Chapter 21
THURIA, IbrOS
“Thought you’d get rid of me that easily?”
Sonah scowled up at Fane, who grinned at her like a fiend. Struggling against his hold, Sonah slapped at his arm.
“I wish! You’re about as easy to get rid of as lice,” she grumbled.
Fane threw his head back and laughed. As she twisted to get into a more comfortable position, Fane slowed his mount and set Sonah down when they’d stopped.
Horse hooves sounded behind her and Sonah turned to see one of the men was the soldier from Messene with Fane at the inn. Two more soldiers pulled up near them.
When Sonah made to turn back to Fane, another rider came into view and Sonah’s heart stopped.
Shrieking, she ran for the big man who dismounted much more gracefully than she would’ve imagined for a man his size and leaped into his arms.
Melanos laughed as his powerful arms wrapped around her and swept her up in a spin that left her breathless. She squeezed him tight, tears springing to sting her nose and eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them.
The god they’d rescued from the cave outside of Thuria a few months ago grinned down at her, his face the most welcome she’d seen in ages.
“What are you doing here? I saw you when we were attacked, but I thought it a hallucination!” Sonah asked him breathlessly, squeezing his arms as he loosened his hold on her.
She felt Fane come up beside them, but paid him no mind.
She had eyes only for the god whose presence put her immediately at ease.
“I heard there was a beautiful woman in need of rescuing from Rivermen,” he said in his deep, rough baritone.
Sonah grinned up at him like a crazy person. “Well, this beautiful woman thanks you for the thought, but I freed myself.”
“Of course you did, clever girl,” he said with a smile and tweaked her nose.
“Were you followed?” Fane asked, swiveling to look around. “Did anyone see you escape?”
“No,” Sonah laughed, stepping out of Melanos’s arms and turning to her would-be rescuer. “No, I left while they slept.”
“While they slept?” Fane asked, scowling as he turned around again. When he looked back at Sonah, he asked, “So you’ve been walking for hours? Alone?”
“Aye,” Sonah said with a shrug. “Well, mostly. I befriended a wolf and he followed me up until a short time ago.”
“A wolf?” Melanos exchanged a look with Fane over Sonah’s head and she sighed. Of course they thought her insane. What normal person makes friends with a wolf?
“Aye, a wolf,” Sonah mumbled. Holding up a hand, she added, “He was very well mannered. And he kept me company without eating me, so…”
“You escaped Heylisian soldiers—nay, not just Heylisian soldiers but the worst soldiers: Rivermen. And you befriended a wolf while making your own way to Thuria—”
“Wait, this is Thuria?” Sonah asked, looking around. The soldiers behind her chuckled as Fane covered his mouth with his hand.
“Aye, little one,” Melanos laughed, “this is Thuria. And unlike Fane here, I fully believe you capable of besting Rivermen, escaping on your own and then befriending a wolf. You are a daughter of Ares, after all. No fear.”
Sonah cocked her head. “Well, fear wouldn’t have helped me in that situation. Besides, I had to do it on my own after this one let me be captured.”
Fane’s mouth dropped open and he stuttered objections while the others ribbed him mercilessly. Sonah grinned at his discomfort.
“Enough,” Melanos called out, putting a huge arm around Sonah’s shoulders. “You must be starving. Let us find some food and water for our goddess. Then we can head north to find your sister.”
“Wait,” Sonah said and they stopped to look at her. “One of the Rivermen said Ibros is now Heylisian territory. Is that true?”
The men glanced at one another before Fane spoke.
“I have not heard it officially, but there are Heylisian soldiers everywhere. Spartan soldiers as well. We’ve had word from our officers that the Heylisians escorted Duke Ovenno on his way to Sparta. Although, they believe it was a ruse to explain their presence.”
Sonah chewed on her lip. “What if they’re in the city? What if—”
“They are not,” Melanos said in a tone that made her relax. “This is my city. We’ve already dispatched one squad nearby.”
Mounting their horses, Sonah settled as they neared the city a short time later.
She was grateful for the small inn Melanos led them to and pictured the warm bed awaiting within.
She was even more grateful for the food being set before them, her stomach growling so loud Sonah put her hands to her belly to quiet the sounds.
“You said earlier you had heard from your officers,” Sonah said, to Fane as he passed her a goblet of wine. “What news did they share?”
