except for me and the merchants. I’ll scout the place out and if we can, get a few rooms for the night. You, Geran, and the captain can work everyone else through the woods and sneak around back. I’ll see about getting everyone in afterward.”

Niken nodded.

Kroke liked Niken. He seemed like the kind of man who understood that one had to sometimes think differently to accomplish things, even if that meant getting dirty. “Just make sure you keep them quiet.”

“Will do.”

* * *

“Can you believe the nerve of him?” asked Arine. “First he makes us climb up a drain spout like common gutter rats. Then he confines us to our rooms, denying us the chance to take real baths.”

“He has his reasons. We still can’t be noticed,” said Elyse.

“So he says. Yet, he is able to drink in the common room and have a hot meal.” She inhaled deeply through her nostrils. “One Above, do you smell that? How can you not? Any other situation and the smell might make me vomit, but it has been so long since I’ve had anything substantial, I might be willing to risk capture simply to try a spoonful.”

“Niken said Kroke will bring up a couple of loaves of fresh bread later. He won’t be able to do much more without raising suspicion. He can’t exactly bring up a pot of stew, can he?” asked Elyse.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Your Majesty,” said Arine, slipping back into the formal address to Elyse since they were away from the merchant family. She groaned. “This is still ridiculous, sleeping so many to a room.”

Elyse shrugged, trying to remain positive. “They could only secure three rooms. Even then, they overpaid for them. We should be thankful we have a roof over our heads for once.”

Arine sighed. “I don’t know how you can remain so positive when so much bad has happened these last few weeks.”

Elyse laughed.

“My queen?”

“Arine, I do not mean to belittle your trials,” she paused and looked around, “nor do I mean to belittle anyone else here for the losses you’ve suffered, but honestly, the last few weeks are nothing to what the prior year and a half has brought me. My kingdom is in shambles and I’ve lost my father and brother, the only family I had left in the world. Men, women, and children alike are dying in this war whether directly or indirectly because of me.” She chuckled again. “Sleeping on a hard ground, eating cold food, and wearing dirty clothes seems trivial when you put things into perspective.”

An uncomfortable silence hung in the room until Arine’s sister-in-law cleared her throat. “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I’d like to apologize on everyone’s behalf. It’s been hard for us to think how blessed we are to still have each other.”

“I apologize too. I’ll do my best to stop being so introverted,” said Elyse.

“I wasn’t speaking of you, Your Majesty.” She swallowed. “Kroke frightens us. All of us, including our husbands. Even the captain of your guard has been most vocal about his displeasure with the man. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that he helped us escape the dungeons, but frankly we haven’t seen any sign of soldiers in days. I beg your pardon for asking, but wouldn’t we be better off to move on without him?”

“I understand your concern. I’ll talk to him now that there is a place to do so,” said Elyse.

The room seemed to noticeably relax.

“I’ll need you all to move to another room though and then call for Idouna so that she might ask him upstairs,” Elyse continued.

* * *

Kroke nursed the mug of ale in his hand as if it was the last in the world. It was his fourth so far and he had enjoyed each one better than the last after inhaling a trencher of greasy stew. For the first time in months, he allowed himself to relax. No one in the common room posed an immediate threat.

Down on their luck farmers sat at tables, complaining about how much money they stood to lose because of the war. The innkeeper, wearing clothes full of holes, listened to sob stories from passing merchants sitting at the bar. The place had seen better times.

Kroke took another sip and let the warm ale roll around his mouth before he swallowed. He savored the thick, almost chewy consistency.

It’s so awful, it’s good.

Though he would have loved nothing better than to drown himself in the foul liquid, he couldn’t risk being so inebriated he couldn’t fight. Not when he still had to look after the queen.

He tried to curse under his breath, but a belch came out instead, filling his nostrils with the stew he ate earlier. Kroke took the last gulp in his mug, ready to call for the bread he had promised to take to the others. He couldn’t stall downstairs any longer.

