The gaien reached a fast unsteady gallop, and the wagon bumped and jolted.
‘What the fuck?’ a soldier cried.
Keira held onto the sides of the tight compartment, bracing herself as they hurtled downhill.
The gaien reached the valley floor, and the wagon levelled, before twisting on its axle, and toppling over onto its side, throwing passengers and crates onto the gravelly soil. The beasts dragged the wagon on for a few more yards, then shuddered to a halt.
Keira kicked open the wooden slats, and jumped to the ground. A soldier lay before her, his neck broken. Another was crawling away to her right, his legs bloody and trailing. She looked back to the ramp. The sky was brightening, and dawn was almost upon them. Up by the tunnel gate she could see soldiers pointing down at the wreckage of the wagon. Some were hurrying down the slope.
She turned. Ahead was the cliff, and she could see the river, tumbling down from the heights and flowing through channels to the valley floor. She started to run.
There was a groan to her left, and she glanced over. Leon lay prone on the earth, holding out his arm to her.
She looked back to the ramp, and then over to the cliff.
‘Fuck,’ she said, turning towards him. ‘You hurt?’
‘Think my ankle might be twisted.’
‘What the fuck were you thinking?’
He laughed. ‘Didn’t know the old beasts had it in them.’
‘Fine time to find out.’
She leaned down and picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder.
‘Whoa!’ he cried.
‘Shut your whining face,’ she said as she ran. ‘Can you swim, by the way?’
‘No.’
‘Me neither,’ she said. ‘This’ll be interesting.’
She reached the river. It was white and rapid, surging down a channel from the left. She walked along its bank, following the fast-flowing water.
There were shouts in the distance behind her. She turned, and saw soldiers reaching the wagon. She crouched low, and picked up her pace.
‘I thought you’d betrayed me back there,’ she said.
‘I knew you’d think that,’ he said. ‘They said they needed a lift, and I couldn’t think of any reason to say no.’
She looked up. Ahead of her, the northern wall of the valley cliff loomed larger. She would soon be cornered.
‘There it is,’ she said, pointing.
At the base of the cliff, the river course turned west, diving through a wide foaming channel and disappearing into darkness.
She set him down on the rocky bank.
‘You can’t be serious,’ he said, staring at the water falling into a dark abyss.
‘Can you see any other way out?’
‘I won’t survive going down there,’ he said. ‘I’m not a Kellach like you. I can’t break a bone, and then be up and walking about in a few days.’
‘I’ll look after you,’ she said, wading out into the cold river. She held out her hand. ‘Come on.’
Leon grunted, and raised his arm. As he was about to take her hand a crossbow bolt ripped through the side of his face, sending him spinning into the water with a great splash.
The sun appeared at that moment over the eastern ridge, its golden rays illuminating the valley and turning the river into a blinding cascade of sparkling light.
‘Fuck,’ Keira muttered.
She ran, as crossbow bolts flicked through the surface of the water around her. She reached the channel at the base of the cliff, using all her strength to defy the current as it tried to sweep her away. She put a hand up to brace herself, and leaned over the edge. The river fell away into a roaring pit of darkness that swallowed the light in a crescendo of noise.
She glanced back at the body of Leon, as it floated in the eddies by the sunlit bank.
‘You were right,’ she said, ‘it probably would have killed you.’
She took a deep breath, and jumped.
Chapter 7
Plateau City
Holder’s Bay, Inner Sea – 4th Day, Second Third Summer 505
‘This is wonderful,’ said Sami. ‘So beautiful.’
‘It’s just water,’ Shella said. ‘Okay, there’s lots of it, but still.’
Daphne kept her mouth closed, and clutched the handrail running along the side of the sailing ship. Gulls squawked and circled overhead, as the great wooden bow ploughed through the rolling waters of the Inner Sea.
Down, and up again.
‘You don’t look too good, Miss Daphne,’ said Jayki.
‘Understatement of the fucking year,’ said Shella. ‘She’s turned green.’
‘Maybe you should go below deck, miss,’ Sami said.
Daphne shook her head. ‘It’s even worse down there.’
