by A. E. Rayne
Eadmund spun around, suddenly cold all over.
Morac waited at the edge of the training ring with Evaine who was smiling, having not seen Eadmund since he had hurried out of the house without eating his breakfast.
Taking a deep breath, Eadmund walked slowly towards them.
‘You’re bright red, Eadmund!’ Evaine laughed. ‘Surely that’s enough for the day? It’s too hot for anything but swimming!’
‘Good idea,’ Eadmund said, ignoring Morac as he grabbed Evaine’s hand and led her down the road, towards the square, eager to get as far away from her father as possible.
Morac looked after them in surprise, feeling an odd sensation tighten his throat.
Morana wanted a visitor.
She was sick of the sight and sound of Else. She wondered where Morac was. She wasn’t sure when she had last seen Evaine. Even Meena or Dragmall would have been preferable company to the chirping, humming servant who kept peering at her with that annoyingly cheerful face, checking to see if she was still breathing.
Morana almost wanted to die just so Draguta would kill the old bitch.
Though, she realised, more generously, the old bitch had taken a risk getting the herbs for her. Giving her that dreamer’s tea had undoubtedly done something because Morana had dreamed for the first night since the curse. The herbs had definitely helped, and Morana wanted more. She needed to find a way to let Else know that they were working.
A way that Draguta wouldn’t notice.
Though, she considered, that appeared unlikely if what had happened in the hall was any indication. Draguta appeared acutely aware of what each one of them had been thinking. She obviously spent her days digging into their minds, and Morana knew that she risked being killed, or worse.
But what else was she to do?
Else bent forward again, her face close to Morana’s and Morana wanted to cringe away, but then she stopped and forced herself to focus. She had to listen and try to communicate.
‘What about some tea?’ Else asked slowly, watching Morana’s eyes. The milky one was still unresponsive, so she focused on the other one. ‘Did you enjoy that tea I made for you yesterday? Would you like some more?’
Morana squeezed with every bit of strength she had and managed to blink her good eye closed. She quickly opened it again.
Else acted as though she hadn’t seen a thing. ‘Well, I think I’ll make some for myself, so I may as well give you some. I’m sure it won’t hurt.’
Morana felt her muscles relax, the tension in her body easing as she listened to Else bustling around the cauldron, preparing to boil the water, humming to herself again.
And this time, Morana didn’t mind.
Meena felt as lost as Brill who hovered on one side of Draguta’s chamber, while she hovered on the other. The curtains flapped as the breeze from the harbour picked up, and Meena lifted her face to it, enjoying the feel of the air on her skin.
If only it were cool.
Draguta appeared oblivious to everything but the new circle she sat in front of, studying it eagerly. She hadn’t spoken in some time as she considered things. Taking a deep breath, she finally pulled herself out of the trance and turned away from the table, pointing at Brill. ‘You will find Eadmund. Bring him to me. And you,’ she said to Meena. ‘You will find Jaeger. I want them both here. Now.’
There were coves dotted along Hest’s eastern coast, down steep rocky paths that led to private, white sand beaches. Eadmund led Evaine to one that he’d been told was good for swimming. And when he saw the sea rushing up onto the sparkling foreshore, he felt the knots of tension in his shoulders release, then he turned to Evaine and frowned.
She was too busy admiring the cove to notice. ‘This is perfect!’ she cried, looking back at the steep rise of the pale cliffs behind them. ‘And nobody here but us!’ Rushing towards him, Evaine was surprised to see Eadmund back away, and when she looked up at him, there was no smile in his eyes. Or on his lips. ‘What’s wrong?’ Her stomach clenched in fear. ‘Eadmund?’ She gripped his hands as he stared at her. ‘Eadmund?’
Taking a deep breath, Eadmund forced a smile. ‘We don’t have long. I have to get back to training.’ He leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek. ‘Let’s hurry.’ And, kicking off his boots, he unbuckled his sword belt.
Evaine watched him for a moment, trying to see if he was alright before hurrying to slip off her own boots, just as eager to get into the water.
