The Raven's Warning

by A. E. Rayne

  He shook his head.

  ‘No. I expect Raymon Vandaal feels much the same, having just discovered that he’s a Furyck. Consider yourself lucky that you get the chance to know your real father. He never will.’ Jael felt odd talking about her father; she could hear the sharp edge to her voice. The sound of resentment.

  Fyn looked at her. ‘It must feel strange for you too. Discovering a new brother?’

  Jael realised that they were going to have to tell Gisila. Everyone knew. It wouldn’t be fair for her to find out from someone else. ‘It does. I can’t say I’m happy.’

  ‘No? I expect Bram feels the same about me.’

  ‘What?’ Jael turned to him. ‘Is that what you think?’

  Fyn shrugged. ‘He had another family. I don’t expect he wanted to be lumped with me.’

  ‘He said that, did he?’

  ‘Well, no, but...’

  ‘He chose to come back, from what I’ve heard, because of you. If the news had been that upsetting, I imagine he would have sailed off into the sunset, but he came back. It will just take time. For all of you.’ Jael went quiet, thinking about her father. ‘It hurts to love. And sometimes it hurts so much that you’re afraid of loving again. If Eydis hadn’t given me Ido and Vella, I wouldn’t have had another dog. Imagine how Bram feels losing his entire family as he did.’

  Fyn nodded. He felt strange. There was relief that he was not Morac’s son. Hope that he would have a chance to forge a relationship with his real father. But fear that ultimately Bram wouldn’t want him any more than Morac had.

  Jael saw that the path was narrowing ahead, realising that she would have to slip ahead of him soon. ‘But I love my annoying puppies. I’m glad they were forced on me, and even though you’re not small and fluffy, I’m sure Bram will grow to love you too!’ And she spurred Tig on, turning back with a wink.

  Runa watched Bram scurrying away from her, heading through the main gates, surprised by how quickly he was moving. And though it pleased her to see that he was getting stronger, she was disappointed that he didn’t appear to want her company. Though she could hardly expect him to. Fyn was his son, but she was... nothing to him at all.

  ‘Amma!’ she called, hurrying to pick up the walnuts Amma had dropped as she walked away from the market with Eydis. ‘I think you’ve got a hole in your basket!’

  Amma spun around in surprise, taking the walnuts from Runa before gulping suddenly, looking around the square in a panic.

  Runa was concerned. ‘Are you alright?’

  But Amma was racing away from her, strawberries and more walnuts dropping from the quickly growing hole in her basket as she slipped down the nearest road, and vomited the contents of her breakfast into the rubbish pile outside someone’s cottage.

  ‘Amma?’ Eydis turned her head, wondering where she had gone.

  ‘Come on, Eydis,’ Runa smiled. ‘You come with me. I don’t think Amma was feeling very well. I’ll take you back to the hall. We’ll just pick up all these things on the way.’

  Else dribbled honey onto the porridge, handing Dragmall a bowl. He was quite surprised to be offered breakfast this late in the morning, though he didn’t tell her that he’d already eaten his own.

  ‘I’m sure there’s more than enough to go around,’ Else had smiled distractedly.

  ‘I brought you some more herbs,’ Dragmall said, blowing on the hot porridge. ‘If they helped you? To sleep?’

  Else nodded, taking a seat before Morana, stirring the honey into the oats. ‘Thank you. They seem to be working well.’ And she blew on the porridge, trying to ease the spoon into Morana’s mouth.

  Morana blinked at her. She wanted to scream.

  No honey. She hated honey!

  But she did want more of those herbs of Dragmall’s, so she was pleased to see him there. She had had another dream. More than one.

  There might be a way to free her. Something they hadn’t thought of.

  If only she could find a way to communicate with them. She needed to see Meena. There had to be a way she could find her in her dreams.

  ‘Well, here you are, then,’ Dragmall said, placing his bowl on the floor, and pulling another tiny jar from his pouch. He had made this dose stronger, adding the powder of fly mushrooms which were powerful dreaming tools indeed; confident that a dreamer as experienced as Morana would be able to handle their potency.

  Handing the bottle to Else, his eyes caught Morana’s as he sat back down, certain he’d almost seen a smile.

