Druid's Bane

by Phillip Henderson

  Smiling sadly at his distress, she drew his hand to her lips and kissed it. “I’m fine, really. And, Joseph, I am truly sorry for the trouble my actions have caused.”

  “You’re very lucky.”

  “I know.” She gave a troubled smile, adding, “I need you to do something for me.”

  He sat down on the stool. “Anything lass. You have only to name it.”

  “Father is grieving. I think all this reminds him of Mother. He’s also angry, and I know he blames Faith for this, yet it’s not her fault at all; it’s mine. But he won’t see reason, so please protect her.”

  “Someone stole your suit of mail, Danielle… and clearly to your brother’s advantage.”

  “That doesn’t matter right now. Please, Joseph, just protect Faith.”

  She needed rest, and not about to argue the point, Joseph cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her forehead. “You know I will. Now, you stop worrying and sleep.”

  But as he started to rise she reached out and caught his hand again. “Please… There’s something else.”

  There was fear in her face now, and seeing it, Joseph sat again. “What is it, lass?”

  “My dream and what happened just now. It’s the way Kane slew me…”

  He could see how deeply this was troubling her mind. “Lass, you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

  “Of course…”

  “Then, stop worrying. I suspect its mere coincidence.”

  “Joseph, you promised to look into this matter.”

  She had that determined little frown on her face, and Joseph smiled and squeezed her hand. “And rest assured I am. I sent word of your dream to my colleagues at the Aquarius Abbey not two hours past, and it will be sent on from there. And as soon as I hear anything, you will be the first to know. Now rest.”

  ***

  When Joseph returned to Danielle’s chambers, the other members of the King’s Inner Council were filing out the door, except for Austin and a few others who were standing by the hearth, talking.

  “His majesty returned to the throne room then?” Joseph asked.

  “Afraid not. He’s waiting for you on the balcony with Eden, Michael and Lady Galloway. He’s also adamant about appointing James Dee’s permanent protector,” Austin said.

  “Well, in truth, I don’t know what alternative we have.”

  “Surely we should ascertain whether there was actual intent behind this wounding before we do anything. If we force this on her, we could destroy their friendship. And you know how this will look when she finds out what has been going on behind the scenes.”

  “I know. But I’m beginning to think young James Sydney might do Dee a lot of good and the sooner we seal the deal the better. Besides, this shouldn’t have been done in the shadows in the first place.”

  “You know we concur with that,” Austin said. The other two gentlemen in company nodded in the affirmative. “But it was, and when she finds out that our James Sydney and her James Cornwell are the one and the same I’m not sure how she might react. Not with the distrust that already exists between father and daughter. ”

  Joseph blew out a weary breath. They all knew what a quagmire this matter had become. “Hopefully she will realise that what we arranged behind her back has nothing to do with the way she and James feel for each other. She is smart enough to see that. I hope.” Joseph pointed toward the balcony doors, “I’d better go.”

  Joseph dismissed himself with a nod and headed for the balcony. The door was closed, and easing it open, he heard Paul reprimanding his two sons and his soon to be daughter-in-law. It was what Joseph had expected, though it pleased him none. This was hardly the time or the place. He stepped up beside the king, placed both hands over the end of his walking stick, and cleared his throat, interrupting his friend in mid sentence. “Your Majesty, don’t you think this should wait, or at the very least, might it be done elsewhere?”

  “You’re probably right, but at this moment I don’t care,” Paul blustered, clearly agitated. “This should never have happened,” he said, returning his attention to his sons. “I told both of you to watch her. I can’t be everywhere at once.”

  Both Eden and Michael stood before their father, their heads bowed and faces grim. They were obviously devastated by what had befallen their sister. In fact, Joseph had seldom seen them so sombre and contrite. And it was equally obvious that they didn’t need this lecture.

  “And as for you, madam,” Paul continued, addressing Faith now. The soldierly young woman was struggling to hold back tears. “You knew my daughter wasn’t wearing chain mail when she entered the ring. By the gods, you know how bloody stupid and dangerous that was!”

  “Milord…” Joseph said.

