DarykRogue (29 page)

Marc gestured to his fortress. “You have refuge here, for as
long as you need it.” Marc returned his attention to Rayder. “Let’s go. We’ll
leave the other men here. We don’t have that much daylight left.”

* * * * *

A cool cloth touched Xandra’s forehead, and the comfort
pressed a soft moan from her lips. By the god Magon, her body ached. Her throat
burned. She drifted in a haze and tried to feel her surroundings. She lay on
something soft. Comfortable. She was warm—too warm as a matter of fact. Her
fingers searched and found an itchy blanket over her lower body. How long had
she slept? Her thoughts jumbled as she scrambled to recall where she was. Was
she on the
Beast
?

“You’re awake. Come, you must drink.”

The voice startled her into awareness and her eyes snapped
open. Sitting next to her bed was a startling-looking woman. Her eyes were a
pristine blue deeper than the ocean. Creamy white skin and red lips contrasted
against the dark-as-night color of her long thick hair tumbling around her
shoulders. Familiarity pricked Xandra. Had she seen this woman before?

The woman smiled. “How are you feeling?”

Xandra couldn’t speak at first, her mind scrambling for
coherence. She reached up to touch the damp cloth on her forehead. “Who are
you?”

“A friend.” The woman smiled again, and Xandra saw sincerity
in those thickly lashed eyes.

Xandra moved her head gingerly, taking in the room. No, not
a room. A tent stretched over wood poles. The tan walls looked secure enough,
but a breeze moved the sides and made a soft sound. Brightly woven pillows were
scattered around the white and black sand. Billowy curtains in bright jewel
colors fell across the walls of the tent.

“You’re safe,” the woman said, pressing Xandra’s forearm.
“You have nothing to fear from me.”

Xandra didn’t try to sit up, her confusion intact. “Did you
buy me?”

The woman’s eyes widened and then she laughed. “Most
definitely not. I’m a slave myself. Or, at least, that is what Pian calls us
when outsiders approach.”

“Pian?”

“Pian Forma. He’s a wandering ruler with a band of a
hundred. He travels the vast Ithaycan desert.”

Xandra sat bolt upright despite the pain in her head. “Is he
allied to Drakus Fina or Karman Aramus?”

“Easy there.” The woman urged her to lie back down. “Pian
pretends he is their ally, but he isn’t.”

Xandra pressed her fingers to her temples. She needed to
think, but physical discomfort made it harder. “Water please?”

“Of course.” The woman reached for a metal tankard, and
Xandra sat up long enough to drink deeply as the woman held the tankard for
her.

Xandra finished drinking and lay back down. She wanted
answers quickly, and her thoughts moved too slowly. “I was with a man named
Taris Elian. Where is he?”

“Are you certain you want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Pian has imprisoned him.”

Surprise made Xandra’s mouth pop open. She could not believe
it. She gaped at the woman for a long time before she managed to speak. “What
of the other men with him?”

“If they are Magonian, there’s a good chance he’s let them
go.”

Xandra thought of Clada, the big man who’d treated her well
enough. “I cannot say I’m not sorry that Pian has imprisoned Taris Elian. But
I’m not sure I like him being so near.”

“Do not worry. He is well guarded and won’t be allowed to
harm you again. You see, Pian is a slaver, but he treats his slaves so well
they might as well be free. Most of his slaves are loyal to him, and eventually
he pays them.”

“That is incredible.” Xandra eyeballed the woman.

The woman sighed. “Perhaps I should tell you all I know.
Then you’ll see why it is better to be with Pian.”

“Better to be any man’s slave?”

A slow, indulgent smile played over the woman’s full lips.
“You’re Magonian?”

“How did you know?”

“Taris Elian said you were both from Magonia. That was his
first mistake, though perhaps he doesn’t realize it.”

“First mistake?”

“Pian hates Magonian men.” The woman’s hand waved as she
tried to come up with words. “Most of his slaves are Magonian men. He makes
them labor around his camp. Dragonia men he won’t enslave.

“A Magonian man did something to him?”

“No. It’s what Magonia stands for that Pian really hates.
You see, Pian prefers men over women…sexually.”

