He bowed his head and clenched his teeth. By all that was holy, three days had passed. There would be no stopping his beloved now. He should have paralyzed her for a year. That spell could have been reversed once the war ended. He did not need the distraction of his lady love in the middle of the fray and in danger. He lifted his head and swept a fierce glare across the gathered troops still standing at attention. Which one of them was the traitor?
Septamus appeared at his side as though he had been called. “What are your thoughts?”
“Ye ken my thoughts, Septamus.” He snorted a bitter huff. The old Draecna knew him better than he knew himself.
“Until we find which Draecna the Waerins have turned, wecannot act. All plans to attack will be reported to Sloan and thwarted.” Septamus stroked his claws through his silvery beard as his eyes narrowed to speculative slits.
“There is another complication.” Taggart clicked his claws against his armored face. Gads, how had things gotten so out of hand?
His mentor shot him an exasperated look and heaved a disbelieving sigh. “More complicated than a traitor in our midst?”
“Hannah and William are on their way.”
“Well, that is just lovely now, isn’t it?” Septamus swept the ledge with his tail and waved a claw at the troops. “Report to your stations and stand at the ready! I want to be notified of anything out of the ordinary.” He turned back to Taggart and poked him in the center of his chest. “That isexactlywhyInever mated! They are entirely too much trouble!”
He returned the old Draecna’s irritated scowl. “Were ye not the one who told me to sleep with the woman? To get on with my life? I hold ye partially responsible for this mess.”
“I advised you to bed her! I did not tell you to keep her for life.” Septamus turned his back on Taggart and climbed down from the ledge. “I cannot help it if you do not listen properly.”
The cold,barren ground scraped rough against her belly as she wormed her way to the edge of the cliff. Here under the scrub, beneath the trees, they wouldn't see her as she studied what went on below. Hannah wished she had her binoculars from back home. But this vantage point and her twenty-twenty vision would have to do. The wind rustled in the trees, blowing leaves and dust into her face. Thank goodness she had ended upwind of the battle. That way, no one might pick up her scent.
Curious, she sniffed, wondering if it would do any good. After all, with the gift of immortality, they said she had also received the gift of seeing Waerins for what they truly were. Perhaps she possessed the Draecna's heightened sense of smell as well.
Sulfur, decayed leaves, refuse of some sort, andwhew—rotting meat. She covered her face and gagged. Craning her neck, she scooted around a bush, wincing as a stick caught her in the side. What was that in front of that tent? She couldn’t quite make it out. Something was on a pole. She inched farther over the edge of the cliff, holding tight to the bush as she squinted at the object crawling with flies.
“No!” She hugged the side of the cliff and vomited.
“Mother!” William wrapped his tail around her waist and yanked her back to safety.
“Don’t, William.” She turned away from the horrendous sight, pulling the young Draecna with her.
“I already saw him.” The youngling offered her some water from the skin hanging around his neck.
“That must be Sloan’s tent,” she said. A violent shudder took hold of her as the vision of Gearlach’s flyblown head replayed. Sloan had to die. She had never thought herself capable of murder until now, but it was kill or be killed. Sloan would not expect her. He would be too busy fighting Taggart and his army of Draecna. Her fingers curled around the haft of the dagger melded to her waist. She could do this. She would do this tonight.
“What are ye thinking, Mother? Taggart says ye are most dangerous whenever ye get quiet.” William shuffled back and forth in front of her, peering down at her with a worried frown.
She snapped out of her daze and hiked a brow at him. “He does, does he?” Standing straighter, she dusted herself off and reached for the bag she had hastily stuffed with clothes while William settled Gilda with food and water in a portion of the cavern left intact. “Don’t you worry about it, my fine Draecna son. I am going to change into my darkest set of clothes and as soon as the sun sets, I am going to pay Sloan a visit.”
His forehead wrinkling between his horns, William held tighter to the bag and pulled it out of her hands. “I dinna think Taggart would want that. That doesna sound safe at all.”
She snapped her fingers and held out her hand. “Give me the bag.Taggart isn’t here and I know what I am doing. I’m going to end this once and for all.”
With a shake of his head, William held the bag out of her reach. “Why do ye not wait until we reach Taggart and ask him? It would be much better if we asked him.”
The young Draecna might need to ask Taggart, but she didn't. With her sternest, most motherly tone, she snapped her fingers again. “William, have I ever led you astray?”
“Well—” He paused, the worried crease deepening between his twitching horns. “No, not really.”
“Then give me the bag. Once I leave, if it will make you feel any better, go find Taggart’s tents. Take to the sky and look for them. I know you aren’t big enough yet to take me with you, but on your own, you fly well. I have no idea which direction they took, but once you are aloft, I am sure you’ll be able to find them. That will be loads of help.”
He frowned at the bag, shifted his scowl to her outstretched hand, then turned and scanned the horizon. Gnawing on his thick bottom lip with one of his fangs, he finally pushed the bag into her grasp. “I hope I am not messing up again.”
“It’s going to be fine. I promise.” She gave him a smile as she hugged the bag close. “Now turn your back while I get changed. We both have work to do.”
24
The stench burned her eyes and made them water. Hannah blinked hard and tightened the black scarf hanging over the lower half of her face.With her lips clamped shut, she took shallow breaths while belly-crawling through the darkness to the back of Sloan’s tent. They had erected his elaborate shelter at the edge of a grassy hillside. Arrogant bastard. The look on his face when she showed up with her dagger would be priceless. The undulating hillocks adjoining the open hillside made perfect channels to hide her midnight run.
