Aislin of Arianrhod (Land of Alainnshire) (24 page)

“I know you wanted to be out of here as soon as possible, but I want you to stay for another day or two. You need more instruction with the pike.”

“What? You woke me up in the middle of the night just to tell me that?”

“Aislin, please. You need another day or two with me on the pike. Trust me.”

“Explain.”

“I...can’t explain. But I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t vitally important.”

Aislin tilted her head. Something had rattled him. Tristan was literally white, shaking with fear. “What have you seen?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know. It might have been a nightmare, it might have been a vision. I can’t tell the difference sometimes. I only know that you—I think it was you—were on the ground, injured, and he was standing over you.”

“Who was?”

“
I don’t know
! Damnit, Aislin! I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was crucial. Will you please humor me on this?”

“I’m not going to commit to
anything
until I’m fully awake. It’s the middle of the night and I’m exhausted,” Aislin said. “I can see something has you upset, and I agree it wouldn’t hurt if I had another lesson or two on the pike. We can talk about this later on this morning if you like, but I’m not going to give you an answer until I know more about what you saw.”

Tristan pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. “I’ll be back for you in the morning.” And then he was gone.

Bewildered, Aislin stood in the hallway for a moment, shaking her head.

Turning to go back into her rooms, she ran smack dab into Devin, her nose bouncing off his sternum. Even here, he was looking out for her, and she smiled up at him. He peered down at her, his arms folded across his massive chest.

“Aislin, who holds every man she meets at arms length, has finally fallen...for an elf,” he said.

“Be quiet, Devin,” she said, smiling, doing her best to sound cross.

“I’m delighted for
you
, but your mother will not be pleased.”

When Mother sees him, she will have nothing but hateful things to say.
“I’ll worry about that when I have to. Right now I’ve got more important things to think about.”

Chapter Twenty Seven

T
HE GRAY TURRETS OF WYNDHAM’S castle were finally looming on the horizon. Roderic shifted uncomfortably on Delphas and gave a silent prayer of thanks. He didn’t think he could spend one more day on this horse. It had been four days since his release and he was exhausted, beat up, and more than a little hungry.

Even Delphas seemed to be out of energy. He reached down and patted her on the neck. “Almost there, girl. Just stay with me for this last mile.”

He’d been lost plenty of times in the last four days, and it had cost him precious time. He’d tried to guide the horse in the direction he thought they should go, but he noticed she seemed to resist him when he was the most confused. He was amazed to find that if he just let Delphas go on her own, she had an unerring sense of direction. She’d even stood watch over him at night, once killing a hungry wolf with her back legs as it approached while he slept. His successful arrival in Wyndham on this day was due in no small part to a very intelligent horse.

The gravel walkway crunched under her feet as she plodded along slowly, her head down. He let her take her own pace. He owed her that much.

The brown walls of the stable came into view beyond the pines, and Roderic almost wept. He’d made it to Wyndham.

A young groom came out of the barn and caught the reins as he slid to the ground. He gave the horse an appreciative pat on the neck and told the boy, “Take excellent care of this horse. And no one else is to ride her. She’s mine.” The boy nodded obediently, and led Delphas into the stable.

His backside was numb, but being in familiar territory added a spring to his step. He strode briskly over the drawbridge. Aldo, the gatekeeper, pulled open the portcullis when he saw the familiar figure loping toward him.

“What are you doing back already? I thought you were staying in Arianrhod for another month.”

“Change of plans, Aldo. I must see the King immediately.”

Aldo nodded, and dropped the portcullis behind him.

He continued across the bailey to the castle itself. Built of very light gray granite, Wyndham’s castle was one of the largest in the surrounding kingdoms, and quite elegant. Consisting of multiple levels, a mass of jutting towers and corbelled turrets, it spoke of tradition and wealth. Roderic had never seen another castle that compared to the Castle Wyndham.

Pushing open the wide banded door in the front, he found Geoffrey, the butler, sleeping in the tall velvet chair that stood just inside.

“Geoff, we’ve been overrun by the enemy,” Roderic whispered urgently in his ear.

Geoffrey half-slid, half-jumped off the chair, his arms flailing in the air, his long legs falling out from under him. He landed in an undignified heap at Roderic’s feet.

Geoffrey looked up peevishly at a grinning Roderic. “Damnit, Rod, I hate it when you do that! What are you doing back so soon? I never get any sleep when you’re around,” he grumbled, as he picked himself up and brushed himself off.

“I must see the king. Do you know where he is?”

“The whole family is dining in the upper hall. Do you want me to see if he’ll grant you an audience?”

“Yes, and it’s urgent. Tell him I
must
see him. Make haste!”

Geoffrey dashed up the stone stairs, his long, spidery legs carrying him up and out of sight.

Acoustics in the airy and expansive entry hall being what they were, Roderic heard the echo as Geoff rapped on the double door of the dining hall where King Stanis and his family were gathered.

“Roderic has returned, your Majesty, and requests an audience with you. He said it’s urgent.”

“Back already? I hope it’s nothing serious. Yes, please bring him up to us,” Roderic heard King Stanis say.

Serious indeed.

Roderic walked slowly up the curved stairs to the dining hall, trying to think of a way to deliver the news. He knocked on the door, and heard a cheery voice call “Come in, Rod! No need to knock.”

He pushed the wide doors open and immediately saw the smiling face of King Stanis of Wyndham.

Roderic found it quite amusing that King Stanis and Emara were siblings. Emara was tall, slender, golden, every inch a queen. Stanis was rather short, balding and a bit on the portly side. He loved to eat, and did so frequently. He was loud and gruff, and tended to be a bit dramatic, but there was no one with a bigger heart or a better mind. He was the king, but he was also Roderic’s friend.

