Melanie Rawn - Dragon Star 01 by Stronghold

Author:Stronghold [Stronghold]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-02-15T16:11:32.444000+00:00

Sionell stood with her husband on a wall of their city and squinted into the hazy distance. "Still no sight of them yet. Perhaps we should send out a ship to find them and guide them in."

Tallain shook his head. "They'd panic at any sail. I know I would, in their position."

"You've never panicked in your life—well, except when you held Talya for the first time."

"That wasn't panic. That was the absolute certainty I'd drop her and then you'd flay me alive for—look! Is that them? Those look like Chay's sails."

"At last! Goddess be thanked!"

"Poor Meath is probably half-dead of seasickness. And Chadric must be frantic. I'm glad we have good news about Ludhil."

Sionell caught her breath. "Tallain—I count two ships, not one!"

"Enemy?"

"Silk ship!"

Tallain took her hand and made for the steps. "We'll have to find room for them. They'll be exhausted."

"And hungry and filthy," she added. "We've been ready for days, but we can't take all of them in the castle."

"I'll send Lyela to the guildmaster with a request for housing. She gets along with him—Goddess knows how."

"Lyela gets along with everybody. I'll never believe Kiele was her mother."

They hurried down the wall stairs and across the city square to their residence. Sionell hiked her skirts to her knees, cursing herself for not having worn trousers today instead, and the populace got a view of long, shapely legs and neat ankles.

Horses were dispatched to the cove immediately. Tallain and Sionell followed a short time later to welcome the Dorvali, and were surprised that only a few had chosen to ride. Most were so grateful to feel firm land beneath their feet again that walking, though chancy for the first few steps, was a gift from the Goddess. Meath stumbled along with two burly Tiglathi guards holding him up. He smiled weakly as he caught sight of his hosts, looked vaguely bewildered for a moment, then crumpled to the ground.

"He would try to stand up," Audrite commented, shaking her head. "Just as he would have us continue on by ship when we could have landed anywhere and walked." She embraced Sionell. "I won't ask for news now. And neither will Chadric," she warned in her husband's direction. "It can all wait."

"There's one bit of news that won't," Tallain said. "My Sunrunner found Ludhil and Iliena only yesterday, camped in the mountains near the old faradhi keep, safe and sound."

Sionell was glad that Tallain had seen fit not to mention the rest of it—that most of the people with Ludhil were farmers and villagers, not warriors, and the prince had been about to lead a group on a raid of enemy positions. That news could definitely wait.

As they walked back to Tiglath, Chadric told the tale of their journey. "The wind kept shifting—I swear the Father of Storms is on their side, not ours—and we had a terrible time making headway. When we rounded the north side of the island, we saw four of their ships chasing Master Nemthe." He nodded to the silk merchant, who huddled on horseback muttering complaints.

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