NO light came through the windows when Zara stirred. Exhaustion dogged Tarsius, but sleep would be long coming. There was too much to do. She stared at him silently, unmoving.
“The sun will be up soon.” Tarsius broke the silence. “Elden’s funeral will replace services.”
She frowned in confusion.
“The soldier killed by the dragon.”
She continued to stare. Lingering grief haunted those dark eyes. She went very still, looking inward at something only she could see. Fear, anger, and a large helping of sorrow chased one another across her face. She was distant. So close and, yet, so far away.
“How do you feel?” That seemed to break the trance she had slipped into.
“Tired.”
“Would you care to discuss it?”
She shook her head. Her gaze skipped away.
He couldn’t entirely suppress a twinge of hurt, but compassion overrode it. She hadn’t really known him very long. Perhaps she had good reason to be cautious. He would respect her wishes and leave the subject alone.
“If you decide you want to talk....” Tarsius got to his feet.
Cygnet climbed to her feet and waited.
“I must change.”
Zara’s mouth opened but nothing came out, as though she wanted to ask him something.
He paused.
She looked away.
“What is it?”
“Can I–“ She paused for a good length of time. “Can I go with you?”
“To the service?”
She nodded hesitantly.
Tarsius smiled. “Of course you may. I will send a clean tunic for you.” He left the room.
* * *
Sconces lined the walls and hung from the ceiling, lighting the way for a procession of soldiers as they carried their fallen comrade into the temple. Before them came a dozen priests in white; after, a dozen in gold. The last to enter were the overseer, three priests in red, and Father Nandell. The doors closed silently.
More priests, knights, and soldiers crowded the room. Some stood by their seats. Others lined the walls on both sides and the back of the room. The shuffle of footsteps and the gentle ring of armor broke the silence. No one spoke.
Zara waited next to Tarsius, scarcely daring to breathe lest she disturb the sanctity of the event. From her aisle seat, she clearly saw the soldiers place the body on the altar. They stepped back and bowed as the overseer took his place at the altar, only the ring of their armor betraying their movements.
The overseer was resplendent in blood red robes with the gold insignia of office. A belt of the purest spun gold circled his waist. The church’s holy symbol of a white sword piercing a gold sun hung around his neck. Power emanated from him to the farthest reaches of the room. Standing before the altar, he raised his arms.
Knights pushed open two massive doors behind the altar, allowing the first rays of morning light to enter the temple. Zara closed her eyes against the sudden brightness, moving so the knight in front of her offered some protection. Her eyes adjusted quickly, and she peered around him again to see the priest. His arms were still raised in entreaty.
“Our Lord Sear’dan, we greet you this morning, as on many others past, to offer one of our own to your eternal service in death as he was in life. Guide him to your side that he may know your warmth, your truth, and your will for him in his new place in your army of light.” He lowered his arms.
The soldiers stepped forward, lifted Elden from the altar, carried him out the open doors, and laid him on an altar of wood. Again, they retreated, bowing to the overseer. Raising a torch to the rising sun, he continued.
“May he carry the flame of your love and light throughout his timeless service.” A brush of the torch to the base of the altar touched off the logs resting at its base. In moments, flames engulfed the altar and its burden.
Zara could only stare, her stomach knotted. Would they burn her like that if she died? Despite the heat, a chill swept through her. She stepped closer to Tarsius, allowing knights and soldiers to block her view. She’d seen more than enough. Then the smell reached her. The pungent aroma of burnt hair and flesh.
Panic rose. Ray’din. A shudder shook her. The dream of the night before surged up. She looked up at Tarsius. His attention remained on the front of the room.
The smell thickened with each passing moment, wrapping around her. She ran to the double doors behind her. They opened easily. At the last moment, she glanced back at the fire. It was no longer Elden lying there, burning. It was Tarsius. Horror choked her.
She couldn’t give Ray’din what he wanted. No matter what it cost. She couldn’t allow Tarsius to die if it was in her power to stop it. She couldn’t sacrifice his life for a chance, however fleeting, at returning to her own. Tears sprang to her eyes.
* * *
Tarsius flinched when Zara bolted without warning. Her action drew a severe frown from the overseer, keeping Tarsius rooted. Helpless, he watched her disappear, but not before a look of terror crossed her face. Though he tried to concentrate on the rest of the service, his thoughts strayed constantly to her. Perhaps he should have explained the service before allowing her to come. It had never occurred to him to inquire how her culture dealt with death.
