TheRedKing (19 page)

No. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—think that way. He had gone into
this war certain of winning. Maybe somewhere deep inside he felt doubt as well,
but he faced his enemies with courage and she would do no less. Here at home
she would remain outwardly confident. Truly she knew little about the formalities
of being a queen, but she realized that people looked to her for guidance. If
she appeared distraught, they would lose hope and she couldn’t let that happen.

A smile tugged at her lips when she imagined what Areus
would say.

Having Etor at the castle also helped greatly. He was almost
as strong a presence as Areus. She trusted him, as did the people.

Since Seth had gone to the front lines with the others, the
infirmary was lonelier than usual. She and Echo still went daily to assist the
healer who had been left in charge—a dedicated young man who wasn’t as
experienced as Seth, but still capable.

Echo missed Seth terribly. The two had grown quite close and
Delia wouldn’t be surprised if they married. She prayed for his safety and that
of the other soldiers as well.

That afternoon, Delia went on her daily ride along with Echo
and Cosma, who had taken to riding her old horse, Clive. Despite the cold
weather, the women still enjoyed riding and the fresh air. Still, Delia
couldn’t help thinking about Areus and his men, fighting in the cold. She
prayed for their safety and hoped they would return by the first snowfall.

Delia was stroking the little gold mare whom she had named
Dancer when a page breathlessly entered the stable.

“Captain Etor has asked you to come to the great hall,
ma’am,” the boy said. “Knights of the Ruby Order have arrived. An army of
them.”

The women exchanged glances and wasted no time before
hurrying to the great hall, Delia in the lead.

When they arrived, Etor was speaking with Sir Rain and
another Knight—this one tall and slender with auburn hair and huge blue eyes.
Though similar in build and coloring to Areus, this man had heavier features
and an almost passive expression.

“Queen Delia.” Rain nodded to her and gestured toward the
other Knight. “This is Sir Blaze, third in command of the Ruby Order.”

“Yes. Of course.” Delia faced the auburn-haired Knight.
“Your reputation precedes you, Sir Blaze. Thank you so much for coming. It’s
nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine, Wife of the Red King.” Blaze bowed
his head, but his gaze never left hers. Despite the calmness of his blue eyes,
she sensed great strength in him. She had heard from Rain and Areus that he was
quite powerful, both in mind and in body. He led the small but greatly
respected Green Sash Faction of the Ruby Order—a small group of Knights who
fought in defense only, without the use of weapons. Though experts in hand-to-hand
combat, they were primarily healers. Blaze was said to possess mystical powers
that enabled him to speak to spirits.

“The Red King?” Delia asked.

“The spirits tell me he is the Red King—fire to his
sibling’s smoke.”

Her brow furrowed. She had heard Sir Blaze was difficult to
understand. Now she understood why.

“We’re headed to the front lines to join Areus,” Rain said.
“More Knights have been deployed as well. They’ve gone by ship from the west
and will most likely arrive before we do, if they’re not already there. We’ll
leave as soon as our horses are rested and watered.”

“If you would like to share thoughts with the Red King,
we’ll be glad to act as carrier pigeons,” Blaze said.

Rain shook his head slightly, raised his eyes to heaven and
translated, “Do you want us to bring Areus a message from you?”

Delia’s heartbeat quickened. She had avoided writing to Areus,
not wishing to send a messenger into the thick of battle.

“Yes. Thank you,” she added. “I’ll compose one right away.”

A faint smile tugged at Blaze’s lips and he nodded.

“In the meantime, please make yourselves comfortable,” Delia
said.

“I’ve already ordered food sent to their army,” Etor told
her.

“Excellent. We’re very grateful that you’ve come.”

“Sir Mahir would have it no other way,” Blaze stated.
“Zaltana’s violence is a spreading disease. I fear war may be the only way to
heal it, unless…”

“Unless what?” Delia asked. This strange Knight worried her,
or at least his words did.

“Fire and smoke exist because of each other. They’re enemies
as the rain and the sea are enemies,” Blaze said. “Parted by fate, they must
rejoin to wash the blood from this land.”

Cosma stepped closer to Blaze and said, “You share a similar
gift to Hypatios. I can see that. You mean that only together can Areus and Hypatios
bring peace to the Western Continent.”

