by H. M. Clarke
A sigh escaped her lips, and she padded over to her bed and perched on the side while scooping up one of her discarded boots. She will finish getting dressed as she waited for Dagan to come to her.
The wait was not long. The clicking of a single pair of boot heels on the flagstones echoed from the outside hall and Ryn was on her way across the room before the soft tap was heard at her door.
“Dagan, what has been going on? Wha-” She started to ask as she opened the door. Ryn’s questions came to an abrupt halt as she looked at her partner in bewilderment. Dagan, dressed in his customary black now had a large, white dusting cloth spread over his left shoulder. And perched on that shoulder was a puffed up and very annoyed Peck who had his head cocked, glaring at her.
“Kathryn, please take this feathered poo machine from me and tell him that you are fine. He won’t believe me or Donal when we tell him that you are.”
“Donal shouldn’t have sneakily put me to sleep then.” Smiling, she held up her hand and with a clack of his beak Peck hopped the distance from Dagan’s shoulder to her forearm.
“I’m alright Peck. Just sit here and I’ll see if I have any of those biscuits you like.” Ryn perched the crow on the back of her desk chair and then moved to her nightstand to check the draw for treats.
Dagan came into the room and closed the door behind him and swiftly removed the poo covered cloth from his shoulder and tossed it to the desk. From the chair Peck eyed it curiously before cocking his head back in Ryn’s direction.
Ryn found what she was looking for at the back of the drawer. She turned and tossed the biscuit across the room and Peck snagged it from the air with his beak and then hopped from the chair onto the desk so that he could eat more comfortably.
“That bird really doesn’t like me Kathryn,” Dagan said as he perched himself on the corner of Ryn’s bed. Ryn noted that it was the farthest he could seat himself away from the crow and tried not to smile.
“He’s a good mate once you get to know him,” she said as she gave Peck a scratch on the back of his head. “He’s just a little put out with you about what happened at the farm house.” Ryn noted the cloth next to Peck had been well covered in droppings. It looked like Peck had started getting his revenge on the mage. She gave Peck another scratch and then left him to eat his biscuit.
“So you reward him with a biscuit for his unkindness,” Dagan muttered, but Ryn shook her head.
“No, but I reassure a friend that I’m all right. Peck can be very protective sometimes and might worry himself sick enough to start losing feathers.”
“You are well then?”
“Yes, thanks to you and that sneaky bastard Donal. You put him up to casting that sleep spell on me didn’t you?”
Dagan grinned at her, softening the lines and angles of his face and making him look boyish.
“It worked didn’t it? No more pain and twitchiness.” The smile quickly disappeared. “You needed to rest Kathryn. You shouldn’t have risked yourself for me like that.”
“Risk myself? We are a Blackwatch Pair Dagan, a warrior will always fight to protect their mage. Just as a mage will always fight to protect their warrior. I did what I was trained to do.” Ryn came and sat on the bed next to Dagan. “But it’s not going to work sidetracking me with silly questions like this,” she said. “What has happened while I’ve been sleeping and what are we going to do next?”
Dagan sighed. Loudly.
Ryn could feel a slight wavering in their shared Link. He was still worried about her. She reached across and laid her hand over his. “I’m fine. You’d know from our Link if I was lying to you just as I know from it that you are worried. What is it telling you now?”
Dagan grimaced. “That you’re fine. But that still doesn’t mean I can’t worry.”
Ryn gave his hand a little reassuring squeeze and was surprised when he returned it. “Now, tell me what’s been going on? How long have I been asleep?”
“Now I definitely know you are fine since you are hounding me with questions again,” Dagan said letting a smile come to his lips.
A warning caw from the table caught Ryn’s attention, and she saw Peck glaring hard at Dagan and the hand he had on hers. “Oh, go back to eating your biscuit you silly bird, there’s nothing going on for you to worry about,” she said, though Ryn did remove her hand from Dagan’s which he seemed to release with some reluctance. For a man that kept reminding her of his independence, he was strangely protective of her. It had been known for the Pairing to affect people in that way, but she would have thought that Dagan would not be one of them.
