The Betrayed Read online

  Elynna nodded. She knew that Tienna spoke the truth. But she could also see the anger in the faces of her companions. Rage at the injustice of Citadel. Or maybe they felt what Elynna felt: a desire finally to fight an enemy not impervious to arrows. An enemy that couldn’t simply fly off the moment they gained an advantage. An enemy that stayed dead.

  “They are your people too,” Beth said accusingly. “If the Plainsfolk go to war, then none of them will be spared.”

  “Beth is right,” Marti agreed. “If a rebellion has begun, I too must return to my people. My mother will need me. And my brother.”

  Elynna looked at her friend, wondering how she would reply. Tienna glanced first at Beth, then at the others. “I know your thoughts,” the huntress said. “Do you think it was easy for me to leave? To abandon my people? But they have decided. They have chosen to make this sacrifice. If we stay, we add but a few warriors to one battle. At what cost? What of the gifts?” She turned to Cane and Cathros. “Your gifts mean little here. You are just another pair of swords. But against the Daegmon? They mean everything. If you are killed in this battle, who could take up this quest?” She waited for an answer. When none came, she went on. “Don’t you see that the real battle is against the Daegmon? Defeating one army from Citadel means nothing if the Daegmon is left free.”

  “Perhaps for those with the gifts,” Nahoon said. “But not for us. Not for the ungifted.”

  Tienna faced him now. “Perhaps you are right. Perhaps I speak for the gifted only—maybe only for Cane and Cathros. And Elynna. Even my gift means nothing in battle. Only you can choose. If you must return, then do so. As for me, I have committed myself to another task, and though I leave all behind, I will not forsake it. The way of the quest is northward.”

  A long silence followed. Tienna had gone to the heart of the issue, Elynna knew. They had discussed it among themselves a dozen times over the past few days. Yet as she looked around, she realized that none of her companions had moved. She knew she should speak and urge them on. But what could she say to Nahoon and Beth and Marti? What could she say that Tienna had not already said? Was it callous to tell her companions to walk away from this people who had done so much for them? Or was it wise?

  As the soldiers below prepared to renew their assault, the company stood frozen as they had many weeks ago when the Daegmon had emerged from the side of the snowy cliffs. “If our entire company chooses to fight,” Tienna finally said, “then I will stay and fight at your sides. But remember this. Our battle is without hope as long as the Daegmon lives and continues its work unhindered.”

  Those final words sank in. Elynna took a deep breath. Thimeon was not there to lead them. Cane was not speaking. And the others were ignoring Tienna. It was up to her. “Tienna is right. We must leave this battle to others. Fighting the Daegmon is our work.”

  Her voice came out more clearly and powerfully than she had expected. Her companions looked at her. Even Cane seemed to understand. It was as though she had broken some sort of spell.

  But it was too late. The next moment Golach’s war band charged. While the company had stood arguing, the remainder of his soldiers had come up from below and amassed just below the ridge two hundred yards away. On a signal from their officers they swept up the hill, a long line of soldiers in the bright-blue uniforms of Citadel, some bearing spears, and behind them more with bows, and all with swords at their belts. This was no longer a haphazard pursuit of fleeing escapees, as it was a few minutes earlier, but an organized assault on a well-positioned enemy.

  Fanning out to either side, they started forward in a long wedge. They had crossed only fifty feet of ground when the wedge split into three. The two larger groups veered left and right toward where the Uët warriors were hidden, while a third company of forty soldiers came straight up the middle toward Elynna and her companions.

  Companions, Elynna realized, who, despite her words and despite imminent danger, had still not turned to escape. Their eyes were still fixed on their advancing human foes.

  Lluach understood their plan at once. “They don’t care about the others now. They want us. They have sent their flanks to hold off the Uët warriors long enough for the company in the middle to capture us. Or kill us.” He drew his sword with a fierce determination. “Perhaps today I will redress some wrongs I did in the service of Citadel.”

