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  He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. “I do. I’ll tak’ em, and when I get me Throne back, that’s when we’ll see what’s what.”

  She wanted to say more, but he silenced her with his kiss. He picked her up in his arms and grappled her against his chest. She breathed into his mouth, “Rob, Rob.”

  He broke away from her lips. “I’m yer Ushne, lass. I’m allus yer Ushne.”

  Her eyes popped open in surprise. Then she attacked him with all her ferocious passion. Her Ushne. She loved him more than anything. Ushne. That name filled her to the breaking point with fervent desires until she couldn’t get enough.

  He toppled over onto her on his bed, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. She hauled him into herself, never to let him go.

  Chapter 23

  The long column of Munro knights, yeomen, cannon, cavalry, archers, and siege machines rumbled down the roads on their way to the castle where Robbie parted ways from his brothers. He rode next to Alan at the head of the column. The clatter of several thousand wagon wheels, armor, spears, sabers, and cook wagons echoed over the countryside.

  Elle learned fast how to ride a horse, but she usually stayed well back with the wagons to keep out of the soldiers’ way. Alan insisted Robbie ride out front with him to show the troops a united front.

  Robbie acquiesced to this, though he sensed it was a clever piece of flattery to get his presence to inspire the troops on their mission. They could see Robbie leading the campaign. His presence must give them the impression they were invincible. They had a dragon to spring on the enemy at the most crucial juncture of the battle. That should inspire anybody to victory.

  Robbie went along with the plan to make himself a figurehead—or was he a scapegoat? He always camped with Elle at night, though. He found her in the column, and they sat together around their campfires the way they used to.

  Whether Alan tried to manipulate Robbie with flattery or not, Elle was still the only person in this column to see him as a dragon. She saw, she rode on his back on his maiden flight, and she still loved him and wanted him and worshiped him. She was the only person alive who knew the name Ushne. It was their own private secret between the two of them.

  He didn’t get to make love to her on the campaign, either. He didn’t want to take her on some rough, cold ground with several thousand soldiers listening. She was too precious for that. He wanted to take her in silk sheets in his own castle, where he ruled and dominated and conquered. Nothing else would do for the woman he loved.

  He closed his eyes into the sunshine and let his thoughts drift back to their time in the Munro court. He would carry those memories forever, no matter what happened on the battlefield.

  Alan chuckled at his side. “Ye’ll wipe the floor wi’ ‘em, mon. I cinnae wait tae see their faces when ye come blastin’ o’er the mountain and down on top o’ ‘em.”

  Robbie didn’t answer. Wiping the floor with the Urlus was the last thing on his mind right now. He was a million miles away in a sunlit bedroom with Elle stretched out naked at his side. She shuddered when he ran his fingertips across her breast, and her breath caught in her throat when he trailed his hand down her belly to her quivering fissure. Mmm, yes, those thoughts always made the dreary days of this march pass easily.

  When would he touch her like that again? She never said so, but she still worried about what would happen when their campaign succeeded. He refused to think about it. He couldn’t lose her. Once he became King and sat on the Phoenix Throne, he would find a way to keep her. He would find a wizard or a sorceress or something who could overturn whatever magic would take her away when the curse lifted.

  He didn’t notice Alan still watching him. Robbie turned in his saddle and scanned the column, but he couldn’t see her. She was back there somewhere, behind the foot soldiers and the archers. She stayed out of the fighting. She stuck close to the noncombatants where she belonged. That alone made him feel better about taking her on this campaign. She might be close when it happened, but she wouldn’t be in the thick of battle.

  Robbie turned to face front when he spotted Alan scrutinizing him. “Ye’re still thinkin’ aboot Elle, an’t ye?”

  “Why shouldnae I think aboot Elle?” Robbie asked.

  “Ye cinnae tak’ her as yer Queen. Ye mun’ ken that by now.”

  “No?” Robbie squinted at him. “And why no?”

  “She’s no the same kind as ye,” Alan replied. “She’s a different variety. She’s no a dragon licht ye are. Ye ken that, mon. I shouldnae ha’e tae tell ye.”

  Robbie snorted. “I’ll be the one tae decide who I tak’ as me Queen, and I’ll be the one tae decide what tae do about Elle.”

