30. Marius

He stood so quickly that his head spun.

The order was here.

His chest tightened, then relaxed, and he let out a sigh. Mother Twilight’s weaving had somehow called the other riders.

“Tahlia already sees the other riders as her family,” Trevain said from where he hovered above Tahlia. “Like Fara and her dragon. And you, of course.”

Marius stared while Fara hurried to Tahlia’s side. Tears silvered her purple cheeks as she took Tahlia’s hand. Trevain bobbed in the air beside Fara while she plucked small yellow flowers and mashed them in her palm. Did Fara have Healer training?

Ragewing lifted his head as the order landed one by one, only some of them fitting into the clearing while the rest maneuvered into the edges of the pines that ringed the area.

“What is happening, High Captain?” Titus was the first to speak, leaping from his dragon to salute Marius.

Marius studied the faces of his fellow knights. All of them had come. Every last one, save Ophelia.

Titus’s mouth was drawn tight and his eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. “We all experienced the same vision.” He truly cared for Tahlia; that much was obvious from the way he kept glancing at her. The two had begun acting like siblings in training and off hours, teasing and checking on one another. Marius approved of the growing bond between them. “We saw Lady Tahlia giving her life for yours when that monster lunged for you.”

“It felt like a summons,” Maiwenn said.

“But who called you?” Marius asked.

“I did.” Tahlia’s voice rang out clear behind Marius.

His heart drummed out of rhythm, and he spun. She smiled at him, supporting herself on her elbows. Warmth flooded his veins. Though she looked like a ghost of herself, she was still herself—achingly beautiful. His lovely, brave, soon-to-be mate. Hope flickered brightly in his chest. She was still sick and cursed, but maybe she could heal from this. Maybe between Trevain’s help and whatever magic Mother Twilight had awoken in Tahlia , she would be saved.

“Lady Fara gave me some flowers and I feel somewhat better.” Tahlia smiled at her squire.

“The curse still threatens her life,” Fara said. “I can’t stop that. But the soleils guérisseurs should slow the decline and give her more time. Albus taught me about the plant.”

The other knights simply stared. There was much to explain about what had passed.

Tahlia beamed. “I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention to your interest in healing, Fara. Lady Fara,” she said, correcting herself and glancing at Marius.

Marius couldn’t fight the broad smile stretching his lips. He couldn’t help but hope… “Thank you, Lady Fara.”

Marius longed to sprint to Tahlia’s side, lift her into his arms, and hide her away from the world. Just for a little while, he wanted her all to himself. To tend her wounds. To learn every bend and curve of her body. To make her laugh, gasp, moan, and sigh. He longed to see her bloom beneath his hands and in his care. She was still terribly pale and hollow-cheeked, but she was awake. Alive. For how long, well, he refused to dwell on that question at the moment.

Keeping a distance from Trevain, the knights swarmed Tahlia.

“Please help me to Lija,” Tahlia said to Fara.

Titus put an arm under Tahlia’s and hefted her up. Fara took up Tahlia’s other arm. They walked the few steps to Lija, then Tahlia settled on the ground and set her cheek against Lija’s folded wing, the uninjured one. Titus put a palm on Tahlia’s head briefly, and she looked up at him and gave him a mischievous grin. He gently bumped the underside of her chin with a knuckle.

Tahlia coughed and took a shuddering breath as she gathered herself, Titus stepping back so Fara could fuss over her.

“I called you with this woven magic artifact from a goddess in the Kingdom of Spirits,” Tahlia said.

Most of the knights blinked in surprise.

Light cut across Enora’s freckled face as she took a poultice from her bag and held it to Fara. “A goddess gave you a gift?”

Fara took the proffered poultice, studied the bottle, then worked on Lija. The dragon grunted in pain but only glared at Fara—no fire involved.

Ewan took a water skin from his bag and handed it to Tahlia. “What happened to Lija?”

“The monster you saw, it was Katk. He carries a plague too,” Tahlia said.

Morvan’s jet-black eyes studied Tahlia. “And you’re injured? I’m so confused. Somebody explain everything, please.”

“Stay back, just in case,” Tahlia said, waving a shaky hand and nearly touching Claudia’s whipping orange tail.

“I don’t think the curse will touch them,” Trevain said from behind the group.

The knights glanced his way, their faces drawn with wary awe.

