Tobin slipped into the dim room, tying the flap in place. He faced her and froze, mouth falling open.
The dress did its job then.
“I was expecting you later tonight,” said Odala.
To the warrior’s credit, he recovered. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t wait to see you.” He paused. “You look amazing.”
Despite her discomfort, she still blushed at the sincerity in his voice. Rather than thank him, she took his hand and led him to her bed. If Tobin was surprised at the strange gesture, he didn’t show it. Odala had always made it a point to stay as far from the bed as possible.
She tried to hide her uneasiness as they seated themselves.
“You look troubled,” said Tobin.
“It’s about tomorrow.”
“You’ve heard about the battle, then? I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not worried about you. I mean, I know you can take care of yourself,” she said, trying to cover her poor choice of words. “Actually, it’s Father.”
“What about Mawkuk?”
“Well, we’ve heard talk that Bazraki plans to kill him tomorrow after the battle, win or lose. It is his punishment for not drawing away the Yellow Clan army.”
“Who told you that?”
“Soyjid overheard whisperings behind his tent earlier tonight.”
“I see.”
“You must save him. I promise you he did not fail purposefully. It is not his way.”
Tobin sighed. “Whether I agree or not, it is my father’s decision. I can do nothing to change his mind.”
Odala shook her head. “Yes, you can. You can easily do this. You are Warleader and have more than enough power to sway your father if you choose to use it.”
Silence stretched and Odala could see that Tobin struggled with the decision, so much so that he had even cast his eyes away from her exposed body and stared at the matted floor. She remembered Soyjid’s comment.
"Any way necessary.”
She swallowed hard, trying to hide her nervousness and went to him.
* * *
Tobin left her room two hours before dawn, having barely slept.
Odala lay in her bed with eyes shut tight as the tears she had held in during her time with Tobin ran down her face and soaked her pillow. She had never been with a man and she had always hoped for something far different than what had occurred.
She had given herself to Tobin physically in an attempt to sway his mind. Yet he still hesitated. So she tried something different, another lie. She leaned in close, whispering into his ear that she loved him. And that made all the difference. Tobin promised her that he would protect Mawkuk and even whispered his love in return, though the name he said wasn’t hers.
It sounded as if he said Lucia. Who is that? No matter, Father is safe now. He promised.
She cried harder as a red haze flitted through the cracks in her tent. She had tried to separate her mind from her body during the experience, but it had not worked. Visions of Tobin holding a dagger near her father’s eyes, coupled with the countless other atrocities he shared with her in private had flooded her mind and she struggled not to curse him as the night crept on.
Next time I need to do better at hiding that.
Her body and mind felt numb at the prospect of their next meeting.
But at least I succeeded. Maybe I can do some good for our people. Maybe I can make Tobin suffer as much as he has made me suffer through this lie.
It wasn’t much, but the thought brought her enough comfort for her body to relax and drift into a deep sleep.
Chapter 26
The first hints of an early spring began to find their way through the unforgiving northern landscape. The melted snow covering the roads created a slick mud that hindered the progress of Jeldor’s troops. The temperature still dipped at night, but the sun now peeked through the thick clouds with more regularity. Elyse thought the additional warmth would be welcome, but she soon changed her mind as she watched soldiers with legs caked in mud struggle through the poor road conditions. She cringed with growing frustration as two squads of soldiers worked to free yet another wagon wheel caught in the muck.
At this rate, we’ll never get there.
She moved her mount around the wagon and found Rygar who had recently returned from scouting. “Any news?” she asked.
He shook his head. “None worth mentioning, Your Majesty. No signs of anyone from Tomalt’s army. Granted, we are still some length away from Cathyrium.”
“How much longer?”
Rygar glanced back at the wagon as it lurched forward, into another hole created by the wagons preceding it. “At this pace, three weeks at least,” he said, looking discouraged.
We can’t wait that long.
“Thank you.”
The scout bowed his head as Elyse left him. She noted the distant looks on the soldiers’ faces as she weaved through their masses.
