“No, I mean…”
“I know what you mean. Lord Hasham spoke to me of your doubts, and your friend Leshie has as well.” She raised a brow. “She told me something else of interest too. About Elyon Daecar. You know him well, I understand?”
Damn you, Leshie. “We have…history.”
“Good history, I’m led to believe. She says that Elyon will be more than happy to yield the Windblade to you.”
Saska sighed. “Leshie likes to talk, my lady. Elyon and I…we care about one another, I think. At least…he did, before. Now…I don’t know. I’d hope that he’ll remember me well, but with everything he’s been doing, in the war, and…” She’d heard all about it. How Elyon had saved the princess and stolen back the Eye, how he’d slain all those dragonknights as easy as if he was carving up a cake. The gallantry of that, the depth of bravery and brilliance…Leshie had said she’d never heard anything so heroic, and even the Wall had been impressed. To Saska, it only made her see how far she had to go. Elyon was performing astonishing feats, and who was she to deny him that? “I just…I fear to ask him to give it up. And the others…his father.” She shuddered to think of it. Who was she to ask the great Amron Daecar, the Hero of the North, to lay down his blade for some slave-girl from North Tukor? And all on account of a grandsire who’d died two decades before she was even born? “When I think of all of that, I just…I struggle, Talasha. I struggle.” She had no better word to express it.
“I know you do, sweetling. But that struggle is not yours alone. We are all here for you.” She took her arm and gave a tug, urging Saska on.
They continued down the trail, walking through the dusk as it went from russet to red to purple. By the time they reached the foot of the hills, where they opened out into the rugged plains, the skies had fully darkened and a cloaked moon was floating in the skies. The road was long miles away from here, much too far to walk. “We’d best fly,” Talasha said. “I will take you back, and fetch Cevi. Then return here for the night.”
“Are you sure, my lady? Would you not like a bed to sleep in tonight? It’ll be safe in Cloaklake, Alym says.”
They’d heard as much from the travellers who had come from that way, at least. It seemed that civil order was being upheld in the city and there had been few riots, few occasions of looting and criminality, and no attacks from dragons or other creatures. Sunrider Tantario had said that he would see them hosted in one of the city strongholds, with fine views of the lake, and that for once they could all rest in featherbeds for the night and maybe, if they were fortunate, he would find a willing lord who would host them for a feast. That had cheered the men somewhat. How long it would last was anyone’s guess. Saska’s guess would be - not long.
“Thank you, Saska. But no. I would prefer to remain with Neyruu. I enjoy sleeping beneath the comfort of her wing.”
Talasha smiled and summoned her dragon, and they mounted up, gliding low and swift across the plains, the wind rushing through Saska’s hair. The sensation had her smiling again. After a short time, the company were sighted, gathered at a public well where a clutch of shops and inns had sprung up a half mile south of the city. Neyruu came down nearby, landing on the moonlit tundra, and they went the rest of the way on foot. When they emerged from the darkness, Sir Ralston stamped over. “You were gone longer than I expected.”
“We flew a while, talked a while,” Princess Talasha said. “All these men, Sir Ralston…I feel that Lady Saska is starved of female company.”
“Do not let the Red Blade hear you say that,” Rolly said. It was the first time Saska had heard him use Leshie’s self-styled nickname. “She likes to be the one to whom Saska vents.”
“Who says I was venting?” Saska groused. “Maybe we were talking strategy?”
“Were you?”
“Well…of a sort.” Saska looked to the others. The men were doing their usual investigations, talking with the tavern guests and inn-dwellers, hunting down travellers to gather up intelligence. She could not see Alym Tantario there, nor Leshie, nor Del.
When she asked of them, the Wall said, “Alym has gone into the city to see about those featherbeds. Leshie went with him, and some of the other sellswords. Your brother is training. Kaa Sokari took him…” He looked about. “I am not sure where. Further down toward the sea, I think.”
