The Conspiracy of Magic

by Harriet Whitehorn

  Who is she? Cass speculated as Dacha bowed deeply to the young woman and then helped her off the horse. Cass followed his lead and bowed too.

  The young woman nodded at them and curtsied graciously to Arden. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet me, Your Majesty.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Now, come inside so we can talk. Dacha will look after your horse.”

  The pair disappeared into the cabin, shutting the door firmly behind them.

  Cass looked at Dacha quizzically.

  “Princess Taryn,” he mouthed back at her.

  “No!” Cass couldn’t stop herself exclaiming.

  Taryn was the niece of Vegna, the Veraklian queen. Taryn’s father had been king until he and his wife had tragically been killed in a sledging accident, when Taryn was a baby. Her aunt Vegna had ruled in her place. Taryn was due to come of age shortly and inherit the throne, but a few months ago she had disappeared. There had been all sorts of wild rumours about her living wild in the Northern Wastes or even being murdered by Queen Vegna.

  “I’m as surprised as you,” Dacha said. “I would never have guessed that she would be in Bunderland. The news sheets said that she had fled to the Islands.”

  Cass nodded in response, absorbing the information. But then there was a rustling, a noise on the roof. They both jumped and reached for their weapons. But it was only a small blue bird.

  “A woodland warbler,” Dacha said, sounding pleased.

  “Aren’t they supposed to be lucky?” Cass asked

  “They are indeed,” he replied, just as the cabin door opened and the two women came out.

  Dacha and Cass looked at the ground as Taryn said, “I can’t thank you enough, Arden.”

  “I cannot promise anything,” Arden responded. “But I think the Bundish will be as alarmed as I am by what you have told me and I will do my best to persuade King Hoff to help. You know you have Minaris’s support at any rate, whatever you decide to do. Are you safe where you are? You can always come to the Minarian court.”

  “It’s kind of you but I think it’s better I stay hidden for the time being. For me to be at the Minarian court would only enrage my aunt further.”

  Arden nodded and they said goodbye to each other. Taryn rode off and Arden, Dacha and Cass walked back to their sledge in silence. Cass noticed that Arden looked worried, and she spent the afternoon staring out of the window and scribbling a letter to King Lycus, which she sent back to Minaris with one of the guard immediately.

  They spent the night in the town of Baden at the Inn of Few Surprises, which to Cass’s relief lived up to its name. She slipped out again in the evening to see if she could see the man from Aravura but there was no sign of him. Perhaps it had been nothing, Cass tried to reassure herself so that she might get a good night’s sleep.

  They woke up in Baden to another fine day and set off early, stopping briefly to change horses at lunchtime at an inn in Jena. It was then that Cass caught sight of the dark-haired man again. He was hanging around the stables and she saw him strike up a conversation with one of the Queen’s Guard. Cass walked over there but by the time she reached them, he had gone.

  “What was that man asking you about?” she asked the guard.

  “Nothing,” the guard replied with a shrug. “Just making conversation about the horses.”

  The sledges left soon afterwards and Cass turned the incident over in her mind. Perhaps it was entirely innocent; the man was merely another traveller on the road through Bunderland. Maybe he had spoken to the girl in Aravura, just as Cass had, and had also felt sorry for her and given her some coins. Then he happened to be at the inn just now, stabling his horses and had casually struck up a conversation with the guard. It all made perfect logical sense, and yet it wouldn’t quite sit with Cass.

  As the afternoon waned a bank of cloud appeared from the north and the air cooled. “Oh, drat! Here comes snow,” Arden exclaimed as the first few fat flakes twirled out of the sky.

  “It always starts mildly,” Tiger remarked. “And before you know it you’re stuck in a drift as high as a child.”

  “Oh, don’t say that!” Arden cried. “I’m desperate to reach Charma tonight, otherwise it will mess everything up. We have a long enough journey tomorrow to reach Darn by nightfall, and then another long day travelling through the Forest of Thunt.”

