“I could,” Firien said. “But I am exhausted.”
“We need Lorandal for everyone,” Dalandaras replied. “And more warmth.”
The winter horses could carry two, but it would be a hard ride for them. “Firien, Aerik,” I said.
“My lady,” Firien replied.
“Are you well enough to ride?” I asked.
“In a few hours more,” Firien replied.
“Get what sleep you can, and heal all you can,” I said. “At first light, you two need to ride back to Tal Anor, and bring stretchers back for Rusindal and Nogoriel. For now, stay settled. And don’t lend any of your strength to Aerik, Firien. He’ll hold.”
“Aye,” Aerik said, and settled back against the rock.
“You’ll be cold,” Firien murmured to Aerik, but I caught the words.
“I do not need to be kept warm,” Aerik said quietly. “Don’t fuss.”
“Good,” I replied, equally as quietly. “Because I’ve spent myself with that avalanche.”
What neither Zarah nor Adhannor nor Ellsmid, nor even the Queen, seemed to understand. There were limits to great powers. I could command an avalanche, but now I could not even keep a company of six very warm. Dalandaras understood, with his eyes on me even as he tried to shield Rusindal from the cold.
“Ar…Ar Dalandaras?” Rusindal asked between shivers, his voice breaking.
I slid over to the elf as Dalandaras helped him sit up. “It is,” Dalandaras replied.
“Cold.”
“I know.”
“If you can sit,” I said. “You can get closer to the fire.”
His head turned, his eyes widening as he saw me. “Lady…”
I wanted to smile at him, but he was my captive. If he had information I could use, it was best he realized now that we weren’t going to be friends.
Ah, the Lady had returned. The stiffening in my back and my thoughts told me so.
Dalandaras helped the elf sit cross legged, his knees touching the ring of rocks around the fire. Even so, he still hunched closer, pulling his hands out of his gloves and nearly shoving them in the fire.
“Where’s your water skin?” I asked.
Dalandaras found it for him, untying it from his belt and handing it to me. It was cold to the touch; I wedged it between the fire pit rocks, careful that the flames did not scorch the leather. When it was warm, I handed it back to Rusindal. “Drink.”
The young elf did, gulping it all down. I claimed it back, refilled it with snow, and repeated the process. After the third pass, I slowed. “You’re young to be here, Rusindal.”
His eyes met mine, and darted away quickly. “I followed my Queen’s orders,” he said, his teeth chattering only a little. “I had no desire to fight you, Lady, I swear it!”
I waved a hand. “I am not offended. Your Queen doesn’t like me; I won’t take it personally. I know that the Queen sent you along because you know what I look like.”
The water sloshed over his rim, and Dalandaras caught it before it tumbled from his fingers. “It’s true you’re a w-witch, then,” he said.
I smiled. “It takes no witchery to guess your purpose here. I liked you when I met you, but we will not pretend that you are of Firien’s skill in tracking and fighting.”
Rusindal nodded. “That’s the t-truth, my lady, and I don’t take insult to it.”
“You were nervous,” I said. “I felt it when Firien spoke to your group. Was that due to your inexperience?”
Rusindal shook his head. “No, my lady. I was afraid we’d all be killed. Have they all been killed? You are said to have many monsters.”
I held up a hand. “I can only answer so many questions. I don’t know the fate of your friends, but I think most survived. Nogoriel is there, as you see.”
“Nogoriel—” he spotted her, and paled more.
“And I don’t have monsters. I have many creatures, but they are my friends, not monsters.” I pointed to where Dhreo and Annel had settled behind me, curled around each other.
“And I won’t hurt you,” I said. “But whether I help you, well…that all depends on what you tell me.”
Rusindal retreated into himself. He was too much inexperienced, too easy to read. The uncertainty was clear in his eyes, the quickness of his heartbeat, the involuntary drawing on breath. He was considering whether to lie to me.
Whether or not he realized it, he had just proved himself useful.
