CHAPTER EIGHT
It took much longer than Evangeline anticipated for the trip to be organised. While she believed she could simply go to the stables and mount her horse, Tempest, Glais had been quick to remind Evangeline that there needed to be some accountability for their safety. Guards needed to be found, and Glais needed donations while they were away. Evangeline did not wish to know those particulars, and so she went instead to her rooms and collected a small selection of dresses to be taken with them.
Most of the day had come to pass before they could leave, and Evangeline could not relax. Glais and Evangeline were alone in the first carriage and with nothing to occupy herself beside anxious thoughts for her mother Evangeline watching Glais. Glais never truly meeting her eyes in return. The last time they had travelled alone like this, it had been nothing but arguments, and Glais did not fancy starting a new one now. All of his words were tainted in Evangeline’s ears. Their silence was uncomfortable, and the best she could hope for was sleep during the worst of the journey just to help the passage of time.
There were safe houses that Glais knew of, but at the first sign of slowing down, Evangeline would urge the drivers to ride faster. Never before had the trip from Braykith to Crimah been covered so quickly, or as dangerously. Glais promised his riders that they would have a far more relaxing trip home.
Darius came rushing from the Manor to greet them. He was wearing a deep red shirt that clasped around his wrists. A vest was worn over the top, cinching his body lightly with a series of buckles running down his front. Simple black pants tucked into shoes all seemed rather dull to Evangeline now after living in Braykith for so long. She knew these were good clothes, and finely made, but they paled when compared with the Braykith wardrobe.
Glais had been sure to send a raven explaining their arrival, but there was very little the young man could have done to prepare the lands for the return of his sister and her husband.
“Evangeline.” Darius smiled, and the pair embraced. Glais never got looked upon or officially greeted by Darius as Evangeline took control of the conversation immediately.
“Tell me, Darius, what has been happening in my absence?” Evangeline looked around the courtyard and yet there seemed to be no change to the appearance as she remembered it.
Darius started leading the way inside, and Glais was forced to follow on behind, excluded from the siblings as they spoke.
“There was a flurry of illnesses that crept through the lands. It started on the outskirts of town, but quickly made a path of its own making towards the manor.” Darius did not know much more than that, and it showed as he looked defeated in his own inability to correctly relay the news to Evangeline. “Every precaution was taken, but it breached the walls within days of it first arriving, and Mother was quickly forced to bed.”
“Is Mother still?” Evangeline could not bring herself to ask the full question, but there was no need for it. Darius knew exactly what she was asking.
He nodded. “But do not get excited. Mother does not move. She does not speak. The staff is forcing soup as often as she will take it, but the physician had declared her days over.”
Evangeline gasped, the images set by these words made her skin crawl, and she was forced to hug herself because there was no other suitable partner here to give her council. Glais would never imagine trying such intimacy with their relationship so hindered as it was at that moment.
“Take Evangeline to visit your mother. I shall tend to the horses and move our bags to your room.” Glais offered, but he knew that Darius was already acting on the offer before Glais could even truly suggest it. Watching Evangeline walk side by side with her brother, Glais feared what she may find, but he knew better than to force himself on a grieving family. Not being able to assist her in this time made his heart ache, and yet he was aware that to speak of such emotions would only intensify Evangeline’s hatred for him.
Glais turned to the horses when a man approached him from across the clearing. Glais recognised him from the few trips Benedict had made to Braykith before today on official business. Benedict was a hard man to miss. Tall and with a solid build, Glais always thought him to be more warrior than a negotiator. The fading sun in the distance brought his red beard to life, neatly shaved close to his face and unchanging since their first meeting years ago.
Benedict bowed before Glais, but the formality did not last long. The men shook hands, and together they fell into step towards the carriages.
“How were your travels?’ Benedict asked. As always he seemed invested in Glais’ response, but he knew that Benedict was a close negotiator to Earl Barret and always looking for a manipulative upper hand. Sigourney would behave the same for his father, and Glais took so ill will against him.
“Evangeline would not let the horses rest, and demanded they take the track as swiftly as possible,” Glais explained. “I hope your stables are well stocked. Even the smallest of the Braykith mares eat more than your mightiest stallion.” Glais laughed gently, and Benedict nodded.
“Of course. We were surprised by your abrupt arrival, but we are prepared.” He paused to speak to the servants that had appeared to help the process of settling the wares and the horses. “Deliver the luggage to Lady Evangeline’s old rooms.” He dismissed them quickly after giving orders, and no one questioned him. It was a level of respect not usually reserved for Benedict, and Glais was curious how it came to be. “And the stables are being prepared for the horses.” Benedict seemed desperate to reassure Glais of their usefulness.
Satisfied that the animals would be cared for, Glais returned his attention to Benedict in an effort to judge why the man had come to him. Surely this task did not need his skill. “Where is Earl Barret? My father expressed concerns for his health.” Glais went on to explain, which was not a lie. Quintus had been concerned for the ruler of Crimah. Glais had not been worried until the man had not appeared to greet his daughter upon her arrival.
