by Dawn Peers
Well of Tears
Empath: Book Three
Dawn Peers
A PERMUTED PRESS BOOK
Published at Smashwords
ISBN: 978-1-68261-031-2
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-68261-032-9
WELL OF TEARS
Empath Book 3
© 2015 by Dawn Peers
All Rights Reserved
Cover art by Christian Bentulan
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.
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Many people thank their best friends for standing by them through everything that life throws at them. No matter what, the friend was on the end of a phone, or at least these days, a keyboard, in your time of need. Okay, sure, you were there for all of that, but you know what helped the most?
You’re not normal, but that’s not a bad thing. Just go with it.
CONTENTS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
About the Author
1
Eden and Quinn stepped off the jetty at Port Kahnel arm-in-arm, eyeing the silent cluster of Sevenspells guardsmen that stood awaiting them. Ross, now firmly their friend rather than Quinn’s master or King Vance’s chamberlain, followed closely behind them. The sailors from the ship that had carried them back to the port from Farn, Sha’sek’s principal island, prepared to disembark. Four of them carried a litter containing the still-prone body of the Sha’sekian swordmaster Tarik, unconscious after his exposure to the cruel fogs in the Sea of Sighs.
Quinn knew how personally devastating those fogs could be. Tarik was a good man, and she hoped that he would recover. Without a skilled Sha’sekian healer though Tarik’s chances were slim, and now back in Port Kahnel, standing before the unfurled banners of Sevenspells, she felt her hackles rise. It was not a small greeting party. Over two-dozen footmen waited with a dozen mounted riders, and all of them stood with weapons readily to hand. She placed her hand around Eden’s wrist, squeezing hard and seeking reassurance. Quinn could feel the pride rolling from the assembled soldiers like a mist unfurling from a shrouded river, and nothing good came from feelings like that.
“Why are they here, Eden?”
“I don’t know.” He whispered back at her, still walking forward steadily.
A couple of the riders nudged themselves out of line, and Quinn recognised Harn, the gnarled and cynical second-in-command of Sevenspell’s guardsmen, as well as River, Eden’s insipid older brother. Harn addressed Eden as the couple took their first step back onto solid ground. The man’s gaze pointedly avoided Quinn, and the rebuke was not lost on her.
“Lord Eden, welcome back to civilised lands. The roads aren’t safe for noble blood to travel on their own anymore; we’re here to escort you back to the crown city of Sevenspells.”
Forgetting protocol, Ross barged past them both. “I’m sorry, did I hear you say the crown city of Sevenspells?”
Harn turned to Ross with a snarl, his face turning cruel and vicious. “I did. And that reminds me,” Harn raised his arm, and four men brought their mounts out of the mess of tackle and banners. “By the order of King Shiver, you, Ross, are to be taken under the protection of the crown.”
“Protection?” Ross scoffed. “And I suppose I will be kept safe in the city gaol?”
“Our liege found the gaol in Everfell to be quite safe; he wants to return the favour in kind.”
“You’ll have a job taking me.” Ross; hand darted to his scabbard to draw a blade that wasn’t there. He hadn’t worn it during the crossing, and as he was not expecting an armed reception when they arrived, his sword was with the rest of his gear still being offloaded from the vessel.
“Ross, no!” Quinn tried to make her voice sound calm, but she screeched, sounding childish and panicked. Eden dropped her arm and they stood either side of their friend, imploring him to stand down.
“My father probably wants you to put up a fight and be taken away by force, Ross. Don’t give him the satisfaction. He’s not going to hurt you if you don’t protest. Please go quietly with them, and I can explain how you’ve saved my life. He hasn’t got anything to convict you of.”
“He doesn’t need anything to convict me, not if he’s acting king. What’s happened here?”
“Eden, we don’t have any time to waste talking. It’s all gone horribly wrong.” River’s voice sounded even more timid than Quinn’s. “We can explain on the way, but your friend needs to submit.”
“Your brother is correct, my lord.” Harn waved his arm, and a page rushed forward to grab his horse’s reins as the guardsman dismounted. He rushed up the jetty to where Eden stood ignoring the looks both Ross and Quinn gave him. Harn, like Ross, was a veteran of the Empath Wars, the last conflict to ignite the lands of both Everfell and Sha’sek. Unlike Ross, Harn had been on what was seen by most as the winning side. Harn wasn’t a man to be easily intimidated, which made him a natural choice to lead the heavy arm of Sevenspell’s fighting forces. “Lord Eden, you must make haste. I have my orders. They are from your father’s hand. Here,” Harn swept a sealed parchment from under his cloak, passing it to Eden. “The king thought you would have reason to doubt, given all you have experienced recently. He wanted to make sure that you would know, from his own lips, what has happened whilst you have been away.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Eden’s response was cagey, but he took the proffered message, snapping the seal and unfurling the pale parchment. He recognised the tight, deliberate lettering of Shiver, a man not used to sitting down and writing when he had men perfectly capable of writing for him.
