“And a fine job you’ve done then, as well,” another man sneered, his bushy black hair streaked with mud and oil. Ever itched to teach the man a lesson for speaking so rudely to his wife, but another slight wave of Isa’s hand kept him at bay.
“I understand your frustration,” she said quietly, and the calm of her voice seemed to quiet the crowd somewhat. “You are worried for your little girl. Cyrille, was it? I remember her.” Isa smiled in that gentle way of hers. “She has pretty green eyes.” How did she recall these details? Ever could hardly remember what he had eaten for supper the night before.
“Yes,” the man said in a more subdued tone, his eyes moving to his boots. “That’s ’er.”
Ever could feel Isa beginning to work the crowd. She had never tried to influence so many people at once. Even now, he could see the tiny bead of sweat that was forming on her temple. How much longer could she last?
Please, Fortress! he begged. Just a bit more!
“I can see in your face that you love your daughter, that you would do anything for her,” Isa continued.
“That’s what I’m doin’ now!”
“Then would you want her to see you tear a person limb from limb, as you have been contemplating doing to me?”
The man froze, his eyes wide and full of terror.
But Isa didn’t stop. “Would you be proud to tell her what kind of deed you had committed?”
For all of the mob’s jeering and shouting just a few minutes before, the crowd had grown nearly silent and still in the quickly falling light of dusk. All the while, Isa maintained her calm and steady gaze. Only Ever could see her wrist as it trembled with the effort she must be expending. She couldn’t have much strength left.
“No.” The man finally swallowed and bowed his head. Without another word, he turned and began to walk away. Slowly, one by one, the rest of the crowd followed his example. Men and women dropped sticks, axes, and whatever makeshift weapons they had managed to grab on their way to the church. Finally, the last woman left, and Isa turned to them, a slight smile on her face.
“We will be safe tonight. But Ever?”
“Yes?”
“Catch me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Short Words and Dire Plans
Though she never lost consciousness completely, Ever could feel Isa’s utter exhaustion when her knees buckled and he caught her in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to let her sleep the night away in the church. Father Lucien advised leaving Samsin as quickly as possible, however, so Ever was forced to place her before him in his saddle so she wouldn’t fall off her own horse. It would put a strain on his mount, but they would be at the Cobrien border by the next day. Surely she would be stronger by then.
The group was quiet that evening and then the next day as they rode. Ever was grateful for their silence. They had been by his side long enough to know his ways and when he did and did not wish to speak. Still, he could feel their curiosity and pity in the sidelong looks they cast him. But he didn’t want pity. He wanted a solution.
“We’re approaching a stream up ahead, Sire,” Leroy called from up ahead. “Do you wish to stop there and rest the horses?”
“That sounds wise. Is there shade?”
“Yes, Sire. A grove of trees lies a little way to the north. We’ll be mostly hidden.”
They turned their horses off the rough road, and within minutes, Ever spotted the trees peeking up from the ravine where they grew. It would be the perfect place to examine Isa again, shielded from the heat of the late morning sun.
As they rode, Ever scolded himself again for his negligence. Isa had not only worked tirelessly alongside him for the last month as they’d visited the sick children in Soudain, and had searched every scroll and book in the Tower of Annals, but she had also continued to manage many of the Fortress’s comings and goings that had nothing to do with their current problems. And as if she hadn’t been busy enough, she’d spent every spare second with Henri and Genny. Last night had been the breaking point. Never had she tried to work so many minds at once, and now she was paying for it.
Ever wanted to kick himself.
When they had all moved down into the little ravine, Ever gently handed his wife down to Degare before jumping off the horse himself. Then, taking her back, he carried her to the edge of the stream and knelt so that he could fill his waterskin while holding her in his lap. As he poured a little stream of water into her mouth, Isa’s eyes opened, and a deep sigh of relief escaped him. She hadn’t looked so awake in hours.
