“I suppose most of what I was taught about your people was wrong,” Sabine whispered after she’d collected the empty bowls.
“That’s true almost everywhere,” Elade said. “It’s not your fault.”
Sabine smiled almost wistfully. “The elders in my village used to tell us stories about other lands. Asgardia, Solaria, Talisham…sometimes even places from Calhara. A few of them had served in the navy and traveled all over the world.” Sabine curled her cloak more tightly about her body and scooted in closer to the fire. “My father used to reminisce about the Knights of the Last Dawn. He told me they’d saved my grandfather from the ‘Coats many years ago. He said everything the Crell had told us about the knights was a lie.”
Elade nodded and closed her eyes. “That wouldn’t surprise me. Paladins haven’t been welcome in imperial lands for over a hundred years.”
“I didn’t even know the Dawn accepted women…or non-humans.”
“Almost a quarter of the order is female,” Elade said. “But you’re right that nearly all of them are human. There have been several faeyn paladins over the years, but I am the first vaeyn.”
Sabine swallowed heavily and seemed to brace herself for something. “Can I ask why you left your people and decided to join them? It’s just seems…strange.”
Elade sighed. “That is a very long story.”
“I’m sorry—I’ll be quiet if you’d prefer.” The girl winced. “I-I was just curious.”
“It’s all right,” Elade soothed. “My reasons for leaving were…complicated. I suppose the simplest explanation is that I fell in love with someone I wasn’t supposed to.”
Sabine frowned. “And they forced you to leave over that?”
“More or less. My people have a number of social customs you would probably find unusual, but suffice to say my partner and I had a difference in opinion with those in power. They would have harmed her if she chose to stay, so we decided to leave together.” Elade leaned back into her bedroll. “I met her during one of our campaigns deep into the heart of the Zereloth. Her name was Varess. She was an archer, a common role for one of the nau-faer—those without magic—inside the vaeyn army. We fought alongside each other for several months and became close. It wasn’t until we returned home that I realized something was wrong.”
Sabine waited expectantly, and Elade closed her eyes and allowed the old memories to seep through the cracks of the mental vault where she kept them safely locked away.
“The short version is that Varess wasn’t actually a soldier,” Elade went on. “She was a kyon’plynnur, one of the caretakers responsible for raising vaeyn children while their mothers and fathers fought in the war. But she had vanished many months earlier, and while this new Varess wore the same face, it was clear she was not the same person.”
Sabine’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“She had been possessed by a demon,” Elade explained. “A sareloth, to be precise. They are among the weakest of their kind, but they have one particularly dangerous skill: they cannot be detected while they reside within a mortal host.”
“I thought…” Sabine stuttered. She took in another deep breath and steadied herself. “I thought paladins could sense demons.”
“We can…except for sareloths.” Elade pulled her left arm out of her blanket and revealed the rows of tattoos along her flesh. “These markings are infused with Aether, and they normally glow in the presence of demons. They are meant to ward off possession, but they have no effect upon a sareloth, either.”
She sighed and lied back down next to the fire. “Varess said that her ‘joining’ with the vaeyn woman had been a mutual decision, and she had no interest in harming anyone. My people didn’t believe her…but I did.”
“And so you ran away together,” Sabine reasoned.
“Yes. I thought that fleeing to the surface would allow her—and us—to live normal lives. But everywhere we went, the humans were terrified of us. Some were openly hostile. A few months later we were ambushed by a group of humans in Tauros. They had no idea she was a demon; they just believed we were both vaeyn monsters and therefore worthy of abuse and punishment.” Elade grit her teeth and swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “They raped her to death.”
Sabine covered her mouth as she recoiled in horror, and Elade immediately regretted mentioning any of this at all. She had long ago learned to keep the past buried where it belonged, and she had no idea why she’d chosen to share any of this with a teenage human she barely knew. The Crell poison must have addled her mind as well as her body.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Elade murmured.
Sabine continued to tremble. “I-I don’t know what to say. It’s so awful…”
Elade nodded silently and let out a deep breath. “I was rescued by a Knight of the Last Dawn, and he took me in and trained me as a paladin. Many within the order disagreed with his decision. They didn’t believe a ‘dark elf’ should be allowed to join them.” She winced and reopened her eyes. “Perhaps they were right.”
Sabine shuffled nervously in her blankets. This all had to be incredibly overwhelming for her, and Elade once again chastised herself for not keeping her mouth shut. She had never been one to indulge in self-pity or wallow in regret, but ever since Tevek’s death she felt like there was a specter looming just over her shoulder. Something had changed deep inside her…and not for the better.
Sighing, Elade brushed a strand of silver-white locks from her eyes. “You should get some sleep. If we set out at first light, there’s a chance we can reach the fort by nightfall.”
“But you’re the one who’s hurt,” Sabine replied. “I-I can stay up and—”
“It’s all right,” Elade soothed. “I slept most of the day, and vaeyn don’t require much rest. I’ll be fine.”
For a moment, it seemed like the girl might actually protest, but instead she nodded sheepishly and tucked herself deeper into her blankets. Elade watched her in silence, and as the hours ticked by she slowly rebuilt her mental vault. The memories were even more intractable than usual, but eventually she managed to lock them away. Most of them, at least.
