SWNOVELS Shadowblade: (A Dance of Fire and Shadow Book 1) – Chapter 22
“ARIEL! WAKE UP!”
Marin is kneeling beside me, his hands pressed on my arm, holding the cut closed. I can tell from the slippery warm feeling around his fingers that this is not working as well as it should. The wound is deep, an artery severed in there somewhere. I’m feeling too fuzzy to even want to figure out exactly where.
Marin moves his focus from the wound to my face, his expression drawn and anxious.
“Ariel listen. I’ve been trying your healing trick on this cut but it isn’t working. See if you can help by drawing the power into you.”
Something deep inside me knows that for all Lupine’s speed, it took Marin just a little too long to find me and if I don’t do as he says I will surely die from blood loss in a few minutes. The thought sets up a terrible hunger for what he is offering, a desperate grasping for survival that brings with it a fear that I won’t be able to control what I’m doing until I have drained the life from him. I turn my head away, unwilling to risk becoming a worse creature than I already am.
“Ariel!” His hand clamps tighter on my arm. “I know what you’re afraid of. I can handle it.”
I’m not so sure he can, but that tiny interruption is enough to break my determination not to put his life at risk. Now every thought is overwhelmed by my growing panic to survive. I focus on the gathering life-force in his hands. I can feel it trying to reach me. All I have to do is release the willpower that has been blocking it and let it come in.
The pain and weakness disappear in a rush of blissful life-giving energy and all I want is more of it. Breaking off the contact is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. I focus on Marin’s face, fearful that I may already have taken too much. His eyes meet mine and he manages to smile through the exhaustion.
“I’m fine. I think you’ll be all right now. I sent Lupine to fetch Brac.”
Even as Marin speaks his name, Brac appears from the shadows. He casts an anxious glance at Marin, who turns away with a sharp order to carry me back to where we left the horses so that he can return to the archers now under his command.
The instant Brac reaches camp and deposits me at her feet, Nem takes one look and rolls her eyes.
“What a mess! And we have only a few minutes to get her presentable for His Mighty Treacherousness the Fang. See if you can get those clothes off without setting that cut bleeding out again.” She shrugs out of her mailshirt and long sleeved grey tunic and hands them over.
Somehow Brac and Lania manage to peel my blood-soaked clothing off me without further damage to my arm. A quick sluice from Brac’s water skin to get rid of the remains of the green dye, now with copious red streaks in it, and I wriggle into Eldrin chainmail and clean clothes.
The crysteel blades slip back into their sheaths with a reassuring hiss as I cautiously flex my left arm. It functions but there is still a heavy weakness there. The cut is only part-healed.
“Is Marin all right?”
Brac sounds uncharacteristically shaken as he answers.
“He thought he could just about make it back t’ the archers, make sure they’re still on message with the new plan. Then with any luck all he has t’ do is sit around telling them t’ keep watch on your meeting. It will be Deris who gives the signal to fill Farang and his lackeys with arrows if it comes to a fight.”
He hesitates, then seems to make up his mind to ask.
“Is that what happened with you just before you came back t’ charcoal-burner’s hut and fell off your horse?”
“Something like that. I was more or less recovered by next morning, fit to fight again by the day after that.”
Brac hunches broad shoulders, clearly unhappy at his captain making himself so weak and vulnerable.
“Let’s hope he doesn’t have t’ do any fighting before tomorrow then.”
Deris walks over and hands me a black silk scarf.
“Cover your face. If we get out of this alive it would probably be better if Farang doesn’t know what you look like, or you will be no use for undercover work in future.” He helps me fold the scarf around my head, leaving space for my eyes to have a clear view in all directions. I need to stay sharp if I have to watch out for more of the Fang’s unpleasant surprises.
I ride down to the hunting lodge with Deris and Lania.
Deris is still deep in thought. “Ariel, don’t hide the fact that you’re on bodyguard duty. Let him see you glance around from time to time, just enough to distract him a little from the conversation. I may be able to use those gaps to notice something in the way he reacts. And it might help to mask the way I’ll be focusing on him.”
I feel an unexpected clutch of anxiety. “You mean he knows what your people can do?”
