Honor-Bound [ Lore of Penrua: Book... - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Padréc did not return the next day.
Nor did he return the second.
Uachi was growing restless. A man would not make much progress toward Aólane in a day—but Padréc had not been a man when he'd left Eldran's keep.
As the second day wound into the third, Uachi knew something had gone wrong, knew it in his bones. He could not wait around forever. Ealin was surely gaining on them; if they let her get too far, she might make it to the archmage before they could catch up with her. The thought of what might happen to Uarria if she came into Jaeron's grasp nearly drove Uachi mad.
The third morning, Uachi was woken early by the sound of a gentle knock at the door. He'd barely slept; he had been traveling for a while and had grown used to getting what rest he could while sleeping in strange places, but being beneath the roof of House Eldran, where even certain members of the family seemed to be at each other's throats, Uachi had been ill-at-ease.
He slid his hand beneath his pillow, taking his dagger by the hilt before getting out of bed. He'd slept in his clothes. Alert for any movement in the chamber he had been given, he made his way to the door and spoke through it. "Who is it?"
"It's Diarmán, you bloody fool, who else?" came a whisper through the door. "Were you expecting a pretty maidservant to warm your bed?"
Opening the door, Uachi scowled at Diarmán, who stood in the shadows of the hallway in a rumpled tunic. His hair was loose and unbrushed. "What are you doing here?"
"Padréc is back," Diarmán said. He sounded angry. "Or have you lost interest in his quest?"
Uachi stepped into the hallway, sheathing his dagger. Diarmán turned to lead him down the hall toward another bedchamber. The entire way was cloaked in shadows, and the house was unnaturally silent, even considering the hour.
Diarmán nudged open the door to a darkened bedchamber. Inside, a young man was sitting in a chair, his shoulders slumped and his head hanging down. Uachi waited as Diarmán lit a lamp. Then, the two of them approached Padréc, Diarmán carrying the light. He set it on the mantel of the fireplace, cursing beneath his breath. "You damned fool!"
Padréc lifted his head at last. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, stark against the pale skin of his face. "Just a scratch," he said, looking down at his arm. He was shirtless, and there was an ugly slash along his bicep. It was far more than a scratch. "I couldn't fly all the way...'swhy it took me so bloody long."
"What happened?"
But Padréc ignored Diarmán, turning to Uachi instead. "She's safe, more or less. Both of them are."
Uachi breathed a sigh of relief. He had not realized he'd been holding his breath. "Where are they? And what do you mean, 'more or less?'"
"The River Mairze. They sheltered in a stand of weeping willows near a branch of the river. There were men with them. Two of them."
"What?" The blood drained from Uachi's face.
"I think they were friendly to the woman. They seemed to be soldiers."
In that instant, Uachi recalled that two Starborn guardsmen had disappeared from the palace on the night of Ealin's flight. It had seemed obvious that they'd been involved; it should have been obvious that they might travel with her. Perhaps it meant she was an accomplice, willing or unwilling, in a grander scheme. Perhaps she was innocent, or less guilty than she'd seemed.
Padréc continued. "I was stupid—wanted a closer look at the girl, to see how she fared, and they took me for a threat." He tipped his head toward his wounded arm. "Things moved so quickly, I'm not sure how it happened. I defended myself, the woman let loose some kind of blood-weapon—"
"Gods below, you're lucky you weren't killed!" Diarmán snapped.
"Well, I wasn't. She killed one of her companions instead." Padréc pressed his lips together, white-faced. "The other one went mad. He attacked her. The woman. I had to..." He shook his head, raking a hand back through his hair, and stared down at the floor.
"Had to what?" Uachi wanted to shake him. "Had to what?"
"She's hurt. I don't think badly, but I couldn't tell. I had to keep him from killing the woman. I threw him over the embankment into the river. Both of us. I'd bet my best bird that he's drowned."
"How did you survive?" Diarmán's hands were fists. "Mother noticed you gone. If you hadn't come back—"
Padréc gave Diarmán a pointed look. He raised a hand, and in the light of the lamp, his hand gleamed silver. Scales. Diarmán deflated, sinking into a chair.
