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Ber let out a furious cry and positioned himself ahead of her, but one man made it around to challenge her. But when she lifted her sword to parry, she found there was no need. Her attacker’s blade crashed against the magical shield surrounding her, sending him reeling onto the tip of one of her protector’s swords.
It worked—the spells had worked. Tes squirmed in her saddle, more uncomfortable with the success than she would have been with the failure. To each side of her, the others fought. Even Selesta fought off a couple of men too foolish to heed the king’s order to spare her. Yet Tes, who intended to lead them all, could do nothing but observe. How could she bear it?
Suddenly, a hand gripped her leg just beneath the knee. Tes instinctively jerked back, causing her horse to dance in place, and her gaze sought the source of the hold. A robed, cloaked figure took a single step back before lowering her hood. It was Araxa. Ber’s friend.
“Take this,” the mage said, her voice somehow soft despite the din. Her other hand darted up, and the afternoon light caught against a small glass globe. “From a mutual friend.”
As soon as Tes accepted the object, the mage sprang into action, a flock of illusion-birds flying from her hand toward the line of attacking soldiers. But Tes’s focus was on the glass globe. It was surrounded in Cairi’s energy, and one little press of magic where that energy was strongest caused the shield surrounding it to shatter.
Instantly, she could feel the spell hidden inside, and despite everything, she couldn’t hold back a smile. Perhaps they could avoid more bloodshed after all. Lifting the globe high, she activated the magic within.
A voice—Ryenil’s voice—roared out across the crowd, “I don’t care who dies. They’re all worthless.”
“Your own people?” a man asked. Halueth, Tes thought, but his voice sounded more distant and muffled.
“No sacrifice is too great,” her father replied. “I’ll have my bride. I’ll have Llyalia, as I should have done millennia ago. Every person in this palace can die, so long as they do so in pursuit of my glory.”
“Centoi’s glory, Sire?”
“Until my death, they will forever be one and the same.” A dry laugh filled the sudden, eerie quiet. “Be certain the others know their place.”
The magic winked out, but Tes wasted no time. “Don’t you see? Not onlywouldRyenil betray any one of you, he alreadyhas. These losses will not grieve him as they do me. Halt this useless attack and carry your wounded to the healers. I’ll go forth and seek justice for all of Centoi.”
For a moment, she feared that it wouldn’t work. But a cheer from behind her set their attackers into a new motion.
Yielding.
Chapter 57
Taunting
By the time they reached the inner gates, a veritable wall of support accompanied them. Ber didn’t feel any calmer for the added protection. There was every chance that Halueth hadn’t been able to convince the palace guard to abandon the king—it was their sworn oath to do so, after all. And of course, some supported Ryenil’s negligent depravity since they could take advantage of it to manifest their own dark goals.
So when they found the gates already grinding open, Ber sent Tes an uneasy glance. “I don’t like this.”
His wife shrugged. “Nor do I. Nevertheless.”
Hah. Isn’t that a perfect summation of the entire situation?But he merely nodded instead of giving voice to his agreement. They both knew that “nevertheless” said it all. It didn’t matter how overly convenient this latest development seemed—they would proceed regardless.
Ber reached out a mental hand to Toren.“We’re about to enter the palace grounds.”
A startle of shock.“Already?”
“We’ve gained cooperation from the guards.”As they passed through the gates, Ber scanned the area, his gaze landing on every hiding place he knew.“Or so it seems.”
“Too easy,”Toren sent.
“Yes.”
“He must know that my armies have crossed the border.”Both grief and resolve accompanied Toren’s words, and a twist of concern rooted into Ber’s gut for the people who would soon be in his care.“Two cities have surrendered, but there are others that may not.”
Ber swallowed hard.“You’ll do what’s right.”
“Thank you for that.”A quick rush of energy flowed across the link.“Ask, and I’ll send more.”
After soaking up the gift, Ber bid his brother farewell, but the worry lingered. How many allies did Ryenil have along the border? Perhaps they’d miscalculated, and fewer villages would yield than expected. His brother would never order the slaughter of innocents—that Ber knew. But war was unpredictable, and there could still be needless losses.
He and Tes would have a great deal to clean up once everything was settled.
