relished it, nonetheless. Judah’s knees felt weak. Elly was clinging to her arm, both hands clammy, her cheeks pink now and her eyes filled with tears. “Judah. Judah! Why?” she was saying, her voice high and thin. “What’s happening? Theron, oh gods, Theron.” Her eyes darted around the room, perhaps for guards moving menacingly toward them, and she grabbed Theron protectively by the sleeve. Her whole weight rested on Judah’s arm as if she, too, were afraid she’d fall, and it was almost enough to pull Judah down. Gavin was still on the dais but his heart, too, was pounding, his vision gray.
“It’s okay, Elly,” Judah said. “He’s okay.”
Then the Seneschal was at Elly’s side, and now that it was all done Judah felt only gratitude as he took Elly’s arm, and her weight, and led her forward. Elban said her name again. This time it was a command and cheers swelled around them. On the dais, Gavin was recovering; the Seneschal tried to deliver Elly up to him but Elly shook both of them off, her back ramrod straight, and climbed to the dais herself. Beautiful; regal. Judah had trouble seeing because her eyes were filled with unaccustomed tears. No guards were coming for Theron—Theron was safe. Gavin held out a hand. Elly took it, and then her place next to him. The despair that had shadowed them blew away like fog and the two of them shone like gold.
Judah wanted to dance. Not the tightly wound performance the courtiers called dancing but something wild, passionate: she wanted to whirl and leap, to throw her head back and crow. She had saved them. She had saved them all.
A hand grabbed her arm. Strong. The Seneschal. He pulled her through the open solarium doors into the cool night and there was no resisting him. As they left behind the light and cheering she could barely keep up, she almost tripped over her skirts. Through the garden, away from the acrobats, down the Promenade he dragged her, until they came to the Discreet Walk, where he almost hurled her into the darkness under the arbor. Clusters of wisteria in bloom hung heavy and spectral in the night air and so did their fragrance.
Gripping her arm, drawing her close, he hissed, “What have you done?”
“I saved them,” she said boldly, not caring what he did to her. Saying the words aloud was magnificent. She started to laugh. “I saved all of them.”
“Saved them.” He dropped her arm, disgusted. “Saved them? Who have you saved? Have you even thought about this, you stupid girl?”
“Elly and Theron and Gavin,” she said, still shaking with laughter. “Everyone who matters. I saved them.”
“Judah. Judah. At what cost?”
His words emerged ragged with frustration, almost a wail. She had never heard the Seneschal sound like that. Her laughter died. “None that matters.”
“None that matters,” he said wonderingly. “None that matters. Oh, you stupid, stupid girl.”
The laughter left an empty place in her, and now anger rushed in and filled it. “How am I stupid? I saved them. What did you do? Nothing. I saved them!”
“You keep saying that.” He was angry, too. She thought he would probably hit her again. “All right, fine. Lady Eleanor will marry Lord Gavin, as planned. Lord Theron will live. Amie will go plot revenge somewhere. But you—you—”
She heard excited laughter. The ceremony must be over. Courtiers were beginning to filter out into the garden again. He took her arm and pulled her deeper under the wisteria, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Tomorrow Lord Elban leaves to attack the Nali again. His hope is to capture one of their chieftains, and make them break the bond that makes it necessary to keep you alive. Two hours ago, your fate was either a quick death, if he succeeded, or a life spent here if he failed. Imprisoned, but alive. Well cared for. If Lord Gavin came to heel for no other reason, he would have done so to keep you safe. You would be bored, and you would be lonely, but you would live.” He put up his hands. “Now? Now, Judah...you are equipment. He will take you on every campaign he wages for the rest of his life and yours. He will never let you out of his sight, no matter how much he hates you. And he does hate you, Judah. He hates you with every fiber of his being.”