by Emma Miles
Jorrun slowed his pace to walk beside her. ‘It takes a little longer this way, but it’s quieter.’
‘Thank you.’ She looked up at him, her heart easing.
Even the smell of the city set her teeth on edge. For such an overpopulated place the streets themselves were clean, but the scent of the many human industries blended together into something overpowering for someone used to living in harmony with nature. Tanners, butchers, fishermen, and the sewage that was allowed to run out into the lake all stung her nostrils. The noise was incessant and almost hurt her ears.
Jorrun touched the back of her hand. ‘I didn’t realise you found crowds so difficult.’
She gave a shake of her head. ‘I’m just not used to it.’
She could sense him looking at her but she didn’t look up, sometimes she found his gaze overwhelming.
When they came to the castle Jorrun was admitted at once and a page ran ahead of them to the king’s audience chamber. It somehow seemed smaller, warmer and less intimidating than the first time she’d come here, pushed to her knees by uncouth guards who didn’t know who she and her father were.
On seeing Jorrun, Bractius quickly dismissed everyone else from the room. He poured himself some water, spilling a little over his pale-red beard as he drank quickly. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, glancing at Kesta with his light-brown eyes. ‘My apologies, it’s been a long morning with no moment to myself.’
‘What’s happening?’ Jorrun frowned, regarding his friend without blinking.
Bractius waved a hand dismissively. ‘There’s a lot of work to be done repairing Mantu and Taurmouth and not enough funds. I’m reluctant to raise taxes and put pressure on our people after they’ve just faced invasion. It’s not easy keeping a balance between putting too much burden on everyone, but easing the suffering of the heroes and victims of the Chemman attacks. But I take it you have news for me?’ He turned to Kesta. ‘I’m happy to see you back with us. Your mother is well and the Fulmers in order?’
‘They are, your majesty.’ Kesta gave a slight curtsy, and she heard Jorrun’s quiet snort of amusement.
‘I’ll come straight to the point,’ Jorrun said.
‘Do I need to sit down?’ Bractius raised his sandy-coloured eyebrows.
Jorrun opened his mouth, then closed it and nodded.
Bractius walked over to his throne and sat slowly in it. So; he was being the king today rather than Jorrun’s friend. From the way Jorrun’s face muscles relaxed, and all expression vanished, Kesta knew Jorrun had seen the same thing. He chose to remain standing and Kesta took a step closer to him.
‘I’ve received some extremely useful reports from Osun,’ Jorrun began. ‘And also, some concerning ones.’ He told the king of everything Osun had warned him about and then began to outline Osun’s plan. Kesta watched as the King’s frown deepened and he leaned toward the right arm of his throne. Bractius opened his mouth, but Kesta quickly stepped forward and called up her knowing.
Jorrun stopped speaking, trusting her to interject.
‘Your majesty. Taking Navere, one of the major sea ports of Chem, would be a huge achievement for Elden. Imagine the trade that could be established, the wealth and opportunities, not to mention the strategic significance.’ She took another step forward. ‘And healthy trade would deter the desire for animosity and future war. If we can completely eliminate the last of the Dunhams, and with them the desire for revenge, and instead open a dialogue with more liberal and peaceful Seats, we lose Chem as an enemy and instead gain an ally. And think also of the significance of training female magic users who are grateful and loyal to Elden.’ She bit her lower lip and she and Jorrun gazed at each other for a moment before she went on. ‘If you want to restore magic to Elden and introduce it to your royal line, then there are descendants of Elden women – like Osun’s own mother – who possess the blood and the potential.’ A part of her felt nauseous and her temperature rose at the thought of offering other women up as bait to protect herself and Jorrun’s children from Bractius’s manipulation. ‘There is a lot to be gained if we succeed.’
‘If.’ Bractius looked from her to Jorrun. ‘There is every chance you will fail and I will lose my sorcerer.’
‘It’s possible,’ Jorrun replied slowly. ‘It is a risky and ambitious plan, I’ll admit, but surely worth the gamble? There is much to be gained. And with Chem’s internal conflict it’s unlikely they will even consider another attack on us any time soon.’
