"It has begun," Kaia announced.
Rhoz felt the blood drain from her face and held Ghiraxen more tightly. She had put on a hopeful face when she kissed Alyx good-bye the day before, but she had slept very little.
"Have they destroyed the barrier?" she asked, surprised that her voice could sound so calm.
"So far, they have only breached it, not far from the road. The dragon was waiting for them."
"Let us to the Great Hall, then, and make the announcement." Before he left, the High Duidd had set up altars to the Avatar and the Azure Dragon, and all who still remained in Draklunys visited often to pray, as well as pouring out their anxieties to the Stone of Sorrows in the courtyard. All the fighting men had gone, as well as many of the women, who would tend their needs in the field. Were it not for the presence of the children to liven its hallways, Draklunys would have seemed a fortress of ghosts.
The Great Hall was lit by a great bank of ceremonial candles. Ocalle was leading the congregation gathered there in a rune chant.
DJIRI OHAR shelter and shield
EELOR TIR steadfastness and strength
EKKE FAN talons of retribution
When the chant ended, all eyes turned hopefully to Rhoz, as if she had some divine power to save them.
They really do believe I am the Mother of Nations, she thought. And I dare not question it, or they will lose faith.
"The battle has begun," she said. "Let us continue our prayers, that the Avatar may grant us a speedy victory."
"Does the dragon fight with us?" a solitary voice asked.
"He does," Rhoz said. "And so do the birds of the air. The Queen of the Birds has gathered her armies from the four winds."
"The spirits of the rivers and trees have taken up arms to defend their land," Kaia added. "Even the beasts of the field will resist the enemy's advance."
This was the first Rhoz had heard of any such participation, and she was hard pressed to hide her skepticism. True or not, the news elicited cries of praise. The chanting resumed with renewed enthusiasm. Rhoz joined in while her son nursed and fell asleep, marvelling at Kaia's serenity. Her magical forces had been sorely depleted, and the continued strain of maintaining her simulacrum might well cost her years of her life; but she showed no sign of worry. Whatever the faults of the warrior-mages of Helion, the formidable discipline instilled by their training kept them ever focused on the task at hand. Rhoz wished that she could impose such iron control on her own turbulent emotions, which constantly threatened to overwhelm her. Leaving Kaia to continue passing on her simulacrum's experiences, she headed to the children's hall, hoping to distract herself from the terrible fear that gripped her heart.
Martenn, short-handed as she was, was continuing her work with the children as usual, using the older ones as assistants. Rhoz noted with satisfaction that Donn had appointed himself Martenn's right hand, and was doing everything he could to be helpful. Alyx had declined to tell her what had passed between them in private, but it had evidently hit the mark.
Inteza was organizing a group of children to accompany her to the Great Hall for a time of prayer. "The gods of Dys are foreign to us," she told Rhoz, "but surely they will hear the voices of children."
"I have no doubt of it," Rhoz murmured, holding up Ghiraxen for his grandmother to kiss. She continued on to the nursery room where Eveline was tending a dozen infants with the help of Zegara and a young woman Rhoz had never seen before.
"This is Ura, your wet nurse," Eveline informed her. "Her baby was born the same day as Ghiraxen."
Rhoz was about to protest that she had no need of a wet nurse, then realized that Eveline was offering her freedom that she had thought impossible.
"May I leave Ghiraxen here with you?" she asked.
Eveline smiled. "Of course. You have much to do."
As if drawn by a magical spell, Rhoz returned to the Great Hall, telling herself that it was only for a little while. Between prayers and rune chants, Kaia reported on the progress of the battle as her simulacrum witnessed it. Halgrim's generals sent several waves of black soldiers followed by the forces of Peregret, holding back their mages and elite troops. The dragon disposed of a multitude of enemy warriors, but left plenty of work for the swords of Dys. Alyx was matching the Northlander strategy and holding his own mages in reserve.
