by Amanda Fleet
“If we don’t get passed by a cart, yes,” I said. “Think of it as endurance training. We could run it, if you prefer?”
Faran snorted.
In the end, a cart picked us up about a mile into the walk, much to both men’s delight. I may have joked about running, but Faran wouldn’t have coped with it any better than Valgan.
Faran and I headed straight for the vault and sent a messenger to Lord Sondan to say we’d returned with vessels. Kitchen and serving staff bustled around in the Great Hall next to us, preparing it for lunch. We waited for Lord Sondan close to the hallway leading down to the vault. Although the clatter of serving staff filtered out to us from the hall, it was secluded enough there for us to be able to talk privately.
“So, what’s up?” I asked.
Faran sucked in a long breath, letting it go slowly, and rested his shoulder against the wall. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last night. About not belonging here.” He closed his eyes briefly. “I know you’re not happy here, and you don’t feel the same way about me as you used to. Maybe you will with time, but I’m worried that you hate it here so much you’ll leave before we work that out.” His voice wavered, and I reached across and caught his hand, wanting to comfort him. He smiled wanly, entwining our fingers. “Aeron, I don’t want you to be unhappy, but I don’t want to leave. Or for you to leave and me to remain here.”
He lowered his head, and I stepped in and rested my hand on his hip, my heart sore. “You said you’d leave with me if I was banished.”
“And if you were banished, I would, because you’d have no choice.” He looked up, his eyes sad. “Perhaps you haven’t seen The Realm in its best light. Or me. You returned and everything was difficult. You didn’t remember me. Your return wasn’t welcomed, especially by my father. I think once all of the demons are trapped, The Realm will be able to relax and you’ll like it more.”
I screwed my toe into the floor. “Will The Realm like me any more?”
“They’ll see you as a good leader and a brave and accomplished warrior. Yes, they’ll like you better.”
“Huh. Are you talking about The Realm there or your father?” I raised a brow.
“Both.” A hesitant smile lifted one corner of his mouth.
It was progressing rapidly towards being a moot point. I’d been back in The Realm for more than six days – over a year Outside. Every day that passed was another two months there. Even if I returned this second, I’d be struggling to explain where I’d been for a year. My family and friends probably assumed I was dead.
We turned as Lord Sondan arrived, full of smiles for us, his conker-brown leathers shining in the light from above. “Well done. Two demons trapped. Yours was the only successful mission yesterday.”
“Thank you. Lord Sondan, can Faran and I discuss something with you? In private.”
Lord Sondan’s brows rose. “Of course. Let me get these in the vault and we can talk in my rooms. Lord Eredan is on his way.” He grinned at Faran, resting his back against a carved pillar. “Did Valgan behave? I deliberately put him with you and Lady Aeron. If anyone could knock some sense into him, you could.”
Faran glanced at me. Lord Sondan perked up. “What happened?”
“He was insubordinate to me a couple of times but we dealt with it on patrol,” I said. “And he was flogged for assaulting me.” I handed Lord Sondan my second report.
Lord Sondan grinned. “Well, I imagine he won’t try that again.”
Faran turned as his father approached, and bowed. “Lord Father.”
Lord Eredan nodded to us, the light silvering his temples. “Two trapped demons. Well done.”
Did I just see a flicker of warmth in his face?
He took one of the vessels. “I read your report, Lady Aeron. Helvik is some distance from Storvik and yet you say you managed to secure the demon there before returning to Storvik.”
“The demon attacked a villager in Storvik but then ran off. I chased it.”
“To Helvik?” Lord Eredan’s brows inched higher.
“Yes, Lord Eredan.”
“And carried it back to Faran and Valgan?”
I straightened, proud not just of having run, but of capturing the demon before it lost all of its stolen energy. “Yes. I didn’t want it to end up a wraith again. I didn’t know if we could trap a wraith, so I carried it back.”
He grunted a sound of approval. “Excellent thinking. Well done… You remind me of the Lady Aeron of old.”
Faran smiled at me.
