Queen in Exile

by Donna Hatch

  Something in the forest drew her attention. She saw nothing, but her heart told her that her chayim was there. Drawn by the irresistible pull, Jeniah stood. “I must go. Do not follow.”

  Alarmed, her guards straightened. Three Hanoran spies had already been captured, and the likelihood that others were nearby remained a constant threat.

  “It’s all right, Garhren, Devan. It’s my chayim.”

  “What’s a chayim?” Aragaëth asked.

  She left as an Ardeene tried to explain. She felt Garhren’s watchful eyes, but he held back to give her some space. Maaragan’s gentle guidance drew her into a strand of trees, where the chayim materialized and came to her. Jeniah burrowed into her thick mane as their minds touched, wrapping her in indescribable joy and warmth.

  Assurance and comfort flooded through her. She had chosen well in forging an alliance with the Hanoran prince. Her plans were solid. Maaragan approved and saw the shedding of blood as a necessary end to the tyranny. She had been nearby during Jeniah’s capture and imprisonment, but she kept back to allow Jeniah to find her own latent strength—the strength necessary to defeat the Lamia.

  Renewed, Jeniah returned to camp but halted when she saw Kai and Aragaëth standing alone together. Jeniah blurred and moved closer.

  “I’m placing a great deal of trust in you,” Kai said.

  “I know, Captain,” Aragaëth said quietly.

  “If anything happens to her—”

  Aragaëth held out his hands, looking deadly sober. “I know. You will hunt me down and kill me slowly with your bare hands. And I know you’re not only a Darborian knight, but also a Sauraii master, fully capable of doing just that, even if an entire army stood in your way. But I swear to you by all that’s dear to me, I won’t let her be harmed. I have many reasons to keep her safe. I’ll defend her with my life.”

  Kai studied him. “I hope it’s enough.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Jeniah sat upon a scaly Hanoran beast, while all around her men prepared for battle. Kai vibrated with tension and his fingers shook slightly as he tied her hands loosely in front of her. Jeniah wished she could say something to reassure him.

  “Try that,” he said.

  She twisted and pulled one hand free from the ropes. “Can you reach your weapons?”

  She pulled a long dagger from the sheath strapped inside her sleeve, and a longer one from the sash around her waist.

  He looked satisfied but not relieved. Concern etched lines into his face, and his jaw was rigid. “We could use a double. It doesn’t have to be you.”

  She sheathed her daggers and laid a hand on his cheek. “It has to be me.”

  “I hate using you as bait.”

  Jeniah put her arms around his neck, almost smiling at the unique feeling of being on eye level with him. He hugged her so tight that she let out a squeak. His chain mail bit into her but she said nothing.

  After a moment, she pulled away and looked him in the eye. “This plan is solid. It will succeed.”

  “I won’t fail you.” He kissed her with frightening desperation, as if he feared he’d never see her again.

  Aragaëth and a dozen of his most loyal men surrounded her. “We’re ready, Your Highness.”

  Kai carefully repositioned the ropes around her wrists and stepped back. Kai and Aragaëth exchanged a weighted look. Then Kai left for his post to await the signal, while Jeniah left camp with Aragaëth and his men. Surrounded by men wearing white cloaks over their armor, she cantered her Hanoran beast down the main highway toward the castle of Arden, rounded the curve, and came within view of the castle. The main gates opened, spilling out a complement of Rheged’s men riding hard toward them.

  Aragaëth glanced back at Jeniah, nodding in reassurance. It was time.

  She swallowed her apprehension. She trusted him. Maaragan trusted him.

  Aragaëth pulled his hood over his face and fell back to let another man act as the leader. The acting leader reined and held up his arm for the rest to follow suit. The soft talking of the other warriors trailed off as they were completely surrounded by King Rheged’s men, about fifty in all. Jeniah’s heart began pounding and her hands grew sweaty. She resisted the urge to look back toward the woods where she knew Kai and his men waited.

  The acting leader called out to Rheged’s man. They spoke animatedly and she caught the words “recaptured the princess.”

  Jeniah sat with her hands tied, her hair unbound and disheveled, trying to look defeated as the Hanoran’s gaze raked over her. Next to her, Aragaëth’s lieutenant, Dayel, slouched in an attempt to appear inconspicuous.

