Altered Destiny (16 page)

She couldn’t see Matias’s face. “She could be lying.”

Nathan’s gaze bored into Selia. “Are you lying?”

“Yes.” Selia’s hand throbbed; she swallowed bile. If they were going to throw her in a dungeon somewhere, she wished they’d just get it over with so she could lie down. “I rubbed my wrists raw with a rope and ran through the forest until I was exhausted, just so I could lie to you about it.”

Nathan looked back up at Matias. She was too tired to glance at the other half of the silent communication. It was clear Nathan still doubted her, but not enough for inaction. “Go and double the guard. Find Ari and send him in here.” The door opened then shut.

Nathan turned back to her. “What were you doing there?”

“I’m a fucking spy!” Anger sent a surge of adrenaline through her body.

“Don’t fuck with me.” Nathan’s voice turned deadly. “How did you end up a prisoner in a Svistra camp?”

“I came north to find Oren.”

A knock sounded on the door. “Come.” Nathan called without lifting his gaze. The door opened and closed again. The other captor, who she supposed was Ari, stood to one side of her chair.

Nathan had the air of someone who could wait a very long time for you to finish a story. In that moment, he reminded her of Jaden.
Jaden.
She couldn’t say anything about him, even if she wanted to—which she didn’t. She could imagine the questions that would follow, none of them pleasant.

“Oren, my brother, was taken against his will. A band of soldiers came into town taking men they thought were old enough to fight. Oren was…” The image of Oren lying on the horse, a trickle of blood running down his face, flashed across her mind’s eye, followed by a thought so sudden and strong that if she hadn’t been sitting it would have sent her to her knees.
He’s dead.

Her face must have paled because Nathan turned to Ari. “Bring her some wine, a little bread.”

Ari nodded then disappeared through the door.

“Are you feeling hospitable now?” Selia stared at the commander.

“I don’t want you to pass out before I get the information I need.”

“All I need is Oren, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Nathan remained silent until Ari returned with a platter. “Eat.”

Ari put a cup in her hands with more gentleness than she would have thought the big man capable of.

She sipped at the wine, starving, thirsty and unsure if her stomach would hold anything at all. Selia tore off a piece of bread, ignoring her filthy fingers, and let the morsel melt in her mouth before she swallowed. Her jaw was still sore, and she imagined she looked like she’d been on the losing end of a fight with a bear. It wasn’t far from the truth.

Despite the warnings from her stomach, by the time half the wine had disappeared, she felt a little more alive.

“Now, answer my questions.”

“I’ve told you everything.” A wave of exhaustion crashed over her mind.

“You’ve been traveling since Oren was taken?”

“Yes. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving.” That at least was the truth.

Nathan shook his head. “How are you alive?”

She shrugged. “A combination of luck and daring I suppose.” That wasn’t a lie either. Trusting Jaden had been the most daring thing she’d ever done and there had been more than a little luck involved in finding the only Svistra who’d want her alive to help him rescue Oren.

“When did the Svistra capture you?”

Selia briefly closed her eyes. “Two days ago, I think. I was in the camp only a little while.”

“Where?”

The question held many undercurrents she couldn’t decipher in her present state of mind. “I told you where the camp was.”

“Where did they capture you?”

The image of the body-strewn field filled her vision for a moment, and she thought she might lose her meal. “About a day’s walk south of their camp. There’s a field.”

Nathan nodded. “I know it.”

She glanced up. “There are dead men there.”

Nathan’s face lost color. “How many?”

“I didn’t count them! A lot.”

“Two or three or a dozen?”

“A field full.” Her head swam.

“Fuck. How did you escape?”

“Luck, mostly.”

“There is something you’re not telling me, but there are pressing matters I need to attend to. If I find out you’ve lied—”

“Look, I just want Oren.”

“Ari will take you to quarters, where you can wash and sleep.”

“I’m a prisoner?”

“You’re safe.” There was finality in the voice. She’d get no further information.

Frustration surged, warming her aching muscles, but she kept her mouth shut.