  Having been unable to extract any further information from a very tight-lipped Alaric, Edela left him to his muttering and headed back to the hall, wanting to see how Branwyn was. And Aedan. His broken ribs were causing him a lot of discomfort, she knew, though not as much as his broken heart.

  ‘Hello,’ Runa smiled, walking towards Edela with a bowl in her arms. ‘Are you off to see Marcus? He’s taken Hanna back to his cottage, you know. I’m bringing some of Astrid’s broth. It seems to be the cure-all for everyone at the moment.’

  ‘No, I wasn’t. I was heading to the hall,’ Edela said. ‘Enjoying the sunshine. It is so pleasant today. Almost warm!’

  ‘Well, you should go to the market. There are a lot of traders about, and more ships came in today. I saw some lovely furs. I might get something to make a new cloak for Fyn. He still seems to be growing out of everything!’

  Edela was pleased to see Runa looking so happy, or perhaps busy, she thought on reflection; talking fast, eyes darting around. Perhaps not happy at all?

  They walked together for a while, and when Runa was confident there was no one within earshot, she leaned in. ‘I saw Amma earlier.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘She didn’t look well. She ran away from me and vomited.’

  ‘Oh.’

  Runa searched Edela’s face for clues, but Edela quickly turned her eyes to the wooden boards of the footpath they were walking down.

  ‘I will check on her. See how she is,’ Edela promised, looking up once she’d managed to get her face under control. ‘Gisila’s been so busy helping Branwyn that I don’t think she would have noticed. Thank you, Runa. I shall let you know how she is.’ And, dropping her eyes again, Edela turned and bustled away in the opposite direction.

  Meena finally emerged from the markets after hours of being trapped in the claustrophobic heat, trailing after Draguta, sheltering beneath the awnings that were supposed to diminish the intensity of the sun, but somehow made everything more oppressive.

  She was dripping in her new dress.

  Draguta had taken her to the tailor’s, but instead of getting a dress made, she had found one amongst a pile of seconds. And, though it didn’t fit Meena properly, it was the first new dress she had worn in years. The light-blue linen felt crisp against her skin, not soft and nearly worn through like her old dress. Draguta had thrown that at the tailor, demanding he burn it so she didn’t have to smell it anymore.

  If only Draguta had noticed her boots, Meena thought, looking down at their flapping soles and myriad of holes as she hurried up the castle steps. She came to a crashing halt, almost banging into Draguta who had stopped to talk to Evaine and Morac.

  ‘You look miserable, Evaine,’ Draguta smiled, peering at Evaine’s face. ‘Something I should know? Something about... Eadmund?’

  Evaine swallowed, shielding her eyes from the sun. ‘No. Nothing. He told me about going to Helsabor. I’m just worried about what will happen.’ She could feel Morac twitching beside her, wanting to escape Draguta’s interrogating eyes.

  Draguta laughed, ignoring Morac entirely. ‘What will happen is that my kings will conquer that pathetic place and return to me with a new army and a great fleet that will fill our harbour, and gold enough to buy more. More ships, more warriors from the Fire Lands.’ She turned around to look at the harbour, frowning at the state of the piers. ‘Those men down there will have to hurry up!’ And spinning around, and nearly knocking Meena over, she strode back down the steps, leaving eve
ryone gaping after her.

  ‘There you are!’ Edela smiled triumphantly as she stepped into the cottage. She had grown tired in her hunt for Amma and was about to give up and find the nearest table to rest her aching feet. ‘I didn’t expect to find you in here.’

  Many houses had their own looms where Andala’s wool was woven into garments and blankets, but when she became queen, Gisila had had a cottage built just for sail making. The labour intensive process could take up to a year and required the attention of the most skilled weavers, and with the amount of sails Ranuf went through, Gisila had been determined to keep the women working day and night, always having the next sail well underway before it was needed.

  Amma turned to Edela in surprise. ‘I promised Axl that I’d keep an eye on the new sails. Make sure everything was going well. Which it is.’ She nodded to one of the women, who was using a wooden sword to beat the weft of the nearly finished sail and headed to the door where Edela looked red-faced and wobbly on her feet. ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘Me?’ Edela chuckled. ‘I expect I look ready to fall down, but, yes, I am. It’s actually you I came to see.’

