The Elf King’s Lady: Wildecoast Saga Book 2

by Bernadette Rowley

  Alique’s hands shook as she held a handkerchief to Kain’s head. She had been trying to save him, knowing a split second before the loft fell that danger was imminent. But now she had caused a possible fatal injury.

  Kain groaned and his eyes fluttered, his throat convulsing in a swallow.

  “Where is that water?” she asked again

  Someone handed her a cup of cool water from the spring and she moistened the handkerchief and laid it against Kain’s head.

  “Ahh,” he said and swallowed again. “What happened?”

  “You cannot remember, general?” Alique said. It would not be a bad thing if he did not know who had shoved him to the ground. “You fell and hit your head.”

  There was a quiet laugh from one of the soldiers.

  Alique bristled. “This is not a laughing matter,” she said. “A blow to the skull can be a serious injury.”

  “They laugh because they know that my skull is the hardest part of me,” Kain said weakly. “Lucky it was my head that took the worst of the blow.” He attempted to get up.

  “Stay where you are.” Alique was able to keep Kain prone with just light force on his shoulders.

  “We’ve lost too much time already,” he said.

  Alique looked at Sergeant Blas and raised her brows. “Do you think the men could finish the check of the outbuildings, sergeant? Let me know if you find anything unusual. And check the tracks, I want to know where all the horses are.”

  “Lady, those are my men you’re ordering around,” Kain growled, squinting his eyes in pain.

  “I can help that headache at least,” she said, shifting out from under him and placing a square of hay as a pillow. Alique stood and fetched her medicine bag from Ebony, along with her water skin.

  She mixed two powders into a cup of water and added some honey, for she knew Kain would complain about the bitter mixture. It was one of her trademarks that she liked to make her medicines palatable, and carrying honey was the easiest way to do so.

  Alique gave the cup to Kain. “Drink it all.” She looked around the stable as he complied.

  “That wasn’t as bad as I expected,” he said, handing the cup back. “Somehow I thought any medicine you brewed for me would taste so bad it would be impossible to swallow.”

  “And what good would that be?” Alique said. “Men are as finicky as children when it comes to medicine.”

  Kain actually grinned, which was the last thing she expected.

  “You did this to me, didn’t you?” he asked.

  Alique stood. “I don’t know what you mean. That loft ladder was rigged to collapse.” She frowned at him. “See if you can sit up while I pack away these medicines. We should be on our way.”

  While Alique fiddled with the ties on her medicine bag and strapped it back onto Ebony’s saddle, the men gathered at the front of the stable.

  “The place is deserted, Lady Zorba,” Sergeant Blas said. “Darin scouted around and found the footprints of horses and men, at least a couple dozen each, heading up the road.” He pointed to the road that ran through the estate. “The footprints are not booted, but nor are they bare. They appear to have been made by some kind of soft-soled shoe.”

  Alique was puzzling over that last remark when Kain walked slowly from the stable. “Lenweri,” he said. “Dark elves. They clad their feet in soft leather. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.”

  “But why?” Alique said. “Why this estate? What do they hope to gain?”

  “As to that,” Kain said, “I can’t say, but we have had increased activity in recent months.” He looked at Alique. “Apart from this stable, which of the other buildings are large enough to accommodate all the people on this estate?”

  Alique blinked. Dark elves, her family held hostage, and Kain injured. This day was not the best she had seen recently. She knew exactly where the elves would be. “The hay shed.”

  Chapter 4

  Kain’s head throbbed but he’d not allow Alique to know of it or she’d find a way to leave him under a tree somewhere. His vision was no longer double and the herbs had made the ache ease. All he needed now was a good long sleep. He’d even found himself dozing in the saddle on their trek down the farm road. Perhaps Alique would be right to plant him under a tree.

  The sun was going down and the breeze had picked up. Kain drew his cloak around him a little tighter and noticed Alique do the same. She didn’t complain. He was beginning to respect her toughness; strength she had no doubt picked up living on this land. Perhaps she was a little different to his sisters after all. He couldn’t see them facing this challenge with quite the bravery Alique had brought to it. In fact she might be the one woman he knew who could have done what she did today, except for his mother, of course.

  He spied a large shed in the middle of a field to his left and called a halt. “Lady Alique, I assume that building over there is the hay shed?”

  Alique was staring at the structure as if it held all the answers to her problems, as if she could see right through the walls. “Yes, general.”

  “It’ll be dark soon,” Kain said. “We’ll wait here, and when the sun sets, Darin and Atan can scout around the building and report back.” The men nodded and dismounted, pulling their rations from their saddle bags.

  The rest dismounted and made themselves comfortable as best they could. They tethered the horses to the trees that lined the road. The beasts would be comfortable for the night if need be; they’d been watered just an hour ago. Kain gazed at the building in the fast fading light. There was no movement. What if it was empty and the elves and their hostages had moved on? Not likely. They wanted a confrontation, no point them running from it. But what did they hope to gain?

  Kain found Alique seated on an old tree trunk and sat beside her with his meal. She nodded at him as he sat down. They ate in silence for a time.