No one had wanted further delays for their return to Andala, but after a sleepless night and two long rides, Jael decided that they needed to stay in Rissna for one more night. Reinhard didn’t look happy, obviously anxious about how much more food and ale he was going to have to supply.
But Thorgils did.
‘You’re still bleeding,’ Jael reminded him. ‘Someone should sear that wound. Stitches don’t appear to work on you!’
Thorgils was too busy eating to care. ‘I’ve wrapped some cloth around it. It’ll stop soon.’ He raised his cup to Karsten who sat opposite them, already planning what entertainment they could drum up before they left.
Jael rolled her eyes and turned to Axl who had barely spoken since they’d sat down. He didn’t look as though he had eaten much either. ‘The sausages are good,’ she tried. ‘And we’ve another long ride in the morning. Best fill up now.’
Axl blinked, staring at his sister as if for the first time. ‘I’m not hungry.’
‘You’re thinking about Raymon?’ Jael wondered, lowering her voice beneath Thorgils’ great bellow as he started calling out for challengers. ‘About Ranuf?’
Axl nodded. He had a temper almost as fiery as his sister’s, but he didn’t feel any anger about Raymon; about the secret family their father had had. He felt sad. Riding up on Jael’s shoulder as the path had widened, he’d watched as Ravenna’s throat was cut, listening to Raymon’s screams.
He couldn’t stop thinking about his own mother. He thought about Amma too; impatient to get back to the fort.
‘I don’t understand what Ranuf did at all, but at the same time, I understand it perfectly,’ Axl whispered to his sister. ‘He didn’t want to hurt us, and he didn’t want to hurt them. He tried to protect everyone. Think about everyone. And in the end, it didn’t even matter because he was dead, and he couldn’t help any of them.’ Axl heard Ravenna’s screams again, cut short so violently, and he shuddered. ‘He couldn’t keep them safe. Or us.’
‘No,’ Jael supposed. ‘He couldn’t. But he taught us how to keep ourselves safe.’
‘Well, he taught you.’
Jael grinned. ‘He taught you too, idiot. You were just impossible. You wouldn’t listen.’
‘And you did?’
Axl was smiling, and so was Jael as they both thought about their father.
‘We’ll have to tell Gisila,’ Axl said, catching Gant’s eye. He was looking their way, no doubt guessing what they were talking about.
Jael sighed, following his gaze. ‘We do, though I’m not sure she needs to know about it just yet. What with Kormac and Aron, and the fort being so vulnerable, and us heading off to Hest soon. Now isn’t the best time.’
‘No,’ Axl agreed, just as eager to avoid the talk as his sister; suddenly distracted by the sight of a bare-chested Karsten Dragos strutting into the middle of the hall, Thorgils at his side, looking to see who was going to challenge him. ‘Oh, this I want to see,’ Axl smiled, all thoughts of the day drifting away like a whirl of smoke up through the thatch.
Looking from Eadmund to Jaeger, Draguta felt a charge.
Her two kings. Her loyal soldiers.
Bound to her. So eager to do her bidding.
Although, at that moment they both appeared too confused to do anything.
‘Attack Helsabor?’ Jaeger frowned, shaking his head. ‘We don’t have the men. We don’t have the ships. We can’t get through their walls, or into their harbour.’
Eadmund didn’t say anything. The thought that Jaeger was standing so
close to him was like an itch he wanted to scratch. He fought the urge to turn and thump him.
Draguta laughed, ignoring the tension between them.
‘No, you can’t get through their walls, but I can,’ she smiled. ‘With the book. With my creatures. My monsters. I can.’
‘But why Helsabor?’ Jaeger wondered. ‘When you want to kill the Brekkans? When Helsabor isn’t a threat to us?’
‘You needn’t worry about the Brekkans,’ Draguta assured him, running a finger around her seeing circle. ‘I have the Brekkans right where I want them. But Helsabor has a fleet larger than any in Osterland. Larger than your Islanders too, Eadmund. They have warriors of the highest calibre. Weapons. Gold. Everything we need, just sitting there, waiting for somebody to come along and help themselves.’
‘Wulf Halvardar –’ Eadmund began.