  Satisfied, the Hanoran leader motioned his men to circle Jeniah and Aragaëth’s men to escort them back to the castle. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. At least the first phase of the ruse appeared to be working.

  At the sight of the castle, Jeniah shuddered as she remembered the nightmare she had lived there only days before. Cold sweat ran down her back and she tested the ropes. She glanced back at Aragaëth. He met her gaze and nodded. Reassured, she returned her gaze to the ground.

  They had traveled only a league when a battle cry suddenly rang out. Out of the forest charged a hundred Ardeene knights. In their forefront rode Kai, yelling and brandishing his sword, flanked by Garhren and the rest of the Darborians, all wearing Ardeene colors.

  The Hanorans gave battle. Aragaëth’s men made the appearance of fighting the Ardeenes, each carefully placing his strokes as if in a sparring tournament. Rheged’s men fought with savage force against the Darborians who rushed to meet them. Kai ruthlessly cut down more of Rheged’s men than the rest of the Darborians combined, and Jeniah almost pitied those foolish enough to face him.

  The battle was terrifying. Deafened by the clashing of weapons and cries of pain, Jeniah watched in horror as Hanorans fell from their saddles. The smell of death laced the air.

  A single Hanoran rider raced back to the castle to call for reinforcements. Their battle however, had already been witnessed from the castle watchtower, just as Jeniah had planned, and before he reached the outer wall, the Hanoran messenger was met by a full regiment of soldiers pouring out of the main gates. The Hanoran soldier conferred with the leader.

  “That’s Rheged’s captain of the guard leading them,” Aragaëth said to Jeniah under his breath as he sparred with a Darborian.

  Rheged’s captain and two hundred men thundered toward the melee. Kai fought his way to Jeniah’s side, plowing between Aragaëth and Dayel, who flanked her. She knew he was only making an appearance of fighting them, but at first glance, he looked fully willing to kill them both. Either way, they fell back under his onslaught with convincing alarm. Kai let them withdraw and refrained from delivering a fatal blow. His steely gaze ran up and down Jeniah as he assured himself she was unharmed.

  Hoping her fear wasn’t showing, she said, “I’m all right.”

  He acknowledged her with a nod and continued to destroy with calm dispatch until a startling number of Rheged’s men littered the highway. A new understanding of Kai dawned in Jeniah’s heart. He was efficient and deadly, but he was not a killer. He fought out of necessity, not because he embraced violence. She had thought she understood that before, but she realized it fully now. She also realized with sobering clarity that each time he took a life, he lost a part of his soul, and he suffered for it privately. A part of her shrank from the thought that he was killing—and losing another part of himself—for her sake.

  When the soldiers from the castle neared the site of the battle, Kai grabbed Jeniah around the waist and pulled her onto Braygo with him. She glanced back at him, her brows raised. This was not part of the plan.

  Kai looked back at the regiment charging at them from the castle. “Go!” He shouted to his men.

  He and his knights and the rest of the Ardeene rescue party spurred their mounts. Aragaëth’s men appeared to give chase. Few of Rheged’s soldiers had survived the ambush, but those that did
, rode in pursuit. No one seemed to notice that the Hanorans who had originally captured the princess still lived and only Rheged’s men had died.

  “The Ardeene rebels have the princess!” Aragaëth shouted.

  The captain of Rheged’s army spurred his men to pursue the rebel Ardeenes. The Ardeenes led them on a grueling chase over rocky hills and through deep forests, Aragaëth and his men following as well. Jeniah glanced back. The prince met her gaze with a determined, triumphant grin as he appeared to make every attempt to catch up to them. Their plan appeared to be working.

  Jeniah knew that while the chase took place, an army made up of the remainder of the Ardeene army, along with Darborian, Lariathan, and Govian forces, was descending upon the castle with a vengeance. With a portion of Rheged’s army led away from the castle to recapture her, the allies would easily overpower the remainder of the Rheged’s men. That is, if all went as planned.

  When the Hanoran flag lowered and Arden’s flag rose in the castle parapets, Jeniah knew that the castle was secure. Kai and his men led Rheged’s regiment to an open field.

  “Garhren!” Kai shouted.