  “And I,” said Alrew. He did not look afraid, but his voice had a clear note of sorrow. “I have much to redress.”

  Elynna watched a moment as the line of soldiers advanced up the hill. Oddly, the terror she had experienced scrambling up the hill a few minutes ago was gone. She was afraid still. But it was not the uncontrollable fear she felt when facing the Daegmon. Her company was no longer alone. In the rocks on both sides, a company of Uët warriors waited with them. Their foes were human.

  We can defeat them, she thought. She looked beside her. Theo, Anchara, Noab, Bandor, and Nahoon had once more drawn their bows. They had an advantage shooting downhill.

  Within seconds the enemy was in range. With a loud twang, five bows released as one, sending their shafts arching down the hill. None found their marks, but all of them were already nocking another arrow to the string. This time Elynna had her own bow out. And just a second or two later, six bows twanged together.

  The attackers were better prepared now. They lifted their shields above their heads and kept coming. Two arrows clattered harmlessly off the armor while the other four missed altogether and stuck into the ground below. Still they came. Despite the steep slope, they had already covered a third of the distance. Her companions would have time for only three or four more shots, Elynna thought. And now her fear did grow. Why had they not followed Tienna the moment she had spoken? She had another arrow on the string, but her hands were trembling.

  She released a shot, well wide of its mark. She fumbled for the next arrow and almost dropped it. The enemy was almost close enough to shoot back. Where were the Uët?

  As if in answer, the hunters from the Uët tribe rose again from their hiding places. They had waited until the advancing soldiers were well within range. A whole volley of arrows rained down on the blue uniforms.

  But Elynna’s relief was only momentary. The arrows of the Uët were only a little more successful. Under a shower of thirty darts, two Citadel soldiers crumpled to the ground. A third stumbled with a shaft buried in his leg. The rest continued up the hill at Golach’s command.

  Elynna had time to nock one more arrow and let it fly alongside Anchara. Then the enemy archers shot back. Outnumbered, the defenders were forced to take cover as a shower of arrows landed all around them. Ducking behind a low boulder, Elynna looked back up the notch toward the mountains. It was too late for escape. On each side of her, the Uët warriors had time to loose two more rounds of arrows at closer range. Six more enemy soldiers fell.

  Then Golach’s men were upon them. Long Uët hunting spears against the swords and shorter spears of Citadel—fifty defenders against nearly four times as many attackers.

  They had only a few seconds longer. A hundred and fifty feet away, a company of Citadel warriors advanced under the command of Golach himself. They were closer enough that Elynna could hear Golach shouting orders at them. On each side of her she heard the clanging of weapons and the screams and shouts of warriors already engaged in battle.

  So this was where it was going to end, she thought. She became aware of her companions around her. Some had already set down their bows and grabbed spears and swords for the final battle—one, Elynna realized, they had little hope of winning. She wanted to say something meaningful, but all that came out of her mouth was the question “What do we do?”

  “We’ll teach these soldiers about Northland wrath,” Cane said with a grim smile as he readied himself to step out. Tienna was silent as she stood between Elynna and Cane, but she was poised for battle with her long knife in hand. Theo, Bandor, a
nd Noab drew their bows for a last shot.

  Elynna also pulled her last arrow from her sheath, but she never had a chance to shoot. As she nocked an arrow to the string, a small band of tall Plains warriors suddenly appeared on the slope below, directly between her and the enemy.

  “Where on earth—?” Cane started. Several others echoed his confused exclamation.

  A large blue feather stuck in one of their armbands flashed in the sun. Nahoon gave a low whistle, and his eyes grew large with awe. “The Amanti,” he exclaimed in a voice barely above a whisper. “Can it be?”

  Elynna was looking down on the backs of living legends: the most skilled of all hunters of the Plains, the most elite of all warriors. They bore neither shields nor armor, and for weapons each had only a single long-handled knife. In contrast to the bright uniforms of the men of Citadel, they were attired in unadorned leather hunting garb. A single blue feather on their right arms was their only emblem. Though there were fifteen of them facing forty foes, they stood casually with their arms loose at their sides.

