Palace Intrigue

by Lina J. Potter

  ***

  Leis ran right into the baron, who had Miranda in front of him. He instantly sized up the situation in the clearing. The baron had ten men. It was clear he hadn’t planned on encountering resistance on his way out of Earton. Leis had at least two dozen men, all of them hardened soldiers. A few former peasants had ridden with him, but they were back with the horses and the countess. Leis was not concerned for her—the baron and his men would never be able to fight through that far.

  He also knew that Erik and his men were not far behind. Once they arrived, the baron would look like a bloody rag. For now, Leis wanted to contain Donter and his men in the clearing.

  Sword clashed against sword as the baron’s men tried to create an opening. Two of Leis’ archers stood at the edge of the clearing, bows at the ready, watching the fight. The baron’s men were strong and desperate, and none of them turned to run…except the baron. As soon as the first blows were struck, he grabbed Mirrie around the waist and pressed her against the nearest pine tree. If his men won, he still had to keep her from running off. If his enemies won, he would use her as a pawn for securing his safety. Leis knew no one would catch Baron Donter waving a sword around, risking his life.

  ***

  Lons was fighting a dandy in a blue tunic. He waved his sword away and, using his left hand, stuck a dagger into the man’s ribcage under his arm. He watched the body fall and pressed on. This was no elegant tournament; men were fighting three against one and striking their opponents in the back, the legs, or anywhere else they could reach. It was ugly and dirty, but no one cared. Each man fought the enemy in front of him, finished him off and ran to help a friend. Swords clashed once more.

  It was over soon, and Lons found himself face to face with the baron, who was holding Mirrie. He had a dagger dangerously close to her neck.

  “If you take another step forward I’ll kill her!”

  What can I do?

  There was only one thing.

  “My Lady!”

  ***

  Lily had not been involved in the fighting. She had stayed with the horses, and no one had tried to take them. All ten of the baron’s men were kept busy by Leis’ two dozen soldiers. It wasn’t much of a match, especially considering that the Earton men all wore light chain mail, while the Donter men had nothing over their clothes. The chain mail had cost her dearly, but Lily believed that if you don’t take care of your own army, you are essentially taking care of someone else’s army.

  When she heard Lons’ cry, she did not go running to find him. She walked, slowly and calmly. The countess was in no hurry. Her heart fell when she entered the clearing. The ground was covered with bodies. Her eyes scanned the trees on the other side of the clearing. That is when Lily saw her. Miranda. The baron had a long, sharp dagger at her throat. His hand was shaking. Is he unsure of himself, or is he on the verge of hysteria? Both conditions were dangerous. Can I do this? I have to!

  The countess turned and saw the archers at their posts. She spoke softly. “Keep your arrows on your strings. Shoot him as soon as he lets go of her.”

  She was relieved to see they obeyed. Now she had to get the baron to move the knife away from Miranda’s throat. She was the only one who could do it.

  The countess walked toward the baron. Her men watched her, and it seemed they were under a spell. It was her turn. The fighting was over; it was time for talking.

  ***

  Clive was terrified. They wanted to kill him, and they would probably succeed very soon. His men were all dead.

  No! I won’t give up! I’m a baron. How dare they threaten me! They’ll have to kill the girl, too! I’ll take her with me! They can all go to Maldonaya, for all I care!

  He noticed the soldiers hung back, and then he saw her as she came out from between the trees—Her Ladyship Lilian Earton. The tall blonde approached him slowly. Everyone in the clearing could hear the yellow leaves crunching under her feet. They could even hear the baron’s heavy breathing.

  “I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her unless you leave!” he screeched. “I swear to Aldonai I will do it!”

  The countess was just five paces away from him, just far enough that they could not touch each other. When she spoke, it was in a soft, velvety voice with the words drawn out for effect.

  “You won’t kill her. What would be the point?”

  Clive had expected anything but this. No point?

  “I’ll kill her!”

