“What plans?”
She huffed, as if she was reluctant to say anything more, and yet knew it had to be done. “They want you to complete your quest as the Infidante. But when it’s complete, they will … well, they do not want another Endrean with magic.”
“Loelle is another Endrean with magic.”
“They do not want you to have magic, my lady.”
My fists curled. I marched down the hillside to find Tenger saddling my horse, and Loelle already on hers, ready to leave. But I held my temper enough to say, “Wynnow and I will go to Brill alone.”
Unaware of how furious I was, Tenger casually shook his head. “Loelle needs to go. If the last few days have proved nothing else, it should be that a lot of people mean to harm you. You may need her help.”
My laugh sounded bitter, and I’d intended it be so. “What kind of help do you mean? After I kill Endrick, will I need Loelle’s help to die?”
Tenger suddenly looked as if he’d just swallowed his tongue, which was all the answer I needed. I yanked my horse’s reins away from him and started to follow Wynnow out of camp, but he called out, “Yes, Kestra, what you are saying is true.”
I stopped and turned with my mouth half-opened, incredulous that he would be so forthcoming.
He wasn’t finished. “The truth is that because you’re only half Endrean, we don’t know how magic will affect you, but we do know what it’s done to full-blooded Endreans. If I see signs of corruption in you, then it will force me to act.” Tenger spoke so dispassionately, I wondered if he remembered we were discussing my life, and not some tactical battle plan. “I know how harsh that sounds, but if you had seen the destruction waged by the Endreans on this land during the war, you’d agree with me.”
I shifted my weight, unable to counter his argument with anything more compelling than my desire to live. All I could think to say was, “I will not let that happen to me.”
He smiled. “It is my sincerest hope not. But until then, should anything go wrong, Loelle can save your life. She is also the only one who understands magic, unless you plan to ask Endrick for advice. Complete your quest and then we can discuss your future.”
Wynnow had descended the hill to stand at my side. With her eyes narrowed on Loelle, she said, “The Brillians will protect you. If necessary, from the Coracks.”
“The Coracks aren’t the problem,” I mumbled. “It’s the reason I might need protection from them that matters.”
I stared at Loelle, then reluctantly nodded my permission for her to come. She fell in behind Wynnow and me as we rode away, though we’d only rounded the first bend before she caught up with me. “I can explain.”
“Don’t.” Whatever she said would either be a lie or yet another conversation about the ever-growing number of people in line for my life. Neither was worth the effort of listening.
But Loelle talked anyway. “Kestra, your mother—your real mother, Anaya, had a powerful magic, that of cloaking her presence from others. But her true strength was simply in her determination, her forceful will. We see that same strength in you, and we’d be fools to overlook its potential for danger.”
“I’d think you’d be glad to see an Infidante with such willpower.”
“As Infidante, yes. You will need those traits to succeed. But what happens after you do, after you are an Endrean holding the Olden Blade, able to wield it just as he did?”
I looked back at her. “What do you mean? That the powers of the Olden Blade will pass to me?”
“We don’t know. Nor are we sure how the magic will affect you.”
“My mother was never corrupted.”
Loelle’s voice was firm. “Pardon me, my lady, but there were signs.”
I wheeled my horse around to face her directly. “What are you talking about?”
“After you became the Infidante, Captain Tenger began learning more about Anaya. Many people believe the reason she had to pass the Blade to her servant, Risha, is because her powers were gone.”
Yes, that was the story everyone knew.
But Loelle continued, “Except that wasn’t true. Anaya had some magic in the closing days of her life; that’s how she was able to write in the rock of the dungeon walls. So why did Risha really have the Blade? It wasn’t because Anaya lost her magic.”
I was quickly losing patience. “Why was it?”
“Risha had to take the Olden Blade from Anaya, because she had begun to talk about what she would do once she possessed the Scarlet Throne, the revenge she would seek on all Loyalists, and anyone who failed to bow to her.”
