The Empty Crown

by Georgina Makalani

  ‘No matter what gifts she has or what offence she has caused, it is not reason enough to throw her to her death,’ Dray said, unsure where the words came from. He walked back through the round doorway, trying to look like he wasn’t about to throw up. The girl, on the other hand, looked like she just might.

  ‘Ana is of no concern to you. She is a maid.’

  ‘A maid?’ Dray asked, looking down at her. She nodded. ‘I thought she was your niece.’

  ‘You are not in a position to question the decisions of others,’ the mage said, his sharp face looking even sharper if that was possible.

  Dray opened his mouth and then closed it. She had called for help, and they had just watched her fall. He couldn’t let that happen. Although he wasn’t quite sure why, he was determined to help this girl.

  Looking over these people who represented the boy king in the world, Dray wondered what the king thought of his kingdom, if he thought of it at all. His uncle had ruled long enough that many of the people considered him more of a king than the boy himself. But no matter the state of the world, he couldn’t just walk out with her on his arm.

  He set his jaw and seized the back of her dress with his free hand, pulling her from his arm and held her up before him. ‘If she is a problem, then she is better locked away,’ he murmured. ‘Allow me to do the job I was employed for.’

  The mage raised a hand. Dray was tempted to put his hand on his sword, but it currently held the maid. He had thought she might struggle or make a scene, but she hung limp in his hold as though she knew she was lost whichever way she went.

  ‘You know how long I have looked for her,’ the mage growled.

  ‘She is young,’ Dray murmured. ‘The young don’t think of what might benefit them. Let me lock her away somewhere safe until you are ready for her, rather than kill her now.’

  ‘That may have been why I searched,’ the mage responded, a confidence in his voice Dray doubted. The man might appear to have power others only dreamt of, but Dray had yet to see any evidence of it. He seemed to fear far more than a man with power should. Dray had been around enough of them to know just what men in power could do.

  He looked down at the girl again. She might be important, or she might just be a maid. Either way, he couldn’t let her die at the whim of a nasty old man. He took a deep breath, feeling the same desperation she had called to him with from out on the Walk.

  Her wide green eyes seemed to draw him as he lowered her to the floor, and with his hand still firm on the back of her dress, he directed her towards the door. He half expected some further complaint from the lord or the mage. Yet neither moved nor spoke.

  In the hallway beyond the lord’s rooms, the intermittently spaced lamps did little to light the dark grey stone other than a small area around each one. No one else appeared, but Dray continued to direct her forward. Although somehow his arm had reached across her shoulders had pulled her in close as his pace had increased.

  He expected someone to come after them, but perhaps they had believed his story. He stopped then and looked back.

  ‘Which way?’ he asked softly.

  ‘Down…’

  ‘No. Out. How do we get out?’

  There was a long pause before she answered. ‘Go straight and then down the main stairs. From the foyer you can exit the castle. But…’

  ‘Just wait until we are outside,’ he murmured, racing out onto the landing and checking to ensure there was no one around the large open entrance. Half of his men could have waited at the base of the stairs and the space would still not have been full. He moved carefully, half pulling her. She put her hand to his arm, and he stopped. In the corner of his eye, he saw another maid at the far end of a corridor leading from the landing, and then she was gone again.

  Several soldiers stood by the doors of the castle and several of his own men stood nearby. He wondered how the others waiting beyond the doors would great him with the maid. He grabbed her wrist as she stepped forward, and she looked up at him with those bright eyes again. He shook his head once.

  She chewed on her lip for a moment and then turned back the way they had come. She waved for him to follow and turned down a narrow hallway. They didn’t pass anyone as they headed down narrow steps and, for a moment, he was sure they were moving through the walls.

  Dray thought he could smell the kitchen, and Ana paused in a doorway. She sighed and looked up at him before she continued along the hallway. It was only a matter of minutes until they were standing in the sunshine. After so long in the dim light of the castle, Dray was sure it should have been night.