  All this Elynna saw in a matter of but a few seconds. She had no time to ponder the meaning of what she saw. No time to wonder where the Amanti had come from or even how they had known to come. No time for her fear to grow or to subside. Only time to look and wonder.

  Then the first of the attackers had reached the Amanti. With their polished swords and emblazoned shields, the Citadel soldiers looked frighteningly proficient. But the Amanti of the Uëtha were undaunted. So quick were they that few of the onlookers even saw what unfolded. A flash of a hand here. The sharp jab of a foot. Long knives glinting in the sunlight.

  The front wave of Golach’s attack crumpled. In not much more time than it would have taken for Elynna to draw her bow and loose an arrow among them, at least thirty of Golach’s men lay dead or dying at the feet of the Amanti. The Amanti had not suffered even a scratch.

  Tienna still stood beside Elynna. She watched only a moment longer, her wide-open eyes showing her awe and admiration. Then she slid her knife back into its sheath and turned away, facing up the hill. “Come,” she called. “Now is the time.” Her voice was clear and calm, and it held an authority that caused even Cane to turn and look. “They are here for one reason: to enable our escape. We must go.”

  Noab, Noaem, Anchara, Falien, and Pietr followed at once. Elynna hesitated only a moment, her eyes still fixed with fear and fascination on the battle scene below her: the Amanti who still stood fixed on the slope. The blue-uniformed soldiers who lay dead. Then she turned also and followed Tienna. She could sense other companions gathering and coming behind or beside her, but she didn’t look. They had just been saved. She knew that. But a terrible grimness hung over the scene. She did not want to think about it.

  A minute later Elynna had caught up with Tienna, who had gone a few hundred yards up the slope and then stopped to wait. Noab stood beside her. The two scanned the hillside below them. Taking a roll call, Elynna realized. Saying the names of their companions as they saw them. Making sure they were all coming. Something she herself had not yet thought to do.

  “The Ceadani are here,” Noab said. “And all the Westwashers.” He paused and added in a more solemn voice. “There are Ceadani among the enemy soldiers as well. We kill our own.”

  Tienna shook her head sadly. “The Amanti will guarantee a victory for us today. Of that I am confident. But there is no pride in this battle.”

  Nothing else was said. Elynna saw her companions hurrying up the slope after her. Cane soon stood beside her, along with the other Anghare. The last to arrive were the three others from the Plains: Beth, Marti, and Nahoon. Elynna knew what the battle meant for their people. Surely the others knew also.

  When they were gathered together, at a word from Tienna they started up the slope, leaving the battle behind them. Leaving behind the question of how many would die on either side.

  Some time passed before any spoke. Elynna heard only the tromping of feet and the steady rumble of falls and cascades mixed with constant grinding of river bottom rocks. Sounds of the battle had long ago faded. Still onward they climbed, and for that, Elynna was glad. She told herself that it was Golach and his soldiers she fled from, but it was also the death they were leaving behind them.

  Eventually the notch opened out again to a half mile in width. Scattered evergreens and thorny shrubs grew near the stream bottom and mountain laurels farther up the slopes. A natural trail wound its way along the western side of the ravine a hundred yards from the river. Elynna saw her companions looking frequently over their shoulders. From time to time she glanced along with them, but she saw no sign of pursuit—from either friend nor foe.

  Anchara spoke first. Though Elynna could not understand the Ceadani tongue, she could hear the trepidation in her voice. Noab translated. “Are we safe?”

  “The Amanti are there,” Nahoon answered. He and Tienna were the only two whom Elynna had never seen look backward. “It would take more than that army to dislodge them. We have nothing to fear now save from the Daegmon.” He turned to Tienna. “Where did they come from? I have never seen even three together in one place.”

