From Darkness Won Part 23

On her second survey of the room, she caught sight of a limp hand dangling over the bedside. She drifted closer. A body came into view, sunk into the linen drape that covered the mattress. A woman in a plain brown dress. A peasant. The woman's face was twisted away, her thin black hair tangled in a pile that covered her face.

Averella did not know why, but a dark fear pressed in on her heart as she studied the woman. She skirted to the foot of the bed, trying to get a better view of the woman's face.

The chamber door burst open. Averella pressed against the wall and sank to her haunches, falling partway into the next room. Then she remembered that no one could see her, so she steadied herself and looked to the doorway.

Lord Nathak entered with Lord Levy, Lady Fallina Levy, and their son Reggio. Averella froze at the sight of Lord Nathak and his horrible mask, fear curling the ends of her nerves like ribbon. She built an imaginary wall around herself. What such an act did, she did not know, but she felt more secure after having done it.

Lady Fallina gripped her thick brocade skirts in both hands and ran to the bedside. "Really, my lord. Could you at least have chosen a room that had been aired? A fresh bed?"

"She can't feel anything, right, Father?" Reggio asked.

"I know nothing of this magic," Lord Levy said, puffing on an ivory pipe.

Lady Fallina brushed the hair off the unconscious woman's face.

Averella screamed, a soundless, heart-wrenching act for her ears only. For it was her face under all that hair. Her body lying limp on the bed like a discarded shawl. She leaned over the foot of the bed to get a closer look. Was she dead? Why was she dressed as a peasant?

"She is warm," Lady Fallina said. "She breathes still."

"Of course she does," Lord Nathak said. "She has been stormed, not stabbed."

Stormed. The invisible man in the garden had spoken of a storm. Master Cham! I have found my body, Averella said. Please tell me how to return to it.

But Master Cham did not answer.

"Regardless, Lord Nathak," Lady Fallina said. "This whole situation is horribly improper. I will not allow this lady to be without a chaperone. Think of her reputation." Lady Fallina moved Averella's arms, folding them over her stomach so that she truly looked like a corpse.

Reggio snorted. "Her reputation is soiled of her own instigation. Cavorting all over Er'Rets in the company of men. No one held her hostage, Mother. She chose her lot."

"Still." Lady Fallina smoothed Averella's hair. "I will have no one say that I contributed to her degeneracy."

Averella's jaw dropped. Never in her life had she been so brutally slandered. On what grounds did they accuse her of such poor conduct?

"None of this matters, my dear." Lord Levy set a hand on his wife's shoulder, bringing with him the strong smell of tobacco and vanilla. His pointed white beard reminded Averella of a goat. "Lord Nathak is moving the lady to Mahanaim in the morning."

Lady Fallina regarded her husband with wide eyes. "Moving her how?"

"She is being transported with my procession," Lord Nathak said. "My master can do with her as he likes."

"I will not have it! Her mother must be notified." Lady Fallina sat on the edge of the bed and glanced to her husband, who was sucking on his pipe. "Think of Jacqueline, Abidan. She and Lady Averella are the same age. Could you allow our daughter-"

"Jacqueline has not broken the law, my dear." Lord Levy blew out a stream of smoke. "Lady Averella is a criminal by her own volition."

"And she should be tried as such," Reggio added.

Averella gasped, hands trembling.

"Really," Lady Fallina said. "Just because she would not marry you, Lord Nathak, or your depraved son?"

"Fallina!" Lord Levy snapped. "You will respect Lord Nathak in his own house."

"Sitna Manor is your house now, my lord husband. You should remind Lord Nathak to respect you." She shot a haughty glare at Lord Nathak. "And your wife."

Lord Levy sighed. "Lord Nathak, would you allow my wife to sit with Lady Averella until you are ready to transport her?"

"I care not what your wife does. But Lady Averella will be taken to Mahanaim at first light tomorrow."

Lord Nathak left the room.

Lady Fallina stood and smoothed out her skirt. "He intends to send an ill n.o.blewoman to Mahanaim with a bunch of soldiers? And no escort? Can nothing be done?"