An eternity passed before the overseer released attendees to their duties. Tarsius beat almost everyone else to the door. With no way of knowing where Zara had gone, he checked her room first. Jerrod looked up from the rug in front of the fireplace and wagged his tail.
He went to his room and released Cygnet. “Find Zara.”
She growled as they neared the library. That evil presence again.
With a deep breath and a brief muttered prayer, Tarsius thrust open the door, sword in hand.
* * *
Zara slammed the door and leaned heavily against it. Chin to her chest, she plunged both hands into her hair. She took a deep breath. No burnt flesh. Some of the panic and grief slipped away. She slid down the length of the door to land heavily on the floor. Both knees drawn to her chest, she braced her feet and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her forehead rested on her knees.
Vil’joh was right. Ray’din had deceived her before. She had no reason to trust him. Even if she did, she couldn’t stand by and let him kill Tarsius. Would U’uskoh understand?
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and the smell of burnt flesh wrapped around her again. She stilled.
“Do you truly intend to give up the man you love for one insignificant knight?” A shuffling swish of fabric brought her head up. Ray’din shook his head and waved his hand.
An image appeared on the opposite wall.
She swallowed painfully around the lump in her throat.
U’uskoh continued his meeting unaware he was observed. He held the attention of those present with confidence and sincere belief in his cause, his life’s purpose. Occasionally, he gestured with a hand to emphasize some point. His eyes were intense as he spoke, piercing each person with a look from time to time. Unable to bear seeing him without touching him, Zara closed her eyes and lowered her head.
“The time fast approaches when you must decide, Zara.”
“I’ve made my choice,” she said softly without looking up. Tears threatened. Don’t waver. He can’t be trusted.
“I could kill you now and solve the whole problem.”
Zara rose to her feet, filled with loathing, hostility, and fear. Her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Then do it.” Life wasn’t worth having without U’uskoh.
Ray’din seemed momentarily taken aback. Red eyes widened. Then he smiled.
She cringed all the way to her soul.
“Sorry to disappoint you, little one. It won’t be that easy. It suits my purposes to keep you alive. For the moment anyway.”
Disappointed at his unwillingness to make good on his threat, she turned away and reached for the door. He’d destroyed her life, and now he wouldn’t end this worthless existence.
“You dare turn your back on me?” He grabbed her arm and yanked her around to face him.
Zara whipped around, allowing the momentum his pull generated to boost her natural speed. She struck out in instinctive self-defense, the fingernails of her free hand catching him full across the face.
He bellowed in rage, raising a hand to four deep gouges. His eyes glowed deep, burning red. He drew back and hit her. The force of the blow knocked her into the door and then to the floor. The world spinning and darkness threatening, she flipped onto her back and stared at him, anticipating the pain sure to come when he reached her.
He sneered and leaned over her. “Tarsius will die, and you will have given up the last chance to see your husband again.” He placed one large hand across the top of her head and forced her gaze to meet his. “Enjoy the view.”
Agony ripped through her, but it wasn’t hers. U’uskoh! Pain twisted his features as he collapsed and writhed on the stone floor. The men he’d been talking to shot out of their seats and gathered around him, their eyes wide. No scream. No whimper. Just silence.
No! She closed her eyes and tried to shut out the scene, but the image wasn’t before her eyes but behind them. She curled into a ball, helpless against the violent image forcing its way through her mind. She couldn’t help him. “No!”
Another hand touched her head. The image and pain vanished.
Vil’joh’s ghostly form knelt at her side, his expression stern and angry. “It is false. He can’t touch Lord U’uskoh. Remember his attack on me at the cave? If Our Lord Iykey protects me so well, how must he protect Lord U’uskoh?”
She shied away. Iykeyn men were deadly, particularly when angry. She scanned the room. No Ray’din. He’d gone.
“He is a liar.” Though ground out through gritted teeth, the words offered reassurance. It wasn’t her he was mad at. “He can’t touch Lord U’uskoh.”
Her hand burned as though she’d stuck it into a fire, Ray’din’s black blood seeping through her skin to infect the whole. The cool confidence in his eyes calmed her and eased a more pressing pain. U’uskoh was safe. She sat up and cradled her hand close. She startled when the door burst open and hit her.
Cygnet skirted it, even as Zara scooted away from it.
Tarsius rushed in, sword in hand. He scanned the room, returned his sword to the scabbard, and knelt beside her to put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Are you injured?”
She nodded and held out her hand. “It burns.”
“Sir Tarsius?”
He glanced up.
Kestian stepped into the library then halted when his eyes settled on Zara. “What happened?”
“I’m uncertain.”
