When she woke she rose with a plan in mind.

She would see Murtagh.

She found him easily, she knew where he would be.

"What are the troubles today, milord? Duties? Petitions?"

"Aye," he grumbled as he shuffled parchment. "And much, much more."

"Anything of remote interest?"

"No," he replied honestly dipping his quill.

"Well then," and Valdis pushed away the scatters of parchment from him. Murtagh snorted, and Valdis smiled.

"Unfortunately this is my work for the day, milady. It needs to be done."

How he wished it would all disappear and leave him be. This headache would not leave him…

Valdis leaned down to whisper to his ear seductively.

"So it is important then."

Murtagh shook his head and swore silently.

Hellfire.

Everything hurt. He took a good sip of wine and watched Valdis as she perused the papers in front of him.

"May I?"

Murtagh gestured grandly with his arm.

"Thank you," and she sat down firmly as she took a roll of parchment into her hand. Her eyes moved quickly across the scrolled words of the parchment.

"It's not as entertaining as I am, milady," Murtagh quipped, pouring her a generous glass of wine. Valdis threw back her head in laughter as she leaned against the chair.

"I doubt parchment would be comfortable between my legs, milord," she agreed.

Murtagh's eyes glittered.

"I happen to be rather at home between your thighs."

"You're in a saucy mood," she observed, eyeing him carefully with the ghost of her last smile still on her face. Murtagh nodded and plunked his goblet onto the table with a clang, he winced at the sound. Valdis saw the top layering of the table crunch beneath the cups base. He didn't even realize his own strength.

"You're drunk," she lightly accused as she pulled away the goblet. There was a dented ring where it had been sitting.

"Barely," Murtagh said grudgingly.

Valdis examined him closely.

"I've never seen you drunk before," she noted with a far away effect.

Murtagh scoffed and slumped slightly in his seat. He squeezed his eyes shut, the damn headache made light unbearable.

"You barely know me, milady. I'm the man that fucks you in the evening and apologizes by way of gift in the morning."

Valdis smiled slightly and reached out feel his head which was surprisingly hot, as were his cheeks. Her brow furrowed. Murtagh noticed her troubled expression and looked up to her. His eyes became sharp despite their pain.

"What?"

"Hold out your hands."

Murtagh's head jerked in surprise.

"Your hands!" Valdis insisted suddenly. "Show me…hold them out."

He did cautiously and after a moment they began to quiver uncontrollably, he clenched his hands into fists and relaxed them but his fingers still trembled.

"Something is wrong," Valdis whispered hoarsely and Murtagh's gaze bore into her. He was silent.

"You've never been drunk before," Valdis insisted as she quickly moved about the tent, looking around. "Have you eaten?"

"No," Murtagh whispered. He gazed at his hands still with a pained expression. His vision blurred and the light of the lamps hurt his eyes so much it was hard to keep them open for any amount of time.

"The wine!" she said suddenly and she picked up the jug with cautious fingers. Valdis held it in her hands tentatively and her face was screwed up in intense thought. After a long moment she went to the tent flap and spoke merrily to the soldiers outside. When she returned a moment later the jug was gone.

"What did you do?"

Valdis ignored him and came to his side with a look of urgency and distant thought.

"Come...lean on me," she took him by the arm and around the waist and lifted him with a grunt from his seat. His vision swam and his legs and feet ached sharply as though he had walked barefoot across sharp rocks. He hissed at the sudden onslaught of pain and buckled slightly. Valdis struggled to hold him up and swore beneath her breath.

"What…did… you… do?"

"I gave the jug to the soldiers outside. If it's poisoned they'll be dead by morning…through here," she directed him to the back of the tent and pushed through the heavy material, they were at the edges of the dark forest of Du Weldenvarden. The tree's casted long shadows across the ground by the light of the moon. Valdis' words swam with speed through his mind yet his own body moved slow and with great pain.

"What are you doing?" said Murtagh, an odd note in his voice. There was a feeling of pins pricking at his skin and the joints in his fingers and arms felt stiff as though they had been left in the cold.

"Hiding you," she said hoarsely as she set him on the slanted ground. "If it's poison someone's watching you…waiting."

"Guards," Murtagh groaned and he clutched his stomach as he doubled over. Valdis was at his side before he could fall and held him up as he grunted in pain. If she was worried she was hiding it well. It made him feel at ease. If she had been crying he would have assumed that he was near death.

"Is there pain in your stomach?"

Murtagh nodded fervently and there was a sheen of sweat on his face as Valdis helped him rise. She could even see in the moonlight that he looked pale and drawn. He should have eaten; it may have slowed the poison by chance even if only for a few minutes. That was time that they could have used.

