Tears of War (47 page)

He thrust it into her arms and propelled her toward the main cavern. As they stepped into the massive cave he shouted, “Quillan, get down here.”

Azurynn looked up at him from the bench she reclined on, the black chain still in her hands. “Use her, put a babe in her belly, and toss her away. So you do have a nice cold heart in there somewhere.” A lazy smile spread across her bruised face.

“Shut up, Azurynn.” Kovan glared at her as his black dragon settled on the onyx floor. He shoved Fonja toward the dragon.

She looked at him with wide, panicked eyes and dug her heels in, fighting him for the first time. “What are you going to do?” She glanced at the massive black and the color drained from her face. “You’re not…not going to let him eat…”

“Stupid woman, get moving.” Kovan easily overpowered her and dragged her closer to Quillan. The closer they got to the dragon, the more she fought him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her in a bruising grip. The burlap bag hit the floor and an apple tumbled out and rolled across it. Azurynn reached down, picked it up and took a large bite. Her hooded eyes watched them with an amused light. Kovan didn’t have time to care. He had to get Fonja out of here before he changed his mind.

Kovan lowered his face to Fonja’s until it was mere inches away and roared, “Shut up and stop fighting me.” He gave her another shake for good measure. “You have two choices. Either you leave now and never come back, or I use my magic to kill that baby right now and end the pregnancy.”

Fonja froze, her gray eyes wide and frightened. Kovan knew she had grown attached to him as some captives do, but she needed to forget about this place. “Do you understand me?” She stood mute. He shook her again, his grip tightening until he knew she would bear the bruises for weeks. “Choose, now! Before I take the choice from you.”

She started trembling; tears ran down her cheeks. She was terrified of him now but Kovan didn’t care. Because of her, because of that thing growing inside her, he was hurting her like his father had hurt his mother. It was her fault. How dare she allow herself to become pregnant? It didn’t make a difference that she hadn’t a choice. It was her fault and the fault of the child that he couldn’t control himself now.

“I’ll l...leave,” she managed to choke out. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

With a growl, Kovan shoved her roughly toward Quillan. The black gazed down at her with disinterest as she stumbled to his side. The dragon lowered his bulk to the floor and stretched out a leg. Kovan snatched up the burlap bag and followed her. Within minutes he had her in front of him in the saddle. He shoved the bag into her arms again and fastened the safety straps. There were none for her and he didn’t care. If she somehow fell from the dragon and died, it would solve everything.

As Quillan lumbered from the cavern and lifted off, Kovan turned that thought over in his mind. If she struggled even the tiniest amount, he would yank her from in front of him and be done with it. His mother’s face, her violet eyes alight as she smiled at him while he climbed the tree, floated across his memories and he ground his teeth together. He needed to get this over with.

A dark whirlpool opened up and the dragon dove into it. The empty blackness of the void enveloped them. Kovan felt Fonja stiffen in front of him. If she cried out, he didn’t hear it. The void swallowed all sounds. He still didn’t believe Azurynn heard voices in it.

They came out the other side of the Jump above the waving grasses of the Ash Plains. Quillan made a slow descent, landing heavily. Kovan pushed Fonja away from him. She barely managed to scramble down partway before falling the last few feet. The burlap bag landed next to her.

Without a word, he signaled to Quillan and the black lifted off, leaving Fonja sobbing in the grass. Kovan felt nothing. He really didn’t care if the fall made her lose the baby; in fact he was still tempted to kill it before they left. He didn’t care if she made it to safety or was killed by Kojen or thirst or any of the number of things that might kill her. As they made the Jump back to the Kormai, his mind was already turning back to the maps on his desk.

When he returned to the main cavern, he found Sadira on her knees on the floor. An arrow was sticking out from beneath her left breast and blood splattered on her lips. “What in the black void happened?”

Azurynn made no effort to help Sadira. Instead she laughed, the silky sound seemed more ominous. coming from the twisted Spirit user. “Lady Revenge came back with her tail between her legs. I’m guessing she didn’t manage to kill her sister or take her precious Markene.”

Sadira shot her a murderous look. “Flame off you worthless spawn of a back alley dog,” she said, coughing up more blood. She held her arm tight around her ribs, a small groan escaping past her lips.

She looked at Kovan. “Don’t just stand there, heal me.”

Kovan stared at her. He could let her die; it wasn’t like he was the one who shot her with an arrow, although he applauded whoever had done it. She narrowed her dark eyes at him. “This wouldn’t have happened if there had been more than one of us.”

Azurynn shifted a new link of the chain into her hands, staring at in concentration. “Some of us had more productive things to do.”

“Like playing with your dragon-blasted chains that don’t work?”

A dangerous light glinted in Azurynn’s eyes when she looked up. “Anything is more productive than the waste of time you just spent.”

Kovan cleared his throat. “Leave off, Azurynn.”

Sadira turned her cold, dark eyes on him. “Are you going to heal me or not?”

Was he? He hated this woman. If he let her die, he would only have Azurynn to worry about. None of the others were strong enough to challenge him except Oksana and he generally got along with her.

