Winter Queen(41)
Ressa didn’t say a word until they were safely back in her tent. Her men followed. She guided Ilyenna inside, then walked back out. Through the tent flap, Ilyenna watched her round on the guards. “Darrien Tyran is the most despicable, lying tyrant to ever walk the clan lands,” Ressa explained. “If I hear that any of you have repeated his lies, I’ll have you all strapped so hard you’ll wish Darrien was your clan mistress. Am I clear?”
All four men nodded like little boys eager to escape their wooden-spoon-toting mother.
Ressa grunted. “Good. Now all of you are posted outside this tent. No one gets in or out unless they sleep here or I’ve approved it.” She shooed them away. “One on each side. Go.”
Ilyenna could see the flickering shadows as the men took their positions around the tent. She took no comfort in their presence. They were all just delaying the inevitable.
Ressa rounded on Ilyenna, her fists planted firmly on her hips, but her words were as soft as a lamb’s ear, “You must really love Rone.”
Ilyenna closed her eyes. “How is he?”
The older clan mistress was silent for a long time. “His left lung collapsed.” Ilyenna took a sharp breath and nearly choked on it. “We had to force some whiskey down his throat before he calmed down enough for us to heal him. We used a sea urchin spine to suck most of the air out of his lung cavity so his lung could fill with air again. Then we sewed it shut. When I left him, he was muttering threats to anyone who came near.”
Ilyenna silently pleaded his wound wouldn’t become infected. “Can I see him?”
“Ilyenna—” Ressa hesitated. “He thinks you’ve betrayed him.”
Ilyenna bit the inside of her cheek, but it was so sore she quickly released it. “He would see it that way.” She couldn’t deal with it now. She didn’t have enough strength in her. “Father?”
“Madder than a caged bear. But he’s not moving very good, so he’s complying.”
Ilyenna slumped in relief. The men she loved were still alive, despite their own foolishness.
“Dying is a lot easier than living through hell,” Ressa finally said.
“I know,” Ilyenna replied, and even to herself, her voice sounded dead.
“I suppose you do.” Halfway out the tent, Ressa turned. “I’ll try, but I don’t think there’s anything else I can do for you.”
Ilyenna lay down on her blankets. “I know.”
***
“Wake up, Ilyenna. Come on, wake up!” Varris shook her shoulder.
Ilyenna wasn’t sure how she’d managed to fall asleep. Perhaps giving up was easier than fighting after all. Still groggy, she sat up. The sounds outside revealed that the night’s festivities were in full swing.
“I managed to get rid of your guards.” Taking her hand, Varris led her out of the tent. “The Tyrans have announced they’re leaving tomorrow.”
Ilyenna had expected that. “Where are we going?” she asked.
Varris paused, glancing cautiously between tents before hurrying forward. “Rone’s worse.”
Ilyenna stumbled. “How much worse?”
Grim faced, Varris tugged her forward. “His wound is fevered. But it’s not just that. It’s like he’s given up—like he wants to die.”
Numb, Ilyenna allowed herself to be dragged through crowds of revelers, the different colors of the clans weaving around her like a living tapestry. Music, laughter, and mouthwatering smells danced on the salty air. Bright shells winked from the eves, and firelight flickered into sight between houses or tents before disappearing again.
Past the clan house’s open doors, Varris led Ilyenna up the ladders to a bedroom. She nodded toward the closed door. “We’ve only got a few moments.”
Ilyenna hesitated before pulling the latch and slipping inside. Rone lay on the bed, his face as white and shiny as a tallow candle. Breaths wheezed past his lips. He stared at her through bloodshot eyes fogged over with fever.
Ilyenna moved to stand before the bed. Neither she nor Rone spoke for an unbearably long time. Finally, she couldn’t stand the silence anymore and said, “The Tyrans are leaving in the morning. They’ll be taking me with them.”
“It seems you sacrificed yourself for nothing,” Rone rasped.
Ilyenna’s legs lost their strength and she collapsed onto the bed. “Don’t say that.”
Rone’s answering grunt transformed into a violent cough. He held his ribs as pain creased his face.
Ilyenna watched him helplessly, wishing she could take away his pain.
