Noble Falling (13 page)

Reaching into the bag, I pulled out a belt. Smiling, I ran my fingertips over the knife already resting in the sheath threaded onto the strip of leather. It was beautiful, its hilt patterned in the way only a master weaponsmith could create.

“It was a gift”—I had not realized Kahira was even awake—“received from an old friend.”

She had startled me, and the pounding in my chest only grew stronger as the thought of her seeing me undress passed through my mind. Trying to ignore my body’s reaction, I stood, offering the blade back to Kahira.

“Then, here, I cannot take it from you.”

This time, it was her hand that reached out to curl around mine, closing my fingers around the blade’s hilt.

“The knife is of good quality, made for hard use in life, but not for fighting. It will serve you well enough for protection if comes to that. With my daggers, I have little use for such a knife. And it was not the only gift I received; the other reward given to me holds much greater value.” Kahira smiled, looking over her shoulder to Enza, letting her hand drop.

The hound was twitching slightly, still caught in her own dreams, unaware that her owner was awake. I wound the new belt around my waist, cinching the tunic’s fabric closer to my body. Finally dressed, I hesitantly spoke to Kahira.

“You said these gifts were a reward….” I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat that seemed determined to appear each time I talked to Kahira. “What was it you did?”

I was met with another of Kahira’s smiles, but this one held a hint of sadness mixed with the beauty usually found in her grin.

“There was a hunter in the northern territories who found me in the woods. Seeing I was injured, he carried me back to his home, where he and his wife cared for me. I… I was severely wounded, and in his desire to help me, the hunter did little for his dogs save feed them and let them out for a hunt once or twice. A couple of weeks later, without knowing it, one of the hunter’s dogs came in contact with a diseased animal while it remained in its pen, waiting for another hunt. By then, I was healed enough to help with the basic needs of the family’s home, and was with the hunter’s wife while the hunter had gone to the local town in search of those needing his skills. While she was feeding the dogs, the hunter’s wife noticed the foaming mouth of the largest hound.

“She knew to stay away, but the dog had smelled the food the wife was offering its kin, and grew vicious in its hunger. The animal’s heightened aggression increased its strength. Realizing the wood containing the animal would soon break, therefore leaving the hunter’s wife at the mercy of the crazed dog, I grabbed the nearest thing—the knife you hold now. I managed to throw myself at the dog as soon as it broke through its cage, despite the pain that still wound through my body. Before it could bite, I sank the knife into its chest, re-injuring myself in the process.

“When the hunter returned, his wife told him what had happened. He gave me the knife that day. And then, when I had finally healed enough to leave, the hunter gave me a pup from his favorite dog’s most recent litter.”

“Kahira.” I smiled uneasily, undeniably joyed at the added knowledge of Kahira’s past, but troubled at the thought of what she had experienced that left her in such need of the hunter’s care. I somehow found the courage to ask, “What was it that injured you in the first place?”

Her smile faded, and she fell into silence. Not wanting to shatter any hope I had of her answering, I said nothing, waiting for any sign that she was about to speak. Finally, a heavy sigh caused my hopes to soar.

“That….” Kahira’s jaw clenched as she looked past me.

Her expression changed, and I turned to see what the disturbance was. Already in his horse’s saddle, Ori was impatiently staring in our direction, waiting for us to gather our things.

“It seems as though your guard is ready to leave.” Kahira had clearly decided my question would go unanswered.

I nodded, silently cursing the man watching Kahira and me.

“I doubt he’d believe it from me, but let him know I send my thanks for his willingness to pause for a while in order for me to rest.” Kahira bent to retrieve the pile of clothes at my feet, placing them in the satchel and throwing it over her shoulder.

“He may not show it, but please know he is grateful for your continued help.” With my eyes locked onto hers, my throat grew dry. “As am I, Kahira. I did not think I would be lucky enough to see you again.”

