Rose of the Oath

  Chapter 12: Rebels at Dawn

  Darkness surrounded me when I awoke. Darkness, and a deep, looming dread. I rubbed my eyes, shoving a heavy covering off me.

  Fur? Why was I covered in the beast’s cloak? Why was my arm so stiff? I swung my legs over the edge of the seat, then gasped as pain shot through my ankle.

  Wolves. Helene and Klara. The rose. The beast’s capture.

  Adrian’s capture.

  An ache constricted around my throat like thorns as the pictures surged over me. The fire was dead, the room dark. The moon cast long shadows over the floor, glinting off broken glass and spilt tea. How long had I slept?

  I stared at the dark bodies sprawled near the door. The blurred picture of rebels slamming Adrian to the ground seared my mind. My shoulders bowed forward and I buried my face in my hands.

  Why hadn’t he left? Escaped while he could? Saved his care for a time it would do some good?

  Hot tears burned my skin, the saltiness moistening my lips.

  My fingers curled, my nails digging into my palm. No. It couldn’t end this way. What about Helene and Klara? About Adrian? The whole of Aslaria, even. If Tauscher won… I bit my lip and stared at the desk, lit by faint gleams of moonlight. Stacked parchment, clean and blank. Bottled ink. Sharpened quills. It was Tauscher’s men and my own betrayal that dragged Adrian away. I was the one who bared him to their attack, not any action of the King’s. It was me; my fault.

  I dragged on my bloodied boot and shoved myself to my feet. Pain sank sickening barbs into my stomach. I swayed. My fingers clenched about the cloak the beast had concealed me with. I clutched it close as I hobbled across the room, gripping the shelves to ease the weight on my foot. Out into the corridor. Up the stairs.

  My breath came in sobbing gasps by the time I reached the top, but I kept on, brushing aside the tapestry and stumbling through the door into the mirror room. With a muffled groan I sank to my knees next to the silvery disc and pressed my forehead against the cool surface.

  When I lifted my gaze, Klara and Helene were huddled together. In a tent, perhaps? There were no others around them that I could see. No prisoners. Only the occasional passing boots.

  I refocused.

  Eldric was surrounded by night, a bloodied dagger in his hand as he pressed against a tree. I swallowed hard.

  Dachs, then.

  The mirror blurred but didn’t clear. I pressed my fist to my lips. Where was he? Where was Adrian? The mirror wouldn’t show him, either.

  “I thought he said You cared!” I hurled the words into the shadows. “He was Your Oathkeeper, yet You let Tauscher take his voice? Capture him? Is he dead now?”

  Silence was the only reply.

  Covering my face with my hands, I huddled inside the great cloak and wept. Pain pounded behind my eyes when I finally dried my tears. When I stared at the mirror again, it revealed nothing more than my bloodshot gaze and disarrayed hair. The beast was still gone. I was still alone. Wounded. Tauscher stood on the cusp of victory, the one prophesied to call on the Prince firmly in his grasp.

  Would wolves overrun the land, when Tauscher won? Did the King care? Did He even see? I wrapped my arms tightly around myself.

  Paper rustled somewhere among the fur. I plunged my hand into one of the many pockets and pulled out a folded parchment. If it was another copy of the King’s Oath… I dashed the back of my hand across my eyes and held the parchment up to a ray of moonlight.

  My dear Elissa,

  I caught my breath.

  I know what you have done. Or what you will have done, if you are reading this now. I do not deny the pain it will cause, but I must face Tauscher sooner or later. The King will work all things out. He didn’t give me the Oath merely for me to die silently at Tauscher’s hand.

  Whatever happens, know that I love you. Yes, I knew of the way you could use that rose. I knew you’d discover it one day. But you were safer here. Tauscher could not harm you himself, once you were within this valley. It was a risk he was willing to take to keep me here as well. As it was, I considered you my only chance. Alsaria’s only chance. Now I suspect what I ought to have known all along; that the King’s way is higher and better than any I have imagined.

  There is a room I keep, to remind myself of that. You would not have understood before; maybe you will now. Just beyond the mirror room, there is a story told along the walls. My past. Memories of what we lost due to our rebellion. A hint of the price the Prince will pay to rescue us. For he will come.

  I bid you farewell. If you are reading this, we may meet again, or we may not.

  Know this, the King’s love will save you. It will save us all, despite reason or logic. Despite what has happened and what we may suffer. The King is with us, and the Prince will come.

  Take heart. Wait for your brother. He is coming.

  Adrian

  I pressed my hand to my lips. He knew. Adrian knew. Knew what I’d done before he rescued me from the wolves. I clenched my jaw, shoving the letter into the cloak. And Eldric? How did Adrian know he was coming?

