Chapter 82
Morning came too soon and Amyr woke when he felt Taeron stir. For just a moment he lay with his eyes closed wanting to go back to sleep, to peaceful dreams of happier days, but Taeron rolled onto his back taking with him the heat that had kept Amyr comfortable during the night. His long sigh signaled the end of Amyr's rest and hearing murmuring on the other sides of their small camp, Amyr reluctantly sat up and followed Taeron to take care of their morning needs. When they returned, they found Stryfe wrapped in the cloaks and Amyr nudged him with the toe of his boot. After an initial grumble of protest, Stryfe also sat up, and seeing that his mother was taking her leave by holding her husband close and hiding her face against his chest, Stryfe went to talk to them.
By Lady Trynity's reluctance to leave her mate and Shamara's lingering hugs with her parents and Apolo, Amyr was afraid to look across the plains to see what awaited them. When he did, his stomach churned unpleasantly at the sight of the sea of warriors that seemed to extend as far as the eye could see. He knew that the force his father had gathered was only a small fraction of the one facing them. Even the swath of undisciplined thralls was larger than their own. He turned to look at Taeron to get a sense of his feelings, but Taeron paid no heed to the horde they would be fighting. He was doing a stretching routine, so Amyr distracted himself by joining him until Shamara came to bid them farewell.
She hugged Taeron first and she held him for a few moments without speaking before she stretched up to kiss his cheek. "Gods be with you, Taeron."
He leaned down to touch his forehead to hers. "Do not take any unnecessary risks, Shamara. And do not let Lady Trynity take any either, no matter who is brought to them."
If Taeron was talking about himself, Amyr doubted that he would be injured and if he were, their enemies would not stop until he was dead. Shamara agreed, kissed him again and then went to hug Amyr. They did not need to speak aloud how they felt. Shamara was not very good at hiding her feelings so he knew that she was terrified of losing her family, but he could not allow her to worry him. When she released him, she walked away without a backward glance to mount a horse to wait for Lady Trynity who now left her husband to speak briefly to Taeron before hugging Amyr.
"When this is over we will get Quynn out of that palace," she told him as she leaned back to look up at his face.
Amyr wanted to believe he would come out of this battle to reclaim his wife. "I am not worried about Quynn." At least she was safe because Staefyn treated her well in his care. Amyr was glad she did not see what he would be enduring this day. Her mother's daughter, she would insist on fighting and Amyr would be distracted worrying about her despite her fire magic.
"Keep each other safe," she said, encompassing Taeron in her gaze before she turned and headed to the waiting horse. Amyr had seen tears in her eyes when she looked one last time at her mate before climbing onto her mount and prodding it to move away with Shamara. Duo watched her leave as if drinking in the sight of her for the last time before he headed to Amyr's father.
Neria and Roehan came to them after speaking briefly with Trey. Roehan clasped Taeron's arm before pulling him close for a hug. "We will do our part, my lord prince. Do not spare a thought for anything but the battle."
Despite Neria's insistence in fighting, their most important role this day would be in fleeing the battlefield so that they could return swiftly to Edgeland Fortress to take their loved ones away from Calabria before the fortress could be overrun.
"I trust you will do what you must," Taeron told them.
Neria hugged him for a moment and then stepped back. "I do not want to return to the fortress without good news, my lord prince. Knowing my daughter, she will not want to leave."
"She will not refuse," Taeron assured her. "She gave me her word on it. Chaela may not wish to leave either, but they will be of great comfort for each other."
Apolo joined them. "Larya knows how I feel about her and she knows that she must return to the moon to get the children before heading to Bayman. She knows how much I love her, but I would like for you to tell her that my last thoughts will be of her."
"You should have gone with Shamara and Trynity," stated Trey who came to put a hand on Apolo's shoulder. "You are more healer than warrior now."
Apolo shook his head and reached up to put his hand over Trey's. "I would never let you enter battle without me at your side."
Trey entwined his fingers with Apolo's and Amyr could see the love they felt for each other, their lives threaded together as children, cemented with Trey's love for his sister and Apolo's for Larya. "I would be lost without you."
The Teralonians left and after a brief meal, Taeron went to his father as Amyr approached his own. Trey pulled Amyr close to hug him and he was joined in the embrace by Arora and Apolo. As with Shamara, they did not speak and when they parted, Amyr was confident of their love and pride in him regardless of the outcome this day. He wished he had more time with them, but he had a duty, so he stepped away to be pulled into an embrace by Lord Duo. He did not speak either, and Amyr fought the feeling he might never speak to any of them again as he left the camp with Taeron.