Rhoz could not tear herself away, even to eat. Each time Kaia began to speak, her heart leaped into her mouth, fearful of what she would hear. Urammin was wounded in the leg, leaped into the path of the dragon's fire, and returned to battle strengthened and healed. Alyx, Alyn, and Utor remained unscathed. As the ranks of the dead swelled, Rhoz whispered Hekla's charms for their safe transition to the Realm of Mysteries.
The black soldiers fell quickly, generating an outburst of rejoicing. Rhoz did not share in the enthusiasm, realizing that the soulless ones were expendable, sent to tire the defending forces. The army of Peregret put on a better show, but eventually retreated before a massive onslaught of birds. A mounted contingent from Akynadar followed, but was thrown into chaos when their horses were struck with a sudden madness, throwing and trampling their riders. The survivors scampered back into Peregret. In the ensuing lull, the bodies of the slain were piled up to be incinerated by the dragon, while the warriors assessed the damage, inspected the barrier for new breaches, and tended their wounds. The women began cooking the evening meal over their campfires.
After a final prayer, Kaia retired, giving way to Ilythia, whose simulacrum would keep the night watch at the garrison.
The tightness in Rhoz' breasts reminded her of Ghiraxen. She found him awake and hungry. Ura had picked him up and was about to nurse him. Rhoz took the baby from her and put him onto her own breast with a sigh of contentment. Except for the coronation ceremony, she had never been separated from him in his short life. Ura immediately picked up her own infant daughter, who was crying for attention. Rhoz smiled at her sympathetically, imagining how she would feel if she were required to nurse another's child before tending to her own.
Only five babies remained -- the others had been taken away by their mothers. Two were orphans, fed on goat's milk to supplement whatever surplus the nursing mothers were willing to share. Eveline was sitting in a corner away from the activity, nursing her daughter, her eyes heavy with fatigue.
"Are you spending the night here?" Rhoz asked.
"No -- I will be in my own bed tonight. Ura and I are taking turn about."
Rhoz briefly described the day's fighting. Eveline was too seasoned in war to harbour any illusions.
"What will we do if they break through?" Eveline asked.
"It seems safest to stay here. Muktar's men were not able to breach the fortress even when it was empty." It was not what Alyx had advised, but her knowledge of the subterranean chambers in the heart of the mountain, coupled with the Cloak of Darkness, would probably keep her safer in the fortress than taking her chances outside in the snow.
"Muktar had no magic," Eveline said.
"I think Halgrim's mages will find their power greatly diminished when they stand on the Dragon's home ground." Rhoz remembered her encounter with the spirit of the spring. "The Azure Dragon commands forces we cannot begin to imagine."
Eveline shuddered. "I do not relish the thought of being trapped here."
"I think you are safer here, but I will not hold you against your will," Rhoz said. "The choice is yours."
Eveline shook her head, her brow furrowed. "I cannot leave Brett."
"You still love him so much, despite everything?" Rhoz asked.
Eveline looked down at the child at her breast. "Brett is Ayra's father. I named her after his mother."
Rhoz sat, stunned, at a loss for words.
"He only came to me once," Eveline said, near tears. "After you made your false start for Helion and returned with the wounded Vacinatrix." Now that the silence was broken, her words tumbled over each other. "He was distraught and in need of comfort. Neither of us meant this to happen, and we parted determined to let it go no further. I never told him there was a child."
"Then you married Erethor."
"It seemed the best thing to do. He had been pressing me for a long time."
"Did he ever suspect--?"
Eveline shrugged. "Perhaps. He never said anything, but he had sudden fits of temper and beat me whenever he imagined another man was looking at me wrongly."
Rhoz said nothing more. When Ghiraxen had drunk his fill, she carried him to her chamber, her head whirling. How could Brelathan have continued with his insufferable self-righteousness after what he had done? He had lorded it over her, filled her with guilt, and all the while it was a sham.
She put the baby into his cradle and lay on her bed fully clothed. Her stomach informed her irritably that she had not eaten all day, but she could not face company now.
Her anger with Brelathan dissolved when she thought of Eveline's anguish. The fault lay not so much with human weakness as with the inflexible code of honour that allowed no room for the vagaries of the heart. Not that any of it mattered now. Eveline was alone with her little one. Erethor was dead, and Brelathan might as well be, immured in the Virgin's Keep like a living part of the dragon's treasure.
