Lion's Bride - Iris Johansen [140]
“Nothing.”
“Don’t tell me nothing. I won’t have it.”
“Vaden.”
She inhaled sharply. “Did you see him?”
He shook his head. “But I feel him.”
“You set a man to watch our rear. He’s not reported any riders.”
“He would see an army, he wouldn’t see Vaden.”
“Then he may not be there. You cannot know.”
“I know. He’s been watching me so long, sometimes I feel as if he’s a part of me.”
She moistened her lips. “And what if he is following us? He’d be mad to attack. One man against so large a force. He’s never taken a chance before.”
“We’ve never been this close to escaping before. He must know by now that we’re heading for Hafir. By tomorrow we’ll be under Sinan’s jurisdiction again, and even Vaden would have trouble getting to us there.” He put spurs to his horse. “I don’t think he’ll wait. Let’s get out of these woods before dark.”
Dark was already falling, and in the dimness trees loomed on either side of the path, shadowy ghost figures hovering over them.
Like the shadow that was Vaden.
Thea muttered an imprecation and followed Ware. “Come along, Selene. Hurry.”
“What’s wrong?” Selene asked as she came abreast of her.
What could she say? A threat that could not be seen, only felt? Yet Thea could not discount the danger when she remembered how Ware had sensed Vaden that day at the mulberry grove. Oh, she didn’t know. Perhaps in some mystical way the two men were joined. “I’m not sure. Ware doesn’t like these woods.”
“I don’t either, but it’s less rough than those mountain trails.” Selene stood in her stirrups and peered ahead. “I think the forest ends a little after we cross that stream. It’s difficult to tell with all these shadows, but I don’t see any more trees.”
Ware was already slowly crossing the shallow stream, his gaze searching the shadows on either bank.
He reached the other side of the stream and waved at them to cross.
They were almost at the other bank when fire arched out of the heavens toward them.
“Christ!”
Thea barely heard Ware’s exclamation as she saw the burning arrow speeding toward her.
No, not toward her. The burning arrow struck the water in back of her.
The ribbon of water exploded into a wall of flame!
“Dammit, get out of the stream, Thea.” Ware’s voice.
Selene was directly in front of her. Couldn’t he see she couldn’t move until Selene reached the other bank?
She could hear the soldiers shouting, horses neighing in terror on the bank behind her. She glanced back to see that they were cut off by the wall of flame licking down the stream. As she watched, the fire leaped up onto the bank, catching bushes, moss, and piles of dry leaves ablaze.
“Thea.” Selene had reached the other bank. Sparks had ignited the trees there. Soon Selene would be surrounded by an inferno.
“Don’t wait.” Thea desperately nudged her horse forward, but he was rearing, struggling, terrified by the combination of water and flames licking at his hindquarters. “Go ahead. Get out of the trees.”
Selene did not move.
“Go!” Ware’s hand came down hard on the rump of Selene’s horse and set him tearing through the blazing trees toward the clearing. Then he was riding back into the blazing stream.
“No, you have to go too. The fire is—”
“Be silent,” he said harshly. “Do you think I’ll lose you now?” He grabbed her horse’s reins and with sheer might jerked the beast’s head down. He wheeled his horse and started across the stream. “Hold tight and kick him—hard.”
She obeyed and then clung desperately as Ware half dragged, half pulled the horse through the water.
Fire.
All around them.
Devouring trees and bushes like a hungry monster.
So fast. How could it spread so fast?
Curls of black smoke before them and behind them.
Searing their lungs, stinging their eyes.
She could only pray that Selene had made it through the woods in time.
They reached the shallows and the horses struggled up the bank.
She realized with despair that she could no longer see the clearing through the dense smoke.
“Take a deep breath and hold it.” Ware