19. Mare
Mare
Igalloped through Gwynford, glancing back at the wall of shadow where I'd glimpsed the dragon.
The tide of darkness could descend at any moment.
Minutes after I arrived—just like in Galasvar.
It was a coincidence. It had to be.
If it wasn't . . . If the monsters had followed me . . .
Illumined by dim torchlight, several guards stood outside a short wooden building with a sizable training yard. They stood on their toes, peering toward the wall, talking amongst themselves.
Pulling my elk to a stop, I waved frantically at them.
"The attack is coming!" I shouted. "Spread word through the city, sound the alarms."
The men fell silent and stared at me.
"What are you standing around for?" I seethed, twisting to display Cierthine on my hip. "This town must have an alarm bell—sound it. If not, shout."
They regarded me with varying expressions. The older man wearing a dented helm looked like he might laugh, and a younger man with long, dark hair curled his lips into a sneer.
In Muirashi, women remained silent and indoors. And here I was, trying to command men. Soldiers.
"Saints!" I breathed. "Get your heads out of your ass. You're all going to die if you don't move."
The older man spoke in a condescending voice. "Did you come in with the Paragon? Why don't you go and fetch him?"
The younger one gazed at Cierthine. "It's a crime to carry weapons, woman."
King Ailithir had warned me that the other countries would be worse. Even if Aenir's men would have rolled their eyes at me, they would have at least heeded my words.
A third guard, a young man wearing an old, oversized helm, smacked his buddy's arm. "Fuck off. Didn't you hear what happened at Galasvar?" Clearing his throat, he looked up at me.
His helm's broad brim fell over his eyes, and he pushed it up. Saints. He looked so young. Seventeen, eighteen?
"We have no alarm bells here, my lady," he said. "But we can yell. What would you have me say?"
Steadying my breath, I glanced back at the walls.
This place would fall. Inevitable death waited beyond the shadows.
"Get everyone out. Tell them to run," I ordered. "Take only what they need—time is against us."
Fear flickered in his soft eyes, but he nodded. "It will be done."
A flash of golden light brightened the dark street. Reese turned down the road, rapier gleaming at his hip, white mare bright against the night.
"Reese!" I shouted. "They're here—outside the walls. We need to go, now."
Reese nodded and turned his molten gaze onto the guards. "Do as she says," he barked.
The two older men bowed and scrambled away, but the young man lingered. "I will do what I can, my lord. But some will stay."
"I know." Reese's voice softened. "Spread the word, then form up at the northern gate."
I watched the young man bow and hurry away, blue tabard fading into darkness.
Saints, I hoped we got them out in time.
Reese flicked his reins and motioned for me to follow. I pulled my elk alongside his mare—a little too close; the mare stumbled away from the antlers.
"What are we going to do?" I gasped. Too much fear inundated my voice—I couldn't hide it.
Reese took my hand and spoke in a warm, soothing tone. "Calm down. Killian reported activity days before they attacked. We might still have time."
My heart hammered against my chest, painfully. Catching my breath, I nodded.
A spotted doe cantered toward us, carrying two riders.
I'd abandoned Bláth and Ferris the moment I'd glimpsed the dragon. The Solheart woman had barked at me to tell Reese, and I hadn't needed further encouragement.
Bláth leaned around Ferris. "We should douse the lights and create a bonfire south of town. It'll draw their attention."
"It would," Reese agreed. "But it'll take too much time."
"Not when we have mages at our disposal. Ferris can take care of the lanterns, and I can ignite our beacons."
"No," Reese said firmly. "You should leave with the villagers. Guide them to Tsuyan."
"Oh, good idea," Bláth said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "A woman can guide peasants to the city walls; they'll surely let us in if I ask nicely."
"They'll be safer camped outside Tsuyan's walls than here," Reese said. "You're a Solheart. Bat your eyelashes at the gate guards."
"Are you trying to send me away to protect me, loverboy?"
Reese's jaw clenched. Ferris broke out into a grin and tried to catch my eye.
Oh. It struck us at the same time.
The air was awkward between these two because they were ex-lovers.
Reese sighed. "You aren't going to listen to me, are you?"
"No," Bláth said.
"Fine." He turned to Ferris. "Douse every fire, every candle."
"Anything for you, Lord Paragon," Ferris said in a sing-song tone. He glanced between the Solhearts, eyebrows waggling, before tugging his elk's reins.
Bláth slid off its back and strode in the other direction. "Where should I put our decoy? South and west of the northern gate?" She called over her shoulder.
"Where else?" Reese called back. He released my hand. "Come on."
I glanced over my shoulder, watching Bláth's swishing hips turn the corner.
