The Hunt for the Three Roses

by Jason Hubbard

  “Of course it is; I wouldn’t have said yes if it wasn’t.”

  “Well, I thought you wanted to go to Asturia, make it on your own steam.”

  “Plans change, which is why we’re now traveling with Lonsarans without Master Cypher.”

  “Yeah, why did that guy leave us, the bum!”

  “He said he had ‘things to do,’” Sean said, imitating Cypher’s severe tone with a much-needed smile. “What can I say, that man loves his secrets.”

  “Secrets, huh? I once had a rat as a secret pet; then someone found it and cooked it for dinner. Turns out having secrets doesn’t work out so well. Anyway, I just hope you didn’t agree too quickly to be the count’s house mage, or were coerced into doing it.”

  “I have under a month to change my mind. Even if I start, it will just be an apprenticeship. I’ll sign on for one year, then decide if I want to stay or not. Staying means being a journeyman under Master Harris, where I’ll be more of a partner of his.”

  “And when he retires, you’ll be the count’s new house mage? A servant nearly for life?”

  Sean nodded. “In Lonsaran, house mages are more than servants; they’re part of the gentry. Being part of the gentry is a stepping stone to full nobility, though it’s a small and unlikely one; you’d need to get the King’s attention somehow.”

  “By raising your arms and shouting at him?”

  “More like pulling extraordinary feats of bravery or ingenuity. But please, Callie, feel free to shout at him and see if he likes you.”

  “Ew, um, no … not a good idea after all. So, you want to be a Lonsaran nobleman?”

  “No, actually. Being a house mage is enough for me. I’ll take my Apprentice’s Oath as soon as we get to Darin Manor, and there’ll also be tryouts to be the count’s new bronze sentinel.”

  “Yes, I heard. A ‘bronze sentinel’ is his primary bodyguard who follows him around everywhere. Sounds fun.”

  Sean shook his head at her snarkiness. “Will you be trying out?”

  “Maybe just for kicks, to see how far I’ll go. But just between you and me, I won’t be serious about it.”

  “Well, just so you know, I recommended you to the count to be part of his personal guard.”

  “You did what?” Callie’s features took a dark, panicked turn, and she looked at him as if he was an ugly rodent. “You didn’t really do that?”

  “I did … I thought you’d be happy about it.”

  “Well, I’m not,” she said, lowering her voice so no one else could hear. “Why would I want something like that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, so you could have a job in Lonsaran? Isn’t that what you’d want?”

  “Yes, but I had other plans, Sean, and being a lord’s bodyguard isn’t one of them.”

  “I don’t see why you’re so mad about this. All I did was recommend you; if you don’t want the job, turn him down.”

  “But then people will look down on me.”

  So that’s it, Sean thought. She’s worried about her circle of friends. “But you don’t have to worry about saving face because you don’t have any face to save.”

  “Okay … I just don’t like hearing you plan things out for me without consulting me first.”

  “I see. I only did it as a favor to you for all you’ve done for me, but I guess I had the wrong idea.”

  “You don’t need to repay me for anything. I just want to move on and leave my crummy old life in St. Mannington behind. I don’t need to be attached to a lord, and I won’t ask you to do anything special for me. I’ll be fine on my own.”

  Sean was about to ask her what her idea of “moving on” was, but then Jonas came up and related a funny joke someone had told him, which turned out to be too raunchy for Jonas to understand yet he still thought it was funny. Jonas wasn’t inclined to leave, so the trio discussed other things and Sean decided not to ask Callie about her plans. The question could wait for another day, and while he didn’t feel he had made a mistake, he at least learned that Callie was insulted by the idea of working for a lord. What was good for the gander wasn’t always good for the goose, he supposed.

