by A. E. Rayne
Eadmund scrambled to his feet, not even bothering to find his trousers as he ran to the door. Draguta stood aside to let Evaine past, watching as she threw herself into Eadmund’s arms, pleased to see that, although horribly dishevelled, Evaine appeared to have recovered from her bruises. She hoped that Eadmund wouldn’t notice anything. It wouldn’t do to create problems where there didn’t need to be any.
Not until she had everything in place.
Eadmund enclosed Evaine in his arms, squeezing her tightly, relieved that she was safe; that they were finally together. ‘Are you alright?’ he wondered, stepping back, looking her over. She was covered in a layer of red dust, but she appeared unharmed by her ordeal.
Evaine nodded happily, rising on her tiptoes, desperate to feel Eadmund’s lips on hers, not caring in the slightest that hers were dry and cracked. She kissed him with urgency. With an overwhelming desire to feel all of him; wanting to claim his body for herself, oblivious to the fact that Draguta was standing behind her.
‘I assume you have what I need?’ Draguta asked, tapping her foot.
Evaine broke away from Eadmund. ‘Yes, yes,’ she panted, digging into one of the satchels that were still slung over her shoulder. ‘I have it here.’ And she pulled out the black, leather-bound book, handing it to Draguta.
Draguta smiled, walking to the table where her seeing circle was still drawn. ‘And the rest?’ And leaving the book on the table, she returned to Evaine who dug back into the satchel and pulled out a crumpled tunic, a sock, an arm ring and a goblet.
‘You were very thorough, I see,’ Draguta laughed.
‘Well, I wanted to be sure you’d have what you needed,’ Evaine mumbled, turning away from her. She didn’t care about Draguta anymore. She wanted to be alone with Eadmund. He looked so different. His cheekbones were sharp, his eyes burning with a fire she didn’t recognise. His arms felt hard. Strong.
Looking him over, she swallowed, biting her lip.
‘Sit down, sit down,’ Draguta purred, ignoring the obvious tension in the room. ‘There is time for you to be alone. In this rundown heap of a town, there is nothing to do, so there is time. I have sent Brill out already. She is finding you a cottage. One you can share, far away from me, until we leave.’
Eadmund frowned. ‘Leave? For where?’
‘Hest,’ Draguta smiled. ‘Soon we will be leaving for Hest. Now, let us look at what you worked so very hard to bring me.’ She placed the items Evaine had collected beside the book, and eagerly opened the black cover, turning the pages, her smile growing. ‘Rolled omelette with smoked herring. Eggs in brine. Salted ox tongue with horseradish sauce.’ Draguta clapped the book shut. ‘It appears that you have brought me the wrong book, Evaine. Did you not check its contents before you took it? Did you not ensure that it was the Book of Darkness and not some ancient recipe book?’
Evaine, sitting beside Draguta, froze. ‘I, I...’ She blinked at Eadmund, hoping he would protect her from whatever was about to happen. Evaine remembered the hall. What Draguta had done to Jaeger.
To Morana.
But Draguta burst out laughing. ‘You are perfectly safe, Evaine, do not fear. You did exactly as I’d hoped. I didn’t imagine you would be clever enough to check the book at all. Now Jaeger and his bug-eyed dreamer think I wanted the book. He sent men after you to find out where I am. Although, I sent men after them, so I imagine they are long dead.’
‘But... I don’t understand,’ Evaine spluttered. ‘You didn’t want the book?’
‘No. I wanted Jaeger to think I wanted the book. I wanted his little dreamer to tell him I wanted the book. To hide the real one. To focus on that, and not on what I really wanted, which was Jaeger’s things.’ She picked up his tunic and inhaled it, wrinkling her nose, smelling the arrogance of the foolish king. Strong and potent, just like he was, but oh so foolish. ‘Let Jaeger think he has a way to find me. Let him think he has tricked me. I can assure you it will be the last thing he thinks about for some time.’
Aleksander was up on the ramparts, gazing over the valley that stretched from the broken western wall towards Bog’s Hill in the distance, searching for any sign of the dragur, when Jael joined him. ‘Perhaps Draguta will call them back?’ he mused, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine which was quickly taking the edge off a cool morning.