  ‘This way,’ she said, slipping along the side of the castle, leading the way with her hand in his. They were moving quickly and, whether by luck or something else, they had managed to leave the castle unseen. Ahead of them was a wide bridge, and Ana stopped dead as a guard stepped forward.

  ‘Found yourself a helper, Ana?’ the guard at the end of the bridge asked. ‘You finished early today.’

  ‘We have an errand to run for the lord,’ she said quickly, dropping Dray’s hand and taking a single step forward.

  ‘You got your job cut out there. That lass can’t cross a bridge without—’ He stopped as he took in Dray and the insignia on his chest, then stepped forward.

  ‘Is it your job to question the task set by the lord?’ Dray asked.

  The man shook his head quickly and pulled himself to attention.

  ‘Come along,’ he said to Ana. Stepping close, but not so close to arouse the suspicion of the guard, he gave her a gentle nudge. She looked up at him and then started walking.

  He could feel her tension. He wondered at first if it was due to the incident that had just occurred, but then he thought there might be more to it. With his hand in the small of her back, Dray glanced over his shoulder to the guard and tried to move her faster across the bridge.

  ‘They will not be far behind,’ he whispered.

  She nodded and yet continued at the same pace, although he was sure she focused on the small space before her feet. Once they were off the bridge, she sighed and then stopped.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she asked, shivering a little and wrapping her arms around herself.

  Dray glanced around them and then looked into the distance. ‘The mountains, unless you have somewhere?’

  ‘She would know where to find me on Sheer Rock,’ she said, another shiver covering her body.

  ‘Mountains it is,’ he said. ‘Can we move a bit faster?’

  She shook her head and blew out a long breath. ‘We have three more bridges to cross.’

  He sighed and then looked at her properly. She was shivering, and not just because of the cool sea breeze pulling at her hair. ‘You are scared of the bridges.’

  ‘I’m not good with heights,’ she admitted quietly. ‘Why did you save me?’

  He took her hand and pulled her along the road. She allowed him to lead her and moved as fast as she could, almost keeping up with his long stride. He was keen to run, but if they came across anyone else, he didn’t think it would be a good idea.

  ‘Why?’ she prompted.

  He stopped and looked at her slight frame. ‘I couldn’t see another innocent die.’

  ‘Are you so sure I am innocent?’

  He laughed then and noticed they were closer to houses than he had previously realised.

  ‘Ana?’ someone called. She pulled Dray to a stop, then let go of his hand. ‘Did you spill something on the lord again?’ a young man asked, walking towards them.

  She shook her head, and Dray was pleased she was smiling at the boy, not raising suspicions.

  ‘Tim,’ she said warmly. ‘You would give the soldier the impression I’m clumsy.’

  ‘She is,’ he said, his friendly tone matching his smile. ‘And why are you travelling with a soldier?’

  ‘We’ve been sent on an errand.’

  ‘You don’t even have your cloak,’ he said, the friendliness slipping away. As he leaned cl
oser, concern etched his features.

  ‘The sun is warm and we won’t be long,’ she said, although Dray could see the gooseflesh on her skin. ‘I got distracted,’ she added with a wave of her hand, and he relaxed.

  ‘Well hurry back, the winds will be up soon.’

  She nodded and smiled, then indicated that Dray should head in the direction of the bridge. She waved fondly to Tim and they were off again, trying to walk quickly and yet not appear to be rushing.

  She paused as they hit the next bridge, but with a deep breath she continued to walk across it. It was narrower than the previous bridge. He looked back, realising they were not headed straight for the main bridge that led to the mainland from this crazy part of the kingdom. The islands were so high from the water, he wondered why anyone would live here. Although he had to admit it would be easy to defend.

  ‘Where are we going?’ he asked.

  ‘If we try to cross the mainland bridge, we would be spotted immediately and you will be standing beside me on the Walk.’

