Harvest of Dreams (The Gods' Dream Trilogy) (35 page)

Past a grove of pine trees, he saw some ruined buildings in the distance and headed toward them. The Goddess didn’t correct his course, so he kept going, only slowing to a walk when he reached a wall of rubble. Green vines with scarlet trumpet-like flowers climbed over this wall and would soon completely screen out the piles of rock and brick.

Sensing he was alone, Philan plucked a blossom and absently fingered the petals while he studied his surroundings. Wrought-iron gates tied closed with a rope made of dried woven vines looked to be the only entrance. But when he moved closer, he noticed the metal of the gates wasn’t iron, but a purplish alloy that he’d never seen before.

Undoing the vine was a simple matter, and Philan surmised the primitive lock wasn’t meant to keep out humans. He canted open one gate and slipped though, closing it behind him.

He found himself in a lush garden. Carefully worked beds of vegetables and herbs, some he knew, many unfamiliar, marched in straight rows across the area. He didn’t have to travel far before a gentle tug reined him in next to a bush that held beautiful multi-petaled pink flowers with a sweet, heavy scent. “What?” he said to the air, hoping the Goddess would give him an answer.

Dig.

Wishing he had more than a single word to go on, Philan knelt down on one knee. Since he didn’t have a shovel with him, he poked an experimental finger into the dirt at the foot of the rosebush. The soil was loose, easy for his hand to burrow into, so he scooped the excess into a little mound next to the hole.

At about six inches, his fingers touched something hard, and he dug around the edges before pulling it out. Holding the object on his palm, he brushed off the dirt with his sleeve. The glint of metal rewarded him—a familiar round pin, the emeralds forming a
Y
on the gold background.

My grandfather’s seal of office!

From nowhere, a sob burst out of him, followed by a second. His chest heaved with the pressure of his grief, and Philan struggled for breath, for control.

The feel of a comforting hand brushing across his back gave him permission to break down and mourn. Here in the Goddess’s garden, there was no one to see him, no one to know of his tears.

The fight left him. Philan crumbled to the ground and wept, Micfal’s badge clutched in his fist.

~ ~ ~

Close to tears and still feeling shaky from the othersense dream, Sadie watched Thaddis’s rigid back as he walked away from her and had to hold in the urge to call him back. No matter that he’d just saved her or how she felt about him, her mind couldn’t get past the atrocities he’d committed, even though her heart yearned for him.

Cheta put her front paws on the bed and yelped for attention.

Sadie rubbed the knobby head. “So much for trusting your judgment about people. ‘Dogs always know,’” she mimicked. Something hard poked her hip, and Sadie rolled onto her back, groped next to her side, and felt her sword, strapped to her waist.

She rolled off the bed and stood, unbuckling the belt and setting it on the bed. After drawing out the sword, she studied the blade for a few seconds. As Sadie examined every inch of the blade and the hilt, the sword’s energy began to vibrate, pulsing with the beat of her heart. As she concentrated on the waves of energy, her shakiness subsided.

Although tempted to go work out with her new weapon, Sadie still felt too weak from Ontarem’s drain and knew she probably needed to eat and rest. She slid the blade back into the scabbard and set the sword on the bed.

In the bathroom, she used the facilities and debated about taking a bath but figured she needed to refuel, or she might fall asleep in the tub. Calling to Cheta to follow her, she left the room and headed for Zacatlan’s equivalent of a cafeteria, the dog padding at her side.

Inside the room, Sadie saw the soldiers from Ocean’s Glory eating at one of four long stone tables set perpendicular to the door. The men, except for Lind, smiled and nodded greetings.

Each table had ten carved stone stools per side that rose from the ground like mushrooms. On the far wall of the room, near a door leading to the kitchen, platters of food were set out for the guests to help themselves. The rich scent of roasting meat permeated the room, making Sadie’s stomach growl.

She picked up two white plates, one for herself and one for Cheta. Holding both in one arm, waitress-style, she spooned some meat stew on to both plates, then added a serving of mashed starchy vegetable to hers. She turned to face the room, debating where to sit.

