And so it begins…
The baron waited while Lady Mary and Aubrey sat, his face a mask of concern. "As well you know," he began, "I have, for years, been tasked with running the Royal estates. As such, I have been working at the Palace diligently, but I fear that under our new king I can no longer carry out this duty."
"Why ever not, Robert?" asked his wife. "Surely the task is not so onerous?"
"I'm afraid events in the capital have spiralled out of control."
"How so, Father?"
"It seems King Henry has seen fit to arrest and execute Princess Anna and her people." He waited, watching their faces as the news sank in.
"Cousin Beverly!" cried out Aubrey.
"I'm afraid so," he replied. "Word is that all the Knights of the Hound have been executed for treason. I've no doubt that Baron Fitzwilliam will be arrested as well. I suspect that even as we speak, a delegation is being sent to Bodden."
"Uncle Richard would never conspire against the king," declared Aubrey. "Surely there's a mistake?"
"I'm afraid not, Aubrey. While King Andred might have been willing to accept the queen's bastard child, it appears his heir, King Henry, is not."
"Is Aubrey in danger?" asked Lady Mary.
"I hope not," said the baron. "Before I left my position I used my privilege to search through the Royal records. Any record of her working for the Royal Mage has been purged. There is nothing left to link her to the conspirators."
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Fate of the Crown
Heir to the Crown: Book Five
Paul J Bennett
Contents
Map
1. Hawksburg
2. Bodden
3. Queenston
4. Kingsford
5. Infiltration
6. The Duke's Guest
7. War Council
8. The March South
9. Colbridge
10. Assault
11. Albreda's Plan
12. The Hills
13. Events in the North
14. Mattingly
15. The War Comes North
16. Return to Queenston
17. Redridge
18. The Outing
19. The Battle of Redridge
20. The Tower
21. The Circle of Death
22. The Retreat
23. The Battle at the Crossroads
24. The Desperate Fight
25. The Ride East
26. Tewsbury
27. The Ruins
28. The Raid
29. The Army Marches
30. Uxley
31. The Siege Begins
32. Preparations
33. Into the City
34. The Fall of Wincaster
35. A New Beginning
Epilogue
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About the Author
One
Hawksburg
Autumn 961 MC* (Mercerian Calendar)
Lady Aubrey Brandon, daughter of Lord Robert Brandon, Baron of Hawksburg, was bored. She sat on the front step of the manor house, staring down the pathway with all the concentration her seventeen-year-old head could muster. This was, of course, considerable, for beneath this young exterior hid an accomplished wielder of magic.
For more than a year she had travelled with the Royal Life Mage, Revi Bloom, as his apprentice. She had easily mastered her first spell, but now she sat, weary of her studies. It wasn't that she didn't find magic interesting, far from it, but the books Master Bloom had given her had long since ceased to be of interest, a victim of her growing awareness of the magic that resided within her.
She looked down at the book beside her, a treatise on the history of magic, and chuckled to herself. History was fascinating to some but to her, life was all about the here and now, the harnessing of arcane power. She thought back to Weldwyn; there, at least, she had managed to cast her first spell, that of healing the flesh. It had been put to good use, for during the siege of Riversend she had been called upon to use her spells to help the brave defenders of the city.
The sound of a carriage caught her attention, and she looked up to see a familiar sight coming down the lane. It seemed her father had returned early from Wincaster. She stood, her mind no longer occupied by stray thoughts and focused on his arrival. Tomlinson, the old coachman, was covered in dust and dirt, the carriage likewise filthy. Her father must have been in a hurry to return, and yet his duties in the capital typically kept him busy well into the winter months.
The carriage pulled up, and she moved forward to open the door, only to see her father preparing to exit.
"Father," she said, "what a pleasant surprise. We weren't expecting you back until the midwinter feast."
His face broke into a grin, "Good to see you too, Aubrey. Go and fetch your mother, will you? I need to speak to both of you right away. Bring her to the drawing room."
She wanted to ask him for more details but saw the look of determination on his face. Something important has happened, she thought, and was suddenly struck with a feeling of dread.
"I'll go and get mother immediately," she replied, hurrying away. Her mother, as usual, was easy to find. She would often sit in the library in the late afternoon and today was no exception. "Mother," she announced, "Father has arrived from Wincaster."
Lady Mary Brandon rose to her feet, setting down her book. "Something must be wrong," she said. "He usually sends word when he is returning."
"He wants to see us in the drawing room."
"Go and find your brothers," her mother said.
"I think he wants just the two of us," replied Aubrey.
"Very well, let us see what news he brings."