‘And you now have the Fulmers at your back,’ Kesta continued. ‘Even if, spirits forbid, something happens to Jorrun, the Fulmers would offer you any magical aid you might require against Chem.’
Bractius sat back against his throne and studied their faces. ‘It is a lot to consider. It’s not just about losing my only sorcerer, I’d also be losing my most trusted advisor, although he has been conspicuously absent from court of late. Let me think about this. Stay in Taurmaline and eat with me tonight. We’ll discuss it again in the morning when I’ve had time to consider the possible consequences to your plan.’
Jorrun bowed. ‘As you command, your majesty.’
***
Jorrun led her through the castle to the rooms he used in Taurmaline. As with everywhere Jorrun stayed, they were cluttered with books, maps, and strange objects carved from stone, wood, and even bone. The room felt cold despite the season and was eerily quiet, the sounds of the busy castle left beyond the thick stone walls. Kesta slid her finger through the dust that had settled on the table.
‘I haven’t been here for a while.’ He winced. ‘And the servants don’t come in here except to change the bedding.’
‘Don’t apologise, the room is so very … you.’ She took in a deep breath and smelt the lingering scent of jasmine and cinnamon. ‘Do you think he’ll agree?’
Jorrun went over to the window, he pulled at the end of his beard, a deep frown on his face. ‘I think he’ll be tempted by the benefits, but his controlling nature will make it hard for him to let me go. I …’ He turned to look at her. ‘I think he is losing his trust in me.’
Kesta considered what she’d picked up with her knowing. ‘There was fear in Bractius, but under the circumstances I can understand him being wary of the consequences. I didn’t feel any bad feeling toward you, only caution. I did get a sense of his isolation though.’ She looked up at Jorrun and saw the sadness and concern grow in his eyes.
‘It was different when we were younger, before he was king.’ Jorrun picked up a small figurine of a cat and held it in his open palm. ‘We were never allowed to be just boys, but we tried.’ He turned to Kesta and grinned, she couldn’t help but respond in kind. ‘After … after what I’d been through, I found it hard to feel safe, to relax or have fun, but Bractius was always rebelling. He never feared the consequences of his actions. He was the heir to Elden, protected. He felt invulnerable and always talked his way out of any serious punishment. A lot of the time it seemed like us against the world. He was the adventurer, the dreamer and the charming rogue. I was the conscience, the voice of reason and the loyal older brother.
‘Then we were posted out to Mantu to serve as warriors and put our training to the test. Bractius was given a small command. He made some bad decisions and people died. He witnessed death and true battle for the first time and was not prepared.’
Jorrun put the cat down carefully on the table. ‘He never got over it. He hates not being in control, he is extraordinarily thorough in his thinking. He became ruthless in that he learned the necessity of sacrificing anyone for the good of Elden and for the security of his throne.’
‘That must have been hard for you, losing your friend to the throne.’ Kesta watched him as he ran his fingers over the books on the table. He glanced up briefly.
‘I still had Osun, although he was across the sea.’
She swallowed and looked away. He knew she couldn’t forgive Osun for what he’d done to Milaiya.
‘We are going to h
ave to spend a lot of time with my brother.’ Jorrun moved closer to look down at her.
She nodded. ‘I know. I promise I won’t make things difficult; but I’m doing it for you and for the women of Chem, not for him.’
He placed two fingers under her chin and looked into her eyes. ‘Thank you.’
She snorted, then took his hand and squeezed it. ‘I do know when to be diplomatic.’
He gave a ghost of a smile and it rankled her that he didn’t agree with her statement.
‘I’d best see if I need any of these books for Chem.’
