The Night Bird lc-5 Read online

  “She sings, too, Markus said. “She has a gorgeous voice.

  “Really? Ardoz said. “Youre fortunate.

  Markus stretched indolently. “Maybe you would all enjoy a song, eh?

  As the others murmured their agreement, Allegra went cold. Surely he wouldnt ask her to go over there. They were all turning toward her, so she closed her eyes all the way. Fabric rustled as someone stood, followed by the tread of boots crossing the tent.

  The footsteps stopped. “Allegra?

  She sighed and stirred, opening her eyes. Markus was crouched in front of her, blocking her view of his officers.

  He kissed her languidly. “Wake up. He put his hand on her waist, and his thumb stroked the underside of her breast.

  Allegra decided she had better “wake up before he started pawing her in front of his military advisors. “Are they gone? she asked. Wishful thinking, but it was worth a try. Maybe he would send them away.

  “Still here, he murmured. “We want you to sing for us. Come to the table.

  “Markus, I dont want to. She meant to sound firm, but the words came out frightened.

  “Come. Sing. He silently mouthed, Put them to sleep.

  What the blazes? She sat up in the pillows. As she rubbed her stiff shoulder, she gave him a questioning look.

  In a voice so low, she barely heard, he said, “Come, my night bird. If they are sleeping, they cant harm you.

  For saints sake. He wanted her to do a spell. Whatever for? She almost said no, but then she changed her mind. If she put his officers, his guardsand himto sleep, she could sneak out of the tent, assuming she didnt knock herself out, as well.

  Markus stood up and offered his hand. As she took it, she felt the sword calluses on his palm exactly like in her dream. A shiver went through her, and this time it didnt come from fear.

  He drew her to the table, and the men watched her with appraising stares that among her people would have been considered extraordinarily rude. She wanted to cover herself with her hands, but Markus had her arm in his large grip.

  “Here. He set her at the table between his and Yargazons places, by a pole that supported the tent. The men sat drinking their wine, seeming relaxed in their cushions, but with an ingrained tension that she doubted they ever lost.

  Markus went to a chest across the tent and removed something that glittered. Straightening, he detached a small piece from it, then turned and showed it to her. Squinting, Allegra realized he had a key. He closed the chest and set the key on its top. Then he came back, holding the larger object. No, two objects, bracelets it looked like. As he drew nearer, she blanched. Those werent bracelets, they were gold shackles joined by a gold chain. Rubies, diamonds, topazes and onyx glinted in the metal.

  As Markus knelt next to Allegra, she drew back. “What are you doing? she asked, frightened.

  “Just making sure you dont fly off, he murmured. He lifted her hand. She strained to pull it away, but he clicked a manacle around her wrist. The metal felt cold on her skin. He wrapped the chain around the pole and closed the other manacle around the chain.

  I cant do this. She was surrounded by warlords in a culture that obviously valued their ferocity, height and physical power far more than any kindness. She feared if they sensed her apprehension, she would seem like prey to them.

  Exactly why Markus wanted her to knock out his advisors was another question altogether. Convoluted tangles of power swirled here. If she put them to sleep, including Markus, she would be trapped without the key to the manacles. But maybe she could figure out a way to free herself. However slim her odds for escape, they werent zero.

  Markus had picked up the compass, and now he handed it to her. He took his goblet off the table then and settled next to her in the pillows.

  “Sing, beautiful songbird, he said, raising his goblet. Had they been alone, his sensual expression might have aroused her. But the calculating stares of his military advisors were frightening. She didnt know what they intended.

  Allegra stared at the compass in her lap so she wouldnt have to see their harsh faces. She chose the lilt that had put Markus to sleep last night. As she sang, she focused on the compass and poured out a comfort spellsoft, sweet, soothing. Although she wanted her voice to carry to the guards outside, she had to be careful. If she sang too loudly, Markus would know why and the others might wonder. She couldnt risk their suspicion.

  Allegra soared into the high notes, caressing them with her voice, and wove a green spell. It came more easily this time, swirling their moods around her. Sleepy. They all were, even Markus. Good.

