“You killed Celedin,” she said, and after all these years, this was the first thing she said to him?
He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t sound grateful. I thought you’d be pleased to be rid of him.”
She let out a disbelieving laugh that sounded more like a sob and then she turned and looked out the window at the orc army.
“You were supposed to marry him years ago,” said Dathor. “I thought I’d come back to find you with a brat of his attached to your breast, one clinging to your skirts, and yet, no, your wedding day, delayed all this time. Were you waiting for me?”
She clenched her hands into fists. She thought about hurling herself at him, beating her ineffectual hands against his massive chest. But what was the point? “No.”
“I didn’t come back for you.”
“Clearly,” she said. “Speaking of brats, how old is yours?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “How does the mother of your child feel about all this? Did she know you were coming to dothisto me?”
His voice was choked. “Nathre died.”
“Oh,” she said. “And the baby…?”
“Died in her,” he said.
She looked back out of the window. “I’m sorry. I’m very sorry, actually, and you have no idea how sorry. I never wanted anything like this to have happened.”
He didn’t say anything.
“I suppose you don’t believe me. I suppose you blame me.”
“It is actually your fault,” he said.
Her shoulders shook. Was she laughing or sobbing? “Well, you have certainly taught me my lesson, Dathor. Yes, that punishment quite fit the crime.”
“It wasn’t personal. It’s strategy,” he said. “It’s what we’re doing at all of the keeps here in the Silvarenna—”
“So, itisan invasion,” she said. “There was a woman who came here, weeks ago. She had a small babe. She said there were orcs at Falls Keep, but the orcs let her go. She said they were killing everyone and raping all the women—”
“Not all the women. One token woman, the highest ranked elf woman in the place,” he said. “I knew it would be you, and when I knew we would come here, I thought you’d rather it be me than someone else.”
She turned from the window to look at him. “Oh, this was mercy? I see.” She was very sarcastic.
“I could not turn them off it, off the Peak,” he said. “If I had been too eager for them to leave it alone, they would have suspected that I was not loyal.”
“But you are loyal,” she said.
He swallowed, searching her gaze. “Yes,” he said finally. “Yes, I am loyal to the orc cause.”
“You’re a commander in their army.” She gestured to him. “How long have you even been there? Six years? How you have risen.”
“You can’t stay here in this room, alone,” he said. “But I thought you would want time, I suppose. We are keeping all the women survivors in a room in the bottom of the south tower. I’ll take you there, but we can go by a circuitous route, so that you can go by your chambers, change your torn dress, get yourself together.”
She let out another disbelieving laugh. “Am I supposed to thank you for this?”
“Members of my brigade are whispering amongst themselves about it. I’m not behaving the way a commander is supposed to behave. I’m not supposed to have ordered you off to a room by yourself. I’m not supposed to have come here and spoken to you alone. I’m taking risks for you.”
“You areunbelievable,” she said, aghast. “You just raped me in front of a crowd.”
“Like I said, it had to be done,” he said. “And it could have been worse.”
“You’re not even sorry.”
“I am,” he said, lowering his gaze, his voice going scoured. “I’m very sorry. It’s obviously not how I wanted it between us.”