***
The main hall was exceptionally crowded, although the guests seemed mainly to be made up of warriors rather than Jarls, Thanes, and their ladies. To someone who ate no meat, the smell of cooked flesh was overwhelming and she wrinkled her nose at it. Smoke escaped from the huge fireplaces to curl out across the room and voices competed to be heard. Already the atmosphere was somewhat raucous and Kesta tensed. The page who’d led them down pulled out a chair for Kesta to the King’s left, she hesitated, exchanging a worried frown with Jorrun. To the left of the king was normally always Jorrun’s seat. Bractius noticed their arrival and stood.
‘Ah, Jorrun! Come sit beside Ayline!’
Jorrun squeezed Kesta’s hand and then moved around the king to give the queen a polite bow. She was a small young woman and the swell of her early pregnancy was noticeable. Ayline watched Jorrun as he sat, her hand on her belly as though to draw his attention to what was obvious. With a sigh Kesta gritted her teeth and sat down. The chair to her left scraped back, and she turned, forcing a polite smile for her dinner companion.
She froze, tension locking her spine.
Adrin stood grinning down at her, his long blonde hair tied back in a neat tail and his face clean shaven. She hadn’t seen the chieftain since he’d left to fight the Chemman, just after she’d punched him in the face for trying to force a kiss from her. She turned quickly to look down the table at Jorrun, he was engaged in polite conversation with the Queen.
‘Lady Kesta, how good to see you.’
She forced her teeth apart. ‘Adrin. I wasn’t aware you were in Taurmaline.’
‘As one of the King’s most favoured Merkis where else would I be?’ He sat, glancing across to Jorrun to see if he was watching.
Kesta swallowed and reached for a goblet, one of the servants darted forward at once to fill it with wine. This was going to be a long evening, especially as she needed to keep the king on side and not lose her temper.
‘Ah! Adrin!’ Bractius reached across in front of Kesta’s face to shake hands with the warrior. She had to restrain herself from biting his arm. She supposed a king was entitled to be bad mannered at his own table, but even so her skin grew warm and the tension in her body spread down to her toes. ‘Of course, you two know each other?’
Kesta nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
‘I had the pleasure of meeting Lady Kesta when she first came to Northold.’ Adrin gestured the servant back over and began filling his plate as he spoke to the king.
Kesta sat back and sipped at her wine, half listening to the conversations that went on around her. She recalled the words Osun had said to her months ago to describe Arkoom and wondered how he would describe this place. She supposed in reality it wasn’t all that different here than the hall of her own home, it was just that she knew and trusted the people there.
‘Are you not eating?’
It took a moment for Kesta to realise Adrin was addressing her.
‘Here, get some of this nice red meat in you.’ He tipped a slab of venison onto her plate, the sauce splashed up and caught her face. She leapt up, knocking back her chair and calling power instinctively to her fingertips. She tore her eyes from the meat to glare at the grinning face of Adrin. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Jorrun was also on his feet.
She took in several breaths, trying to calm herself, aware a hush was falling over the hall. She withdrew her magic and glanced at Jorrun. Wiping her face with her fingers she gritted her teeth and sat back down, beckoning one of the servants over.
‘Would you kindly remove this?’ she asked.
Jorrun also slowly sat and Bractius looked from one of them to the other, Adrin was smiling down the table at Jorrun. ‘Is there a problem?’ The king demanded, his brown eyes hard and his brows lowered.
‘I’m sure the Merkis meant no insult.’ Kesta held Bractius’s gaze a moment longer before turning to Adrin. ‘Walkers don’t eat meat.’
Adrin sat back, mouth open. She didn’t need to use her knowing to know it was all an act. She clenched her fists under the table and drew in a long breath. The servant gave her a clean plate, and she nodded her thanks.
‘I’ve been craving nothing but liver.’ Ayline announced.
Kesta sighed and swigged back her wine. She picked up an apple and reaching down to pull her dagger from her boot, she proceeded to cut it into pieces, looking at Adrin as she did so.
Adrin snorted. ‘I heard you’d left Jorrun and gone back to the Fulmers.’
She put the apple down and looked him in the eye without blinking. ‘I would never leave Jorrun.’
