Silverlight (18 page)

K
ymber was pale and withdrawn as we made ready
to head for Pentorus. We had no plan, and I’d never been more than two miles
into that dark kingdom. Every time I asked about the lay of the land around
Garai’s castle, she’d get quiet and stalk off.

I helped as much as I could but, for the most
part, I looked after my own things and stayed out of her way.

The sharp coldness I saw in her eyes of late
left me a little sick. She knew enough not to fight with her emotions, but this
was something else entirely.

She was remembering. Bringing what she’d been
through to the surface, picking through it, then trying to discard it. Or at
least attempting to view it in a way that didn’t paralyze her.

Just as Jarl said she should.

We’d put half a day’s travel behind us when I
finally worked up the nerve to speak to her. “Garai won’t hand Silverlight over
without a fight. We should’ve given this some thought.”

“So I shouldn’t take back what’s mine?” She
skewered me with an icy gaze.

“I didn’t say that, did I?” I hit back as hard
as I dared. “You, of all people, should know what Garai is capable of.”

“That sword was a gift from my father. The
thought of Silverlight hanging on the wall behind that bastard’s throne keeps
me awake at night.” She took a deep breath. “As long as he has her, he has me. I
find that unacceptable.”

Her tone said “tread lightly.”   

“I understand that. I just want you to examine
why you’re doing this.”

“And I know why you’re asking. Listen, that
sword belongs to me, and I’m going up there to get her.” Kymber shifted in her
saddle. “Do you know what Tariq said to me in Adamar?”

I shrugged. “You haven’t spoken much about your
time there. I knew enough not to ask.”

“He said we were both expendable. It was just
easier to get rid of me.
Easier
, Magnus.”

I said nothing, unable to comprehend my
brother’s actions.

“He hoped you’d die too, when you found out I’d
been killed, but he thought that would appear inappropriate.” Kymber snorted.
“Think about that. He tore us apart in the most painful way, and he was worried
it would look suspicious if you died of grief. I don’t know how you feel about
it, but it twists my gut into a knot. A solid, angry, fucking knot.”

“I know.”

“You don’t!” She gripped her reins in tight
fists. “Tariq didn’t care that he was sending me into a nightmare. My life was
worth nothing more than a handful of coins. Twelve gold dorats to be exact. And
Garai was so pleased with my wounded hand, he threw in ten silver conlars. Who
does
that to another human being?”

“You’re trying to assign rational thought to an
irrational act. You’ll drive yourself insane thinking that way.”

“If the time I spent in Pentorus didn’t drive
me insane, nothing will.” Kymber sighed, relaxing a little. “Eight years,
Magnus. Eight years I’ll never get back. Sometimes it just knocks the wind out
of me.”

I had nothing to say to that. I’d thought she
was dead, so having her by my side now was a gift. 

“I suppose I shouldn’t think of it as a loss.
Maybe I’m the person I’m supposed to be because of what I’ve gone through,” she
mumbled.

I nodded. “It’s a happier thought, at least.”

“I want to kill Garai, but perhaps I shouldn’t.”

“Why is that?”

Kymber gave me the first smile I’d seen in two
days. “Do you remember your geography, Mr. Tyrix?”

“Not so much of it anymore. Why?”

“Pentorus sits between Calari and the
Shadowlands. Do you remember when I told you Garai was attacked by Munlo goblins?”

“Vaguely.” I furrowed my brow. So much had
happened, I barely remembered my own name.

“I told you I set the door to my room on fire
after they attacked. If I have anyone to thank for my escape, it’s those
blessed goblins and that unexpected battle they started.”

“What does this have to do with killing Garai?”

“He shouldn’t be underestimated. I’m still not
sure who won that battle.” She sighed. “I’ll kill him if I have to. I’ll no
doubt want to. I’m just afraid removing him from the border will put Calari at
risk.”

“Hmm.” It was a possibility I hadn’t
considered. Kymber was right. The rest of Calari gave that corner of the land
wide sway.

“I trust I’ll know what to do when the time
comes,” she said after a long period of silence. “I don’t want to solve one
problem and create another.”

“Agreed.” I reined Fitz to a halt. “Hungry?”

“Very.” Kymber stopped and dismounted.

“We’re about a half day’s ride away from
Jalartha.” I slid down and opened my saddlebag. “We’ll eat here then push to
get there before nightfall.”

“You’ll hand over everything you have in them
saddlebags,” a strident voice demanded behind us.

Three young men stepped out from the edge of
the forest. They carried short swords and large knives.

Kymber gave the men a cursory glance. “Hold
these.” She threw Lady Gray’s reins at me.

I caught them and whispered, “Oh, dear.”

“Don’t you think you’ve stolen enough from me?”
Hands on her hips, Kymber faced our assailants.

I recognized them then. The men who were going
to kill Kymber for a witch. What was left of them, anyway. Evidently, they had
not taken a lesson from the experience.

The largest man tipped his head and studied
her. “Have no idea who you are, bitch, but I’d sure like to get you on your
back.” He nudged the man next to him and smirked. “How about it, Bosh? Maybe
we’ll take a little taste before we kill them, eh?”