‘I’m not sure she will,’ Jael said, nibbling a flatbread. She’d taken a handful from the hall, and they were still warm. She wasn’t hungry, but eating would help her lift her sword again without wanting to fall down. She handed two to Aleksander. ‘Draguta wants the Book of Aurea. She wants to kill all of us. She knows the fort is damaged. An open door.’
Aleksander nodded. ‘She could always send more dragons, couldn’t she?’
‘Mmmm.’ Jael was thinking about her conversation with Edela. ‘The gods can’t stop Draguta’s magic. Only the Book of Aurea can. And perhaps Dara Teros. She wrote it after all.’
‘If she’s alive.’ Aleksander bit into the flatbread, surprised that Jael had stuffed cheese inside. It was warm too.
Jael didn’t know what had happened to Dara Teros, but they couldn’t think about everything at once, so she changed the subject. ‘How was Hanna?’
Aleksander stilled. He didn’t want to speak. His feelings about Hanna were confusing, but he did know that he felt incredibly sad. ‘You were right. She is dying.’
Jael saw the pain in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘She doesn’t have long by the look of her,’ Aleksander went on. ‘Unless Edela found something useful in that book last night?’
‘I hope so. I’m on my way to see her now if you want to come along?’
‘No, you go. I think I’ll stay here a while. It would be good to have a moment to myself before the day begins. It’s going to be a long one. I’ll meet you in the hall when you’re done. We can go over the plans for the dragur again.’
Jael nodded. ‘Makes sense.’ She turned to leave.
Aleksander stopped her. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered. ‘About your baby.’
Jael was quickly uncomfortable.
‘I’m so sorry for you.’ He saw the look on her face. ‘I know, you don’t want to talk about it, I just wanted you to know. We’ll make Draguta pay for what she’s done. All of it. We’ll make her pay.’
Jael didn’t want to be in that place of sadness and tears and grief anymore, so she nodded quickly and turned away into the rising sun, heading for the stairs.
Despite a heaviness in her limbs from a profound lack of sleep, Edela was almost dancing around the cottage. ‘I could kiss Ayla,’ she smiled, handing Eydis her boots. ‘The poor woman is on her deathbed, but working so hard to save herself, and everyone else, including her husband. And she may just have done it with what she showed me last night!’
Both Eydis and Biddy had been lifted by Edela’s good mood since she’d sprung out of bed in a hurry to get going, and they were trying to organise themselves to leave the house with her, not wanting to be left behind.
Biddy kept looking around for the puppies, expecting to see them waiting for their breakfast but then she remembered that Jael had taken them with her. She felt sad, remembering the haunted look on Jael’s face; a look masking so much pain, she knew. She had looked that way when Ranuf died. The sudden loss of her father was so devastating that the only way Jael could cope was to retreat into herself. But with so much demanding her attention now, there was likely no chance for her to find a moment to be alone. Biddy blinked, realising that Eydis was talking to her. ‘What did you say, Eydis?’
‘I want to come to the sheds. I want to see Ayla.’
Biddy was ready to protest when Edela stopped her. ‘You are protected, so yes, you can come. Sit with Ayla. Talk to her. Tell her what we’re doing. That we have found a way to help her.’
‘We have?’ Eydis was surprised.
So was Biddy.
‘After what I saw in my dreams, I think so,’ Edela said carefully. ‘I just need to spe
ak with Entorp. Marcus too. See if they can be of any help, and then we’ll get to work!’
Brill had returned to the cottage with the welcome news that she had acquired a place for Evaine and Eadmund to stay. Draguta was relieved. She could barely stand the vomit-inducing display of affection, and it would only get worse when night fell, she knew. Better to have them out of the way.
And yet...
‘You will need to assist me,’ she said. ‘Both you and Brill. Eadmund, you must leave. I’m sure that naked beast is already waiting in the training ring for you. And Evaine will be far too busy helping me to spend any time kissing you today. You can save that for later. Much later, when you are far away from me!’
Brill looked nonplussed, realising that she was as powerless as a slave to rebel against anything Draguta requested. She had a strong desire to still be alive at the end of it all. Wherever that end might take them.
