Love and Sacrifice: Book Two of the Prophecy Series

by Tove Foss Ford

  “What I want you to know is this,” Menders went on relentlessly, though it cost him to voice the thought he had held close to his heart for ten years. “I have had three children come to me and become my own. Katrin was sent to me by her mother, for reasons I have never been able to discover. She is my beloved daughter, my first child, my golden girl I’d defend with my life.

  “Hemmett was lent to me, because he has living parents who love him dearly, but were simply not equal to the task of raising him – so I took a hand and he became as dear to me as he is to them.

  “But the child I never expected, the stray bird that fell into my hands, was meant to be mine – the child of the sister I never knew, blood from my blood, body from my body, my son. You, Borsen. I love you most of all. I have never told anyone this. I’ve hardly admitted it to myself. But that is the truth – and it must stay between us.”

  Borsen swallowed hard, then yanked a handkerchief from his pocket, briefly covering his face with it. He collected himself almost immediately, put the handkerchief away and took a deep breath.

  “Thank you, Papa,” he said softly. “That is wonderful to know. We go on from here.”

  The waiter bore down on them with their mains, doing a rapid shuffle as he removed the starter plates and set down the next course.

  Book Three

  When The Time Of Trial Spins Out

  The Shadows, Mordania

  1

  Death, Revelation, Decision

  M

  enders dashed to the front door of The Shadows. Kaymar was riding up like a lunatic in the teeth of a violent thunderstorm, through lashing rain with lightning bolts piercing all around him. He leapt off his mare and sent her toward the stable with a slap to the rump, then raced up the steps, wet as the day he was born and panting from exertion.

  “You came across in this?” Menders asked, peeling Kaymar’s drenched jacket off him.

  “Your office,” Kaymar wheezed, staggering in that direction, giving vent to the ragged cough that began when his heart had been strained. Menders snatched up a sofa rug and tossed it to Kaymar, who wrapped it around himself, shivering. Menders closed the office door.

  “The Queen is dead,” Kaymar said immediately. “Officially from heart failure; in reality, of poison. Aidelia did it, of course. Aidelia has been proclaimed Queen.”

  Menders collapsed back against the door, his head reeling. All possible ramifications of the news hit him at once.

  “A Royal Messenger is on his way, will probably get here before nightfall but I know what he’s carrying,” Kaymar continued, rubbing his streaming hair ineffectually with the rug. “Aidelia’s commanding Katrin to stay here, not to come near Erdahn for the funeral or coronation. She’s been declared Aidelia’s Heiress.”

  Menders closed his eyes. All they’d begun to hope for, that Katrin was going to be removed from the Royal Succession, was gone, and a madwoman who’d tried to kill her was on the Throne.

  Kaymar coughed again and Menders opened his eyes. He could see his cousin’s heart pounding through his sodden shirt.

  “Hurry, go get in a hot bath,” he said. “No-one’s been at the hot water today, so there’ll be plenty. Is there anything else?”

  Kaymar shook his head, still coughing from deep in his chest.

  “Go on,” Menders said, accompanying him from the office. “I’ll tell Katrin.”

  Kaymar went coughing up the stairs. Menders collected himself for a moment before listening to find where Katrin was.

  Hemmett laughed suddenly, Borsen laughed immediately afterward, then Katrin said something indistinguishable. They were in the Great Hall, probably fooling about with the spinets. Stevahn’s deep voice chimed in, evoking more laughter. He and Borsen had arrived two days before with Varnia for their two-week visit.

  Menders wished he could delay this conversation forever. He went to the door of the enormous room, and saw indeed that Katrin was seated at one spinet, Stevahn at the other. A brisk argument over tempo was being waged.

  “Katrin, may I speak to you for a moment?”

  She turned to Menders. Her face went white.

  “What is it?” she cried. He realized he probably looked ghastly.