“Yeah.” The man actually had the audacity to
lick his lips and leer. I cringed. Kymber would make them pay for every crude
remark they made.

“What? You don’t recognize me?” She held her
right hand up for them to see.

Three sets of eyes narrowed then widened. “You’re
that filthy cunt who lived in the cave. And you.” Bosh looked at me. “You’re
the one who killed Cort right in front of us.”

“That’s right,” I said cheerfully. “See, he
does
know us, Kymber.”

“Leave now and nothing will be said.” Kymber
firmed up her stance and flexed her hands. “It’s the only chance I’ll give
you.”

“I’d take it, if I were you,” I said in an even
tone. None of these unfortunate souls knew what was coming if they didn’t.

“Ain’t none of us runnin’ from the likes of
you. Sorceress twat. Hand over them saddlebags and put your hands in the air.
Both of you.” Bosh gestured with the rusty knife he carried.

“Well, then.” Kymber smiled coldly. “I’ll give
you two words to ponder while I count to three. No, I’ll count to five, because
you seem a little slow.”

“Fucking arrogant bitch,” Bosh snarled.

“Two words. Here they are: ‘Bad. Choices.’
Ready?” She began to fold her fingers with the count. “One . . . two . . .
three . . .”

They rushed her before she got to four.

Promise was a silver shadow as she jerked it
from the sheath across her back. She did not waste the motion, swinging at an
angle, catching Bosh across the throat and severing part of his jaw. Still
blinking, he dropped like a stone at her feet, blood pouring from the gaping
wound.

The remaining thieves skidded to a halt and
stared.

“I told you.” I couldn’t help gloating.

“Let’s try this again, shall we?” She stalked
forward like a cat in the night. “My name is Kymber Oryx. I am not dead. I am
not buried in Marilian. I am as good with a sword as I ever was. If I ever see
you again, I’ll gut you like fish and hang you on the gates outside Jalartha as
a lesson for those tempted to prey on others. Understood?”

They both turned and sprinted off, not even
bothering with the body of their friend.

She looked at me, ire still evident on her
face. “Well?”

“You’ve convinced me.” I lifted my hands into
the air. “I have completely given up my plans to lead a life of crime.”

She wiped her bloody blade in the grass and
laughed.

M
y
sister Karia’s house
was full to bursting with children and grandchildren, so we stayed with my
niece Tika in Jalartha that night, preparing ourselves mentally and physically
for the trip to Pentorus.

“They’re all very nice,” Kymber said as we
prepared for bed. “I’m sorry to hear that Tika’s husband died. It must be
difficult to raise sons without a man in the house.”

“Did you ever meet my sister Neeta?” I asked.

“Once, I think. And not for long.”

“Neeta would have made an excellent warrior.
She was the epitome of strength. Tika is exactly the same.”

“She’ll need it, though her four boys are well
behaved. She’ll find another husband before long.”

“I don’t think she cares one way or the other.
Brahan wasn’t kind to her. She stayed because of the boys.” I shrugged. “She
told me she likes her freedom.”

“Good for her.” Kymber sat on the edge of the
bed and loosened the braid in her hair. “I wonder what he’d look like.”

“Who?”

“Our son.” She turned with half a smile. “If we
were ever to have one.”

I turned my side of the bed down. “I’ve always
wondered about our daughter.”

“Have you? Really? Doesn’t every man want a
son?”

“I can’t speak for every man, but it wouldn’t
matter to me. As long as you were their mother.”

“I love you, Magnus.” She gave me an appraising
look. “Perhaps someday we’ll be lucky enough to have a child of our own.”

“I’d like that, but if we don’t, I’ll still be
a happy man if we can grow old together.”

She nodded. “I’d like to go to T’hath tomorrow
morning before we head to Pentorus.”

“Changed your mind?”

“Yes.”

“Get in and tell me why.” I climbed into bed
and patted the empty space beside me.

She didn’t move for a moment. “There’s no
reason not to visit T’hath. Tariq is dead. I’m not quite so fearful of Garai. I
want to see my brothers.” She slipped under the covers and rolled against me.
“I have to know if Portis was in league with Tariq.”

“What if he was?”

“I don’t know.” She gave me a thoughtful look.
“I should kill him if he admits guilt. There’s no cause to betray anyone
into
a situation like that, let alone family, but he’s my brother. Will I be able to
draw a sword on him?”

“Only you can answer that, love.” I held her
close. “But I’ll accompany you to T’hath if that’s where you want to go.”

She snuggled into the crook of my arm. “I wish
life had stayed simple. I wish I didn’t have to do these things.”

“Was fighting and killing a simple life?”

“No, but it was a different kind of
complicated. I trusted everyone then. I trusted too much. It was so easy for
them to take me away from everything I loved. Ridiculously easy.” Kymber
sighed; her breath was warm against my shoulder. “How many other captive women
are out there?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a few.”

“I want to find them.” Kymber went so still I
could feel her heart beating against me. “I want to save them.”