  “Fine. What do you want in order for her to live? A horse? Money? Me?” Her voice drifted over the clearing, calming him, wrapping him in peace, relaxing his muscles. Clive began to regain his faculties. Truly, what was I afraid of? I am the Baron Donter, and the countess is just a woman—beautiful to look at, but a stupid woman at the end of the day. He relaxed a bit.

  “Have your men give me a horse and then back off. I’ll leave with her. I won’t kill her, and I won’t hurt her.”

  “Why did you take her?”

  “We can talk about that later.” Clive gave what he considered to be a wily smile.

  Lily sighed. “Is it money you want? Let her go. I’ll pay.” She slowly unhooked the sack of money from her belt. She held it out, hypnotizing the baron like a snake hypnotizes a bird. With one finger, she removed the loop from around the sack and turned it over. Gold coins and amber fell on the grass at her feet.

  “Let the girl go…”

  Clive leaned forward. The gold had a powerful effect on him. The hand that held the knife trembled and moved away from the girl as if it wanted to pick up the gold pieces. It wasn’t enough of an opening for a man with a sword, but it was plenty of space for the archers. Leis had not told them to let the baron live, and the archers quite reasonably decided that the countess wouldn’t mind if he died. Two arrows twanged.

  The baron cried out. One arrow went just wide of the mark and grazed his arm, leaving droplets of blood on the grass. The second arrow hit his shoulder and pinned him to the tree. Mirrie dropped to the ground and rolled over to where Lily stood.

  The woman fell to her knees and grabbed the girl. “Mirrie! I was so worried about you! Come here, baby…”

  Mirrie buried her face in Lily’s shoulder and sobbed, “Mama!”

  Lily kept her arms around the child. Where did this maternal love come from? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Miranda is the only person who doesn’t want anything from me. She just loves me for who I am, not for the old Lilian.

  Lily stroked the little girl’s hair. More than anything, she wanted to lock her up in the castle and never let her out again. In fact, she wished they could be there right now.

  Off to one side, Leis was dressing down the archers, who objected that they were professionals and knew what they were doing. Lily paid none of them any attention. Two soldiers separated the howling baron from his tree, leaving the arrow in his shoulder. One of his arms hung useless at his side. The thought crossed Lily’s mind that he had tendon damage. The soldiers tied a tourniquet around his arm but only to keep him from dying before his time came.

  Jaimie slipped over to the countess like a shadow. “Give Miranda to me, My Lady. I will watch her for you.”

  Lily sighed and gratefully put the child in his outstretched arms. Then she turned to the baron. “Shall we talk now, Lord Donter?” At the sound of her voice, the men around her shuddered. She continued, all sweetness and honey. “This nice man here is going to stand next to you,” she pointed at Erik, who eagerly took a step forward, “and he is going to hit that arrow every time you lie to me.” “The rest of us will be interested to see if you bleed to death or if the pain kills you.”

  Erik rubbed his hands together. He seemed to agree that this was exactly the right way to deal with people who kidnapped children.

  “Let me go!” the baron croaked. “How dare you threaten me! I will complain to the king!”

  Lily nodded at Erik, and a howl of pain rose up over the clearing. The Virman hadn’t hit the arrow—he had pushed it back and fort
h in the baron’s shoulder, causing as much pain as he could. The horses snorted and stamped. Jaime put his hands over Miranda’s ears.

  Lily waited a few minutes until the baron stopped screaming. Once he was reduced to whimpering, she inquired politely, “Why did you kidnap Miranda?”

  The only reply she got was an ugly oath. Erik didn’t bother waiting for an order. Again, the baron’s howls went up into the evening sky.

  The countess bit her lip and balled her hands into fists, but otherwise, she remained outwardly calm. It was horrible to watch a man being tortured. She felt like something inside her own soul was cracking, something that would never heal.

  To hell with it! Miranda matters more to me than anything! For her sake, I would break three men like the baron.

