“Where is Lady Thorn?” Lord Ross asked Lord Cobb, and if Dari had been standing next to her grandfather, she would have run from the murder in his voice. For all his wise-headed talk of sacrificing Kate to save Dari or the Stregans, now that the moment presented itself, he could no more do so than Dari could. The rage in his eyes mirrored her own as he said, “I know you have some idea, Westin. Tell me. Now.”
“I wish I did know.” Lord Cobb’s own cheeks shaded maroon across the bridge of his nose, and his hand already gripped the hilt of his sword. “At the last sighting our scouts made, Pravda was traveling by carriage with an unmarked escort, somewhere within my borders, presumably picking up orphans.”
“Carriage,” Aron said as Dari’s mind reeled outward, soaring through the Veil as she grabbed for some sign or vision of her twin.
“What kind of carriage?” Aron demanded. Then, “Kate really wants me to kill her?”
He sounded horrified.
Dari could no longer contain herself. She sent her awareness pelting through the Veil, across the world carved over the world.
Kill me….
The words thundered through her mind like one of Stormbreaker’s unnatural bursts of weather.
Kate was being drugged. Used. Drained like a wineskin whenever Lady Thorn needed more graal than she herself possessed. Kate’s damaged mind and damaged body couldn’t withstand such mistreatment. The drugs probably kept her from shifting too, which would have been fresh torture to Kate.
Dari and Kate weren’t identical twins, but alike in many ways except for one. Dari felt completely comfortable in her human skin, but Kate—poor Kate! It was only in her Stregan form that Kate became whole. Feral, but complete and rational. Her mind played no tricks on her when she hunted and flew.
Dari felt warm arms taking hold of the body she had left behind.
Moments later, the calming flow of Nic’s energy reached her, given freely. His image joined her on the other side of the Veil, and she grabbed the essence of his tunic and held on to keep herself from dropping to the ground, or letting her Stregan essence burst forth and consume her. The fury inside her wanted to chew through her skin and explode into Eyrie, destroying everything between her and her imprisoned twin.
The world on both sides of the Veil swam around Dari, and nothing seemed real save for Nic, right there beside her, helping her hold herself together.
Kill me….
For the first time since she came to Eyrie to find her twin, Dari wondered if death might be the greatest kindness she could offer her sister now.
Then, for the briefest of moments, she felt what Kate was feeling, and she saw what Kate was seeing.
For the first time in too many cycles to count, Dari touched her twin’s mind.
She shouted across the Veil as the connection settled into place, restoring a wholeness to her soul she thought she would never experience again. Kate’s warmth surged toward her, through her, wrapping her in a love she had known before she knew any human voice or touch.
Dari.
Kate’s whisper seemed so weak, a ribbon of thought Dari could barely grasp.
“Kate!”
The word reverberated through Dari’s mind and graal, through the other side of the Veil, and if she could have thrown her entire essence after that thought-ribbon, she would already be flying.
But the ribbon vanished.
The warmth broke away.
Agony racked every fragment of life in Dari’s body as she lost sense of her sister again. Her awareness slammed back into her body with wicked force, and she swayed and fell forward. Only Nic’s support kept her on her feet.
“Kate,” she wailed, unable to hold back a scream of rage, or the sobs that followed.
Kill me….
Was that her thought? Her sister’s?
In that moment, Dari wished she could die herself rather than go back to her maimed existence, her twinless world, no matter the wealth of love and friendship she had discovered since she left her home.
“Come back to me,” Nic said as his essence began to fade away, back through the Veil. His voice struck the wall Dari was throwing up around her heart.
The wall shattered as quickly as she had constructed it.
She opened her eyes to find him waiting, worried but patient, the depth of emotion in his crystalline eyes enough to keep her from bursting into a fresh round of sobs and screaming. Gradually, she became aware of Stormbreaker and Snakekiller and Aron nearby, and her grandfather, and Lord Cobb. Soldiers and Stone Brothers and Sisters stood in silence, weapons at the ready, as if they had been prepared to invade the Veil to protect Dari and rescue her from whatever threat had presented itself. More distant still were Blath, Iko, and the rest of their Sabor contingent, landing in human form to ring the large traveling party.
