“My son, my only son, has been called to account for his part in the wounding of your woman,” Aloe croaked. “If he is found guilty, he will die.”
Vard stared, believing the elf had lost his senses. “That can’t be right. It’s Alecia who trespassed.” Too late, Vard realized he had used her real name, but Caele Aloe seemed not to notice.
“Tur loosed the arrow that brought her down. Alen Leth has decreed that Tur answer for the wounding of his guest.” Grief swept across his features and Vard felt an answering sorrow. “He is but a boy of seventeen summers. I cannot lose him.” The elf tried to rise but groaned and fell back to the stone floor. Drums sounded in the near distance and Vard looked a question at Aloe. The beat held a threat that pounded at Vard’s gut.
“It is a call to trial,” Caele Aloe said, reaching out his hand.
Vard helped him to his feet and the elf stood gasping for breath. “Take me to this trial.”
Torches lit the dark faces of the Lenweri gathered in the huge clearing on the outskirts of the city of Amitania, known as Elvandang by the dark elves. It seemed all the Lenweri males and some of the women had turned out for the trial of Caele Aloe’s son. A stone platform graced one end of the clearing, and Lord Leth was seated on a throne shaped from the trunk of a huge tree. The wood was golden and polished until it shone. Leth had changed from his robes of red and silver and was now garbed in white satin, strange symbols in crimson thread encircling the cuffs and neck of the robe. His head and hands were raised to the sky and his lips moved as though muttering a prayer.
Vard glanced at Caele Aloe and found the elf’s fear-filled eyes on his son, who stood to one side on the stone platform. The young elf wore the traditional leggings and tunic of the Lenweri in colors of green and brown that matched the hues of their forest home. His eyes were wide as they met those of his father. Vard shook his head. There was something wrong here, something he was missing. None of this made sense. He made to walk forward and confront Leth but a group of large Sis Lenweri stepped in front of him and blocked his path. Caele Aloe snarled and also tried to push through the barrier but he was pulled to the side.
Vard had no choice but to allow the proceedings to take place unless he wanted to risk a transformation. As he watched, the light of a new day broke over the stone dais of the clearing, lighting the silver strands in the sorcerer’s hair.
Leth lowered his arms, and his gaze swept the gathering, seeming to take in each individual. Despite himself, Vard was impressed.
“The first rays of the sun have caressed our home. It is time to pass judgment,” the sorcerer said, his eyes on Tur Aloe. “This soldier wounded a guest of mine yester eve and her life still hangs in the balance. My honor is destroyed by this act and the accused must be called to account. The penalty is death by hanging. I will now give my decision.”
Vard heard a shout from behind and turned to find Caele Aloe restrained on his back on the ground by a group of soldiers. The elf’s face was red with his struggle to rid himself of his minders. “I must speak for my son. This is not right.”
Vard knew he couldn’t allow this trial to proceed, if trial it could be called. He raised his voice above the commotion behind him. “I ask leave to speak on behalf of the prisoner. Unlike most here, I was a witness. I believe there are extenuating circumstances.”
Fury blazed from Leth’s eyes. He really did like to be in complete control. “This is most irregular,” he said, glaring at Vard. “Is my judgment not enough?”
“You wouldn’t wish to kill an innocent man, Leth,” Vard said. “Justice must prevail.”
Absolute silence lay upon the clearing as Leth stared at Vard and then at the assembly. Finally he inclined his head. “Allow Anton to approach the dais.”
Vard pushed his way through the Sis Lenweri to the stone platform. Suddenly he was glad of the gaudy robes that might enable him to stand on equal footing with Leth. He raised his arms and drew all eyes in the congregation. Two could play at this game. Behind him, the sorcerer’s seething anger was tangible.
“People of the Sis Lenweri, I’m a stranger in your midst and I wouldn’t presume to advise you how to conduct your trials. On this occasion I was present when the alleged offense occurred and believe I have something to offer.”