  Garhren appeared next to him and scooped Jeniah into his arms. He settled her in front of him astride his duocorn. Garhren and Kai exchanged a nod before Garhren wheeled his beast around. Surrounded by five other Darborian knights who would act as her guard during the battle, Garhren raced his mount up to the bluff where their camp lay. His arms encircled her protectively and she knew he would keep her safe, not only out of duty, but out of loyalty to Kai.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, eyeing her with concern.

  “Of course. Kai took no chances.”

  Garhren nodded and glanced back at the other members of her guard to be sure they had fallen into position. They ringed her. She looked up at Garhren, remembering what he had done for Kai, how he had helped him when Ariana died. A surge of gratitude for this man overcame her. Friends with that kind of fierce loyalty were rare.

  “You’re a good man, Garhren Ravenwing.”

  Clearly taken aback, he glanced down at her. Then his sardonic exterior fell into place. “Don’t tell anyone or you’ll ruin my reputation.”

  She smiled faintly, then turned her attention to the field. Kai and his men engaged the enemy, while the less-experienced recruits fell back. Rheged’s men were obviously astonished when many of the Ardeenes threw off their Hanoran cloaks and revealed themselves to be Darborian knights—the best-trained, most formidable warriors in all the kingdoms. Then Aragaëth lowered his hood and led his men in a charge against Rheged’s men, fighting alongside the Darborians and Ardeenes, with whom he had clearly allied himself. Clearly enraged by the treachery, Rheged’s soldiers fought ruthlessly.

  Breathless, Jeniah waited in the trees, still on Garhren’s mount, encircled by her five guards, her eyes upon Kai. He fought with such ferocity and skill that she never feared for him. He was magnificent. Every stroke of his flashing sword brought down enemy soldiers. The Sauraii cut down a wide space around him, quickly, gracefully, his movements absolutely effortless, as if he only sparred with children.

  Jeniah hated the death, the bloodshed. Suddenly, all alliances fell away and she saw only men, killing and dying. No wonder Arden’s history and culture abhorred fighting. But because of men like Rheged, Kai and other warriors had to live this way.

  Nearby, Aragaëth fought against his countrymen with as much fierceness as the Ardeenes. The Hanorans he killed were loyal to Rheged, which made them his enemy. Some of Rheged’s men recognized him and threw down their weapons, but others singled him out. Once, he took a hard blow and was knocked from his mount. Jeniah gasped.

  Kai fought his way there in an instant, battling off those who tried to finish Aragaëth while he was down. With Kai shielding him, the Hanoran prince remounted, holding his arm protectively in front of him.

  Allied reinforcements of Govians and Tiraians arrived, led by Tarvok and the remaining Ardeene knights. They surrounded the battlefield and the tide quickly turned.

  A messenger rode in breathlessly. “Your Highness!” He shouted as he raced to Jeniah. “King Rheged himself is leading a full company this way!”

  Alarmed, Jeniah cupped her hands. “Kai!”

  He paused, alarm leaping into his face, until he saw that she still sat safely within Garhren’s arms, the other Darborian knights carefully circling them.

  Jeniah shouted, “Rheged is coming.”

  Kai nodded and called out commands to his men. Moments later, a column of Hanorans appeared on the highway, riding hard. Jeniah’s heart fell to her stomach.

  They were hopelessly outnumbered.

  Kai regrouped his men, formed a new line, and with a battle cry, led them in a full charge. Her pulse throbbing, Jeniah watched as they came together in a terrible clash. For a few heart-stopping moments, she could not see Kai in the turmoil.

  “I have to do something,” she breathed. “I have to help them.”

  Garhren’s tension and helplessness rippled off his body, and she knew he ached to be with his comrades instead of standing safely on the outskirts.

  He spoke grimly. “There’s nothing you can do. You need to stay here where it’s safe. You are their standard. If anything happens to you, their fight would be lost.”

  “I know, Garhren, but—” Frustrated and helpless, she watched as brave men died by the dozen. Kai still battled, nothing touching him. But so many others perished.

  She wanted to help them, shield them. She stilled. Perhaps she could.