They joined Meridon's men who were getting ready to march to the fore under Taeron's command. Meridon was armed with a gigantic battle axe and mounted on a large horse. Amyr thought he was too old to go into battle, but Meridon had insisted because he felt responsible for what had happened to Arora after he had been manipulated by Caron. He had made an oath to Trey and he intended stand by it. Darlac told them that his father would rather die on the battlefield than in his comfortable tent on the moon. He had spent most of his life in the Wastelands so he preferred to become one with the sands with the beloved wife whose ashes he had scattered there.
The suns were both climbing towards equal distance when their forces were ready for battle. They had come close enough on the flat battlefield to see Warlord Kai waiting before his enormous force of thralls, his stance wide, his arms arrogantly crossed over his chest. To the left of his army was half of the warriors of house Caron led by Aevan who paced before his men, the warriors waiting calmly behind him while to the right of the thralls was the remainder of the house Caron forces led by his brother. Caerl stood nervously waited, shifting his gaze nervously to the thralls and over his shoulder to the warriors of his house. Neither male had blooded their swords, had barely made it through imperial training, and now they commanded a well-trained force large enough to destroy the imperial army led by the emperor himself.
Trey finally stepped forward with his wife and imperial guards at his side, Stryfe following closely so that he could later record the meeting, and when Taeron went to join him, Amyr stayed with him. They stopped half the distance that separated the opposing armies and waited for Staefyn to appear so that they could make one last attempt to dissuade him from this horrific battle.
For several moments no commander from Staefyn's army stepped forward, but then Staefyn appeared from the midst of Kai's thralls. Wearing black, he walked with confidence and exuded even more power than he remembered from his trance. Amyr shifted anxiously and saw that his mother and Apolo seemed agitated by the powerful aura of his magic. Although Aevan and Caerl joined him, Kai stayed with his men, his crimson gaze fixed on Taeron who ignored him.
Not acknowledging any of his commanders, Staefyn stopped several paces from them. "Father, mother, you look well."
For a moment, Trey did not speak, and then he said, "Your levity is out of place on this plain where you will lead many men to their deaths. What do you hope to gain?"
"I had not given it much thought beyond gaining your throne."
"You don't want my throne," Trey scoffed. "You are doing this because you do the bidding of that madwoman."
Staefyn shrugged as if he did not care, but Amyr noted that he did not meet his father's gaze. "She is my mate. Whatever she wishes, I will give her." He turned his head to look at Taeron, and he locked his gaze to that of his dearest childhood friend and brother. "I suppose offering to combat my father here and now is out of the question?"
"You will have to fight me first," Taeron told him. "And you would not survive." There was no regret or hesitation in Taeron's voice.
"No," said Staefyn with a regretful sigh. "I suppose you would eviscerate me as efficiently as you did all the assassins sent to remove you. I told Xuxa they would fail, but she refused to believe that you could be that skilled." He made a sound of disgust. "She blamed me, of course, for not disposing of you when I had the chance."
"You are my brother," Taeron said quietly, and the fact that Amyr could now sense Taeron's sorrow at being forced to fight him was a testament to how much turmoil he felt. "My most beloved brother."
For a moment Staefyn betrayed his own feelings, and Amyr knew this was as difficult for Staefyn as it was for Taeron. But Staefyn said, "I trained you to protect yourself against mind intrusion, so I would have no advantage against you. I do not regret doing so, Taeron." He gave him a half-smile. "It pleases me to know that we share a bond of blood of the house of Zeno, but that does not change what will happen. What will happen this day has been decided already by the gods."
Amyr frowned at the reference Staefyn had made of their house. Did Staefyn have a spy to tell him about Larya?
His mother stepped forward, and she reached out a hand, but it hovered in the air just out of reach of her son. "Staefyn, I would ask you to reconsider what you do this day. I am not afraid to die, but I could not bear it should any of my children fall in this battle. We know why you are doing this, and if you would just let us help you ..."
Aevan lurched forward, his hand going to his sword as he shouted furiously. "Shut up, you despicable whore!" Unfortunately, he was unable to draw the from its ornate scabbard, and Amyr saw Staefyn look at the house Caron male with contempt.
"This does not bode well for your leadership skills," remarked Staefyn with a twisted smile as he watched Aevan struggle with the sword. Amyr suspected that Staefyn had something to do with his difficulties.
Staefyn turned his head to look at Caerl as if expecting his brother to make a move against his mother, but Caerl hung his head submissively, clearly afraid to look at Staefyn.
Rolling his eyes, Staefyn turned his gaze back to his mother. "I regret what has come to pass, mother, but there is no spell that can turn back time. I cannot undo what has been done. I have searched for answers from the ancestors, but no matter how much I have begged them, they cannot help me change the past." He looked at Taeron. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"I know she would have killed me," Taeron told him quietly. "You protected me."
