Daniel’s horse stumbled over a soft patch of earth hidden by the tall grass. Steadying her best he could, they stopped a moment to check for injury. There was none, and hearing this, Daniel sighed with relief and patted the beast on the neck.
“That’s my girl,” he said. “Bad luck to break your horse’s leg on the way to battle.”
“That’s why I tend to walk everywhere.”
“So you say. Just admit you’re frightened of horses.”
“Horses don’t frighten me.”
Daniel grinned at him. “Then what does?”
“Half-insane priests who think they’re gods?”
Darius gave a smile, tried to laugh away the real fear he felt at meeting Cyric a second time. It didn’t work.
“Do you know if Cyric will be there?” the older man asked.
Darius let out a sigh.
“Valessa swears he’s still out in the Wedge, doing what, I can only imagine. But if we’re to take the Blood Tower, now is the time, during his absence. Once that’s done, we can send messages south along the river alerting the king to what’s truly going on in the North.”
Daniel fell silent a moment, retreating into his thoughts.
“Again we trust that woman,” he said, breaking his silence. “You’re a good man, Darius, and seem to have a stable head on your shoulders. Listen to me now, even if you have to humor me. When Luther left Cyric at the tower, Robert did his best to placate him. Everything he did, it was in fear of angering the priesthood. But we went beyond that. We didn’t challenge Cyric when he told us he was performing a ritual. I tried to convince Robert to stop him, and I even set up plans just in case something went wrong. But Robert trusted Cyric. Not a lot, but enough. He thought no priest could be mad enough to openly revolt against the king’s men. But he did. Cyric summoned those two lions, most of our men knelt like the cowardly sods they were, and suddenly the rest of us were fleeing out into the night.”
“What is your point?” Darius asked.
“My point is that you, of all people, should understand that trust, lies, truth, and sanity no longer matter when you deal with a fanatic. Don’t pretend to understand Valessa. Don’t think you know why she does what she does. She’s not just unfinished; she’s a broken thing, and it’s the broken pieces that are most likely to cut when you touch them.”
“I was a broken thing,” Darius said softly. “Jerico still reached down for me, asking me to stand.”
“Jerico was a good man,” Daniel said, nodding. “I am proud to have fought beside him. But the rest of the world isn’t that good. It’s just not. Be wary, Darius. That is all I ask.”
“If I may?” Darius asked, gesturing behind him.
“Stay close, if not at the front,” Daniel ordered.
Darius let his pace slacken, and slowly the men marched past him, their armor and weapons rattling. Stopping for a moment, Darius looked about, searching for Valessa. He felt an intense desire to talk to her, to listen to her words and weigh them against what Daniel had said. But there was no sign of her, not in any form he recognized. Shaking his head, he walked on, dreading the night far worse than before.
They camped two miles out from the Blood Tower, trusting the distance and the tall grass to hide their presence. They built no fires, and ate what little cold rations they’d brought. Daniel had told them all it was to keep their packs light and their travel fast, but Darius knew the truth. If they failed to take the tower, there was no reason to have any supplies for a flight. There wouldn’t be any.
As the stars slowly winked into existence, and Darius sat at the edge of the camp, occasionally praying, he saw Valessa’s approach from the west. As she walked, the tall grass passed through her legs instead of being pushed aside.
“Where have you been?” he asked her.
“About.”
She sat across from him, her arms against her chest, her body hunched over. It was odd, but she looked like she was cold.
“I’m sorry we have no fire to warm you,” he said.
“I wouldn’t feel it even if you did,” she said, and he was surprised by the casual bitterness of her words.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“Twice now you’ve apologized. Have you done something wrong?”
He shrugged.
“I guess not.”
“Then stop it.”
Darius looked away. He assumed she was nervous about the coming battle, but then again, Daniel had cautioned against such easy assumptions. Turning his attention back to her, he noticed she still wore a strange black veil over her face. It was thin and slender, and if made of a real material it’d easily tear.