Druid's Bane

by Phillip Henderson

  By the gods, it was all so infuriating!

  On the matter of her bizarre dream, she had remained just as persistent and been rewarded with the same growing frustration, for with her every inquiry Joseph had prescribed patience and reminded her that a search of a dozen archives across just about as many realms could take months.

  Even the Fairfax clan refused to discuss certain subjects with her—no doubt under strict instructions from Illandia! And she hadn’t heard from James at all since his last letter on the day of the final of the tourney, and despite writing him countless letters.

  The only exceptions to the rule, it seemed, were Eden and Bastion Fairfax. Eden had visited her faithfully twice a week since her arrival, and she had received more letters from him in the past six weeks than she had during the half year he was stationed on the northeastern coast of Vafusolum. It was a nice change, and they’d grown close once again. Bastion, meanwhile, had kept her well informed on the happenings at Amthenium whenever he returned to the estate or when his workload left him a free moment to scratch her a letter. Loyal friend that he was, he had also been secretly doing her bidding.

  Despite all her woes, though, Danielle had to admit that her time at Fairfax was on the whole leisurely and enjoyable, especially the past two weeks, when she had been well enough to get out of the house. Between picnicking in Austin’s lavish garden and riding across the estate with Bastion’s younger brothers, Douglas and Bernard, or walking with Lady Fairfax and her three daughters-in-law, Sarah, Jennifer, and Amanda, she had little enough time to think about Illandia.

  However, with the monthly meeting of the General Council scheduled to convene in two days, and determined not to miss another one—particularly since Lord Frankton intended to present his land reform bill and a rumour that Kane might be in attendance also—she had decided to return home, and she wasn’t about to be put off, though she expected considerable resistance to the idea. She was wondering how to break the news to the household and to her father in Illandia, when Justin stopped playing and glanced up at her, a curious look on his face. The expression was a splitting image of his father, and she smiled back and brushed the mop of blond hair from his face.

  “Auntie Dee?”

  “Yes, my love?”

  “Do you like my daddy?”

  Danielle stared blankly at the boy for a moment. Then, finding her senses, she smiled and said, “Yes, of course. Your daddy is a very good man.”

  Justin frowned, perplexed. “But I heard the servants say that Daddy asked you to marry him once and you said no. Why would you say that if you like him?”

  Danielle lifted the boy up onto her knee, grappling for words.

  “Well, you see, your daddy and I are friends, and we serve Arkaelyon together. But it’s your mummy he loves in that way. And you, of course, my little monster.” She tickled him, and Justin giggled and asked to be put down so he could return to his play.

  Danielle was relieved not to have to say more, though the question did leave her wondering what might have been—and not for the first time. In her quieter moments—and certainly before James had come into her world—she often thought about that fateful night in the palace garden five years ago, when a young Bastion had knelt down on one knee by the fountain in the south garden and asked for her hand in marriage. Barely sixteen years of age, she remembered looking at him, stricken. They were studious pupils together under Joseph’s watchful eye, of an equal intellect and sharing a passion for the reform of the realm. They were afire with youthful visions of an ideal society. And while he was handsome, and such a match was expected, his request, the acknowledgement of his love for her, violated everything she held dear about their friendship. They had argued, and she had ended up running from the banquet in tears. She hadn’t cried so hard since the tragedies that befell her during the year of the Amthenium Treaty negotiations. And she didn’t cry so again until eighteen months later, when she learned that Bastion was engaged to marry the eldest daughter of a local nobleman. It had been a confusing time, and she wondered how different things might have been if she had had a mother to talk to.

  Despite the memories, she smiled to herself. Bastion was now a good friend again, her closet colleague in the struggle to reform Arkaelyon next to Joseph. But thinking on matters of the heart left her wondering why she hadn’t heard from James—something she’d been avoiding, because it inevitably made her miserable. She knew he was very fond of her, and that he wouldn’t stop writing unless there was a good reason. The thought that he might have been harmed or was sick left her feeling anxious—more than anxious. The occupation of a spy was not exactly without significant risk. She had asked Bastion to look into the matter for her, and he had not yet got back to her.

  The crunch of boots on the pebbly shore behind her brought Danielle from her musings, and she turned around, uncomfortably aware that she was sitting there in nothing but her damp underclothes.

  To her relief, it was only Faith, though it did disappoint her that her friend was still clearly out of sorts. On the occasions that Faith had visited, they’d ended up arguing and parting on poor terms. It wasn’t the way Danielle wanted it.

  “The servants said you’d be down here.”

  Danielle turned away, not willing to weather Faith’s moody frown. “Come to fight with me again, have you?”

  Faith ignored her and called to Justin.

  The little boy stood up and went running over, water splashing around his legs. “Auntie Faith, will you watch me swim? Auntie Dee showed me how. She says I swim like a fish.”

  “I know as much; your godmother wrote and told me, and you’re a good boy for it, little Justin,” Faith replied kindly. “But I must speak to Auntie Dee alone for a while, and I’ve brought Edwina with me to take you back to the house.”

