“Hesperina wants all of us at the mountain. Syann is gone from the cage.”
The smile fled Valentina’s face. “How is that possible?”
Swallowing hard, the Lord of the Dawn took her by the shoulders.
“The Reaper has returned.”
“What have I done, K’xarr?” Endra said as she struggled to get to her feet.
Cromwell stepped over and offered her his huge hand. Endra let the Toran pull her to her feet. Words flew from her mouth faster than she could think. All the men in the small tavern stared at her like she was crazed, and who could blame them? She was raving like mad woman trying to explain what she had done over the last few months.
“Calm down. You sound as if you have taken leave of your senses,” Kago said, taking her by the shoulders.
“Get your fucking hands off me, dog.” Her fist slammed into Kago’s jaw, snapping his head back and reopening his busted lips.
“Don’t you ever touch me again, you filthy bastard. You knew this was wrong. You knew it was not me!” she screamed.
“I knew no such thing, wench,” Kago said, blood dripping from his mouth. “It was you who came to me, like a brazen whore. What did you think I would do?”
Endra thought a moment. Kago wasn’t lying. She had pursed him like a bitch in heat. How could that be? She loved Kian more than her life. She had even suggested that they wed. To be Kian’s wife was what she wanted more than anything. How could she have done such things?
Endra covered her mouth with her hands. She had hurt and shamed the man she loved, and neglected her children, all for the strange desire that had possessed her. It was like a nightmare she couldn’t awake from.
“All I say is thank Fane’s hairy arse that you have finally returned to your senses,” Cromwell shouted.
Rufio poured a mug of ale from the wooden picture on the table and handed it to Ashlyn.
The young mercenary stood and placed the mug in Endra’s trembling hand. “Drink”
Guzzling the bitter ale, everything she had done since they had been at the rebel’s winter camp flooded back into her mind. It was as if she had been someone else, yet she knew it was her. “Where are my children?”
K’xarr looked at her with pity in his eyes. “Tempest has the little ones up at the palace.”
By the gods, how would she ever make the children understand her loathsome behavior when she couldn’t fathom it herself? Without another word, Endra head for the door.
“Where are you going?” K’xarr asked.
“To find Tempest and get my children back.”
“Endra, wait,” Kago called after her.
She whirled around and leveled her gaze at the mercenary. “If you follow me, I will kill you.”
Kago said nothing. His brows lowered and he dropped back down in his seat.
The morning light hurt her eyes as she stormed out the tavern. K’xarr’s horse was tethered outside. Putting her foot in the stirrup, she swung her splinted leg over the horse’s back with no little trouble. It ached to walk on it without the crutch, but she could bear it.
Slapping the animal’s rump, she galloped out the northern gate and up the hill towards the palace.
All she could think of was what she had done to Kian. How must he feel? She wanted to believe that some sort of spell had been cast on her. Perhaps the sorceress Tragedy had used magic to try and steal Kian away.
Endra knew in her heart that there was no enchantment; that was a lie. She had loved that bastard Kattan. No, not loved. She had been consumed with lust.
The reasons didn’t matter now, Kian was gone, off with his treacherous brother to face the God of Evil by Cromwell’s account. Tears filled her eyes. Had she hurt him so badly that he sought death? What was worse, she would never be able to tell him she had meant none of it.
The palace gate had not yet been replaced nor the wall repaired, so the warhorse carried her straight to the foot of the stairs that led to the grand structure’s entrance. The animal slid to a stop and she awkwardly dismounted.
The entry sported crude makeshift doors to replace the one’s the company had battered down. The guardsmen on duty didn’t stop her from entering, and it was a good thing she was in no mood to be accosted.
Inside, Endra was greeted by an elderly man who identified himself as Vasile, the acting steward. He informed her that Tempest was in the queen’s private dining room with her majesty.
