Page 18 of The Queen and the Half-blood
Moving through the tent, she spoke to some of the dying. There was little to be done for these men and women, other than to give them some water with a tincture of hemlock mixed in, just enough to sedate them and dull the pain.
“We have failed you, lass,” a warrior rasped as she took his hand.
Lara squeezed gently. His fingers were strong yet clammy. The man had taken a spear, thrown from the ramparts, to the belly. She’d administered a strong dose of hemlock for him earlier. “What is your name?” she asked gently.
“Aonghus,” he rasped.
“Well, Aonghus, you fought like a wolf … and I will never forget it.” She paused, her grip on his hand tightening further. Her heart was in her throat now. “Ever.”
Her chest clenched then. Curse it. She couldn’t let this man’s death—and those of so many others—be all for nothing. Aonghus thought he’d failed her, but it was the opposite. She’d failedthem. She’d promised her people she’d take back Doure, yet she couldn’t.
Hope isn’t lost … all you must do is make a deal.
Biliousness rose in her chest.
She’d done her best not to think about the Half-blood’s offer. None of the members of her council had brought it up since. They’d dismissed his proposal out of hand, yet she hadn’t. Every evening when they met to discuss how the siege was going and plan the way forward, it was as if Alar were standing in the shadows behind them, smirking, biding his time.
He’d known this moment would come.
Murmuring a soothing word to Aonghus, she released his hand and straightened up. Her attention shifted to where Bree stood in the aisle between the rows of pallets. Her friend’s face was strained, her eyes shadowed.
“Call my council,” Lara said, even as dread closed her throat. “I must speak with them now.”
“Marrying that man would be a mistake, My Queen.” Annis leaned forward and placed her hands on the table between them. “Oneallof us would come to regret.”
“Would we?” Lara replied, wishing her voice didn’t sound so rough. “If we want to take Doure … or indeed win the war against the Shee, weneed allies.”
“You can’t trust wulvers.” Gregor’s scowl was so deep it risked cleaving his forehead in two.
“Orthe Half-blood,” Cailean growled.
“It’s a risk,” she admitted, even as dizziness assailed her. “But it’s either that or we retreat.”
“Then we retreat,” the chief-counsellor shot back. Lara had never seen Annis look so fierce. “We return to Duncrag and rebuild our strength. We take the North onourterms … no one else’s.”
Lara’s pulse started to thud in her ears. She’d gathered her council and told them that she wished to accept the Half-blood’s proposal; however, they weren’t responding well. Over the past three years, she’d nearly always heeded their advice—but this time, she resisted it. They were all giving up the fight too easily, but she didn’t have that luxury.
They didn’t carry the responsibilities she did. She’d promised her people the Shee wouldn’t take The Wolds, but if she retreated, there was a real possibility they would. And soon. Defeating her could give the Shee the confidence they needed to push south again.
“Annis is right,” Roth spoke up then, breaking the brittle silence. “We don’t need the Half-blood and his flea-bitten wulvers.” He paused then. “Besides, you swore never to take another husband, remember?”
There was no mistaking the accusation in his voice.
Lara’s chin kicked up. She then cut the captain a glare. “Do you think I want this?” He stared back at her stonily, his pale-blue eyes glinting. “Trust me, Roth … I’d rather swallow nails.”
They had no idea just how much she abhorred the idea. Her chest constricted then with an emotion that felt very much like grief. She was about to lose something very precious: her autonomy. Aye, she depended heavily on her council at times—but she was her own woman.
If she accepted the Half-blood’s offer, that would end.
Silence followed her outburst.
“I will not return to Duncrag defeated,” she said finally, her gaze sweeping the taut faces of those gathered around the table. “If you don’t want me to forge an alliance with the Half-blood, give me a better solution … one that will win us Doure.”
No one answered.
Ren and Ruari, the newest members of her council, exchanged worried looks. They hadn’t spoken up after her announcement, yet their frowns made their displeasure clear. Meanwhile, across the table, Cailean’s blue eyes narrowed. His jaw set in that bullish expression she’d come to know well over the years. To his right, Bree’s face was pinched, while to his left, Gregor looked mutinous. Annis pursed her lips unhappily and folded her arms across her ample bosom.
“So, no one here has one?” Lara threw down the challenge.