“Dear lady.” Blaze took Cosma’s hand, his blue gaze fixed on
hers with compassion.

“I tried to tell them that,” Cosma went on. “I tried to warn
them—”

“They must learn for themselves,” Blaze told her.

“It will never happen,” Delia said softly, sadly. “I fear
there will never be peace between Areus and Hypatios.”

Not until one of them is dead,
she thought, feeling
dizzy. Since Areus had gone, she’d been feeling ill, especially upon waking.
She attributed it to nerves.

“My lady, are you well?” Echo asked, stepping closer to Delia.

“Yes. Of course.” Delia tried to force a smile, but swayed a
bit as another wave of dizziness almost overcame her.

“Here.” Etor slid an arm around her and guided her to a
nearby chair.

“I’m fine,” Delia insisted.

“Let me get you some water.” Echo, looking concerned,
hurried off.

Sir Blaze knelt in front of Delia. He took her face in his
hands and examined her eyes. Then he felt her pulse.

“Has this happened before?” Blaze asked.

“No.” Delia sighed. “Yes. A couple of times over the past
week.”

Echo returned with a mug of water that she handed to Delia.
“She’s been sick in the mornings too, but she asked me not to say anything. She
didn’t want to worry anyone.”

Alexa, who had seen the commotion and joined them, said,
“It’s about time. She wouldn’t have been able to hide it much longer.”

“Why not?” Delia’s eyes widened. What was wrong with her?
Was she sick after all?

“You’re right.” Blaze glanced at Alexa. “The scholars have confirmed.”

“Confirmed what?” Delia demanded.

Blaze held her gaze and smiled faintly. “You’re with child.”

That was…

She wanted to say it was impossible, but with as many times
as she and Areus had made love, it was entirely probable. She had used the
herbs to prevent pregnancy for mere days after their marriage, then had
promptly stopped when she had unexpectedly fallen in love with her husband.

“It seems you’ll have quite a lot to write to Areus after
all.” Rain grinned.

Etor’s eyes glistened with good humor. “Indeed. Do you feel
well enough to go to your chamber, ma’am, or would you like parchment and a
quill brought to you here?”

“No, I’m fine.” Delia stood, feeling as if she were in a
dream. Was this really happening?

“Go with her, Echo,” Alexa said. “I’ll bring tea and
something to eat.”

“I don’t think I could eat right now,” Delia admitted. She
was far too nervous, both about getting a letter to Areus and the news that
would be in that letter.

“Your appetite will be back soon enough,” Alexa insisted.
“I’ll send the tea anyway.”

On the way to her chamber, Delia was quiet, but Echo
couldn’t seem to stop talking. Delia didn’t mind. She needed someone to help
her feel grounded at the moment because she could scarcely believe she was
carrying Areus’s heir. Then she smiled and that smile turned to a laugh.

Echo glanced at her and joined in her mirth.

There would be no annulment after all.

* * * * *

At dusk, Areus’s camp went about the normal actions of
bedding down for the night, but tension hung heavily on the air.

In Areus’s tent, he and Eli waited in chainmail and leather
for the sun to set.

“You still think this is a good idea?” Eli asked.

“Hypatios clearly isn’t above using whatever mystical powers
he has at his disposal. There’s a fine line between fighting with honor and
being a fool, so yes, I think it’s a good idea that we don’t fall into the
latter category,” Areus replied

“At least now I understand what all that nighttime training
was about over the past few months. Was this part of your plan all along?”

“It was a backup plan, should rumors about Hypatios be true.”

A faint smile tugged at Eli’s lips.

“You didn’t disagree about this attack earlier.”

“I still agree.”

“Good.” Areus glanced out of the tent. “Then let’s go.”

* * * * *

Hypatios stood a distance from the dying fire and caressed
Notus’s face. The horse gazed at him with large, dark eyes and Hypatios sighed.
They had been through so much together. At times he wished their lives were
different. Riding his noble friend into battle wasn’t something he enjoyed,
even if the fighting itself excited him. Only knowing that part of Notus felt
the same eased his mind a bit.

“What would we do without it?” Hypatios said softly,
referring to fighting.

Gallop and graze.

