Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire #1)

“Konniger?” she said, seeing him among the men coming at them.

“Surprised to see me?” the chieftain asked, trotting into the clearing surrounded by Devon, Riggles, and several of the Nadak men. Konniger’s long hair, usually tied back, was left to fly free. Persephone had known him for years, but in the dark of the forest he looked like someone else. Konniger held his spear, and on his arm he wore his big wooden shield, the one with the dented copper-boss star reinforcing the center.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to help.”

“He’s not,” Hegner said, stepping into the moonlight. He was wrapped in his leigh mor, a spear in his left hand. The group must have run most of the way to catch up to them, and there was a sheen of sweat on his face. All of them were breathing hard. Hegner shifted away from Konniger and the others, holding his spear tightly. “He’s here to kill you.”

“What?”

“Oh, Stump, this is a bad time to change sides,” Konniger said, looking at Hegner with a disgusted, pitying shake of his head.

“What’s going on?” Persephone asked.

“Konniger has been telling everyone you’re in league with the Fhrey,” Hegner explained between deep inhalations. “He said you ordered the burning of Nadak and Dureya to create a crisis that would justify the election of a keenig and would steal power from him and the other clan chieftains.”

“That’s insane!”

“He’s also claimed you arranged the death of your husband—ordered the men in the hunting party to kill Reglan and blame it on the bear.”

“That doesn’t even make sense. You were there, Hegner. You fought the bear. It took your hand!”

Hegner shook his head. “No. It didn’t.”

Persephone blinked. Maybe she hadn’t heard right. “What?”

“Your husband fought well, Persephone.” Hegner raised his stump. “But he couldn’t win against all of us.”

She stared at Hegner as overhead the breeze tossed the leaves about and patches of moonlight shifted.

In the hanging silence, Hegner continued, “Konniger was also the one who sent me, Sackett, and Adler to kill you. Been waiting for a second chance for you to have an accident, but you haven’t left the dahl, and it’s too risky killing you inside the walls. That’s why he told you about Suri and Maeve. He hoped you would follow them so you, too, could be killed by the bear.”

“What’s with the moonlight confession?” Raithe asked, slowly passing Persephone her spear, which she took with unsure hands.

“Adler, Sackett, Krier, Holliman…they’re all dead.”

“So?”

“They’re also the ones who helped kill Reglan.” Hegner spat at Konniger. “Krier wasn’t killed by no bear. Did you really think I’d believe that? It’s only a matter of time until I have my own run-in with The Brown.”

“So you’re not as stupid as you look,” Konniger said. He took a long drink, lowered the skin, and wiped his mouth. Then he shook his head. “Well, no. I take that back. Would have been smarter to just run off. You would have lived.”

“I’ll help you fight,” Hegner told Persephone. “And when we get back to the dahl, I can testify for you and explain what happened. I’ll tell everyone how Konniger betrayed Reglan. That it wasn’t you who ordered his death. In return, you just need to pardon me for my role in all of this.”

Help you fight. Persephone squeezed Math’s spear in both hands. We have to fight? There are so many of them. I’m going to die here, right here, right now—Raithe and Malcolm, too.

She considered pleading. She knew most of these men, some of them since they were children. Maybe if I explained Konniger was lying…but that wouldn’t work. Konniger probably promised them the best lands, the best homes, and the women of their choice. That had to be why Moya was betrothed to Hegner. She was a reward.

“So that’s your grand plan, is it, Stump?” Konniger laughed. “Not a very good one.” He tossed the waterskin back to Riggles then without warning lunged at Hegner with the edge of his shield.

Hegner blocked with his spear, creating a hollow thud when the haft met the board. He also created a wide opening. The chieftain of Dahl Rhen took advantage of it and thrust the stone point of his spear up under Hegner’s rib cage.

Persephone watched in horror as Konniger jerked and twisted. Blood ran down the spear’s shaft, soaking Hegner’s leigh mor. The Stump managed to remain standing for several seconds as if his body were too confused to realize he was dead. It caught on soon enough, and he fell among the ferns. With desperate, watering eyes, he looked first at Persephone and then at Konniger. He gasped, convulsed, spit blood, and then lay still.

Konniger looked down at him. “You’ve always been a disappointment, Stump. But you were right about one thing. That bear was bound to kill you, too.”

—

Suri and Maeve sat in the rear of the cave, their backs against the wall. The sun had set hours earlier, but the full moon managed to illuminate the cavern with a patch of pale light that moved from right to left.

“I want to thank you for this, Suri.” Maeve sat on her knees, leaning forward, watching the entrance with wide eyes. “You can’t know what this means to me. I’ve been cursed for so long. I believed the gods hated me, that I was being punished. I didn’t care. I deserved it, but for them to punish my daughter, my little girl, who was innocent…”

Maeve wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “How could they do this to her? I blame myself, of course. I shouldn’t have come back. I should have stayed away. Most important of all, when I found out what Konniger was planning to do, I should have grabbed a sack of food and run away to Menahan. Maybe that’s what Mari wanted. Maybe it’s why she cursed us, because I was a coward. I let them take my child and leave her in the forest. I’m not a coward anymore. You’ve given me hope for the first time in years.” She reached out, took Suri’s hand, and squeezed. “Thank you so much for this. I know I can die now. I know I’ll be forgiven if I can just see her face again. All I want is to know she’s all right, that she’s free and safe.”

Suri didn’t feel this was the best time to mention that she hadn’t cast out a morvyn before. Not that it should matter. Tura had trained her well. Her mentor had explained about good-luck charms, crimbal rings, and the effect of salt on the unnatural. Loud noises scared demons, as did metal. The knowledge about metal was neither here nor there since she didn’t have any. But still, it was a good thing to know.

Tura had explained how sleeping near a spider’s web could catch nightmares and that knots prevented people from finding common ground. If you see people having an argument over nothing, look for a knot in their hair or clothes, Tura had said. Untie it and the disagreements will vanish.

The old mystic had taught Suri how mistletoe bracelets helped in healing and the importance of smoothing away an impression left in a bed after sleeping. If you didn’t, a witch could use it to cast a curse on you. Tura had known everything, but Suri lacked firsthand experience. As she and Maeve waited, she wondered if she might be a little overconfident.

When they had set out, Suri had been certain it would work…practically certain…mostly certain. The longer she sat, the less certain she became. Tura had trained her, but Tura also said never enter Grin’s cave. Perhaps the old mystic knew that Grin was a morvyn and that Suri wasn’t strong enough to fight it.

Maeve interrupted her thoughts. “I feel like such a fool for taking so long, but I’d like to offer my condolences for the passing of Tura. So much has happened in the last few weeks that, well…I should have said something before now. Your mother was a wise woman.”

“Tura wasn’t my mother.”

“Oh? But I thought…” Maeve looked puzzled.