Rhoz yearned for Alyx, needing to reassure herself that he would not leave her bereft like Eveline. If only she could hold her beloved in her arms and somehow shield him from passing into the Realm of Mysteries! If she still had her wings, she would be free to slip away and return by dawn. But she was trapped, helpless to do anything but wait.
She got up and rummaged through her jewelry until she found the emerald ring Brelathan had forced on her. At least Eveline could have that little piece of her father's child. After Rhoz slipped the ring onto her finger for safe-keeping, she stood over Ghiraxen's cradle, debating whether she should take it to Eveline immediately or wait until morning. Would the baby fuss if she picked him up?
Her eye caught the Cloak of Darkness, still draped over the couch. A new plan formed in her mind -- a plan so daring that it took her breath away. She had no wings, but she had legs. She dressed in her fur leggings and tunic with feverish haste, ignoring the scolding inner voice of prudence. How could she stay away from Alyx when this might well be his last night on earth? Draping the Cloak of Darkness over her arm, she picked up her son and hurried back to the nursery.
Eveline was dozing in her chair, her baby asleep at her breast, while Ura was holding one of the orphans and singing a lullaby. Rhoz eased Ghiraxen into one of the empty cradles, then touched Eveline's shoulder.
"Back so soon?" Eveline asked. "Are you going to the Great Hall again?"
"No," Rhoz said in a low voice, "to the battlefield."
"The ba--!"
"Shhh. Keep it secret as long as you can. Say that I am resting, or meditating -- or something."
"Alyx will not be pleased."
"I need not let him see me," she said, pulling the cloak over herself.
Eveline's eyes grew round, but she made no sound.
Rhoz removed the cloak, glancing in Ura's direction to see if she had noticed anything unusual. The young wet nurse was still intent on her lullaby. Rhoz tugged at the emerald ring on her finger. Abruptly, she remembered the desolation on Inteza's face when she told of the death of the infant Djiri. Cold dread clutched at her heart. Could she expect anything better for Ghiraxen if Draklunys was taken? "If I do not return," she said rapidly, "you must help Ura escape. Make her swear to raise Ghiraxen as her own. Give her whatever she needs, but nothing that proclaims nobility. Destroy Ghiraxen's cradle, and remove all his things from our chamber. Let no one speak of him, least of all the foolishness about the Child of Promise--" She stopped, realizing that she was asking the impossible.
"You will return," Eveline said calmly. "You are the Mother of Nations."
"I was hungry ragamuffin boy when we first met. How can you remember that, and still have such faith in me?"
Eveline smiled, peace in her eyes. "My faith does not rest on you, but on your destiny."
Rhoz held out the emerald ring. "Here. This is rightly yours."
Eveline reached for it, then hesitated. "Brett gave that to you, not me."
Rhoz gently slipped it onto Eveline's finger. "When he gets his wits back, he will want you to have it."
"Ride well and safely," Eveline said, her eyes still on the glowing emerald.
Rhoz let herself out of the nursery, then covered herself with the cloak to avoid questioning eyes. If the magical garment aged her before her time, so be it. She needed her husband.
She slipped out of Draklunys by the same secret exit at the base of the mountain by which Alyx had fled with his parents an eternity ago. He had insisted on showing it to her, despite her protests that she would never have need of it.
Once outside, she stood in the bitter cold, wondering how to proceed. Finally she began to make her way towards the road through the knee-deep snow, erasing the tracks behind her with a branch so as to guard the secret of the fortress. The gusting wind would blow away all traces of her passage before the sun had set.
She had not gone far when Panax found her, looking like a child's toy in his heavy winter fur. She kissed his nose with delight. "You rascal! You always know how to find me!" When she settled on his back, she noted with satisfaction that he remained visible. She had no more worries about leaving unexplained tracks in the snow, but could pass freely wherever she wished. Her self-willed yellow pony was well-known in Dys -- no one would presume to interfere with his wanderings.
