One man threw a javelin at her. It broke on her shield of lightning. She struck with a blazing sword, cleaving the man in two. Others stared, their weapons momentarily forgotten at watching their comrade die.
"Kneel," she commanded and as one they dropped to one knee. "You are with me now," she said. "And we no longer travel to Arathum. I will decide where we are to go."
No one contradicted her.
Yes, when they reached the next body of fresh water, she would have a bath and wash the stink of the trail from her.
She let the light die away. The men watched her for several long moments before daring to get up from their places. The body of the soldier she killed did not bleed, but sat as two lumps on the ground. Picking up the pieces of the broken javelin, she consigned them to the fire.
"What should we do with him?" a soldier asked after a few minutes of watching her stare into the flames.
"You can throw him into the fire as well. I don't care if there's anything left."
The commander quivered in his boots. He watched the others move around him as if they had been taken over. They gathered up the body and threw it into the fire. The smell of burning flesh assaulted them. Yet she stood over it and watched. He drew his sword. Perhaps if he killed her now he would suffer no consequences when he returned to Arathum. They had traveled for weeks without incident, now this and suddenly the others were her slaves? Getting closer, he sought to sneak up on her, but just as he brought his weapon to bear, she turned and looked at him.
"Do you wish to join him in the flames?" she asked.
"No," he stammered.
"Then put that away and join the others. We change directions tomorrow and I want everyone fresh." Numb, he nodded. His grip weakened. Resolve to do what was right in the eyes of the empire sagged. He was lost. He joined the others.
The fall went fast but he did not hit. He should have, the stones of the street rushed up to meet him, but he didn't. Around him, darkness billowed like smoke and it cushioned him from the impact. To onlooking eyes, he wore the shape of a man, but wings jutted from his shoulders, shredding his shirt. Spines grew along his back and out of a tail he carried. A horrified woman hurried away as best she could after seeing him. A man stood his ground, but the acrid scent of his piss overlaid with old beer told the tale. Warden stalked out into the street and dropped to all fours. Above him, the two ruffians who had attempted to take his life stood on the rooftop with gaping mouths. Whatever interest they had in trying to kill him ran away with their courage.
As he moved, his body changed, growing massive as the shadows around him blotted out the street lamps. With a lash of his tail, he carved a hole in the tavern. Men came running out and he watched them as they disappeared into the night, their fear leaving scent trails he could follow back to their homes. He snapped his jaws and flicked his tongue. Then he roared.
The sound captured by the close buildings ran along the great boulevards of the stunning city, frightening many.
His back lay level with the rooftops and he kept his wings close to his body as he moved.
The Watch, with their swords and brand new long cannons, came out to try and stop him, but they were disorganized. No one was sure how they were to fight a dragon stalking their city. One man aimed for the violent ruby eyes of the creature and missed though they were easily the size of windows.
"What is that?" one man cried holding his sword at the ready. The tip wavered back and forth like it was drunk.
"Never seen a dragon before?" the man next to him backed away one foot at a time, his long cannon held against his arm. He discharged a shot at the creature and watched it bounce right off his thick scales. "Damn it, these things are too small." He tossed the cannon aside and pulled his sword. "If we can get to the belly, we should be able to kill it."
"You mean get closer?"
The small cadre of men clustered together like a herd of sheep. Bloodlust fired Warden's senses and though he fought it, he advanced on those men knowing they would taste juicy between his jaws. Flaring out his wings, he stalked down the street toward them. Around him, screams erupted intermittently. In his belly, fire stoked and settled. Smoke curled from his nostrils. A man ran forward and attempted to hit him in the snout with a sword. Warden drew his head back out of the way of the swipe then knocked the man over with a shake. Cat-like he put his claws down on the man piercing him through. The gurgle of his death reached ears that twitched.
Hunger ignited in his stomach at the smell of blood.
He roared.
The herd of sheep-men scattered before him, running for shelter. The one left behind was devoured, clothing and all, though he did discard the pointy weapon. No use in that going down his throat. With the street empty around him, he focused his attention on the sense of something else. It summoned him like a siren's call over the distance. Warden resisted.
Leviana.
He knew where she was. Knew the pains in her body. Knew his own would cease when they were together again. Yet Warden resisted. He would not be her puppet.
Hissing, he reared back and pointed his face toward the moon. He could reach her easily on the night wind. Warden fought the tide of the dragon seeking its own and failed. His eyes shifted, becoming slit and luminescent. In this state, he could not speak, but he rumbled deep in his chest.
New men trooped up the street toward him as he flexed his wings out as best he could. There wasn't enough space for him to fly from street-level, the buildings were too close. As they came at him with more long cannons, he put one claw in a building next to him and used it to climb atop the structure where he could unfold his wings to the fullest.
A dozen puffs of smoke left three men writhing on the ground as their powder exploded in their faces. The other shots came toward him and he unleashed a great gout of flame at the men who scattered before it. Nothing hit him. With a single beat of his wings, he jumped and was aloft. Above the city of Kerlan, he wheeled before taking off in the direction of the deeper plains. In the wilderness between the great cities, he would find her. She awaited him.
