Endra looked the other way to find Kian on one knee leaning on his long sword watching her. He said nothing but touch her on the shoulder. His eyes wet he got up and walked out into the dark.
“So, the sword maiden is awake.” K’xarr said standing above her.
“I’m hardly a maiden, are my children safe?”
“They are sleeping right over there.” He pointed over to a blanket that had three familiar shapes beneath it.
“Where is Kian going?”
“Back up to the road to see if there is anyone looking around. We are a few miles from where we battled the knights, we didn’t hide the bodies so if someone comes along that cares, they will start looking for who killed the armored bastards. I want to be ready if that happens.
“I also thought he could use a break. That crazy half-breed has been sitting by you for hours. I think you should know he was worried sick about you. He almost drove the healer crazy asking questions.”
She looked out into the darkness in the direction Kian had walked. Endra wanted to change the subject, she didn’t want to have this conversation with K’xarr.
“We should thank the Gods and Siro, did we all survive?”
“Well, we almost lost Cromwell but he pulled through, he’s just too stupid to die, but it’s not Siro you should thank.”
“Who then?” she asked.
He pointed at the man that had been riding the white horse. The young fellow walked over to stand beside the Camiran. K’xarr patted him on the shoulder. “This is the man who saved you and Cromwell.”
The man gave a slight bow. “I don’t know if ‘saved’ is the right word. Cromwell was lucky the lance missed his vitals and this pretty lady had just lost a lot of blood. I’m glad you’re feeling better, milady. With a few days of rest you will be good as new. I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I’m fascinated by you and your companions’ blood. I have never seen anything like it. I told K’xarr I would be willing to study it and see if I could find some answers for you and perhaps rid you of it if possible, if you’re willing of course. ”
Endra tried to sit up but thought better of it. “Who in the hell are you?”
“I’m a physician from Turill, my name is Rhys Morgan.”
Chapter 13
I don’t know why they were after me,” Rhys said, aggravated. “I am sure it has something to do with the Princess.”
“Take me through it again,” K’xarr said.
“I was taking care of the Princess’s injuries, like I told you. I had been making trips to the palace regularly to check on her progress and to see how my treatments were holding up, just like I would for any other patient. The last time I went to the palace I arrived at the time we had agreed on, Isabella, her handmaiden, was at the gate waiting for me. As I approached, she yelled out a warning to me. When I saw she was being restrained by members of the Royal Guard, I ran. When the guards saw me they began to pursue me down the street. I lost them in the crowd inside the market, and I hid for almost a whole day in one of my former patient’s stables.
I heard the next day that the Princess had married Talorn Blackthorn during the night, something she had not mentioned to me at all.”
“Who’s this Blackthorn?” K’xarr asked.
“I believe he is the new general of the Bandaran army and a friend of the King, if you can believe street gossip.”
K’xarr thumped the table with his finger. “A good thing to know, go on, what happened then?”
“I was terribly afraid and I had no idea why the palace guards were after me. I didn’t want to leave Turill, but I thought I had little choice. I started preparing to move my practice to another city. There was no way I could stay in the city being hunted by the Royal Guard.
“As I came out my door to leave Captain Hightower and his men caught me on my front porch. The captain told me not worry, there had been some kind of a misunderstanding and I was free to continue practicing medicine in Turill. I just needed to stay away from the palace.
“I was much relived. I had grown fond of the city and really didn’t want to leave. Everything was fine but it just kept gnawing at me, why had they had been after me in the first place? So I went to the palace and asked to see Isabella, she would know. She was the one who tried to warn me after all and seeing her would be much easier and safer than trying to talk with the Princess.”
“Let me get this straight,” K’xarr said. “You went back to the palace?”
“Yes, I did.”
“After the Captain of the Royal Guard told you to stay away?”
“Yes. I told you it was bothering me.”
K’xarr hung his head and chuckled at the healer. “What’s so funny?” Rhys said, slightly perturbed.
The Camiran looked up. “Just go on.”
“Well, the guardsmen I talked to at the palace gate told me she had run away. I argued with them a little. I told them I didn’t believe Isabella would leave the Princess. Then they told me I should stop asking questions about Isabella, and I should leave and not come back. It was very clear to me they were lying, but I did leave.
“Later in the day, I was sweeping my front porch and saw several of the palace guard talking to a patient of mine just up the street from my home. The man pointed to my house, the guards saw me and headed my way with their weapons drawn. So I ran and jumped on the first horse I saw and headed out of town, and well, you know what happened after that.”
K’xarr took a big drink of his ale and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You should never have gone back to the palace asking about this handmaiden, it was a bad idea. The way they were chasing you it wasn’t to talk, they were out for blood. ”
Rhys shook his head. “I haven’t done anything wrong or broken any laws I know of. They have no reason to be after me. May I have some of that ale?” K’xarr filled up one of the wooden cups that sat on the table. The healer looked the cup over and took a big drink of the warm ale.
Vandarus had ridden to the Silver Fist, a tavern just outside of Turill and bought ale and food for them; he said he knew someone that worked there.