“That doesn’t mean she was corrupted.”
“What else could it be?” Loelle pressed her lips together. “My lady, this magic now inside you is a weapon and it can be used for good or for evil. The line between the two is thinner than you may realize. Walk too close to the edge and you will fall.”
“You never have,” I said. “Why have you never been corrupted?”
“There is a reason,” she said. “The truth is that—”
“We should keep going,” Wynnow called back to us. I hadn’t realized we’d fallen so far behind. “The sooner we get to Brill, the better.”
Loelle glanced at me, a silent promise that she would explain when she could. I hoped the explanation would assure me that I was right to bring her along. Because my gut told me that I was headed into something far more dangerous than I was prepared to face.
Maybe I should’ve trusted Wynnow’s warnings after all.
Last evening, I’d successfully ignored nearly everyone in the Halderian camp, and I hoped for the same luck today. As angry as I was, as broken as I was, and as sharp as my sword remained, it was better for everyone if I kept to myself.
For most of the day, I rode with Trina and Basil at the end of a long line of Halderians. Trina had already tried several times to open a conversation with me, but I’d had nothing to say to her before. She should have no reason to believe that would change now.
Finally, she asked, “Can you at least put aside your suspicions enough to focus on why we’re here?”
I continued to ignore her, but Basil, who was riding between us, said, “She’s right, Simon. We must work together to persuade the Halderians to fight with us in Reddengrad.”
“Bring Reddengrad’s soldiers here,” I said. “If we defend the Hiplands, then the Dominion will never reach Reddengrad.”
Basil shook his head. “If our soldiers cross the border, the Dominion will interpret that as an act of war.”
“The Dominion is coming to make war on you!” I said. “They won’t care which side of the border you’re on.”
“If we are wrong, and I hope we are wrong, then we cannot give the Dominion an excuse to attack us.”
I sighed. “And if I am right, and you know that I am, then you have doomed the Halderians.”
Basil said, “Claim the throne, Simon. Then you can order them into Reddengrad, to fight with us. Behind our borders, at least they will have some chance of survival.”
“They don’t need me. If Commander Mindall cares about his people, then he will do what’s best for them.”
Trina said, “If we explain that helping Reddengrad is the only way to get the Olden Blade back—”
“No!” I couldn’t believe I had to explain this. “If they hear that Kestra doesn’t have the Blade, they will feel even more license to go after her.”
After a moment’s contemplation, Trina turned to Basil. “You need to tell us where it is.”
“I will, when I’ve got the Halderians’ support in Reddengrad.” Basil gestured at me. “You can make that happen now, Simon.”
Trina started to argue with me too, but through a clenched jaw I said, “Both of you listen carefully, because I will never explain this again. King Gareth adopted me as his son, but we never spoke of me inheriting his throne. Never. The day the Dominion came to arrest him, he gave me his sword and his ring and told me to hide and protect them with my life, whi
ch I did, and which I have done ever since. Gareth never came back. I still have his sword and ring, but only because I hid like a coward while he gave his life for his people. I was never anointed, I never asked to be his heir, and I certainly won’t stand before his people and claim otherwise.”
Silence followed, then Basil said, “Gareth adopted you. That means he chose you as his heir.”
“Well, I don’t want it. Not that way.”
“How can you be this selfish?” Trina’s face twisted in anger. “When did this rebellion become about what you want?”
“It’s never been about what I want!” Now my own temper flared, and it was all I could do to keep my voice down. “I fought when I was ordered to and killed when I had to, every single time hoping this would be the moment that made a difference! And finally, through battles and chaos and every kind of treason, I found someone that I want to make part of my life, but she’s gone now. Accuse me of being foolish, or shortsighted, or cowardly, but don’t you ever say that I am here because this is what I want!”
“Hush!” Trina said, her eyes locked forward.