  “Ye’d ne’er be able tae ha’e an heir wi’ her,” Alan replied. “Ye ken that as weel as I do. Ye’re incompatible.”

  “Ye dinnae ken that,” Robbie countered. “Ye ken naught aboot it, unless ye’re no tellin’ me summat ye should ha’e.”

  Alan looked away. “I dinnae ken naught aboot it.”

  “Then for the love o’ heaven, keep yer peace and dinnae talk tae me aboot Elle. It concerns ye naught a’tall.”

  Alan lowered his voice to a murmur. “E’ery mon in this column means tae lay down his life fer ye and yer Throne. If ye really intend tae throw the Throne awa’ by takin’ a Queen as ye can ne’er produce an heir wi’, then it concerns e’eryone ‘ere. Why should we gi’e our lives and our arms tae ye if ye plan tae throw i’tall awa’ licht that?”

  Robbie shot him a fierce glare, but he didn’t answer. So he wasn’t just a figurehead at the front of this column. He was a byword and a target of rumors and whispered conjectures. The whole column talked about him and Elle behind his back. They all thought he was throwing away the Phoenix Throne by sticking with Elle.

  Alan reined his horse closer to Robbie’s mount and murmured in his ear. “Ye mun’ put Elle awa’, mon. It’s the ainly way ye’ll regain yer Throne.”

  The minute he got the words out, Alan spurred his horse away so Robbie couldn’t answer. Robbie kept his place at the head of the column for the rest of the day, but his thoughts gave him no peace. What was the point of him sitting on the Phoenix Throne with a barren Queen by his side?

  Why should all these men fight and die for him if he was going to do something like that? Why should Angus and all the men who died getting the brothers to the castle in the first place sacrifice their lives for that?

  Even knowing that, he couldn’t turn his back on her. She was the only woman he wanted. He would never put her away—never.

  Toward evening, Alan called a halt, and the soldiers dismounted and pitched camp. They lit fires, and the cooks got a meal going for the men. Robbie turned his mount and trotted down the column in search of her. He looked for Elle’s fire, but he couldn’t find it anywhere.

  He hunted up and down the column. When he still didn’t find her, he started to worry. Did something happen to her during the day? Did she get lost or separated from the main body of the army?

  He reined his horse back to the front. He would find Alan and report Elle missing. Alan would know where she was. Then again, Alan just told Robbie to get rid of her. Maybe Alan had something to do with Elle disappearing.

  No, that was too far-fetched. Robbie couldn’t believe Alan or the King had anything to do with Elle disappearing. Besides, she hadn’t disappeared. He just couldn’t find her.

  He had to stay calm, but he couldn’t keep his heart steady. He couldn’t lose Elle now, after everything they went through together. He had to find her. Just then, he heard the crash of metal against metal. That was strange. Who could be fighting at time like this, when the whole column got ready to go to sleep for the night?

  He rode toward the sound and spotted two figures fencing between the trees by the roadside. Their silhouettes stood out against the gloom, but Robbie would recognize them anywhere. It was Elle sparring with one of the knights.

  Robbie jumped off his horse
. He approached the spot as the two combatants separated. “What do ye think ye’re doin’?” he asked her.

  She grinned in the flush of excitement. “I’m learning how to sword fight.”

  “What’re ye doin’ that fer?” he demanded. “I told ye ye’re no goin’ tae ficht in this war. It’s too dangerous. It’s no place fer ye, especially when allus soldiers plan tae do yer fichtin’ fer ye.”

  “I just want to learn. That’s all. Whether I fight or not doesn’t really matter. It’s a skill I wanted to learn a long time ago, and now I have a chance. Simon’s going to teach me how to throw the javelin next.”

  She smiled at the knight retreating into the trees. Robbie glared at the man. “I told ye I dinnae want ye fichtin’. I only agreed tae let ye come on this campaign on condition ye’d be safe. If I’d kenned ye’d tak’ up sword fichtin’ and whate’er else, I ne’er woulda let ye come.”

  The grin evaporated off her face. “Let’s get one thing clear right now. You don’t let me do anything. I decide what I do and when. I decided to come on this campaign, and I decide if I learn sword fighting or whatever else. You don’t decide those things for me. Got that?”

