Orryn stepped to his side. “If it’s Syddians,” he warned, “I speak first.”
“Aye,” Tygg said. He rose and narrowed his eyes toward the trees.
Orryn turned to Chandra and motioned her toward him. “Remain silent,” he told her. “Stay at my back.”
“But—”
“Silence!”
He turned back around and positioned his stance as a host of armed men on horseback thundered through the trees and burst into the campsite. A white stallion broke through the riders who were now circling the area. It galloped toward Orryn and Tygg, then came to a halt.
“Orryn,” the man atop it said. “So we find you at last.”
“I didn’t get the impression you’d been searching for me,” Orryn said, his meaning clear.
The man scowled. “You will come with us.”
“Of course,” Orryn said. “But first I’d like to know why a border replacement wasn’t sent.”
“The Sovereign Lady didn’t order one.”
“What? Why?”
“I’m not here to explain her decrees, only to serve you this one: You are hereby temporarily relieved of your duties.”
“Relieved of my duties? But I’m more than fit!”
“Your temper proves you are not,” the man said.
“I need lavation, is all.”
“All the more reason.”
Chandra peeked around Orryn’s back, allowing her a better view of the man on horseback. He was older, she noted, with tawny hair and blue eyes, dressed in a black tunic that was covered by a vest plate of metallic gray. Around his wrists he wore tooled leather gauntlets, and his feet and calves were protected by thick boots. A long sword hung at his hip, and at his belt a sheathed dagger could be seen. Definitely not a man to test.
The man narrowed his eyes. “It is with the regret of the Council that you, Orryn of the House of Seth, be relieved of your duties until proof of your ability to perform them is determined by the Sovereign. Do you dispute this?”
Orryn fisted his hands at his side. “No, Commander Pey,” he said.
“An Imela, I see,” Pey said, spotting Chandra. He slid his eyes to Tygg. “And a prisoner. Perhaps that will sway things in your favor.”
“The Taubastet came only to escort the Imela and myself,” Orryn said, “as a gesture of good will.”
“He committed no crime?” the man asked.
“No,” Orryn replied.
“We’ll see.”
Pey tilted his head toward Chandra. “Where did you find her? She does not look like the usual sort we get.”
“Near the border,” Orryn said.
“Our side of it?” Pey asked suspiciously.
“Are you suggesting I trespassed and stole the girl?”
“No, but I see no reason for the elementals to send one of
her
kind to us.”
“It’s not your job to understand the elementals, nor is it mine,” Orryn said.
Pey frowned. “Very well. The Sovereign can sort it out when we get there.” He nodded to one of the horsemen. “Secure the male,” he said, then to Orryn, “The Imela rides with me.”
“Do you have formal release for her?” Orryn said, stepping more protectively in front of her.
“I didn’t realize it would be required.”
“Then you realized wrong,” Orryn said. “Until I see a release in writing, she’s under my care as finder. Do you dispute that I’ve a right to her?”
Pey’s features darkened, but he conceded, though without the courtesy of a reply. He snapped a second order, and Tygg was immediately surrounded by a group of men who had dismounted their horses.
Orryn grabbed Chandra’s hand and pulled her toward his horse. He quickly saddled it.
“Get on,” he ordered and lifted her up. Chandra threw her leg over the horse’s back, while Orryn took his place behind her and reached for the reins.
Chandra turned her eyes to the crowd of men, desperately searching for Tygg. She could see he was now bound at the wrists, and there was blood running from his nose. “Don’t let them hurt him, Orryn,” she pleaded. “Please.”
“I cannot stop them.”
“But he’s your friend!”
Orryn jerked her head back by the hair. He pressed his lips to her ear. “Do not say that word again,” he hissed. He wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her hard against him. “Or you will regret it.”
The horses rode through the night, sweeping through a corridor bordered by pines and illuminated by moonlight. Orryn glanced down at Chandria whose back was limp against his chest. He could just make out her profile and realized how very close his face was to hers. He rested his gaze on her, keeping one eye on the road, the other on her features. Perhaps it was fatigue or the moonlight playing tricks on his eyes, but what he saw was a nose that was fine and perfectly placed, and the dusting of freckles upon it that made her seem younger than she probably was. Her lips were full and slightly parted, and he wondered what it would be like to kiss them. He aimed his attention back to the road, trying to fling the notion from his mind. He was not allowed the luxury of kisses, especially with a girl who wasn’t awake and wouldn’t be willing even if she were.
