Elyon's Ghost, page 25
When Ryn smiled, Ailith’s attraction to the woman increased tenfold. She always assumed nobles automatically looked down on her, but the smile seemed both warm and genuine. “I left the pier before I knew what happened with Prya. I know Lord Compton returned to the palace without her, thank the Goddess, but I don’t know what happened down at the pier.”
Blades didn’t generally speak of Temple business with outsiders, and Jenx shrugged, “You’ll have to ask Lady Sábria that, My Lady.”
Ryn’s smile faded slightly. “Ah. I hope I’ll get that chance. She wasn’t pleased that Compton and Archer and the others followed us down to the pier.”
Normally, a shiv would remain quiet in this type of situation, but Ailith was far from normal. “Did ya bring th’ Knights down on ‘er?”
Jenx glared at her shiv. “My Lady.”
“Oh, aye. Milady.”
Anger flashed in Ryn’s eyes. “I did not.”
Ailith had always been attracted to strong women. Granted, there was no shortage of them in the Temple, but after her bout of madness, she’d been too unsettled to spend much time with any of them. Ryn’s fierce denial stirred something in her, and she idly wondered whether Blades or, more specifically, shivs were allowed to dally with Lady Knights. Ailith let a twinkle of interest creep into her eyes as she held the Knight’s gaze. She immediately recognized the returned interest in those expressive, emerald-green eyes as they roamed to her breasts and then returned to Ailith’s face.
Apparently, Jenx noticed it, too, because she took Ailith’s arm and bowed to Ryn. “We need to be at the Temple, My Lady. If you’ll excuse us.” Without waiting for a response, she dragged Ailith down the street. When they were a sufficient distance away, she released the arm and growled, “Don’t you even think about it, Ailith. I mean it. A Lady Knight? You’re insane if you think that could ever work.”
“What? Sure, I wouldn’t mind a tumble with her, but I know I’m a peasant, and there’s nothin’ good ever come from a peasant courtin’ a noble, now did it?”
“And you do not speak to a member of the public unless they specifically address you or I give you permission. I’ve told you that before. Do it again and find out what happens to my shivs who disobey a second time.”
Ailith looked at the cobblestones and nodded. “Aye, Jenx. Sorry.”
They were coming up to the Temple District now, and since their primary goal was to get in, return the sword to the armory, and get back out on the streets without anyone being any the wiser, they slipped down a wide expanse that ran past the Temple’s east wall. As they approached the back gate, they both slowed their steps, feeling something wasn’t right. Tanna should have been standing guard outside with a torch burning in a sconce to the left of the gate.
Darkness shrouded the area, and Jenx stopped Ailith with a hand on her arm. She pointed to the sconces on the other side of the wide cobblestone expanse that ran between the Temple wall and the sides of several city buildings. Even though the expanse wasn’t considered a road, there were normally four evenly spaced torches hanging on those walls. There were none tonight.
Pointing to the wall, Jenx led Ailith even further into the shadows. They slid along the rough blocks until they came to the open gate, where they found Tanna pulled off to the side and lying in a pool of her own blood. During the course of their training, Master Healer Haria taught all the shivs techniques for staunching blood in an emergency. She also gave yearly training to the Blades.
Jenx pulled her knife and cut Tanna’s tunic into strips, binding the belly and arm wounds while Ailith stood watch with her sword drawn and at the ready. When she’d done all she could, Jenx stood and pulled her own sword. Once inside the outer bailey, they both heard the low rumble of a nervous horse. The beast’s iron-shod hooves clacked against the cobblestones as it paced this way and that, awaiting its master’s return.
Leaning in, Jenx pointed at it with her sword and whispered, “Only one horse. One attacker?”
Having fought horses in battle before, Ailith knew exactly what they were facing, and she pointed to the tack. “It’s a Knight’s battlemare. Steer clear, or it’ll kill ya.”
Not knowing what was happening, they moved silently across the bailey, making their way to the archway leading into the inner courtyard. One of the many mantras the Blades lived by was haste without knowledge equals death, so instead of sounding the alarm, they moved forward, intending to discover what was happening within the Temple before deciding what needed to be done. When they were halfway across the outer bailey, three figures slid around the side of the archway separating the inner and outer bailey, obviously not wanting to be seen.