They made their way to the appointed room to find Lord Robert in his chair. He had discarded his cloak, dropping it to the floor and was just removing his boots as they entered.
"Robert," asked Lady Mary, "whatever is the matter?"
"Come, sit down, my love. I'm afraid there have been some...developments in Wincaster."
"You're worrying me, Robert. Tell me everything is fine."
The baron waited while Lady Mary and Aubrey sat, his face a mask of concern. "As well you know," he began, "I have, for years, been tasked with running the Royal Estates. As such, I have been working at the Palace diligently, but I fear that under our new king, I can no longer carry out this duty."
"Why ever not, Robert?" asked his wife. "Surely the task is not so onerous?"
"I'm afraid events in the capital have spiralled out of control."
"How so, Father?"
"It seems King Henry has seen fit to arrest and execute Princess Anna and her people." He waited, watching their faces as the news sank in.
"Cousin Beverly!" cried out Aubrey.
"I'm afraid so," he replied. "Word is that all the Knights of the Hound have been executed for treason. I've no doubt that Baron Fitzwilliam will be arrested as well. I suspect that even as we speak, a delegation is being sent to Bodden."
"Uncle Richard would never conspire against the king," declared Aubrey. "Surely there's a mistake?"
"I'm afraid not, Aubrey. While King Andred might have been willing to accept the queen's bastard child, it appears his heir, King Henry, is not."
"
Is Aubrey in danger?" asked Lady Mary.
"I hope not," said the baron. "Before I left my position I used my privilege to search through the Royal records. Any record of her working for the Royal Mage has been purged. There is nothing left to link her to the conspirators."
"What if someone confessed?” asked Lady Mary, her voice rising in pitch. "She could be arrested."
"Fear not, my love. If they had made that connection, she would already be in the dungeons beneath the Palace. I have managed to see the so-called 'confessions' that were said to have been extracted from the prisoners; they are nothing but flights of fancy."
"None of the knights would confess," defended Aubrey. "I knew them all, and they were honourable to a fault."
"It matters not to the king," explained the baron. "He has fabricated these confessions to suit his own purpose. Our primary concern now is to keep you safe."
"Me?" said Aubrey in alarm. "Why?"
"You are a Life Mage," he continued, "perhaps the last in the kingdom, for it is said that Revi Bloom has been implicated in the plot. We must ensure your power remains hidden, for all our sakes."
"But I cannot give up magic," she protested.
"Nor would I want you to," he responded, "but we must find somewhere safe for you to practice, out of sight of prying eyes."
"What about the old manor?" interjected Lady Mary.
"I hadn't thought of that," replied the baron.
"You mean that old building behind the estate?" said Aubrey. "I thought it was unsafe."
"It is run down," agreed her father, "but I'm sure with a little work it would suit your purposes. It hasn't been used since the days of your great-grandparents. It was too small to house their growing family, that's why my grandfather built the manor in which we now live."
"So I'm to be hidden away?" asked Aubrey.
"No, dear," said her mother, "you would still live here, but use the old house to practice your magic. After all, you don't need much in the way of furnishings to cast spells. If anything, you want fewer things to break."
"I don't break things when I cast, Mother."
"I know, dear, I'm just teasing you."
"It would require some work to prepare it, I should think," her father interrupted. "I'd rather not involve the servants, so we'll have to keep this to ourselves."
"What about Tristan and Samuel?" asked Aubrey.
"I think it best that your brothers not know of this."
"But they know I can cast magic."
"That's all well and good, but let it appear that your interest has waned. You'll need to explain your absences while you study. I would suggest you go riding a lot as a cover."
"Fair enough," said Aubrey, then fell into silence.
Her father saw her struggling with something, "What is it, Aubrey?"
"Cousin Beverly," she confessed. "I can't bear the thought of them torturing her."
"I didn't say they tortured her," said the baron.
"I'm not a child, Father. I've heard what happens in the dungeons of Wincaster."
"I'm sorry, Aubrey, but there's little I can do about the past. I would send word to your Uncle Richard, but the King's Rangers might intercept it. I fear that I have become a target of interest to them and must tread carefully."
"Why would the rangers do that?" asked Lady Mary. "Surely their job is to keep the roads safe?"
Lord Robert looked at his wife with sorrowful eyes. "Much has changed in recent years, my love. The rangers now act as the king's eyes and ears. Of late, the roads have become much more dangerous for those who oppose the king."
"Are we in danger, Robert?"
The baron forced a smile, "Not for now, but we must be vigilant. We must be seen to support the king in all things, or we shall draw further attention to ourselves." He saw the look of despair on his family's faces. "Now, let us turn our attention to the old manor house. Shall we go and have a look?"
