On Fire's Wings - Christie Golden [137]
He whirled on the younger man. “You interrupt my meal for a camp follower?” Other men might rush eagerly into the arms of such a lovely woman, but Kayle cared little for the pleasures offered by either sex. His passion was slaughter, and he preferred to save his energies for that.
Admittedly, they’d found a good one. Not a maiden, but a woman, still in the prime of her beauty. She looked tired and hungry, but bore herself erectly.
“She is not what you think, my lord,” said one of his scouts, exchanging grins with his companions. “We will let her speak for herself.”
The woman stepped forward, and for an instant Kayle felt a strong urge to kneel in front of her, so commanding was her presence. The desire passed quickly.
“I have come to you with news for your Emperor, which he will wish to hear. You will take me to him.”
“No, lady, I will not. You will speak your news to me, or I will cut out your tongue and you will speak it to no one.”
She looked at him, a half smile on her lips. “Do you know, I believe you.”
“You should,” said Kayle. He had been in deadly earnest. “I have many things that demand my attention, lady. Speak quickly.”
“I know you recognize what I once was,” she said. “I hear it in your voice. You know nobility when you see it, whatever tattered rags it comes dressed in. I was once the khashima of a great House in Arukan—the greatest House. Now, I am nothing but a camp follower. How I fell to this is not important. What is important is that you believe that my desire to have revenge upon my husband and his people is real.”
Kayle’s single eye searched her, taking her in, from her long hair to her elegant features to her body. The clothing she wore had indeed been fine once, but was now filthy and stank of sweat. While she was thin, she did not have the aged, emaciated look of one who had lived a step away from starvation all her life. This was a woman who had once lived in luxury.
“Go on.”
“You have been preying on the clans one by one,” she said, “but they have seen your numbers and know what you have planned. In turn, they have abandoned their differences and will greet your army united.”
Kayle scowled and looked to his scouts for confirmation.
“It is true, sir,” said the head scout. “We were shocked when we cleared the range and saw so many campfires. Somehow, they know. I saw hundreds.”
“We have thousands,” retorted Kayle, but still he felt a quiver of doubt. It was one thing to descend upon small groups and conquer them one by one. To face all the Arukani clans together would necessitate different tactics. The Emperor needed to know as soon as possible.
But apparently, the woman was not yet done. “I have followed my former Clan to this meeting place. I have watched what has transpired there. I have listened in the shadows and I know their numbers, their plans, their weapons, and I know of an enemy that would make even your Emperor quail where he stands.”
“Then tell me, lady. My meal is not getting any warmer.”
“In exchange for safe passage in your country,” she replied.“Food, water, clothing, money. I will not return to the land of my shame.”
He had thought to kill her; it was just easier that way. But the honey had sweetened more than his tongue tonight, and he was in a good mood. While the news she bore was not good, her coming was welcomed in that the Emperor would have time to change his approach. Kayle decided that if what she had to say pleased him, he would give her what she wanted. If not, he’d carry out his original plan.
Kayle turned to his scouts and again raised an eyebrow in question. “We have been able to verify some of what she told us, sir,” their leader replied. “And the information is valuable indeed.”
“Very well,” he said. “Come into my tent and eat and drink your fill. And then, traitor, tell me all you know, and how best I can use this information to slaughter your people.”
For a moment, he thought he saw hesitation flicker across her lovely features. Then her face hardened and her eyes looked bright with an emotion he