“Did you see him die?” Sven asked.
See him?
I paused, taking my time to compose a reasoned answer. “He was on the ground, choking on his last breaths,” I said. “If he didn’t bleed to death, the poison released into his gut finished him off. It’s a painful way to die. Sometimes slow, but effective.”
Wary glances were cast between them.
“No, I haven’t stabbed someone in the gut before,” I explained. “But I have three brothers who are soldiers, and they’ve held nothing back from me. There’s no chance the Komizar survived his injuries.”
Sven took a long, slow sip from his mug. “You were shot in the back with an arrow and fell into a raging icy river. Not good odds, and yet here you are. When we left the terrace … the Komizar was gone.”
“That means nothing,” I said, hearing the panic rise in my voice. “Ulrix or a guard could have carried his body off. He’s dead.”
Rafe set down his cup, the spoon clattering against the side. “She’s right, Sven. I saw Ulrix drag the body through the portal myself. I know a corpse when I see one. There’s no question, the Komizar is dead.”
There was a strained silent moment between them, then Sven quietly acquiesced, dipping his chin in acknowledgment.
I hadn’t realized I was leaning forward, and I lay back against the mound of blankets Rafe had made for me, weak with exhaustion, my back damp.
Rafe reached out and felt my forehead. “You’re running a fever again.”
“It’s only the fire and warm soup,” I said.
“Whatever it is, you need to rest.”
I didn’t argue. I thanked Orrin for the supper, and Rafe helped me over to my bedroll. The last few steps drained me, and I was barely able to keep my eyes open as Rafe helped me get settled. It was the most conversation and activity that I’d had in days.
He leaned over me, wiping strands of damp hair from my face, and kissed my forehead. He started to stand, but I stopped him, wondering what else he had seen.
“You’re sure you saw him dead?”
He nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry. You killed him, Lia. Rest now.”
“What about the others, Rafe? Do you think they survived? Governor Faiwell, Griz, Kaden?
His jaw clenched at the mention of Kaden’s name. He was slow to answer. “No,” he finally said. “I don’t think they made it. You saw the soldiers swarming in as we left. Kaden and the others had nowhere to flee. There was Malich too. The last time I saw Kaden, he was engaged in combat with him. If Malich made it down to the river, you can guess what happened to Kaden.”
The ache of what he didn’t say swelled in me—Kaden was no longer an obstacle for Malich.
“He got what he deserved,” Rafe said quietly.
“But he helped us fight so we could escape.”
“No. He was fighting to save your life, and for that I’m grateful, but he wasn’t trying to help you escape. He had no idea we even had a way to escape.”
I knew he was right. For their own reasons, both Kaden and Griz wanted to keep me in Venda. Helping me leave wasn’t their motive for raising swords against their brethren.
“He was one of them, Lia. He died the way he lived.”
I closed my eyes, exhaustion already making my lids too heavy to keep open. My lips burned with heat, and my mumbled words stung on them. “That’s the irony. He wasn’t one of them. He was Morrighese. Noble born. He only turned to Venda because his own kind had betrayed him. Just like I did.”
“What did you say?”
Just like I did.
I heard Rafe walk away and then there was more whispering, but this time I couldn’t discern what they were saying. Their muffled words wove with the darkness into a silky black fog.
* * *
I startled awake and looked around, trying to remember what had roused me. A dream? But I could recall nothing. Rafe slept next to me, his arm protectively around my waist as if someone might whisk me away. Jeb sat back against a large rock, his drawn sword at his side. It was his watch, but his eyes were closed. If we had a two-week lead, why did they feel the need for a watch? Of course there were wild animals to consider that might like this nice roomy cave to take refuge in. Orrin had mentioned seeing panther tracks.
Jeb must have just stoked the fire, because it blazed with heat, and yet a chill tiptoed over my shoulders. The flames flickered with a breeze, and the shadows grew darker.
Don’t tarry, Miz.
My head throbbed with the sound of Aster’s voice, and I wondered if it would forever haunt me. I rose up on one arm and sipped from a canteen. Rafe sensed my movement, and his arm pulled tighter, his body edging closer. I found comfort in his small tug. It felt as if he would never let anything come between us again.
Sven was snoring, and Orrin lay on his side with his mouth wide open, a thin line of drool trickling from the corner. Tavish was curled in a ball, his blanket pulled over his head, only a rope of his thick black hair peeking out from beneath it. All of them peaceful, getting the rest they very much deserved, their bodies healing from their wounds too.
I had started to ease back onto my bedroll when the chill hit me again, stronger this time. It pressed on my chest, making it harder to breathe. The shadows grew darker, and dread snaked through me like a viper waiting to strike. I waited. Knowing. Fearing. Something was—
Don’t tarry Miz, don’t tarry, or they will all die.
I sat upright, gasping for breath.
“Can’t sleep?” Jeb asked.
I stared at him, my eyes prickling with fear.
Jeb yawned. “Sun won’t be up for another hour or so,” he said. “Try to get some more rest.”
“We need to go,” I said. “Now.”
Jeb motioned to quiet me. “Shhh. The others are sleeping. We don’t need to—”
“Everyone up!” I yelled. “Now! We’re leaving!”
CHAPTER FIVE
KADEN
Find her. Don’t come back without her. Alive or dead, I don’t care. Kill them all. But bring her back.
There wasn’t much else to occupy my thoughts but what may have very well been the Komizar’s last words. He needed her head as evidence. A way to quell the unrest once and for all. The random slaughter of cheering clans in the square hadn’t been enough for him.
I looked back at the perilous footbridge we had just led our horses over. “I’ll do it,” I told Griz, grabbing his ax from him. He started to protest but knew it was no use. He couldn’t lift his left arm without paling. What would have taken him a dozen swings when he wasn’t injured took me more than twice that, but finally the stakes toppled free and the chains jangled into the water below. I stowed the ax and helped Griz back onto his horse. The trail ahead was thick with snow, and we had no tracks to follow. All we had to go on was a hunch of Griz’s and a faded memory.
I pulled my cloak tight against the cold. Conniving, all of them. I should have known Governor Obraun was part of her plotting. He gave in too easily during our Council negotiations because he knew he would never have to follow through with giving tithes at all. And the prince. Damned liars, he was the prince. My fingers were stiff in my gloves as they gripped the reins. It all added up now. Every detail added up, all the way back to the beginning in Terravin. He was a trained soldier just as I had suspected—probably with the very best training Dalbreck could offer. When Griz confessed to having known his identity all along, I wanted to kill him for his treachery. In turn, he reminded me of my own treasonous ways. I couldn’t argue with him. I had betrayed my oath months ago when I hadn’t slit her throat as she slept in her cottage.