Three nights later, Tris and his companions readied for a hasty departure. Steam rose from the horses in the cold air, as they cinched their saddle straps and tied down their few belongings. Vahanian added a bucket of pitch to each rider's provisions, taking the torch-lance for himself and passing arrows and bows to the other riders. When they were in the saddle, Mikhail and Gabriel stepped from the shadows.
"Remind me again why we're safer riding past magick beasts and assassins at night?" Vahanian snapped.
A hint of amusement curled Gabriel's mouth. "Because by night, we ride with you," the vayash moru replied. In the shadows beyond, Tris could see more figures stirring.
"Forgive me for noticing—but there aren't that many of you," Vahanian replied testily.
Gabriel shrugged. "These are of my family. Their loyalty is absolute. And they see that, in this, we have common cause with you."
"And they're real clear who's with us, and who isn't, right?"
Gabriel's disquieting smile revealed his incisors. "Quite."
"How does the road look between here and the bridge?" Tris asked, hoping his nervousness did not show in his voice. His mount nickered and pawed at the ground, as if it sensed both the undead and the looming danger.
"Clear when we passed," said Mikhail. "But we've seen scouts within a candlemark."
"If you saw them, why didn't you just eat them?" Vahanian growled.
"That would rather reveal our hand, wouldn't it?" Mikhail replied evenly.
"What of the beasts?" Kiara asked, and behind her, Berry edged her horse closer to Carina. Royster's eyes widened, and he clung more tightly to his reins.
"None sighted."
"The snows are getting deeper," Gabriel said, as two of the other vayash moru opened the stable doors. "We'd best be going."
Once on the road, the vayash moru slipped into the shadows. Vahanian rode point, with his lance lightly holstered and his sword close at hand. Tris rode behind him, while Kiara rode at the rear with Berry, Carina, Carroway and Royster in the middle. Each of them had a weapon at the ready—even Royster, who as it turned out, had perfected the use of a slingshot under Berry's tutelage.
"We've only got to reach the bridge," he heard Carina tell Berry comfortingly.
"Why is it called Gibbet Bridge?" Berry asked.
"Because they used to hang men from it," Royster replied absently. At the unanimous frowns he received from the rest of the party, Royster shrugged. "Sorry. It's the truth."
"If it keeps on snowing, we'll be pressed to make it in a night," Vahanian said, his sour mood clear in his tone. "Ride hard, but stay together."
Tris nudged his horse to pick up the pace, glad for the darkness. He hoped it would hide his fatigue from his friends. If they knew how much the working with Argus had cost him, and how drained he still remained despite Carina's best efforts, he was sure they would have postponed the journey. But the reports of Margolan scouts seemed to worry even Taru, who urged them to leave as quickly as possible.
Mageslayer hung at his belt, the finest sword he had ever possessed. Partnered with this, he amended his thoughts, because there was a sense of presence in the ensorcelled sword that was just shy of sentience. Taru had had little time to school him on the ways of enchanted weapons, but he had been able to glean three things about the sword. First, that it would temporarily enhance his magic in a battle arcane. Second, that it had some warding powers against poisons and venom and cursed objects, though Taru did not know the extent of its power, and cautioned against relying on the sword's protection. And third, that it was a masterfully forged and perfectly balanced weapon, which incited a glance of envy even from Vahanian, though no one dared handle it besides Tris.
They rode in silence, guided by moonlight, riding as fast as they dared over the snowy roads. No other travelers were about at this hour, and the inns were few in this sparsely populated corner of Principality. As the hours passed without incident, Tris began to wonder whether they had been worrying for naught.
"Not far now," Vahanian said wearily an hour before dawn. They could see the riverbank, and in the distance, Gibbet Bridge. Tris's imagination supplied dangling corpses, though he knew it was only the swaying of branches. A small hamlet sat to one side of the road, near a bend in the river. As they approached, the thatched roof of a house burst into flames, startling them and driving them back a pace with the rush of heat.
"Watch out!" Carroway shouted as arrows flew from the darkened houses.
"Ambush!" Vahanian yelled. "Ride for the bridge!"
