A Hint of Frost: Araneae Nation ( Book One) (20 page)

“You have my name.” I sized him up. “What is yours?”

He tipped his head. “I am Bram of the Theridiidae.”

“Return my sister, Bram.” My chin lifted. “Do so, and I will let you live.”

Surprise flared in Pascale’s eyes, and at that moment, I knew she was ours. Rather than nine foes, we faced eight. I was sure of it. I met Rhys’s eyes and tried to convey my thoughts, but he was no longer my Rhys. Cold steel from the blade in his hand lent a sharpness to his features. His full attention rested on the enemy, and calculation glinted in his eyes.

“We outnumber you three to one.” Waving his hand made the archers on foot advance. “I don’t think you want to do this the hard way. Our maven has need for only one female from your clan. As you can see, Kellen is rather partial to your sister. You are without leverage, I’m afraid.”

I glanced at the young male, and he smiled. It was hard and cruel. How had Pascale not seen this side of him? How had he lured her into arms that must be as frigid as Erania in winter?

“Why haven’t you killed me yet?” I knew as well as he did they had darts prepared.

His expression melted into lines of regret. “The loss of your parents was unfortunate, but I believe we can make amends. I can give you the males who organized the slaughter of your clansmen. I can give you justice. You lowered your standards by seeking out a match among the Mimetidae. I can—”

“Can you give me the head of the male who poisoned my parents?” I glared at Kellen.

Kellen shifted in his saddle and adjusted his hold to circle the back of Pascale’s neck.

“I’m afraid that is impossible for several reasons.” Bram cut Kellen a look as well. “I can, however, make an offer that allows you and your sister to return home without more bloodshed.” He gave me time to hope such a solution was possible. “You are bound to this male, but your life threads have not been tied. You can survive his loss. You can wed one of our own as you were always meant to. Think of it—you can return your life to the way it was. Theridiidae would be at your gates, yours to command.” His voice turned silky. “We can forge an alliance here and now. Say the word, give me your vow, and I will rid you of this parasite and you may wed Kellen.”

My confusion must have been apparent, because Bram appeared quite pleased.

“Our maven had hoped to produce an anonymous love match between you and her eldest son. She knew your productivity would be increased by such a bond, and she wanted you at your best. So, she hid him among the guards some years ago hoping the two of you would meet and a connection would spark.” His tone soured. “He sparked—with the wrong sister—and I’m afraid my maven was too indulgent and allowed their relationship to thrive too long.” He flicked Pascale a glance. “I regret he saw her first.”

“Let me see if I understand you.” I tried hard to sound reasonable. “You’re offering me my sister’s lover as a husband?” I laughed. “You honestly believe I’d wed the male responsible for my parents’ deaths?” I choked on his audacity. “Not to mention Pascale’s feelings on the matter.”

“Or mine.” Kellen snapped the words. “I am to be Pascale’s husband.” He glared at Rhys. “I won’t trade her for his seconds. My future maven will have known no male’s touch but mine.”

Bram ignored Kellen. “He doesn’t speak for our maven. I do.” He waved his hand toward me. “Give him one heir and you’ll never have to share his bed again. You can take a lover, or not if you’d rather.” He cast me an encouraging smile. “It’s your choice to make
after
you’ve done your duty to your people.”

From the corner of my eye I glimpsed Rhys’s consideration of their bargain. Foolish male to think I would choose to leave him, or let them harm him. He was
mine
, and I would not lose him. “What of Rhys? If I accept your offer, then what happens to him?” As if I didn’t know.

“We trade him to his mother in exchange for the Mimetidae evacuating Erania with no more bloodshed. Or, if your time together has been unpleasant, we can kill him now and claim the city ourselves.”

Drawing on the cold of my homeland, I let icy resolve encase my heart.

“If you harm him,” I said softly, “I will hang you with a noose of my own making.”

At that, Rhys shifted in his saddle until he faced me. His expression was a study in exhausted patience. “Yours is never the easy way.” Approval and warmest affection shone through his tone.

“You heard her,” Kellen said to Bram. “She’s unwilling to bargain, as am I. End this now so we can return to Siciia.” He spared me his attention. “You might find peace in knowing I plan to wed your sister at my clan home. After the new moon, when our life threads have been joined, we’ll return to Erania.” His teeth gleamed. “Pascale will reclaim her birthright, and she will rule.”

