"Intelligent," said the vord queen. "Intuitive. Rapid analysis of disparate facts. The logic of the hypothesis is sound. Surrender, Aleran. You will make an excellent addition to the Purpose."
Cold horror drove Amara back a pair of steps and sent her heart into frantic racing.
It had heard her thoughts.
"You have fought commendably," the vord queen said, and it seemed that with every word the vord's pronunciation became more clear. "But it is over. This world is now part of the Purpose. You will perish. I offer you the opportunity for a painless end. It is the most you can hope for. Yield."
"We do not yield," Amara snarled, shocked at how high and thready her voice sounded. "Our Realm is not yours. Not today." She lifted her chin, and said, "We choose to fight."
The vord queen's glowing eyes narrowed, pulsing from green-white to a deep shade of golden red, and it rasped, "So be it." It opened its hand and released the white cloth to fall to the ground. Then it turned and bounded with inhuman grace and speed into the darkness. Amara retreated quickly to the cave, her legs shaking almost too much to walk.
Bernard, bow in hand, kept watching the shadows beyond the fury-lamps, frowning. "What happened?"
"It…" Amara sank down to the ground abruptly and sat there shivering. "It… looked into my thoughts. Saw what was going on in my mind."
"What?" Bernard said.
"It saw…" She shook her head. "I never said a word about some of the things, and it talked about them anyway."
Bernard chewed on his lips. "Then… it saw that we didn't have a firecrafter with us."
"Told you," Doroga observed. "Stupid."
Amara blinked. "What?" She stared at him for a moment, then said, "Oh, no. No, I didn't even consider that possibility. Which I suppose is just as well." She rubbed her arms with her hands. "But it claimed that Gaius had been incapacitated. That our messengers had been killed. That no help was coming, so we might as well give up. Bernard, it claimed to be working together with others of its kind inside the Realm-perhaps even in the capital."
Bernard exhaled slowly. "Doroga," he said. "I wonder if you would go tell Giraldi what has passed? And ask him to pick a squad for duty. I want us ready to repel an attack at any time."
Doroga looked between Bernard and Amara skeptically, but then nodded and rose, thumped Walker on the shoulder, and headed deeper into the cave.
When he was gone, Amara slumped against Bernard and abruptly started sobbing. It felt humiliating, but she was unable to stop herself. Her body was shivering severely, and she could barely get a breath between her lips.
Bernard held her, drawing her into his arms, and she just shuddered against him for a while. "It… it was so alien. So certain, Bernard. We're going to die. We're going to die."
He held her, but said nothing, arms strong and warm around her.
She couldn't stop crying, or babbling. "If it was telling the truth, it could be over, Bernard. Over for everyone. The vord could spread everywhere."
"Easy," he told her. "Easy. Easy. We don't know anything yet."
"We do," Amara said. "We do. They're going to destroy us. We fought them as hard as we could, but they only grew stronger. Once they begin to spread out, nothing can stop them." She shuddered again, and felt like something was tearing apart inside her. "They'll kill us. They'll come for us and kill us."
"If it comes to that," Bernard said quietly, "I want you to leave. You can take flight and warn Riva, and the First Lord."
She lifted her head to stare at him through a blur of tears. "I don't want to leave you behind." She suddenly froze, panicked. She had tried so hard to push him away from her, for both their sakes. But the finer concerns of duty and loyalty had become grossly insignificant in the past hours and moments. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she met his eyes, and said, "I don't want to be without you."
He smiled, only with his eyes. "Really?"
She nodded, her breathing too shaky to risk speech.
"Then don't be," he said quietly. One thumb gently brushed tears from her cheek. "Marry me."
She stared at him, her eyes widening in shock. "What?"
"Right here," he said. "Right now."
"Are you mad?" she said. "We'll be lucky to live the night."
"If we don't," he said, "then at least we'll have some of the night together."
"But… but you have to… your vows of…"
He shook his head. "Countess. We'll be lucky to live the night, remember? I do not think the First Lord would begrudge a few hours of not-quite-approved marriage to his sworn vassals who have given their lives in service to the Realm."
She had to stifle a sudden burst of laughter that fought with the tears for space in her throat. "You madman. I should kill you for asking me at a time like this. You're heartless."
He captured her hand between his. Her own hand felt so slender and fragile between his. His fingers were callused, warm, strong, and always so gentle. "I am only heartless, Countess, because I have given mine to a beautiful young woman."
She suddenly couldn't look away from his eyes. "But… you don't want… don't want me. I… we've never spoken of it, but I know you want children again."
"I don't know everything that is going to happen tomorrow," he said. "But I know I want to see it happen with you, Amara."
"You madman," she said quietly. "Tonight?"
"Right now," he said. "I've checked the bylaws. Doroga qualifies as a visiting head of state. He can pronounce us wed."
"But we… we…" She gestured outside the cave.
"Are not needed to stand watch," he said quietly. "And we'll serve when it comes time. Did you have anything else planned before morning?"
"Well. No. No, I suppose not."
"Then will you, Amara? Marry me."
She bit her lower lip, her heart still surging, her hands now shaking for an entirely different reason. "I don't suppose it will matter, in the long run," she whispered.
"Maybe not," Bernard said. "I have no intention of lying down to die, Amara. But if this is to be my last night as a man, I would have it be as your man."
She lifted her hand to touch his cheek. Then said, "I never thought anyone would want me, Bernard. Much less someone like you. I would be proud to be your wife."
He smiled, mouth and eyes, the expression warm, his eyes bright, the gleam in them a sudden and potent defiance of the despair around them. Amara smiled back at him, and hoped he could see the reflection of that strength in her own eyes. And she kissed him, most gently, most slowly.
Neither of them had noticed Doroga's silent return, until the Marat headman snorted. "Well," he said. "Good enough for me. I pronounce you man and wife."
Amara twitched and looked up at Doroga, then at Bernard. "What?"
"You heard the man," Bernard said, stood up, and scooped Amara into his arms.
She began to speak, but he kissed her again. She was dimly aware of him walking, and of a small alcove that someone had crafted into the back of the cave, curtained off with Legion cloaks hung from a spear behind a wall of stacked shields. But most of all, she was aware of Bernard, of his warmth and strength, of the gentle power of his hands and his heart. He kissed her, undressed her, and she clung as tightly as she could to him, cold and eager to feel his warmth, to share the heat between them in the darkness.
And for a time, there was no deadly struggle. No waiting enemy. No certain death awaiting them somewhere in the night. There was only their bodies and mouths and hands and whispered words. Though her life would soon be over, she at least had this time, this warmth, this comfort, this pleasure.
It was terrifying, and it was wonderful.
And it was enough.
Chapter 36