The inner workings of the new court were still very informal. The truth was, no one was there to be formal for. So the steward led her directly upstairs and down a long hallway. Two royal guardsmen assigned to the queen stood outside one of the hallway’s many doors. The steward bowed and bid her good day.
“I would like to see the queen and Tempest,” Endra requested.
“A moment,” one of the soldiers said. He stepped into the room while she waited with the other man.
What must the girl think of her? She had been awfully rude to Tempest, and had burdened her with the children for months, ignoring all the girl’s pleas for help.
Endra tapped her foot as she waited, watching the guardsmen grin as he tried to catch her attention. The other man returned just as she was about to punch the grinning guardsman in the head.
The two soldiers ushered her in, saluted Pepca, and returned to their post. The dining room was opulent and smelled of flowers. The doors to the chamber’s balcony were open and a soft breeze swept through, making the air smell clean. Pepca and Tempest sat at an oval table surrounded by cushioned chairs filled with her children.
Brigitte and Sabra ran to her and she pulled them into her arms.
“Mommy, is your leg hurt?” Sabra asked.
“Yes, dear, but not too bad. It will be well before you know it.”
Brigitte looked at her with her father’s eyes. “Are you here to take us away?”
“Yes, now that all this is over, we can be together again.”
Brigitte frowned. “What about Tiresias? She has no mother. And Cromwell’s babies are alone, can they come with us too?”
“Cromwell will decide what to do with his children and Tiresias isn’t our family,” Endra said, looking at Tempest.
“They have the same blood as us, doesn’t that make them our family?” Sabra asked.
Endra didn’t know what to say. It seemed the children had all become attached to one another while she had been off with Kago.
“Can you girls go finish your breakfast? Tempest and I need to talk,” she said, looking at the young woman.
The white-haired girl wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood. “Majesty, can you keep an eye on them for a moment?” Tempest asked, gesturing to the children.
“Of course,” Pepca replied graciously.
Tempest walked out with Endra on her heels. She followed the girl down the hall and into another room. This chamber was very nice, but on the plain side—a bed, dressing table with a round mirror, and a large trunk were the only furnishings.
“What can I help you with?” Tempest asked politely.
“The children need to come with me. I can see they have grown very fond of you and the other little girl. I think I may need your help to convince them to come without a fuss.”
“So you do intend on splitting them up?”
“Of course. They are not siblings. The war is over, and the six of them are too much for anyone.”
Tempest walked over and looked into the mirror.
“Kian came to me before he left; he wanted me to take all of them to a place he thought would be safe.”
“I know the valley in the mountains. We were going there together before…”
Leaning back on the dressing table, Tempest faced her.
“He told me he thought you might not be in control of yourself. I thought maybe you had just fallen in love with Lieutenant Kattan.”
Endra’s jaw tightened. “That is over. I don’t know what possessed me to betray the man I love or lay with that snake, but it i
s finished, I swear it.”
“Even if it is, are you sure traveling with a mercenary company is what’s best for them?”
“I know Kian thinks highly of you, girl, but those are my children and I will say what’s best for them.”
Endra stormed out of the room, limping heavily on her bad leg. Reentering the dining room, she snatched up Bale and pushed Sabra and Brigitte towards the door.
Tempest had followed her and now blocked the door. “Please, don’t do this.”
“I thank you for all you have done, but if you don’t get out of the way, you will regret it.”
“At least let them stay till the company rides out.”
“No.” Endra pushed past the girl and headed down stairs with her children in tow.
By the time she reached the first floor, Endra’s anger had eased and she felt terrible. She had been rude to Tempest and the girl had only been trying to help her. It was jealousy that caused her to snap at the young woman, and refuse to take the blonde child along. Kian had asked Tempest to see to the children, and with good reason. She had been nothing but a self-centered whore for the last few months. Now she could add ungrateful to her growing list of sins. Hobbling as quickly as she could, Endra tripped on the steps as they left the palace. She didn’t fall but a terrible pain shot up her leg.
