The Destroyer Book 2 (17 page)

"How are you feeling?" Runir asked when I stepped wrong and gasped in pain. There were half a dozen armed warriors waiting for us, and they saluted Runir and me when we approached. We saluted them in return and they formed a circle around the group.

"Fine." I didn't want to tell him how I actually felt. He nodded and turned back to his task as my beast of burden.

After what seemed like a four-hour hike, the forest gave way to a cliff that showcased a beautiful waterfall and a small river that led into a refreshing pool of moving glass. The pool drained into a smaller river and danced through a gully toward the ocean. A narrow trail clung to the side of the steep slope, and I gritted my teeth when I thought about how difficult it would be for me to traverse the path on my injured leg.

"I'll carry you down," Runir said. The other soldier wiggled out of my grasp and he took the lead down the slope.

"No. I'll walk down it myself." I didn't want someone to haul me down like a sack of vegetables. It was bad enough that I had to lean on them for support.

"Please let him bear you, Duchess. Your stitching will be damaged and the wound will become re-infected," Gerald pleaded. I glanced over to the mousey man and his daughter. They both looked as exhausted as I felt. I realized he was right and nodded to Runir. Before I could situate myself my friend lifted me up as easily as I picked up my sword. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gritted my teeth as he picked his way down the rocky trail to the shore of the river.

"You are strong," I said after the ten-minute hike placed us at our destination. I was surprised that he had been able to carry me the entire descent, so I felt I owed him a compliment, but I hoped he wouldn’t read too much into it.

"You don't weigh a lot, Nadea. You lost some weight in the dungeon. Did they feed you?" He set me down on the sandy beach carefully.

"No. Not until Gerald began taking care of me." I wondered what Kaiyer would have looked like back when he was a general in the O'Baarni's army. I imagined the sun reflecting off of polished plate armor, his shoulders and arms thick and broad with muscle. He had been strikingly handsome even when he appeared at famine's door. I wished that I could have seen him after a few months of good food and exercise.

No. It was probably better that I would never see Kaiyer in his full athleticism. I had already begun to fall for him. I still felt soreness spread through my chest whenever I recalled his green eyes and easy smile. His face seemed free of all possible stress and I would never have believed that he was a mighty warrior if I had not witnessed it myself.

"You okay?" Runir asked, pulling me from of the memory of Kaiyer dismantling the Vanlourn soldiers who had tried to capture us shortly after we woke him.

"Yeah. Sorry. I was planning our next steps."

"Nadea . . ." He licked his lips nervously and stared into my eyes. "Did they," he looked back to the other soldiers before whispering, "do anything to you, in the dungeon?"

"No. They attempted but I kicked a few of them."

"Thank the Spirits. I would have torn the whole place down if they violated you." He gritted his teeth and turned his face away from me.

"How much farther?" Now that I was out of the prison I didn't want to imagine what might have happened in the dark cell. The dried leaves of the oak forest crunched beneath us like bones, but the sun began to fight the winter's chill and was warming my skin through the branches of the trees.

"The camp is a quarter of a mile past this river and through more trees. My father will want to hear this news." I looked at the water. It flowed quickly but didn't look that deep from up close. It was almost a stream. "I'll carry you across again?" I nodded and he scooped me up in his arms and forded the river while the remainder of the group followed us.

Before we arrived at the camp, another set of sentries met and escorted us the rest of the way into the perimeter. I was surprised at the organization and activity of the army. Tents were set up strategically, latrines built on the far corner of the settlement, and all the soldiers either worked on equipment or trained. I would have guessed that morale would have been lower and the camp a quiet reflection of the despair the men must have felt at their hopeless situation.

In the center of the cantonment stood a large tent flying the orange and purple colors of Nia. Maerc stepped out of the canvas flap and his blue eyes lit up when he saw me. He wore his informal chain armor and the polished links caught the first rays of the sun's descent.

"Duchess Nadea is present! Salute, you dogs!" he yelled. Everyone within earshot stopped their activity and saluted me at full attention.