“She’s at Stone,” Dari gasped. “Kate’s with Lady Pravda, looking at the main gate and keep. I saw Lord Baldric standing with Windblown on the battlements—through Kate’s eyes.” She came back to herself more completely, and held tight to Nic’s hand as she spoke loudly enough for everyone near her to hear. “We’ve made a terrible mistake. Eyrie’s armies aren’t following us. They’re surrounding Triune.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
ARON
Lord Ross embraced Dari, then returned her to Nic’s tender care, and Aron saw her features shifting ever so slightly. Soft became hard, frightened became angry, and that fire she had in her eyes when he met her on his Harvest day ignited with a fury he had never seen before. Her hands twitched as Nic rubbed his palms against her arms, and he didn’t attempt to hold her or restrain her in any fashion. Aron knew Nic understood that Dari was a warrior in her own right, more powerful than many of the soldiers who would draw swords to defend her at her grandfather’s command.
Aron’s mind shifted to the discovery of Kate’s captors. He was so busy working out how he had so completely failed to understand Kate’s presence in his visions, her desperate communications, that he didn’t realize Lord Ross’s attention had shifted to him. His skin chilled as he felt the force of the man’s stare, but he held himself upright and didn’t lower his head like a frightened boy.
A moment later, Nic came to stand beside him, and Dari joined them.
“My intention was to see you, Nic, and Dari safely to the heart of the Cobb and Ross armies, Aron, and to save Triune in the process.” Lord Ross’s voice was deeper than usual, and Aron thought he might be troubled, but he detected no uncertainty in that firm tone. “I had hoped to draw Altar, Brailing, Mab, and the Thorn Guild to us, and to reveal Nic with the might of our forces standing behind him. That would have given the soldiers pause, and offered us hope of talks, of negotiation and treaty.”
Lord Ross’s gaze moved to Nic, and his dark eyes seemed both sad and determined as he spoke louder, for all to hear. “The time for talking has passed. There will be no treaties in this war, only death and blood and tears. Dyn Mab and all of Eyrie will meet its fate in the valley around Triune.”
Nic’s assent came with a single nod. Aron knew Nic’s twisted spine wouldn’t allow him to stretch up from his stooped posture, yet somehow Nic seemed straighter and taller. The soldiers and Stone guild members attended to him with the same rapt attention they had paid to Lord Ross.
“We must give aid to the innocents at Triune,” Nic said, red wisps of his legacy falling from his shoulders like a silken cloak of dynast colors. “We must save Kate before Lady Pravda finds a way to unleash her in the battle. I don’t know how to sort through the many possible outcomes I can perceive, but I know for certain that all paths to victory depend on our reaching the valley as quickly as possible.”
Dari gave an impatient snarl.
Wait, Aron told her on reflex, loading the force of graal into his command, just enough to hold her in her human form for a few moments.
“Yes, wait.” Nic rested his hand on her wrist and seemed to be looking past her, almost into the sky. Aron wondered if the future s
tretched before Nic like a landscape, and he couldn’t imagine finding his way through such an overwhelming image.
“If you join the battle as a Stregan, only death will come of it, Dari.” Nic grimaced as he turned her loose and came back to the here and now. “Archers could bring you down, and swordsmen could hack you to bits. Fight with your sword. Fight with your graal if you have to, but don’t shift, for the sake of us all.”
Dari’s muscles tightened.
For a moment, Aron thought she would argue, or even go ahead and shift if he didn’t intervene. Her expression reflected the force and depth of her inner struggle, but a bit at a time, she seemed to master her urge to revert to her true nature and attack her sister’s captors with teeth and claws and billowing gouts of flame.
When Nic seemed certain she was in control of herself, he addressed Lord Ross again. “Please lead us. I have the Mab name and bloodline and graal, but I am no warrior, and certainly no battlefield commander.”
Nic didn’t bow when he finished his sentence.
Thrills of surprise ran through Aron, but he could tell Lord Ross didn’t take affront to this. Dari’s grandfather was no longer expecting deference from Nic. It seemed, as Aron glanced around their small circle, then farther, into the wider group of fighters awaiting instructions, that no one was.