  But Tiger was right. Before half an hour had passed the snow was pouring from the sky. They pressed on but it wasn’t long before Captain Toskil stopped them and appeared at the window of their sledge.

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, we’re not going to make it to Charma. I suggest we take shelter in the nearest inn. I believe there is one not much further along the road.”

  “Very well,” Arden replied with a sigh. “You’d better send a guard ahead to warn them.”

  The Juggling Hare was not the usual type of coaching inn Arden would stop at – it was rather more … rough and ready. There was nothing wrong with that in itself, Cass thought, but the rooms set aside for the queen were bound to be less secure and the clientele more likely to notice their arrival. And indeed the landlord was a large burly man, clearly more used to chucking drunks out of his inn than welcoming a queen. But he endeared himself to Cass by being as delighted as a child by Arden’s arrival.

  He welcomed her into the inn, apologizing for its lack of an annex. “But the top floor has some fine rooms,” he explained, “which are being readied for you at this moment, Your Majesty. Would you allow me to escort you there?”

  Cass walked just behind Arden and enjoyed the looks of disbelief on the faces of everyone in the inn as Arden strolled elegantly across the filthy floor, wishing them all a good evening. Cass glanced around and could see no sign of the dark-haired man, but her heart nevertheless sank a little. Everyone in there looked like they could be a member of the Sins, she thought with grim amusement.

  The rooms comprised two connecting chambers, one for Arden and the other for Cass and Tiger. They had balconies – easy access for a thief, Cass noted with irritation. Captain Toskil and the rest of the guard were accommodated in the other rooms on the floor, which all gave on to a central corridor.

  Cass and Tiger settled Arden by the fire and set about making the rooms rather more fit for a queen. Arden travelled with a set of her own linen, so they remade the bed using it. Cass found a mop and cleaned the floor properly, while Tiger located a basin and a jug of hot water so that Arden could at least wash. Much to everyone’s surprise, the supper, when it arrived, was delicious. A rabbit stew flavoured with herbs and good crusty bread and apple tart with thick cream.

  Arden was exhausted so she went straight to bed and Tiger soon followed. Cass decided against going downstairs to the bar, as she would be too conspicuous. Instead she spent some time on her balcony, which looked out on to the forecourt, watching for anything unusual. But it was still snowing hard and there was nothing to see, so she came back inside, locking the door behind her. She double-checked that there were guards posted outside the doors and then decided there was nothing for it but to go to bed.

  It must have been about two o’clock in the morning when something disturbed Cass. Instantly she was awake. There was someone in the room, she could sense it, but she forced herself to keep her breathing regular as she opened her eyes the tiniest bit. Although the room was dark she could see the silhouette of a man, standing in the doorway to the balcony. He appeared to be getting something out of his pocket.

  Reaching under the bed for her sword, Cass leaped up. The movement startled the man and he immediately ran back on to the balcony, and before Cass could stop him he clambered over it. Cass ran to the edge to see him scramble down a rope and land next to a horse and rider. The rider pulled him up on to his horse and they galloped off before Cass could even get her leg over the balcony to follow.

  Swearing to herself, she darted back inside to check on Arden. The connecting door was shut but Cass opened it gently and tiptoed inside. To Cass’s immense relie
f, Arden was in bed asleep, breathing normally and her jewel case was sitting undisturbed by her bed. Cass quietly shut the door and, after putting her sword back under her bed and swapping her nightgown for a dress, she went out to the main corridor.

  Dacha and another guard were sitting outside. “The queen is fine but there was a man, an intruder, in our bedroom,” she announced to them. Alarmed, they scrambled to their feet.

  “I disturbed him and he jumped down off the balcony. He had an accomplice waiting for him and they rode off together. They’re long gone now – there’s no point trying to follow him,” Cass explained matter-of-factly.

  “You seem very calm about it,” Dacha remarked, looking at Cass curiously as they followed her back into the room. He still had no idea that she was the queen’s sword.

  “What’s going on?” Tiger asked, waking up.

