Eight Kings (The King's Watch Book 6)

by Mark Hayden

  ‘Why’s that?’ I said. I tried to make it sound like a joke.

  ‘Because she must start to lead her own life now. I do not need a nurse, I need a daughter. A daughter with her own life.’

  That was a very heroic declaration. You had to admire it, even if it sounded a bit premature.

  She hadn’t finished. ‘Do not weep for me, Conrad. The Goddess has finished with me, and that is a burden I did not know was so heavy. It is only now that I have laid it down that I realise how bent my back was.’

  I weighed up what I’d been thinking about since last week. ‘I don’t think the Goddess is finished with you yet, Mother.’

  She pointed a crooked finger. ‘Don’t start with that. From the day of my stroke, I am Mother only to Signe. You will call me Hedda and you will tell me how you know the Will of the Goddess all of a sudden. It sounds most unlikely to me.’

  ‘How much of the sealing ceremony do you remember?’

  She frowned. ‘I remember lunch. I remember the pain. I remember Lena’s hand inside my soul and I remember the helicopter. That is why I wanted to see you. To say thank you. And don’t say you were just doing your job.’

  ‘I was doing what anyone else would do: trying to help. I did what I could.’

  She nodded. ‘As did Raven and Lena. Thank you.’

  ‘I had help though. You had wine with your meal.’

  ‘Did I?’

  ‘Yes. We were supposed to have a choice of beer or cider, and the beer is very good and rather strong. One of the waitresses agreed to go on a date with our waiter, just before service. He was so delirious, he only brought cider. I hate the stuff.’

  ‘I don’t follow.’

  ‘If he’d brought beer, I wouldn’t have been fit to fly. I was off duty. I think the Goddess tipped the scales in your favour. Just a little.’

  She sighed and said something in Swedish. It sounded like a prayer. ‘You have made an old woman very happy, Conrad. Will you come and see me again before you go? I would like to meet your wonderful fiancée again. You know, my memory tells me she said that she plays bridge. Is that right, or is it playing tricks on me?’

  ‘No tricks. She loves bridge. She describes herself as an enthusiastic beginner.’

  ‘Promise?’

  I got up and moved the side table closer to her. I topped up her water and bent down to kiss her cheek. ‘No promises, Hedda, but I will make it my business to come.’

  ‘Then the blessings of the Goddess be upon you.’

  29 — Truth or Dare

  The Jet Stream had blessed us with a subtle shift, bringing high pressure, clear skies and a drop in temperature. The perfect morning for a ride and for flying a chopper.

  I picked up my clothes from the chair and slipped out of our bedroom to get dressed.

  ‘Oh. Have you been up all night?’

  Erin was collapsed on the sofa in the suite’s sitting room. She had barely crossed the river yesterday before Lord Mowbray had grabbed her and dragged her into his study. I hadn’t seen her since.

  She made a monumental effort to turn her head and look at me. Her eyes were red and her hair had exploded. The blonde was now streaked black with ink where she’d pulled her hands through it. There was more ink on her face and her right hand was almost completely covered. I couldn’t see her left hand because it was buried in Scout’s fur. The cheeky rascal had seen a woman in a vulnerable state and jumped on the couch.

  ‘Are you my friend?’ said Erin. If I hadn’t known she’d been performing magick all night, I’d have said she was on drugs.

  I dumped my clothes and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ‘When you need one.’

  ‘Then don’t tell me I look a sight, okay?’

  ‘Did it go all right? All done?’

  She nodded and winced. ‘Yeah. That Enscriber with the dodgy wrist left me with the worst job ever.’ Her Bristol accent had got stronger overnight.

  ‘What’s up?’

  She moaned out a breath. ‘You’ll see, right enough.’

  In that moment, when she had no energy left, I suddenly knew that I could trust Erin far more than I’d thought. Despite her very close friendship with Myfanwy (and Mina and Saff), she’d kept her client’s secrets. Good to know.

  ‘Can I get you anything?’

  ‘Give us a hand up or I’ll go to sleep here. I’m sorry I’ll miss the election, but I have to rest.’