Leth cleared his throat. “Do you deny your companion was injured by Tur Aloe last eve?”
Vard ground his teeth. “No, but—”
“Then what can there be to discuss? The boy is guilty of attempted murder. Let that be the end of the story.”
“The injury happened in the performance of patrol duty.”
“Agreed, but that is irrelevant in this case.”
“How could it be irrelevant?” Vard could feel his ire rising. He had to keep calm. “He was protecting you. My companion was attempting to climb into a palace window.”
A loud buzz swept the assembly at the revelation.
“Regardless, Tur Aloe should have applied more restraint. He has not taken enough care and it resulted in a near death and the loss of my honor. I say again, Anton, your intervention is irrelevant. Now be gone so I can pass sentence.”
Caele Aloe wailed from his position on the ground, but Tur merely squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. It seemed he was prepared for whatever came, even death.
“This isn’t right or just,” Vard said, swallowing the torrent of words he wanted to utter.
“Be gone!”
At Leth’s cry, guards grabbed Vard and pulled him off the dais and into the crowd. They stood around him, walling him in with hard muscle as angry muttering rippled through the crowd. The Sis Lenweri couldn’t be happy that one of their own would die for an outsider.
“Tur Aloe, you caused grave injury to my guest and for that you are sentenced to hang until you are dead.”
Caele’s agonized scream sliced through Vard’s composure, the pain of a father losing his only son. “You will die for this, Anton!”
It seemed Vard would be the easy target for this injustice, despite his efforts to rescue the boy. Tur was seized by his arms and marched away by two guards, stony expressions on his face and theirs. He didn’t even spare a look for his father.
Caele was hauled to his feet, his face a ruin of tears and dirt. “You have made me dishonor myself and my son, kingdom man, and you have robbed my family of its heir. Hate is not a strong enough word for my feelings. I will see you dead.”
“Take him somewhere to calm down,” Leth said. “And do not allow him out until he swears to abide by my decision in peace.”
The guards bowed and marched Caele Aloe away, the dark elf’s shoulders slumped as if all the fight had left him. Vard felt a deep sadness at the waste of a young life that could so easily have been spared. But he had done what he could, and there was another purpose for his presence here. He couldn’t risk further endangering his relationship with Leth, lest the sorcerer send him away before he had learned all he could. Still, allowing Tur Aloe to hang went against every Defender ideal he knew. Obviously Leth hadn’t embraced this aspect of his heritage. He met the anger in Leth’s eyes and gave a faint bow of his head before leaving the clearing.
Chapter 9
Alecia’s eyes opened to bright sunshine, through the window near the bed. A worm of unease squirmed in her gut at waking in the lord’s bed, no matter how ill she had been. Failora sauntered through and Alecia admired the woman’s dark beauty as she tidied the room. She glided up to the bed and laid her hand on Alecia’s brow.
“You were gravely ill last eve,” she said. “I did not know if his powers would be equal to the task of saving your life.”
“Lord Leth saved me?”
Failora inclined her head. “He is a great healer. He will visit shortly to speak with you. You must be honest with him. It is the only way.” She left the room and returned with a covered tray, which she laid on Alecia’s lap. “Eat everything and you will soon be strong.”
Alecia’s stomach grumbled at the aromas is
suing from under the cloth. “Where is Vard… Anton?”
Failora’s eyes narrowed but she said nothing of the slip. “He was here earlier, but then had to be about his business. He will check on you after lunch. Eat.”
Alecia flicked the cover off the tray and examined its contents. There appeared to be soup, crusty bread, and milk. Probably goat’s milk. She wrinkled her nose as she sniffed the pungent goblet but knew she must drink it for her babe’s sake. At the thought, a deep dread swept over her and cold filled her core. She raised the goblet with trembling fingers. What if her accident had harmed the babe? How stupid could she be? Her free hand crept over her abdomen hoping to feel something that would tell her if her baby still lived.
