The Dark Throne (62 page)

“You can’t kill every Dark creature with your bare hands,” I pointed out.

“For this one, I will make an exception,” she said softly, her Northern accent shaping her words for the first time in a long time. Silence stretched around us; I leaned back in my chair and gazed up at the glowing lights suspended overhead. Finally Vell propped her boots up on the table and laced her fingers behind her head. “So, tell me of your journey.”

“Our Walker gave you good reports?” I asked.

“Yes, but you heard the format. They are very…dry.” Vell smiled a little. “Anything really interesting happen?”

I chuckled. “Other than opening a portal to here? Not really.” I paused. “I’m grateful that we found my brother and his teammates. I still don’t understand Malravenar’s aim in trying to kidnap him, but…” I shrugged. “I suppose I won’t understand everything all the time.”

“Especially not when you are dealing with a mind that has traveled deep into the reaches of Darkness,” Vell said quietly. “He might well have had a use for your brother that would horrify us.”

“Takes a lot to surprise me, anymore,” I replied. We both stared up at the floating lights for a few long moments. “So…I was told that there was some tension when the Seelie and Unseelie Courts met.”

“Tension is an understatement,” Vell replied dryly. “For a few days, I though we were going to be fighting each other rather than the enemy.”

I shook my head. “Another thing I don’t understand.”

“Look at us, being so introspective.” Vell grinned. “I remember when my measurement of a good day was how many Dark creatures I gutted.”

“Well, there’s a few good days coming up then,” I said, raising my eyebrows.

“You know what I mean…that was the
only
thing I had to worry about. That and keeping you alive.”

“I suppose you’ve done a pretty good job of that.” I smiled.

“You became surprisingly adept at surviving on your own.”

“Such a ringing endorsement.”

“What do you expect? It’s true. You went from the soaked and bedraggled mortal that I found beneath the river tree to a fearsome warrior in your own right, never mind the fact that you’re the Bearer.”

“And you went from a rebellious mercenary Northwoman to High Queen.”

Vell looked at me sharply and opened her mouth to contradict me, but then our eyes met and we both burst into laughter. It felt good to laugh, even with my aching ribs and the headache tightening the back of my skull. When our laughter finally subsided, Vell stretched her arms over her head and said, “By the White Wolf, I needed that.”

“Merrick and Gray haven’t been keeping you properly entertained?”

Vell snorted and gave me half a smile. “They’re too busy coordinating messengers between the Courts, spying on Malravenar’s forces, training the Wild Court and reporting to me about all of it to have a sense of humor anymore.”

“Poor Merrick. However is he going to court Calliea without a sense of humor?”

Vell burst into laughter again. “Aye, poor bedeviled Arrisyn.”

I shook my head and sighed. “Well, I need to go make sure Nehalim is settled for the night.”

“You’re welcome to sleep here if you wish,” said Vell offhandedly.

“After a few weeks of sleeping on the ground, it would be a welcome change.” I smiled.

“Oh,” said the High Queen as I stood, “I’ll be conducting a blood-baptism at the
vyldgard
’s main fire tonight for the northern vanguard.” Her golden eyes glimmered. “Apparently my baptism of Merrick made me highly unpopular among certain factions of the Unseelie.”

I thought of Ramel and the black armband he still wore. “Perhaps not as unpopular as you might think.”

Vell shrugged. “In any case, there isn’t much Mab can do about it.” She folded her hands behind her head again. “If a warrior wants to try to join the
vyldgard
, it is their choice.”

“It might be one of the first real choices they’ve had,” I thought aloud.

“Too close to the truth for Mab to feel any comfort,” agreed Vell. “Like we’ve said before, Mab is very…possessive, and not just of her favored knights. Titania thinks that the Wild Court might help to heal the wounds between Night and Day. We don’t belong to either, but all my warriors were born from their Courts and still have strong ties there.” She snuck a sidelong glance at me. “Thought you had to go see to your valiant mount.”

“That I do.” I smiled. “It’s just good to be back.”

“Good to have you back.” Vell grinned her lupine grin and then went back to staring at the ceiling. As I walked toward the front of the tent, Kianryk and Beryk barreled past me, nearly knocking me from my feet. I heard Vell exclaim a wordless greeting, and I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see her dive to the floor, wrestling with Kianryk. Satisfied that I wasn’t leaving Vell alone and staring pensively into the distance, I slid out into the darkness.