"What does an unconscious woman need with an escort?" Reggio asked.

"Lord Nathak will make certain nothing vile happens to her, my dear, I a.s.sure you," Lord Levy said.

"You vouch for Lord Nathak's character, Abidan? Since when have you trusted him?"

"Mother, Lord Nathak is loyal to our cause. It's Lady Averella's character that's the issue here," Reggio said.

How Averella wished she could speak aloud and give Reggio Levy the scolding of his life.

"Reggio, please!" Lord Levy turned back to his wife. "Lord Nathak said his interest in the girl is strictly political. She's to marry his son."

Lady Fallina scoffed. "To think all this began because her mother is the d.u.c.h.ess of Carm."

"She is only Lady Nitsa now, for I am Duke of Carm. And Lady Nitsa could have avoided all this trouble by making the betrothal herself. Her stubborn ways have done her and her daughter no favors. Both women have brought their fortunes upon themselves. Dathos has weighed their behavior of the scales of justice and made his judgment."

Lady Fallina peered at her husband. "I find it odd that Dathos always agrees with your judgment, my lord."

"Because I know my G.o.d well."

His wife huffed. "So you agree with Dathos's decision to send us to Sitna? That the Levy rule of Mahanaim is to end with you? I would think that Dathos would condemn Lord Nathak for all his years of deceit. You did, at first."

Lord Levy's eyes smoldered. "I cannot see Dathos's full plan, but I a.s.sure you my years of loyalty will not be overlooked. Would you have me rebel, as Lady Nitsa has? Would you have our daughters used against us as p.a.w.ns?"

Lady Fallina whispered, "Of course not."

"Then do not question my judgment. I am loyal to Dathos, as is the Hadad. I support his takeover, as should you."

Lady Fallina looked back to Averella's body.

"I would hate to think my own mother a traitor." Reggio stood by the door with his arms crossed, glaring at his mother as if she were a vandal.

"That will be enough from you, my boy." Lord Levy shooed Reggio out the door and pointed his pipe at Lady Fallina. "We shall see you at dinner, I hope?"

"As long as two women sit with Lady Averella in my place. Send me Tylia now, please."

"As you wish, my dear."

The door clumped shut behind Lord Levy and Reggio. Lady Fallina stepped back to the bed and sat down. She ran the back of her hand along Averella's cheek. "I am sorry, child. I can only keep you safe under my roof. Once you leave... May Dathos find more good in you than evil."

Averella stayed with her body all afternoon, flitting about the room like a ghost. Two maids came when Lady Fallina went to dinner. Lady Fallina returned shortly and sat in a chair beside the bed, dozing restlessly into the night.

Averella drifted about the room and went out onto the balcony to look at the moon, high over the gla.s.sy sea.

Sparrow? The stray man's voice boomed in her head again. You've closed your mind. Are you back in your body?

Averella paused, intrigued by his words. How do you know I am out of my body? And why call me Sparrow?

Sparrow, please. You have to lower your shields to talk to me. At least say something so I know you are well. I promise to leave you be after that, but I must know that you're not hurt.

I am here, Master Cham. And I feel no pain, though I am out of my physical body.

Averella's ears itched. She tried to scratch them, yet her fingers pa.s.sed into her head, finding nothing solid to scratch.

Achan Cham.

What do you want, Master Cham? You said you would leave me be. Can you not hear me? Averella did not know what else she could possibly say. This man had heard her in the temple garden. What could have changed?

Master Cham spoke to her several more times through the rest of the night, but he never seemed to hear her responses. She did not understand anything. What had happened to her? What was storming? How could her mind be outside her body? Why did she have no memory of how she came to be this way? Why did the Levys slander her name as if she were a wanton woman?

Her ears itched. d.u.c.h.ess Amal.

Joy surged inside her. Mother! Where are you?

d.u.c.h.ess Amal.

Yes! I am in Sitna. Lord Nathak holds me captive. He plans to take me to Mahanaim tomorrow. Without an escort!

d.u.c.h.ess Amal.