  Ignoring him, Paul continued, “And you know I only let her compete because you agreed to train her and see to her safety. I trusted you, Faith, and you failed me, and it almost cost my daughter’s life.”

  “Milord…” Joseph said again, his tone a little harder now.

  “And as if that weren’t enough, then you attack Kane with a knife with half the realm watching! By the gods, you bloody well know better, and I assure you, your father will be hearing about it. In fact, you’re damned lucky I don’t have charges brought against you. Now, get out of my sight! And for the sake of the gods, do something with that animal of your, his howling is driving me to distraction!”

  Eyes glassy with tears, Faith curtsied and left without a word. Joseph offered her a sympathetic nod as she passed.

  “Father, please, this isn’t Faith’s fault. Eden and I failed Danielle more than she—”

  “Yes, you did,” Paul said to his youngest son, “and I am very near to revoking my blessing for your engagement to that woman!”

  Michael looked stricken, but before he or Eden could argue, Joseph stepped forward and gave them both an understanding smile. He was determined to end this. The idea of revoking the marriage was ridiculous. “Gentlemen, if you would kindly see to the Lady Galloway, your father and I need to speak.” His tone made it clear that he would brook no argument. Paul looked at him grudgingly and then nodded curtly at his sons before turning his baleful gaze on the garden and muttering a frustrated curse under his breath.

  As soon they were alone, Joseph said, “You go too far in treating Faith so harshly.”

  Paul smiled bitterly as he stared out at the garden, his hands on the stone railing and his shoulders hunched. “I know. But I can’t yell at my daughter right now, and those three carry at least some of the blame.” He paused for a moment and shook his head. “I could have lost her today, Joseph. That I couldn’t bear, not after losing her mother. I should never have agreed to let her compete. I should have followed my own judgement this morning and stopped the competition. By the gods’ tender mercies, how could a woman endowed with such intellect be so foolish? What’s wrong with her? Why is she so headstrong and reckless?” He swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment. Then, a little calmer, he continued, “I understand this thing with Kane, but to enter the ring without all her armour and after I talked to her this morning? She should have withdrawn from the match. And as for Faith allowing it—”

  “You know well enough, Danielle is the stronger-willed of those two. And as for Dee’s actions, she comes from headstrong and reckless blood. You, my friend, were just like her once, and even a blind man could see Samantha in her.”

  “Aye…” Paul turned back to the garden. His anger was waning, leaving him grim and solemn. “Yes, there’s Samantha in her all right.”

  Joseph waited in silence for a while. He knew what Paul was thinking. Regardless of blame, Danielle had gone too far this time, and things were going to have to change. For once he actually agreed—whatever the trouble it was going to bring them.

  At last Paul turned and looked at him. The air of defeat that hung about him was as gloomy as a dank, grey winter’s day. It was understandable, and Joseph felt it, too. “So what am I to do with her?”

  “I
suppose you have little choice. But before we talk about officially appointing James as Dee’s protector, you should know that Austin has suggested she convalesce at his estate. I think it is a good idea. Getting her out of Illandia for a while can’t hurt, at least until we know the truth of things.”

  “So be it, then. As soon as she can travel we’ll have her sent. I’ll thank Austin later. And as for the appointment of young James Sydney, you have my agreement to go ahead and arrange the details with Wyatt and Glomar. It would have been preferable if she’d cemented the relationship herself, but there’s nothing else for it now. The gods help the young man when she finds out who James really is and what we have been hiding from her for the last decade.”

  “Well, you know where I stand on that issue,” Joseph said, not bothering to keep the stiffness from his tone. “She shouldn’t have been lied to in the first place, and the sooner she knows all, the better.”

  This subject—the subject of Wyatt and Glomar’s faked deaths—never failed to raise his ire, though it was seldom spoken of these days.

  “They were dark days, Joseph. Wyatt had good reason to demand the ruse. And with his exemplary work as my chief emissary in the Amthenium negotiation, it was the least I could do.”

  “I didn’t see you abdicate and run when Samantha was killed.”

  “He was grief-stricken and blamed himself for the girl’s death. He needed time.”

