That was certainly new.
And somewhat terrifying.
"The ring is waking your latent power," Adahi appeared in a chair before my desk. "I thought this would happen."
"A warning would have been appreciated," I lifted a kerchief from a drawer to wipe tea off my hand.
"Where's the fun in that?"
"Did you come to taunt me, or give me advice?" I glared at him.
"Perhaps both. One can't be serious all the time. I also came to tell you that I know where Garkus is."
"Where?" I was on my feet in an instant, ready to send someone or go myself, if need be.
"Where you can't reach him," he shrugged. "I heard from Kyri. Garkus has joined her in Ny-nes."
"If he's allied with the enemy," I hissed.
"He has done nothing of the kind. He is in a position to watch Kyri's back, I believe, while she continues this foolish quest to defeat Kaakos."
"How in Hades did he get there?" I demanded. "He can't step."
"You can't say for sure whether that is true, and Kyri was less than forthcoming as to his method of arrival in the enemy's land."
"Then demand that she tell you," I slapped a hand on my desk.
"My dear King, why don't you tell her yourself, and see how far that gets you," Adahi's laugh was humorless. "She is there. We are here. Threaten all you want—Kyri has a mind of her own in this, and now she has a hulking guard at her back. I hope this works to her advantage, because before, I worried that she'd die alone there."
"Fucking hell." I sat again, keeping my eyes on Adahi. "How dangerous is Kaakos?" I asked. "To either or both?"
"You're asking me how dangerous he is? Do you know where my body lies?" Adahi snorted. "What you see here is my dreamwalker," he pointed to his chest.
I hesitated, but curiosity got the better of me. "Where is it?" I asked.
"It lies in Kaakos' palace," he replied, his voice feigning indifference. "He pretends it's the body of Ny-nes' Prophet, so he can keep an eye on it. I was a formidable foe to him, but you see where that got me. Now you ask me how dangerous Kaakos is? He is more than dangerous, King Thorn. He is the destroyer the real Prophet warned about so many years ago."
"How is your dreamwalker still here, then? I thought it would have died with your body."
"That would have been true, if not for your ancestor—the first King Thorn. He found a way to hold my dreamwalker away from my body, keeping the two separated. That is how I—in this ghostly state, still exist. If I ever go back to Ny-nes, however, the pull of my physical body will prove too great and I will rejoin it and die completely, you understand."
"I—don't understand," I shook my head. "I have to trust you in this, I suppose."
"Thank you. There's something else you must know. Kyri believes, after talking with Garkus, that Merrin was pulled to Kaakos' palace, to serve his purposes. That means you must continue your search for Garkus here in Az-ca," Adahi went on. "To keep Kaakos guessing. Neither he nor Merrin need to know that Garkus has joined Kyri in Ny-nes."
"Because he may have spies here." Sherra's words from the day before came back to me.
"Yes, and now he has an advisor in Merrin, who knows more about Az-ca and its military than Ruarke ever did. Everyone here knows the legends surrounding Garkus, whether true or not. Let Kaakos and Merrin believe that Garkus is outsmarting you here."
"I'll keep it to myself," I sighed, closing my eyes. "If he makes it back here, though," I blinked my eyes open and frowned at Adahi.
"If he survives, I hope you have the decency to hear him out, at the very least." Adahi dipped his head and disappeared.
"Bloody. Fucking. Hell," I growled at the empty chair.
Sherra
"Tea, my Queen." Caral jerked her head up; she stood beside my chair as we went over the list of infractions we'd written down. Briar carried the tea tray into my study, her head down as usual.
She'd been the one to clean my suite that fateful day. She'd walked in, thinking nothing was amiss, as I was asleep and suspended inside my mirror shield. It was only when she'd walked straight into my invisible, suspended body that she'd shrieked and wakened me, bringing chaos and death to the battlefield.
I didn't blame her for any of that.
She blamed herself, however.
Many times over.
"Thank you, Briar," I told her gently.
"Is there anything else?" She still wasn't meeting my gaze.