K’xarr had found the old farmhouse they were staying in. It had been abandoned for some time, so they had hidden their horses in the old barn and made themselves at home. The little farmhouse was crowded but they only needed to stay a couple of days. Endra and Vandarus were much improved, Rhys said that Cromwell could use a little more time to heal but his stitches looked good. Rhys had been using some kind of power or whatever he called it to heal them quicker than nature ever could. K’xarr didn’t care for it much, but it did seem to be working. Even without the power Rhys possessed, the man was a damn fine healer. The salve he gave Vandarus worked wonders on the nasty horse bite and he had even performed what he called surgery on Cromwell, sewing him up from the inside out. K’xarr had heard that very skilled healers could do this on badly wounded people, but he hadn’t believed it. If he hadn’t seen Rhys do it with his own eyes, he still wouldn’t believe it.
He had never seen any battle surgeon or healer like this Rhys Morgan, but he planned to keep this healer close, maybe even get him to join them. A good healer was worth his weight in gold.
“K’xarr, I would like to ask a favor. I know you don’t know me very well but I need your help.”
The Camiran drained his cup and poured himself another. “We owe you more than one favor, my friends would be dead now if not for your skill. Siro is very good, but he most likely could not have saved Endra and Cromwell would be dead for sure. Ask your favor and I will do everything in my power to help you.”
“Thank you. I was hoping you would say yes. I need to go into the city and see what has happened and find out why the Royal Guards were chasing me. There are some of my patients I would like to check on as well. I have a plan maybe one of you can find Isabella or get inside the palace and talk to her. I know she will help if she can. I know it’s asking a lot but I could use an escort if I’m seen they could try to take me
again and I’m not a fighting man.”
K’xarr leaned back in his chair, this was a bad idea. If the Royal Guard wanted to take the healer there was little he and the others could do but die defending him. Besides, he didn’t think the Bandaran army would hire any mercenaries that were protecting a man wanted by the crown. Sometimes you just can’t do the smart thing. “Of course we will help, but you will have to go about it like I say, okay?”
Rhys nodded his head. “I wouldn’t know how to go about it anyway. I just know this all has something to do with the Princess.”
K’xarr cleared his throat. “This Isabella, that’s the handmaiden, right?”
“Yes, I think she is the only servant Raygan is allowed.”
K’xarr emptied his cup. “Why just the one girl?”
“Raygan didn’t tell me too much but there was some kind of trouble between her and her brother.”
K’xarr looked into his cup then back at Rhys. “You trusted us with the knowledge of your power right?”
Rhys nodded his head.
“So you know you can trust me with keeping a secret, so I have to ask and I need the truth. Did you shag the Princess while you were in the palace?”
Rhys’s face turned red. “I did nothing of the kind, she was my patient.” The healer seemed shocked by the accusation. “I mean, the Princess is very beautiful and has a way of making a man uh … feel a certain way, her eyes and her body … you know what I am trying to say, why would you ask me something like that anyway?”
“You called her Raygan that tells me you were familiar with her and you said she had just married recently. I thought maybe you were taking care of something besides her wounds. Perhaps her husband this Blackthorn fellow became jealous.”
Rhys downed his ale. “We became friends but that’s all. I would never have sex with a patient.”
The mercenary grinned. “What if she wasn’t your patient?”
Rhys folded his arms across his chest and turned his head.
K’xarr raised his hand. “I believe you. I was just trying to think why the King would be after you. That wasn’t the city guard that was the King’s own, and Kings just don’t send their Royal Guard after anyone.”
Rhys sighed. “I know.”
***
Endra rode her horse back into the barn. K’xarr had told everyone not to leave the area, but she had needed a bath. Endra had found a small stream only half a league away. It felt good to be clean again, the dust and dried blood that had caked her hair was gone. She had washed her clothing too and now was dressed in a tunic they had found in the farmhouse belted at the waist and her boots. Her limp was almost gone and the stiches looked ready to come out. Two days and the wound looked like it had been healing for weeks. She didn’t care what Rhys said, his powers to heal were magical.
She was unsaddling her horse when Rufio walked into the barn. “By the Gods of my fathers, you are a beauty. With the grime gone you shine like the sun, woman.”
Endra smirked and gave him a crooked smile. “Do you say that to all your sword brothers?”
“Sure, I just told Cromwell he looked like a Celonian Princess,” Rufio said with a straight face. She laughed, she thought she had forgot how.
“Why are you always tending to the horses, Rufio? The others are up at the house drinking the ale Vandarus brought back.”
The Dragitan started rubbing her horse down. “Horses are like women, if you don’t pay them attention they will find it elsewhere and that could cost someone their life. They’re also better company than most people.”
“I don’t know if I like being compared to a horse, Rufio.”
Rufio tried to hide his grin. “I meant no insult, if you were a horse, Endra, every man in my old cavalry regiment would have been fighting to ride you.”
She shook her head at the Dragitan. “Rufio you are a sweet man. No matter what everyone else says.”
The Dragitan laughed out loud and continued brushing the horse.
Endra was tying her hair back with an old piece of leather when Kian walked in.
“I think I will go get some of that ale Vandarus brought back,” Rufio said. The horse soldier patted Kian on the shoulder as he walked out.
