“I’m Leisha Tahaerin,” she began, thinking how to gain their confidence. “And I’m queen of this land.”
Pausing, she waited for them to relax and realize she meant them no harm. Then her voice rang out, strong and hard. “Today, you took your revenge and I took mine.” Fury mixed with hatred in the air between Leisha and the other mind readers as they shared their emotions and let them mingle together.
“I found a way to defeat your masters. I learned how to turn their weapons against them and how to hunt them like animals, to trap them and to snuff out their lives. I showed the Kirous Visarl no mercy when I found him.” Leisha let them see and taste the terror Gerolt experienced before she killed him. Stunned, some of the Cursed shook their heads, unable to comprehend the death of the man who spoke for the nameless god the Deojrin worshiped.
Leisha softened her voice one more. “But I would not have this victory today without the help you all gave me. Thank you all, for everything. I owe you a debt I can never repay. You’re free to go, but I know this land is strange and unfamiliar. I can’t do much for you now because my kingdom is torn and battered. Instead, if you choose, you can stay with us and we’ll feed, clothe, and care for you. We’ll confront what remains of the Deojrin that foul my kingdom. With your help, we can free all of the Cursed.”
***
Sitting on the edge of Aniska's bed, Andelko sighed and ran his hands over his face. After everything that had happened, he did not feel like celebrating. He wanted to get disastrously drunk, start several fights and act like anything other than the Lord Constable. But duty demanded he be a good little prince and return to the feast raging on the top of Dabrova Hill.
“Promise me you'll stay in bed, Ani. I have to go play at being royalty, I'm afraid.”
She smiled weakly at him, still looking pale and drawn. “I’ll behave myself. I don't feel like doing much at all, honestly. I think I'm going to sleep for a while.”
“Good. I'll come back to check on you,” he said, trying once more to forget those dire moments today.
Once outside, Andelko found his horse and his escort. The light from bonfires and torches stretched the length of the hill, and as they rode closer cheers rose to greet them. In small groups and large parties, people celebrated their victory. The wagons loaded with beer stood open for anyone, the alcohol no longer rationed, and cooks emptied the food stores. Scattered over the hill were men and women who could play and sing, some quite well. People danced and clapped and sang along.
Andelko found Leisha sitting in her chair under her tree as she watched the dancers in front of her. Tibor and another soldier he could not name stood behind her chair. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “How are you?”
Leisha smiled. “Happy, tired. Congratulations on your victory, Lord Constable.”
“Mine? No. We never could have done this without you and Avrid and Sarika.”
“Let's compromise and say it was Sarika. It was her idea that saved us.” She lifted her wine glass and took a small drink, trying to be mindful of its effects on her.
“Indeed. Is that why she's dancing with your husband? And is he drunk?” Peering across at the pairs dancing together, it certainly seemed that way.
Leisha laughed and raised her injured shoulder. “I'm mostly forbidden from dancing tonight, but he's allowed me to join him a few times. And yes, he's drunk. He can't hold his alcohol any better than I can.”
“How many Cursed did we save?”
“Of the hundred and twenty Eamon thinks they started with, we counted sixty-two still alive. They found Edvard unconscious in the mud. Hanne and two others are standing over there watching, but most of the rest are off with Avrid, trying to make sense of all of us.”
“Sixty-two,” Andelko said, sounding surprised. “You know, if only half of those are willing to help us, we can destroy the northern army easily.”
“Stop thinking about strategies and enjoy this night, Andelko. Go dance.”
He started to protest, but seeing his friends enjoying themselves, he thought better of it. Eamon danced with Danica, Ladvik with Astra. Jan took a turn with Gabina while Eli stood talking to someone off to the side. Vially had paired off with a pretty serving girl. “Should I send your husband back?”
“Yes, before he trips over his own feet and drags Sarika to the ground with him.”
Leisha watched as Andelko went over to bow and take Sarika’s hand from Zaraki. He pointed to where she sat and waved his hands, shooing her golden-haired lover towards her.
