DragonCrown Saga - The Grand Crusade Part 41

News of activity at the Aurolani fortress brought Alexia and her army out quickly from Notirri. The scouts had reported that the Aurolani were preparing to march. A push south would make sense, and any of the places en route to Notirri would make for excellent battlegrounds. Neither side would have an advantage, and since she had the larger army, she would have done well.

As her cavalry rode forward, scouts continued to stream along the Zamsina road, bathed in sweat and their horses lathered, all but bursting with news. First she learned that the Aurolani had left their fortress and were heading north toward the road. The next report had them forming up on the road, and another that they were actually marching northeast, toward Zamsina.

Alexia listened with a rising sense of joy. She turned to Crow, who rode beside her. "Abandoning that fort doesn't really make sense, does it?"

"It depends. We know, fromarcanslatamessages, that Erlestoke won a victory in Oriosa. If he could bring his army along quickly enough, they could cut the Zamsina road, and Nefrai-kesh would have had no supplies. With poor water in that spot, he had no reason to stay. He's shortening his supply lines while we stretch ours."

"I'm aware of that, and also aware he does nothing without a reason." Alexia frowned, closed her eyes, and almost tried to project herself into the Communion, but she held back. She wanted to consult with the Black Dragon, but she knew he'd not be there. She'd not tried to access the Communion since his death, and wasn't certain she ever would try again.

A s.h.i.+ver ran down her spine. She had so many questions she would have liked to ask her father, and now would never get the chance. She thought she understood why he had not told her who he was; his presence there would have distracted her from her task.

But in many ways it didn't matter who the Black Dragon had been. He had offered good counsel and would be sorely missed. And while she did miss him, she clearly had the sense that he loved her, and that slowly worked to fill the void that had always existed in her heart.

A void Crow possesses in his heart, and will never have filled. Crow's memoir had made apparent the agony of having his father reject him. In many ways she did not wonder if Crow's initial drive in fighting Chytrine had not been to prove his father wrong, or to destroy himself. She felt he no longer had self-destructive tendencies, but to forever be unable to satisfy himself that his father would have forgiven him still ate at him.

They continued their ride northeast, and the scouts led them to the hills overlooking the fortress. From there they could see the structure, putting reality to what before had only been crude sketches. Tall revetments and wide trenches would have made a.s.saulting the fortress difficult. While Alexia still thought the tactical plan she'd worked up would have been effective, the cost would have been far higher than she was comfortable with. Just as Erlestoke's force had been mauled, so hers would have been, which would have left in question any ability to continue the fight.

Off in the distance Alexia could see the rear guard of the Aurolani column. They'd left the fortress by the northeast corner, and had even trailed out through the narrow valley that was the only avenue of attack open to them. She had planned to use General Pandiculia's force to swing wide to the northeast, then attack, effectively wiping out any ambus.h.i.+ng force. But Pandiculia's troops were still a day from their staging area, and Alexia would issue orders for them to move northeast and shadow Nefrai-kesh's column.

From the rear guard came a brilliant flash that moved into the air. In the distance she could not see what it was, but as the light diminished and the object drew closer, it resolved itself into a horse with fiery dragonwings. She'd seen it before in Narriz, when Chytrine had escaped.

"He knows we are here."

Crow nodded and, leaning back, pulled a strip of white cloth from a saddlebag. He drew Alarien and tied it to the tip, then spurred his horse forward. "He'll want to talk. He did to Adrogans. He'll want to talk with you, too."

Alexia followed Crow down the hillside and along to one of the flatter, gra.s.sy spots to the southwest of the fortress. She had to look up at it from there, as her troops would have done when mounting an a.s.sault. She revised her estimates of casualties upward.

Nefrai-kesh, who bore a spear with a white flag on it, circled the fortress once, then landed opposite them. His horse's wings vanished and, for all intents and purposes, the creature appeared to be normal. It even cropped some gra.s.s, though the tender bits it nibbled did smoke.

Nefrai-kesh nodded, his Panqui cowl and cloak supple enough to remind Alexia of Lombo. "I do apologize, Princess, for withdrawing from this place. I had longed to meet you here. The battle would have been glorious, but you would have won."

