‘We are bonded,’ she said. ‘Our Sprite souls entangled. Bel will never stop loving me.’ She laughed. It was true.
‘Bitch,’ said Lalenda quietly. ‘We know you think Losara is nothing. You are fools. You believe that because of some quirk in your heritage, your love is special? Losara and I did not rely on tradition to match us – we chose each other .’
‘You must not be overly confident,’ said Jaya. ‘After all, you are trying to kill me. Why do that, if the love of your man is so unshakeable?’
‘I felt sorry for you,’ said Lalenda. ‘Knowing how kind and compassionate my Losara is, and thus knowing Bel is without those qualities, I thought to put you out of your misery.’
‘Compassionate? After what he’s done? I should run you through where you lie.’
And why not? she thought. She isn’t on the ‘must not kill’ list.
Yet this talk of Losara and Bel combining had disturbed her. Their fates were uncertain but intertwined, and they involved both her and this angry pixie as well. Also, Losara had saved her from the Mireforms – admittedly ones which he had sent in the first place – but that did not change the fact that without his actions, she would be dead. Would she repay him by destroying his happiness? And if she did, would he not be angry with her, vengeful – and then what if Bel combined with him? Would that fury cross over as well?
Something yanked the sword from her grip and sent it spinning into the stream. She looked up and there was Losara, his torso floating upon shadows issuing up from the water. Lalenda scrambled to her feet as Jaya backed away, but before the pixie could do anything further, Losara beckoned his finger and she gave a cry as she lifted off her feet. He moved her through the air and set her beside him. She struggled for a moment, then gave an exclamation of frustration. Losara glanced at her and she stilled.
‘My apologies,’ he said, turning back to Jaya. ‘This was not done with my knowledge.’
‘Well, now,’ rang a jolly voice through the trees. All three pairs of eyes slid to the sound of its approach. ‘Just thought,’ said the young soldier, appearing out of the trees, ‘that I’d come here for a wash, for no particular …’ The smile faded from his face as he saw the dreamer and Lalenda floating over the stream. Jaya recognised him as the one she’d winked at on her way here. She rolled her eyes.
Should have known better , she thought.
‘The …the dreamer,’ stammered the soldier, pale as snow. He glanced at her and she felt suddenly exposed, her undergarments clinging to her slickly. The sight of her seemed to make him find his spirit.
‘Stay back!’ he warned, and reached for his bow, falling to one knee and notching an arrow.
‘No!’ Jaya shouted, and ran at him. At the moment the arrow left the bow she collided with him, knocking him to the ground and sending the arrow wide. He looked up at her in confusion, and she rolled off him quickly. Meanwhile Lalenda was staring at her with an odd expression on her face. Jaya felt a strange moment between them.
‘I would not want Losara to die,’ she said quietly, ‘just as you would not kill Bel.’
Sounds of yelling came from the direction of the army, growing louder fast.
‘I am sensed,’ said Losara. Without another word he shot along the stream, dragging Lalenda with him. A moment later lightfists skidded out of the trees, but Losara and his pixie had already disappeared.
‘Why did you stop me firing?’ whined the young soldier, rubbing his arm.
‘You think that one arrow can kill the Shadowdreamer?’ she said, stooping to gather her clothes. ‘I probably saved your life.’ As the lightfists came towards them, she sighed. ‘All I wanted,’ she said, ‘was a little damn privacy.’
Preparations
Bel had his sword in hand, and yet there was nothing to strike. ‘I warned you,’ he shouted, ‘about leaving the army!’
‘Don’t snap at me, Blade Bel,’ said Jaya levelly, crossing her arms. ‘I was the one who got attacked, remember? And, I might add, it only happened because I put up with you on such a regular basis.’
‘I’m not snapping at you!’ said Bel, unsure of who he really was most angry with. Jaya for her insistence on leaving the safety of the camp, himself for allowing it, Lalenda for initiating such maliciousness, or Losara for failing to control her …or even for being the one to rescue Jaya once again? It seemed, when he thought about it, that he was angry with all of them in equal measure. He was confused, too, over Lalenda’s motives. Losara had been curious about Jaya, he remembered, from the time his counterpart had spent disguised in their company …should he in turn be curious about Lalenda? But why, when he already knew he could never love anyone but Jaya?
‘I’m just angry I wasn’t there,’ he said, forcing himself to put away his sword. ‘Instead I sat here dumb and bored, ignorant of you in danger elsewhere.’
‘Well,’ said Jaya, ‘you do insist on remaining here, my stubborn friend, even though surely Losara won’t try to trick you with any more mander-ish illusions. Surely you can now allow yourself a wider range?’
‘If I saw him leave with the mander again,’ said Bel, ‘how could I be certain he’s not actually doing what he only pretended to before, this time banking on my disbelief? That’s what I’d do.’
Jaya placed a hand on Bel’s shoulder. ‘Exactly why he won’t.’
Bel calmed a little at her touch. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m just so utterly out of my mind with tedium here.’
‘Well,’ she gave him a squeeze, ‘careful what you say, or I’ll start to think you’re unhappy you missed the excitement for the wrong reasons.’
From Bel’s pack there came a chirp. As he knelt down to fumble inside, Querrus, who was snoozing nearby, said something unintelligible in his sleep.
‘Ridiculous.’ Bel scowled. ‘This is what I have to deal with! To be in plain view of the enemy, yet comfortable enough to nap. No wonder I’m going mad!’
He produced the bird, and touched the scroll.
‘Bel,’ came Fahren’s voice, ‘I thought you’d like to know we are drawing close, and should arrive around nightfall. Perhaps you could let Brahl know as well? See you in a short while.’
That was all, and the steam hissed to an abrupt end. Bel did not care, for his mood had instantly improved tenfold.
‘Finally!’ he said, his eyes flashing eagerly. ‘Fahren will be here by evening!’
‘I heard,’ said Jaya, not seeming to share his mood.
For a moment Bel’s exuberance faltered. ‘Which means she’ll be here too,’ he added, almost to himself.
He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that.
•
As they approached the Kainordan army, Battu couldn’t help but feel trepidation. That, he thought angrily, was a side effect of his encounter with Arkus. Iassia had said he must be sworn to serve because there was a risk he’d change his mind – and then proceeded to take away the very aspect of him that kept him so focused. To sharks, consequences were not high on the list of things worth considering. Now, alone with his thoughts, he found himself more greatly fearing the consequences of failure. What would the Dark Gods do to him, if he should return to them? He shuddered to think. Was that Arkus’s motivation, then? To punish him, by making him fear the choice he was locked into? Was the Sun God so petty?
‘Hold!’ an edgy voice called out. A group of lightfists on horseback appeared from the darkness ahead, illuminated by their wards, with hands held ready to cast. Fahren cantered forward, conjuring an orb that lit him also, and particularly the Auriel.