She found Jeldor in front of the army, peering out over the long twisting road ahead. His hand was over his eyes to deflect the glare off the remaining white snow. “My Lord, is there something you see?”
He turned in the saddle. “Oh no, just thinking about how much land we still have left to travel and how long it’s taken us to go this far.” He muttered a curse. “The weather has not been very cooperative.”
“No, it hasn’t.”
Jeldor threw up his hands and gestured back to the train of supply wagons. “There is little I can do given the conditions of the roads.”
“We can leave the wagons behind and move the bulk of your force ahead.”
“That’s not very sound practice. Besides, the men themselves are beaten enough just fighting this slop. Pushing the pace will only tire them further. The last thing you want is a tired army entering battle, Your Majesty. Aurnon the First said as much, if I recall.”
“He did, but the last thing I want is to arrive at Cathyrium and find out we are too late.” She paused, remembering a passage on military strategy from her studies. “Aurnon the First also said that a soldier will fight hardest for a cause he believes in. Well, it is hard to believe in a losing cause, My Lord. If we are not there in time to aid Jonrell, that is exactly what we will be facing.”
Jeldor grunted and Elyse held her breath as she watched the man stroke his wild beard. Their relationship had improved a great deal and Jeldor seemed to humor her less and respect her more each day.
Yet, these men are his. I do not have the ability to persuade them to follow me rather than their lord if Jeldor refuses my command. Perhaps Jonrell could do such a thing, but he isn’t here.
Jeldor glanced up the road ahead and back to his men. He nodded. “We’ll leave two thousand behind to guard our supplies. If we don’t arrive in time and are forced into a withdrawal they will be fresh if they have to be brought in for relief.” He turned to face Elyse. “Not that I think that will be necessary. Still, it doesn’t hurt to plan for the worst.”
She suppressed a smile. “Sound reasoning. Thank you.”
And thank the One Above.
“Don’t thank me yet. There will be a lot of soldiers angry with us at the quickened pace. I hope it will shave nearly a week off our expected time of arrival.”
She shrugged beneath her wool cloak. “It isn’t our duty to be liked, is it?”
Jeldor grinned. “No, it isn’t.” He snapped his reins and rode back to his men, barking orders to his captains and cursing at every sidelong glance cast his way.
* * *
From the top of the castle gatehouse, Yanasi lowered the spyglass. She stared blankly over the city, into the hills, where Tomalt’s army spilled over their sides. Strong vision helped her shot with a bow, but at times she wished herself blind.
Maybe then someone else could be the bearer of bad news.
“Is it that bad?” asked Jonrell.
She handed him the spyglass, finding her voice. “Worse, Commander. I’ve never seen such a large army before. The scouts underestimated its size.”
I wish Rygar was here. He wouldn’t have misjudged their number.
She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, remembering the warmth of his touch. She missed him.
Jonrell raised the spyglass to his eye. She held her breath, waiting for his response as he surveyed the masses.
“How many you guess?” he asked.
“Fifty thousand, Commander.”
“That sounds about right.”
She knew it was right, though she wished to be wrong.
Fifty thousand.
“The largest army we’ve fought since I joined The Hell Patrol was half that size. And the army we were attached to had close to that number themselves,” she said.
Jonrell lowered the spyglass and put his hand on her shoulder. “You sound unsure if we’ll win.”
She shrugged, not wanting to admit the truth. “The odds are better that Raker will win at cards first.”
Jonrell removed his hand from her shoulder and slapped the stone wall. “This will make up for our difference in numbers,” he said with finality to his voice. “It takes far fewer men to defend a wall than it does to capture one.” He smiled.
Yanasi couldn’t help but grin back. Jonrell had a way of making her feel better, regardless of how somber her mood turned.
That’s what men like him do. Like all heroes, they rise to the occasion.
“Good thing for them they’ve got a lot of men to throw at us then.”
Jonrell grimaced and looked over his shoulder. “You’re not helping the situation.”
Raker spat over the side. “She ain’t no young pup anymore and she’s seen more than enough killing over the last ten years to know this ain’t going to be easy.”