Tris felt an arrow slice through his thigh, opening a gash. A rush of fire streamed from the darkness, averted at the last moment as Tris snapped his shields up, barely in time. Something was wrong, very wrong, he thought, as his heart began to pound and his blood thundered in his ears. The fire streamed brighter, as Tris fought to keep his seat on his horse. The fire pulsed once more, and Tris lashed out, on instinct more than plan, unsure later even of what power he sent in return. An explosion shook the night, sending a stream of sparks high into the sky and the blue light winked out.
"Ride!" Kiara shouted, as mounted men pounded from the hamlet's streets. Tris fell forward on his horse, gripping its mane, as vertigo washed over him. He heard the clang of steel and the swish of quarrels as his horse thundered through the snow behind the others.
In the moonlight, Tris sensed more than saw dark shapes, moving too swiftly for the eye to track. He heard a strangled cry from one of the archers, and then the panicked shriek of a horse as its rider was snatched from the saddle.
"Don't look back!" Carina shouted, grabbing Royster's reins and pulling the librarian's frightened horse along with hers.
Disoriented, struggling for breath, Tris held on to his horse with sweaty hands, feeling as if both sight and magesense were distorted by strong wine. He saw the spirits that rose up behind them as they neared the bridge, and knew by instinct that it was Argus and his routed men, risen to fight one last battle. The frightened cries of those few pursuers who remained assured him that the ghosts were not a product of his sudden delirium. He tried to raise a hand in warding, tried to work a simple spell to cover his friends, but found his power distant, unwilling to respond to his command.
The winter wind whipped their hair and stung their faces as they rode for the arched stone bridge. Their horses thundered across the roadway, over the dark, icy waters of the Nu River. Though they left behind both pursuers and protectors at the bridge, none of the companions slowed until the crossing was well behind them. Dawn was breaking as Vahanian, still leading, finally reined in his foam-flecked mount. The others nudged their exhausted horses to catch up. Vahanian rose in his stirrups and counted heads. "Everyone's here," he said, fatigue clear in his voice. "Let's find somewhere to sleep."
The sharp staccato of quarrels hitting the ground rang out in the morning air. A line of arrows, launched at close range by crossbows, cut across the road in front of them. From out of the bushes, soldiers in the livery of the Principality army stepped into view. "Drop your weapons," their captain grated. By reflex, Vahanian reached for his sword, and cried out as a quarrel clipped his shoulder.
"The next shot finds your heart," the soldier warned. "Drop your weapons."
With a curse, Vahanian dropped his sword. Tris and the others exchanged worried glances, but did the same as more soldiers ringed them, crossbows raised and notched. Two soldiers came forward and gathered up their weapons.
"We have urgent business," Tris said, hoping he looked better than he felt. It was taking all of his concentration just to stay in the saddle, and he felt feverish. He felt suddenly worse as Mageslayer fell from his grasp. His power still seemed out of reach, and it left a wrenching void that made him feel physically ill.
"I'll bet you do," the captain chuckled. "The king put a watch for a group with two swordsmen, a bard and a healer," he said with a nod toward Carina's green belt and the lute-shaped sack on Carroway's pack. "You can tell your urgent business to the general."
They rode for a candlemark in silence, ringed by armed soldiers. The gash on Tris's thigh burned, and he had begun to shake. Once, he saw Carina watching him worriedly. The soldiers led them to a small fort a few hours' ride from Gibbet Bridge. The captain motioned for them to dismount, and Tris fell rather than swung down from his horse, but managed to keep his feet.
"You'll wait here, until the general returns," the captain said, leading them to a large, sparsely furnished cell. Four soldiers with crossbows kept their weapons trained on the group until the door was secured, and two more remained on guard as the captain left.
Tris leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, as Carina rushed to his side. "What happened? Are you hit?" she said, and Tris wondered if he were as pale as he felt.
"Something's wrong," he murmured. "The magic... is out of reach."
"What does he mean by that?" Vahanian whispered, as Carina found the gash on Tris's leg. She frowned, and pressed one finger against the wound, then lifted it to her nose.
"Wormroot," she said, and looked through die pouches on her belt that the soldiers had permitted her to keep. "The arrow tips were poisoned."
"Wormroot?" Vahanian questioned. "It doesn't grow anywhere near here. And besides, at worst it causes a stomach ache—"
"That's because you're not a mage," Carina replied in a low voice. "I heard stories when Cam and I were with the mercenaries, here in Principality. They said to stop a mage, use worm-root. In large enough doses, over a long period, they say it will kill or drive a mage mad."