He spurred the horse on, trying to clear his mind. He could not fall prey to such thoughts. He had his duty as well as his own survival to think of. He forced his attentions back to the brief conversation he had had with Pey. The Commander had said the Sovereign had ordered no replacement be sent to Orryn’s outpost. But why? Surely she knew he would require treatment. Surely she knew! He looked ahead, seeking Pey amongst the others. Why had the man refused to tell him more? They had served together before, though in different guardships, but there had been no conflict between them. Something unprecedented had happened; he could feel it. Orryn caught sight of Tygg. He was seated on one of the horses, his wrists tied to the pommel, a burly soldier seated at his back. Orryn felt a twinge of regret, but he shoved it aside. Tygg was Taubastet. And no amount of ink put to parchment could change that.
The trail began to widen into a road, and it wasn’t long before a mountainous wall of rectangular stones rose from the landscape before them. Torch lights flickered along it, sending geometric shadows dancing along a seemingly endless barricade. The horses slowed, then stopped. Pey shouted a command in the direction of the wall, and a vertical stone of the same shape and size as the others swung slowly open. Beyond the portal Orryn could make out armed guards. They spoke words to Pey that Orryn could not hear, but as expected the party was soon allowed to pass.
The men continued on, though at a much slower pace, beyond the wall and upward along a road that was now leading them toward a mountain in the distance. Against the dark night sky the mountain’s silhouette was dotted with thousands of torch lights, shining in such contrast to the black starless sky above it.
Orryn felt Chandra move in his arms. She opened her eyes and drew a sharp breath.
“That’s Syddia?” she asked, straightening.
“Yes,” he replied.
Chandra craned her neck, looking amongst the men.
“He’s still with us, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Orryn said. “I assume you’re looking for Tygg.”
“Well I wasn’t looking for Pey,” Chandra said. “So where are you planning to take me? You said I was staying with you until you got some kind of release.”
“I’ll take you to my home.”
“Don’t you live in barracks?”
“No.”
“Well it doesn’t matter anyway,” Chandra said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll probably turn me over the first chance you get.”
Orryn grunted. “Why don’t I just turn you over now?”
“Fine,” Chandra said. She glanced around at the guards riding near. “How about to that guy? He looks good.”
The soldier swiveled his eyes in her direction and grinned.
“Have you lost your senses, girl?” Orryn hissed into her ear. “These men have not taken the same vows I have.”
“At least I’d know what to expect from them.”
“Do you hate me so much?” he asked.
“You’ve asked me that question before. And right now the answer is yes.”
Orryn felt frustration threaten to override his good sense. “Very well,” he said. “I shall have the men draw straws for you.”
“Fine,” Chandra retorted.
They reached the city after passing through the gates of two more protective walls. Chandra had slept through the first one, but the following two immediately grabbed her attention. It was strange, Orryn thought, how Imelas were always so fascinated by the walls. Typically their first comment upon seeing them was the massive size of the blocks. Never had they seen anything so big, they would say. Of course when they reached the city itself all thoughts in regard to the walls evaporated. The architectural structures that wound upward from the base of the mountain and through the city of Syddia were far grander.
The city itself began to rise around them, its towers so tall they vanished into the sky. Here and there cressets glowed, casting light upon the cobbled streets but little else. Few lived in this part of the city, other than the rugged members of the Shield, with their barracks and liveries and weapons arsenals, and the smiths who tamed and molded the metals required to keep the men in their game. Orryn was grateful to not have been chosen for the Shield. As a Pedant, hand-picked by the Sovereign herself, he was able to wield brain as well as brawn, and though Pedants were well capable of holding their own in a fight, it was their intelligence and lack of base emotions that truly set them apart.
Pey motioned the men down a dark narrow corridor. It led to the catacombs, a miserable place where no one, not even a Pedant, wanted to go. Here was where the ancients were buried, crumbling bodies tucked within the rocks attested to it, but living prisoners were kept here also, secured behind locked doors, their only source of light and nourishment that which was given to them at the whim of the guards.