Lord Ross bowed to Nic, accepting Nic’s request to retain command of the battle.
It was a quick gesture, underscored by a clap of Stormbreaker’s thunder, but in that one small moment, Aron watched the future of Eyrie shift into Nic’s hands.
Aron’s heart hammered as he perceived this truth, a real and golden energy, sinking into Nic’s body and heightening the color of his graal. It was as if Nic’s use of his legacy in the fashion it was intended, to guide the fate of Eyrie, strengthened Aron’s graal as well.
Lord Cobb spoke next, though his shoulders slumped forward. Aron understood that Lord Cobb wasn’t afraid to fight, but that it crushed him to think of so much death. “Our armies are hours away as yet, maybe even more than a day, but they are moving. Perhaps we can hold the day until they arrive to assist us.”
“I know that you and your people cannot join in this battle to defeat dynast forces,” Lord Ross said to Stormbreaker, “but can you defend your stronghold? Can you help to rescue my granddaughter for that purpose?”
“We can protect our own, and fight for the weak and infirmed like Kate,” Snakekiller confirmed. By the ever-increasing thunder blasts in the distance, Stormbreaker had moved beyond the ability to speak without losing control of himself.
“We can take our dispute over Thorn’s conduct directly to Lady Thorn,” Snakekiller continued, crossing her arms over her chest to tap the hilts of her blades. “At sword point, if necessary, if her guild protectors won’t allow us access.”
Her skin seemed to gleam with the desire to do just that, and shed as much cardinal red blood as possible.
“Then I place a portion of Kate’s safety in Stone’s hands.” Lord Ross approached Stormbreaker and Snakekiller, extended his hand, and clasped theirs when they offered. “You have served Dari and Nic as true friends for these many cycles, and I believe you have the best chance of a successful frontal assault in our rescue of Dari’s twin.”
Lord Ross let go of his Stone allies, and his next words were for all the soldiers within hearing distance. “From our scouting information, we know we’ll be dealing with contingents, not armies—but they are large in number, and fortified by Thorn Guild renegades. They’ll outnumber us ten to one, but we have advantages they don’t expect.” His expression remained blank, but the lines of his face tightened as his eyes narrowed and his fist closed on the hilt of his sword. “Lord Baldric will be digging in, and by now Triune will be proving more a challenge than their attackers imagined. Fate willing, our battle will be fought outside the walls.”
A shout went up from the soldiers, and Aron shouted, too, caught in the force of Lord Ross’s address.
“Talons can move faster than horses, and they draw more attention.” Lord Ross wheeled toward Aron, Stormbreaker, and Snakekiller, his black eyes almost silver-white with the drive to succeed in his quest. “The Stone Guild’s talon-riders will approach from the hill near the main byway. Draw Thorn’s attention, and engage what you can of the Brailing and Altar forces on your way to confront Thorn.”
He turned back to the soldiers on horseback, all of whom were drawing closer to their commander, to hear their charge for themselves. “My granddaughter remains with me, and she’ll take my command should I fall. Our riders will flank Triune and attack Thorn from the rear. Dari and I will have one purpose, and that’s to rescue Kate. We will be a spear, moving only forward, never slowing until we reach our target.”
To Aron and the Stone Guild, he said, “Fight your way through, and join us when you can. Help us if you can.”
“We will,” Aron said, wanting to shout all over again. Stormbreaker and Snakekiller agreed by turning toward their talons and mounting for the rough ride ahead.
Aron followed them as Lord Ross’s instructions continued to ring out above the murmuring crowd. “Cobb will take the east, and shattered be any blades raised against them.”
The Cobb soldiers let loose with deep, blood-pumping battle-cries.
Tek stamped as Aron steadied her and thrust his foot into the stirrup to mount. He pulled himself into the saddle as Lord Ross moved toward Blath and Iko. “Get to our army and the rest of your people. Bring as many as you can. You’ll have to leave the mounts behind, but fly well, and fly hard. Fly until you fall out of the sky.”
Blath’s bow was deep and reverent, and as she rose, her gaze was only for Dari.