I found Nehalim already groomed and fed in the makeshift paddock that the northern vanguard had constructed. The
faehal
could have jumped the silver rope with no problem, but it was as though they were courteously staying within the area marked for them. The white
faehal
flicked his tail and trotted over to me. I rubbed his nose with the palm of one hand.

“We’ve traveled a long way together, hmm?” I murmured to him. His delicate ears swiveled and his dark liquid eyes regarded me with recognition. I patted his neck. “And still a long way to go. Seems like it’s taken a long time to get to this point, but what we have before us…I can’t really wrap my mind around it.”

Nehalim pushed his nose into my chest in a rare display of affection. I smiled and rested my forehead against his for a moment. Then he blew out a breath that smelled like sweet grass and drew back.

“See you tomorrow morning,” I told him. He swished his tail and rejoined the other
faehal
.

“Your pack and saddle are by the fire,” said Luca from behind me.

I turned. “Thanks. You know, I don’t expect you to do my chores for me.” I softened the statement with a smile.

He chuckled. “You were worrying about something more important.”

I shrugged with one shoulder. “True, but I can still do my own chores.”

“I’ll have to ask your brother if you were always this stubborn.” Luca raised an eyebrow.

“He’d laugh at you. I hated chores when I was a kid.”

“That’s not what I said. I said I’d ask him whether you were always this
stubborn
.”

“Oh. Then yes. Maybe even more than I am now, actually.” I grinned. “I was kind of a terror when I was a kid sometimes, from the way he tells it.”

“I am not surprised.”

I scowled in mock anger, but Luca grinned and I couldn’t hold the expression. I gave in and smiled. I was smiling a lot tonight, I thought, probably because my brother was safe and we were back in the company of the Wild Court….and perhaps because Luca’s smile kindled an answering warm glow within me.

“Have you eaten yet?” I asked Luca. “Don’t worry, I have my own spoon.”

“Then by all means, let us find our evening meal,” the
ulfdrengr
replied.

“You know, Vell said she’s going to baptize the warriors from the northern vanguard tonight.” I narrowed my eyes at Luca. “That isn’t news to you.”

“Our company fought well,” he replied as we walked through the camp, following the scent of roasting meat. We found the main fire around which the
vyldgard
had built their camp. The heat warmed our skin as we stood in line for our portion. I ignored the murmurs that accompanied our appearance, and after a few moments the warriors of the
vyldgard
turned back to their conversations. The stew for the night had a bit less meat than the food prepared at the camp by the dragon’s corpse, but it was still hearty fare. My headache receded as I ate, and the shaky feeling left my legs. I glimpsed Liam at the center of a group of Sidhe, Quinn seated to his left side. Both men looked entirely at ease, Liam with his elbows resting on his knees and Quinn with legs stretched in front of him, talking with the other warriors of the
vyldgard
as though they’d known each other for years. I felt a little prickle of jealousy, thinking of how awkward I’d felt during my first interactions with the Sidhe in Mab’s court. Then I pushed the envy away. It was a good thing that my brother and his teammates didn’t need me to watch over them, and the
vyldgard
warriors accepted them readily, albeit with a bit of curiosity.

Luca and I talked about different aspects of ground fighting as the fire burned low, the warriors casting long shadows over the ground. Vell emerged from her tent, Gray and Arcana flanking her as she strode to the center of the
vyldgard
camp. Conversations and songs faded into silence as Gray knelt before the
vyldretning,
holding a familiar silver bowl above her bowed golden head. Vell held her ivory staff in one hand, and a dagger in the other; no dragon’s blood streaked her face, but she held up the dagger and opened a shallow cut on her own arm, her face impassive as she watched her dark blood trickle into the silver bowl. The air tightened around us as long moments passed. Finally Vell exchanged the dagger for her ivory staff, pressing it against her bleeding arm, and the scent of snow swirled around her, softly glowing light spreading in threads over her skin, like frost on a pane of glass. The shallow cut disappeared beneath the web of white light, and when Vell drew her staff away from her skin, there was only the trace of a silver scar. She shoved her bloody dagger into her belt, and dipped her fingers in the bowl, drawing dark streaks across her pale face.