“I thought you were staying awhile in Arianrhod!” Stanis said jovially, waving a turkey drumstick in the air. “Come and sit down here! There’s plenty of food for you.”

“Majesty, if you please. I have news.” Roderic tried and failed to keep the tension from his voice.

Stanis turned completely around in his chair to look at Roderic. Bryce snapped his head up, eyes wide.

“What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“Jariath of Morrigan invaded Arianrhod with his army about ten days ago. Emara, Gwen, Devin, Aislin, Maeve and I were able to escape him by using the underground river.”

“
What!”
Stanis and Bryce were on their feet in an instant. Queen Drucilla, Stanis’s wife, gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Everyone stopped eating and turned horrified eyes to Roderic.

“How can this be? How did this happen?” Stanis guided him by the elbow to a seat at the table.

“Jariath has been after Aislin to marry him for years, and I guess he got tired of being refused. He must have known she was vulnerable, and he used his considerable army to try and change her mind.”

“
Fool!”
spat Stanis, throwing his napkin down onto the table.

“I wouldn’t marry that swamp rat either,” said Princess Yvonne, Stanis’s youngest daughter. “I’ve heard how violent and brutal he is!”

“No one has been harmed?” asked Bryce.

“Your mother, grandmother, sister and Devin are hiding in the cave along the underground river. They have enough food for three weeks or so. Aislin and I continued on in an effort to seek help from Wyndham,” he said.

“Of course we’ll help! Jariath will not get away with this!” Stanis nodded to his eldest son, sitting across the table. “Barrin, get the army ready, and I mean every available man down to the last. And send a courier to the king of Brethmore asking permission for our men to travel across the southern part of the kingdom. It will be the shortest way.” Barrin nodded, took the napkin from around his collar, and quickly left the room.

“Roderic? Where’s Aislin?” asked Queen Drucilla.

He’d known they were going to ask, and he wasn’t sure what to tell them.

Stanis frowned at Roderic. “Yes, if you left together—where
is
Aislin?”

Roderic gulped. “Well, we came out of Arianrhod through the caves at Stoney End, and I have to tell you, your Majesty, your niece is a genius. Jariath had already moved some of his men to the border, and it was her idea to float down the river under the ledge right past Jariath’s men.”

“Yes, yes. Get on with it!”

“We crossed the border safely into Blackthorne Forest, and had only walked a day or so, when we were both captured...”

“By whom! By the gods, they will be sorry...” The silverware jumped as Stanis pounded his fists on the table.

“I don’t know exactly who they were. The one man I had the most contact with kept a hood over his head the whole time, as though he were hiding something. He insisted Aislin stay behind as a hostage.”

“Dear, sweet Aislin! A hostage!” Queen Drucilla was fanning herself dramatically and seemed about to faint.

“We’ll go that way and rescue her first, and then continue on to Arianrhod.”

“I’m not sure that’s a wise idea. It’s what he feared the most, and it’s why they kept her there. The hooded man told me if we were successful in fighting Jariath, he would return her to Arianrhod. If not, he would bring her to Wyndham. I don’t get the sense he’ll harm her in any way. In any case, I left on horseback in the middle of the night. I’m not entirely sure I could find the place again.”

“That poor child,” Drucilla clucked. “Do you think we can trust him? After all, if he’s that hideous that he’s hiding his face, who knows what else he’s hiding? Or what he will do to the poor girl before he returns her to us.” She began to fan herself furiously again.

“I could be wrong, but I don’t think he had any motive other than protecting his people. He gave me a horse, the best horse I’ve ever been on, shook my hand and bade me safe journey. He swore he wouldn’t hurt Aislin. I really don’t think he will.”

Stanis pursed his lips and snorted. “I don’t like this one bit, but I trust your judgment. I don’t know how we’ll get word to these people, whoever they are, but I want Aislin back immediately after we defeat Jariath. That poor child has worked tirelessly to hold that kingdom together for Bryce, and I won’t abandon her. I’m prepared to fight for her release if necessary.”

Roderic nodded his head. “The man knew Jariath had invaded Arianrhod, so I would imagine he has spies there. I suspect that we’ll only need to put the word out in a general way, and she’ll be returned to us.”

“So be it.” King Stanis looked across the table at Bryce. “How about it, boy? Are you ready to fight for what is rightfully yours?”

“Indeed I am!” Bryce was on his feet.

It only took them a day to ready Wyndham’s army. The king of Brethmore, outraged that Jariath would invade a neighboring kingdom on the flimsiest of excuses, gave permission for the army to travel through their kingdom. Then he surprised them all by adding another 10,000 men to an army already 25,000 strong.

Chapter Twenty Eight

“I
DON’T UNDERSTAND. IF YOU DIDN’T see her face, how do you know it was me?” Aislin asked, as she expertly deflected strikes from Tristan’s pike.

“Who else would it be?” Tristan shot back.

“I don’t know. But if you’re not sure it was me, I don’t see why you’re so concerned.” She swung at him, and he ducked just in time to avoid the end of a pike across his forehead. “Tell me again what you saw.”

Tristan sighed. He pushed the sharp end of his pike in the ground and leaned on it. “It was all gray shadows, but I saw a woman on the ground, a woman who resembled you. Then I was looking out through your...her...eyes at a man standing above me with a rope in one hand and a cudgel in the other. And I’ve told you repeatedly—nightmare or vision—sometimes I can’t tell the difference. But I’d rather be safe than sorry. Another couple of lessons on the pike isn’t going to hurt you.”

He was right, though she would never tell him that. The more she knew the better. The pike was something she was going to teach Maeve someday. Aislin was going to make sure her niece never found herself in a position of vulnerability, caught off guard by
anyone
.

“You’re on, elf!” she said brightly, as she swung again at Tristan. He grinned, and the lesson continued.