A Paladin's War Ch. 09

His gaze came up as she and Noah appeared, and whatever he felt about their presence remained a mystery as he returned to watching the brazier. The feel in the air was... broody. Elaina wanted to sigh. Four days in five, Burin was centred, focused and capable, but sometimes he had the tendency to slip into a somber, pensive state, particularly when dwelling on his sister. Not the darkness he'd displayed while under Maharad's influence, but still enough that it could be dangerous to a leader of many. Elaina worried for him - for all the Dwarves - when he was like this. I hope you're right about Glinda, Aran. If she dies, I fear Burin will follow her.

As soon as she sensed the king's mood, Elaina touched Noah's arm to get his attention and subtly jerked her head, indicating he should let her handle this alone. Without hesitation, he nodded and left, pushing through the heavy tent flap with barely a sound. He really was a good partner, loyal and brave, if a little overprotective at times. No doubt he would take up a place not far from the command tent where he could reach her quickly if she needed him.

As soon as she was alone with Burin, she extended her vala toward him gently, as if wrapping a blanket around him. "Your presence warms me as these embers do," he said softly without looking up. "Though today, I fear my heart is chilled beyond hope."

Elaina moved to stand by him at the brazier. "There is always hope, Burin. Always."

"Have you come to take my mind off my troubles?" he asked in the same quiet tone. "I will confess, you are a difficult woman to refuse, Elaina arohim, but tonight my heart is heavy."

"You are thinking about her again," Elaina remarked gently.

"I often do. I very much desire to know what has become of her." An edge grew in his voice as he spoke. "This man - this 'Demon' that has taken her for his own will pay a heavy price indeed."

Elaina studied Burin from the corner of her eye as she pretended to be absorbed in the brazier's glow. His dark eyes flashed momentarily with his anger, then ebbed into sadness. Even Burin knew that his anger was pointless, this far away.

"Yes, he will," she agreed. "And I will work with you to see it done."

"If I fall," he began, looking up at her for the first time. "Will you lead the drengr in war?" His eyes were different, now; intent, sharp, fixing her to the spot.

He wants me to lead them? Where is this coming from? She opened her mouth to protest, but he overrode her.

"Before you answer," he said quickly, "Know that I do not ask this of you lightly. Baelin says you have the makings of a fine general, and Fathvir and Finya would follow you without hesitation."

Elaina struggled to find words. Not only was she unsure she could command a force this size - all she knew of war was what Smythe had taught her and what she'd read from the old texts at the Chapel - she couldn't fulfil her duty as a Paladin and also be a general, responsible for the lives of almost a hundred thousand Dwarves. What if Amina, or Aran needed her elsewhere?

"Burin, I..." She took a deep breath and continued. "I am honoured, but I fear my duties as a Paladin may conflict with commanding your army."

"Nonsense," he retorted. "They are one and the same, as things stand. Both you and I are trained on the same target. Once that end is accomplished, you may relinquish command as you see fit."

He was discussing this like it was already decided. "You expect to die soon?" she asked him directly.

His beard swung slightly as he shook his head. "No, but a good leader always has his next in command in line in case things go badly."

"But wouldn't the drengr prefer to follow one of their own?"

"In every other case, yes," Burin replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But you are a Dwarf at heart, Elaina. Strong, resilient, mighty." He raised a clenched fist to punctuate the last word. At least he was pulling free of his gloomy mood. "My soldiers would follow you to the Dawnwall and beyond, if you asked it of them."

Elaina thought for a long moment, searching her own feelings before searching Burin's. Even without aligning, she could well enough feel his emotions, this close. He was all hopeful intensity, now, though beneath were streaks of fear, carefully controlled. What was he so scared of? Glinda's death? She didn't think he was afraid of his own death, somehow. The future of his people, perhaps?

"Why?" she demanded, fixing him with an intent gaze of her own, twin emeralds boring into ebony. She opened herself further, letting more of her vala flood around him.