Nathan turned to Ari. “Well, away from the men’s quarters.”

She followed Ari back down the winding hall, through the large cavern and into another dark passage leading down into the heart of the mountain. Perhaps she was on her way to the dungeon after all. They passed by several doors before he threw one open. “It’s not much but…” He faltered.

Selia glanced at a narrow cot. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

As she lay down on the lumpy cot, she heard the door close then nothing else.

Who was this woman? Keldar reviewed his warriors’ reports with growing anger. She’d been wounded—not badly, just traces of blood here and there as though a binding hadn’t held. She’d found a small stream and attempted to lose her scent, so she knew what she was doing. A female warrior? No, there weren’t any. Human females were soft and easy prey.

His warriors had been close. She’d been taken by the humans at Eagle Rock. Bile rose in his throat. His warriors hadn’t killed them, obeying his warning to give the humans no hint that Svistra occupied the forest on their southern doorstep. The humans had taken her to their puny excuse for a fortress. They’d snatched her, and the answers she held, out of his grasp.

Would the humans attack his camp? Surely the woman would reveal their location. A brief smile touched his face as he thought of the commander realizing his enemy was close. It had been like a game, an insult to camp so close the stronghold. A taunt that had now backfired.

Keldar hoped the commander did attack, but he didn’t think he would.
Never assume humans will act with honor
. Tinlor’s voice. His father was right. Had their positions been exchanged, he would have his warriors readying for battle, no matter the odds. The human commander would wait, probably for the reinforcements he thought were coming.

Well, he’d double his scouts anyway. If there were any signs the humans prepared for battle, he’d know before they left the walls. And the woman? That Jaden had captured her, and he as of yet had not, stuck in his stomach like a knife. But
had
Jaden captured her? Was it possible the woman went with him willingly? Keldar snorted. He wouldn’t put anything past Jaden, but even human women had more sense than that. Unless she knew about the blood…

Impossible. Even if Jaden had told her, she’d have been a fool to believe him.

He glanced at his untouched bed. What secrets did the woman hold? Could she be used against Jaden? There was only one way to find out. He would not act rashly. He too could be patient. Cunning. He wouldn’t let Jaden’s presence in camp rattle him. There was still time before he marched to Newhaven. He’d use Eagle Rock for practice, then he’d capture the woman and destroy the humans who took her in.

As soon as the girl left, Nathan let loose a string of invectives peppered with words that would have turned a trader’s cheeks red.

“A little irritated, boss?” Matias leaned against the doorframe. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. If you hadn’t sent me on a wild goose chase in the southern forest, we never would have found her or learned about the possibility of a Svistra camp.”

“Do you really think that lessens my culpability?”

Matias shrugged. “What are you going to do now?”

“My first instinct was to send scouts to determine if the camp is there.”

“You believe her.”

“She has no reason to lie,” Nathan said. “She didn’t tie herself. You saw the bruises and the marks on her wrists. She was a prisoner.”

“But a Svistra prisoner?”

“Call it gut instinct if you like. Believe me. I wish she was lying.”

“What now?”

“I’d love to gather our forces and destroy that damn camp. But if they know she’s escaped, my guess is they also know where she escaped to, and now they know that we know where they are.”

“That’s a mighty lot of assumption there.”

Nathan speared Matias with his best irate glare, but his old friend stared back unmoved.

“So what are you going to do?” Matias repeated.

“For now, nothing. I need to think.”

Matias didn’t comment.

“We don’t know how long they’ve been there.”

“We do know there hasn’t been game in the southern forests for weeks.”

“Fuck!” Nathan raked one hand through his hair. “I’m an idiot. Of course there wouldn’t be. The animals scent the bastards out.” He shook his head. “I’m a fool.”

“May be, but you’re also the boss. So what—”

“I don’t fucking know. Okay?”

A slow smile spread across Matias’s mouth. “Well, then, let’s sit down and think this out, shall we?” He sat in a chair. “You know this girl?”

“She owns the tavern on the crossroads.”

Matias raised an eyebrow.

Nathan shook his head. “Not a whore. She’s honest.”