"Let us to the battle," she said, letting him pick his own way through the drifted snow.
*
"What think you?" Alyx asked his most trusted advisors. "Have they finished for the day?" He had extended his Farsight as much as he could, and discovered no troop movement. After flying back and forth along barrier, the dragon had retired to a mountain peak to keep watch.
"Halgrim is playing with us," Urammin growled. "Today was much too easy."
"Perhaps he underestimated us," Alyx said. He looked at Utor. "That trick of yours with the Akynadarian horses must have made him think twice!"
"Such a spell is beyond me," Utor said. "I could spook three or four horses, perhaps even a dozen if I use my full powers, but never an entire cavalry unit."
"If it was not you -- then who could it be?" Alyx said.
Utor's eyes were bright. "My first thought was that the spirit of Halyrr has returned to aid us."
"Your brother! Is that possible?" Alyx said. He could no longer doubt the power of the spirits of the dead, but Halyrr had left the realm of the living long ago, even before Alyx entered it.
"There are ancient tales . . ." Utor said dreamily.
If Utor's nostalgic ramblings were to be believed, Halyrr Horakkyn could dispose of Halgrim's entire force with a few incantations. But Alyx' rational mind was racing in another direction. If Utor was not responsible for the spooked mounts, then someone with considerable magical abilities was bent on sabotaging Halgrim's drive for supremacy. If there was one, there might be others. Perhaps the situation of Dys was not as desperate as it appeared. Anyone still in possession of his own soul was a potential ally.
Lothar spat bloody spittle into the snow. "The enemy forces are like a slow-witted giant that stumbles over himself, because their supreme commander is too cowardly to take to the field."
"You are sure Halgrim is not here?" Alyx asked.
"He has not left Muktar's fortress since he captured it," Lothar said. "He thinks he is safe within its walls, keeping watch over his stolen souls."
"An advantage we must find a way to use," Alyx mused. Even if Halgrim could see the battle from afar, it would require hours for his riders to arrive with new orders. Unless, of course, he had simulacra Alyx did not know about.
"I warrant the fighting is over for the day," Lothar said, pulling off his helmet. "Northlanders do not care to fight in the dark."
"In that case we should rest and prepare for the morrow," Alyx said. "Are the signal fires set?"
"Yes," Urammin said. "If they cross the barrier at any point, we will know."
"Do not neglect your rest tonight," Alyx admonished. "Your strength will be needed."
Urammin shook his head. "I have no need of rest. The might of the dragon has touched me."
"Be warned -- it wears off quickly," Alyx said, then sent the others off to tour the battlefield and offer encouragement to the warriors. When they were so desperately outnumbered, morale was vital.
He walked from campfire to campfire with Ghugo Faraight by his side, making his presence felt as much as he could. As he smiled and joked, he kept an eye out for Alyn. He had seen her wielding Hesperos the Faithful to good advantage in the the thick of the fighting, but she seemed to have vanished into thin air since then.
"You, too, must save your strength," the High Duidd reminded him after a time. "It is time to go to the garrison and take your rest."
"I will stay in the field with my men!"
"You will sleep better and safer in the garrison," the High Duidd said with finality. "We cannot risk you."
Alyx smiled wearily. "Ghugo, you are spending too much time with Martenn." He was too exhausted to muster the determination required to override the High Duidd, especially since he was probably right. The Armour of Righteousness had kept Alyx from harm, but his limbs were bone tired from striking and parrying. If Alyn was still alive, he would find her in the morning. If not, his grief could wait.
*
What a fool I am! Rhoz berated herself as she toured the battlefield. Best turn tail for home before I freeze.
The ride had taken much longer than she had expected. After the troops trampled the snow on their way to the border, the chill of nightfall had frozen the clumps of slush that remained, creating treacherous footing that could only be negotiated at a careful walk. She had arrived too late. Except for the guards keeping watch, the camp was still. How could she ever find Alyx? There was only the smallest sliver of moonlight to guide her.
