The Caged Kingdom

by M A Price

  “I hope they give me a better outfit for my performance. Katanya would never let me live it down if I died in this!” Her smock was covered in stains and it clung off her body like a sack. “I have some things, I’d like you to tell some people if you ever can.” She was addressing Jala now, who pulled out a notepad from the crease of her uniform, a wetness in her own eyes. “I don’t know if you will survive or ever see these people, but on the off chance…”

  Becca paused to consider her words as Jaxon stared on in horror. “Katanya, she’s like my daughter. You tell her, oh Kara, what to tell her. You say she made my life as bright as her hair.” A slight chuckle mixed with a sob escaped her. “She’ll like that, and that I loved her more than I loved almost anything. That I hope she can be happy again one day. For her and for me. Camrin, he... he’s a mess, but you make sure he knows he always made me proud. Idyn, he, he just needs to know that he was everything I hoped and more. The best of me and Ivloch.” She wiped the tears from her face on the smock, they were falling faster, becoming harder for her to ignore. “They weren’t mine you know? Any of them. Or Elex. We swore never to have children, not in this world, it wasn’t fair on them when we do what we do but we ended up finding more of a family than I could have ever hoped for.”

  Jala found a tissue from the same pocket as the pad which she passed through the bars, Becca took it gratefully. Her words had been scrawled down in Jala’s messy hand. His soldier looked scared but adamant. She had definitely seemed to learn something from Becca Youchnore.

  “Ivloch. Oh Kara. You tell him to carry on, no matter what, he should finish what we started and one day I’ll see him again, I’ll brush his mad hair and tell him how it was all worth it. You tell him he was my last thought. He will be. That big ruddy face. You tell him I was his wife until the end, in this life or the next.”

  She mopped her face again, replaced the tears with a firm look of commitment. “You have both made my last days better than they could have been. Thank you for that. You're brave and wonderful Jala. Don't you forget that." She tilted her head to Jaxon. "I know you're scared but I think you're going to be a better man than you know Captain.”

  She walked to her bed roll, her body practically deflating onto it. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to take some rest, one needs to look their best for their execution day.”

  “You’re the most incredible lady I’ve ever met Mrs Youchnore,” Jala sighed and moved herself to the door. Jax followed, he had no words of comfort to give her, nothing that could ever make this any better. It was hopeless and lost.

  Jala looked at him as they closed the door behind them.

  “Even if it kills us, we deliver those messages, to those people,” she vowed. He nodded, he had no idea how, but they would do it. He thought Jala would find a way even if he’d disagreed. Somehow.

  “She told you what I am?”

  “Half a Moon Turn ago or more.”

  Becca had been a step ahead of him, yet again.

  Thirty-Three - Mara

  The hair stuck to her scalp refused to move and there had been no opportunity to wash, but she was in a lot better shape than many around her.

  Idyn had bandaged up her arm, the wound not as bad as she had feared. More importantly she was still alive.

  Most of the people she had grown to love were still alive.

  Idyn reached across their mounts to take her hand and she let him. She could feel the Mark on her wrist pulsing with power, releasing it through her body to keep herself upright. She had managed not to burn out, but she had barely used her gift. A result of been too scared to rely on its unpredictability when she knew what she could do with a weapon in her hand. Only twice had she felled a soldier with it.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m…better than I thought I’d be. Is that bad? It was the stuff after the battle that threw me more. I don’t know if that makes me a monster.”

  “It doesn’t make you a monster Mara, it makes you human. It’s different and it’s scary but you handled it amazingly.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it firmly. “You are incredible, and I hope you know that.”

  She felt herself blush at his words and his touch. The way no words had been mentioned between them but there seemed to be a connection, a thread that linked them.

  Idyn Dutch made her very glad she’d got through the day.

  Thirty-Four - Jaxon

  They led her out as the sun rose. She looked so small, but so very defiant in the leathers they had given her. It was the biggest crowd he had ever seen in Kara’s Square.

  Some chanted for Becca. Some for their king who gave her no chance at last words and wouldn’t perform the deed himself.

  They were all silent as Xave lowered his sword onto her neck.

  She’d half smiled at him before her head had been pushed to the block. A smile of comradery and of promise.

  A smile he would remember for all his years to come.

  Samiah, the woman who he had shared his bed with, more often than he ever should, grinned as she died.

  Jala discreetly wiped away tears, her whole body pulsating with more anger than he had thought possible in such a small person.

  Jaxon just kept his face expressionless and wished to Kara, The Transmitter or anyone who would listen that it had been his blood that swept across the platform.

  Becca Youchnore died bravely.

  Never the way she believed she would and certainly not with the company, but she didn’t feel alone, and she faced it with more courage than Jaxon Rowdedge had ever had in his entire life.

  Thirty-Five - Katanya

  Her limbs were aching, and her power was drained. Burning the guard’s station after so little rest had left her feeling on the verge of collapse, but she knew she couldn’t give in to it.

  The battle had been difficult but worth it. Seeing how far Mara had come filled her with a considerable pride.