“Thank you, Lord Eredan,” I said. Perhaps his opinion of me was softening.
“Let’s get these two vessels secure.” He strode off with Lord Sondan, leaving me and Faran in the small hallway.
Faran turned to me, smirking. “See. Maybe at some point you’ll accept I’m right about some things. My father is warming to you.”
“And then he’ll find out I stabbed his other son, as well as running you through.”
“It wasn’t me you ran through. And it ensured we trapped Aegyir. And Orian’s leathers shouldn’t have failed. You did well. Neither Valgan nor I could have chased the demon down the way you did. My father respects you for that.”
Lord Sondan returned, empty-handed. “You wanted to talk to me?”
“In private.” Faran motioned towards Lord Sondan’s rooms. Our old rooms.
There, Lord Sondan invited us to sit and fetched cups of water for us. It felt weird to be guests in our old suite, and I sneaked a glance at Faran. He looked stoic, but the last couple of days had dealt him hammer-blow after hammer-blow. I squeezed his hand, briefly.
“What did you want to talk about?” Lord Sondan placed a cup in front of Faran.
“I need to tell you something about my brother.”
Lord Sondan paused, his cup of water halfway to his mouth. “What about him? He’s still out on patrol.”
Faran breathed deeply, closing his eyes. “Sondan, this is difficult. I don’t know if you can trust my brother.”
Lord Sondan snorted. “I’ve never trusted your brother. He’s always scheming and plotting, though usually against you, not me. What’s he done now?”
Faran took another couple of breaths before answering. “His leathers failed. During the battle with Aegyir.”
Lord Sondan froze. “His leathers failed?”
Faran nodded. I chipped in. “It was me who found it out.”
“How?”
My turn to take a deep breath. “Because I stabbed him. He was barring me from getting to the armoury and didn’t seem as if he was going to help defeat Aegyir. He attacked me; I defended myself, and my blade went through his leathers and cut him.”
Lord Sondan eyed me, rubbing his jaw. “He almost died from that wound. You do have a habit of trying to skewer the sons of the house of Hadwen.”
“Mm. Well. I knew it wasn’t Faran in the Great Hall. Why did Orian’s leathers fail? Did Aegyir get to him during the battle and force him to take his blood? Or has Orian been plotting against The Realm for longer than that? Does he have to have been corrupted by Aegyir or could his leathers fail because he’s not loyal?”
Lord Sondan took a long drink of water. “I knew Orian had been stabbed. I didn’t know he’d still been wearing his leathers when it happened. He’s due to return from the provinces after lunch today. I’ll ask him to come and see me. I’ll need a witness to test whether his leathers hold. Faran? What about your father?”
“Perhaps Mathas might be better? My father is likely to react badly to the news that Orian’s leathers failed. Better to see if they hold now before telling him?”
“Mathas warned me not to mention Orian at the Council meeting yesterday,” I said. “He already knows there’s a hole in Orian’s jacket and that I’m responsible.”
Lord Sondan pinched his brow. “I’ll ask your father. It’s best that the First Lord knows what’s happening in his Realm. I can keep your names out of it though and say it’s been brought to my attention t
hat his jacket has a hole in it. Housekeeping and laundry will have seen that anyway. As will the healer who treated him.”
Lord Sondan looked as if he was about to dismiss us.
“There’s something else,” I said.
Both men looked at me, curious.
“Just before we left Storvik, I saw some kids playing at ‘kill the demon’. They knew some of what had to be done – three Guardians and daggers and the right locations for the daggers – but instead of decapitating the demon, they pretended to throw a special dust over it, alleging it killed the demon forever. They said the dust was made from grinding up stones like the one in the talisman.”
Lord Sondan laughed. “No one knows where the stone for the talisman came from. It’s just a story for children.”
“But what if it’s true? Could we grind up the talisman and use it to kill the demons forever?”
Lord Sondan sighed. “Lady Aeron, there’s only one talisman. It will not be ground up to test out whether a children’s story is true. And by rights, it’s Lord Eredan’s or mine, not yours.”