Boerk waved her over to join them. He elbowed the soldier next to him, gesturing for him to move over to an empty seat.

Sadie set Cheta’s food on the floor, slid her plate onto the table in front of the vacated seat, and went back for utensils, a napkin, and a mug of the tart fruit drink served at every meal.

When she rejoined the soldiers at the table, the men nodded in recognition but continued to plow into their food, as if they hadn’t eaten in several days.

Sadie recognized the feeling and dug into her own meal. The stew tasted close enough to beef to seem familiar, and she ate in silence until she’d taken the edge off her hunger.

Cheta finished and looked up at her with imploring eyes, conveying to Sadie she wanted more.

“No, baby,” Sadie admonished. “You’re still becoming accustomed to rich food.”

With a long-suffering air, the dog grunted and slid down to lay at Sadie’s feet.

Before Sadie could finish, the door opened.

The priestess Wenda walked in, followed by the formerly wounded soldiers from Seagem, who now appeared hale and hearty. Their once-tattered and faded green uniforms looked pristine. Their othersense power glowed, showing a faint nimbus around their bodies.

Sadie gazed at them in awe, moved almost to tears to see the formerly wounded, beaten-down men walk with confidence, their expressions alight with gratitude.

On the edge of the pack, was a woman with springy blond hair. She looked a few inches taller than Sadie and was stocky and muscled. Sadie assessed the woman. With her build, she might not be light enough on her feet to do well in a traditional fencing match. But in a real battle, her strength would be an asset.
Like fighting with a tree trunk
, Sadie mused.

However, as the Seagem soldiers spotted the men from Ocean’s Glory, their faces shuttered. Several reached for the swords that no longer hung at their hips. Keeping alert, they moved toward the food.

A burly soldier, whom Sadie remembered as missing an arm, waved the hand Withea had regrown. “I am Nilte, a captain in Seagem’s guard.” He bowed to Boerk and his men in an obvious gesture of peace.

Boerk rose to his feet and moved around the table. “Welcome, men of Seagem.” He bowed. “And lady warrior.” He dipped a second bow to the stocky woman. “I see you have been blessed by Withea’s grace, and the Goddess has healed you.” He paused and took a deep breath. “We cannot even make amends for the wrongs we have done your people.” Lifting a hand, he waved to include his men. “In our blind loyalty to our Goddess and our king, we acted without conscience and without honor, committing atrocities that will forever stain our souls. We have dedicated ourselves to the Goddess Withea and vowed to make amends as best we can. We pledge our lives to overthrow Ontarem and rescue any person from Seagem who yet lives.”

Nilte grimaced. “Before our visit with the Goddess, we would have fallen upon you with our swords and fought ’til our deaths. The Goddess has filled us in on the situation with Ontarem… how with Besolet’s blessing the Evil One enslaved your king and forced the invasion…” He stopped talking, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The man who’d previously been shell-shocked laid a hand on Nilte’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Lial,” Nilte said to his companion before turning to Boerk. “You were betrayed by your own Deity. Perhaps you of Ocean’s Glory have lost much, as well.”

Boerk gave a solemn nod. “We have indeed.”

Am I being too hard on Thaddis?
Sadie bit her lip.

Lial’s blue eyes sparked with intelligence. “Withea has redeemed my faith in Deities. The Goddess healed our bodies, as well as our pain and anger. Not completely. We wouldn’t want to give up our grief for those we loved and lost. But She has restored us enough to bear the presence of our enemies.”

“
We
are not your enemies,” Boerk shook his head. “
Ontarem
is.”

Lial frowned. “Perhaps in time we will come to believe that. In the meantime, Withea has ordered us to work with you and—” he stumbled over the name. “Thaddis. We will do as the Goddess commands.”

At the mention of Thaddis’s name, Sadie’s heart clenched.

“Come, eat.” Boerk gestured toward the food table. “You must be famished after…your healing.”