Averella's joy fizzled. Mother?

Silence stretched on. Crickets chirruped outside. Lady Fallina's soft breath held a steady flow at Averella's bedside.

Merciful heart! Why could no one hear her? Averella started to cry, though no tears left her eyes.

"Be gentle!" Lady Fallina scolded.

"We won't drop her, m'lady," the toothless guard said as he and the bearded guard heaved the casket off the floor of the bedchamber.

Averella shuddered, knowing her body lay inside the sanded pine box. She must truly be dead. But where, then, was Arman? For this could not be Shamayim. All believers went to Shamayim when they died. It was written.

Not knowing what else to do, Averella drifted along with Lady Fallina and the men, staying with her body as they carried the casket down the spiral stairs and out of the keep to a wagon in the inner bailey. Two more guards helped lift the casket into the back.

"There are three more crates to be loaded," Lady Fallina said. "I will show you where they are."

The guards followed Lady Fallina back into the keep, leaving Averella's body alone with the driver sitting on his bench.

"What took you so long, boy?" the driver said. "We're set to leave soon."

Noam, the lanky peasant who had snuck into the keep yesterday, approached the wagon, leading two horses. But today he wore the orange tunic of a stray. "I had to wait until they were shod."

Averella watched the young man so closely that she didn't see Gren until the peasant woman was crouched by the wagon's wheel. A beefy man squatted down beside her. The same man who had caused the diversion so Noam and Gren could sneak inside the keep.

"Can you help me?" Noam asked the driver.

"You want me to do your job?"

"Just hold the reins of this one while I hook up the other. I'll be done faster and out of your way before Lord Nathak arrives. I'm sure you'd like Lord Nathak in good spirits for the long journey."

"All right." The driver climbed down, but before he could take the reins from Noam, both horses took off at a run toward the temple.

"Help me!" Noam cried, leading the driver in a chase that took them both away from the wagon.

The beefy man dropped two bulging linen sacks into the wagon then hoisted himself over the side. With a quick flick of his wrist, he pried up the casket's lid with a knife. He slid the lid back and lifted Averella's body out. Holding her close, he jumped off the wagon and carried her to a small cart. He dropped her inside, covered her with linen sacks, and pushed the cart toward the inner gatehouse.

It all happened so quickly, Averella could only stare.

Gren lifted one more heavy sack into the back of the wagon. She pulled herself up, loaded all three sacks into the casket, and slid the lid back into place.

"What's this Poril sees?" a man's voice said.

Averella turned to see an old man with a dusting of white hair standing on the other side of the wagon. He was as tall as the beefy man who had taken her body, maybe taller, though his hunched posture made it difficult to tell.

"Master Poril." Gren jumped down off the wagon.

"Poril heard yeh went away, Madam Hoff. But now Poril sees yer back and causing more mischief."

Gren threaded her arm with the old man's and led him away from the wagon. "Remember what you said to me the day Sitna heard the news. That you'd do anything to go back and make it right?"

Poril's eyes grew wide and glossy. "Poril would have never laid a hand on the boy had Poril known the truth, I'll tell yeh that. Poril's a kind soul, he is."

Gren patted his hand. "I know you are, Master Poril. But Lord Nathak is deceiving you again. For the woman in that casket is not dead. And Lord Nathak wants to hurt her."

"What does Poril care of the master's business? It's only 'cause Poril is the best cook in Er'Rets that the master be taking Poril to Armonguard. And Poril can't be left behind." The old man lowered his voice to a raspy whisper. "Poril needs to see the boy again, he does. How else can Poril set right all that's been done?"

"But that's just it, Master Poril. Achan loves this lady."

Averella straightened at this.

"Bah!" Poril waved a hand. "The boy loves yeh alone."

Gren shook her head. "Not anymore, Master Poril. He's betrothed to Lady Averella of Carmine now. Wears her sleeve on his arm, even as he marches into battle."

Icy fingers stroked the back of Averella's neck. That Master Cham would love her, wear her sleeve, and she not know him. How?