It was brief, but impossible to miss—a blush flashed across Kahira’s features, darkening her skin. She blushed, and with that, it felt as though my heart had stopped.

“B
ASED
on what you say, Kahira, Ariwa is only a few days away.” Ori seemed to reduce his hostility toward the woman as soon as he realized she had not only brought us physical supplies, but as much information she was able to gather. Granted, he was obviously still far from trusting her.

“Yes, even if this rain continues, we shouldn’t be delayed too much.” Her tone was civil, but with her face masked behind the hood of her cloak, I doubted her expression was as friendly.

The oiled cloaks Kahira provided worked, mercifully protecting us from the rain that had rolled in. With the bruise on my side still sore, I found the weather made for even more uncomfortable travel; but at least with the horses, we were able to avoid trudging through the mud. Enza, however, seemed to enjoy running through the murky puddles forming on the road.

Ori pulled his horse alongside mine. “And we will find information there in the city?”

The hood of Kahira’s black cloak turned with her head. “I have heard of a tavern just inside the city’s eastern wall. Any rumor passing on its way to the kingdom’s capital will have been heard there first. I warn you, you will not find the most pleasant company there, but the information will be good. With luck, you’ll even hear word of what is happening in your homeland.”

“Was there any word of Eniva where you got these horses?” I pushed my hood up from my eyes, letting the rain hit my face as I watched Kahira rein Taewin to a stop, turning toward Ori and me.

“Not directly, no.” She uncovered her head, exposing an expression I had not seen on her face, but yet another I could not name. “But, Aleana, there were soldiers on the road. A group of thirty men moving along the border. The road they were on would take them to Seyna.”

“In Enivian colors?” Ori’s cream-colored mare stamped her feet, unhappy with her rider’s orders to halt.

Kahira’s eyes burned as she practically spat the name. “Dakmor’s.”

My skin went cold. “How are they now traveling openly?”

“I don’t know, and I didn’t want to risk following them to try and find out. Maybe Ariwa will hold that answer as well.” Kahira replaced her hood and rode ahead. Atop her massive black horse, she would be frightening to any stranger.

I glanced at Ori and knew the worried look on his face was reflected in my own expression. I was afraid to ask, but the question slipped from my mouth:

“Do you think Halvaria has been invaded?”

“I don’t know, Aleana. But, if they have been, Tallak will be more inclined to believe you rather than any rumors he has heard. We just have to keep moving.” Ori spurred his horse slightly.

I watched Ori briefly before directing my own horse to follow. He was right, and if Dakmor’s Princess Zoriah was after all of Halvaria, Tallak would understand the significance of taking Eniva first. Zoriah’s own father had led a campaign to take my family’s land as a bastion of support for a full Dakmoran invasion of Halvaria. If Zoriah was planning on starting another war, allying herself with Dalric would improve her odds of succeeding where many of her ancestors had failed. And yet, I still could not piece together why Dalric had so readily turned a traitor for his most hated enemy. If it was power he sought, then why would he spread rumors of my death, only drawing more attention to Eniva?

Understanding jolted through me.

“Ori, wait!” I caught up to him, renewed urgency flooding my veins, drowning the pain in my side.

Worry highlighted the creases in his face. “What is it, milady? Are you unwell?”

I ignored the honorific.

“We have to warn Tallak. I don’t think he knows yet that Dalric is working with Dakmor. If he hears that I tried to start a rebellion, no matter what else Dalric has said, Tallak will send his soldiers north to Eniva.” I waited for him to pick up on what I was saying.

“Leaving Seyna almost completely open to attack, and Dakmor’s army is already filtering in, destroying guard stations as they go. Small groups of them mean they’ll be less likely to get caught.” Ori was obviously working through the scenario in his head. “If Zoriah gathers enough of her men and cuts off Tallak’s soldiers from Seyna, they will have nowhere to run, leaving them completely vulnerable. Seyna will be open for the taking. No matter how many men remain in Seyna, without a way to call the main army back, there is no hope.”

