by Greg Curtis
“Hello Father.” Edrick greeted him, pretending more confidence than he felt. “It's been a while.”
“You're alive?!”
“Of course I am. The old dotard failed to kill me. But it took me a while to rebuild the gate so I could return to Riverlandia. I am quite capable with a spell. I was saddened though to hear of Lord Ironbelly's passing. I know you two were close.”
“Yes. He was a good friend.”
Edrick's father abruptly came out from behind the table and strode over to him. Then he unexpectedly wrapped his arms around him, causing Edrick to flinch a little. His father had never done that before. Not once in his entire life. It felt uncomfortable. As false as the clothes he was wearing. Still, he returned the embrace, for the sake of politeness if nothing else.
“But even as he has been taken from us, you are returned! It is a miracle from the Mother herself!”
“I'm not returned Father,” Edrick contradicted him. “I came for only one reason and it was not to re-join the family.”
“I have come because when I first returned to this realm this morning and made it into Miston to restock my home and seek out my wife, it was to learn that you had imprisoned her!”
“Your wife!” Edrick's father released him from his embrace and stepped backwards, shock written all over his face. And just behind that shock was the hint of fear as he started to realise what that meant.
The same surprise was obvious on the faces of all the others present in the tent. The soldiers on guard, his father's commanders and generals, and of course the assembled wizards. They heard the words, the charge that Lord Baraman had imprisoned his son's wife, and they understood something of how serious that was.
“Yes, Carrie Baraman. Wilberton's granddaughter.” All eyes were on Edrick when he said that. But most of them would soon be on his father.
“We were wed some months ago. In secret because I've been trying to remain out of sight of you, and because Wilberton truly hates me. He would never have accepted the marriage.” Neither would Carrie he suspected, and she might be even more difficult than her grandfather. But this was the only way he could free her.
“We've been trying to keep it quiet ever since, while Carrie worked on her grandfather, trying to make him accept me as her husband. But he is both senile and stubborn. It has been a tough fight. And I suspect it's why he tried to kill me.”
“Imagine my surprise to finally get back to Riverlandia and learn that my own father has falsely imprisoned my wife – his daughter-in-law, and a woman of noble station by marriage. That he imagines her plotting with her grandfather when she cannot even persuade him to accept her own husband! And when anyone who knows anything about Wilberton knows that he cannot be reasoned with in any way. He has left the world of senility and madness far behind and is now travelling in even more distant lands. Have not the Guild wizards told you this?” He threw the last in because he knew they had. The various generals surely knew they had as well. It weakened his father's position as Right Hand and left him vulnerable. Which was why his father didn't answer him. He couldn't admit to having made a mistake.
“Carrie has not been harmed I take it?”
“No!” Edrick's father gasped the denial out hurriedly. “Never!”
Of course, he had to deny it. Edrick had given him no choice. She was noble by marriage, and no one could lay a finger on a noble without the King's approval. It would have been a crime worthy of death. Even if the one responsible did not know he was harming a royal at the time. More importantly, if she had been harmed then it would have been done at his father's behest. Carrie's father as he had now named him. A father who committed harm against his child whether by birth or marriage, was guilty of one of the foulest acts known. The temples of the Father and the Mother would strike him out of their flocks in a heartbeat. The King would remove him from his duties just as quickly. And his chances of retaining his title would be vanishingly small. It was why Edrick had named her as his wife.
Of course, the claim also saved him from a fate worse than death – marrying Gerta Banner, or whoever else they subsequently decided to line up. That was the one part of his plan he actually liked.
“Good. Then I expect she will be released immediately now that I as her husband have confirmed in public that she has in no way conspired with her grandfather. That in fact no one can conspire with her grandfather. He is far beyond reason. And that Carrie Baraman is in fact a woman of the most noble character.” He set out the case for all to hear, tying his father's hands.
“Of course.” The look of shock disappeared and suspicion arrived to take its place on his father's face. Clearly he'd realised he was being manipulated. But he also understood he had no choice but to do as Edrick demanded. One look around the room at the assembled witnesses was enough to tell him that.
Possibly Edrick thought, his father had even guessed that he was lying. But Lord Baraman could not accuse his son of that, as it too would be a stain on the family name. He was trapped, which had always been Edrick's intention. Finally, all those lessons he'd suffered through in etiquette, law and nobility were proving their worth.
“I'll send a rider immediately.”
“A rider? She's not here?” Edrick had hoped she would be. And it would surely have been the right place to keep her. Near to where his father was so he could ask questions of her as he needed to.
“No. There were no facilities here.”
“Facilities?” Edrick's blood started to chill. That sounded bad. It didn't sound like some form of house arrest in a barracks as he'd expected. It sounded like a dungeon. She shouldn't be in a dungeon. Not if she hadn't been charged let alone convicted of any crime. He could understand a gaol cell; not a dungeon.