  “There was a man in our room. He came in from the balcony,” Cass explained, going back to the balcony door. The lock had been sprung.

  Tiger gasped, immediately saying, “The queen! Is she all right?”

  “She’s fine,” Cass replied. “I’ve already checked.”

  “And her jewels?”

  “Still there,” Cass confirmed.

  Dacha went out on to the balcony, treading on something that looked like a handkerchief. It crunched under his feet and there was an incredibly strong smell of spirits. He jumped back into the room and they all backed away, putting their hands up to cover their noses and mouths and shut the door.

  “What in the Longest World is that?” the other guard asked.

  “It smells like etherine,” Cass said. “I think you just trod on one of the intruder’s etherine balls.”

  “What are etherine balls?” Tiger asked.

  “They are mostly used as party tricks to make someone faint for a few minutes. You can buy them in the night market in Minaris,” Cass explained.

  “Do you think they were going to abduct the queen?” Tiger asked, sounding very alarmed. Cass was thinking the same thing.

  “Not necessarily,” Dacha replied. “Robbers often use them to deepen a person’s sleep. We must tell Captain Toskil,” he said to the other guard.

  The captain appeared, looking grim. More of the guard were woken and told to patrol outside. Then he asked Cass to accompany him to his room and, once he’d shut the door, said, “The Sins presumably? After the queen’s jewels?”

  “I would guess so,” she replied. “There were two of them and they had covered their faces. I’m sorry I can’t really tell you any more than that.”

  He paused, chewing his lip anxiously as he considered the situation. “You haven’t noticed anything else, have you, to indicate we’re being followed?”

  Cass weighed up in her mind whether to tell Captain Toskil about the dark-haired man and decided that she should. “It is probably nothing,” she began and then told the captain about seeing the man in Aravura handing money to the girl and then seeing him again at lunchtime.

  The captain listened carefully and then gave a slight shrug. “As you say, it’s probably nothing but it’s good you’re keeping such a close eye on matters. We have no option but to continue and just be as vigilant as possible.”

  The conversation finished and Cass went back to her bed. Tiger was back under her blankets. Cass couldn’t tell if she was asleep or not, but she was silent at any rate. Cass tried to sleep but she was too nervous and wide awake, so she lay staring at the ceiling instead until it was time to get up.

  Breakfast was a subdued affair. The snow had ceased leaving a cheerless cold grey day. Everyone was keen to leave the inn as soon as possible. Arden had been told of the intruder and had taken the news calmly.

  “However, I think it would be sensible to ask my cousin Maer to send additional guards to escort us through the Forest of Thunt – do you agree?” she said to Captain Toskil.

  Cass could see the captain was slightly offended by this suggestion but he replied evenly, “Whatever Your Majesty thinks best.”

  Arden gave a small nod and after a moment’s consideration replied, “Yes, I do think it would be best. Will you send one of the guard ahead, Captain, to the next town and send a bird. The men should meet us at the inn at Danske either tonight or at first light tomorrow morning.”

  They travelled all day, reaching Danske in the early evening. The town lay on the fringes of the Forest of Thunt and the inn they were staying in was on a pretty cobbled square near its centre. It was a well run, comfortable sort of place, and Cass was relieved to find that the royal party was staying in a separate house. She cast her eye over the building. No balconies, just sheer walls and casement windows with shallow sills and a single staircase up and down. Infinitely easier to defend, she thought, her mood lightening. As the landlady was showing them around, the extra men arrived, easing her mind even further.

  Nevertheless, after Cass had helped Tiger get Arden ready for a dinner with a couple of local dignitaries, she decided she should go and just have a quick look around. Using letters as an excuse again she went downstairs. Dacha was in the hall, standing with a couple of other guards.

  “Off out?” he asked Cass.

  “Yes.” She held up the letters. “I’m just going to the postage office.”

  “I’ll come with you,” he said.

  “No, really, I’ll be fine,” Cass protested. That was the last thing she wanted.

