by Imogen Elvis
“Where do we go now?” Ava asked, looking around.
“I’m not sure,” Briar said. Were they supposed to go onto the balcony, or wait for someone to show them where to stand?
“There you are.” Lara hurried down the steps towards them. “I’m so glad to see you.” A smile spread over Lara’s face, happy and open, a smile Briar hadn’t seen since Rowen died. She caught Briar in a hug. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. The magicians took care of me. I’m as good as ever.” Briar patted her back. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing to worry about?” Lara stepped back, looking Briar over, one eyebrow cocked. “Because using a song catcher is such a small thing.”
Briar shrugged, and quickly changed the subject. “Lara, I’d like you to meet my sister. Ava, this is my friend, Lara.”
Lara turned to Ava with a smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Briar refused to give up until she found you again. She’s stubborn that way.”
Ava grinned. “Nothing stops Briar.”
“No, that is true.”
Briar scuffed the toe of her boot on the ground. This was awkward. “Where are we supposed to go?” she asked, looking around.
“Up there, of course,” Lara said, gesturing to the balcony above them, where a group of servants fussed around three chairs, which they had set next to the stone railing.
“Are you sure?” Briar asked. “That’s where the royal family will be, surely?”
“And we’re personal guests of theirs,” Lara said. “Kade was very specific. He wants us all up there. I wouldn’t argue with the crown prince if I were you.”
The crown prince. Briar wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She bit the inside of her cheek as she followed Lara up the steps. It would be nice to see Kade again, especially now he was safe and free. Though he was Prince Levi now, and that was a change she wasn’t sure she was quite ready for.
From their vantage point on the balcony, it was even easier to see the size of the crowd as it moved and shifted like leaves in a forest. There were so many of them, filling the whole courtyard and spilling out through the gates. Briar couldn’t exactly blame them for their curiosity. Two days ago, they came to see the crown prince executed, anticipating Master Sachio’s rise to kingship. And now Kade was free, and his uncle was the prisoner.
Briar took a step back, away from the crowd. She was here to see the event, not to be seen herself. Ava, however, went right to the very edge of the stage, staring out at everything. A smile seemed permanently fixed to her face, and it made Briar happy to watch her flitting about, almost like nothing had ever happened.
“I owe you an apology,” Lara said suddenly.
“For what?” Briar blinked.
“I should have followed the plan at the execution.” Lara fixed her gaze on the crowd as if the words might dry up if she were to look Briar in the eye. “I wanted to hurt Sachio so much. I hated him for everything he did, to you, to Kade, to Rowen… I wanted to bring him down myself. It was like somehow, that might bring Rowen back.”
“I’m sorry.” Briar laid a hand on Lara’s arm. “You must be hurting so much still.”
Lara shook her head, swallowing hard. “It’s no excuse. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be standing here right now. And if it wasn’t for me, you would still have your magic. I am so, so sorry for everything I’ve done. Can you forgive me?” Lara turned and met Briar’s gaze, tears glimmering in her eyes.
“I already have,” Briar said without hesitation. “I’m sorry for everything you have lost. I thought Ava was dead, and it was unbearable.” She looked over to where her sister was chatting to a rather bemused guard, who looked like he didn’t quite know what to make of Ava. “Your pain is so much worse.”
“You’re supposed to be angry with me,” Lara said. “I’m supposed to beg for your forgiveness.”
“What good would that do? It won’t bring my magic back. And it won’t help you. We wouldn’t have stopped Master Sachio without you. Nothing else matters now.”
“I don’t deserve any credit,” Lara said quietly. “But thank you, Briar. You don’t know how much that means to me.” She gave Briar a watery smile. “Anyway, this is supposed to be a happy occasion. Finally, that traitor is going to get what he deserves.”
“Do you know what his sentence will be?” Briar asked.
Lara shook her head. “Only the king knows that, and the councils probably. I know they discussed it for a long, long time yesterday.”
