"I...I can't. Talon, I just can't." The Princess's chin trembled, and she looked down. "I nearly lost you once. I won't take that chance again. You're too important to me."

She heard Talon's deep sigh, and then her guardian covered her hands with her own. "I'll come back to you, Princess. You have my word on that. But war is coming, and this could mean the difference between winning and losing. You have to let me go."

There it was again, that slightly desperate shake in her guardian's voice, and as much as Shasta wanted to refuse, she couldn't. For winters, Talon had practically been held captive in her service, on threat of her sisters' lives. But now that Soltran was gone, Shasta could not force her guardian to stay with her. Besides, she didn't want Talon to stay only because she was being blackmailed into it.

And Shasta could see her point. It made perfect sense to mobilize the loyalists among the royal guard. General Harneth would agree; of that she was certain.

Fighting back tears, she took a moment to make sure she had control of her voice. "When would you leave?"

Talon stood. "I have a few supplies to gather and then I'll go. An hour at most."

"Very well. If that is your wish." Her guardian was halfway across the room when Shasta called her back. "Talon, I..." She stopped uncertainly, longing to somehow express what she was feeling-how much it hurt to be near her, how the thought of separation hurt even more. But she couldn't find the words, and she felt her eyes spill over.

Talon's expression softened, and in two strides she was in front of the Princess. She drew Shasta up from her chair, took her face between her hands, and bent forward. Shasta closed her eyes breathlessly, but Talon only pressed her lips to her forehead in a sisterly farewell.

"Wait." Shasta unfastened the gold chain that held her brother's blue feather and transferred the necklace to Talon, reconnecting the clasp with shaking fingers. "That's so you don't forget your promise."

"Princess, I can't take this."

"You can bring it back to me yourself, when this war is over. You gave your word."

Talon caressed the feather reverently. "I will." She straightened into a formal salute. "Goddess save you, Your Highness."

Then she was gone, the tinkling strands of beads swinging in her wake. Shasta sank down into her chair once more and buried her head in her arms. Tears dripped down her nose to stain the polished tabletop.

Chapter Twenty-Two.

The morning breeze ruffled the robes of the priestesses gathered in the courtyard, and in unison they all moved, slowly raising one arm while swinging the other in a graceful arc.

Shasta leaned over and whispered in Lyris's ear. "What are they doing?"

"It's called shaa'ri, Highness. It's an ancient Ithyrian battle technique."

"Battle technique? It looks more like a ceremonial dance." Shasta watched the veiled women shift their weight from one foot to the other, turning their bodies and pushing their palms away from them.

Lyris inclined her head. "Shaa'ri requires intense concentration and extreme muscle control. Over the centuries it has become more ceremonial than practical in application, but that's about to change."

"What do you mean?"

"There's more to being a priestess than just meditation and prayers, Princess." Lyris's voice held a note of amusement. "You should know the story already. Thousands of winters ago, when wicked Ulrike ruled the world in darkness, the Goddess Ithyris called Her first twelve Daughters from among the children of men. She trained them to channel Her power through the practice of shaa'ri and gifted them with celestial fire. With their help She was able to drive the darkness back from Her land and restore peace."

Like all Ithyrians, Shasta was familiar with the legend. "And they became the first Honored Mothers of Ithyria. I learned all about the Twelve in my history lessons. Each of the provinces is named after one of them."

"That's right," Lyris affirmed. "It's been centuries since Ithyris last called Her Daughters to war, and sadly none of us has been able to draw forth celestial fire for hundreds of winters. But the shaa'ri has remained a part of our traditions. Now the Goddess has called Her army back into service, so we must ready ourselves."

Shasta stared. "What do you mean?"

"The Honored Mother of Verdred has received a visit from Ithyris. The Goddess has decreed that Her Daughters must rise again to battle, to protect the one She has chosen to succeed the crown."

"Who?"