He pointed back to the northeast. "I have my scouts watching your other army, you see. General Adrogans used that tactic successfully at Svoin, and I am one to learn from others' mistakes. It pleases me that you chose to learn from Adrogans. Perhaps you could learn more from him."

Alexia raised an eyebrow. "And what could I learn?"

"He is off establis.h.i.+ng his own empire. You could do the same. You have the troops and the skills. You would eventually meet him and, I believe, defeat him. You know you wish to see who is the greater commander. I can read it in your eyes."

She shrugged. "I don't care who is greater, just as long as both of us have defeated you."

Thesullancirilaughed. "Very good. You have spirit. You'll need it." He drove the b.u.t.t of his spear into the ground. "Before we continue, I wish to apologize for Myrall'mara's attempt at murder. I was against that, and am glad she failed."

Alyx gave him a hard stare. "Wanted the privilege for yourself?"

"If that is an answer you accept, yes. I detested the underhanded nature of it." The ears in his cowl twitched. "I prefer clean battles. My mistress felt that you would be beguiled by your dreams into believing you could defeat me here, but I recognized the historical battle upon which you drew your dream. She thought you a fool, and you thought her a fool, but I am glad I did not have to test the idea that you are stupid. I do not believe you are."

Nefrai-kesh leaned forward with his hands on the saddle horn. "In this fortress, I give you anew Norrington Prophecy. When you inspect it, you will get a vision of our final meeting in Sebcia. I am preparing a battlefield for you. Unlike Adrogans, who fought well but merely won more swiftly what I would have given him in time, you will not be played with softly. Our battle will decide the fate of the world, and you will lose."

Crow laughed lightly. "So far we have not."

"True, Hawkins, so far you have done well. But then you have been fighting a general whose brain has shrunk to the size of a walnut, and you have yet been unable to kill her. I would have expected more from you, but then, I have learned to expect nothing from you, haven't I?"

Crow's chin came up. "You asked me to kill you once before. I will oblige you yet."

"I'm sure that will be your intent." Nefrai-kesh slowly smiled, his white teeth s.h.i.+ning from within a black and shadowed face. "So, tell me, Hawkins, do you continue in your betrayal of me, or do you betray the princess here?"

Alexia frowned. "What are you riddling at?"

"Have you told her my secret, or do you conceal it from her? She would not doubt you because of it, I am certain. As you have just said, it would not stay your hand this time, would it?"

She glanced at her lover and saw pain wash over his face. "Crow, what is it?"

He shook his head. "Not now."

Thesullancirilaughed aloud. "It had best be now, Tarrant, lest it be never. Never, which is exactly when you will get around to killing me."

Nefrai-kesh bowed his head to Alexia. "You will make a most remarkable foe, I am certain, Alexia. I will slay you, of course, but preserve enough of you to let you serve my mistress."

"It will only be as one dead that I do that."

"That will be more than enough." Nefrai-kesh's smile broadened. "I will see you on the throne of Okrannel yet."

He sat back in the saddle and his horse's wings suddenly appeared in full flame. "Fare thee well. The next time we meet, no pleasantries will be exchanged." With a touch of spur, his horse leaped into the sky. Thesullanciricircled once more, then flew to the northeast after his troops.

Alexia said nothing until he had become a star in the sky, then she looked at Crow. "You don't have to tell me his secret. I trust you."

"Can you, Alexia?" Crow shook his head slowly. "When you hear it, you could wonder how I did not share it with you before."

"I'm sure you had your reasons."

"I do, but he has rendered them as nothing." Crow exhaled slowly. "He did this to scourge me, and perhaps I deserve it. I would not tell you this. I would tell no one this, but he has said I will stay my hand and not slay him."

She reached out and squeezed his forearm. "I know you will kill him, Crow. I need know nothing else."

She tried to put into those words all she felt. Her love for him allowed no doubt. That he had kept a secret from her was a bit of a surprise, but she was aware she didn't knoweverythingabout him. What she did know was enough to make her love him, and that was all that was important.