The horses entered a courtyard lit by torches and stopped. The men began to dismount.
“Take the Taubastet inside,” Pey ordered.
One of the men took out his knife and cut Tygg’s bindings from the saddle, then yanked him from the horse and threw him to the ground. Tygg staggered up and was shoved toward a wooden door set in a wall of dark stone. A second guard grabbed a nearby torch from its bracket. He dragged open the door. “In with you,” he growled.
Tygg turned his head to Orryn. “The debt is paid,” he called, and was pushed inside.
Chandra struggled to escape the horse, but Orryn grabbed her by the back of her tunic and jerked her toward him.
“Let me go,” she cried. “Tygg!”
“There’s nothing you can do for him,” Orryn said, tightening his hold.
“No!” She slammed her elbow into his ribs as she swung her leg over the horse’s neck and leapt clumsily to the ground. She limped in the direction of the door that Tygg had disappeared through, but Orryn quickly dismounted and caught hold of her. He spun her around by the arm to face him. “Do you wish me to throttle you,” he said between his teeth.
“Go ahead!” Chandra shot back. “I dare you.”
The men, now gathering to watch, began to laugh. “A real wildcat, eh?” one of them said.
“I’ve always wanted me a taste of cat,” another added.
Some of the men stepped closer, their expressions ominous in the shadowy light of the courtyard.
“Enough!” Orryn barked at them. “She is not for you.”
Pey shouldered his way between the men, then stopped in front of Orryn. “She’s not for you, either,” he said. “But then again, no woman is.” He laughed.
“Let me go!” Chandra writhed from Orryn grip and spun to face Pey. “There is no reason for you to arrest Tygg.”
Pey’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me, kittling,” he said. “How would a Taubastet know our laws?”
“I’m
not
Taubastet,” Chandra said boldly.
Pey swiveled his attention to Orryn. “Does she speak true?” he demanded.
“You would believe the word of a
Bast
?” Orryn said in defense. “Has our Lady taught you nothing of their trickery?”
“I don’t think it is I who have an issue with trickery, Orryn,” Pey said. “If anyone has been fooled, it is you.”
Orryn squared his shoulders. “She’s cat. And if you think I, even in my current condition, would take pity on her—”
“Then show none,” Pey said. He turned his eyes to the Imela. “If you’re not Taubastet,” he said to her, “why do you defend the one called Tygg?”
“Because he hasn’t done anything wrong,” she answered.
“Hasn’t he?” Pey looked at his men. “Do the Taubastets not ambush us in the night and slit our throats?”
“Aye!” the men shouted.
“Do they not rape our women and steal our children?”
The men began to voice their agreement, but before their words could swell in unison, Chandra shouted, “That’s a lie!”
Pey turned to her. “So you defend them,” he said. “I believe that answers the question of your lineage.”
“As I said,” Orryn remarked.
“But the question still remains,” Pey said smugly. “What will the Pedant do with you now that he has you?” He snorted with disgust. “Don’t worry, kittling. In his current condition, I doubt Orryn can keep you in his sights long enough to lay a hand on you, much less anything else.”
Chandra wheeled toward the door, but Orryn grabbed her arm. He glared at Pey. “You think I’m incapable?” he said. He threw her over his shoulder and marched toward the catacombs. Chandra kicked and beat her fists against him, but it did no good. Orryn had her firmly in his grasp.
The men laughed. “Don’t worry, girl,” one of them shouted. “It won’t last long.” The others roared.
Orryn shoved aside a guard who was standing in front of the door and yanked it open. He stormed in, slamming the door behind them, and marched further into the corridor, looking for an unoccupied cell.
Chandra wiggled from his hold and shoved him against a wall, then swung in the opposite direction. A guard posted inside the main door watched with amusement, but did not assist. Clearly he was curious as to what a Pedant breaking his vows would do with a Taubastet female. It would certainly be a first.
Orryn snagged Chandra by the back of her tunic and threw her to the ground. “You want this,” he said.
“I don’t!” she shouted.