  “How is your head?” she asked.

  “Not wonderful but I’m dealing with it.”

  “Is the ache getting worse? Do you have double vision, nausea?”

  “I had both immediately after but they’ve settled. I’ll be fine with some rest.”

  Alique nodded. “What do you know of the elves, general?”

  Kain frowned. “Not enough, I’m afraid. They call themselves the Lenweri and come from the rugged mountain forests far to the north. Their skin is dark and they are tall and slim with pointed ears. Their fighting strengths are with the knife and short bow. The Lenweri are stealthy and fight well in the forest. You’ll remember Brightcastle lost a group of soldiers to them, month before last.”

  Alique nodded. “Of course, my brother Ramón and Princess Benae were the only survivors.”

  Kain frowned. So much had happened in the last two months. With the kingdom in such turmoil, it wasn’t difficult to see why the Lenweri would choose this time to attack. “Before that ambush, the dark elven activity had been restricted to the areas west and north of Brightcastle.”

  Alique remained silent for a time. “What is your plan?”

  “I’ll send the scouts in and confirm who we’re dealing with. Then we’ll determine the best time to strike.”

  “Surely the best time is as soon as possible?” Alique rubbed her arms through her cloak.

  “The best time is when I say so,” Kain said. “You’ll have to trust me on that.”

  Alique nodded. “Very well.”

  Kain bit his tongue, tempted to explain that her opinion didn’t matter, that he was in charge of this rescue mission and she would do as she was told. His head throbbed too much to bother arguing with her. He chewed his bread and cheese and contemplated the strange feeling that had come over him in the forest earlier.

  As he rode through the trees toward the homestead, whispers and visions had started. At first he’d tried to ignore them but they had become more insistent. The voices had been just that at the start, the words unintelligible. As he listened longer and harder, he’d been able to understand some of it. The same
word had been repeated over and over. Lenweri. Lenweri.

  Kain still had no inkling where the whispers had come from. He’d tried closing his eyes but that had led to the visions: dark men with pointed ears creeping through the forest, the very forest they’d been riding through. He didn’t know how, but he was certain of this.

  “Are you well, general?” Alique’s voice intruded into his thoughts and he dragged himself from the memory.

  “Just thinking,” he said.

  “Try to get some rest while you can,” she said, handing him a cup.

  “More potions?”

  “Just a pain tonic. I want you fit when we rescue my family.”

  “Lady—”

  She held her hand up. “Don’t say it, general. I know what grave danger they are in. Don’t ask me to be realistic about their chances.”

  Kain nodded. There would be time enough for realism later.

  *

  Alique sat wrapped in her own thoughts in the dark, trying not to imagine what her parents were going through. She hoped that her sister and nephews had not visited the estate that morning, and she wished that General Jazara had not been injured. She might appear to be in charge of her fears but Alique was holding her nerve by a thread. Her mother had always said that it helped no one to go all to pieces, so that was what she focused on. Lady Zorba senior would be holding the hostages together, keeping them calm. Alique must do the same.

  General Jazara dosed against a nearby tree. She could just make out his dark outline and hear his soft snores. In a way she wished she had not spoken to him today. The more she learned, the more difficult she found it to dislike him, and there was no room in her life for this man. But her eyes seemed to follow him of their own accord and she tuned into his voice whenever he spoke. He was careful too, not speaking unless it was wise. Alique would swear he had wanted to put her in her place several times today and had held his tongue.

  But her embryonic interest in him must stop right now. They could never mean anything to each other – she a lady destined for a good marriage or perhaps a life of service, and he a common-born soldier, albeit the top soldier in Wildecoast. No, it could never be, and General Jazara would not consider her for a moment. He barely tolerated her. But he did try to accommodate her, and for that she was grateful.

  A branch moved nearby and Alique jumped. Darin and Atan appeared out of the dark.

  “What do you have to report?” Kain’s voice floated out of the darkness.

  Darin glanced toward Alique but spoke to the general. “There are dozens of hostages, mainly farmers, but I think I saw Lady Zorba as well.”

  Atan carried on. “We got real close. They’ve moved the hay bales to create cover and have the breeding stallions crammed into a couple of small stalls. Some of the hostages are asleep while others are clearly distressed. Some are wearing bandages.”

  Alique stood. “Is my sister there? She is heavy with child and has three small boys.”

  Atan frowned. “I did see a pregnant woman. I think she might be birthing the babe. Lady Zorba was holding her hand.”

  Alique couldn’t suppress the groan that escaped her. Poor Nyon! And what of Mama? She had already lost one daughter in childbirth. What she must be going through? “I must get in there!”

  Kain appeared beside her. “Calm yourself, lady. It will help no one to go on an ill-planned rescue mission.”

  Alique knew he was right, but she was on the edge of panic thinking of her family, let alone Nyon and her mama dealing with such an emergency. “We can’t afford to wait, general!”

  “This I know,” Kain said. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance of leaving you here?”

  Alique glared at him.

  “I didn’t think so.” Kain turned to the men. “We’ll split up again into five groups, that way at least some of us might be successful.” He turned to Darin. “How many elves hold the hostages?”