  “I insist,” Dacha replied. “Captain Toskil would roast me alive if he knew that I’d let you go off on your own.”

  He wouldn’t, Cass thought but she decided it was easier to agree.

  They made their way across the square and down one of the side alleys, following signs to the postage office. Dacha walked beside Cass, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, telling her a series of funny stories while she surreptitiously glanced around. And although it was bitterly cold, it felt good to be out in the fresh air after being cooped up in the stuffy sledge and overheated inn.

  They turned into a street, which was unexpectedly full of people. Cass noticed the signs for fortune telling and trancing. “This must be the town’s night district,” she remarked to Dacha but he didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on the sky. Cass looked around and saw that so too was everyone else’s.

  Sighing a little, she asked Dacha, “What can you see up there?”

  He looked at her in amazement.

  “I’m an obtuse,” she explained.

  “No!” he exclaimed. “Really? I’ve never met an obtuse before.”

  “We’re a rare breed,” Cass replied breezily. “So what am I missing?”

  “The sky is full of golden butterflies,” he said. “And, oh yes, they are just arranging themselves into the words Free Magic!”

  As he said that, the crowd began to chant, “Free Magic! Free Magic!”

  “Come on, we need to get out of here before the enforcers turn up and there’s trouble. We should be able to get to the postage office if we cut down here.” He took her hand and they pushed through the crowds. There were a lot of people and someone bumped into her quite hard.

  “My apologies,” the person said. Cass glanced at him, ready to say it was all right, but she froze. It was the dark-haired man. They locked eyes and he smiled at her. Dacha pulled Cass away before she could reply.

  They found the postage office and Cass sent her letters. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the man and kept scanning the crowds. She must tell Captain Toskil when they got back.

  “You seem distracted,” Dacha said as they walked back to the inn.

  “Sorry,” Cass replied, forcing herself to be normal. “It’s nothing. Tell me, I’ve been in the Islands for the last few months, is the Free Magic movement becoming more of a thing?”

  “It does seem to be. And with all the rumours about Veraklia…”

  “What rumours?” Cass asked.

  Dacha glanced round to check that there was no one listening to them. “That Queen Vegna has a magician working for her,
” he said.

  “No!” Cass exclaimed. “But that’s terrible. Why don’t the enforcers stop her?”

  Dacha shrugged. “I don’t know, but you would have thought that Veraklia would have learned its lesson in the Magical Wars. I think that’s the main reason for this trip – so Arden can discuss the situation with King Hoff.”

  “Really?” Cass said, digesting this information. It would certainly make sense of the meeting with Taryn. She thought briefly of Idaliz and wondered how she was getting on. “Did you grow up in Veraklia?” she asked Dacha.

  “Until I was seven and then we moved to Minaris. My parents were goldsmiths and once the reserves ran out, so did their trade. They moved looking for work.”

  “And do you like Minaris?”

  “I do,” he replied. “But I miss Veraklia too. Until they shut the borders I used to spend every summer there with my grandfather. He had a farm up in the mountains and I loved going there. Sadly he died a few years ago.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Cass said and they walked on. They reached the square where the inn was and were about to go back into it when a couple of girls came running up to Cass, singing,

  “Oh, I’m the Queen of Minaris

  And all the ladies have to curtsy to me,

  Curtsy to me,

  Curtsy to me,

  In the City of the Fish.”

  And as they said fish they drew out shhhh just as the girl had in Aravura.

  Cass felt a stab of alarm. It couldn’t be a coincidence, surely? The girls turned to run but she grabbed one of them by the arm.

  “Did someone tell you to sing that to me? A man with dark hair? Did he pay you?” she demanded but the girl laughed at her, repeated the shhhh and with a swift movement shook Cass off before she and her friend sprinted away. Cass let them go but her eyes darted around the square, searching for any sign of the man.

  Dacha was bewildered. “Why are you so upset? They’re children and it was just a nursery rhyme. Why would anyone pay them to sing it?” he asked her.