Nilte nodded. Keeping his eyes on Boerk, he crossed to the table and picked up a plate. Once he served himself, his men followed. When they’d served themselves, they took a seat at the table farthest from away from everyone, their backs to the wall facing the soldiers from Ocean’s Glory. After a while, the men seemed to relax and become less wary, although they remained alert.

Feeling the tension between the two tables of soldiers, Sadie finished the last of her food. Her heart ached for what these people had suffered and for the man who’d caused all the pain yet now perhaps suffered the most of all.

Much had been accomplished today…the first steps to the healing these people needed so desperately. Recent enemies ate, if not precisely at peace, at least in the same room.

It was a start.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The next day, with her sword and scabbard attached to a custom-made belt, Sadie approached the courtyard. She’d left Cheta behind in the room, to the dog’s disgruntlement. But she couldn’t risk the animal’s safety near the sharp weapons of sparring men.

The soldiers from Seagem and Ocean’s Glory had arrived before her and already lined up facing each other, hands on sword hilts. Twenty feet gapped between the rows, as if they prepared for a battle against each other.
Or a lethal game of Red Rover.
She imagined the game from her childhood, trying to lighten her mood.

Philan and Boerk stood a few feet in front of their men, but kept their hands at their sides.

Sadie glanced around but didn’t see Thaddis. An unwanted stab of disappointment made her quicken her pace to join everyone. Just as she reached the edge of the courtyard, as if she’d conjured him up by thinking of him, she saw Thaddis, wearing a sleeveless shirt and pants, walking down a path from the other side of the guest “egg,” and her traitorous heart thumped a beat-beat.

She looked away and kept moving to join the others, wishing she could be more like the Seagem soldiers who seemed more able to forgive Thaddis—to accept that
Ontarem
caused the man to kill and pillage.

Boerk greeted Sadie with a wide smile and a nod.

Philan flashed her a cocky grin, his blue eyes sparkling. He took her hand and bowed.

Sadie pulled back before he did something flirtatious like kiss her hand. But she couldn’t help returning his smile, wishing she could feel attracted to him instead of to the deposed king of Ocean’s Glory.

Philan’s gaze fell on Thaddis and his expression hardened. He narrowed his eyes and tightened his jaw.

Thaddis paused, holding up his hands in an
I don’t want to fight with you
gesture
,
then continued toward the leaders. Reaching the three of them, he said a quiet good morning, which both Philan and Boerk politely returned. He flicked a glance at her and hesitated before giving her a small bow. “Day’s greeting, Sadie. I hope you slept well.”

She had…dreamlessly for once, either because Guinheld was drained from Her healing of Seagem’s soldiers and couldn’t spare the energy for othersense weapons training, or because the Goddess allowed Sadie a reprieve after her ordeal with Ontarem. “I did, indeed, thank you.”

Philan fisted his hands on his hips and glared at Thaddis. “I will not kill you, destroyer, as you deserve because I am Withea’s
Tanmargis
. As such, I have vowed to do Her bidding, which for now means to work with you.”

“I’m grateful for your forbearance,” Thaddis said, straight-faced.

Sadie glanced sharply at him. Was that sarcasm she heard in his tone? But Thaddis’s expression remained serious.

Boerk studied Philan with interest. “I am also Withea’s
Tanmargis
.” He rubbed his forehead. “Your Princess Daria and her husband also belong to the Goddess. The ranks of Her priesthood are expanding.”

Thaddis looked from one leader to another, then, with a shift of his body, included Sadie in the conversation. “The Zacatlan guards join us today. Guinheld wants us to combine forces.”

Philan glanced around. “We’re hardly a force,” he said, his tone ironic. “And I don’t have the impression that Zacatlan has many guards.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do they?”

“Thirty,” Thaddis told him. “Half will remain behind and half will go with us.”

As he spoke, the Zacatlan thirty came trotting toward them from the direction of the temple, looking Sadie thought, like actors from a movie of ancient Greece. Tall and muscular, male and female alike wore white tunics with pale leather belts, swords at their sides, and sandals that laced up their calves.