by Duncan Lay
“She has possessed him,” Ryan said fiercely. “She is inside his head and he can hear nothing else.”
“Well, she has helped get us ready. Without her, we would only have a handful of men and no gold to pay our foot soldiers, nor magic to get us across the Spine,” Meinster said reasonably.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Ryan growled. “She does not do this for Swane but for herself.”
“We just have to be patient. He will tire of her and discard her. Zorva knows she is old enough to be his mother!” Meinster said with a snort. “We can take our revenge then.”
Ryan shook his head. “She is inside his mind. I know Swane better than anyone. Zorva knows I damn near raised him like a son. I was the one to rescue him from Fallon and get him out of the city and up here. I have put up with things that would turn your stomach and I will burn in the pits before I let her come in and take the rewards that are owed to me.”
“What can we do?” Meinster asked.
“I will go ahead and prepare this camp. And I will also prepare a surprise for her. She will get across the Spine but she will get no further. I will see her dead in that camp. Swane will return to us for advice and, when he regains his throne, we shall be raised above all others.”
CHAPTER 16
“I see land!” Asil cried excitedly.
For a moment Feray doubted it, but then the dark line on the horizon did not waver or change and she embraced both her sons. “We have done it!” she cried.
Surviving the terrible storm had been a mixture of luck and good sailors but, once they were past that nightmare, the rest of the voyage had gone much easier. They had to battle two other storms, neither of them even half as bad as the monstrous one and both over within a few turns of the hourglass. She had been almost contemptuous of the second one, ordering Gemici to keep more sails up so they could make better time.
The sailors had treated her as something sent to save them from Aroaril and they had fallen in love with her two boys, showing them how to climb the ropes and sit up high, to see where they were going. Men competed to carve them little presents and bowed low whenever Feray walked past. Water and food had been running low but the cook kept serving up special treats for Asil and Orhan.
Even Gemici was moved to declare that he had never seen a happier crew. Once clear of the storms, it had been a swift run back to Adana but, now that they could see land, Feray found herself wondering what she would need to say to convince the Emperor Yonetici to give her an army, so she could sail back to Gaelland and rescue Kemal. She had little to do with the Emperor. He had been present at their wedding and she had seen him a few times since, usually when it was something to do with their sons – his grandsons. He had told her an Emperor could never have too many sons, so two was a good start. That was about it. Everything else had been talking to Kemal.
“Can we tell everyone?” Asil asked, again breaking into her thoughts.
“Yes, we shall,” she smiled, pushing all worries aside.
Carefully the three of them slipped through the hole in the center of the watch platform and used the rope ladder there to get down to the mainmast, where more ropes led back down to the deck. The boys went down them like a pair of monkeys thanks to all the practice they had had, but she was more careful and was several steps behind them when they reached the deck.
“What news, my brave Princes?” a sailor asked.
“Adana is in sight. We shall be there soon and you shall all be well rewarded,” Asil said seriously and the sailors in earshot immediately cheered.
Feray smiled in satisfaction. Learning to lead men was one of the most important tasks for Asil. Once his father took the Elephant Throne, he would be Crown Prince. And, while Orhan would not be seeking ways to overthrow his brother, like Kemal’s siblings, there were always challenges for a prince of Kotterman.
“Come, we must go and dress. It must not look like we have had a hard time,” she told her sons.
For the past quarter moon they had been wearing old cotton clothes, stained with salt and faded by sun, as they raced around the ship. But now it was time to bring out the silks and remind the people of Adana who was returning from Gaelland.
She had become used to tying her hair back with a simple piece of cloth and letting her arms and legs go bare, so it felt strange to again sit down and wait for her body slave to pin her hair up elaborately and help her into a beautiful dress.
Asil and Orhan squirmed as they were helped into tunics with high silk collars. Even though they were of the finest cut and material, they were still confining after the light cotton they had been wearing.
“Discomfort means nothing to us,” she told her sons. “Do not show any sign of it.”
When she was finally happy, they returned to the deck to find Adana looming large. Gemici had piled the sails on and the ship had eaten up the distance, but now, as Feray stepped up to the afterdeck, to where an old sail gave some shade from the warm sun, he was bringing them in.
“Are we not still some miles from the harbor?” she asked.
“Indeed we are, Highness,” he said. “But I wanted to hear your orders first.”
“My orders? Why would they have changed?” she asked warily.
By way of answer, he pointed at the huge flags that flew from every building. Her mouth went dry as she realized what that meant. The Emperor Yonetici was in Adana.
CHAPTER 17
Kemal peered out of his window, trying to see what was happening in the city below. But he was too far away and the angle was all wrong and he sat back, defeated. Not knowing what was happening was more than frustrating. As Crown Prince of Kotterman, he was used to daily briefings telling him what was happening all over the Empire. Even here he had Abbas to tell him the latest news brought from the Empire by fast ship. But, in his cell, there was nothing. He found himself even beginning to look forward to Bridgit’s irregular visits.
“What news?” he asked, when he heard her footsteps, the question out before he could stop himself.
“The city is calm,” she replied. “People are grateful to be given food for the winter.”
“All of them?”