"This is fine," I said.
Briar turned and walked quickly out of my study, while Caral and I exchanged glances. "Tea break," I sighed. Caral nodded and moved toward the tray to pour tea for herself.
"I love honey cakes," Caral sighed after consuming one of the treats provided with our tea. That's when Cole arrived, a sheaf of papers in his hand.
"I had to copy the law by hand; Doret wouldn't let me remove the book from Kyri's library," he reported. "She says the one belonging to the King's library was destroyed when Ruarke killed her sister and pretended to be dead. His father, the King, basically destroyed the red roses, creating the black roses in their stead. Doret also says that this was King Wulf I's way to take revenge on all roses, for what appeared to be a single rose's crime."
I set my teacup down carefully. Here was the reason Doret's rose was red on her wrist. Ruarke was responsible for destroying that, and who knew what else. "Did she give you anything else?" I asked, my words breathless. I wanted to know so many things about that time—when laws had changed so drastically that they were unrecognizable today.
"Only that her former husband wouldn't listen when she attempted to tell him the truth," Cole set the papers down and rubbed his wrist. No doubt he had writer's cramp from copying and translating the law so quickly.
"No wonder she faked her death," I grimaced. "He probably blamed her, too, for his son's death, when the bastard was alive the entire time and likely laughing at all of them."
"How long did it take for Ruarke to join the enemy in Ny-nes?" Caral asked. "After he caused so much trouble here?"
"No idea," I shook my head.
"Perhaps he was already in contact," Cole suggested. "Before he caused the trouble."
"That would explain a lot, I think," I said. "If the enemy were looking for high-ranking spies who were displeased about the way things were."
"I'd say Ruarke was more than displeased," Caral huffed. "I really want to hear the whole story, now that I know this was all a plot for revenge. What rights did the red roses have that the black roses didn't? I certainly want to hear that part."
"I want to hear it, too. I'll have a conversation with Pottles—Doret," I said. "I think it's imperative that she tells us what she knows."
"I believe," Cole began, before hesitating.
"Believe what?" I chewed my lower lip as I studied him.
"I think she's held back, to keep from causing a revolt," he admitted.
"Because the laws changed so much, didn't they?" I pressed.
"I worry that this is true," Cole admitted. "And when roses learn that the way things are has been nothing more than a sham for centuries, well, you see where that might lead."
"I feel a great deal of anger about it already, and I don't really know anything," Caral said.
"The truth is a double-edged sword. Kyri says that often enough," Cole nodded. "Too much truth too quickly can cause trouble. Let a fine mist of it soak parched ground slowly, or the flood of reaction will drown us all."
"Do you think there was a reaction then? When the King changed the laws?" Caral asked. It was a question I wanted answered, too.
"Can there not have been?" Cole said. "I only saw one such instance in Ny-nes, when things changed drastically. Those who protested were executed."
"What happened there?" Caral asked.
"All gold was removed from the hands of the people. They have worthless money chips to use, now, and no jewelry or such—it is forbidden. Marriage rings were taken, along with coins and other items. I still
recall the headless bodies on display outside the market, because dissenters' heads were blasted to bits by Ruarke."
"That's sick," I breathed.
"All of Ny-nes is sick—with the disease Kaakos has brought to it, and those who came before him. They call themselves the Free Nation of Ny-nes. There is nothing free about any of it, except death. That is the only thing given freely by that poisoned country."
"It must have seemed that Az-ca was becoming like Ny-nes when the red roses became black roses," Caral observed.
"I believe that, too," Cole agreed. "When I turned fifteen and Kyri told me how the black roses were treated in Az-ca, I saw parallels between their condition and that of women in Ny-nes. Kyri also told me that since Doret served as Queen, no other Queen has worn a rose, red or black, until you, Sherra."
I turned my left wrist to study the tattoo there. "This is wearying, isn't it?" I pivoted my chair to point the question at Caral.
"More than you know," she said.
Kerok
"This can't go any further than you two," I told Barth and Hunter. "Everybody else has to believe that Garkus is on the loose in Az-ca."