  Stumbling to my feet, I clung to the wall. Pain lanced up my leg, then settled into a dull throb. I limped a step. The bite in my ankle licked flames through my blood, but I pressed on, my hand closing around Dachs’s stone in my pocket. I glanced to the left. That room—the one with the roses and the writing. Chriselda. All he had lost… I’d come back to read it if I survived. I turned away.

  Down the steps. Out the door. The scuffed and trampled ground marked a wide swath into the forest. Snapped sticks and scattered leaves were enough once inside the trees, even with the mere light of the moon. They hadn’t even tried to cover their tracks.

  I paused at the entrance of the valley, staring into the night. Tentatively, I stretched out my hand. No warmth. No tingle. Nothing.

  I limped forward. Another step. I was past it now. Past the entrance. Out of the valley. My breath rushed from my chest, and I pressed the back of my hand against my mouth. I was out. Free at last. Yet more a captive than when I’d been inside.

  A sweet scent enveloped me and my throat tightened. The rose lay in my path, trampled, yet still gleaming a soft red. I picked it up and cradled the blossom as it disintegrated into a handful of petals. A breeze swept past me, catching them up and spinning the flecks of red into the night like drops of blood.

  Every step was agony. Keep going. Keep walking. I had to go on. There had to be something I could say, something I could do. I stumbled over a sprawled figure, warm and covered with hard ridges. Armor? A body. I jerked back. Another of Tauscher’s soldiers lay several dozen paces further. Then another.

  The tracks exploded into what must have been a scuffle, leaving several more bodies and half a dozen scattered routes.

  Somewhere, a wolf howled.

  I shivered and picked the path that seemed the most traveled. Eventually, it too ended in a body.

  I sank against a tree, a sob catching in my throat. Another wolf howled behind me. Nothing to stay for. Nothing to return to. Pressing my lips together, I limped forward, then paused.

  What was that? A voice? No, a murmur. A murmur of voices, mixed with the tramp of feet and clash of arms. Dawn hovered over the forest as I stumbled up a slope and the trees fell away. A sharp breath whistled through my teeth. Tents sprawled into the wood, separated by winding paths where armored men tramped through mud or built up fires. Barely visible on the opposite side of a broad field was another camp. A white rose fluttered on the pale standard across the way. Nearer at hand, a black flag snapped over the encroaching tents.

  Tauscher.

  “Lost, are we?” A heavy hand fell on my shoulder. I spun with a small yelp.

  A soldier he glanced over me. “Well, what have we here?”

  I yanked away. “I have come to speak to Tauscher.”

  “Indeed.” The soldier raised his eyebrows. “And where does a lass like you get a cloak like that?”

  I blinked, looking down at the wolf ski
ns I still wore. “I—”

  “Leave her be.” The familiar voice sent a thrill through my veins.

  “Dachs!” I sprang forward, then staggered as my wounded ankle twisted. Dachs caught my arm, steadying me.

  “Careful.” He retreated a step and for the first time I noticed the men who’d appeared behind him, waiting in the shadows of the forest. Why were they on this side of the clearing? Surely Tauscher’s sentries weren’t that inefficient. My fingers closed about the stone in my pocket as I searched Dachs’s face.

  He stared back steadily. Almost coldly. “Where is Adrian?”

  “Adrian?” I blinked.

  “The beast.” He waved one hand. “Where is he?”

  “I…” I stared. No wonderment I’d left the valley? No flicker of concern? “They took him.”

  “Indeed.” Dachs studied me. “Yet he escaped. I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that?”

  “Me?” My eyes roved Dachs’s face and my pulse quickened. Adrian had escaped! Maybe… Dachs’s gaze didn’t flicker. “I’m here because Tauscher captured my sisters.”

  “Right, the girls. I forgot.” Dachs interrupted with the wave of his hand. “You still don’t know who I am, do you?” He bowed his head. When he looked back up, I gasped.

  His face was the same, and yet so different. The eyes steely and hard. The jaw cruel instead of firm. The stance of a leader. The stance of…

  My lips moved, but they didn’t make a sound.

  “Yes, my dear.” Dachs smiled. “I have many gifts. Tauscher, at your service.” He inclined his head. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “You… you…” My stomach twisted.

  “I’ve been called worse names than anything you can think up.” Tauscher drew his blade. “But I’ve nothing against you so long as you help me regain the one I’ve lost.”

  My fingers clenched around the stone he’d given me as I glared at him. The sneaking, lying, treasonous… I ought to have known better. Ought to have seen. A scout who could pass the barrier. A scout who cared for me for no reason. I drew back my arm and hurled the stone at his face. He dodged it easily. “Traitor!”

