For the moment he wanted nothing to do with them—they could roam as far through Isembaard
as they liked, eating what they wanted. Later they would be useful, but not now.
But north…
Isaiah the river god was back.
The One smiled sardonically. Come to release his beloved river? Come to save Isembaard
from the Skraelings?
“What do I want, Isaiah?” he whispered. “For the moment, I want you, I want what that
foolish girl holds so close to her heart, and I might as well take this opportunity to begin some
amusing diversionary tactic to keep you and Maximilian occupied and your eyes away from the
Lealfast.”
Maximilian would be expecting something, some move on the One’s part, and the One
was ready to oblige.
He started walking north, taking great strides that ate up the distance, and he walked
directly up the center of the glassy surface of the River Lhyl.
Isaiah walked south along the riverbank. Occasionally he saw Skraelings roaming in
small bands. The first band he saw, just after he”d started south, had moved toward him, patently
thinking him an easy meal.
But when they were about twenty or thirty paces away they”d pulled up in their tracks,
hissing, their terrible jackal faces twisting in disappointment, and backed off. They”d shadowed
Isaiah for an hour or two, but eventually drifted away.
They”d been warned away from him.
In the afternoon, after he”d traveled nonstop for almost nine hours, Isaiah stopped
suddenly, peering ahead.
At the very limits of his vision he could see the figure of a woman standing on the
riverbank, her arms wrapped about something she clutched to her chest.
She was looking directly at him.
It took Isaiah another half hour to reach her. He approached slowly, not knowing who or
what she was, nor why she would be standing out here so vulnerable.
Yet so intact.
The Skraelings had left her as alone as himself.
As Isaiah came close, he wondered if he knew the woman. She looked somewhat
familiar. She was pretty—or could be if she had some decent clothes, if her hair was combed and
neatly arranged, and if she didn”t look so worried—but a little too thin for Isaiah”s liking. She
also had the demeanor of a servant. She clearly recognized Isaiah, and he saw her arms tremble
slightly as she held the book to her chest.
He stopped a pace or so away from her. The woman was very anxious now, and Isaiah
suspected it took all her courage to stand her ground.
He supposed she was fighting the instinct to abase herself.
Isaiah gave a nod of greeting, holding her eyes with hers. “Do I know you?” he said.
The skin across her cheekbones tightened, and Isaiah thought she might be angry. Gods
alone knew why. Surely she didn”t expect him to remember the name of every one of the
hundreds of servants who had attended him?
“My name is Hereward,” she said. “I was your kitchen steward at Aqhat. You”ll
remember Aqhat. It was a big, sprawling palace. Very beautiful. Not anymore. It is covered in
blood now.”
“Hereward—”
“You arrogant bastard,” Hereward said. She stepped forward, lifted the book, and with all
her strength slammed it into the side of his head.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Maximilian heard the pounding of the approaching horse, and wheeled his own about to
meet the rider.
“Yes?” he said, wishing his voice wasn”t so curt, but hoping also that the man didn”t
bring bad news.
“There is a column of soldiers approaching, my lord. They are not far behind the end of
our column. They”ve come from the west.”
“Malat and his men?”
The soldier shook his head. “No. They are well uniformed and weaponed. There are at
rough estimate some four thousand, with supply and cooks” wagons bringing up the rear.”
“And the manner of their uniforms?”
“I could not see too closely, my lord, but their jacket coats are a brilliant emerald, and—”
The soldier stopped, his mouth open.
Maximilian had gone, his horse booted into a gallop.
He rode like a madman, reining in his mount only as he approached Ishbel on her horse.
“Maxel?”
“Come with me, Ishbel. Come, please. You can ride that horse at a gallop?”
“Yes, but—”
“Come.”
He was gone, and Ishbel, uncertain, waited a moment or two before she, too, turned her
horse and rode after him.
