The Conspiracy of Magic

by Harriet Whitehorn

  Cass opened her mouth to tell him and then realized she shouldn’t – she needed to keep her role as Arden’s sword as secret as she could, and besides, only Captain Toskil knew of her suspicions. So she replied, “Nothing,” and Dacha, although he looked at her strangely, didn’t ask her any further questions as they went back into the inn.

  She went straight to see Captain Toskil who received the news with concern. “I will post extra men all around the queen’s rooms and keep up a patrol in the square.”

  But the night passed peacefully and the day dawned bright and clear. Crossing the Forest of Thunt was a full day’s journey so they set off when it was only just light, with plans to breakfast once they had covered some distance.

  For as long as anyone had dwelt in the world, people had lived in the ancient Forest of Thunt. The trees provided shelter and firewood, and the woods were full of good food – venison, hare, mushrooms, lichen and berries. The Thuntians still lived in tree houses and were mostly woodsmen, skilled in snake-catching, tree-climbing, mushroom-picking and the like. But once, hundreds of years ago, they were the most skilled magicians and apothecaries of their time, and people said that a certain type of magic still lingered there.

  Despite the forest being home to the Sins, Arden was in a good mood, perhaps because, as she told Cass while she helped her dress, the forest was always pleased to see her. “My great-grandmother was Thuntian and my cousin Maer lives just the other side of it,” she explained. “I used to come here every autumn for a couple of weeks – we had such a time of it, running wild in the forest. That was before the Sins of course. They’ve changed everything here,” she added with a sigh.

  “Why can’t they be found?” Cass asked. “The forest isn’t so large.”

  Arden shrugged. “I don’t understand it either. I can only think that they move around constantly, and perhaps a share of their robbing goes to the Thuntians to pay for their silence. But they must be brought to justice. It is terrible for trade if nothing else, and so it’s one of the things I am going to discuss with King Hoff. I am going to propose that we each provide soldiers to patrol the road to try and keep travellers safe.”

  Captain Toskil had decided that it was safer, in case of an attack, for Arden to be on horseback, so Cass pointed out that she should therefore ride too. Dacha found a sprightly-looking bay called Daisy for her and he held the horse while Cass got on. Cass could see that he was expecting she would be hopeless, but Cass was a naturally gifted rider and she sat easily on Daisy, holding the reins confidently.

  Cass trotted off to join Arden, smiling to herself at the surprise on Dacha’s face.

  It was the perfect day to be riding, with a bright sun and deep blue sky, and the forest looked lovely, twinkling under its blanket of snow. They saw deer and elk, and hares darted across the road in front of them. Cass’s eyes gobbled up the beauty of it all.

  “Look! A woodland warbler!” Arden pointed as a bright blue bird flew just above their heads, singing a loud, throaty song. It hovered there for several minutes.

  “It’s back,” Dacha remarked.

  Arden looked at him with surprise.

  “Cass and I saw one when we stopped in the woods before,” Dacha explained.

  “Well, even though I doubt it’s the same one, I’m sure it’s a good omen. Everyone knows how lucky they are,” Arden said.

  They stopped very briefly for breakfast in a tiny village that was really just a collection of tree houses perched high up in the sentian oaks, connected by a network of rope bridges. The Thuntians were delighted to see such important visitors and brought them hot venison pasties and red tea.

  The party continued on their way and as the day passed, the woods grew gradually denser and the patches of bright blue sky above their heads seemed a long way away through the criss-cross of dark branches. Although the forest was still beautiful, Cass’s feelings of unease began to trickle back. She felt as if they were being watched and whenever she turned her head she was sure she saw something move.

  At midday, they stopped again for a picnic lunch and to rest the horses in a pretty glade. But delightful as it was to look at, Cass couldn’t shake her apprehension. She felt sure that something was about to happen.

  The most notorious spot for bandit attacks was a steep ravine known as the Choke, which they were to pass through not long after lunch. So as they left the glade Captain Toskil rearranged the order of the riders. He would ride first with Arden behind, flanked by two guards. Cass would follow next, with the others falling in behind the sledges. Cass could see everyone stiffen as they set off, braced for trouble.

