Desmond closed his eyes and shook his head. “She needs to leave well enough alone. Who knows what that woman would do with my crown, my title, my power? Do you think she sees anything else? Do you think she really wants to lie next to a man who can barely take care of himself? A man who cannot even protect her?”
“Desmond.” Liam looked at his friend. Desmond was making riding a horse look like the worst activity a person could face. “I would never be serious about that woman. If you even considered taking her as your wife, I would rid this world of her, and nobody would know the better.
Are you okay?” Liam asked as Desmond scrunched his eyes closed.
“Urgh!” Desmond growled. “Where is the overseer?”
“If you need to walk, I can bring the stable hand right away,” Liam said.
“No,” Desmond answered him. “Barely moving would get us nowhere.”
“Then I will bring the overseer to you.”
Desmond nodded and slowed his horse considerably, wondering how he would dismount. He looked down at the fields below him. The castle was atop a high rise with the fields below so that they could all be in sight.
Liam and the overseer rode up to Desmond.
The overseer dismounted and bowed low to Desmond as Liam scowled behind the man, kissing the palm of his hand and smacking it on his behind. Desmond was in no mood to laugh.
“Prince Desmond, my liege, how may I serve you?” the overseer crooned.
“I just wanted to inspect the fields, Felix,” Desmond said. “Tell me how things are going and what you have been doing in our absence.”
Felix began describing the changes he had made with the fields while Desmond and the king had been at war. As he droned on Desmond was finding it very hard to concentrate through his pain and his need to get off of Othur.
He was nodding at something Felix was saying when, in the distance he saw a woman sprinting to a field hand. She stopped in front of the field hand with her hand outstretched halting him while gesturing for another figure to get behind her.
Desmond kicked his horse into action and raced down to the scene.
His horse, whinnying below him, stopped suddenly in front of the field hand, almost throwing Desmond off. Desmond accidentally groaned out loud as his body screamed with the feeling of a thousand knives stabbing him in every joint and tendon. He leaned over and whispered softly into Othur’s ear urging the horse to calm then patted his rear, gently prodding Othur to kneel. He was annoyed at himself for not thinking of it earlier.
Desmond slid roughly off of his horse, barely able to keep his legs from buckling. He grabbed the horse’s reins to hold his body upright and glared at the field hand who was ready to strike the woman with a stick. Desmond would have taken it from him if he had the strength.
“What is going on?” Desmond’s voice was a low baritone of rage.
The field hand dropped his arm and pointed at the woman. “This worker is interrupting the disciplinary action of another worker.”
Desmond cocked his head to the side and looked at the woman. Her bright emerald green eyes pierced his as she glared at him. He had trouble focusing on anything else.
Liam and Felix caught up to the prince just then and Felix dismounted and quickly walked to Desmond’s side. “Is there a problem, Prince Desmond?” he asked.
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise before she looked down.
“What is your name worker?” Desmond asked.
“Ahnna.”
Desmond watched her slight fidgeting. “What have you to say for yourself, Ahnna?”
“I don’t believe one should be punished with brute force, Your Majesty,” she answered. “Especially a child.”
Desmond tried to look at the figure behind Ahnna but couldn’t move. “Come out from behind the woman, worker,” he said.
Sure enough, a young boy about his sister’s age emerged.
Desmond took a deep breath trying his hardest not to let his weakness prevail and gripped the reigns tighter to keep his body upright. He wanted to scream out in pain.
Felix stepped closer to Desmond. “This woman has been causing us trouble since the day we bought her,” he said.
Desmond watched Ahnna’s head snap up as she glared at his overseer. She looked at Desmond with fire in her eyes.
“Prince Desmond,” she began in a haughty tone. Desmond’s brows shot up. “Children should not be slaves in a field. Children should be in school. Children should be with their mothers. Children should be running and playing. Instead they are beaten like donkeys while your elite,” she glared at the overseer and the field hand, “sit back and watch, enjoying the spoils which we reap! Nobody, especially children should have to work in this kind of environment. Practically starving and blistering in the sun every single day! If you have to buy more slaves it is because you are not taking care of the ones you have!”
