Prayer of the Handmaiden by Merry Shannon

Author:Merry Shannon [Shannon, Merry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2015-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Kade gawked open-mouthed at the crowd of veiled women gathered at the city gates. The four high priestesses appeared to have brought the entire residency of their respective temples; there had to be at least two hundred priestesses barring her path to the gates, about half of whom were mounted on horseback. She recognized Lyris among them, with Myka on foot at her side. Myka was still refusing to speak to Kade after Kade’s brusque dismissal the previous morning, but nonetheless she was there, with a short sword clanking at her side and the hilt of her knife peeking from her boot cuff.

Next to the priestesses stood Captain Talon and about thirty of his remaining guard, those who had been lucky enough to escape the village battle with relatively minor wounds. Among them, she could also see a few jackets of turquoise and brown, which had to be men from the Cibli and Fyn regiments. And beside the shoulder of Talon’s big black mare, Erinda regarded Kade with her arms folded across her chest. A faint breeze tousled the tips of her braids.

“We’re going with you,” she announced.

Kade had no doubt that Erinda had orchestrated this. Of course she had, and Kade cursed herself for not having seen it coming. She should have kept her mouth shut last night, sent Erinda away instead of spilling her fears so recklessly. Erinda had always assumed personal responsibility for solving Kade’s problems. But they weren’t children anymore, and this was no adolescent bully they were dealing with.

Kade had spent most of the night tormented by the same dream she’d had just before the shaa’din ceremony; Ithyris, beautiful and brilliant, reaching out for her with hands stained with Kade’s own blood. Kade understood what it meant. Her life belonged to the Goddess. If Ithyris asked her to die in Her name, Kade would do so without complaint. Thousands of barbarian warriors waited for her on the other side of that wall. Once again, Erinda was assuming the role of her protector, but Kade could not allow it. Not this time.

“No.” Kade’s gaze moved from one person’s face to the next. So many people, and every one would be slaughtered if they set foot outside the city walls. “You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

“We have faith in the Goddess,” one of the high priestesses said. “She has sent you to us, Handmaiden, and it is our privilege to fight Her enemies at your side.”

“But you can’t,” Kade said. “Shaa’ri has scarcely any impact, and the barbarians are somehow masking the darkness that creates celestial fire.” She turned to Lyris. “Tell them, Ostryn. You’ve seen it.”

Lyris dipped her head. “Yes, Handmaiden, I have. But Talon has learned from General Urden that the barbarians may yet be killed. Shaa’ri should be effective if used in the right manner.”

“You gotta cut their heads off!” Myka interjected. When Kade frowned, she seemed to recall their quarrel and clamped her mouth shut with a scowl.

Lyris continued. “It is imperative that Ithyris’s command be carried out, Handmaiden.

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