“I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.” Briar stole a glance at Lara’s face. She looked sad but more peaceful than Briar had seen her in a long time. “What will you do now? You’re not a fugitive anymore.”
“I’m going home. I’ll have to go and claim the family title, I suppose.” Lara scuffed the toe of her boot over the ground. “I don’t feel ready for the responsibility. I’m not even twenty yet. But I’m the last one left, so I suppose the title is mine now.”
“You’ll make a wonderful Lady Brockhurst,” Briar said. “I mean, more wonderful than you already are. Will you come back to court when everything is settled there?”
“Probably. I mean, Kade’s here, and someone has to keep an eye on him,” Lara said. “I hope you’re staying in Mizra too. Kade-”
Whatever she was about to say about Kade was lost in a blast of trumpets. The line of guards at the back of the balcony came to attention, and two servants hauled open the huge double doors that led into the castle. A procession made its way outside, led by a couple of high-ranking guards, the gold thread woven through their coats glittering as it caught the sunlight. Behind these came the king and queen. They wore gold circlets about their heads, which they held high and proud. The train of the queen’s long, midnight blue dress trailed several feet behind her. She held onto King Varik’s arm. As they stepped outside into the sunshine, she stole a glance into his face, and a ghost of a smile played over her lips. His face softened as he met her eyes. They looked so content together.
Next came Kade. He looked so different Briar almost didn’t recognise him. Instead of his usual travel-stained and threadbare clothes and hooded cloak, he now wore a black coat with ornate silver embroidery on the lapels and cuffs. A ceremonial sword hung at his belt, decorative twists and curls covering its hilt. For a moment, it was hard to see the same man she had got to know so well. But then he caught her eye and smiled, and he was Kade again. Briar smiled back and fought the urge to give him a little wave.
The king and queen processed to the throne-like seats that had been placed ready for them, with a third, smaller chair at the side for Kade. They took their places, and it was like that was a signal. Lara stepped a little closer to the royal family, exchanging hard-eyed looks with the guards who made to keep her back, pulling Briar along with her. Ava clutched Briar’s hand, staying close to her side now. The crowd quieted as if every person held their breath in anticipation. And then, out of the silence, the trumpets started up again in a fanfare.
“They’re coming, Briar.” Ava jigged from foot to foot, pointing. “Look.”
Two carriages rumbled down the road towards them. The walls and roof of the first were made from thick iron bars, turning it into a cage. Two soldiers rode up front, and another two hung on the back. Inside, seated on three long bench seats, sat a group of men and women. Chains secured their hands in front of them, and Briar thought she caught a glimpse of manacles around their ankles as well. They looked so ordinary and unfamiliar. Briar frowned. Could they be the Nameless Ones?
Stripped of their hoods and masks, the Nameless Ones lost much of their mystique. The once almost ghostly group of elite magicians and soldiers were little more than a motley assortment of people of all ages. They were men and women, some with faces lined with age and experience, grey streak shot through their hair, others young, their youthful appearances belying their strength and power.
The cart drew to a halt before the king and queen. King Varik look
ed down on the Nameless Ones, his face impassive. When he spoke, his voice rang around the courtyard loud and clear, yet without him ever seeming to raise it.
“These are the followers of Lord Sachio. The so-called ‘Nameless Ones’. They stand accused of supporting a man they knew plotted treason against the crown, aiding him in his attempt to usurp the throne. They have terrorised and slaughtered our people throughout Kerr. They kidnapped children, misused their gift of magic, and harmed innocent lives. For these, and their many other crimes, they are exiled to Dobrang.”
Briar’s eyes opened a little wider. Dobrang was the most isolated prison in the country. It lay in the far northern mountains, and legend had it that no one had ever escaped its walls. To be exiled there was a life sentence, even for such as the Nameless Ones. But, despite the sober finality of their sentence, King Varik may as well have spoken to the air. The Nameless Ones didn’t so much as twitch at the king’s word. Their faces might be have been revealed, but that didn’t change what they were. Nameless Ones.