“You have no authority to tell me how to run my fields!” Desmond growled. “You are a worker sent here to work and earn what is given you.”
She ground her teeth together. “Then I shall dig a hole and return to my shack, for that is the work worthy of such amenities!”
“Who are you?” asked Desmond.
“I already told you. I am Ahnna,” the woman answered.
“That’s not what I meant,” Desmond said. “Where are you from?”
The woman clamped her mouth shut and looked at the ground.
“Answer me.”
“I told you who I am,” answered the woman. “Where I come from is of no consequence.”
“Then why keep it from me?” he asked.
Desmond looked to a nearby guard. “Arrest her and take her to the dungeon.”
“No!” another woman screamed in protest.
Desmond looked at Ahnna when she glanced at the other woman. “Friend of yours? Take her to the dungeons,” he repeated.
Ahnna gave him a pleading look. “Just me?”
Desmond pierced her with his eyes. “Did I say otherwise?”
With all eyes on her, Ahnna walked regally toward the guard who met her halfway.
“Ahnna…” the other woman began to panic.
“I’ll be fine, Gabby,” Ahnna answered, telling the other woman with her eyes to leave it alone. The guard took her arm and marched her toward the castle.
Desmond looked at the woman Ahnna had called Gabby. “Would you like to tell me where she’s from?”
Gabby’s worried eyes looked at him and she shook her head. “I don’t know Your Highness.”
After Ahnna and the guard left, Desmond looked at the field hand. “Don’t you dare touch this boy; if you do I will know, and I will have you flogged.” He slowly turned toward his horse, speaking as he did. “Carry on, Felix.” He leaned on Othur as his horse knelt beside him, Othur knowing exactly what to do because he could sense Desmond’s struggle. Desmond climbed atop his horse and turned Othur quickly so as not to show the workers his struggles.
Moving forward Liam grinned at Desmond. “I like her,” he said. “She has spunk.”
Desmond stopped his horse and slouched in his seat, breathing hard.
Liam continued talking until he noticed that Desmond was no longer by his side. He rushed back, “Desmond! Are you okay?”
“I can’t move,” Desmond forced.
“Get off of your horse,” Liam demanded.
“You’re not carrying me,” Desmond ground out.
Liam growled, “You stubborn fool.” He jumped off of his steed, smacked its rump to go back to the stable, and jumped up behind Desmond. “This might hurt, but it will feel better than the horrible gait that Othur was forced to,” Liam said, urging Othur into a gallop back to the castle. He held Desmond tightly as they rode. When they reached the front entrance, Liam dismounted and urged Othur to kneel as Desmond slid off.
Leaning on Liam for support Desmond slowly made his way into the castle. “I need you to find out what’s going on out in those fields,” he said.
/> “What about the princess?” Liam asked.
Desmond was confused. Why was Liam talking about his little sister? “The princess?”
Liam laughed, “The lady worker, Ahnna, whom you sent to the dungeons. It fits her, no?”
Desmond laughed then cringed. “She did act like one, didn’t she? Leave her there for tonight. I’ll deal with her tomorrow. She could use a night alone in the dark.”
. . .
Desmond groaned and forced his eyes to open. Brinson was snoring in the seat next to his bed. Looking around, Desmond saw a glass of water sitting on the stand near him, and he slowly reached for it, trying to sit upright. His body screamed in agony. He drank the water greedily then stopped halfway, realizing that it wasn’t just water. He roared and threw the glass across the room where it crashed against the door. He closed his eyes then opened them to find his healer’s eyes upon him with a frown drowning the rest of his features.
“Did that make you feel better, Prince Desmond?” Brinson asked.
Desmond looked away. “I’m sick of your herbs, old man.”
