The Return of Absent Souls (After The Rift Book 6)

by C. J. Archer

  “Someone must have seen it happen,” Dane said. “They must have reported you to the authorities.”

  Quentin lowered his head. “My father reported me. I was arrested, and because it was my own father, the magistrate said it was a heinous crime and sentenced me to the prison mine.”

  Balthazar clasped Quentin’s shoulder. “You are welcome to make the palace your home now. I’ll see that there’s always work here for you.”

  Quentin merely shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe.”

  “Or you can go to medical college if you want,” I said. “We’ll find a way, even with your criminal record.”

  “I’ll see to it,” Dane said, ruffling Quentin’s hair. “You don’t have to return to your father’s house.”

  Quentin gave him a sheepish look. “My father was real sorry when I was sentenced to a prison mine in Freedland. He thought I’d just end up in a regular prison for a short while. I think he regretted reporting me.”

  “He has more to regret than that,” Balthazar said. “I may not have children, but I like to think I’d make a better father than yours.”

  Erik thumped Balthazar on the back so hard that Balthazar almost lost his balance. Erik caught him and steadied him, his grin still in place.

  “But why did the sorcerer make Quentin a guard?” Erik squeezed Quentin’s arm. “He is puny.”

  “To protect him?” Balthazar said with a shrug. “You, Dane, Max and the others took care of him, just as they took care of Leon in the mine. Perhaps the sorcerer thought it best to keep him close to you.”

  Erik punched Quentin lightly and winked at him when Quentin frowned back. “Lucky you. Being a guard is the best. Better than a footman.”

  “What about you, Erik?” I asked the Marginer. “Were you arrested for horse theft?”

  “Aye,” he said. “In Freedland.”

  “But why did you leave the Margin in the first place?”

  “I slept with the wrong woman. She was the wife of my clan’s chief.” He sighed theatrically. “She was beautiful but far above me. I was one of her personal guard, but she ignored me. Until one day, she stopped ignoring me and slept with me.” He grinned. “My smile and charm won her affection.”

  “But her husband found out,” Theodore said. He must have heard the story when they were prisoners together in the mine.

  “Aye, the chief wanted to kill me. In the Margin, when a man’s wife strays, the husband and the lover must decide who wins her by hand to hand combat.” He raised his fists and settled into a fighting stance. “But he knew I would win. I was young and handsome.”

  “Being handsome doesn’t count in a fight,” Quentin said, smirking.

  “I was strong and good with my fists. He could not beat me. So he sent an assassin to kill me in my sleep. But I awoke and fought the assassin off then escaped. It was the only way to keep my freedom. If I stayed, I either win the fight or he sends another assassin and I die.”

  Quentin frowned. “Isn’t winning the fight a good thing?”

  “No! Because then I would have to marry his wife. She was beautiful and lovely, but I did not wish to marry her.” Erik wrinkled his nose. “Marriage is for men like you and Dane.” He winked at Dane. “Men who can only love one woman. I have to love many.”

  Quentin rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to.”

  Erik blinked up at the ceiling, as if giving this serious thought. Then with a shrug of his shoulders, he dismissed the notion. “You are wrong. I have to. It is who I am.”

  Dane poured himself an ale but had barely taken a sip before announcing he should leave to see that celebrations were being prepared. “We’ll wait for Max to return before we have our meeting in the commons.” He pecked my cheek before I even knew what he was doing and turned to Balthazar. “I almost forgot in the excitement. The gem. I should keep it safe for you until we decide what to use the third wish on.”

  Balthazar jangled his pocket. “It’s here. It’s safe.”

  “We will protect him,” Erik said. “Me and Quentin, and Max when he gets back.”

  “We’ll all go to the commons,” Theodore said, rising. “The Deerhorns won’t trouble us there.”

  Dane was about to leave when Balthazar beckoned him back. “You should know that we were right about the high priest. I did tell him what I’d discovered about you in the temple’s archives. I wanted his opinion. He suggested we burn your parents’ marriage document and your birth registration. He wanted Freedland to remain a republic. With that evidence in existence, he could foresee the Averlea royalists winning once they got enough support.”

  Dane nodded, as if it were just another piece of the complex puzzle of his life. He didn’t seem to care overmuch. I suspected he’d long since come to terms with how events had played out—and the high priest’s role in them.

  “Dane’s mere existence threatened to end the republic,” I added. “Or so the high priest thought. He hoped the prison mine would do what he couldn’t.”

  “What about Glancia?” Dane asked. “Did he care what happened here?”

  “He wanted to kill two birds with one stone,” Balthazar said. “Your death would mean neither the Averlea nor the Glancian throne would have an heir. Freedland would remain a republic and the Glancian dukes would battle it out but hopefully have no clear winner, sowing the seeds to becoming a republic.”

  “No doubt he would have helped those seeds grow by speaking seditious words into the right ears,” Dane added.

  “I couldn’t believe it when he suggested sending assassins to murder you. I couldn’t condone that, not until I’d determined for myself what your plans were. I left Tilting that night and raced south. I warned you immediately upon my arrival in Noxford, but it was too late. The high priest’s message reached the authorities before you could go into hiding.”