Now King Varik spoke directly to the assembly of Nameless Ones. “You burned towns filled with innocent people, sacrificing their lives for evil. You kidnapped children, sending them to their deaths. You wrongfully imprisoned my only son. You are the most despicable of people. Consider this to be a mercy.”
There was still no response from the Nameless Ones.
King Varik wasn’t finished, however. “And for those we have not yet arrested, Dobrang waits for them too. We will hunt them down, and they will join you. You will receive no help from them.” The king nodded to the soldiers guarding the cart. “Take them away.”
The prison cart rumbled slowly down the courtyard, the crowd parting as it made its way through the main gate and towards the central road, which would eventually carry them out of the city. Briar couldn’t be sorry that the Nameless Ones were being sent to Dobrang. They’d hurt so many people, especially Ava. They deserved the punishment the king had meted out. He had been merciful not having them executed the same way they would have killed Kade, without a second thought.
The second carriage took the place of the first. It too was open, all the better to see those seated inside. Again, two soldiers rode up the front, and two hung on behind. In the carriage itself, however, there were only two people. The first was Lucien Redfern. His manacled hands were curled into fists, and he gritted his teeth, glaring at the world around him, daring people to judge him.
While Lucien glared at the crowd and met it with a challenge, Master Sachio acted as if it didn’t exist. He stared at the back of the soldiers’ heads, glancing neither left nor right. Only the working of his jaw gave any indication that he wasn’t as impassive as the Nameless Ones. Briar knew Master Sachio was seething, although he refused to give them the satisfaction of showing it.
The king spoke again. “Lucien Redfern. You supported a traitor in his bid to take the throne. You aided in the capture of the crown prince, despite knowing his innocence. For the part you played in this plot, you will be stripped of your title and lands. Anything you may have inherited from your family is taken away from you. You are cast out from Kerr, nameless and homeless. You are forbidden from contacting your family ever again. They will not help you now. If you ever dare to return, you will face imprisonment.”
Lucien’s eyes widened. “You can’t do this to me.”
“You chose your fate when you decided to support a traitor. If you are found in Kerr again, we will not have mercy.” King Varik’s gaze was hard. Lucien looked as though he might be about to say something else, but one of the soldiers leaned into the carriage, smacking him across the back of the head, silencing him.
And then there was only one person left to address. If it were possible for the courtyard to become even more silent and still, then it did so now. For a long moment, the king just looked at his brother, his gaze soft with sadness. When he spoke, his voice was gentler too, filled with regret.
“Sachio.” The king paused, and the queen placed a hand on his arm. King Varik covered it with one of his own. “You stand guilty of crimes against the country and the crown. You falsely accused the prince of treason and attempted to have him executed. You used your magic to manipulate me and conspired to usurp my throne. You ordered your guards to kill innocent people. You used children to spread terror and then had them killed. All this you did for your own selfish gain.” King Varik paused again. Sadness and anger warred on his face, and he had to take a couple of deep breaths before he could go on. “For these and your other many crimes, you too are to be banished from Kerr. You are no longer a member of the song council. You are no longer a magician. You are no longer a lord.” His voice lowered until Briar could barely catch his words. “You are no longer my brother.”
Master Sachio flinched. He might be seething with anger and hatred, but he cared too. Cared deeply about the fact that he was to be cut off from his family, cast out with nothing. But he still said nothing. There was no hurling of curses and accusations. Nothing but that same empty silence.
“If you have anything to say, now is your chance,” King Varik said. “This is the last time you will see your family.”
Finally, Master Sachio looked up at them with cold, empty eyes. “I have no family.”
There would be no apology from him. No farewell to the family he would never see again. Briar’s heart ached. The king had been merciful in this sentencing too. Master Sachio could easily have been sent to Dobrang as well. Exile was a light punishment compared with he could have endured. But Master Sachio refused to recognise that, even now.
The king sighed and waved to the guard driving the carriage. “Take them away.”