  The boy’s face fell, and he looked pleadingly at Danielle as Faith draped a towel over his little shoulders “Must I, Auntie Dee?”

  Danielle came over and crouched down, took the towel from Faith’s hands, and smiled as she dried him. “I’m afraid you must.”

  Faith tussled his hair. “Besides, I brought Black along, and I know he’s waiting for you in the garden.”

  Justin shouted with excitement, hugged them both in turn, and was off up the bank to where Edwina was waiting. Danielle waved to him as he disappeared into the woods beside his nursemaid. Then, letting the smile slip from her face, she turned to Faith. Her friend gave her a disapproving look and walked over to the water’s edge. Her riding clothes were covered in a fine dust, and from the sweat that stained the material between her shoulder blades, Danielle guessed she’d ridden all the way from Illandia, and ridden hard.

  “I see you have no guard, or even a sword about you,” Faith said, turning to face her.

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “I am quite safe on the Fairfax Estate, as you well know. Besides, if there is a conspiracy to have me killed, I suspect a longbow would be the best weapon in present circumstances, in which case a guard or a sword would be pointless.”

  Faith laughed dryly. “Gods, how I want to bash your stubborn head in!”

  Danielle was momentarily stung by the comment. “Faith, I’ve done everything in my power to make amends. I’ve apologised more times than I can remember, both in person and in letters. And I’ve promised to be far more careful, so when are you going to forgive me?”

  “Why in Vellum’s name should I? You’re a lying little twit.”

  “What? You know I’m no such thing.”

  “Don’t play the innocent with me. Everyone knows your promises are empty.”

  “They are not!”

  “Yes, they are. Your father and Joseph have heard the rumour beginning to circulate around court again about your brother and you. And they know it’s your work, or at least done at your bidding. Likely Bastion’s your hand as usual.”

  Realising what this was about Danielle shook her head and walked away.

  “You know what I’m talking about—the one
that’s saying you know what Kane is up to and you’re gathering evidence to put a stop to it. The same one your father told you to retract two months ago.”

  “For goodness’ sake, Faith, that’s got nothing to do with this. You know as well as I that part of my duty is to oppose all who would use the political machinery of the realm to their own ends. And Kane certainly falls within that category.”

  “And your father and Joseph explicitly told you not to do this,” Faith said angrily.

  “Yes, and they’re intentionally keeping me in the dark! I had to do something. And since when did you become his lackey?”

  Faith’s expression went rock hard, and then to Danielle surprise it slowly crumpled with misery and she turned away, wiping at her eyes. Danielle quickly crossed the stones. She took her friend’s arm, making her look at her. “Hey?”

  Faith shook her head and the tears came faster as they embraced.

  Faith said through her sniffles, “Why couldn’t you have just got out of the ring like you said you would?” She bit back a sob and said, “Do you know how close you came to dying? Do you!”

  “Yes, I know I should not have let my guard down. I am sorry.” Danielle held her friend and quietly shushed her.

  After a short silence Faith drew in a deep sigh and eased back. “Do you know what the council’s verdict is; what they have decided?”

  “How could I? No one will tell me.”

  “Then you’ll be glad to hear that at the very least your General Council has deemed Kane’s actions unfortunate and unsportsmanlike. However, with Joseph’s investigation failing to uncover any proof to suggest that he knew you’d entered the ring without your chain mail, they have issued him with a year ban from competition, nothing more.”

  Danielle brushed this news off with a shrug. “It’s very much what I expected they’d do.”

  Faith wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “And for our little stupidity, your General Council has made it clear to your father that if you are permitted to compete at tourney of arms again, they will see to it that the tourney doesn’t proceed by forbidding their sons from the competition. Thus, your father has had no choice but to rescind your right to compete.”

  Danielle had expected this too. What she had done by entering the tourney ring without all her armour had been foolish, to say the least, and she knew she deserved such punishment though hearing it said still stung her a bit. Actually it stung a lot.

  “I’m sorry I failed you, Faith, and so many others as well; truly I am. But this has nothing to do with the rumours I’ve been spreading. So please, will you stop being angry with me?”

  Faith let out a sigh of frustration “Danielle, you don’t realise how serious this is.”

  A little surprised to see Faith so upset, Danielle took her hands and made her look at her. There was something else Faith wasn’t saying; she knew it. She also had her suspicions. “So, do you want to tell me what else is bothering you?”

  Faith’s lip trembled, and she pulled Danielle into a tight embrace. For a few minutes she just cried quietly, giving vent to long-pent-up grief. Danielle cried, too, knowing how hard this had been on Faith, though all the while her suspicions grew.

  “I worry about you,” Faith began. “I can’t lose you, Dee, and I don’t ever want to see you hurt like that again. You hear me? Promise me I won’t.”

  “I promise,” Danielle said, smiling through her own tears.

