Beach of Bones (Empath Book 1)

by Dawn Peers

  “Maertn? What have you seen? Never mind your father, here, look at me? What’s wrong?”

  Maertn looked up at King Vance, and froze. The king’s voice was kindly, and his eyes showed the same warmth. Maertn drew courage from that, but as he opened his mouth, the lie faltered on his lips. He couldn’t bring himself to betray his king.

  “I…I was treating the Lord Shiver, one morning after he’d been drinking…”

  Maertn’s voice was high-pitched, and even as he started, the lie sounded ridiculous. Unused to this from Maertn, Quinn was overcome with curiosity. She left herself open, like Sammah had asked. The lies were filling the room; she was getting dizzy.

  “Enough of this charade!”

  Shiver’s voice rang loud and clear across the hall, in full contrast to Maertn’s shrill and timid tones. Quinn thought Vance rolled his eyes, but she couldn’t tell. Her vision swam. She’d been hit by the full force of Shiver’s anger, and collapsed to the floor. Bile rose in her throat, and she thought she was going to be sick. She isolated herself, kept her power turned in, but the damage had already been done. Maertn dropped to his knees beside her.

  “Quinn? Quinn!”

  Eden’s footsteps rang out as he sprinted to be by her side. He rushed to her, but, frustrated, was unable to help.

  * * *

  “What have you done to her this time, Sammah?”

  Sammah chuckled, though he was becoming unnerved by the situation. Absolutely every major player in his little game was in this hall now, and he hadn’t expected any of them. Eden should be dead; Shiver should be cowering in Ross’s quarters, and the chamberlain shouldn’t be walking. “Nothing! You all know how prone she is to collapse. The words of your treachery—and the betrayal of her lover—have clearly been too much to bear!”

  “Healer? Is she alright? What’s happening to her?”

  Maertn’s confidence returned as he was brought back into the conversation in his role as a healer. He’d seen Quinn like this before, and knew exactly what was wrong with her. He was in a bind, though. To tell the king the truth, he’d have to expose Quinn for what she was, and that might put her in harm’s way. But, with the truth out there, Quinn would no longer be bound to Sammah’s blackmail. Maertn considered which of the two he trusted more; Baron Sammah was found wanting, by a clear margin.

  “She’s sick, sire. It’s Sammah’s doing. He wanted her to be reading you, to know what you were thinking. He wanted her to try and manipulate you into trusting him.”

  “What…how?”

  Eden threw himself at Maertn. “What are you doing? You’ll kill her!”

  Maertn pushed the lord back, forgetting the consequences such an assault meant in the words of the law. “I’m saving her life! If everyone knows, then she won’t be trapped!”

  “If everyone knows, they’ll have her killed!”

  “You don’t know that, Eden. Give me a chance!”

  “Well it’s too late now, isn’t it?” Eden yelled this at Maertn, furious, as he was lifted off the healer by Ross. The chamberlain pushed him back, and Shiver grabbed hold of his son’s arms, keeping him steady.

  * * *

  Vance had stood by, watching this happen, and now, bewilderment was being replaced by fury. He was taking in each of the men stood before him, and just looking at them rose bewildering questions.

  Shiver, Ross, and Eden had all been injured in some form. None of them showed any hint of those wounds now, though. They were all worried; had all rushed here—known he’d been here. Why? What had Sammah planned, and what part had these men played in his scheme?

  Finally, his gaze settled back on the baron. The man looked in shock, and on the edge of fleeing altogether. “Guards!”

  Men came rushing from the corners of the hall, and their little party was surrounded by a dozen guards. To try and escape now would be suicide.

  “Maertn, are you telling me this girl is the one we’ve been looking for? The one he’s been looking for.” Vance pointed at Eden, who shifted his eyes to the healer nervously. They’d gone past the point of retreat, now. Maertn put his faith in honesty, and the fairness of his king.

  “Yes, sire.”

  Quinn groaned. “Maertn…no…he’ll kill me.”

  “Not without a trial Quinn; you’ll be able to tell them your side.”

  “Not the king. Sammah.” Quinn’s voice cracked in her parched throat, but the words and her implications were clear to every man there.

  Shiver stepped forward, letting go of his son. “I don’t know what that poisonous snake has been telling you, sire, but I could almost guarantee you that none of it is truth. He’s spent the majority of his time here using her,” Shiver pointed down at Quinn, and Maertn laid an arm across her protectively. “To blackmail most of your lords. He’s used most of us, and he wants the throne. He’s not going to stop before he gets it. He had Broc killed. He almost killed Ross, and he threatened to kill my son.”

  “And what part did you play in this, Shiver?”

  Lord Shiver took a deep breath. He, too, was going to expose himself to the king more than he ever thought he would. With Baron Sammah in his way, though, he had a shield for the majority of his sins. “I was Sammah’s ally, for a time. Before I knew what I was getting myself involved in, it was too late. I know what you think of me, Vance. I haven’t exactly hidden my resentment that you won that vote. But, I wouldn’t do it the way he’s gone about it. I wouldn’t use things like her to get to you.”