"You said she was hurt," Uachi said. "How badly was she hurt?"
"I just said I couldn't tell," Padréc snapped. "She was firing magic spears at me, I wasn't about to go back and dress her wounds for her!"
Uachi clenched his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. Diarmán threw him a furious look and opened his mouth, but before he could cut in, Uachi bulled ahead. "Okay, so she's at the River Mairze now. How far is that from Aólane? Were there horses?"
"Not that I saw."
"That's impossible. They can't have come this far afoot," said Uachi. Even as he spoke, he realized that they could have. Ealin's blood might have brought them part of the way. And if she or her companions had had bloodstones... "They're traveling by the blood. They must be."
"It's a turning of the moon from Aólane at least, unmounted."
"Can we catch up to them, Diarmán?" Uachi turned to look at the elder brother, his heart pounding in his chest. "We need to move quickly. If they can travel by the blood, we will never catch them." He pulled at the threads of Padréc's story. There had been two men with Ealin and Uarria. Now, they were half the number—fewer bodies to carry if traveling by the blood. If Ealin's companions had been Starborn men, as Uachi now suspected, they could not have added any power to speed the journey, but now, Ealin would be less burdened. If she had bloodstones...if she had the fortitude to withstand the journey...
"I've no intention of wasting time," Diarmán replied, his tone crisp. "It's a simple matter to organize and ride out in the morning."
"You're really going to talk to the High Queen?" Padréc asked, eying his brother with an inscrutable expression. "I wish you wouldn't go alone."
"What, are you coming with me? Or should I ask Grandfather?" Diarmán gave his brother a bitter smirk.
"Ask Leán. He's as eager as you are to see things put in order. He'll be glad to cut her down."
"I won't be doing any cutting. I do value my head—it's my most attractive feature, at least when I've got clothes on." The bitter smirk shifted into a playful smile. "But I'm not quite so attached to my tongue, at least not enough that I'll hold back from speaking my mind."
"You should have someone with you."
"He will." Uachi looked between the brothers. He needed Diarmán's horses; he needed his knowledge of the geography of Narr. "Diarmán has done me a great service, helping me along my quest. After I have my wife and my daughter, I'll accompany him."
Padréc searched Uachi's face, and his gaze flicked down to the dagger at his belt. Uachi was not a proud man, but he was self-assured. He looked like he could hold his own, and he knew it.
After a moment's consideration, Padréc seemed to soften. "Fine. Please don't leave him alone in that place. I don't know how much he's told you, but..."
"We aren't popular." Diarmán had folded his arms. He, too, was taking Uachi's measure. He hadn't expected this offer of companionship, that much was clear, but he did not seem inclined to reject it, either.
Padréc drew a breath. When he let it out, it turned into a yawn.
"Go to sleep, Brother," said Diarmán. "You've had a long journey, and you have your work cut out for you inventing an explanation for that wound. Mother will be upset enough that we lied about your illness."
Uachi rose and offered Padréc a hand. With a faint smile, the young man took it and shook it, saying, "I hope you catch up to them, Uachi. The loss of their companions...perhaps it will slow them down."
"I'm in your debt." Uachi did not release Padréc's hand immediately. He took in the sight of that nasty cut again, and the young man's appearance: travel-worn and exhausted. "My apologies for being..."
"I understand, Uachi. You are in haste. Just keep Diarmán safe with those great muscles of yours and we'll consider it even," Padréc said.
Diarmán and Uachi made their way out into the hallway, leaving Padréc to his rest.
"So, you're coming with me," Diarmán said, a statement rather than a question. "I must say, I didn't expect that."
"I won't do anything to put her at risk." As he said this, Uachi thought of Uarria. As soon as he'd spoken, though, he thought of Ealin, and he wondered which one he meant. "If we can find a safe place for them...I owe you, Diarmán, even if it means I'm to stand at your shoulder during your politicking."