“I was never alone with her. No one is
ever alone with her. The big Red stays at her back at all times.” He sighed
heavily and tugged at his
taamid
with irritation. “Even the red-headed
one remained close enough that I had to endure his hair in my face while we
rested after the bath.”
The
tal’s
eyebrows climbed. “You bathed with her?”
“
Iyeh
,
but not like any bath you have ever imagined. Such a wealth of water lies in
this land that she sits in it to bathe.”
“May the
wadis
run once more,” Nijar breathed. “She truly is the White
Dragon.”
Mykal slapped him on the back. “Tell me,
do you know who left the gift for her in the hallway outside her door?”
“What gift?” The other
tal
frowned. “I’ve offered nothing.
These
munakuri
know nothing of
hospitality.” He looked about furtively. “If
Tellan
gifted her with something, then we must too.”
“Someone killed the man who refused his
blood oath to Her Majesty,” Mykal whispered softly, glancing about for
listeners. “She wishes to reward whoever accomplished this deed for her when
her hands were bound by her own laws.”
“Sands swallow me.” Nijar blew out his
breath disgustedly. “I wish I had thought to act so quickly. I’ve heard nothing
of this.”
“If you hear of who did this deed, let
me know. Her Majesty won’t speak of it, but she’s very eager to reward him.
Perhaps we could…dispose of this competition,
iyeh
?”
The
tal
went off to question his men, and Mykal headed to his own tribe’s. Mentally, he
ran through his options. Although the
munakur
could have been killed outside the Shining Walls, someone had to have been able
to deliver him deeply into her Palace, which again pointed to the only six
Keldari allowed inside. Whoever had accomplished the murder must either be
dead—because of her curse against harming her people—or not Keldari.
Could one of the Sha’Kae al’Dan have
killed the man? As the Duke of Cups, he’d never trusted one of the horse
barbarians enough to share his predilection for blood, let alone his preferred
method for killing. How could they have known to puncture the man’s throat in
such a way?
Asad fell into step with him. His long
Keldari braid hung over his shoulder and the man had his palm wrapped around
it, reminding Mykal that he'd forgotten to bind his hair yet again. Would a
good Keldari forget such a basic task? “All is well in the tents.”
“Very good.” Six Keldari inside the
Shining Walls. It could have been one of the
ravs
, but all three had been present at the Dance. “Did you have
any issues with the barbarians?”
“Leesha’s tits.” Asad laughed and gave a
sharp tug on the braid in his hand. “They stayed well away from us. They know
dragons would eat their pretty little horses if given half a chance.”
Mykal ducked into his tent, his mind
racing, and stopped so suddenly the other man behind him ran into him. “What
did you say?”
Too late, he started to whirl, hand on
his weapon. Asad jammed a fist into his back and pain splintered through him.
Gasping, he looked down. Talons protruded from his stomach. He slipped off the
black blades and fell on his face.
:Mykal.:
Her bond blazed in his mind, a glorious moon of love that he didn’t deserve.
:Where are you? What’s happened?:
Asad kicked him in the head, tossing him
over on his back. His
rav
squatted,
his face twisted with a sneer that was so unlike the man Mykal the Keldari had
ever seen on his friend’s face that he wouldn't have recognized him without the
Duke of Pella's memories.
“What’s wrong, Stephan?” Reaching into
his shirt, Asad jerked a leather thong loose and dropped not one dull-black
ring onto his palm but two. The rings had twisted and melded together, covering
his finger to the knuckle when he slipped it on. “Did you think you were the
only servant capable of being reborn? Your ring simply made mine all the more
powerful.”
Mykal's pain meant nothing. Nor his
death. How had the man found that Leesha-damned ring? How many more roamed the
world, waiting to chain brightheart for Shadow?
“This time I was given the secret role.
I was to watch
you
win the prize as
part of my punishment. Instead, it appears as though I will win His favor at
last. Was she that good in bed, my very good
friend
?” Asad put
deliberate emphasis on the word, his lips curling in a snarl. “Is one night
with
her
worth eternal suffering in hell?”
“
Iyeh
,”
Mykal whispered. Through her bond, he focused all his strength and love to send
the warning.
:My
rav
, Asad, is Theo reborn. Send your Blood to
kill him now.:
Her bond surged with all the powers of
the moon and the rivers and lakes of the world, flooding him with sweet,
healing waters. She bled to heal him. To save
him
.
:I’m coming with my Blood to help you.:
:No!:
He blasted a furious cloud of fumes through the bond.
:He wears my ring! Don’t come near him or you’ll be chained for
Shadow!:
* * *
TREMBLING, SHANNARI FOUGHT TO KEEP a
serene and regal façade through the formal dinner while her dragon suffered and
roared, helplessly trapped.
Lady help him
,
she whispered in her mind, crying silent tears that she couldn’t show. What
were they doing to him? Pain boiled through the bond, a hissing, bubbling burn
that felt worse than anything she’d ever experienced, even when Rhaekhar and
Gregar had died.
Theo was torturing him, yet Mykal had
enough strength to block the details through their bond. He didn’t want her to
know how badly he suffered.
Unobtrusively, she kept her bleeding
hand beneath the table while her guests ate. As long as she bled, she could
Heal whatever damage was done to him, which only lengthened his pain. If she
let him die, his suffering would end.
:Hurry,:
she pleaded to her First.
Dharman leaned against the Shining Walls
outside Shanhasson.
:Hold his bond in
your mind so I may find him quicker.:
Through his eyes, she saw the countless
black-hide tents and despaired of ever finding Mykal. It’d taken a direct order
to peel Dharman off her back and send him after her Keldari, but she needed the
best of the best to free him. He’d refused to take any of her other Blood, but
Khul had accompanied him with several warriors. If the Keldari objected to
trespassing in their encampment, he’d at least have swords at hand.