Ailith recognized Nox at the same time Jenx challenged the leading shadow, “Khaldo. What are you doing?”
A woman’s voice Ailith didn’t recognize snarled, “You.” at the same time, the familiar shick of a sword leaving its scabbard reached her ears. The tall woman grabbed Nox and pushed her away. “Get on the horse.”
Nox wailed, “No, Mama. Don’t!”
Jenx leapt back to the gate and rang the huge alarm bell, jerking the chain back and forth several times and sending a peal of warning clangs reverberating throughout the Temple grounds.
Khaldo growled and rushed at Jenx, wildly swinging her sword in an overhead arc meant to slice her opponent in two.
Jenx parried the blow, and the fight was on.
Ailith hadn’t known Nox’s mother was a Lady Knight, and when the woman lunged for her, she parried the blow and moved back to give herself room. Knowing she was no match for a full Knight, she settled into a defensive mindset hoping other Blades would get there before the woman cleaved her head open with one of her powerful swings.
The Knight bared her teeth and drove her back. “You should have been the one. You’re the coward, not…” she swung viciously at Ailith’s chest, “…my…” she nearly caught Ailith across the throat with a backhanded swing, “… daughter.” She punctuated the final word with a jab that nearly impaled Ailith on the point of her sword.
Ailith ducked and blocked and circled, trying not to let the woman back her against the wall. The woman’s backhanded blows were vicious and merciless, so powerful that Ailith almost lost her grip on her sword after one particularly brutal sequence of feints, thrusts, and backhanded attacks.
Nox surprised them both by leaping onto her mother’s back, grabbing her around her neck, and screaming, “Stop it. Stop!”
Not willing to kill the Knight while her daughter was holding down her sword arm with one of her legs, Ailith thought about tackling them to the ground until the woman ripped her arm free and called out, “Saxsom! Negai!”
The battlemare broke free from where its rider had loosely tied it and raced for its master. The Knight, with Nox clinging to her back, leapt into the saddle and cued the horse to attack Ailith with its front hooves.
Blades were pouring into the bailey now, and as she backpedaled, the stray thought flitted across Ailith’s mind that too many people in a small space with a trained battlemare on the attack was a recipe for disaster.
Apparently, the Commander agreed as Ailith heard her barked order, “Everyone out!”
Having fought battlemares before, Ailith spun just as Sábria shouted, “Ailith!”
Most people rolled away from a battlemare’s hooves, but Ailith had always found it was better to stay on your feet and spin in close if at all possible. The trick was to keep moving as those back hooves could kick to the front, side, and rear. As she spun into the horse’s flank, she tripped over Khaldo’s prone body and fell onto her back. She rolled off the dead woman just as the horse viciously stomped on Khaldo’s head and then came after Ailith with yellow, snapping teeth.
Ailith dug her heels into the cracks between the cobblestones, crab-crawling backward using one hand while wildly slashing at the horse’s face and throat with her sword.
The horse reared to avoid the blade, and when it did, Nox slipped off its flank just as Sábria ran in and slashed down across the Knight’s exposed thigh.
The Knight changed the horse’s attack from Ailith onto the Arch Priestess, who had to backpedal to get away from the steel shod hooves.
Shirin leapt in between Sábria and the mare, swinging her blade and driving the horse back with long, steady strokes.
Sábria ran up and reengaged the Knight, who had the advantage of height to slash and jab at her attacker while her mare continued to keep Shirin occupied.
Ailith pulled one of her throwing knives and hurled it at the Knight’s back. The blade sliced through the woman’s tunic but bounced off without doing any real damage.
The Knight’s eyes flashed with deadly intent as she turned her mount and charged straight at Ailith, who found herself trapped against the Temple’s block wall. The horse pivoted again and kicked out with both its hind feet.
Ailith ducked, but one hoof hit her head with a glancing blow just as Geller and Prya’s throwing knives impaled the Knight’s left temple and throat, respectively.
The dead woman fell from her horse with one foot still wedged into one of the stirrups. Without any direction from its rider, the horse snorted and stomped but backed several paces and ceased its attack.