  He nodded and allowed her to lead the way. It took time as they wove through streets and between farms, and eventually there was nothing but green open fields that dropped off at the sides with a rocky outcrop at the far end. Dray wondered at the girl so clearly afraid of heights. He tried not to laugh at the irony of it. Then she was gone, and he was sure she had slipped from the edge. He raced forward.

  ‘Stop,’ she said behind him, and he did. ‘You’ll go over the edge if you aren’t careful.’

  ‘I thought you had,’ he said, turning to her standing amongst the rocks.

  She shook her head and grinned. ‘I have another way.’

  Chapter 3

  Ed pulled the hood tighter around his ears as he looked up at the squeaking sign swinging in the wind. The cold rain had numbed his fingers and his nose, and despite the sun being high in the sky, he sucked in a frustrated breath and headed into the tavern.

  Water ran from his cloak in rivulets as he stomped his numb feet on the entrance mat. Or at least he hoped it was a mat; it was the same colour as the road outside, and just as muddy. He had travelled most of the way so far by keeping from the main roads. But the storm was continuous, the rain sharp and cold, and he needed a warm bed.

  He lowered his hood slowly as he stepped into a dimly lit room and the smell of stale ale and farm animals hit his senses. He would have shied away from such a place not so long ago, but in the storm, he had little option. He shook the rain from his cloak. Some of the people at the closely packed tables looked up, but their looks didn’t linger. He was sure no one would recognise him. It appeared that no one was looking for him.

  If they were, news of his disappearance might have reached these people. Ed doubted his uncle had noticed he was no longer in his room. He wasn’t around people often enough to hear news, and he wasn’t sure if the word was out. Taverns like this rarely carried the sort of news he sought. There had been many days during his journey when he’d wondered if he would find the man he searched for.

  ‘You after a meal?’ a round older woman asked, working her way between the tables to reach him. She didn’t look very friendly, nor did she sound it, and he wondered if he should have sheltered out on the road somewhere.

  ‘Need a room for a night,’ he said, trying to sound gruff and confident.

  She nodded once and walked away, working her way back through the tables to the bar at the far side of the room. He tried to keep up, but despite her little legs and his long ones, she was able to move through the tight gaps more easily than he.

  ‘We got one room,’ she said, turning sharply and pressing a key into his hand. ‘Up the stairs, second on the right.’ She took her time to look him up and down. ‘Two crowns.’

  ‘Two,’ he stammered, and her face hardened. ‘Two seems fair,’ he murmured as he felt out two gold coins in his pocket.

  Ed closed his hand tightly around the key, thankful he hadn’t kept all his coin together as he pressed them into her outstretched hand. He worked his way through the crowded room and up the stairs, barely a glance raised in his direction. He counted along the doors until he reached his allocated one and found it unlocked.

  It opened silently into a small room with a narrow bed more like a soldier’s cot against one wall and a small table with a single chair. He blew out a sigh and pushed the door closed behind him, locking it quickly and then testing it. It seemed to hold, but he wondered how solid it would be if someone were determined to get to him in the night.

  He threw the wet cloak over the back of the chair and sat on the edge of the bed before he lay down. It had been too long since he’d had the opportunity to lie down. He might have been too rash to run from the capital as he had. But he couldn’t go on as he was. There was no chance for him to be what his parents had hoped. Although there had been a time he didn’t want it, as he’d grown he had begun to understand the importance of what they hoped he would be.

  He closed his eyes, taking in the sounds of the storm. The wind and rain battered the building, and he was grateful to be under a roof. He hoped this was the right thing to do.

  The dining room filled with patrons produced a continuous muffled sound to compete with the sounds of the storm. Ed should have considered food as well, but he wasn’t up to it. His stomach hadn’t travelled well, and the idea of food made him nervous. He was sure he could travel further if he avoided illness.

  A sharp bang on the door startled him into a seated position, and he waited. Then it came again.

  ‘I have your meal,’ the older woman called through the door.