"I am sorry that I took something very precious from you." His gaze held Taeron's for a moment long and Amyr wondered if Staefyn was talking about Taeron's memories of their childhood together.
"You are in contact with the ancestors," spoke up Apolo, drawing Staefyn's attention from Taeron. "They cannot be happy about what you will do here today."
Staefyn's eyes glistened. "They tried to stop me from making the worst mistake of my life, but I could not hear them. Since then they have tried to guide me, but even they cannot undo what Xuxa did to me. They understand that I am trapped, and I know that because of my actions, they may abandon me, as they did Dax."
Apolo and Arora looked as appalled as Amyr felt at the thought of being abandoned by the ancestors. Since coming into his powers, Amyr could not imagine living without the comfort and magic they provided. His very essence depended on hearing them.
Staefyn looked at his father. "I am sorry that I was not a good son." He sighed deeply and glanced briefly at Amyr before continuing. "I regret that Amyr has taken my place in your regard."
"My sons have always been equal in my regard," said Trey. "I may have been disappointed in his actions, but I have always loved him just as I have always loved you Staefyn."
"Then I am even more sorry that I have disappointed you." He bowed low to him, then turned on his heel and walked back to the men behind Warlord Kai who had watched the entire exchange without moving. His men fell back to allow Staefyn to enter their ranks, closing in behind him and Amyr watched him until he could no longer see him in the sea of men.
Now the Varoonyan drew his long sword and held it with one hand while grasping the long golden braid hanging from his belt with the other, a revolting smile curving his lips as he raised it to rub against his face, clearly attempting to provoke Taeron. Amyr glanced at him to see his reaction, but Taeron did not betray his feelings before turning to face the emperor.
He raised his sword, the sword of the crown prince. "I will use this sword," he announced loudly "in the service of my emperor."
Loud cheering erupted behind him, and Amyr's mother pulled her own sword and raised it. "I will use this sword in the service of my emperor."
Duo and Apolo followed her example, and as Amyr did as well, his mother moved away, holding her sword high as she faced the army.
"How will you use the swords you have been given?" she called out to them, her voice charged with her strong magic.
"In the service of the emperor!" they shouted, drawing and raising their own swords.
As she walked before the soldiers, continuing to call out the oath, the shouts of their responses resounded and filled Amyr with pride to see the loyalty that she inspired. He wished his father would have ripped the tongue from Renaeld's body for the lies he spoke about his mother and about the men that served her to their deaths. The men who fought today fought for her as much as they did for the emperor. Over the years of her mate's reign, she had presented so many swords and taken so many oaths, and today so many of these men would probably die today holding the sword she had placed in their hands. But they reaffirmed their oaths now with thunderous shouts.
Attempting to rouse his own troops, Aevan finally pulled his sword, and his men pulled their swords as well, but whatever he meant to say was drowned out when the men behind him shouted in response to the words his mother's call. Amyr did not have a chance to wonder what that meant because Taeron yelled his battle cry and surged forth with Meridon's men charging with him.
Amyr was not surprised to see the golden light around Taeron, and it was like a beacon, so he was able to stay with him as he rushed headlong into the thralls with both his swords swinging, cutting through the flesh of men who no longer had wills of their own. He had expected Taeron to engage Kai immediately, but the warlord sent a wall of his thralls against him before disappearing in the chaos. Taeron did not try to follow Kai, but took down his creatures left and right, and from time to time they dissolved into dust while others fell away screaming in pain before dying under the blows of his sharp blades.
Amyr focused on staying with Taeron, attacking any who would try to come at him from the back. The chaos of the battle was overwhelming, the sound of men grunting as they swung their weapons, shouts of fury, cries of pain and fear, the ringing of swords as they clashed. He had no time to consider the fate of the men he slashed and stabbed, nor could he think of the men at his back surging forward against the army Kai had made. As he swung his sword again and again, he had to reserve part of his concentration to the protection spell that he projected forth to Taeron who frequently outdistanced him. He could hear Meridon shouting to rally his men behind him, but beyond that Amyr did not know what was happening to the rest of the army, to his mother and father, to Lord Duo and the men he led. As far as he could see, men were fighting for their lives against the mindless thralls controlled by the Varoonyan.
Before the first sun sank beneath the horizon, the seemingly endless ranks of the thralls began to thin, sooner than Amyr could have expected although many hours had passed during which there was no time to rest. He was becoming exhausted, both mentally and physically, and more times than he wanted to remember, he had lost his concentration when defending himself. When they began to encounter fewer thralls, the reason became apparent when men from house Caron came from the sides. Although Amyr stood his ground with his sword raised, Taeron surprised him by lowering the two he had wielded during the battle.
