said the first thing that came to mind.
“I am not sure, but we will soon find
out.”
***
Varian was beside his brother as the
spy spoke, and his eyes darted every
so often to his brother’s face to gauge
his reaction. Vulcan was as still as a
statue. Nothing moved. He did not
even appear to be breathing. The
flapping of the tent was the only
sound heard for minutes after the spy
finished his report. Vulcan fixed the
spy with a serious glare and told him
to return to his post in Sulan. He
dismissed Varian without turning to
look at him.
“Vulcan,
Erik
received
that
information from a greedy servant. It
could easily have been—” Varian
began, making no move to exit his
brother’s company.
Their eyes met his before Vulcan’s
voice rose above his. “Varian, you can
leave on your own or I can move you.
I’m giving you the choice.”
Varian dipped his head and stood,
giving his brother one last glance,
before he headed over to the warriors
who were using their time to hone
their skills.
For many days, Vulcan’s armies
had had been camped a few hours
ride from the Sulanese border. The
day after he’d rescued Isolde, after
Isolde had given him descriptions of
her captors, she and Mathilda had
been taken north to Morden where
they would be better protected. Erik,
who was half-Sulanese and half-
Lytherian, had walked into Sulan as
one of them, and had been spying for
them for over a week. He’d given an
estimate of the number of men in the
Sulanese army, had eavesdropped on
idle gossip amongst the drunken
soldiers, and had paid a greedy little
man well to tell him of the workings of
the castle. Every day, after every
report, Vulcan would discuss what
more he needed to know and the spy
would leave at once. Today, it did not
happen that way. But then again,
there had never been a revelation such
as what had been revealed today.
***
They had been riding but a few
hours when Tarbin noticed numerous
tents ahead of them. After Malcolm’s
last words, which had done nothing to
put him at ease, they had not spoken.
Except for the occasional glance,
Malcolm paid him no heed. Tarbin
wondered what they were to expect
from Vulcan Mor’an. They had not
met and although Jaisyn had sent
word that she did not need his
assistance, he was not reassured. His
men looked uneasy and he did not
blame them. They were riding into the
unknown.
They’d barely trotted into the camp
when a soldier approached them, his
eyes hard and calculating, his stance
coiled. He wore chain mail but no
helmet, and Tarbin could see that his
hair contained every shade, except for
silver. The fires had been lit for the
night, although the sun had not yet
finished its descent.
“What is this?” he asked in smooth,
clipped tones. His gaze raked Fallon,
whom Tarbin guessed was the soldier
in charge, and the man reported how
he’d found them and who they were.
As soon as Fallon mentioned
Malcolm’s name, the man tensed and
his right hand reached across for his
sword. Although he did not draw it,
his eyes searched Malcolm out and
when he was staring at him with
darkening blue eyes, his lips curled
into a positive snarl.
“Malcolm the Honorless,” the man
said silkily, and dipped his head in a
mock bow. “Step from your horse so
that I may give you proper greeting.”
Tarbin looked across at his friend as
his confusion grew. Malcolm had not
revealed why he’d left Lytheria but
Tarbin had always assumed that it
was because he wanted to, not
because he did something that made
him without honor.
“I am Tarbin Kataral of Mitherie,”
he found himself saying, drawing the
man’s deadly gaze from Malcolm over
to him. “I demand to know why we
are being held.”
The man dipped his head slightly,
again mockingly, and replied, “I am
sorry, Prince of Mitherie, to inform
you that your demands mean nothing
in our camp. Remove him from his
horse and bind him. The same for the
soldiers! Malcolm, will you face me
now or shall I bring forth the one who
would
take
more
pleasure
in
separating your head from your
body?”
Tarbin refused to be helped from his
horse. He came off willingly and was
not surprised when he found his hands
jerked behind him as his wrists were
bound. He shook his head in anger.
What was the meaning of this? They
were men of Mitherie.
He heard his soldiers utter curses as
they were bound as well. With that
done, the man motioned to him.
“Secure them to trees.”
***
As Vulcan’s men dealt with the
Mitherians, Malcolm jumped from his
horse, landing feet away from the
angry prince. His eyes took in the
crowd of warriors who surrounded
them—some Lytherian, most from
Morden—and he said evenly, “I have
no quarrel with you, Varian.”
“That is a shame, as I have quarrel
with you.”
A rumbling went up among the
soldiers gathered. As one, they parted
to allow someone through. Varian did
not turn as his eyes narrowed on
Malcolm. He knew immediately that
his brother was approaching them.
“What is this commotion?” Vulcan
demanded as soon as he was close
enough to Varian. His eyes measured
Malcolm warily, who eagerly returned
the favor.
“The men found them riding toward
Lytheria. No doubt to spy for the
Sulanese. The man with the silver hair
next to Malcolm is Tarbin of Mitherie.
The soldiers are his. It was a boon to
find Malcolm riding with them.”
