Miriel dropped the crossbow and rubbed her eyes. All around her she could hear the buzzing of angry insects, but she could see nothing. She tried to concentrate on the sounds, separating them.
‘. . . do that. . . witch. . . powers. . . Brotherhood. . . Kai . . . pain . . . escape . . . Durmast . . . Danyal . . .’ And she realised she was hearing the fragmented thoughts of the men around her. Belash thought her possessed, Waylander was reliving his last battle with the Brotherhood when the giant Durmast had died to save him. Senta was staring at her, his passion aroused.
She felt Angel move behind her, and a wave of emotion swept over her, warm and protective, strong, enduring. His hand touched her shoulder.
‘Do not concern yourself. I am not injured,’ she said. She
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felt his confusion, and turned towards him. ‘You remember my Talent, Angel?’
‘Yes.’
‘It is back!’
‘You have very powerful enemies,’ said Senta, as Way-lander retrieved his bolts from the two dead knights.
‘I’m still alive,’ Waylander pointed out, moving past him and into the cabin, where he slumped down in the wide leather chair. His head was pounding and he rubbed at his eyes. There was no relief. Miriel joined him.
‘Let me help you,’ she said softly. Her hand touched his neck. Instantly all pain flowed away from him. He sighed, his dark eyes looking up to meet her gaze.
‘You saved us. You destroyed their spell.’
‘It broke their concentration when I killed the leader,’ she said. Miriel knelt before him, her hands resting on his knees. ‘Why did you lie to me?’ she asked him.
‘What lie?’ he replied, averting his eyes.
‘You said we were going north to escape the assassins.’
‘And we are.’
‘No. You are seeking Bodalen. Hewla told you where to find him.’
‘What else do you know?’ he asked wearily.
‘Too much,’ she answered.
He sighed. ‘You found your Talent. I thought it was gone forever.’
‘It was given back to me by the man who stole it. You remember when Mother died and you began to drink strong wine? And how you woke up one morning and there were bloodstains in the clearing, and a shallow grave with two corpses? You thought you’d killed them while drunk. You couldn’t remember. You asked Krylla and me about them. We said we didn’t know. And we didn’t. It was your friend, Dardalion. The men were coming to capture us, perhaps to kill us, because we had the Talent. Dardalion stopped them – killed them with your crossbow.’
‘He swore never to kill again,’ whispered Waylander.
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‘He had no choice. You were drunk and unconscious, and the weapon carried so much death and violence that it swamped him.’ Waylander hung his head, wishing to hear no more, but unwilling to stop her. ‘He closed off our Talent. And he took away the memories of the demons and the man who tried to capture our souls. He did it to protect us.’
‘But now you remember it all?’
‘Yes.’
‘I did my best, Miriel… Do not read my thoughts . . . my life.’
‘It is too late.’
He nodded and stood. ‘Then do not hold me in too great a contempt.’
‘Oh, Father!’ Stepping forward she embraced him. ‘How could I hold you in contempt? I love you. I always have.’
Relief washed over him, and he closed his eyes as he held her. ‘I wanted you to be happy – like Krylla. I wanted a good life for you.’
‘I have had a good life. And I have been happy,’ she told him. She drew back from him and smiled, lifting her hand to stroke his cheek. ‘The packs are ready, and we should move.’ She closed her eyes. ‘Belash has found the horses and will be here soon.’
Taking hold of her shoulders he drew her in to him once more. ‘You could head south with Angel,’ he said. ‘I have money in Drenan.’
She shook her head. ‘You need me.’
‘I do not want to see you . . . hurt.’