  She caught wisps of thoughts, nothing concrete, emotions more than words. They liked her singing, Ardoz and Markus especially. In fact, Markus loved it. Yargazon was impatient to reach some place, she wasnt certain where, and his mood dominated. He wanted to fight. Go to war. So did the others. A restless anger drove them, prodded by their smoldering resentment of Cobalt, the hated emperor who had stolen their country and their lives.

  Sensuality overlaid their moods, woven into the aggression, especially with Yargazon and Bladebreak. The pairing of violence and arousal disturbed Allegra. They associated warfare with sexual desire and believed taking a woman increased their power as warriors. It terrified her, especially given her vulnerability.

  Markuss responses were much healthier, rich and sensual, robust. To her surprise, he felt a great deal of tenderness toward her, which he strove to hide, thinking it would be perceived as weakness. He had been deeply lonely, but she was changing all that for him. In different circumstances, knowing he desired her so much would have pleased her.

  She recoiled from Yargazon. He wanted her as much as Markus, and having her shackled next to him heightened that desire. But his lust smothered. He wanted to hurt her, to hear her cry. He didnt see her as human. In his eyes, she was incapable of true emotion, a temptress who deliberately weakened men. He found her exotically beautiful and voluptuous, unbearably so, and that translated into a need to punish her. Overriding it all was his fury at her defiance. He admired Markus, considered him a good leader and regent, a man worthy of respect. He felt fatherly toward the prince. He knew the honor Markus had given him with the auction, and he wanted Allegra to suffer for the insult she had done Markus, for her resistance, just for being herself. He would conquer her as he conquered on the battlefield, laying waste to both.

  Bile rose in Allegras throat. How could he hate her so much? She withdrew her concentration, shutting him out of her spell. As his mood receded, the others became clearer.

  Ardoz surprised her. Although he considered her pretty, his response had more kindness to it than desire. The bloodlust for war burned within him even more than in Yargazon, but it had no sexual component. To him, Allegra represented softness, the reward after the battle, the place where a battered warrior laid his head. When she realized where else he wanted to lie, she blushed. What would Markus do if he realized his military advisor found him more attractive than his pleasure girl? She caught images from Ardoz, fantasiesmemories?where he held a younger Markus. It bewildered her, and she almost stumbled in the song.

  Colonel Bladebreak was a different story. His interest in her had a hard edge, aggression intermingled with lust. With dismay, she realized he assumed Markus brought her to the table because he meant to share her with them. Bladebreak expected her to fight when he took her, and the bastard looked forward to it. His response so distressed her, she lost her place in the song.

  Distraction rippled from the men as she stuttered. She jumped back into the lilt, determined to knock them out before anyone hurt her. Even without a spell, she knew Markus would never consent to let them touch her. So why flaunt her? For status, obviously. It established his rank in some subtle male hierarchy. But he walked too close to the edge. Jazid men might dress their women in almost nothing for their pleasure, but in public the women wore robes. The bright colors identified their sex, with the associated status it gave their men, but covering them up decreased the
chance of an assault or kidnapping. Markus wanted it both ways, to show her off and to keep her only for himself. He had the power and bodyguards to protect her, but he was taking a risk. He had better know what he was doing, because she would pay the price if he lost control of the situation.

  Reaching beyond the tent with her spell, she touched the minds of soldiers, distant and vague. She focused on them even as she redoubled her efforts with the officers here. Markus fought, but his resistance softened as his starved need for sleep caught up with him. His mood grew more diffuse, saturated with drowsy contentment.

  A loud snore broke into her song. Startled, she looked up. Ardoz and Bladebreak were sprawled in their pillows, fast asleep. Yargazon had collapsed on his side and dropped his wine goblet. A red stain was spreading on the blue and violet carpet. Markus lay on his back, his chest rising and falling with the even rhythm of sleep. His eyes twitched under his lids as if he were dreaming.

  “General Yargazon? she asked. “Would you like more wine? If he were the least bit awake, that ought to provoke him.

  No response.

  “Colonel Bladebreak? she asked. “General Ardoz?