  Lily imagined how the bastard could have harmed her little girl, and it made her clench her fists until her nails cut into her palms, drawing blood. Mirrie was accustomed to being safe and loved and given free rein. Evil things were said about the baron. He could have hurt her physically in any number of ways.

  I can’t think about that. I have the right to torture him until I learn what I want to know.

  ***

  Like all sadists, the baron couldn’t handle the least bit of pain. He cracked like a dry branch. The kidnapping wasn’t his idea. It was forced on him. Calma made him do it. She was a witch following orders from Maldonaya. She must have darkened his mind. Acting freely, he would never have risked a falling out with the lovely and charming countess. He tried to kiss her hand, but Erik hauled him back by the neck.

  As she listened to the baron’s wandering explanation of what happened, Lily’s blood pressure began to rise. When she discovered that he had planned to demand all of her craftsmen as a ransom for Miranda, she boiled over. She had spent so much time teaching people how to make useful things, and this big bully thought he could just walk in and take it all from her.

  What do I do with him now? I’d like to leave his entrails spread out under the trees, but what does the law say?

  “My Lady?”

  As always, Lons had quietly taken up his position by her side. Lily looked at him with gratitude, which only doubled when he handed her a flask of cold water.

  “Drink. Miranda is fine. She wasn’t hurt.”

  Lily nodded. “I know. What do we do with this louse?”

  Lons was surprised by the question. “Execute him,” he said shortly.

  “But will the king ask me about it later?”

  Her advisor shook his head. “No. You are a countess. Miranda can tell anyone who will listen that she was kidnapped. You have my word, as well, and I am a chevalier. Even Leis can be a witness. He comes from a long line of soldiers, six generations back. Erik is a warrior, which puts him at the same level as a chevalier.”

  Lily nodded. “Then let’s do it. Who will take on the job?”

  “Erik, of course.”

  Lons was utterly unflappable as if the torture and death were taking place somewhere else, instead of right in front of him, as if he hadn’t just risked his life in a swordfight. Once again, Lily reflected on the difference in mentality and how calm medieval men were in the face of death.

  She called for Erik, who came over and bowed so that she could talk to him more easily. “You should rest, My Lady.”

  “We have been considering what to do with the baron.”

  “Execute him.” It wasn’t a question. There were no pacifists in Lily’s new world.

  “How should it be done? I want every dirty bastard in the area to know that my daughter, my people, and my home are off limits!”

  Erik’s reply was immediate. “Pull out his ribs and impale him on a stake. That is what we do with those who would hurt a child. Once he’s dead, cut off his head, flay the body, salt it well and send it to Altver for Avermal to display in the town square with a notice about what the man tried to do.”

  Lily shuddered. She would have just killed the baron outright without torturing him further.

  “What about his castle?”

  “Find out how many men he has and pay them a visit,” Erik said, explaining simple truths as he saw them. “Search for whatever he had hidden there. I’m sure we can find plenty of dirt on him.”

  Lily nodded. That much she understood. “Do I have to go with you?”

  Both men shook their heads. “No, My Lady. Leif and I will go. We have done this before. You should write to the king and to Avermal so that the law is on our side.”

  “I will go, too. I can look through his papers,” said Lons. Lily looked around at these men with gratitude. Her new world had no telephones, internet or indoor plumbing. The customs were bloody, and the laws were harsh. A man who tried to hurt a child faced a horrifying death. Women were not allowed to fight, because it wasn’t women’s work. Men were supposed to kill and die. That was what they knew. In the world she had come from, everything was convenient, people felt safe most of the time, and if anyone died protecting a child, it was likely to be a woman.

  Which world is more honest?

  Lily looked up at Lons, Leis, and Erik. “When do you start?”

  “As soon as he’s dead,” Erik shrugged.

  The baron realized they were talking about him. He had stopped screaming and was just whimpering monotonously. A dark, wet spot on his pants was growing larger.

  “And Leif?”

  “He’ll be here by then. I will stay to guard the castle,” said Leis.