  “Thank you, Bal. I’m glad our accusations weren’t way off.”

  “I’m prepared to tell the dukes and other nobles what he did,” Balthazar said. “If it’s what you want.”

  “The high priest will refute your claim. He’ll say you’re lying.”

  “And I will say I’m not. I think with Yelena’s letters from Prince Hugo, it will be enough.”

  Dane gave a single nod. “Let’s not worry about it. We have something to celebrate, and I intend to do just that.” He glanced at me then strode out of the garrison.

  We followed behind at a distance. I was quite happy to maintain a slower pace. I wanted to find out more about their pasts.

  “Do you remember Leon in the prison mine?” I asked.

  “He whined all the time,” Quentin said. “Such a little turd.”

  “He was a fool,” Balthazar added. “But he’d been orphaned from a young age and brought up by a troop of actors in Vytill. Acting was his whole life. He knew nothing else. I think he spent so long pretending to be someone he wasn’t, he could no longer maintain the façade in the mine when the situation became desperate. That’s when his true nature came out.”

  “He wasn’t too bright,” Theodore said on a sigh. “He mocked King Phillip when he was in Merrin.”

  Quentin snorted. “I might have failed at engineering, but he failed common sense.”

  “Is that a subject they teach at college?” Erik asked.

  Theodore laughed softly. “No, but it should be.”

  We continued the walk towards the two forecourts, the palace’s northern wing on our right. It was some distance and it seemed even further thanks to Balthazar’s plodding pace. We rounded the first of the pavilions flanking the forecourts to see some of the servants milling around the fountain, talking. Dane stood on the porch steps with the two dukes and Kitty, her hand wrapped tightly around her husband’s arm.

  Dane said something to the dukes then continued on his way towards the commons, situated behind the far pavilion. The dukes gave brief bows to his retreating figure.

  Kitty spotted us and excused herself. The duke of Buxton gave a short bow as she departed. Kit
ty’s husband, the duke of Gladstow, merely scowled. Both retreated back into the palace.

  Kitty took my hands in both of hers, a grin splitting her face. “Dare I hope these celebrations are because you all got your memories back?”

  “It is true,” Erik said, smiling.

  “I am so thrilled for you all!” She glanced behind her towards the palace entrance. “I would embrace each of you but I’d better not. Gladstow is probably watching.”

  “How is it with him?” I asked.

  “Fine. I got rid of all the servants we brought here and I am using palace staff for now.” She flapped her hand in the air. “Piffle. They’re gone. Like magic, it was.” She giggled.

  “Be careful with him. He’s no fool, and he likes being in control.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m determined not to let it get as bad as it used to be. If I have learned anything on our journey it’s that I must take control and responsibility. If I wanted to eat, I had to cook. If I wanted clean hair, I had to wash it. If I want trustworthy servants, I must hire them myself. Good staff won’t make everything better between Gladstow and me, but at least I’ll no longer feel like an unwelcome visitor in my own home.”

  “It’s a start,” I assured her. “A good start. But you know you can always come here if you need to get away from him again.”

  She arched her brow, a sly smile on her lips. “Does that mean you’ll still be at the palace after Dane becomes king?”

  I sighed. “Of all people, you know he can’t marry me.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting marriage, but as his lover—”

  “No! Dane would never do that to his wife.”

  “Nor to you, Josie,” Theodore added. “Kitty, it’s up to Josie and Dane to determine what happens next.”

  “Not true,” Balthazar said, walking on. “Not true at all.”

  Kitty held me back and reassured me once again that being the king’s mistress could be a position of power and influence. I cut her off. I didn’t want to hear it. We parted, she returning to the palace and me heading to the commons with the others.

  The commons courtyard was filled with servants in conversation. Not all looked happy, but there was an overall sense of positivity and hope. Dane was nowhere in sight, but I spotted him a little later, in deep conversation with some men dressed in gardening clothes. More and more servants turned up until the courtyard brimmed with excited faces. They spilled into the large dining room adjoining the courtyard and outside the commons building. There must be no one manning the gondolas on the lake, or the menagerie, orangery or laundry. All the inside staff, footmen and maids, were present too. Only the kitchen staff were missing. The delicious smells wafting to us from the enormous basement kitchens confirmed they were still working.

  I could not approach Dane, surrounded as he was by servants. Balthazar was popular too, shaking hands with the staff who wanted to thank him for wishing back their memories. He answered their questions about the magic and the sorcerer, albeit vaguely.

  “They all think the sorcerer is a person walking amongst us,” he told me later. “But it is not a physical entity, just an intuition, a feeling, something that resides within the wish holder, compelling him to use the wishes.” He tapped his chest. “It’s like an ache, a longing. It must have been difficult for Brant holding the wishes but denied the gem.”

  “You sound sympathetic.”

  He eyed me sideways. “I didn’t want to kill him, Josie.”

  I nodded.

  He settled both hands on the head of his walking stick. “You don’t forgive me.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “Josie!” shouted a familiar voice.

  I looked up to see Meg heading towards me through the crowd. Max was behind her, but he was waylaid by a footman who wanted to speak to him and clap him on the back.