“Egalion! Garth! Gods, gods, it is good to see you!” Maximilian pulled his horse to a halt
and dismounted in one movement, hugging to him first Egalion, Captain of the Emerald Guard,
and then Garth Baxtor, his old friend and court physician, as they also dismounted. “You are
well? You look well! And you have bought the entire Emerald Guard? Ah, thank you, thank you!
Escator—how is it? Did the Skraelings…”
Egalion and Garth were laughing.
“It is good to see you as well,” Garth said, more than a little relieved at Maximilian”s
obvious joy. He had not been entirely sure of his reception. When Maximilian had left Escator to
rescue Ishbel so long ago, they had not parted on the best of terms.
He took a moment to study Maximilian. The man looked overjoyed to see them, but
Garth could see lines of strain and sadness about his eyes and mouth.
And this army ahead of them! What was Maximilian doing with such an army? It
stretched into tomorrow”s sunrise, so far as Garth could see.
“Escator escaped virtually unscathed,” Egalion said. “Lixel is still in charge, and
enjoying his duties as king too much, I think. Serge and Doyle? Are they are still with you? Are
they well?”
“Yes,” Maximilian said. “Serge and Doyle are with me, and are well, and will no doubt
relish the chance to tell their comrades of their adventures these past months.” He sobered. “As
do I. There are…many things of which I need to tell you.”
Just then there came the sound of a horse approaching, and Garth looked up.
It was Ishbel, looking wary at the approaching reunion.
“And I see you found your wife,” Garth said, softly. He thought she looked very different
than when he had first met her at Pelemere. She looked more open, stronger, far more confident.
And mildly unhappy at seeing Garth again.
Maximilian glanced behind him. “Yes. I found Ishbel.” He paused. “As I said, there is
much I have to tell you. You didn”t see Malat and his men on your way? You didn”t talk to
them?”
“We saw Malat briefly,” said Egalion. “He told us only that you were ahead and that you
headed for Serpent”s Nest. When we pressed him for more, he said it was your story to tell.”
“He wanted to ride for Kyros as fast as he could,” Garth said. “We told him that it had
been attacked by the Skraelings, but had not suffered too much damage as they”d seethed south
before they”d had time to get their claws too deep into the city. Malat”s wife and children are
well.”
“Thank the gods,” Maximilian muttered.
Ishbel had drawn her horse to a halt two paces away, and she dipped her head at Egalion
and Garth. “Well met again,” she said. “I am happy to see you.”
“Not too happy, I think,” said Garth, “and for that I must apologize…ah, there I go again,
Ishbel, I am always apologizing to you!”
He injected as much lightness and humor into his voice as he could, and was rewarded
with a slight thawing in Ishbel”s manner to the extent that they almost managed to share a smile.
But then she glanced behind Garth and Egalion to where the Emerald Guard waited, and
her face shut down.
“Maxel,” she said, very softly, “see who rides with your men.”
Maximilian had his hand on Garth”s shoulder as he looked back into the column of men,
and Garth felt it suddenly tighten.
“Lister and Vorstus,” Maximilian said, looking at the two men who sat horses four or five
paces away. “You”ve finally managed to find me.”
“They joined us two days ago,” Egalion said. He was looking at Maximilian, clearly
worried by the barely concealed hostility in Maximilian”s face and voice. “Vorstus said you”d
know who Lister was. He said that—”
“You never asked Vorstus for an explanation as to why he”d deserted Ruen?” Maximilian
asked Egalion.
Egalion looked uncomfortable. “I didn”t have any reason to distrust him, Maximilian.”
“Lister and, to a slightly lesser extent, Vorstus,” said Maximilian, “are the two men
primarily responsible for most of the ills of my life. If you want to know who truly imprisoned
me in the Veins, and then kept me there for seventeen years, then look no further than those two.
They suggested the entire idea to Cavor, and kept me there until it suited them to „rescue” me. If
you want to know who destroyed Ishbel”s life as a child, then look no further than those two.