Antoinette had to be careful. If she killed him, she failed. Robby would be lost. No, she had come to reach him, to turn him from evil. Antoinette chased him out into the road. “I came after you, Kearn,” she said. “Not to join you, but to rescue you!”
“Rescue me?” he spat. “From what, pray? I have thousands of knights at my call. The mighty Prince of Paragory himself defends me. There is nothing in The Realm that can harm me!” He lunged at her. The great blade knocked her off balance, and she was forced to retreat. He pursued, striking with renewed fury. Antoinette defended and struck back. Their struggle ranged all over the road. Lightning flashes reflected in their swords, and the rain became a deluge. Still they fought. And it seemed that their skills were nearly equal, for neither could gain an advantage for long. They dueled at last up onto the dock. And, more than once, they came perilously close to driving each other into the river.
Then Kearn took his sword in his left hand and thrust it at Antoinette’s right shoulder. Antoinette swept it away with a two-handed slash, but Kearn struck her in the face with the full fist of his free hand. The blow was mighty. The steel of his gauntlet drove into Antoinette’s jaw and she staggered backward. Her ears rang, and she swayed for a moment. King Eliam, help me! she cried out in her mind.
Kearn came at Antoinette again, seeking to finish her, but she shook her head and stood. He rained down blows-but her sword answered, and she parried each attack. Kearn became enraged, for she simply would not relent and perish.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared in Antoinette’s peripheral vision. Someone was behind her and held up a dark blade, ready to strike. Antoinette whipped her sword around and thrust it backward, under her arm. She heard a hoarse groan and turned in time to see Paddock’s eyes. He groped at his wounded stomach and fell away into the river.
When she turned back, it was too late. Kearn wheeled his sword around and hacked into Antoinette’s side. The armor she wore was good armor, and it absorbed most of the force of the blow. But the sword was also sharp. It cleaved the breastplate right along her ribs and opened a gash there. Antoinette fell to the dock and clutched at her side. Lightning flashed, and Antoinette heard deep, throaty cheers. She looked out on the river. Not far from shore, a ferryboat drifted among the whitecaps and the spray. Within the boat were at least twenty of Paragor’s soldiers. They had come back to retrieve their commander.
“You see!” shouted Kearn triumphantly. “You are utterly alone, and you will die utterly alone! Your King is powerless to stop me, for this is the fate that is ordained for all who oppose my master. You will fall. Alleble will fall. It has been foretold!”
Foretold? Antoinette winced. Pain throbbed and blood ran warm down her side. What did he mean? She looked up at Kearn and to the river. The enemy knights were almost there. Finally, she jabbed her sword into the dock and dragged herself to her feet. And suddenly, she was not there anymore. She was in the dark chamber below the Castle of Alleble. There were two white pedestals before her. On one, a scroll. On the other, a sword. And she heard the mortiwraith scratching to get in. And she remembered… the sword did not save her then.
And the sword would not save her now. I trust you, King Eliam.
And there she was again, back on the dock. She looked Kearn in the eye and sheathed her sword. His eyes flashed and he rushed her. Antoinette swayed, lowered her head a little as if resigned to her fate. Kearn had the pommel of his sword tucked into his side and directed the tip of the blade at her chest. He charged at her as if jousting with a lance. The knights in the boat exulted, awaiting the kill.
Kearn thrust his blade into Antoinette up to the hilt. But Antoinette had twisted slightly to the side. Kearn’s sword did not penetrate, but instead raked across the left side of her breastplate under her arm. Antoinette clutched her arm to her side and at the same time turned inward, pinning Kearn’s sword to her side for a moment. Then, she drove the sharpest part of her right elbow as hard as she could under Kearn’s chin.
Kearn reeled backward, blood streaking down the sides of his mouth. He still held his sword, but weakly. Antoinette loosed the Daughter of Light and hacked away at the wide blade of her enemy. He blocked, but his guard went lower and lower.