“If you cannot warm yourself up, you will have a miserable winter here. And our healer Lorandal has quite a few humans to look after. And Nogoriel, of course,” I gestured, and his eyes flicked to his commander. “But maybe Lorandal won’t have time for her, either.”
“You would not…” Rusindal glanced to Dalandaras. “My Prince, you would not let her…”
“Do you think I am the one who controls the foulings and colossi and the very ground beneath your feet?” Dalandaras asked nonchalantly. “You are alive because the Lady took pity on you. But she can be fickle, and change her mind.”
Rusindal swallowed. It had taken me time to learn to read Dalandaras and Firien and the others of their measure. Rusindal was much more human in that regard. I wondered if he would grow into someone like Dalandaras and Firien…if he lived to see it.
“What is it, Rusindal,” I said again, and handed him back his water skin.
“I heard them,” Rusindal said. “The Queen and Nogoriel. They were arguing. About Ar Dalandaras, about Firien, about you. There’s a great divide in Tal Uil, and many rumors.”
“I can imagine rumors, Rusindal. I have no use for those.”
“The Queen and Nogoriel were discussing what to do about you. Nogoriel thought that you were honorable, that Firien would not have stayed even in spite of his human were you not to be trusted. The Queen agreed.”
Wait. “She…agreed that I was trustworthy?”
Rusindal nodded. “We were not to come here to kill you. We were to try to bring you back to Tal Uil. The Queen has Singael’s old papers, his notes about the workings of blood magic. The Queen wants you alive.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “All this talk of monsters? You see my foulings, and you’ve seen my colossi, and I have my dreadwolves and undead and all manner of things I could summon forth if I chose! I launched an avalanche at you, and it was only Eva the human who tried to stop it, not the Lady of Tal Aesiri. How did you propose to capture me? Nets? Chains? Do not say old magic, for that is mine. Nor, I think, is anyone alive of the power to manipulate blood magic, however much you may dig into Singael’s papers. So tell me, Rusindal, how were you to capture me?”
Rusindal reddened. “It was not you we were to capture,” Rusindal replied. “I was there to try to draw you away from the others. Nogoriel was going to capture Dalandaras, and use him against you.”
My amusement died. “She intended to use a prince of her own people against me?”
Rusindal nodded, his eyes darting between Dalandaras and myself. “Everyone knows of you two, my lady. We were to capture him, and would threaten his life if you did not come.”
The chill of the night finally crept into my heart. “And if I did not come?” I asked quietly.
Rusindal shook his head. “I beg you, my lady, I wanted no part in it—”
“What,” I said slowly, my eyes staring into his pale ones. I felt the Lady rise at the arrogance, the strength of the old magic welling in my bones and muscles. I stood, towering over him. The crown was heavy on my head again, my hand clenching Dauntless’ hilt with all the strength I had. Annel howled. “Would you have done if I refused to come with you?”
“Eva,” Dalandaras murmured, but the Lady would not quelled, not even by him.
Rusindal fell back, whimpering.
“Answer,” I ordered.
“Nog-Nogoriel,” Rusindal said. “Nogoriel told the Queen that Ar Dalandaras was your heart. And the Queen—the Queen said that love was a great weakness.”
“Adhanel and Singael�
��” I murmured.
“Yes, my lady,” Rusindal agreed. “The Queen said that if you did not come with us, then we should make good on our threat, and kill the prince.”
I lunged for Rusindal. I took no insult at wanting my death; but I would rage against any who tried to hurt what I considered mine. My hands were around his throat, crushing his windpipe, before I knew that I had moved.
“Eva!” Dalandaras grabbed me. “Eva, stop. Lady, stop it! It solves nothing.”
His fingers pried mine from Rusindal’s throat. The young elf fell back, gasping for breath. My foulings growled.
“Enough!” Aerik shouted, quieting even the foulings.
I yanked away from Dalandaras, spinning to face him. “I will not take that.”
“It has not happened,” he said. “And there is no need to hurt the messenger.”
I turned away, stalking to the edge of the ridge. Away from the fire, the darkness was bright in my eyes. The wall pulsed with old magic. In the distance, foulings and dreadwolves howled quietly to each other. Apart from today’s disturbance, all was well in the night.