Ignoring the angry battlemare, Sábria ran to where Ailith lay unconscious near the wall.
Jenx, whose chest and arm were bleeding profusely, ran over as well. “Is she dead? Please tell me she’s not dead.”
At the Commander’s shouted order, several Blades formed a human wall separating the battlemare from their Arch Priestess. All held their swords at the ready in case the horse decided to resume its attack.
To everyone’s surprise, Nox stepped in front of the horse. She held her arms open wide, and in between sobs, she commanded, “Saxsom. Bleant. Bleant!” The mare relaxed immediately, and Nox ran forward and tried to extract her mother’s leg from the stirrup.
Geller called out from a safe distance. “Loosen th’ cinch, girl. Get that saddle off th’ mare and get her away so we can help ya with yer mother.”
As she worked on the cinch, Nox sobbed, “I told her I didn’t want to go. I couldn’t go. I told her!”
With the horse under control, Master Healer Haria and Kara ran to attend to the wounded. Both women were in their nightgowns, as were many of the Blades. Haria assessed the wounds and pushed Kara toward Jenx. “Get her to the infirmary and stop that bleeding.” She knelt next to Ailith and lifted one eyelid and then the other.
Jenx pulled away from Kara. “No, Tanna is over by the gate. I managed to stop the bleeding, but it was an emergency job, and I’m afraid she needs more help.”
Haria glanced around. “Where’s Sinda?”
“Here, My Lady. I stopped to pick up bandages in case they were needed.”
“Then give some to Kara and see to Tanna.”
“Aye, My Lady.” Sinda separated several long bandages from the pile she held in her arms. She handed them to Kara, who immediately began working to staunch Jenx’s bleeding. Sinda hurried over to assess Tanna’s injuries.
Both Sábria and Shirin were crouched on the ground next to Ailith’s still body.
As Haria gently probed Ailith’s temple, Prya stepped up next to her. “Is she dead?”
Haria shook her head. “No. It looks like a glancing blow. Still, it was hard enough to knock her unconscious.” After checking for other injuries, Haria stood. “Let’s get her to the infirmary.
Both Shirin and Prya moved in to carry her, but Sábria called them off. “No. I’ll do it.” She looked over her shoulder at the back gate and called out, “Sinda, is she alive? Will she survive?”
“Yes, My Lady. Jenx stopped the heavy bleeding, and I believe she’ll live.”
Slipping her arms beneath Ailith’s knees and back, Sábria strained to lift the limp body off the ground. Shirin took the shoulders and Prya the legs, and together they managed to lift Ailith high enough that Sábria could stand and carry her. She looked at Shirin. “Please go check the other two and see to Khaldo’s body. Assign someone to comfort Nox and see to her mother’s remains. If Kemi’s not up—”
Shirin put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll handle everything here.”
Nodding, Sábria hefted Ailith a little higher. “Of course. I know you will.” She carried the wounded shiv to the infirmary and stayed with her while Haria did a more thorough examination.
When they brought Tanna and Jenx in, Sábria left Ailith to assess Tanna’s injuries herself and, since the gate guard was unconscious and in expert hands with Sinda, she moved to Jenx’s bed. Seeing that some of her injuries would require stitching, she pulled a chair next to the bed and sat. She grasped Jenx’s hand in both her own and held it on the mattress. “Tell me what happened.”
Jenx was staring at Ailith while Master Haria continued to probe her skull. When Sábria squeezed her hand to get her attention, she jumped and switched her gaze to her Arch Priestess. “Forgive me, My Lady. It’s just—”
Sábria smiled slightly, and to ease Jenx’s mind, she said, “Luckily for all of us, the hardest bone in Ailith’s body is her stubborn head bone.”
Jenx nodded but didn’t return the smile. “We found Tanna by the back gate. I didn’t want to sound the alarm because I didn’t know what was happening inside and thought I might make matters worse depending on the circumstances.”
“Excellent thinking. Go on.”
“We saw the battlemare, and realized there was probably only one assailant. Then Khaldo, Nox, and the Lady Knight came through the archway, saw us, and attacked. I barely had time to sound the alarm before Khaldo reached me.”