  “No, don’t be frightened,” Menders said, going to her quickly. “I’m sorry my dear – hells, I can tell you all at once. The Queen is dead. The official story is by heart failure. Kaymar says that Aidelia poisoned her.”

  Katrin looked shocked and pensive. Stevahn and Borsen looked thoughtful, realizing that their businesses would be affected. Menders saw a fleeting expression of satisfaction pass over Hemmett’s face that was frightening. It was immediately replaced by concern as he turned his eyes toward Katrin.

  “There’s more,” Menders said, sitting beside Katrin on the spinet bench.

  “I was afraid of that,” she replied, looking directly at him.

  “We’ll leave you,” Borsen said, rising from where he’d been perched beside Stevahn.

  “No… stay, please. We’re all in this together,” Katrin said, never taking her eyes off Menders’.

  “Aidelia has commanded that you not leave The Shadows,” Menders said quietly.

  Katrin groaned. Hemmett put his hands on her shoulders.

  “Menders – is there anything we can do?” he asked.

  “Yes, there would be several options,” Menders said. “I’d like to think a bit first before we talk about them. At the moment, you’re in no danger, as you’ve been declared Aidelia’s Heiress. We needn’t rush into anything.”

  Katrin groaned again. Menders could have groaned himself.

  “I should have swum,” she said suddenly, looking at Borsen.

  “Don’t worry yourself about that now,” he answered. “It’s not important – not now.”

  “Yes it is,” Katrin said quietly, bitterly. “Yes it is.”

  ***

  “You could ask to be removed from the Line of Succession,” Menders explained, sitting at the battle room table with Katrin, Eiren, Franz, Borsen, Stevahn, Kaymar, Ifor and Hemmett. “This would be the easiest for you. We could make the excuse of ill health – but it’s very unlikely that Aidelia would allow it.”

  “I thought that,” Katrin said.

  “You could contest Aidelia’s claim to the Throne on the grounds of her madness,” Menders went on. “That would have to be done sooner rather than later, while her claim is very new. The drawback to this is that she wields absolute power and would be able to control the military. She doesn’t have the brains to do it, but those around her do.”

  Katrin was silent, waiting.

  “You might have a good chance at deposing her, because she’s mad as a spoon,” Menders went on. “It would be easily demonstrated. This would make you Queen. You could always abdicate after deposing Aidelia, but that would make your second cousin, Glorantha, Queen. She’s still a child. Her father would become Regent. He is one of the people who are determined to eliminate the Thrun.”

  Katrin rubbed her eyes tiredly.

  “You could leave the country. There has been no sign of Aidelia sending a force to keep guard over you. It’s believed that you’re an invalid. This would remove you from immediate danger, but it would put a bounty on you and a death sentence for anyone who helped you, possibly even for yourself. How motivated Aidelia would be in finding you I don’t know. If she decided to leave you alone and remove you from the succession, then her Heiress, unless she produced one herself, would be Glorantha.”

  “Back to that,” Borsen muttered.

  Menders got up, went to the door and looked out into the hallway. Then he bolted the door, came back and sat at the table again.

  “Aidelia could be eliminated,” he said very softly. “It would not be difficult with Bartan still at the Palace. Some of her Court would have to be removed as well. This would make you Queen.”

  Katrin nodded, keeping her eyes on him.

  “You could die,” Menders said, beginning to sound weary. “
Franz could claim you died of your illness and you could leave the country. That would …”

  “Leave my cousin with the father who wants to kill all the Thrun,” Katrin said just as wearily.

  “Yes and the sticking point would be that they would probably demand to see your body.”

  “And if I stay here as Aidelia commands?”

  Menders turned his hands palm up.

  “Katrin, I don’t know. I have people placed who send me information about her, but there is no way to predict what a madwoman is going to do. She might have such a good time as Queen that she won’t worry about you. You could wait and see what happens, but if she commanded you to Court suddenly, you would have very little choice. Your only option would be to flee the country if that occurred, and all that entails, including Glorantha becoming the Heiress.”

