As Dragons from Sleep (The Tahaerin Chronicles Book 2)

by J. Ellen Ross

  ***

  They stopped for the night near a small lake. As servants began assembling camp, Leisha and Jan went in search of Ani.

  She stood on a small hill, watching the horses being led down the shore and saw the problem immediately. “Yes, of course. Jan, you’ll be responsible for Avrid, which leaves Sarika with Eamon or Eli. I haven’t quite decided what jobs everyone will have. I expect us to have enough time to flee, but it’s good to be prepared.”

  “Thank you, Ani,” Leisha said. “That will set Avrid’s mind at ease.”

  Standing together on the little rise, Leisha saw Zaraki leading their horses, heading to the water. Stripped of their saddles, Capar waded in eagerly while Evka held back, watching the gelding pawing at the surface. His hoof sent sprays of water in all directions. Zaraki left his boots in the grass and went to stand next to Capar, holding out his hand to encourage the mare to follow. Finally, Evka relented, and together the two horses began splashing in deeper and deeper until the water came up halfway to their bellies. She smiled at her husband as he tried to keep the water off, but Capar’s game had already soaked him.

  “Zaraki and his horses,” Leisha said, watching him in this unguarded moment.

  Ani froze hearing his name and tried to stop the secret promise she swore to keep only a few days ago as it leapt into her thoughts. She blanched and tried to tamp it down, hoping to keep it hidden. Turning away, she tried to think of something else. Anything else.

  But like a cold wind, Leisha felt the pledge wash over her. She saw the secret and paled, horrified. Her eyes darted over Ani, hoping for some sort of denial in her face. Then, seeing none, she took a step back, intending to run to the water’s edge, down to him, to force Zaraki to take it back.

  Seeing the panic in Leisha’s face, Ani held out her hands, pleading for understanding. “I’m sorry. You were never supposed to know, but he asked me to do it. He loves you so much and doesn’t want to live without you.”

  Just last night, standing with Avrid, talking about their plan, Leisha felt strong and brave. When she spoke with Andelko again this morning, she read the barely restrained hope that leapt into his mind as he saw a way to victory.

  But now, her resolve faltered, and Leisha wondered how they had ever reached this point. Two years with Zaraki was not enough. Two lifetimes would not be enough. When had their love become doomed? Run, her heart whispered as blood pounded in her ears. Run and you’ll both live.

  “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what’s right. Tell me,” Leisha begged, choking back desperate tears as the fear returned, crashing into her. Turning to stare at Zaraki, she saw him standing in the water, watching Evka and Capar still. She wanted to run to him, to shake him and scream at him. How dare you? How dare you give up and go hunting for death? But her plan, her insistence that she and Avrid and Sarika could turn the tide of battle in their favor had brought them here. Therefore, his blood would be on her hands, his death her fault.

  Just like after the rescue from Embriel, her confidence collapsed under the weight of this decision. “Ani, I’m hemmed in, I’m trapped. No matter where I turn, I see enemies. The other kings, they’ll catch me and trade me to Gerolt for favors. If I run, I spend the rest of my life as a fugitive. If I don’t, I may be sentencing him to die beside me. How do I decide what’s right?”

  Aniska reached out, and together they clung to one another. They all had doubts and fears—even the mighty queen they served. Selfishly, she wanted to tell Leisha to run and they would find a way to be safe and protect her. They would all go into hiding and they would find a refuge.

  Instead, she quashed her misgivings, trying to maintain the last shred of her objectivity. “I think, for you, this is the best answer,” she said, pulling back to look her friend in the eyes. “If you flee, you’ll never be safe. He’ll hunt you forever and turn everyone against you. But I believe you’re going to win. You and Avrid and Sarika can do this, I truly believe it.”

  ***

  Another day of travel brought them within view of the village of Dabrova. Little more than a collection of farmers’ houses and squalid taverns, it seemed an unlikely place to decide the fate of an entire kingdom. Scouts found the hamlet abandoned, as most of the residents had snatched up their children and animals and fled the advance of the two armies. Days before, Symon sent riders to warn the two little settlements of the army’s approach and the impending battle. Though Andelko would warn against it, in the event of a Tahaerin victory, some of the soldiers might decide to celebrate by pillaging. If the Deojrin won, they certainly would.