  He wanted to tell her to take it away, but instead he got up, opened the door and showed her in. She glanced at the muddy mark on the bed where he had lain down with his boots on and scowled at him again. She dropped the tray on the table, slopping the ale in the pewter mug. The watery-looking stew didn’t move at all, and a chunk of bread sat solid on the tray.

  ‘Just one night?’ she asked.

  He nodded once, still looking at the food and wondering if anyone would want to eat it.

  ‘Where ya goin’?’

  ‘North,’ he murmured. ‘To find family.’

  She looked him over and, for the first time in the last few weeks, he was worried she might actually recognise him.

  ‘Nice boy like you should have a horse.’ She smiled a little, revealing crooked yellowing teeth as she rubbed at her chin with her knuckles.

  ‘Lost it,’ he said, feeling more unnerved by the smile. ‘Spooked by the lightning.’

  ‘Really?’ She raised her eyebrows slowly, and Ed knew she didn’t believe anything he said.

  He nodded slowly and looked back at the stew.

  ‘You got money to buy a new one?’ she asked.

  ‘No,’ Ed said quickly. ‘It isn’t too far now, I hope. I can walk for a couple of days.’

  ‘Nothin’ ’round here within two days’ walk.’

  ‘I’m sure the farm is not far away. Thank you for the food,’ he said, guiding her towards the door. She backed up as he continued; he had height on her if not weight. The door had remained open, and he wondered if someone else might have heard their conversation. As she backed into the hallway, he glanced quickly each way. The hard look had returned to her face when he bowed his head, thanked her again and then shut and locked the door.

  The innkeeper might be more danger than the soldiers he had thought would follow. He wiped the ale from the battered spoon on the edge of his cloak and poked at the stew. It remained unmoving. He dropped the spoon and took a single sip of the ale instead. It was bitter but drinkable, and he carried the cup and the bread back to his cot.

  He wanted to prise his boots from his cold damp feet, but he worried what he might find within, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to get them back on. If the little round woman turned out to be the trouble he suspected, he might need to leave in a hurry.

  Ed sighed and then wondered, not for the first time, if this was a good idea. He
gulped at the ale and then sat it down on the floor. His stomach made a strange noise as he bit into the bread. If they wanted to rob him, they might have done something to his food. But he hoped it was clear he didn’t have the money they thought he might.

  She wasn’t the first to have mentioned a horse. Although it would have been both useful and faster, it would have drawn too much attention. He would have had to explain why he wanted a horse from the stable, and if he had managed to take one unseen, anyone he passed would have recognised it.

  He was tempted to leave the tavern even though he had spent too much on the small room, but the wind and rain still lashed at the building. There was no use hurrying in this weather to he wasn’t sure where. With his shoes still on, he lay back and pulled the thin blanket over him. His clothing still damp, he shivered and closed his eyes as the dim light shone through the narrow window.

  You can’t hide when you stand out.

  Ed could have dressed better, and he could have carried more with him, but it had been far more important that he leave unseen. All he had to do was find the man his mother had told him to find, and the world would be what it should. He hoped. Although he had no real idea of what it should be. And other than a feeling that he lived to the north, possibly in the Edge Mountains, he didn’t even know his name. To be so well known to his mother, Ed had assumed he was the Lord of the Mountains or worked with him.

  But for a man on foot not used to travel, the mountains were still a long way off.

  Chapter 4

  The wind pulled at the soldier’s cloak, and Ana tried not to focus on the thick material. She might have been terribly underdressed, but she wasn’t lying dead at the base of the cliffs. She sucked in a breath and continued beside the big man. He was older, grey just touching the sides of his thick dark hair. And he was handsome.

  The scar she had seen so clearly across his face was undeniably absent, and she wasn’t sure if it had been a trick of the light or something she had done or thought. He glanced at her and she looked away, not wanting to stare. Yet as he turned forward, her eyes found his face again.