“And, as usual, you still haven’t answered me,” she replied to him to cover up her musings.
Dagan laughed. “Yes, I haven’t. But it’s best it wait until we meet up with the others. You can get the full story then. You’ve been asleep for over a day Kathryn, we all had reason to worry about you.”
“A day! I’ve missed a whole day? No wonder I feel hungry. And so much could have happene-”
Dagan raised a hand to halt her words, a smile catching at his lips.
“Much has happened, but nothing you could do anything about. Keep your questions until we meet with the others.”
“When are we going to do that?”
“Don’t you want to eat first?”
Ryn glared at him, her lips held tight in narrow disapproval.
“We would be going to see them now if you’d stop questioning me.”
Ryn quickly leapt up from the bed, startling Peck into a flurry of cawing and puffed up feathers. “Well? What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Ryn’s Blackwatch cloak swirled about her as she and Dagan entered the small practice yard. She was only wearing a light shirt over her black trousers and boots, so she grabbed the edges of her cloak and wrapped them tightly around her. Dagan turned and looked at her, and with a smile took the leading edge of his cloak in his hand and quickly wrapped them both in it.
“Is that better?”
Surprise stopped any words from leaving her lips so she quickly nodded. What happened to the smart talking, independent, secretive Dagan that she remembered from the other day? He must have received quite a blow to the head to have knocked his senses about this much.
A loud screech cut through the air and something black whizzed low passed them enough to pull a clump of Dagan’s hair from his pony tail. Dagan ducked down, pulling Ryn with him. Ryn started to giggle, drawing a sour look from Dagan.
“It’s just Peck showing off,” Ryn said as they both stood up. “He usually does that to Banar though,” she added.
Dagan ran a hand over his hair, brushing the clump of hair back in. “I think that birds got it in for me,” he muttered.
“Dagan! RYN!”
That was Ashe.
Ryn looked in the direction of the voice and saw her friends standing in the center of the practice yard. This was one of the smaller yards, with a single line of seats ringing the soft sand and then surrounded on all sides by a very high wooden palisade made of ironbark trees which had been charmed to keep both magic and weapons within its walls. It was also charmed with a noise retardant so as not to bother those outside.
Slipping out from Dagan’s protective arm, Ryn rushed over to them.
“Are you all alright? Lily? How are you feeling?”
“Just like Ryn to worry about everyone else!” Donal said laughing. “At least that means you’re okay.”
“What about Vannik and Bron?”
“They are back at their Inn with instructions to keep close,” Dagan said as he joined them.
“So, what has happened while I’ve been asleep? Dagan wouldn’t tell me anything until we came here,” Ryn said as she wrapped her cloak back around her again as the wind picked up.
“I’m glad to see you’ve recovered Ryn,” Ashe said as he came to stand beside her.
She looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks Ashe. It’s good to see you in one piec
e as well.” She then turned and looked at the others. “But I want to know what’s been happening, or has nothing happened at all?”
“Oooh, things have happened alright,” Donal replied gleefully.
“Why are we meeting out here?” Lily’s whiney voice started up and Ryn could feel Dagan’s annoyance spike over the link. “It’s windy and cold and-”
“No one can over hear us talk out here. Not without us seeing them, and for the time being I want this conversation to remain private. Understood?”
Everyone nodded their head. Even whiney Lily.
Though, after what Lily went through, Ryn was inclined to clamp down on her own annoyance whenever her voice rose into that high pitched tone. If it wasn’t for Lily and her nosiness, no one would have known about Janin and the group operating at the farmhouse.
“The Knights Sergeant have tested the remaining cadets, and the newly formed pairs as they would have been cadets at the time this group was operating. You all know this,” Dagan gave a general nod to all in the circle. “Except for you Kathryn. You have not yet been tested, but I have vouched for you.”