There had been no chance to talk or be alone since the fight on the road. Rhys had just told her this morning that she could get out of bed and her leg would be fine. Endra was not a timid woman, but the moment was awkward.
“You are beautiful,” Kian said.
“I’m just clean and not dressed in chainmail. Besides that, the first time we met you told me I was beautiful when I was drenched in sweat and covered with blood.” He walked close to her but said nothing, his eyes took in every curve of her body and every feature of her face.
“What are you looking at, is something wrong?”
“I just what to remember this moment.” Kian looked deep into her eyes. “I love you, Endra Korlest. I have since the moment I saw you.”
She reached out and laid her hand on his cheek. “I love you too, Kian Cardan, it is as if my heart has to love you. I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t have to, I feel the same.” She leaned towards him and closed her eyes.
“There you are, Mother, we’ve been looking everywhere for you.” They both took a step back as Payton Vinsant and Tressa all walked into the barn. “Kian said we could look at his sword,” Payton commanded.
“And hold it too,” Vinsant added.
“I did tell them they could, if you don’t mind, of course.” Endra nodded her approval. It warmed her heart to see that the children had taken to Kian so well, they had not had anyone but her for so long.
Tressa walked up to the Half Elf. “Kian, how do you shag a horse?” Kian looked at Endra for help.
“Tressa dear, where did you hear that?” she asked the child.
“Cromwell told Rufio he must be shagging the horses, because he spent all his time with them.”
Endra look at Kian and he just shrugged his shoulders. “Tressa, don’t ever repeat anything Cromwell Blood ever says.”
Kian covered his mouth to keep from laughing. She looked at him and could not help but smile.
“All three of you run along. Kian and I will be there in a moment.” Tressa ran out singing and the two boys kicked the dirt, disappointed they had to wait.
Endra took Kian’s hands in hers. “I guess the rest of our talk will have to wait until they go to bed tonight, we can go to the stream I found today.”
“Where is it? I could use a bath too.”
“Half a league to the north, you can’t miss it.” She gave him a quick kiss and hurried out of the barn.
***
“How’s the bite doing?”
Vandarus looked over to see Rufio walking up from the barn. “Both of the healers worked on it. I’ll have a nasty scar, but it’s almost as good as new.”
“What are you looking at?” Rufio asked.
Vandarus sucked in a big breath air. “It’s good to be home, Ruf. I thought I would never see Bandara again. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Rufio looked around. “It is truly, if you’re a farmer.”
Vandarus put his hands on his hips. “These farmers carved out one of the biggest and richest Kingdoms in the world.”
“It’s not even close to the size of Dragita,” Rufio said
“Well, we didn’t build it with fire, blood, and crucifixion, my friend.”
Rufio grinned. “That’s true, the emperors of Dragita were not very subtle in the way they acquired land.”
Vandarus squatted down and picked up a handful of rich soil. “Are you still set on following K’xarr and the others?”
Rufio smiled. “Yes, now more than ever, why? Have you changed your mind?”
Vandarus shook his head. “No, they just make me nervous. K’xarr is headstrong as well as ill-tempered and Cromwell is like traveling with a talking bear and the Half Elf is crazy. You saw what he did on the road.
“I just d
on’t want to die for something foolish. We also have a bunch of children with us now. Don’t get me wrong Endra is as good a warrior as any of us and she is not hard on the eyes either, but riding with mercenaries is no place for children and there is still the fact the Church is hunting her.”
“You’re right, Vandarus, I won’t argue with that, but I think they have decided to keep Endra and the children for now. I know Kian has. Don’t worry, things will work themselves out. K’xarr is no fool. ”
Vandarus stood up and dropped the dirt and brushed his hands off. “I know he’s not, but I think I might be.”
They both watched as Kian rode out of the barn to the north; he waved and smiled as he passed.
“Well, there he goes I would say he’s going to have a rough night. Say goodbye to the Half Elf, Vandarus.”
“What do you mean?”
“Endra’s leg is healed and she took a bath this morning, by tomorrow that Half Elf will be replaced by a man.”
Vandarus laughed. “He might have bitten off more than he can chew when he rides that mare.”
Rufio snickered. “I bet it is her that does the riding, and if I was you I wouldn’t ever let Kian hear you call her a mare.”
“I wouldn’t think of it. You were right, Rufio, he is a killer and it takes little more than an unkind word to set him to it. I will say this though, he is one lucky half-breed when it comes to women. I have never seen a more beautiful woman than Endra.”
Rufio tucked his hand into his sword belt. “I agree with you, my friend. Now let’s go get drunk and you can tell me what a great farmer you are.”
Vandarus ran his hands through his thick blonde hair. “You know what, Rufio?”
“What?” the Dragitan said, throwing his arm around the Bandaran’s shoulder.
“You’re a horse’s ass.”
***
Kian hung his sword on his saddle and tied his horse to a small bush. He walked down to the water and stood at the edge, mud squeezing between his toes. Wading in he found the water only waist deep. It was cool and felt wonderful. Endra had found a nice place, a few scattered trees stood along the bank of the small creek and the water was not too muddy.
Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) Page 22
