Page 123 of Tashama
He smiled. “Well, none of us would ever have thought it possible, but General Karam vowed for peace as soon as you fainted.”
“Took him long enough.” Tashama considered the bandages on her arm.
Aleron hurried into the tent with Carissian following two steps behind. “Well, it seems your plan worked after all.”
“Can we work together to remove Loran from the throne?”
“Most assuredly. We’ve had discussions all morning, and we’re all in agreement. In the meantime, we’ve also concurred that you will return to Banff, where you’ll be safe during the duration of the conflict.”
Tashama shook her head. “I will not be safe there as someone is still trying to murder me.”
Aleron rubbed his chin as he’d failed to consider this. “Your proposal?”
“If our combined forces attack Loran’s, we have a good chance of succeeding, but I must get into the palace. Valmor is the real threat to me, and I must exile him from here for good. If Valmor is gone, Loran will certainly fail.”
“But Valmor is a powerful sorcerer. You’ve said so yourself, and you still don’t even know what he’s capable of.”
“I know. I wish more than anything in the world that Balthazar was here with me now. He would know what to do.”
“Oshon will lead my forces then. I will go with you.”
“Sire,” Carissian said, “do you not think…”
“I go where the lady goes, Carissian.”
Carissian scratched his head. “She’s confused and still suffers from her wounds.”
“When can I ride, healer?” Tashama asked.
Both healers answered, “By tomorrow.”
“Good, before sunset then, we will enter the palace grounds.”
Shaking his head, Carissian said, “But, sire, as your advisor, I have to say the risk to both yourself and the princess is too great.”
Aleron touched Tashama’s cheek with his fingers. “You should never have darted in front of the troops as you did, Tashama.”
“I hadn’t intended to be shot, but I knew Carissian would soon realize what I had intended to do and would have had me confined. I had to take the chance.”
“Had I been able to have stopped you,” Carissian said, “I would have done so, but certainly by the time I could see your thoughts, it was too late.”
“Had I been able to, I would have rushed after you to stop this foolish notion, but Carissian stopped me with one of his mind-control techniques.” Aleron squeezed Tashama’s good hand.
“I’m glad he did. No sense in both of us getting stuck with arrows after all, when one could do the trick.”
“You, young lady,” Aleron said, “will have to settle down as I cannot have a queen of mine doing such a foolhardy thing in the future.”
Tashama smiled as Carissian’s eyes widened. “Surely, Carissian, you had some inkling such a thing would occur.”
“I thought you had some ability to project thoughts that were nothing more than a ruse.”
“Not I, or at least I don’t think I can,” Tashama said. “Of course, only yesterday, I realized I had some mind-control ability over the members of the 4throyal house. It must be in the genes. And certainly, I didn’t realize that I could understand the sprites as there was no such thing in Texas. But still, I thought everyone could understand their words. So maybe I have further powers that I haven’t even discovered.”
“But she cannot read our written word,” Aleron said.
Tashama smiled. “Yet.” She sat up in bed suddenly. “Listra!”
“She’s here. The colonel and his forces brought her here an hour ago. Of course, the word has spread how you faced down the archers of both regiments to stop the war. For being only a woman, you have earned much respect.”
