Lines of Fire (The Guild House - Defenders Hall) Read online

  “What could he do?” Sando lowered his voice. “He tried to blame you but the Justicar and the Left Hand exposed the lie. The four patrols have demanded you and Kalia be bonded.”

  “Only if she chooses.”

  “Young woman’s skittish. You’ll have time to consider what to do. You and Robec are off to Healers Hall. Litters are on the way.”

  “I’m not that badly off,” Alric said.

  Sando laughed. “Prove it.”

  Alric pressed his hands on the gritty sand. A jolt of pain nearly made him surrender to darkness. He couldn’t rise to his knees.

  The Healer tsked. “Do all Defenders believe they’re indestructible?”

  “This one always does.” Sando brushed Alric’s hair. “First time he’s been hurt bad enough to stop him from the duel. Take your time healing.”

  “Storm Cloud.”

  “I’ll see to your steed.”

  “Thanks.” Alric forced himself to remain in the present.

  Four men arrived with litters. During the transfer from the ground Alric lost his hold on consciousness.

  Alien aromas roused him. Herbs and the sharp sting of alk. He tried to turn and yelped. Memories flashed with lightning speed and he realized he was in the Infirmary. “Where?”

  “Treating room,” a deep voice said. “Drink this and lie still while I apply more numbing salve.”

  Alric sipped from the bulb and sputtered. “Vile.”

  “Finish the potion. You need tending and this won’t be painless.”

  Alric felt his back being rubbed. Soon the numbing effect took place. The man with the deep voice barked orders to people Alric couldn’t see.

  “You were lucky there’s no gross muscle damage. Wound isn’t as deep as the helpers feared. Take a deep breath. Have to clean the area thoroughly.”

  Alric felt coldness and smelled the strong aroma of alk. The sting morphed into agony. He lost the battle to remain awake.

  Someone’s groan woke him. He lay on a soft surface. He heard the groan a second time and realized the noise rumbled from his chest. He tried to roll to his side and bellowed. “Damn.”

  “Awake now, are you.” A young man wearing Healer blue approached the bed. “I’ll help you.”

  “Dry.”

  “Drinking when sitting is better.” The trainee helped Alric to his uninjured side and slid his legs over the edge of the bed.

  For a moment, Alric’s vision blurred. The young man became two and then four. Alric’s stomach lurched and he gulped deep breaths to keep from heaving. The young man changed into two. They swung him onto the bed. Soft pillows cushioned his back.

  One of the trainees held a tumbler. “Drink.”

  Alric gulped a mouthful and nearly spat the liquid. “What kind of poison are you giving me?”

  “Salopa. Helps control pain and fever. Finish it and I’ll bring you broth and citren.”

  “Robec?” Alric asked.

  “Here.”

  The voice came from the next bed. Alric turned his head and studied his companion. Robec’s pallor troubled Alric until he saw the lines of fire on the Swordmaster’s son’s skin. They held a healthy hue.

  “How do you feel?” Alric asked.

  “Like I’ve been slammed by a battering ram.” Robec cleared his throat. “Kalia came to see us last evening. She said you used the lines to stop my spurting blood.”

  “I did. Useful skill for a Defender. That’s the reason my duels aren’t fatal for my opponents. You could learn to do the trick. Don’t you see the lines of fire?”

  Robec glanced around the room. “Seeing them is a trick I don’t admit. The Swordmaster would cast me aside. Seeing the lines is a sign of evil.”

  “How can you say that?”

  Robec lowered his head. “My father taught me to fear such an event. Kalia says he’s wrong but she’s just a foolish woman. He is the Swordmaster.”

  “I agree with your sister.” Alric winced as he shifted position. “I’ve read about the old days. One reason our people fled their former land and traveled through the mists to come here was to keep the sorcerers from forcing them to use their talents for evil. Seeing the lines was one of their talents.”

  “I’ll think about what you’ve said.” Robec cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I’ve been your enemy for all these years.”

  What brought that on? Was this some kind of trick? “I survived.”

