shall come of her but sorrow.”
“What must I do to prise you out of my life?” Maximilian said, turning back to Ravenna.
“What must I do to—”
He stopped, staring. His movement in turning back to Ravenna had altered his stance
enough that he could now see beyond the chair that stood just behind Ravenna.
He could see a hand, and a pale arm, outstretched on the carpet.
He pushed past Ravenna, dropping on one knee beside Venetia.
Her skin was gray, clammy, and very cool.
She was dead, her throat torn apart by strong, cruel fingers, and he finally knew from
where had come the blood that had spattered over Ishbel.
Maximilian laid a hand on Venetia”s forehead, and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he
stood and looked at Ravenna, the expression on his face making her take a step backward.
“You killed her,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Yes? Yes? Why?”
“She tried to aid Ishbel—”
“She was your mother! Your mother! And you killed her?”
Ravenna”s eyes were wet, and a tear slid down one cheek. “I loved her, Maxel. But she
tried to stop me from preventing Ishbel—”
Maximilian stepped forward and hit Ravenna so hard that her body jerked in a half circle
and she fell to the floor.
He paused, waiting until Ravenna had raised herself on one elbow, staring at him in
shock, then he reached down and hauled her to her feet.
“If you were not pregnant, Ravenna, I swear to the gods I would kill you right now! What
can be worth the murder of your own mother, eh?”
“You have no idea what is coming, Maxel! I keep trying to warn you but—”
“Don”t you ever call me that again! You are gone from my life, Ravenna. Get out of this
tent. Get out of my company! Walk into the night, Ravenna, and never, never walk back into the light again in my presence!”
Ravenna just stared at him, too shocked by his words to speak.
He gave her a hard, painful shake. “Get out of my life, Ravenna.”
“Why do this to me, Maximilian, when you have been my entire delight, and all my joy?”
“Oh, for all the gods” sakes, Ravenna. Go.”
“I have ever stood ready at your hand, to—”
“Go!”
Ravenna pulled herself away from him. “You do a great wrong, Maximilian,” she said
softly. “You do me a great wrong, to cast me off with such discourtesy.”
“Don”t you ever speak to me of discourtesy, not when you just tried to murder my
wife—”
Wife, she thought numbly. He called her his wife.
“—and took your mother”s life when she tried to aid Ishbel!”
Maximilian stepped forward and shoved his hand against Ravenna”s shoulder, hard
enough to make her stumble back. “Get out of my life, Ravenna, and be grateful I leave you with
yours.”
Ravenna took a backward step to the tent flap, then another, then bent down and retrieved
her cloak from the floor without shifting her eyes from Maximilian”s face.
“I saved you from the Veins, Maximilian Persimius. I have waged life and land for you,
and for this discourtesy? I do not think you worth the struggle, and so I shall save my efforts for your son.”
With that she turned on her heel and was gone through the tent flap.
Maximilian stood for a few minutes once Ravenna had gone, trying to calm himself,
trying to let go of his anger.
To kill your own mother. Gods, how deluded was Ravenna to do that?
Finally, calm enough that he had stopped shaking, Maximilian went back to Venetia”s
body, and knelt by it for a little while in prayer, feeling a profound guilt over her death.
In time, he rose, called for one of the Emerald Guard, and asked him to fetch help to
prepare Venetia for burial, then went to see Ishbel.
Garth had moved her back to her own tent, where she was asleep in her bed.
When Maximilian entered, Garth moved over to him, motioning him to speak softly.
“Maxel?” Garth said. “What is wrong?”
“Is my face that bad?”
“Maxel?”
“Venetia is dead. Ravenna killed her. If Ishbel managed to survive her attempt to unwind
the Weeper, then that was all Venetia”s doing. Ravenna attacked Ishbel, and when Venetia tried
to stop her, Ravenna killed her.”
Garth stared, mouth agape.
“I”m sorry, Garth. I know you loved Ravenna.”
“I loved Venetia, too. And Ravenna…she has not grown into the woman I expected.
Maxel, what have you done with Ravenna?”