“Why hello there.” He put the waterskin down and propped her up a little higher, drinking in the alertness of her beautiful blue eyes like a man dying of thirst. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” She squinted and blinked a few times before pushing herself into a sitting position. Ever let her, but kept his arm behind her back in case she collapsed again. “How long was I asleep? Where are we?”
“I don’t know if you remember, but we left Samsin last night. You’ve been sleeping on and off since. We’ll reach your brother at the border in just a few hours.”
“Launce? Oh, right.” She rubbed her eyes. “Why are we seeing him again?”
Ever spoke slowly, hoping his words wouldn’t startle her into a true fainting spell. “I need to plan with him for the possibility we’ll need to relocate our troops. I sent a message the night that we left. I supposed you wouldn’t mind?” Actually, he had worried very much that she would mind, particularly after her initial reaction to Launce’s last little “revelation” at the party.
But Isa only gave him a tired smile. “I will be glad to see him.” She looked around. “Do we have anything to eat?”
Ever leapt up to dig a hunk of dried beef, bread, and a few pieces of fruit out of his pack. It was good to see her eat. She did so almost ravenously, as though she’d skipped two days of food, rather than only two meals. Perhaps her strength would return sooner than he’d first thought.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded, and he helped her to her feet, keeping her hand tucked into his as they walked a bit away from the men. After riding through the night, their men deserved some sleep. “Leroy, keep watch for a few minutes,” Ever called over his shoulder. “I will take it when I’m done.”
“You need sleep, too,” Isa said softly, but Ever only shook his head. Even if he had the time for it, his mind wouldn’t allow him to rest now.
When they had walked around a little bend in the stream and were hidden from the sight of their men, Ever eased Isa down onto a large flat rock then sat beside her. “Isa, I must ask forgiveness for my poor judgment last night. I wasn’t thinking clearly. If you hadn’t been there to stop them...” Ever shuddered.
“You might be a gifted king,” Isa said quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder, “but you are still human. Learning a secret of that magnitude would have shocked anyone.”
“I have to wonder, though,” Ever said slowly, staring into the stream as it bubbled up continuously around a boulder, “if perhaps she is right. I was the one who cursed the—”
“Everard!” Isa’s voice and eyes were suddenly fierce as she grabbed his face with both hands and turned to face him. “You know that her words were lies, and I never want to hear you utter such blatant nonsense again! Do you understand me? Your father’s infidelity says nothing about you, nor does it make you an unfit king.” She loosened her grip, and her face relaxed slightly, but she didn’t let go. “The Fortress loves you, and it has proven that time and again. I do not know why the Fortress has not allowed you to chase this evil from Destin’s borders. But we will. Together.” The blue fire in her eyes blazed wildly, and the thin set of her lips told Ever that his wife was deadly serious. And as she held him there, he could feel her using her gift on him with all she had. All he could do was nod.
Before she began to tremble too hard with the effort, Ever gently removed her hands from his face and held them in his lap. “I b
elieve you,” he promised her. “No need to collapse on me again. Your brother might have my head if he finds you in such a state.”
For an immeasurable time, they sat there together, staring at the brook and its shallow sandy shores as she leaned heavily against his shoulder. For how long they sat, Ever didn’t really know. “Leroy,” he finally called out. “I’ll take watch. You get some rest.”
But there was no response, and a nasty feeling settled in Ever’s gut. Isa stared up at him, concern etched on her face. Ever grabbed Isa and pushed her back against the ravine, then wedged himself beside her. When they were both flat against the bank, he prepared himself to peer out from behind the bend. Before he could, however, a change in the water caught his eye. Where the stream had run crystal clear moments before, a thick red now flowed down.
Glancing back at his wife, Ever swallowed hard. Usually he could count on Isa’s sword just as well as he might Acelet’s. Isa had spent many long hours training to ensure that. But the ghostlike color of her face worried him. She couldn’t fight today. “Stay here,” he mouthed at her, praying that for once, she would listen.
Finally, he leaned around the corner. Leroy was laying half in the water and half out, a long pike sticking out of his gut. To Ever’s shock and relief, however, the other men were still only sleeping. It was as if there had been no fight, not even a scuffle. The only sign that Leroy had even tried to fight back was that he had drawn his weapon. Unfortunately, it looked as though he’d never gotten to even use it.