  Bladebreak snored, and Ardoz didnt budge.

  Saints above. It had worked. It was fortunate, because she couldnt have maintained the spell much longer without falling asleep herself. The effort had strained the limits of what she knew how to do with her gifts. Before her kidnapping, she hadnt even thought she could do green spells. She felt drained, ravenous and sleepy.

  Allegra twisted the shackle on her wrist and tugged the chain around the pole. The metal felt too hard to be pure gold. She couldnt bend the manacle, nor could she do anything with the pole; to support such a large tent, it needed to be sturdy, and they had driven it deep into the ground.

  Markus sighed and rubbed his eyes. Sitting up slowly, he smiled at her. “Hmmpretty songbird.

  “Oh. She blinked at him sheepishly, her hands gripped on the chain she had been trying to wrest free.

  “You cant unlock that, he said.

  Allegra flushed and released the chain. “You woke up.

  “Ive spent the last ten years fighting to sleep. Whod have thought I would have to fight to stay awake? He regarded the others with a grin. “Looks like they lost the battle.

  “They were easier than you, she admitted.

  “Thats amazing! You can even knock out experienced officers who should know better.

  “Dont you trust them?

  He leaned toward her. “I dont trust anyone. Especially you. But theyre excellent officers.

  She kept her opinion on that to herself. “So why did you want them to sleep?

  “To see what you could do. He considered her. “What about the guards? You tried with them, too, Ill bet.

  “I dont know, she hedged.

  “Hah. He climbed to his feet. “Ill go check.

  “Markus, wait!

  He turned back. “Eh?

  She tugged at the shackles. “Dont leave me like this!

  His eyes took on a bedroom look that had nothing to do with sleep. Although he didnt have Yargazons or Bladebreaks hard edge, she needed no spell to realize that seeing her chained excited him.

  “Ill come back, he murmured.

  “Your men might wake up, she said, trying not to panic. “They would find me alone here, without you.

  His smile faded. “No, that wouldnt be good. He strode across the tent and took the key off the chest. He came back and released her, then tossed the shackles on the table. “Come on. He grabbed her hand. “Lets go visit my guards.

  She stumbled along with him as he strode across the tent. “Slow down.

  He moderated his pace. “I keep forgetting your legs arent as long as mine. He sounded immensely pleased with himself.

  Outside, the moon glowed with a red tinge from dust in the air. The man who guarded the entrance was lying on the ground. Snoring.

  “Hah! Markus toed his bodyguards arm, which was flung across the ground. “Izad. Wake up!

  The man grunted.

  Markus pushed Izads shoulder with his boot, rolling him onto his back. “What kind of protection is this, eh? An assassin could have slipped into my tent and knifed me between the ribs.

  “What? The guard peered blearily up at Markus. Then comprehension dawned on his face. “Your Highness! He scrambled to his feet, clumsy with sleep. “Sir! IIGods almighty. Even in the dim light, it was easy to see his face had gone deathly pale.

  “Why were you sleeping, Izad? Markus asked mildly.

  “Sire! It wont happen again!

  “Yes, I know. But why did you go to sleep?

  “I dontIts never happened before. Izad seemed as bewildered by Markuss calm response as by finding himself snoring on duty. “I dont know.

  Markus nodded. “Carry on. He took Allegras arm and headed around the tent.

  Allegra glanced over her shoulder at Izad. He was staring after them with his mouth open.

  “That was astonishing, Markus said. “He had no idea why he fell asleep.

  “He was terrified of what you would do to him.

  He snorted. “If he really had fallen asleep on duty, he would have been endangering the person of the prince regent. Thats an executable offense.

  “Is that why you threatened me with execution over the wine? she asked tartly. “Because I endangered your exalted person with my fierce, bellicose behavior?

  His laugh rumbled. “Ah, well. If all dangers were so lovely, Id die a happy man. When Allegra glowered at him, he grinned.

  “Youre not going to tell Izad what happened, are you? she said.

  “I doubt it. The fewer people who know what you can do, the better weapon you make.

  “Im not a weapon, she said, exasperated. “And for saints sake, Markus, your military advisors are going to wonder why they passed out in your tent.