“I wanted to kill her. So badly. Garth, I was so angry, I thought it would kill me. I”ve
never been that angry…”
Garth laid a hand on his friend”s shoulder and Maximilian felt calmness radiate through
him.
Maximilian sighed, allowing some of his anger and guilt to dissipate. “Ravenna is gone,
Garth. I should have done it many days ago, but she is gone now. Where, I don”t know and for
the moment I don”t care. I told her I never wanted to see her face again. I should have killed her,
but I couldn”t, not with the child…”
Garth wrapped both his arms about Maximilian and hugged him for a long moment. “I”m
sorry,” he said.
“Garth,” Maximilian said, “I have been so stupid, I—”
“You haven”t—”
“Everything is muddled because of my stupidity.”
“Then everything will unmuddle itself. Maxel, I will take care of Venetia, all right? Go
and sit with Ishbel.”
“She is well?”
“Yes, just very tired. She needs her sleep, but it will do you good to sit with her, and it
will do her good to see you when she wakes.”
“Did she say anything about the Weeper?”
“She woke only briefly as I moved her back here, and she said only that she needed to
speak to you.”
“I wonder what happened. Could it have been worth Venetia”s death?”
“No one will know until Ishbel wakes. Maxel, go sit with her.”
Maximilian took one step toward Ishbel. Then he stopped and half turned. “Garth, will
you ask Egalion to make damned sure that Ravenna is gone? Perhaps escort her a few leagues
into the wilderness. I don”t care. Just make sure she is gone.”
“I will do that. Sit, Maxel, and rest.”
Maximilian sighed again, then went to sit at Ishbel”s bedside.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Lister paced up and down in the darkness beyond Maximilian”s camp.
Vorstus stood to one side, irritatingly calm.
“Where is she?” Lister muttered. “I need to know what happened.”
“Maxel has abandoned me,” Ravenna said, walking out of the night. “That is what has
happened. He is blind to Ishbel”s danger, and thinks me the greater one!”
Lister had to repress a smile at that last. “You”re upset,” he said.
“My mother is dead!” Ravenna said. “So, yes, I am upset!”
“And now your fair prince has abandoned you,” Vorstus murmured. “After all you have
done for him.”
Ravenna gave Lister an irritated look. “We need to leave. I need to leave—Maxel will
surely have his damned Emerald Guard out hunting me—and I want to know if you are coming
with me.”
Lister stared back at the camp, at Maximilian”s command tent. “I have watched him so
long, longed for him so long.”
“He is set on a path of destruction,” Ravenna said. “He cannot see past Ishbel, and she
will murder him and this land. This,” she laid her hand on her stomach, “is Elcho Falling”s future
now.”
“Lister, we need to get the crown.”
Lister turned a little so he could look toward Ishbel”s tent. “Maximilian is in there with
her at the moment,” he said. “It would be too foolish to try for it now.”
“You”re afraid of him?” Ravenna said.
Now Lister”s eyes slid back her way. “You”re not? We can snatch it later, but for now…”
“For now,” Ravenna said, “Armat. He is close. We can be with him within the day.”
“I had hoped it would not come to this,” Lister said.
“So did I,” Ravenna said, a catch in her voice. “But now it has. Come.”
Maximilian had been sitting with Ishbel for an hour when Egalion came in.
Maximilian motioned him to stay by the door, and himself moved to speak to him
quietly.
“Ravenna?” Maximilian asked.
“We can”t find her,” Egalion said.
“Shit!” “There is more bad news. Lister has gone, and Vorstus also.”
“And how is that bad news?”
“Well, obviously Lister and Vorstus have gone with—”
“Yes, I know, Egalion. I was just making a bad jest.” He rubbed a hand over tired eyes.
“What else can go wrong, eh? Isaiah is dead, and his loss I do most deeply regret. Venetia is
dead, murdered in the saving of Ishbel”s life. Lister and Vorstus have taken up with Ravenna,
believing her lies for whatever reason they choose. I worry about Axis, and what is happening
with Armat.” Maximilian looked at Ishbel. “And Ishbel…what happened? Did she free or