“I hope not.” He still looks worried. “We keep it quiet for our own safety. Not even all the Eldrin know. But with someone like Farang you can never be sure.”
I flex my left arm a couple of times. Still fairly useless. Brac had helped me to mount Sahan because I couldn’t manage it unaided. I’m not sure how much use I’ll be as a bodyguard.
“Why did Marin want me protecting you even after this happened? Brac and Nem are both in better fighting shape than I am and in any case you have fifty archers now, watching over your safety.”
“Ariel, haven’t you noticed that you hear and see approaching threats a precious few moments faster than the rest of us? That is your prime role now. Leave the fighting to everyone else. Just remember not to look in the direction of the archers while you work out how not to stand between them and Farang’s people.”
“Hmph. I think I had figured that one out, but thanks anyhow for the reminder. I just hope my alertness hasn’t slowed down as much as my body.” I try to think back to the last time I noticed the edge I have on the others in terms of sight and sound.
Deris is right. I hadn’t really remarked on it since we were all taking turns pretending to be Rapathian warriors and the others were not adapting fast enough.
We reach the clearing outside the hunting lodge and wait. I expected Lord Farang to emerge from within but instead he appears from the direction of Corinium, riding in the midst of seven of his personal retainers. Heavily armed personal retainers. Well, I expected that part of it. I feel sure he has more armed backup concealed within the lodge. This arrangement is probably yet another ruse to fool us into thinking he arrived with only this small party of bodyguards.
I have never seen the erstwhile Chancellor before but his appearance fits more or less what I expected. His greying hair is pulled tightly back in a queue revealing a jowly red face dominated by watery blue eyes. He is more flab than actual fat, presumably a legacy of never having to lift a finger when servants can do it for him, yet he sits his heavy destrier with an ease that suggests he has never had to walk far if a horse is at hand.
He reins in his enormous mount and pushes back his black silk cloak, revealing the richly-decorated crimson tunic beneath. This is not standard Rapathian army uniform but it looks very similar. No doubt he has been trying to blend in with his new allies.
He smiles confidently. “Captain Lania. Delighted you have at least managed to arrive at the meeting place on time.” His eyes narrow, momentarily revealing the cold anger and calculating intensity behind the apparently easy-going banter. “But you promised to bring Jantian to this discussion.”
I hope he doesn’t notice Lania’s effort to disguise the tension in her face as she replies with icy politeness.
“I said I would relay your request to him, Lord Farang, which I did. Word for word. Unfortunately he decided that in the light of your change of allegiance he would be wise to wait a little longer before meeting you in person.”
Farang’s flash of anger returns and then disappears again, leaving me wondering if I had imagined it. The easy, indulgent manner is back as if it had never faltered.
“Unfortunate. I might also add ungrateful after all the personal risks I have taken to protect the good people of Samaran. Not to mention the slur on my character and my loyalty to the crown. Am I supposed to now try to explain matters of subtlety to you or your… bodyguards?” He surveys Deris and myself disdainfully.
I am impressed by the way Lania maintains her cool politeness.
“Jantian gave Deris authority to speak on his behalf.” She moves aside a little as Deris urges his horse a few steps forward, just short of the archers’ sightline. I can feel the compulsion behind the Elf-warrior’s words even though his mind-skill is not directed at me. He keeps his voice low and unthreatening.
“It is a great privilege to be asked to speak directly with you, Lord Farang. Please tell us more about your plans and proposals. It sounds as if they are far ahead of anything we have been able to arrange.”
Maybe Farang just likes flattery or maybe Deris is reaching him already. The red-faced traitor seems to relax a little and his voice takes on more of a peasant twang over its aristocratic vowels.
“Of course I have not changed my allegiance. Regardless of my superior rank and lineage, I have always been a man of the people, working for the benefit of my country. When I discovered that certain of our army commanders had colluded with the Rapathian Emperor, I moved the king to a place of safety. When that was compromised, I moved him again. Lania knows this. Now I need the cooperation of Jantian and the Eldrin to complete my plan to remove the invaders and return the king to his rightful place. I find it disappointing that you have dangerously delayed this plan for no good reason.”
It sounds so genuine. So honest and logical. I’m starting to think we have made a serious mistake in doubting the chancellor’s motives and allegiance. Deris waits a moment before replying and he seems as convinced as I am.
