Valley of Silence
Page 12
“They’ll burn what they don’t need or want,” Cian told her.
“Aye, but it won’t be our hands that light the torch. That will matter. So we believe we know where they are. Do we know how many?”
“He started out with multitudes, but he was lying. He didn’t know,” Cian said. “However much Lilith may use mortals, she wouldn’t count them in her inner circle, or trust any with salient information. They’re food, they’re servants, they’re entertainment.”
“We can look.” Glenna spoke for the first time. “Hoyt and I, now that we have a general area, can do a locator spell. We should be able to get harder data. Some idea of the numbers. We know from Larkin’s trip to the caves and his look at their arsenal they were armed for a thousand or more.”
“We’ll look.” Hoyt laid his hand over Glenna’s. “But what I think Cian isn’t saying is whatever the numbers they have, whatever we have, in the end they’ll have more. Whatever weapons they have will be more. Lilith has had decades, perhaps centuries, to plan this moment. We’ve had months.”
“And still we’ll win.”
Cian lifted a brow at Moira’s statement. “Because you’re good and they’re evil?”
“No, and there’s nothing so simple as that. You yourself are proof of that, for you’re neither like her nor like us, but something else altogether. We’ll win because we’ll be smarter, and we’ll be stronger. And because she has no one like the six of us standing with her.”
She turned from him to his brother. “Hoyt, you are the first of us. You brought us together.”
“Morrigan chose us.”
“She, or fate, selected us,” Moira agreed. “But it was you who began the work. It’s you who believed, who had the power and the strength to forge this circle. So do I believe it. I rule Geall, but I don’t rule this company.”
“Nor do I.”
“No, none of us do. We must be as one, for all our differences. So we look to each other for what we need. I’m far from the strongest warrior here, and my magic is but a shadow. I don’t have Larkin’s skills, nor the steeliness of mind to kill in cold blood. What I have is knowledge and authority, so I offer those.”
“You have more,” Glenna told her. “A great deal more.”
“I will have more, before it’s done. There are things I must do.” She got to her feet. “I’ll return to work on whatever is necessary as soon as I’m able.”
“Pretty royal,” Blair commented after Moira left the room.
“Carrying a lot of weight with it.” Glenna turned to Hoyt. “Agenda?”
“Best to see what we can of the enemy. Then I’m thinking fire. It’s still one of our most formidable weapons, so we should charm more swords.”
“Risky enough to put swords in some of the hands we’re training,” Blair put in. “Much less flaming ones.”
“You’d be right.” Hoyt considered, nodded. “It will be up to us then, won’t it, to decide who’ll be—what is it?—issued that sort of weapon. Good men should be placed in positions as close to Lilith’s base as we can manage. They’d need shelter that’s safe after sunset.”
“It’s barracks you’re meaning. There are cottages and cabins, of course.” Larkin narrowed his eyes in thought. “Other shelters can be built in the daylight hours if need be. There’s an inn as well, between her base and the next settlement.”
“Why don’t we go take a look?” Blair shoved her plate aside. “You and Glenna can look your way, and Larkin and I can do a fly-by. You up for the dragon?”
“I am.” He smiled at her. “Especially when you’re doing the riding.”
“Sex, sex, sex. The guy’s a machine.”
“On that note,” Cian said dryly, “I’m going to bed.”
With a quick squeeze of Glenna’s hand, Hoyt murmured, “A moment,” then followed his brother.
“I need a word with you.”
Cian flicked him a glance. “I’ve had my quota of words this morning.”
“You’ll have to swallow a few more. My rooms are closer, if you would. I’d prefer this private.”
“Since you’d just dog me to my room and pester me until I want to rip your tongue out, your rooms will do.”
Servants bustled on the route between the parlor and bedchambers. Preparations for the feasting, Cian thought, and wondered if it was Hoyt’s talk of fire that put him in mind of Nero and his fiddle.
Hoyt stepped into a chamber, then immediately threw out an arm to block Cian from entering. “The sun,” was all he said, then moved quickly to pull the coverings over the windows.
The room plunged into gloom. Without thinking, Hoyt gestured toward a brace of candles. They flared into light.
“Handy bit of business that,” Cian commented. “I’m out of practice lighting tinderboxes.”
“It’s a basic skill, and one you’d have yourself if you’d ever put your mind and time into honing your power.”
“Too tedious. Is that whiskey?” Cian moved straight to a decanter, and poured. “Oh, such sobriety and disapproval.” He read his brother’s expression clearly as he took the first warm sip. “I’ll remind you that it’s the end of my day—well past it, come to that.”
He glanced around, began to wander. “Smells female. Women like Glenna always leave something of themselves behind to remind a man.” Then he dropped down into a chair, slouching, stretching out his legs. “Now, what is it you’re bound and determined to bore me with?”
“There was a time you enjoyed, even sought my company.”
Cian’s shoulders moved in something too lazy to be called a shrug. “I suppose that means nine hundred years of absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder.”
Regret showed on Hoyt’s face before he turned away to add turf to the fire. “Are you and I to be at odds again?”
“You tell me.”
“I wanted to speak with you alone about what you did with the prisoner.”
“More humanity heard from. Yes, yes, I should have patted his head so he could stand trial, or before the tribunal, whatever goes for the name of justice in this place. I should’ve invoked the sodding Geneva Convention. Well, bollocks.”