“I see. And she came here looking for her brother.”

“Oren. The cook. How she got through, I don’t know.” Nathan rubbed the ache between his eyes.

“She didn’t. She got caught.”

Nathan breathed deeply. “She said about thirty tents in their camp.”

“That would mean at least twice that many Svistra.”

“She also said they expected their commander.”

“Yeah, she was some kind of gift.” Matias ran a hand over his stubble.

“That’s not the worst of it. She saw dead men in a field.”

“The southern battalion.” Matias’s eyes narrowed. “The Svistra camp would be well east of the road. They might—”

Nathan shook his head. “No. You know better. This whole thing stinks to the heavens. How did they know?”

Matias shrugged. “They read.”

“Shit.”

“Deep I’d say.”

“Ready the men, but we wait. We’re safe here. Double the guard and triple the patrols. I’d love to send scouts out to see exactly where the Svistra camp is, but I won’t send them into an ambush. They could have let her go to prompt us to attack.”

“You’ve got a point.” Matias rubbed his chin. “They have to be well outside the area we patrol. My guess is past that little ravine.”

“Do you think she could tell us exactly where?” Nathan asked.

“She was pretty messed up when we found her, almost delirious. I don’t think she knew where she was. You could ask her.”

“Oh, I will.”

Selia opened her eyes to a dusky twilight. Her body ached, and her eyelids felt heavy. She could sleep for hours. Days.

Svistra. Jaden. Eagle Rock
. The memories coalesced.
Oren
.

She blinked, but without a window to give her a clue, she had no idea what time it was. Was Oren still here, if he ever had been? Selia cursed for not demanding the commander tell her about him the night—had it been night?—before. It was a mistake easily enough mended.

Tentatively she sat up. A fireplace, its embers smoldering in the gloom, took up one entire wall.
A fireplace in a mountain?
One look at her mud- and blood-caked hands and she decided a bath would be heaven, a bucket of water enough.

The bed fitted against the wall opposite the fireplace and a wash table nestled between them. Small but efficient. She rose to her feet and checked a bowl on top of the table. Empty.
Great.
She glanced back to the muddy blankets on the bed. She was so tired of being dirty, beaten. She’d escaped from one prison only to end up in another. She tore the blankets off the bed and threw them against the wall. The burst of rage robbed her of energy and she leaned against the cold wall. Moving to the door, she tested the handle, surprised to find it unlocked. She peered out into an empty curved corridor. Selia stood undecided. She couldn’t just wander around looking for Oren. Or could she?

Ari appeared around the curve and interrupted her thoughts.

“The commander said you might be needing a bath.” He stammered.

He looked just as gruff, but not quite as large, as he had the night before. “Doesn’t want me to stink up his office as he interrogates me?”

Ari cleared his throat. “This way.” He led her down to a door and into a small room, where a round wooden lid with a handle sat on a stone ledge. An indoor outhouse? She’d never seen such a thing. The stench was notable but she stepped inside, resisting the temptation to look into the deep hole.

Once she was done, they continued to another wooden door, which revealed a barrel full of steaming water. A small wooden table stood next to the tub, and a fire roared in the fireplace. As she watched, Ari moved toward the fire, unhooked a large kettle, and poured its contents into the water, then filled it again from the water in the barrel and hung it back over the flames.

“Reckon it should be hot enough. If not…” He motioned between the barrel and the fire. “We, uh, figured you’d be wakin’ soon.”

“Thank you. I can take it from here.”

As soon as the door shut, Selia peeled off her tunic and let it drop to the floor, then unlaced her boots and tugged the left one off, tossing it to the side. Before she removed the second one, she palmed the knife and stared at it in the firelight. Was Jaden well? The Svistra would know she’d escaped by now, but could they blame him for it? He seemed to have status, if the respect and fear they’d shown had meant anything.
He is the commander’s son
.

Selia shuddered, suddenly chilled. She had believed he’d betrayed her. Shame flushed through her chest as she carefully set the knife on the small table near a cake of soap. She vividly remembered his face right before he kicked her—Jaden had played his part well.

