Page 171 of Keeper of the Word

“I had to. And I would do it again to save you. Now tell me, what happened at Ashwin?

Hux entered the room; relief glossed over him as he knelt beside her, kissing her hand. “Lady, you are well, thank the goddesses.”

Casta and Kyrie smirked a sideways glance at Elanna. “We’ve come to know your companion here.”

Hux grinned. “Companion. Not a terrible term, but I can think of others.”

“Hux!” Her cheeks bloomed red, and Hux spared her by not going on further, simply kissing her forehead.

Casta and Kyrie scrutinized them with curiosity, and Elanna asked Hux to give the StarSeers time alone.

“Hux, will you please take Maristel with you?” Kyrie asked.

“Course.” He winked, took Maristel’s small hand in his own, and left.

“What will Tara say?” Casta said, still gaping at the door Hux had exited.

“I suspect she knows.”

“Good,” Kyrie said. “Because we have matters much more pressing. ’Tis rumored that the sovereign’s failing health is much worse. Now that you are awake, we can use StarSpeak better. I’ve only been able to receive small phrases from Tara. You have always been the strongest in this skill.”

“First, tell me about Ashwin. I saw the bodies.” She paused, tingling with emotion. “The chars of the fire. What happened?”

“That madman had an army set on a single purpose. To destroy Ashwin. Even with Sir Tolvar’s army and the Order of Siria knights who were there, ’twas a matter of days before the gates were breached.”

“’Twas the Curse,” Casta said. “It gave them an inhuman strength.”

“And the Order of Siria?”

“Everyone who was there died. Crevan cared naught for taking prisoners. Everyone was killed. A small band of citizens were able to escape and head toward Garreth, but we’ve no idea if they made it.”

“How many of the Order of Siria were there?”

Casta pursed her lips, and Kyrie smoothed her hand over her perfectly placed bun.

“How many?”

“Everyone except for Goodsell and his three knights in Asalle and the dozen stationed in Garreth.”

Stars almighty. The Order of Siria was the safeguard of the StarSeers. And now, they were practically nothing.

Bring down the light.

Elanna leaned back against her pillow. She’d known many of those knights since childhood. So much loss.

Her chin quivered as she fidgeted with the quilt.

“We must keep going, Elanna.” Kyrie’s expression was stern,but her chin trembled. “You Saw all this first. You know what is in store.”

Elanna gritted her teeth and nodded.

“Let us prepare you something to eat,” Casta offered, wiping her cheek. “Then we can StarSpeak.”

And so that night, the StarSeers knelt in a field together in a circle, their knees touching each other. Maristel squirmed at first, but with coaxing, she placed her palms together, mimicking the others.

Whoever this Ghlee and Alvie were, they’d not yet arrived. Hux had said they would make toward the next rendezvous location in the morning, which was further backtracking from Asalle. And from rescuing Tolvar.

Tolvar.