Eden. If you are reading this, then I know that you have returned from Sha’sek, and that you are safe. I am well, as are your brothers, and your mother. Much has happened in your absence, and all of it fast. I will try to be brief.
Sammah has taken control of Vance, and of Everfell. Vance sits on the throne, but sources say he is a hollow puppet, and Sammah is effectively ruling in his stead. I had no choice. I did not want to fight Vance, but I do not want to see a Sha’sekian sitting on an Everfell throne.
I have declared war. I have gathered the lords unaffected by Sammah’s schemes around me, and they have unanimously voted me their king. I do not speak to you as a rebel; I speak to you as a man reluctantly raising his sword to defend his home, and his people.
Sha’sekians are not to be trusted. This includes any that have fought with them. You are expected to be with the empath Quinn; the healer, Maertn; the chamberlain Ross, who fought on the side of Sha’sek during the Empath War. They are all complicit in Sammah’s schemes, and will be taken under arrest.
They will not be harmed, in that you have my word. But I must protect our people, at all costs. I have sent River as a further gesture to show you the truth of my
intentions. We both know his heart is delicate, and would not cope with bearing you any deceit. I have sent you Harn, because the roads are not safe with a manipulative Sha’sekian on the throne. We are at war and blood has already been spilled.
Join me, Eden, and make haste. Do not waste a moment; Sammah seeks you all.
Eden lowered the parchment, feeling his stomach twist with anxiety. What orphans did Sammah have left in Everfell? How could his father expect him to just forfeit Ross and Quinn—neither of them subject to Eden’s will—to the custody of Sevenspells? Ross snatched the parchment, and Eden didn’t resist. Ross’ lips moved wordlessly as he scanned down the page. The further down he read, the more his dark brows furrowed.
“You believe this?” Ross scrunched the paper in one hand, shaking it at Eden.
“How can I not? Who else should I believe? Pax already told us that Sammah had escaped.”
“What’s happened?” Quinn asked.
“Sammah is controlling Vance. My father says the baron is ruling Everfell. The lords have elected my father to be king, and they’ve declared war.”
“Lynton said there wouldn’t be a war without us knowing.”
“No, Quinn,” Eden interrupted. “The war isn’t against Sha’sek. It’s against Everfell. Sammah, it seems, is acting alone. His brother had told us all along. War would come to Everfell, and he’d wait to see how much we weakened each other before Sha’sek would strike. He’s judged it perfectly.”
Harn looked from Eden, to Ross and Quinn. His men had moved closer, blocking their route off the jetty, unless they wanted to risk a trip into the water. Quinn hadn’t survived two traumatic crossings of the Sighs just to be thrown back into Sammah’s arms. If Shiver wanted her to go to Sevenspells, she was open to following his orders, if it kept her from her father’s unforgiving bosom.
“What has your father said, Eden?”
“He wants me to go home. He says you and Ross are to submit to him.”
“What does that mean? “Quinn’s eyes watered, and Eden grabbed both her hands in his, desperate to reassure her.
“It doesn’t mean anything, Quinn, he just wants to make sure that he knows where you are.”
“Eden’s lying,” Ross said. “His father’s calling us all traitors, Quinn. They even mention Maertn. He doesn’t trust us! He’s said that you were complicit in what Sammah’s been doing. He’s promised not to hurt us, but I didn’t trust the word of Shiver as a lord, and I definitely don’t trust him now that he’s king.”
Harn didn’t waste the opportunity Ross gave him with those words. “Treason—guards!”
“No! Stop this! Harn, you’re making them say this.”
“I’m not making them say anything. This man has been bending your ear for too long, my lord. He’s always been a Sha’sekian sympathiser. And the less said about this woman, the better.”
Eden’s hand went straight to his hilt. “You be very careful about which words you pick next, Harn. They might be your last.”
“You do realise what she is, don’t you? What her kind are capable of? She’s manipulating you, just like her father wanted her to. She doesn’t love you. She just wants to stay alive and disrupt the throne. Her kind know nothing but deceit.” Harn spat to the ground, barely missing Quinn, who stepped behind Eden.
“I love her, and her love for me has never been in question. I will repeat myself only once more, Harn. Mind your words.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think or say. Your father has decreed that she will be brought back to Sevenspells, and she’s not a free woman.”
“I missed some words in that parchment, Harn,” Eden said. “Unfortunately it’s not available for me to check again.” As if on cue, Ross tossed the screwed-up roll over his shoulder into the bay. “I read that she was to be brought under Sevenspells’ protection. That sounds like she’s free to me, until my father decides otherwise.”
The men were nose to nose, and Quinn, feeling Eden’s ire growing to breaking point, stepped in front of him. “I’ll come. I’ll be fine, Eden. Like you said, I’m not a prisoner. And besides, I’d rather be in Sevenspells with you, than in Everfell and back within Sammah’s reach.”
Harn sniffed, stepping back sharply, as if coming in contact with Quinn would somehow taint him. He acknowledged Quinn’s words, but he refused to look at her. Eden didn’t think he could hate Harn anymore, but the veteran was doing his best to make Eden murder him in his sleep.