No, I thought as I touched by belly, all was not well.
“Eva?” Dalandaras asked quietly.
I dropped my hand, smoothing my tunic over me. It hung loose now without the lacings, and proved a good camouflage. “Once our prisoners are secure at Tal Anor,” I said, steadying myself. “We will go to Tal Aesiri. I have questions that need answering…and only the dead can answer them.”
CHAPTER 14
Aerik and Firien rode at first light. They came back with Father and a dozen soldiers. Nogoriel had not awoken once during the night nor during the morning. She was transported back to Tal Anor unconscious still. I ordered Rusindal bound. His youth had my pity long enough.
“You should come back,” Father said as they prepared to depart.
“I have something to attend to at Tal Aesiri,” I replied.
“You should at least clean up,” he said.
I must have been a sight, mud-caked and frozen. Dalandaras didn’t look much better. “I’ll clean up there.”
I watched them depart, their human eyes staring with awe and fear at the carnage of the avalanche and the wall at the end.
“You should go with,” I murmured to him.
“I go with you,” Dalandaras replied as Annel and Dhreo paced at our heels. Dhreo had recovered from his knock, as slowly as I had regained my grasp of the old magic. “Did you truly lose the old magic after you unleashed the avalanche?”
“It felt as if I had drained it all,” I said. “As I tried to stop it. The Lady so overwhelmed me that I had no choice but to start it, and it took all control I had to try to halt it.”
“Do you hope to find some control over it at Tal Aesiri?”
“Yes,” I replied, though that was only part of my problem. I had to know how this would affect my child.
“You’re lying to me.”
He said it so quietly, that I had no response. I only had the wish, coupled with the old magic, that he would not find out about the child before I had to tell him.
“And when were you to tell me that you had such control over the undead?” he asked. “Such as control over Zarah?”
When I still couldn’t find a reply, nor look him in the eye, I simply started walking towards Tal Aesiri.
I halted only when Dalandaras made me, ate when he found me something to eat, slept when he forced me to lay down.
There was a blizzard, I knew that. I knew that the snows seemed to part for us. And then we were climbing the mountainside of Tal Aesiri, as the sun cast its evening shadows on the black rocks and glassed crater of the summit.
Fardeth appeared as soon as I set foot down onto the summit of Tal Aesiri. “We worried,” she said sternly.
“Worried?” I asked.
“We felt a terrible fight.”
“It was brief,” I replied. “Has anything happened?”
Fardeth only looked stern. “We’re getting restless, Lady.”
“I am certain you are.” And I had few answers, except for ones that they didn’t want to hear. Such as how I didn’t know how to save myself, much less them.
“And we know you took Zarah.”
“She was useful.” I felt Dalandaras behind me, hovering close. He knew about Zarah, and yet…I couldn’t tell him what I had done. It felt…unclean. It felt to close to something Adhannor would have done. Had done. And I didn’t want…didn’t want Dalandaras to look at me differently. I knew he saw the Lady when he looked at me. The lake told me that easily enough. But he still saw Eva. “How long have you waited, Fardeth?” I asked. “A thousand years? A few more months are only droplets in that sea. For now, enjoy your peace from Adhannor.”
“Yes, Lady,” it was said with both relief and habit. A few simple words had bought me some time before the ghosts of Tal Aesiri came for their due.
“We need to talk, Eva,” Dalandaras said.
I turned to him. “Night comes earlier and earlier now. You should find somewhere for us to shelter.”
“I am sure Aerik’s cave is still here,” Dalandaras replied.
“We’ve kept it clean for you, Lady,” Fardeth said with no small hint of sarcasm.
The undead were at least getting some enjoyment from this.
“Then would you like to meet Adhanel?” I asked Dalandaras. “The one who possessed me and had me kill your grandfather?”
“It would be a late introduction,” Dalandaras said, his voice deepening. He was getting angry. I was surprisingly pleased with it, and wasn’t sure why.