Bern came flowing out of the shadows along one wall, his bent and broken frame moving slowly. “Can’t afford to lose her.” His raspy whisper was louder than usual. “She must be healed.”

Kovan glared at the Benduiren. Bern was right and damn him to the void for it. He looked back down at Sadira. Healing her would hurt; he would make sure of it. Somehow, he knew it would make him feel better about leaving Fonja alive.

He grabbed her arm in a crushing grip and shoved the healing weave into her. Her screams made a pleasant backdrop against his anger at Fonja. Yes, this would make things right.

K
ellinar looked up as they rode toward Trilene. Some wrenching of the world in the distance past had punched the ground up in a series of plateaus and canyons. The city perched on the edge where the prairie bled into the ravines. Atop the tallest plateau the Trilene District gleamed white in the sun. The wall of the district clung to the very edge of the plateau. The red-tiled roofs of the large High House rose above the wall. Pennants snapped in the ever present breeze.

A gentle slope led from that plateau down to the next larger one. More white walls encircled the Dellar District. And over six hundred paces below them on the level of the prairie lay the Mallay; imprisoned on two sides by the cliffs of the other districts and a high, dirty wall on the other two.

Kellinar glanced at the three women who trailed behind him, talking among themselves. Anevay had finally joined them now that Latia was adept enough at Sliding. It was nice to be together with both of his bondmates again, even if he did worry about them. With a sigh he looked ahead toward Trilene once more.

The heat of high summer pressed down on him and the humidity made his shirt cling to his skin. He’d forgotten how oppressive moisture-laden air could be after two and a half years spent away from it. The day he’d left Trilene, dressed as a woman, seemed so long ago.

Kellinar tensed as they rode closer. The last time he was here, he and Serena were running for their lives. Now he was back and would have to deal with the Trilene in order to bring the city under the protection of Galdrilene. But not just yet. He watched the edge of the road for the familiar signs. They’d passed the road that led to the large lake; it should be here. Ah, there it was.

Most people wouldn’t notice the flat, plain-looking rock a few paces off the road. It was ordinary enough, except it shouldn’t be there. However, most people didn’t spend their time worrying about rocks. Kellinar turned his horse and followed the signs with Taela, Serena, and Anevay behind him. The spindly trees west of the road swallowed them.

Worry ran along the bond from Taela as she brought her horse as close to his as possible. “Where are we going? In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t a road.”

“I’m well aware this isn’t a road. It isn’t meant to be.” He flashed her a smile and scanned the trees. He saw the pair of shoes tied together by their laces and hung across a branch next to the trunk of the tree. He angled the horse past the shoes.

Taela sighed with impatience. “Will this wandering around in the woods take us to the Dellar?”

“We aren’t going to the Dellar. Not until I’ve had a chance to check the mood of the city.”

“Where are we going?” Anevay asked.

“I might be wrong,” Serena offered, “but I am guessing he is headed for the Thieves’ Entrance.”

Disapproval flowed from Taela and he resisted chuckling. He knew the argument that was coming.

“Thieves’ Entrance? Kellinar, it isn’t thieves we need to talk to. They aren’t going to be the people who make this decision.”

Exactly what he thought she would say. Kellinar leveled a look at her. “Taela, there is no better way to judge the tone of a city than observing the underside of it. Shadow Riders have visited both border nations and Markene. I won’t be foolish enough to think they haven’t been here. And you would be surprised at what the common folk can decide. How, given the proper circumstances and alliances, they can push even a king.”

Taela’s eyes widened, shock plain on her face. “What you are suggesting is sedition.”

“You look at this through the eyes of a royal, Taela. I don’t give a Shadow Dragon’s foul rear end if the people of the Dellar and Trilene Districts rot in the Kormai. And from what I know of them, they will be all too happy to do just that if they think they will gain something from it.”

Kellinar planned to take Bahar’s words to heart, but there was only so far he would go. “I won’t allow them to drag the people of the Mallay down with them. Call it sedition if you want, but I have no loyalty to the Trilene High Houses. My ties are with Galdrilene and Shryden. I’m a Guardian and that is what I intend to do. If there are those in the Trilene or the Dellar who don’t want to fall to the Shadow Riders then I will do my best to help them. However, any lingering loyalty I may have to this place lies with the people of the Mallay.”

Taela didn’t say anything, but her tightlipped frown and the disapproval rolling off her said volumes. She didn’t understand. Her father was a fair ruler. Kellinar knew the High Houses too well to expect this to go the way Taela hoped.

“I, for one, am interested to see this infamous Thieves’ Entrance,” Anevay said. Kellinar sensed she agreed with him. Anevay hadn’t been raised with kings and queens. She was raised in Galdrilene where the people were free to unseat leaders who failed to properly lead and Dragon Law was observed. She had heard enough about the Mallay to know the High Houses of Trilene were failing miserably in both of those areas.

Serena didn’t say anything for or against. Although the thoughtful expression on her face made him think she would side with him on this. Considering her past in this city, he would be surprised if she didn’t take his side. Kellinar hated to have Taela against him; hopefully experiencing life in the Mallay, even for a few days, would enlighten her to the way the city worked.