Lyris laughed. "Really, Princess. Who is there but you? Ithyris put your ancestors on the throne for a reason. She knew the house of Rane would be the best rulers for Her kingdom, and while Chancellor Kumire may be your cousin, he is not the one She intends for the crown." Her eyes wandered to the priestesses. Sweat glistened on their brows as they concentrated. "This war we face is not just about you and Kumire, Highness. The Goddess has warned that Kumire brings the threat of darkness to Ithyria, the same darkness that She battled long ago. She has called us to help defend you, to return you to your rightful place as Queen."

"You mean to tell me that you're all going to march into battle alongside the soldiers?" Shasta could not even imagine such a thing.

"That is the Goddess's command."

"But, Your Grace, you carry no weapons." Devotion was all very well, but surely the priestess could not expect to fight an army of barbarians with a few graceful waves of the hand. "You'll be slaughtered."

"Such little faith, Highness." The priestess patted Shasta's shoulder. "Never fear. Ithyris's Daughters are far from defenseless."

As Qiturah passed the temple kitchens a young, mousy-haired woman stumbled toward her, and Qiturah reached out to take her arm. "Is everything all right, child?" she asked kindly.

"Honored Mother." The young woman seemed startled. "Yes, yes, everything's fine."

Qiturah recognized her then; this was the chambermaid who had arrived with Princess Shasta. She peered at her more closely. "You look as though you've been crying."

"It's nothing, Mother, really."

Young women did not cry over nothing, but Qiturah's intuition told her it would not be wise to press the matter further. "Well, in that case, I shall bid you good night." As the maid scurried down the corridor, a sound from within the kitchen drew Qiturah's attention, and she stepped inside to find one of the younger priestesses bent over a sink full of dishes.

"It's late, Ostryn. You may leave that task for morning."

The priestess spun around. Tears plastered her white veil to her cheeks.

"Ostryn Kadrian. What is it, my child?"

"Why did it have to be me, Mother?"

"I'm afraid I need a slightly more specific question, dear," Qiturah replied gently.

"Why did you send me to carry that message to Ardrenn? There had to have been others who could have done it just as easily."

"Yes, but you were the one She wanted." Qiturah could still see the question in Kadrian's eyes, and she held up a hand. "It is not my place to question Her reasons, child. She asked for you, and you were sent."

Kadrian's shoulders slumped. "I just don't understand why now, after all this time...it seems so cruel..."

Qiturah recalled the distraught chambermaid in the corridor and knew instinctively that the girl's unhappiness was somehow related to Kadrian's. The maid was likely some part of Kadrian's former life, before she had been dedicated to the temple, and though Qiturah did not know the details she patted the younger woman's arm sympathetically.

"The Goddess is never cruel, Ostryn, though Her ways may often bring us pain because we do not understand them." She could read that pain in Kadrian's eyes now. "Trust Her heart, my child. She never acts without reason."

Qiturah laid gentle hands on Kadrian's temples. She could sense the torment burning there, just beneath the surface. "The burden you carry is indeed a heavy one," she mused as she withdrew her fingers. "You will be in my prayers this night, Ostryn."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Kadrian bowed her head.

"Now it is time for your own sleep." Qiturah gestured toward the door. "Off you go."

With a respectful curtsy Kadrian obeyed, and for a long moment Qiturah stood looking after her. She did not know what it was that lay so heavily upon the young priestess's heart, but she had the sinking feeling that it would only grow heavier in the time to come.

Divine Lady, I do not know what You have planned for this child You have called to Your service, but please guard her heart with strength and serenity. She is suffering terribly.

One of the Pledged entered the Princess's room through the beaded curtain and curtsied deeply. "Your Highness, a letter has come for you."

"Talon," Shasta breathed. She rose quickly to her feet and took the folded parchment from the girl. But when she broke the seal and opened it, she gave a small sigh of disappointment. It was from Captain Vaughn.