If she showed herself and asked for help, that would create the kind of furor she wished to avoid. Alyx' rest would be disturbed, rest he sorely needed to strengthen his body and sharpen his mind for the battle. When she had decided to rush to his side, she had been thinking with her heart, not with her head.
Panax pawed at the snow, uncovering a clump of frozen grass. Rhoz let him wander where he would, trying to come to a decision. She did not relish the thought of the long ride home, but what use would she be here?
A wave of psychic pain jolted her out of her reverie. She tensed, trying to locate the source.
Lyn? Rhoz asked into the void. Where are you?
Panax, ever sensitive to his mistress' inner workings, threw up his head, pricking his ears, and began to move towards the Dragonhold without being told.
The feeling of desolation grew stronger as they approached the pass. Panax turned off the road, following deep tracks where someone had floundered through the waist-high snow. Alyn's distress swelled until Rhoz began to weep silent tears. What could be the matter?
The tracks ended at an overhanging ledge of rock. Rhoz crawled into the hollow beneath. Her groping hands found Alyn's half-frozen body curled up against the mountain side.
"Lyn!" Rhoz shook her. "Lyn, what is the matter?"
Alyn did not move. Rhoz turned her onto her back and lay on her face to face, breathing her warm breath into her freezing lips. Alyn groaned.
Lyn, tell me what is amiss, Rhoz urged again and again, focusing all her power to will life back into her friend's broken heart.
After a long, confused silence, Alyn spoke.
"They are -- my own!"
Alyn's despairing horror pulsed through Rhoz, and she understood. The second wave of enemy soldiers had been Peregrians.
Rhoz knelt and pulled on Alyn's shoulders, dragging her to a sitting position. She held her friend's hands and murmured a healing rune chant, projecting all the the comfort and understanding she could.
"I was their Battle Queen," Alyn said finally, in a tone so weary that she seemed a thousand years old. "They trusted me -- and today I mowed them down like autumn grass. Hesperos knows his work all too well."
"Then do not fight," Rhoz said. "Everyone will understand."
Alyn shook her head. "No. The fighting must stop, or I no longer care to live."
Rhoz spoke no more aloud, but sat in the dark, mentally listing a hundred reasons why Alyn must live. Alyn's answer to each and every one was an uncompromising it is not enough.
I need you! Rhoz argued.
No. You have Alyx and Inteza and Ghiraxen. Your life will continue nicely without me.
And Acontis? Rhoz asked.
He will never return.
You do not know that!
He has his destiny to occupy him.
Come to the garrison with me, Rhoz pleaded, even if it is just for tonight!
Go without me.
I will not leave you. Some things were more important than reason, and this was one of them. Rhoz settled herself beside her friend, pressing against her for warmth and arranging the Cloak of Darkness over both of them. It offered scant protection, but it was better than nothing.
Fingers of cold invaded her limbs. If only Utor were here with a candle and a fire spell! Rhoz shivered for a time, then relaxed, overcome by drowsyness. She knew she would have to move soon, or she would fall asleep and never wake. She must keep herself alive for Ghiraxen's sake. But how could she leave Alyn to die alone?
Unless . . . Rhoz stroked the Cloak of Darkness.
"Lyn!" Rhoz shook her blood sister once again. "Wake up! There is a way."
"Let me be," Alyn muttered drowsily.
"If we cut off the head of the beast, it will die."
Alyn stirred. "The head--?"
"Halgrim. He thinks himself safe in Muktarshold, does he, with all his stolen souls? We will take him by surprise."
"Your wits have turned!" Alyn scoffed, but she seemed more alert.
"We have the Cloak of Darkness to keep us out of sight, and I know every secret passage in Muktarshold."
"Halgrim is invulnerable to all weapons," Alyn said. "And if that were not enough, he has B'thar to guard him."
"He is overconfident. You said so yourself. We will find a way," Rhoz said with an assurance she did not feel. The quest had little chance of success, but it would give Alyn the will to live this night.
"And if we never return?" Alyn asked.
Rhoz remembered the certainty she had seen in Eveline's face. "Of course we will return! I am the Mother of Nations, and you are my best friend. They will write a new saga about us!"