"Come inside, Duchess." He turned to his son after I limped in and sat down. "Can you bring her some food?" Runir looked at me with concern and then darted out the flap. I realized that I had lost Gerald and Inada, but then I relaxed when I recognized their voices outside the general's pavilion. They were given rations and directions to the medical tent where they would help with the wounded.

"I thought you died, Nadea. When Runir found you in the dungeon it was the first piece of good news we have had in a long time." Maerc never smiled and the movement split the lines of his face like the rain carved furrows in ancient granite. I nodded and grinned back, but my expression was forced. Runir's father was a stoic general and I had never seen him smile. He may have been happy to see me, but he'd just lost his kingdom and the king, so I doubted he felt any real joy. His grin made me feel uneasy.

Something was wrong.

"Tell me of what happened after the meeting. That was the last time we saw each other." He sighed in sadness.

I recounted the same tale I had told Runir. Halfway through my narrative, the blonde man returned to the tent with a bowl of broth, bread, and a chunk of cheese. I took a few small bites of each and sipped the soup. The food warmed my body and made me long for sleep. I noticed the two men seemed impatient, so I set aside the tray and continued with my story. After it was over, and I explained to Maerc that Nanos had betrayed us and was keeping me alive so that the empress could interrogate me, I picked up my food again.

"I'm going to kill that fucking runt," Maerc finally spat after his face had regained most of its color. "I always cut him too much slack because of his father. I never thought he would do something so cowardly. The king and I believed his behavior would mature as he aged and grew used to small doses of responsibility." Runir opened his mouth to give his opinion but I interrupted him.

"How did you two escape? Did you see my father?" The questions had been bouncing around in my head since my dream. I assumed him dead and almost didn't want to ask the question.

"Last I saw of him was during the meeting. He split from me to go gather the Council. Once the Losher army invaded the interior of the castle I tried to rally our troops to make our defensive perimeter in the hallways. We had anticipated the possibility of that scenario and had procedures for where we would fall back. Unfortunately, the Loshers knew exactly what we were going to do and stopped our maneuvers. I suspected that we had a traitor, but I didn't think it was the prince." Maerc put his head in his hands.

"The call went up that the king had fallen and by that point the Losher warriors were so entrenched in the castle that they actually defended it from us," Runir continued for his father. "We called a retreat and fell back to our secondary location. Then we moved around the perimeter of the city for a few weeks until we ended up here. We have almost two thousand loyal troops."

"We have to find out if my father is alive and rescue him," I said. The Ancient from my dreams had made one thing clear in her cryptic messages: I had to find my father.

"It is too risky." Runir shook his head. "We need to retreat, regroup, and plan a way to take the castle back."

"You were just about to charge back in through the sewers to save Nanos, but now that it is the duke you don't want to be 'too risky?’" I saw him wince at the words. I should have regretted them but I didn't; if my father was alive, he needed me.

"It's not like that, Nadea." He frowned.

"I agree with Runir. We were ready to go free Nanos before we knew that he betrayed Nia. Now that I have heard about the deal he struck with the empress, I do not think we are safe here. He will comb the countryside trying to find you. We must fall back to a safe area where we can resupply and work with another country to strengthen our tactics. Brilla is the best choice for us. Surely you see the validity in our plans?" Maerc's face looked similar to Runir's as he tried to convince me of their decision.

"Let me consider for a moment." I leaned into my chair, food forgotten, and struggled against the overpowering emotion that ran through me. If my father was alive, I couldn’t leave. He would have knocked down the walls of Nia's capital to save me. There was no way he would let Maerc convince him that they would be better served by retreating. But how would I rescue him? I didn't even know if he lived or where they had him captured in the castle. We didn't have enough troops to siege the massive fortress. The situation seemed hopeless. Weight bore down on my shoulders and I felt exhausted.

"I have a question for you, Maerc," I said softly. He leaned in to hear me better.

"Yes?"

"Are you still sworn to Nia?"

"Yes of course!"

