As the scene quieted, Vespasian glared angrily at the smoking, damaged cross. Save for wet bloodstains and glistening bits of flesh and bone that still clung to the wood, the man had been vaporized. Nor was there much left of the sturdy crossbrace from which he once hung. Vespasian and Lucius watched as what remained of the torture device fell apart and tumbled to the ground.
Realizing his mistake, Vespasian took a deep breath, then scrubbed his face with his hands. The Shashidan’s warning had shaken him, and he was stunned by what he had just heard. Perhaps it was only the Shashidan’s way of tormenting me before dying, he thought.
He turned to look at Lucius. “That was foolish of me,” he said angrily. “I should have ordered him interrogated before killing him.”
Lucius shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps,” he offered. “But before we started this campaign thePon Q’tar assured us that theJin’Sai cannot reach this side of the world. We must ignore the dead barbarian’s babbling for the tripe that it was. Let us continue onward to the battleground.”
Vespasian nodded and took up his reins. “You’re right,” he answered. “We have larger concerns than the mad ramblings of one dying katsugai who wished to insult me.” Taking up his whip, he prepared to get his stallions moving again.
But just as Vespasian raised his arm he again felt the dreaded, all too familiar sensation overcome him. Within moments his heart was racing wildly and cold sweat poured from his skin. His muscles trembled uncontrollably, forcing him to drop the reins and whip.
Persephone, he thought desperately as he sensed his consciousness fading. Only she understands…I must return to her before Lucius knows…and my troops…above all else, they must not see their emperor fall…
Sinking to his knees, Vespasian realized that it was already too late. He weakly reached up to grab at Lucius’ armor as the stunned First Tribune looked down at his lifelong friend in horror.
“My emperor!” he gasped. “What overcomes you so?”
“Take me back to Persephone!” Vespasian whispered. “Only she knows what to do! Hide me in the chariot and be sure that no one else sees me like this-my fate is in your hands-above all, do not let thePon Q’tar see me this way…”
Finally losing consciousness, Vespasian collapsed to the chariot floor.
Nonplussed, Lucius looked around. Hordes of legionnaires still obediently passed by the chariot on their way toward the battle scene. Some had surely noticed what happened, Lucius realized. He also instinctively knew that whatever was wrong with his emperor, above all else, Vespasian must be hurried away from here.
With Vespasian’s desperate pleas still ringing in his ears, the First Tribune reached down and gently slid Vespasian’s limp body forward near the chariot’s riser where it would not be seen. Then he quickly took up the reins and slapped them hard across the stallions’ haunches.
Wheeling the chariot around, he charged back up the hill.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
IN THE END IT WOULD TAKE THE PRINCESS OF EUTRACIA twelve hours to regain consciousness. As her mind slowly sharpened, the last thing she could recall was looking up in terror as the Blood Viper’s talons slashed down toward her throat. Moments later, a lesser degree of the terrible pain that had ripped through her entire system, and especially her left eye, returned. As her acuteness continued to strengthen, she took stock of her surroundings.
It was nighttime in Eutracia, and she lay in her private quarters. The royal palace and the surrounding grounds were peaceful, with only the usual sounds of the night creatures wafting through the air to keep her company. She was dressed in one of her nightgowns, and as she came around, the pain that still racked her body, face, and left eye slowly rose. But I am alive, she thought gratefully, although I may have no right to be.
She soon realized that her vision was deeply compromised; everything looked darkly shadowed and her depth perception was markedly skewed. The effect was chilling. Because only one candelabrum on the far side of the room was in use, her chambers looked unusually dark. Perhaps that is why I cannot see as I should, she thought. Then she sensed an unfamiliar pressure against her left eye.
Moving as best her sore muscles and joints would allow, she leaned over toward one bedstand and grasped the hand mirror that always lay there. With a trembling hand she started to lift it before her face.
But just as she did, an unseen power forced the mirror down and away. As though her arm suddenly belonged to someone else, she felt an unearthly force press it down onto the bed. The sensation was not painful, and she soon realized that there was no point in trying to fight it, for it was born of the craft. Clearly she was not alone.
“I am sorry, Princess,” came a familiar voice from the shadows along the far side of the room. “I thought it necessary that we talk before you see your reflection. I apologize for not removing the hand mirror from your bedstand earlier. I should have guessed that it would be the first thing you’d reach for after you awakened.”
Although Shailiha desperately wanted to see her reflection, she knew that there was no use in arguing. The voice had been Faegan’s, and he would use the craft to enforce his wishes. Because of how much he cared for her, his decisions would surely be in her best interests. But unlike many times before, on this night she was not easily comforted by his presence. Clearly he was preventing her from seeing her face, causing her to wonder just how bad her injuries were. Like a spectator unable to take part in some drama she was watching, she saw the mirror slide from her grip and float across the room to disappear into the shadows. After taking a deep breath, she lay back on her silken pillows.
Moments later Faegan wheeled his chair from the shadows to come and sit by her bedside. He looked tired and drawn, and her hand mirror lay in his lap. Although he tried to smile, even with her hampered vision Shailiha could see that his cheerful expression was forced.
“How long have you been here?” she asked.
“Twelve hours,” he answered, “the same as you. I have been with you every moment since Traax brought you to me. It was he who saved you from the viper.”
“How bad are my injuries?” she demanded. “You must tell me the truth if I am to lead Eutracia. Like each of us, I am only as good as my limitations.”
In the flickering candlelight Faegan smiled again, and this time she thought that his expression seemed more genuine. “You’re starting to reason like a sorceress,” he said. “I’m going to have to be more careful around you.” In a silent attempt to avoid her question, he grasped her down comforter and pulled it up a bit higher.
“You still haven’t answered me,” Shailiha insisted as she tried to sit up. But the strain of moving suddenly increased her pain and she was forced to again lie back. Sighing, she closed her eyes for a moment. As she did so, she felt the lashes of her left eye brush against something, and she knew.
She turned toward Faegan and looked into his face as best she could. “I’m wearing an eye patch, aren’t I?” she asked.
Faegan nodded.
“Is my left eye blind?” the princess asked quietly.
“Only you can answer that,” Faegan said. “In one more hour I will remove the patch and we will know.”
“Why must we wait?” she asked.
“The ShashidanInkai said that the enchantment would do its best work in thirteen hours,” he answered. “The craft formula that they supplied to help heal you was the most elegant and convoluted that I have ever seen. It took Aeolus and me two hours to grasp it, and even now we’re not sure whether we applied it correctly.”
“The ShashidanInkai?” Shailiha asked. “What are you talking about?”
Faegan smiled and placed his hand atop hers. “There is much to tell you,” he said. “And like most news, only part of it is good.”
“Is Morganna all right?” Shailiha demanded.
“She’s fine,” Faegan answered. “Shawna looks after her.”
“Did we defeat Khristos?” the princess asked.
Faegan shook his head. “The Viper Lord and many of his servants escaped us again. I wish that I could tell you that we gave as good as we got, but I can’t. TheIllendium has been vaporized, and although theCavalon is