  “Father!”

  “I don’t give a pig’s fart what you think, Eden, it’s true. She’s a monster, and she shouldn’t have been brought here in the first place. Sammah’s been collecting them like toys, finding the useful ones and placing them in all the courts. Not mine. I wouldn’t stand for it.”

  “There are more?”

  “Like her? There’s no one like Quinn.”

  “Feeling brave enough to speak? Speak for yourself then, Sammah. You’re telling me Shiver had Broc killed; Shiver says it was you. What’s the truth of the matter?”

  “You heard it yourself, sire. Lord Shiver wants your throne, and he’s trying to use me to get it. Why would I want to disrupt court? If I took Everfell it would start a war that neither of our people are ready for or want. I only have yours—and Everfell’s—best interests at heart.”

  “And her? Why do you need her at court?”

  “To protect you, sire! To find the men that collude against you and bring them to justice! Alec wanted to depose you, and I dealt with him!”

  “So, you did kill Alec. That’s the first thing that’s come out of your mouth that I actually believe.”

  “It’s truth, sire, all of it!”

  Quinn's could barely speak, her throat was so dry. "Lies," she croaked "he's lying."

  Vance had leaned down, his ear almost by her parched lips, so he could hear her faint words. He rose, dark brown eyes dancing almost black with fury.

  "You're lying, Sammah. What else have you lied to me about?"

  "I'm not! You can't believe her! Not over me." Sammah began to fawn at the king, his voice becoming a simpering whine. "I've served you, sire, flawlessly, for years. You cannot believe these...these children over my word! I'm a baron of Sha'sek!"

  "And you are trying to take the throne." Vance retorted bluntly.

  "I'm...you can't prove that. You can't!"

  "No. We can't. Not straight away. Ross, take him down. Put him in the gaol, back with his hired killers. We will have a trial, Baron Sammah. I relieve you immediately of your duties as emissary to Everfell."

  Two men walked up to Sammah, who started to panic. He did the worst thing possible at that point; he drew a blade, and started swinging it wildly in front of him. Like a wild animal, though, he wasn't able to stand against a crowd on his own. Ross waited for a few moments, until Sammah's sword was at its widest arc, and grabbed on to him by the shoulders. The sword went spinning a short distance across the stones, skittering to a stop by Quinn's
feet. She picked it up. It was light; running her finger down the blade brought up a thin drop of blood. How many had he killed, over the years, with this insignificant little thing?

  The small crowd they had gathered began to follow Sammah down to the gaol, the small journey becoming a derisory ceremony. Vance and Ross remained, with Quinn, Eden, Maertn, and Shiver. They all bowed to the king, realising they were suddenly under his direct scrutiny.

  "So, Sammah didn't think I was fit to rule, and you were the three that deigned to stop him."

  "We couldn't do it on our own, sire. Ross did help us, and so did my father, in the end, despite his sins."

  Vance looked over Shiver disdainfully. Shiver, to his credit, did not shrink or panic under that baleful stare. "I am inclined, this time only, Shiver, to allow you to stay out of the gaol. But I don't know the extent of your crimes. If you are implicated in any of the murders, I will have to put you to trial."

  Pale, Shiver inclined his head in agreement. In the presence of the Chamberlain, and in the hall of the king, he was not left with a choice. Vance then went over to Quinn. He pulled her upright from her awkward bow. He shook his head as he looked her over.

  "I don't know how such a gentle face can be the source of so many of our problems. So young, too. What did Sammah do to you, to bend you to his will, child?"

  Quinn thought carefully before she answered. "He was my father. He was all I knew."

  Vance nodded. "I cannot, you understand, excuse you from your part in the crimes of Baron Sammah." Quinn closed her eyes, a tear trickling over her cheek, and over her chin, dropping down to the floor. She squeezed them, hard. Vance was going to sentence her to death in exchange for the deaths of so many others; she would not allow him more than one tear.

  Eden yelled in protest. Both Ross and his father held him back.

  "No, son. This is a matter for the king. She knows she did wrong. You knew it, too. Don't make this any worse for her!"

  "I can't just let her die!"

  Vance smiled grimly. "I can't sentence a child to die for the crimes of her father. No, child. You have done wrong, yes. And whilst you had no choice, I cannot let you live in Everfell without having you stand in front of the law for what you have done. My position—what little pride and strength I have left in the eyes of my lords—would be absolutely obliterated. Therefore, your choices are these. You may stand trial for the lesser crime of aiding the Baron Sammah with treason. The sentence for this, if you are found guilty, is life under the yoke. We know you are guilty, Quinn. Or, you may choose exile. You must leave the lands of Everfell in their entirety; you can live wherever you will, but you cannot live under the benefit of a lord, nor can you take pay or shelter from a citizen of Everfell. You will be banished across the Severed Desert, where I hope you will find more peace and prosperity with…” Vance took a deep breath before he finished, “…your own kind."

