"You were offering," he pointed out.
"I'm not saying I wasn't," she agreed. "I don't deny I came here willingly. But you changed, Nahtan, or Daghr'il, or whoever you've become. I know losing Valry has been terrible for you, and I know you're going to do anything you can to get her back. She's your only child and your only piece of Rena you have left, and you cling to that so tightly that having her gone has torn you apart. If coming to you at night has helped you keep some semblance of sanity these past months so you can do that, then I'm glad I did it and I have no regrets for it."
Nahtan watched her for a long moment.
"But she might not be, right?" he asked quietly.
"What?" Brijade hesitated. He could practically see her defenses go up in the subtle shift to how she was standing.
"Who's the father, Brijade?" he asked. "You don't know for sure, do you?"
She studied his face for a long time, and he couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking. He could tell by her expression, though, that he was right.
"How did you know?" she finally asked, her voice quiet, guarded.
"Asher actually figured it out," Nahtan said. "When you snapped at me earlier about Bear's letter. He made the comment about how we'd been at each other's throats a lot more recently and the only time he'd ever known a woman to get that mad, that fast, over something small was whenever his wife was pregnant." He watched her face as he continued. "So I started putting things together. The long discussions with Yenene when you two hardly talked for more than a few minutes at a time before. The way you've stopped eating certain foods--my guess is because they aren't agreeing with you all of a sudden. The mood swings, and how you've been especially angry with me since Bear left. How Jedrik has suddenly become rather protective of you. He knows, doesn't he?"
Brijade sighed. "Yes," she replied. She turned and walked to sit down on his bed. "And no, I don't know which one of you is the father."
Nahtan came and sat down beside her. "Does Bear know?"
"Of course he does."
"How far along are you?"
"At least eight weeks, possibly a little longer," she replied.
"You would have trusted me enough to tell me once," he pointed out.
"None of us know what's going to set you off anymore," she told him. "And the last thing I'm going to do is come and say 'Nahtan, I'm pregnant, but you might not be the father' and risk that sending you into a rage that might get me or someone else killed."
Nahtan nodded. He took a moment to compose his thoughts before he continued. "Brijade, part of the reason why Valry is so important to me is because I was led to believe she was the only child I would have. Besides being all I have left of Rena, I was told Rena was sent to start a new family line from me, so when she died after Valry was born, that was it, Valry was the only future there would be." He met her eyes, trying to stress how important this was. "So logic tells me your child is Bear's, but if there's some chance it's mine, then I need to do everything I can to protect this child, too."
"Nahtan, it could honestly be either one of you," Brijade told him. "And unless one of the gods decides to come tell me who the father is, I have no way of knowing."
Nahtan nodded. "I suppose you'll stab me if I take you out of the battle."
"Yes. I fought at Olorun, you're not keeping me from fighting at your side here."
He frowned, then nodded. "Now about Bear's letter."
Brijade rolled her eyes and pulled it from her belt. She opened it and took the bead from it, handing it to him. "He wanted me to give you his mother's bead and tell you to ask Yenene about it, and to please ask you one last time to remember why those lives mattered. I can only guess it was some lecture he gave you that you know what he's talking about."
Nahtan nodded, not really looking at the bead, but putting it in his belt pouch.
"Was that all?" he asked her.
"He also told me he loved me and asked me to marry him again, even though he knows I'll say no."
"Why do you keep turning him down?" He knew Bear had been asking her to marry him for almost four years now. He also knew it had been at least two or three years since Bear had shown any interest in any other girls.
"He has his life and duties in Herridon and I have mine in Takis," she replied. "We live too far apart, there's no way a marriage would ever work. Besides," she shrugged. "If he and I were married, I wouldn’t possibly be pregnant with an heir to the throne now."
Nahtan sighed. "This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life," he realized. He paused, remembering Yenene's comment in Olorun about 'consequences and repercussions'. "Brijade," he stood up. "You and I are done where that's concerned," he told her. "No more coming to my tent at night."
"I'm not sure if we can tolerate you without that, Nahtan," she said bluntly.
"Basiyr will be done with one way or the other in the next couple of days," he told her. "The temple and Valry are two days away from here after that. I'm sure I can keep it together for another four or five days."
She nodded and stood up. "What are you going to do?" she asked him.
Nahtan was quiet for a minute. "Asher and Lord Nivan are going over the information Korrie got," he said. "Thorvald isn't talking, but I'm not too concerned about that. Right now I'm just inclined to kill them all, then burn the entire thing and move on."
Brijade sighed and nodded. "I'll be with Jedrik, trying to come up with ideas for when we get to Herridon, then getting some sleep," she said, brushing past him and leaving his tent.
Ten - "I believe she's ready"
Nahtan sat on Renato, staring at the church guard ranks spread out ahead of him. Asher sat to his right and Brijade and Neyl on his left. They had more than enough men to simply take on the army, but Nahtan wasn't really willing to drag out the fight any longer than he needed to.