Sábria squeezed her hand again. “It’s a good thing you were quick off the mark, or I have no doubt all three of you would be dead. A trained battlemare is worth five armed warriors in a fight. Add in a fully trained Knight…” Her head ached at the thought of what they might have found, and she let out a shaky sigh.
Jenx nodded her agreement. “I killed Khaldo and then the horse—” She shut her eyes to block out the sight of those hooves smashing down on the woman’s head.
Sábria pivoted Jenx’s attention away from the gory scene. “And because of your alarm, we arrived to help.” She waited for her to open her eyes and look her in the face. “Well done, Jenx. Because of your quick thinking, you saved both Tanna and your shiv. I’m very proud of you. And of Ailith too. You’ve trained her well.”
“And Tanna. It looked like someone snuck up on her from behind. Khaldo, maybe. I don’t know, but—”
Patting her hand before releasing it, Sábria nodded, “And Tanna, too. I thank the Goddess she’s still with us to learn from whatever mistake cost her so much blood. I’ll speak with her when she awakens and has time to gather her strength. In the meantime, drink Kara’s awful brew and get some rest, yes?”
Accepting a cup from Kara, Jenx drank down the contents and resumed her vigil over Ailith until the caneleid powder took her down into a much-needed sleep.
CHAPTER 26
Ailith opened her eyes to a darkened room. The fight came flooding back, and she jerked awake.
Strong arms tightened their grip around her shoulders, and she realized her head was lying on someone’s chest.
“Easy, Ailith. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” Sábria kissed her hair and gently put a cool hand on her forehead. She eased Ailith’s head back down and repeated. “You’re safe.”
Feeling slightly nauseous, Ailith closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
The next time she awoke, daylight streamed in through a window, and Sábria was sitting upright against the headboard, reading a report. They were in a wide, comfortable bed with soft, overstuffed pillows. A burgundy down comforter was pulled up to Ailith’s chin, and she lay still for a while, not understanding where she was.
When she saw her primer on Sábria’s lap, she pulled her hand from beneath the comforter and stroked the soft leather cover. “Me book.”
Sábria gently rubbed the back of Ailith’s hand and smiled down at her. “Yes, your book’s safe. Welcome back.”
Grasping the book and hiding it beneath the comforter, Ailith blushed, blearily hoping the Arch Priestess hadn’t seen the childish pictures concealed beneath the leather cover.
Sábria set the report on the side table and slid down until her head rested on one of the pillows and she could look Ailith in the eyes. With a soft, comforting tone, she asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Where am I?”
“In my bedroom.” Sábria put her hand on Ailith’s cheek and continued in the same, quiet voice. “What do you remember?”
Ailith blinked several times. “I…is Jenx okay? And Tanna?”
“Master Healer Haria stitched them both back together. Jenx is up and moving about, but Tanna’s injuries were more serious. They’re keeping her sedated in the infirmary. Her partner, Faylin, is staying with her.”
“What happened to th’ Lady Knight? Nox’s mother?”
“She died.”
Remembering Khaldo’s crushed head and Nox’s screams, Ailith shut her eyes tightly to block the pictures firing across her brain. Her mind felt muzzy and, still somewhat confused, she murmured, “Can you…” she stopped, her thoughts clearing enough for her to be too embarrassed to ask for what she really wanted.
“Can I what?” Sábria ran her hand through Ailith’s hair.
Ailith couldn’t get the sight of the horse’s hooves crushing Khaldo’s head out of her mind. Even though Jenx had already struck Khaldo down, the sight still haunted her. What she wanted, but would never admit, was for Sábria to hold her. For her to make everything all right again. But that would make her look weak, and besides, she’d always taken care of herself, hadn’t she? She spoke barely above a whisper. “Nothin’.”
“Hey. It’s okay. Come here.” Sábria reached beneath the comforter and carefully slipped her arm beneath Ailith’s shoulders. Very gently, she pulled her close so Ailith’s cheek rested on her chest. They stayed like that for a long while. Ailith didn’t want to talk, and Sábria let her rest quietly in her arms.