"And to the royal family of Nia?" I continued.

"Absolutely, but you know that this is the best decision!" He tried to convince me again.

"I agree with you at this moment Maerc, but I need more time to consider. Do you believe my father to be dead?" The older man hesitated and looked to his son. I couldn't understand the glance they exchanged.

"Yes, Nadea. I feel that he has perished. It pains me to think that Beltor is gone, since we grew up together much like you, Runir, Jessmei, and Nanos. He is my best friend and I swore and oath to protect his family." He leaned back in his chair and wiped the stress from the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "The prince obviously kept you because of the empress, but he would have no reason to keep your father alive." I nodded and tried to swallow my tears.

"Then I am the last living member of the royal family," I stated. The two men paused and looked at each other again. "Jessmei is a prisoner of the Ancients, the king is dead, Nanos is a traitor, you believe that my father is dead and the queen was never part of the line. Am I correct?" They nodded.

"We . . . are at your command, Nadea," Maerc agreed. "But please understand your position. There isn't much of Nia left and we must do what we can to preserve it."

"I understand your reasoning. As I said earlier: I will need time to plan our next steps. Your counsel is welcome though, and I will consider what you have told me today." Maerc's face went white as he realized that I was taking control. Runir looked flabbergasted.

"Where will I be sleeping?" I rose on one leg and reached down to cradle the half-finished tray of food and soup. I didn't believe Maerc would challenge my authority, but I wanted to be alone so I could strategize.

"Wait," the general said as he stood. He glared at me. I met his gaze and didn't back down from the icy blue stare. He was sworn to the royal family, and if I needed to muscle him into submission, I would. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I prepared to fight.

"What is it?" I asked and was surprised at how calm I sounded.

"Sit down, Nadea. Before I turn what remains of our army and kingdom over to you, I would like a few questions answered. Questions everyone has had for a while, but the king and your father instructed us to keep to ourselves." His mouth twisted into a sneer and I felt my body suddenly get cold.

Oh shit.

"Can it wait until tomorrow? I am exhausted from your son's rescue." I forced the words out as confidently as I could, but they lacked the strength of my earlier commands.

"No. This will only take a few moments. Sit." I sighed and returned to my seat. I had wondered how many people knew of the circumstances surrounding my research of the O’Baarni. I did not realize that it had been my father and the king who had kept others from prying.

The bowl of soup rested in my free hand and I lifted it up to my lips and took a long sip. I was still hungry, but I also wanted to buy myself even a few more seconds. I wouldn't lie to Maerc, but the truth would be something he may have a hard time believing.

"I'll get to the point." He cleared his throat and suddenly looked nervous. The sun began to set and its orange glow was softened by the white canvas of the tent. It reminded me of lazy autumn days spent exploring the keep on the eastern border. "How did you find the ruin that housed Kaiyer? Explorers, treasure seekers, and historians have been looking for hundreds of years for any evidence of the O'Baarni. You took four. Granted, you are an exceptionally intelligent girl, but many of the generals and nobles wondered how you were able to do it." He smiled a bit to soften the question. I noticed Runir shuffle uncomfortably to my left.

"I don't understand what this question has to do with anything relevant at the moment. Kaiyer is dead, the king is dead, Nanos has betrayed us to our enemies, and we are trying to pick up the pieces and put the kingdom back together. Why are you so interested in the methods I used to find the ruins?"

"People talk, Nadea. Your father's soldiers told us stories of you. Maybe it was because you lost your mother so young, but rumors were that you locked yourself in your study and carried on conversations with imaginary creatures. Some wonder if you have dealings with demons or the Ancients."

"Stop right there." I held up my hand. "Have I ever demonstrated any sort of odd behavior around you?"

"No, but that--"

"How about you, Runir? Do you think I strike bargains with demons?"

"No! Absolutely not." The blonde man smiled and shook his head.

"So there isn't anything else for us to speak about. I found the ruin that housed Kaiyer's body by researching ancient scrolls that were previously undiscovered. It is as simple as that."