  “I am the original rebel and traitor, so the title is a bit lacking in sting.” He swooped up the stone and pocketed it. “Thank you for holding this for me. It’s been very useful.”

  I glowered at him.

  He raised an eyebrow. “How do you think I knew where to find you? I’d ask if you wished to help, but I think your answer is fairly evident. I suppose it’s not worthwhile to take you down to the camp.” He lifted his blade.

  Each thud of my heart pulsed to my fingertips. But Adrian was free. It wasn’t over yet, the war. He’d find some way to proclaim the Oath. Some way to summon the Prince, if Prince there was. I lifted my chin.

  Behind Tauscher, the east was growing pale and cold. A bird twittered. Dew shimmered on leaves like bittersweet tears. I inhaled deeply, letting the cool air flow through my lungs. Maybe Adrian would find the girls. Or maybe Eldric—

  Tauscher’s blade descended.

  It clashed against steel.

  I gasped as a figure sprang between me and the blade.

  “Ah, there you are.” Tauscher’s eyes glinted. “I wondered if you’d be back.” He twisted his blade. Adrian staggered backward. Tauscher retreated a step and flicked his hand. The rebels advanced warily, but Adrian spun to face me, his hand gripping my arm.

  Blood smeared his face, yet his eyes… Fierce, fractured with pain, deep and full of intensity, wonderment. Love.

  The soldiers slammed Adrian’s blade from his hand. He staggered to one knee. They forced him down, binding his arms behind his back. I stumbled backward, but Tauscher’s fingers closed over my arm like steel jaws, holding me upright. Why had Adrian come back? What had he thought he could do? What of his precious Oath now?

  “Take her down to the camp.” Tauscher shoved me into the grip of another soldier. I stumbled, stifling a cry. “She’ll be handy until he’s bound securely.”

  My injured ankle buckled, and I collapsed, landing on my palms and knees. A rough hand twisted through my hair and dragged me back up. Tears blurred my vision, and I bit my lip until a metallic taste flooded my mouth. Why? Adrian muffled a gasp as he was wrenched to his feet. Poisoned claws tore at my chest. He should have stayed away. Should have bided his time, waited. What had the beast been thinking? Adrian. My Adrian…

  They released me on a small rise a dozen paces from Tauscher’s pavilion. I sank to my knees, my fingers digging into the turf. My leg throbbed, the ache coursing through my body, drawing a haze over my eyes. Adrian; where…? Dimly, I saw them tying him to a tree next to the tent, their dusky forms becoming more distinct with the growing dawn.

  The bustle of soldiers surrounded me. Boots, orders, twanging bows and swords snapping in sheaths. Movement flickered from the Aslarian camp across the field. I shoved myself upright and stared at the distant tents, willing the men to advance. To fight. To… what did it matter? They’d already fought; were still fighting. Still Tauscher advanced and the Prince—

  I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my face into my hands. Why did Adrian come back? Why did he have to come back?

  He would die now. So would I. Yet still, he’d returned.

  My fingers clenched around the ribbon at my wrist. He owed me nothing. Yet he did it all the same.

  “Elissa!” The small voice jerked my head up. Tauscher approached, his fingers closed about the upper arms of two girls.

  “Helene.” My voice caught. “Klara!”

  Tauscher released them, and they stumbled toward me. I almost fell as they rammed into my chest. I knelt, clutching them, as their arms wrapped around my neck. They buried their faces in my hair and cloak.

  Klara’s hand slid up my sleeve. “Where were you?” she sobbed. “You said you’d come back. You promised.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I pressed my face in their hair as I closed my eyes and drew their trembling bodies close. “I’ll get you out of this. I promise. It will be all right. It will be…”

  The words froze on my tongue as a snarl echoed in my ears. I lifted my gaze.

  Five wolves crouched in a half circle between myself and Tauscher, who stood before Adrian. His low voice carried indistinctly through the growing dawn. Adrian’s eyes were tight with concern, then he… smiled?

  Tauscher’s rough chuckle faded. He spun away and stepped toward me. The wolves bowed their heads to rub against his knees.

  I shuddered. Helene buried her face in my cloak with a whimper while Klara pressed even closer.

  “You have done what was needed, Elissa dear.” Tauscher crossed his arms, studying me. “Leave.”

  Leave? The word echoed inside my mind, and I blinked.

  “Leave.” Tauscher jerked his head. “There is nothing more for you to do.”

  “And Adrian?” I asked. A wolf snarled.