  The road dropped down sharply into the narrow valley and then twisted along several bends for half a mile or so before climbing sharply up again. They had been trotting up until now, but Captain Toskil cried, “I suggest we take this at a canter,” and everyone quickened their pace. Cass looked nervously at the steeply sloped forest on either side of them, expecting to see a gang of robbers come careering down.

  However, nothing happened. They passed through the ravine without seeing anyone else on the road and came up the other side. The forest opened out a little, and Cass felt she could breathe again. They all slowed their pace back to a trot and there was a collective sense of relief. There were only another eight miles or so until they reached the edge of the forest and Maer’s castle was just beyond there.

  Shortly after, they slowed down to cross a stone bridge over the river. Captain Toskil looked at the sky and announced, “We should hurry – the weather is closing in.”

  Cass was about to laugh at him, for the sky was bright blue with not a cloud in sight, but then Arden agreed. “I don’t like the look of those clouds.”

  Cass hesitated before contradicting the queen, but she felt she had to speak out. “There are no clouds,” she said tentatively. Everyone turned and stared at her. “There are no clouds at all – the sky is blue,” she continued. “It’s a conjuring trick. The forest, or someone, is up to mischief,” she said, and then explained about being an obtuse.

  It took everyone a moment to process what she had said. “What do you want to do, Your Majesty?” Captain Toskil asked.

  Arden looked around, her eyes flitting nervously. “I don’t think we have any choice but to press on, as quickly as possible,” she replied. “We can only be a few miles from Maer’s house.”

  They rode on at a canter, but before they had covered more than a mile everyone began to slow their horses right down and squint into the road as if they couldn’t see anything. Cass pulled her horse up next to Dacha.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked him.

  “It seems as if we’re in the middle of a snowstorm,” Dacha said anxiously.

  Cass was about to reply when an arrow whizzed past her ear.

  “We’re being attacked!” Captain Toskil shouted as several more arrows flew at them out of the sky. He was frantically looking around, blinded by the snow, but Cass, her heart pounding with adrenalin, could clearly see a number of men sitting up in the trees, drawn bows in their hands.

  “It’s a gang of men, about five of them, up in the trees,” she called to Captain Toskil, her voice quick with fear.

  “Take the queen!” he ordered her. “We will hold them off. It is only another couple of miles to Maer’s house. We’ll meet you there.”

  Cass urged her horse over to Arden who had heard the conversation and looked as frightened as the others.

  “Here, Your Majesty, give me your reins,” Cass said to her, and when Arden handed them over, Cass kicked Daisy who responded immediately and both horses cantered off.

  After about ten minutes of riding the horses as hard as they could, Cass dared to look behind them. With a sickening lurch in her stomach she saw that they were being followed by two men on horseback, handkerchiefs pulled up over their faces. They were some distance behind but when Cass looked again a few minutes later, she realized the men were swiftly gaining on them. She could not hope to defend
Arden against both of them.

  “Has the snow cleared for you?” she shouted to Arden.

  “Just about,” the queen responded.

  “Good,” Cass replied and slowed down enough to hand her back the reins. “We’re being followed,” she said and Arden looked behind.

  “You need to gallop to Maer’s house while I try to delay them,” Cass said. She could see Arden about to object. “Please, Your Majesty,” Cass said. “It’s the only way. I cannot fight both of them for long.” Arden gave a nod and then did as Cass said.

  Cass wheeled Daisy round to face the men, placing herself diagonally across the road to try and stop them chasing Arden. As they drew near, despite the handkerchiefs covering their faces, Cass recognized one of them as the dark-haired man.

  “So you want to fight?” he said mockingly as he pulled his horse up next to her. The other man hung slightly behind.

  “I do,” Cass replied as casually as she could.

  “Very good. I think we’ll take it in turns,” the dark-haired man said to his friend. “Otherwise it seems a little unfair. I’ll go first. Shall we dismount? I would so hate for the horses to get hurt.”