She smiled. “No, there are many in the rich quarter who are offering us ever-larger sums of money for more food. They are not used to having their wishes ignored and they still think that they can do whatever they want as long as they have a bag of gold. We are showing them that things have changed since King Aidan’s days.”
“You need to listen to them,” Kemal said.
“Why should I listen to the rich? There are far more poor and they love what we are doing.”
“But the rich have louder voices. They are accustomed to using their money and influence to change things they do not like. The poor just put up with it. The poor might love you but they will not fight to save you, while the rich will scheme to bring you down.”
He stopped himself from saying any more only with an effort of will. Helping Bridgit and, through her, Fallon, was not a wise move. And he could not let his hatred of them slip. It was the only thing that would keep him strong.
“I thank you for your advice,” she said carefully. “But I come here today not to talk about the city but instead ask for a favor.”
Kemal burst out laughing before he could stop himself. “What can I offer from in here? And why should I help you?” he asked incredulously.
“Because we have a common enemy. The King’s son Swane. As you know he has given himself to Zorva and he tried to sacrifice both your wife and sons to his foul God. He has lured much of the Guild of Magic to him and we think he is planning to attack Berry soon. We need to have more men to be sure of victory, yet we need to keep hundreds here to safeguard both the food and the city. You still have more than a thousand warriors here, which we are feeding and keeping safe at my old home of Baltimore. Naturally they see us as enemies, but Swane wants to drag this world down to the pits of Zorva. If you were to speak to your men, tell them to fight alongside us
to defeat this evil, you would be doing both our countries a service.”
Kemal looked hard at Bridgit. She had changed from the defiant slave he had first met. The worry lines on her face had smoothed away, replaced by a look of determination. She was not to be underestimated, so he shook his head before she even finished speaking.
“I will not order my men to fight and die for you,” he said scornfully. “You are wasting your time and your breath.”
She looked at him for a long time, then nodded. “So I can see. Farewell.”
Bridgit stood and began to turn and he jumped to his feet. “Wait!” he cried. “Will we talk more?”
“Perhaps,” she said. “If we are still alive. But if Swane comes next to see you, to drag you off to the altar, I hope your foolish hatred makes you happy.”
Kemal glowered at her back as she left. Help Fallon? Was she mad? He could never help the man. And yet, this felt like a mistake. He clenched his fists. Forget Fallon. He had been given a better idea by Bridgit. His men were alive, and at Baltimore. If Fallon and Bridgit were short of men then he had a chance. He went again to his window and looked out. The stones of this castle were rough and did not fit together properly. There were many little handholds. If he was brave enough, he could try and climb. Not all the way down, because that was too far, but maybe across, or even up, to an unguarded room. Of course, at night, the stones would be slippery with frost and the wind would freeze his hands swiftly. A fall to the cobbles below was the likely end to such a risky idea but the more he thought about it, the more it appealed. Sitting here in a cell, waiting to be rescued, was a death sentence. His younger brother, Durzu, would become the next Crown Prince, which would also mean death for Asil and Orhan. Feray would either be killed or forced to marry Durzu, which was worse. Yet if he escaped from here, freed his men and got back into Berry to surprise Fallon, then he had a chance. If his father arrived here in the spring to find him ruling as if nothing had gone wrong, then Durzu would be forced to bow his head and keep his ambitions to himself. Or at least until their father was dead, at which point Kemal planned to have his brother killed.
Best of all, he could return to Feray’s arms as a man again, not some impotent weakling. All he had to do was risk his life in the freezing night on a mad climb.
Put it like that, it sounded tempting.
*
“Any luck?” Nola asked.
Bridgit shook her head tiredly. “He laughed in my face.”
“It was a big risk,” Riona said sympathetically.
“But we still have to find the men from somewhere,” Bridgit sighed. “Fallon is going to need everyone we can find, yet we have to make sure there is no trouble in the city.”
“Things are quiet now,” Gallagher offered. He had brought the news back earlier in the day, riding into what seemed to be a peaceful city.
“It’s quiet now because we have patrols on the streets both day and night, guards on the food warehouses and anyone who creates trouble finds themselves in the stocks for a night and paying a big fine to get their next food ration. When you have to behave or go hungry, it is amazing how quiet people get. But, if we take away almost all the soldiers here, people will begin to look at the warehouses hungrily. And, if they get into just one of them, we shall see Berry dissolve into chaos,” Bridgit said. She rolled her shoulders, as if stretching them for battle. “Yet we cannot risk losing a battle with Swane. Aroaril knows what Swane has planned but we can be sure Dina has told them all about us and the way we were training in the streets.”
“If we tell people what they face,” Riona began, “surely they will understand and—”
“Most will. But there’s a few that will see this as a perfect opportunity, either to take back what they see as theirs or steal what they can’t have, hoping to sell it later,” Bridgit said crisply.
“What about Fallon’s new army, the men he hopes will defeat the Kottermanis?” Nola asked. “I know they haven’t won our trust yet but surely they will fight against Zorva?”
“We can’t risk it,” Gallagher said instantly. “We daren’t use them. Most would fight but we don’t really know them yet. Even one man running at the wrong moment could lose us the battle.”