‘Is dead,’ Draguta finished. ‘His granddaughter stuffed a pillow over his face until he pissed himself. Poor old, pathetic Wulf is no more. She sits upon that golden throne now, plotting and dreaming with all her little friends.’
‘Dreaming? Is she a dreamer?’ Jaeger wondered.
‘Briggit? Oh yes,’ Draguta mused. ‘An ugly name for a surprisingly attractive woman. And not just any dreamer either, but a Follower.’ She shuddered. ‘My least favourite kind. It will be a pleasure to kill her and all those frothing lunatics who follow her around like dogs after a bone. And we will. Together.’
Eadmund recognised the familiar pull towards Draguta. Her desires were palpable, and his need to please her was too, but now he could feel something pulling him in the other direction. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe.
‘Eadmund?’ Draguta peered at him. ‘What is it?’
Blinking quickly, he smiled at her. ‘When do we begin?’
37
Edela couldn’t wait to get going. After a good night’s sleep, and an intriguing dream, she had a spring in her step, and she charged ahead of Biddy and Eydis with the puppies, on her way to visit Alaric. She hadn’t seen him in days, and she was eager to find out how he was coping with the constant terror and threat of being trapped in the fort, waiting to see what Draguta or Morana would do next.
Edela frowned suddenly, thinking about Morana Gallas. The evil woman hadn’t appeared in her dreams for some time. It was as though she had disappeared, which was odd and unsettling, though perhaps Draguta had decided that there could only be one mistress of the Book of Darkness. And Edela doubted that was a fight Morana would have won.
‘You’re sure you don’t want us to come along?’ Biddy wondered as they stopped at a fork in the road. To the left was the hall, where Biddy was going to leave Eydis with Amma before checking on Branwyn. To the right was Alaric’s cottage.
‘No, no,’ Edela insisted. ‘It’s not far, and I’ve some life in these old legs today. You go on, and I will come to the hall when I’m done. I want to see how Branwyn is myself. And Amma.’
‘Amma?’ Eydis asked. ‘Why Amma?’
Edela studied Eydis, seeing a look on her face that made her curious. ‘Oh, I imagine she’s worried about Axl,’ she said lightly. ‘And I promised I’d keep an eye on her.’
Eydis didn’t appear convinced by that, but Edela turned away without revealing anything more; not looking back as she hurried down the path towards Alaric’s cottage, which had only just managed to survive the fall of the dragon.
Alaric opened the door with a happy smile. ‘I had thought you were hibernating!’ he said, ushering Edela inside. ‘Every day I’ve had my fire going, and my small ale topped up, waiting for you to come.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ Edela grinned, adjusting her eyes to the dim light as she quickly scanned the pokey, little room. ‘Though, your fire does look welcoming,’ she admitted, sitting down on the stool he pulled out for her, holding her hands to the flames. Her right hand still felt like ice, and she was eager to get some heat on it. ‘But let’s see what that small ale tastes like.’
Picking up the jug, Alaric poured two generous cups. Despite the trials of living in the fort, so close to the precipice of death, he had been enjoying the company of Derwa, Edela, and Biddy. Entorp too, though since the sickness, he had not seen much of him. ‘Well, see what you think, then?’ And he handed Edela a cup, smoothing down the few strands of white hair left on his head, watching her face with interest.
‘Not bad,’ Edela decided after a quick sip. ‘I can almost taste the ale.’
Alaric sat down, satisfied with that. ‘So, what brings you here this morning besides my small ale?’ he wondered, recognising the look on her face. Edela’s tiny, blue eyes had an energy about them that quickly had him on edge, knowing that she no doubt required him to reveal something he’d rather not discuss.
‘I’ve come about the prophecy,’ Edela said. ‘I need to know more about it.’
Alaric looked surprised. ‘But wouldn’t Marcus be better to talk to? He knows much more than I do. I never read it.’
Edela smiled. ‘Well, Alaric dear, it is not so much what was in the prophecy as what happened to it. And I’ve a feeling that is something you know much more about than Marcus.’
Alaric’s eyes widened, then retreated quickly. ‘Ahhh, well, I don’t know about that.’
‘Alaric...’
Closing his eyes, he sighed. ‘What is it that you want to know?’