“She's a wizard –.” Edrick's father replied weakly, even as Edrick cut him off.
“– Who has never done anything but what is right and proper in her entire life!” Edrick could feel his anger and fear starting to break free. “She had better not have been harmed!”
“I said she hadn't! Questioned only!”
But his father was lying. Edrick could see it in his face. In the desperation of his denials. Maybe other people might have been fooled, but not him.
“Where is she Father?!” Edrick raised his voice, suddenly very worried.
“I said –.”
“Where is my wife!” This time Edrick really did shout, causing everyone in the tent to recoil a little. But he was badly worried. If his father was lying to his face it could only mean that he was hiding something. Something bad.
“Reedton, the Barracks Prison.”
“You threw my wife in a dungeon?!” Edrick finally let the anger loose for everyone in the entire camp to hear. And the anger was genuine. Whether Carrie was his wife or not, she could not be harmed! “This will not stand!”
With that Edrick spun on his heels and started marching for his wagon, pausing only long enough to yell at the soldier who had escorted him to the tent to follow him. The man was quick to fall in step behind him. He might not understand everything that had just happened, but he understood Edrick's anger. Most of all, he understood that he did not want to be on the receiving end of it.
Meanwhile behind him he could almost hear his father panicking. Starting to weave a new “truth” that would somehow mitigate Edrick's charge. He was good at that, though he never considered it lying. He called it speaking “his truth” – as if there was more than one kind. No doubt he would be explaining in detail how he had never harmed Carrie to everyone who could hear him. And of course, explaining that what had been done hadn't been his doing. It had been at the King's request.
Somehow Edrick suspected, his father's tenure as the King's Right Hand, had just come to an early and unseemly end. But he didn't care about that. His father could fight his own battles. Edrick's only concern was getting Carrie free.
Chapter Twenty
Midnight had come and gone by the time Edrick reached Reedton. They’d made good tim
e as he had pushed the steam wagon as hard as he could to get there, pumping log after log into the fire box, and racing across the rough trails and roads. He had been bouncing around in the seat so hard that several times he and the soldier he had brought with him had almost been sent flying. And still it was too slow. But at least as they raced through the city streets, the light from the lanterns all that warned people he was coming, he knew the journey was nearly over. Edrick guessed his companion was glad of that. He'd likely never endured such a fast ride in his entire life and he'd been hanging on to the arm of the couch with a death grip for the entire journey.
He seemed to relax though as the barracks came into sight and Edrick slowed the wagon, though he was still looking extremely sickly. Somehow Edrick doubted that that was because of the yellow light of the lanterns.
“You!” He bellowed at the first of the sentries as they neared the guard post. “I am Lukas Edrick Baraman. Bring your commanding officer to me at once! And make sure he knows that he has imprisoned my wife, and that I am very, very angry! There will be a reckoning for this!” The man took one look at him and the soldier sitting beside him, and took off as if all the demons of the underworld were on his tail.
“You two!” He picked on the next couple of sentries. “My wagon needs water and wood. See to it!” They ran off even faster than the first man.
“And you,” he bellowed at the next unfortunate standing watch around the brazier, a man with eyes wide with fear, “take me to my wife, at once!” Edrick jumped down from the wagon the instant it had come to a rest, and the soldier hurriedly saluted him and then started leading him through the camp.
None of them questioned him Edrick noticed. But then he wouldn't expect them to. He was a noble. He was dressed as one. He was shouting orders as if he was one. And no one would ever dare question a noble. The soldier he'd brought with him for identification purposes wasn't even needed. But Edrick had him follow them regardless. These were only common soldiers. Their commanding officer might be more suspicious.
The worst thing about his plan was the way he fell into the role so easily. He'd forgotten what it was like to live the life of a noble. Even a minor son of a lord. To have people rush to serve you. To be given anything you wanted. To see the fear in peoples' eyes as they rushed to do your bidding, because they knew that if they earned your displeasure you could have them fired with just a word. Sometimes not even that. But he'd lived on the other side of the fence for too long. Now he understood what it meant for those people whose lives could be so easily ruined by a careless comment of his. He didn't like it. But for this night it was the role he had to play.
They crossed most of the camp at a brisk march, seeing soldiers come scrambling out of the various buildings to stand at attention. Clearly the word had spread that the Right Hand's son was there. But then he had been bellowing in the middle of the night. Half the camp had probably heard him. Edrick made sure to look neither to the left nor right as they marched to the dungeon. As a noble, soldiers were beneath his notice. They were probably grateful for that too. Getting noticed by an irate noble was likely to be a bad thing.
In short order they arrived at the dungeon, and two soldiers standing at attention at its entrance rushed to open the huge oak door that kept everyone in. By the time it was open the commanding officer had reached them. He was out of breath from having run, and out of uniform too. No doubt he'd been sleeping. It was the middle of the night after all. But Edrick was in no mood to allow for excuses. And as a noble, no one would have expected him to be.