  Cass nodded curtly and swung herself down from Daisy, feeling a flash of relief that they weren’t going after Arden. But she didn’t have a chance to consider this further because the dark-haired man slid off his horse, drew his sword and they began. He fights like a bandit, Cass thought after a few seconds. He fought with no finesse but a good deal of brute strength and intense determination, wielding his sword at her like a rolling pin. She deflected his parries and managed to nick his cheek, but then he lunged successfully at her and she lost her footing as he fenced her off the road and into the deep snow. Cass stumbled and he knocked her sword out of her hand. He grabbed her but then was distracted for a second by shouts from the road ahead.

  “Maer’s guards are coming!” the other man warned.

  The dark-haired man swore and yanked Cass towards his horse as she saw the cavalcade of horses thundering towards them, with Arden and another woman at their head. Yes! Cass thought. She kicked him with all her might and tried to punch him in the face but he wouldn’t let her go. He slung her over his horse face down like a sack of potatoes and jumped on, holding her arms tightly.

  The horse swung round and Cass, who could see nothing, heard an arrow fly through the air above her.

  “Arghh!” the man shouted as it hit him in the arm. The pain was just enough to make him loosen his grip on Cass and she flung herself backwards off the horse, landing heavily in the snow. Maer’s men were upon them and the pair, knowing they would be defeated, wheeled their horses round and galloped off.

  “Cass!” Arden cried, leaping down from her horse. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” Cass panted, still out of breath from the fight. She retrieved her sword and put it away.

  “Shall we go after them, Your Majesty?” one of the riders asked Arden.

  “Yes, please!” she replied. “And you should find the Queen’s Guard and the rest of your men on the road too. They were attacked further back.” She let out a sigh of concern. “I do hope they are OK.”

  A woman dressed in green velvet rode up to them. “Cass, this is my friend the Countess Maer,” Arden introduced her. “This is Cass, one of my ladies-in-waiting.”

  The woman said, arching an eyebrow, “I wish my lady’s maid could fight like that – I would never feel unsafe again.”

  “Cass is a woman of many accomplishments,” Arden replied. “Now, let’s get to your house as quickly as possible, before some other disaster befalls us.”

  An hour later Cass was sitting by a crackling fire, drinking winter wine in the Great Hall of Castle Maer. The venerable knight himself was sitting opposite her and they were alone. Arden, along with the countess, was waiting anxiously in the hall for the arrival of the others.

  “Tell me what happened, Cass,” Maer said.

  Cass explained about the attack in the snowstorm, and that being an obtuse meant she could see it was a conjuring trick.

  “How many men were there?”

  “About five,” Cass replied. “Up in the trees.”

  Maer nodded. “That sounds like the Sins but I have never known them to use magic before, although strange things do often occur in the woods. I can only think that they were fortunate enough to be able to exploit the forest’s mischief. Did you get a good look at any of the men?”

  “Only the two men who attacked us later.” She explained how she had taken Arden away from the ambush and that two men had come after them.

  “What did they look like?”

  Cass told him about the dark-haired man, and how she had seen him in Aravura and then again in Jena and Danske, and gave a sketchier version of his accomplice.

  Maer had been nodding thoughtfully as she spoke and when she finished he said, “That sounds like a man named Wern – one of the ringleaders of the Sins.”

  “Isn’t there one man who’s the overall leader?” Cass asked.

  Maer shook his head. “No, there doesn’t appear to be. There are a few key men who run things. Wern is one and there’s another couple named Brun and Levi. There was a man called Zirt who looked like he would take charge about a year ago but he disappeared. These men often go off to work as mercenaries – they’ll fight for anyone who pays them enough silvers.”

  Cass gave a start at the name Zirt. Perhaps it was a common name in Bunderland, but she couldn’t help but say, “I came across a man named Zirt who joined the pirates in the Islands about six months ago. A tall blond northerner with bright blue eyes and a scar on his cheek.”

  “That sounds like him,” Maer said. “How strange.” He thought for a moment. “Or perhaps it’s not. Perhaps he fell out with the Sins and decided to try his hand with some other thuggish thieves.”

