“If I fall—”
An immediate outcry of protest made me grin. Aww, I was loved. Holding up a staying hand, I reassured them, “I’m not planning on it. For one thing, my husband will revive me just to murder me all over again.”
That got a few snickers, likely from the married ones.
“IfI fall, please protect the priests as you would me. They’re the only other ones who can perform the sealing spell. Without them, you’ll stand no chance of winning this fight.”
“We’ll defend them with our own lives,” a soldier sitting directly in front of me promised, his voice gruff and solemn. “But we’ll make sure you don’t fall either, Your Majesty.”
“I appreciate it.”
I could only hope all went according to plan, or barring that, they were able to adapt well given the advice and orders I’d just relayed to them.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t direct them more than this, as I had no idea what we were about to step into.
Please, whatever it was, let it not be as bad as the first time.
I sent up a prayer to Vuheia, keeping it simple:Let me get there before the seal breaks.
Hopefully that wasn’t too much to ask.
Seventy-nine
James
I spent the rest of the voyage memorizing the spell, and I made sure four other priests had a copy of it and were memorizing it too. Just in case. During mental breaks, I kept praying we got there before the enemy. I had two mages on each ship pushing things along with wind spells, but we could only hurry a boat along so much before we risked the ship coming apart altogether.
It was a relief when Wood’s Cross came into sight.
Finally, time to go.
The trick to landing onshore was to off-load as quickly as possible. We were half lined up before the ship even reached the docks, and the second the plank was connected, we were down it. Titan especially wanted Off The Boat.
Not a fan of boats, my Titan. Never had been.
Needless to say, my very relieved stallion pranced at having his hooves on solid ground again, so it took me a second to get him under control.
Perhaps because of my preoccupation, I didn’t immediately realize people were milling about. Why were there people here at all?
I’d ordered this whole place evacuated, but dockworkers came up to help tie off the ships, which I hadn’t expected. The dockhands were doing their jobs, but…I’d never seen a dockworker without a mouth full of tobacco and choice words. These men worked without even looking up. They weren’t dressed right, either. In fact, they wore little better than rags. I’d expect someone from Cabbage Patch to dress like this, not Wood’s Cross citizens.
Then one of them did look up, briefly, to concentrate on tying something off, and I saw his eyes.
Zinosdamn her.Valentina had arrived before us.
Despair seized me. I hadn’t moved fast enough. I hadn’t protected everyone from her. She’d clearly been playing chess while I was playing checkers, bringing more people up with her than I’d anticipated. I’d wring her neck for that, but later. I had to get around them somehow right now. This was a delaying tactic, and I refused to let it work.
I seized Captain Rowan by the arm. “The dockworkers are possessed. We’re likely surrounded. Spread the word quietly and get ready to take down anyone possessed immediately.”
His eyes grew hard, jaw clenching, but he didn’t say a single word. He dipped his head and then turned, hurrying to the nearest knights and ordering them to guard my back.
I turned on Titan’s back, looking about me uneasily. Here on the edge of the docks, I felt very exposed. The docks were strictly used for business purposes, since the logging community of Wood’s Cross was nearby, and to serve as point of contact for Berengar. The docks were very sturdy as a result, made from a mix of stone and large timbers, and kept in excellent shape, since the whole economy of the town depended on them. All that said,there weren’t more than a dozen buildings here, and they all felt eerily empty. A dense copse of trees ringed the area behind the buildings, also completely silent.
Anyone who spent time outdoors could tell you that if you were near woods that were entirely silent—no birdsong, no insect noises—then the odds of a major predator being in those woods was very high and to run.
Unfortunately, I had a feeling I knew what the predator was.
Taking my bow in hand, I eased an arrow out of my quiver tied to the pommel and nocked it.