Commander Mindall had fallen to the side of his soldiers, waiting for us to catch up. I worried that he’d overheard me, but instead he fell in beside Basil as Trina and I rode directly behind them.
In one hand he carried a halberd, which he handed to Basil. “Your weapon of choice, I believe?” Basil thanked him, but Mindall immediately moved on to strategy. “Captain Tenger informed me of the Dominion’s plans. I’ve ordered a full defense of Nessel, and of all the Hiplands. It’s time for the Halderians to stand our ground.”
“That ground is not worth their lives,” Trina said. “Sooner or later, the Dominion will break through whatever defenses you have in place, and they won’t distinguish between a Halderian with a weapon and a civilian.”
“Send them to Reddengrad instead,” Basil offered. “We’ll offer protection to your civilians in exchange for your soldiers fighting with us against the Dominion.”
Mindall laughed. “You mean, in exchange for our men dying for you? It is not our fault that the Dominion is headed our way. That blame rests with Kestra Dallisor.”
“How is it her fault?” He must’ve sensed my irritation for he reacted with a sharp turn of his head.
But Mindall quickly recovered to say, “The Infidante was supposed to marry this prince of Reddengrad beside me. If she had, the Dominion would have had their alliance. But thanks to her defiance, my people are facing extinction.” Addressing Basil again, he said, “We’ve worked hard for what little land we have. I won’t lose it.”
“What if you had a king who ordered otherwise?” Trina asked. I cast her a glare, but she ignored me.
Mindall turned back to her. “The Halderians have not had a king since Gareth was executed by the Dallisors three years ago.”
“He might’ve named an heir.”
Now Mindall turned his horse to face her directly. “Gareth died after living alone in hiding for some time. He could not have named an heir, and if he had, surely that person would have come forward by now.”
“Sir,” one of Mindall’s men said, a note of warning in his voice.
But Mindall continued, “The Halderians have no king, and the Infidante is missing. I am in command.” His eyes shifted to me. “We welcome your help in fighting alongside our people. With a little luck, a few of us might survive.”
After that he signaled to his men to pick up their pace. We followed, but I felt as if a stone had lodged in my gut. When had the Halderians ever benefitted from a little luck?
It surely wasn’t now. Because one of Mindall’s men, highest on the hill of the road ahead, suddenly called back, “The Dominion! They are coming!”
I withdrew my sword and turned my horse to get a look for myself, but the worst of my imagination could not have prepared me for what I saw in the distance. Hundreds of Dominion soldiers were on the march toward us. Most were on foot, but with a garrison this size, I knew Endrick would also send his oropods and giant condors and every other foul creation of his magic. We were now only skimming the surface of the battle that was coming for us.
Trina was beside me but leaned forward in her saddle and squinted ahead at a horde of four-legged hairy beasts trampling over everything in their path. “I think those are carnoxen.”
I hadn’t heard of them and apparently, neither had Basil, but between us, Trina cursed and added, “The carnox has the body of an ox but the ferocity and speed of a wolf. Their flesh is thick and leathery, so you’ll have to stab direct and hard. Above all, don’t let them gore you with their tusks. That’s how they tear their prey apart.”
Basil had a sword but reached for his new halberd instead, rotating it with one hand as if he’d fought with one many times before. I doubted it would be enough for the creatures who were quickly approaching. However, before either of us could act, Mindall rode up near us.
“How fast can the three of you ride?”
“Fast.” Trina didn’t blink as she spoke.
“I’ve already sent my daughter to Nessel, and she has no idea any of this is coming.” Mindall gathered his reins in his hands. “I need you to ride ahead and warn my people to arm themselves.”
“You see now what we’re facing,” I said. “Send your people to Reddengrad.”
I noticed that Mindall had been examining my sword as I spoke, but if he recognized it, he said nothing. Instead, he stifled a deep cough before saying, “Anyone who can hold a weapon will stand at the gates of Nessel and defend it. We’ll try to delay them here, but we might only give you until dawn to be ready.”