Xandra’s eyebrows went up. “I heard of this…of men
preferring men and women preferring women. It isn’t done in Magonia. There are
laws against it.”

The woman’s smile this time was sarcastic. “You think just
because there are laws against it that it isn’t done?”

Xandra sighed. “No, of course not. It’s just that it isn’t
done openly. There are severe penalties for such behaviors. The scribes tell us
it is a sin, and the Truth and Order Police will arrest people for such
fraternization. Even the suspicion is enough to get people arrested and
oftentimes found guilty.”

The woman frowned. “Do you abhor men and women like this?”

Xandra shook her head. “No. I never thought much about it. I
only knew it was forbidden in Magonia. But then so many things are.” Curiosity
wouldn’t keep quiet. “Are you…do you prefer women?” A thought came to her and
she sat up quickly again and swung her feet off the bed. “Is that why I’m here
with you?”

The woman stood, towering over the bed. She waved both hands
in dismissal. “No, no.” Her expression hovered between annoyed and accepting.
“Though because of the way I am, many men have accused me of preferring women
over men.”

Blinking in confusion, Xandra inspected the woman closer.
She stood at least six feet if not taller. Instead of feminine clothing, wore a
tunic with a breastplate. Her arms were muscled—she obviously labored hard. A
short skirt garment fell in filmy white to just above her knees. Her legs were
shapely but obviously fit. Black ankle boots supported her feet.

“You appear strong.” Xandra stood and compared her height to
the other woman. “You’re very tall and sturdy. But I don’t see why that would
make men think you prefer women over men.”

For a heartbeat Xandra wondered if she should have remained
quiet, but the woman didn’t seem angry with her.

“Men don’t think I’m feminine enough because I can fight. I
have my own sword, my own dagger. I am stronger than some men.”

A niggling familiarity poked Xandra but she didn’t know why.
“That hardly seems reasonable. I mean, that men would rebuff you for that. But
like most men on Magonia, I suppose many on this continent don’t like to be
seen as weaker than a woman.”

“That is certainly so. But enough about my troubles. Are you
truly feeling better?”

“Yes. I think I was poisoned.”

“So I guessed. Why?”

“You don’t know my story?”

“When Taris Elian brought you here to Pian’s camp, I
overheard your story. At least part of it.”

Anxiety started to rise to the surface. “What did you hear?”

“He said that a woman poisoned you on board the
Beast
and sold you to him.”

“There is so much more to the story than that.” Xandra
decided she could trust the woman and explained her entire story up to a point.
“Admiral Aramus’ wife wanted money to escape him. She even apologized as I was
collapsing from the poison.”

“So she made a pact with Taris Elian and sold you to him.
How did she make contact with such a man?”

Xandra retuned to the bed and sat down. “I don’t know. All I
do know now is that she isn’t the kind woman I first believed.”

Silence gathered, as if the woman didn’t want to add
conjecture. Xandra ran her hand over the surface of the bed. Two pallets of
soft cushioning, thick and sturdy, lay on top of each other. Pillows stacked at
the head.

Suddenly the woman moved to a small table near the bed.
“What am I thinking? Have more water. You must be parched, and the poison may
take some time to purge from your system.”

“Thank you.” Xandra took the refilled tankard and sipped
slowly.

The woman moved to the tent flap and pulled it aside to peek
out. “You do not have to worry about Pian mistreating you. I told him you would
work for me.”

Xandra’s suspicious nature, something she’d never had until
this whole mess started, reared its head. “I thought you said you were a
slave?”

“I’ve been with Pian for almost three years. He’s gained my
respect.” She shrugged. “I cannot fault Pian for all that he’s done when there
is so much I have to atone for.”

Curiosity got the better of Xandra. “What could you have
done that was so bad?”

The woman returned to the chair by the bed. “Deception.
Judgment. Impetuousness when caution would have been prudent.”

Xandra frowned. “Everyone has deceived and judged and been
impetuous at some point. I’d hardly call those horrific sins.”

The woman nodded and smiled. “Perhaps. But maybe the average
person hasn’t done them in the quantities I have.”

Xandra took a deeper sip of her water and noticed her head
had started to clear. Strength returned to her limbs. “Revenge seems to be a
common thing in Dragonia.”