“Aye, but it won’t be our hands that light the torch. That will matter. So we believe we know where they are. Do we know how many?”
“He started out with multitudes, but he was lying. He didn’t know,” Cian said. “However much Lilith may use mortals, she wouldn’t count them in her inner circle, or trust any with salient information. They’re food, they’re servants, they’re entertainment.”
“We can look.” Glenna spoke for the first time. “Hoyt and I, now that we have a general area, can do a locator spell. We should be able to get harder data. Some idea of the numbers. We know from Larkin’s trip to the caves and his look at their arsenal they were armed for a thousand or more.”
“We’ll look.” Hoyt laid his hand over Glenna’s. “But what I think Cian isn’t saying is whatever the numbers they have, whatever we have, in the end they’ll have more. Whatever weapons they have will be more. Lilith has had decades, perhaps centuries, to plan this moment. We’ve had months.”
“And still we’ll win.”
Cian lifted a brow at Moira’s statement. “Because you’re good and they’re evil?”
“No, and there’s nothing so simple as that. You yourself are proof of that, for you’re neither like her nor like us, but something else altogether. We’ll win because we’ll be smarter, and we’ll be stronger. And because she has no one like the six of us standing with her.”
She turned from him to his brother. “Hoyt, you are the first of us. You brought us together.”
“Morrigan chose us.”
“She, or fate, selected us,” Moira agreed. “But it was you who began the work. It’s you who believed, who had the power and the strength to forge this circle. So do I believe it. I rule Geall, but I don’t rule this company.”
“Nor do I.”
“No, none of us do. We must be as one, for all our differences. So we look to each other for what we need. I’m far from the strongest warrior here, and my magic is but a shadow. I don’t have Larkin’s skills, nor the steeliness of mind to kill in cold blood. What I have is knowledge and authority, so I offer those.”
“You have more,” Glenna told her. “A great deal more.”
“I will have more, before it’s done. There are things I must do.” She got to her feet. “I’ll return to work on whatever is necessary as soon as I’m able.”
“Pretty royal,” Blair commented after Moira left the room.
“Carrying a lot of weight with it.” Glenna turned to Hoyt. “Agenda?”
“Best to see what we can of the enemy. Then I’m thinking fire. It’s still one of our most formidable weapons, so we should charm more swords.”
“Risky enough to put swords in some of the hands we’re training,” Blair put in. “Much less flaming ones.”
“You’d be right.” Hoyt considered, nodded. “It will be up to us then, won’t it, to decide who’ll be—what is it?—issued that sort of weapon. Good men should be placed in positions as close to Lilith’s base as we can manage. They’d need shelter that’s safe after sunset.”
“It’s barracks you’re meaning. There are cottages and cabins, of course.” Larkin narrowed his eyes in thought. “Other shelters can be built in the daylight hours if need be. There’s an inn as well, between her base and the next settlement.”
“Why don’t we go take a look?” Blair shoved her plate aside. “You and Glenna can look your way, and Larkin and I can do a fly-by. You up for the dragon?”
“I am.” He smiled at her. “Especially when you’re doing the riding.”
“Sex, sex, sex. The guy’s a machine.”
“On that note,” Cian said dryly, “I’m going to bed.”
With a quick squeeze of Glenna’s hand, Hoyt murmured, “A moment,” then followed his brother.
“I need a word with you.”
Cian flicked him a glance. “I’ve had my quota of words this morning.”
“You’ll have to swallow a few more. My rooms are closer, if you would. I’d prefer this private.”
“Since you’d just dog me to my room and pester me until I want to rip your tongue out, your rooms will do.”
Servants bustled on the route between the parlor and bedchambers. Preparations for the feasting, Cian thought, and wondered if it was Hoyt’s talk of fire that put him in mind of Nero and his fiddle.
Hoyt stepped into a chamber, then immediately threw out an arm to block Cian from entering. “The sun,” was all he said, then moved quickly to pull the coverings over the windows.
The room plunged into gloom. Without thinking, Hoyt gestured toward a brace of candles. They flared into light.
“Handy bit of business that,” Cian commented. “I’m out of practice lighting tinderboxes.”
“It’s a basic skill, and one you’d have yourself if you’d ever put your mind and time into honing your power.”
“Too tedious. Is that whiskey?” Cian moved straight to a decanter, and poured. “Oh, such sobriety and disapproval.” He read his brother’s expression clearly as he took the first warm sip. “I’ll remind you that it’s the end of my day—well past it, come to that.”
He glanced around, began to wander. “Smells female. Women like Glenna always leave something of themselves behind to remind a man.” Then he dropped down into a chair, slouching, stretching out his legs. “Now, what is it you’re bound and determined to bore me with?”
“There was a time you enjoyed, even sought my company.”
Cian’s shoulders moved in something too lazy to be called a shrug. “I suppose that means nine hundred years of absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder.”
Regret showed on Hoyt’s face before he turned away to add turf to the fire. “Are you and I to be at odds again?”
“You tell me.”
“I wanted to speak with you alone about what you did with the prisoner.”
“More humanity heard from. Yes, yes, I should have patted his head so he could stand trial, or before the tribunal, whatever goes for the name of justice in this place. I should’ve invoked the sodding Geneva Convention. Well, bollocks.”