“I think you discount the Mimetidae. They will hold my city safe, and they will guard my clan. You are, however, welcome to pit your best steel against theirs.” Dangerous color rose in his cheeks, but I still pushed. “There’s no law that prevents fools from rushing to their deaths.”

Bram cracked a smile that would have made him handsome if he hadn’t been willing to kill Rhys and me, and countless others, to have his maven’s way. “You, sweet maven, I would have loved to follow.” His sincerity surprised me. “I see Ennis in you, and he was as good a male as they come.”

“He’s as dead as they come,” Kellen interjected. “End this. My female grows weary.”

“I’m sorry.” Bram freed his bow and picked an arrow. “Would you prefer Rhys die first?” He flexed his fingers. “That way you’ll die knowing your lover was beyond harm.” He chuckled. “I notice no one has asked the tracker’s opinion. There’s a slight resemblance to your partisan. That makes him Rhys’s brother, Vaughn, I think?”

“Lourdes speaks for me.” Vaughn broke his silence. “The maven hardly needs my blessing.” He scoffed and drew his sword. “Not when we’re all going to die anyway.”

Bram nodded as if he agreed with the sentiment. “Such loyalty from a Mimetidae is commendable considering whatever coin she promised you, you won’t be around to collect.”

Vaughn’s tone went flat as his eyes. “We are not so poor that our honor can be bought.”

“I apologize.” Bram aimed for Rhys’s heart. “Rocks and glass houses, I’m sure.”

“Stop.” My command earned me a blink of Bram’s attention. “You said there was a way for my sister and I to go home without more bloodshed. I am not so generous in my estimation. I am, however, willing to make
you
an offer.” I could tell I held his interest and I pushed forward.

“Please, as an honorable male who once knew my father, grant his daughters leniency. Our clan has lost enough. Our family has lost enough. Don’t cost them more.” I appealed to his mercenary side. “I will make you the same offer as I made the Mimetidae.” I slanted a glance at Kellen before returning my full attention to Bram. “If you join us—if you end this now—I will pay you a generous annuity to ease your conscience. Name the price, and it is yours.” I put my heart in my plea. “Spare us. Join us.
This
is the better offer.”

Without a word, he drew back his arm and made his arrow sing.

My soul cried out until my voice extinguished. Wrenching my spine, I poised to leap from Marron onto Brun, but I was too late to shield Rhys. I was too late to knock him aside, too late to save him. Some wild thing in my blood boiled over and I took aim at Bram, who arched a brow at me in challenge. That’s when the burbled moaning of his true target caught my attention.

A Theridiidae archer sank to his knees. The others stood paralyzed, bewildered as I was.

I swallowed hot fear and cold hope. “Are you with us?”

In answer, he leaned toward Pascale as if he meant to pluck her from her varanus, but Kellen anticipated him. He grabbed an arrow from his thigh quiver and stabbed Bram in the gut.

“Kill her,” Kellen barked the order at his guards while pointing at me, then flicked his wrist dismissively. “Kill them all.”

“No,” Bram panted as he clung tight to his mount. He ordered his soldiers, “Stand down.”

The males on foot shifted their weight back and forth, unsure if they should listen to their maven’s son or their commander. While they shuffled undecided, I took aim and managed to hit two males before the others realized what had happened. Beside me, Rhys urged Brun into a run, who bowled over a male as Rhys’s sword skewered him. Vaughn wasn’t to be outdone. He let loose a war whoop to do Isolde proud, slicing a male almost in two as Noir trampled a second male under her paws.

I sighted Kellen. Low on arrows, I wasted time perfecting my aim.

Rhys’s grunt brought my head around. An arrow protruded from his side. He slayed that final archer before he fell from Brun’s back.
Theridiidae venom is a fast killer
. Forcing my head to control my heart, I lined up the shot I’d missed. Before I loosed the arrow, Pascale swung out her arm and slammed it hard in Kellen’s chest. He clutched her hand, but his came away bloody.

“That was for my parents.” Her voice cracked as she fought him to twist her wrist.

He slid from his saddle and didn’t bother trying to break his fall. Shock crumpled his face as he hit the ground. I marveled at his apparent surprise she might find killing more of her family objectionable, then I noticed Bram slumped in his saddle and realized he hadn’t reached for her. He had passed her his dagger.
If she’d used it sooner
…but she hadn’t. Shock or fear was at fault, it must be. Otherwise she’d been weighing the victor before committing to the winning side.