He could still walk, mostly. “Your cousin said I should come see you.”
She grinned at him, filled with love and gratitude once more. They had both survived this battle. They would survive the war and she would not lose him. “I told him to save Sarika from your drunken advances.”
Zaraki stared at her in mock outrage then said, “I am a bit drunk.”
“So am I,” Leisha admitted, raising her half-empty wine glass. It took so little, and already she could feel the effects. All around her, the air churned, thick with emotions and thoughts she could not completely block out.
“Are you?” He leaned over, hands on the arms of her chair. “I suddenly want to kiss my beautiful, ruthless wife in front of all these people.”
She smelled wine on his breath and tasted it on his lips. Soldiers who saw them shouted and clapped. Most kept it respectful even as the kiss lingered and then became something more. Leisha felt his hands cup her face.
“How brave are you?” she asked, lifting one knee and running it up the inside of his thigh, surprised as the wine made her bold.
Zaraki leaned in close and held her with one hand behind her neck while the other played across her collarbones, careful to avoid her wound. “Are we really going to play this game?” he breathed into one ear. “Because this drunk, I'm very brave.”
She knew a threat when she heard it. When he tilted her head back to nuzzle at her neck, she sucked in a swift breath, grateful he stood between her and the now cheering crowd. “Yes, and you win,” she gasped out. “Behind us, there’s the little tent still.”
Recovery
Over the course of several days, the enraged Cursed emerged from their slumbers to a world they could barely imagine. Avrid and Hanne took charge, helping them into new clothes and showing them where they could eat. They sat together in small, huddled groups trying to make sense of all that had happened and trying to understand what it meant to live free from the compulsion.
Ani chafed at her confinement to bed. When Andelko visited her, she complained constantly about Leisha’s command to stay put. “There’s so much do,” she said, picking at the blanket that covered her.
“And we’re handling it,” he assured her. “Eamon, Jan, and Eli have everything under control. For once, let someone take care of you.”
“I hate it and I hate being trapped here,” Ani whined, even though she did enjoy Andelko’s visits. I was only dead for a few minutes, she wanted to say, but did not imagine that would help her case. The experience unsettled everyone far more than it did her.
Leisha confined herself to bed without a word from her long-suffering husband. Visitors passed in and out of their tent all day, bringing messages and asking questions. When she looked tired, Zaraki turned them all away and played nursemaid. Together, they began thinking of how to reward all those that had brought them this victory.
With no sign of her wound turning septic during those three days, Jarden agreed she could move about and have lunch with everyone else in the large tent set on top of Dabrova Hill. Shaking his head, he released Ani from her prison as well, having no idea if three days was sufficient to recover from mind reader-inflicted death or not.
Servants brought horses for the ride over, but Zaraki would not allow Leisha to ride on her own. Though she wanted to protest that Evka would be no problem, instead she used the step and her good arm to climb carefully onto Capar’s back. When she winced, she thought Zaraki might call off t
he entire outing. But once she settled, he relaxed and asked his great, black friend to walk nicely.
Under a striped pavilion, servants had set a large table and chairs enough for everyone.
Avrid preferred to stay with the Cursed now and kept a tent near the army. “I’m glad to see you up and about, Aniska,” he said as she entered the tent. He felt a bit protective of her now that he had brought her back from the dead.
“Thank you, again, for what you did. I’m glad to be alive.” Ani did not remember when it happened or what it felt like to be dead. Instead, she had a small hole in her memories and nothing more to show for the experience.
“I spoke with Edvard this morning. He’s recovering but sends his apologies. He’s terribly embarrassed about the whole thing.”
As he set his plate on the table, Andelko frowned. “I still don’t understand. Why would he even attack Ani? The battle was over.”
Avrid shook his head. “You heard how close he was when they found him. He came for Her Majesty, but in his state, he couldn’t tell the difference between the two of them.”