Fane smacked his lips after taking a drink. “That your sister was heading to Ovenno.”
“Oh, thank the gods! Wait, why Ovenno?”
“The message did not say, although I wonder if she’d heard you were going back there with Duke Ovenno. You know, before you decided to leave on your own.” Fane arched an eyebrow at Sonah.
“Perfect,” Sonah mumbled. “If I’d known Terena would be there I wouldn’t have left in the first place.
I knew she’d come for me, but I thought she’d go to Sparta.
I was so afraid of leaving with the duke, and since King Altos would not help me, I helped myself. That’s when I left with Prince Lerek.”
Fane’s head whipped around to her so fast his ale sloshed over his hand. “What? What do mean? Prince Lerek is dead!”
“No,” Sonah sighed. “He was in Arestia Castle, a guest of the king’s. Long story, the prince wanted to fake his death, but it didn’t go to plan. Now his twin is dead and everyone thinks Prince Lerek is really Prince Isher.”
“And how is Sparta involved?” Melanos asked, his voice a low growl as he cast a narrowed gaze at Fane and the Spartan soldiers sitting with them.
“All I know is, we were sent to Metilai to rescue the firstborns,” Fane said, holding up a hand placatingly.
“When we arrived, Daris— Commander Antonius—went with his second to Prince Lerek’s rooms. Something about repaying a debt.
Next thing we knew, the commander and Jason returned and all hells broke loose.
The prince was dead, and we had to abort our mission.
We hid in an old apartment outside the palace for days.
I recall the commander being very agitated.
He would leave and come back without telling us anything.
We heard someone was arrested for the prince’s murder and was to be executed a few days later. ”
“Aye,” Sonah laughed mirthlessly. After she took a drink of her wine, she grimaced. “They arrested me and Terena. We were the ones to be executed.”
Fane nodded, hanging his head as he stared at his tankard.
The other Spartans looked from him to Sonah to Melanos.
By the looks on their faces, she knew this was the first time they were hearing any of this.
The Liodari was an elite branch of the Spartan military, and these soldiers were not privy to the missions the Liodari carried out.
“Aye, Sonah. I know that now. At the time, however, you were a nameless, faceless assassin.”
“But I wasn’t,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “We were tortured, and scared, and about to be murdered ourselves.”
“We knew nothing of that at the time,” Fane said, exasperated.
He reached out a hand, laying it on the scarred table close enough to her fingers to barely touch.
“I wish we had. It makes sense now why the commander was so angry those days. He kept cursing Prince Lerek. I still don’t know what went wrong.
We were there to get the firstborns and Prince Lerek out, but we needed a distraction.
Someone was to slip a sedative into Prince Isher’s drink and change his clothes to make him look like his twin.
The sedative only feigned death, though, so while everyone was preoccupied with the crown prince’s demise, the funeral would provide a way for us to escape with the real Prince Lerek and the firstborns. ”
“So the plan was to have Prince Isher buried alive?” Sonah glared at Fane.
“No, of course not. The effects would’ve worn off before that ever happened. We needed the distraction to buy us enough time to stage our rescue.
“We were to wait until the day of the funeral to enter the palace grounds, where the firstborns and Prince Lerek would meet us and we’d escape undetected.
“It was genius, really, and the sort of thing the Liodari excel in. None of us had any doubts until we received word that the crown prince was murdered. The commander changed our plan so he could rescue you and Terena before the execution. Commander Antonius took a few men with him while the rest of us were to proceed with the original aim of getting to the firstborns. I don’t know what went wrong, but obviously, you escaped without his help. ”
“Aye,” Sonah whispered, lost in the memory.
The table was silent for a long time before Sonah sat back and glared again at Fane.
“Why did you say Daris killed Prince Lerek?”
Fane blanched. “What? When? I never said that!”
“Aye,” Sonah nodded, jabbing a finger at him. “You did. I heard you. That night we all went drinking before everything went to shit! I heard you and Jason and Michael talking. You didn’t know I was there, but I heard you. You said Daris was cold for killing Terena’s lover.”
Fane’s face turned ashen, and his mouth fell open. For painfully long seconds, he said nothing. “Gods. You… heard that? That was you?”
“Aye,” Sonah confirmed, waving her hand. “Do not deflect, please. Why did you say that? He clearly didn’t, and yet you said that and then I went and told Ren. And everything just… fell apart.”