  She straightened and sent out a screen to protect all of the allied forces combined to free Arden. Using her senses, she reached out, seeking all Ardeenes, all Darborians, all of Prince Aragaëth’s men. Separating them from Rheged’s men proved difficult, but she probed their minds, seeking their loyalties. Using every bit of strength she possessed, she concentrated on protecting them, shielding them. Soon it became apparent that the blows delivered by the Hanorans had no effect on the allies, even when their aim was sure. The allied warriors retaliated, and each man was able to slay the Hanorans he faced.

  It took a tremendous amount of energy to create such large shield. Jeniah quickly weakened and grew lightheaded. Though she did not see her chayim, she felt Maaragan’s presence as the creature lent her strength. Their combined energy created the power to protect her people from harm.

  Hanorans began to fall by the hundreds, pressed by the inexperienced Ardeenes, who should not have been able to defeat them. The allies broke through the Hanorans’ line of defense.

  Jeniah’s eyes moved to the center of the field, where two men facedeachotherinabattlethatmadethefightingaroundthemlook like play. Kai and King Rheged battled with terrifying ferocity.

  Jeniah wanted to shield Kai, but knew he would resent her interference. Still bearing a self-imposed guilt for failing during the first battle in Arden, Kai needed to do this on his own. She sat alert, ready to shield him if the need arose.

  There was no need. Kai slammed through Rheged’s defenses and cut him down. The king fell off his mount, bleeding and beaten. Kai dismounted and stood over him.

  Even from a distance, Jeniah could feel the glare Rheged focused on Kai. Aragaëth came then and also dismounted, standing shoulder to shoulder with Kai. The hatred Rheged directed at his son made Jeniah’s blood turn cold. With his dying breath, the king spit on Aragaëth. Then he died.

  A cry rose up. “The king is dead. King Rheged is dead.”

  Men stopped fighting, and an eerie hush fell over the field.

  Aragaëth stood over King Rheged for a moment, then removed his helmet and kneeled. Gently, he slid off his father’s helmet. With his hands on either side of the king’s head, Aragaëth closed his own eyes and lifted his head. His voice raised in a death song. It was caught up by the other Hanorans as they honored the passing of their king.

  When the last notes of the death song faded away, Aragaëth stood and turned to an alert Kai, who poised to fight him if the ne
ed arose. Jeniah knew Kai worried that Aragaëth would turn on them once his purpose had been served. That Kai had still chosen to save the prince’s life during the battle in spite of his misgivings spoke volumes of Kai’s character. He would make a great king.

  At that moment, Jeniah realized Arden needed him as badly as she did. Determination burned within her more brightly than before to marry Kai. She would find a way.

  Aragaëth bent over, retrieved his sword, and turned to stand near Kai. He raised his sword, his other arm hanging useless and bleeding at his side.

  “Brave warriors of Hanore! You are outnumbered, but you do not need to die. If you renounce Rheged and pledge your loyalty to me, your lives will be spared.”

  After a brief hesitation, as one, the Hanorans dropped their weapons and went down on bended knee, pounding their hearts with their fists and bowing their heads.

  “Long live King Aragaëth!” Dayel shouted.

  The cry gained strength as it was repeated by the Hanoran army. As Aragaëth turned to face Kai, Jeniah held her breath.

  While the shouts of acclaim continued, Kai bowed his head, then placed his fist first on his chest and then on his forehead. Jeniah smiled. Solemnly, Aragaëth offered his arm and Kai took it in the warrior’s grip.

  Jeniah slid off of Garhren’s duocorn and, followed closely by her guards, moved toward Kai and Aragaëth.

  Aragaëth met her halfway. His face streaked with dirt and sweat, his clothing stained from the battle. “This changes nothing. We are still allies.” He went down on one knee with bowed head.

  She sank into a deep curtsy. “Long live King Aragaëth of Hanore.”

  “Long live Queen Jeniah of Arden.”

  Someone lying on the battlefield called weakly. As Jeniah listened, she heard the young tenor voice of a man barely out of boyhood, calling for his mother. Sickened by the carnage, she stepped carefully over bodies, following the sounds. Out of a tangle of bodies on the ground, a hand reached toward the sky. She moved to it.

  “Mother.” A young Hanoran soldier with a wound that had nearly cloven his head in two lay crushed under the weight of his dead mount. He was only minutes from death.