Reign of Shadows - Deborah Chester [86]
Over his shoulder, Elandra saw Bixia turn red with fresh anger. Albain had not given Bixia his blessing, but no doubt he was saving that honor for her wedding day. Still, it was another slight that Bixia would want revenge for.
Ruefully, Elandra curtsied to her father. She wished more than ever that she was still an unnoticed member of the household, keeping out of sight and out of trouble in the servants’ passageways. Aside from Magan and perhaps General Handar, she had no allies to protect her away from Albain’s direct influence.
“Thank you, Father,” she said softly. She gazed up at him, her eyes full of apology.
His expression softened marginally. “Remember to keep your place,” he said.
The chastisement was mild indeed, but it was enough to make Elandra draw in a sharp breath and drop her gaze.
Bixia sniffed with patent dissatisfaction.
Then they were being lifted into the palanquins and settled. The handlers perched themselves behind the head of the elephants.
The troops wheeled about in formation, imperial horses prancing skittishly around the elephants. The Gialtan barbs ignored the elephants and trotted smoothly forward.
Trumpets sounded again, and the tall gates swung open. With banners flying, they were on their way into the unknown.
* * *
By nightfall, they had left the road that paralleled the river for a rough track that led away from the irrigated fields and paddies into the jungle itself. The terrain was rough, and leafy branches brushed the sides of the palanquin frequently.
Elandra soon adjusted to the majestic sway of the elephant carrying her and Magan. Riding so high above the ground, she was able to see numerous monkeys. Wild parrots flew everywhere in brilliant profusion. Flowering vines looped down from the treetops above, perfuming the air with sweet fragrance that briefly overcame the damp, fetid scents of the jungle. Now and then she glimpsed a predator lying concealed among the mossy branches. The air was heavy and still, making the intense heat a clammy, smothering enemy.
She and Magan used the reed fans constantly, but by the time they stopped for camp, Elandra felt limp from the heat. She had no appetite for the food served to her. To her relief, Bixia and Hecati looked equally exhausted and did not even talk to her.
The soldiers were detailed into sentry units. The rest dispersed elsewhere, to make a second camp. Servants put up tents and cots, and Elandra found her quarters a tiny, airless, claustrophobic place.
The darkness pressed down, hot and still. She felt as though it were water, trying to drown her. Magan draped netting over her for protection against the stinging, vicious insects. It was like being wrapped in a shroud, but Elandra made no complaint.
Eventually she slept, but her slumber was light and restless.
“Elandra Albain,” whispered a soft voice through the darkness.
Elandra stirred and sat up. The netting around her was gone. As she blinked, uncertain whether she’d heard hername spoken, the dark tent around her faded away like smoke. An eerie green light filled her surroundings, and she saw herself sitting unclad and shivering upon a bench of stone. In the distance stood a pair of mighty stone pillars, like sentinels.
The green light spilled from between them, spreading low across the ground like fog. It illuminated this strange dream place with a ghostly radiance. A figure came wading toward her through the glowing fog, a tall shadow, powerful with broad shoulders and muscular legs.
Elandra drew in her breath with a sharp sense of alarm. She tried to scramble off the bench, but found herself unable to move.
Her paralysis frightened her even more. Heart pounding, she struggled to control her own fear. It’s only a dream, she tried to reassure herself without much success. Dream or not, it seemed far too vivid and real.
She found herself increasingly mesmerized by the shadow’s easy, loping stride. Time compressed to stillness, unable to flow naturally. The man continued to come closer, yet