The Born Queen - J. Gregory Keyes [115]
“If all that’s so, why did your wyver attack Winna?”
“Wyvers are stupid,” Fend replied. “It didn’t know who it was attacking!”
“What about all that business with the fanes, the murders at Cal Azroth? How does that all work in?”
“That was something else,” he said. “Hespero hired me for that. That was just murder for money, really. But then he sent me to get the woorm from the Sarnwood. Don’t know what he wanted, don’t care. The witch showed me the truth, my destiny—to be the Blood Knight.”
“Yah. Then why did you try to kill me?”
“The witch didn’t tell me we would need you. Maybe she didn’t even know at the time; she’s strange like that. And, well, I hate you. You hate me. If I don’t kill you, you’ll kill me. But I’m willing to set that aside for now, and you should be, too.”
“You’re mad.”
“I feel better than I ever have in my life,” Fend said. “I’ve actually got a cause, something to fight for other than my own greed and desires. You ought to be able to understand that.”
“You’re a liar, Fend. I don’t believe anything you’ve said, and I certainly won’t ride with you.”
“That’s too bad,” Fend said. “It’ll make it harder.”
“Harder to do what?”
“To protect you. There are those who will try to stop you.”
“Who?”
“I’m not sure about that. But you’ll need my help. I reckoned it would be easier if we worked this out now. I see we can’t. But the geos will take you there anyway, and I’ll follow and help you whether you like it or not.”
Fend mounted the wairwulf, which bristled but let him on. His companions got up on their beasts.
“See you soon,” Fend said, taking hold of a rope that necklaced the monster.
Then they bounded off, long legs reaching with incredible swiftness, much faster than a horse. The Sefry who had Aspar’s weapons dropped them to the ground. Aspar rushed toward them, scooping up the bow and his quiver, but before he could put missile to string, they were out of sight. He limped to a stuttering run to get to where his horse was wandering, mounted, and gave her his heels, screaming at the top of his lungs as red rage tinted everything.
Whipping around one of the houses, he nearly collided with another rider and for one savage instant thought he would get his fight. But before he let the shaft fly, he realized it was Leshya.
“Fend,” he told her, trying to get his skittish mount back under control.
Leshya’s eyes were wide and her mouth was scrunched up as if she had just tasted something sour.
“You’re alive,” she said.
“Yah. Surprised?”
“I just saw Fend and two of the Vaix riding hellhounds or something, so yes.”
The horse was over its panic now, and he started off again.
“You won’t catch them,” Leshya yelled after him. “And you don’t want to.”
“Oh, yah, I do,” he muttered.
Leshya was right, of course. The wairwulves were much faster than horses, and besides, his mount kept shying from their scent.
When he finally gave up, Leshya came trotting up alongside him.
“Why did you come, anyway?” he asked.
“I had a bad feeling,” she said. “I get them sometimes, and when I do, I’m usually right. What were they doing, Fend and the Vaix?”
“They were looking for me.”
“Good thing they didn’t find you.”
“Oh, they found me,” he said. “Fend offered to escort us through the King’s Forest. He thinks we’ll need his help.”
“His help with what?” Leshya asked, her tone larded with incredulity.
“I don’t know,” he replied. This time he wasn’t sure the lie wasn’t his own. It felt awfully natural.
“Really?” she asked, the tone deepening. “He was trying to kill you last time you saw him.”
“That’s true. I pointed that out to him.”
“Well?”
“He said things had changed.”
“What things?”
“It’s just another of his tricks,” Aspar said. “I’m not sure what he’s up to, but