Hypatios chuckled. “Play and eat. That would get old
quickly.”

How would you know?

“Point taken.”

The cry of birds and the sound of flapping wings drew
Hypatios’s attention overhead. A flock, mere shadows against the dark sky, flew
south, as if something had frightened them out of the distant trees.

Around his neck, Beauty tightened her coils a bit. Her voice
echoed in his head.
Something is wrong.

Hypatios’s heartbeat quickened. He shrugged off his heavy
cloak that protected him against the wintry night air, as it would hinder him
in combat. He reached for his helmet and pulled it on. Not bothering with Notus’s
gear, he mounted bareback. His hand hovered over the hilt of his sword and he
shouted, “Mount up. Quickly!”

But it was too late. Fiery arrows soared into camp, some
striking men, others setting tents ablaze.

Though armed, Hypatios wished he hadn’t removed his mail
shirt. He and Notus moved swiftly among the other warriors, most of whom were quickly
saddling their mounts. Archers had already started returning fire.

An arrow whizzed by Hypatios’s head, just missing him. His
gut clenched. He tried taking cover behind a clump of trees, but an arrow
struck his shoulder. He grunted in pain and Notus danced restlessly beneath
him.

“I’m all right,” he told the horse, calming him.

The arrow had missed Beauty who coiled around his shoulder,
helping to stanch the blood flow.

“A night fight, Areus,” Hypatios murmured, his lips twisting
into something that was part grimace and part smile. “I never would have
expected it of you.”

The arrows finally stopped flying and moments later hoof
beats thundered toward camp. The Lortian cavalry, carrying swords and flaming
torches, attacked their camp before even half the Zaltanian soldiers had
mounted.

Hypatios kicked Notus forward. Grabbing a spear resting
against a nearby tree, he met an oncoming Lortian warrior and knocked him off
his mount. He drew his sword and unseated another enemy, then another.

The clash of steel and screams of the wounded echoed in his
ears. Blessed with excellent night vision, he continued fighting, nearly
forgetting about his injured shoulder.

Then he saw him in the light of the blazing fire that
engulfed one of the tents. Astride a blood-bay stallion that could have been
Notus’s brother, he fought off a group of soldiers surrounding him.

Hypatios didn’t need to guess if the warrior was Areus. He
felt
it.

Snarling with anger and a strange excitement he’d never experienced
before, Hypatios kicked Notus toward the Lortian king at full gallop.

* * * * *

Areus kicked a Zaltanian foot soldier who ran at him with
his sword drawn and sent the man sprawling onto his back where he was trampled
by a horse. Two mounted soldiers attacked. A sword in each hand, Areus clashed
with them, knocking one off his horse, then focusing on the other. While he
traded blows, an arrow struck his calf and he grunted in pain. Cosmo danced
beneath him as Areus’s sword slashed his enemies’ throats. He leaned down to
break off the back of the arrow, groaning in pain. At the sound of a savage war
cry, he glanced sharply to his left.

A helmeted warrior astride a blood-bay stallion charged
toward him. The warrior had taken an arrow to his shoulder, but it didn’t seem
to slow him down. The flash of blazing eyes through the slit in the helmet
looked wild, determined and more than a little crazed.

Areus’s stomach clenched and his heart beat even faster. No
doubt this was Hypatios.

Without hesitation, Areus kicked Cosmo toward him. As they
passed each other, their swords clashed. Areus managed to keep his seat, but
was a bit taken aback not only by Hypatios’s skill, but his strength.

They turned their mounts and charged each other again. This time
the clash of swords was bone-jarring. Glancing quickly over his shoulder, Areus
noted that Hypatios appeared to favor his injured shoulder for a moment before
charging yet again.

Areus knew the pain Hypatios must feel, since his own leg
was on fire from the arrow wound. It was only a matter of time before one of
them was unseated.

Unsheathing the dagger at his waist, Areus hurled it at Hypatios
as he charged, striking his wounded shoulder. Hypatios bellowed, but continued
charging. He rose to squat on the horse’s back, his sword drawn, and jumped
onto Cosmo.

He and Areus fell off the horse and hit the ground hard.
Bodies locked, they grappled fiercely before breaking apart and rolling in
opposite directions as a horse without a rider nearly galloped over them.