Atticus shoved his hair back between his silver horns and turned to face Tahlia. “The curse? What curse?”

Lija was trying to partially cocoon Tahlia. Titus helped by moving a middling-sized boulder out of the way. Marius flexed his hands, wishing he was the one to physically help Tahlia. But he wasn’t sure if his touch would worsen her condition. Plus, he wasn’t sure he could control himself if he had his hands on Tahlia just now. He’d been so lost, so desperate, when she’d given herself for his life. If he touched her again—when he touched her—it would be to claim her in full as his mate and his ultimate joy. There wouldn’t be time for explanations about Katk or Mother Twilight.

“What exactly happened?” Titus asked.

Then Tahlia and Marius told them everything about this unplanned mission in detail. More questions flowed from the knights. Tahlia answered, the tentative happiness in her tired eyes lighting a flicker of hope in Marius’s heart.

Trevain also explained the history of his kingdom.

“And as much as I hate to say it,” Tahlia said in a slightly broken voice, interrupting him when he began regaling everyone with the architectural details of the ruins the varjuline had inhabited, “I truly believe Ophelia cast this curse.”

Maiwenn grunted and chewed the inside of her cheek. “So our new commander woke this plague monster who is set on killing all those with Mistgold blood?”

Her tone wasn’t harsh, only curious, as if she was confirming what she’d been told. Something in the way they’d been called by Mother Twilight’s belt at Tahlia’s waist had changed the way she looked at Tahlia. Somehow Maiwenn and the rest knew of Tahlia’s sacrifice.

“Did something change between us? I mean, I’m glad but…” Tahlia waited for Maiwenn to answer.

“We all felt your sacrifice. Whatever you did,” Maiwenn said, her gaze flicking from Marius to Tahlia, “I’m not sure what happened, but we definitely felt it.”

“The sacrifice and the Call of the Weaver,” Trevain said. “Our goddess, Mother Twilight, gave Lady Tahlia a belt of our people’s magic. She woke its power by giving all to another. The weaving sent a beacon to those she trusts with her life.”

Atticus and Claudia exchanged a sheepish grin, then looked to Tahlia with respect shining in their eyes. Maiwenn nodded at Tahlia, crossing her arms and smiling. Titus knocked his head gently against the side of Tahlia’s. He was becoming more dragon than Fae, Marius thought, silently chuckling.

I agree,Ragewing said into Marius’s mind.

Marius laughed out loud then. I’ll have to tell him so.

Tahlia reached for Fara, who helped her up. “I think I can ride. Can we move now?

Fara clucked like an old hen. “You shouldn’t be going anywhere. You look like death.”

“Katk isn’t going to wait and I refuse to be left here.”

Titus nodded at Tahlia, then eyed Marius. Marius gave a nod.

“We ride now,” Marius said. “Lady Tahlia, you will be tied to Titus’s saddle. He will hold you fast. I trust him.” He looked to Fara. “Squire, you’ll be with me. Ragewing will carry Lija for the first leg, and then, Sir Atticus and Revel, you will carry her the next.” Atticus’s Heartsworn was nearly as large as Ragewing.

“Aye, High Captain,” Tahlia said, her eyes full of a fevered desperation.

Marius swallowed, wishing there was time to pray to every Old One he’d ever heard of. She was still worried she was going to die. So was he.

“Aye, High Captain,” the other knights echoed.

Marius barked more orders, falling into the comfort of routine and familiar activities. He gave Ragewing a healthy serving of dragonbread and made certain Lija had the same treatment.

“Before we take off, if you see any plants with blood-red leaves, pluck them and eat them. Once the leaves are in your stomach, you’ll be able to communicate with your dragons through your mind.”

Claudia rubbed her orange forehead. “I can’t take any more wild revelations.”

The rest of the knights had gone silent, their dragons turning their attention to Marius.

“It’s true,” Tahlia said, her voice sounding weak again. “I can hear Lija in my head.”

“Lija?” Brutus pursed his purple lips and fisted his hands, which Marius knew was a sign that the warrior was losing patience and more than ready to take action.

“Her name is Vodolija. Lija is a nickname,” Tahlia said.

Then she crumpled to the ground. Marius went cold and hot all at once, his feet moving before he could order himself to keep his distance. He stopped short, Fara’s hand suddenly on his chest.

