Tallis beat back his animal cravings. He needed to get her free before he could indulge in primitive thoughts. Other than visceral pleasure, a Pendray wanted nothing more than freedom. No walls to keep him contained. There were too many walls in that blood-drenched valley.
The big woman led the way. Tallis surprised himself when he handed a seax to Kavya. She stood up and gripped it, both hands steady. Tallis liked that. He couldnt protect her if she cowered like her charges. Only then did he realize that hed never lent one of his weapons to anyone.
Out.
She obeyed, after hurrying the two weaker women through the exit. Had he already possessed her? Claimed her? His animal rage knew the truth. Hed tasted her, kissed her, touched her.
But hed never bedded the woman called Kavya.
His goal was not to enjoy her sultry charms and resilient spirit, but to make her look a fool. The reasons no longer aligned, especially when he crawled behind her into the escape tunnel. The tight space and his heightened awareness of taking up the rear guard consumed his attention. He couldnt rely on his gift in that tight space. While crawling, Tallis battled to overcome the sense of suffocation that whipped his beastly side into a fit of panic. Two states of mind fought for control, but not entirely because of the necessities of war.
They fought because of a woman.
Tallis wanted Kavya of Indranan as much as he wanted to destroy the Sun.
Kavya didnt like the idea of Tallis following her in that confined tunnel. He was the most vicious creature shed ever seen.
Yet, hadnt she needed just that? Some ferocity on her side? The women she urged forward, toward the open air, would be dead without him. Kavya would be prisoner to her brother. Would he have dragged out his torture and taunting? Or would he have simply pushed her against the altar for two Black Guards to restrain? One slice later, shed have met the Dragon in the afterlife.
She shuddered even as she crawled. For the most part, the hollow beneath the mountain was natural. A few of the smaller passages had needed to be widened because none of her armored bodyguards couldve traversed the narrow length. A few modifications to nature had created a tunnel shed never thought she would need.
Her sense of self-preservation had kicked into the stratosphere when faced with her brothers insane placidity. Although they hadnt seen each other in more than twenty years, hed recognized her as surely as shed recognized him. The Masks had done their jobs, but now he would be able to track her minds false persona. He knew what
she looked like as a grown woman and knew who accompanied her in flight.
Even if he stopped for the night to tend to his arm, which she doubted, he would be in pursuit. Soon. Relentlessly.
His arm . . .
She shut her eyes for the span of a panting inhalation. Tallis had bitten her brother. Her shock had been nothing to Pashkahs expression of agonized surprise. When Tallis had spit and smiled, Pashkah of the Northern Indranan, so insane and formidable, had appeared afraid.
That was a precious memory she would keep as long as the Dragon granted. It softened her hatred of the man following at a steady crawl, behind where she sought purchase on the slippery rock. Tallis of Pendray had saved her life, and hed done so by terrorizing her brothera treasure to offset whatever misguided vengeance had brought him into her valley.
She heard Chandranis voice in her mind. Almost there. Another hundred meters.
That eased Kavyas anxiety. Chandrani had recovered her telepathy. But what awaited them at the end of their crawl? How fast could Pashkahs men circle around? Would they be able to find the exit in the dark? Of course they would. Theyd only need to search for five conscious minds emerging from the side of a mountain. Select few Indranan were skilled Trackers. If Pashkah had tempted one to join his rabble, he would be able to find them at a distance of twenty or more milessome rumored as many as a hundred.
Locating a half-crazed Pendray mind shouldve been the easiest means, but during his rage, Tallis had seemed impervious to Pashkahs attacks. Kavya had felt that ambient energy like the heat of an open oven.
Chandrani had hurt Tallis. Pashkah had done something . Maybe he wasnt shielded from every Indranan. Only Kavya? Why?
Tallis was a complete unknown . . . aside from his exceptional means of fighting. Hed been able to take down Chandrani without the use of his gift. Kavya had never known a man able to achieve that feat.
Chandranis mind linked with hers again. Kavya could see what her bodyguard saw, which was near-total darkness. At least the darkness was empty of Guardsmen with glinting swords and voracious thoughts, eager to use their twice-cursed powers on any susceptible mind. Their intentions had been clear enough when holding the young women who continued to crawl through the tunnel. Theyd hoped Kavya would go peacefully into her brothers custody, and that in return for their service, they would be awarded the women. Theyd each clutched soft flesh a little tighter, greedily, ready to use force.