Dagan gave her one of his smug looks.
“And the Knights Commander took your word without complaint? Will wonders never cease,” Ryn said, a crooked smile tugging at her lips.
“They trusted in your upbringing with the Sisters at Evenstar that you would never frequent a brothel, rather than just my word.” Dagan said the words grudgingly as if he was annoyed that his word was not enough.
“And you thought that being raised by nuns would make life difficult for you,” Donal sniggered before receiving an elbow in the ribs from Ashe.
“Two more cadets have been found that have seen Janin at The Wicked Woman, and those boys have been isolated until the Masters can determine that they are not held under the sway of this mind charm.”
“What of the two girls?” Ryn asked.
“They are being held by the Masters until the Tribunal is ready to collect them for examination and to be used in evidence in Leeta and Janin’s trial.”
“Used in evidence? What will happen to them after?” Lily asked.
“What happens to them is not up to me or any of you. Cadets who break the rules so flagrantly and who also place the Blackwatch at risk… The one thing you can be sure of is that they will not be welcome back into the Blackwatch.”
Ryn pulled her black cloak tighter around her as the wind tugged at its corners as it tried to steal away what warmth she had.
“What is being done about the company that attacked Corporal Enon’s caravan?” she asked.
“Companies have been sent out to scour the area for any sign of them. Word has been sent back that abandoned campsites have been found but, so far there have been no other sign of them.”
“But we know that a group of them, as well as their leader, got away from us. They must be there.” Banar growled out, his face etched with a mix of anger and determination.
“Come on Banar, think about it. This group has been operating for Bellus knows how long without anyone knowing of their existence. They are going to know how to hide their tracks and they would have had their escape routes planned in case anything went wrong.”
“But we can’t just let them get away with what they’ve done!” If possible, Lily’s whiney voice rose an octave, making the muscles along Ryn’s spine clench in protest.
“Of course we’re not Lily. Why else would we all be meeting out in this training yard in the freezing wind?” Ashe said as he squared and stretched his broad shoulders under his cloak. Lily’s high pitch affected him too.
“I received word this morning that Magisters from the Tribunal will be arriving tomorrow to escort the prisoners back to Kaldor for trial,” Dagan said, gesturing for them all to lean in closer to hear his words.
“That prison escort will make a very tempting target,” Banar murmured once the group has bunched in closer.
“When they are ready to return to the Capital, Kathryn and I will travel with them. You four will be placed under the temporary command of Vannik, who already is aware of this plan. This is what I need you to do…”
CHAPTER THIRTY
The dark of pre-dawn still blacked out the shuttered windows of the guards mess, rain hammered against the wooden verandah outside but still could not cover the sound of horses and people moving about the courtyard outside. A small candle burned steadily on an oak barley twist candlestick, its light only wide enough to encompass the three seated around the table.
Dagan dropped his spoon into his empty porridge bowl and pushed it across the table toward Kuma. “You should have let me snatch some of those scones that the cook had laid out to cool Kimba when we came through the kitchens.”
The Knight Sergeant glared across the table at him and Dagan suppressed his grin within the flickering shadows of the candle. Kuma shifted in his seat and snorted.
“Are you sure about this plan Dagan?” Kuma leaned in close, his voice low and only barely heard over the drumming of the rain.
“As sure as one can be. And before you ask again… No, we don’t need any more help. Too many fingers in the pot might ruin the surprise.”
Kuma snorted again and sat back.
A man came out of the darkness toward Dagan wearing the royal blue cloak of the Aequitas Tribunal. The new smell of wet wool made Dagan aware of his approach.
“Are they all ready, finally?” Dagan asked.
“We can leave whenever you wish, Magister,” the man bowed to Knight Sergeant Kimba, who muttered something at him. Dagan was glad that she muttered as it did not sound at all polite. A nervous smile on his face, Kuma got up, and Dagan took his black cloak from the back of his chair.
“Allow me to attend you, Dagan,” Kuma said.