“Do you want it back?” I cast a glance to Faran who didn’t move. Would he take it off me, if ordered to? It currently protected me from the demons.
“No,” said Lord Sondan. “I think you’re wise to wear it so that no one can accuse you of anything.”
I wasn’t ready to let this go. “Can I research the story in the library? Perhaps I can find out where the stone came from?”
Lord Sondan shrugged. “If you want.”
“Can Faran help me? One of the many things I’ve forgotten is how to read quickly.”
Lord Sondan looked from me to Faran and back again. “As you wish. But neither of you may skip training and you’ll go on patrol when you’re scheduled to. You’re the two most accomplished Guardians and the only two who’ve trapped any demons yet. I won’t have you chasing children’s stories instead of dealing with the threats to The Realm.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
7
“Do we have time to go back to our place before lunch?” I asked.
We’d just left Lord Sondan’s and were walking in completely the wrong direction for our rooms. Faran looked down at me. “Why?”
“I have something for you.”
“What?”
I smiled. “Wait and see. But don’t get massively excited, because it’s only something small.”
We reached our suite, and I made Faran stand in the middle of the outer room with his eyes shut and one hand out. I placed a square, origami box on his palm, made from the spare paper left after writing my report. “Okay. Open your eyes.”
He peered at the box, his eyes asking if he could open it. I nodded, and he took the paper lid off carefully. Inside was a small carving I’d done for him while we’d been on patrol. His gaze lifted to me. “What is it?”
“It’s a gift.”
His brows twitched. “But what is it? Did you make it?”
“Mm. Yesterday. While you and Valgan were watching Ammet. I borrowed a wood-knife from one of the woodsmen.”
“It’s beautiful. But what is it?”
I frowned. “It’s just a carving of a… mouse.” I switched to English because I couldn’t remember the Realm word.
“A mowze?” His mouth struggled with the word.
I stared. “Are you seriously telling me you’ve never seen a mouse?”
Did The Realm not have them? Maybe it didn’t.
Faran shook his head, a smile creeping over his lips. “No. Are they this small? Where do mowzes live?”
The wooden mouse was near enough life-size, though only a crude rendition, showing the body and tail, with two pointed ears and dots for the eyes. I wasn’t a great carver. “About that size, though mice do have four legs and feet, even though I haven’t carved them. They live in the countryside, though sometimes they live in houses too.”
“Mice?” Again, the word was unnatural in his mouth.
“Oh. Plural of mouse. I know. It’s an odd one. English is full of them.”
He looked at it again, turning it around in his hands. “What’s it for?”
I laughed. “What’s it for? It’s a gift. To cheer you up and make you smile.”
“It is just for that?” He turned it over, studying it as if there might be some hidden mechanism in it.
“You say ‘just’ like it’s something insignificant, but making you happy isn’t something insignificant.”
Clear green eyes met mine. “But it doesn’t have another function?”
Ah, The Realm. A place where if you needed something, it was provided, but possessing anything that didn’t have a specific function relating to your role was totally unnecessary.
“No. It’s entirely to make you happy and show you I care about you… Faran, you’ve had a horrible few days and it’s been mostly my fault. Well, it’s been all my fault. I wanted to give you something to cheer you up and tell you that I know you’re having a shit time and that even if things aren’t what they used to be between us, I do care about you. I’m better at drawing than carving. Maybe I should have drawn you something.”
“Aeron, it’s beautiful. Thank you.” A slow smile sneaked over his face.
“Come here.” I curled my hand around the back of his head and drew him down into a kiss. “I’m really sorry you’ve been having a rough time.”
He shrugged. “I’ll live. Thank you for my mowze. It does make me happy.” He kissed me softly.
He replaced the lid on the paper box and crossed the room to put the box on the desk and the mouse on top, still smiling.
By the time we’d walked back to the Great Hall for lunch, the humiliations of the last few days seemed to have settled on Faran’s shoulders again. We sat at a table in the corner, and he scanned the Guardians around us, his gaze resting on two men on the other side of the room.
