“The Braesan have become mixed with our own,” Lachlei said. “Damn Areyn for using our own dead!”
Rhyn looked up, his face grim. “I can’t do anything for them,” he said.
“Why not?” Lachlei asked softly.
“It’s part of Areyn’s dark magic,” he said. “Look.” He touched the man’s arm.
The Braesan screamed in agony and writhed under Rhyn’s touch. Rhyn pulled his hand away. Ugly red welts appeared where Rhyn touched him.
“By Rhyn’athel’s sword,” Lachlei breathed. “Would it do that for me?”
Rhyn shook his head. “No, but you’d damage him further if you tried to heal him,” he said. “His body is Areyn’s creation, not Rhyn’athel’s. We can’t save them.” He drew his sword.
“What are you doing?” Lachlei gasped as Rhyn knelt down beside the man again.
Rhyn looked up. “The only thing I can to ease his suffering.” He looked at the man, regret in his face. “Forgive me, Lochsil,” he murmured. “Loyal warrior.” With one quick thrust, he plunged the blade in the man’s chest. The man shuddered once and lay still. His body became ash and blew away in the breeze.
“You just killed him,” Lachlei said, when she found her voice. “You killed a wounded man.”
Rhyn looked grim. “I destroyed the body of a Braesan—an Undead. He was already dead, Lachlei. He will return to fight against us.”
She shuddered. “You would kill Fialan?”
Rhyn’s face hardened. “Like I would kill my own son,” he said. “Lachlei—I do what I must…”
But she had already turned from him and focused on her own wounded.
59
“We can’t stay here,” Rhyn said. A few hours after caring for the wounded, he had joined the other commanders in an impromptu meeting in a small grove of trees where the army had bivouacked. Each one of the commanders was a familiar face: Lachlei, Cahal, Tamar, Kellachan, Laddel, Ladsil, and Telek. Each one looked as exhausted as he felt.
The strain of destroying Areyn’s Undead, combined with the battle, maintaining an impervious shield, and keeping the mortal guise had left Rhyn’athel with few reserves. He could not access all his powers as a mortal as easily as he could as a god. So, this is what it is like to be mortal, he thought. The seemingly endless supply of power was not there.
“Why can’t we stay?” Lachlei asked, but there was no challenge to her voice—only weariness. She closed her eyes in exhaustion. Healing what wounded she could had sapped most of her energy. Looking around at the other first-bloods, Rhyn could see that the wounded alone had taken a heavy toll on them. “You said we’d be safe until Caer Lochvaren.”
Rhyn frowned. He had spoken too soon and was now paying for his optimism. “I assumed that I destroyed most of Areyn’s minions. He managed to shield some of them—primarily the Silren. He’s gone to the Eltar and will bring warriors from their kindred.”
“The Eltar?” Cahal spoke. “Damn those demon spawn! As if we didn’t have enough trouble with the Silren and probably the Elesil.”
“The Elesil are not our concern,” Telek spoke. He met Rhyn’s gaze. I believe I’ve taken care of that.
“How can they not be?” Lachlei asked.
“If Telek says they’re not our concern—we can assume they’re not our concern,” Laddel spoke sharply.
Lachlei glared. “I can’t simply take his word on it!” she snapped. “I have a whole kindred at stake…”
“Lachlei,” Rhyn said. “Telek has taken care of the Elesil.”
“How, Rhyn?” she turned on him. “How could one man suddenly change an alliance? He couldn’t possibly travel to Caer Elesilren and back from here in the time necessary—it’s almost a hundred miles.”
Rhyn glanced at Telek, whose face was unreadable. He looked around at the faces. Cahal and Tamar exchanged glances; Rhyn knew that they already had suspicions as to who he and Telek really were. Laddel already knew Rhyn’athel was there, and there were whispers among the Laddel kindred that the wolf-god was among them.
“Lachlei,” Rhyn said. “Perhaps it is time for me to explain something…”
“The first-blood Laddel are shapeshifters,” Laddel said suddenly. Rhyn and Telek glanced at each other, but said naught.
“Shapeshifters?” Lachlei stared.
“We’ve inherited the ability to change shape just as my sire, Ni’yah,” Laddel said. “It’s been a long-kept Laddel secret. Telek transformed into a wolf to cover the great distances between us. He has spoken to Conlan already.”
She turned to Rhyn. “Did you know?”
“I knew Telek was seeking to keep the Elesil out of the war, but I didn’t know the particulars,” Rhyn’athel replied, eyeing his brother. “What did you do?”
Telek seemed distracted as he and Laddel were engaged in a private mindspoken conversation. He glanced at the others. “I found a small band of Silren renegades, loyal to Rhyn’athel. They’ve spoken to Conlan already—I suspect Conlan will stay out of this war or if he does enter it, will enter it on our side.”
“Do you think they would let us cross their lands?”
Telek nodded. “I think it likely.”
Lachlei gazed at Rhyn. “Why didn’t you tell me this about the Laddel?”
“He was sworn to secrecy,” Laddel replied before Rhyn could speak. “We guard our secret closely—and now that you know, I would ask that you too keep our secret. It has given the Laddel an advantage over the many years against our enemies.”
“Shapeshifters.” Lachlei shook her head. “My mother never spoke of it.”
“Your mother, Ladara, had the ability,” Laddel said.
“My mother was a shapeshifter?”
“Indeed—quite a good one,” he replied.
“While this is very interesting, it doesn’t change the matter that we should be heading back towards Caer Lochvaren,” Telek said impatiently. “That will be the first place Areyn will bring his troops once he summons the Braesan again. He’ll wait for the Eltar and Silren reinforcements, but that still doesn’t give us much time. ”
“How far will he push us?” Cahal asked.
“As far as he thinks he can,” Rhyn replied. “Areyn doesn’t want to bring Rhyn’athel into this war.”
Lachlei shook her head. “We could use his help about now. Our scouts tell us the passage through the Lochvaren Mountains is almost snowed-in. It’ll be slow going if we take the King’s Highway in our retreat.”
“Then we’ll have to chance the Elesil lands,” Laddel said. “We’ll only be running through a short cut before we enter Haell and Laddel lands.”
“Risky—we might enter a trap if the Elesil decide it is in their best interest to fight alongside the Silren,” Lachlei replied.
“We could send Laddel scouts ahead,” Rhyn suggested. “They should give us advanced warning.”
Lachlei turned to Rhyn. “If we do get caught, can you destroy the Braesan again?”
The commanders fell silent as all eyes turned to Rhyn.
“You’re asking me to challenge Areyn Sehduk again,” he said softly.
Lachlei’s eyes were cold. “Yes.”
“I was successful because I surprised him,” Rhyn replied at last. “Even so, it took more power than I anticipated. What’s more, he’ll be expecting my challenge now.”