Coming to Taeron, their swords bloody, their tunics torn and soaked with the dark blood of the thralls, the warriors of house Caron dropped to their knees and extended their swords with the hands to their hearts. There were still many thralls to fight, but Taeron paused for the first time after many hours. He turned in all directions to view the battlefield and Amyr followed his gaze, shocked to see that the men of house Caron had turned against Kai's army of thralls. The winged warriors from Teralon were flinging their chakrams and fighting off any of the red-eyed warrios able to reach them by skewering them with the spears Taeron had given them to repel imperial attacks from the ground. Amyr could scarcely believe his eyes. They were winning the battle!
By the time the second sun had set, the battle was over and the bodies of thralls littered the plains. Amyr wearily dragged his feet as he followed Taeron who managed to find a portion of a stream that was not red with blood, and when Taeron knelt to splash his bloody, gore splattered face with water, Amyr fell to his knees beside him and dunked his face into the water. When he lifted his head and shook out his hair, he heard Taeron laugh hoarsely before he mimicked Amyr. Amyr hoped he did not look as bad as Taeron did although he could not imagine he looked any better.
Taeron then sat back and ran his hands through his hair before rubbing his face and Amyr could see that he was beyond weary. Now that they had stopped fighting, Amyr became aware of cuts and knicks in his own flesh that he had not noticed when he was fighting, and glancing at Taeron he saw that he was dabbing at a bleeding cut on his arm. As he suspected, Taeron had been a target, made even more so by the golden light that now dimmed and flickered out. His clothing was shredded and bloody, and his flesh was mottled by the blows he could not avoid. He did not know when his protection spell had worn away, and now he did not think he had the physical strength to rise and he certainly did not have the mental strength to heal either himself or Taeron although the wound on his arm appeared to be deep.
All around them imperial warriors dragged the corpses of thralls to piles which were set afire before they had a chance to rise again. The stench in the air was unbearable, but Amyr did not care when he was still alive. Neither he nor Taeron spoke and as they sat in companionable silence on the ground at the edge of the stream, Amyr fought to remain conscious.
"If I fall in the water, will you fish me out?" he asked Taeron.
Taeron did not answer and Amyr turned to see that his head drooped forward, his eyes closed. Worried about the wound of his arm and the copious amount of blood Taeron had lost already, Amyr reached out to him with a hand that was shaking, fearing that Taeron might be more grievously injured than he realized.
When he touched him, Taeron shuddered and raised his head. "We should make our way to the healers."
Amyr wanted to argue that he could heal him, but he did not have the strength to do either. "Our fathers are probably worried about us," agreed Amyr, but he did not move to stand, nor did Taeron.
"I suppose they can find us later," murmured Taeron.
"If we fall asleep here, they might put us on the pyres," remarked Amyr with a sigh.
"I would rather that not happen," said a voice behind them and they turned to see Arora standing a few paces behind looking as exhausted as they did. Her battle tunic was rent in several places and there was a streak of fresh blood on her face from a cut. Her clothing was soaked with the dark blood of the thralls and her hair was matted on one side. Amyr could see bits of bone and matter he did not want to identify embedded among the dark strands. She was a frightful sight in the eerie light of the moons.
"Mother, you look like you took a trip through the netherworld."
"I think you were there as well," she said with a grim smile. "We are all looking for you."
"Has Staefyn surrendered?" asked Taeron, raising his head to meet her gaze. Amyr could feel that he was anxious, worried that Staefyn had been killed.
"He fled the battlefield along with that Varoonyan bastard," Arora told him with disgust. "I don't think either of them raised a sword today. The males of house Caron are no more. Their own warriors turned on them." She put a hand on Taeron's shoulder and met his gaze. "They did not betray their vow to the emperor."
Amyr remembered how they had shouted before battle when his mother had invoked the imperial vow and he marveled at the honor that they proved to have in the end. "You are not badly hurt, mother?" There was a slash on her cheek, and while her clothing was stained, he saw only the dark blood of the thrall in his initial perusal.
"None of us is unscathed,"she told him. "Apolo is healing your father from a wound he took to his thigh which may keep him off his feet for a few days. Your injuries appear to be minor, but I think Taeron should have his wound cared for."
"I cannot do it,"admitted Amyr with a sigh.
She sheathed her sword and ripped a swath from her tunic which she used to bind Taeron's arm, and as she worked, she glanced at Amyr. "You did well in battle. Taeron could have been hurt much worse than this, so you have no reason to feel shame. I, too, am too tired to heal him. We will get him to Trynity and Shamara."
