The Born Queen - J. Gregory Keyes [65]
“The praifec?”
“Yah. He tried to kill me, so I reckon he knows we don’t work for him anymore.”
“Tried to kill you?”
“Yah. He was in the wrong place to do it, up on a cliff and me below, so I gave him the slip. But Fend was there, too.”
“Right. Riding the woorm.”
“And there were Sefry in the mountain: Leshya’s people. I think they were fighting the praifec. But I was a bit occupied. The Briar King showed up, so only you and Stephen were missing.”
“You didn’t find Stephen?”
“No. I killed the woorm with the praifec’s arrow. Then I had a bit of a fight with one of those Mamres monks. He hurt me pretty bad: broke my leg. If it hadn’t been for Ogre, I’d be dead, and that’s certain.”
“Ogre…”
“Died saving me.”
“I’m sorry, Aspar.”
He shrugged. “I meant to pasture him soon, but the chance just never came up. But he died fighting. Anyway, then Fend, ah, killed the Briar King.”
“What?”
“With the same arrow. Turns out it can be used any number of times, not just three. He was about to use it on me when Leshya showed up and got me out.”
“Convenient.”
“Yah. But I got sick after that, really sick. When I came to my senses, Leshya had found us a hiding place, but I wasn’t able to travel for months. Fend found us. He’s on my trail again, and he’s not alone. We can’t stay here, Winna.”
“You were alone with her for four months?” Winna asked.
“Yah.”
“That must have been awfully cozy.”
He felt a flare of anger. “That’s kindertalk, Winna. There’s nothing there. If anyone’s been courting all this time, it seems it was you.”
“Emfrith? He’s sweet. He’s not you. He’s not the father of my child.” She stood up. “And as for kindertalk, yes, I’m young enough to be your daughter, but that doesn’t make me a fool for being jealous. It just means I love you. I was actually beginning to lose hope, to think you were really dead, and then you show up with her? Just don’t get all angry and don’t dodge my question. You tell me nothing happened between you, and I’ll not raise this again, ever.”
“Nothing happened.”
She let out a deep breath. “Fine,” she said.
“We’re done with that?”
“Yah.”
“Good.”
“That’s all? Don’t you have more to say than that?”
Aspar closed his eyes for a moment. “You know how I feel about you, Winna. But maybe it would be best for you—”
“Stop,” she said. “Just stop there, Aspar. There’s no best for me. There’s only you. You know I never asked anything more than you could give, but you have given me something.” She patted her belly. “I never imagined a normal life from you, holter. You never promised it, and I still don’t expect it. But whatever happens, this child is ours.”
He stared at her belly, remembering the greffyn being born. “Winna.”
“What?”
Grim take the Sarnwood witch.
“Let’s get you somewhere safe, then. Somewhere you can have this baby without fear.”
“You’ll go with me?”
“Yah.”
She smiled and rushed to hug him, pressing the hardness of her belly into him.
“I’ve missed you, Aspar White. You’ve no idea how much I’ve missed you.” She took his hands. “Where shall we go?”
He kissed her hands and answered. He meant to say that they would go to Virgenya or Nazhgave, anyplace that seemed outside the sickness wasting the world.
“To the Mountains of the Hare,” he heard himself say instead. “I can protect us there.”
And he kissed her again.
CHAPTER FOUR
TWO MAIDS
FASTER WAS thunder beneath Anne as she galloped across the Sleeve. Anne felt a fierce grin pull at her mouth, and she shouted her joy up to whatever saints were listening.
It had been so long since she had ridden for the sheer fun of it. Once she had spent most of her time like this, eluding the pursuers her mother would send to bring her back for lessons or court. Just she and Faster and sometimes Austra.
Austra should be with Cazio by now. She hoped they were happy.
That thought brought her spirits down a bit. She wasn’t a carefree girl anymore, was she? The horsemen following her right now weren’t chasing her;