***
Vulcan looked over to Tarbin, who
was being held by two of his soldiers,
before returning his gaze to Malcolm.
Hatred blazed from his grey gaze.
Malcolm did not shudder, nor did he
flinch.
“I take it you are the King of the
Northlands,
the
new
King
of
Lytheria?” Tarbin’s voice sounded
like a whiplash in the still evening.
His eyes moved from Malcolm to
the silver-haired prince and he nodded
once. “What is it to you, Prince of
Mitherie?”
Tarbin’s silver eyes swirled angrily.
His head tilted in disgust. Is this how
Lytheria greets her allies? By dragging
them from their horses and binding
them?”
Taken aback by that rhetoric, but
not for long, Vulcan replied tersely,
“This is how Lytheria and Morden
greet enemies,” he paused to look at
Malcolm and said, “and traitorous
cowards.” His head turned to the
soldiers holding Tarbin. “Take him
away. I will deal with him later.” They
moved silently away, followed by the
soldiers who’d bound their Mitherian
counterparts.
Those
steely
eyes
moved back to Malcolm, who
remained calm despite his situation.
“Fetch two shields, and my helmet
and broadsword. If Malcolm defeats
me in battle, he may have his life. If
not…”
He did not have to finish. Malcolm
saw his fate was simple: defeat the
king and live. The king defeats you,
you die.
As squires ran to do the king’s
bidding, Vulcan approached Malcolm.
His voice was low, so that his men
would not hear what he was to tell the
traitor. “You have betrayed your king
in more ways than one, Malcolm the
Forsworn. Not only have you reneged
on your troth of loyalty and given your
pledge to another, you have had
carnal knowledge of one above your
station, one forbidden to you! I might
have shown mercy had you not
seduced my queen right before my
eyes!”
Malcolm’s eyes widened as he said
the last part and Vulcan restrained
himself from ramming his fist into the
man’s face. He looked shocked, but
the king knew that it was a shock due
to being found out.
“I have had no carnal knowledge of
your wife. I swear on my honor,”
Malcolm said in a low voice, his eyes
fierce.
“
Honor
?” Vulcan mocked. “That is
naught to a man such as you. It is a
wonder that one of my finest generals
sired such a gutless coward for a
son.”
Vulcan would have moved away but
Malcolm continued to speak.
“Jaisyn loves you. It’s why I left
Lytheria. I am not forsworn, either. I
have sworn fealty to no other king,
because you have yet to release me
from my current oath.”
Spinning around, Vulcan walked
back over to the man. “You lie with
the grace of a snake. If my wife had
anything akin to love for me, she
would not conspire with her cousin
against me. She would not involve the
Sulanese in a fight that does not
concern them. If my wife had even
the slightest love for me, would she
betray me so? Do not answer when
the answer is obvious, traitor.” He
made to move away again but Tarbin
was speaking, and the words stilled
him briefly.
“She is being held captive in Sulan.
Against her will, against her desire.
The queen is not your enemy, and
neither am I.”
Jaisyn being held against her will? In
a castle in Sulan? Laughable. The spy
had told them of her. She dined with
the king. Laughed, smiled, and
entertained. Prisoner? No. Esteemed
guest? Yes.
He approached the soldier once
more, and looked him straight in the
eye.
“Two enemies stand before me.
Sadly, I can only kill one of you. The
other I will deal with in time.”
“Take care, King, lest you be ruled
by your heart and not your head,”
Malcolm warned in a dangerously soft
voice. “Your wife would no more
conspire against you than she would
cut off her own head. For reasons
unknown and greatly unappreciated it
seems, she values you. Tarbin and I
were heading to Neren, where we
believe Princess Isolde is being held
—”
“Isolde has been recovered and is
safe, no thanks to her scheming
sister.”
Malcolm’s blue eyes darkened
noticeably and his mouth became a
grim line in his face.
“I will take pleasure in knowing that
I no longer fight for myself but for the
queen you have so wronged in your
judgments.”
Narrow eyes gleaming hatred,
Vulcan replied, “Take pleasure in
whatever you wish. ’Tis the last you
shall feel before succumbing to the
steel of my blade.”
He moved away. The squires had
returned, and they brought with them
weapons and a new face in the crowd.
***
Malcolm looked at his father and
dipped his head in respect. Urian did
not return it. Instead, he shook his
head and turned his face away. He
swallowed. Even his father thought
him traitor. He could not blame him.
“Here ye are, sir,” the squire said as
he handed him a shield. Malcolm took
it and tested its weight. Good. It
wasn’t overly heavy. He drew his
sword from its scabbard and placed
the helmet that he’d held in his hand
on his head. Vulcan was waiting for
him when he turned. Widening his
stance, he prepared for the attack.
The sound of steel meeting steel
rang out from the camp. Soldiers who
hadn’t known of the fight came
running, and when there, watched as
the two men circled each other like