his throat tore, but he knew he couldn’t, knew he had to be quiet, hoped and prayed that both Aeren and Thaedoren would remain silent as well, and so he clamped down on the scream, bit down hard on his tongue; he tasted fresh blood, but he focused on that small pain to take his mind away from the agony that his chest had become. And through that agony, through the exquisite pain, he felt the world slow and settle.
And he heard Walter’s voice, black and deadly.
“That wasn’t the original deal,” Walter said.
“No, it wasn’t,” Khalaek spat, contemptuous. “That was before my esteemed colleague, Lord Aeren, brought forth this preposterous treaty, before the Tamaell Presumptive was brought back from his banishment, before this foolhardy envoy left Caercaern and came to the plains!”
“None of that is my concern. I only care about the Well. I’ve done what you asked-done more by killing the acolyte. The Tamaell is dead. Now give me the location of the Well.”
Colin felt the muscles in Thaedoren’s arms tense, heard the Tamaell Presumptive draw in a ragged breath, but he squeezed hard, warning him to keep silent. Thaedoren’s blood pulsed beneath Colin’s fingers, a quickened throb, but he restrained himself. Colin stared up into Aeren’s widened eyes, saw the lord relax, saw Thaedoren’s face beyond, the Tamaell Presumptive’s eyes locked on the two figures Colin could not see, the muscles in his jaw clenching.
Colin heard someone shift.
“You’re bleeding,” Khalaek said, his voice low.
“I’ll heal.”
“What happened?”
“I ran into an old acquaintance.”
Khalaek drew in a deep breath. “Perhaps I made a mistake in dealing with you. Perhaps you aren’t as strong as I thought.”
Silence. And then Khalaek gasped. At the same time, Colin heard the faint scrape of metal against metal as a sword was drawn.
“You,” Walter said, his voice deadly, “are simply a convenience. The Well will be found, whether you help us find it or not. The Lifeblood will be restored. All of it. Every last node. You provided a way for us to shorten that task, nothing more.” The rustle of clothes, followed by a gasp from Khalaek. “Now, tell me where the Well is.”
Colin couldn’t see what was happening, but he didn’t need to. He’d begun trembling, his hold growing more and more tenuous. His vision had narrowed down to a thin tunnel, the darkness creeping inexorably closer. The effort to hold himself, Aeren, and Thaedoren here had escalated it.
As he struggled to hold it a moment longer, he heard movement, something swift, followed by a meaty thud. Khalaek gasped And then Walter yelled. A sound of pain and fury, a sound that consumed the tent, that reverberated in Colin’s ears. He winced, heard Thaedoren swear, the words bitten off, and then felt the Tamaell Presumptive leap forward, jerking out of Colin’s grasp. He brushed the handle of the knife still protruding from Colin’s chest And the white-hot pain wrenched at Colin’s hold on time. He couldn’t hold the scream in this time. But even through that pain he felt the world slide back into place, heard Thaedoren barking orders, heard the clash of blades return yet again as Aeren shouted a command to Eraeth, the Protector blinking, looking confused, but reacting to the urgency in Aeren’s voice. He bellowed orders, the escort of Phalanx breaking away from the Legion forces, drawing back. At a look from Aeren, Eraeth grunted, reached down, slid one arm beneath Colin’s armpit, the other beneath his knees, and without warning heaved him up and ran for the back of the tent.
The pain filled him. Eraeth hadn’t had time to be gentle. What had been isolated to Colin’s chest now pummeled his entire body. He gagged as fresh blood filled his mouth again, spat to one side, the yellowed blackness of his vision closing in entirely. He hung on to consciousness long enough to feel the breeze as they exited the tent, long enough to hear the horns being sounded, the drums pounding, calling the dwarren to battle. He hung on long enough to feel Eraeth’s dash away from the tent toward the safety of the Alvritshai army juddering through his body, his free arm flailing, the other trapped between his body and Eraeth’s chest. He hung on long enough to listen to Eraeth’s blistering curses.
And then all sensation faded-all sight and sound, the smell of Eraeth’s sweat, the silky texture of his bloodstained shirt where it pressed against his face.