"If it is the guards, then the one who is not dead in the morning-"

"-is the traitor," said Murtagh shortly his dark gaze focused intensely on the path before them.

"Yes," she huffed as she lugged him along. "That's the theory. I have to keep you hidden. If you are seen ill-"

"-it would not bode well for me."

He would lose control of the army. Prompt a coup from a lesser lord. He may have used fear and harsh judgment to frighten the lords and soldiers, but they would likewise lash out in fear if he was weak too. Valdis touched him on the chest to stop him before he walked through a tent gap. There was a low mumble of talking after a moment and then a few bursts of laughter. Even if his body was failing him Murtagh's mind was still strong and sharp…for the moment. He dug into his mind and expanded it to the consciousness of the five soldiers.

"…red haired, beautiful…finest lass I've ever had…"

"…you and the whole company!"

"…took three men to get me down…"

"…and ten to get you back up!"

"...just had our first child! A son! Hellfire. I need to get to the farm soon; planting will need to get done…"

Murtagh flinched at the warmth in the young man's mind. He had just celebrated his twenty third name day and already had more sense than the men in his company who were twice his age. His wife- just eighteen- had birthed their first child. She had sent a letter to tell the news. It was clear that the man was utterly devoted to his little fair-haired wife with the soft blue eyes.

It was sickening.

I think that's the poison.

Thorn!

Trust the little sparrow. She sings wisdom.

I can't believe I let this happen, Murtagh lamented through his sharp stomach pangs.

Three tasters and dozens of magicians is hardly letting it happen, little dragon.

I'm dying!

And panic consumed him, absolute and whole fright. All this power, the skill and the honor. The loyalty he commanded to be wasted by a vial of plant extracts. Damn magicians, he would blast them all to hell when he got better.

You're being rather dramatic.

If I die you die as well.

You will not die. Not this day. I will not allow it of you.

Murtagh felt a brief amount of fierce pride for the dragon past the sharp pains of his stomach and he gave a shout when they stabbed at him again. Valdis did her best to hush him and when he started to convulse again she pressed his face to her chest and he bit her shoulder harshly. They moved slowly due to his debilitating state and Valdis became worried when he started to respond less and less to her.

Thorn-

You will not die.

Thorn-

Yes?

I don't-I'm-

We are all frightened by death, Thorn replied warm and stern. He sent his own strength to Murtagh and he found himself able to bear the pain better. He could stand on his legs and though the pain felt deep inside his bones he would have whooped with relief at with the sight of his tent. They went in through the back and he collapsed on the bearskin bed. He turned over immediately and wretched. The movement wracked his stomach with intense pain and he groaned.

Thorn, Murtagh called weakly through their connection. The ruby red dragon sent an image of him flying across the encampment to him and he kept to the darkness. Murtagh could not see and there was numbness in his fingers that panicked him. Valdis came rushing over and took his hands in hers, she had a needle in her hand. Murtagh tried to recoil when she made to jab his fingers but he didn't feel it. A drop of blood oozed from his finger. Valdis was watching him warily and when Murtagh looked up to her with furious eyes she knew he had not felt it.

"With magic could you-?"

Murtagh tried to shake his head but he knew it probably looked like a convulsion.

"I would have to know what poisoned me...hellfire," he leaned over the bed to wretch again and Valdis pulled him to the bed to lay him on his back when he was done.

"I've never seen this before, milord. I don't know what to do with this kind of poison."

Murtagh groaned and arched while his hands were in fists at his stomach. Valdis watched helplessly at the side of the bed and reached over to take his hands. She was furiously fighting tears and had to take shaky breathes to calm herself. Murtagh cried out and gasped in air his hand was crushing hers but Valdis touched his head and smoothed away his hair, whispering to him that he had to be silent.

A large red head came peeking in through the tent flap and the dragon whined at the sight of his Rider. Valdis stood and walked to the ruby colored beast and touched her hand to his snout.

"I could only help him if I had the antidote…if I knew what it was."

Find the oathbreakers responsible. Then I will find you.

Valdis flinched at the sudden abrasive intrusion of Thorn's mind in her own and swayed on the spot. His mind was like venom. It was dark and she sensed chaos beneath his words.

"Why?"

Thorn turned his head to gaze at her with an eye so stern and dark it looked as though it was dried blood. He growled at her.

Because I want to hear the sound of shredding skin as I tear it from muscle, and muscle from bone. I want the music of agony to ring in my ears. I want blood. I want rivers of it.

Valdis' jaw clenched at his words, as violent as it sounded it appealed to a primal part of her.