"Can you help him?" Carroway said anxiously. Royster kept watch for the guards, who stood at their posts, paying their captives no heed.
"I'll try," she replied. "But I never heard what the antidote was for wormroot, except that it should wear off over time. I'll start with rope vine," she said, digging in her pouch. "It helps with some of the poisons that fog the mind. The wound wasn't deep, so he can't have gotten much."
"He seemed to get worse when we were captured," Kiara mused. "In fact, he nearly fell when they made us drop our swords."
"Could Mageslayer have been absorbing some of the effect?" Carroway asked.
"It's quite possible," Royster said quietly. "Such powers are not uncommon for spelled objects, and it would be a handy thing for a mage's weapon to possess."
Carina rolled Tris over onto his back and ripped his pant leg wider to expose the injury.
Taking the hem of her cloak, she cleaned the wound the best she could, and made a paste of dried leaves from her pouch with the stale water Carroway fetched from a bucket in the corner. Within half a candlemark, the burning pain had stopped, and Tris felt the shaking cease.
"Thank you," he murmured to Carina, who was tending the gash on Vahanian's shoulder.
"Glad you're feeling better," Vahanian whispered in a low rasp. "Now, how do we get out of here?"
"Don't you think it's odd that the army was practically waiting for us on the other side of the bridge?" Carroway said. "Do you think the general is in cahoots with Jared? Think about it," the bard said tightly. "On the other side of the bridge, by night, at least we had the vayash moru and Argus. We lost both those defenses come dawn, as soon as we crossed the bridge. And that's when the army happened to be waiting for us." They exchanged worried glances as they considered the bard's scenario.
"But King Staden is a good king!" Berry protested. "At least, that's what everyone says," she added when they looked at her.
"Staden might not have anything to do with it," Vahanian replied, wincing as Carina worked on his shoulder. "Once this general gets us to the city, what he does with us is anyone's guess. Orders are easy enough to fake."
Kiara was on watch near the high slit that was the cell's only window. "Uh oh," she said. "Looks like the general has arrived."
Tris pulled himself into a sitting position and hoped he looked better than he felt. The Principality captain strode in, leading the way for a dark-haired man in a cloak. "These are the foreigners we arrested, general," the captain said as he stepped aside to give the general a look through the bars. "Came across Gibbet Bridge like the demon herself was after them. There are a couple extra, but four of them fit the bill."
Tris heard Carina gasp. Kiara glanced at her cousin, who had gone quite pale and stepped toward the back.
Kiara stepped forward. "Sirs," she said, making a perfunctory bow. "My companions and I were beset by highwaymen, which accounted for our haste last night. Two of my party are injured. We were traveling on business to Principality City. We have harmed no one. Please, let us be on our way."
The general looked them over. He was of medium build, with dark brown hair and intelligent eyes. But for the hard set to his mouth and a tightness around his blue eyes, he might have been considered handsome. That he was likely no older than Vahanian and held the rank of general spoke to his competence, and Tris guessed by his manner that he was accomplished with the sword that hung at his belt.
"I'm afraid that's impossible, m'lady. I have my orders from the king. What he seeks with you, I do not know, nor do I care. We will leave within a candlemark for the city. You can make your case there."
He was about to go when Carina stepped forward. "Gregor," she called softly.
The general turned, and his eyes widened when he saw the healer, as if he had seen a ghost.
"You?" the general breathed. "But I saw you die... with Ric... what magic is this?"
Carina bowed her head and stepped closer to the bars. "No trick, Gregor. Cam took me to the Sisters. They brought me back, from the very arms of the Lady."
Gregor's face hardened. "More than you could do for my brother."
Carina flushed. "Please Gregor, listen to me. Our mission is urgent. Please, let us go."
"I have my orders."
"Then give sanctuary at least for the girl and the old man," Carina begged. "Send them to the Sisters. The king said nothing of them."
"How dare you beg a favor of me?" Gregor demanded. "Why should I?"
Carina looked up at him, and her face was wet with tears. "For Ric's sake," she said quietly, "for what was before. Please, Gregor. Please."
Gregor looked at her in silence for a moment. His face was unreadable. With an oath, he turned away. "Take the child and the old man to the Sisterhood," he commanded the captain. "Make it clear they are to be kept there until the king gives permission for their release." He turned back to Carina, and looked at her coldly.
