Lion's Bride - Iris Johansen [141]
The acrid breath she drew hurt her lungs, but she had no time to think of pain.
Smoke.
Black as the deepest reaches of hell.
Heat.
She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks from her stinging eyes.
She couldn’t hold her breath any longer. It rushed out and she was forced to inhale. She was immediately punished by a fit of coughing.
She couldn’t breathe. Panic rushed through her as she began to gasp.
Ware was coughing too.
Dear God, they were going to die in this blackness.
“Thea!”
Selene. Thea opened her eyes and could see nothing. But she had heard Selene’s voice just ahead. She must not be caught in this hideous trap. “Don’t come back. Don’t—” She broke off as she began coughing again.
“It’s all—right,” Ware gasped. “We’re—through.”
How could he say that? The smoke…
No, it was lighter, a thick gray fog instead of a black wall.
The sky, she could see the sky. Cool, twilight purple and glittering icy stars. “Thank God.”
The horses sensed salvation too. They streaked toward the edge of the forest.
They reined in as they reached the plain, and Ware slipped from his horse. He was still coughing as he lifted Thea down and reached for his water skin. “Drink.” He handed it to her. “Slowly.”
She was coughing so hard, she couldn’t swallow. She finally managed a small drink. Gentle balm on her tight, dry throat. She handed him back the water skin, and he carefully sipped the water. His face was so smoke blackened, he looked like a Nubian, she noticed wearily. She probably looked the same. “But where’s Selene? I heard her just ahead.”
“We’ll find her.” He drew his sword. “He doesn’t want Selene.”
She stared at him.
“It was Vaden’s arrow. Water doesn’t catch fire by itself. He poured oil on the stream.”
The arrow. She had not thought beyond surviving the fire, but now the threat of Vaden returned. “He wanted to kill us with the fire?”
“Don’t be foolish. I merely wanted to separate you from the others. I knew Ware would manage to get you through the blaze.”
She whirled at the unfamiliar male voice.
A man in armor was strolling out of the forest, sword drawn. Selene was walking before him, fingers clenched.
“Vaden,” Ware murmured.
Vaden’s face was as soot blackened as Ware’s, and he looked like a devil from the hell they had just come through. But his sword was from this world and poised only inches from Selene’s back.
Thea took a step forward and said fiercely, “Let her go.”
“He jerked me from the saddle just as I reached the plain.” Selene glared at Vaden over her shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting him.”
“Even so, I had trouble subduing her,” Vaden said. “In the smoke I had no idea she was the child. I thought she was your lady, Ware.”
“Get away from her,” Thea said. “If you want a hostage, take me.”
“Unfortunately, I will have to take you. You’ve given me no choice.” He added regretfully to Ware, “You should never have described the throne to her. I was hoping to find some way to spare her.”
“I didn’t, dammit. The design on the banner was just coincidence.”
Vaden lifted a brow in disbelief.
“I tell you, I didn’t lie to you.”
Vaden shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s gone on too long. It has to be finished.”
“Or you’ll kill Selene?” Thea asked. “She’s only a child.”
“He won’t do it,” Ware said.
“No? I watched many children being killed at Acre only a short time ago. No one saw me flinch.”
“You witnessed the massacre?”
His lips curled. “Oh, yes, from the best vantage point by the side of the Grand Master.”
Terror tore through Thea as she thought of the callousness it would take to watch the killing of twenty-seven hundred souls.
“Good,” Ware said.
Thea turned to stare at him in astonishment. His expression as he looked at Vaden was filled with eagerness and some other emotion she could not define.
“I assure you there was little good at Acre that day.” Vaden gestured to the sword in Ware’s hand. “I’ll give you a chance. Come forward and do battle.”
Ware didn’t move. He said softly, “It was like Jedha, wasn’t it? All