He held her eyes for a moment, then sighed. "I cannot keep the truth from you. I have led the Dwarves from our mountain home for the first time in memory, out into a world that may reject us, or even destroy us. Our future is more uncertain than ever before, because I could not face the notion of Glinda's death, no matter the cost." He turned and walked to the back of the tent, where there was a white silk privacy screen that hid his private sleeping area. Instead of going through the screen, he began to pace back and forth, once again clasping his hands behind him.

"I must bind the Dwarves to hope," he said as if repeating a thought he'd had more than a few times. "To a future where we have a place in the world beyond the mountains in the back end of forever." Elaina just listened and let him speak. "The other kings all hid from the troubles, protected us in the mountain, and we grew strong again, but also isolated." He was speaking the truth; after the Purge - called 'The Cleansing' by the Heralds - all peoples not Human were either killed or forced out of the lands reclaimed by men, driven to find homes in the far reaches of the world where the influence of men grew thin.

"You are that hope, Elaina," he said, halting his pacing and approaching her. He almost looked... pleading, if King Burin Stonedeep could ever be said to plead for anything. "That is why the command will be passed to you should I fall. Do you see now?"

She saw. And it meant she could not refuse him and hope to live with herself. The future of an entire people in my hands. This must be how Aran feels all the time. To Burin, she bowed deeply. "I see your plight, King Burin, and I accept command of your army, should you fail or be rendered unable to lead, and I will see that your people are well-tended, should the command fall to me."

Burin exhaled, and Elaina felt much of the tension leave him. He smiled for the first time since she'd arrived. "Just promise me you will do your utmost to remain alive as long as can be arranged," she told him dryly.

He barked a laugh. "You have my word, Elaina arohim," he replied, inclining his head with mock formality. In a flash, there was a knife in his hand, the hilt all silver and studded with rubies, the blade slightly curved. Elaina watched with some surprise as he cut his palm, no sign of pain on his face. "Will you seal this bond in blood?" he asked her as blood dripped from his clenched fist to the carpet below.

Elaina thought refusing him might be like slapping his face, so she took the silver-hilted knife from him and cut her own palm before clasping hands with him.

"Honour and strength," Burin said gravely.

"Love before hate," Elaina said, adding the mantra of the arohim. Burin nodded as if accepting an offer before releasing her hand.

Moving to a table off to one side holding a washbasin and pitcher, he retrieved two cloths and brought one to her while wrapping his own around his cut hand. "Now that the formalities are done," he began as he crossed the tent to the other side, where another, smaller table held flasks and silver-chased goblets. "We should celebrate our pact, yes?" He glanced over his shoulder, thick eyebrows raised. When Elaina nodded, Burin busied himself with pouring two drinks from one of the flasks. Her enhanced sense of smell picked up the aroma of good brandy well before he brought her a goblet, which she took readily.

"To the future," Burin said, raising his cup.

"To working together," she returned with a smile before tilting her head back and draining the entire thing in one swallow. It really was good brandy. When she lowered her chin again, Burin's eyebrows were up again.

"You drink like a drengr tunneller," he observed approvingly.

She shrugged in response. "There isn't much point, for me," she confessed. "I'd have to drink a whole barrel to get drunk, but I do like the taste."

"I will remember that," he replied wryly as he took another sip. "Will you stay for a time? My evening is otherwise unoccupied."

Seeing no reason to say no - from what she could sense of Noah he was enjoying himself not far away, no doubt with one or two of the aforementioned admirers in the camp - she nodded and let Burin lead her behind the privacy screen, which hid a combined sitting room and bedroom, an area she was already quite familiar with. Surprisingly, Burin appeared content to sit and talk, for now, despite the fact Elaina would have been quite happy to take him to bed; there were better ways to celebrate a pact than drinking, as far as she was concerned.

Once they were seated in the comfortable chairs and sipping fresh cups of brandy, the conversation flowed freely, Burin showing himself much more at ease since securing their agreement. As the evening wore on, however, she began growing distracted by the strong pulses of pleasure coming through the melda from Noah, who had apparently decided to take his enjoyment further.

Burin was in the middle of a story about his first year as king when she slowly stood and began to undress. To her immediate satisfaction, the king's tongue froze in his mouth as he watched her unlace her shirt and pull it free of her breeches. His eyes dropped to her chest as she peeled the shirt off and let it fall to the floor. She knew the effect her breasts had on men, and she enjoyed it to full effect now.