The woman laughed, and the soft, feminine sound drifted on
the air. “Dragonians are a wild and treacherous lot. But then you already know
that.”

Xandra had an idea, relieved this woman displayed kindness
and consideration. “Perhaps you could help me.”

“How?”

“Help me escape. I’ve escaped Taris Elian but now I’m
someone else’s prisoner. I’m tired of being passed from one man to another.”
Xandra heard the whiny tone in her own voice but wasn’t proud of it. She
explained that she’d married a second time, to a man on the
Beast
.

The woman looked more than curious now. “I don’t know that I
can help you. Besides, why would you want to be with this second husband? You
were just complaining about passing from man to man.”

Why indeed?

“He is a former Daryk One. I believe he cares for me. I know
he’ll come looking for me. He is a slaver but…but he isn’t really. It’s
complicated. He wants revenge on Admiral Aramus, the man who murdered his
sister.”

The woman squinted a moment, taking a measuring look at
Xandra. “A Daryk One. There is only one man I knew who does what you’ve
described. He was once a good honorable man.” Conflicting emotions raced across
her face. “Is your husband’s name Rayder Tyrus?”

Alarm raced momentarily through Xandra. “Yes. How did you
know?”

The woman stood again and paced the room, her expression
grave and taut. “You’ll want to know then, that I once wanted revenge against
Rayder Tyrus in the worst way.” She turned to Xandra, and the anger in her eyes
was palpable. “I wanted him dead for destroying my life. I wanted him to suffer
the hells of the damned just as I did.”

Fear ran a fast river through Xandra. Her fingers clutched
the tankard. “Why? Who are you?”

The woman took a step forward and held out her hand. “I am
Aknada Tyrus.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Xandra’s mouth opened but shock kept her quiet. She shook
Aknada’s hand.

Aknada released Xandra’s hand, and Xandra found her voice.
“By the god.”

“By them all.” Aknada’s expression stayed solemn. “I did not
catch your name.”

“Xandra Shorenus. Xandra Shorenus Tyrus.”

“Do you love my brother?”

The unexpected question hit her so hard, she couldn’t think.
Her heart pounded, her breath shorter at the startling question. “Do you still
want to harm him?”

“Answer my question first.”

Xandra swallowed hard. “Your brother will be so happy to see
you alive. No matter how much you might hate him, I know he grieves deeply to
this day over your loss.”

Aknada made a soft noise. “Even if he does, he may disown me
when he learns what happened to me when I was on the
Beast
. Now do not
avoid my question. Do you love my brother?”

She couldn’t express her deepest feelings because she didn’t
know them. “He compels me more than any man I’ve ever known. We are… He has
taught me so much of physical love.”

A quick smile touched Aknada’s lips. “Please, the man is my
brother. I can be spared such details.”

Xandra flushed. “Of course. It is just that he means more to
me than I could have imagined anyone meaning to me. If that is love, then yes.
I do love him.”

Aknada paced the big tent slowly, her hands clasped behind
her back. “Good. At least I know he’ll be happy. If he loves you, that is.”

An ache started in Xandra’s midsection. “I don’t know. He’s
very protective of me.”

“Sounds like my brother.” Aknada chewed on her lower lip for
a second. “But then he is protective of all women. I would have to see how he
is with you to be certain about love.”

Xandra wanted to run, to leave all this behind and return to
Rayder. To ask him the critical question of love and know his truthful answer.
Beyond that, she knew how much Rayder would want to have Aknada back in his
life.

“Rayder thinks you’re dead. He…he showed me your book of
poems, and I read them.”

A flush filled Aknada’s face. “Poems are nothing more than
foolish musings.”

“Do you really believe that? How could you write so
beautifully if you believed it was all foolish?”

Pain echoed through her eyes. “Yes. When I realized how
foolish it was, I stopped writing them.”

Disappointment for Aknada and sympathy for her pain filled
Xandra. “Beautiful musings all the same. The poems spoke to me as if you’d
experienced and known so many of the things that I have.”

Aknada looked at the tent floor. “I wrote those poems when I
believed in love. When there was a man who…”

“Rayder told me that your betrothed was killed. He told me
the whole thing.”

“He told you what he thinks he knows.”