  “Maybe,” Cass agreed. But she felt that there was some connection she couldn’t see yet, like a puzzle she didn’t have all the pieces for.

  “Anyway, you should be rid of them now. I have never heard of the Sins venturing further north than the forest.”

  The sound of people arriving in the hall brought both of them to their feet and they hurried out to find the rest of the party arriving. Cass couldn’t see Dacha and she felt her stomach contract with fear.

  “Everyone unharmed, Toskil?” Maer asked.

  “A few minor injuries among my soldiers but nothing serious, thank goodness,” Captain Toskil answered and Cass let herself relax. The captain went on, “The attackers withdrew pretty quickly after the queen left.”

  “Have your injured men brought into the kitchen – they can be treated there. Then please come with me, we can discuss matters further,” Maer said to him.

  Cass went over to Tiger who looked shaken but she smiled brightly at Cass. “You’re a heroine! But you look all done in. Go and have a rest – I can manage this.”

  Cass accepted gratefully. The stress of the afternoon combined with the wine had made her feel exhausted. A maid showed her up to her little cubbyhole of a room off Arden’s suite and she lay down on the bed. Although her eyes were heavy, she rubbed them fiercely as she wanted to stay awake for long enough to think everything through while it was fresh in her mind.

  Cass was almost certain that the two men who had attacked them, Wern and his accomplice, were the same ones that had broken into the inn two nights before. They were clearly robbers, attracted presumably by the queen’s jewels. But there were a couple of questions that remained for Cass about this. If they were after the queen’s jewels then why had they not centred their attack on the luggage and the sledges? Captain Toskil said they had withdrawn almost as soon as she and Arden had left. Why had Wern not pursued Arden rather than staying and fighting Cass? Why was he paying children to scare her by singing nursery rhymes? Why bother? And how did Zirt fit into any of this, if he did at all?

  She had no answers and Cass eventually drifted off to sleep, her brain still worrying.


  They left at dawn the following day, accompanied by a large contingent of Maer’s men. Arden was pale but cheerful, intensely relieved that they should reach Oskbar that night.

  “And you know,” she said to Cass and Tiger as they sat bundled up in the sledge, “I am tempted to sail back to Minaris via Pinoa. I would rather put up with winter storms than repeat the journey we have had.”

  The Forest of Thunt marked the transition between the fertile lowlands of Bunderland and the highlands that eventually became the mountain range of Suz. The road steadily climbed as the landscape folded itself into steep hills around them. Then at about noon the road swooped into the enormous Roer Valley, which ended after about twenty miles in the Lake of Glass. The City of Oskbar was on a large hilly island in the middle of the lake, and the road became busy with all the traffic journeying to and from the capital. Cass was still wary but with the extra guards and the amount of people around, an attack seemed unlikely so she allowed herself to relax a little and enjoy the scenery. It was still daylight when the sledges left the land and slid on to the broad causeway that led across the lake to Oskbar. Cass stuck her head out of the window to see the city ahead of them, rising like an iron fist out of the frozen lake.

  The ancient City of Oskbar was divided into five areas, one for each of the great knighting families. Brightly coloured banners lined the streets, marking their territories and flapping in the wind like birds’ wings, and bitter rivalries existed between them. But two parts of the city remained neutral – the palace, which was at its very centre, and the famous Ice Fair, that in the winter months spilled out over the frozen lake like a flaming petticoat. It was protected from ice wolves by high wooden fences and at night it was lit up by hundreds of torches, lamps and candles. Cass thought how amazing it looked as they passed by, riding up to the city gates.

  Arden was popular in Oskbar, so there was much cheering from people on the streets as they wound their way up to the palace. Cass looked out of the sledge window and formed a vague impression of tall grey-stone buildings with deep roofs like hats above them, divided by narrow flights of stairs. It was much too steep for skating and the snow had been cleared from the pavements and stairs to allow people to walk. But Cass noticed that by the side of the road and the stairs were broad sunken channels, which were still coated with a thick layer of ice.