"It's good news, for the most part," she informed Erinda, who was hovering anxiously at her shoulder. "The captain's made it through Olsta and Striniste, and both provincial senates have agreed to dedicate their guard to our cause. That leaves only Daiban and Marinland." She scanned a few more lines. "There are some additional orders in here for General Harneth, and then he says that he's expecting to have all five provincial guard behind us by the middle of the Sixthmoon. Down here at the bottom, he's set the date for the marching orders." Her eyes flew to Erinda's face. "It's the third day of the Seventhmoon."

Erinda clutched at the corner of a cabinet. "So soon?"

"I imagine Captain Vaughn must want to get this over with before the snows fall." Shasta refolded the letter and tucked it into the waist of her skirts. "I'm going to take word to General Harneth."

Shasta was no longer intimidated by Harneth's men, rough though they might be. For the most part they were good people, respectful and generous, and since the night of the celebration they had come to recognize Princess Shasta and always called greetings to her as she passed. She had grown very fond of many of them, and as she made her way to Harneth's tent, she smiled and waved, and when she could, addressed them by name.

The young general leapt up from his seat at the table as she was ushered into his tent, and took the letter eagerly.

"So, we have our marching orders," he said after reading it carefully.

There was an unmistakable edge of exhilaration to his voice and Shasta guessed that for a military man, the prospect of imminent battle must be preferable to the tedium of waiting.

"We don't have much time. Vaughn's set a different date for each of the guard, based on their distance from Ardrenn's southern moors. If we all leave at the times he's specified, we should converge on the moors within days of one another, weather permitting." He seemed impressed. "The captain's got everything planned out to the last detail, doesn't he?"

"General." Shasta lowered her voice. "I know you have commissioned metalworkers to forge the weapons and armor for these men."

"Yes." Harneth nodded. "We'll be cutting it close to get all the supplies we need before it's time to set out."

Shasta took a deep breath. "I don't want to place any more strain on the metalworkers, but do you think they could make something like this? Before it's time to leave?" She withdrew a parchment leaf from her bodice and laid it flat on the table.

Harneth looked the diagram over carefully. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure. This is my fight too, you know."

"Well, it's a bit unorthodox, but you seem to have all the vital measurements here. I think it can be accomplished."

"Then make it happen," Shasta replied firmly. "The sooner the better."

She took a final look at the sketch on the parchment, which she had carefully copied from one of the books she'd found in the Temple library. It was a suit of armor specifically modeled for the female form. According to the ancient manuscript, the armor had been designed by Zarneth, one of the Twelve, for an all-female regiment of soldiers that she'd led into battle in the western foothills during the Division. Shasta had never seen anything like it before, but she was determined that if these men were going to follow her into battle, she would personally lead them as far as she possibly could.

She met the general's eyes. "This is a secret between us for now, General Harneth."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

She gave a satisfied nod and left the tent.

Talon's hands were in her hair, roving lightly across her body, her lips tracing lines of fire down her neck and across her collarbone. Shasta moaned into those touches, so warm and passionate, and drew her guardian closer to her. Her entire being cried out for Talon's presence, a longing in the deepest part of her spirit to somehow meld herself with this woman, to share her heart, her body, to be a part of Talon as purely and as naturally as Talon was a part of her.

She planted kisses on every inch of the olive skin that she could reach, but it wasn't enough and she gave a little squeak of frustration. Her guardian seemed to understand and suddenly she shifted position, rolling on top of Shasta, the lamplight glinting off her smoothly muscled frame. And the Princess moaned again as Talon's lips came down to meet hers in a fervent kiss, the kiss that would finally join them and quench the ache in her heart...

Shasta sat straight up in bed, her breath coming in short pants and her forehead beaded with sweat. The dream again. She'd been having the same dream for several moons, one plainly influenced by her memories of the night she'd seen Erinda with Talon in the servants' stables. But in the dream, she was always in Erinda's place.

Her cheeks grew hot in the darkness and she pressed her hands to her face. What sort of woman had such brazenly indecent dreams? What was it about Talon that somehow brought out the harlot in her? Talon was a woman, for the love of the Goddess! She shook her head and lay back down, but found sleep elusive.