One by one, she called the names of the northern vanguard. I found myself smiling, just as I had smiled when she’d named Merrick and Calliea to the Firstscore. Niamh was the last to be baptized. Tears streamed down the Valkyrie commander’s face as she knelt before the
vyldretning
; she shuddered in ecstasy as Vell marked her forehead with blood, the wild power of the
vyldgard
rushing around her and then through her. Her smile was beatific but her eyes were fierce as she stood and faced the gathered warriors, who sent up a great shout for the newest members of their Wild Court.

Chapter 31

I
awoke in the morning to someone poking me relentlessly in the shoulder. I growled at them and tried to roll over, but the finger became a whole hand, shaking my shoulder. I sighed and sat up, blinking tiredly. Vell sat on her haunches an arm’s-length away, eyes and crown glimmering gold in the darkness.

“Well, you’re still not a morning person,” she said.

“Some things never change,” I replied, stretching.

“Come on, then. We break camp quickly in the morning.”

I yawned. “All right. You don’t need to tell me twice.”

Vell disappeared, presumably to go issue queenly edicts about the day’s events; I blearily braided my hair and brushed the wrinkles out of my shirt.

“Are you decent, Tess-mortal?”

“Yes, Wisp,” I answered, and the Glasidhe zipped into my little curtained room. He wasted no time in making himself useful, swooping down to attack the buckles of my armor as soon as I pulled my breastplate over my head. I stifled another yawn and murmured my appreciation as I adjusted the Caedbranr along my spine. With my saddle laid over my arm and pack slung over my shoulder, I left the tent, which was now suddenly bare of all its furnishings. I resisted the urge to stay and watch the process of packing the enchanted tent—I had a sneaking suspicion that it would just deflate itself and compress into a neat little square of cloth. Wisp settled himself on my shoulder as I walked toward the paddock.

A determined bustle filled the camp. The fires were already buried beneath a layer of dirt, and everywhere I looked there were
vyldgard
warriors preparing for the day’s journey.

“Not long now,” said Wisp said musingly.

“Not long until what?” I asked, grabbing a chunk of bread and cheese as I passed the remnants of the meal from the night before.

“Until it is all decided,” replied the Glasidhe messenger with gravity.

“And it will be decided in our favor, if I have anything to do with it,” I replied.

“I have told others of your bravery, but now they will be able to see for themselves.”

I felt my cheeks heat as I found Nehalim and laid the saddle over his back. “Well, I don’t know how many people will be able to see it.” I realized that the queens may not have told everyone of their great plan, and so in one of my rare moments of restraint, I held my tongue.

“True,” agreed Wisp, “we will all be fighting.”

“Exactly.” I strapped my pack behind the saddle, ensuring that my healing satchel was readily accessible. I wondered briefly if I should consider splitting my time riding with the three Courts, so I didn’t create the perception that I favored the Wild Court. Then I dismissed the idea. These next few days could be my last. I wanted to spend them with those who meant the most to me.

“You are thinking dark thoughts.” Wisp tugged on my ear to get my attention.

“Hard not to sometimes, with the battle looming,” I replied softly, checking the cinch on the saddle one more time. Nehalim tossed his head. I patted his neck and said to Wisp, “Hold on.” When I felt his hands grasp my ear, I slipped my foot into the stirrup and heaved myself into the saddle. I smiled as I thought, not for the first time, about how second-nature travel had become to me. My muscles were stiff but not sore after the long days of the past month. “We’re riding with Vell,” I told Nehalim, letting him have his head as we wove through the riders forming up for the day’s ride. I folded my scarf as we went, laying it over my head and crossing each side over my mouth. As I finished tying the knot and pushed the scarf down onto my neck, I heard a familiar voice.

“So
that’s
how they all learned to tie their scarves,” said my brother, pulling up beside me on a roan
faehal
.

“Had to pass on the lesson,” I replied, eyeing Liam. He wore a dark breastplate with a plain shirt beneath and dark trousers, though he still wore his dusty combat boots. “Didn’t they have boots big enough for you?”