“His Grace is not well, but not in the ways that perhaps your father fears,” Benedict said, and refused to maintain eye contact with Glais until the last of the servants had disappeared out of earshot. “I am afraid things are not well here within Crimah, my Lord.” Benedict looked to the side, but there was no one to hear his objections. “The Lady of Crimah has not taken ill by a mysterious illness. She has been poisoned.”
Glais was shocked by such a revelation. “Poisoned? Are you sure?” he asked.
Benedict shook his head. “I cannot be certain, but I am highly suspicious. I have not told the children of such things because Darius is still so young and Eva is a newly taken bride, but in recent times there have been small attacks upon this city from within its intimate borders.”
Glais instantly wanted to rush to Evangeline’s side, and he supposed he took a step in the manor’s direction because Benedict grabbed his upper arm and halted his quick escape. “Release me,” Glais demanded, but the words were useless since Benedict had let him go.
“If I believed that telling them would do any good, I would have done so, but they are too young to remember the war. Glais, you yourself, would only remember the stories and songs.” Benedict tried to reason with Glais, but he faltered for a moment before the Prince nodded. Benedict relaxed a little. There was no further argument that he could give to Glais. Benedict motioned Glais to follow him as the servants returned for the last of the baggage. “How much do you know about the early days of the rebellion?”
Glais frowned as he tried to think back. He had been around eight, and it was true that his memory was instead influenced mostly by the stories he had been told and not witnessed. “Barret was sneaky and unrelenting in his attacks. He slowly broke down the people of Zorelian. The ways he did these things, I cannot be certain. My father told me many blamed the Braykith dark arts.”
Benedict nodded. “Which we both know is false. Your father is no more a magician than I am.” Benedict quickly dismissed the notion. “Barret placed his own loyal men within the
city limits, close to the King, and for years these spies worked on learning the habits of the Kingdom.”
“Barret is a very diligent man.” Glais felt the need to defend the man since Barret was his wife’s father.
Benedict nodded quickly. “Oh yes, I mean no ill will against the Lord of this Manor and your father in law, but these are the facts as they happened.” Benedict was a fair man in Glais’ opinion. His job made Glais trust him, and so the tension broke before it could actually begin the build. “After Barret collected intelligence he struck out with poison against the people of Zorelian. It was a slowly building from the fields and towards the castle proper.”
Glais did know that to be true, and while Barret was celebrated in Braykith for his sneaky war tactics, Glais had always felt there was something wrong with attacking the weak. He supposed though that there was no other option for Barret during those times. “Are the symptoms the same?” Glais asked, wishing to move on from such dark talk of Barret’s past horrors. “Could it be the same poison?”
Benedict shook his head. “I had the same hope my Grace. If it was the same poison, perhaps Barret had an antidote.”
Glais did not share with the man that he had been more suspicious that someone from within Barret’s own home had turned double agent, and this attack was the revenge many had been seeking. “We did not see any trouble on the road.” He offered Benedict the only information he had.
“You arrived far ahead of schedule. Your horses and Evangeline’s determination ensured that any news that you were travelling would come too late for anyone from the rebellion to use it to their advantage.” Benedict paused. “It does not mean we will have the same luxury when you leave.”
Glais sighed, looking back the way they had come and saw nothing that prompted him to fear the travel ahead. “We are already suspicious that there were spies within the castle. Evangeline was attacked when she first came to Braykith. The rebellion is growing stronger, their egos enlarged and I assume they have inherited a new leader who is charismatic enough to force these poor souls to do his bidding.” Glais ran his hand along the side of his face, following the line of his jaw as he considered their limited knowledge and how best to use it.
CHAPTER NINE
Darius lead Evangeline inside, and it did not take long before she came face to face with her father. They had barely spoken since he confronted her about her arranged marriage, and she felt the memory of the sting when he had slapped her. Still, she bowed to him, a smile in place because Barret was still her father and she still needed to respect him for that fact alone.
It was as if Barret had forgotten about their last discussion, Barret laughing as he pulled Evangeline into an embrace. Startled, she let him, but there was no warmth between them. She was not sure why Barret felt the need to put on such a show when they did not have an audience, but Evangeline did her best to return the hug and quickly returned to Darius’ side before Barret could attempt any further interactions.
“You arrived sooner than I expected,” Barret said in such a tone that Evangeline felt that she needed to apologise. Instead, she held her tongue. Evangeline was not sorry for arriving back in Crimah to share the last few moments of her mother’s life. “But no matter, your room is exactly how you left it.” Barret forced a smile to his face and Evangeline nodded.
“Thank you,” Evangeline muttered. She did not understand who this man was. The way he spoke seemed almost maniacal in comparison to how she remembered him. Evangeline briefly wondered if he might be drunk or drugged. She gave Darius a sideways glance, but he did not acknowledge it. Perhaps she was the only one who realised the differences in her father because she had been gone for so long.
“How long has mother been sick?” Evangeline asked, and knew it was the wrong thing to say. Darius looked down at his hands, explicitly avoiding her while Barret coughed into a fisted hand that was being held too tight against his mouth as if he was making an effort not to strike out violently.