  She turfed Scout off the couch and held out a hand. I hauled her up and shoved her gently towards her room. As she disappeared through the door, she raised her inky fingers in a wave. ‘Night, Conrad.’

  I gathered my clothes and got ready to head to the stables.

  When I got there, a few minutes late, Eseld had nearly finished setting up.

  ‘Did you manage to amuse yourselves last night?’ she said. I’d only seen her for two minutes, long enough to make this appointment.

  ‘I was shattered. It was a relief not to socialise.’ We finished saddling and led the horses out into the crisp morning air. ‘Your Dad certainly got his money’s worth out of Erin.’

  ‘The Enscriber? It was so manic last night, I didn’t even see her, let alone get to talk. Race you to the lookout point?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘Do you want a bet on it?’ she said with a twinkle.

  I try to avoid gambling. It’s addictive. ‘A bet has to mean something, and any amount of money that would mean something to you would bankrupt me.’

  She laughed, full of excitement. ‘A forfeit then. Winner gets to choose the loser’s outfit for the banquet tonight.’

  ‘That would be no fun for you and dangerous for me. How about truth or dare.’

  We locked eyes. She knew what might happen if she lost. She ran her tongue round her purple lips and sucked the end back in to her mouth. ‘You’re on. We’ll trot to the long meadow gate and start from there.’

  This time, she paced herself, holding Uther back for a flying finish. Now that I knew the route, I reckoned I could get one over on her, and pushed Evenstar to overtake just before the start of a track through some woods, a track that was only one horse wide. I slowed right down, and she got frustrated trying to pass me. Uther baulked at a patch of brambles and she had to pull up. I dug my heels into Evenstar and hollered her into a gallop. This time, I won by a length.

  ‘You bastard,’ she said. ‘If it wasn’t so beautiful up here, I’d be really angry.’

  I dismounted and gave Evenstar’s nose a rub. At the edge of my consciousness, I felt a twinge. Scout was coming back into range, and he wasn’t happy at being left behind. I got out a carrot and a bag of treats for the animals and a smoke for the humans. Eseld joined me and we took a moment to be at peace with the morning.

  ‘Well then,’ she said when she’d finished her rollup. ‘Truth or dare. If I’d dared you to sleep with me, what would you have done?’

  I thought she might say that. Whether she’d actually have dared me to do it is another matter. As we were in the realm of the hypothetical, I replied, ‘My promise to Mina goes above everything, but as a gambling debt is a debt of honour, I’d have done the next best thing.’

  ‘What? Sent Mina to sleep with me?’

  ‘Oh no. I’d have sent Alain Dupont. He’s a very able deputy. Highly rated on Tinder.’

  When she’d finished laughing, she picked up her helmet, ready to remount. ‘And what about you, Conrad? How do you think I’ll react if you make me tell the truth about my mother?’

  ‘I wouldn’t do that, Eseld. It would spoil a lovely morning. Tell me the truth about Medbh instead.’

  ‘What truth?’

  ‘Oighrig Ahearn,’ I said, leaving the name dangling in the air.

  ‘Shit. How did she get hold of you?’

  ‘Walked up to me at Cora Hardisty’s barbecue. A week last Sunday.’

  ‘That explains a lot.’ She put her helmet down again. ‘Medbh disappeared a couple of days after that. Dad said that she was staying at Etha
ndun. Hiding more like. Then Ethan and me started hearing whispers that the Irish diaspora was abuzz with it all. We went to talk to Dad.’

  ‘From the look on your face, that didn’t go well.’

  ‘He was furious with Medbh and he wouldn’t say why. He muttered something about a tangled web and said that she hasn’t been to the West of Ireland since she left the sídhe. She’s going straight to Old Sarum this morning. He was hoping to keep a lid on it until after the banquet.’

  ‘It’s your business, not mine, Eseld. I won’t say anything unless I have to.’

  She put her helmet on. ‘I can’t imagine why you’d have to. The Daughters won’t be interested, that’s for sure.’

  I mounted Evenstar and said, ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘You’ll see.’

  I did see, but not as well as Mina did. I’ll let her tell the story of the election. After all, she did have a starring role.

  30 — The Boar of Kellysporth

  Conrad likes to test me. He likes to see if I can forgive him, and so far, he’s been lucky. His luck nearly ran out over breakfast.

