Druid's Bane

by Phillip Henderson

  She patted the pocket of her coat and felt the hard leather volume the Lady Winters had given her. “Yes, it did. There’s now a slight chance the morning’s fortunes can be reversed.” She wasn’t going to lie to them. “But I need all of you to promise me that you’ll not reveal the true identity of our informant. She has risked much to see this done and I will take it as a personal slight if you refuse.” She let her gaze linger on her protector in particular.

  “True identity,” Sir Mannering said.

  “Never mind, Sir.”

  Certain she had the agreement of those who knew who Lady Katherine really was, Danielle turned her mare and put her to a gallop again. Time was against them, and she couldn’t be sure that the council meeting hadn’t already been adjourned such was the hour.

  Reaching the palace gates they rode in under the raised portcullis. The guards on the parapet of the gate tower must have shouted down their arrival as they approached across the wide city square, for Sir Carl Barrelese had emerged from the guard house and was motioning for them to stop.

  Danielle drew up, biting back her frustration at the delay. “What is it, Sir?”

  “A message, Milady. Your father wants you to know that he has the General Council waiting on your arrival and you must go there immediately. He also wants you to know that Lord Kane’s bill passed by ninety-one votes to sixty-six.”

  Danielle had expected a sizable majority. But knowing absolutely that slavery was this very minute legal in the territories of Arkaelyon still infuriated her more than she had imagined it could. Without a word she put her heels to her horse’s flanks, and galloped up the gravel carriageway towards the palace’s majestic entrance. James was calling to her, but she didn’t dismount at the base of the grand façade, instead, with a firm hand, she guided her horse up the wide stone stairs and in through the arched entrance doorway to the palace’s vast foyer. Two curved marble staircases climbed from the foyer to the long pillared hall that constituted the court vestibule, and she took the one on the left. She was too angry to notice the screams as people fell out of the way of a horse and its determined rider or the guards that gave chase, begging her to dismount.

  When she finally did dismount in front of the doors to the chamber that housed the General Council, James appeared at the top of the stairs and pelted over to her side. Panting hard, he caught her arms and barred her way.

  “You need to calm down.” He looked white with fear.

  “Get out of my way!”

  “Danielle, please. If we are to have a chance to stop this you must be reasonable.” His eyes held hers and she knew he was right. However justified, her temper needed to be reined in. She had already come to that conclusion as she had ridden across the court vestibule.

  Bastion, Sir Mannering and a number of the palace guard finally caught up with her. She took a deep breath and nodded at them. “Gentleman, guards, with me please.” Another nod, and the soldiers stationed at the council entrance stepped forward and swung the doors open, both of them confused by what was going on.

  Danielle entered the hallowed chamber with a purposeful stride. Her rag tag company followed her down the stairs towards the stage. Sunlight streamed down from the glass dome in the white plaster ceiling high above setting the highly polished ebony timbers of the lords-benches on either side of her gleaming. The noble lords seated there were as resplendent as ever in their court robes, even if their mood was in stark contrast to the warmth and light of this large chamber. Most had been lost in mute conversation when she entered, but now a hush had quickly settled and every eye followed her as she descended to the addressor’s stage. Her father, flanked by Eden and Michael came to their feet in the royal balcony, which overlooked the stage. She felt the weight of expectation on her and hoped she could pull this off.

  “This council will stand in the presence of my daughter,” the king demanded.

  Danielle wasn’t exactly surprised to see how flushed her father’s face was, or how furrowed his brow. The morning had likely seen a very heated session that he and their supporters had soundly lost. And likely it didn’t help him knowing what she had been up to.

  Chairs grated on floorboards and everyone came to their feet.

  At the bottom of the stairs that led up to the stage, Danielle offered a curtsey to the royal balcony, turned and offered another to the Lord Protectors bench at the other end of the stage.

  “Your Majesty. May I have permission to address the council?”

  “The floor is yours, Milady.”

  “The Lady de Brie has the floor,” Joseph echoed, giving a loud rap with his gavel.

  Protests immediately erupted from the lords seated at the benches; some shouted that the lady was inappropriately attired, others that she was wearing a sword belt and more than a little tardy.

  Climbing the stairs to the lectern with her retainer of men, Danielle ignored them, galled by their pettiness and hypocrisy. Joseph was demanding order, striking his hammer on the Protectors throne.

  At the back of the stage sitting at the contributor’s bench, Kane was watching her with an air of indifference as the Archbishop whispered something in his ear. Of the three seated there, only Lord Helidon seemed remotely ill at ease at her arrival. Again, Danielle expected nothing less.

  “Silence! I will have order,” her father demanded, adding his voice to that of the Lord Protector’s.

  It was given, if only begrudgingly.

  As the lords returned to their seats, muttering and grumbling, the king said, “I will remind you gentlemen that my daughter speaks as one acting under royal orders, and you will show her respect.”

  Danielle nodded gratefully to her father as she took the lectern. It was clear he’d received her letter and she had his support. Relieved to know as much she turned her attention to those seated at the benches. What she saw there sickened her.