“Ray’din,” Zara whispered. “Vil’joh stopped him.”
The soldier had disappeared.
* * *
Tarsius frowned, not recognizing the second name, but he certainly knew the first. Ray’din had come there? Into the building? He’d have to sort that out later. He gripped Zara’s hand with care and turned it over for inspection. No burns or sign of injury, but there was something under her nails. Before he could look more closely, she suddenly grasped his arm, her eyes wide.
“Ray’din’s coming.” Her fingernails sunk into the soft flesh on the inside of his wrist.
Black, burning pain seared up his arm. He gritted his teeth. “Zara, release me.” He tried to be gentle in extricating himself, but the pain was excruciating.
She looked down at her death grip on his arm and let go as quickly as she’d grabbed him. He grimaced and glanced at it. Four perfect, crescent moon wounds, blood pooling in each one.
“Find Father Nandell.” The urgent command put Kestian into immediate action.
There was nothing natural about his pain, or hers. He studied her face, noticing for the first time the bruise darkening the left side of her face. To leave such a mark would require a very large hand or fist.
He laid a hand on her shoulder and focused his energy, seeking to heal the hurt. He had no sooner made contact than the black poison in her body and his own rose up to fight him. Murmuring soft prayers over and over, he refused to allow his body to betray him.
Father Nandell appeared behind him. “Into the temple.”
Zara tried to stand, only to lose her balance and grip her head.
Tarsius picked her up and carried her into the inner sanctum of the Church. The pain in his arm ceased the moment he crossed the threshold. Zara stilled then rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
“Ray’din.” Without warning, she tried to twist free.
“Easy,” he whispered to the top of her head. He set her on one of the pews and knelt in front of her. “Ray’din cannot step within the walls of this temple.”
Hope filled her eyes and lit her face.
He smiled.
She studied him for a moment and relaxed.
Father Nandell offered his healing touch, but Zara, seeing the movement near her head, jumped away, putting Tarsius between herself and the well-meaning priest. Tarsius cast him an apologetic smile. The man shook his head with an understanding smile and quietly left the room, Kestian behind him.
“He only meant to help.” The gentle scolding struck home.
Zara’s chin dropped to her chest. She moved away, slid down the wall, and pulled her knees to her chest.
He sat beside her and stretched out his legs. “Do you wish to talk?”
She shrugged and studied her bent knees.
He waited for several minutes. Patience was rewarded.
“I saw you in the fire.”
Her soft confession shocked him to his soul and broke his heart. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her to him, tucking her head under his chin. “It wasn’t me, Zara.” He rocked gently from side to side.
They sat that way for some time, neither speaking.
Tarsius suspected much more troubled her but resisted the temptation to pry. She would speak of it when she was ready. He didn’t know how long they’d been there when he realized Zara had fallen asleep. He smiled and tightened his hold, letting her sleep. Lord Sear’dan, heal her pain and protect her from further harm.
Cygnet curled up at Tarsius’ feet.
* * *
Sometime later, Father Nandell stopped back to see how Zara was doing. It was clear Tarsius and Zara both slept. Very odd relationship, those two. Zara apparently tolerated none but the knight’s touch. Tarsius defied many of the proprieties the Church held to and taught. Even Cygnet, a sacred animal, seemed to be in league with them.
He knew, just as he’d known after the dragon’s attack, that he should remind Tarsius of Church rules. His training demanded he do so. But, as then, something told him to keep his own counsel. Bowing respectfully before the altar, he complied with those wishes and left as silently as he arrived.
* * *
“Things grow more dangerous.” Swan wrapped her arms around herself. “Ray’din is determined to end this badly.”
“Yes, well, he has never liked to lose.” Sear’dan dropped a kiss on top of her head and hugged her. “Unfortunately, I cannot be of much help to her. Not until her choice is made.”
“You don’t think she will leave Tarsius to Ray’din, do you?” Blue eyes dark with worry looked at him.
“I wish I could say what she will do, but I cannot know with any certainty.” He frowned. “Matters are complicated and unclear where Zara is concerned. Only the ONE knows, and HE keeps HIS own counsel in this matter.”
“There must be something we can do.” The pleading in her eyes revealed the depth of her growing attachment to the little thief.
“I tried to intervene once already, but Ray’din interrupted.” A prompting deep inside stirred. “Then again, she is in my temple now. He cannot touch her there. Perhaps there is something we can do after all.”
“You wished to see me, my lord.” The golden-eyed knight stepped up, his armor glistening in the light.
“Yes, Forbios. There is something I wish you to do.”