  Watching Mara talk to the prisoners, watching her fall into her new role had rattled her and Ivloch, despite how good she had been at it. It was easy to imagine a future where people could believe in the girl; she'd won her over after all....

  She and Ivloch spoke briefly. They both knew they had to act soon, and time was running out. She wasn’t sure his plan was the right course of action and she only had one other crazy idea. One he might not listen to but should.

  An idea that could easily get her killed, but that just might be safer for everyone else.

  She saw Camrin and Fendir supporting Yenna on her horse ahead. She looked pale and drawn, and desperately needed some time in a medical tent. They could have so easily lost her today. How handy to be a Healer would have been. Even a Darkstar to get her home sooner.

  Fendir would be worried about Lorren. Getting the prisoners to a safe crossing point would be dangerous.

  The direction he was travelling in had also allowed her to finalise a choice. On his return Lorren would wander through the main Spykelands, she had found him before he departed and asked him to find Nico. It was unlikely she would be back in that house anytime soon. It would be up to him if he stayed, came back with Lorren or found another way in the world but he deserved the option.

  The rest of The Guild rode around her. There had been less casualties on their side than she’d predicted but every single one still hurt.

  They were all tired, all needing rest, some injured and others just needing a drink or perhaps even just another soul to lick their wounds with.

  She could have done with the release herself…

  They couldn’t stop.

  The King’s Men would have reached the station by now, realised their prisoners had been taken from under their noses and their comrades were dead. They would be searching for the culprits. They had to continue down the rarely-trodden path they were on and just hope they could reach home before exhaustion took them all.

  Yet when they got back, they would have to talk. Straightaway, before she could change her mi
nd.

  She wished Becca was there to tell her if she was being crazy, sensible or worse than either.

  Thirty-Six - Jaxon

  Jaxon tried to stand still but his legs wouldn't allow it.

  He’d swallowed the last of the tonic Becca had eventually helped him make that morning, but he could already feel it wearing off.

  The vision of Becca Youchnore and her face before she died refused to leave him.

  He was waiting, by the side of the kitchens, letting the wind ruffle through his hair. It helped him think a little clearer. A note had come from Reyn just before lunch telling Jaxon to meet him here. He hadn’t heard anything else from him since he’d been dragged away in the Throne room, despite Jala trying to reach out.

  He hadn’t had to watch Becca die or say goodbye.

  Jala had wanted to come with him but he knew it would be a bad idea. Samiah was suspicious, asking too many questions about his movements. He knew she knew that Jala wasn’t remotely interested in men, but he also thought that logic wasn’t high on Samiah’s list of priorities right now.

  He paced along the walkway slightly, not taking any time to look at the pond or gardens surrounding the kitchen entrance. It was a stupidly elaborate part of the grounds for somewhere he doubted anyone ever saw except for a few kitchen maids sneaking out for a smoke or a private moment with someone they wouldn’t want to be seen with.

  He’d brought Arabella here once. She’d loved the different colours of the flowers. All the different native Brodannan creatures swimming in the pond. Would she be loyal to the Queen? Or wondering why she didn’t fall in line with what the King wanted?

  He didn’t think he’d ever known her well enough to tell. At least she wasn’t acting the way Samiah was.

  Such happiness at Becca's death.

  “Evening air doing you any good?” He hadn’t heard Reyn approach, but he was behind him now. Another velvet doublet, his hair immaculate and untied.

  “I’m not in the mood for jokes…”

  “I know. It was a serious question. You look like hell. Tonic gone?”

  “Finished it this morning.”

  “Come to my quarters tomorrow evening. I’m sure my father can’t complain about me making friends with such a highly respected guard of his. We’ll invite Jala to really make it a party. Your attempt to make it yourself was piss-poor so you’ll need the help.”

  Jaxon tried not to retort. He forgot how much the Prince’s smugness annoyed him, ally or not.

  “You weren’t at the execution.”

  Reyn looked down at the floor, at the carefully crafted stones, each with a ridiculous floral pattern. He doubted anyone without power could have made them.

  The King had always relied on Users whilst claiming to hate them.

  “Do you not think I tried? I wasn’t allowed anywhere. You can rest assured it was as embarrassing and as agonising for me as you can imagine.” He pursed his lips. Jax was still mad but he did believe him. He couldn’t forget the look of anguish as he’d been dragged from the room. “I liked that lady. A lot more than I like most people. She didn’t deserve to die and if I had any power left here, then I’d never have let it happen.”

  He gulped. Neither of them would have let Becca die if they had their way.

  “I know, believe me I know.”

  “How was she? What a ridiculous question!”

  “Brave. Strong. Defiant.”

  “Just how I liked her…" Reyn's usual mask slipped momentarily and Jax could recognise the genuine torment on display. "I couldn’t be there, but I did manage something. Or my mother did, to be entirely honest with you; but she did it for me.”

  He felt his curiosity grow. The Prince pulled a smoke from his jacket pocket and a fire lantern from the nearby bench. He lit it before saying anything more and Jax didn’t give him the satisfaction of asking.