“Half dressed, Commander?!” He snapped at the man.
“My apologies Sir!” The man was quick to admit his failure. He was well trained. He also knew that talking back to a noble would earn him a far worse punishment than he might get for simply not being properly attired. He was lucky though. Edrick was in far too much of hurry to see Carrie to think about whether he should show anger at the Commander slipping dress standards. Instead he pushed past the soldiers holding the door open for him.
Once inside the dungeon itself he found himself in a large round chamber where a hugely overweight soldier was standing guard behind a desk. A man who not only didn't fit his uniform, he looked like he had just woken up. Edrick didn't even hesitate.
“Sleeping while on duty?!” Commander, see to it that this man is properly disciplined. Then do something about his weight. Put him on a strict diet and make him exercise every day until he can fit into his damned uniform!”
“Yes Sir!” The Commander leapt to attention and instantly had two of his men grab the unfortunate soldier and start pulling him away from his post.
“Keys!” Edrick had to remind them that the man still had the keys to the cells. The soldiers quickly pulled the ring off his belt and handed them to Edrick before hustling the guard out to begin his punishment. Edrick immediately handed them to the Commander.
“My wife's cell!” He all but barked at the Commander and watched as the man almost ran down the passageway behind the entrance chamber, keys in hand. But then he was already in a bad position. First, he'd appeared before Lord Baraman’s son half-dressed. Then he had brought him to meet one of his soldiers who was grossly unfit and had who had also been asleep on duty. He knew it reflected badly on him. Edrick followed him at an only slightly more measured pace.
He was worried. This place stank of blood and piss and other body fluids. The bare stone floors were covered with dark stains. And there were all sorts of barbaric instruments of torture hanging from the walls. Despite the silence he could almost hear the screams of those who had been locked away in this hole. Their ghosts perhaps. Because he was certain that many had died here. This was a place that existed purely to show up the worst in men.
By the time the Commander had put the key in the door and turned it, Edrick was standing right beside him. And when he pushed the door open Edrick was the first in, fearing what he would find.
He was right to fear it.
Carrie was lying on the floor of her cell, still gagged and with her hands manacled behind her back. Her clothes were soiled – she hadn't been able to toilet herself, let alone bathe. There were bruises on her face, and more he feared, on the rest of her body. And that was just what he could see in the darkness. Most frightening of all, she was lying there, not moving. She was however moaning softly which gave Edrick a moment’s relief. At least she was alive!
Edrick knelt beside her and tried to tell her that she was going to be alright. That she was leaving this place. But she didn't answer him. He doubted she even knew he was there. Seeing how they had treated her filled him with a cold fury. No one should have suffered what she had!
“Commander, I want towels and warm water and soap now! Bring the physicians here immediately. My wife needs clean clothes, good food and medicine.” Edrick did his best to keep his voice calm. “And then when I am done I expect every soldier who has been involved in Carrie's imprisonment and interrogation to be lined up outside this facility, waiting for my decision. See to it!”
This time the Commander did run. He fled down the passageway as fast as his feet could carry him, screaming panicked orders at the men he passed.
Edrick quickly forget him as he picked up Carrie in his arms and carried her out to the main room. He had only time for her.
She was so light! Far too light he thought. Clearly she hadn't been fed. And when he laid her down on the guard's desk and took off her binds and hurled her gag away, he could see yet more bruising. She'd been hit. Often and hard. She had also been drugged. He could see the vagueness in her eyes. The way she couldn't keep them focussed on anything. Edrick ripped away a part of his shirt and started dabbing at the cuts on her face.
Naturally he cast what healing spells he could on her, causing some of the soldiers to step back when they realised he was a wizard. Not all knew that about him. But he didn't care. He only cared that that the spells started their work and he could see a little strength returning to her.
&nb
sp; In time others came, physicians and people with hot water and towels. Even a woman with fresh clothes. Edrick let them treat her. He had to. But the waiting gave him time for his anger to grow. He was outraged at what had been done to her. Furious with those who had done it. All of them! His anger might start with the men here, but it ended with his father. There had to be some form of justice meted out for this. And while he couldn't deliver that justice to his father, he had the power to do so to the rest.
He could have them all executed. No one would question him if he did. In fact a lot of the soldiers were probably expecting him to do just that. But even as a part of him kept thinking it would be the right thing to do, the calmer, more rational part of him said no. For two reasons. First because Carrie wasn't actually his wife, and so he did not have the right. But also because these men might have done bad things, but they had been ordered to do them. Their crimes began with his father.
Edrick was still wrestling with the decision when the physician finally came out of the room where they were caring for Carrie and told him she was ready to see him. He quickly put aside his angry thoughts for the moment and hurried into the next room.