Finally, Antoinette hammered high at his right shoulder, and he was not fast enough to block it. The armor split. Kearn screamed. His blade tumbled out of his hand. Antoinette planted a sidekick into the center of his chest. He crashed to the ground and lay still on his back. Antoinette pounced. She pressed her sword to the neck of her fallen enemy. But she did not kill him.
“I do not understand,” Kearn said, his eyes staring beyond Antoinette for a moment. “He promised me.”
And then he focused and stared at Antoinette. “Do it then,” he said. His eyes flashed defiantly, but there was fear there also. “Get it over with.”
Antoinette lifted her sword away from Kearn’s neck and sheathed it. She said, “The reason I defended you back in Yewland is the same as the reason I spare you now. I will not slay one who would go into forever not knowing his true peril.”
Kearn opened his mouth but found no words. He lifted a hand and pointed to Antoinette. She looked down at her right side and saw dark red blood. She felt lightheaded and her vision began to gray at the fringes. Suddenly, an arrow whooshed by her ear. Another struck her shoulder but sprang back.
She looked up and saw the Paragor Knights scrambling up onto the dock from the ferryboat. She tried to run but felt dizzy. It was no good. They would catch her or put her down with a shaft. She knew they would. So Antoinette did the only thing her clouded mind could think of. She dove into the river.
As she slipped beneath the surface into the cold embrace of the current, she thought she heard voices. They were faint as if in a dream.
“You three, get downriver,” one voice said. “Finish her off.”
“No,” answered a commanding voice. “She is gone already.”
And Antoinette knew no more.
33
ONE GOOD TURN
A ntoinette awoke and found herself staring into gigantic golden-yellow eyes. Something coarse and wet lapped at her cheek, and she heard a purring growl, followed by, Honk!
She turned her head, and there was the snow-white dragon that had borne her from Yewland. “Honk!” Antoinette cried, and she tried to sit up. Pain streaked up her side.
“Easy there, lass,” came a deep, folksy voice. “Now, you lay yer-self back down thar and give that wound time to seal.” Antoinette turned her head the other way and saw a tall Glimpse with a wide brown beard and kind blue eyes. And standing beside him were three children. Two boys and one small girl.
“I thought you was dead,” said the little girl, and she stepped to Antoinette’s side and grabbed her hand. “Da, she’s the one who gave us the cheese this morning!”
“Is she now?” said the father, patting the girl on the head. “Well, Alyth, one good turn calls another, or so it is said.” He turned to Antoinette. “Your dragon brought you ’ere just before sundown. You were sopping with a mortal wound on yer side.”
“The river,” Antoinette mumbled.
“I thought as much,” he replied, and he lifted a cloth that lay across Antoinette’s side. “You can thank the stars that the water is cold this time of the season. The only thing that kept you from bleeding away to nought.”
Antoinette smiled. She did not thank the stars, but voiced a silent thank you to the one true King.
“Smart dragon, that!” said the Glimpse. “Bringin’ you here, that is.”
Antoinette turned and smiled weakly at Honk. “I’m glad you didn’t stay in your hiding spot,” she whispered. The white dragon ducked its head shyly.
“Y’know there are folk in Baen who would just as soon cook you in a stew… or leave you fer dead. Myself, I was not sure what to make of you, dressed in fine armor like you are. The littlins here said you are a kindheart, so I took you in.”
“Thank you, sir,” Antoinette said weakly,
but she tried again to get up. “My name is Antoinette.”
“Now, then, Lady Antoinette, you just lay back down! I told you, yer wound must seal. I put a fair amount of ruddy wet clay on the gash. The bleedin’s stopped, and it’ll mend fine-if you let it be for a bit.” He went to another room and brought back a waterskin. “’Ere now, drink a bit of this,” he said, putting it to her lips. “It’ll be a wee bit tart, but that’s the dormer herb. Then you’ll rest a bit.”
“But Kearn,” Antoinette mumbled. “And the other knights… they’ll get away.”
“Rest now, Lady Antoinette.”
“Maybe just a little while,” she replied, but soon she was fast asleep.