Then a movement caught Ever’s eye. Though the young man looked to be asleep, Eloy was gripping his sword so hard that his brown knuckles were turning white. But where was the enemy?
A cloud of something humid and warm flashed across Ever’s face and yanked him forward. Ever found himself on the ground beside Eloy, his head dangling out over the stream and his sword hand pinned to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the mist had shifted from its cloud form into a man. And that man was trying very hard to push his head under the water.
With his other hand, Ever grabbed the Fae by the neck. With a yank, he had the Fae off of his chest and on the ground. Just as his sword should have bitten the creature’s flesh, however, it was gone, the green mist rising instead. The mist darted up near his face, then brushed behind him. Ever tried to flip but was too late, and his sword was too slow to block the man’s shove to his back. He fell forward, clipping the side of his face on a boulder.
Eloy leapt up with a cry, only to be knocked back down by another quick appearance of their attacker. Not wanting the boy get himself killed, Ever tried to stand. But as he did, his vision doubled. Sensing a presence to his right, he rolled over to face his attacker head on, but it was impossible to tell which was the true attacker, for there were suddenly two identical Fae that raised pikes above him. Just as the pikes began to make their way down, a flash of silver knocked the pike out of attacker’s hands. As the world came back into focus, Ever realized that the only reason he hadn’t been run through was the head of copper hair that had distracted his opponent.
Whether fueled by the Fortress or his anger, Ever didn’t know, but immediately his vision was restored, and he leapt up in a rage, blue flame building dangerously in each of his fists. Just as the thin man raised his pike against Isa, he turned back to see Ever, and his slitted eyes went blank. Isa didn’t hesitate, knocking the pike away, thin blue flame exploding from her hands. Then Ever’s sword was in his heart.
Where their enemy should have slumped onto the sandy bank of the stream, however, he only dissolved into a heap of ash.
“Their lips!” Isa cried, her cry drawing his attention back to his men. Together they rushed to the three guards lying limply on the ground. Eloy was able to sit, but his face looked unwell, too. Isa’s eyes widened as she took in Leroy, but Ever was proud of her as she gritted her teeth and focused back on the men that still lived.
“Hemlock poisoning,” Ever said as he lifted Degare’s head. “They’ve not been stabbed, but it’s been rubbed all over them. Hold him in your lap for me. I will have to heal him, but it will hurt, and he’ll thrash.”
Isa nodded stiffly, and Ever was grateful that she didn’t give voice to the fears that swirled inside of him now. Would he be able to heal them? So many times, he’d failed... No. He couldn’t afford to think that way now.
Please, he prayed to the Fortress, let me help them! The skin was already beginning to bubble around the man’s mouth. If Ever didn’t act soon, his throat might swell shut and the man would surely die. With Ever’s heart in his stomach, he gently took hold of Degare’s pale face, resting his fingers above the mouth and below the chin. After taking a deep breath, he exhaled. And then they waited.
The seconds turned to years, it seemed, before the man began to thrash just as Ever had predicted. But Isa held on tight, and to Ever’s joy, Degare’s eyes opened, and flaming red skin began to recede.
“On to Olivier!” Ever barked, and immediately, they moved on. By the time the noontime sun was directly overhead, all of their men had been healed.
All except for Leroy. It pained Ever that they could only do a short battlefield service in honor of his friend. Leroy had saved his life on more than one occasion in battle, and in the few times he’d been willing to share his opinion, it had always been worth its weight in gold. Their small party watched solemnly as his friend’s ashes were gathered and placed in a small bottle for the man’s poor wife. Let him know, Ever asked the Maker, that he shall be missed, and I look forward to seeing him again when my night comes.
“Why would only one Fae follow us?” Jori Blanc, the group’s navigator, asked when they were back on their horses and a respectful distance from the ceremonial pyre. “Any why not kill us all?”