The carriage rumbled into motion, the trumpets blaring again, and Master Sachio, with Lucien by his side, was carried through the gates and away into exile. If they were wise, they would never attempt to come back. No one would forget their sins.
The king and queen rose from their seats. Queen Acacia kept her hand looped through the king’s arm, and she whispered something meant only for his ears. His answering smile was touched with sadness. Then the guards closed ranks around them and the king and queen processed back into the castle. As the doors closed behind them, the crowd erupted into a sea of noise, eager voices blending in a babbling roar.
In all the hustle and bustle, Briar, Lara and Ava were pushed out of the way, forgotten, standing back as servants swirled around the seats the royal family had vacated, carrying them away, back inside the castle. The horde of guards who had watched over the proceedings, now formed into lines, marching away. Everything was a hub-bub of noise and movement.
“I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go,” Lara said. “Exile seems almost too kind for him.” She sighed. “I miss Rowen too much, I think. I can’t forgive Sachio. Not yet.”
“Master Sachio won’t be able to hurt anyone now. And if he tries, he won’t get far. He has no magic, no support, no money, and no home. What can he do to anyone?” That was a comforting thought, indeed.
“It’s funny to think that we’re safe and we don’t have to worry about any of that,” Lara said. “We get to think about life after Sachio.” She sighed. “Right now, that means going home, to my family’s estate. It’s a week’s travel from Mizra at the very least. I’m leaving tomorrow. I don’t want to have to deal with this, but it must be done.” She squared her shoulders.
“So soon?” Briar asked.
“If I’m going to go, then I may as well leave sooner rather than later. Waiting isn’t going to make it any easier.” But Lara lifted her chin. She would rise to the challenge, as she always did. “It will be strange, not spending every day with you and Kade. I’m going to miss you both.”
“I’m going to miss you too.” It was so strange to stand here and watch everything changing around her. Not just the movement of the marching soldiers, or the bustle of the servants, but the changes for the people she loved. Lara was leaving. Kade had resumed his duties as crown prince. Ava had returne
d. Master Sachio was gone. And Briar felt as though suddenly everyone was slipping through her grasp and she desperately wished to hold onto them all just a little bit longer. But at the same time, everyone’s future was a little brighter, a little better. Everyone had a chance to move forward. How could she hold them back from that? She would miss them all so much. But she would see them again.
“May the Tree watch over you,” Briar said. “And bring you back safe. Don’t make us come and rescue you. I’m fairly certain Kade would leave everything to come rescue you if you got yourself into trouble.”
“Me, get into trouble?” Lara snorted. “I’m the responsible one. I’m leaving him in your charge. One of us has to keep an eye on him.”
Briar laughed. “I’ll do my best.”
“You always do.” Lara shuffled her feet. “I suppose I should go and prepare for the journey. Thank you, Briar. For everything.”
“Safe travels.” Briar smiled as her friend turned and made her way down the steps, disappearing into the crowd.
Then there was just Briar and Ava, standing out of the way, waiting for all the hustle and bustle to clear a little more before they too made their way down. And then it would be back to the Order house, Briar supposed.
“Do we have to go straight back?” Ava asked.
“Not if you don’t want to. Why?”
“I’d like to see the river.” Ava turned pleading eyes up to Briar. “They have swans here, Briar. You know I’ve always wanted to see them.”
Briar laughed. Of all the things Ava could have asked to see, it was still the swans she dreamed about. But she couldn’t deny Ava the chance. They’d made it to Mizra after all. They may as well visit the river and hunt down some birds. “If it’s swans you want to see, then we will find some for you.”
“I know of a beautiful spot on the river where there are lots of swans,” a voice said from behind them. “Swans so tame you can pet them if you want to.”
Briar whirled round, and there stood Kade. He looked almost shy, standing there with a hopeful half-smile on his face, his hands clasped behind his back. A smile lifted the corners of her lips. The last time she saw him, he had just been rescued off the executioner’s block, and she was drained from using the song catcher. The change was marked for both of them.