Enthusiastic cheers rose from the audience. Several people here surely remembered the glory of ruling from the Scarlet Throne, when they were the beacon of Antora. They had hidden in the shadows long enough.
"Before we commence, let's have a song. The Halderian anthem."
It began as a somber, serious tune, one I'd never heard before. Of course, it was rare to hear any music at all in Antora, so I wasn't sure how to react. But I liked it. I longed to be part of it.
As the anthem rose in spirit, we felt ourselves pulled in closer, until Simon and I were standing behind the stone wall, with Tenger keeping watch a little farther off. Several other Halderians were crowded in front of us, making it impossible to see.
"What are you doing?" Simon asked.
I put a hand on his shoulder, using him as a brace for balance as I climbed the stone wall and stood on the top of it. Now I could see. Or be seen. I had to be careful.
Thorne was alone on the stage, and as I studied the intentness with which the other Halderians were following his lead, I realized they held him in great esteem. If only they had cared this much when he tried to tell them I was not to be harmed or threatened. Things might have turned out very differently.
The anthem ended with cheers and applause. As it did, Thorne's eyes grazed over the crowd, ending with me. Even with my hood on, he nodded in recognition and started to speak again, but all I heard was a thud behind me and a body falling to the ground.
I turned to see Simon collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Kneeling beside him was Tenger, though he had a cut over one eye. What had happened?
Tenger pointed to his left, where a large crowd of townspeople were in a densely packed clump. "The attacker ran that way!"
"Who was it?"
"I don't know--a spy maybe? Someone grabbed me from behind, trying to get the Blade. Simon stopped him but took a hit."
Tenger reached for his knife to give chase, but I shook my head. If Tenger and I started a fight with one Halderian, we'd soon be fighting all of them. "Help me get Simon somewhere safe! Then we'll figure out what to do next." I pointed to a building across the road with a sign identifying it as a cobbler's shop. It would have to do.
Tenger tucked the wrapped Olden Blade in his belt and picked up Simon's arms while I took his legs. A fat lump was already forming on the side of his head. Someone clearly didn't like the idea of us arriving here with that dagger.
The cobbler's door was open and his shop was dark save only for the waning sunlight filtering in through a front window. The small room smelled strongly of leather, which was to be expected considering the number of shoes we saw.
"Let's lean him against the workbench." Tenger cocked his head toward the back of the room. "That'll make it easier to tend to his wound."
I agreed, and we set him down as gently as we could. While Tenger removed Simon's sword so he could sit comfortably, I tore the bottom of my skirts to get enough fabric to wrap his head. I set to work at that,
listening to Tenger explore the rest of the shop, ensuring we were alone.
I wrapped the wound and tied the knot to the side of his head. "That should help, but there must be a physician in town who can examine him."
"We'll find one, after the ceremony is over."
I shook my head, brushing my fingers across Simon's cheek. "No, let's do it now. I'll go, if you stay and watch him."
Something sharp pressed against my back, possibly one of the cobbler's tools for cutting the leather for the shoes. It was there as a threat, confirmed by the coldness of Tenger's voice. "You made this too easy, my lady, coming in here."
I didn't move. "Simon is hurt!" Then I drew in a breath. "And you hurt him! Why?"
Tenger was his captain. Simon had sworn loyalty to Tenger and had followed every order he'd ever been given. In return, the captain had brought a rock down on his head.
"He'll be fine. Simon needed some sleep, and you need to get out of my way." Tenger tossed me some leather cord. "Tie his hands." He poked me in the back with the tool, prompting me to obey.
"You have the Olden Blade," I said. "Why is any of this necessary? Just claim it!"
Tenger chuckled. "I'm not one of them, my lady. If I were, trust me, this dagger would already be mine."
And if I were one, I'd have claimed it first. The burn on my palm proved the truth of that.
As I continued working on Simon's knots, he said, "None of this would've been necessary if you had joined the Coracks when I asked you to earlier."
I snorted. "Pledge loyalty to someone who attacks one of his own and then threatens my life?"