The door to the inn opened and a young blond man came in, casting furtive glances across the room. Kroke grinned and shrunk back into the shadows. When the man took a place at the bar, Kroke slid silently from his chair and slithered toward him as a dagger fell into his palm. He pressed the point into the man’s back and whispered. “Get up. Slowly. Now walk back outside with me and if you try anything I’ll kill you.”

The man complied.

Once outside, Kroke directed the man around the back, near the stables.

“So, are you going to rob me and leave me for dead?”

Kroke sheathed his blade. “I ought to, you idiot. You know better than to sit with your back to an open room like that.”

Rygar wheeled around. “Kroke? What in the name of the One Above are you doing out here?” He embraced Kroke with a warm hug and started laughing. “It’s good to see you.”

All the bitterness Kroke had held in for weeks seemed to melt away as he felt the genuine affection Rygar exuded. He even allowed himself to reciprocate the hug since no one watched them.

“It’s good to see you too,” said Kroke as they separated. Like Drake, Rygar had that youthful energy that just seemed to lift the dark spirits of the older crew like him and Raker.

“So seriously, what are you doing here? I thought Kaz left you watching over Elyse?” He paled. “Don’t tell me you left her behind.”

Kroke scowled. “I wished I would have.” He saw the confused look on Rygar’s face and continued. “She’s actually inside.”

Rygar’s eyes widened. “In the inn? That’s crazy!”

“No kidding. Look, it’s a long story, but basically she thought by going to Markus she could manage a treaty with Conroy. Come to find out it was all a trap and Markus is a traitor. We got thrown into his dungeon along with the rest of the man’s family. We got everyone out, but Olasi and his wife died. We’ve been on the road for weeks hoping to catch up with the army and warn Kaz.”

Rygar whistled low. “That’s some story. Don’t worry about Kaz though, he figured things out about Markus.”

That relieved him. “So how far away is the army then?”

“A few days,” said Rygar. “We’ve been stationary since our last fight. We caught Bronn. Kaz has been sending scouts out pretty far to get more intelligence after Bronn more or less confirmed that Olasi’s son was a traitor. He didn’t want to walk into anything blind.”

“Can you take us there?”

Rygar scratched at the fuzz adorning his chin. “Yeah, as long as we stay off the main roads. Tomalt didn’t leave a whole lot of men behind in this area. Jeldor is trying to finish him off in the east. The bigger concern now is what sort of hidden traps Markus or Conroy have set for us.”

Kroke grunted. “Do you have any money?”

“Some.”

“Enough to buy some horses?”

“Not that much. Maybe two.”

“That should be enough.”

* * *

Kroke reentered the bar as Rygar went around to the stables to secure horses and supplies for the journey. Kroke wanted to leave that night. Idouna, the merchant’s wife, grabbed him as his boots hit the wooden planks of the inn’s floor.

“You’re needed upstairs.”

Kroke gave her a look that begged for more information.

She leaned in and whispered. “The queen wants to speak with you in private. What about, I don’t know.”

Kroke grunted. “So you knew all along who she was?”

The woman grinned. “Aye. We’ve traveled all over Cadonia at one point or another.”

“Then, I owe you an apology.” He normally wouldn’t bother saying such a thing, but in light of that information he felt the need to acknowledge the risks the family took without complaining.

She waved him off. “Think nothing of it. We love our country and I doubt you’d find anyone more loyal.” She paused. “By the way, I’m not sure what you did to upset them, but you’re fine by me.”

He moved past her and then up the stairs. His mood had lifted after seeing Rygar and his brief talk with Idouna. He reached the top of the third flight, and walked down the narrow hallway to Elyse’s room.

He gave the door a quick wrap of his knuckles and announced himself. A moment later the door clicked open.

Kroke strode in and Elyse closed the door behind him. Despite the state of her clothing and the weight she had lost, the queen still looked beautiful. The fact that he still couldn’t help himself from thinking that angered him. Kroke pulled out a knife and tossed it end over end in his hand as they stared at each other.

