I see it, sir.
Then fire the blue torchlight and ready the horses. We must ride.
It will be done. Vrell patted the ground beside her until her fingers found the firesteel and torchlight. It had been a while since Vrell had used a firesteel. She had one by the fireplace in her bedchamber back home but her servants usually lit the fire.
It took Vrell three tries to ignite the torch. The blue flame hissed to life and warmed her face. She stood to get her bearings, legs and back aching.
Must her whole body hurt during this time of the month?
The flame lit the tree and the path in an eerie blue glow. Vrell inched over the dark ground and wedged the end of the torchlight into the knot hole in the tree where it could be seen. She hoped no one else would come investigating the blue light until she and the knights were long departed.
Vrell crept to where the horses were tethered. Normally she would have taken off their saddles and bits and wiped them down, but she had not known how long the knights might be. She went from horse to horse, petting them to keep them calm. They had been waiting a long time and were eager to ride.
When she got to Achan's horse, she fingered the ivory pommel of his sword hanging off the saddlebag. How could she have missed it the morning he had been taken? Achan always wore his sword, had slept with it on until Sir Caleb had scolded him. If she had noticed it on his saddlebag sooner, she might have suspected something was amiss.
No reason to dwell. They were coming back and would soon be on their way. Vrell could no longer see the red light. Her stomach clenched. Sir Gavin had not said whether they had found Achan. What if they had failed?
Of course Achan would be with them. Sir Gavin would not have returned otherwise. The man had dedicated his life to Armonguard's rightful king.
Vrell checked the tether from one saddle to the last, then returned to her horse and patted his nose. Should she get on? How quickly did Sir Gavin plan to ride?
She inched back to the tree and stood in the blue glow, staring at the distant lights of Barth and the dark void between. Were the men close?
You're ready?
Vrell jumped, not expecting to hear Sir Gavin's voice without a knock. She must have been so excited she had forgotten to put up her shields. How careless.
Yes, Sir Gavin, she said. Everything is set.
She fortified her mind and carefully mounted her horse. There. Now she would be ready when they arrived and would not have to hurry. The blue torchlight had almost faded. She hoped they were-
A twig snapped. Fabric rustled. Vrell gripped her reins, and her horse shuffled his feet, ready to ride. Shadowed forms crested the hill and entered the clearing. She counted four and sighed. Good. Achan was with them. Where had they left poor Locto?
Sir Caleb and Inko peeled away from the light and went straight to their horses. Sir Gavin helped Achan mount his horse. He wore a black cloak-and, she couldn't help noticing-almost nothing but a black cloak. His feet and legs were bare and chain clanked as if he were bound and dangerous. He settled into the saddle and his hood slipped off, revealing a disheveled profile. Vrell's eyes prickled and she blinked away grateful tears. Where were his clothes? Why the chains? If he was injured, she should see to him right away.
Sir Gavin fetched the dim torchlight from the tree and mounted his horse.
Vrell could bear the silence no longer. "Does Achan-?"
Sir Gavin Lukos.
Vrell opened her mind.
Converse only in our minds until I say otherwise. I sense we're being followed already. He extinguished the light. The blackness encompassed them again.
How Vrell hated it.
They went slow and steady without a word. Every rock of her horse sent jolts of pain through her tender body. The horses' hooves scraped over the rocky terrain, kicking pebbles aside. Every sound seemed louder now that they were trying to be quiet. Leather packs creaked. Mosquitoes buzzed, garnering the occasional hand slap against skin. And the horses' breathed heavily, interrupted by an occasional snort.
Vrell ached to speak, to know what had happened, but no one knocked. The idea of being followed again left her feeling vulnerable and alone. She called out to her mother, told her the knights had returned with Achan and they were traveling again.
Finally, Vrell's ears tickled. She straightened, eager for news, but no name was given. The knocks continued until a terrible headache squeezed her skull. She wanted to yell at whoever it was to stop, but Sir Gavin had asked for silence. Besides, the knock might be Master Hadar or Khai seeking her. She kept her mind closed, gritting her teeth against the pain.
Achan's voice blurted into her mind, Annoying, isn't it?
She gasped, tears pooling in her eyes, remembering the way she had persistently sent knocks to Achan hours ago. I-forgive me. I had not meant to annoy. I only wanted to know what was happening.
Then why not look through my eyes?
She released a shuddering breath. I–I forgot to try. And she could not have risked blacking out.
Brilliant, Sparrow. Next time you forget, just forget trying to contact me at all.
Are you all right? When they brought you in I thought you were nearly unconscious. But you sound-
I'm fine.
So you say. Do you know what they did with Locto?
Sent him to Melas. Now leave me alone.
Why are you being so mean?
Look, I realize you had no idea what was going on, but when I said to wait, you should've listened. Not only did your endless knocking stab, I was already in a tight spot. The last thing I needed was more pain or distraction.
She wiped tears from her cheeks. I am desperately sorry, Achan. I was scared. It was so dark and I did not know if you were safe. Please forgive me.
Silence stretched on for a long agonizing moment. Just don't do it again.
Once Sir Gavin declared they had reached the old road north, they spurred the horses as fast as the beasts would go in the dark, which was not above a canter. Vrell cried most of the journey, both from pain and with grief for how she had angered Achan. She considered throwing herself from her horse, when it occurred to her that Darkness might be playing on her sorrow, not to mention how her month-blood always darkened her moods. She hummed praises to Arman and soon felt lighter.
They steered their horses across the wetlands of what Inko told her was Melas Marsh, sloshing water for hours. Sir Gavin had them stop on a small, dry knoll. He drove a torch into the ground and they made camp around it in silence. Either the men were exhausted or something truly horrible had taken place in Barth.
Vrell was thankful for her own bedroll. Lord Eli had provided that, at least, despite his trickery and betrayal. She laid it a few feet from the torch and sat cross-legged, watching the bugs flock to the light, waiting for someone to speak.
Clinking metal drew her attention to Achan. He carried a long length of chain looped over his arm that hung past his knees, jingling as he limped about. Why would no one talk of what had happened? How had they managed to free Achan?
Achan lay on his bedroll on the other side of the fire, chains scraping each time he shifted.
Sir Gavin handed out rations of bread and apples. He crouched at Vrell's feet and set her food on the end of the leather hide. "Would you mind looking at Achan's feet, Vrell? They might need care."