  “The wisdom of your chieftains,” Tienna answered softly. “The chieftains of your mother’s tribe. I had not known this until I spoke with them, but upon the first appearance of the soldiers on the Plains, the Amanti were called together. The thought of war has been in the air ever since the Daegmon’s first assault. Now there is somebody to fight against.”

  “Who are they?” Noab asked. “The Amanti of whom you speak?”

  “The elite of the Plainsfolk warriors,” Nahoon answered. He turned back to Tienna and added, “Pardon me. I do not intend to insult the hunters and huntresses of the Arnei. I admire your skill, and I know it surpasses anything I possess. But the Amanti—”

  “My pardon is not needed,” Tienna replied. Her voice was soft and reverent. “You speak truly. Even among the best of the Arnei hunters and huntresses, there is awe of the Amanti. That they have chosen to be our allies in this battle is a great sign.”

  “They are not our only allies,” Noab said. “One of the tigers still follows us. The male. My brother sensed its presence just before the battle.”

  Elynna shivered. There was something even more frightening about these mighty elusive hunters shadowing her than knowing Golach and his soldiers were chasing her. But a moment later Noab’s first words sank in. Allies? The tiger had come to help? Why? And how?

  “Yes,” Tienna said. “I saw its tracks south of the lake. It followed you to Tanengog, and when you took to boats, it circled the lake and found you again on the north side. I caught a glimpse of it this morning trailing us like ghosts. It is the largest I have ever seen. And certainly the same one that joined in the battle against the Daegmon several days ago.”

  After this they fell silent again. Elynna, though she had been tired before the battle even began, forced herself onward. The air grew colder with each step higher up the notch. Icicles lined the springs that seeped through cracks in the cliffs, and rocks near the river’s edge were glazed in ice. The climb was also steep in places and demanded their attention and energy. Elynna did not know how much further they had to go to reach the top of the notch and enter into Undeani. Nor which way they would go when they got there.

  Would there be any rumor of the enemy they pursued? Any sense of its presence? She did not know. What she did know, because every muscle in her body told her so, was that they had already run far and rested little. The air was cold, and the ravine was growing dark. The sun had long ago disappeared over the high ridgeline on the left. Elynna had little left in her. “We must rest,” she said, breathlessly. “I cannot continue much further.”

  As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she didn’t even know to whom she was talking. Who was even leading them? The reality of Thimeon’s absence struck her yet again. And Cane had been silent
since the battle. Perhaps they had no leader. No leader because they had no choices to make. No choice, it seemed, but to run. And only one direction to do so.

  “This is the place,” Nahoon said. The voice stopped Elynna short just before she stumbled into him. He and Tienna had halted in the middle of the trail. Others gathered around them.

  “What place?” Elynna asked, confused. She didn’t know they were searching for anything.

  “Nahoon was scouting ahead,” Tienna replied. “He discovered a deep cavern in the south wall of the ravine. I think it is best if we stop and take shelter there for the night. We have many miles to go before we are through this pass. We will not make it tonight even if we continue. We have an hour of daylight left. And in this terrain and in our condition, we might make another two miles at most. But I doubt we will find another good shelter. And I think many of our companions are too exhausted to go even another mile.”

  Like me, Elynna thought. She was so tired, she almost couldn’t think of Golach and his army. But she wasn’t ready to admit that. Not with Cane beside her, his expression stern but showing no sign of exhaustion. And however she felt, Elynna knew she had to think about Golach. “What of our pursuers?”.

  Nahoon only repeated what he had said before, with the same confidence. “They will not get by the Amanti.”

  Nahoon led the company up the slope to the west, away from the river. They had climbed just a few hundred feet when Elynna saw where Nahoon was leading them—a cave on the side of the bluff. The slope naturally funneled the company down into a single file guiding them right to the mouth of a cave. Elynna was the third to enter, behind only Tienna and Nahoon. The entrance was just large enough for her to walk through upright, but beyond the cave mouth enough light filtered in to see that it opened into a large enough space for all of them to gather in a circle and even unroll sleeping mats without laying on top of each other.