"All debts are paid," he said. The venom in his voice made Vahanian start toward the bars, but Kiara laid a warning hand on his arm, and he stayed where he was. Tris felt his own anger bristle, and saw fire glint in Carroway's eyes.
Carina looked at the floor. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Most people treat a healer with respect," Vahanian observed acidly from where he stood. His hand fell from habit to where his sword should have rested in his empty scabbard.
Gregor regarded him icily. He glanced at Carina. "Two of a kind, Carina?" he said with an edge, and the healer turned scarlet. Gregor looked back to Vahanian. "I had the utmost respect for my late brother's betrothed, until she failed to save him. To think she died trying made the memory bearable. Knowing she survived and he did not is a different matter entirely." He looked at the group. "I do not know what the king requires of you, but I am a willing instrument of his justice." With that, the general turned on his heel and left.
The cell door opened, and the captain gestured for Royster and Berry. Carina hugged Berry tightly.
"It will be all right, Carina. You'll see," Berry said with a child's certainty. Carina managed a smile.
"You'll be safe with the Sisterhood," she said, her voice tight.
Royster laid a hand on Carina's shoulder. "I'll see to the girl," the librarian said. "Thank you."
Carina nodded as the two were led out of sight. The guards returned to their post, and Carina buried her face in her hands. Kiara knelt next to her cousin and waved the others away, wrapping her arms around Carina as she sobbed. Vahanian turned away from the cell bars with a potent curse, and kicked at a rock. Carroway sat down next to Tris.
"At least we're headed in the right direction," the bard observed, with as much hope as he could muster.
Tris closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. "The question is—do we get to stay?"
"It's nearly two days' ride into the city," Carroway said quietly. "Do you think... tonight... that Gabriel...?"
Tris shook his head. "Doubtful. Their fight is with Jared, not this king. And the vayash moru decide their own schedule. Technically, we're not in danger—at least, not yet. They won't risk reprisals here killing mortals."
"If the witch biddies are as smart as they look, maybe they'll figure out something's wrong when Royster and Berry show up on their doorstep," Vahanian said, leaning against the wall. "Although they don't ride to the rescue very often." He cursed again. "Which means, we're on our own."
The captain returned in a candlemark with six armed men to lead them to their horses for the ride into the city. He stood before Vahanian, fists on his hips. Vahanian's eyes narrowed and he spat just shy of the captain's boot.
"You will be taken for questioning," the captain announced. "Cooperate, and no harm will come to you," he advised. "Get moving."
They spent the night under heavy guard at another outpost, and woke at dawn for the ride into Principality City. The roadway grew wider, leading to the castle. Merchants and beggars moved aside to let them pass. They reached a heavily gated entrance in the base of the castle, and as they entered, the massive iron portcullis creaked back into place behind them.
"I don't like this," Vahanian muttered.
"For once, I think I agree with you," Carina murmured.
Tris's imagination supplied many possibilities during their march, none of them pleasant. When they reached the castle, he expected to have the party split up, searched for the rest of their weapons, and locked—perhaps chained—in dungeon cells, awaiting an escort to Margolan.
The king's guardsmen met the captain at the inner bailey. "We'll take the prisoners from here," the guardsman said.
"General Gregor gave me orders to deliver them personally," the army captain countered.
"You may give the general the king's thanks. But we will take the prisoners from here."
The army captain's displeasure was clear in his face, but he gave a bow and signaled to his men to retreat.
"You will come with us," the captain of the guard said expressionlessly, as the liveried men-at-arms formed a column on either side of the prisoners. The captain of the guard marched them past the cells, and Vahanian and Tris exchanged puzzled glances as they climbed up a winding stairway toward the higher levels of the palace. They emerged behind a heavy wooden door in a well-appointed room.
"You will wait here," the captain said. He drew a dagger from his belt and split the cords that bound them, then gave a crisp bow and retreated, leaving only enough guards to block each exit. The prisoners looked at each other warily.
"Do you know this king, Tris?" Kiara asked.
"I've never met him. But perhaps Jared has," Tris replied. The reception hall, while not opulent, was quite comfortable, with a fire blazing in the hearth. A large, stern portrait glowered above the mantle, a strapping king dressed for a hunt, his trophy fox kill hanging from his grip, one black leather boot poised in triumph atop a downed stag. Finely woven tapestries covered the other walls.
