Age of Myth (20 page)

“You don't know me.”

“I know you fought for me at the cascade and against the wolves. You stood up against Konniger and faced the gods when no one else dared.”

“Whose point are you trying to prove?” He smiled.

She smiled back and was prettier for it, younger looking.

“Listen,” he said. “I sort of made a promise to myself. I come from a family of warriors. All my father and brothers ever did was fight, one battle after another. It's all they knew, so that's what they did, kill and burn. They were good at it, good at destroying things, but they died fighting. None of them ever accomplished anything…well, positive…or lasting. They never built something or made a difference. I want my life to amount to more than years of bloodshed.”

“But being keenig is—”

“Is just more killing. Don't you see? You want me to be like my father. You want me to lead people into battle, to kill and destroy. I want something else.”

“What do you mean by
else
?”

“Better.”

“Better?” Persephone chuckled. “What could be better than being the leader of our entire race?”

“To live somewhere safe and raise a family. To teach my sons to do the same. That would be good and lasting.” Raithe allowed himself to look directly into her eyes. He always did this with men; anything less was disrespectful, even cowardly. But with a woman, the same action felt indecent somehow. Maybe because he enjoyed it. He couldn't hold his gaze and still say what he planned, so he looked back out at the hills.

“I was thinking…hoping…you might consider coming with me.”

“With you?”

He kept looking over the wall. “I don't see how you can stay. Your chieftain is siding with Hegner, and he'll have to administer justice. If you stay, he'll punish you. What do they do to killers here?” He didn't wait for her to answer. He wanted to get it all out. “Whatever it is, be hard to do if you're not around. Besides, you're like I am: You don't have a family, not anymore. You don't even have a home to call your own.” He let his eyes return from their exile and look back into hers. “I've enjoyed your company, and it sounds like you've done a lot of traveling and know your way around. It'd be nice having you along. I'm thinking we can find someplace where we could both start over.”

Her brows were up and her mouth open even before she spoke. “Are you asking me to run away with you?”

Her tone sounded just short of laughter.

Raithe's heart sank, and he sucked a breath in through his teeth. “I'll take that as a
no.
”

Persephone's eyes weren't so bright now, and Raithe shifted his focus to the grass at their feet. He felt a burning desire to be anywhere else than where he was. His face was hot, and he felt a prickly heat where leather covered skin. He took a couple of steps away.

“Wait.” She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I'm sorry. I'm flattered. I am, but…don't you think I'm a little old for you?”

“Obviously not or I wouldn't have asked.” He didn't like the sound of his voice. It came out with a bite. That wasn't the way he wanted to leave things, but—

I should get away before I say something to make this worse.

Instead, he blurted out, “Is it because of Nyphron?”

Persephone looked puzzled. “Nyphron? Why are you bringing him up?”

“He's interested in you, right?”

“Interested in me? A Rhune?” She looked at him, amazed.

“When he saw you at the gate, he lost concentration. Nearly got him killed. I guess I could see how you might—”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

“There are lots of stories where gods become infatuated with mortal women.”

Looking over her shoulder, she smirked. “They're not gods, remember? Besides, I don't think that's going to be a problem. If anyone is likely to catch one of their eyes, it will be Moya.” She put a worried hand to her brow and sighed. “Now that I think about it, I ought to talk to her about staying away from them.”

Raithe drew away again.

“Raithe.” She stepped forward, her face pained. “My husband was killed less than a month ago. We were married for twenty years. I loved him. I
still
love him. Can you understand?”

In his head, he told her she wasn't helping. He wanted to explain that loyalty and devotion were virtues he rarely found, and he wanted to be as fortunate as Reglan had been. In his head, he also apologized for intruding on her grief and for presuming someone like him had a chance with someone like her. He was Dureyan, after all. He imagined telling her all these things, but when he finally opened his mouth, all he said was, “Okay.”