I felt my panic rising with each word Ori spoke. I clenched my teeth in frustration. I felt powerless. I only had pieces, small pieces of everything going on around me, and the only picture I could make with them was terrifying. What was worse was that each new piece only seemed to point to even more horrors.

“We have to reach Tallak before he has the chance to move his army.” I tried to keep my fright from carrying over into my words, but I knew I was failing.

“We will get you to your betrothed. We will get you to Seyna, and I will return to my home, where my wife and my child will be waiting.” Ori smiled at me, his expression full of an optimism I could not begin to match. “Just think of the songs they will sing. You’ll be a legend before you are even crowned. The queen who saved a kingdom. You will bring even more honor to your family name, Aleana.”

As terrified as I was, my childhood dreams came flooding back. I smiled at the guard, letting him know he had succeeded in lightening my mood. Still, I could only hope we would reach Tallak in time. If I could only warn him, Zoriah might be caught off guard, and her and Dalric’s plan could fail.

“H
OLD
on, there’s something up ahead.” Kahira’s hushed voice broke the silence that had settled on us since the night before when the rain had seeped into our skin. “Ori, stay back with Aleana.”

The continued rain only managed to dampen our already somber moods, but Kahira’s words awoke a sense of foreboding deep within me.

Ori set his jaw, unhappy with taking orders, but he said nothing to the woman riding ahead. For reasons I couldn’t explain, my palms began to sweat as my heart raced. Before Kahira had put much distance between us, eight men emerged from a trail leading deeper into the woods. The blood drained from my face as soon as I saw the colors of the soldiers’ uniforms. Seeing a flicker of movement under Kahira’s cloak, I knew one of her daggers had been unsheathed. Still, she kept her head down, not looking at the men who were now slowly riding straight toward us.

Ori and I moved our horses to the side of the road, silently hoping the Dakmorans would somehow pass without incident. Those hopes crumbled, however, when one of the men, despite her best efforts, managed to get a look at Kahira’s face.

Throwing his hand up to halt his comrades, the man’s voice mixed with the sounds of falling rain.

“Well, look what we have here, men.” The man’s deep chuckle sent a chill down my spine.

Kahira lifted her head, exposing the tattoo above her brow to the soldiers. Her hood fell back, revealing a woman who looked regal in her defiance.

Another man spoke, sliding his hand to the hilt of his sword. “Tell us, girl, what was your crime so we can remind you of your punishment.”

Kahira remained silent, only staring at the men who were focused on nothing but the armed woman in front of them.

Growing impatient with her insolence, one of the soldiers brought his horse alongside Taewin. Before he could even react, Kahira’s dagger was lodged in his thigh and he was pulled from his mount, only to be met with Enza’s powerful jaws as he hit the ground. With one of their men lying broken in the mud, the soldiers drew their swords, no longer willing to just taunt Kahira. When she flung her cloak behind her, the brand on her arm flashed in the day’s grayish light. I was not sure if I had imagined it, but I would have sworn I saw fear spread across the faces of Kahira’s attackers.

The man nearest Kahira spat a foreign word I didn’t understand. She turned to him, a sinister sneer on her face as she responded in the same tongue. Whatever Kahira said seemed to only infuriate the men further. Their blades sang through the air, seeking Kahira’s flesh. My horse danced under me nervously as Ori freed his own sword and dismounted, joining the fight.

The air came alive with the striking of metal against metal. Kahira had dismounted, taking turns pulling the Dakmorans from their saddles. On the ground and faced with Enza’s jaws as well as Kahira’s blades, the men stood little chance. As I watched the scene before me, I realized Kahira and Ori were wordlessly working to keep the men from flanking them—to keep the men from reaching me. There were too many of them, though, and even with Ori’s help, the outcome was inevitable. Kahira knew it as well. Kahira’s daggers pulled another man from his horse as she yelled to Ori.