“Thank you, Kuma,” Dagan replied, jamming his hands into his gloves. He stamped toward the door. Kuma lead the way with the candle from the table, leaving Kimba sitting alone in the darkness. But now the dawn was coming, and he could see the door, pale in the dark wall. He opened it and stopped before the threshold to put his cloak on. Outside, he could see the courtyard streaming like a river in the rain, the Blackwatch and Tribunal waiting in their saddles, heavily secured coach near the rear, everything gray.
“Be careful on the road,” Kuma said, clutching Dagan by the arm. “Make sure that you bring my Constables back safe and sound.”
Dagan made a noncommittal sound in his throat. The boom of the rain on the wooden roof distracted him from Kuma; his eyes quickly searched the line for Kathryn and found her sitting on that blue roan of hers next to his own mount. The leading edge of her cloak was raised over the pommel of her saddle. The large shadow that sat beneath it moved and Dagan saw the flash of a sharp, black beak. Peck. Dagan’s face fell into a grimace.
“I’m always careful Kuma. You know that.”
Startled, Kuma laughed, and Dagan headed for the door. Kuma came after him to the edge of the rain to watch them go.
Magisters and Blackwatch filled the courtyard, swathed in their cloaks, their horses head down in the rain. A groom held Dagan’s black stallion as he whisked the cloth from the saddle and in the same motion mounted, before the rain could wet it. Dagan stabbed his feet into the stirrups. Kathryn gave him a silent nod in greeting, as she dropped her cloak to let Peck leap into the air in a snap of feathers.
As soon as Dagan mounted, the group began to work their way out of the gate in a double file, with Kathryn just behind him, Dagan fell into the moving column two pairs from its head.
The town surrounding Brookhaven Keep had still not stirred for the day, but those living near the main road would now surely be awake. The clopping of hooves on the cobbles, the snorting of horses, the clanging of armor, the creaking of the prison wagon were loud enough to wake even the deepest sleeper in the pre-dawn quiet.
The meadows around Brookhaven Town were misty and dim in the rain, and the mud of the road sucked at the horses hooves. Mud splashed up from th
e horses in front, and Dagan reined back a little. The black horse snorted and shook its head protesting but it slowed obediently.
The column moved at a quick trot down the edge of the road as it was less muddy than the center. Dagan shifted his weight more comfortably in the saddle.
They rode into the shrubby woodland trees. The road wound downhill, slippery with mud and full of stones. Birch trees and the thick pine gave way to oaks, taller, muffling the sound of the rain. Ahead, the road narrowed down to a trail, littered with half buried boulders like uneven steps, in an effort to give the trail stability, and the line master formed the column into a single file. Dagan looked to the rear of the line and saw that the prison wagon was thin enough, and agile enough to navigate the narrowing of the trail. They slowed to a walk down a steep hillside. On either side of them, the forest stretched out into the darkness.
Dagan stared into the forest to his right. Dark green and pale green and brown, the forest resounded under the rain in a vast surrounding roar.
“Are you thirsty, Dagan?”
He looked around and saw the waterskin Kathryn held out toward him, swaying with the stride of her horse.
He nodded and snatched it, wrapped his rein around his wrist, and pulled out the stopper. Kathryn smiled at him, and he took a long drink from the skin.
“Thank you.” Dagan gave the waterskin back to Kathryn.
She hung the skin back on her saddle and then dug into one of her saddle bags. “I got something else for you as I passed through the kitchen,” Kathryn said as she drew her hand from the bag and pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle and handed it to him.
Dagan flicked back the cloth and even over the rain smelt the strong scent of fresh baking. His face lit up, “Scones!”
Kathryn grinned. “I snatched a few of them for you.”
“I see that, and it is very much appreciated. Thank you.” Dagan then took a bite from the scone, savoring the hint of warmth that still lingered in it from the kitchen. “By Bellus this is good. If my mouth wasn’t full of scone, I would kiss you. You are a life saver.”