Look at him. Look at him and say to me truthfully that the sight of his agony doesn't make your blood boil with rage. Tell me that you do not want to slit throats and burn lives.

Valdis looked at Murtagh for the first time, and truly saw what he was like. The state of agony was pathetic and sad. It made her blood run cold and then it surged inside of her heart with fresh vengeance and determination. Someone as great as he, she thought, should not have a death as unworthy as this. Confusion and worry began to cloud her mind again as Murtagh arched in a fresh wave of pain.

"Can anything be done?" she asked turning to Thorn desperately. "I could try poppy juice…" Valdis trailed completely unsure if she should debilitate a body that needed to fight for life, even if it was in pain.

I can speak with him. Take him to my mind. We will be as one.

Valdis sighed in relief but Thorn's next words terrified her just as quickly.

It will not last, little sparrow. He will not live if it continues to be like this. You must work a miracle.

Valdis looked over to Murtagh with a stern face and her hands were balled into determined fists at her side.

"Then we will have a miracle within this very hour. I swear it."

Valdis donned her simple healing clothes with haste and was grateful that she had not thrown them away, despite their stains of blood and dirt. She hurried through the camps and past soldiers huddled around fires, laughing and drinking merrily. There had been another skirmish with the Varden and the Empire had been victorious.

If only they knew! Valdis thought as she shoved passed a few men who eyed her as she came forward. They called out to her what her price was but she ignored them, following the labyrinth of paths through the tents to one in particular. When she came to it she saw shadows cast along the inside in the shape of two figures twisting around each other suggestively. Valdis moaned in aggravation.

The one time I need Midri's help and she's bedding Lord Rohm. That would be the first I've ever heard of it!

Valdis turned sharply on her heel and made for the healing tents which were on the complete opposite side of the encampment, twenty thousand soldiers to go through made her shiver with dread. Perhaps the Twins could aid her-

What she saw next made her shake her head in confusion.

Lord Rohm stood- fully clothed Valdis noted- with a few men who also had medals of Honor were pinned to their armor. A red cap, so bright it looked as though it was died in blood, swept across his shoulders dramatically. If Rohm was here a dozen tents away from his own, who was with Midri?

Valdis desperately needed Midri's assistance, perhaps her heritage of the desert yielded some knowledge of medicine. Midri had told her once that the Hadarac produced some of the rarest plants to be found in all of the land. Valdis did her best to look pretty without worry lines marring her face. She strode over to Rohm urgently and it was clear from the red lips and rosy complexions that the men around the fire had been sampling a barrel of wine. A barrel which one of the thinner soldiers sat on.

"Milord," Valdis curtsied quickly. "His Majesty the Prince requests your assistance. Will you aid him?"

Rohm raised himself from his bow and examined her, whatever he saw seemed to startle him considerably but he spoke with urgency enough that Valdis knew he was aware of the calamity.

"I am more than willing to serve the will of my lord."

"Be' thisuh wench isuh willin' ta serve yours!"

A lard of a man roared greatly. He laughed so heartily that the contents of his cup spilled over the sides. Valdis could have his hide later if it suited her. She examined Lord Rohm for a moment and she reached forward to his side where an ivory hilt stuck out from his dark armor. It had silver inlays in swirling patterns and was thick and sharp along one side. She held it in her hand and looked at to Rohm whose handsome face and dark features reminded her of Murtagh. Before she could speak again the bulbous soldier reached for her and pinched her behind. Valdis turned and dashed the fat man across the face with the hilt of the dagger and kicked the barrel he was sitting on out from underneath him. She threw the heel of her boot into the man's throat and held him down as he struggled, squealing like the pig he looked to be.

"I will have your hand for such impudence and your manhood will be fed to the Creatures of the Forest. Reach for me again and I will gut you from navel to nose."

The man looked up at her, fury in his beady little eyes but Valdis dug her heel into his throat and he let his hands fall from her leg in surrender. Valdis stood straight and motioned for Lord Rohm to follow her.

"Milady," Lord Rohm laughed as they walked away. "I have never seen suc-"

Valdis whirled on him and pushed him against a stack of crates, much to his amazement.

"Your Prince is dying in agony and I must perform a miracle to save his life and there is a man in your tent filling your place next to your mistress."

Lord Rohm's face twisted in sudden anger but Valdis held him against the crates with all her strength.

"Murtagh doesn't have time for your rage and I need Midri to help me. Can you wait for vengeance?"

Rohm nodded tersely and followed Valdis to his tent with a drawn sword that hissed lethally when it was pulled from its scabbard. When they turned away from a row of tents Valdis could see the writhing shadows of a man and a woman.