That was on the far side of the road, where some rocks and stands of trees clothed the coastline. Beyond, the waters glimmered beneath the moonlight, calmer than they’d been in a while. Saska thought she could see some shadows out there in the dark. Of late Kaa Sokari had been setting Del the challenge of firing blind, and in darkness, to better test his senses when striking for a target. Sometimes Sokari himself was the target, running about with a small wooden shield, shouting for Del to hit him. It seemed a little risky to Saska, but who was she to argue? Just so long as it was Del with the bow and Sokari with the shield, she didn’t have much cause for concern.
The Wall turned his eyes out to the gloomy plains. “So, how was it? Flying?”
“Good,” Saska said. Amazing, exhilarating, I wish I’d been born Agarathi, she thought. It would not serve to express that to Rolly, though. “I think it’ll stand me in good stead when I train with the Windblade.” When, she thought adamantly. When. Not if.
The Wall nodded. “It will. I saw the acrobatics. How did that make you feel?”
“A little sick,” Saska confessed. “But that’s normal. Next time I’ll know what to expect.”
“Next time.” The Wall looked like he wanted to pour his usual pail of cold water over that, but he knew it was for a worthy cause, not just a way for Saska to seek out some chancy thrill. “Yes. Next time. Though now that you’re back down, I would ask you to put on your armour. The essentials at least. We are entering a busy city and must take the proper precautions.” He looked at Talasha. “Will you be coming as well, Your Highness?”
“Into the city? No. I will be fetching Cevi and taking my leave.”
The Wall did not try to persuade her otherwise. Grateful as he was to her for saving his life, he seemed to prefer to keep her at arm’s length. “I will fetch her for you.” He bowed and stepped away.
He returned shortly after, with Cevi in tow, having found her with the horses. The handmaid loved horses, Saska had noticed, and always smiled when she saw them. The camels not so much. They were loud, she had said, and didn’t smell so nice. Saska quite agreed. With her handmaid returned, Talasha retreated back into the darkness to rejoin Neyruu, telling them she would find them come morning.
It was the same each night, and no matter how many times Talasha said it was her preference, the sight made Saska feel guilty. “The men should be more inviting to her,” she grumbled, as the princess took her leave. “You as well, Rolly. You’re only alive because of her.”
“I give her every courtesy.”
“But not every kindness. She has flown across half the world to be here. And she’s a princess. She should be leading this host, not trailing behind it.”
The giant did not like that. “She is Agarathi. Derived from the line of Lori. Eldur’s blood runs thick in her veins.”
“Yes. I know. That’s why she’s able to bond a dragon.”
The Whaleheart ignored her sarcasm. “A dragon bonded to her by Eldur. He gave her that dragon. He can just as easily take it away.”
“It? Her name is Neyruu.”
“I know her name. Forgive me if I do not feel as you do, Saska. You have Lumo’s Light in you, I do not. The bonding of beasts is unfamiliar to me.”
This was old ground, worn and trodden and it needed no further footfall. Saska changed the subject. “I think it’s time to leave them behind,” she said, looking over at the men. A pair of them were pulling up a bucket from the well, a few others watering the animals, and some dozen or so would be gathering intel, but the rest were just standing around, looking worn and weary, gazing out in the direction of the city. This promise of feasts and featherbeds seemed the only thing keeping some of them going. “I don’t like the tension here anymore. There’s an ill feeling in the air, and we’d be best rid of it.” She looked up at him. “I think we should go west. If we ride hard across the plains, we could reach the Everwood in a week.”
“The Everwood?” He exhaled. “Saska, we have been through this…”
“Ranulf may still be there. He might be trying to seek the permission of the Calacania still…”
“He might. Or he might not. It is possible that Ranulf Shackton is dead. We cannot go that way. We must keep to the Capital Road.”
She knew he was going to say that. Why do I even bother? “Then we sail from here. We’re a long way out of the krelia’s reach now, and if we hug the coast…”
“No. You have seen the seas. The storms come from nowhere and cannot be predicted. The waves rack the coast so fiercely it’s said that great chunks of cliff are falling away. Taking ship would be folly until we must. We would only follow Robbert Lukar down to the depths.”