“I have no doubt you’ll be safer in Sevenspells than you will in Everfell, but it doesn’t mean that I’m happy about this.”
“Send me to Sammah then, we’ll see how quickly you begin to regret that decision.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Quinn, I just don’t trust my father around you, nor anyone else.” Eden shot Harn a look at this, and the aggressive snarl finally left the guardsman’s face. Behind them, sailors were starting to form a crowd, eager to be back on solid ground and unsure at why their path was blocked. After the fight between the gifted Sha’sekians, most of them wanted to get the empath girl and her unconscious friend as far away from their vessel as possible.
“This isn’t the time or place for this argument,” Ross said. “Let’s get out of the port.”
“That’s the first sensible thing I’ve ever heard you say, chamberlain,” Harn said. “Come on men, move out!”
“Wait!” River cried in his reedy voice.
“What is it now?” Harn was starting to lose his temper.
“We haven’t got everyone yet. We can’t go."
“What do you mean, everyone?” Harn was silent for a second before snapping his fingers in realisation. “The healer, where is he?”
“He’s not here. He didn’t travel with us. Pax ordered him to be kept a hostage in Farn, so he stayed behind,” Quinn replied, jutting out her jaw as if to dare Harn to challenge her.
“Hostage? That’s ridiculous, he’s one of your own isn’t he?”
“I’m still not sure what one of mine is, let alone what I’m supposed to be. All I know is that Maertn is in Sha’sek, and I am here.”
Harn pointed back at the soldiers carrying the wounded man. “And who is he?”
“His name is Tarik,” Eden answered. “He was injured on the crossing, and I’ve promised him safe passage and treatment from my father’s healers.”
At this, Eden turned and waved some of the sailors forward. Tarik was being borne in a small litter, and the swordsmasters’s pale form rocked back and forth as it was brought off the ship and onto the dock. He was placed down in front of Eden’s feet, and Harn looked down at the man in disdain.
“This? You want me to put effort in taking this back to Sevenspells?”
“If you want me to come back to Sevenspells, you’d best well put the effort in. I have given my word, and I shan’t back down on it.”
“Do you somehow think you are in a position to make demands?"
“I should think so Harn, seeing as I’m the one here representing my father’s name, and you are merely one of his retinue. You will bear Tarik, and our men will treat him with the respect he is due. It is not his fault he was injured, and he was sent in good faith, to protect me once I arrived here. I have a lot of time and have a large task on my hands trying to convince my father that not everyone in Sha’sek is out for Everfell blood, but I intend to do my utmost when we get back to the city. Quinn is not a threat; Tarik is not a threat; Ross is not a threat. None of these people are to be put in chains as we travel, and they are not to be treated like prisoners. Is that clear?”
Harn sniffed at this. “Well, that…thing lying there clearly isn’t a threat. I think you’re mistaken where the rest of them are concerned, but you are unfortunately correct on protocol. I am not in a position to argue with you. We will, therefore do as you command, though on your head be it. As you are all my witness, I want everyone here to know that I said that she is a danger, and so is he.” Harn pointed at both Ross and Quinn, and whilst Ross’ jaw se
t and his skin reddened as he kept his anger in check, Quinn cast her eyes shamefully to the floor. She felt like a threat, and she still didn’t feel like she belonged anywhere. All she knew, was that she wanted to keep out of Sammah’s clutches. She was desperate to be anywhere but Everfell at that point, and she would gladly go in chains with Harn if it meant keeping away from her adoptive father.
“Quinn, you’re coming with me. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Thank you, Eden.” Quinn kept her voice quiet and meek, in direct contrast to Eden’s proud defence and Ross's unhinged ire. She didn’t have the energy to fight any of them. The Sea of Sighs had exhausted her, and she didn’t open herself out up to these men to gauge their intentions, for fear it would take the last out of her. She didn’t have Maertn with her any more, and he was the only healer skilled enough to bring her back when she expended her powers too much.
She hadn’t thought of it as any more than an idle threat when Maertn was kept behind on Farn. Pax had convinced him that staying would be better for the healer, effectively turning him against Quinn. Now she knew, the way she felt, that the threat was true, and the threat was very real. She wouldn’t be able to survive without Maertn; she wouldn’t be able to use the entire range of her gift without him there to heal her. Quinn had already nearly died more than once, though accidentally, and she had seen texts that all but admitted she would have been dead but for the skills of a Sha’sekian healer. Effectively, her powers had been castrated. The baron had known exactly what he was doing when he sent Quinn back across the Sea of Sighs on her own.
As men began to push past her, Quinn pushed herself up against Eden, pressing her head in between his shoulder blades and wrapping her arms around his waist. He pulled her gently forwards, wrapping a protective arm around her and guiding her to one side of the docks, so they did not get lost in the flow of sailors. Harn started directing men to get Tarik into one of their wagons. He would be carried safely along with the rest of the goods back to Sevenspells. Harn looked like he was about to instruct Ross to be put in irons, but after Eden’s orders, one glare from the chamberlain made sure that didn’t happen.