 
A
t least fifty majestic oak trees had once lined
both sides of the winding road up to the T’hath Academy of Blade and Bow.
Bendil Monix, once the largest man at the academy, could not fully put his arms
around any of their rough trunks.

 My child’s imagination had viewed them as
soldiers standing watch over my home, keeping us all safe, their gnarled limbs
prepared to knock an enemy from his horse or sweep him off his feet. 

Most of them were dead now. Storms and time had
either toppled them or broken them in half. No one had bothered to clean up the
debris or plant new trees. My father would’ve been heartbroken. What was once a
stately row of trees now resembled a graveyard of fallen warriors.

I hoped it was not an omen.

Magnus broke the silence. “This is awful.”

“It is that. I can’t believe Juncor didn’t clean
up this mess. He was a better gardener than he was a swordsman.”

My brothers Portis, Juncor, and Daxal were
grown by the time I was left on the Oryx’s doorstep. I remembered them as good
men and passable fighters, though they were often aloof and reserved with me.
No surprise there, as I was much younger. Still, they’d been a presence in my
life. Daxal was the one who’d taught me to fight with a blade in each hand.

I turned my thoughts from my brothers and looked
over the rest of the T’hath grounds. The lawn was unkempt. Weeds grew up around
the fence that surrounded the training yards. There were four or five young
boys in the yard, fighting with wooden swords, but otherwise the place looked
and felt abandoned.

A chill wind blew my hair across my eyes as we
started up the curving rise that led to the house where I’d lived. It felt like
a warning, but I couldn’t turn back. Not now.

Magnus snorted behind me. “Looks like someone
found the wine cellar.”

A dark lump surrounded by empty brown wine
bottles lay in the road ahead. It looked like Daxal. He wasn’t dead. I could
see his shoulders rise and fall with each breath he took.

I dismounted and walked to him, unable to shake
the feeling that my life would be different when I traveled back down this
road.

I pushed on his shoulder. “Daxal. Wake up. Are
you ill or drunk?”

“Drunk!” Daxal shouted, then issued forth with
the creepiest laugh. Drool spilled from his lips and pooled on the ground
beneath his cheek. “Go away, whoever you are.”

Magnus came up behind me, his hand on his
sword. “Was he out here all night?”

“Probably. His clothing is damp from morning
dew. He smells terrible, like piss and merlot.”

Magnus wrinkled his nose.

None of my brothers drank to excess. At least
not when I’d lived here, but so much time had passed. People changed, and
sometimes not for the better. I knelt and rolled my brother onto his back.
“Daxal, it’s Kymber. I’ve come home.”

Daxal grimaced and shook his head. Saliva flew
everywhere. “Bad, bad dream.” He kept trying to focus bleary eyes on me but he
couldn’t keep them open. “Kymber is dead. A long time.”

“I’m not dead. Will you get up? I’d like to
talk to you.”

I heard the front door of the house open and
slam. I looked up to see Portis standing in the middle of the walkway, pale as
snow.

I slowly rose to my full height. The years had
not been kind to him. Portis had never been conventionally handsome, with his
long, narrow face and aquiline nose. Now he was nearly unrecognizable. The
lines and folds of his skin put me in mind of the sunbaked shepherds that came
down out of the Tural Mountains just before winter. His eyes looked like dull
brown stones set into old leather.

I don’t think he recognized me at first, but
then his eyes widened. His lips parted slightly on a question then pressed into
a thin angry line.

I moved my shoulders to confirm that Promise
was still strapped across my back.

“Portis.” I acknowledged him with a nod.

“Kymber?” He tensed and took a step back – preparing
to run, I thought. Though he didn’t appear to have a weapon, I watched him
assume a defensive stance.

His body language spoke of guilt with no
remorse, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. “It’s me.
Kymber. How are you?”

He blinked slowly, like an owl. “What do you
want?”

“I’ve come home to see you.” 

He didn’t move. I didn’t move. Magnus was
practically panting behind me.

“May I come in?” I pointed toward the house.

Portis’s eyes flicked to Magnus then back to
me. “For what purpose?”

“Do I need a reason? I was raised here. I
trained here.”

Portis shook his head, as though he didn’t
understand what I’d said.

“I know everyone thinks I’m dead and buried on
the battlefield of Marilian. Clearly, I’m not.” I couldn’t force a smile,
though I tried.

He shifted his gaze between Magnus, Daxal, and
me. I made the decision to play dumb and felt cold all over. “Are Mother and
Father well? May I see them?” I pointed at Daxal. “Should we take our brother
home first?”

“Mother and Father are fine. He can sober up
and take himself home.”

Portis was a damned liar.
It felt like a
fist in my gut.

“Maybe you don’t care to see me, but I have a
right to see our parents.” I took several brisk steps forward and stopped.
Magnus was right behind me. “It must have killed them to think I was dead.
Stand aside. I’m going in to see them.”

Portis’s cheeks went from pale to port wine. “You
are not. You’re not welcome here.”

“Why? What have I done?”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you. Get
off this property and take him with you.” My brother waved at Magnus.

I inhaled, snatched Promise from her scabbard,
and chased the deceitful bastard into the house.