Yanasi scowled at the engineer but he gave no sign of noticing.
Jonrell nodded to the rest of the army who began gathering on the outer walls. Conversations filled with doubt started as they watched Tomalt’s army make camp. “And what about them?” he asked in a low voice. “Most haven’t seen battle before.”
Raker looked over to Yanasi and then Jonrell, grinning with a mouthful of brown teeth. “I reckon that’ll change soon enough.”
* * *
As Jonrell expected, Tomalt led a small contingent of a dozen people away from his growing camp, stopping just on the outskirts of the main city. The banner man held a white flag that flapped in the breeze. The duke wanted to offer terms.
Always by the book. I wonder if any good will come of it.
He took one more look through the spyglass before handing it back to Yanasi.
Only one way to find out.
* * *
Kaz flicked the reins of his horse and joined Jonrell as they rode through the empty city. Only the whipping wind populated the streets now as the remaining citizens hid safely behind the great walls of the castle.
“Shouldn’t you be meeting Tomalt with twice as many men as he has? I don’t think a prince would just take me along.” asked Kaz.
Jonrell chuckled. “Probably. But, I haven’t really considered myself a prince for some time. As a commander, I don’t need all those people sucking up to me like he does.”
“So you just need one?” asked Kaz in an accusatory tone.
Jonrell laughed this time. “If so, I made a poor choice with you. No, I usually take Krytien with me as back up to these sorts of things, but with him gone, I needed someone else to fill in.”
“So you think Tomalt may try something then?”
“I doubt it. Tomalt is very official in everything he does. Not following protocol at a parlay would be about as bad as stealing from his grandmother.” He paused. “Still, I don’t like to take chances, and I know I can trust you to let me do the talking.”
“So, I’m supposed to stay quiet and look menacing.”
“More or less. Is that going to be a problem?”
Kaz grinned. “No. I can handle that.”
* * *
Jonrell saw a brief flash of surprise from Tomalt as he and Kaz reached his group. The duke, as expected, wore his finest armor. He sat rigid in his saddle, straight as a plank, with head held high. Jonrell suppressed a grin as he remembered a childhood joke concerning the duke and an arrow.
“So, the reports are true. You have returned. Your Majesty,” said Tomalt with a bow. The rest of his men did the same.
“Stop. My sister rules Cadonia. Not me.”
Tomalt raised his head. “So the other reports are true as well. You haven’t come to reclaim the crown?”
“No. I renounced that right when I left Cadonia. I have no desire to take it back.”
“A shame.”
Jonrell inclined his head. “Would that matter? Would such a thing cause you to turn your army around and return to your lands?”
Tomalt stared intently for a moment as if pondering the thought. “No. I don’t think it would.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“Your father harmed this kingdom too greatly. You’ve been gone too long. You aren’t close enough to the problems to understand how to fix them.”
“My sister, has been here the entire time. Yet, you wish to steal the crown from her.”
“She is not fit to rule. Even in the short time since you’ve returned, I’m sure you see that.” He drew a deep breath. “I want to make something clear. I am not doing this thing for personal gain. I am simply looking out for the good of the kingdom.”
“How noble of you,” Jonrell guffawed. “Then let’s hear your terms as I’m sure they’re more than fair,” he sneered.
Tomalt took a scroll from one of his men and handed it to Jonrell. “The details are all inside but essentially you are to open the gates to Cathyrium on the morrow and all its inhabitants will swear fealty to me. The queen, if she is still inside as originally reported,” said Tomalt with a knowing look, “is to accompany me to Lyrosene where she will recognize me as the new king of Cadonia. She has the night to accept my terms.”
“And if she refuses?”
“We will take Cathyrium by force and then do the same to the rest of the lands under direct control of the crown. But please, don’t let it come to that. I know your numbers and you cannot win.”
Jonrell cleared his throat and glanced over to Kaz. The foreigner wore a menacing scowl, flaring his nostrils with each breath. Jonrell turned back to Tomalt’s group and noticed that many of them stared nervously at Kaz, shifting in their saddles with hands near their swords.