No
. I shut out my doubt. I had no choice. Rhys needed me. For once, Pascale could wait.

“Lourdes.” Vaughn called my name, and my heart dropped into the soles of my feet.

I slid from Marron and ran for where I’d seen Rhys fall.

Vaughn knelt beside his brother, his expression bleak. “It was a solid hit.” He flung aside the arrow and blood poured from the wound. “The tissue is already dying.” He pulled his shirt over his head, staunching the heavy blood flow. He nodded at a dying archer. “We’ll need his venom.”

My feet were mired in place. “Rhys?”

“I’m fine.” He grunted once and tried sitting before Vaughn pinned him to the ground. “Do as Vaughn says.”

Glancing at the archer, I might have once shied from what I was about to do. There were two ways to get venom, and I knew which would be faster. Running for Marron, I snagged her bridle and held her steady as I freed the pack of medicinal supplies Henri had sent.

As Isolde had said, because of our father, we were well-acquainted with venom, and the supply kit was filled with familiar implements. Falling back on my training, I withdrew a small knife with a razor’s edge and dropped beside the male to pry his mouth open. He was too weak to fight back, so a quick slice down the roof of his mouth, behind his fangs, opened his poison glands. Careful not to touch the viscous liquid, I held a small spoon to his hard palate while using a slender pestle and milked his venom spoonfuls at a time.

Once I had enough pooled in the base of a small tin Henri used for collecting samples, I twisted the lid and sealed it tight. Out here, creating antivenin was impossible. For Rhys to have a chance at survival, we must reach Erania and Henri’s laboratory.

Lurching to my feet, I carried the precious sample to Marron and cinched my pack behind her saddle before stumbling to Rhys’s side. Vaughn stood as I knelt, and touched my arm.

“I’ll see to your sister and the other survivor.” He paused. “Keep him focused.”

I wasn’t worried for Bram. Theridiidae were immune to their kin’s venom. He might get sick, but I doubted he’d die. If Mother hadn’t been the one infected, Father would have survived. No doubt Kellen had taken that into consideration as he laid his trap, whatever it had been. I had no time to ask now. My parents were beyond help, but Rhys…he had to live.

“How are you feeling?” A silly question, I knew. His head lolled my way, eyes losing focus, and my heart seized. “Stay with me a little longer, and we’ll leave. We’ll go home, and Henri will fix this.” I fussed with Vaughn’s shirt until it covered Rhys’s blackened skin, his torn flesh, until I could tell myself he wore another’s blood and not his own.

“No.” Rhys shifted onto his side with a grunt, so that he faced me. “Must listen…to me.” His inhale made him wince. “Return to Beltania.” He reached for my hand, and his was fever-hot. “Take me to Mana—she can buy me some time. Tell her my spirit…that I have need of an anchor.”

“Your spirit?” I was already shaking my head. “You need to be seen by a physician or a herbologist, someone capable of mixing antivenin. We can’t afford to waste time with spirit arts.” I flinched at my callous delivery. I had no right to trample on his faith. Our differences in beliefs were compromises we would reach in time. Now we had none to spare. One of us had to choose. I exhaled slowly. “We will ride straight through to Erania—”

“I won’t last that long.” His fingers tightened around mine. “Three days—it’s too far.”

“Marron is fast. I can get you there in two.” When he opened his mouth, I shut my eyes as if it would somehow stop him from speaking.

“Lourdes…”

I covered his mouth with my palm. “Don’t say it. You are not leaving me.
I am not losing you
.”

“Come on.” Vaughn grabbed my arm and jerked me to my feet. “Pascale is fine. Bram has venom illness. He can follow us to Erania or not. Either way, he’s too sick to be trouble.” He began lifting Rhys onto his feet. “How is he?”

“He’s…” I couldn’t voice that fear. “Why is the sickness progressing so quickly?” Even Theridiidae venom gave those infected several hours before the onset of symptoms.

“Salticidae are nonvenomous. Mother’s birth clan is as well.” His eyes darkened as he appraised his brother. “Rhys has no natural resistance. We need to move. He doesn’t have much time, and the road north is a long one.”

“We’re not going to Erania.” I barely recognized the words as my own. I swallowed past the lump clogging my throat. “Rhys asked that we return him to Beltania, to Mana.”

Vaughn blinked. “I hadn’t considered that.”