When Leisha looked confused, he sighed and explained more slowly. “Edvard came for a female mind reader. He found two he recognized but couldn’t distinguish between you because he was so exhausted.”
“Leisha and Sarika, yes. What does that have to do with Aniska?” Symon asked, frowning.
Amazed, Avrid stared back. How could they not know? How could none of them have guessed? “She’s a mind reader,” he said. “It’s a piddling talent, barely worth mentioning, but she uses it to eavesdrop and listen at your doors. I’ve seen her do it over and over again. How have none of you noticed?”
Ani paled and nearly dropped her breakfast. Standing behind a chair, she began to protest loudly. “I’m not. I just hear things.” She shook her head and waved her free hand at him. “But it’s not reading minds. That’s just stupid. I would know. Everyone would know. I’m not.” It all came out in a rush.
“You are,” Avrid declared, sounding offended that she would deny it. “You can’t do much, and I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t watched you do it.”
“I always wondered how you did that,” Zaraki said, and poked her in the ribs. “You’re cute as a button when you’re flustered. Close your mouth and sit down. You’re in the way.”
***
Once he finished eating, Andelko pushed his plate away. “Alright, enough stalling. Who’s going to tell her?” he asked, grinning and looking around the table.
Feeling their attention turn to her, Leisha stopped eating. “Tell me what?” she asked, curiosity coloring her voice.
“Our plan,” Andelko said. “Ladvik, Vially, and I have worked out how we want to finish off the rest of the Deojrin in the north. You’re going to hate it, you’re going to fight me and someone is going to have to drag you kicking and screaming all the way back to Lida. I just want to know who that’s going to be.”
Leisha laughed and spread her hands. “Tell me your plan and we’ll see who volunteers for the second part then, cousin.”
“We’re leaving in a little over a week. A quarter of the army is going to escort us around the mountains to Otokar and then home. We’ll take our time and let you survey things because I know you want to. Ladvik and Vially are taking the rest of the army north tomorrow, to Cheylm and then through the pass. They’ll clear out Lida and then they’re going on to catch our leaderless enemies somewhere around Tarnow, I suspect. I’m sending most of the Cursed with the main force while we make for Lida. Edvard and Hanne say they’re capable of duplicating what you and Avrid did here.”
“And for once, you’re going to act like a queen and stay where it’s safe.” Zaraki smiled as he said it, but she saw him watching her for any sign of rebellion.
Folding her hands in her lap, Leisha thought about protesting just to see their reaction. She almost hated disappointing them all. Instead, she managed a docile and submissive expression as she said, “I’m very excited to see my city again. There’s so much work to be done.”
Around the table, Leisha’s little family released a collective sigh.
Lida
The grateful residents of Dabrova and Novy returned as the army prepared to leave, creeping around the edges of their villages, checking for damage, seeing what might be lost. But Ladvik and Vially had kept their troops reined in, and the homes and buildings stood unmolested. Farmers and merchants lined the road leading west, away from the villages, cheering as they caught sight of Leisha in her bright green riding dress.
For days they made their way west. Summer gripped the southern Tahaerin lands, and fields of grass rolled in the breezes. Signs of the Deojrin passing stood out in contrast to vivid blue skies. Abandoned houses, trampled fields and villages burned to their foundations attested to their enemy’s passage. It would take time and money to rebuild everything lost here, but already Leisha had ideas and plans.
They had been in their saddles for several hours when she heaved a dramatic sigh.
“What was that for?” Zaraki asked.
She cast a mournful glance at him before saying, “I wish my Ostravan spies would stop falling in love. They’re so expensive to replace.”
“Who’s in love?” he demanded to know. “Eamon?”
Leisha laughed and let her gaze settle on Aniska and Andelko, riding next to one another several yards ahead. “Their thoughts have been very interesting recently and very public. Still, I wasn’t sure until I peeked just now.”
“Ani and Andelko?” Zaraki asked, surprised as he turned his gaze to his friend. “She never told me.”