Over the last several years, she had slowly begun to forgive herself for Varess’s death. They’d had no choice but to leave Sulinor and the comforting darkness of the underworld, after all, and she couldn’t have possibly been prepared for the intensity of the vitriol they’d faced from the humans above. They’d been ambushed and badly outnumbered, and even her shadow knight training hadn’t been enough to save them.
Still, a part of her believed she should have been better prepared. She’d been an Unbound and a master swordswoman; a dozen random thugs should have never been able to get the best of her, not even from surprise. The regret and humiliation had driven her to train even harder with the Last Dawn, and while her channeling abilities remained somewhat middling, physically she was in the best condition of her life. If Varess had been with her today, Elade would have been able to protect her against almost anything.
But Varess wasn’t with her today, and neither was Tevek. She hadn’t been able to save her rescuer from the Crell or from his own people. That memory—that failure—refused to fade away…and she wasn’t sure she wanted it to.
Nestling herself up against a nearby tree, Elade settled in and waited for morning.
***
Dawn came without a fuss, and Elade and Sabine picked up their camp and set out before the sun had fully emerged from the horizon. For the first part of the day the roads were almost completely clear, and yet again they weren’t stopped or harassed by anyone. Once they closed within a dozen miles of the fort, however, things slowly began to change. Farmers, merchants, and travelers from all across southwestern Solaria had been trickling towards Amberwood for months, even when the roads had been covered in snow. But now that the weather had started to improve—and the Crell had started to advance—the trickle had rapidly transformed into a flood.
Fortunately, Elade felt well enough today to take the reins, and she led them off the road and through the fields to avoid any potentially awkward encounters. She doubted that any of the refugees would actually attempt to harm them, but desperate and terrified people were unpredictable, and she saw no reason to press the issue so long as they could avoid it.
They reached Amberwood with barely an hour of daylight to spare, and the fort was every bit as beleaguered as Elade had been led to believe: the main gates were closed, and hundreds upon hundreds of refugees had set up camp outside the walls, presumably in the hopes of eventually gaining entry. But Amberwood wasn’t a hybrid city like Garos in the north; it was a pure military outpost designed to hold the Kiridal River from any foreign armies who hoped to march on Celenest. The soldiers within simply didn’t have the space or resources to handle a flood of homeless villagers.
“It doesn’t look like they’re letting anyone in,” Sabine whispered.
“I’ll get us inside,” Elade promised, pulling the cowl of her cloak more tightly around her face as she scanned the distant battlements. Sabine was nestled in front of her in the saddle almost like a child, and given their rather extreme height difference she wouldn’t have been surprised if onlookers leapt to that conclusion. “I just need to get a message to General Iouna—one of the Alliance soldiers should be able to help.”
She gently maneuvered their horse through the fringes of the camp, but after the various refugees turned and shot them venomous glares, she wondered if her confidence might have been misplaced. It was entirely possible that Highlord Alric had sent missives to the various local commanders, and he could have convinced them to clap her in irons and drag her back to Calhara…
Thankfully, her fears were quickly dispelled. One of the Solarian priests was tending to the sick and wounded within the camps, and the instant he spotted her he charged forward and waved her down.
“Dame Devarath!” he exclaimed as if he knew her. “Her Majesty was hoping you would return to us.”
Elade forced a tight smile. “I need to speak with General Iouna. Is he here?”
“Yes, he’s inside the command tower,” the priest said, his eyes flicking to Sabine as if he had only just noticed her. “I’ll let the two of you in immediately—this way.”
He escorted them over to the gate, and by the time they arrived they had accumulated an escort of no less than ten Solarian soldiers. Under different circumstances she might have been concerned, but it was obvious these men weren’t here to keep an eye on her—they were here to dissuade any of the refugees from attempting to enter the fort behind her.
“You really can’t find space for these people?” Elade asked the priest as the gate cranked open.
“I wish,” he whispered, glancing back over his shoulder. “More arrive every day, and if the Crell push through the Darrowmere I have no idea what we’ll do.” He shook his head. “Her Majesty has been attempting to requisition more supplies from the provinces in the northeast, but the councilors have been…hesitant.”
Elade nodded in silent understanding. Many in the Alliance Council had opposed Krystia the moment she’d taken the throne, both due to her young age and the fact she was Unbound. Solarian culture was every bit as hostile to their kind as the Last Dawn, and Elade was still a bit surprised that none of the provincial lords had gone to Highlord Alric for support against the throne. Realistically, the Crell might not even need their Breakers or dragons to win this war—they could just wait for the Alliance to disintegrate under the weight of its own politics.
They had barely made it inside the gate by the time Darius and his ever-present entourage rushed forward to greet her. She hadn’t seen him since his near death at Garos, but he looked as handsome as ever in his white-gold Legion General epaulets and jacket. His blue eyes glittered with barely-contained joy as he struck a balance between decorum and speed.
“Dame Devarath,” he said as he approached, his voice laced with a formality he would assuredly drop the moment they had some privacy. “Thank Sol you’re alive.”