"The reason I did not kill him before is the reason I must now." Crow's brows arrowed down. "I was barely a man when he asked me to kill him. I admired him and loved him, as my father had. From my father I had learned to love him, respect him, and obey him. I thought it was because that was the way one did things with one's liege lord. Always a Hawkins has served a Norrington, without question."

"I know that. You make that clear in your memoir." Alexia gave him a smile in the hopes he would reciprocate. "Something stayed your hand then. It had to have been a good reason."

"To kill him would have killed my father."

"Of course, your father loved him well and truly. Thatisthe way a va.s.sal deals with his master."

"Alexia, that was not it." Crow's lips pressed together for a moment. "My father loved him like a son."

"Of course, he'd trained him, he'd helped raise him."

"You don't understand." Crow's voice came in a choked whisper. "The Norringtons were a long and venerable line. Kenwick's father had been unable to father children. He asked of my father a great duty. I don't think he ever told my mother what had happened, and I doubt she would have seen anything wrong with it. He was a young man, he knew his duty. Kenwick was born and took for his wife a cousin, bringing the Norrington blood back into the family. Leigh truly was a Norrington."

Alexia blinked in shock. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I could not kill Lord Norrington because he is mybrother." Crow shook his head. "Kenwick Norrington's father asked my father to get an heir on his wife. My father could not refuse that command.

Leigh was my nephew."

She hugged her arms around herself. "You never knew?"

"Any hint of it would have been a betrayal of my father's duty, so there were no clues to be had." Crow swallowed hard. "In Oriosa one is given his life mask by his father, or his oldest male relative available. I was in Yslin and had it from Lord Norrington's hand. Maybe I should have guessed then why I was so honored.

"When we were in Boragul and Lord Norrington lay dying, I was determined to save him. When he removed his mask, I saw my father's face. He told me who he was, and I knew then I could not kill him.

I had to save him, and I failed to do so."

Alexia gathered her arms around herself. "I can only guess as to what you thought at the time, what you felt. You were young."

"I had taken a life mask. With that came adult responsibilities."

"Yes, they did, but you forget something." She pointed off to the northeast. "Hehad taken a life mask, too. He had adult responsibilities. Asking you to kill him was abrogating those responsibilities. What he did was unfair. Accepting the bargain from Chytrine that you refused was abrogating those responsibilities. He might have been in pain, he might have known he was dying and been afraid of that, but those were thingsheneeded to deal with, not you. They were not your responsibilities. And even now, by making you feel guilty, he continues the crime against you he committed ages ago."

Crow shook his head. "You don't understand."

"Oh, Crow, my love, I do. I understand many things. I understand you are a man of honor who has harbored that secret for a quarter century to protect your family, to protect others." She shook her head.

"When I said Will had been a son to you, and you said, 'No, a nephew,' you were trying to tell me your secret. You knew then, as well as I do now, that being saddled with that secret was unfair."

His strained whisper barely reached her. "When my father took my mask, it was not for striking Scrainwood. It was for letting his son become a monster. In doing that I gave him a second son who was a monster. He disowned me so I could not betray any of my other brothers."

"But, Crow, he waswrong"

Crow's head came up and a hand swiped at tears. "He hated me."

"No, he was deeply hurt, that's all." Alexia reached out and brushed a tear from his cheek. "When we see your brother again, ask him if news of your supposed death hurt your father or not. I'm sure it did.

I'm sure he knew he'd been wrong. His pride might not have let him admit it to your family, but I think he would have to you. He'd have asked your forgiveness."

Crow caught her hand and kissed it. "How is it that one so young is so wise?"

"I learn from the wise around me." Alyx smiled, reversed her grip, and squeezed his hand. "I think, my love, we'd best head back up the hill lest the scouts be offering all manner of odd reports to those we have left behind."

"Shouldn't we check the fort?"

"In due time." She leaned in and kissed him lightly. "Come with me, Crow. We're bringing our army to destroy the Aurolani host. When we have done that, Nefrai-kesh is yours. Once he is dead, the honor of the Norringtons and the Hawkinses will again be restored."

