The Born Queen

"And for what reason?"

Sir Roger seemed to wonder how to answer that for a moment. "There are many I could give," he finally replied. "But I've heard a lot about you, and I think I'll tell you the truth. My primary task isn't to find you; it's to find the valley where you first discovered the Briar King. I'm to go there and hold it against all invaders until Niro Marco sends word."

"Why?"

"I don't rightly know. I don't care. But as you seem to be going there, I thought I would best discharge my mission by stopping you here in the foothills."

"How do you even know where you're going?"

"You made a report to the praifec of Crotheny, and he dispatched scouts to find the place. It's on our maps now."

Hespero, Aspar thought darkly.

"Well," Aspar said, "I reckon you ought to turn back."

"Why? Because you've got a knife to my throat? Everything I know about you says you won't kill me."

"You don't know everything, though, do you?" Aspar asked.

"Well, we all have our secrets."

His eyes shifted the barest bit, and Aspar suddenly found himself airborne, then pi

Stupid, he thought. Was it the geos making him an idiot or just old age?

It didn't matter now. Had they caught Leshya, too?

"Are you here alone, holter?" the knight asked, answering that question.

"Yah."

"Well, I'll try to have someone keep you company, at least until we've detained your friends. Do you think they will fight? It would be foolish."

"They might not," Aspar said. "Take me there. I'll talk them out of it."

Harriot shrugged. "It doesn't make that much difference to me. Anyway, my men have already started closing. I expect this to be over before sunrise."

Aspar relaxed his muscles and sighed, then put everything he had into breaking loose from the monks.

It was like trying to snap iron bands.

"You've no chance, holter," Harriot said.

"You have to let me go," Aspar said. "You've no idea what you're doing. You said it yourself. Unless I get to that valley, everything will die."

"That's very dramatic," Sir Roger replied. "In fact, the Fratrex Prismo makes similar claims about what will happen if you do reach the valley. Imagine who I believe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to oversee this. I promise you, I will spare whoever I can."

"Harm any of them and I'll send you straight to Grim," Aspar said.

"Grim? How quaint. A mountain heretic."

"I'm serious," Aspar said. "I'll kill you."

"Well that is as may be," the knight replied. "I'll trust you to think about the method."

They tied him up and put him under guard, leaving him to continue contemplating his mistake. He knew that there were monks who could hear a butterfly's wing against the breeze; Stephen had been one such. But when he'd been able to slip into camp, apparently u

And maybe they didn't. Leshya seemed to have escaped without being seen.

Maybe part of him wanted to be caught. This way, at least, the Sarnwood witch wouldn't get her way.

But what if Fend was right?

It was hard to even consider that. It was also moot; it no longer mattered what he thought.

A bell or so before dawn, the monks broke down the tent and lashed him over the back of a horse, then set off at a fast trot. There was a lot of shouting about formations and such, so Aspar figured that Emfrith must be giving better than Harriot had imagined he would. He wished they would set him upright so that he could see.

They reached a ridge top, and the horsemen started forming ranks.

Aspar smelled autumn leaves.

A sudden marrow-scraping scream went up, and he tried to lift his head higher. Then something knocked the horse out from under him. Blood came down like hot rain, and he had to blink it out of his eyes to see.

Gasping, he tucked his legs up and brought his bound hands from behind, cursing at the pain, eyes searching wildly for the source of the horse's disembowelment. But all he saw were the stamping hooves of other horses, and all he heard were screams of pain, terror, and defiance.

He got his hands under his boots and pulled forward, then started working at the knots keeping his feet together.

As he did that, the fighting moved away from him. By the time he could stand up, it was well down the ridge, leaving only carnage behind. Almost twenty horses were down, and nearly as many men. He took a dirk from one of the corpses and whittled through what remained of his bonds. He found a throwing ax on a headless body and stuck it in his belt.

From his vantage, he could see two battles being fought. One was up on the ridge with him, albeit farther down. He could see only part of it, but he could make out a couple of greffyns and an utin tearing at what remained of Harriot's rear guard.

Most of the rest of the army of the Church lay dead in the valley below, sprawled side by side with dozens of dead and dying sedhmhari. Only a few dozen men remained, and he recognized some of them as Emfrith's horsemen.

That was his fight, then. He started down the slope as quickly as he dared and as his legs allowed him.

He picked his way through the corpses, and by the time he reached the knot of men, only half a dozen of Emfrith's men were still on their feet. They faced about ten churchmen, three of them still mounted. Of Wi

One of the knights saw him and wheeled his way but was unable to come to a full charge because of the heaped bodies. Aspar took the ax out of his belt and hurled it from four kingsyards away. It smacked into the knight's visor, and his head popped back. Aspar followed close behind the missile, grabbing the man's arm, hauling him out of the saddle, and slamming him to the ground. Then he stabbed the dirk up under the helm and though his neck.

With bleak purpose he turned to the next man, and then the next…

When it was over, Aspar, Emfrith, and two of his warriors were all that remained.

But Emfrith didn't have long. He had been stabbed through the lungs, and blood was choking out with his breath.

"Holter," he managed to gasp. "You have a berry for this?" He was trying to sound brave, but Aspar could see the terror on his face.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not, lad," he said. "Do you know what happened to Wi

"Leshya took her before the fighting started. Said you had sent for her."

"I sent for her?"

Emfrith nodded. "Some of the knights broke off and went north. I think they may have gone after them."

"Maybe. I'll find her."

"I wish I could help."

"You've helped plenty," Aspar said.

"Be good to her," Emfrith said. "You don't deserve her. You're a damned fine man, but you don't deserve her."

"I know," Aspar said.

"It's a good death, isn't it?"

"It's a good death," Aspar agreed. "I'm proud of you. Your father will be, too."

"Don't you tell him. He'll hang you."

Aspar nodded. "I've got to go," he said. "You understand?"

"Yes."

Aspar rose and collected the ax. He found a bow and a few arrows, a dirk, then a horse. Emfrith's men stayed with him.

He wondered where Ehawk was. He hoped he was with Leshya but didn't have time to search the dead.

The battle on the ridge seemed to be over, too. At least he didn't see anything moving up there anymore.

He rode south, along the valley bottom.

Fend was waiting for him.