Asher and Neyl had come up with a plan that arranged their armies to keep any of the church guards from escaping. They would advance and slowly work their way inward, dividing the army into smaller groups, choking off the city and destroying Thorvald's army. The smoke from the fires had stopped for the first time in years, and Nahtan considered that alone a small victory right off. Asher had told him it probably wouldn't last, but Nahtan would take what he could get right now. He wasn't intending to allow Zared to use Basiyr as a seat of power for his followers any longer.
"Are we ready?" Nahtan asked.
"All sides have reported in position," Neyl said.
"Then let's end this." Nahtan said. He looked at Brijade and Neyl. "Infantry immediately after the cavalry's charge," he ordered.
"You realize as soon as I get another Dweller's horse, I'm expecting another war so I can ride cavalry again," Brijade told him. Jedrik sat on his horse beside her, the infantry spread behind them.
"You can start the next one," Nahtan told Brijade as he and Asher turned to go join the cavalry off to the right where they would be charging the soldiers nearest the gates. He hadn't told anyone else of his plans, but he fully intended to end this battle quickly and remove all threat from Basiyr once and for all. He wasn't about to leave the southern lands and let Asher have to worry about continuing to fight these battles.
As soon as they reached the rest of the cavalry, he signaled the flagmen who sent the orders down the line. Nahtan stood in his saddle and drew his sword, and the cavalry charged moments later.
The church guards met the attack, and resistance was strong at first. Nahtan kept his bond with Renato constant, he and the big warhorse moving together. Overhead, arrows flew constantly from the combined Mo'ani and Olorun armies, targeting the place at the back where Thorvald's plans had noted the priests would be. They had taken the risk of positioning the archers close enough that they'd be able to reach that far, trusting the armies to keep the church guards busy enough they couldn't go after the archers.
Nahtan bided his time, waiting until the armies were fully engaged. They knew there were nearly twenty priests throughout the rear of th
e church guard army, and while they knew where Thorvald had planned for them to be, they would also be able to move once the arrows started flying toward them. Until all of the priests were dead, they would need to take extra care with the guards, making sure to kill them so they couldn't be brought back again.
He heard the horns, and a quick glance told him the infantry was on the march. They would be engaging within the next couple of minutes, then they could begin to tighten their advance.
**********
Valry stirred on the bed, the cold, hard surface making her back and shoulders ache. Aduran stood near her feet, checking the straps on the spiked boards he'd buckled there, digging the barbed spikes into the soles of her feet.
She cried out weakly as she felt one of the barbs pierce deeper into her heel. Zared's voice was there then, promising to make Aduran remove the spikes if she'd only promise to come find him. That was all he wanted, was for her to come find him and help him free himself. The pain in her feet would stop, she'd be warmed and fed and life would be comfortable again.
The Well responded, a slow stream of power trickling into her. After a moment, she relaxed, the energy easing the pain.
Linah crouched beside her head, pulling apart her lips and placing another drop of the sweet tasting wine in her mouth. Too weak now to try to turn away, Valry could only let a single tear fall from the corner of her eye. She'd managed to not let them give her any before now. Rena had told her it was bad, so she'd fought against them any time they'd tried giving it to her. Even now, she could hear her mother's distress as she tried to encourage her to fight it. A warmness seemed to creep through her from her lips, though, and the sweetness reminded her how long it had been since she'd eaten anything.
"I believe she's ready, My Lord," Linah said, turning to Aduran. "Though given how long she's fought our Master, her first communion will likely take some time. Once she's crossed to him, it'll take her a while to recover the strength to find him."
Aduran nodded. "Go prepare the altar then," he ordered. "I'll bring her."
As Linah hurried from the room, he moved up, brushing Valry's dark hair back. "This would have been so much easier had you not fought, little one," he told her. "But in the end, my Master always wins. I can feel this power within you, as can my god, and he will have it now for himself."
Valry managed to force her eyes open to look at him, the power from the Well the only thing keeping her awake now. She tried to speak, to tell him once again that she wasn't his little one, but was too weak.
Aduran picked her up, carrying her from the room.
The room he brought her to was small, with an altar near the front. Black and purple fabric was draped over the top, but on top of that, several layers of soft wool had been placed. Candles lit the room and a small brazier burned in front of the altar. She was aware of the warmth from the flames and tried to resist it even as it chased the coldness from her hands and feet. Aduran carried her to the altar, laying her on top of the wool. Moving down by her feet, he removed the spiked boards, causing her to cry out again as the barbed tips were pulled from her flesh.
Linah reappeared from a small doorway off to the side, carrying a gold and glass decanter. Inside a dark red liquid filled the vessel. She brought it to Aduran, handing it to him with a deeply bowed head.
Aduran took the decanter, walking around to Valry's head. He poured a small amount into a gold cup, then handed the decanter back to Linah, who disappeared through the doorway once more. Valry tried to resist when he put his arm under her neck and shoulders, lifting her head up and placing the cup to her lips.
"Drink now, little one," he invited her. "Welcome to your first communion with your Master and accept your choosing as one of his priestesses." He tipped the cup back slowly as he also tilted her head back, pouring the sweet wine into her mouth and down her throat.