I scowled, but immediately started down the hill toward the Hiplands, flanked by Basil and Trina.
“If we obey Mindall’s orders, the Halderians will die,” Trina said.
“Then we ignore them,” I said.
They were the last words we spoke as we raced through the night toward the Hiplands, arriving on the outskirts of Nessel long after midnight. An advance party of three fully armed women met us there with clearstone torches, with Harlyn in the center of the trio. Wisps of her short hair fluttered against her cheeks, but her focus was such that she seemed not to notice.
Instead, her eyes quickly settled on me, boring through me with the intensity of her stare. Then her brows pressed together, and she said, “Something happened to you, Simon. What is it?”
I looked away, intensely uncomfortable. It was a relief when Trina said, “Your father sent us to warn you. The Dominion has sent a much larger army than we’d expected. They’re headed this way.”
Harlyn’s attention shifted. “Is my father still alive?”
Basil said, “He intends to hold off the Dominion army for as long as he can, but the enemy has probably already broken through his lines on their way here. Your people are invited to take shelter in Reddengrad, if all those who can wield a weapon will stand with us and fight.”
“Stay in Nessel and your deaths are certain,” I said. “But if you go to Reddengrad and join the strength of their army, your people have some chance of survival.”
Harlyn’s eyes narrowed. “How long do we have?”
“Till dawn, if we’re lucky. Tell the people to take nothing with them but their families and to leave now.”
Harlyn gestured to the women on either side of her. “Begin the evacuation at once. I’ll help out here.”
While she was speaking with them, Basil looked over at me. “This is the right thing to do, Simon.”
“Is it?” A weight roughly the size of a boulder had settled on my shoulders, and I returned Basil’s stare. “Tell me that Reddengrad can protect these people.”
His silence told me more than I wished it did: There was little chance for any of us to survive a Dominion attack, no matter where we were.
Harlyn rode up to us but addressed me directly. “I saw the look you just gave Basil, but all is not lost. We have some surprises waiting in Nessel.”
Trina patted a large s
atchel on the side of her horse and even laughed a little. “I have a surprise here too, thanks to the Brillians. This battle is not lost yet!”
With Wynnow’s expert guidance, we made excellent time through the Watchman Mountains, reaching Snowbourne shortly after dark. This small village was the last stop before the Brillian border, and populated almost entirely by Loyalists, so I kept up the hood of my cloak and went straight into the room of the inn that Wynnow arranged for us.
When she left to order our supper, Loelle asked, “Any changes to your memories?”
“I can’t remember anything more of Simon,” I mumbled. “Maybe I’m afraid to remember him because I know Lord Endrick wants those memories too.”
She smiled. “The king has no more access to your memories, nor your mind. What do you remember?”
“Darrow. But it isn’t the old memories. I think—” Tears welled in my eyes. “After Simon took me from Woodcourt a few days ago, I nearly drowned in a river at the edge of All Spirits Forest. Darrow saved me; I know it was Darrow who pushed me from the water. He must be there, in that forest. I think Lord Endrick banished him there as punishment.”
Loelle reacted without surprise and took hold of the conversation as if she had been waiting for this very moment. “Hundreds of people eternally wander those woods. Just alive enough to be aware of the world. Too dead to ever join it. They are cursed.”
As was I. I remembered that too. Endrick had told me I would reach a point when there were no more paths to victory.
Loelle said my name and started to say something more, but when Wynnow entered with a servant of the inn carrying bowls of stew, she closed her mouth and said almost nothing the rest of the night.
At dawn, we were back on the road toward Brill, crossing the border by late afternoon. To my surprise, a box carriage was waiting there for us, though it was a far greater surprise when the door opened and I recognized the woman who stepped out to greet us.
“Imri Stout?” This was the handmaiden who had been assigned to my service after I attacked Lord Endrick. I was beyond confused and my expression surely showed it.
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