Something twisted in my gut. Not fear, not nerves.
Whatever it was, I didn't have time for it.
"What should I do?" I asked.
"Help me alert the rest of the garrison and spread the evacuation order," he said. "We don't have time to waste on the stubborn fools—move on if they refuse." He paused. "Let's split up. Take this street."
I glanced down the narrow cluster of wooden shacks. "What if they don't listen to me?"
"Draw your giant, magical sword," Reese advised. "Hit them with it, if you need to." He squeezed my shoulder and yanked his reins. The white mare galloped down the muddy road.
Hitting obstinate men with my sword sounded like it would make me feel a little better, if nothing else. Wrapping my hand around Cierthine's hilt, I stared down the road.
A shadow detached itself from a porch and grabbed my elk's reins. Fear lanced through my heart until I saw their face: handsome, dark, with permanently wrinkled brows.
Liam.
"Shit!" I pressed a hand to my chest. "Where have you been?"
"Taking a rough count of the garrison." Liam grimaced. "It's not good. Actually, it's worse. This is where they send the fuck ups. The assignment you get as punishment."
"Why wouldn't Muirashi protect this place better?"
"Because it's a tiny hole where no one important lives." Liam's fingers strangled the reins. His voice fell to a whisper, "We can go—right now. There's no reason for us to die here."
His offer was tempting. I looked south, back at the wall of pure shadow, where faint movements could be glimpsed behind the curtain.
Who could say when they would attack? Minutes, hours . . .
Killian had stood his ground in the face of certain death. He'd given his life so that we could live.
What kind of woman would I be if I turned tail and ran when he had not?
"No," I said, voice quivering slightly. "We came here to help—and that's what we'll do."
Liam's eye and mouth twitched. His hands slowly uncurled from the reins. "We'd better hurry. There are plenty of people to shout at." With one last glance at the wall, he walked away.
Lifting my gaze, I scanned the rooftops and the occasional tree.
Once a crow with a missing talon appeared there, I'd know our time had come.
It had heralded only doom thus far.
Gwynford had fallen dark. The stars faded into the black ether, and the moons departed to make way for true night.
Nothing but darkness surrounded us now, save for the flames of a lone bonfire.
Evacuating a town took far too long. We'd all screamed until our throats were hoarse. Everyone knew death approached.
But they had kids. Grandparents. Pets. Precious items they couldn't part with. I'd wanted to throttle them and tell them to just leave it.
Would I have been any different, though? Had someone tried to drag me away without my father, bid me flee without Liam . . .
Hell, had someone told me to leave my little broken pocket watch behind, I would have spit in their face and gone back for it.
I couldn't blame anyone here for their reluctance to leave a home they might never see again.
Fidgeting with Cierthine's hilt, I turned toward the dark city, where the villagers still lingered, not yet ready to set out.
A faint, thin light pierced the darkness—Cleiv Solais, the radiant rapier. Reese sheathed it as he reached the bonfire. "I can't see a damn thing out here," he said lightheartedly. "Has anything changed?"
"Not yet," I said, glancing back toward the city's shoddy wooden fence.
No bird had appeared yet. I wasn't sure why I placed such certainty in its arrival.
"Good," Reese exhaled. "I want you all to ride with them, stay with the soldiers at the rear, in case you're pursued."
"What about you?"
"If the monsters emerge before we're safely away, I'll ride out to find the scádes."
"By yourself?" I balked.
Reese smiled faintly. "If Killian had known about the scádes, he would have survived. I'll be fine." The smile flipped into a frown. "Assuming Ferris' hunch is right."
Silence fell over us, and dread built in my stomach. If I didn't find a way to distract myself, I was going to throw up.
Shifting from foot to foot, I repressed the urge to listen to my inner gossipmonger.
I lost the battle.
"So." I stared into the flames to avoid Reese's eye. "Who is Bláth? We haven't had time for proper introductions."
"She's a handmaiden," Reese said. "For Lady Brighid."
Pursing my lips, I tried to remember why I recognized that name.
"Brighid is from Lavaire. You probably haven't met." Reese folded his arms. "As for Bláth, some Paragons take partners, be they for battle or paperwork. She was mine."
I lifted my head, caught a glimpse of his golden eyes, and stared back at the fire. "Was?"
"Yes." The humor left his voice. "Was." He stared into the fire with me. "After we parted ways, Bláth returned to Brighid's service. So if she's here, it means Brighid sent her."
Brighid. The name clicked. She was Lord Astartus' daughter—one of Lavaire's wealthiest nobles. We'd probably passed one another at a party sometime in our past.