Down, and up again.
‘I just want the ground to stop moving,’ she groaned. ‘I haven’t slept properly in days.’
‘We’re nearly there, miss,’ Sami said. ‘The first officer said we should be arriving this evening.’
She shielded her eyes from the bright reflection of the noon sun shining on the sea, and peered northwards, in the direction of the Holdings-occupied Plateau. There was maybe a grey smudge of shoreline on the horizon, but she couldn’t be sure.
Down, and up again.
She clenched her eyes shut, the constant nausea sending her demented. She wanted to cry. Why did any woman ever have a second child, if they had to go through this torture? Her hair blew about her face in the sea wind, hiding her sleep-deprived eyes and thin features. She thought she was supposed to be putting weight on, yet her sickness and aversion to food had seen her shed pounds.
Three thirds gone, six to go.
She tightened her grip on the handrail, her gorge rising.
Down, and up again.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Daphne retched over the side of the ship, her empty stomach producing nothing but bile. She hugged her strained and sore chest, her throat raw, and bitter with the taste.
She spat, drool flicking through the wind, clinging to her lips and hair.
A damp flannel wiped her face, and she turned to see Shella frown at her.
The Rakanese mage shook her head.
‘Let’s get you below, Daphne,’ she said. ‘You need to lie down.’
Daphne knew that being horizontal made her feel sicker than standing, if that were possible, but she allowed Shella to escort her down the steep wooden steps to the lower decks, while Jayki and Sami remained to look at the view.
They reached the small cabin shared by the passengers, and went in.
On a low bed, Bedig lay still, groaning.
Shella helped Daphne sit on her mattress, then went over and kicked Bedig’s bunk.
‘You still fucking sea-sick, you useless twat?’ she laughed down at him.
‘Brig aren’t made for boats,’ he croaked, keeping his eyes closed.
‘Now that’s funny,’ Shella said, sitting by Daphne. ‘These brutes can withstand poisoning, wounds, broken bones, fuck I can even remember when Kylon got shot twice in the back and he still kept running…’
She reached under the bed and pulled out a canvas bag.
‘Which was just as well,’ she said, ‘as he was carrying me at the time. And yet you put them in a little boat, and they go all weird on you.’
‘I’m not weird,’ he said. ‘I’m sick.’
‘Wah, wah,’ she said. ‘You big kid.’
‘Daphne’s sick too,’ he said. ‘Why does she get all the sympathy? I get none.’
‘She’s baby-sick, you cretin,’ Shella said. She opened the canvas bag, and looked at Daphne. She took out a small wallet, one that Daphne recognised.
‘Okay,’ Shella said, ‘this is one of those special occasions.’
Daphne looked up.
Shella pursed her lips. ‘I’ve been saving the last one, for this moment.’ She sighed. ‘I shouldn’t be doing this, but it’s just this once, okay? I don’t want you thro
wing up when we arrive.’
Daphne nodded as Shella passed her the smokestick, and lit it with a Rahain match.
She took a draw, sighed and closed her eyes.
‘Working?’ Shella asked.
Daphne smiled and nodded, feeling relief wash over her as her stomach settled, and the pain and nausea subsided.
‘Thanks,’ she said.
‘Up for talking?’ Shella said. ‘I’ve got tonnes I want to ask, and you’ve been sick for so long. I thought it would have worn off by now, but I guess you’re just unlucky.’
‘Unlucky?’ Daphne snorted. ‘Sometimes I think it’s going to tip me over the edge.’ She reached for a jug of water, and poured herself a mugful. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘What did that man say to you in Rainsby?’ she asked. ‘The Holdings man, was he an agent? I saw the two of you together before we boarded the ship.’
‘You’re right,’ Daphne said, ‘he was an agent, working for the Holdings crown. Apparently he spotted us when we arrived. He’s a vision mage, and he sent a message to Plateau City, telling them where we were. They gave him a message to pass on to me.’
She took a draw of the smokestick as Shella waited.