  “What will you do when you leave the Infirmary?”

  “Regain my skill with sword and knife. Seek a bondmate. Maybe go on detached duty.”

  “Why seek a bondmate? Your patrol leader and the other three have demanded you and Kalia bond.”

  “And your father?”

  Robec laughed. “He agreed. He had to or face challenge after challenge.”

  Alric frowned. “Why who was ready to issue a challenge against the Swordmaster?” “Who would oppose him?”

  “The patrol leaders. Maybe the Left Hand. Father seldom asks for his help these days.” Robec yawned. “Why did Petan wound me? He’s my friend.”

  Alric pondered his answer. He had suspicions about the state of Petan’s friendship with Robec. Though the other man was his age, Robec seemed younger. Never belonging to a patrol had stunted his growth as a Defender. Alric knew voicing his suspicions would ruin the tentative easing of hostility. Petan had taken a chance. With Robec and Alric dead Petan would easily become the Swordmaster’s heir, especially if he bonded with Kalia.

  “Could have been the heat of the moment,” Alric said. “Some men lose all sense of anything except the duel.”

  Robec nodded. “Dueling changes Petan. He says killing his opponents makes him feel powerful. All his duels end in death except this last one with you. He says death feeds a man’s spirit.”

  Alric heard slurred edges to Robec’s words. A large dose of salopa would do that. What more could he learn?

  “How does Kalia feel about bonding with me?”

  “She fears bonding with anyone but I’d say she likes you better than Petan. She has never liked him.” Robec released a sigh. “She talks about running away. Don’t think she will though. She’s never been far from the Hall.”

  “Running would be a rash move.” Alric moved his injured arm and groaned.

  “She often acts on impulse. She wanted to leave the Defenders and train with the Healers.”

  “Not if she sees the lines. Why does she fear bonding?”

  “Because of what happens with our mother.”

  Alric closed his eyes. When they’d met in the stable she had spoken of her mother. He wouldn’t force Kalia to bond but he wouldn’t tell Robec that for fear the Swordmaster would learn. Once he left this place he would seek her and propose a sham bonding. Would give them a year to find solutions.

  He must have dozed because the aroma of food roused him. A trainee brought a tray with slices of banta, mashed tubers and a savory sauce as well as other tasty items. He polished the plate and noticed Robec picked at the food.

  “At least drink the citren and the soup. You need to replace the blood you lost.”

  “Why are you so concerned about me? I’ve been your enemy for years.”

  Alric set the citren mug on the tray. “My father taught me to look on no man as an enemy except for those who attack from behind. You never have. If Ilna hadn’t named you as her champion would you have challenged me?”

  “No and I wish my father had been as wise as yours.”

  After the trays were removed Alric closed his eyes and thought of how to approach Kalia with his plan. At the end of a year if she wanted to run he would help her find a place and continue to the desert to join the riders.

  He heard a nasal female voice. “I demand to see Alric. He will be my mate. The Swordmaster promised.”

  Alric closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow. He had no desire to speak to Ilna. Swordmaster’s promise or not, she had been rejected. If he had to fight another duel to prevent pairing with h
er, he would.

  She stroked her arm. His lines of fire burned. He nearly ended his pretense to knock her away.

  “If you refuse to leave I’ll call the Senior Medic,” a young man said. “Rest is an important part of the healing process.”

  Alric kept his eyes closed until he was sure she had left. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and waited a few minutes before standing. Though his arms and back ached, he walked from his bed and around the three others in the room. He had to build his strength and leave the Infirmary. He paused at the door and motioned to the trainee.

  The young man walked back. “Do you need something?”

  “Only to leave word about my recent visitor. Do not allow that woman to enter this room. I fought a duel to keep from bonding with her.”

  “I’ll let the others know.”

  * * *

  Kalia knew she should visit her brother and Alric again. She’d gone once and had been thankful Alric had slept. She wanted to avoid the man who had fought her battle and had nearly been killed by treachery. He had granted her the right to choose her bondmate, but the patrols had demanded she and Alric exchange bracelets.