  Amma looked intrigued as she walked Edela down the steps of the cottage. ‘Have you had a dream?’

  ‘No, but I did talk to Runa, who mentioned that you were unwell, so I came to see how you were.’ She took Amma’s arm, moving her towards the footpath, feeling her tremble.

  ‘Oh.’ Amma could barely move one boot after the other. It was no easy thing to fool a dreamer, and she wasn’t sure she should even try. ‘I...’

  Edela didn’t look at her. Amma sounded so nervous, and she didn’t want to lead her anywhere that she didn’t want to go.

  Amma glanced around. She saw Ulf in the distance, walking with Bayla Dragos, but they were far away. Just seeing a Dragos made her uncomfortable, though, and she realised that she needed to talk to someone. ‘I think maybe... I am with child.’

  Edela stopped and turned to her. ‘You do?’ She tried to look encouraging, but Amma appeared ready to cry. ‘You are very young, I know. It must be daunting to think of becoming a mother?’

  ‘I...’ Amma leaned closer. ‘It could be Jaeger’s, couldn’t it?’

  Edela’s eyes widened. She hadn’t thought of that, so gripping Amma’s hands, she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she considered things. And opening them, Edela sighed. ‘Yes, I think it could.’

  38

  Jaeger couldn’t stop staring at Meena during supper. They were eating in the hall, Meena sitting on one side of him, Draguta on the other.

  ‘You look different,’ he said, draining his goblet. ‘Very different.’

  ‘I have been tidying up your little mouse,’ Draguta laughed, leaning forward and eyeing Meena who did indeed look more presentable than usual. ‘But she still needs a good scrub. I’ve never seen such hideous skin! I found that dress, though, and Brill spent some time on her hair.’ She frowned. It still looked like a bird’s nest, though not as wild as before. ‘It’s a beginning.’

  Jaeger smiled his approval at Meena, who didn’t care, she just wanted them both to stop staring at her. Bending her head to her soup, she dunked a piece of bread into it.

  ‘I could hardly stand to look at her. Or smell her,’ Draguta continued. ‘So you can expect even more improvements soon. It will make it much less embarrassing for you to be seen in her company.’

  Jaeger peered at Meena, trying to see her through Draguta’s eyes, but he couldn’t.

  ‘And how did your preparations go today? For Helsabor? Are you ready to leave?’

  Jaeger turned to her in surprise, his knife in mid-air. ‘Leave? Now?’

  Draguta looked just as surprised. ‘You are not planning on leaving soon?’

  ‘Well, soon, yes,’ Jaeger said. ‘But it will take some time. We must plan our attack. It’s a well-fortified kingdom. You will break down the walls, I know, but we will need a clear idea of what to do once we get inside. We must gather all the knowledge we can before making our plans. I have called a meeting for tomorrow. My helmsmen, my best warriors, some of the merchants who know Helsabor well. We will discuss everything then.’

  Draguta narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips. ‘I see. And what does Eadmund think about that? Your plan-making? Is he in agreement about how cautiously you are approaching everything?’

  ‘Eadmund?’ Jaeger spat out his name. ‘He doesn’t know my army. My men. My kingdom. He doesn’t know Helsabor either. He will do as I say.’

  Draguta carefully put down her spoon, pushing her bowl away, turning to Jaeger with sharp eyes. ‘You are both my kings, Jaeger dear. Eadmund is not your subordinate. You will plan this assault together. And you will hurry up about it too, for I do not want to be sitting here when winter comes, wondering why you are still drawing little maps and having pointless meetings!’ Her voice rose, ringing with displeasure. ‘A true king acts! He does not dither. And Helsabor is a kingdom run by a dreamer. Briggit is watching. Waiting for us. Making her plans. And the longer you suck your thumb and fret, the harder her defenses will be to breach.’ She picked up her goblet and inhaled the wine, which smelled sweet, like blackberries, instantly calming her tension. ‘Do I make myself clear?’ She sighed loudly before taking a drink. ‘I’m beginning to see the benefit of having two kings, for if one displeases me, well...’ And Draguta smiled over the rim of her goblet before turning away from Jaeger who sat there digging a frown into his forehead, imagining himself smashing Eadmund Skalleson’s face into a bloody mess.

