Amaskan's Blood, Raven Oak [read me a book .TXT] 📗

kept their horses at the pace as long as they could. Sweat coated their hides while foam gathered at their mouths. Adelei patted her horse’s neck. “I promise you all the water and warm oats you can eat if you can get us to Menoir. Just hang in there,” she whispered in Midnight’s ear.

As they broke free of the forest, the main road held throngs of travelers headed for the capital. With the joining of two royal families, everyone who was able packed up for an extended stay. It was a chance to visit with family and friends seen rarely enough and an excuse to imbibe to excess at the King’s expense. And with the roads thick with travelers, it would take some a good month’s walk to reach the city.

The crowd forced them to slow their mounts, lest they trample some child running underfoot. The guards at the gates raised bows as their battle mounts trotted toward the entrance to the city.

Ida held the gold coin in the air. Within a breath, someone called for the gate to be opened just wide enough to allow the women through, single file, before the tall, wooden doors were slammed shut. The guardsmen threw the heavy bars into place to lock it.

The crowds outside whined, and a few demanded entrance. Adelei ignored them as she slid off her horse. Midnight’s foamy mouth shuddered as he panted, and she leaned against him for support as she fought to catch her own breath. Her closeness kept him calm as people moved around them, their shoulders bumping her as they carried their travel bags in the direction of whatever inns the town held. She could see why they had closed the gates. The town was overrun with travelers as it was.

A hand reached out to touch Midnight’s flank and Adelei spun, dagger in hand. Steel slid from scabbards, but Ida touched Adelei’s shoulder and shook her sweaty head. The shadow that had fallen over the horse stood before her, and his hand remained on his sword.

Ida stepped in front of Adelei, placing her muscular frame between the two parties. “Nice to see ya again, Lieutenant Gerald,” she said, no trace of a smile on her face.

The officer glared at Ida, his grip on the hilt of his sword relaxing just a hair. He didn’t offer a hand or a smile, but instead, turned about face and strode to the stairs of a guard tower.

“What’s his deal?” Adelei said.

“The good lieutenant doesn’t like managin’ a city. Feels his talents would be better suited in a position such as Captain of the Royal Guard or even sepier.” Ida chuckled as she unstrapped bags from her horse. “Who knows, he may yet replace me in that regard with everythin’ that’s happened.”

A younger sergeant, blue eyes like the Harren Sea and a bright smile to match, saluted them both. The young man squirmed under Ida’s gaze, his face slightly flushed, but he remained in place at attention. Before the sergeant could speak, Ida’s thick arms wrapped around his bean-pole frame. When she released him, she stepped back, her eyes traveling his length. “Ya need to eat more.”

“Really, Mom? They feed me well enough.”

Ida laughed. “This’s my son, Sergeant Leolin. Leolin, this’s Master Adelei of Sadai.”

The young man’s grip reminded Adelei of Ida herself, firm but friendly, and just a touch suspicious. His lankier height didn’t detract from a face that mirrored Ida’s own. Dark complexion led to Ida’s blue eyes and a crooked nose that bore her spirit as well. But his chin was wide and strong, not like the tapered chin of his mother, and his long, tailed hair was as dark as night.

“Is there somewhere we can speak? Privately?” asked Ida.

Leolin nodded. A quick whistle brought several stablehands forward, who stopped when Adelei’s hand shot up in warning. She patted Midnight’s flank and whispered to him, “Shie-neah,” and the horse relaxed. Midnight followed where the stablehand led him. Leolin, Ida, and Adelei crossed the courtyard and entered a building that looked more like a barn than a proper military building. Though once inside, Adelei admired its efficient use of space as offices; guest rooms were crammed back to back like a large jigsaw puzzle.

What space wasn’t allotted for rooms held storage shelves and bins aplenty. Every space served some purpose. Sergeant Leolin ushered the women into a meeting room of sorts, and his frown deepened as he watched his mother rake her fingers through her graying brown hair.

“We’re headin’ out tomorrow,” Ida said as she lowered herself into a chair. “But I’d have ya know that we were attacked on the way here.”

Leolin leaned over the table toward his mother, searching for signs of a wound. “Who?”

“Tribor.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

His fist struck the wooden table, and a small crack appeared in the polished wood, which widened when he struck the table again. “How do you know?”

Adelei said, “He bore the mark.”

“And just who are you? Unknown master of what exactly?” His mother gasped and uttered his name, but he continued. “Who are you to know about the mark of Tribor? Was he after you?”

When Adelei stood, she allowed her hood to fall from her head. Almost two weeks’ travel had left sharp, black stubble across her head and even with the scab at her jawline, the boy must have put two and two together as he shook his head while he stood between the two women. “I’m a former member of the Order, like your mother,” she whispered. “But this isn’t public information, understand?”

In the military’s blue uniform, his tall stance aged him. But when he gaped at her, the young man became the boy again. He was younger than he looked. She had thought him her age, but he couldn’t be much more than sixteen, maybe seventeen. To Ida, she asked, “I take it you two have a bone to pick with the Tribor?”

“We do. They killed Leolin’s father.”

Footsteps outside alerted them to someone’s approach. Adelei threw