  The bulk of the army would travel just a bit further to take the ridge. Safely behind the lines, the camp followers, support personnel, servants and anyone else not wielding a club or pike in battle would pitch their tents outside Dabrova. If the Deojrin broke through, those at camp would have warning and time enough to escape.

  Avrid went with the soldiers to survey the hill and the surrounding areas. From the top of the ridge, they would have a commanding view of the land below. He could check that off his list of worries, at least.

  Returning to camp, the three mind readers spent the evening together discussing how to put their plan to action. Everything depended on how much time and energy it would take to release each Cursed. They could not waste time.

  For once, Avrid tried hard not to sound condescending or rude. He remembered his first battle and saw the same doubt in Leisha’s eyes. “They’ll fight us, so you must be ready for that. They’re trained and you’re not, but you’re more powerful than most of them. Don’t panic, conserve your strength, and fight those you know you can overpower.”

  Leisha nodded, thinking how it felt when Avrid attacked her. They had practiced some, though not as much as she would have liked. She still could not reliably find someone at a distance. And now, their time had fled.

  Battle

  Their last night before meeting their enemy, Leisha and her group of friends and family sat down to dinner, trying to set aside their nerves and enjoy the meal together.

  “Forgive me for repeating myself, but everyone knows the plan for tomorrow? If something goes wrong?” Aniska asked as she finished eating. For the past several nights, she had drilled them all in their parts. She warned them there would be no rescues, no coming back for them. Their escape plan would not work unless people kept to their parts. “As much as I love you all, my job is to save her,” she said, nodding in Leisha’s direction. “I can’t risk anything that might lead Gerolt to her.”

  Assuming they had time to flee, Eamon would gather Avrid and Sarika and ride back to the village to meet Symon. He would remain in camp to help Danica along with the families of Ladvik, Jan, and Eli. A small contingent of soldiers would escort them east until they reached the Vinca and hired a boat to take them to south to Gior, at the mouth of the river.

  Only Ani, Zaraki, and Andelko knew their own escape route. Jan and Eli both volunteered to leave their families and stay with the small party taking Leisha into hiding. If the battle turned against them, they all agreed their safest course would be to take them to Trillinae, to the capital Noster and onto a ship heading east. Anyone who got separated or lost or could not make it to the designated meeting spots would keep moving east. To Achym and Zaraki’s safe house, then Arnost and so on until they reached the mind readers in Streza. Once Leisha reached safety, Ani and Zaraki would think about how to meet up with anyone who made it to the mountains.

  Reluctantly, the five of them stood and began saying goodnight, pulling each other aside one at a time for private conversations. While Zaraki stood talking to Andelko, Leisha tugged at Symon’s sleeve. Silently, she hugged him.

  “Out with it, my dear,” he prodded when she seemed to struggle with what to say to him.

  “Promise me you’ll flee. Promise you won’t try to come save us. I need to know—” Leisha stopped to wipe at her eyes.

  Symon took her hand and covered it with his own. “I promise,” he assure
d her. “Just like we talked about. I’ll take Danica and the others and we’ll head east. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I just hate that we might get separated.” She sounded so like the tiny girl he took to Embriel all those years ago, that for a moment Symon imagined himself in the carriage, listening to her talk about horses and how to feed them. He remembered showing her the two rivers that converged just north of the Embriel capital. He remembered Leisha looking at him with her wide, sad eyes as she wished that like the rivers, the two of them would never be separated.

  “I know, my darling girl. If it happens, we’ll find each other again. But tomorrow, you, Sarika, and Avrid are going to save us. We all believe it. And,” he paused, unsure if she would appreciate this, but wanting to say it anyway. “I know you haven’t always thought well of your father, but I want you to know, he would be so proud of you.”