“’Ello!” said the tall boy. He smiled broadly at Antoinette. “Da! She’s awake!”
The bearded man came back into the room. “So she is! There now, that was a good nap. I’ll wager you feel a bit better!”
Antoinette found that she could sit up. There was dull pain in her side, and her jaw still ached, but it was nothing like before. “That’s amazing,” she said. “The pain is almost gone. Thank you again.”
“Yer color’s changed,” he replied. “You were looking a lot like us for a while there.”
“Yer a right regular healer, Da!” said the boy.
“Thank ye, boy,” he replied. “I can’t take much of the credit. The sleep was what she needed. Now, you git out with Alyth and Gregg. Fetch the wood, hear?”
“Yes, Da!” the boy called over his shoulder and was gone.
“I slept how long?”
“The sun has just come up on the second day since yer dragon brought you here.”
“Two days…,” Antoinette muttered to herself.
“What brings you to this bad corner of The Realm?” the father asked. “You are not Glimpse-kind, yet you wear the armor of Alleble, and the littlins say you’ve got no master.”
Antoinette swung slowly around to face him. “I am from the Mirror Realm,” she said. “I am not a slave to any master, but I willingly serve King Eliam of Alleble.”
“It is not safe for you here-nor for us-if you stay. If the Watchman come by, he will take you away, and no mistake.”
“I will leave,” she said. “I do not wish for any of you to be harmed on my account.”
“I am sorry, m’lady. I would like to do more.” The father looked down. “It is not like me to put a lady out in the street, but the littlins… I cannot see them hurt.”
“You have saved my life. I do not wish to endanger your lives. I feel well enough to ride. I will be fine,” she said gently. “Is there anything I can do to repay you?”
He shook his head, but Antoinette had an idea. “Where is Honk?”
“The dragon?” he asked. “Behind the cottage, under the gable.”
He led Antoinette outside, and Honk was there. Sound asleep. “Wake up, sleepy beast!” Antoinette said. The dragon opened its jaws in a great yawn. The creature wandered drowsily out from under the gable and stretched its vast wings. Antoinette climbed into the saddle and reached into her satchel for a small loaf of black bread and the half of the cheese wheel, which was almost all the food she had left.
“Please take these,” she said, and she put them into his hands.
The bearded Glimpse stared. “Why, this is three months’ wages,” he said. “Even if I could save it. But, no, it is too rich a gift.”
“I want you to have it,” Antoinette said. “You have three little ones to feed.”
“That I do,” he said. “And they do eat something fierce.”
“I’d better go,” Antoinette said. “I was pursuing a soldier-a Paragor Knight. He and his men took the ferry.”
“They’ve gone to Edge, no doubt,” he said. “To join the others. A fair army came through here not three days ago, tramplin’ as they went. Never seen so many knights. You know your own business, but I’d steer clear a’ them if I was you.”
Antoinette smiled grimly. She knew he was right. She should stay away from Kearn and his armies. She knew she should fly immediately back to Yewland or to Acacia to meet up with the rest of the twelve.
“And, Lady Antoinette,” Da said, “be careful in Edge. It is a different sort that lives there. You will stand out in the town proper, and no mistake. Keep your hood up.” He looked down at his feet. “I wish there was something more I could do for you.”
“I’ll be all right,” she replied. “Tell the little ones I said good-bye. They are brave, and I owe them much more than I will ever repay.”
He nodded and smiled proudly. Antoinette pulled on the reins, and the dragon stretched its wings and leaped into the air. The ground fell away, and Antoinette looked west. She knew that was the way she should go, but she also knew that she wouldn’t.
34
THE REDEMPTION OF TRENNA
A ntoinette steered Honk north and crossed the great river far from populated areas. The city of Edge appeared on the horizon, tall towers and grand castles. It was a stark contrast to the weather-beaten village to the south of the river. Antoinette brought the dragon down just outside of town. She found an old abandoned farmhouse in the hills that she thought would hide a white dragon with ease.