  His temper flared. “Ye’re the most unaccountable woman I e’er had the misfortune tae meet. When are ye gonna learn ye cinnae just throw yer weight around where’er ye please? We’re goin’ tae war, lass. We’re no out fer a lark. Men’ll bleed and die afore this thing is through, and I fer one dinnae wish tae see it happen tae ye. Perhaps ye do want it tae happen tae ye. I dinnae ken. Perhaps ye’re just as daft in the head as I allus suspected.”

  She glared at him one more time. Then she laughed in his face. She hefted her saber and walked past him. “That’s pretty funny. Come on. It’s time we got the fire going, and I’m hungry. Look. The cooks are already starting down the line. We don’t want to miss out.”

  Robbie stared after her figure fading into the shadows. He couldn’t move a muscle. What was he going to do with this woman? He couldn’t bend her to his will by dominating her and telling her what to do. She confounded him at every turn.

  Even so, he couldn’t stay mad at her. He needed her, and he needed her confounding and unaccountable. That was her secret power over him. He couldn’t understand her. He had to accept her exactly as she was.

  His guts ached at the thought of her fighting in this war. If anything happened to her, he was finished. He didn’t want the Phoenix Throne or anything else if he couldn’t have her.

  He didn’t want to go find her. He didn’t want to face her after she just made a joke of his boorish demands. She saw right through him. She held him in the palm of her hand, and she knew it.

  He looked right and left, unsure what to do with himself. He turned to go…. somewhere when a shadowy shape emerged from the trees. It slithered up close to him, and a familiar voice touched his ear. “Ye see what I mean? Ye can ne’er mak’ her yer Queen. It’d ne’er work.”

  Robbie closed his eyes. “Leave’t alone, lad. I cinnae listen tae any more o’ yer talk aboot her.”

  Alan didn’t leave it alone. He poured his infectious poison into Robbie’s ear. “She’ll ficht in the war. She wouldnae study sword fichtin’ if she didnae mean tae use’t in the battle. Leave her to’t. Let her ficht, and ye’ll no ha’e tae put her awa’. She’ll put herself awa’, and ye’ll be free tae choose another Queen o’ yer own kind.”

  “Me own kind?” Robbie asked. “And what is me own kind? I dinnae ken any others o’ me kind. I could be the ainly one.”

  “Ye’re no the ainly one,” Alan told him. “Ye’ll find others when ye tak’ yer Throne, but ye’ll no be King wi’ her by yer side. Ye mun’ get rid o’ her. Let her ficht and let her die. It’s the best fer all.”

  Robbie shook his head, but he couldn’t argue with his friend. He came to trust this man. Alan meant well. He wanted what was best for Robbie and the realm. That’s the only reason he spoke against Elle.

  What if Alan was right? What if Robbie had to take a different Queen? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if Elle just disappeared? What more convenient way to make that happen than for her to accidentally get killed in the war? She had no battle experience.

  Sure, she could handle herself in a dangerous emergency. Robbie saw that for himself. Fighting with a sword and javelin on the battlefield? That was a different story.

  Chapter 24

  Elle sat astride her horse on a ridge overlooking a sunny valley. Fields of waving grain, livestock, and dark forest stretched as far as the eye could see. A few herdsmen inched along the ground between their flocks.

  There in the middle of the whole scene sat a huge castle of gleaming stone. The sun played on its bright walls of eggshell-grey, and colored flags flapped from its towers.

  “That’s the place,” Alan told Robbie.

  Robbie frowned. “It looks different. It looked black when I saw it afore.”

  “Must ha’e been a trick o’ the light,” Alan replied. “Ye see? That’s the plane where we’ll attack. We’ll set up our tent city back ‘ere.”

  He turned back to where the wagons unloaded in a hollow behind the ridge. No one in the castle could see the army amassing on their southern boundary. Tents popped up, and the teamsters set up their tents and cooking fires.

  Robbie and Elle stayed where they were. Robbie murmured under his breath. “Summat’s missin’.”

  “What do you mean?” Elle asked.