  I still couldn’t believe that the dress code for electing a staff king was outdoor casual with coats. What? For Saffron, that meant combat uniform, and she was all ready when she arrived. I was playing it safe until I knew for certain.

  She waved a sausage in the air. ‘Old Sarum is in the middle of an old ruin. It belongs to English Heritage, and they’re letting us have exclusive access to a cordoned off area until one o’clock. We’re there because it’s a Locus Lucis, and this Locus Lucis is on top of a hill in the open air, so we have no choice. It’s going to be tight to organise.’

  It was. Here we were in Cornwall, and in a short while we were travelling 150 miles to Wiltshire in the Smurf. It was going to be my first ever trip in a helicopter, and there was so much else to be nervous about that I’d barely considered it. After all, I do know the pilot very well.

  Conrad tells me that there is a small airfield next to Old Sarum where we will land, and where another helicopter will be waiting. The Daughters of the Goddess are being taken from Glastonbury to Old Sarum by coach, and after the election both helicopters will leave together for different destinations. The Daughters will go to Perranporth airfield while we come here. Conrad will then use the Smurf to fetch them in two trips.

  I was running that round in my head when he appeared from his ride. He got himself a huge plate of protein and joined us. ‘News on Medbh,’ he said. ‘She lied about Donegal and Galway.’

  Before we could absorb the implications of this, Lord Mowbray came in. ‘Get us a bacon sandwich, will you, love?’ he said to Kerenza. She jumped up from her seat and left her breakfast to go cold while she served him.

  In one hand he carried a large cardboard envelope, the sort that Amazon use to deliver calendars (not that I’ve ever ordered a calendar from Amazon). In the other was the box that contains the Wessex seal. I shuddered when I saw it, and immediately had a flashback to Hedda’s head hitting the table when she had her stroke.

  He gave both items to Cador and pointed at us. At me! He poured himself some tea, took the plate with his bacon sandwich and disappeared. When the father left, the son wiped his hands and came over.

  ‘Good morning,’ he said. ‘Nice ride?’

  ‘Yes thanks,’ said Conrad.

  ‘Here you are, Mina,’ said Cador. ‘One ballot paper and one seal. All yours.’

  ‘And why do I want these?’

  He frowned. ‘To conduct the election.’

  I confess. I squeaked. ‘Me! Why? Who says?’

  Cador looked at Conrad. Conrad frowned and looked at the door where Mowbray had disappeared. When Conrad didn’t answer, Cador said, ‘Didn’t you get the renewed warrant from Judge Bracewell?’

  Conrad went red. Seriously red. He doesn’t blush very often. He muttered something.

  ‘What!’

  ‘I got a message to pick up some post from Merlyn’s Tower. I was distracted by the Pramiti business and forgot.’

  I banged the table. ‘You cannot use our engagement as an excuse!’ Cador was trying to walk away. ‘Stay!’ I told him. ‘And explain.’

  He floundered a little until his legal training reasserted itself. ‘Don’t worry. Ethan is the Marshal. He’ll be leading things. All you have to do is take the poll, record the results and seal them.’

  ‘All? That is all I have to do? In front of your family, the Daughters and goodness knows how many other Mages?’

  This time he did retreat. ‘Yes. That’s it. Just read the text and take the poll.’

  ‘I’d start saving if I were you,’ said Saffron to Conrad. ‘We’re talking at least a ruby necklace to make up for that.’

  Somehow, he kept on eating through all this. He looked at the last rasher of bacon and put his fork down. ‘I’m sorry. What can I say? I’m really sorry. And we’ve got to go, Saff. The Smurf is waiting.’

  He purloined two sausages on the way out and left me to seethe. In another minute, I was on my own. Even Eseld had avoided me and eaten on the other side of the room. I picked up the toxic delivery from Cador and headed to the King’s Watch suite to get changed. I would have cursed a lot more if Erin hadn’t been asleep.

  The moment I forgave him was the moment the helicopter made a lazy arc over Torbay. He’d told us we were going over the water rather than land, for some reason. The view was immense. Total. At that moment I relaxed and thought what’s the worst that can happen?