Clutching the injured limb, she had to sit down on the stone steps. Her leg throbbed intensely, and Bale began to cry. Glancing at the girls, she noticed that both were in tears.
Endra hung her head and joined them in their weeping. It was all just too much.
She felt a small hand stroke her back. “Mother?”
Looking over, she saw Brigitte. Tiny upswept ears poked through her dark hair, and her golden eyes were red-rimmed and terribly sad. Sabra slid her arm around Brigitte’s shoulders. She stared at Endra with her extraordinary dark eyes, her raven black hair framing her pretty face perfectly. By the gods, she had forgotten how beautiful the two were.
“I am so sorry things have been so bad for you girls.”
“They haven’t been bad, Mommy. Tempest has been wonderful to us,” Brigitte said softly. “If you are going with K’xarr to fight, we would like to stay with her and Tiresias. I know Tempest won’t mind.”
Endra choked back a sob. She had lost her girls. Whatever had possessed her to focus all her attention on Kago had broken her bond with them.
“You love Tempest?” she asked with a sniffle
“Yes,” they both said as once.
Endra pushed herself up and wiped her eyes, adjusting Bale in her arms. “How would it be if you stayed with Tempest till I could come back to you? It would be just for a short while, and then we can see about letting your little blonde friend travel with us. How would that be?”
The two girls smiled and hugged each other. It nearly broke Endra’s heart to see them so excited about staying with the girl. It would be for the best, she told herself. As soon as things were settled, she could rejoin them. At least she would still have Payton and Vinsant with her. Not that those two wanted much mothering anymore, but she would not be alone. It would also give her time to collect herself, and try to discover what had happened. “Come, girls. Let’s go tell Tempest the news.”
“Will Father be coming back when you do?” Brigitte asked.
Endra looked over her shoulder to the south. “I don’t know, sweetheart, but I know this. If he is able, your father will always come back to you.”
* * *
The summer air was mild, with large clouds drifting by, letting the sun peek out now and then. The partially overcast sky kept the day from warming too much, as the citizens of Brova hurried about their daily affairs.
K’xarr and Cromwell sat on the back of a wagon near the city’s southern gate, sharing a jug of ale. The rickety cart had been used to haul away the dead and still reeked with the pungent odor of decay. Neither had spoken much after Endra had left the little tavern. The old woman who owned the Broken Hammer had shooed all of them out after the incident, so the group had bought a couple of jugs of ale and found the cart to sit and drink. The others had wandered away, so now only he and Cromwell remained.
Sitting on the cart remind him of he and Cromwell’s days in Thieves Port. They had tried their luck at thievery and a short stint doing some cutthroat work for the local crime lords of the city. They had fared poorly at the work, but life had been carefree then. Their only worry was where to find wine and women. It was not so now, and he wouldn’t go back to it if he could.
K’xarr decided the company would head to Warmark at the end of the week. No sense waiting around, his men were not well behaved if they were idle for too long. Their old vices and immoral natures always drifted back if they weren’t kept engaged, and he wanted no trouble with the new queen.
“I am going to get drunk today,” Cromwell said, taking another drink from the jug.
“I may join you, my friend,” K’xarr said, unfastening his sword belt and tossing it into the back of the wagon. “It has been sometime since you and I have gotten drunk together.”
“That is not my fault, I offer often.”
“I know, Bull. Too much responsibility ruins a man’s drinking time.”
“That is why I choose to stay irresponsible,” Cromwell said.
Rufio came swaggering over, a thin smile on his face. K’xarr passed him the jug. The Dragitan took a long pull and handed it back. “Kago is in a foul mood. He went back to the Broken Hammer and started drinking like he was dying of thirst. Another hour and I will have to go pick him up of the tavern’s floor.”
Cromwell frowned. “I thought you didn’t like that devil-faced cur?”
“I don’t, but he is a brother. Besides, I am enjoying seeing him like this.”
“Aye, a woman can pierce your heart quicker than an Asconan lance,” Cromwell said.