  Lily looked down. There was nothing more for her to do. The men knew these things better than she did. “Then I will go home with Mirrie and write to the king.”

  Everyone approved that plan.

  ***

  Jamie helped put Miranda on Lily’s horse. The little girl huddled close to Lily. “I knew you would save me.”

  “You knew everything, did you?” the countess teased her. “Perhaps you can tell me, Miranda Catherine, why you left the castle walls. How many times have I told you to stay in the courtyard?”

  “But I was with Calma!”

  Lily bit her lip. No one was insured against treason. She held the girl tighter. “Promise me something.”

  “What?”

  “That you will never go past the wall without asking me.”

  “I promise. I was so scared!”

  “So was I,” Lily admitted.

  ***

  At home, they were met by Martha, who looked pale and small, and the pastor, who was smiling and trying to keep his son from jumping on Mirrie. Lily handed the girl over to her nanny in hopes of her getting a bath, eating, and perhaps even sleeping. She promised to come see her after a while. Then she asked Pastor Vopler to follow her to her study, where she answered his cautious question very simply:

  “We know everything now. The baron kidnapped Miranda and was planning to demand a ransom.”

  “I assume he is no longer living, My Lady?”

  The countess nodded. “We caught up with them. There was a fight.” She said nothing else about what had taken place in the clearing, in case the pastor disapproved.

  “You have done well, My Lady. The baron was a doubtful person at best. It was a strange story, but I don’t believe he was even a Donter by blood.”

  Lily shrugged. Then a thought occurred to her. “Did he have a highly-placed protector by chance? I would not like to find myself in conflict with someone important over this.”

  The pastor shook his head and explained to Lily that the king was the only authority over his nobles. In her new world, there was no system of vassals. A nobleman could hire himself in service to another nobleman, but if he owned his own land, he only answered to the king. Lily had never thought about this before, and she wasn’t sure what it meant for her personally.

  Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jamie came in, looking pale and disheveled. “I must speak with you, My Lady.”

  The countess held up a hand. “Let me finish with the pastor first and then...”

  Jamie interrupt
ed, “My Lady, I must speak with the pastor, too.”

  Lily glanced at the pastor, and he nodded in agreement. “Then sit down and tell me what’s the matter,” she said to Jamie, nodding at a stool in front of her desk.

  Jamie sat down and put a small jewelry box on her desk. “Look at this, My Lady.” He opened the lid. Lily bent over the box and saw a scroll, three rings, a bracelet bearing a family crest and a small portrait of a woman who looked just like Jamie.

  “Yes?”

  “Look at the crest, My Lady.”

  She studied the crest on each ring and on the bracelet. They were the same. She looked up at her young healer in wonder.

  “They are old signet rings. One belonged to the old baron, one to his son, and one to his daughter. The bracelet was her engagement gift. That’s her portrait. She wrote the account you’ll find in the scroll. It was witnessed properly.”

  The pastor held out his hand for the scroll. Jamie gave it to him, and the room fell silent as the pastor read. Jamie fidgeted with his hands. Lily thought about how many problems it would solve if Jamie really was…

  Pastor Vopler looked up from his reading. “My Lady, the statement is clear, and it was, in fact, duly witnessed as the law requires.” He handed it to Lily, who scanned its contents.

  Someone named Marianna Donter had written a clearly worded account of her life, her marriage to Chevalier Cleins, how he took her last name, how he beat her… Her tale was told in few words, but Lily could feel the pain behind them. Soon the story became more interesting. Marianna stated that Baron Donter (her husband and the father of the man Lily had just executed) killed her family so that he could take over the title. She described how her husband boasted to her of his illicit affair with his own sister, which had been going on for a year, meaning that his sister’s son was born through incest.

  Lily gave a low whistle. “Pastor?”

  “If this is true, My Lady, you have done a holy deed. Aldonai does not approve of incest.”

  “That may be so, but does he expect us to kill people whose parents committed incest?”