‘Ah yes.’ Adrin leaned back in his chair and threw a piece of beef into his open mouth. ‘You came to Mantu to free him when he was trapped by a sorcerer, then left me to liberate the island.’ He grinned, looking up at the ceiling.
Kesta realised smoke was rising up from between her fingers and she withdrew her hand quickly from the table. Four scorch marks marred the wood. There was little doubt that, had she not killed Karinna Dunham, Mantu would have fallen to Chem. Even so, she still carried guilt that she’d returned to Taurmouth at Jorrun’s command rather than remain to see Mantu’s people freed. Knowing Adrin had claimed all the glory for the small island’s liberation made things infinitely worse. Siveraell, the fire-spirit, had probably had more to do with it than this arrogant man. She reached for her goblet, then changed her mind and poured herself some water instead.
Bractius had turned to speak to Jorrun about the repair work being done to the harbour, Ayline was pouting into her cup, a frown marring her perfect skin. Kesta turned toward them, trying to find a point at which she could politely join the conversation.
Adrin touched her arm and revulsion shivered across her skin. She wanted more than anything to turn and punch the man again.
‘Listen, I didn’t mean to upset you, I was just having a laugh. I thought you had a sense of humour.’
‘Sprits,’ she said through gritted teeth. If this was a test of her patience and ability to control her temper, she really wanted to fail. She caught Jorrun’s eyes and he smiled at her. She released the air from her lungs and smiled back. She closed her eyes momentarily and then turned back to Adrin. ‘Perhaps our humour is different in the Fulmers. So, you are based now at Taurmaline?’
Adrin narrowed his eyes, his smile shrank but still ghosted his mouth. ‘I am. I’ve replaced Vilnue now he is an ambassador to the Fulmers.’
Kesta let the Eldeman talk, occasionally forcing a smile or nodding at his words. He didn’t seem to notice or care about her own lack of conversation, more than happy to talk at length about himself and his victories. Ayline was leading most of the conversation between herself, Jorrun, and the king, interrupted now and again by the others in the hall who came up to speak with Bractius.
When the King announced he was going to bed, Kesta slumped in her seat, before standing quickly to give a curtsy. It was mere seconds after he and the queen left the hall that Jorrun stood and walked over to take her hand.
‘Let’s go.’
His grip was tight, and she looked up at him in surprise, he never normally touched her in public.
‘Stay and have some wine, Jorrun!’ Adrin showed his teeth in what was supposed to be a smile. ‘I haven’t had a chance to speak with you this evening.’
Jorrun’s eyes narrowed and he glared down at the warrior. ‘Address me as Thane.’
&nb
sp; Jorrun almost pulled her up off her seat as he headed for the door. Behind them, Kesta heard Adrin laughing and she ground her teeth together so hard her jaw hurt.
She almost had to run to keep up with Jorrun as they headed toward his rooms.
‘You’re angry with me,’ she said.
‘What?’ He looked down at her, his frown deepening before it vanished. ‘No. No, of course not.’ He squeezed her hand gently. ‘I’m proud, though amazed, at how you kept your patience. Personally, I wanted to reach down his throat and rip his spine out!’
She stared up at him open-mouthed. The only person she could recall him being that angry with was herself. He pushed open the door to his rooms and dropped the latch behind them.
‘Why do you think Bractius seated us like that?’
He looked across to the window and swallowed. ‘It could mean nothing, or it could mean several things. It’s usual in Elden to mix guests at dinner.’ He turned back to look at her. ‘Kesta, something happened between you and Adrin when you first came to Northold, didn’t it?’
‘I …’ It was hard to hold his gaze when he barely blinked. He reached out and tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ear. ‘The day he was due to leave for Taurmouth he confronted me and tried to force himself on me.’ Her face flushed with anger and un-warranted embarrassment. ‘I think he thought he’d managed to charm me. I guess at first he had although I hate to admit it. I thought you knew? You came running out of The Tower …’
He looked away and she saw his hands had clenched into fists. ‘Both Azrael and I sensed you using your magic, he got there in time to see you reminding Adrin of who you were. You should have told me, I’d have killed the man.’