  “I cinnae say from up ‘ere, but we’re missin’ summat, summat important. I ought tae fly over and see….”

  “If you flew over, they would see you,” she countered. “We would lose the element of surprise. The whole idea is that they don’t know you’re coming.”

  “Richt.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I suppose we’ll just ha’e tae go fer it and see what happens.”

  She peered up at him. “Do you really think we’re missing something that important?”

  He shook his head and turned away. “It’s naught. It’s just a queer feeling I ha’e. Maybe it’s just nerves afore the battle.”

  He walked away into the camp sprouting up all over the hollow behind the ridge, but Elle stayed where she was. In the long weeks traveling with Robbie before they came to stay with the Munros, they both learned to trust each other’s instincts. If one sensed danger, the other took it seriously.

  Elle sensed no danger from that castle. It looked inviting and majestic to her—a lot more majestic than the Munros castle she loved so much. Robbie didn’t like it, though. He never suggested flying anywhere. Now he wanted to reconnoiter the battlefield, just in case they missed something in their long conferences.

  When she turned back, she saw him talking to Alan, but as the day wore on, he didn’t fly. He stayed in camp, but he never mentioned his misgivings again. He wouldn’t mention them to Alan. He put on an enthusiastic face.

  Later in the afternoon, the knights and soldiers and archers formed up for review on the field. Alan and Robbie inspected them. Alan pretended not to see Elle in her new armor, her sword and her javelin at her side, lined up with the infantry. Robbie scowled at her but said nothing.

  He didn’t mention it in their camp that night, either. He brooded over his own concerns and didn’t talk to her until the next morning. A crier ran through the camp at first light. “Form up! All divisions, form up."

  Elle launched herself to her feet and seized the breastplate her friend Simon gave her. Robbie put out his hand to stop her. “Wait, Elle.”

  “I told you not to try to stop me,” she replied. “I’m going out there. All these people want to help you win back your Throne, and so do I.”

  “I winnae try tae stop ye,” he told her. “Just listen me fer a moment. If ye want tae go get yer head stove in after that, I winnae try tae stop ye. Just listen.”

  She drew herself up to her full height in front of him. “I’m listening.”

  “It’s ainly this.” He took a deep breath. “Stay near me out there. Awricht? If ye mu
n’ go out there and ficht, stay close tae me.”

  “So you can protect me, you mean?” She snorted. “That kind of defeats the purpose of me fighting, doesn’t it?”

  He shook his head and came near to lower his voice. “It’s no that. I ken ye can ficht if anyone can. It’s just….”

  She regarded him with her head on the side. What was he trying to tell her?

  He shook his head again, but that didn’t help him get the words out. “Summat’s gonna happen out there. I cinnae say what it is, but it’s coming.”

  “Do you mean the battle?”

  “No, it’s no the battle. It’s summat else, summat…. It’s not exactly dangerous—not tae me, anyway. I…I mun’ be the ainly one o’ this whole army that it an’t dangerous tae.”

  She frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say? You’re not making any sense.”

  “I ken it, Elle. I ken I’m making no sense. I cinnae mak’ sense o’t meself. I ainly ken it’s there. It’s waitin’ fer this army out there on the plane. I dinnae licht tae see ye ficht in the army, but I ken ye’ll be no safer back ‘ere than ye’d be on the plane. Not a mon o’ this army’ll be safe out there but me. That’s all I ken aboot it.”

  She studied him for a minute. “All right. Rob. I’ll take you at your word. Where will you be? You’ll be back here while the army is down there fighting. How can I stay close to you if I’m down there, too?”

  “I dinnae ken.” His voice cracked from the strain. “If ye stay back ‘ere, you’ll be alone when I fly out there tae attack the Urlus. I dinnae ken what tae do…”

  His eyes darted all over the place, and he wrung his hands in confusion. Elle never saw him like this. She laid a hand on his arm. “All right. Take it easy. You’re the one who’ll be able to come to me if anything happens. Okay? You’ll fly overhead when you attack the enemy. You’ll be able to see me and find me if you need to. Will that satisfy you?”

  Her words didn’t settle him down. He shifted from one foot to the other. He searched everywhere but saw nothing anywhere around him.