"I don't mean to be rude, Highness," she purred as she stood bare-chested before him, one knee slightly bent and a hand on a cocked hip. It was a pose used to accentuate her feminine curves, though it was hardly necessary now. She could sense Burin's desire for her, thumping like a drum in his body. "But I was hoping we could finish the story later?"

Instead of doing what most men would in his position and throw himself at her - Elaina wouldn't have minded that at all - he smiled lazily and leaned back in his chair as if he had all the time in the world. It was the difference between seducing a king and a man less accustomed to attention from beautiful women, arohim or no. She could have used her vala to her benefit and excited him further, but she was enjoying this perhaps as much as he was.

"You make a very convincing proposition," he mused as he eyed her over steepled fingers. His gaze raked over her body, the hunger in his eyes obvious. He did not move, though. This wasn't the first time he'd had her, after all. "Perhaps you could sway me further?"

Elaina cocked an eyebrow, playing along with his game. He was so aroused right now it must be almost maddening for him, and yet he remained cool, composed. He had not been like this the previous times she'd made love with him. Elaina's own excitement spiked; having a man coming at her with unbridled, wild desire was fun enough when she wanted it, but a man who was in control of himself, who could hold his own before her, thrilled on a different level.

It was a game, where he wanted her to come to him, and she found the very idea delightful. Noah was still learning, and not quite there, yet. Smythe and Aran could do it to her, but they were arohim; a distinct advantage in a game like this. Burin was operating on sheer effort of will.

"I believe I can persuade you, Highness," she said in a sultry, breathy voice as her hands went to the waist of her breeches.

*

The next day dawned bright and fair again, and the army continued its march west, keeping close to the Emerin Forest, but far enough away they could not be ambushed from within the vast wood. Elaina rode with Noah for a time, in their usual place near the head of a long snake of drengr, but then found herself back with Deven by midday. Today, the former Herald was a little more amiable, and he offered his best answers to her questions, though it was clear he did not know everything. There were some things she'd learned from Kedron already, though there was much more still to know.

"What is the command structure?" Elaina asked him first as they rode side by side.

"Well, there's the Lord Commander," Deven replied slowly. He spoke that way most of the time, unless he was upset. Elaina got the impression he did most things a little slower than some. "Rodric Eames is his name. You've heard of him?" Elaina had made a sound in her throat at the name. Yes, she had heard it before. When she nodded, Deven continued. "And under him are the captains. Brend and Lora were captains over me, but they were killed by-" he cut off suddenly and shot her an uncertain look. "By someone that night you came to Maralon."

Elaina said nothing, but nodded to let him know he'd done no harm.

"Under the captains are the lieutenants," Deven continued, "And then there's just the initiates, like me." After a moment, he added, "Oh, and there was sometimes talk of a 'High something,' a council, maybe, but I was too low to be involved in such talks."

Elaina thought it made sense there was a governing body at the top to oversee matters. "How do you attain ranks?" she enquired next. "How would one move from initiate to lieutenant, or captain?"

"They always told us with time and loyalty, we would be promoted if we were suitable for it," Dev replied slowly. He was chewing his lower lip, though, as if he were thinking about something he didn't want to discuss. "I knew some who were raised. Not very well, mind, but some who had come in about the same time as me and Remen. They were... different, after the Cleansing." The capital was clear in the word. She'd heard Kedron speak of it before, too. The whole ritual sounded blood-curdling. "Those who came back, anyway." He fell silent after that, and Elaina had to prod him to elaborate. "I don't know how to say it," he said quietly, staring inwardly. "There was this one fellow, Madric, who was always good for a laugh, you know? Always had a joke ready, never let the mood drop if he could help it. They chose him for promotion, and after, he wasn't the same."

Elaina frowned. "What do you mean, exactly?"

Deven took a deep breath. "It was like all the joy was burned out of him, all the laughter. He had this look in his eyes, like he was near-mad." He shivered. "Bloody unnerving, it was. He still talked the same - without the jokes - still sounded like himself, but those eyes... Remen thought something bad was going on. All the captains had that look, the ones that we saw, anyway."