“It has been close to a week now,” Darius said gently, his voice barely heard even in the quiet hallway in which they stood.
“I warned her about the locals.” Her father interrupted them. “That was where this started, out there.” Barret pointed, and Evangeline followed the direction of his accusing finger, but she couldn’t see anything but the Crimah lands she had grown up on. “I think it was the animals,” Barret grumbled, Darius nodding.
“The animals?” While it was not unheard of for their livestock to fall ill from time to time, it certainly did not pass to humans as far as Evangeline knew. “How could an animal virus pass to people?” she asked but was silenced quickly when her father narrowed his eyes on her. She had forgotten that her opinion here was not asked for, and her questions were not invited.
“We can’t be sure, but first animals started showing up mutilated,” Darius said.
“Bleeding from their mouth and eyes,” Barret added, and Evangeline blinked in surprise at how gleeful he sounded as he openly spoke about such horrible things. “And then the people started to go missing.”
“Missing?” she asked Darius, knowing he would answer her.
“That is the best way to explain it. Several people were reported missing in the woods.” Darius paused, seeming to second-guess himself, but when no one didn’t interrupt him, he went on. “There was nothing peculiar about them before they disappeared. All of them had been going about their usual routine.” Darius shrugged, looking uncomfortable but Barret didn’t stop him, so he continued. “A few people going missing isn’t unheard of, but you know we are a small province even though we own all of this newly acquired land. It was slow for the locals to start moving further out from the original barriers of Crimah. “After losing half a dozen, we could feel the effects here. We were running behind on all systems.”
Evangeline understood their hesitation on leaving. The threat of the rebellion had been hidden from her growing up, but not from everyone. They wished to remain close to the power. “These men were never found?” Evangeline asked.
Barret cleared his throat loudly, interrupting Darius before he could answer her. “Never. We never even found their bodies.”
“And Father went looking for them.” Darius hoped to secure some faith in Barret even with his eccentric mood swings. “We couldn’t have people just leaving Crimah. He wanted to know why they were abandoning their families.” Darius said looking nervous, and Evangeline knew why. Her father looked at his son with a dark gaze, a warning to stop talking or he will enforce it with violence.
“I knew they were running away to Braykith. They knew something we were not aware of concerning the King.” Barret spat out Quintus’ title, and Evangeline was surprised on how much his attitude had changed in the few months since she had seen him last. Less than a full year had passed since her wedding day and yet it appeared that Barret’s affections for Quintus were no longer there.
“There has been no one coming to Braykith,” Evangeline answered, feeling the need to protect her new Kingdom since her father had been so bold as to forcibly remove her from this one. “Quintus still trusts you as allies.”
Barret scoffed at her. “As if a King would tell a girl he planned to steal her home from under my feet.” He shook his head. “This is why he never consented to the marriage between Darius and his daughter.”
“Adeline?” Evangeline asked, knowing it had to be the daughter Barret was referring to since Quintus had no other children.
“Whatever her name is. Quintus refused to make the trade.” Barret looked back down the hall suddenly, something in the corner of his eyes grabbing his attention. He was sure that he had seen someone lurking just out of his sight.
This distraction gave Evangeline time to silently consult her brother about this revelation. He shook his head quickly and with very little movement so not to attract his father’s attention. In Evangeline’s opinions, Darius was looking a little shocked at the news he had been given, and Evangeline believed his re
action to be genuine. She was glad that Quintus had not agreed to the arrangement. Adeline was not mature enough for her brother.
“How was it mother became ill?” Evangeline asked, hoping to move the topic forward and finally getting the answers she desperately needed.
“Too much time with the locals. Thea caught it from them. And once you have it, there is no stopping it.” Barret clenched his fist, but with nothing to take his anger out on, he was stuck holding it closed firmly at his side. Evangeline took a small step backward as he raged on. “I told Thea a hundred times to stay indoors, and keep away from the people but she wanted to help them.”
“The number of infected people was growing,” Darius explained, his voice seeming meeker than usual when compared to the loud sound of their father. “It started on the outer edges of the province, but slowly we found cases closer to the manor. Quarantine didn’t work, and the death rate was growing out of hand.”
“You are being dramatic.” Barret waved off the concerns of his son as if they were nothing. “We cannot be certain that every missing person concluded in death.”
“If the illness did not take them, then the rebels did,” Darius said suddenly, shocked by his own outcry and he took a moment to pull himself back together. He had always been level headed, but this was a sign that the pressure of being here in Crimah was starting to affect him more than Evangeline thought it would.
Knowing their father’s favouritism for Darius over herself, she imagined that Darius had an easier life and fewer chances of messing up with harsh consequences. Clearly, this might no longer be the case. “Have you seen the rebels nearby?” Evangeline asked.
Darius nodded. “Not personally, but people talk. Since the attack on your carriage, there was a time where sightings were non-existent. But the peace did not last for long. They were still rare, but the rebels are braver than before. They are coming in closer to our lands again.”
Delusions of Loyalty (The Braykith Series Book 2) Page 6