“It’s the best way to help me.” Dari came forward to grab Blath’s hands. “It’s the best way to help Kate. In doing this, you will be keeping your vows to me, and going far beyond that duty.”
Blath pulled Dari’s hands to her lips and kissed them. Dari hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her arms around Blath’s neck. When the Sabor woman released Dari, Aron saw pain and resolve mingled across her usually unreadable face. He caught a movement below him, and looked down to find Iko gazing up at him much as Blath had gazed at Dari.
With a start, Aron realized the Sabor had come to him seeking release, just as Blath had gone to Dari for the same purpose. Iko wanted permission to leave Aron’s side, to surrender his vow of protection in answer to Lord Ross’s command.
“Please help Kate and Dari,” Aron said, pressing one hand into his chest to staunch the quick ache in his heart. “Do whatever you have to do. I can take care of myself now.”
Aron was unprepared for how much he didn’t want to see Iko leave him, and for Iko’s deep bow. Aron returned the bow as best he could from his seated position on Tek’s back. When Iko once more stood to his full height, something in his gaze told Aron that his service to Aron had ended forever. Iko had a new charge now, to defend his dynast lord and Dyn Ross’s only surviving heirs, and Aron knew Iko would give his last breath and drop of blood to see the task done.
Lord Cobb mounted his ebony stallion and donned his battle helmet, shaped in the form of a great black stallion’s head. He shouted to the nearest Cobb soldier wearing a helm reflecting rank, “Zeller. Dolf Zeller! Go with the Sabor and take control of my army. Ride for Triune like you’ve never ridden before—as if Cayn himself were storming across the grasslands behind you!”
Aron watched as the father who had once begged Stone for Mercy for his only son leaped off his mount and charged toward the nearest blue warrior. A man from Dyn Brailing, leading Cobb’s army into battle. War did make for strange situations, and strange sights.
Soldiers and Stone Brothers moved aside for Blath and Iko to pass. They ran toward Zeller and the waiting Sabor at the edges of the gathering. Moments later, the pounding of massive wings filled the air. Golden gryphons burst into the sky, screeching louder than Altar’s Great Rocs as they went. The sight of them made Aron’s pulse surge, a
s he hoped it made any enemies who could see them quake where they stood.
Lord Ross mounted in one flowing motion, and Dari leaped aboard her battle stallion Toronado, bareback as always, with nothing but a halter and lead to guide the animal. Aron waited for Nic to struggle back to his own stallion, but instead, he abandoned the horse and limped toward Aron.
When he reached Tek, Nic turned back to Lord Ross and Dari. “I’ll be going with Aron.”
“You will not.” Dari’s stallion struggled against his lead as she leaned forward, her eyes wide. “You can’t hold a sword to defend yourself—it would be suicide for you to ride in the vanguard.”
“Nic,” Lord Cobb said, turning his mount to face Nic. “Prince Mab. It would be better for you to remain with your wife and Lord Ross and their Guard contingent. The more blades to protect you, the better.”
“I’m not asking for permission or opinions in this matter.” Nic spoke as calmly and forcefully as he had when he asked Lord Ross to lead them. Fresh wisps of red escaped his shoulders and neck, wreathing him in a regal light. “My place is with Aron, just as Dari’s is with her grandfather.”
Aron tightened his grip on Tek’s reins to hold her still. He wanted to argue, too, but Nic no longer sounded like his friend and peer. Nic was speaking as a man with the full measure of the Mab graal guiding his actions, as a dynast heir and lord—and as Eyrie’s next king.
Dari sat back, her mouth open. Shock moved to worry on her pretty face, then to outright fear.
“I’m certain,” Nic told her, his tone much more gentle. “I would never leave your side if I didn’t know it was necessary.” He lifted his fingers and sent her a kiss on the breeze.
Lord Ross tilted his head forward, acknowledging his future king’s wishes with, “Prince Mab.”
Lord Cobb did the same, and the matter seemed to be settled for everyone but Dari. Her free hand drifted to her belly, as if she might be protecting herself from a blow, or holding back a powerful bunch of curses. Aron sensed her pain and uncertainty like dark ripples moving across his brow and chest, and when she looked at him, he could tell Dari wanted him to reason with Nic.
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