  Twice now someone had spoken of Davos, and twice it stirred unexpected feelings for Leisha. She had no memories of her father and only a few shadowy ones of her mother. In the past when she did think of them, she often felt bitter and angry at their sending her away and forgetting about her for fourteen years.

  But time had shown Leisha that everyone could not be put in the tidy little boxes she imagined as a child. People were not always good or bad, kind or cruel, servant or friend. Often, when she looked carefully, she could see where a person might fit into any of the boxes. Zaraki could be incredibly loving and gentle, but he would kill without guilt if required. Symon might serve her as a member of her household, but she loved him as a friend and father figure. People, it turned out, were very complicated.

  “Honestly, I think much differently about him now, Symon,” she said. “I think I understand him better. It isn’t fair of me to think of him as weak just because he was murdered and lost the respect of the nobles.

  “I can see what a fickle, fleeting thing that is. When I first came back to Lida, all I wanted, all I could see was being queen. I had nothing to lose but my crown and my pride. But now,” she cast her gaze around the room, smiling at her friends, her husband, and her family. “Now, I have so much that could be lost. I want to be more than queen and I want the chance to figure out what that means. I think Davos wanted the same thing—to be something more than king sometimes.”

  Symon could only stare for a moment, remembering the angry girl who made herself queen, who slowly let herself transform in the lovely young woman who stood poised now to save her kingdom. She never knew her father, and yet, she seemed to understand him all too well. “Yes,” he said quietly, thinking of his long-dead lover. “He did very much want to be something more. If things had been different—but then you wouldn’t be here.”

  He hugged her. “I’ll see you off in the morning. The boy is looking to steal you away. Go on now.”

  ***

  Leisha and Zaraki sat together on their bed, holding hands and relishing the privacy afforded to them the night before battle. For a long while, they sat in silence, both considering what confession to make to the other, wondering what they could say to encompass everything they felt.

  Running her fingers over his, Leisha broke the spell. “You’re the greatest joy in my life. I’m so sorry. I know that living with me hasn’t always been easy, and I know that I caused you pain and anxiety. Thank you for staying and for loving me.”

  He cupped her face with his free hand, leaving the other laced with hers. “From the day I knew I loved you, I knew I would stay. You act as if there was ever any other choice for me.”

  That made her smile. “Still, you made your choice day after day and year after year.”

  Brushing his fingers through her hair, Zaraki smelled lavender and wondered where she had found any. In an instant, he stood in the gardens at Branik with her again as she confessed her love. He made a silent vow that tomorrow would not be the end of their story. Desperately, he pulled her to him and kissed her. “Leisha,” he said, holding her face close to his. “I wouldn’t change anything that happened between us or any of the things that led us to each other.”

  “Nor would I,” she assured him.

  ***

  Andelko stumbled back to his tent well past midnight. The day had been filled with planning meetings, meetings with his captains, meetings with Leisha and Avrid. Now he wanted to be alone.

  Pouring what was left of his wine stash into a cup, he settled into a chair to relax. When he heard the tentative cough at his tent, he sighed and rolled his eyes. His old life in the army at Moraval seemed like such a pleasant memory. No one bothered him outside of his hours on duty. No one came to his tent unannounced. And no one ever spoke of Andelko Tahaerin, second in line to the goddamn throne.

  He pushed himself out of his nice, comfortable chair, cursing this interruption under his breath. When he went to lift the flap to his tent, he found Aniska standing in the darkness, her face lit only by the light from his candles.

  “Andelko,” she said, sounding nervous and unsettled—very unlike the petite Ostravan spy. However, it was also unlike her to show up in the middle of the night, her red hair unbound and flowing down to her shoulders.

  “Ani, is something wrong?”

  “No,” she said firmly. “I was just thinking that before going into battle, which I’ve never done, and before I potentially have to kill my best friend and his wife, I’d like to sleep with you.”

  Wordlessly, Andelko blinked several times then moved aside, staring at her as she stepped inside. Dressed in her usual trousers and loose tunic, she looked as lovely as ever. “Doesn’t that violate your oaths?” he managed weakly, dropping the flap as he moved towards her.