  “My mother convinced my father to send Ivloch Youchnore his wife’s body. Head returned to it an’ all. It’s a wonder what these Users can do. Xave believes he knows The Guild's location. I thought my father would have already attacked them but apparently there is a plan in place I am not trusted to know."

  Reyn moved to the bench and puffed on his smoke. “He believes my mother is finally turning to his way of thinking, she managed to convince him that it would be a great insult to send the body. What it actually is, is a kindness. Every man should have the chance to grieve for the woman he loves, on his own terms.” Reyn's face seemed to change whenever he discussed his parents. Jax wondered if it was just hate for his father or something more but didn’t press the issue. “It was also an opportunity. I was forced to see the body before they sent her, right before actually, I made sure of that part. Another warning, but actually quite useful this time. There is a note hidden with Becca Youchnore. A note I’m hoping her husband will find.”

  Jax didn’t know what to say. What the hell was he playing at, he was putting them all in too much danger. If the King or Xave or anyone found out -

  Becca’s words came to him. Her talk of bravery, of doing the right thing. He could imagine Jala’s glare even for the thoughts that had just been in his head.

  “What did it say?”

  “It said that Becca made some friends here and that the Guild aren’t alone.”

  Jax swore under his breath. There was panic inside him. Panic and something else…

  “Do you think they’ll listen?”

  “I don’t know Jax, but I hope so. Things are only getting worse and I imagine time for both of us is quite limited. We may well end up seeing our friend Becca sooner than we planned.”

  His words rung truer than was comfortable.

  “We should find a way out for Jala. There’s going to be little escape for either of us, but she might be able to get out of this mess with her head still on her shoulders.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Until next time Captain.”

  With that, Reyn Landress tipped his head to him and walked off into the night. Jax might have found his company annoying but it was a lot better than being left alone with the silence of his own mind.

  It was the first time he let himself miss the time he would have spent with Samiah or the comfort that she had brought him.

  Thirty-Seven - Mara

  Katanya dragged them straight into a War Council as soon as their boots touched camp.

  Everyone was tired, there had been no downtime on their journey, despite Camrin's hopes of a break at nightfall, they had to move on before anyone had a chance to track them.

  Fendir had just been sad, unresponsive, and clearly thinking of Lorren. She couldn’t help but feel for him, the worry that must be coursing through him despite knowing what they had both signed up for.

  Mara's eyes lingered on Idyn as they all gathered around Ivloch’s table. Did it ever get easier to risk those you love? To not know where they were?

  She wasn't sure when she had started thinking she loved Idyn, but the feeling was nice, and she knew it to be true.

  Ivloch moved to the head of the table and studied their assembled faces.

  Katanya stood next to her, Camrin looking angry next to Idyn. Fendir had his head down on the table with Yenna’s hand rubbing his back. She still looked hurt, but more stable than she had on the journey.

  Dexter was absent, he had taken the horses to the stables to rest after their arduous journey.

  “I won’t keep you long,” Ivloch began, the typical pacing missing, “I just wanted to say thank you, that wasn’t a mission we had to complete but we did, and we helped. I think it also shows us how bad things are getting out there. I want security stepped up. I’m going to…”.

  Jengen barged into the room, all protocol ignored. It was the look on his face that told her something was wrong. He’d gone pale, paler than she had ever seen him, and his mouth was opening and closing, words seeming to be absent. Tears ran freely down his round cheeks.

  Katanya moved towards him, Mara could see her eyes darting ove
r his armour, immediately looking for an injury or a physical cause of upset. She preferred those, Mara already knew.

  “What is it Jen?”

  He shook his head at Katanya, the tears falling faster and faced Ivloch.

  “I’m so sorry sir. I’m so sorry. You need to come outside,” Jengen choked slightly on the words and Mara felt her eyes and everyone else’s shift to Ivloch.

  Afterwards she would realise that as soon as Jengen had spoken, Ivloch had known.

  Nothing else would reduce one of his officers to tears.

  Nothing else would shatter the Guild quite like it.

  At the time he said nothing and simply walked to the door, his huge hand gripping Jengen’s shoulder in a squeeze as he passed.

  She moved to follow him, as everyone did, a sudden dread filling the pit of her stomach.

  Whatever was outside did not bring them good news.

  Thirty-Eight - Katanya

  Her legs moved automatically to follow Ivloch; but everything in her mind screamed not to.

  The look of horror on Jengen’s face…

  The sunlight blinded her at first as she stepped through the tent flap, then she registered the people. They were crying. Screaming.

  Ivloch had moved to the right, to the path that ran through camp. She didn’t want to move any further, or to see what was past him but her legs took over. Her power rallied against the movement.

  She could feel it telling her to go back inside.

  If she didn't look it wouldn't be real.

  It was Ivloch who made her see.

  The colossal mass of him collapsed to the ground. A cry unleashing itself from his lips. A howl so inhuman she could barely register it was him.

  A casket.

  A white woven casket covered in purple luna tree blossoms.

  She couldn’t move, even as her arms ached to go to Ivloch, to hold him whilst he tried to cope with what was happening.