The sudden shock wave forced Kendrick's eyes open in the night at Arathum. On his chest, Versa laid her head and knew nothing.
Good.
Though he wanted nothing more than to slide from the bed and find the reason for his senses being so keyed up, he remained there listening to her breathing. When she opened her eyes seconds later, he forced himself to relax.
Whatever was wrong, he couldn't explain to her.
One day, when they were back at his home, he might try.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, a rat in my tomb."
She grunted and closed her eyes.
He settled back more fully with a sigh.
A cloud passed across the moon plunging the room into darkness. Kendrick laid there awake until the light returned. When it did, he saw a ghost standing at the foot of the bed. It only watched then disappeared. He didn't recognize it, but the dread it left behind told him enough.
Danger.
His attempts at swaying the council to his decision to disband the empire had been rebuffed. They wanted him to present the seal in order for him to make such a decision. Some held they should wait until they had a body for their Queen and could entomb her properly before doing anything.
He had neither.
Failure weighed on him. Nalcet did not threaten, but Kendrick did not need such things to know the city was losing confidence in him. After his confrontation with Backaran, Kendrick had been unable to achieve his Father's aims by other means.
Now something happened and shifted the magic in the world. The magical web was thin, but it stretched far. He would investigate in the morning. He closed his eyes once more and let sleep carry him off.
Deep night settled around the camp, but Leviana did not sleep. She looked upon these men who she now held as her own and considered their fate. Would she send them to Arathum ahead of her to proclaim her continued life while she sought h
er lover? Letting out a slow breath, she turned her head toward the moon. He would come from there, she knew. His great black bulk would blot out the sky above them as his eyes lit the world like garnet lamps. When she saw him soar into view, still miles off, she ran toward him and threw herself into the sky.
The light blinded as it swirled around her and gave her wings of blue opal feathers. Where he became the dragon, she, much smaller, became the falcon. She sped toward him.
They met three miles from the camp with her flittering about him as he rode the wind. Joy pierced her. He lived. They were together. With the falcon's eyes, she saw the camp at a distance and knew the men had awakened when she departed. Perhaps they would consider her gone for good. It did not matter. Her lover lived. She would rule, this time with him at her side. Her heart leapt.
They floated around one another, each showing off their flight. Where he was strong and sleek but not fast, she sped along her every movement quick with her light frame. Each of them had deadly talons making them more than formidable foes. She led the way down to the ground, shifting once more to her human self. Behind her, the dragon followed.
She opened her arms to him as he came in for a landing, fearless of the great beast who had nearly laid waste to a city. It landed and considered her with its large eyes. It huffed smoke at her which she felt as warm wind. Approaching, she laid her hands on the end of his nose.
"Beloved, come back to me," she said. It swung its head to the side so that it could see her more. Then it began to shrink. The man appeared in the smoke and shadows of the night, standing there with the body of the dragon dropping off of him. Leviana waited. With the transformation finished, she ran to him and threw her arms around his waist.
Naked flesh pressed to naked flesh.
"Beloved," she whispered.
"Beloved," he replied. "Time has changed you."
"We are immortal, not changeless," she said before closing her eyes. She breathed him in with his wreath of smoke. "Time has changed you."
He seemed to look down at himself for the first time.
"Am I sick? I am small."
"No, Warden was not sick."
"Warden, you know the name of this man."
"Yes, he has been my companion for some weeks, but we were separated by his choice."
"Why? We are meant to be together."
"Warden does not wish to be your vessel, beloved. He fights it."
"I feel him fighting me now and he is gaining ground."
"Come, we must gather some clothes for us both."
They walked through the grass of the plains and though it cut their skin in places, neither complained. Reaching the campsite, the soldiers greeted them. Seeing her naked, they averted their eyes.
"Clothes for both of us now," she said. Two men scrambled to dig through their packs for spare clothes. The shirt they found for Vadian was too short in the arm but fit his chest. Leviana wore a man's shirt over a pair of breeches that did little for her hips. Good enough to keep her covered though, so she did not complain.
Wearing the livery of Arathum's soldiers, they looked as if they belonged.
The men had questions, but when they drew close to ask them, Leviana waved them away.
"How does it feel to be once more among us, Vadian?"
"It is strange to be in another's body. Is this how it was for you?"
"Yes. And sometimes I still start at my face in the mirror as it is not the one I remember."
"Can you love me with this new face?"
"My love for you had little to do with your face, beloved."
"Yes," he eased back to lie down. "Nor did mine deal much with yours. Your heart called to mine. Does it still?"
"I have awaited you three hundred years. I cannot wait for the day when you are certain in your body."
"Then we must do away with this Warden man," he said.
"Yes." Leviana hesitated with her answer. "I do not remember how you drove away the one whose body I have."