She removed the rest of her clothing and sank into the water. It wasn’t quite hot and she had to fold her knees up under her chin, but it was water.

She scrubbed her hair. The soap bit at her abraded skin and rinsing took some interesting contortions, but she managed. She then washed her body several times, reopening the cut on her hand and noting the new bruises. When she finished, the water was a filthy brown. Selia realized she didn’t have any clean clothes. Her dirty garments lay on the floor where she dropped them. She didn’t relish the thought of waiting naked by the fire for them to dry, but the thought of putting on the filthy things filled her with disgust.

She reached for the clothes and submerged them into the dirty water, scrubbing at the stains before wringing them out and laying them over the tub. It was warm in the room. She’d stay until the clothes dried. Her stomach growled. She needed food, and soon. Damn it, she was so busy taking care of her needs, she hadn’t even asked about Oren.
He’s why I’m here, remember?
This was no way to find Oren.

The now dirty bath water swirled around her calves. She couldn’t see her feet. Selia glanced around. In a corner by the fireplace she spotted a cloth for drying.

She stepped out of the bath and moved the table closer to the fire. After placing the soap on the floor next to her boots and knife, she picked up the cloth. Underneath was a pair of leggings and a tunic. Selia smiled and held them up. Ari?

The clothes were a little large, but not by much, and made for a man. But then, she’d worn Oren’s old clothes all her life.

After dressing, she brushed her fingers through her wet, curly hair as best she could, braided it into a single coil and contemplated her filthy boots. Those would require a stiff brush and patience, neither of which she had right now. Jaden’s knife. Where else could she hide it?

Her stomach rumbled again. She picked up the soap, dried it and tucked it in her pocket. One never knew when a good bar of soap would come in handy. She held the knife in her palm and unsheathed it. She wasn’t a stranger to weapons and this one was well made, but definitely not crafted by humans. It was elegant and simple, with a lighter colored inlay on the hilt. The blade stretched the length of her hand, double-sided and curved. When she held the knife, it seemed an extension of her hand.

Jaden.
Most likely she’d never see him again. Pain sliced her chest.
He’s just another scar. It’s for the best.
Who’d ever heard of a Svistra and human friendship?

But they had been friends. He’d saved her life more than once. According to him, the Blind Weaver had joined their lives.

Selia slammed the boots against the wall as hard as she could and then laced them on, the leather stiff and cold against her feet. She tucked Jaden’s knife into the side. An ache tightened her throat. She’d lost her mother’s picture and gained a knife. The gods had a sense of humor.

When she opened the door, Ari jumped. He’d been leaning on the opposite wall. His face tinted pink under the bristle.

“Thanks for the clothes,” she said.

Ari nodded and didn’t quite meet her gaze. “Are you hungry?”

“Like a mountain cat. What time is it?”

“It’s a little past midday.”

Selia followed Ari back down the curved hall.

“Did you really escape from the Svistra?” he asked.

Selia nodded. She didn’t want to go into it again, but fortunately Ari shook his head and asked no more questions.

“Are there…” Selia began. How to ask,
have your men kidnapped any villagers lately?

Ari’s eyes narrowed.

“…new recruits from the villages here?”

“Some.” Something in the blue eyes snapped shut. She’d get no answer from him.

They crossed the cavern then re-entered the tunnel in the opposite wall. They stopped before another of the generic wooden doors.

How did they know which room was which? Did they count?

Ari knocked.

“Come.” Nathan’s voice.

Ari opened the door then stepped aside. Selia entered, a little self-conscious.

“You look…better.”

“I feel human, if that’s what you mean.”

Nathan waved Ari away. “It will take a while for some of those bruises to fade.”

He didn’t know the half of them.

Ari closed the door. She should have known food came at a price.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“Yes.” There was no use denying it.

“Sit.” Nathan rose and removed a piece of cloth on his desk to display a platter of bread and a wedge of cheese. “Not much, but probably better than the Svistra gave you.”