“It is most reassuring to hear how well you have protected our beloved King Tandarion, your Lordship. Please explain how we can help with the next stage of your plan.”
“I already told Lania what has to happen now. You must escort myself and these few retainers to Maratic. Then Jantian and I can complete our strategy to win back our country.”
I manage to maintain enough presence of mind to suddenly glance around as if I heard a threatening noise––and I notice Farang’s eyes flick briefly in the direction of the archers’ ledge above us. The spell is broken. His assurances of loyalty don’t quite match with an ambush of fifty archers and five Rapathian assassins.
I don’t have time to think further because Nem suddenly staggers out from the cover of the trees and collapses on the grass, the whole of her left side soaked in blood. I stifle a gasp of fear that she has been attacked and mortally wounded. Then it dawns on me that she is wearing the bloody tunic I abandoned after the fight with the Rapathians.
She has positioned herself nearer to me than to Deris and the only reason she would show that preference has to be because she wants to talk to me rather than him, maybe to give him another interlude to study Farang’s reaction. I slip from Sahan’s back and run to kneel beside her, bending close to whisper so Farang has no chance to overhear.
“Nem, what is it?”
“Lupine spotted a cohort of Rapathian soldiers riding this way. We need to get out.”
I’m about to yell at the Fang that we know exactly what kind of foul traitor he is, before putting an arrow in his dishonest heart, when I remember how agreeable and supportive of his lies Deris has been.
I trust Deris and have confidence in his abilities. I don’t think he has really been taken in by the deception, as I was for a while. Maybe I should be careful not to mess up whatever strategy he has been laying down. I look up at the brocade-clad liar staring disdainfully at me and try to sound concerned for his well-being.
“Lord Farang! Our two equerries were attacked by Rapathian special forces. One was killed, and my friend here is critically wounded. You must flee this place!” I pull Nem to her feet and push her onto Sahan’s back. She puts on a clever act of looking half-dead while not taxing my depleted strength too much.
Deris bows politely to Farang. “Please, my Lord, you must return to your place of safety before these assassins find you! I will deliver your message to Jantian before tomorrow sunset.” He turns his horse and heads back to our encampment with Lania and I following.
Nem manages to keep up the appearance of being mortally wounded with my arm around her, apparently holding her onto the saddle. All I can feel is relief at making it onto Sahan’s back without revealing how weak I still am.
As soon as we are out of sight of the lodge Nem perks up.
“Ariel, stop. Give me your Sylvani tunic. I need some camouflage to go back and listen to what happens when the Rapathians arrive.”
I rein in and steady myself as Nem slips easily to the ground.
“Shouldn’t I be doing that job, seeing as I’m actually Sylvani and have probably had more practice at camouflaged stalking?”
Nem pulls off the bloodstained grey surcoat, revealing a slender, very muscular body and small, perfect breasts.
“Hurry up! You’re probably still too weak to actually get up the tree in the first place and in any case this mission needs someone who has fluent Rapathian.”
“Point. I hadn’t thought of that.” Maybe my brain has slowed as much as my body after all. I pull my green Sylvani tunic out of my pack and hand it to her. Nem shrugs into it and disappears into the shadows, circling the lodge to avoid the trackers Farang will almost certainly send after us in another attempt to discover the location of Maratic.
We find Brac already mounted and waiting anxiously for us. He is impatient to get moving.
“Hurry. Marin is leading the archers out of the area before they get trapped by the Rapathians. We’re sure t’ be followed by Farang’s scouts so we have to lay down a false-trail before we meet up again in the mountains.
Lupine emerges briefly from the trees and then lopes ahead, deeper into the forest.
Lania glances behind. “You ride ahead with Lupine, find Marin, tell him what you’ve learned. I’ll lead the scouts in the wrong direction and join you later.”
“What about Nem?” I glance anxiously over my shoulder.
Brac urges his mount forward. “She’ll be fine. She already hid her horse out yonder and she has her hawk to help her find our new camp.”
We urge the horses to a gallop until we are far enough ahead of pursuit for our ways to part. Lania heads south while Deris rides behind me, brushing out our tracks with an evergreen branch.