“You are very pale, Allandra,” a deep voice said from the doorway. Lord Leth stood there, his eyes narrowed, looking directly at the hand on her stomach. “How do you feel?”
“I am well, My Lord,” she said. “Thank you for what you did last night. In the circumstances, it’s more than I deserved.”
“I beg to differ, my dear,” he said, walking to the bed and seating himself on the edge beside her.
Alecia slid her hand from her belly and picked up a piece of bread. “I’m sorry for my actions last night. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I’m beginning to put the pieces together, despite the deception you have practiced.” His eyes flared golden in the shadow under the bed’s canopy, and fear squirmed in Alecia’s gut. “Your companion is Vard Anton, former captain in Prince Zialni’s Army. Last eve I heard you call him Vard. Of course, we have heard whispers of the scandal that has engulfed Brightcastle and the Kingdom of Thorius, even as far north as this. A captain of the royal army disgraced and on the run with the prince’s daughter. That would be you, Princess Alecia Allandra Dosodra Zialni.”
Alecia closed her eyes, her heart racing, and prayed to the Goddess that this news wouldn’t end in danger. Leth had the gleam of the predator in his eyes, and her heart beat faster when she thought of the ways in which he could use the information. But it was no use denying his words. “You’re correct in your deductions.” Her voice was faint, her arms weak. If only she could disguise her pregnancy for some time to come.
Leth favored her with a warm smile and reached to remove the bread roll before kissing her fingers. “I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Princess. Now I am doubly glad my ministrations have been successful. I will see that no further harm befalls you.”
Vard pushed through the door and strode toward the bed. The hair at his temples was sweaty, and a film of dust lay on his tunic and breeches.
“What has occurred here? What’s amiss, Allandra?” His anxious eyes flicked from Leth to her as he stood on the balls of his feet, primed for a fight.
“I was just leaving, Anton. I will allow the princess to tell you of our conversation. Until this evening.” He left, an amused smile playing across his tanned features.
“So he knows,” Vard said, a frown creasing his brow.
“He’s no idiot.” Alecia covered her stomach with her hand. Perhaps Leth hadn’t discerned her pregnancy during his healing. Or maybe she really had lost the babe.
Vard noticed the movement. “Are you in pain?”
“No, merely hungry.” She frowned as she returned to her meal. “I wonder what this means for our stay here.”
“The man who shot you is now dead. Leth ordered his hanging.”
She froze, swallowing down bile that threatened to flood her throat. “How has this come to pass?”
Vard related his experience with Caele Aloe and the trial. “The execution took place shortly after. Caele Aloe is in prison until he comes to terms with the death of his son. My heart breaks for his loss, but we’re in danger.”
“We can’t leave, Vard. You need Lord Leth.”
He frowned; his gaze clouded with uncertainty. Her fierce leader didn’t know the best course to take.
“I need Leth, but my instinct tells me he’ll use this knowledge of us. I fear you’ll be hurt. You’re a princess of the realm. There’s no end to the ways he could exploit that.”
“I’ll manage, Vard. I’m tough and have survived lecherous old men before.”
Vard’s eyes blazed with anger. “Leth is a sorcerer and a Defender! You’re no match for him. Keep your distance until I discover if he can teach me what I need to learn. If he can’t, we must flee at the earliest opportunity.”
“Granted, beloved. I’ll avoid the lord, but I can’t do that while I rest in his bed.”
Heat seared her cheeks at the thought of what might occur if the sorcerer cast his enchantments on her. She could only too well imagine his arms around her, his lips on her skin. She might well be powerless to stop his advances, for he’d have no scruples in using his talents against her. She sighed, appalled at the position she had again fallen into. At least Vard was with her this time and she had her babe to think of. If the babe still survived. A wave of sadness and fear made tears well in her eyes.
Vard took her into his arms. His lips caressed her hair and his hands rubbed her back. “I’ll find a way to protect you.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, inhaling the musky scent that was all Vard. She drew back and looked into his eyes.
