Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [77]
"I love you, Ulaan." There, he had said it, and he felt a surge of pride that he'd said it, plain and simple, no hesitation. "I do. But you must understand. I-"
"If you love me, then why can't we share our love? You said-"
"Ulaan, please!" He said it with more force than he'd intended. "I'm sorry, Ulaan. I'm just so tired, so confused. I can barely think. You must understand, my faith… the ways I was taught, the path of the Oak Father I have sworn to follow…"
He trailed off, struggling for the right words to make her understand. They wouldn't come to him. His exhaustion was pulling him down, and the wine wasn't helping, either.
"I took an oath, Ulaan. Being with you, I… I betrayed that oath. Today, I purified myself, and if I am going to get us out of here, my only hope is to remain pure. To seek the Oak Father's aid. I-"
"Us?" said Ulaan. "Get us out of here. Lewan, what do you mean? You mean… leave?"
She looked at him a long time, then stared at the wall. He could tell she was not seeing the stone, but all the possibilities before her.
"Yes," he said. "Leave the Fortress. Leave Sentinelspire. Come away with me."
She looked at him. "Where?"
"I have no idea," he said. "One problem at a time. But you'll be free. No longer a sla-" He caught himself. "A servant. You'll be with me."
"Your woman?"
"No. You'll he your woman. Free. As for you and me… we'll figure all that out once we're long gone from here. But it will be up to us, not Talieth or Sauk or the Old Man or any other madman who falls from the sky in a puff of smoke, asking for my help."
Ulaan's eyes seemed troubled. "Lewan, you aren't making any sense."
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm tired. So tired."
+++++
Talieth lived in a series of opulent rooms in the upper floors of a mid-sized tower that hugged the Dome of Fire. Other than her servants and guards, she was the only resident, and even the servants didn't reside there so much as sleep close enough to be at her beck and call.
Either the two guards at the main door knew Sauk was expected or they saw the expression he wore and quickly stepped aside. One offered a quick bow. The other made sure he was well out of the way before Sauk threw the door open and stormed inside.
The winding passage up the stairs that ringed the interior wall of the tower alternated between pools of light and wells of shadow. Only half the candles were lit, and many of them burned low. The wake Sauk left behind snuffed out several.
Two more guards-Talieth's favorite Damaran and Shou, more elegantly garbed and more heavily armed-stood outside the heavy double doors that led into Talieth's main apartment. Both had been at ease, but seeing Sauk, the Shou stepped forward and the Damaran put a hand to the short sword at his belt.
The Shou raised a hand. "My apologies, Lord Sauk. The Lady forbids any entrance. She is-"
Sauk's foot slammed into the man's gut, knocking every bit of wind out of him. He went down like a wet sack. Sauk stepped over him.
The Damaran drew his blade and held it on guard before him, but his shaking hand showed he was scared.
Sauk stopped so that the blade, trembling slightly, rested lightly on his chest. "You, I'll put out the window if you don't sheathe that steel and step aside." "Lady Talieth ordered-"
"Lady Talieth ordered me to report. You can stand aside and obey her-and me-and sleep in your bed after your watch. Or you can go out the window now. Your choice."
The man took a deep breath, blinked twice, then sheathed his short sword and stepped aside. "Let it be on your head, then," he said.
"It always is," said Sauk. He pulled the door open and stepped inside.
The room held an assortment of couches, a table where Talieth sometimes dined with guests, and two hearths, both burning low. Candles were set about the room, but none were lit. The room was dim, lit only by the dying fires and a lamp set amidst a wreath of apple blossoms on the table.
Kiristen, a Calishite beauty