  After we landed, there was a one mile trip by minibus, and I reconsidered my decision to forgive him when I saw just how many people were waiting to be let in to Old Sarum fort. The Daughters were gathered together on one side, forming several groups and with a new presence at the centre.

  You couldn’t miss the Witch with the rainbow robes. This would be Verity, 1st of Willow and the chief priest. With Hedda incapacitated, Verity had taken it upon herself to come. She wouldn’t be travelling to Pellacombe afterwards.

  On the other side of the path was a mixed bunch of Mages. For once, the gender balance was about equal, probably because the age profile was skewed towards the older end. A couple had their best suits on and stood out a mile in the sea of nature toned outdoor fabrics. And me? Lena had forsaken her dirndls for leggings and a waxed jacket, and I did the same. Except for the bright red kurti. Without any height or magick, I need a way to stand out.

  Our group was let through by the throng. As we approached the front, a burst of red hair announced Medbh Mowbray. She emerged from the crowd and joined her family, as far from me as she could get.

  Ethan Mowbray had a short discussion with a man from English Heritage and then we streamed across the bridge to the gates. I was sticking to Saffron at this point because Conrad was going to miss the election completely. Helicopter business.

  Inside the fort, we had to pick our way round several muddy patches and into an area at the top surrounded by ruined walls. Saffron sniffed the air and lifted her head. ‘What can you smell?’ I said.

  ‘What? Oh. Lux. We’re right over the join of three Ley lines.’

  ‘I shall take your word for it.’

  A small section of scaffolding had been put up by one of the walls, about eight feet high, as if it were being used to repair the stones. Ethan climbed up the ladder and I groaned. Out loud. I was going to have to do the same at some point. I put down my backpack and took out the form of election and the seal.

  Ethan and Lena actually have his-n-hers waxed jackets. It’s not a look I’m going to copy with Conrad, especially as his waxed jacket is old and smells of horse. From an inside pocket, Ethan took a piece of wood.

  ‘What’s he doing with that stick?’ I whispered.

  Saffron rolled her eyes. Now I know how Conrad feels. ‘It’s a staff. Magick. It’s the staff of the Marshal of Wessex.’

  Ethan took off his jacket and laid it on the top of the wall. He turned his back on us and my arm itched furiously. From around the space,
I could hear murmuring.

  Ethan laid the staff to one side, straightened his back and turned round to face us. There was an intake of breath as we saw what he was now holding. A golden crown.

  ‘Behold the crown of the staff king!’ His big chest carried his voice across the ruins. ‘It was laid down by my father when he appointed the Duke of Albion Regent of the kingdoms of Wessex.’

  Kingdoms? Plural? Was that in the Agreement? I made a mental note to check, and Ethan moved on.

  ‘That Regency has lapsed. Mages of Wessex, I call upon you to elect a new staff king. Are you ready?’

  There was a rumble of agreement, I half expected Ethan to shout I can’t hear you! like a warm-up man. Instead, he laid the crown on the wall and picked up his staff. ‘The court of Wessex has appointed a judge of the election. Let it proceed.’

  Saffron nudged me in the back. ‘That’s you!’

  I slipped off my coat and picked up my burden. The crowd parted and I found myself at the bottom of a ladder, with both hands full. Before I could breathe, a familiar voice said, ‘Allow me.’

  Raven took the packet and box and placed them on the platform; I was both annoyed and relieved in equal measure and would have said something if there was time. Instead, I hitched up my kurti and climbed to the top. Ethan had already picked up my goods and even produced a clipboard. Some of their organisation was spot on.

  Ethan waited until I was composed, then turned back to the crowd. ‘The election will be judged by Mina Desai of Elvenham in Clerkswell, Gloucestershire.’

  I felt a surge of pride in my new life when he said that. To stop a silly grin appearing on my face, I made namaste to the crowd. A good few of them, including all the Mowbrays, bowed back. I almost felt giddy.

  The Mowbrays had gathered at the front, slightly to my right. Little Grace, Kerenza’s daughter, was with them, too. She had a look of awe on her face, as well she might: she’d been given a day off school for this. The Daughters were to my left, and the miscellaneous Mages made a semi-circle behind them.