Spent, Rone lay back against the pillows, his eyes closed. There was blood on his teeth, his chin. “I would’ve given my life for you.”
Ilyenna reached for his hand, but he pulled away. “I did give my life for you,” she said softly.
He stared at her until understanding dawned on his face. He lay back against the pillows. “I’m dying, Ilyenna.”
She leaned forward, suddenly terrified. “No! You can’t. You have to try. You have to fight.”
He studied her, anguish lining his face. Then he looked away. “I don’t have anything to live for. Darrien took it all.”
Ilyenna stared at the door, hating that she only had moments to say goodbye. Debate raged within her. Finally, she leaned down and said in her softest whisper, “You have a child to live for.”
Rone’s brows drew together. “A . . . child?”
She took his hand and pressed it to her belly. “Yes. Yours.”
His gaze flicked from her eyes to her belly and back again. He pulled away, pressed his palms into his eyes, and groaned. “Oh, Ilyenna, what’ve I done to you?”
She rested her hands lightly on his, then pulled them away. “You gave me memories I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.” She smiled, wanting so badly to give him some sense of peace. “I’ll raise this baby the way it should be raised. Someday, it’ll change the Tyran clan.”
Rone flashed the dangerous gaze she’d seen so many times. “Darrien cannot raise my child, cannot bed the woman I love. I’ll come for you, Ilyenna. I’ll start a war if I have to.”
“The Raiders are still out there,” she said furiously. “None of us are safe. Your clan and mine—” She stuttered to a stop when she realized the Shyle was no longer her clan. The Tyran was. She shook her head. “You are a clan chief. Your first responsibility is to your clan.” Ilyenna opened her eyes and glared at Rone. “Don’t forget that.”
Varris tapped on the door. “Ilyenna? Please hurry.”
Ilyenna couldn’t bear to look Rone in the eye. “Try–try to forget me,” she said as she stood up.
“Ilyenna, don’t. Don’t do this.”
She bent down and pressed her lips to his forehead. “It’s already been done,” she whispered against his skin. She allowed herself one last look at him before she slipped out the door.
23. The Balance
Ilyenna waited at the edge of the Riesen encampment. Ressa and Gen stood silently at her side. She’d tried to say goodbye to her father, but he’d refused to see her. The few items she had—all gifts from Varris—were rolled into the blanket she held in her arms. She knew what she was going back to, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret her decision to save Rone. Darrien might’ve won, but she’d make the best of it somehow.
She watched as the Tyran wagons slowly began winding away from Cardenholm. One horse broke away from the group and started toward Ilyenna and her friends. Long before she could make out Darrien, she recognized his bay horse. He pulled the animal to a stop in front of her. “It’s time to go, Ilyenna.”
Slowly, she turned to face Ressa and Gen. They’d done so much for her, risked so much. “Thank you. For everything.”
Ressa gripped her in a fierce hug. “I’m so sorry we failed you.”
Ilyenna stepped back. Gen’s gaze held a mixture of anger and sorrow. She smiled at both of them. “You didn’t fail me.”
She turned to Darrien. He reached down to pull her up, and his face stiffened with pain. Ilyenna remembered that he would have been strapped sometime yesterday and a surge of triumph
coursed through her.
Before she could take his hand, Ressa cleared her throat and said, “Of course, we must still honor traditions. My daughter, Varris, will accompany Ilyenna as a chaperone.”
At that moment, a harried-looking Varris bustled out of their tent, a large bundle in her arms.
Darrien’s fists tightened around his reins. “Though the gesture is appreciated, I refuse.”
Ressa smiled haughtily. “I’ve already discussed this with High Chief Burdin, and he agreed that measures must be taken to ensure Ilyenna is treated properly. If Varris reports otherwise, you will permanently lose your position as clan chief.”
Ilyenna felt such a surge of gratitude that she nearly wept.
Darrien surveyed Ressa. “Fine.” He reached toward Ilyenna again.
She wet her lips. “I’d rather walk, if that’s all right?”
Her question seemed to catch him off guard. He studied her beneath drawn brows. “Do as you wish. But keep up.”
He turned his horse and kicked him into a lope. Varris squeezed Ilyenna’s hand. “Don’t worry. Mother and I have a plan.”