It had been a full moon since Talon left for Ardrenn. Four long quarter-moons without a word. Shasta knew that Ardrenn had been locked down on Kumire's orders, and it would have been hard enough for Talon to smuggle herself into the city, let alone manage to send any messages out. She didn't even know if Talon had made it there alive or if she'd had success in reaching any of the royal guard who were in hiding. The danger her guardian was in was too frightening to think about for very long. Kumire was hunting down the remnants of the royal guard, and if he found Talon he would kill her. Shasta was certain of that.

She'd never been separated from Talon for such a long time. After three winters of sharing her room, her meals, her lessons, every minute of every day with her guardian, a moon seemed like an eternity. Even during the half-moon that Talon was healing from her arrow wound in the infirmary, Shasta had spent much of that time asleep, recovering from her own injuries. Her anger had made the distance between them easier then. Now, she found it took hours to fall asleep, the loneliness in her room was so pervasive. And when she finally did fall into exhausted slumber, she was plagued with this recurring dream, the same shockingly tawdry images night after night.

With a sigh, Shasta threw back the sheet and slid her feet into her slippers, not bothering with her robe, as the night was warm. She parted the filmy white drapes that enclosed her bed and went to the fireplace, where a few coals glowed red on the hearth. It was midsummer and the afternoons were brutally hot at times, so she did not particularly need the fire for its warmth, but she did want hot water for her tea.

Shasta opened the tinderbox and tossed a few more fresh pieces of coal onto the embers, then used the poker to stir them a bit. As she hoped, the new coals caught flame and in a few minutes she was rewarded with a brightly flickering fire. She swung the iron hook that held the kettle out over the flames, then sat and drummed her fingers against the tabletop impatiently.

Shasta gave a start when she heard the outer door opening and jumped to her feet as Erinda entered through the beaded curtain. "Oh, Erinda, you frightened me."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I didn't mean to. I heard you moving around in here and thought perhaps you were having trouble sleeping." Shasta nodded, and the chambermaid gave a little smile. "Me too. You want some company?"

"I'd like that. Let me get you a cup." Shasta moved toward the cabinet, but Erinda insisted on doing it herself, saying it just wouldn't feel right to have the Queen of Ithyria waiting on her own chambermaid. Shasta thought that was a bit silly, given that it was just a cup of tea, but Erinda seemed to take it so seriously that she decided not to argue.

"So let me guess," Erinda said as she filled their cups and took a seat across from Shasta. "Still not used to sleeping alone?"

Shasta sighed. "It's hard. I can't hear her breathing. You don't realize how accustomed you get to someone until they're gone."

"Don't I know it," Erinda agreed quietly. "You really miss her."

It was a statement, not a question, and Shasta blushed. "It's that obvious?"

"You've had dark circles under your eyes for days now, and you wander around looking lost." Erinda winked and picked up her teacup. "But don't worry, Your Highness. Talon promised she'd come back to you, and that means she will."

"But that's just not a promise you can really make to someone," Shasta protested. "You can't promise you're not going to die. Talon's a good soldier, but she's not immortal. If she gets killed out there..."

"I can't think of any way that Talon would rather lose her life than in the service of the country she loves, and..." Erinda bit her lip as if she were wondering whether she should really say her next words. "And the woman she loves."

Loves? Shasta looked up sharply, thinking that perhaps Erinda was teasing her, but the maid just offered an encouraging smile. Somehow that only deepened Shasta's sadness. "You're wrong. Talon's completely dedicated to her work, but she doesn't feel that way about me."

"Are you sure?"

Shasta recalled the desperation in her guardian's dark eyes the day she'd asked to leave. Evidently Talon had wanted to get away from her so badly that she actually preferred the mortal danger of Ardrenn to remaining by Shasta's side for even one more day. "I'm positive." She met Erinda's gaze and said painfully, "Besides, Talon's a woman."

"So what?"