  Faith slowly regained her composure and sat down on a large rock.

  Danielle sat too, her smile fading. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

  Faith nodded grimly and tossed a pebble out into the rippling water.

  “What?”

  Danielle waited as her friend chewed on her lip and gazed out at the meandering stream.

  “Promise me you won’t be angry?”

  Danielle saw her own suspicions realised in Faith’s eyes and uttered a curse as she got to her feet. “You haven’t come alone. Joseph’s with you and Mr. James Sydney, tell me I’m wrong?” She had feared this might happen. She had known her father would overreact.

  “Danielle, don’t do anything stupid, please. You’ll only make things worse than they already are.”

  “I won’t be a prisoner, Faith. And sure as Vellum I won’t tolerate a protector,” Danielle said as she went to retrieve her towel and dress.

  “This is a battle you won’t win, so it’s best you accept it.”

  “Accept it?” she repeated, appalled at the suggestion. “What do you mean, ‘accept it’? You wouldn’t!”

  “And I wouldn’t have started a dangerous rumour against my father’s wishes, nor would I have stepped into a fencing ring without the proper armour,” Faith said peevishly.

  Danielle had retrieved her dress from the branch and was stepping into it. “Well, it’s clear where your loyalties now lie.”

  “Yes—with you,” Faith challenged hotly.

  Danielle snorted a retort as she shook her hair out and tied it up. Then, after cutting her friend an angry glare, she headed for the track through the woods that led to the paddocks beyond. How she was going to get out of this she wasn’t sure but she wasn’t going to accept it quietly.

  Faith hurried after her.

  Danielle glanced sideways and saw Faith grinning at her. “You think this is amusing.”

  “There is an up side to all this.”

  Appalled, Danielle stopped and stared at her friend. “What?”

  “Your father has agreed to give you the same freedom as your brothers. All you have to do is accept this man as your protector. For goodness’ sake, Dee, it’s a small thing.”

  That did change things slightly. Though how she was going to keep seeing her James with this ‘new’ James as a constant shadow she was not sure. She needed to know what sort of idiot knight she was dealing with. Danielle walked on again. “Did you check the registrar of births and deaths as you promised?”

  “Actually, I did. Even checked the registrar of every knightly brotherhood who have provided royal protectors in the last two hundred years.”

  Danielle was please to hear this “And…?”

  Faith shrugged. “Are you going to be reasonable?”

  “Have I a choice?” She knew Faith was right; this was a battle she couldn’t win. After the incident in the ring, she was walking on dangerous ground with her father, anyway, and she knew he would expel her from all involvement in Arkaelyon’s political affairs before seeing her put herself in danger again—his silence on the subject had made that much clear. But how she was going to keep her lover and manage this protector that was the question? She would need to talk to Joseph as soon as possible. One thing was sure; she wasn’t going to give up her James. And this man’s name had her very curious. Sydney? It wasn’t possible.

  “I’m afraid there’s no record of a James Sydney, at least not one living. I did some asking around, thinking he might have been adopted or the like, but those I talked to only confirmed the registrars both church and knightly alike. I even broached the subject with Joseph and Mr. James Sydney himself as we rode out this morning, but Joseph refused to speak of it and James is clearly under the thumb.”

  “So he’s a fraud, then,” Danielle said, wondering why her father and Joseph should want to conceal James’s real identity from her. And why do it with a name that would most certainly raise her suspicions? It just didn’t figure.

  “What does it matter? I’m sure your father and Joseph have their reasons. Besides, you’ll have the same freedom as your brothers and he’s very pleasant and not at all bad on the eyes. Make your dear James very jealous I suspect. Might even provoke him to do the right thing and ask for your hand. Stop all this sneaking about.”

  Danielle shook her head and paced on, stopping only to open the gate and slip through into the paddock.

  “Dee, come on. You could wed your James, you know, and avoid all this? A husband has the right to say whether or not his wife requires a protector and
I’m sure you could twist his arm and be rid of this new fellow.”

  She stopped abruptly. “Do you think that is what this is about? Is father trying to force my hand? He wants me married and under a husband’s thumb, doesn’t he? Are you party to this? For I know Joseph is for sure.”

  “No, I am not. Though the prospect really is not that bad.” Faith was quiet for a moment then said, “Justin could have been yours, and you know that.”

  Danielle rolled her eyes; she really didn’t need this right now. “I have told you before, Arkaelyon is my life, and that requires certain sacrifices—sacrifices I happily make.”

  “Gods, you’re such a hypocrite.”

  Danielle drew up. “Excuse me?”

  “When I told you I loved Michael, what did you say, hmmm?”

  “That was different,” Danielle said, walking on.

  “Don’t you walk away from me.” Faith ran up and caught her shoulder, making her stop and face her. “I know you regret not marrying Bastion, or at least you did before this James fellow came alone. I also know you deserve better than a lover you must keep hidden and see so seldom.”

  “James has stopped writing to me and Bastion is happily wed.”