As they did, the thunder began to recede, and Amara looked up to see the vord in flight, dozens of them rising into the air and sailing away toward Garados.
"They"re running," Amara said softly.
Bernard shook his head, and said quietly, "They"re withdrawing the sortie. Look at the courtyard."
Amara frowned at him and did. It was a scene from a nightmare. Blood had run through the cracks in the cobblestone courtyard, outlining each stone in scarlet and leaving small pools of bright red here and there in the sunshine. The air stank of blood and offal, and of the acrid, stinging aroma of burnt vord.
The torn and mangled corpses of Knights and legionares legionares littered the ground. Wherever she looked, Amara saw the remains of a soldier who had been alive under the morning sunshine. Now the dead lay in a hopelessly confused tangle of lifeless flesh that would make it impossible to lay them to rest in anything but a single grave. littered the ground. Wherever she looked, Amara saw the remains of a soldier who had been alive under the morning sunshine. Now the dead lay in a hopelessly confused tangle of lifeless flesh that would make it impossible to lay them to rest in anything but a single grave.
Of the vord, fewer than thirty had been killed. Most of those had been blown out of the air by the Knights Ignus, though Giraldi"s men had accounted for two more, and four lay crushed and dead on the far side of the courtyard, at the clawed feet of the chieftain"s gargant, Walker.
She counted twenty-six dead vord. At least twice as many had risen into the skies when the vord retreated. Surely others must lie dead outside the steadholt"s walls, but there could not have been many of them.
Amara had seen blood and death before. But this had been so savage, so abrupt and deadly that she felt as if what she had seen had entered her mind before she had the chance to armor it against the horror. Her stomach twisted with revulsion, and it was all that she could do to control herself. She did not have enough will to stop the tears from blurring her vision and mercifully shrouding the horrific scene in a watery haze.
Bernard"s hand tightened on her shoulder. "Amara, you need to lie down. I"ll send a healer to you."
"No," she said quietly. "We have wounded. They must be seen to first."
"Of course," Bernard rumbled. "Frederic," he said. "Get some cots out and set up. We"ll bring the wounded in here."
"Yes, sir," Frederic said, somewhere behind them.
The next thing Amara knew, she was lying on a cot, and Bernard was pulling a blanket over her. She was too tired to protest it. "Bernard," she said.
"Yes?"
"Take care of the wounded. Get the men some food. Then we need to meet and decide our next step."
"Next step?" he rumbled.
"Yes," she said. "The vord hurt us badly. Another attack could finish us. We need to consider falling back until we can get more help."
Bernard was silent for a few moments. Then he said, "The vord killed the gargants and the horses, Countess. In fact, I suspect that was the purpose of this attack-to kill the horses, our healers, and cripple whatever legionares legionares they could." they could."
"Why would they do that?" Amara asked.
"To leave us with plenty of wounded."
"To trap us here," Amara said.
Bernard nodded. "We could run. But we"d have to leave our wounded behind."
"Never," Amara said at once.
Bernard nodded. "Then best take your rest while you can get it, Countess. We aren"t going anywhere."
Chapter 21
"I feel ridiculous," Isana said. She stared at the long dressing mirror and frowned at the gown Serai had procured for her. "I look look ridiculous." ridiculous."
The gown was of deep blue silk, but cut and trimmed after the style of the cities of the northern regions of the Realm, complete with a beaded bodice that laced tightly across Isana"s chest and pressed even her lean frame into something resembling a feminine bosom. She"d been forced to remove the ring on its chain, and now carried it in a cloth purse tucked into an inside pocket of the gown.
Serai produced plain, if lovely silver jewelry-rings, a bracelet, and a necklace, adorned with stones of deep onyx. After a calculating look, she unbound Isana"s hair from its braid and brushed it all out into dark, shining waves threaded with silver that fell to her waist. After that, Serai insisted upon applying cosmetics to Isana"s face, though at least the woman had done so very lightly. When Isana looked into the mirror, she scarcely recognized the woman looking back out at her. She looked... not real, somehow, as though someone else was simply pretending to be Isana.
"You"re lovely," Serai said.
"I"m not," Isana said. "This isn"t... it isn"t... me. I don"t look like this."
"You do now, darling. You look stunning, and I insist upon being given full credit for the fact." Serai, this time dressed in a silken gown of deep amber, touched a comb to several spots in Isana"s hair, making adjustments, a wickedly amused glint in her eye. "I"m told that Lord Rhodes likes a girlish figure and dark hair. His wife will go into a fit when she sees him staring at you."
Isana shook her head. "I am not at all interested in making anyone stare at me. Particularly at a party hosted by a man who dispatched a.s.sa.s.sins to kill me."
"There"s no proof that Kalare is behind the attacks, darling. Yet." The courtesan turned from Isana to regard her own flawless appearance in the mirror, and smiled in pleasure at her own image. "We"re stunninguand we need to be, if we"re to make a good impression and accomplish our goals. It"s vain, it"s stupid, and it"s shallow, but that makes it no less true."
Isana shook her head. "This is all so foolish. Lives are in danger, and our only hope of getting anyone to do anything about it is to bow our knee to fashion in order to curry favor at a garden party. There isn"t time for this nonsense."
