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Gaelin thought for a time, looking out over the white blanket of fog. “Not as well as I might like,” he said.
“Don’t lie to me, Gaelin.” Erin started to turn away, straightening up and pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. “I know what happened between you and Seriene.”
He felt as if he’d been struck. “You do?”
“I’m not stupid. The way you’ve been acting, the way she looks at you… it’s not hard to figure it out.” Erin laughed bitterly. “I wish the two of you well.”
“I don’t think I love her, Erin.”
“What’s that matter? She’s a beautiful woman from a family as noble as your own. And you must have feelings for her, if…”
Gaelin looked away, watching the mists rising from the lake. The cold and damp had chilled him to the bone, but the dark ache in the center of his chest held him transfixed, unwilling to leave and unable to face Erin. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let things happen the way they did.”
“Why apologize? You don’t owe me your faithfulness.”
Erin tried to maintain her sarcasm, but her voice broke. “I have no claim on you.”
“Erin” he said softly. “I may have been Seriene’s lover, but I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Her head dropped as she hugged herself against the cold stone, her hair spilling down around her face. Her voice a whisper, she said, “Gaelin, don’t. Please. It’s not in my heart to stop you.” She straightened and turned away.
“Wait, Erin. Please don’t go yet.” He reached out and caught her arm gently. Erin let him turn her back to face him, looking past him, refusing to meet his eyes. He searched for something to say, but nothing came to mind as he held her, looking into her face. Her self-assurance was gone, stripped away, and she was trembling like a vulnerable child. “You told me that I could have your counsel when I needed it. I don’t know what to do. I know what I should do – my duty – and I know what I think is right – my heart, my conscience – but they’re not the same.”
Erin glanced up, and a flicker of a smile showed itself on her face. “You’re becoming familiar with that dilemma, aren’t you?”
“I’m twice caught in it,” he answered. “Do I do my duty to Mhoried, marrying Seriene and refusing to allow Ba
“Gaelin, please. Don’t say that.” She moved away, circling the ruined parapets, looking down at the wet stone of the turret.
Her hair fell around her face.
“It’s in my heart, Erin.”
She drew back another step and sighed, glancing up to meet his eyes. “Listen to your heart, Gaelin,” she whispered.
“Somehow it will work out.” She slipped past him and disappeared into the shadows, like a wisp of silver moonlight.
Ba
The army was camped in a high valley, surrounded by dark peaks and fells, and in the gray distance Ba
Near the center of the camp, he spied the wolf standard of Noered Tuorel. Ba
Fortunately, his shadow portal couldn’t be damaged by petty vandalism, but many other possessions of value to him had not fared so well.
He cantered up to a large red pavilion surrounded by guards, and dismounted. A footman took the reins from his hand and led the horse away, while he briefly indulged in a stretch. “Tell Baron Tuorel that I have returned,” he said. The officer glared at him but turned to perform his duties. A few moments later, he emerged from the tent.
“The baron will see you now,” he said.
Ba
“Well, well,” Tuorel said. “You’ve some nerve to show up on my doorstep, Ba
Four of the elite Iron Guards stood by the door, their swords bared; the nearest were already within striking range, but they made no move to attack. Across the tent from him stood Tuorel, dressed in his striking wolf-emblazoned armor.
Ba
With his preternatural senses, he detected a pair of sharpshooters training their crossbows on him from their concealed positions. More importantly, a slight woman in the robes of a Khinasi mage stood beside Tuorel. Although the spell would be invisible to the untrained eyes of normal men, Ba
For the moment, Ba
Tuorel regarded him suspiciously. “And what do you want me to do for you this time?”
“Nothing you wouldn’t do for yourself, baron. You march on Caer Winoene, the seat of Gaelin’s government in exile. I wish to see the renegade Mhor’s power destroyed as well, and I offer you my services toward this end.”
Tuorel frowned. “As you can see, Ba
“I can assure your victory, my lord.”
“Just as you assured my conquest of Mhoried?”
Ba
“You know the Red Oak would never have acknowledged me, not with the blooded heir to the Mhor alive and at liberty.
I would have made a fool of myself if I’d tried! Now Gaelin has rallied the northlands against me. I would hardly say that you fulfilled your part of our pact.”
“Nor did you fulfill your part of the bargain, by allowing Gaelin to escape when we had him in our clutches!”
Tuorel’s eyes narrowed. “It would seem neither of us wishes to deal with the other any longer. Ba
Instantly, two crossbows thrummed, while the Iron Guards nearest Ba
The bolts struck Ba
Ignoring these distractions, Ba