Lion's Bride - Iris Johansen [149]
He turned to her. “It occurred to me. In truth, I almost turned my back on you forever. But I found it impossible, dear lady.”
“Why?” Ware asked.
Vaden smiled sardonically. “Ware, Ware, will you never learn? Look at you. You wish me to tell you that I’ve changed and that we can be friends forever. I will never change and nothing lasts forever.”
“Then why did you come after us?”
Vaden’s smile faded. “I didn’t change. To my infinite disgust I merely learned that there are some prices I’m not willing to pay to keep the world as it is. I’d rather risk everything than stand by and watch another massacre like the one I witnessed at Acre.”
“Your Jedha?” Ware murmured.
“Perhaps. Though it galls me to admit you might be right.” He shrugged. “So that’s why you’re a dead man, Ware.”
“No!” Thea stepped forward, her hands clenched.
“Wait,” Ware said.
“I believe she was going to attack me.” Vaden smiled faintly. “I can almost see why you’ve given two years of your life in service to her.”
“I’ll give her all the years of my life.” Ware’s eyes were narrowed on Vaden’s face. “If I’m permitted.”
“Such devotion. I was sure you wouldn’t wish to live without her, so she is dead also.”
Ware tensed. “How?”
“After all these years I found you defenseless at last and executed my duty to the Temple. You both died just outside the gates of Dundragon. Your friend Kadar was also killed defending you. Your bodies were dragged into the fortress for burial by your loyal followers.”
Thea was beginning to understand the incomprehensible. “You told the Knights Templar you killed us?”
“I drove your horses before me so that the trail would reflect pursuit.” He shrugged. “Actually, you made it very easy for me to cover your departure. Dundragon was deserted when I burned it to the ground. It was still in flames when our brothers of the Temple arrived from El Sunan.”
“El Sunan?” Thea repeated. “But you said that the Knights Templar were only a day’s ride behind us.”
“A small untruth.” He smiled with sly satisfaction. “I was very irritated with Ware that day and thought it would do no harm to worry him a bit. I didn’t want them to interfere with my dealing with you, so I sent a message to Robert de Sable telling him I’d heard rumors that Kemal had returned to El Sunan and was swearing that he would burn the banner. De Sable decided it would do no harm to delay his attack on Dundragon, if it meant getting the banner for Richard.”
“You went to a great deal of trouble,” Ware said.
“Don’t endow me with virtues I don’t possess. Everything I did was to protect myself as well as you. Robert de Sable isn’t a madman like de Ridfort, but he wouldn’t hesitate to order my death, if he found I’d risked the world knowing about the lion throne.”
“But you ran the risk.”
“Very well, I ran it. Satisfied?”
A broad smile lit Ware’s face. “Yes.”
Vaden ruefully shook his head. “You’re truly impossible.”
“But why are you here?” Thea asked. “You said you’d decided not to follow us.”
“I did.” His lips tightened grimly. “But I had to bring you something.” He reached into his saddlebag and tossed the bundle of silk he drew out of it to Thea. “Good riddance.”
She shook it out and stiffened in shock. “The banner,” she whispered. Her gaze flew to his face. “Kadar did send it to the Templars, and you took it from them?”
“Kadar?” He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I stole it from Kemal the night Ware attacked.”
“You killed him?” Thea asked.
He shrugged. “I had to have the banner. Several knights of the Temple recognized the lion throne at Acre. I was planning on taking it back to de Sable.”
“You followed Kemal from Acre?” Ware asked.
Vaden nodded. “He had the banner, and after the massacre I knew he would lead me to you.”
“But why didn’t you take the banner back to the Grand Master as you planned?” Thea asked. “Why bring it to me?”
“Why not?” He shook his head. “At first de Sable wanted it only for Richard,