That silenced the table but gave Bridgit an idea. “What about the wounded. Rosaleen, where are they?”
“Well, a few went home, but most are still here, so we can keep an eye on them and make sure they are recovering,” Rosaleen replied. “Why?”
Bridgit did not reply immediately. There had been hundreds of wounded after the battle of Berry. Thanks to the work of Rosaleen and other priests, most of them – even those who had suffered a mortal wound – had recovered enough to join their comrades again. But, for some, who had lost hands, arms, feet, legs or eyes, there was not quite the same recovery. They were healthy enough and their lives had been saved but even Rosaleen could not regrow a lost arm, nor give back an eye. The dwindling treasury had been raided to make sure they were rewarded for their sacrifice and some had taken that money and traveled back home, if they lived nearby. But, for those who lived in eastern Gaelland or who were too crippled to work on a farm or fishing boat, they had stayed in Berry, where they could be sure of both a roof over their head and care if they asked for it.
“Those men have surely suffered enough. We cannot ask them to fight again,” Nola said.
“No,” Bridgit agreed. “But we can give them a crossbow and ask them to stand guard on a warehouse. Rosaleen, you know them best. Would they do that for us?”
“Of course they would,” Gallagher said. “They will jump at the chance.”
“Well, maybe not the ones with no legs,” Padraig said, with a wink.
Rosaleen sighed but said nothing to Padraig. “That might be another fifty men. Is that going to be enough?”
“It is a start,” Bridgit said. “Even fifty men could make the difference between victory and defeat for Fallon.”
“We can’t let them die!’ Riona said fiercely. “Why don’t we take over guard duties? Like you fooled the Kottermanis. We can wear helmets and carry spears. At night and from a distance, nobody will tell the difference.”
“Aye,” Nola agreed. “Thanks to the Kottermanis, we have more than enough old weapons and armor. From a distance, it will look like we are men. People see what they expect to see, not what is really there. If we have four men on the actual gates, but six women on the ramparts above, people won’t think twice about it. Same way on the castle itself. We can all take turns.”
“It works as long as nobody actually has to do anything. I don’t doubt our courage but we’re not trained. And then you’re asking women who have worked all day to then stand guard at night,” Bridgit said doubtfully.
“We went through worse on the way home,” Riona said.
“And it would mean more men for the battle,” Gallagher said enthusiastically. “All we need to do is trust in Aroaril and He will keep us safe.”
Bridgit saw eyes roll around the table but stopped herself from joining them. “I’m not convinced,” she said carefully.
“How about we vote?” Nola asked.
Bridgit looked around the table and saw everyone else putting their hands up. She was tempted to over-rule them but they had made such a show of the Ruling Council being equal. This was not a proper meeting, given that Fallon, Devlin and Brendan were somewhere in central Gaelland, but she could not crush her friends. Besides, it could work, with a little luck.
“We do it. But it will mean much more work for us,” she warned.
“Well then, we can also cut some of the pointless duties. If we have guards on the gate and walls, why do we need them inside the castle itself? And Kemal isn’t going anywhere. That’s two more guards we don’t have to provide,” Riona said.
“There are no pointless duties,” Bridgit said. “We have to keep our families safe.”
But the tide of the meeting was running against her and another vote saw Riona and Nola crossing ou
t a dozen guard duties in and around the castle.
“It will be fine. As long as the guards on the wall and gate are vigilant, there is nothing to worry about,” Riona said briskly.
“And it means I can take Gannon, two hundred men, as well as Padraig, and every other wizard I can find, Rosaleen and at least a dozen other priests,” Gallagher said. “This could be the difference in the battle. After all, if we don’t defeat Swane then it doesn’t matter how many guards we have here.”
Bridgit was not convinced but bit back her objections.
“We shall defeat Swane. We shall take our best and brightest priests,” Rosaleen announced.
“Finbar took the best of his Guild but he has left me all the women wizards. It seems our Royal Wizard wasn’t too keen on women rising up the ranks of his Guild. Maybe he thought you needed a staff to be a wizard,” Padraig said with a wink.
“Can you be serious, Father?” Bridgit asked firmly.
Padraig shrugged. “I don’t know. I could try, I suppose.”
Gallagher coughed. “And what of Fallon’s other news? The towns left by the nobles?”
Bridgit shook her head. “They will have to wait. If we defeat Swane we can worry about them then, because we will have all the time we need. But all that matters is to destroy Swane and his evil.”
“If only he hadn’t escaped from the castle when Aidan was captured,” Gallagher sighed.
“We cannot live in the past. Regretting mistakes does us no good,” Bridgit said, and smiled at her friends. “As one who did that every day for a score of summers, I can say that with authority. What is Fallon’s plan?”
“I am not sure,” Gallagher admitted. “First he wants to find Swane’s camp and then use that to lead Swane back towards Lake Caragh. But after that, I do not know.”
“Lake Caragh. Why is it always Lake Caragh?” Bridgit muttered.
“Well, it is right in the way between the Spine and Berry,” Gallagher said. “It is almost as if Aroaril planned it this way.”