‘It was just the usual nonsense,’ Daphne went on. ‘Well done, blah blah. And telling me to make sure Princess Shella and Prince Sami were taken directly to Plateau City as fast as possible, along with Councillor Laodoc, of course.’
She paused, noticing Shella’s mouth hang open.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Princess?’ Shella repeated.
‘Yeah,’ Daphne smiled, ‘the Realm of the Holdings officially recognised the throne held by your sister in Akhanawarah City before it was destroyed. You’re royalty, in the eyes of the Holdings Crown at least.’
‘You have got to be fucking joking.’
Daphne’s smile grew broader. She heard a laugh come from Bedig’s bunk.
‘But,’ Shella said, ‘the Realm of Akhanawarah, if it really was one, and not just a symptom of my sister’s megalomania, only lasted a few thirds, and was obliterated from the face of the earth. How could I possibly be royal?’
‘I guess the Holdings can’t afford to lose face,’ Daphne said, ‘at least not on the subject of the crown. One of King Guilliam’s first acts was to recognise Obli as a queen and fellow monarch. It would cheapen his own throne if he were to go back on it now.’
‘Fuck,’ Shella said, ‘just wait until Sami hears he’s a prince.’
‘If I were you,’ Daphne said, ‘I would expect some sort of official welcome when we dock at the city. Flowers, carpets, fancy young men and women of the court, perhaps a musical band of some sort.’
‘This gets better and better,’ Bedig said, turning on his mattress. ‘This I have to see.’
‘Can princesses have annoying oafs executed?’ Shella asked.
Bedig scowled.
‘I was also told,’ Daphne went on, relaxed and smiling, ‘that apartments have been prepared for you, Sami and Jayki, and another one for Laodoc, close to the new palace.’
‘What about me?’ Bedig said.
‘I’m afraid you’re not all that important to the King,’ Daphne said. ‘Do you have a plan?’
‘Not sure,’ he said. ‘Where will you be going?’
‘My original plan was to travel up to the Holdings Realm, beyond the Plateau, and go home, to the Hold Fast estate.’
‘And now?’
‘The agent told me that my father was journeying south to meet me in Plateau City, possibly with other members of my family, and that he had rented accommodation in the New Town. I’ll go and stay with them. It’s just as well. I don’t think I could face another third of travel, and,’ she patted her waist, ‘I’m not showing yet, so I’ll be able to tell them in my own time, rather than have them gawk at my bump.’
She looked over at the Brig, lying in his bunk.
‘You remember what the captain told Laodoc?’ she said. ‘That no Kellach Brigdomin are allowed in the city after nightfall?’
‘Aye,’ he said.
‘Do you want to stay with me, at my father’s new place?’
‘You’d let me stay with you?’ he said. ‘Thanks, aye, for sure. What would I be doing?’
Well,’ she said. ‘If anyone asks, you’re my bodyguard.’
He laughed. ‘I’ve seen you fight, miss,’ he said. ‘I’d hire you as my bodyguard.’
‘The last time I was there,’ she said, ‘I was fleeing the church and crown, and every man and woman in the Holdings wanted me dead. I know I’ve been pardoned, and they’ve told me that I’ll be safe, but I don’t know how people will react when they see me. I can handle myself, but I’d still like you by my side.’
‘As long as, well, you know,’ he said, ‘your father doesn’t think I’m responsible for adding to your family.’
Daphne smiled. ‘I’ll be sure to mention it to him.’
‘When do you think Killop will get here?’ Bedig asked.
Daphne sighed. ‘Who knows if Kylon has even found him yet, and passed on my message. He could be thirds.’
‘Did you know Killop?’ Shella asked. ‘You never mentioned him.’
‘No,’ Bedig replied. ‘I mean I’d heard of him, knew about him and his sister at Marchside, and then, when I linked up with Kylon and Keira, we all thought he was dead. Used to hear his name sung in the rolls of the fallen. It was only when Daphne told me that she’d freed him from prison, that I knew he was still alive.’
Bedig looked away.
‘What Keira has done,’ he said in a whisper, ‘Killop will put right.’
As Daphne raised an eyebrow, the door opened and Laodoc walked into the cabin, holding a book.