  “Why? It wouldnt be the first time we drank too much and fell asleep. He laughed with satisfaction. “This is incredible. Think what I could do.

  “ You dont make the spells.

  “Youre dangerous, you know, knocking out my bodyguards. He thought for a moment. “I need to figure out how Ill stop you from doing spells when I dont want them to happen.

  Great. Just great. Saints only knew what he would think of.

  They found two more of his guards asleep. Only the one on the far side of the tent was awake. Markus admonished the others enough so his reaction was less out of kilter with their expectations. As punishment, he ordered them to muck out the horse stalls. The confused guards asked which stalls he meant, given that the company had none, but Markus was already moving on, and he just waved. Allegra wondered what they would think when they realized they had all fallen asleep at the same time.

  Markus returned to the entrance and peered inside. With a soft laugh, he said, “Look, and lifted the flap. Yargazon, Ardoz and Bladebreak were still fast asleep, sprawled on their cushions. With a grin, he dropped the flap.

  “Izad. Markus beckoned to the guard. “Get the others. Were going for a walk.

  As Izad went for the other bodyguards, Allegra shivered, her arms folded. The nights cold seeped into her bones. “Im cold. I should get a

  “No. He caught her as she started into the tent. “Youll wake our sleeping beauties.

  “Saints, Markus. She couldnt stop her shivering. “Cant you be considerate?

  “What, its inconsiderate to let them sleep?

  She was too cold, hungry and tired to deal with him. “If you cant see the problem, I give up.

  His expression tightened. “I must be too stupid, eh? After all, I amwhat was it? A tyrannical despot who inflicts brutal punishments and terrorizes girls half my weight and age, a man sorely limited in intelligence, unbearably rude, illegitimate and with bad hygiene. Oh, I almost forgot. A pig, too. The dragon only knows how you can stand to inhabit the same world as me.

  Allegra blinked. “You have a good memory. She hadnt thought he listened that closely to what she
said, but apparently he remembered the parts he didnt like.

  He beckoned to someone behind her. Turning, she saw his four guards waiting far enough back so they werent intruding.

  Izad came over to Markus and saluted. “Yes, Sire?

  “Assign four men to guard this tent. Then meet me at the Anvil. He glanced at Allegra, then back at the guard. “And bring me one of those ocelot blankets.

  “Right away, Sire.

  Markus nodded to him, then grasped Allegras arm and headed off, striding through the camp. The other three guards came with them, one on either side and one behind, all easily matching the prince regents stride. Allegra had to run to keep up. The soft soles of her fur boots offered little protection against the rocks stabbing her feet. She tried to slow down, but Markus kept up his pace and wouldnt let go of her arm. By the time they left the camp, a stitch burned in her side. She stumbled on the stony ground and pitched forward.

  Markus barely caught her before she fell. “Careful there!

  She braced her hands on his arm while she gulped in air. The company had camped in a basin deep in the foothills of the Fractured Mountains. Here on the rim of the basin, columns jutted up, and shadows lurked among them, dark spaces like holes that could swallow a person into some inky hell.

  Markus shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Are you ready?

  “No, she said, knowing it wouldnt matter. Her attempts to be so disagreeable that he would want nothing more to do with her had so far failed miserably.

  “Come. He took her arm and started off at the same pace.

  “No! She braced her feet, really digging in this time, and refused to go. “I cant go that fast!

  He stood next to her. “That was fast?

  “Yes. She tried to pry his fingers off her arm. “Youre hurting me. She was going to have another bruise tomorrow.

  He seemed ready to snap with tension, but he did release her. Maybe it wasnt tension as much as his inability to stay still. He was always restless, always moving, never able to concentrate for long. That combined with his sharp intelligence reminded her of a boy she had once taught. The fellow could never sit; he had to be up and about. He hated being indoors, particularly in confined places. He had a sweet nature, charming and funny, and she had soon realized he genuinely had a hard time controlling his hyperactive need to move. Although he had outgrown it a bit as he matured, he would always be that way to some extent. Markus seemed a lot like him.