  “I won’t bother trying to convince the ninety-one members of this council who gave their support to my brother’s reform bill of the immoral and heinous nature of their actions. Nor will I speak of the illegality of the actions of those members who, in secret agreement with my brother, took bribes in return for their vote.”

  Astonishment and disquiet followed her accusation, and Danielle wasn’t surprised to hear Kane come to his feet behind her and object.

  “Milord, with all due respect, unless the lady has proof, which would have to be manufactured I must protest that this is a blatant lie …”

  “Fifty-three nobles were bribed, Milord,” Danielle quickly countered, “I have seen their names and seals on a scroll which was found in my brother’s desk this very morning and if this council would have me name these men I am happy to do so.”

  She glared at her brother as she said the latter, having to raise her voice above the growing outrage.

  Unease clouded Kane’s countenance and he sat down and bent to whisper something in the Archbishop’s ear.

  “These are serious allegations, Milady,” her father said, “May I see the document?”

  Quiet fell again as the house waited for her to respond. She could feel Kane’s eyes on her back.

  “I do not have it, father, but if I might speak …”

  A howl of protests from the benches made that impossible. Joseph was on his feet again; hammer in hand, demanding order.

  “Your highness, I must profoundly object,’ Kane thundered, the mockery barely veiled in his voice. “An allegation as serious as this cannot be made without material evidence, which, by her own admission, my sister clearly does not have. Even with your permission she has no business making these outrageous claims in this chamber. I demand that you dismiss her, or I will ask this council to have a charge of slander brought against her.”

  A cheer went up from most quarters.

  “Kane, you will hold your tongue and sit down.” Their father’s troubled gaze settled on his daughter, as if he feared she was over-speaking herself, and giving her brother legitimate right to claim foul.
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br />   “Father, this is not slander, and out of respect for the nine men of the palace guard who lost their lives this morning while obtaining this information, I ask this council to hear me out.”

  That immediately got everyone’s attention. Even Kane was frowning at her.

  “Yes, gentleman, nine men were killed this morning in obtaining this document, which proved categorically that my brother paid brides. And the only reason I cannot produce it is because it was taken from me by force by my brother’s liegeman, Lord Orson. Two soldiers of my retainer were murdered at that time, and the rest of us were disarmed and forced into the cellar of my brother’s house. Orson then gave the order to burn the residence to the ground, and if it had not been for the quick actions of my Protector and undersecretary, none of us would have survived to speak the truth of these murderous actions. Myself included.”

  Her voice echoed around a silent chamber. The attempted murder of a royal person; no one wanted a part of that. Treason was a too high price to pay.

  “Mr Sydney, Sir Mannering, you can confirm these claims?” the king asked, deeply alarmed and still somewhat shocked at his daughter’s revelations.

  Both men said they could.

  “Milord,” Kane said with a great deal more respect and no small amount of trepidation, “There is no such document, and if my liegeman behaved in such a way, likely in his own defence, then he should be arrested without delay, and forced to face a trial so we might know the truth of all this. However, I have been present at the palace since just after the dawn bell, as every man of this chamber can testify and cannot be held accountable for this alleged attack, and certainly, the law forbids a master being held accountable for the actions of his servants.”

  “True, enough,” Danielle countered, “but why would your liegemen seek to murder me if my account was falsehood?”

  “I can not be expected to know the man’s mind any more than I can be expected to know yours, Milady. And gentlemen whatever my sister may say and her servants might affirm through false loyalty, we all know that without this so called document she claims to have found on my premises, and more likely planted, her word can not be recorded in the council ledger as truth, let alone acted upon.”

  To Danielle’s chagrin agreement went up around the chamber, weak and hesitant at first but quickly growing in strength and number.

  “Order!” As it was given her father eyed her grimly. Joseph had the same concern about him, as did Eden and Michael and the few reformist nobles scattered around the chamber. “Danielle, you will withdraw these allegations or provide evidence… you know it cannot be any other way.”

  She nodded her understanding and began the next step in her plan. “I guess that if this council is determined to be pedantic, then I ask you this. If slavery is now legal throughout our land, is it not still illegal and in accordance to the law, punishable by death to have already shipped slaves to our shores?”

  Everyone in the chamber knew the answer was of the affirmative, but there seemed to be a general confusion about what she could mean. No one was foolish enough to actually import slaves under previous laws. It simply wasn’t worth the risk.

  “Milord, I avidly protest. This is plain madness!” Kane said. “You asked the lady to provide evidence and instead she continues with this diatribe and for no other reason one can suppose, than the simple fact she doesn’t appreciate my bill or the rights of this council to vote in accordance to their wishes.”

  Danielle ignored him and held up the diary. “I have evidence in this shipping diary showing that my brother and his colleagues, Lord Helidon and his Eminence have blatantly and wantonly flouted our laws by shipping slaves from Zemithia these past two months…” Danielle had to raise her voice to be heard over the cries of protest, most against her. “… As I speak, men, women and children of Zemithian origin are languishing somewhere on Lord Helidon’s estate in their thousands.”

  At last her voice was lost in the commotion. She turned to face those she accused. Kane was whispering something in the Archbishop’s ear, both men seemingly careless of her accusation and the shouting going on around them. Lord Heldion was on his feet, fervently denying the charges to the royal box.