  “Time certainly, but to fabricate his and Glomar’s deaths? You should not have encouraged it, Paul. Even now Wyatt is as riddled with guilt as he was a decade ago. You can’t run from these things. Take some time to grieve, certainly, but he should have been encouraged to face it. And to lie to your daughter…”

  “It was necessary to protect her and Faith. They were just children, for gods’ sake. They wouldn’t have understood what was going on. And knowing those two, if we had let them in on the secret, they probably would have gone off looking for Glomar and Wyatt. You know what they’re like, and by all the muses, little has changed.”

  “She might have been only a child, but she understood well enough the turmoil the realm was in, Paul, and don’t deceive yourself otherwise. She saw her mother killed in front of her, and then, two months later, we lie to the grief-stricken child and tell her that her beloved protector and a man she had come to think of as a loving uncle had been killed also, when in fact they’re not only quite well but still very much in your service. I’ll never forget her wailing for days and refusing to eat. The depression that came over her had me worried sick… Truth be told, it haunts me still.”

  Paul looked troubled. “I know. And I’m sorry the deceit has been allowed to continue so long. You’re right, she should have been told long before now. However, Wyatt paid a very hefty price for serving me, and I’ll not gainsay his choice to exile himself to Noren and retire into seclusion. In truth, we all paid a heavy price for what happened that year, and Danielle and Faith are merely bearing their fair share of the load.”

  “So you keep saying. Now, what do you want me to tell her?” Joseph asked sharply.

  “Joseph, I know how you feel about this…”

  “I’m afraid you don’t, sire. Danielle may be your blood, but she has been like a daughter to me as well, and you can’t know how angry it makes me to see you privilege Wyatt’s weakness over your own daughter’s welfare. You have wronged her on this matter for ten years. And don’t fool yourself into thinking she didn’t suspect the lies even from the beginning. The girl feels your distrust of her.”

  “So what would you have me do now?”

  “For a start, I think we should give her more freedom—”

  “No! We’ve talked about this. Damn it, she lies in there because I gave her more freedom—and on your advice!”

  “Yes, you did, and I shoulder the responsibility gladly. But that is not what I mean. What I’m suggesting is that we go ahead and appoint James her protector as planned. I just hope she forgives James and us when she discovers that their meeting wasn’t simply chance. Then we leave all matters of her safety to him, but at the same time we give her free rein. We let her come and go as she pleases; we give her the same rights as her brothers. The only thing she will have to agree to is that James is her constant shadow and I’m sure that will not be a problem. They are clearly in love and with any luck they’ll both see reason and marry sooner rather than later.”

  “The hard part will be convincing her to forgive us for the deception—that, and how much to say when she begins to ask about the Sydney surname that James bears.”

  “I’m afraid that has already begun. I was idiot enough to mention James’ name to her earlier this morning. She caught me off guard. And word since is that she talked to Faith about it on the way down to the tournament this afternoon. I can only assume that since Wyatt’s death saw the end of the Sydney bloodline here in Arkaelyon, and the only remaining Sydneys are in Corenbald, she thought Faith might have heard of him. Of course, Faith didn’t know of him offhand, but she has promised to check the registrar of births and deaths and likely she will check the brotherhoods of valour as well, in which case they are very quickly going to conclude that James’s name is false—and then you can bet the questions will come quick and fast.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Let me handle James’s introduction and the truth about Wyatt and Glomar.”

  “And what do you intend to say?”

  “I’ll give her an honest account without getting into the reasons that led Wyatt to stage the charade of his and Glomar’s death and prompted him to vanish in the first place.”

  “She’ll want to know where they are, and you can be satisfied she’ll want to visit and give both Glomar and Wyatt a large piece of her mind.”

  Joseph smiled wryly at the thought. “I, for one, won’t stand in her way. If you agree, I’ll send word to Wyatt of our plans; however, from what I know, James and Glomar are aboard the Alabaster, heading for Arneack with a load of grain for Yoon-Soon’s court. I suspect they couldn’t make Illandia for at least five weeks.”