"Maharad," Elaina whispered. Deven eyed her curiously. "What is involved in making one a captain, or lieutenant?" she asked, not wanting to know the answer.

Deven just shrugged. "Not sure, really," he replied. "It's a secret kept for the upper ranks."

"And what about the ones who don't come back?"

He fiddled with his reins before responding. "I don't know. The Order makes it known they've been moved on, posted elsewhere."

"And you didn't believe it," Elaina finished for him.

He nodded reluctantly. "It was Rem pointed it out to me. He always saw more than I did."

"Were I you," Elaina told the younger man. "I would be glad to be free of them." She had meant the words to be kind, but Deven looked decidedly ill. He still thinks they're going to find him. I'll have to watch him carefully lest he try and sneak off. "I am sorry you lost your friend, Deven."

He murmured thanks before withdrawing again into his gloomy silence. Elaina was on the point of inviting him into her tent just to brighten him up, but she discarded the idea. He'd no doubt heard enough tales of the so-called deadly seduction of the arohim, and she wanted him to trust her.

A sudden light bloomed in her mind, whipping her head up to the horizon in the west. At the same time, a ripple of soft gasps and murmurs ran through the Dwarves in the column around her. Dev blinked and touched his chest, a look of recognition in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Elaina had already booted Willow to a flat gallop, charging through the ranks of surprised drengr until she burst free of the column. With a grin as broad as the Sorral Plain itself, she lay flat on Willow's neck and raced the mare through the gently rolling grass for maybe half a mile until she saw him.

Standing next to his big black stallion on the crest of a small rise maybe a hundred paces away, Henley waved excitedly. Vaulting from her saddle, Elaina was up the hill in four long strides, laughing as she cannoned into him at full speed, their bodies colliding with a dull thud. He took the impact easily, barely shifting at all as he threw his arms around her and laughed with her. Dimly, she was aware of others on the hilltop, but for now all she cared about was Henley. The only person she would have been happier to see was Aran.

"I missed you!" she said into his ear, finding her eyes suddenly stinging. It was one thing to see him in amathani; things felt real enough there, but being able to hold someone in the flesh, to know that they weren't going to vanish any moment, was much better.

"And I you," he said back, squeezing her until she thought her ribs might shatter. She didn't care if they did. When she finally found her feet again, she saw who else was there. Induin and Liaren, as beautiful as ever in fine robes of dark green silk, waited patiently for her to finish with Henley before they closed in as one and enveloped her in their arms. She hugged and kissed them fiercely, a sentiment they returned readily. The Elves were not able to visit amathani like arohim could, and it had been long months since she'd seen them last. There was a glow about them now, to Elaina's eyes, no doubt from carrying Aran's babes, and she made much over it, sharing in their happiness.

The fourth member of the small group was introduced to her as Solovir, an aloof-appearing Elf with pale white hair and matching eyes. She remembered him from amathani, when Henley had made a copy of him. There was a knowing depth to his gaze that reminded her of Amina, though he lacked the comforting warmth the Priestess radiated. Still, he was courteous enough, greeting her with a low, formal bow that she returned in kind.

Willow trotted up behind her as the greetings concluded, only slightly disgruntled that Elaina had left her so hurriedly. A pat on the muzzle seemed to calm her somewhat, the mare only whickering briefly before moving off a short way to graze.

"I thought we must be getting close," Elaina said, unable to pull the smile from her face.

"Aye," Henley replied. He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder. "Only a few miles to go, now. "We've been waiting here most of every day, and I've been bursting my vala every hour or so to let you know when you were close. Solovir said he could feel a great rumble on the plain, but he couldn't tell me exactly where you were."

"The trees do not always tell a tale of hours, or miles," the tall Elf said cryptically. "Their language is their own."

The sound of galloping hooves brought her head around right as Smythe's eyes fixed on something over her shoulder. A moment later Noah appeared, riding for all he was worth. Smythe's hand didn't move from his side, but there was a sudden air of readiness about him.