Oh man. I had a feeling Geoffrey was toast. What an idiot.

“Then,” she carried on, “there are men who come as ambassadors from other lands. These, the Dax deals with too.”

Wow. There was a lot more to this Dax business than I realized.

Diandra carried on. “I have little doubt that the news the Dax has installed his Dahksahna at his side is news that has travelled far and wide. It has been but two weeks but horses will have lathered and boats will have sailed with missives and messengers. The news will travel this earth within months and plots will be hatched within moments of it being reported. And this news will be the news that our new queen is the golden queen of legend. That makes you a valuable commodity, my dear.”

I felt ice slide through my veins as I looked at her again. “A commodity?”

“What would the Korwahk people and The Horde trade should their golden queen be kidnapped and held for ransom?” she asked back and I blinked.

“Oh my God,” I whispered.

“Held and tortured, parts of her traded for wild riches in hopes of gaining her returned alive if not intact?”

I looked forward again and swallowed.

“Riches would not be traded, Circe, you should know that. The Horde would ride and blood would be spilled. A great deal of it. Warriors would fall, widows would be made, children would lose fathers.”

“Okay,” I was still whispering, “I’m getting it.”

“No you aren’t, not the half of it,” Diandra replied, I closed my eyes and opened them when she kept talking. “That Geoffrey thought you were from Middleland and having problems adjusting, seething against your claiming, hating your king. He told you he was your friend but he wanted to earn your trust, even though he is not trustworthy, in order to turn you against your people, whisper in his ear their secrets, provide him the information he needs to give Baldur to take these lands, and their riches, and do it by wiping out The Horde.”

“Okay,” I repeated, my voice trembling, “I’m getting it.”

“No, I’m sorry, Circe, you aren’t,” she said softly. “He is one of many. Men from anywhere and everywhere will send agents to do the same. But even amongst the riders in this procession, there are those who plot against the Dax and, they too, will see you as an instrument to his downfall. They will watch you, my dear, and they will seize on any intimation you give that you might conspire against our king. And to do this, there are eyes and spies everywhere, watching your every move. Including now.”

This immediately made me think about The Eunuch but my thoughts were turned when Diandra kept talking.

“Our Dax is our Dax because he is strong, because no one can defeat him in battle, but he is also exceptionally bright. He would never remain the Dax if he did not continue to keep the peace, to keep his nation wealthy, to deal with these outside influences with cunning. If he did not, and there have been those who have not, the challenges would be so thick he would face another clash of swords even before the last warrior fell until he was so exhausted, his head would be gone before he could lift his weapon.”

Yikes!

Diandra went on, “Dax Lahn does not fear your turning traitor, he fears your abduction. You did not know it and I did not know it until my husband and I nearly shouted our cham down but Seerim informed the Dax we were going to the marketplace and the Dax commanded a guard to follow. Teetru sent word we were intending to walk through the camp and again, a guard followed. Our decision to go visit your friend Narinda was not overheard by Teetru, none of your girls were around, so when we left, they did not see us and did not know where we were going. When Teetru discovered us gone, she sent word to the Dax. Later, too much later, he heard from Feetak that you were with Narinda but when Feetak went to his cham, we were with Nahka and he had no idea where we were. By the time this was discovered, you and I were wandering the Daxshee and through very bad luck, we somehow evaded the warriors who had been sent out to find us. This is an extremely unfortunate set of circumstances that, as the minutes ticked by, especially since he saw Geoffrey make contact and knows the ways of King Baldur, which usually are insidious but no one would put it past him to be violent, made your king very anxious. So, by the time we arrived at your cham, his emotions got the better of him.”

I felt my mouth get tight and I said through stiff lips, “That’s still no excuse.”

“Yes, my dear, in your land with the father you described you were fortunate enough to have, I can see you believing that but, again, I remind you with some hesitation as I know you dislike it, that you are married to a Korwahk Horde warrior.”

I turned to look at her and when she turned to me, I locked my eyes with her. “That’s still no excuse,” I repeated quietly, she held my eyes then she heaved a sigh before nodding.

She looked forward again and so did I.

Then I remarked, “You’re only agreeing in order to agree to disagree, aren’t you?”

“It seems wise at this juncture,” she replied and I smiled.

Then I couldn’t help it, my friend was funny and after she shared some not so fun information (to say the least), I needed to release some emotion and I decided I’d do it a better way this time. So I burst out laughing again.

Diandra laughed with me.

When I sobered, before I could stop them, my eyes went to Lahn to see he was again turned on his mount toward me.

Oh man.

He called to someone and I looked away.

Diandra missed this, I could tell, when she urged gently, “Take heed, my beautiful friend, to what I say.”

I nodded, turned to her to see she was sober too, very sober and very serious.

And then I said, “I do not agree with the way these people, now my people, live their lives but I promise you, Diandra, I vow that I would do nothing that would bring harm to them.” I smiled at her. Then I whispered, “They are my people, you know.”

She returned my smile then she whispered back, “Use caution, be watchful and stay safe, my queen.”

I nodded then I heard galloping hooves and looked forward in time to see the warrior from earlier returning.

“What now?” I muttered as he passed me, circled, came back and again, this time with a small cry (coming from me), he plucked me off Zephyr, grabbed her reins, she gave a really irritated whinny and he pierced Diandra with a look and barked, “Vayoo!”

Then off we were again at a gallop but we were heading straight to the front of the line.