“I don’t think she knows yet.”
Andelko heard Leisha’s silvery laughter in his mind and then, Cousin, don’t forget you’re royalty again. You can’t marry her or anyone else without my permission. He jerked around, scowling, and saw her grinning at them both.
When they stopped for the night, Andelko went to Ani’s tent and without a word, he kissed her. Stunned, she drew back as his hands began unbuttoning the vest she wore over a loose linen top.
“Wait,” she protested.
“No,” Andelko said, going to work on the ribbon that tied her shirt closed. “I’ve been patient enough with your rules and your dying.”
“She’s still my employer,” Aniska gasped as he pressed his lips to her neck and tugged at her braid until her hair fell free.
He raised his head and pulled his shirt off. Then he reached for hers. “She already knows.”
“I still need to ask for permission. I swore an oath—”
“She’s given it, and I don’t care about your stupid oaths. Now stop arguing, you stubborn woman.” They fell into her bed.
Afterwards, as they lay together, Ani told him about her father and the unspeakable act he committed against her as a child. Then she told him the part of the story not even Zaraki knew. That after they fled Ostrava together, she hunted her father down and exacted her revenge using skills she learned from Cezar. That no one would ever know who maimed him because she took his tongue as well, and he could not write or read.
And though Andelko did not ask, she said, yes, revenge did make her feel better.
***
A month after leaving Dabrova, the army turned north and approached the mouth of a small, pretty, v-shaped valley. Commanders called a halt for the night, even though the sun still sat high in the sky. When Zaraki wondered about the early stop, Leisha shrugged.
“They have their reasons, I’m sure,” she said enigmatically. “I would like to ride out a bit and see Troian, though. Survey any damage done here.”
Given the amount of time she spent closeted with Symon and her other bookkeepers, it did not surprise him. Figuring out how to raise the money needed to rebuild what the war destroyed consumed her.
Aniska picked out a detail of twenty soldiers and sent Jan and Eamon out to scout ahead. They found no signs of any enemies, and so the party rode out. Symon sent a runner to notify the village l
eaders that the king and queen would be stopping by and apologizing for the short notice.
Evka and Capar delighted in the chance to trot, no longer confined and sandwiched between the other horses in the train. As they traveled over the well-worn road, Leisha watched the mountains grow larger and thought she would never tire of the sight. The land rose until they crested the top of a hill where they could look down on Troian.
“It doesn’t look like they took any damage,” Zaraki said, seeing no obvious signs of an army’s passing.
She knew that already, which explained why her agents chose Troian. “Come on. Let’s get closer.” She clucked Evka into a fast trot, faster than he usually allowed her. But after so much time spent in the saddle, her skill and comfort had improved. Zaraki would learn to accept that.
When she could make out the building and animal pens easily, she reined Evka in. Capar trotted up next to them, and before he could scold her for riding recklessly, Leisha said, “I have a surprise for you.”
“Me? In Troian?” He sounded skeptical. Nothing came from Troian.
“Yes, there. Look,” she insisted, pointing down to a small village nestled in the valley below.
Little buildings clustered together within a short, earthen wall. The small town had few stone structures, and thatched roofs topped most of the wooden homes. Ringing the village, Zaraki saw fences and horse corrals filled with animals. It seemed unusual to him only because the pens had not been here last time he visited. That, and perhaps the number of horses he saw milling around. No one thought of Troian when they thought of horses. He frowned.
Leisha turned to face him, beaming, happy he had not guessed and that she had kept the secret so well. “It’s all your breeding stock, my love. All your mares, all your foals, and most of the stallions.”
He looked up in shock, staring at the horses. Leaning forward over the pommel of his saddle, he strained to make them out. Lovely black and chestnut-colored horses filled the pens. Zaraki saw foals gamboling with each other, under the watchful eyes of protective mares. From this distance, they did look like his tall, broad-backed Aulerons.
As Dragons from Sleep (The Tahaerin Chronicles Book 2) Page 47