All of that died, and the darkness closed in.
Eraeth didn’t stop running after leaving the tent. He didn’t pause to throw Colin’s sagging body over the back of a horse, didn’t even halt when Thaedoren shouted, “The Tamaell is dead! Sound the horns! Sound them for battle!” the Tamaell Presumptive-the Tamaell now-swinging up into his saddle. Appalled gasps ran through the Phalanx who had waited outside the tents as the Tamaell’s body was dragged into view, but Eraeth ignored it all, ignored the mournful blare of the horns as the entire group mounted, horses whickering and dancing as they picked up on the escalating tension. He locked his gaze on the line of the Alvritshai army in the distance and ran.
Drums began to pound to his right, ragged at first, then slipping into a steady, inexorable rhythm. He heard the thunder of gaezels charging across the grassland and ground his teeth together. To his left, a battle cry erupted from the waiting Legion, and he risked a glance to the side, saw the King’s entourage galloping toward the human lines, flags already flashing, the men there mobilizing.
And then Thaedoren’s escort charged past him, dirt thrown by their passage pattering against his legs. The Tamaell’s body bounced on the back of an unmanned horse being led by the Phalanx, and Lord Khalaek had been lashed to his own horse, the Tamaell’s men surrounding him. Khalaek rode with an arrogant pride, back rigid, shoulders set, but with a wild look in his eyes.
“Moiran!” Aeren shouted as he passed, motioning toward Colin. “Take him to Moiran!”
Eraeth nodded and slowed, Colin’s weight beginning to wear him down, the adrenalin rush fading, the pounding of his heart lessening. Thaedoren reached the Alvritshai army, and an instant later the White Phalanx roared in outrage, the sound spreading outward in a wave as word of what had happened in the tent spread to the other House Phalanx, a gasp of shock at the Tamaell’s death, followed by a roar of escalating rage. The Tamaell Presumptive was surrounded by the Lords of the Evant. At a sharp, dismissive gesture from Thaedoren the escort surrounding Khalaek jerked the lord’s horse toward the camp, Khalaek rocking in the saddle. The horse carrying Fedorem’s body followed, both heading back toward the camp beyond the ridge.
And then Thaedoren turned to face the field. He took a moment to survey the two other armies, his gaze flickering left and right… and then he began issuing orders.
Eraeth entered the edge of the army as the first horns began to blow, each a different tenor, each with a different pattern as the orders were spread. He fought through the ranks as the men of the Phalanx began to move, Colin’s legs catching on one guardsman until Eraeth turned sideways. He stumbled down the back of the ridge as the army broke away into the flat beyond and nearly collapsed, but he caught himself, hitching Colin’s body into a higher position in his arms. His muscles ached, but he staggered forward, passing through the tents, past servants and Phalanx warriors scrambling to prepare, the reserve already assembling near the front of the camp.
And then he was there, at the Tamaea’s tents.
He shoved through the interior tent flap and stood, breath coming in gasps, to find the Tamaea leaning over the Tamaell’s body. Tears streaked her face, although she was not sobbing. Her hands were adjusting the Tamaell’s shirt, tugging it back into place, unmindful of the blood that stained her fingers, but the motions were abstract, fumbling, her hands shaking slightly. The Phalanx who had brought the body stood to either side, backs to the tent walls, shifting uncomfortably.
Moiran finally seemed to realize that her ministrations were useless. Her hands paused, hovering over Fedorem’s body… and then they dropped into her lap. Blood from her fingers smudged her dress in brushlike patterns, but Moiran didn’t notice.
“Oh, Fedorem,” she murmured, her voice hoarse, thick with phlegm.
She sensed Eraeth’s presence and glanced to the side.
Eraeth flinched at the stricken look in her eyes. But even as he did so, the blankness faded as Moiran focused on what Eraeth carried. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
“Lord Aeren told me to bring him to you, Tamaea,” Eraeth said.
Moiran hesitated, her body trembling. Then her stooped shoulders straightened. She glanced down at