"We live within a society, Isana, that has been built by a thousand years of toil and effort and war. We are by necessity victims of its history and its inst.i.tutions." Serai tilted her head to one side for a moment, thoughtfully regarding her reflection, then artfully plucked a few curling strands from the clasps that held most of her hair back, so that they dropped to frame her face. The courtesan smiled, and Isana felt her squeeze her hand, her own fingers warm. "And admit it. That gown is perfect on you."
Isana felt herself smiling despite her concerns and turned back and forth in front of the mirror. "I suppose there"s no harm in wearing something nice."
"Precisely," Serai said. "Shall we go then? Our carriage should arrive in a few moments, and I want to have time to gloat over the look on Sir Nedus"s face when he sees you."
"Serai," Isana protested, gently. "You know I have no such interest, or any such intentions of getting that sort of attention."
"You should try it. It can be quite satisfying." She paused, glancing at Isana, and asked, "Is there a man you"d prefer to see you tonight?"
Isana rested the fingers of her hand lightly on the ring, hidden in its pouch. "Once there was."
"He is not a part of your life?" Serai asked.
"He died." Isana hadn"t meant her voice to sound quite so flat and hard, but it had, and she could not say that she regretted it. "I don"t discuss it."
"Of course," Serai said, her voice thoughtful. "Forgive me for intruding." Then she smiled as though the exchange had never happened and took Isana"s arm to walk her to the front of Sir Nedus"s manor.
Serai took a few steps ahead of Isana at the last moment, to the top of the staircase leading down into the house"s main hall, the better to gain their host"s attention and make a dramatic little flourish of presentation as Isana stepped self-consciously into view.
The white-haired old Knight"s seamed face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Furies, la.s.s. I would never have guessed you cleaned up so well."
"Nedus!" Serai chided, and shook a finger at him. "How dare you underestimate my cosmetic skills."
Isana found herself smiling again and came down the stairs with Serai. "She tells me that I have you to thank for the gown, Sir Nedus. I am grateful for your generosity, and look forward to repaying it as soon as I may."
The old Knight waved his hand. "It is nothing, Steadholder. Foolish old men are wont to spend their gold on pretty girls." He flicked a glance at Serai. "Or so I am told. Ladies, permit me to escort you to the carriage."
"And I suppose you"ll have to do," Serai sniffed. She took Nedus"s offered arm with graceful courtesy, and Isana followed them out the front door of the house. A white-and-silver carriage drawn by four grey horses waited there, a driver in grey livery holding the reins while another stepped down from the stand at the back of the carriage, folded down its mounting steps, and opened its door for the women.
"Very nice," Serai murmured to Nedus. She glanced at the Knight, and said, "I notice that you wear your sword tonight, sir."
Nedus looked baffled. "Furies. Do I?"
"Indeed. And I further notice that your clothing looks a rather great deal like the livery of the coachmen."
"Astonishing," Nedus said, smiling. "Some sort of fascinating coincidence, no doubt."
Serai stopped and frowned firmly up at the old man. "And the seat beside the driver is empty of an armsman. What are you playing at?"
"Why, whatever do you mean?"
Serai sighed. "Nedus, darling, this isn"t what I asked for. You"ve done more than enough for the Realm in your day. You"re retired. I have no intention of dragging you into something dangerous. Stay here."
"I"m afraid I"m not sure what you"re getting at, Lady Serai," Nedus replied affably. "I"m merely walking you to the carriage."
"You are not not," Serai said, scowling.
The old Knight glanced up at Isana and winked. "Well. Possibly not. But it occurs to me that if I did intend to ride arms upon that carriage, there would really be nothing you could do about it, lady. Once you get in, I could mount the carriage and you"d be none the wiser for the extra protection, regardless of what you might be willing to accept from me."
Serai"s mouth firmed into a line. "You aren"t going to let me talk you out of this, are you."
Nedus smiled guilelessly.
Serai let out an exasperated breath and touched his arm. "At least promise me you"ll be careful."
"There are old swordsmen and bold swordsmen," Nedus said, idly employing the old Legion maxim. "But very few old, bold swordsmen." He opened the carriage door, and said, "Ladies, please."
Serai and Isana settled into the richly appointed carriage. Nedus shut the door and a moment later the carriage got under way. Isana watched Serai"s face, sensing the Cursor"s anxiety despite the habitual detachment she maintained.
"You fear for him," Isana murmured.
Serai gave her a pained smile. "In his day, he was one of the most dangerous men alive. But that was long ago."
"He adores you," Isana murmured. "Like a daughter."
Serai"s smile became a little sad. "I know." The tiny courtesan folded her hands in her lap and stared pointedly out the carriage"s window, and the remainder of the short trip to the garden party pa.s.sed in silence.
The town house of Lord Kalare was larger than the whole of Isanaholt, and rose seven stories into the air. Balconies and stairs wound all over the outside of the building, thickly planted with broad-leafed plants, flowers, and small trees, all laid out in beautiful, miniature gardens, complete with several beautifully lit fountains. The coachman could have driven through the house"s front doors without ducking his head or being particularly careful about the position of the carriage"s wheels. Wintersend streamers and bunting in the green and grey of the city of Kalare festooned every balcony railing, window, and pillar, and had been wound round twin rows of statuary that led up to the front doors.