  “This is an outrageous allegation,” Helidon continued, his anger now turned in Danielle’s direction and he thrust a meaty finger at her “I want a charge of malice brought against her and the lady expelled from this council.”

  His demand was echoed by a swell of approval.

  Her father stood. “You, sir, will take your seat, and Milady, you will surrender that diary to the Lord Protector’s bench, and tell me how you came by it and then continue with your explanation. And please be very careful about what you say.”

  Danielle knew just how thin the ice was under her feet. She handed the diary to a council scribe. There hadn’t been time to read it, or even open it, so she could only relay what the Lady Winters had told her and hope it was enough. If it wasn’t, the council would see that Lord Helidon’s demands were met and she would not only be charged with malice, and likely be publicly whipped, but her right to sit on this council could be in jeopardy. It was a daunting prospect and more so since some of what she was about to say were indeed fabrications.

  “That diary was given to me while I was convalescing at the Fairfax Estate by a servant of the Helidon household who survived a slaughter at the Helidon hunting lodge three weeks before the Illandian Tournament. The man in question told me that Lord Helidon, in league with his business partners has constructed a large keep in the wilds of his coastal estate and has been shipping slaves there for several months now. He also said that the figures recorded in that diary do not refer to sheep as stated, but men, women and children of Zemithian birth. The diary also plainly shows that quite a few months ago the Helidon fleet changed its activities dramatically from the transport of lumber, wool, iron, and other such goods from New Arkaelyon to ports across Arkaelyon. Now, as the Lord Protector can testify, the Helidon fleet is committed to the singular task of shipping livestock, or should I say slaves, from the ex-colonies of New Arkaelyon to his own estate.”

  Joseph looked up from studying the diary and nodded. “I can testify to the claim that the destinations of Lord Helidon’s fleet is as the lady says, Your Majesty.”

  The Archbishop stood. “Your majesty, this is absurd. And it is a mockery of this council’s rules that we should be forced to listen to this malicious attack on the character of the aristocracy. That book cannot be considered evidence, and certainly not when the interpretation our lady would have us believe is based on the word of some lowly servant who may not even exist. Furthermore, anyone who knows Lord Helidon even mildly well can attest to the fact that of late he is trying his hand at commercial husbandry. And on my occasional visits to the Helidon estate over the months the lady is referring to, I have seen these sheep with my own eyes.”

  A number of nobles corroborated the story.

  Her father waded into the debate. “Every member of this council knows that it is illegal to offload goods, living or otherwise, in the territories of this realm, except at a port stationed by a customs house and its offices of the crown, or when such an officer or agent has been notified and is present to see to the duty of customs. So am I to believe that you are admitting to evasion of levy and tax?”

  Lord Helidon stood quickly to face the charge. “Absolutely not, your Majesty. If what the Lord Protector has there is an accurate account of my dealings—and I have no way of knowing that it is or even if it is genuine—then it will show that my captains are very diligent in their duty. You should also be aware, your Majesty, that I have carried these acquisitions directly to my estate only after obtaining leave to do so from the duke himself.”

  This was news to Danielle, and not welcome.

  The king looked across to where his youngest brother, the Duke of Renwick, was seated. “Is this true, brother?”

  A tall slender man with a nervous disposition, Renwick stood and nodde
d. “It is, Your Majesty. The matter was raised with me some months ago. Lord Helidon made the request on the grounds that the nearest port is half a day’s ride at a good clip, and much too great a distance to herd sheep of the number he is said to be importing. Besides, the facilities at Culverden could not handle the number he was speaking of without disrupting the general needs of the city, so I agreed on the grounds a tax steward from my court was permitted to remain on the estate and given all convenience to see that the herd was counted accurately. I can also confirm that all taxes and levies have been paid in full.”

  “And you can swear, brother, that you know nothing that would indicate that my daughter’s accusations are true?”

  “Nothing, Milord.” There was an apology in his tone.

  “It’s clear to all involved, then, that Lord Helidon, Lord Kane, and I stand falsely accused in this matter,” the Archbishop said, “in which case, I reiterate Lord Kane’s call that our dear princess be forced to apologise without reservation for her slanderous allegations and be charged with malice. I also postulate that her conduct here today puts her in breach of the conditions governing her right to sit as a member of this council and propose that a special meeting of this council be called in order to discuss and vote on her expulsion.”

  “Uncle,” Danielle said, ignoring the Archbishop, “have you visited the Helidon estate during the months I have indicated?”

  The chamber quietened down to hear the response to her question.

  “No, Milady.”

  “So you can not say categorically whether there are sheep or slaves on Lord Helidon’s estate?”

  Before Renwick could reply, Helidon was on his feet again, “How dare you continue with this line of questioning.”

  The king called for order. “Milady, I require evidence from you or this matter will have to be dismissed. And I warn you, if you make another allegation, I will be powerless to stop the Archbishop tabling his proposal.”

  Danielle understood her father’s position. “I have no evidence, your majesty. But I believe I have a way of knowing the truth of this.”