"That part I have no problem with," Hunter sniffed. "What I have a problem with is Garkus somehow showing up in Ny-nes. How did that happen?"
"Adahi says Kyri wouldn't tell him, so we don't know," I said. "I could tell by Adahi's expression that he holds little hope that Kyri and Garkus will survive, so we may never know."
"What about Sherra and Armon?" Barth asked.
"I'm keeping it inside this room," I stated flatly. "I wish I could tell them, but I think it's too dangerous. Kaakos could be watching every move, and I can't trust anyone else to keep it from lovers, guards or servants. If there are reported sightings, without an immediate and appropriate response from the army or anyone else, that could be telling."
"I hadn't considered that," Hunter grumbled.
"We're playing a carefully guarded game with Ny-nes, now," I said. "Every move will be scrutinized and dissected."
"Kaakos will be hatching new plans to use Merrin, most likely," Barth said softly.
"Barth?" I turned toward him in shock.
"Yesterday, I did a divination on some of Merrin's belongings. The guards took them away from him after he'd been in the lockup for nearly three weeks," Barth admitted. "They discovered he was sharpening his wooden comb to attack a guard. And, until yesterday, those belongings were kept in the guardroom, under lock and key. Merrin's comb was most revealing, as it held evidence that Merrin had been—commanded in some way. I almost couldn't stomach what I found."
"What did you find?" I demanded.
"Kaakos had plans to restore Merrin's power during his trial, and add to it with his own. We could have died in the Council chambers, my King. Whatever precipitated Merrin's disappearance, I can only call it a fortunate event."
I'd gone still; Barth's words chilled me. Kaakos could restore power from afar—and add to it? "Barth, I didn't think I could become more worried than I already was," I said. "But that no longer holds true."
"Can we be sure that Garkus wasn't under Kaakos' influence?" Hunter asked. My head jerked toward him—I hadn't considered that.
"Barth?" Hunter said.
"What?" Barth responded.
"Don't do divination on suspected spies in the future. If divination is required, let someone else do it from now on. We don't need Kaakos ensnaring the King's Chief Diviner."
"Hunter?" My worries were back and increased ten-fold.
"Thorn?" Hunter turned to me.
"You just scared me to death. Keep it up," I held up a hand to stop his half-formed apology. "Here's our newest concern," I went on. "The villagers of Vale came in contact with Ruarke. Did any of them once hold power? If so, how are we to decide whether any of them are now controlled by Kaakos?"
Armon? I sent mindspeak after my meeting with Barth and Hunter.
Thorn? He sounded surprised to hear from me in the middle of the day. Usually we communicated early and late each day, unless there was an emergency.
Are there any villagers from Vale still at Secondary Camp?
A few, he replied. Why?
Come for dinner tonight. Bring Levi, Marc and Wend with you. I'll ask Caral, Sherra and Cole to be there, too. I have a special assignment.
We'll be there, Armon said.
Sherra knew through Doret that some of those villagers could be tainted by Kaakos. Now to decide what to do about it. Hunter had records of former power holders, since I'd taken command of the army. Before that, records hadn't been kept. Too many of those could still be alive and causing trouble for us.
Doret? I sent.
Thorn?
Will you have dinner with us tonight? I'd like to discuss the villagers of Vale, if you don't mind.
I'll be there.
Thank you.
"We haven't kept track of them—some have gone to live with relatives in other villages," Wend reported. "I know that from the drudges at Secondary Camp. They usually have better information than the troops on things like that."
"Did we ever do a count of those who survived?" I asked.
"I believe there are records at Secondary Camp, but those are reports filed by survivors. If an entire family perished, we may not have reliable records for them," Armon answered my question.
"I'd like those records, if you don't mind," Hunter said. "I'll send copies back to you when I have them."
"The ones remaining—nothing out of the ordinary with any of them?" I went on.
"Hard to say," Levi replied. "Since we really didn't know them before they arrived at Secondary Camp after the attack."