Forged invitation held in a confident hand, Serai led Isana up the lit walk toward the house"s doors. "His house says something about our host, I think," Serai said. "Rich. Large. Gaudy. Indulgent. I"d say more, but I suppose it would sound unkind."
"I take it you do not care for Lord Kalare?" Isana asked.
"Nor ever have," Serai replied cheerfully. "Quite aside from his recent activities, I have always found the man to be a spineless, venomous boor. I have often hoped that he would contract some wasting disease that would expose him to lethal levels of humiliation."
Isana found herself laughing. "Goodness. But you"re coming to his party anyway?"
"Why shouldn"t I?" Serai said. "He adores me."
"He does?"
"Of course, darling. Everyone does. I"ll be welcome here."
"If he adores you so much, why weren"t you invited in the first place?"
"Because Lady Lady Kalare made the lists," Serai said. "She does not adore any attractive woman whom her husband Kalare made the lists," Serai said. "She does not adore any attractive woman whom her husband does does, as a general rule." The courtesan sniffed. "She"s quite petty about it, really."
"Why do I get the impression that you love to cast that dislike back into her face?"
Serai waved a hand airily. "Nonsense, darling. Gloating is hardly ladylike." She approached the doorman waiting at the threshold and presented her invitation. The man gave it only a brief glance and returned Serai"s smile with a bow and a polite murmur of welcome. Serai led Isana into an immense entry hallway lined with statuary. They pa.s.sed down it, slippers whispering quietly on the stone floor. They pa.s.sed through pools of light from colored furylamps hung here and there among the statues, and it was very quiet within the hall.
Doubtless, the dimness and quiet had been intentionally established, for when Isana reached the end of the hallway, it opened up onto the sprawling garden that made up the heart of the manor house. The garden was a fabulous one, including topiary cut into the shape of horses and gargants, a section of the thick, green-purple foliage of the exotic trees of the Fever-thorn Jungle, and dozens of fountains. Furylamps in every color blazed with light, and spark imps leapt rhythmically from lamp to lamp in long jets of color and light, each imp precisely following the steps of an impossibly complex dance-one echoed by jets of water leaping gracefully from one fountain to the next in rhythmic counterpoint.
The color of light falling upon any part of the garden changed between one breath and the next, and it left Isana feeling dazzled. Music floated throughout the garden, pipes, strings, a slow drum, and a wooden flute full of merry dignity.
And the people. Isana had rarely seen so many people in one place, and every one of them wore clothing that could have paid the taxes on her steadholt for a month, at the very least. There were folk with the golden coloring of the sunny southern coast, folk with the thin, somewhat severe features of the mountains west of the capital, and folk with the darker skin of the sailing folk of the western coast. Jewels flashed from their nests within rich clothing, rings, and amulets, their colors clashing and striking chords with the light as it continually changed.
The delicious odor of baking pastries and roasting meat filled the air, as did the fresh scents of flowers and new-cut gra.s.s, and Isana"s nose touched upon half a dozen exotic perfumes as the attendees pa.s.sed back and forth before them. In one nook of the garden, a juggler entertained half a dozen children of various ages, and in another drums beat more swiftly and intently, while three slave women sinuously weaved through the complex and demanding motions of traditional Kalaran dance.
Isana could only stare at it all, her mouth falling open. "Furies," she breathed.
Serai patted her hand. "Remember. As rich and powerful as they are, they"re only people. And this house and garden-they"re bought with mere money," she murmured. "Kalare is making an effort to display his wealth, his prosperity. Doubtless he is attempting to outdo whatever gatherings Aquitaine or Rhodes is planning."
"I"ve never seen anything like this," Isana said.
Serai smiled and looked around. Isana saw something wistful in her eyes. "Yes. I suppose it is quite lovely." She kept smiling, but Isana felt the faintest taint of bitterness as she spoke. "But I"ve seen what goes on in places like this, Steadholder. I can"t appreciate the facade anymore."
"Is it truly so horrible?" Isana asked quietly.
"It can be," Serai said. "But after all, this is where I do my work. Perhaps I"m jaded. Here, darling, let"s stand to one side for a moment so that those coming in behind us don"t walk on your gown."
Serai pulled Isana aside and spent a moment peering around the garden. A small line appeared between her brows.
"What is it?" Isana asked quietly.
"Attendance tonight is quite a bit more partisan than I expected," Serai murmured.
"How so?"
"A great many of the High Lords are conspicuous by their absence," Serai replied. "Antillus and Phrygia aren"t here, naturally, nor have they sent representatives. Parcia and Attica have not come-but they"ve sent their senior Senators as proxies. That"s going to anger Kalare. It"s a calculated insult." The little courtesan"s eyes swept around the garden. "Lord and Lady Riva are here, as is Lady-but not Lord-Placida. Lord and Lady Rhodes are over there by the hedges. And my, it would seem that the Aquitaines are here as well."
"Aquitaine?" Isana said, her voice flat.