“I was told you wanted to see me,” said Kroke. He hoped that by speaking first, Elyse might soften the piercing gaze of her emerald eyes.

“Yes.” She exhaled slowly. “I want to know what happened to us.”

“Us? There is no us. There is only Elyse, the queen of Cadonia, and Kroke her hired knife who does all the things that no one else has the nerve to do. Nothing more.”

She frowned, looking genuinely hurt by the comment. “Do you really feel that way?”

He shrugged. “Of course. Why should it be any different?”

“I just thought that we had become friends. We used to talk . . .”

“Aye, we did,” said Kroke. “But that all changed when you got reacquainted with these prissy nobles you forced me to drag along.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Their presence has changed nothing about my friendship with you.”

“Yeah, right. I ain’t as stupid as you all think I am. I see every sidelong look they cast my way, every nose they turn in my direction, and I hear. Yes, I hear every single thing they’ve said about me. And you know what, most of them are true. I am a killer. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m good at and if I wasn’t one, you wouldn’t even be where you are today.”

“Their comments meant nothing to me.”

“Then why did you look at me that way in the dungeons?” he yelled.

Elyse cocked her head to the side. “What way?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Like I was the lowest, most vile thing on the face of the earth. Like I wasn’t even human,” said Kroke. He couldn’t believe that he brought the matter up. But it was too late. That look she had given him reminded him too much of the look he saw in his family’s eyes after he killed his father. He had once cared about his family just as he foolishly cared about Elyse.

And each time I only receive pain in return.

Elyse’s hands went to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to feel that way. I just . . . I was shocked. I never saw something like that up close.”

She stepped toward him and he quickly turned his back to her.

She continued. “Maybe I reacted the way I did because I know just how human you are. You may think you’re a killer, but you’re not. It’s just something you do. That doesn’t mean it’s who you are.”

Kroke hung his head.

“Kroke?”

He cleared his throat while keeping his back to her. “I was just on my way upstairs to see you earlier when Rygar happened upon this place by sheer luck.”

“Thank the One Above! That’s great news!”

“He’s getting mounts for us now. We can meet up with the army in days. We’re going to leave in a few minutes. I’ll come back and get you then.”

“I’ll tell Arine and the others.”

“No. It’ll be just us three. Everyone else, including Lobella, can stay with your guards and travel at their own pace. They’re safe and I don’t want them slowing us down anymore. On this, I’m not budging. If you don’t like it, report me to Kaz when you see him.”

Surprisingly she didn’t argue. “No. You’re right. Kaz was right to leave you with me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

The sincerity in her words cut at him, but he didn’t respond. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to hurt him again.

“I’ll go check on Rygar,” he said leaving the room.

Chapter 28

Small, dirt hills dotted the field of battle and lines of trees flanked each side of the open space. Tobin eyed the wide clearing of land with a calming numbness he had not felt in some time. His state of mind reminded him of when he would lose himself in archery drills, firing shot after shot for hours.

Only then, my problems seemed so much simpler. I knew what to expect from others. Now, I don’t even know what to expect from myself.

The Green Forest Clan’s capital city, Feruse, stood in the distance, a shadow of stone and wood that failed to impress. The city supposedly housed a population much larger than Juanoq’s, yet Tobin felt that any comparison to his home was an insult.

Lines of figures poured out of the city and marched to join Charu’s forces already on the opposite end of the field. Charu’s strategy with Soyjid had been to delay the Blue Island Clan’s advance in any way possible in order to bring in the remainder of the Red Mountain Clan armies. Scouts estimated that Charu boasted an army of seventy thousand men.

“Impressive,” said Nachun.

“We’ve been outnumbered before and won,” said Tobin.

“Yes, but even against the Yellow Plain Clan, we weren’t outnumbered by this many.”

Tobin grunted. “Charu will be more confident than Sunul was. He sees our men lined up just as Soyjid told him they would be. He also didn’t count on you rejoining us.”

“I thought you didn’t want me to interfere.”