  “It’s hard to say, general, you can’t get a good look at them all. I saw about a dozen.” Darin looked to Atan and raised his brows.

  “I saw five on guard at the back and another five at the side.”

  “That’s half our number,” Kain said, frowning. “We should assume they at least match our force. I’d be happier knowing what they want. We might be able to predict how they’ll react then.”

  Alique’s hands clenched in her skirts. “What can I do?”

  Kain turned to her. “You’ll come with my group.” He included the men in his instructions. “My men will be one of two groups on horseback. Three groups will surround the barn on foot. Jer, your men can come in from the north. Darin, you guide a group in from the east, and Atan, the same from the west. We’ll approach from the south overtly and hopefully they’ll think that’s the sum total of our force. Osar, your men will wait in reserve on horseback, that way you can get to us fast if needed. Stay out of sight. I’ll sound the horn when we need you.” He looked around the group. “Move out.”

  Alique marched to Ebony and mounted, gazing out to where the barn stood in the concealing darkness. “We’re coming, Mama.”

  *

  Alique’s nerves stretched taut as their group moved closer to the barn. Dim lights shone through cracks but there were no windows. They looped around so they could approach from the south, not too careful of the noise they made. Their aim was to draw attention. More light was visible from this side, with two windows emitting a feeble glow. Alique shuddered at the thought of Nyon trying to birth her babe in a barn in the dirt and dark, frightened enough of the situation, let alone trying to save her child.

  She squinted in the dim light and made out shapes moving. A shout rang out. They had been seen.

  “Halt.” A voice floated from the night, ahead of a tall dark man whose flashing white teeth were all the detail she could see. “What is your purpose here?” The accent was strange, the tone musical.

  “That’s rich,” Kain said. “You’ve seized citizens of the kingdom and held them hostage. You’ve injured a man and sent him as messenger. Surely you expected us sooner or later?”

  “Who are you?” another voice asked. A second elf moved to stand with the first.

  Kain growled and Alique gripped his arm. “You must not let them anger you!”

  “Let me handle this!” Kain’s soft voice struck her like a whip and she withdrew her arm.

  Kain got down from Snow and stepped forward. Alique stayed in the saddle.

  “I desire to know your name first, elf. You are a trespasser on this land. State your name and your purpose.”

  “You think you can deal with us like this?” the first elf said. “You think you have more rights to this land than our people?”

  Kain remained silent and the second elf spoke up, his hand on the arm of the first.

  “Peace, Celri, I will offer this man my name and see what he makes of it.”

  Alique longed to see the expression in the second elf’s eyes, to read his intent. All this was taking too long!

  The second elf stepped forward. “I am Niel Gorin, prince among my people and leader of this band of the Lenweri. Our purpose should be easily guessed. We are here to claim land that is rightly ours. I have heard of the Thorian King’s fearless battle leader. Is that you?”

  “I am General Kain Jazara of the King’s army,” Kain said, his voice tight.

  Alique’s teeth pressed into her bottom lip with the effort of not speaking. It would not help.

  “Jazara,” Gorin said. “Yes, that is the name I was told. I give you notice, general. One wrong move and the captives die. So if you have any men waiting in the dark, make sure they stay there.”

  Alique threw herself off Ebony and strode forward. “Touch a hair on their heads and you will have the King to answer to.”

  Gorin smirked and the other elf, Celri, laughed outright. Gorin addressed Kain. “A fearless she-cat is this one, general. Is she yours?”

  Alique snarled, outrage making her careless. There was a knife in her hand
before she knew she had reached for it.

  “Hold!” Gorin snapped, but seven arrows were still raised against them. “That would not be wise, lady. We hold your loved ones. This will not persuade us to release them. Drop the knife.”

  Alique felt the tension in the air as the arrows wavered and Kain’s arm rose in front of her. She glared at Gorin, her hand tensing and relaxing on the handle of the knife. She could do this! Kain and his men would back her up. And then she came to her senses. She would never make it. Those arrows were real – Alique could almost feel them pierce her skin. She shuddered and the knife fell from her hand. Kain visibly relaxed beside her.

  “This will be on our terms, general. I send this notice to your King and all the rulers in the kingdom of Thorius. This land once belonged to the Lenweri and we will be its masters again. We have come down out of the mountains where we were pushed in years past, and we will assert our rightful place.”

  “I don’t understand, Prince Gorin,” Kain said. “Why take hostages?”

  “We wanted also to meet you, and hoped this would lure you from your refuge.”

  Kain stepped closer to the elven prince and Gorin gasped, waving his archers forward. “It must be him!”

  Kain was suddenly surrounded by elves and Alique was pushed aside. The soldiers pressed forward on their horses.

  “Stop!” Kain shouted. “Stand down, men. I will not have a massacre on my hands.” He turned to the elves. “You had better tell me what just happened, because I’m confused.”

  “We search for you, traitor!” Gorin snapped. “We had heard that the leader of the kingdom invaders was a half-breed and now we know the rumors are true.”

  Kain shook his head. “Have you taken leave of your senses? Why do you call me traitor?”