How often have you been through here?" Resolute turned in the saddle and looked at Trawyn. She had spoken to him in Elvish, which was unusual since, beyond some simple courtesies, they had spoken in the common tongue so Adrogans' scouts would not feel left out. Neither they nor anyone else was particularly close in the column as it narrowed to enter the Boreal mountains, so he answered her in kind.

"Not often, but more than once."

"How far north have you gotten?"

He shrugged. "Not as far as we are going, but I have ranged over Aurolan. Mostly alone, but more recently with Crow."

The princess nodded slowly. She rode on his right so she could see him. "It surprises me, your affection for Crow. Even you should have seen the danger of rescuing one who had been completely repudiated by his people."

Resolute's eyes narrowed. "Do you say that because you value humans so little, or you do not think a child is capable of recognizing injustice and seeking to right it?"

Her single eye widened. "Your sword is clearly not all that is sharp. I value humans."

"But not before meeting Will Norrington and seeing how strong they can be emotionally?"

Trawyn hesitated, then nodded. "It is true that I have not much been exposed to them. You have spent lots of time among them. You know them far better than I."

"I know them far better than I know most elves." Resolute faced forward, scanning the pathway as it wound up through foothill valleys toward the mountains. "In many ways I find them more honest than elves-at least emotionally.

We are so long-lived that we tend to be laconic as far as our emotions are concerned. We hold them too tightly."

"That's not true. We have great pa.s.sions, Resolute."

"Perhaps, but we do not show them, not to the world."

She frowned. "How can you look at thecoruescior the gardens of Rellaence and say that?"

"You make my point, Highness." He let his gaze travel up the mountains where, at their tips, clouds whipped and curled down. "Thecoruesciis clearly Magarric's pa.s.sion, and the gardens were cared for lovingly, but over time. It may be true that a trickle of water will wear stone more effectively than a flood, but a flood is more cleansing."

"And more destructive."

"But not all human emotion is destructive." He smiled at her. "I first met Crow in Atval. He and his companions faced hundreds of gibberers. The chances of their surviving were nil, but still they fought.

Crow, in particular, faced four of them. They had longknives and he had a dagger. He stood there, defiant, promising the first of them to reach him would die, and did not quail when they all came for him at once. I intervened, saving him, then taught him how to fight, and he did. He fought very hard, doing all I told him and more. And, later, when he learned about Vorquellyn, he vowed on his honor and life he would see my home liberated in his lifetime."

"And you saw merit in what was the rash declaration of a child?"

"I heard a declaration that could only have been made by an adult. He a.s.sumed full responsibility for what he said. After the decision was made to go north, but not to liberate Vorquellyn, I chose not to go with the expedition. That decision hurt him, and he tried to convince me to go. But he accepted my explanation and vowed that, after it was done, the two of us would go liberate Vorquellyn. I agreed that we would."

Resolute reined his horse up a small hillock. "A Spritha came to me, dragged me to the Ghost March and through this pa.s.s. At the end of our journey I again found Crow beset by gibberers, but still fighting. I brought him out, and that is when his people betrayed him."

"But, Resolute, even then you should have known that to befriend him would alienate the same human leaders you needed to see your homeland free."

"I knew that, yes, but they had sent me off on an expedition, supposedly to verify what he had told them.

They really wanted all support removed from him. In isolation they broke him, and they used my absence as part of that process. I knew then that he was worth more than any of them. A few, like Augustus, have proven themselves true, but it was not until Chytrine came again that the others chose to face reality."

As his horse came down the hillock and rejoined the trail, he rode knee to knee with her. "So you wonder at my affection for Crow when he was the only person in the world who would not be dissuaded from the necessity of destroy- ing Chytrine and liberating my home? He is more true to my cause than even I was.

Trawyn remained silent for a time, then glanced at him. "Do you find yourself hating elves because we have not helped you more?"

He shrugged, swallowing the words he wanted to say. "You told me you felt Vorquellyn could never be liberated and restored. If that was your belief, why would you commit people to certain death in a futile effort?"

"Because it was the right thing to do?"