Page 140 of Beds and Blades

She was propped against the wall, pale and breathing hard. Pain tightened every line of her body, but when she looked at me, she managed a crooked smile.

Relief hit so hard I laughed. I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her.

“Thank you,” I said. “You were magnificent.”

“I knew you’d somehow pull it off.” Her voice strained around the words. She sucked in a sharp breath. “Now stop hugging me. It fucking hurts.”

I let go at once.

“We need to move,” Skip said. “We need to get to the horses now.”

He pushed himself upright, one hand braced against the chair until his legs steadied beneath him.

“Both of us are going to need Caen.”

I slipped an arm around Flavia and helped her to her feet. She could walk, though she limped. One leg dragged when she crossed the room.

She stopped beside Gaius. For a moment, all the hardness left her face.

She knelt with difficulty and closed his eyes with two fingers. A quiet sorrow settled over her.

“You were the bravest man I ever knew,” she said. “Rest with Yravel.”

Then she rose and looked at Skip.

“Can you ride?”

He nodded.

“Then let’s get to the horses.”

***

We emerged from the trees into the aftermath of the battle.

Bodies lay scattered across the field, human and vampire alike. Blood darkened the trampled snow. The survivors moved among the fallen, checking their own for signs of life.

Then someone saw Skip. Heads turned across the field. The High Commander had returned.

Swords rose into the air, and a cheer broke through the exhausted ranks. It spread from soldier to soldier until the whole garrison seemed to take it up.

Cato emerged from the crowd.

His face, armor, sword, and hunter’s hook were streaked with grime and blood. He looked as though the battle had tried to swallow him and failed.

When he saw us, he smiled.

“High Commander.”

“Cato.” Skip managed a tired smile of his own. “I take it we were victorious.”

“They were mostly freshly turned villagers,” Cato said. “Still deadly, but this garrison was trained well by its High Commander.”

His gaze moved over the three of us. Then past us. The smile faded.

“Gaius?”

Flavia shook her head.