‘You’re looking much better, Miss Daphne,’ he said, then noticed the smokestick in her hand. ‘Oh.’
‘It’s the last one, old man,’ said Shella. ‘Don’t start.’
‘None of my business, of course,’ Laodoc said, sitting by a small table and pouring himself some water.
‘What’s the book?’ Daphne asked.
‘This?’ he replied, holding up the battered volume. ‘Just a history of the old wars between the Holdings and Rahain.’
‘Topical,’ Shella said. ‘Where’d you get it?’
‘The captain gave it to me, as a leaving gift,’ he said. ‘We were chatting last night, a most interesting chap. His uncle owns the shipping line we’re travelling with.’
‘Are all the boats on the Inner Sea run by the Rahain?’ Shella asked. ‘Every one I’ve seen has been crewed by you lot.’
‘I believe so,’ Laodoc said, ‘although I think it just happened that way because the Rahain reached the sea before anyone else. As a people, we’re no more comfortable on water than the Holdings,’ he glanced over at where Bedig lay, ‘or the Kellach.’
‘I’m Brig,’ Bedig called up to the old Rahain, ‘not Kell or Lach, thank Pyre.’
Shella sighed. ‘If only we’d known about the Inner Sea,’ she said. ‘A huge, freshwater body, on the other side of the Forbidden Mountains, it would have solved all of our over-crowding problems in Arakhanah.’
‘Unfortunately I fear it would have resulted in the same outcome,’ Laodoc said. ‘The Rahain government treat the entire southern half of the Plateau as their sovereign territory, they would still have seen it as an invasion.’
Daphne nodded. ‘The Holdings too, as far as the northern half is concerned.’
‘Back when the Migration was setting off,’ Shella said, ‘the Holdings ambassadors told us that the Plateau was fully settled, and that there was no room for us. Another fucking lie.’
‘Was Rijon one of those that told you this?’ Daphne said.
Shella nodded.
‘Never trust a word that man says.’
‘So you say, Daphne,’ Shella said, ‘and I know he betrayed you in Sanang, but… I don’t know, he seemed like a genuine friend to me, he helped me a lot.’
‘
Only because he wanted the Migration to cause as much disruption to the Rahain as possible,’ Daphne said. ‘Distract them, while the Holdings extricated themselves from the war in Sanang, and built the new capital.’
‘It did more than that, miss,’ Laodoc said. ‘The republic’s coffers are empty. An enormous sum was spent on the siege. Far more than on the conquest of Kellach Brigdomin, say, or the tunnel through the Grey Mountains.’
‘I’m sure Rijon is delighted with what he achieved,’ Daphne said. She pinched the smokestick at its halfway point, and tucked the unsmoked end into a pocket. She stretched out on the mattress and yawned.
‘Going to catch some sleep,’ she said, ‘while the sickness is away.’
She closed her eyes.
Daphne awoke with a hand on her shoulder.
‘Hi Jayki,’ she said, opening her eyes. The light in the cabin was dim, and the motion of the ship had lessened.
‘We’re nearly there, miss.’
‘How long was I asleep?’
‘Four or five hours maybe?’
She sat up on the bed, feeling the nausea start to return.
‘Hey Jayki,’ she said. ‘You got a match?’
The sky to the west was a deep red when Daphne emerged from the lower decks, having washed and dressed in her cleanest clothes. She joined the other passengers by the bow, the lights of Plateau City reflecting on the dark water ahead of them.
She remembered leaving from the docks there with Lady Douanna, when they had been travelling to Rahain. It had been a town then, but now the new city walls towered over the calm waters of Holder’s Bay.
The original settlement had been incorporated into the extended city as its Old Town, where the port, the market and the Great Fortress were all located. The stone walls of the Old Town had stood for decades, proud and strong, but were dwarfed by the new walls, which ran alongside the bay for twice the distance of the old defences. The New Town was six times the area of the Old, and above the battlements, Daphne could see the great dome and spire of the palace, and other towers and steeples, along with the tall spindly arms of cranes.
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