  The silence around the table was stifling.

  “What should I do?” Katrin asked Menders.

  “I can’t tell you that,” he answered. “It will have to be your decision. I can advise you as to what course of action … no, I can’t.”

  “Why not?” Katrin cried.

  “Because you would do whatever I consider the best course of action. I can’t let you do that,” Menders said quietly. “You must think about all of it and decide what you’re going to do.”

  “Can’t you help me?”

  “I have. I’ve told you what options I believe you have. Perhaps someone else here can come up with another possibility, but these are the most reasonable and likely to succeed.”

  “What would you do, Kaymar?” Katrin asked desperately, turning toward the end of the table where he sat. Her voice died away as she saw the infuriated expression on his face.

  “I would eliminate Aidelia. Menders would tell you the same,” he replied, his voice rough with anger.

  “But that would make me Queen and if I abdicated my cousin’s father would go after the Thrun!”

  “Yes, it would make you Queen. So?”

  “But, I don’t want to be Queen! I’ve never wanted to be!” Katrin exclaimed in horror.

  “I can’t help that. Your choices are limited and none of them will give you exactly what you want. So you deal with the choices you have,” Kaymar replied. “You don’t want to be Queen? I didn’t always want to spend years of my life guarding a little girl either. Did you think it was interesting work? Hours sitting behind doors, up in trees, around corners? I did it because I cared about you and because I considered you the best hope for Mordania, if it came to you becoming Queen.” He met her gaze intently.

  “You want me to have my sister killed?”

  “She tried to kill you, didn’t she?” he shot back. “Surely you aren’t so foolish to believe she won’t try again if she begins to believe you’re a threat. I’ve been at the Court almost every week for years. The woman is demented. She’s now the Queen of this country – and she has absolute power.”

  “Kaymar, it has to be Katrin’s decision,” Menders said, his voice steely.

  “You know what she’s going to decide!” Kaymar burst out. “She’s going to take the path of least resistance and stay here hoping Aidelia forgets she exists! Do you think you’re going to become invisible, Katrin? Do you really think that mad bitch is going to forget that you’re alive and a potential threat to her ability to play her mad games for the rest of her life?”

  “I don’t want to be Queen!” Katrin said. “Not if I have to be a murderer!”

  Kaymar stood abruptly and leaned across the table. He thrust his hands out right in front of her face.

  “How many times do you think I’ve killed with these hands so you would be safe?” he asked in a terrible voice. “Far more than once, I assure you. Do you think I like it? Do you think I don’t consider the lives I’ve taken before I fall asleep at night? That’s a burden I shouldered willingly for your sake.

  “Do you think he hasn’t killed for your sake?” Kaymar pointed to Menders. “Eiren risked her life and damned near killed someone who was a threat to you. Borsen risks his safety by having several of the back rooms at his store turned over to Menders’ Men so information from Erdahn and beyond can be gathered and transferred here. He could be tortured to death for what he does. Stevahn knows about it – he could lose his head for that! Franz has spent twenty-three years knowing about things he could lose his head for. Hemmett knows about all of it and has helped. He could end up on the roasting spit. You don’t want to be Queen? None of us wanted our particular burdens either, but we’ve taken them on willingly for your sake!”

  Katrin looked from one to the next and saw that his words were true.

  “That’s enough, Kaymar,” Menders said, his voice gentle. “She didn’t know about most of this.”

  “Is it enough? This is what happens when you protect someone too much,” Kaymar retorted bitterly. “She has a chance to do something for this country, to change things. She’s hesitating and trying to find a way to avoid that responsibility, because she doesn’t want to do it.”

  “Nothing is going to be decided tonight,” Menders replied levelly, rising. “Katrin must think about it and come to her own decision, or everything we’ve done all these years is for nothing, because she would be our puppet. That can’t happen.”

  “And if she makes the wrong decision?” Kaymar said, still staring at Katrin.

  “We’ll have to abide by it,” Menders said, his voice firm. “It is her life, Kaymar.”