The word hung there, heavy and sad. Perhaps she didn't want that to be the last word between them because she spoke again. “You're wrong about me not having a family. Padera is like a mother to me, the way she has been to everyone since her children died. Brin is like my daughter or at least a niece because I consider Sarah my sister. Moya is like a troublesome but irresistible cousin, and Gifford…” She reached up and wiped her eyes. “You see? I do have a family, and they're in trouble, serious trouble. I can't leave. I'll be able to convince Konniger of my innocence. I've known him for years.”

She performed a more thorough wiping of her face, then stepped forward and hugged him tightly. “I want to thank you for all you've done for me and everyone here. You saved my life more than once. I wish you would stay. You don't have to be the keenig if you don't want. You can still help. You've already helped so much just by being here. And maybe…maybe you could build a happy life in Dahl Rhen. What do you say?”

She released him and stepped back, hands clasped before her.

Raithe didn't feel
quite
so foolish anymore. He was far from happy, but the hug was nice. He'd never wanted much. Dureyans didn't have dreams the way others did. Food and warmth were all they cared about, and until that moment Raithe's plan was to be alone in the wilderness. But now he saw how lonely, how empty that would be. He found himself nodding.

“And as for the Fhrey…” Persephone looked over her shoulder at their camp near the well. “Who knows how long they'll stay. To be honest, they scare me. They scare everyone…except you.”

She was wrong. The Fhrey scared him plenty. Why they hadn't killed him, he wasn't sure. The Galantians appeared impressed by the novelty of a Rhune who refused to give in, a Rhune who would fight. Leaving before the novelty wore off was the smart thing to do, but the idea of going without her made his stomach sink.

Perhaps given some time, I'll be able to convince her to come.

Persephone sighed and looked at the lodge. “Well, I suppose there's no point in delaying any longer. Best get at it.”

“Be careful in there,” he told her. “I mean it, Persephone. If you have any problem, yell. Yell real loud and then get out of the way. I'll do the rest.”

“Thanks, but attacking the chieftain probably isn't the right approach, and I doubt it would help my case.”

“Works in Dureya.” He smiled.

She started back down the ladder and paused. “It'll be okay; you'll see. I've known Konniger for years. He was my husband's Shield, after all. I just need to explain my side of things. Oh, and you can call me Seph. You've earned that.”

“The Galantians said they'll help us,” Persephone declared, standing before the chairs in the center of the lodge's Great Hall. Delwin and Tope Highland had come along. The two men stood beside and slightly behind her. Tope's boots were muddy after a day spent turning soil on the ridge. He wasn't known as a fighter, but years working in the high fields had made him strong. Delwin held his shepherd's staff in one hand and a big floppy hat Sarah had made for him in the other. He wasn't a warrior, either, but as close to a brother as Persephone had. Both men were eager to get home after a long day's work but had agreed to come with her.

“Help us how?” Konniger's tone was more than skeptical but shy of sarcastic, a low smoldering growl of reluctant tolerance.

Konniger and Tressa sat in the First and Second Chairs, wearing stone faces. Maeve and Krier stood to either side as was proper for the chieftain's Shield and the Keeper of Ways. The formality was grating. She was being received like a stranger. Worse even, Persephone smelled cooked meat and baked bread, but the food had been cleared before she entered. Even a stranger would have been invited to dine with them.

Persephone refused to look at Hegner, who stood in the back. She also avoided Maeve's and Tressa's eyes and kept her focus on Konniger. “If other Fhrey come, come to destroy Dahl Rhen, they'll speak for us. They believe it's possible to prevent what happened in Dureya and Nadak from occurring here.”

There were others in the hall, including Riggles, who farmed the fertile southern fields, and Devon, the huntsman who had been Sackett's close friend. All of them had something in common—she didn't know them well, and some, like Krier and The Stump, she didn't like. There were others, too, new faces that clustered in the shadows behind the First Chair.

Not one of them greeted this news with a smile.