“Whose side is Lord Gaedan on these days?” he asked. “He used to be Sondan’s man but he’s sitting with Lord Cerewen.”
“In Council the other night he sided with Lord Sondan mostly. I’m not sure he’s picked a side yet.”
Faran rubbed his jaw, thoughtful. “Sondan would do well to keep Lord Gaedan on his side.”
I caught an undercurrent in his voice. “You think he’s not? Has he done something to upset Lord Gaedan?”
Faran twitched his brows – a yes – but he didn’t say what.
Before I could grill Faran on it, Lord Eredan joined us. He smiled at both of us – a rare event – and sat next to me.
“Have any more demons been trapped, Lord Eredan?” I asked.
“No. It seems that only you, Faran, and Valgan have any success. When are you scheduled to go again?”
“Tomorrow,” said Faran.
Lord Sondan arrived. He sat next to Faran and passed Lord Eredan some papers. Lord Eredan leaned back to allow a serving lad to put a bowl of stew and vegetables down, his eyes narrowing and his lips pinching as he read. He sniffed and passed the documents to me. Opposite me, Faran gritted his teeth.
The papers outlined a major rebellion in one of the larger villages. A Guardian patrol had dished out punishments over the reduced amount of food being sent to the city. The settlement they were patrolling had lost men, and the rest of the village had refused to send any food to the city, saying that if the Guardians weren’t going to do their job and protect the people, then they weren’t going to get anything. I caught Lord Sondan’s eye.
“The Council needs to discuss this.” Lord Eredan took the papers back from me.
Lord Sondan glanced at Faran. “Before the Council meets, you and I must see Orian.”
Lord Eredan looked up, pausing before folding the papers together. “Orian? What’s he done now? Don’t tell me he’s finally bedded Lady Morgan and must marry her.”
Lord Sondan cleared his throat. “No. Well, not that I know. Reports from housekeeping and the healer who attended him, say there was a hole in his jacket.”
�
��A hole?” Lord Eredan frowned, his chin lifting.
“Yes. Made by the dagger that stabbed him.”
Lord Eredan stared silently at Lord Sondan, tucking the papers into his jacket. He shot a quick look at Faran, who kept his face neutral.
“We’ll see him in my rooms,” Lord Eredan said finally, looking around the hall. “Is he eating at this sitting?”
“No,” said Lord Sondan. “He’ll be at second bell. He’ll be too late back from patrol to make the first sitting.”
“Okay. Call the Council to meet after we’ve seen Orian.” He sighed heavily. “Are both my sons going to be tried in the same week?”
Faran blinked irritably but kept his mouth shut. I rubbed his ankle with my foot. Well, I thought it was his, but from the look on Lord Sondan’s face, I’d misjudged where each man’s leg was. Heat burned my cheeks, and I apologised quickly. Lord Sondan smirked and Faran’s brow crinkled. At least I’d just played footsie with Lord Sondan and not my father-in-law. Lord Sondan caught my eye, the smirk morphing into a full-blown smile and half a laugh. “Faran, your wife has a good heart sometimes.”
“She does.” He flashed me a puzzled look but I shook my head. I could explain later.
The rest of the conversation over lunch revolved around other State matters. If Faran genuinely wasn’t supposed to know about them, neither his father nor his friend seemed to have remembered that. I was also glad that Lord Sondan asked Faran’s advice on who to group together for patrols, and where to send them.
“Call Orian to see us after his lunch.” Lord Eredan pushed his empty bowl away. “I’ll meet you in my rooms.”
He stood and bowed to me and Faran.
A few minutes later, as Faran and I walked out of the Great Hall, he glanced at me. “Why did you blush during lunch? Why was Sondan laughing? What had happened?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, I meant to rub your ankle, only I rubbed Lord Sondan’s by accident. At least it wasn’t your father’s.”
He grinned. “My father’s affection for you appears to be returning. You were always one of his favourites.”
“Really? Well, I’ll try not to screw that up. Can we walk for a bit? And can I talk to you about what was in the papers?”