  Tauscher’s lips curved upward. “What did you ever care for Adrian? You were only ever needed to keep him from wandering off. Now take your sisters and go.”

  My nails dug into my palm and I shook my head. “And Dachs? The whole masquerade?”

  “I could hardly let you spend all your time with Adrian, or let him sway you to his view. Besides, the plucking of the rose tampered with the barrier, such as it was. I needed you to lower it again, one final time.” He smiled and held out a hand. “Your sisters and your life are fair enough trade for your service, though it is a life I owned anyway thanks to the Stieg der and the Separation.”

  I pressed my lips together, pushed myself to my feet, and held the girls close.

  Tauscher’s brows narrowed as he took a step closer. “Adrian told you he was there at the Separation, did he not?” He caressed the head of one of the wolves. “When the Stieg der was plucked, and I was given the power of life and death over all of Aslaria. But did he tell you who picked the rose?”

  I glanced at Adrian. He met my gaze. Something shifted in t
he shadows behind him.

  I muffled a quick inhalation as my eyes snapped back to Tauscher.

  He lowered his voice. “It was your precious beast, Elissa. He was the one who plucked the rose for Chriselda, so many years ago.”

  “And that matters?” I asked. “Everyone in the valley was in agreement. There is a reason the punishment involved all that lived, then and now.” Words of legend, yet never had they seemed so true.

  Tauscher inclined his head. “Perhaps. Yet he did the deed, and the rebellion is mine to punish. Now leave.” His wrist flicked and the wolves advanced several paces, snarling. The girls clung to me. “Leave, or die with him, and your sisters as well.”

  I closed my eyes. My breath mingled with the thud of my heart. Our village was burned, but I could escape. Find a place to wait for Eldric.

  Then what? What happened when the war was over? When Tauscher won? Adrian… My hands tightened around Helene and Klara. His love, his care; there had to be a reason. He trusted the King. The Prince. I bit my lip. I couldn’t let them die. I couldn’t leave.

  It wasn’t my choice. It wasn’t even about me. There was so much more. It would be for the King, if we died. For the King, if we lived.

  I opened my eyes and met Tauscher’s gaze. The Oath was from legend, yet so was Adrian.

  “Well?” Tauscher asked.

  The Oath was from legend, yet it was enough. Enough for Adrian. Enough.

  I drew a deep breath. “No.”

  Tauscher stiffened. Behind him, Adrian tensed.

  “I’ll not abandon my friend.” I motioned toward Adrian, then froze as the shadowy figure behind him took on a familiar shape. No, it couldn’t be.

  Tauscher’s gaze narrowed. His wolves snarled at his feet. Slowly, he began to turn, to follow my gesture and stare. I could see the shadow clearly now. But how? How could my brother be here?

  “Who hath believed our report?” I spoke in a measured voice, repeating the words I’d seen so many times from Adrian’s hand. The words that would signal the end of the rebel’s power, somehow, someday. Tauscher’s gaze snapped back to me. “You may hold the Stieg der,” I said, “but we are not yours. The price will be paid. King has given us His Oath.”

  I pressed my sisters close, but my voice strengthened. “Who hath believed our report? The Oath of the King shall never fail. His promise to those who rebelled will stand completed.”

  Eldric shifted from behind Adrian, crouching to cut the ropes at his feet.

  “The price shall be paid.”

  Tauscher lifted his hand.

  “The Prince will give it willingly; no enemy shall take it from him.”

  Adrian stumbled free. The wolves sprang forward. I didn’t flinch.

  “From whence has it been heard, or who hath done such a thing?” The wolves were upon us. Turning, I flung my cloak over the girls and threw myself between them and the oncoming beasts.

  The wind was rising, growing, intertwining with Elissa’s words.

  The last rope sliced free. The wind wrapped around Adrian, mingled with the Oath, filtering strength and life through him.

  “From whence hath it been heard, or who hath done such a thing…”

  Adrian stepped forward, holding his arms out wide. A cool breeze swept about him, easing his wounds, touching his scars. Icy fingers dissolved from his throat, releasing his voice. The golden words, burned into memory for an age past, spilled at last into the morning.

  “Yet the King shall grant His enemies this victory.” The words fell from his tongue. The wolves paused and spun toward him. “And the Prince shall rise up to their defeat. Until the end, this word shall stand. Let him who hears believe and accept the payment the Prince offers freely to all.”

  Tauscher’s hand clenched over his blade as he advanced a step.

  Adrian let a grim smile cross his lips. “The Oath has been spoken, Tauscher.” His fingers closed around the sword Elissa’s brother pressed into his hand. “This is the end.”