  Nine

  Four grueling days later, after taking less-beaten paths to avoid Consarian villages, the convoy arrived at the border which was fortunately overseen by friendly Lonsaran forces. At a nearby trading post, Sean turned in his leather tunic for a blue one of plush cotton plus a layer of chain mail, as well as some clean clothes for Jonas. Callie turned in her helm and cuirass for a dark green tunic and leather cuirass that were more form-fitting, which earned her wolf whistles from some of her admirers. The soldiers didn’t stay long, but before they left, they gave a large amount of their food to the border patrol. It was an unpopular decision, but the count said that the patrol had a hard time getting their own rations and supplies, so they needed as much help as they could get from their fellow countrymen.

  And for eighteen days, the convoy steadily made its way through Lonsaran, a nation that seemed similar to its western neighbor on the surface, but its citizens placed a greater emphasis on honor and tradition. Sean and Callie saw it in the way people greeted each other and made their farewells, the way they respected each other’s property and offered things for sale—these were a people who were careful not to insult each other lest they invite dishonor and shame to their reputations. The former Consarians didn’t know how to feel about it, only that they planned to learn quickly the right way to conduct themselves.

  Western Lonsaran was a land of thick forests, where broad roads snaked through clusters of enormous oaks and redwoods. The trees and ridges allowed plenty of coverage for bandits to sneak on unsuspecting travelers, but the convoy was lucky enough to not encounter even a single vagabond. The most they had to worry about was finding sustenance and avoiding scrapes, the latter of which occurred all too often. Sean proved helpful in applying a spell that prevented infection, especially in one gruesome case where a man could have lost an arm after he rushed into a sharp tree branch.

  Food, unfortunately, was hard to come by. Finding nuts and berries was simple enough, but hunting game was a different matter, especially since the convoy often found themselves on private property. Taking down just one deer could impose a stiff penalty and diplomatic strain if the hunters were caught, and even though the war likely took local lords away from their lands, the Count insisted that his men and women exercise restraint from taking what wasn’t theirs.

  Most of the soldiers kept themselves from grumbling, but Jonas had a hard time keeping his thoughts to himself. He complained to Sean nearly every day that he was growing weak and tired from lack of food, and while Sean felt sorry for him, there was little he could do. He explained the food situation, saying that everyone was going without, including the count, but Jonas got upset anyway and blamed Sean for not upholding his promise to provide for him.

  The starvation periods didn’t last long, though, as the convoy would eventually hunt down a few deer and wild pigs for the whole group to feed on. But on the bad days, soldiers would resort to munching on frogs, squirrels and lizards, anything to help stave off their hunger pangs. Even Jonas was one to munch on a rotten apple and a bony fish to fill his shrinking stomach.

  Food wasn’t the only problem when it came to looking after Jonas. As if he was a preteen, he often grew bored and wanted someone to play with. Sean was happy enough playing memory games and telling stories from his youth, but he was frankly embarrassed when Jonas sang a children’s tune like “Paddywhack” and “Candyman” and wanted Sean to sing along. People snickered and shook their heads upon hearing a thirty-something man sing such songs, and Sean didn’t want to be further humiliated by indulging in Jonas’ whimsies. But even when Jonas made a loud fuss, Sean never yelled at him and made him cry, afraid of driving Jonas away. If Jonas had run away from one set of traveling partners, he could be inclined to do it again.r />
  Fortunately, Callie was gracious enough to help out occasionally, especially when Jonas got noisy and irritating. Sean found it easier to sing Jonas’s silly songs when Callie sang along with him, and together they thought of different ways to keep Jonas gratified. Sometimes they didn’t have to do much of anything, for Callie’s simple presence seemed to have a calming effect on the older man. From the way Jonas timidly looked at her at times, Sean suspected Jonas had a crush on her—unrequited feelings that he prayed wouldn’t lead to unpleasant complications.

  The days Sean loved best were when he rode with the count. Count Guyver wanted to know everything about his new mage’s apprentice, so he would invite him into his carriage for an hour or two. Jonas would initially join them, but he predictably got fussy, prompting Sean to beg Callie to look after him while he rode.