“Then give me a moment alone with her, and I will gladly make introductions.”
“And you will explain Zarah to me.”
It was going to be an interesting winter.
I left Dalandaras to find firewood and stepped into the cave. The spirits of Tal Aesiri had kept it clear and cleaned, such as a cave could be. Aerik and Firien had left furs behind, and had dug a fire pit. Even the ash had been cleared from it. I could not imagine Fardeth or any of the elf and human undead being happy to do such a task.
“I know you’re here,” I said to the air. “You might as well come out.”
“And show myself to Dalandaras?” Adhanel asked as she conjured herself from the dust and shadows. “You are asking quite a lot of me.”
“You came,” I said lightly. “I wasn’t certain you would.”
“My child called,” Adhanel replied. “And I came. You’re a babe with a babe, I see.”
I pressed a hand to my belly. “I am.”
“It’s very ill timing.”
“I am aware of that,” I snapped.
“Mood swings?” she asked in the same light tone I had spoken in a moment earlier. “I was troubled by those as well. It seems to be a human thing, that I carried a half-human babe. Your young boys at Tal Anor are taking good care of my bones. I thank you for that. I am also grateful that the carrion birds took care of—”
“Dalandaras’ grandfather?” I asked. “Yes, the birds took care of Singael’s flesh. Dalandaras took care of the bones.”
“Do you think to have me explain that to him?” Adhanel said. “To explain Singael’s murder of my lover?”
“I suspect he wants to confront you for leading me down this path.”
“You are an inheritor, Eva. I could not lead you if I tried, only point you down certain paths. I did borrower you a bit for Singael, but your powers needed a death anyway. The rest—to confront Adhannor directly at Tal Aesiri—that was you. And now to have a babe as the Lady—”
“Which you will not tell him about,” I said.
“Ah,” Adhanel said, as if that was suddenly the answer to my visit. “You are here to interfere with any conversation the young man wishes to have with me? Now I would like to meet him.”
“Enough,” I said firmly. “I need to know what to do to save the spirits here. I may be the Lady, but I was barely strong enough to handle a light company of e
lves. What can I possibly do when spring comes?”
“You’d have strength,” Adhanel said. “If you took it from the spirits themselves.”
That was what I was afraid of. I couldn’t release the spirits, as I promised to find a way to do. If I did, I would have no way to protect Tal Aesiri. “Even that isn’t enough,” I said. “I used the colossi, used my guardian, but it drained me.”
“This place is bound with blood magic now,” she said. “It is not so simple as it once was.”
Blood magic. We were back to that. “I destroyed the altars,” I said. “And Adhannor’s prison was destroyed at his release. “
“You don’t need a whole palace of blood magic,” Adhanel said. “You need but one ward.”
And there was one at Tal Anor. The one that Adhanel had manipulated me into killing Singael in. “I don’t think I will find a person of old magic—of strong old magic—around here anytime soon.”
“Do I have to tell you all the secrets of this place?” Adhanel asked lightly. “It is much more enjoyable watching you run around trying to figure it all out.”
“You may be my many-times-great-grandmother,” I said. “But you do very little to make me like you.”
“Liking me is not required. I want the elves and the humans stopped as much as you do.”
“Then what do I need to do?”
“Have you looked in a mirror lately?”
If there had been something to break, I would have broken it by now. “I forgot to pack one.” But then I remembered the ice. And Dalandaras telling me to look at myself. To see the Lady that sometimes took over the human form. “You mean me. You want me to sacrifice myself.”
Adhanel shrugged. “That’s one way to look at it.”
Kill myself. I hadn’t heard that one before.
I could. I wasn’t above it, nor beneath it. I wouldn’t pity my self-sacrifice before the end. But if I could guarantee that it would be another thousand years before anyone could get their hands on the power of the old magic, then I would do it. For Dalandaras and Father and Aerik, I would do it. But there was one problem.
“I won’t kill my child,” I said.
“I was not asking you to. I’m quite fond of her already, though she is little more than mere potential in your womb right now.”
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