Realm of Light - Deborah Chester [83]
Looking both alarmed and angry, Elandra struggled in the boy’s grip, only to yelp and suddenly stand very still. All the color drained from her face, and Caelan’s rage grew white hot.
Still he held himself in check, making no move, waiting for the right opportunity. He eyed the boy the way a predator eyes its prey. He had all the patience in the world, and nothing would stop him when it was time to attack.
Quietly, his large body lithe and graceful, he began to slowly circle so that the boy was forced to turn to keep facing him.
“Stand still,” the boy commanded, “or I will hurt her.”
Caelan continued to move, slowly and deliberately. His eyes never left the boy’s. “If you hurt her, I will tear out your throat.”
Defiance flashed in the boy’s face. “I am Kupel,” he said proudly. “I am a chieftain’s son, and I have captured the empress. Much reward gold will go into my coffers. I will be richer than my father when her ransom is paid for.”
And before Caelan could reply to this bold announcement, Kupel lifted the hilt of his knife swiftly to his lips and whistled through a hole in it.
Caelan stepped forward, but with a grin Kupel pressed the knife point to Elandra’s side. “Be careful,” he warned.
Fuming, Caelan froze again. This was not the opportunity he wanted.
Kupel’s grin widened even more. “Now, the others will come.”
Chapter Fifteen
“You’re making a mistake,” Caelan said.
“No, you are!” Kupel retorted. Tightening his hold on Elandra, he started backing away.
Caelan followed.
“Don’t follow me!” Kupel said.
Caelan stopped. He glared at the boy, picking targets in the boy’s hide, and wished he had killed him when he had the chance.
Elandra said nothing. Her eyes were big with fear; her face was pale and strained.
He only knew he had to act fast before more Thyzarenes came.
“What makes you think she’s the empress?” he asked.
Doubt flashed momentarily in Kupel’s eyes; then he sneered. “Very clever. Of course she is. Agents across the empire are looking for her.”
“I know nothing about the empress,” Caelan said. “But if you think you can trick such agents into paying good imperial gold for my wife, you are a fool.”
“Watch what you say,” Kupel warned him angrily. “I am not a fool. I hold her, do I not? Eh?”
“You hold her,” Caelan agreed.
“Then I am not a fool.”
“Fine. But she’s still my wife.”
Elandra’s strained expression lightened. For a moment she nearly smiled. He met her eyes and felt his own guts twist in fear for her.
Don’t think about how much you love her, he told himself. He had to concentrate. He could not let his emotions rule him, or he would lose his nerve.
“Wife? Huh, maybe,” Kupel said with a shrug. “But as empress she will bring big reward.”
“If she’s my wife, and she’s also the empress, that must mean I’m the emperor,” Caelan said. He spread out his hands. “Do I look like the emperor?”
Kupel grinned, enjoying the joke, but he didn’t loosen his hold on Elandra. “We see her. We know. All people know empress.”
“Impossible. She’s never been to Trau before. She’s certainly never been to your camp.”
Kupel backed up a few more steps, keeping Elandra tight against him. Then, never taking his eyes off Caelan, he put his knife between his teeth and dug a coin out of his pocket. He tossed it at Caelan, and whipped his knife back into place at her ribs with another quick grin.
“You see,” he said. “You see empress.”
Careful to make no sudden moves that might be misinterpreted, Caelan picked up the coin and turned it over. It was a new half-ducat, very shiny, and pocked with teeth marks near the rim where its owner had tested its value. Elandra’s profile was stamped on the coin, clear and unmistakable.
“Word has gone out,” Kupel said as Caelan’s fingers closed hard over the coin. “Empress missing. Stolen by Traulander.