the boy had been lax in his duties. “Where have you been, child? Lord Wolfblade sent you to get my breakfast.”
“I —” Mikel began, but R'shiel came to his defence.
“I asked him to help me with something,” she explained. “You might have to find yourself another page for a while, Adrina.”
R'shiel took Mikel's hand and walked back towards the camp, leaving Adrina wide-eyed and more than a little put out.
“Did you have a hand in this?” she demanded of Damin.
He shrugged and looked almost as puzzled as she was. “It's the first I've heard of it. But it's not a bad idea. I'm going to have enough trouble explaining away a Fardohnyan bride when we get to Hythria, without having a Karien page to worry about.”
“I can't just abandon the child!” she protested.
“Isn't that what you were planning to do with him when you first crossed the border?”
She glared at him, annoyed that he was right, even more annoyed that he had guessed her intentions. “It's not the same thing.”
“Of course not,” he agreed drily.
“Don't you dare take that tone with me!”
“Then don't treat me like a fool,” he retorted. “Are you still hungry? You've missed breakfast, but I'm sure we could prevail upon the cooks for an early lunch.”
“I will not be patronised like a small child!”
“Stop looking for a fight, Adrina. Did you want to eat or not?”
Adrina was about to explode with fury when her stomach rumbled complainingly. Damin heard it clearly and laughed at her. “I'll take that as a yes. Come on, you'll fight better on a full stomach.”
“This is intolerable! I am not going to spend the rest of my life having you laugh at me.”
Damin's amusement faded and he looked at her closely. “Then drop this spoiled Princess act. There doesn't seem much point any more.”
“It's not an act!”
“The hell it isn't.”
“You don't know the first thing about me.”
“Don't I?”
“No!”
“Shall I tell you what I do know about you, Adrina?” he asked, suddenly more serious than she had ever seen him. “You were smart enough to keep the Karien Crown Prince out of your bed so you couldn't conceive an heir. You ordered your troops to surrender rather than see them slaughtered. You rode as hard as I ever pushed my own men without a complaint, because you knew your life depended on it.
“You are not who you pretend to be, Adrina, and it defies logic that you keep on pretending you are a fool. You're an intelligent woman, yet you insist on hiding it behind tantrums and childish, idiotic demands. I don't know why you do it. Perhaps it's because you grew up in a court where a smart woman was a dangerous one. The truth is, I don't really care. But if you want to survive as High Princess of Hythria, then you'd better learn to use that brain of yours for something other than causing mischief.”
His words stunned her into silence. She had no answer, could think of nothing to say. Never for a moment had she suspected that Damin's suspicion and mistrust was based on how clever he thought she was.
He waited for a moment, expecting her to retort with some sarcastic rejoinder. If her silence amused him, he did not let it show.
“Come on,” he said finally. “I missed breakfast too.”
CHAPTER 5
Mikel had to run to keep up with R'shiel's long-legged stride. Although she had him by the hand, she paid him no further attention as they wound through the chaotic camp. With his free hand he wiped his nose, which was tingling in the brisk wind. He was still too much in awe of the demon-melded dragon he had just witnessed to be concerned where R'shiel might be taking him.
The order to break camp had only been issued a few hours ago, but already most of the tents were packed, only the larger infirmary and mess tents and those belonging to the senior officers remained standing. The Defenders were keen to be gone from this place and anxious to avoid the approaching Kariens. Mikel had seen enough to understand that it was not fear of the Kariens that prompted the Medalonians' haste, but that they wanted to avoid the inconvenience of taking even more prisoners.
Mikel's entire system of beliefs had been stretched beyond credulity in the past few weeks. First Princess Adrina had betrayed the Prince. Then Prince Cratyn had proved to be as callous and vicious as any other man in his desire to murder his wife for her treachery. His own brother Jaymes had joined the Hythrun and his best friend Dace had turned out to be the God of Thieves. Then, with hardly any objections, Adrina had married Lord Wolfblade.
And now the fabled demon child had commandeered his services. This tall, impatient young woman whom demons followed around like puppies and whom everyone treated with a great deal of trepidation.
“My Lady?”
“Yes?”
“What did you want me to do?”
R'shiel stopped suddenly and smiled down at him. “I want you to help me with something, Mikel. Something magic.”
“Is it going to get me into trouble?”
The demon child laughed softly. “I have to convince the Kariens they want to go home, and that means turning even the priests from the Overlord's path for a time. Are you afraid?”
Mikel frowned. “I don't think so. I've turned from my God. I let you kill my Prince. I've honoured the God of Thieves. I don't think I'm much of anything, any more.”
R'shiel placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Mikel, I think you'll find that you are far more worthy than you imagine.”
Mikel wanted to believe her. She was the demon child, after all. Perhaps she knew things he did not. But it seemed unlikely.
“If you say so, my Lady.”
R'shiel smiled again but did not answer for a time.
When she spoke again, her question took him completely by surprise. “Mikel, who did the Kariens follow before Xaphista came along?”
“The priests said they worshipped false gods,” he told her, “just as Hythria and Fardohnya still do.”
“Yes, but there must have been one that was predominant. Zegarnald has a pretty firm grip on Hythria and Jelanna seems to be the most popular goddess in Fardohnya.”
“The only one I ever heard of was Leylanan,” Mikel replied after a moment's thought.
“What is he the god of?”
“She, not he. Leylanan was the Goddess of the River.”
“I thought that was Maera?” R'shiel said.
“Leylanan was the Goddess of the Ironbrook River. Maybe Maera is the Goddess of the Glass River.”
R'shiel was silent for a moment then shook her head. “No, she won't do. I need someone else.”
Mikel wasn't sure he understood, or even if R'shiel was addressing him. She sounded as if she was simply thinking aloud.
“Do you really think you can turn the priests from the Overlord, my Lady?”
“I have to.”
Mikel had the impression that once set on an idea, R'shiel was determined to make it happen. He had no idea what she was planning, and certainly no idea what his role would be.