Valry only vaguely remembered being laid back on the altar as the wine pulled her down into what she first thought was a deep sleep.
She immediately realized it wasn't, however, when she opened her eyes and wasn't at the chasm or in Zared's temple. She was in a long hallway, with doors and more hallways on either side all the way down the length. She felt different, and looked down at herself, realizing she could see herself as both solid and translucent. She didn't understand how she could have substance but not.
"Mama?" She frowned when she received no answer from Rena. After another moment, she realized all connection to her mother was gone.
She tried not to panic, closing her eyes and searching inside herself for her link to the Well. If she were asleep, she would see it. Seeing nothing, she opened her eyes again, afraid.
"Valry."
She turned, looking for the voice. The same voice that had been in her head but was now outside, calling to her from somewhere here. But maybe it was a different voice. She wasn't sure now. It didn't sound cruel or mean, but rather like it wanted to help her. She thought for a minute it might have been her father.
"Come to me and I will take you home."
Valry turned and began walking down the hall, pausing by each door to open it, looking into each room and seeing only emptiness.
**********
Rial pulled his dagger across the priest's throat, killing him before he could utter a single sound. He dragged the body into an alcove, kicking the feet to the side and out of sight.
"That makes four people you've gotten to kill today," Inacia said.
"We're almost out of rooms to check," Rial said, rejoining her.
"I think there are just a few more on this level," she said, turning to take a quick look around a corner before turning and walking down the hall. At the end of the hall, a heavy, ornately carved door was closed. "If this holds to the other levels, it's another altar room," she noted, pausing outside the door to listen. "It's quiet."
Rial stood to the side, Hun-Ki moving to his side when Inacia motioned to him. Rial drew a second dagger, then nodded to her.
Inacia slowly turned the latch and pushed the door open, peering into the room.
"Oh, Zakris, no," she cried, rushing into the room.
Rial immediately followed her into the room, afraid of what they would see by her tone. The note of panic in Inacia's voice had been unmistakable.
Valry lay on the altar, candles and a brazier burning around her. He sheathed his daggers and hurried to her, checking immediately for any sign of life. Finding a faint pulse, he exhaled with relief. A quick look over her showed dried blood and multiple puncture wounds on her feet, and an empty gold cup on the altar beside her.
"Rial," Inacia turned from trying to wake her up. "Look for a decanter." She began looking all around the altar and steps.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"A gold and glass decanter," she said, her voice panicked. She spotted the narrow doorway and turned to run back there. Rial followed her, his mind racing. "Saving Valry now depends on us finding a gold and glass decanter with a very sweet smelling red wine in it," she said, searching through the shelves and nooks in there. Various decanters, pitchers and goblets were stored in the room.
"And how would you know that?" he asked her, still watching her. He drew one of his daggers again, no longer sure he could trust her.
"Because before I was a servant of Zakris', I was a priestess of Zared's," she blurted out, then froze, realizing what she'd said. She started to turn, but Rial moved faster, pinning her against the shelves. He held one arm twisted behind her, his dagger at her throat, cutting in enough to draw blood. She stifled a scream, and he felt her other hand move to signal Hun-Ki to stand down as he growled.
"Did you know where she was?" he asked her quietly. "Have you been stalling me all this time to give them time to do that to her?" He pulled the dagger slightly, cutting a fraction further into her throat.
"No," she said, tears running down her cheeks. "Please, I was betrayed by Zared. I'll tell you the whole story after I promise," she continued. "But right now I just want t
o prove I'm worthy of Zakris and Rena's mercy and save Valry. If you never want to see me again after, then I'll go." She gasped when he tightened his grip on her arm. "Please, Rial--"
"Lord Valin," he corrected.
"You read body language better than anyone," she pointed out. "You'd have known if I were lying to you or trying to lead you astray. Please," she tried to look back at him. "We can still save Valry, but we don't have much time."
Rial considered what she said. She was right, she'd given no indication these past months that she was lying about her reason for being here or that she'd been deliberately trying to lead him down the wrong paths here in the temple. It was Valry's trust of her, however, that in the end made him remove the dagger from her throat.
Inacia took a shaky breath, touching her throat and turning to look at him. "I just need to save Valry," she told him. "Please help me."
Rial sheathed his dagger and turned to the shelves. "What does the wine do?"
"It puts you into a deep sleep and it separates your soul from your body and sends it to Zared's spirit realm," she explained, digging through a shelf. "It's how you go to communion with him. The first time you go, you have to find him. That's why we have time. If she'd found him, then she'd have woken up. If we follow her there, and find her first, and can keep her away from him until the wine leaves her body and she wakes up on her own, then they'll have failed."
"Is this it?" Rial asked, holding up a decanter.
"Yes!" Inacia turned to take it from him. "We need to move her somewhere safe. Aduran will be coming back in to check on her and keep giving her more wine until Zared tells him to stop."
Basiyr: Chronicles of Nahtan: Book 6 (The Herridon Chronicles) Page 17