Titus was helping Tahlia up.

“We’ve got her, High Captain,” Fara said.

Gritting his teeth, he nodded. “Let’s ride. We are running out of time to try to break this curse.”

Everyone mounted—Fara with Marius, Tahlia with Titus—and they were off in moments.

“How do we set things right?” Titus called out in his Mistgold voice.

The wind tore at Marius’s knotted hair and blew Fara’s scent across his face. She was seated in front of him, murmuring ridiculous phrases to Ragewing.

“And if you don’t eat me, I’ll steal anything you want from the kitchens. You look like a guy who enjoys chocolate.”

Ragewing grunted loudly and increased speed to fly beside Titus and his Spikeback, Ptol.

“We trap Katk with fire and bring him to Ophelia,” Marius said to Titus, using his Mistgold voice.

It felt so wrong to address another rider as simply their name. Especially one who had been deemed their commander. But he shoved that urge to be the disciplined knight away. Ophelia didn’t deserve a title. She deserved death.

“If the monster touches you, you will eventually be drained of all your life energy,” Marius called out. “Keep your distance and only use flame, short spear, and arrow to fight.”

Ewan’s Spikeback, Angus, flew just behind Titus and Ptol. Ewan had a short spear and three more tucked under his leg for easy reach. Atticus, Enora, and Ewan would have their bows at the ready.

“To your units!” Marius called.

The knights and their dragons joined their units and flew in the standard pointed formation for a long flight when speed was paramount.

If you see anything you believe is a sign of Katk, please tell me. Nothing is too small, Marius said silently to Ragewing.

How about we check that valley to the south? If I were a lumbering giant, I’d choose the lowlands over these spiking mountains.

Let’s give it a go.Marius held up a hand and directed the order toward said valley.

Ragewing led the three units over a pale limestone outcropping. Farms ripe with spring plantings of onions, cabbages, and the first shoots of root vegetables spread below like a painting of a peaceful life Marius would never know. Not that he longed to be a farmer, but the idea of working alongside others without the interruption of dark magic was certainly a draw.

“She’ll be all right,” Fara said, twisting to speak to him over her shoulder.

“I don’t know. I…”

“Ah. You still can’t speak of the curse and what you know.”

“No.”

Fara’s hair fluttered in the wind as she looked toward Titus. Tahlia was lashed to him and Ptol’s saddle. It would be difficult for Titus to fire arrows in his position. Once Ptol was out of fire, Titus would need to fall back. Perhaps serving as a distraction, out of reach of Katk, but still helpful. Marius tucked that strategy away for later use.

As if looking her way had shaken her awake, Tahlia opened her eyes.

Marius took a deep breath.

“If you scowl at her like that, she’s going to pass out again,” Fara said.

“If my glares affected her in any way, she’d have given up on me the first day we met.”

Fara laughed. “Still. Smile at your lady, High Captain. She probably needs some reassurance. It can’t be fun shaking hands with Death every hour or so.”

A shudder raked through Marius. “I’d rather you not joke about her condition.”

“It’s that or scream and cry. You pick.”

“Fine. Jokes, it is.”

There!Ragewing veered in a southwest direction, taking the units with him.

Katk stormed through a boggy area, dark water splashing up around his knees and gnarled trees breaking like tall grass around him.

Good spot, friend.

Marius gave orders for the units to surround him. “Once he is contained, we escort him as quickly as possible back to the castle.”

“High Captain!” Titus waved a hand.

Tahlia was awake, upright, and her mouth was moving, but the wind and Katk’s roars tried to cloak her words.

Titus took over for her and shouted, “She’s saying there’s no way our dragons’ fire will last long enough to return to Dragon Tail, to the castle! She wants us to fly back and grab Ophelia.”

“Absolutely not,” Marius said. “You’re sick, Lady Tahlia.” A thought haunted him, far more frightening than any ghost or shadowling—she was not merely ill. She was dying. “Not possible!”

“I will murder you if you let her do this,” Fara said, a promise in her voice that worried Marius even though she was but a squire.

“I wouldn’t blame you,” he said.

Then there was no more time for discussion because they were within Katk’s extended reach. The dragons encircled Katk.

This had to work or all of them were dead and the order would be no more.

“Unit one blast!” Marius called out.