  She hugged me, grinning, and then hugged Balthazar. “I hear you played a significant role in this, Bal.”

  “Perhaps a little too significant.”

  Her smile turned sympathetic. “You must feel awful. You don’t look terribly well.”

  “It’s the third wish, calling him,” I said. “Bal, why don’t you sit down?”

  “This is a little overwhelming,” he said, turning away. “But first, we should start the meeting, now that Max is back. Have you seen Dane?”

  I stood on my toes and looked over the sea of heads. As if he sensed me, he looked up. I waved him over.

  He joined us, telling those he passed that it was time for a meeting. It turned out to be a brief session, with Dane announcing that everyone was free to leave the palace or stay as a member of staff, but Balthazar would appreciate notification of everyone’s intentions as soon as possible.

  “So Balthazar is staying?” someone asked.

  “I am,” Balthazar said. “This feels like home to me now.”

  “And you, sir?” one of the guards asked Dane. “Are you going to be king?”

  “My situation is not yet settled,” Dane said. “What happens for me next depends on the decisions of others. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”

  “But you’ll be staying here or in Mull regardless, because of Josie.”

  “Yes.” He then reminded them they had pardons from the Freedland authorities and could safely return there if they chose. His final words were about the prisoners in the palace cells.

  “Those men are the only ones who deserve to remain locked away. The crimes they committed here, after losing their memories, mean they won’t ever be released. They can’t be trusted in society. You are not like them. You may have been sent to the same prison mine, but after you lost your memories, you didn’t commit another crime. That’s all I need to know about you. I don’t care what you did before, it’s what has happened since that matters. That’s why I trust all of you to remain here as staff. Consider the loss of our memories as a line. What you did on one side of that line is irrelevant. Only what you’ve done on this side is important. Take advantage of the second chance the sorcerer gave you. Don’t cross back over that line. Stay on this side and you will not regret it.”

  Applause, cheers and whistles erupted. Everyone wanted to shake his hand or thank him, and to wish him good luck. He was edged away from us by the tide. With Meg chatting to Theodore and Quentin, I took the opportunity to talk to Max.

  “Well?” I asked. “Have you asked her to marry you?”

  “Not yet. I’m working up the courage.”

  “Just ask her, Max. There’s nothing standing in your way now.” When he wouldn’t meet my gaze, I added, “Is there?”

  “Her parents don’t know about my past. They won’t want her with a fellow like me.”

  “You mean a kind-hearted, loyal and trustworthy fellow? No, Max, that’s not the sort of man they want for her at all.”

  He gave me a lopsided smile. “Fine. I’ll ask her tomorrow and we’ll speak with them together. There is some good news. Balthazar should hear this. Bal!”

  Balthazar joined us, his wrinkles angled into a frown. “It’s madness in here and will only grow worse when they start drinking.”

  “They have a lot to celebrate,” Max said. “As I do. I wanted you to know, I remember it wasn’t me who started the fire in the goldsmith’s shop in Noxford. I’m innocent of that crime, at least.”

  “Congratulations,” Balthazar said wryly. “But we suspected as much.”

  We’d suspected the person who’d killed the goldsmith and his wife had started the fire to cover up the murders, but it had troubled Max ever since learning he’d been arrested and sent to the prison mine for arson.

  “There’s more,” he went on. “When we were inside the prison, I learned who did start it. He bragged about getting away with murder, only to be arrested for something else later.” His gaze connected with Balthazar’s. “It was Brant.”

  Balthazar leaned heavily on his walking stick. He nodded, his gaze unfocused. “I see
.”

  “I thought you might like to know.”

  “Why? Because it justifies me killing him?”

  Max shrugged.

  Balthazar shook his head. “It’s still not enough.”

  “Enough for what?”

  “For Josie to forgive me.” Balthazar walked off through the crowd.

  I let him go, not sure if he wanted me to follow or if he preferred to be alone.

  Thankfully I was soon distracted by the appearance of Miranda and Kitty, dressed in maids’ uniforms. They looked so odd that I burst out laughing.

  “It was Miranda’s idea,” Kitty said cheerfully.

  “You were the one who wanted to join in the celebrations,” Miranda chided with a smile.

  Kitty grinned. “I feel as though I should. These are my friends, after all. Without them, I wouldn’t be alive today.” She threw her arms around me. “Isn’t it wonderful, Josie? I’m so happy for all of them.”

  Erik came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He planted a kiss on the back of her neck. “I like the uniform on you. You should come to me like this.”

  She swatted his shoulder. “I won’t be coming to you again, Erik dearest. Don’t look so upset, you know it must be this way.”

  “Aye, but I miss you.”

  “Look at all the lovely maids here. Surely a man like you will be too busy to miss just one.”

  “But you are special. You are my duchess.”

  She kissed her fingertips then touched his cheek. “And you are my dear Marginer. I shall cherish the moments we spent together.”

  I looked away so as not to intrude and spotted Yelena making her way to Dane. She interrupted his conversation. She spoke to him and he said something back, shaking his head. He turned away, but she grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her again.

  Whatever she said next had him frowning and shaking his head again. Then they both looked in my direction.