“I told you yesterday it was too soon to go out,” Brinson said.
Desmond growled, “How am I supposed to function! How am I supposed to run this kingdom in my father’s absence! I can’t even walk on my own! I hate this! I will kill that boy! I will kill him!”
Brinson stood and walked to the door, stepping over the shards of glass, opened it and called for a maid. He then walked to the spigot in Desmond’s room and poured water into another glass, dumping healing herbs in as he did so. “Anger is part of the healing process. It will pass,” he said as he stirred his herbs.
Desmond shook his head. “I’ve been angry for four months. I don’t think it will ever pass.”
Brinson nodded. “You are alive.”
“You say that every day, Brinson.” Desmond looked down at the glass that Brinson handed him. “I’m not sure that being alive is a good thing. I can’t even hold a sword anymore.”
Brinson walked to Desmond’s wall of armory and took an emerald covered sword off of the wall. “Then learn,” he said, setting the family heirloom in the prince’s lap.
Desmond looked down at the sword and remembered the woman in his dungeons, the woman with the beautiful emerald green eyes staring at him in defiance.
“Where is Liam?” he asked.
“I’m sure he is in the training facility where he always is,” Brinson answered. “Would you like me to summon him?”
Desmond nodded. “Yes please.”
Brinson left for a short moment then came back with Desmond’s cane in his hand. “He will be here in a moment,” Brinson said, pulling out clothes from Desmond’s wardrobe.
“What are you doing, Healer? I can dress myself,” Desmond said with a slight grin.
Brinson tossed Desmond’s clothes to him. “I just sped up the process. Get dressed. You need to move about and stretch out the muscles and tendons that you overused yesterday,” he said, leaving the room.
After Desmond got dressed, he grabbed his cane and walked slowly out to the corridor where Liam stood waiting.
“I am instructed to walk with you up and down these corridors and these corridors only.” Liam grinned. “Shall I call for your horse?”
Desmond laughed. “Brinson gave you the benefit of the doubt. Let’s not ruin his trust and at least stay within the castle walls.”
“Your wish is my command, Your Highness.”
Desmond began to slowly limp his way through the corridor concentrating on breathing in and out evenly. “What did you learn yesterday?”
“That your overseer is abusing his power,” Liam answered simply.
“Obviously,” Desmond exhaled. “What else.”
Liam started swinging his sword around to keep from getting bored. “He has appointed all of the field hands as overseers of their fields. Instead of helping with the work and showing the workers how it’s done, the field hands walk around ordering the workers around; sometimes using ‘brute force.’” Liam grinned at Desmond.
Desmond shook his head at Liam’s poor use of a joke.
Liam continued, “Some field hands have kept with the way things are supposed to be and continue to work with the workers, trying to help and make sure the work is done. I have spoken with a few and apparently the field hands and overseer are also taking half of the workers rations. Felix justifies it by saying that he and the field hands have a more taxing job than the workers because they have to take care of so many people.
Desmond’s eyebrows rose. “By walking and ordering them around,” he said while looking at Liam from the corner of his eye.
Liam deliberately looked from Desmond’s cane, to his feet, then to his eyes. “I hear walking is taxing work.”
“I should impale you with this cane, Liam.”
Liam smiled. “You probably should. Be that as it may, I did witness a few other things.”
Desmond nodded for him to go on.
“Because the field hands have taken half of the workers rations, the workers no longer eat lunch. They work through it. Neither do they have a single day off. The infirmary is full of sick and malnourished people. This would be why you have a few more ‘slaves’ and why there are children being whipped like donkeys.”
“Liam this is not a joke.”
“Yes,” Liam said watching his sword twirl around in front of him. “However, if I don’t find something to laugh at, I will take my sword and impale your overseer and every single one of those field hands,” he shrugged, “save but a few.”
“I knew my father shouldn’t have given Felix the title of overseer just because he was the son of the last one,” Desmond said.