Eager to take a break from her seeing circles, which were making it hard to think, Draguta decided to go to the markets. It was a pleasant day, though her mood was fraying as she turned around to glare at Meena who trailed behind her with a typically morose face. ‘Sad to be losing Jaeger?’ Draguta wondered, watching as Meena tripped over in surprise at being spoken to. ‘Perhaps you’d like to go with him? Into battle?’
Meena’s bulging eyes had her smiling.
Draguta turned back around, ducking her head beneath a striped awning, eager to disappear into the markets and see what new trinkets had arrived. Pointing at Brill, who was carrying her basket, she motioned for her to hurry up, leaving Meena to lag behind.
Which Meena quite naturally did.
Her mind was awash with fears that she was working hard to conceal. It was exhausting. She was afraid to fall asleep, worried that Draguta would appear in her dreams. She didn’t want her mind to wander to Berard, and she knew that just by thinking about him, she was putting him in danger.
Draguta was planning something, but she didn’t know what and she didn’t know when, but it would be soon. She could tell by all the items Draguta had her gathering and by the confident look in her eyes that she would act soon.
‘Hurry up, girl!’ Draguta barked, and Meena jumped, straightening up as she scurried after her.
He looked nervous, Edela thought, studying Alaric over the fire, watching as the flames licked the blackened sides of his tiny cauldron. Water was heating, and though Edela could sense it was boiling, she didn’t say anything.
‘Are you sure? Sure you don’t know who took it? The prophecy?’
Alaric lifted his hands up to his red cheeks, rubbing his white stubble. ‘The prophecy was stolen centuries before my time. You know that. It was nothing to do with me. I wasn’t even born!’
‘But the scroll in the temple? The copy of it?’
‘Well, it was not so much of a copy,’ Alaric began. ‘From what Marcus said, it was more... notes on what the original contained.’
‘And that was the one Arbyn Nore was beheaded over?’
‘Yes.’ Alaric was growing more uncomfortable, unable to sit still. He stared at Edela. ‘Why are you asking? Have you seen something in your dreams?’
Edela leaned forward, placing her empty cup on the only table in the room. ‘Your cauldron is boiling, Alaric dear,’ she said softly.
Alaric sat up, remembering that he was going to make himself a cup of fennel tea, but now he had the small ale, and he felt flustered. ‘Let it boil. Unless you’d like some tea?’
Edela shook her head. ‘I am on the hunt fo
r answers about the prophecy,’ she said. ‘It is very important. If Jael is going to face Draguta, we need to know everything. And there is no one to ask. Dara Teros has disappeared, perhaps dead, and I have not seen a sign of her in my dreams. The only way for me to find out what I need to know is to see the prophecy itself. And if not the prophecy, then that scroll would come in very handy.’
Alaric squirmed. ‘It may have been destroyed. It would not have been stolen by anyone who wanted to protect it. Surely anyone stealing it meant to destroy it, so the knowledge it contained was never revealed?’
‘I’m not sure why you’d think that,’ Edela said sharply. ‘The scroll was already hidden in the temple. It was safe there. Or as safe as it could be with those Followers prowling around. No, I think that whoever stole it meant to use it for themselves. The prophecy revealed what would happen and how to stop it. How to stop Raemus from returning. And Draguta. And anyone stealing that would have found those answers for themselves.’
Alaric swallowed, suddenly interested in a hole in his trousers. ‘Well, I cannot say anything either way, for I did not steal it, Edela!’ He stood up suddenly, conscious of the boiling water splashing over the sides of the cauldron, sizzling the flames.
Edela watched him with a frown, convinced that Alaric Fraed knew much more than he was letting on.
Jael’s eyes were on Karsten and Thorgils up ahead, talking to an injured Rork Arnesson, riding three abreast as they began the long ride back to Andala. An unlikely trio, she thought to herself, turning to Fyn with a smile. ‘So, how are you enjoying being a Svanter, then?’ It was a warm morning, and she was almost not missing her cloak for the first time on their journey.
Fyn looked surprised by the question, glancing at Thorgils who had just slapped Karsten on the back. ‘Well, I...’
‘Don’t feel like one yet?’