  Quinn opened her eyes in a pleasantly surprised shock. After finding out how much more Sha'sek had to offer her, she could only have dreamt of a chance to see its shores. Before, she would have been under the jurisdiction of Sammah and unable to travel. Now, she was being told that was her only option at life. She knew what she had to do."

  "I will choose exile."

  Maertn stood forward, silent throughout, waiting for Quinn's will before his own. "I will go too."

  "Maertn, I can't allow that. You have work here—services to me—you are going to be the master soon. Torran is nothing compared to you."

  "If Quinn must be with her own kind to find peace," Maertn replied "then I need to be too, sire. There's a reason I'm such a talented healer, with my small scattering of years."

  They all saw then that Vance hesitated. He was considering reversing his ruling, simply to keep Maertn within his walls. How valued he was; how needed by the crown. And how fearful Vance must be of the future, to want to keep Maertn where he was. Again, though, he couldn't reverse such a declaration without word getting around the court, and once more looking like a fool. He had lost too much face already, allowed too much free rein and chaos to rule his people. The Sha'sek had to leave. If Maertn was one, then so be it. Vance nodded his ascension.

  Quinn squealed with glee, jumping in to Maertn's arms and familiar hug. Eden's voice broke in to her reverie. "I'll come with you, too."

  She turned to him. His face was weary, his eyes dark and tired, but dry. His chin was covered with stubble and he looked like every inch of his body had been battered in the last few days; mainly, they had. She shook her head at him.

  "I can't let you do that Eden."

  "But I love you, Quinn. I don't want to lose you."

  She cocked her head to one side. "Come here, Eden." Quinn asked softly. He followed her words, standing in front of her, towering more than a head over her slight frame. "Can I?"

  He gulped and nodded, letting his own tear out then. He knew what she was going to do, and neither of them knew what they would find.

  "Do you love me?"

  "Yes." Quinn was heartbroken at the warmth that billowed around her, her legs going shaky as she was reminded of the passion they had shared. Yes, she loved Eden just as he loved her.

  "Do you love your father?"

  Eden swallowed. "Yes."

  Quinn frowned. He was doubtful, but he was telling the truth. Her air did not go dry; it did not taste of the acrid salt of lies.

  Quinn took a deep breath. "Do you love me more than you love your need to serve Sevenspells?"

  Eden dropped his mouth open. He had expected her to ask if he loved her more than his father, and that answer was an easy yes. But his duty to his father; to his people; the expectations of serving as the son of a lord. "Yes."

  Quinn's nose twitched. It was not wholly untrue; parts of Eden did love her more than his duty. She was not clever or skilled enough to know which parts. Perhaps not even Eden himself knew. "No you don't, Eden. Is your need to follow me greater than your need to serve your king?"

  “No." This time Eden was hesitant, his voice quiet given the company they were in, and the bolt that shot up Quinn's arm proved it. She, however, was not being assessed by an empath. She told Eden that he was lying. The king and Shiver stood a bit taller at the declaration that this young lord was holding his duty higher than he was his love for this woman.

  "Do you want to come with me, simply because Maertn is coming with me? Despite what you know about us?"

  She felt the flare of jealousy before he answered. Despite their friendship, despite what all three of them had been through together, Eden hadn't yet been able to let go of the fact that Maertn had always been there, and Quinn needed him in her life.

  Quinn needed Eden, too, but Maertn's love had been unconditional since they were young. They were, after all, brother and sister of a kind, even if that had only been by Sammah's hand. Eden had never loved before. Quinn didn't blame him. Growing up with ambitious brothers and a father with all the loving capacity of a walrus, Quinn would have been overwhelmed by her first love, too. She grasped the hand of both Maertn and Eden. The young lord was not her first love, and Quinn herself had already misjudged her best friend once. They both had too much to learn before declaring their lives for each other.

  "You are a lord, Eden, and a captain of the guard. You have a place here. You have people that love you, for you, in their own ways. We'll meet again. When we do, I'll ask you those questions again."

  He stepped away from her, fury billowing out from him. Quinn stayed strong. She knew she was making the right decision.

  Vance turned to her again, respect now hardening his voice.

  "Quinn, of the house of Sammah, you have two choices. Judgement, or exile?"

  Quinn dropped Maertn's hand, and stood proud.

  "I choose exile, your highness.”

  About the Author

  Dawn is a UK-based author of fantasy and horror fiction, currently based in West Sussex. She writes books for adults and teens, and is the author of the upcoming Emp
ath series, as well as the horror series Great Bitten, both available from Permuted Press.

  When Dawn isn't writing fiction, she is usually found fixing computers (this sometimes includes more than turning them off and on again). In her spare time she tends to read too much, and obsesses over her geriatric cat. She would love to go on more walks (but doesn't) and should cycle more (but hates hills).

  You can connect with Dawn on social media at www.facebook.com/dawnpeersauthor and @dawnpeersauthor