"I'd say we're going nowhere fast," Vahanian said, rubbing his wrists. "I don't get it. First they inarch us here as if they've got a gallows waiting. Now it looks like they're going to serve dinner."
"Maybe they are," Carroway replied uneasily. "Question is, are we the guests or the peace offer-ing?"
Just then a door burst open. A streak of green brocade, the rustle of taffeta and running footsteps caught them all off-guard as their visitor lunged at Vahanian, nearly carrying him backward. Caught by the fighter's sharp reflexes, the newcomer beamed at them, a bright-eyed girl with a cascade of auburn hair braided with pearls on strands of gold.
"I told you I'd be all right!" Berry exclaimed, and before Vahanian could react, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
"I see I have no need to inquire which of you might be Vahanian," a deep baritone voice said from the door, and the astonished group found a bearded, sturdily built man watching them, powerful arms crossed across his chest, his expression no longer stern as in the portrait above the fireplace, but mirthful and indulgent.
Berry released Vahanian, running with undignified joy to greet each of the travelers. Gone was her tattered tunic, replaced by an ankle-length gown of Mussa brocade, its bodice alight with small gemstones and pearls. The unruly auburn curls were tamed into a dignified braid that shimmered in the firelight, plaited with gold. Scrubbed clean, perfumed and powdered, the tomboy had disappeared, replaced by a beautiful young girl too excited by her guests to worry about her finery. "And this is Carina," Berry concluded her introductions.
"I have heard much concerning each of you," the king said, stepping closer. "Forgive the... irregular greeting," he said with a smile and a perfunctory bow. "I am King Staden of Principality. I believe you already know my daughter, Berwyn."
Behind Staden, Soterius and Harrtuck crowded their way into the gathering room, followed by Royster. They greeted Tris and the others with hearty cheers.
Tris stepped forward. "Greetings, gracious king," he said with a bow. "Forgive our surprise, but we had no idea—"
The king chuckled. "Yes, Berwyn told me of her ruse. She has, I fear, her mother's love for a prank," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "And I believe her role-playing may have saved her life, for her captors might have gone harder on her had they known the truth," he said, sobering. "For that same reason, when her traveling party was beset by bandits, we did not publicize that it was my daughter who was captured."
"The noble's daughter," Vahanian said, and King Staden nodded in confirmation. "The one the travelers at the inn said had been taken by slavers."
"We knew she could not conceal her noble birth," the king replied, "but we hoped to make her less of a hostage." His eyes grew serious. "When Berwyn returned to me last night, she told me about your capture. Forgive my use of the guards," he said with a gesture toward the soldiers who now filed from the room, dismissed. "But your friends here," he said with a nod to Soterius and Harrtuck, "warned me that you might not answer my summons any other way."
Staden smiled. "I, and my kingdom, are in your debt," he said. He walked among them, and stopped in front of Vahanian. "Yes, you fit Berwyn's description of an adventurer," he said with a grin, extending his hand to the mercenary, who shook it dubiously. "She told me you were her special champion," he said. "Tonight, there will be a banquet in your honor," he proclaimed. "For all of you, and your bravery in returning my daughter to her home. You have only to ask of me, and it will be done."
"Your Majesty," Tns began, and King Staden turned to him, taking his hand in greeting and clapping him on the shoulder.
"Berwyn told me of your circumstances, Prince Drayke," the king replied. "I shared many hunts with your father, and found him a worthy companion. I understand the urgency of your journey."
"I am grateful for your hospitality," Tris said. "But I fear that an open welcome may place your kingdom in peril."
Staden dismissed Tris's warning with a gesture. "On the morrow, we will talk, and you shall have the resources of my kingdom, my best men-at-arms, and my wisest military strategists at your service," Staden announced. "I have no love for Margolan raiders within my boundaries and I have heard the tales of the refugees who crowd my border villages. We shall all be better off when Margolan answers to a fit king.
"But tonight," he continued, "we feast. I never thought to see my daughter again. You have returned her to me. Nothing is more important. Come, we must get ready," he said, clapping his hands sharply. Servants streamed from the doors, gathering around Tris and the others and moving them toward the exits. "My servants will help you prepare," the king called after them, as Berry stood beside him with her arms around his waist.