Evaine, though, looked very bothered. She had waited weeks to be reunited with Eadmund and had not envisioned being separated from him immediately.
‘Do you want to live? Defeat Jael Furyck? Kill her?’ Draguta asked, glaring at Evaine. ‘Return to Andala to retrieve your son?’
Evaine nodded.
‘And how will you do any of that if I cannot get back to Hest and reclaim my book? Hmmm? I am powerful, yes, but that book makes me unstoppable. And to reclaim it, I must defeat Jaeger. So you, my sweet girl, are going to help me.’
Evaine glanced at Eadmund who kissed her head.
‘I have to go,’ he told her, realising that he was still without his trousers. ‘Draguta is right. We both have work to do, and soon you’ll see that too. You must do what you can to help.’
Evaine blinked, feeling an odd shift in things. She stared at Draguta, who smiled back at her, pleased to see how compliant Eadmund was being.
First Eadmund, then Jaeger.
Soon she would have every problem in order.
Jael had been surprised to find Edela’s cottage empty, and as she walked back into the square, past the training ring, she was just as surprised to find it already full, watching as a limping Fyn was smacked in the face by Gant’s battered, blue shield. She approached the railings with a smile on her face. ‘You’ve never known pain till you’ve been trained by Gant Olborn!’ she called as Fyn spun around, happy to see her.
Gant shunted him with his shield again, sending Fyn stumbling backwards, struggling to keep his balance. ‘Focus seems to be a bit of an issue with this one!’ he growled. ‘Though I’m working on it.’
Jael was pleased to see Fyn up and about. He didn’t look comfortable – his face made all sorts of strange expressions – but it was good to see him out of bed, working hard again. They were going to need everyone they could get their hands on soon. She turned, looking for her brother, and found him fighting Oleg. ‘Looks like everyone’s working hard this morning,’ Jael noted, her eyes widening as she spied Karsten training with Berard, who looked utterly miserable trying to wield a wooden sword in his left hand.
‘Everyone but you, it seems,’ Ivaar said, coming from her right. ‘Are you not going to join us? Show us how it’s done?’
Jael was quickly irritated, but remembering her dreams from Hallow Wood, her face softened. ‘No, I’ve only been out of bed a few days. I’d just be sucking dirt, and I’d rather keep my reputation intact if you don’t mind.’
Ivaar narrowed his eyes, edging closer to her as the training matches carried on around them. ‘Have you heard about the sickness? About Ayla? Is she still alive?’
Jael could see the worry in his eyes. He cared for the dreamer, she could tell. ‘I don’t know. I’m going to the sheds now. Hopefully, there’s some good news.’
Ivaar didn’t blink.
‘I’ll tell you what is happening,’ Jael promised. ‘I’ll come and find you.’ She didn’t know why she felt compelled to be kind to Ivaar. He hadn’t treated anyone well, especially Ayla, but perhaps she was beginning to understand why. And besides, Ivaar was an ally, and she wanted him to remain loyal to her.
It wouldn’t hurt to let him think that she cared.
Ivaar hadn’t been expecting that, but he nodded, turning back into the throng of heavily perspiring men, looking for his training partner.
Karsten Dragos glared at Jael, a sneer curling his hairy lip. ‘Look at her, just skipping away,’ he grumbled to his brother. ‘Not wanting to get her hands dirty. Too important for a training ring now she’s queen.’
Berard panted, staring after Jael. Karsten had been chasing him around since the sun was up. His older brother was in a foul mood, and Berard could only guess that it had something to do with Nicolene. He hadn’t visited her in the sheds yet, and Berard wasn’t sure why. ‘What are you talking about, Karsten?’ He shook his head, wishing he had another hand to move his sweaty curls off his sweaty face. ‘She was sick, you know that.’
‘So? You have one arm. That’s not stopping you.’
‘Jael Furyck is not our enemy,’ Berard hissed, not wanting to be overheard by the Andalans and Islanders surrounding them. ‘Not now. When are you going to realise that? We’re supposed to be working with her, not grumbling about her leadership or her training routine. She is the queen. She is the leader. Stop fighting against an enemy you no longer have!’ And with a loud sigh, Berard decided that he would go and check on their mother who was no doubt in a complete panic without Nicolene.