“It was a warning,” Ever said as he glared at the road ahead of him. “She means to let us know that we are being watched.”
“She can watch all she wants.”
The ferocity in Isa’s voice took Ever by surprise, and he turned to look at her. With her copper hair swept back into a tight braid and her leather riding trousers sticking out from beneath her slitted skirt, his wife was a fierce sight to behold. But even more intimidating than her combat attire, or even the sword and bow she wore, were her eyes. Isa’s eyes flamed in agitation as they fixed themselves upon Jori with dangerous care, like a panther, ready to strike.
“Because if it is Destin that she desires, then she will have to pry it from my stiff, lifeless hands.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Taking Care
“What is she doing here?” Ever growled.
“They aren’t aware of the gravity of the situation,” Isa murmured, ever the peacemaker. Despite her gentle words, however, her stress was evident in the taut muscles of her face.
Ever grunted in response as they approached the border. White canvas tents were stretched out along the river that ran between the two kingdoms. Servants walked between them carrying food and other supplies.
“Does he think we’re here for a festival?” Ever muttered, to which Isa shot him a frown. “It looks like a bloody carnival.” The message he’d sent Launce had been short.
Meet me at the northern border near the crooked river. Bring men.
He hadn’t expected Cobrien’s new prince to bring half of the royal court. Or his pregnant wife, for that matter. “Stay with her,” Ever said to Isa. Guilt gnawed at him. “Keep within sight of my tent. I hate asking you to protect her, but—”
“Ever,” she said gently, a tired smile on her pretty face, “I didn’t spend all those hours on the practice floor getting bruised up for nothing.”
Ever nodded, but it didn’t make him feel any better. The Fae had killed one of his men and nearly him as well. Only between the two of them had the monster died. And yet, he didn’t want Olivia to hear what he said to her husband. A pregnant woman didn’t need that kind of stress, and Isa was the best protection he could think to offer her. But that didn’t mean he had to like
it.
“Everard.” Launce strode forward to greet him as they crossed the river over a thin stone bridge. Before they could grasp hands, however, Isa ran up and threw her arms around her brother. As he tried to hug her in return, she pulled back and gave him her fiercest glare and then punched him in the arm. Ever smothered a smile. Her punches hurt. He had seen to that.
“That is for not telling me you were expecting,” Isa said. “Now where can I find her?”
“She’s in that tent,” Launce said, rubbing his arm. With an indignant flip of her hair, Isa turned and marched off.
“You really shouldn’t have your wife here at all,” Ever said as Launce turned back to him, still massaging his arm.
“She felt badly about making Isa uncomfortable last time we met. She wanted to apologize and make things right.”
“Is there a place we can talk?”
“Yes. Behind me.” Launce turned and led Ever into the smallest tent. “Out,” he ordered the men that were gathered to talk inside.
As he watched the young man take control of the room, Ever had to admit that he had indeed grown since taking his place as prince of Cobren. When Ever had first met Launce, he’d been a skinny, angry young man with a hatred for much of the world. He’d hated Everard in particular. But his most redeeming quality had been his care for his sister. Before Ever had loved her, Launce had been there watching over Isa to the best of his limited abilities.
“I will put this as simply as I can,” Ever said when the room was clear. “Before I was born, and then again after, my father opened an ancient barrier and had an affair with a woman of the Fae people.”
“The Fae?” Launce’s mouth fell open, but Ever held up his hand.
“Let me finish. There are two children back at the Fortress that Isa found among the missing that were lured into the Fae realm. They are, it would seem, my younger brother and sister, part Fae and part Fortier. My older sister, however...” Ever took a deep breath. No matter how many times he remembered the events from the day before, they still seemed surreal. “My older sister has decided that it is her duty to claim the crown for herself, using her own personal army of Fae to do so. On our way to meet with you, we were attacked by a Fae who killed one of my most trusted personal guards. That is why this is no place for your expecting wife.”
Beauty Beheld: A Retelling of Hansel and Gretel (The Becoming Beauty Trilogy Book 3) Page 14