“Why would they do such a thing?” Konniger asked.

“Because these Fhrey oppose what the other Fhrey are doing. They disobeyed their leaders and refused to burn Nadak and Dureya, and—”

“And yet Nadak
was
burned,” said one of the strangers who stood behind the chairs, a man with a grizzled face and an accusing stare. She didn't understand where all the hostility came from until she noticed the hammer broach pinned to his shoulder. He was from Nadak.

“True, but
they
didn't do it,” she explained. “They tried to stop it. These nine are renegades. They don't want to hurt us. They can't return to Alon Rhist, so they're looking for a place to shelter. But if the others do come, these Fhrey will speak on our behalf, convince their kind to spare us. Don't you see that if—”

“If the Galantians are outlaws, why would anyone listen to them?” Konniger asked. “And since they are criminals, won't their presence put us in greater danger? Harboring fugitives will prove to Alon Rhist that we're troublemakers. Allowing these renegades to stay will make matters worse.”

Persephone clapped her hands against her sides. “If the Fhrey do intend to burn Dahl Rhen to the ground and kill every last man, woman, and child, how could matters get worse? Don't we stand a better chance with these Galantians as allies?”

“
If
is the important word in what you said. What
if
the Fhrey have already enacted the full extent of their retribution?
If
they have no plans on attacking us, we'll give them a reason to change their minds,” Konniger said, a stern look on his face.

“Our best option is to appease them,” Tressa said. “Maybe if we handed over these outlaws. Could we do that? Could we send word to Alon Rhist and tell them they're here? Wouldn't that prove we're not like Dureya?” Tressa's eyes widened with excitement. “We could hand over the God Killer, too! I'm sure it would impress them. They would see we aren't a problem. They might even reward us.”

“According to Nyphron, the Galantians' leader, the Fhrey of Alon Rhist have been ordered to eliminate all Rhunes. This goes beyond retribution for one Fhrey's death. They are bent on killing all of us.”

“Nyphron?” Konniger stopped her. “So you're on a first-name basis with this Fhrey?”

“He told us his name, yes.”

“He told
you
is what you mean,” Tressa said. “Why hasn't this Nyphron presented himself to Konniger? Why hasn't he come before the chieftain?”

“I don't know. Maybe they're expecting someone from the lodge to come out to speak with them.”

“And I'm wondering why these outlaws are so willing to help us. Why would they go against their own kind?” Tressa asked. “What's in it for them?”

“I'm not sure. Which is why you should
go talk to them.
” Persephone was getting frustrated now. “I would think you would want to find out such things.”

“And I think you can't help butting in. You can't accept it's me, and not you, sitting in the Second Chair. You forget who rules Dahl Rhen now.” Tressa's face had turned red.

“Tressa,” Persephone said in a quiet voice. “People who lead don't need to remind others who the leader is. All I want is for you to do your duty.”

“All
you
want from
me
! How dare you stand there and demand—”

Konniger patted his wife's hand, apparently trying to calm her. “I think there is a bigger point being overlooked.” He gazed sternly at Persephone. “Up until a few days ago, everything was fine. Now two of the dahl's most capable hunters are dead and we have been overrun by not only the famed
God Killer
but a contingent of Fhrey warriors whom you invited in against my orders. The whole thing seems a bit too convenient for my taste.”

The others in the lodge were nodding and exchanging knowing looks. Something was going on—had been going on—since before she had entered. While she talked, the men scowled. Persephone had expected to find relief or appreciation; although she could have understood finding concern, worry, or fear. Instead, she saw agreement on the faces of the men gathered in the Great Hall.

What has Hegner been saying about me?

“You don't think I see what you're doing?” Konniger accused. “If you wanted to rule, you should have made a proper challenge like Holliman did. Oh, but you couldn't, could you? You didn't have anyone here strong enough to act as your champion. So you had to plot and wait while you maneuvered outsiders. Now you have your own personal army of Fhrey.”