Holding Mykal’s bond firm in her mind,
she breathed deeply, letting his pain wash through her. Lady above, what was
Theo doing to him?
Sal touched her shoulder, bringing her
attention back to the formal dinner. All the guests stared at her expectantly.
Forcing a smile, she wrapped the napkin around her left hand and allowed the
Blood to assist her from the ornate chair. Without Sal and Jorah both holding
her elbows, she wouldn’t have been able to stand. Mykal’s pain was too bad.
:Help
is coming,:
she whispered soothingly.
:Hold on.:
:Leave
me.:
Even his mental voice rasped, hollowed with pain.
:Kill Asad and let me die.:
:Which
is Asad? How will Dharman know without finding you?:
He snarled in his mind, lashing out with
tail and claws, pain and frustration sending his beast into a frenzy.
:Can
you shift and end this torment? Your dragon can eat him—:
:He
has the ring! He can transform too, and he’ll be able to walk as a man again.
If I shift, I’ll be a dragon that you’ll still have to put down.:
:Nobody
is going to put you down,:
she snarled back, letting him have
a good taste of the White Dragon.
His control wavered a moment, long enough
to let her see his injuries.
:I’m ruined,
brightheart.:
Laughing with an unholy glint in his
eyes, a man she’d never seen before but immediately recognized as containing
Theo’s soul tilted a flask over Mykal’s lower abdomen. Howling, bucking, he fought
to get away from the acid that smoked and blistered his flesh. It ate away his
body, caving in his stomach, dripping down his legs and ribcage.
:Let
me die.:
Her knees sagged. Sal drew her up
against him, murmuring softly and trying to comfort her, but her stomach
pitched. He turned her around and held her while she vomited. At least the rest
of her Blood shielded her from the prying eyes of their guests. Sick, so sick,
she couldn’t bear the thought of it.
“Shannari?” Varne tried to approach, but her
Blood refused to let him near. “Are you well? Do you have a
shaman
?”
Her Blood never refused access to Father
Josef, but the priest didn’t put his hands on her. He knew, at least enough to
pale his clammy face.
“Is there nothing I can do to help him?”
She whispered for his ears only. “Or is he right?”
“I believe transforming to his dragon
would heal him, but there’s a great deal of risk involved, Your Majesty. You
might be able to draw him back if you’re unwavering in your love.”
“Do you know why he came?” The High
Priest nodded, and she didn’t miss his trembling hands. Sharpening her voice,
she forced herself to straighten to her full height no matter how much her
stomach rolled and Mykal’s bond raged with pain and fury. “And you saw fit to
keep silent about such a risk?”
“Our Lady’s will,” Father Josef began,
struggling to find the words. “Only you could decide. It was your choice, Your
Majesty. Knowing the question in advance could have skewed your decision. She
didn’t want me to interfere.”
“Is She pleased, then?” The priest
flinched at the steel in her voice. “Have I not done Her will by staying alive?
Have I not sent my own children as far away from me as possible so they won’t
be constantly hunted like I am? Have I not lost two mates in agony and blood,
and now, She sees fit to send me another man to love, so She may torture and
murder him too?”
Father Josef bowed his head, clasping
his trembling hands. “She’s so pleased with Her Last Daughter that She smiles
down with love upon you, Your Majesty. You chose well.”
“Was I right?” She softened her voice
but couldn’t entirely remove the bitterness. “Did She want…” She didn’t dare
say it aloud with so many people hanging about with ears wide open, eager for a
bit of gossip.
“You were right.” He bowed even farther,
forgetting himself enough to reach out and take her hand, pressing his mouth to
her knuckles. “You have accomplished what She wished most of all.”
Shannari felt another wave of nausea
crash through her. Too early for pregnancy sickness, but she must already carry
Mykal’s child.
Son
, she corrected.
She knew it would be a son, dark in coloring and hair. Dark in soul, too? Or
would he carry her light?
Only time would tell, but she would find
a way to bring her daughters home to Shanhasson. She would find a way for them
to be a family again, and she would raise her children with so much love that
they could not ever possibly fall into Shadow, not even a son conceived by one
of her greatest enemies.
She concentrated on Dharman’s bond and
felt him weaving through the tents at a run, Khul and his warriors on his
heels.
They
will find Mykal. I will Heal him. He will live. I refuse to consider any other
alternative.
For such magic, though, she might need
to be close to the Great Seal. She turned to her guests and raised her voice.
“I’ve decided to continue the next entertainment in the High Court.”
“Since Mykal
tal
’Mamba is absent, you will allow me to choose my opponent,” the
last
tal
demanded.
She’d forgotten to enforce rules of
hospitality as Mykal had suggested. All sense of politics had flown from her
mind as soon as she’d felt his pain and heard his warning. It might be too late
to bring the Keldari beneath her will. “Why should I?”
The man blinked and looked to his
rav
. They were the only two Keldari present.
They must know that a single word from her would send soldiers, warriors, and
Blood alike surging to kill them.
“As guests…”
“I see no guests,” she interrupted. “You
offered me nothing in exchange for hospitality, and so I owe you nothing. No
protection, no kinship, nothing. You took food and drink at my table and slept
in my shade and offer me nothing at all.”
She drew on her frustration and fear,
her fury that someone had harmed Mykal, and the Silver Lake within her began to
frost over. Snow and stinging ice blew in her mind.
The Keldari looked at her face and fell
to their knees. “
Tellan
, Your
Majesty. My water is yours.”
“You’re too late,
tal
. I should kill you all. I never should have allowed you to
approach Shanhasson. Not if…” Her voice broke, but she refused to shed any
tears. Not now.