Sharon Shinn - Reader And Raelynx

Halchon would make a mistake. He would be careless. And she would make her move.

Not lifting her head from the blanket, Senneth sent her gaze around the camp, noting how many were stirring, how many were sleeping. It looked like five men were still on watch and three were preparing the breakfast. Two or three others were sitting up, checking weapons or digging through saddlebags. The rest appeared to still be lost to sleep. Her odds would never be better than this.

Just to be sure, she glanced around one more time, and she saw Tayse.

He put a finger to his lips and disappeared.

For a moment, astonishment left her rigid, and then her mind started to race. Tayse was here! Had crept into this camp entirely undetected and vanished apparently at will. So either fear and sleeplessness had combined to give her hallucinations, or he had been escorted to this place by Ellynor. And if Ellynor was here, Justin was here. And if Justin and Tayse were here, other Riders might be with them.

And if the Riders had come to rescue her, Senneth was as good as saved.

Now all she had to do was make it possible for them to save her.

She sat up hastily, pulling Halchon’s arm with her. Almost, it was enough to break his hold, but even as he fought back sleep he snatched her wrist and prevented her from scrambling away. “I see a night of calm reflection has done nothing to reconcile you to your changed situation,” he said through a yawn.

“There are not enough nights left in my life to accustom me to the thought of being your prisoner,” she answered coolly.

He laughed softly. “I hope you are wrong about that, or you have a melancholy existence ahead of you.”

What she had to do was separate Halchon from his men. “I need to relieve myself,” she said baldly. “Pull yourself to your feet and take me to someplace that approximates privacy.”

“Gladly, my dear,” he said, rising and helping her stand beside him. “Then we shall eat, and then we shall be on our way.”

He led her a short distance away from camp, though all his soldiers were still plainly in view. Keeping one hand on her wrist, he reached down with the other and began to fumble with his trousers.

Tayse materialized before them like a furious god, his sword upraised and gleaming. “Release her before I kill you,” he growled.

Too swiftly for Senneth to anticipate, Halchon jerked her against him and drew a knife across her neck. “Come a step closer, and she dies,” he hissed.

For a moment, the three of them were frozen, the Rider with his sword arm reared back to strike, the marlord with a dagger to his hostage’s throat, and Senneth motionless between them. Behind them, there was a sudden outcry and the furious clash of weapons. Whoever else had accompanied Tayse had apparently just engaged the Gisseltess soldiers. But Senneth couldn’t risk even a glance in that direction. She was focused on Tayse, watching his face, waiting for any signal that would let her know what to do next. Halchon was surely dead, but she might be, too, if she wasn’t very, very careful.

“I have waited a long time to kill you,” Tayse said in the iciest voice Senneth had ever heard.

Halchon almost laughed. “You will never do anything to jeopardize her life, and I swear to you I will take it this instant if you do not back away and let me ride to safety.”

“There is no safety for a man such as yourself. You have commissioned regicide, and you are scheduled for execution at my hands. Even if you do not fall to me today, you are reviled throughout the kingdom, and any man who sees you may feel justified in cutting you down.”

It was a masterfully delivered speech, but Senneth missed some of it when a small, cold, invisible hand took hold of hers where it dangled free just under the restraint of Halchon’s arm. It was all she could do not to flinch and scream, but, of course, she instantly understood the message. Ellynor was there. Senneth should make herself ready.

Therefore, she was not surprised when Halchon’s sneering reply was abruptly interrupted. “Any man who sees me may call me ‘king’ for I- ufght! ” Halchon gasped as someone landed a body blow from behind. His hold loosened just enough for Senneth to spin away.

Only two revolutions to her pirouette, but when she planted her feet and gazed back at her erstwhile abductor, Halchon was already kneeling on the ground with a blade through his heart. Tayse stood above him, staring remorselessly down, his hands still on the hilt. “You deserve a crueler death than this,” he said, and tore the blade downward with such force that Halchon’s body practically split in two.

Senneth had to fight back a sob of horror and relief. Ellynor was suddenly standing beside her, concern on her face. “Are you hurt?” Ellynor asked.

Senneth shook her head wildly. “No-no-he didn’t harm me. He just-his touch-I couldn’t-”

Tayse wrenched his sword free and strode over to take Senneth in a hard embrace. Oh, how different the feel of this man’s arms around her! Strength flowed from his body into hers; her soul ignited. “His touch will never trouble you again,” Tayse said.

There was no time for a passionate reunion. Behind them, the sounds of conflict intensified. Senneth pulled free and forced herself to run toward the battle, calling, “How many did you bring? Halchon had about fifty men.”

Tayse and Ellynor were racing along beside her. “We number twenty,” Tayse called back. “But eight are Riders.”

Senneth nodded and raised her arms above her head.

Gods, it felt so good to summon fire again, to feel it kindle in her veins and pour from her fingertips. This was close fighting, so she must be careful, throw her bolts at precise targets. There-a man in red and black. She twisted her wrist, and his uniform went up in flames. He dropped to the ground, shrieking. Beside him, two Gisseltess men were boring in on the Rider Wen, whose blade flashed exquisitely as she lunged and parried. Senneth clenched her fingers, then snapped her hands open, and both of Wen’s attackers erupted into fire.

“To me! To me!” someone cried-another Gisseltess soldier shouting for reinforcements. Excellent; four of them bunched together, back-to-back, making a vigorous stand. Senneth turned them into a private conflagration. Their swords dropped and their screams of agony rent the air.

Around her, the Riders and their fellows were making short work of the rest of Halchon’s forces-those who did not cut and run, galloping off in five directions to escape the slaughter. Senneth saw Justin swing his head around at the sound of hoofbeats, then he turned to Tayse and called, “Should we go after them?”

“No,” Tayse replied. “Let them carry the tale to the rebel armies. Halchon Gisseltess is dead.”

Justin was surveying the carnage around him, his bloodied sword still at the ready, but at that he looked over with a grin on his streaked and dirty face. “He is ? Then this has been a damn successful day.”

Tayse’s eyes had sought out Senneth; he nodded at her gravely. “Indeed,” he said, “it is a day to celebrate.”

THEYtook another half hour to comb the small camp for survivors, finding none. Senneth was a little surprised to find, among her rescuers, a handful of Lirren fighters.

“I know you,” she said, approaching two compact, dark-haired men who stood with Ellynor. “You’re Ellynor’s brothers. Torrin and Hayden.”

“We are kin,” Torrin said immediately, for when they had met last fall, they had established their tenuous familial connection.

“Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

Now Torrin showed the brash grin that reminded her so much of Justin. “We’re kin,” he repeated. “We can’t let you languish in the hands of enemies. Though we do think it was careless of you to get caught.”