With light from the fires that dotted on the landscape, Amyr was shocked to see how far that had gone from the imperial camp. They were now closer to the mountains. "I don't think I can make it that far."
"Stay here," ordered his mother. "I will find horses."
Taeron caught her arm before she rose away from him. "Gracious lady, do not tire yourself further on our account. You are injured as well."
The cut on her face had distracted Amyr and now he saw fresh blood soaking the side of her tunic. "Mother!" his heart seemed to burst in his chest.
He lurched forward to touch her and when she tried to avoid him, Taeron caught her so that Amyr could lay his hands on her. Her wound, although serious, was not life-threatening, but she had already lost a lot of blood. For the first time Amyr realized she had been weakened by the wound and he did not know how she had managed to stay on her feet to find them. Reaching deep within himself, Amyr managed to draw up enough magic to seal her wound and as the flesh seared together, she fell unconscious against Taeron.
"By the gods," Taeron muttered furiously as he lifted her in his arms. "This female is selfless to the point of stupidity."
Stumbling behind him as Taeron walked in the direction of the healers' camp, Amyr wondered how Taeron could chide his mother when he stumbled as he carried her, refusing any help. They had gone nearly a quarter of the way on the gods only knew what physical reserves remained before Darlac came upon them leading horses. He helped Taeron mount and handed Amyr's mother up to him before he also helped Amyr onto a horse before climbing on his own to lead them to the emperor's camp.
Upon their arrival, they were greeted with shouts of mingled joy and dismay. Taeron took Arora to the pallet where Trey lay with his leg bandaged. Apolo was sitting near him, his hands bloody after laying them on the wound, and seeing Taeron with Arora, he made a weak sound of dismay.
Before his father could utter the grief that appeared on his face, Amyr blurted, "She is only unconscious, father! I have closed her wound, but she needs rest."
Although Apolo murmured a warning about his wound, Trey took Arora in his arms and held her to him, and Amyr heard him weeping, unable to control the emotion that burst forth. He must have thought she was dead when she did not return to the camp.
Lady Trynity came to them and despite Amyr's reassurances, she checked Arora's pulse, and satisfied with what she found, she told Trey not to worry about anything more serious than the scar his wife would have on her face and even that would be little more than an intriguing beauty mark. Before she finished speaking, Trey had fallen back with his eyes closed, still holding Arora close, and Apolo moved to lay beside him, sliding his arm around him so that he could twine his hand with those of Amyr's parents.
Trynity turned her attention to Taeron's arm and after she removed the bandage Arora had applied in an effort to stop the bleeding, she made Taeron wince by probing the cut. "I will need to stitch it. It is deep. You are lucky you did not lose your arm."
"Bring Shamara. I must have it healed," said Taeron.
Trynity opened her mouth to argue, but the determined look on Taeron's face made her rise and leave, returning with Shamara and her husband. Shamara dropped to her knees beside Taeron and put her hands on his wound.
"I see that you are not a god," remarked Lord Duo flippantly although Amyr sensed his relief to find his son alive.
"I never claimed to be," said Taeron with a snort before making an uncharacteristic sound of pain as Shamara used her healing magic on him. "Gods! You should have taken lessons from Staefyn!"
"If the coward hadn't fled, maybe he would have been of a mind to heal you," grunted Duo.
"I don't think he intended to fight," said Amyr.
"Now we will have to march on Guerani Palace and only the gods know what traps he has set for us in the hills," muttered Duo with annoyance.
"As soon as I am rested I will take the best men from house Caron and from Meridon's clan into the hills," said Taeron.
"Did Meridon make it through the battle?" asked Amyr.
"Nothing will kill that old man, so none of us will have to face Larya with grim tidings."
Amyr was as relieved as Taeron appeared to be. "Has a message been sent to Edgeland Fortress?" He was probably worried that Dijana might have left the planet.
"I saw a winged warrior land just before Trynity came looking for Shamara. I think it was one of Dijana's guards."
Taeron started and Amyr saw the alarm on his face. Guillem had no reason to leave Dijana at the fortress unprotected.
"My lord prince." They both turned to see Neria and Roehan with Guillem standing pale-faced behind them. Roehan had spoken to get his attention, but Neria came forward. "Shortly after we left the fortress, prince Staefyn attacked during the night."
Amyr knew what she was going to say before she spoke the words that would wound Taeron more than any blade had that day.
"He took Dijana away."
Amyr reached out to calm Taeron who had not even had a chance to react, but he froze when Neria continued.
"And he took your son as well. Prince Yori has been taken to Guerani Palace along with my daughter."