  The king nodded. “Time enough for her to convalesce at the Fairfax Estate. I also think it would be wise to say nothing to her about young James Sydney or this business with Wyatt until she’s well enough to hear the news and deal reasonably with our deceit.”

  Joseph agreed; then the king asked, “And what of Kane?”

  “I think he was as genuinely shocked as everyone else.”

  “He didn’t know she wasn’t wearing chain mail?”

  “I don’t think he did. He’s no fool; he wouldn’t have struck her so before the eyes of the entire city if he had known.”

  “Someone else was involved, then?”

  “I suspect a certain witch.”

  The king’s face darkened. “Fren! But…why would Fren want my daughter dead?”

  “I don’t know that such was her plan. Perhaps she was merely trying to help her young master. Danielle had a nasty nightmare last night, which I think was the work of dark magic, and I think the theft of her chainmail shirt is linked. Steal her armour and rob her of her nerve, and force her to forfeit the match. I suspect that Fren didn’t think Danielle so hardy—or so foolish—as to compete unarmoured. That said, I could be wrong and this theft could have darker roots: possible even an assassination attempt. Either way, we’ll soon get to the truth of it.”

  Paul nodded grimly. “And any word yet on how the nobility are reading this incident?”

  “It’s too early to tell, but when the shock wears off, I think we can expect ambivalence at best now that is being made know that Dee will live. After all, Kane is very congenial with our orthodox and conservative friends of late, and they won’t go out of their way to punish him too severely—particularly when it’s known that Danielle was foolish enough to enter the ring without chainmail and that the lad, it seems, knew nothing of it. And even if he did, we have no proof in the matter. At least not yet. And while he did strike her after the matc
h had ended, he clearly wasn’t in his right mind. Under the rules of the tournament, he could be fined and barred from further competition at best. Hardly a punishment at all.”

  “Yes, well, all the more reason to appoint her a permanent protector,” Paul said with finality.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Squealing and chattering with excitement, the little child ran across the sun-warmed pebbles to the edge of the meandering stream.

  “Justin, you wait for me, you little monster,” Danielle warned as she pulled her hair back in a ponytail and tied it up.

  It had been seven weeks since she had been wounded in the tournament ring. After a week confined to bed in her chambers, the palace physicians had deemed her well enough to travel, and that very afternoon she had been bundled off in a carriage to the Fairfax Estate fifty miles west of Illandia. Now she was feeling rested and as good as ever. So good, in fact, that she had taken it upon herself over the past week to teach her godson to swim. Every afternoon they had walked from the villa down through the paddocks to a nearby stream for the lesson.

  “Auntie Dee, it’s so warm,” the small boy said as he splashed at the edge of the stream.

  Danielle looked over her shoulder at the pleasant woods lining the stream, and then, certain that they were alone, she slipped out of her dress. Standing in her underthings, she neatly folded the garment and laid it over a branch before wading out into the water with the little boy in her arms. It was a hot, cloudless day, and a swim was a welcome relief.

  “Come on, Auntie Dee, I want to swim. Let me go.”

  Danielle eased Justin into the water, making him laugh with delight and wriggle to get free. As with so many other things, little Justin Fairfax had proved to be an apt pupil, requiring little in the way of instruction.

  An hour later he was playing happily in the shallows by her feet while she sat on a rock, reading a letter she had retrieved from a pocket in her dress. It was from Michael, and as usual, it said more about the ramifications of the tournament than what was happening at court. When she finished reading the letter, she drew a melancholy sigh and folded it back up. It seemed that her actions in the ring seven weeks ago were destined to haunt her forever. She knew she had acted foolishly. She had apologised so many times, she’d lost count, yet everything had changed now—and not for the best. Father and Joseph made weekly appearances to check on her progress, but Danielle knew they were both making a concerted effort to keep her in the dark about happenings at court and had clearly got to Michael. And whenever she asked how the General Council had ruled on the incident in the fencing ring, they always evaded the question, growing short with her if she persisted. She had lost her patience a week ago and written Joseph a curt letter demanding to know what was happening, and he had merely replied that it was good to see her getting back to her old self. Even now she could see him chuckling in his dayroom as he penned the words.