  “Her life affects all of our lives!” Kaymar stormed out.

  Katrin looked around the table, from one to the next.

  “Borsen?” she whispered.

  “Yes, I’m a Menders’ Man – a spy,” he answered. “I gather information myself, other information is collected at Borsen’s. People talk to tailors, just as they talk to barbers, bartenders and hairdressers.”

  “Me too,” Stevahn added softly. “Financiers hear lots of things. I contribute financial information that isn’t public knowledge as well.”

  Katrin looked at Eiren.

  “It was during the year I was at teacher’s college in Erdahn, when you were fifteen,” she answered. “The man who sent all those assassins after the family was trying to use me as a source of information about The Shadows. Kaymar, Ifor and I tried to kill him.”

  Katrin turned toward Franz.

  “Of course I know everything that goes on, I’m the damn house doctor,” he said gruffly. “I’m a dead man if it all comes to light. I was in on the formation of Menders’ Men, which is an illegal military unit. I know who’s killed who, who’s spying. I patch up those who have been injured in action. I have my personal roasting spit all picked out.”

  Hemmett met her eyes. “Yes, I know everything and I’ve helped with everything,” he said. “They’ll have a hells of a fight if they try to kill me.”

  She finally looked at Menders.

  “Why haven’t I been told all this?” she asked incredulously.

  “Because you’ve been ill. Because at times you were too young. Because I’ve protected you far too well,” he answered. “In hindsight, the wrong thing to do, but I made the best decisions I could. Now only you can make the decision as to what you will do.”

  “How can you expect me to?”

  “I have never thought for you!” Menders snapped, his voice like the crack of a whip. “Don’t begin to imply that I have when I’ve stood aside and forced myself to accept decisions and actions of yours that I knew weren’t the best. Stop being emotional. Think over your options and decide what you’re going to do! Then do it – as everyone here and Kaymar have always done what they must – without flinching.”

  He got up and left the room.

  ***

  Katrin looked up to see Kaymar coming toward her across the garden. It was an early autumn day and she had left the over-quiet atmosphere of the house because every nerve in her body was crawling.

  Borsen and Stevahn went back to Erdahn according to plan, anxious to see what was
happening to financial markets and other business matters since the death of the Queen. They’d said nothing more about Katrin’s situation, though she knew they were both troubled and concerned for her. Borsen held her close for a long time before leaving.

  It was the same with everyone else involved in that meeting. No-one brought up the issue. Sometimes the silence was deafening while Katrin felt abandoned and at sea. Discourse was the staff of life at The Shadows; people talked all the time. Sometimes they argued and had shouting matches. For people to refuse to talk because they feared she would base her decision on what they said was alien to her. She knew they were right, but this decision was one she didn’t want to make.

  The only person who showed outward anger was Kaymar and he wasn’t keeping silent.

  “Kaymar, I really don’t want to talk to you,” she said warningly.

  “I don’t care,” he retorted, standing where she would have to go past him to escape. “Every day Aidelia is on the Throne lessens your chances if you’re going to challenge her or have her eliminated. You’ve decided to do nothing, haven’t you?”

  “I’m not finished thinking about it.”

  “That’s absurd. You’ve already wasted the time where we could have acted the most easily. Just be honest with me – you’re going to be a good girl, do as your mad sister says and stay here as a sitting duck, endangering everyone around you. Isn’t that right?”

  Katrin stood and glared at him.

  “What do you mean?” she snapped.

  “Katrin, have you thought of the danger everyone else will be in if you continue to live here, with all the covert operations going on in Menders’ network? Do you have any idea how many people are involved, Katrin?”

  “There are fifty-five Menders’ Men,” she said angrily.

  “There are over three hundred Menders’ Men in the world, with more than one hundred of them here in Mordania and at risk! Yes, that’s right. All the Men in Mordania will be at risk, including Borsen, as long as you sit here and do nothing!”