* * *
Aubrey stood in the large foyer that dominated the entrance to the old building. The room was dusty, with cobwebs covering the corners.
"Where do we start?" she wondered out loud.
"I would think the library might be the best place," her father answered. "It's likely to be a small room. At least that way we'll feel like we're making progress."
Aubrey glanced through an open door. "Judging by the bookshelves, I'd say that it's over there," she said, pointing.
"Let's go and have a look, shall we?" he said.
They wandered through the doorway, and she was instantly impressed by the decor of the room. "It's so cozy in here, though it's a little cold."
"I wouldn't go using the fireplace just yet," her father warned, "the chimney is likely clogged up. This place hasn't been used in decades."
"What were they like?" she asked. "My great-grandparents, I mean."
"I didn't know your great-grandfather, he died before I was born, but your great-grandmother was an interesting one."
"And by interesting, you mean?"
"I think the word I'm looking for is eccentric," he said. "She was a strong-willed woman, wouldn't take no for an answer. Even after they built the new manor house, she refused to move into it. She spent her last years here."
"What was her name?" Aubrey asked. "I've never heard you speak of her."
"Her name was Juliana," her father replied, "though I've forgotten her maiden name. She was always 'Nan' to me."
"And this was her only home?"
"Yes, she took great pride in it. All the furnishings and decorations were hers. My grandfather didn't care two twigs for such things."
Aubrey wandered over to the bookshelf that occupied the north wall. "I never realized there were so many books here."
"Yes, Nan was an avid reader, just like you."
She carefully withdrew a book, glancing at its spine. "This is a book of poetry by Califax," she remarked. "I thought he wrote plays."
"He did," responded her father, "but like all great artists he did so much more."
She flipped the pages, stopping as she saw the title page. "It's signed," she said in astonishment.
"She must have purchased it that way," he said. "Califax lived long before Nan."
"True enough," she said, returning the book to its position on the shelf. No sooner had she placed it, then the shelf collapsed, the wooden structure breaking beneath the weight of the books. Aubrey jumped back in alarm, casting an embarrassed look towards her father.
"The wood's likely dried out and rotten," he explained. "I'm surprised it's lasted this long. Let's move the books over here; we'll pile them against the wall for now. The bookshelf will need to need to be repaired eventually, perhaps even replaced.”
Aubrey began removing tomes, carrying them across the room and laying them in careful stacks on the dusty floor. She returned to the shelf, grabbing another armful.
"What's this?" said her father.
"What's what?"
"I think I might have discovered something," he said.
She set her armload down, coming to see what her father had found.
He knocked on the back of the shelf. "What do you hear?" he asked.
"It sounds hollow. Do you think there's something behind it?"
"There's only one way to find out," he said, grinning.
They quickly removed the remaining books and began examining the shelf in more detail.
"There must be a lever or something to open it," she said.
The baron felt around the edge. He ran his fingers across the top of the shelf and paused, "I've found a latch of some sorts. I can just feel it with my fingers, hang on a moment." He moved across the room, singling out a chair to drag across to the bookshelf and stand on. "Ah, I see now, a rather simple latch."
She watched as he fiddled with something on the top and then they heard a clicking sound. "You seem to have done it," she said.
He hopped down from his perch, pulling the chair out of the way. "I should think we could swing this o
ut now," he said, pulling on one of the shelves. It moved forward a fingers breadth, hinged on one side. "It appears to be stuck," he announced.
"Let me give you a hand," she offered, grabbing the end of the structure. As they both pulled, the shelf swung outward.
Aubrey turned her attention to what lay behind, "There's a narrow staircase that leads down." She poked her head through the opening to see where it led. "It looks like there's a room beneath the library."
"Let me fetch a lantern," he said, "and we'll take a look."
"Don't bother," she replied, "I've a better idea."
She started uttering an incantation and a moment later a small ball of light floated just above her palm.
"Remarkable," said her father, "I thought you were just a Life Mage."
"There's more to Life Magic than just the healing," said Aubrey defensively. "The orb of light is a universal spell."
The baron shook his head, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Universal spells can be cast by any mage, regardless of their school."
"What do you mean by school?" he asked. "I thought you were taught by the Royal Life Mage."
Aubrey let out a laugh, "I was, Father. A school is a particular way of looking at magic. Surely you've heard of the elements?"
"You mean earth, fire, water and so on? Of course."
"Those are the elemental schools. An Earth Mage could never call forth fire, nor could a Fire Mage control nature."
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