“You should thank this one instead,” Elade replied, patting Sabine on the shoulder. “She’s the only reason I made it this far.”
Darius blinked. “Truly? Then you have my thanks, miss…?”
“S-Sabine, General,” the girl stuttered.
“She’s an Izarian conscripted by the Crell after the initial invasion,” Elade explained. “I would appreciate it if you make room for her somewhere—she could use some food and water.”
“Of course,” Darius said, offering a hand to help Sabine off the horse. “The priests will take care of you, my dear. Any friend of Dame Devarath is a friend of Solaria.”
The girl looked back over her shoulder nervously, but Elade placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You can trust them. I’ll come and check on you later, all right?”
Sabine nodded anxiously and almost looked like she might refuse, but after a few seconds she turned and allowed the priests to lead her into the fort. She glanced back over her shoulder several times, and Elade offered her most reassuring smile.
“I never expected you to arrive with a friend,” Darius commented. “I never expected you to arrive at all, actually. I feared the next time I’d see you would be after my men found your corpse in the wild.”
Elade dismounted as gingerly as she could. One of the soldiers took the reins of her horse, and Darius leapt forward to help her maintain her balance.
“Gods, I had no idea you were injured,” he stammered. “I can have the priests—”
“I’ll be fine,” she soothed, squeezing his arm. “I was ambushed by Zarul agents in Lirisfal, and they poisoned me with something.”
His brow furrowed. “Poison? Then we should definitely get you to the infirmary as quickly as possible. We can save the questions until after you’re feeling better.”
Elade smiled at him despite herself. For months now she had dreaded her inevitable return to civilization; she didn’t want to have to answer questions about her exodus or why she hadn’t simply stayed and fought with the Legion. But somehow, looking up into the bright blue eyes of an old friend washed all her latent doubts and fears away.
“All right,” she said. “Lead the way.”
***
“Have you ever been so happy to be wrong?”
Darius blinked out of his reverie and glanced back over his shoulder to the man standing behind him. “What?”
Major Lennox smiled. “A few days ago, you were convinced we’d never see her again, and now here she is right on your doorstep.”
“Ah,” Darius grunted. He’d been trying his best to hide his relief from the rest of his command staff, but he should have known it wouldn’t work on a man as cagey as Lennox. “Yes, this is a tremendous boon for us. With her help, we have a much better chance of holding the line whenever the Crell finally attack. Assuming I can convince her to stay, anyway…”
“If you can handle the Lord’s Council, I’m sure you can handle an old friend,” Lennox told him. “Unless your relationship was different than I’ve been lead to believe…?”
Darius turned and scowled. “We’re old comrades from Serogar and Garos, nothing more. And you know very well I’m betrothed to the queen.”
“My apologies if I overstepped my bounds,” the older man said with a half-bow. The knowing smirk on his face, however, didn’t go anywhere. “In any event, I’ll leave the two of you to chat. I’ll be in the command tower if you need me—our griffon scouts are set to report in any time.”
“I’ll stop by in a few hours, then. Dismissed.”
Lennox turned on a heel and left, and Darius brought a hand to his forehead and sighed. Nothing could undermine a commander’s credibility faster than rumors about his romantic interests, and he made a mental note to reinforce that point with the major later. Lennox didn’t seem like the gossiping type, but in a military fort filled with telepathic priests, one could never be too careful.
All told, the p
riests spent the better part of an hour tending to Elade, and afterwards she drew a bath and cleaned up before meeting Darius in his office. He’d expected her to suit back up in her armor, considering how rarely he had seen her without it, but instead she’d just tossed on a simple tunic and pants. She had also left her white hair down for once, and it was still damp and sparkling by the time she glided through his door.
“The healers promise me you’ll be fine,” he said, standing and smiling. “I think they were a little amazed that anyone survived an ambush by the Zarul.”
“I was lucky,” Elade admitted with a shrug. He offered her a hand, but instead of shaking it she leaned in and hugged him. “It’s good to see you, Darius. You look well.”
“So do you…now,” he replied coyly.
She chuckled into his ear and held him close for several long moments. He’d almost forgotten how perfectly her lithe body fit into his arms, and he was belatedly thankful he hadn’t yet taken off his own armor…
Eventually she pulled away and smiled back at him, her luminous blue eyes glittering. “I’m sorry I haven’t stayed in touch, but I’m glad you’re here and not back in Celenest.”
“Until we get some more reinforcements from the northeastern provinces, we’ll have to make our stand here,” Darius said, forcing his thoughts back to the war. It wasn’t easy with her standing right in front of him. “I don’t anticipate the Crell challenging us anytime soon with most of their forces bottled up in the Darrowmere, but it’s hard to say for certain. I also didn’t expect them to take Lanesk and the surrounding garrisons so easily…”
Elade’s smile faded, and she slid down into the chair and crossed her legs. “I eliminated as many Breakers as I could, but the Zarul are training replacements quickly…or they had a lot more standing by in Drakendaar than we ever thought.”
The Godswar Saga (Omnibus) Page 103
