Piro was close enough to hear him whisper, '…knew it was too easy.'
Then the doors of the great hall swung open and a man swaggered down the steps, flanked and followed by heavily armed men. He carried the symbol of Unistag Spar, a white unistag horn set on top of a staff.
'Steerden!' Unace swore under her breath. Releasing the monk, she sprang to her feet. 'Kin-slayer!'
' Warlord Steerden!' he corrected. Then he used the unistag-horned staff to gesture to the walls which overlooked the courtyard. 'I have two dozen of my best archers in position. You are dead where you stand. All of you.'
Piro glanced behind her. There was nowhere to run. No way to get back to save Unace's infant son.
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
This wasn't a fireside song. There were no guarantees. And she was powerless to help herself, let alone anyone else, as blood seeped from under the healer's torso, dripping down the steps.
The unistag reared, startled by the smell of blood and the sudden rise in fear which emanated from those around them. Piro could feel it too. She caught his neck and soothed him, concentrating on her hands, so that the overflow of her Affinity came through her skin, calming him as she stroked his muzzle.
'But first I must have that unistag,' warlord Steerden announced. 'Then everyone will know that the gods favour my rule.'
What manner of man could murder his own kin, many of them children? Piro stared at Steerden, trying to understand. A strange buzzing filled her head. The world shifted.
Her knees went weak and she had to lean into the unistag to keep her balance. Nausea roiled in her stomach as her vision blurred.
Feeling strangely detached, she realised she was seeing the Unseen World. When she looked at Seagrass, kneeling on the ground, a warmth pulsed from him, brightest where he bled. The same warmth pulsed from the unistag, glowing around her hands.
But around warlord Steerden the waves pulsed differently, distorting everything, blighting it. This made no sense, unless…
…he had Affinity and it had made him a channel for evil.
'He has untamed Affinity,' Piro whispered.
Steerden's eyes widened. He fixed on her.
Panic swamped her. With his Unseen sight had he seen her, recognising her own Affinity?
She could see him gathering his power, focusing it. And she knew, he'd corrupt her with his taint, just as he would corrupt everything he touched. He had to be stopped.
The unistag responded to her terror. Leaping forwards, it lowered its head. Horn as long as a short sword, it charged Steerden, shouldering Unace aside.
Time stretched for Piro. The warriors at the warlord's side reached for their weapons, but they were too slow. The unistag mounted the steps and speared the warlord through the chest, just under the ribs. The horned staff flew from Steerden's hand, clattering on the stones.
With a wrench, the unistag lifted Steerden off his feet and swung its head, knocking the warlord's supporters off the steps. Then the unistag staggered under the man's weight and fell to its knees.
Piro sprang forwards, afraid her beast had been shot by one of the archers. But, as the warlord slid off the unistag's horn, the creature regained its feet, snorting and shaking so that it nearly fell on the shallow stairs.
She caught its muzzle and wiped the foul blood from its beautiful horn with her own hands. Tears steamed down her cheeks. It horrified her to see the unistag's purity sullied by Steerden's evil taint.
'There. It's over, King Unistag,' she whispered. And in that heartbeat everything returned to normal. Her Unseen vision faded, leaving her weak-kneed and bleary eyed. She staggered, falling to her knees on the steps near the dying warlord.
Steerden clutched her arm, fingers biting into her flesh, dragging her close to him. Bright blood bubbled on his lips as he fought to speak. 'Who are you?'
She stared at him, no longer able to see the taint of his Affinity.
He grimaced with pain. 'Who — '
'Are you all right?' Unace demanded, catching hold of Piro and hauling her upright.
She nodded.
Unace stood over Steerden, staring down at him. 'I wanted to see you suffer for killing all my kin. This is better. I'm not stained by your death.'
Seagrass gasped with pain as he reached for the horned staff. His hand closed on it and he struggled to lift it. 'Warlord Unace, take this.'
She blinked and accepted it from him with a smile of acknowledgement. Then she straightened up and raised her voice, turning to the others with the horned staff held above her head. 'The gods have spoken!'
There was a cheer. It startled the unistag, which reared, backing down the steps. Piro ran after the beast and went to rub its muzzle, but sensed the taint on her hands and stumbled, stiff-legged, to the well, where she hauled up a bucket and thrust her hands into its cold, cold water… rubbing, rubbing and whimpering.
From a distance, she heard someone sobbing. It took her a moment to realise it was her. She felt as if she could never get clean, yet there was nothing to see, just a feeling of sick miasma which clung to her.
The unistag nudged her, snuffling her neck. Its breath was hot and fresh with clean Affinity. It was trying to reassure her. She laughed with relief. Arms around the unistag's neck, she cried and laughed the evil away.
Chapter Nineteen
When Piro finally lifted her head to look around she felt drained, but refreshed. Everything was sharp and clear.
And everything had changed.
The evil warlord's body had been removed, leaving only a bloody patch on the steps. Unace was trying to convince Seagrass to go into the hall with the help of some of her supporters, but he refused to leave her side.
Unace's people must have rushed up into the towers and buildings that opened onto the courtyard, for now they escorted the warlord's supporters, who had all surrendered. Shoving them to their knees in front of Unace, the spar warriors stood back waiting to see justice done.
'Do you want us to kill them?' one of Unace's men asked.
'Spare us, warlord Unace,' they moaned. 'Spare us.'
The new warlord stared at them, her mouth set in a hard line.
Piro held her breath, sensing this was a significant moment. Her stomach turned at the thought of seeing thirty unarmed warriors slaughtered without mercy.
Leaning heavily on a shield-maiden, Seagrass spoke up. 'I know you, Bearclaw. I healed your wife when she nearly died birthing your son.' He nodded to another. 'I know you, Whiplash, I treated your toothache.'
'Yes,' Unace whispered, voice growing in strength. 'I know you all. Many's the time we dined at my father's feasting table. Why did you do it? Why did you follow Steerden? How could you kill innocent children?'
It was a cry from the heart. Some of the men and women dropped to the cobbles, heads on the stones, moaning.
'Kill me! I am unworthy,' one cried.
'I cannot live with what I've done,' another pleaded.
'Then why did you follow Steerden?' Unace demanded.
All shook their heads, unable to explain it.
Piro understood. They had been swayed by the warlord's tainted Affinity. The same might have happened to her and she hadn't even thought to use the wards Fyn had taught her. The heat of shame flooded her, then drained away, leaving her light-headed.
A moment before, Unace's supporters had been ready to slay their captives, now some wept openly, many looked confused but a few were still angry.
'What happened to my kin is too great a crime to let pass unpunished,' Unace said, her voice hard. 'By the laws of Unistag Spar your lives are forfeited!'