  Eadmund forced himself to smile.

  He forced himself not to say anything.

  He forced himself to sit there and listen and nod and be everything he needed to be to get through the meal without incident.

  ‘That was delicious,’ Morac sighed, slumping back into the chair, stuffed full. ‘I did find you a superb cook, didn’t I?’

  Evaine nodded distractedly, though she had not eaten much herself. Eadmund seemed odd – as though he wasn’t quite there – and she couldn’t stop worrying. His eyes were cold, and his lips were tight, and his body was rigid as he sat beside her.

  Eadmund could sense that Evaine was disturbed. ‘Your father’s right. I’ve never tasted lobster cooked like that. We’ll have to have it again.’

  Evaine flashed him a smile which he tried to return in kind.

  Morac reached for his goblet which Elfwyn was waiting to refresh. ‘Yes, I agree. And far better than anything I’ve eaten in the castle,’ he added, smiling at Elfwyn, who was a surprisingly attractive woman for a servant, he thought, admiring her full lips and rich, brown eyes. ‘And certainly far better than anything in my hovel.’ And laughing, Morac stared at Evaine who frowned at him, deciding that her father was drunk.

  ‘Well, you are the one who chooses to live in such poverty, Father. Surely you can see that the alternatives are much more beneficial?’

  Eadmund wanted to kill Morac.

  He sat there with that bleary-eyed grin on his face, and Eadmund wanted to take his knife and push it into his throat. His dreams taunted him; pictures of Morana and Morac conspiring to kill Melaena and his father.

  And who else?

  What else had they done together?

  Eadmund took a quick sip of wine. It was oddly sweet, and he grimaced, trying to back away from his anger. Trying to smile again. He wanted to keep Evaine agreeable. It would make things so much easier.

  An opportunity would come, he knew.

  And he would take it.

  Jael went for a walk with Aleksander after a tasty supper of salmon and mushroom stew.

  The day’s ride had been long and warm, and her thoughts had wandered towards her father regularly, before retreating. She didn’t want to think about him or Raymon, and she definitely didn’t want to think about Ravenna.

  ‘This raven of yours is becoming useful,’ Aleksander grinned, listening to the song of the crickets as they slipped through the trees, heading for the stream.

  J
ael laughed. ‘I’m not sure she’s my raven, but you’re right, Raymon wouldn’t be alive without her. If only I could have shot two arrows at once.’

  ‘You’ve done it before,’ Aleksander reminded her.

  ‘Ha! I have. Badly. Both in the same direction.’ Jael’s smile faded. ‘What happened to Ravenna... I can’t stop seeing it.’

  Aleksander was quiet, thinking about his mother’s death; watching her fall over his father’s body, her throat slit. He shivered. ‘You did the right thing. Ravenna would have thought so too. Maybe she’ll come into your dreams and tell you herself?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Do you think Raymon will last long? With everyone knowing his true lineage?’

  Jael shrugged, then stopped and turned to him. ‘Before I killed Garren, he told me that Getta was with him. Part of it. Plotting with him to get rid of Raymon.’

  ‘Did you say anything?’

  ‘No. He’d just lost his mother.’ Jael frowned as they came to the stream, bending down with their empty water bags. It was nearly dark, and the air was rapidly cooling down. ‘I hope it was the right thing to do, but I had the feeling that Getta was regretting it.’

  ‘I imagine she’s waiting for you to tell Raymon what you know.’

  ‘Maybe I will. He’s just so young, and he’s got enough challenges without knowing that his wife betrayed him. But if Getta comes to Vallsborg with him, I’ll be sure to let her know what would happen if she tried anything again.’

  ‘Well, that would be enough to scare me!’ Aleksander laughed, standing up with a full water bag, slapping at a midge buzzing around his face. ‘We’re going to be eaten alive tonight!’ he grumbled.

  Jael nodded. ‘You are maybe. They don’t seem to like me. Not sweet enough, I guess.’

  ‘You? Not sweet? They just have to get to know you, then they’d find out how sweet you truly are!’