  Cypher had earlier conferred with Sean on a cover story, to which Cypher related to the count. Sean was the son of a shoemaker who had dreamed of becoming a professional mage. He got a lucky break when Cypher agreed to take him under his wing, but he was then left high and dry when Cypher had to depart on a mission for the King. Sean returned home to discover his father had been conscripted, so he took over the family business until he too was taken into service. Months later, he reunited with Cypher, and he and Callie (whom he first met in the army host) agreed to help Cypher bring Jonas to Asturia.

  “It’s a shame this war had to happen,” Count Guyver said once Sean was finished reiterating his false history. “Over a hundred years of peace, gone in an instant. I want this senseless fighting to be over, so things can go back the way they were again.”

  “But they won’t be,” Sean said. “People won’t be so forgiving as you are with me. It will take a generation or more to mend the rift.”

  “That’s only if there’s a rift in the first place; it depends on who the victor is. King Paulson feared an invasion when Consaria began to build its forces, so he ordered his army to invade first. If Consaria ends up winning, Hugo may take over much of Lonsaran, if not all of it.”

  Sean raised his eyebrows for but a moment. He had heard several theories on why the war began, but this was the first one from a Lonsaran, and it was surprisingly simple. “And if Lonsaran wins, what then?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know what King Paulson has in mind. He must demand reparations, but I can’t say what they’ll be.”

  “Have you heard that the Pope is working on an armistice?”

  “No. I hope it’s true, but this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

  Sean frowned to himself, for he began to believe the news was just a rumor exclusive to the Consarians.

  One day, during a light rain, he worked up the nerve to ask the count how he lost his leg. The count was hesitant, appearing lost in memory as he patted his stump, but once he started speaking it got easier for him. “I was relieved from duty because I am now one of the last of my line. Nearly every able-bodied man of House Guyver was called into service, so we were called to conquer at least four forts near the seaboard. I and my Uncle Robert were in the same contingent, while my brother Henry was in another. Uncle Robert and I laid siege to Fort Dedrin for three days before attempting an invasion at night. The Consarians were starved but fought spiritedly. They left the fort and took the battle to my camp. I was asleep at the time because Uncle Robert wanted us to take turns, so I was rudely awakened by the sound of fighting. I retrieved my sword and left my tent only half-awake, and in my carelessness, I let someone get too close and stab me in the calf. I fell and would have been skewered had not someone gotten to my opponent first. Lord knows I tried to get back up, but my leg had no strength, and the pain was too much.”

  Sean grimaced as he imagined what the count went through. “Were there no mages or sorcerers with you? Could they do nothing to fix you?”

  “We had three sorcerers and their apprentices, who were instrumental in taking the fort over. With the battle finished, a young man disinfected the wound, but it was too deep for healing and I was losing a lot of blood. I was given something to smoke that made my mind aflutter, and a sawbones did what you see here before you. Oh, once that stuff wore off, all I wanted to do was die and have the pain over with.”

  “Does it pain you still?”

  “Not so much anymore, but if I bump it the wrong way, I feel it for about an hour after. And it’s funny, but my mind keeps insisting that I still have a foreleg there. I can almost feel it at times, and I can consciously move it up and down. Whatever is the purpose of that?”

  “The mind has a way of not letting go of things, even if we want it to.”

  “That about sounds right. After the operation … it was only then when I learned my uncle had perished. I was devastated; I had assumed he was overlooking everything while I was recuperating. And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, I was hit with more bad news. A raven was sent to the other fort to see if it was taken; the response note said my brother and Uncle Samuel had both died fighting. The note was stamped with the seal of Count Kevin Xander of Montrigue Province, so there was little reason to doubt it. This left me as the eldest heir of Darin. If I go, the estate goes to my eldest nephew, Jeffrey, who is only eleven. The generals decided to send me back home, before any more Guyvers fall in battle.”