“Especially a beauty like Endra, her looks could haunt a man’s soul,” K’xarr offered.
Cromwell nodded. “I am just glad she has come to her senses. She had to have been touched in the head to be with Kago.”
“I agree, but I don’t think it was madness. Some kind of magic or enchantment perhaps? Who knows with the Circle, and Tavantis lurking around,” K’xarr said, crossing his feet. “Whatever it was, it had to have been powerful to come between her and Kian’s bond.”
“Aye, there had to be some nefarious scheme involved, and I would hate to be the one behind it if Endra ever finds out who’s responsible for the deed,” Rufio said.
“We should pass the word through the company to keep their mouths shut about the whole incident. Endra won’t want to hear about any of it. It might save some of the boys a cracked skull if they are forewarned,” K’xarr said, finishing the jug and opening a second one.
“It is Kian that concerns me,” Cromwell said, the Toran’s mood souring.
“I can’t even fathom it,” Rufio said. “How do you even find the nerve to stand against a god?”
“Well, it is simple. It’s not nerve, it is madness. Kian and his damn brother are both insane. They always have been. It is a waste of a fine warrior,” K’xarr said, lifting the jug.
“You speak as if they are already dead,” Cromwell said hotly.
“Bull, even you know better than to poke the God of Evil in the eye. Even if they manage to confront the Beast, he will destroy them both. I assure you it won’t end well.”
Cromwell’s lips tightened and he squeezed the edge of the wagon. “We shall see.”
“Their mother is long dead, Kian told me so himself,” Rufio said, slapping Cromwell on the leg. “I think the only reason he went was that Endra tore his heart asunder. The Slayer seeks death; I know the pain. When I lost Rachael, all I wanted was to put an end to it. If not for my duty to the company, I would have.”
The conversation died as the three men spotted Katrina coming their way. “Now that could help ease a man’s pain,” Rufio said lecherously.
The young woman hips swayed i
n a lustful rhythm. The tight pants she wore accented her curves and the dark blouse she sported was unbuttoned enough to revel a great deal of her heavy chest. Katrina’s dark red hair looked freshly washed, and hung in large curls down past her shoulders.
Cromwell elbowed K’xarr and raised his eyebrows.
“A man would be a fool to leave that filly behind,” Rufio said as she closed on them.
“Can I speak with your captain alone?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“Of course, Katrina,” Rufio said, pulling at Cromwell.
The warriors ambled away, snickering.
“Sometimes they are like children,” K’xarr said, watching the pair stagger away, overly amused with themselves.
Katrina leaned against the back of the wagon, her elbows resting on its bed. “I heard you are leaving for Warmark?”
“The company rides out at the end of the week,” K’xarr said.
Katrina’s eyes narrowed. “Were you planning on taking me with you?”
“I hadn’t thought on it.” K’xarr quickly saw his reply angered her. “I thought you would be staying here to aid your people?”
“I don’t think Pepca needs my help, or wants it for that matter. I was never overly kind to our new queen. By the way, Constantine is missing. I guess you were right about him. Since he didn’t get the power he thought would come with the rebellion’s victory, he has left. I’m starting to believe he never truly cared about the people or Trimenia.”
“I told you he was not a good man. I’m sure he will get what coming to him.” K’xarr thought that even though it sounded like Constantine was no longer a friend of hers, Katrina still wouldn’t be happy to hear that the man was now a pile of hog dung. It would be best to keep Constantine’s fate to himself. “What is it you want from me, Katrina?”
The woman flipped her hair back, exasperated. “I wanted to know your plans for us.”
“You knew I would be leaving one day.”
“Do you not care for me at all?” she asked, her voice softening.
Katrina was very proud. K’xarr knew it took a great deal for her to ask that question. He had been expecting a very different reaction from the fiery redhead.
The Star Of Saree (GODS OF THE FOREVER SEA Book 3) Page 49