Lord Rohm went in first and there was a squeal of surprise and a shout. Valdis came in when she heard tell tale grunts of a physical scuffle. Midri was leaning against a tent pole with a blanket wrapped around her and she looked flushed and angry. A naked man was pinned to the ground by Lord Rohm who dug his vambrace's into the man's exposed back. The man seemed vaguely familiar to Valdis as she stepped around him. His auburn hair swept across his face and she had to kneel down to see the man's features. She reached out to move the hair away and froze with shock.

"Stahl?"

His green eyes darted away and Rohm dragged him to his feet. Midri was silent and her dark eyes darted between them all with the quickness of someone who was rapidly thinking.

"Whore," Rohm spat glaring at Midri. "I will deal with you later but Lady Valdis has want of you. For whatever reason that might be."

Valdis was surprised at the acid in his voice; she had never heard it before even when the captains and other lords fought at the council meetings. He had always remained calm. His volatile reaction surprised her.

"Midri," Valdis began. "Something is wrong with the Prince. He is terribly ill and you mentioned once that there were rare herbs in the Hadarac that cure-"

"No," she said fiercely.

Valdis looked to Rohm who held onto Stahl fiercely.

"No?"

"Your Prince is far gone, slut. He will be healed by no remedy of mine."

Valdis flinched at the sting and her brow furrowed. Midri's accent was gone, the low drawl of her voice disappeared. Valdis felt disdain. Not Midri, anyone but Midri…

"Midri…help me…you can save him. He'll give you what you want…anything...gold...land…"

"He will give me what I want when he dies. Vengeance," she growled.

"Don't, my love," Stahl said struggling in Rohm's grip. "It was I that did it. I poisoned him."

Valdis turned to Stahl as Rohm swore loudly.

"What do you mean?"

Stahl had pity in his eyes as he looked on Valdis but he bore himself straight with dignity despite his nakedness and spoke firmly.

"He sent my brother to his death because of his affection for you. He sent him to slaughter because of his overtures to you."

"He never made his affection known to me," Valdis protested. "Hyatt never said anything."

"How could he? How could he ask a woman to marry a soldier when she had a Prince and Rider to warm her bed and give her every comfort?"

Valdis looked between the sordid couple before her mind wrapped around what had been said.

"What vengeance could you want?" she asked as she looked to Midri. "What has Murtagh done to you?"

Midri's pretty face was marred be sheer maddening glee as she spoke with excited tones.

"I was branded a slave when your precious Prince captured my people in the desert. He accused us all of being Varden rebels and had the men slaughtered. I lost my family that day and everything burned. Your mighty lord walked past me without a look of mercy on his face while his soldiers' raped me. He is nothing but darkness. I will have my vengeance this night and my family's spirits will be free."

Valdis felt her face burn in anger and her grip tightened on Lord Rohm's dagger. The cool ivory hilt became hot in her hand and she lashed out at Midri, slicing a cut along her collar bone. Midri flinched and Stahl struggled against Lord Rohm fruitlessly. Rohm was taller than most men and was wider than a door. He was made of muscle it seemed from the way he barely flinched when Stahl struggled.

"You must have an antidote. In case you swallowed the poison. Where is it?"

Midri remained indignantly silent but her dark eyes sparkled in traitorous glee.

Valdis slapped Midri with her empty hand and raked her nails across her cheek.

"Where is it! Tell me!"

Midri cupped her face in her hand and looked up to Valdis with a bloody smile.

"You'll burn with him, whore."

Valdis turned to Stahl and there were tears in her eyes. Rohm hit Stahl across the head sharply and let him slump to the floor, naked and unconscious.

"Give me a while with her," Rohm snarled darkly looking to Midri. "She'll sing in moments."

"He doesn't have that much time," Valdis said desperately. "He needed that medicine hours ago!"

"Is there nothing that you can do?" Rohm said intently his dark gaze becoming worried. "Can he not use his magic to-?"

"No. If he can't than I doubt the Twins could."

Rohm nodded gruffly and glared at Midri with murderous eyes.

"Go back to him. I will come to you when I have the antidote."

Valdis touched Rohm on the breastplate and reached up on the very tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. When she pulled away his face was moist with her tears.

"Thank you."

Rohm seemed surprised by the gesture but nodded and steered her toward the egress of the tent.

"Don't come in no matter what you hear."

Valdis sharply turned on her heel and did just that.

Valdis returned to Murtagh's tent with great haste and ignored the protests of drunken soldiers as she ran into them. When she rushed through the tent flap Thorn did not even bother to look up at her, his vermillion gaze was fixated entirely on Murtagh's writhing form. Valdis went to Murtagh and took his hand. The emblem of the riders felt strange against her skin as it always did and she gripped his hand tightly.