Karsten blinked after Berard in surprise, quickly shutting out any thoughts of his wife as he searched for a new training partner.
Jaeger considered Meena with a frown.
He was growing bored with her excuses; impatient with her delays. And though he was well aware that she had no training as a dreamer, he needed her to become as skilled as Morana, and quickly, because Morana did not appear to be coming back in a hurry.
Meena picked at her breakfast. There had been a fire in the kitchen, and their meal had been delayed for some time, and despite being hungry, she was anxious, sensing Jaeger’s irritation; too anxious to have much of an appetite.
It felt as though she was walking down a narrow path, bordered on each side by sharp cliffs. One wrong move in either direction and she would find herself plunging to her death. She was torn, unable to decide what to do, and nothing she dreamed of or thought about was helping her choose which path to take. As much as she detested Jaeger and feared Draguta, and wanted to escape to be with Berard, Meena could see how much risk there was in venturing down either path.
‘Do you think Evaine has found her way to Draguta? That Draguta has discovered the book is not quite what she’d asked for?’ Jaeger wondered, running a slice of bread around his plate, soaking up the bloody juice of the lamb sausages which had been so hastily delivered after the delay that they were badly undercooked.
Meena shuddered. ‘Yes. I think so.’
‘You do?’
‘Draguta is not far away. I can feel her.’
‘You can?’
Meena wasn’t sure if it was true, or if it was just her fear that she could feel growing, but it was something to entertain Jaeger with, so she carried on. ‘She wants to return. To the castle. She wants her revenge upon us all.’
‘Well, as soon as my men find out where she’s hiding, I will send an army to kill her.’
‘She cannot be killed,’ Meena reminded him.
‘I’m not sure that’s true. We could have done a better job last time. Cut off her head... burned her corpse. She can be killed,’ Jaeger insisted. ‘Eventually, Meena, everyone can be killed. We just have to do it right.’
Meena looked at her plate, knowing that he was wrong.
Evaine hurried behind Draguta, clutching a heavy basket, trying not to step on Draguta’s dress, which was not as clean as it had been before they’d started walking around Flane on a seemingly never-ending quest to collect a long list of odd things.
Evaine had quickly grown bored, tired, and hot. She had ridden through the night and not slept
at all, and both her body and her mind wanted Eadmund and a bed. Not one part of her wanted to be running after Draguta.
And running she was.
Draguta was a tall woman with a long stride and an impatience that made her move quickly. Brill was much more used to the determination of her mistress and didn’t utter a peep as she trotted just behind Draguta’s left shoulder, her own basket almost full of herbs. Evaine, she was pleased to see, had the much more unpleasant task of carrying the bodies of the tiny creatures Draguta had caught and made Brill kill.
Tripping over a stone, Evaine fell to the dirt with a yelp, the contents of her basket spilling onto the ground beside her; the dead birds and rats tumbling out onto the red dust.
Draguta spun around, already growling. ‘Evaine! I require your help. Your assistance.’ Her eyes were bright with anger. ‘I may need Eadmund, but I am yet to determine whether I need you. You may have noticed that despite still thinking he is in love with you, Eadmund belongs to me now. And I shall decide his fate. And yours. The threads of your life are in my loom, and I shall choose how to weave them.’ Draguta glared at Evaine until she was shrinking backwards. ‘Or whether it is time to cut them all the way through!’
Dropping her head to the ground, Evaine hurried to retrieve the contents of her basket, shuddering as she touched the still-warm fur.
16
Jael was stunned by how ill Hanna appeared. She looked more like a corpse than a living person, but sensing how distressed Marcus was, she quickly removed the horror from her face and turned to him. ‘You’ve had a difficult time,’ she said, hoping to sound sympathetic.
‘Well, Hanna has, that’s true,’ Marcus sighed. He was beginning to wonder if he had finally succumbed to the sickness himself. He had no symbols on his arms, and he had spent so many days around the ill that he knew there was little chance of him emerging unscathed; certain that it was only his sheer determination to stay by his daughter’s side that was keeping him on his feet.