The point skittered down her
chainmail, and she grabbed behind the wrapped joint, shoving the pole back and
forcing him off-balance. Bahnrel swept his staff low and struck the guard at
the knees. Diehlen’s thrust pushed him onto the ground. Without a word, they
ran from the courtyard, dodging through alleys and across stalls until they
were sure there was no pursuit.
Stopping in the shade of a quiet
alley, Diehlen leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Bahnrel shouldered
close and pushed his palm against her shoulder, pinning her against the
white-washed clay bricks. “You lied!” he growled.
She grabbed his arm and pushed
back, swinging away and standing with her hands balled into fists on her hips.
“Never! I have never lied to you.”
“You said you searched for you
own child. Not the Fenzar’s.”
She dropped her gaze for a scant
second, then lifted her chin. “The Fenzar is her father.”
Behnrel stepped back. “But…the
Fenzar brought home his infant by the queen of Gehrlia…”
She said nothing. Stood unflinching.
Behnrel reached forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling back the chainmail he
had never seen her remove. There was no mistaking the royal tattoos that
covered her forearms and continued under the sleeve. He snatched his hand away as
if burned, eyes wide as he started to bend his knee.
Diehlen reached forward and
grabbed his elbow, lifting him up. “I am no queen no more. I am only what I
have told you. When I recover my child, she will return to Gehrlia, and I will
go to serve Sweet Madra.”
Behnrel stared again. “You will
not return? Not keep her with you?”
Diehlen shook her head once as
they headed toward their stabled horses. “Sweet Madra accepted my penitence in
return for my daughter’s life. I did not ask that she live it with me.”
Behnrel turned this over as they
withdrew the horse and rode out of town. “Sweet Madra is a powerful goddess,
and a fair one, but not always easy to understand. I will continue to ride with
you, and if you wish, I will return to Gehrlia with your child.”
Diehlen said nothing. They rode
in silence for awhile. Behnrel watched from the corner of his eye. Finally, she
nodded again, and thus his fate was tied to the queens of Gehrlia.
Continued in Part 3...
Continued in Part 3...
Dogs in house
|
Houdini, Brindle
|
Time writing
|
30 minutes
|
January word
count
|
13,407
|
Writing report:
ReplyDeleteNovel editing, spot edits Ch19, continue Ch20
Time: ~40min
I didn't see that coming! The unexpected keeps happening fast. Good action, although I feel almost like this is a precis of a longer story, or perhaps backstory to a later story (with the child?).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anne. I'm not really comfortable writing action scenes, so I hope they come across clearly. This is one I might revisit - I think there's more story to tell here. Yes, a lot of reworking, if so :)
Delete