"Go hunt Thorn…It will be awhile yet I think before anything can be done."

Thorn hesitated at the thought and spoke to her angrily.

If anything happens-

"You have my permission to tear me to pieces and roast my flesh for your enjoyment."

Thorn growled in agreement and his head retracted from the tent flap. When she was sure she was alone Valdis let a few tears of fear fall onto her cheeks. But she wasn't strong enough to hold back the tirade of silent sobbing that had been threatening to encase her for the past hour. As she wept she grew tired and finally she fell asleep…

…When she woke she was instantly alert and she twisted around to throw a water jug at Midri who was advancing behind her. The jug hot Midri upside the head and a broken piece of the pottery scratched the skin of her brow.

"He will die," she whispered manically. "If I have to kill you to do it."

"What happened is in the past," Valdis murmured trying to distract Midri from her moving hand. "Taking a life will not clean the blood that has already been spilt."

"You whore," Midri whispered. "Do you believe he would give a second thought for your life if it was in danger? Let him die and the world will be spared of his evil."

Thorn! Midri cried in her head desperately. Help!

"I can't let you do that. He can't even defend himself!"

"Why would he need to," Midri laughed. "When he has his bitch to do it for him?"

Valdis' temper flared and she felt a shred of victory when her right hand felt the cool hilt of Lord Rohm's blade.

"I will hurt you if it's what must be done…do not test that…you will regret it," Valdis promised.

Midri scoffed and shook her head.

"You can't hurt me. My spirit died with my family."

"You will join them if you step any closer," Valdis threatened.

Midri's eyes flickered for a moment with hesitation at the threat and Valdis hoped that she had put enough venom in her words to make her hesitate for a little while longer.

"You don't see as I do," she whispered frantically. "The things that are inside of him! The voices that scream to be released…the spirits… he has no right to them! His death will sent them free…my family will be free of him!"

Valdis turned to look at Murtagh and his shaking form for a moment but her decision had been made long ago. When Valdis turned her head back Midri saw steel and ice in the young woman's eyes.

"When you hang I will not be there to cut your corpse from the rope. You will rot in the dust and lay there forever."

Valdis lunged at Midri and they wrestled on the floor. Midri reached for Valdis' knife-wielding wrist and wrenched it toward the fire. Excruciating pain shot through her arm and Valdis screamed as she brought up her knee hard into Midri's stomach. Valdis rolled on top of the struggling woman and threw her weight down fiercely. There was a sickening slick sound as the knife entered Midri's chest and there was a crack of bone as Valdis pushed down once, twice, and then again. Midri's hands reached up to claw at Valdis' face. Her bloody fingers began to wring her neck but Valdis reached out to a broken piece of pottery with jagged edges, when it was in her grip she slashed at Midri's face. It distracted her long enough so Valdis could reach with her unburnt left hand to the ivory and silver hilt of Lord Rohm's dagger.

Gripping it tightly with bloody fingers, she twisted the blade sharply and Midri grunted. Her beautiful face was contorted in a grimace and the reflection of the fire faded in her eyes until her gaze became blank. Blood pooled from the wound in strange lulls and lurches. A stream of blood hissed when it ran into the fire.

Valdis sank to her haunches over Midri's corpse.

Her face and body were covered with blood and she was trembling with exhaustion and fear. After struggling with herself a moment she gathered what shaky strength she had and began to look through the dead woman's clothes. She paused when she heard the gentle clink of glass.

Yanking through the cloth of the dress she found a tiny sew patch of cloth in Midri's skirt, she felt two objects that clinked when she touched them and she ripped away the hidden pocket. Within the tiny pouch were two vials of glass, each waxed over the top. One had a gray sort of salt inside of it and the stopper was waxed over twice and was contained in a thicker glass. The other was filled with a honey-like substance that clung to the empty sides of the vial. The cork smelled sweet.

The perfect poison, Valdis thought, would be odorless, tasteless. Then the sweeter vial-

She stumbled over Midri's corpse to Murtagh and touched his face; she softly called to him blinking past her burning tears. He twitched in his painful coma as she cradled his head in her unhurt arm. Using her teeth she cracked the wax seal and tipped the contents into Murtagh's mouth. She moved his head back to force a swallow and stayed awake as long as she was able. She fell asleep beside him when the fire burned low and did she not wake for many hours….

Murtagh woke with a deep gasp.

Cold hands were pressed against his brow and chest.

"Valdis?"

"No," a voice replied. "Your king."