  Yesterday, two women from Alric’s patrol had visited to welcome her as one of their patrol. Her hands clenched. Why hadn’t she told them the truth? She didn’t want a bondmate. That wasn’t exactly the truth but she couldn’t speak to them of her father’s threats. There was no need for such a story to spread through the Hall. How could she tell anyone she admired Alric? Her father would find a way to use the demands of the patrol leaders for his own purpose and that was to see Alric banished.

  Her other reason scared her. She’d seen the way their lines of fire had moved when they touched. What if Alric could drain her vitality the way her father sapped her mother? A third reason rose. She would be Alric’s last chance to remain in the ranks. How could she take the chance of being forced to break the bond?

  Her mother appeared at the doorway of Kalia’s chamber. “A trainee has come. Your father demands to see you.”

  Tension gathered around her. She’d had two days without his demands but she’d known the peace wouldn’t last. “I’ll go.”

  “Listen to what he says.”

  Kalia walked to the door. She touched her cheek. Though no bruises had formed after Alric had touched the spot, the memory of the blow remained. She followed the trainee to the door of the Swordmaster’s office. She knocked.

  “Enter.”

  “You wanted to see me.” She closed the door and braced for another attack.

  “You’re prompt.” He leaned back in his chair. “Are you pleased with the results of your stubborn resistance?”

  She met his gaze. “That I don’t have to bond with Petan. Yes.”

  “Your brother’s chances of taking my place as the leader of the Defenders aren’t good. He needs a man with Petan’s strength to stand at his right hand.”

  Kalia remained with her back pressed against the door. “I feel sorrow Robec was injured by a man he considered his friend. I’m glad Petan’s gone. He tried to kill my brother and take his place with you. If Alric hadn’t stopped the bleeding, Petan would have succeeded.”

  “Matters may not be how they seemed to you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How can you be sure Alric’s blade wasn’t the one to wound Robec?”

  “Your Left Hand and the Justicar named Petan and the naming was verified.”

  He shrugged. “Petan saved Robec’s life when he attacked Alric. He acted before that one could smother your brother.”

  Kalia laughed. “Do you really believe that?”

  “Doesn’t matter now. You’ll be bonded to your brother’s enemy. Makes my original plan obsolete but I have another. You will exchange bracelets with him the way the patrol leaders have insisted.” He rose and stalked toward her. “At the right moment you will declare the bond broken.”

  Kalia opened her mouth to protest. He clasped her hand. The words froze on her tongue. “Yes, sir. Is that all?”

  “Not quite. If you fail me again, your mother will suffer and may even die. Your brother and sister will be set aside. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Dismissed.” He released his hold.

  Kalia stepped into the corridor. Stunned, she leaned against the wall. Her ability to say anything to contradict him had happened again. She shook her head to dislodge the thoughts that weren’t hers. She must escape.

  She didn’t return to her chamber. She ran outside, across the courtyard and entered the stable. The aromas both pleasant and unpleasant didn’t halt her for long. She saddled Mist, retrieved the pack and led her bihorn from the stall.

  Her father’s plan to banish Alric was wrong. He had saved Robec’s life. Would the Swordmaster really harm his bondmate or his children? She couldn’t take the chance.

  As she led Mist from the stable she glanced toward the gate. Guards stood blocking the entrance. Instead of attempting to leave by the Defenders Gate, she entered the tunnel between the walls leading to the Halls of the other Guilds. She passed the entrance to Healers Hall. Thoughts of Alric and Robec arose. Should she warn her brother? That meant seeing Alric. The connection to him might flare hotter and ruin her chance to escape. Would Robec believe her? Was he too firmly under the Swordmaster’s control?

  At the opening into Artisans Hall she peered toward the gate. No guards paced around the opening. With a grin she mounted Mist and rode away from the walls. Someone shouted but she paid no heed and pushed her steed into a gallop.

  Until dusk she followed the main road. She noticed a side path leading north. She dismounted and saw tracks left by carts. Who had come this way? She decided to chance taking a new direction.