  Sean swallowed back the lump in his throat he had hardly felt growing. Since he was a native Consarian, the count had plenty of reason to detest him, even hate him … and yet all the count wanted was for the war to be over, and he found it within himself to give Sean a chance at another life. Sean was damn lucky to run into Count Guyver above all other Lonsaran nobles. “My lord, you have my sympathy. If I may ask … was Henry your twin?”

  The count’s mouth grew thin from sorrow and regret. “He was. He jokingly called himself ‘the better half.’ Now that he’s gone, I can no longer argue.”

  Sean nodded and fell silent. Lonsaran was nicknamed “The Land of Twins” because many expectant parents used a spell that turned a single unborn fetus into two, so twins were common throughout the nation. Among the convoy, there was a pair of men with the same black hair, intense eyes, and broad noses, and a pair of blonde women with the same high cheekbones and broad jawlines. The spell was outlawed in Consaria due to how it was performed, but Lonsarans had fewer qualms about it as long as it produced results.

  “Do you have any siblings?” the count asked.

  Sean nearly said yes, but he thought simplicity was best. “I am an only child, my lord.”

  “Like wives, they can be a great source of frustration, but there’s simply no replacing family once they’re gone. I and Henry had our differences, but I’d gladly give my other leg to have him back. But he’s in the Lord’s hands now, so it’s left to me to look after his widow and two children.”

  “Do you have any children?”

  “I have a son and two daughters. They’re in boarding school far to the east, where they should be safe. My wife and sister-in-law are in Asturia waiting out the war. I should like to see Amber again, but it shall mean having to see Margaret in grief.”

  “I am sorry, my lord,” Sean said, which was the end of their talk that day.

  The count’s story left him sullen for the next two days, for he knew he would have to watch over a noble house in mourning. Those whom Henry Guyver left behind will understandably be upset and heartbroken, and Sean wasn’t sure what he, a stranger, could do for them besides brewing sleeping potions to help with bouts of insomnia. It would be a great test for him, one that had to come sooner or later since he no longer had his noble status to fall back on in rough times. Should Lady Margaret take her grievances out on him, all she would see was a lowborn man with little protection, not a nobleman’s son who could demand respect.

  The talk also made him think of his own future. If he was still a nobleman, he would be expected to marry at least by the age of twenty-four to keep his
family line intact. Now that he was effectively a commoner with no close family, expectations were greatly reduced, and he would have to handle any arrangements himself. Frankly, he wasn’t looking forward to dating; he was more concerned with settling into his new home. And once he was settled, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. He had so little experience relating to women, and what experience he did have generally wasn’t positive.

  He supposed Callie was an exception, but, well … Callie was off-limits.

  Shortly after, he had a turn at riding a horse. With the chilly wind in his hair and the animal’s gait making him sway, he was left in a state where jumbled thoughts all fought for dominance in his mind. One moment he thought of his new job and living space; the next he thought of Callie and how she seemed to prefer the company of the female soldiers. The two of them came from such different walks of life, yet he still cared for her and would unabashedly call her a friend. He would never forget how she had looked after him as he recovered in Fort Lauer, and if not for Jonas, they might not have been able to see each other again afterward.

  On the heels of that came thoughts of Jonas, who remained such a mystery. Sean had taken Jonas to be unremarkable upon first impression, but after the vision of death and Master Cypher’s interest in him, there was now no doubt that Jonas was one of the Three Roses.

  But why? Where did Jonas’ soothsaying come from, and how did King Hugo learn about him? As much as Sean told himself that the answers didn’t matter to him personally, his curiosity still gnawed at him, insisting that some great truth lay within reach.

  He glanced at Jonas, who walked next to Lady Millerton’s carriage. It was funny, but even after all this time, Jonas still looked unremarkable, for he seemed so innocent and naïve—two qualities that a man usually shed by the time he reached his thirties. And yet a king and a sorcerer took a great interest in him, which certainly wouldn’t happen for some inconceivable reason. But besides the soothsaying, what was the reason? Was it simply that King Hugo wanted Jonas to predict the future for him? Was Jonas the key to winning the war?