“I know you wish to protect me, but you can’t do that if you leave me,” she said, her voice more than a little accusing. She would fight for him in any way she could. “You still plan to dump me at some farm thinking your nearness is a threat.”
“I’ll protect you in whatever way I can. If that means leaving you alone, so be it. You know it would destroy me to be the instrument of your death. How many times must I threaten your life for you to understand?”
“How many times must I repeat that without you I may as well be dead? Tell me where I’m safest for I don’t know. I choose to be with you, to have your arms around me and feel the brush of your lips on my skin.” She simply couldn’t allow Vard to walk out of her life believing she would be better off.
Vard rose from the bed and stalked across to the very window Alecia had tried to enter the evening before. She watched the play of emotions across his face and wished he could confide what he held in his heart.
“Tell me what troubles you.” She tried to swivel in the bed and the movement caused a stabbing pain that left her sick to her stomach.
Vard had closed his eyes and leant with his hands either side of the window.
“I want to understand your pain,” she said, “but you never talk of your past.”
He drew a deep breath and turned to face her. “Perhaps this is what it will take to convince you that I’m a danger. Perhaps then you won’t be so glad to spend time in my company.”
She glared at him. “Nothing could ever turn me against you.” Especially not if she carried his child.
He laughed but the sound held no amusement. “When I was a young boy, I had no brothers or sisters. My mother had a difficult time bringing me into the world and eventually died of birthing complications several months later. I can’t remember her, but my father was crushed. He and I were close but there was always sadness in his eyes when he looked at me. I thought the melancholy came from seeing his son grow up without a mother.”
Alecia listened with rapt attention, soaking up the words that seemed to pour from Vard’s soul.
“In an attempt to give me the siblings I never had, Father encouraged my cousin Frel – his brother’s only son and a boy of similar age – to spend time with me. We were more like brothers than cousins. With Frel, I learned to wrestle and shoot a longbow and to hunt. They were good days but I was uneasy. As I moved toward manhood, strange feelings began to arise. My senses became more acute. I could smell deer and rabbit from miles away and my vision was almost as good. Frel noticed and joked about the curse of our family. Our generation of Antons was the one destined to produce a freak who would turn into an animal and go mad.
“I laughed at Frel but when I peered into the rivers, I began to see strange go
ld flecks in my eyes. Father started refusing to look at me and the fear in him grew. I didn’t understand then but it was my Defender gift rearing its ugly face. One day when we were hunting together, Frel and I were running through the forest chasing a boar when the thing turned on us. It was the largest pig I’d ever seen and it charged right at me. I can still hear Frel’s scream. That’s the last I remember except for jumbled images from a nightmare. Only it wasn’t a nightmare. I awoke in the forest, blood splashed all over myself and the grass nearby. The boar was dead, appearing as though a large creature had feasted upon it. Only the skull remained intact. Frel’s crumpled body lay mangled on a rock nearby.”
Vard closed his eyes again and clutched the stone windowsill. As Alecia watched, his nails left gouges in the stone. He had killed his own cousin. No wonder he hated his Defender persona. No wonder he feared to be alone with her.
Self-loathing swamped Vard. He opened his eyes to the crumbling wall of the building across the alley and swallowed down fear so acute it paralyzed him. He hated himself, for what he was and for what he had done. At times he lay awake, pondering the crimes he had committed, as the wolf or the bear, that he had no knowledge of. How many victims really lay in his wake? One thing he did know; he couldn’t afford to number Alecia amongst them.
He squared his shoulders and turned to face the woman who had stolen his heart. Her eyes were large, as if she were seeing him for the first time. Vard the killer, the animal who murdered his own kin.
“What happened then?” she asked.
He frowned. “What do you mean ‘what happened then’? This is no fairy story to be told at a child’s bedside. This is real.” He couldn’t make his voice softer, couldn’t suppress the anger.
Alecia flinched, and shame washed over him at the sudden spike of unease in her scent.
“What did you do when you discovered your cousin?” she asked.
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