  The sky darkened. Stars appeared. She reached a clearing with a fire circle. After gathering wood, she lit the fire. With luck several days would pass before anyone missed her. Maybe not before Alric and Robec were released from the Infirmary.

  She toasted bread over the fire and spread soft cheese on the surface. As she put grain in a pan with water to make porridge for the morning meal, she sipped kafa. How long would the food she brought last? She wasn’t sure she knew enough about plants to gather them but she had a few coins. If she found a farmer willing to sell or a village with a market, she would spend them.

  With a groan she drained the mug, spread her blanket roll and settled down to sleep. A cracking noise startled her. She sat and peered into the dark shadows. Did something move? Her panicked breathing slowed. The thundering beat of her heart ebbed.

  Each sound became a wild animal sneaking across the clearing to attack. Wind rustling the leaves became voices whispering secrets. She added wood to the fire, settled again and watched the flames until she slept.

  In the morning, groggy from a restless night, she gulped several mugs of kafa and put the rest in her water flask. After drowning the fire she saddled Mist and stowed her gear before continuing along the road. The ruts made by carts seemed fresh. At midday, she saw three wagons parked by the side of the road. Peddlers, she thought and studied the carts. The paint on the sides had faded until she couldn’t read the name.

  As she rode past a man waved. “Are you the Defender sent to act as our guard? Your partner on the way?”

  Kalia halted. “I’m not. I’m on detached duty.”

  His scruffy beard held streaks of gray and yellow. His clothes bore dust from the road and stains of food.

  “You in a rush to reach your destination?” he asked.

  “Sort of.” Her gaze skittered past him to study the rest of those seated around a small fire. Two women and three men sat on the grass. One of the men looked vaguely familiar but she couldn’t recall where she had seen him. Was he a banished Defender? His shirt could have once been green.

  “Maybe you could travel with us.” The peddler looked at the pack behind Mist’s saddle. “For food and coins. All you’d need to do is ride ahead and find camping spots for
the night and stop at any farm along the way to see if they were interested in trade.”

  Kalia thought about the offer and her meager supply of food. “Have you kafa?”

  He laughed. “Never travel without the makings.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Name’s Hosar. Come and have a bit of nooning with us.”

  Kalia nodded. “I must think of my duty first.” Accepting the offer made sense. Not only would she have a few free meals but she might learn more about the territory ahead.

  “In two or three days travel, we’ll come to a village. There are half a dozen farms on the way. Aren’t very profitable around here. Ground’s too rocky but we manage to sell goods made by the Artisan’s trainees.”

  Kalia frowned. Did the Artisans allow their trainees to sell the goods they made? Had she stumbled on a smuggler? She would give the peddler a chance. Hopefully along with the food he provided, she could purchase a few things from the farmers or in a village.

  “Will you travel with us?”

  “Until my road takes a turn in a different direction.”

  She accepted a bowl of stew from the woman at the fire, a mug of kafa and a chunk of dark bread. With her food in hand she sat apart from the others and ate.

  When the wagon train moved on, Kalia rode beside the lead one to gauge their speed. Then she rode ahead to find a site for the night.

  The journey fell into a routine. Once she stopped at a farm and bought cheese and apelons. Another day, she managed to buy grain and part of a ham. She smiled. She had almost enough food to last for a week or more. From the woman who did most of the cooking, Kalia learned of a few greens and herbs she could pick. Soon she could leave the peddler behind.

  What she saw in the small village made her decision easy. One of the men lifted a piece of jewelry from a display in a shabby shop. She witnessed the peddler’s thumb touch the scale when weighing kafa beans. She walked to Mist to check her packs, mounted and rode as far and as fast as she could before nightfall.

  Chapter 5

  Alric held onto the back of a chair with one hand and moved his injured arm in a series of exercises. The pinch and pull of the muscles told him the stitches were due to be removed. He finished the set and prowled the room. Inactivity made him want to scream. Five days had passed since the duel. Five days of boredom. He turned to Robec and saw him raising and lowering his leg.