“Now, stay here!” Antoinette said. “Unless I need you!” She nuzzled her forehead against the cheek of her steed. “I’m not sure how you knew to come fish me out of the river, but I’m grateful. Just stay here. Stay hidden, okay?”
The dragon emitted a rumbling growl and honked twice. Antoinette left the farmhouse and clambered down a grass hill. Her side was still tender. She looked at the wound. It had healed amazingly fast, but it would leave another scar. Again with the side! I need to work on my defense, she thought. Antoinette quickly brushed off Lady Merewen’s cloak, which she had been wearing when she fell into the river. Now it looked rather dull and dirty.
From the farmhouse, it looked about a mile to the road leading into Edge, so Antoinette began to jog. As she ran, Antoinette wondered what she would do if she met Kearn there in the city. And what if the massive armies from Paragory were there with him? She remembered as well that Sir Gabriel thought Paragor himself was with his troops. What could she do against such forces? Antoinette hadn’t the first clue. She only knew she had to try.
She wondered also what Aidan was doing back in the world she had left behind. He better be trying to get Robby to believe! Antoinette thought. Wait until I tell Aidan what trouble he got me into. She laughed, but then she thought, No, I can’t blame anyone but myself for the choices I’ve made. And I certainly deserve the consequences. She felt the dull throb in her side. She had a strange feeling that her bruised jaw and a scar would not be the only consequences for abandoning the mission King Eliam had given her.
Antoinette pulled her hood and cinched it tightly to hide her flaming red hair. Since entering The Realm she had seen very few Glimpses with red hair, and she did not wish to risk drawing attention to herself. When she entered the town of Edge, she found it to be a bustling city of commerce. Everywhere she looked there were shops and stands where Glimpses were hawking everything from spiced muffins to magnificent coats of armor! She passed a small shop where gold rings of intricate design were displayed on burgundy velvet. A Glimpse craftsman withdrew a long pair of tongs from a nearby hearth and poured molten metal into an ivory mold. He set the mold down and stared up at Antoinette.
“Rarely have I seen such a dark-skinned beauty,” he said. “You are not Glimpse-kind-that I can see.” Antoinette felt very conspicuous, and she pulled her hood even tighter.
“No need to worry, m’lady,” said the craftsman. “We get all kinds here. But there is a problem.” Antoinette tensed. “Your lovely pink hand has no ring upon any of those remarkable slender fingers. I have just the thing.”
Before she could say a word, he was already sliding an exquisite ring onto her finger. It was gold and silver interlaced in a serpentine fashion. A single blue onyx was set upon it and glistened in the sunlight. “There, now!” he sai
d. “A riddle ring, more to it than meets the eye, there is-like you, I’ll wager.”
“A riddle ring? Why, it’s beautiful,” Antoinette said, turning her hand, but remembering she had no gold. “But I… I’ll have to think about it. Did you make all of these?” She quickly changed the subject, slipping off the ring and handing it to him. “They are the finest I have ever seen.”
The Glimpse turned pink in the cheeks, and his eyes glinted green. “Why, thank you, m’lady. But I think, then, that you have not seen much of what Edge has to offer. I am considered one of lesser skill. That is why I’m so far from the center of town. The town masters only allow the truly gifted ones to work the town proper.”
“Well, I don’t care what they say,” Antoinette said. “Your work is marvelous.”
The craftsman smiled broadly and bowed. Antoinette thought for a minute and asked, “I was told that a great army of soldiers from Paragory had come here for provisions. Do you know if they are still in town?”
“They were here as recently as yesterday,” he replied. “But they do not spend much time on the Outskirts as they call us. Try the town proper.” He pointed far up the avenue. “See those flags? That is where the finest weapons in The Realm can be bought. There are other things there too for those who can afford them.”
“Thank you,” Antoinette replied with a brief curtsy. “Good luck with the rest of your business. With your talent, I’m sure you’ll make out well.”
The craftsman grinned, hurriedly stepped around his stand, and pressed something into Antoinette’s hand. She looked down and saw the gold-and-silver ring. “I couldn’t,” she protested.
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