  She gave him a wicked smile. “Zaraki violates his nightly and enjoys it a great deal, from what I hear. I don’t see why I should let him have all the fun.”

  He had thought about it. Every man at Branik and probably half the women had thought about it. Everything about Aniska was different and exotic. Upon accepting the offer to take Zaraki’s position as spymaster, she threw out every dress she owned from her tavern days. She dressed in men’s clothes, openly carried her weapons and routinely beat larger opponents in the sparring yard. Her one concession to femininity was her lovely red hair that she kept in a short braid, running down her back. But, as far as he knew, Aniska had never once slept with anyone in the castle. No rumors of impropriety had ever surfaced. Why she chose him now, he could not fathom. But why turn down an offer like this?

  “I’d like to help you violate them, then,” he told her. “Several times tonight.”

  Walking past her, he sat on the edge of the bed and invited her to do the same. Instead, she came to stand in front of him and nudged his knees apart with hers. “We don’t have time for lengthy negotiations,” Aniska explained. “I like it a little rough, some hair pulling is nice, for instance. No position is off limits, but if I say no, that’s your only warning. Agreed?”

  Andelko nodded mutely.

  “Excellent.” She reached out and pushed his coat back off his shoulders.

  Spellbound, he felt the breath driven from his lungs as she stripped off his tunic and then her own. Trousers followed, and he saw his fantasies did not do her body justice.

  “Stop staring, Andelko,” she chided, and pushed him back onto the bed.

  Aniska proved to be a most enjoyable partner. Acrobatic and flexible, she kept up with him until they both collapsed from exhaustion.

  After only a couple hours of sleep, it was time to go to war. “If we survive this, I’d very much enjoy spending more time with you, Ani. With or without the sex.” It surprised him when he said it. For a combination of different reasons, Andelko avoided long-term relationships. He told himself it was because he was in the army. Because he spent the beginning of his career posted at Moraval, two days’ ride from civilization. Because the first six years in Lida were frantic, busy times.

  And because at Branik, there were always serving girls and pretty maids to spend a few nights with. But mostly,
he did not want any legitimate offspring of his causing problems for Leisha.

  Pulling on her boots, Aniska smiled at him. “I’d like that too. Definitely with the sex, but only if Leisha approves. She’s still my employer.”

  Again, Andelko could only nod mutely.

  Gerolt

  They would not see the sun for another two hours, but already servants moved amongst the tents, waking nobles and military leaders. All around, they stirred fires back to life, delivered trays loaded with breakfast and prepared the horses that would travel to the hilltop.

  At the first sound of someone at their tent, Leisha sat up, full of nervous energy. For once, she had lain awake, alternating between light, unsatisfying sleep and obsessive worrying over the smallest details of their plans while Zaraki slept peacefully next to her.

  She bent over her sleeping husband to kiss his face and stroke his golden hair. “It’s time,” she whispered as he rolled over and opened sleepy eyes.

  Danica helped her into the tight leather top Zaraki asked her to wear and then laced it up the side. Next came a plain brown and cream-colored gown. No bright colors to attract unwanted attention, Symon had said when suggesting it. Finally, Danica pulled her hair back into a tight, utilitarian braid that hung down her back.

  “When we win today, I’ll have to dress you all over again, my lady,” her maid said. “You look far too sensible.”

  Once Danica finished, bowls of porridge sweetened with sugar and raisins waited on the table for them. They ate, and Zaraki watched Leisha slip on the mask of the queen. He saw her fear return, saw as she fought it down and marveled again at his fierce, determined wife. At sixteen, he once said she was made from steel. Now at twenty-four, he almost pitied the enemies who would face her today. She would show them no mercy.

  ***

  Andelko and his marshals gave final orders and the captains began dispersing. Then he called for horses and watched as Leisha and Zaraki, Aniska, Sarika, Avrid, and all the rest mounted for the ride over. Eamon and most of Ani’s spies already crawled around the edges of the battlefield, watching and reporting. So they knew the Deojrin were on the move, headed for their ridge.