"I have not seen her eyes since the sacrifice at our wedding ceremony. She attempted to run away from there, but I stopped her. She refused to take a life and I forced her. Then she was gone. You have reigned ever since."
"Warden is a killer, he does not fear blood."
"Then we must find what he does fear and use it against him." Vadian closed his eyes with a look of pain. "He scrabbles against my thinking. Clawing for purchase and I am losing ground in this battle."
"Beloved, stay with me." Kissing him strongly, she pressed against him.
"I cannot. Be at ease. I will return. Take care of Warden and insure he does not get me killed. I will find my way back to you."
He closed his eyes again and he seemed for a moment to die before her eyes. Leviana felt fear in her breast, but his heart began to beat again. Sleep must have claimed him because he did not open his eyes again. She laid there beside him and stroked his face. He would find a way back to her. Of that she could be sure. The only question was how long would it take?
Once More Together
The fresh sunlight of dawn stroked Warden's eyelids and drew him out of slumber. At first, he had no idea where he was. Nearby a banked fire burned. At the edge of the camp, high grass. There were a few men between him and the camp's edge. Even from behind, he recognized Leviana from the way she stood and the fall of her hair. He swallowed hard.
How?
He had left her in Backaran.
Why?
She should have killed him by now.
Rising up on his elbows, he calculated how far it was to a horse. Then he thought better of it. He counted at least five men with her. They would just ride him down if he tried to escape. Why was he thinking of it as escape? He wasn't a prisoner, was he? He picked at the shirt he wore which did not cover his wrists, something he would never have allowed since he kept his weapons concealed at his wrists. It bore the red of the Burning Island, meaning he was in a soldier's shirt. How had he come to be dressed this way? The last thing he remembered was the edge of the roof giving way under his hands. His last thought had been of what he would do if he survived the fall. Getting up, he turned in a circle. Kerlan stood nowhere in sight. How far away did one have to get to be unable to see that city from somewhere on the plains? Definitely a distance. Licking his lips, he tried to make sense of what he knew.
Palacia had double crossed him and sold him out to the authorities who were looking for him because he had failed powerful people when he didn't manage to kill the Queen. That no longer mattered. He wasn't in Kerlan. He was somewhere on the plains with Leviana, who thought he was someone else.
When she came up to him with a cup of water, he stared at her.
"How?"
"You became the dragon. It brought you back to me because with me is where you belong."
Her words jogged something in his mind and he felt the warmth in his belly of the dragon waiting to be released. Yet with it came that other presence. Warden tamped it down.
"What's happening here?" he asked.
"We are deciding if we are returning to Arathum or not," she said. "They don't want to return because that could mean a death sentence for us all. However, we can't run from the problem. The Voice engineered my death to come to power. Yet I am not dead and I want my throne back. I ruled the world. I will rule it again."
Looking at the set of her shoulders, he didn't doubt she would try, but he certainly did not want to go back to Arathum. Running from the problem seemed exactly the right thing to do. They could move to the edges of the empire and stay there free from pursuit.
When had he started thinking of them together? The thought came as a surprise. She would never allow him to disappear. Not so long as whatever it was bound them together. He rubbed the back of his head and sipped from the cup. Time to think, he needed time to think. There had to be a better way to handle this than to go in with swords in hand to be slaughtered.
"Leviana."
"Yes?"
"Going back to
Arathum is suicide."
"My throne sits waiting for me. If you wish to run, you will be miserable for all the time that you chose to do so. People want you dead. I would suggest you do something about that."
"So you want to go up to the gate of Arathum and demand to see the Voice? You've tried that before. They threatened to execute you as an impostor."
"Sneaking in and getting rid of my Trusted and the Voice shouldn't be too hard. We did it once. This time, we will insure they do not leave alive."
Warden wiped his face. It was like talking to a wall. She would not listen to reason. No matter what he did, he was consigned to dealing with her madness.
"If you want to send someone to their death, let it just be you and me," he said. "These men deserve to live out their lives in peace."
"Actually, we are Burning Island soldiers, we care little for peace," the commander said. The others nodded. "It is our place to follow our Queen. She wishes us to go, we will go gladly to our deaths."
"Is everyone here insane?" Warden asked. "This all sounds insane."
"You are a coward."
"No, I am practical. I don't take stupid risks and this is a stupid risk. Leviana, we could go away from here and be somewhere safe. If with you is where I'm supposed to be, perhaps where I am is where you're supposed to be. I want nothing to do with this throne."
"You are not my love. He would never turn his back on the places he has conquered."
Warden closed his mouth.
Leviana wrapped her arms around herself and spoke to the commander.
"We need to get ready to leave. We have miles to travel."
"Yes, Immortal."
"Are you coming with us or are you going to run again?" Leviana asked as the group dispersed. Her blue gaze gave Warden chills.
"I'll go with you. I suppose I might be able to do something about the people who want to kill me in Arathum. At least then I can disappear with a clear record."
Blades of Fate Page 18