"I hate to target people like this," Sherra said. "Especially after they've been through such trauma already."
"I understand that, up to a point," I turned to her. "But with the threat that Kaakos represents, he could be inside anyone. That can cause problems for the rest of us."
"Why not do divination?" Caral asked.
"Because if he chooses to expend the power necessary, Kaakos can invade a diviner as easily as he might invade a former power-holder," Doret sighed. "He can lie dormant within a victim, too, until he chooses to strike, as he did with Ruarke. Heavy shielding will help keep him out, but it isn't infallible. This is a horrible impasse."
"The entire problem would go away if Kaakos died," Armon pointed out.
Sherra's mouth tightened, but she didn't say anything. "We've never really considered an attack on Ny-nes, and we only have men and women to fight them; we don't have machines or bombs," I said.
"I'd prefer not to panic everyone in Az-ca, based solely upon supposition," Hunter offered. "Yes, we keep our guard up and remain watchful, but we don't need the country turning upon itself and tearing their neighbors apart, based on suspicion and rumor. Besides, Vale wasn't the only village that encountered Merrin and Ruarke. Remember Merrin's hostages?"
Hunter had drawn our attention to the largest flaw in our conversation. That Merrin or Ruarke could have been in contact with almost anyone who'd washed out or retired. That didn't include active members of the army, but we'd done divination on those recently. They'd passed our tests then. I hoped Kaakos hadn't turned his attention in that direction, for fear of detection.
"Kaakos is spreading his preliminary diseases of fear, suspicion and distrust," Doret muttered. "It's what he does best, you know."
"He's still trying to destroy us from the inside, isn't he?" Sherra turned dark, worried eyes in my direction.
"It looks that way," I nodded, dropping my eyes to stare at my plate. Food was half-eaten and congealing there; I was no longer hungry.
Chapter 3
Ny-nes
Kaakos
My fury resulted in the deaths of two guards, whose bodies were hauled out of my quarters, dripping blood across the floor.
None questioned me; fear shone in eyes that never met mine as they removed bodies and cleaned spilled blood from the floor.
Some
one had attempted to kill my mole in Az-ca, foiling my plans to destroy the new King and his Council. Merrin was asleep in his new quarters; I'd seen to that before venting my anger. He could still be of use to me, as he knew so many in and out of Az-ca's army. He was also familiar with the Commander's strategies, which could prove quite useful in the future. That worked to my advantage; I merely had to learn it to make my plans.
Now, to search for another in Az-ca to invade; someone capable of running my widespread spy network. I wanted real power at my command—power that I could augment from where I was to increase the damage, rather than wasting energy to restore what had once been. Eventually, I'd consider sending Merrin back, but he needed reprogramming before then.
Meanwhile, I wanted someone close to the King. Someone Merrin was familiar with. I searched the fragile memories I'd gleaned from Merrin already, hoping to find a suitable mind.
I needed someone prone to disagreement. One primed to accept the idea of a secret revolt. Merrin had been cooperative—he'd hoped to save his skin that way, and it fell in with his previous desire to kill the King and those around him.
Too bad the former Crown Prince was dead as well as powerless—that would have been ideal. Merrin's uncle wouldn't cooperate to my satisfaction, either. Hunter had seldom agreed with anything Merrin did.
This could take time, as I'd made the mistake of not going through Merrin's memories well enough to target another vessel. I'd be forced to search his mind again, paying closer attention to small details.
If all else failed, I'd target Hunter anyway. If I devised the proper spell and poured much of my power into the effort, there could be a small window where I might force him to kill the King and any others with him.
Before I resorted to that, however, I wanted to try other measures to accomplish the same thing. I merely had to get one of my minions close enough to do the deed. Perhaps I should contact the one spy I commanded who had mindspeak, to seek a suitable follower through him.
"Yes, just lay the rug over the blood stains. Those two displeased the Prophet and died for their sins," I waved a hand at the servants who'd brought a rolled-up rug to my quarters.
Black Rose Queen: Black Rose Sorceress, Book 3 Page 3