“The Svistra didn’t give me anything.” She tore off a piece of bread and tried not to shove the whole thing in her mouth at once. She was starving.

Nathan watched her eat. “At all?”

“No. They knocked me unconscious. Tied me up, dragged me into camp where they bound me to a tree and left me there.”

“How did you escape?”

“One of the knots was loose.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

“Why you?”

“Why not me?”

“I’ve seen what they do to women. Why’d they let you live?”

Selia swallowed.
Oh fuck.
“Because I’m a virgin, and apparently that’s a Svistra delicacy.”

Nathan coughed into his hand.

She glared at him, daring him to press the issue. “You want to me to prove it?”

“No. Shit. No.” He ran a hand through his hair. “In a few days, I’ll send you south with a few of my men.”

Selia stopped midchew then swallowed. “I don’t want to go south.”

“I didn’t ask—”

“Send me south, and I’ll just come back until I find Oren.”

To her surprise, Nathan smiled as he muttered under his breath. “He’s here.”

“Here?” Cool waves of relief washed over her.

“Yes. As soon as you eat, I’ll have him brought up.”

Selia was already on her feet. “He’s okay?”

Nathan nodded.

“Where is he?” She felt as though she could burst. Oren was here. Safe.

Nathan took out a knife and began slicing the cheese. “He was about as anxious as you, but I told him you needed your rest and he’s not going anywhere. Eat, Selia.”

She hesitated. Her appetite had fled, but she took a piece of cheese and put it in her mouth, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Did you know who he was?” Then another thought. “Did you order the kidnappings?”

“No. When Oren reached Eagle Rock, I recognized him.”

“And you kept him?” Outrage warmed her blood.

Nathan’s eyes shone. “I offered all the men a chance to return to their homes. Oren said he didn’t know the way, so he stayed. After the first practice session, we realized he…was no soldier. He asked to help in the kitchens, and I let him.” The commander moved a few documents on his desk. “He also said you would come for him.”

Selia smiled.

“I didn’t believe him. It appears I was wrong.” Nathan’s nostrils flared and his eyes seemed to look inward for a moment then he pointed to the bread. “Oren made that.”

Dark smudges lined the commander’s eyes. Finding out your enemy was camping two days away had to be a blow. Was he going to attack? The full consequences of that action hit her all at once.
Jaden.

“Tell me about the woman.” Keldar stormed into the tent.

Jaden sat in a corner. He’d long since been stripped of all his weapons—most of them had been human-made and worthless anyway—and denied every comfort, but still his half-brother sat like he was granting an audience. Keldar’s nostrils flared.

He didn’t rise from his position but looked up and shrugged. “Typical human female. Well, except she was a virgin.”

“A typical female who managed to escape unaided from a Svistra camp and find her way toward the human fortress?” Keldar glared at his half-brother. “Where did you find her?” The question had kept him from sleep yet again. Did the woman have some worth in the human world, a king’s daughter? Some kind of training? Or was she, as Jaden claimed, just a female?

“In the woods, south of here.”

Keldar narrowed his gaze. Jaden didn’t appear to be lying, but he doubted he was getting the full story, and that made him nervous. “Alone?”

“Yes.”

“And you call that typical?”

Jaden again shrugged. “I didn’t interview her. I just took her.”

“Without a fight?”

Jaden laughed. “Oh, no. There was a fight. She can be…stubborn.”

“You’re not telling me something.” Keldar’s eyes narrowed. Jaden was still, too still.

“What could I possibly not be telling you?”

That was exactly what worried him. “We’ll find her and bring her back.”

“Why? There are more female humans. Has it really been so long since you’ve had a virgin offering?” Jaden’s eyes widened before his face softened in apparent compassion. “Oh, yes. You’ve probably never had a virgin offering.”

Keldar’s temper burned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You have power, for now, but who honors you, Keldar?”

“Is that a threat?”

Jaden smiled, but his eyes were steel. “I don’t make threats.”

Keldar saw black. When his vision cleared, the edge of his sword bit into Jaden’s neck. “What’s to stop me from killing you now and having done with it?”