“I agree,” Liam said. “Felix needs to go.”
Desmond turned and walked back to his room, ready to sleep for a few more hours. “Find me a new overseer.”
Liam nodded. “And the princess?”
“I’m tired.” Desmond smiled to himself. “Let her stew over her life as a prisoner for another night. I will take care of her tomorrow. Bring me the name of a new overseer by then so that I can rid myself of Felix once and for all.”
Chapter 27
Briahnna lay on her cot looking up at the ceiling of her prison cell wondering how long she should wait until breaking herself out and going home. Of course leaving without rations, horses, and other supplies would be suicide. The desert they crossed to get to Fenhaldon, the capital of Thornhold, was not friendly. The stories that the slave traders told about it gave her nightmares. Of course that could be their way of scaring one out of escaping before they reached their destination. After crossing it herself, however, she thought the stories were probably more of a warning.
Briahnna had spent two nights in the dungeon so far. The first day she was there she had paced and paced. After that she decided to just try to sleep as much as she could because she was worrying herself to sickness. Of course with the weight loss from lack of food and working all day every day, sleeping wasn’t difficult. She was fed better in the dungeon than on any given day out in the fields and for that she was grateful. But she couldn’t eat very much of what was given her because she wasn’t used to having more than two full meals a day. Not that the meals she was getting while working would be called full by any means.
The first day that Briahnna spent pacing, she berated herself over and over again for scolding the prince like she had a right. He obviously knew something was off about her. She recognized him after the overseer said his name, but he looked different. His dark, almost black, hair had been cut to a close crop around his head. He was slightly taller than her, and she didn’t see his eye color in the middle of the chaos during the battle. They were hazel surrounded by a dark blue. He was also stouter three months ago. He had obviously lost muscle and weight.
She turned to her side and stuck her arm under her head. She wanted to go back to sleep. She was bored. She itched to use her magic. It was difficult when she didn’t h
ave anything to do and what would these people do if they knew who she was? Would they use her as leverage? Would they try to torture her for information? After Briahnna’s experience in the fields, she knew they were capable of horrible things. She had changed her stance on whether or not to rule more than one kingdom. These people did not deserve their own kingdom.
“Hello Princess.”
Briahnna turned with a start and shot to her feet. How did they know who she was? Did they force Gabriela to tell them?
Liam laughed when he saw Briahnna’s confused face. “What? You’re surprised? You shouldn’t be. When a woman acts like a little princess she shouldn’t expect to be labeled anything less.”
Briahnna ground her teeth together. This man was teasing her!
Liam unlocked her cell and opened it wide with a bow. “Prince Desmond summons you.”
. . .
Desmond was sitting behind his father’s desk in the study watching Thomas sit down in the chair across from him. Desmond had just finished telling Felix that he was no longer the overseer. Felix left while shouting he would get his title back after he wrote to Desmond’s father about the injustice of this decision. Desmond shrugged and let the man leave with his sorry excuse of a threat.
“Thomas, do you know why I summoned you here?” Desmond asked.
“I don’t, Your Highness.”
“Liam has been watching you this past day-and-a-half and has told me that you have been taking care of your fields in the manner that had been previously established before Felix changed everything. He told me that you gave your rations to some of your workers. He also told me that after you finished your day of work, you went to the infirmary and helped the healer there take care of his charges, which had been far more than he could handle.”
Thomas looked down at his hands. “Prince Desmond, may I speak freely?”
“Please,” Desmond said, gesturing with his hand to continue.
Thomas looked at Desmond, slightly nervous, slightly defiant. “These new changes that Felix instated are not good for your workers. They are tired, hungry, and now defiant. They don’t want to work in tyranny. They want their children to be in school, not in the fields. And because these new conditions are in no way healthy, more and more are getting sick. Healer Kelsere cannot keep up.”
Spirit (Legend of the Dragons Book 1) Page 16